Midnight in Paris

December 31, 2013 – Midnight in Paris

Elliott and I have never been New Year’s Eve revelers.  We prefer to stay home and go to bed at our regular bedtime.  So we’ve developed a tradition called Midnight in Paris.  This is how it works:  When it’s midnight in the French capital, we celebrate the arrival of the new year.  With the six hour time difference, it’s only 6:00 p.m. Eastern time when celebrate.  As usual, we stayed on Convento Terrace for New Year’s Eve.  In fact, our neighbors came to our house for a very low-key celebration.  It’s a little after 9:00 p.m. now, everyone has departed, and I’ve finished the cleanup.  As far as we’re concerned, this is the perfect way to usher in 2014.  

Welcoming 2014 at home

Elliott and I wish all of our friends and family a very happy and healthy new year, a year in which you find joy, time for reflection, and a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. 

The Last Weekend (of 2013)

Sunday, December 29, 2013 – The Last Weekend (of 2013)

The last weekend of the year was filled with a variety of activities.  To take advantage of Saturday’s sunshine and pleasant (50s) temperatures, my friend Cheri and I went for a long, long walk up 14^th Street in Northwest DC, from 14^th and I (Eye), through the Logan Circle neighborhood, all the way up past W Street and back to the McPherson Metro station.  We walked a couple of miles, but we weren’t walking solely for exercise.  We chose this particular route because 14^th Street currently boasts a tremendous concentration of interesting shops and exciting new restaurants.  Soon after we exited from the Metro at McPherson station, we noticed the crepe makers busy at work through the windows of Point Chaud.  But we decided to postpone snacking, knowing that the majority of eating establishments could be found north of Thomas Circle. 

Sure enough, as soon as we crossed P Street, we spotted Estadio, a Spanish restaurant featuring the cuisine of the Basque and Catalan regions.  It was only 11:30 in the morning, but Cheri hadn’t eaten any breakfast.  That was a good enough excuse to go inside for a mini-brunch:  an egg tortilla with jamon, green beans, alioli and Mahon cheese (from the island of Minorca); and seared sablefish filet over exquisitely seasoned lentils and Catalan greens with currants and pine nuts.  The portions were perfectly sized for tasting, while leaving room for another snack or two later in the day.   

Estadio on 14th Street

Sablefish at Estadio

 Afterwards, we browsed in clothing consignments shops and stores selling high-end contemporary furnishings.  Of course, we couldn’t walk past Miss Pixie’s without going inside to wander through their quirky collection of second-hand furniture, housewares, and bric-a-brac.  I nearly bought a lovely silver serving fork, but self-restraint prevailed.  

  

Unfortunately, our appetites hadn’t recovered enough to eat again when we reached Pearl Dive Oyster Palace or Rice (a Thai restaurant.  In fact, we weren’t even hungry when we got all the way up past W Street.  I was hoping to try a sandwich at G by Mike Isabella (of Iron Chef fame).  All of those establishments will have to wait for another day. 

We took a slight detour down U Street, so I could get a look at Ben’s Chili Bowl, a DC landmark.  Their famous half-smokes didn’t tempt me, but I wouldn’t mind going back some other time to sample their veggie burger and to say I’ve eaten at Ben’s.  

The famous Ben's Chili Bowl on U Street

 The strong midday sunshine and some more shopping helped us develop a thirst, if not a major hunger, as we were walking back down 14^th Street.   It just so happened that we were approaching Le Diplomate, at the corner of 14^th and Q.  Le Diplomate is a French restaurant and, according to Washingtonian magazine, “the hottest new restaurant of the year.”  I certainly wasn’t planning to eat there on Saturday.  Reservations are difficult to get, and I wasn’t in the market for an expensive meal.  But we noticed people sitting at outside tables and, on impulse, decided to see if we could just get coffee.  We ended up sitting outdoors at a small café table, sharing a demi-carafe of red wine, a platter of three French cheeses (Valencay, Brillat Savarin, and Fourme d’ambert) and some of the best bread I’ve ever eaten.  We stayed until the sun dipped low and shadows crept across our table before resuming our walk back to the Metro. 

