Thursday 13: Cupcakes!

f you look back at yesterday's Wordless Wednesday, you'll see that cupcakes have been on my mind. I made a bunch for a work event, and it reawakened my cupcake love, for sure. In looking around for recipes and ideas, I saw a lot of fun cupcakes, and thought I'd share 13 of my favorites...

1. Check out these Guitar Hero cupcakes. Those would make the teenagers happy, eh? Also from the same site, I saw these periodic table cupcakes (below). While I can't say the execution is up to snuff, I do like the concept. Maybe if I'd had those in junior high, memorizing the periodic table would have been easier?

2. Hungry caterpillar cupcakes, for the toddlers among us...

3. And corn on the cob cupcakes, for the grownups. How fun are those?

 4. Such cute peep cupcakes, and in a rainbow array, too! (I will remember those for next Easter!)

5. I love these orange cupcakes--especially the idea of baking in the orange peel. Clever and yummy!

6. Dahlia cupcakes... I love the colored sugar on the petals! So pretty.

7. Hamburger cupcakes: these would be another hit with the kids, I'm sure.

8. Sunflower cupcakes, so sunny and summery! I saw another recipe that had chocolate-covered sunflower seeds in the middle (rather than the chocolate cereal pictured here), which would be cute and easy as well.

9. In keeping with the current owl obsession that seems to be everywhere, here are some very cute owl cupcakes.

10. I love the dressed-up look of these super-elegant white cupcakes. These would be great for a wedding.

11. Apple cupcakes for teacher appreciation week. (Or, to make the whole "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" concept that much easier to swallow!)

12. Black Forest cupcakes from our friend Martha Stewart. (I'm sure it's no surprise to you, but she has a LOT of great cupcakes on her site.)

13. And how incomplete would this list be without rainbow cupcakes?

I think I'm ready for some of those orange cupcakes, soon. Which one is your favorite?

For more Thursday 13s, go here.

Ten Word Tuesday

Sunshine-filled energetic day, spent completely. Recharging now, sweet sleep.

Ready to eat like it's spring: Panzanella

pring has sprung, it really has. The grass is green--I think it's the greenest it's EVER been, and when I mow, the bags fill up in, like, a minute. Like, really. (Say it in your best Valley Girl voice, you know you want to.)

And in keeping with spring-ish-ness everywhere, I am finally getting out of the soups/stews/pasta doldrums and back into salads and freshness and Asparagus. Asparagus with a capital A! It's local, it's cheap and it's yummy. I could eat it three meals a day.

And in the salad realm, I could probably eat panzanella for two of those three meals. It's a salad that has a few core basics (um, bread?!) and the variations are endless. Here are a few iterations that appeal to me:

Ina Garten's Grilled Panzanella: A pretty traditional take on the original with basil, tomatoes and cucumbers.

Strawberry Panzanella: This would probably be either a dessert or breakfast option, but looks really yummy!

Salmon Panzanella: This would be popular around here, for sure. A twist on the original (peppers, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, capers) with cooked, cubed salmon.

Cous Cous a la Panzanella: Replace the bread with couscous, not a bad idea.

Spring Panzanella: Now you're talking my language... peas, asparagus and spinach. Sounds amazing.

Mushroom Panzanella: A nice twist, the mushrooms. Maybe once I get out morel hunting...

So with all those ideas overflowing in my brain, here's where I ended up recently... this salad has a lot to do with what's currently in the fridge!

Spring Panzanella
(Feeds 2, generously...)
2 cups tomatoes, cut into large chunks
2 cups day old (somewhat dry and hard) crusty bread (Italian or French loaf), cut into chunks the same size as the tomatoes
2 cups asparagus, roasted and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cups greens, washed and dried
1 cup baby potatoes, roasted and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (I had mini-babies, so I left them whole)
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/3 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1/4 cup good olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup parmesan cheese shreds
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl and let sit for a half-hour, at least. (I usually have a hard time leaving it alone, and generally eat it immediately! What a rebel.)

One critical thing is to have the bread be old/dry, and not fresh. Fresh bread will suck up all of the olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and get mushy. If you don't have day-old bread, put your cut up cubes in a 300-degree oven for 5-10 minutes until the edges get dried out

Other things I like to add, if they're around (and no, for clarification, not all together):
*Cucumber (would have added it to the above salad if I'd had any in the house)
*Hard boiled eggs and raw mushrooms and blue cheese (kind of like a Cobb salad)
*Peppers: roasted or otherwise
*Artichoke hearts
*Pinenuts
*Hazelnuts
*Basil, arugula or spinach
*Fruit, such as nectarines or pears (a local restaurant had a summer version with melons and peaches and tomatoes and it was heavenly... they are no longer serving lunch. Guess I'll have to make that one myself...)