Enjoying wine and cheese at Le Diplomate

 Sunday started with heavy rain, but at least there was no snow.  Elliott has been researching stoves that burn wood pellets and we went to a fireplace shop to look at a few models.  Since he was feeling good, he also joined me for an afternoon at the movies.  We saw Saving Mr. Banks, with Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks.  The film recounts Walt Disney’s efforts to turn the Mary Poppins book into a movie.  It was sweet, loving, beautifully acted – and ever since we got back home, we’ve been singing “Let’s Go Fly A Kite.”  

Four Days, Four Celebrations

Friday, December 27, 2013 – Four Days, Four Celebrations

This week of celebration started off with a birthday lunch for my mother.  Katie, who turned 88 on Monday, has always been easy to please.  All she wanted was a good hamburger, so we took her over to Johnny Rocket’s.  Fortunately for me, they also had Boca burgers on the menu – and sweet potato fries.  After lunch, we all went to see Anchorman 2, which was mildly funny, but about 90 minutes too long.  

with my mother on her 88th birthday

Elliott enjoyed the burger and a milkshake.

On Tuesday, Matt met us at China Star and helped us observe the Thompson tradition of Chinese food on Christmas Eve.  The restaurant was busy, and we recognized a few other families that belong to our synagogue.  It was a frosty cold night, and we were glad to stay home for the rest of the evening.  I stayed up late to finish another 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle.  This one was titled Travel Dreams.  Elliott says my puzzle mania is getting a bit out of control. 

Four generations on the Thompson side of the family gathered on Christmas Day at the home of Marie-Claude and Peter outside of Baltimore.  Marie-Claude had been baking and cooking for weeks in preparation for the holiday feast.  Highlights from her traditional menu included a velvety smooth parsnip and potato soup, a perfectly roasted turkey (white and dark meat cooked separately), stuffing made with homemade sausage, and for dessert, a genuine figgy pudding.  This was my first-ever taste of the English treat.  Actually, it’s not a pudding in the American sense of the word.  It’s what we would call a cake.  It was tasty, not too sweet, and the figs came from trees in Marie-Claude and Peter’s garden.  Marie-Claude also gave us a basket to bring home with homemade gingerbread cookies and fruitcake.  Bonus – I brought along four of my jigsaw puzzles and traded with my grandson Darren.  Now I have four new ones to tackle.  

The figgy pudding

Thursday was Boxing Day.  I’ve seen this holiday marked on calendars, but I really didn’t know the significance of the day until I did a little research a few minutes ago.  It’s a national holiday in the UK and Ireland, and supposedly has something to do with Christmas presents (known as boxes) for servants, who would have the day off on December 26.  Nowadays, it’s a relaxed time to visit and eat leftovers.  In our case, the Reynolds family, longtime friends, came over for dinner, which did not include any leftovers.  In fact, our Boxing Day menu had a somewhat Scandinavian theme, in honor of Elliott’s Norwegian heritage and my longtime association with Denmark, where I went to school during my junior year in college.  There were several cheeses (Jarlsberg – the Norwegian version of Swiss; Castello – a very creamy Danish blue; and Havarti with dill) and thin slices of black pumpernickel bread.  Of course, there was herring, in a sweet and sour mustard sauce.  Beer would have been a more authentic beverage choice, but we opted for a good Australian Shiraz. 

Next, we warmed up with green split pea soup, studded with meaty chunks of portabella mushrooms.  After that, we sampled the thin Norwegian pancakes called lefse, which I had purchased recently at the Norwegian bazaar.  They’re like giant crepes, but the batter is potato-based.  I served them filled with smoked salmon and softened goat cheese.  Along with the lefse, we had several cold dishes:  pickled cucumber salad with dill (which I learned to love in Denmark), roasted beets with a raspberry-orange vinaigrette, and celery root remoulade.  This last salad is technically French, but since it’s a root vegetable, I figured it would be at home on a Scandinavian table. 

We were pretty stuffed after all that, but no one could resist homemade applesauce topped with vanilla Greek yogurt and toasted almonds.  After the healthy dessert, it was time for the rest of the dessert course.   My original menu included julekake, the Norwegian Christmas cake.  However, I put the julekake aside when Marshall showed up with a beautifully wrapped panettone (the Milanese Christmas cake).  The only solution was to grant Italy temporary Scandinavian status for the day.  Coffee and some Lindt chocolates rounded out the meal.  Sorry there are no photos.  I was too busy cooking, eating and socializing. 

After four straight days of celebrating, i.e. over-indulgence, it was good to get to the gym this morning. 