As I was looking through this blog to see if I'd posted on panzanella previously, I couldn't help but be drawn in by two previous blog posts that mention the salad: one on basil, and one on summer salads. It's official: I'm ready for summer.

Happy Mother's Day

t's Mother's Day, a day to reflect on mothers and mom-like people in our lives.

I don't know what I'm looking at, but Grandma, Ma and Seth all look good... I love the four generations, all together.

I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me.

They have clung to me all my life. -Abraham Lincoln

Such a happy memory this is for me, the boy baking up something alongside. He was most interested in the feel of the flour, I think, not so much what we were baking...

Most of all the other beautiful things in life come by twos and threes, by dozens and hundreds.
Plenty of roses, stars, sunsets, rainbows, brothers and sisters, aunts and cousins,
but only one mother in the whole world. -Kate Wiggins

I am very blessed to still get kisses. Blessed indeed.

A mother’s happiness is like a beacon, lighting up the future but reflected also on the past
in the guise of fond memories. -Honoré de Balzac

I have also been very blessed to have a loving and supportive mother, from day one. Thank you for your example, Ma. I have learned a lot from you over the years. A lot.

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people,
promptly announces she never did care for pie. -Tenneva Jordan

That last quote IS my mother. I saw that happen more than once during my childhood. Or, the pie gets cut, one piece looks like a pile of filling and crust--that's the one the hostess takes, my mother always taught me.

And to the boy who made me a mother, my thanks to you, always. Being a mom has pushed me to be a better person, and I thank God every day for giving me you. He knew exactly what I would need in a child, and voila! Here you are. A mom couldn't ask for a better son.

I have a lot of friends who are moms, for sure, and every day I am amazed by all these mothers do. It's a crazy rat race of car pools and appointments and volunteering and work and school activities and sports (you know who you are!) and yet each of you manages to keep on top of it in a way that amazes me, over here, with my singleton. I learn from all of you, as well. (With all this learning, you'd think I'd have a few more things figured out, eh?!)

In my joyful haze of early morning coffee and apple fritter, brought to me by my men, I can't help but also be cognizant of those for whom Mother's Day is a sad one, either by the loss of a parent, a child, or the dream of a child. These Hallmarky days can really put an exclamation point on that pain, I know. Just know you're not alone. Almost everyone I know has a loss at one end or the other, or if they don't right now, they will soon enough. So kiss the ones you love and who love you, every day.

Happy Mother's Day!

Recent Seattle trip: The Book Bindery (and a wonderful visit with a friend)

hen one visits a lovely restaurant, it's good to get your thoughts together within a few days... or at least weeks. Even more than a book or movie review, a meal is filled with so many ethereal and evocative tastes, smells and visual experiences... pretty soon it's just a blurry, happy memory... (If, on the other hand, the visit is less-than-lovely, it's good to let it quickly fade, don't you think?)

My dinner the week before last with dear friend Kate at The Book Bindery was exactly that--ethereal and evocative--and is quickly becoming the latter--blurry, happy memory... so before it fades any more, here's a quick rundown of the evening.

(Since I'm pretty sure you didn't tuck this into your memory banks, Kate is the friend who took me to Tilth last year, after we went wedding dress shopping for her Big Day... Look how late THAT post was--MONTHS late. See how I've improved? P.S. Kate always finds the coolest places to take me.)

So we started with drinks... Kate had a customized martini, I think with lemon and ginger? (See, memory is fading so soon...)

While I stuck with the non-alc, but entirely refreshing cucumber-mint-lime tonic. It was very good.

The amuse-bouche: a shot of chilled spring pea soup, with basil oil. I could have eaten an entire bowl!

Somewhere in the evening, we had to take pictures, right?

Kate looking lovely and rested from her recent Southeast Asian honeymoon!

I would say the one surprise of the menu for me was the dirth of vegetarian options. I'm not a vegetarian, per se, but I often choose an option that leans that direction, especially in starters and/or salad courses. I already knew, going into the evening, that if the beef option had an arrangement/sides that I liked, I would be partaking happily.

So, as no starter really shouted "Eat me!" we turned to the cheese course to start (which was listed with the desserts). I'm a well-documented cheese hound, so this worked well for me. As you can see from the picture below, there were three presentations, all in their own little world, quite independent. The homemade graham cracker in the upper right, under the strawberries, paired the the blue cheese--that was amazing. But then, the whole plate was delicious...