Dining Al Fresco in December

Sunday, December 22, 2013 – Dining Al Fresco in December

Like many in the mid-Atlantic region, I’m taking advantage of this unusual spell of warm weather.  We just reached the winter solstice, and the temperature yesterday was around 70 degrees!  Today was even warmer, and muggy like summertime.  And just when I was getting used to frizz-free hair.  I mustn’t complain, though.  Spring-like weather in December is a gift to be savored. 

On Saturday, I met up with my friend Michelle at the National Gallery.  After viewing a couple of exhibits, we sat outside in the sunshine at the Sculpture Garden Pavilion and sipped cappucino.  The printmaking show we saw featured the work produced at Crown Point Press by several contemporary artists.  The photography exhibit was devoted to the work of a single artist, Charles Marville, whose name was unknown to me until I read a review of the show.  Marville photographed Paris from the 1850s through 1870s, and captured the transformation of the city under the direction of Baron Haussmann during the Second Empire.  If you live in the New York City area, you will have a chance to see this fascinating show when it comes to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in late January.  

at the Pavilion Cafe at the Sculpture Garden

 On Sunday, the sun was hiding behind a thick layer of clouds, but the morning temperature was already in the 70s.  Once again, I headed into the District, this time with my friend Cindy.  We started with a Mediterranean lunch at Agora:  warm pida bread, htipiti (a mixure of roasted red peppers, feta, thyme and olive oil), arugula salad, dolmades (grape leaves stuffed with rice, pine nuts, tomatoes, and herbs), borulce fasulye (black-eyed peas, Swiss chard, olive oil, lemon juice, and crispy fried shallots), pistachio baklava, and Turkish tea.  Sitting at an outside table made our selection of mezze especially delicious.  

A selection of mezze at Agora

Agora's pistachio baklava

From Agora, it was just a short stroll over to Theatre J (at the DCJCC) for a performance of a new play called Our Suburb.  Inspired by Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, this drama is set in the Chicago suburb of Skokie in 1977.  The concept was interesting, and the play was extremely well-performed.  I know Elliott would have enjoyed the show, but he wisely chose to stay at home and take it easy. 

Alas, it seems that our brief escape from the reality of winter is coming to an end tomorrow.  But it was wonderful while it lasted. 

Our 30th Anniversary

Thursday, December 19, 2013 – Our 30^th Anniversary

Yesterday, we celebrated our 30^th anniversary with a quiet dinner at a local restaurant, Bazin’s on Church, in Vienna: butter lettuce salad and wolf fish (strange name, delicious fish) for me, creamy sweet potato soup and fried oysters for Elliott, and a crème brulée with two spoons for a shared dessert.  It was our first time at Bazin’s, and I look forward to a return visit.  

At Bazin's on Church

 So many moments from the past three decades still seem so real, it’s almost as if they happened yesterday.  Having this store of memories is one of the pleasures of growing older.  I remind myself of this as I contemplate new twinges in my wrist, the extra pounds I’ve magically gained, and skin that doesn’t fit quite as snugly as it used to.  Of course, then I can stand next to Elliott and immediately feel younger.  That’s one of the benefits of marriage to an older partner. 

But, a 30^th anniversary!  Thirty years is almost half my lifetime.  When we got married, we never thought so far into the future.  And somehow, it just happened.  Well, not exactly, of course.  Sometimes it took hard work to make it happen.  Looking back, I think that both of us were very stubborn, but in a good way, when it came to our marriage.  Maybe committed is a better word than stubborn.  We were both committed to making it last.  And it certainly keeps getting better and better.

Now, after thirty years together, the big question is:  will our marriage survive the stress of our kitchen remodeling project?   I have to admit that I’m pretty territorial when it comes to “my” kitchen.  Therefore, I was surprised to see that Elliott had such strong feelings about the kitchen design.  It’s true that he spends a couple of hours each morning in the kitchen – drinking coffee and reading the newspaper.  However, I am the one who does the menu planning, cooking, serving, cleaning up, etc.

Our first major disagreement focused on the issue of island vs. peninsula.  There were some very tense moments during our discussions, but I believe that issue has now been resolved in favor of the peninsula.  Then there’s cabinet color – stain or paint?  White, but which white? We keep meeting with designers and going to showrooms.  On Tuesday, we spent several hours at Ikea, using their online kitchen planning program.  (We also stopped in their restaurant so Elliott could indulge in one of his favorite meals, Swedish meatballs with lingonberry sauce.)  At the end of the day, it seemed like the more we saw, the more difficult the decision-making became.  If you’ve done any remodeling, I’m sure this sounds familiar.  

Elliott enjoying Swedish meatballs at Ikea

While I have plenty of ideas about what I want, Elliott is more concerned with practicalities related to construction.  He has used blue tape to map out on the floor the location of water lines and gas lines.  And while he has agreed that he will not do any of the actual labor himself, he plans to act as our general contractor.  Since this project will undoubtedly last through the winter months, Elliott will have plenty to keep him busy inside during the cold weather.  

I have a two-week break from subbing while Fairfax County schools are closed for winter break.  Classes at George Mason University don’t resume until the third week in January.  So I have some “extra” time, which I intend to put to good use.  First of all, I am getting more serious about staying fit.  Regular sessions with a trainer are a big help.  Secondly, I am tutoring another Bat Mitzvah student and preparing to do my own Torah reading in early January.  Next, I’m trying as many new restaurants as I can.  This is my alternative to overseas travel.  Fortunately, Winter Restaurant Week is coming up soon.  In addition, there’s cooking, especially comforting winter soups.  And I mustn’t overlook my winter “therapy,” i.e. doing jigsaw puzzles.  I find it very relaxing to work on these 500 or 1000 piece puzzles, but at the rate I’m going through them, it’s becoming a fairly expensive hobby.  

One of the many jigsaw puzzles I've done recently

We have lots of visits with family and friends planned for the next couple of weeks, assuming that Elliott stays healthy.  His bronchitis started to flare up a couple of days ago, and he’s now taking antibiotics.  Otherwise, we’re fine, very grateful for the past thirty years, and continuing to enjoy every day we have together.    

Snow Daze

Tuesday, December 10, 2013 – Snow Daze

Miracle of miracles!  Fairfax County cancelled school and made the announcement the night before!  So I didn’t have to get up at 5:00 a.m. just to discover that I didn’t have to get up at 5:00 a.m.  This new FCPS superintendent gets my vote of approval. 

So what am I going to do with this gift of time?  The world is hushed and white as the snow gently falls.  The first thing I’m going to do is bundle up and go for a walk while it’s still quiet and clean out there.  I’d better hurry because I already hear a few cars making their way down the just-plowed street. 

Later the same morning:

Back from my walk to the post office.  It really wasn’t bad at all out there.  Of course, I was dressed for the Arctic in my puffy coat, wooly scarf and waterproof boots.  The worst that happened was when a passing bus splattered me with a shower of slush.  But that minor inconvenience was overshadowed by the joy of seeing snow-laden pine boughs, tiny icicles dangling from bare branches, and holly berries poking their cheery red faces out from under a blanket of white.  As some of my ESOL students would say, I am liking this snow. 

And now, for a cup of hot chocolate and a slice of toasted Julekake.  Snow daze doesn’t get much better than this. 

Snow and Salsa

Monday, December 9, 2013 – Snow and Salsa

 

Watching the first snow of the season on Sunday made me think of escaping to places with sunshine and warm temperatures.  So after I pulled two loaves of Norwegian Julekake out of the oven, I decided to host a South of the Border happy hour for our Convento Terrace friends.  It was a fairly spontaneous decision.  We hadn’t gotten together as a group in a while, and I had picked up a large package of vegetarian tamales from Trader Joe’s the previous day.  I quickly realized that with relatively little work, I could turn it into a happy hour “plus” and no one would have to worry about making dinner.  When 5 o’clock arrived, I put on a salsa CD to set the mood.  We started with guacamole and tortilla chips, and Manchego cheese from Spain.  Then it was on to the delicious tamales which I served along with gallo pinto (the secret to this Costa Rican dish of rice and black beans is the Lizano sauce), roasted sweet potatoes and red onions (smoked paprika gives them a special flavor), and a salad of romaine lettuce, tomatoes, hearts of palm and pepitas.  Dessert was easy – dulce de leche ice cream.  Thanks to all my friends for bringing wine to share.  Trader Joe’s Napa Valley Meritage was a surprise hit with the red wine drinkers. 