Kate opted for the pan roasted mad hatcher's chicken with grilled chicories, vanilla-parsnip purée and black currant jus.

And I stuck with my beef-love and had the Mishima Ranch “Flavor Curve” with confit potatoes, creamed nettles, King trumpet mushrooms and bordelaise sauce. (You can see the beef looks a little rare. I did ask for medium, but it was a more than a bit rarer than medium... but very good.) I was able to create one of my Perfect Bite scenarios over and over, with a little potato, a little nettles (I thought of you, Kim!), a little beef and some bordelaise. It was delightful.

What's an evening out without a sweet ending?! Knowing that we were headed into a long night of royal wedding watching, we decided we needed fortification and chose two desserts that we shared.

Grapefruit granita with coconut cakes (I couldn't find the more descriptive/elaborate menu online, so you're stuck with my memory here...): I could have eaten a much bigger bowl of the granita but the coconut cakes, which was the real pull for me here, didn't deliver in texture and flavor to the same extent...

Churros and chocolate pot de creme: The churros came warm and were quite delicious. The pot de creme was equally delightful and I put some pot de creme on  some churro and the combination was really fabulous.

I know, you're thinking in the way I just described those desserts: Did Kate get to eat any of those, Sher? It sounds like you pretty much cleaned the plates... Well, you may be right. This is one of those moments where the memory has faded, quite handily... But in my defense, Kate is less dessert-y than most, and is fully capable of smacking my hand away if I'm eating more of her portion than I should. So I'm pretty sure she ended up with as much of the sweets as she wanted. At least I hope so.

As we were winding up our meal, Kate thought I should take a picture of the kitchen, as it was wide open on your walk by to the restrooms. It seemed like a good idea until I was actually doing it and then I got all shy and furtive, and ended up with a giant finger (I swear that's what that is) in front of my iPhone. Not exactly cut out for spy work, am I?

We retired to Kate and Tony's place, not far away, visited for a bit, then got a couple of hours sleep. At 2 a.m. we arose, put some tea on, and watched the Big Event. We were awake through the ceremony, and then napped after the Buckingham Palace viewing (and kissing), and then truly slept for a bit after that.

Really, a quite wonderful evening with a memorable meal at The Book Bindery, made better by the company, for sure.

Friday night grateful moment

ridays are generally pretty good around here... the start to the weekend, bits and piece of getting ready for a day of rest and relaxation (gotta work before you can slack, right?), the end of business (husband) and business-lite/like (me) activities, and anticipation of family time (joy!).

This Friday is no exception, with the added bonus of a day off from school. That snow day I was always dreaming of this winter? Well, apparently it has been on the calendar all along and I never knew it. Today is the "make up" snow day--meaning IF they had needed to cancel school earlier this year, they would have gone to school today to compensate. No snow day then = now we get a day off! Happy Seth, happy mom.

Happy me, grateful me...

I am very grateful we had a wonderful day of sun this week. I know, how pathetic that it's DAY, singular, lonely. But right now, I'll take it. I guess if you count last Sunday, it was two days... I'm just grateful for every piece of warmth we get right now. The weekend looks like it's going to be pretty pathetic, warmth-wise, so we'll just cling to the hope that more sun is ahead... somewhere... (Tuesday's looking good on my weather app...)

I'm grateful that a few little tweaks to the schedule means more Seth time in May. I am *always* grateful for that.

I'm grateful for a son who is learning more every day about how people stuff works, what role each of us can play in getting along (or not, and how sometimes that not getting along is a-ok), and how to dig deep for resilience. Stuff that will take the young man quite a ways into his future. (Middle school sucks, you remember that, right?)

It was Teacher Appreciation Week this week, and I am grateful for the teachers who have challenged, encouraged, nudged and accepted Seth this year. I do feel so lucky for the teachers he's had so far in his educational experience, and am hopeful that his high school teachers will continue that tradition, as well.

I'm grateful for asparagus. Yum. I feel like that's my one lone spring treat so far... and I'm very much enjoying it! Here are a couple of asparagus images/recipes that I'm looking to try, soon.

Asparagus ribbon salad with hazelnuts

Asparagus tempura

I'm grateful for pancakes and syrup. Maple syrup, lots of maple syrup. I'm grateful for the two boys downstairs eating those pancakes, and their enduring friendship. Singletons who find other singletons to hang out with have a special bond, and I'm so glad Seth and Jake have each other.

I heard a couple of lovely ladies talk to a room full of people about self-doubt, stepping over your fears, and encouraging each other to live our best selves. This is language that seems to exist everywhere currently (hello, Oprah?), but it was fresh and personal coming from two life-long best friends, with stories and examples of other moms and their experiences... it was inspiring, and reminded me of how grateful I am to have had encouragement and support from friends and family over the years. I don't take for granted--at all--the fact that I don't have to pull myself out of bed each morning with a ton of positive self-talk. I do believe I am enough (with a heaping helping of grace); I don't know exactly how that's come to be, but I'll take it. (Which is not to say I don't have my moments of insecurity and self-doubt and even a bit of wallowing and poor-me-ing. Believe me, I do. But by and large, I can find my way back to center, and after a few deep breaths and even more prayer, I'm usually good to go.)

I have been having (maybe a little too much) fun with Pinterest, and all the visuals there. I'm grateful that someone thought up this system for tracking and cataloging images. It's a serious cornucopia of delights, and it's just a matter of figuring out ways to categorize and group the images. Seeing all the pretties I've pinned in a just a few weeks, I wonder how it will be in a year, or two, and all the images I'll have then. Kind of makes me smile.

Here are a few of my Pinterest pinnings of the week:

 source (Isn't that kid just precious?)

source (I could have a Corgi board, just pictures of Corgis, seriously.) 

source (There's some serious sugar craft!)

Those are all pinned to a board I created called "Just Plain Cute," which, I know, opens me up to immense ridicule and "Gee, that looks like a valuable way to spend your time, Sher." But I will let those comments roll off my back and at some future time, if you're really lucky, I'll give you a taste of my "Things I Want to Make" board, and it will make your head spin. It makes MY head spin, in a good way. So many fun, creative, clever ideas. I am indeed grateful for all the creative minds out there.

I am grateful for friends who exemplify this saying: "A friend is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one's heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away." I have those kinds of friends, indeed. (Side note: I had always thought this was a George Eliot quote. But tonight I found it listed as an Arabian proverb, by a Dinah Maria Mulock Craik and by Unknown. Hmmm. After this week and the MLK Jr. quote-heard-round-the-world kafluffle, I am wary as can be with attributing anything to anyone. George may have lost himself a quote...)

I'm grateful for a husband who takes Seth out Mother's Day shopping, who models for him what thoughtfulness and kindness look like. I love the image I conjure up in my mind of the two of them at the card section at WalMart... my sweet guys.

I am grateful for this weekend. Even as I listen to the pitter pat of raindrops on the deck (I kid you not, I feel like we live in Seattle--no offense, dear Seattle people), I can feel the week washing away...

I hope your weekend is lovely. Peace to you.

Thursday 13: Videos for your amusement

y Thursday 13 this week is a video post. I've been collecting them for a bit, and had to edit down to get to 13... get a cup of coffee (or tea!), put your feet up for a bit, and enjoy!

1. Balloons... a whimsical little story... is it a dream or a nightmare? Seriously.



2. Etsy love: This girl has some really refreshing thoughts. I'm so glad she shares them; her hats and scarves are lovely too.



3. Ode to the brain: Seth showed me this one--it's got that whole autotune thing going on. The TED talks that they edited into this video are actually quite good, check them out here and here.



4. Check out this early ad from Robin Williams. Funny guy.



5. Videos that morph can be kind of cheesy I suppose, but I like this one, a lot.

500 Years Of Female Portraits In Western Art - Celebrity bloopers here

6. Baby wants her bottle! What a funny little girl, I love her fearlessness.



7. Big Wheel vs. the NYC bus: This one is pretty funny too--just shows you how slow traffic moves in the city, eh? I'm surprised he didn't get run over.



8. When Harry Met Sally 2: So funny, that Helen Mirren. Billy's not bad either.

When Harry Met Sally 2 with Billy Crystal & Helen Mirren from Billy Crystal

9. Rickrolling politicians: So glad this is how taxpayer money is being spent! (But it's also quite humorous...)



10. Wild, wild waves! And on a river, no less...



11. Beatles cover... a little different than *my* dorm experience, for sure.



12. YoYo Ma and Lil Buck: Talk about a creative collaboration. YoYo Ma always keeps doing new and fresh things, I love that.



13. '80s dating video... I wonder where these guys are now?!



And here's a bonus video... I just can't help it. Found this one after the whole post was composed, and don't want to take one out to make room... (and it's just too cute to save for later).



I SO want to do this... get a couple of bunnies and train, train, train! I can hear husband laughing now...