On Monday, we woke up to a world of white.  Ice coated the branches of the trees.  The temperature must be hovering around 32 degrees because it’s starting to melt.  Sachi, my baby red maple tree, is experiencing her first snow.  Wisely, all of the area school districts cancelled classes for today.  But the forecast for tomorrow is for more rain, sleet and snow, and I’m supposed to sub then.  I guess I’ll have to get up at 5:00 a.m. and check to see if school is cancelled.  

Sachi in the snow

Vikings in Virginia

Saturday, December 7, 2013 – Vikings in Virginia

Since I married a Viking (both of Elliott’s parents were born in Norway), I’ve learned about some of the traditional Scandinavian holiday traditions.  Every year, I make a sweet cardamom-scented Christmas bread called Julekake from a recipe I found in a Sons of Norway newsletter.  According to Elliott, his mother was a terrific baker who spent days and days in the kitchen preparing Christmas cookies.  I’m fortunate that the local Sons of Norway chapter holds a bazaar every December where I can buy some of these delicious treats ready-made. 

On Friday afternoon, the boys (Elliott, Matt, and Marshall) and I made our annual visit to the Norwegian Holiday Bazaar in Fairfax.  I didn’t really need anything, but I couldn’t walk away without a few purchases.  First of all, the edibles:  krumkake and rosettes, two tasty varieties of cookies that would be very time-consuming to make on my own.  The krumkake are made one at a time on a circular patterned iron.  As soon as the hot cookie comes off the press, it has to be rolled around a tapered wooden dowel while it’s still pliable.  

Viking treasures from the Norwegian Holiday Bazaar

Also, I got a can of fiskebøller (fish balls), a jar of lingonberry preserves (as a gift for Matt), a package of Snøfrisk (a goat cream cheese), and a package of lefse (giant crepes made from a potato-based batter).  The lefse will be good stuffed with butter and cinnamon-sugar, with lingonberry preserves, or with smoked salmon, Snøfrisk and dill.  I was tempted to get a few other food items, such as a can of Troll Energy Drink and a log of chocolate covered almond paste, but I didn’t want to go overboard. 

Not all of my purchases were edible.  For example, there was the Sons of Norway cookbook, entitled From Farm and Fjord.  A local artist who does rosmaling (traditional Norwegian decorative flower painting) sells beautifully decorated articles at the bazaar.  I always buy a few ornaments to give to friends for their Christmas trees.  In addition, I bought a reindeer tea towel and a Norwegian flag decal for the car.  Elliott was wonderfully patient as I went on my shopping spree. 

Now we’re waiting for the winter weather to arrive.  On Sunday, we’re supposed to have a mixture of rain, sleet, snow, and ice.  No problem!  We plan to stay home all day and stay toasty warm baking our first Julekake of the season. 

Settling into the Season

Wednesday, December 4, 2013 – Settling into the Season

I’ve finally made the psychological and physical adjustment to the approaching winter season.  I’ve even bundled up and gone out for walks on days when the temperature was in the 40s.  Of course, with Washington’s fickle weather, temperatures approaching 70 degrees are forecast for the end of the week.  But then again, we might get a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain by Sunday. 

Now that Elliott and I have settled down from the giddiness of the wedding, we’re finding plenty to keep us busy.  Last night, we went into DC for a piano recital at the Kennedy Center.  A young Korean pianist who goes by the name of Ji performed works by Bach, Schubert, and Ravel.  His playing was very youthful and technically brilliant.  But it was his encore, an achingly beautiful interpretation of the Brahms Intermezzo Op. 18 in A major, that impressed me the most.  In addition to enjoying the music, we also enjoyed being out in the city at night.  The Foggy Bottom area at 7 p.m. was so bustling that it reminded me of New York. 

Our major new project is redoing the kitchen and we’re still in the very early planning stages.  I can already see that this will keep us busy throughout the winter months.  We’re not making any travel plans at the moment.  Nor are we getting caught up in the holiday shopping frenzy.  In fact, my holiday shopping so far has been limited to an early morning trip to CVS on Thanksgiving morning to buy a couple of bottles of Vitron C for Elliott.  Happy Hanukkah, darling!   

And speaking of Hanukkah, tonight we lit the eighth candle.  But did you know there was a new Hanukkah miracle?  The oil lasted more than eight days.  And that means the holiday has been extended.  That’s great news for me, because we had so many leftovers from the Thanksgiving meal that I haven’t gotten around to making latkes yet.  Until an aromatic cloud hangs over my kitchen from sizzling sweet potato latkes, we will keep celebrating Hanukkah.