Hope your Thursday is going well so far! Which one was your favorite video?

For more Thursday 13 participants and to play along, go here.

Midweek reminder: It was never between you and them, anyway

uring a week where quotes and misquotes have gone viral, I thought I'd turn to a quote with well-known origins... An oldie but a goodie, and one that speaks to me every time I read it.

"People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered:
          Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives:
          Be kind anyway.
What you spend years creating others could destroy overnight:
          Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous:
          Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten:
          Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it may never be enough:
          Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God:
          It was never between you and them anyway."
-Mother Teresa

Ten Word Tuesday

I'm grateful for grace every morning when I wake, myself.

Friday night grateful moment

am so grateful to be home, cozy with my husband. I have been away for a couple of brief days, and returning home in the sunset tonight, I felt most blessed. And tired. I'm thankful for my husband, too; he works so hard for our family, taking care of us.

My girlfriend Kate and I had a fun time last night; first a wonderful dinner out at a new-ish Seattle spot, The Book Bindery. At 2 a.m. we arose to watch the royal wedding, and it wasn't any difficulty at all staying awake... until they left for Buckingham Palace, whereupon I promptly dozed until they came out on the balcony to kiss... I only saw one kiss, so that tells you where I was at--snoozing! I'm grateful for Kate, to be sure (my Kate, not Wills' Kate!); for all our many years of visits and chats and sharing... we've walked the streets of Walla Walla and the streets of NYC, talking and talking and talking. Never any shortage there. Tiaras and tea in the middle of the night, that's new ground for us, for sure!

This one is going to sound odd, but it's true: I'm grateful we didn't pursue going to London for the Big Event. Husband offered... I did some half-hearted looking around at hotels and airfare a few months back and then lost steam on it... lots of reasons, but as I watched the crowds (1 million estimated along the route, holy cow!) I knew that I had the best view possible for me, cozy on a sofa with a friend. I would not be good camped out in a tent for days in advance, and then only seeing brief glimpses as they whisk by. I loved the camera views of the inside of the abbey, and BBCAmerica had really nice, minimal-commentary coverage. (I listened to some of the CNN coverage on XM on my way home tonight from Seattle, and Piers Morgan drives me nuts. I couldn't have handled that chat chat chat at 2 in the morning. No thanks.)

I'm grateful for a smooth, safe trip. Yesterday there were a ton of police on the roads as I headed over to Seattle--all on the other side of the road! Today there were far fewer... thankfully. But I literally cruised on home, listening to XM all the way. (My brain is a muddle of royal wedding hoo-ha, Dr. Laura, Laura Berman (!), Rosie O'Donnell, Gayle King and the comedy channel. I think I need a brain flush.)

I'm thankful that I have the good sense not to dress like Prince Andrew's daughters. OK, that sounds awfully snotty, but really... wow. What were they thinking? There are so many nice outfits in the world... I think it would have looked even worse, but for the Easter egg yellow glare off the Queen's outfit. (They were sitting directly behind her.) Thankfully, the Duchess of Cambridge seems to have enough good taste for all the rest of the Duke's family, eh?!

I'm thankful for my son, for our communication and affection. I am a lucky mom.

I'm grateful for opportunities to stretch my brain, and the opportunity to work on challenging projects. My Seattle time was fun in that way, reporting on a project we've been noodling on for a nonprofit I volunteer with. Feels good to get things checked off the list! Now on to other projects... there are always more in the pipeline.

I'm grateful for spring, even though it feels so slow in coming. I drove through snowflakes yesterday on the pass. Snowflakes! On April 28? Snowflakes? Crazy.

I'm grateful for spring eating--asparagus! baby potatoes! little lettuces! I am so looking forward to summer eating too, but that seems so far off, with this silly cold weather.

 I'm grateful for color. I felt like the mother ship was calling me home yesterday afternoon in University Village... glassybaby... color... so pretty. (I was very good and just took pictures. Truly good.)

I'm grateful for love; especially for those taking a second spin around. A friend got married tonight in Oregon (I swear they set their date before those silly royals), and Jen is posting updates to FB and texting me happy pictures of the evening. It's lovely to see, even from afar, and reminds me of our little event 5+ years ago... love is grand.

I am always grateful for cheese, as you know. And I will do a post about The Book Bindery, probably... but I can't resist showing you this amazing cheese plate Kate and I split last night. Yum.

I'm thankful for the weekend, to rest and gather ourselves before another week. I plan to do just that!

Hope your weekend is peaceful.