Pink of Perfection

image via glennwilliamspdx

Happiness

There’s just no accounting for happiness,
or the way it turns up like a prodigal
who comes back to the dust at your feet
having squandered a fortune far away.

And how can you not forgive?
You make a feast in honor of what
was lost, and take from its place the finest
garment, which you saved for an occasion
you could not imagine, and you weep night and day
to know that you were not abandoned,
that happiness saved its most extreme form
for you alone.

No, happiness is the uncle you never
knew about, who flies a single-engine plane
onto the grassy landing strip, hitchhikes
into town, and inquires at every door
until he finds you asleep midafternoon
as you so often are during the unmerciful
hours of your despair.

It comes to the monk in his cell.
It comes to the woman sweeping the street
with a birch broom, to the child
whose mother has passed out from drink.
It comes to the lover, to the dog chewing
a sock, to the pusher, to the basket maker,
and to the clerk stacking cans of carrots
in the night.
It even comes to the boulder
in the perpetual shade of pine barrens,
to rain falling on the open sea,
to the wineglass, weary of holding wine.

–Jane Kenyon

The other night I enjoyed one of Whit Stillman’s talkfests, The Last Days of Disco, and I couldn’t get over Chloe Sevigny’s costumes. Not the one-shouldered spangly disco dresses (how au courant!) or sequin tube tops, and certainly not the high-waisted jeans and crop-top t-shirts, but the classic preppy chic that thirty years later, actually looked really cool. The crisp blouses, the a-line shirt-dresses, the smart blazers all seemed timeless. Not in a dowdy Talbots way, just in a cool, unfussy way. Here, an affordable look book of movie style inspiration. Happy (snowy!) weekend!

There are so many blogs I wish I could live inside, but I think Abby Try Again takes top billing. Her blog is the visual interpretation of what I love about Paris: gray, and a little bit melancholy, but like a gossamer-draped dream. Its talented creator, Abby Powell-Thompson, calls it an experiment in film photography and general happiness; I call it my favorite love letter to life’s most unassuming beauties — a tissue paper beach ball with the light catching it just so, colorful pennants stretched across the street, a donut with sprinkles. And it probably goes without saying that I’m an absolute goner for her Five Senses Friday series. We may not be able to step inside her blog for the weekend, but we can get into that brain for a few questions (and snag her prints on Etsy):

Tell us about Abby Try Again. What made you decide to do the blog? What are the biggest challenges? What inspires your posts? What’s been the biggest surprise?

I started the blog almost five years ago, right after my husband and I relocated to Portland, OR, from a tiny little farm town in California. It was a “crafty” blog and a way of keeping touch with family and friends who were back at home. Over the years the blog grew and changed just like me. I noticed I liked the “journaling” aspect of the blog and the photos just came as a natural progression. I try to be very honest and open in the blog without revealing too many boring details. The biggest surprise was finding so many like-minded people from around the world. I was (am) a really big nerd and it was nice to make connections through the blog. Another surprise is that the blog is very therapeutic for me. It calms me down, gives me perspective and it’s become a nice daily ritual for me.

Your photographs evoke the most serene, quiet, beautiful life. What’s your personal philosophy for achieving beauty and pleasure in daily life?

Like many others out there, I’ve always struggled with my self-image. Blogging has helped me realize how good my life is and how good the people are around me.  I think the majority of us are so very lucky and when you take the time to stop and notice the little beautiful things you begin to realize that. At least, it works for me. Every day I try to schedule at least one “nice” thing — whether it’s a walk to someplace quiet, a new flower from the market, a phone call to a loved one or reading a chapter in a book. I think it is important to have scheduled “good” times.

Who or what most inspires you?

Oh, that is a tough one. I glean inspiration from everywhere. I guess if I had to answer, it would be objects. When I see an old object I imagine its story; where it came from, who it belonged to, where it is going…

What’s your ideal day look like?

I love to travel! So my ideal day who would be spent in some town I’ve never been to, eating new things, exploring, digging around in old shops and shooting photos. Of course, James would be there, too.

I didn’t know it at the time, though I had an inkling, that the first meeting of my new book club was a godsend. When you first get back from a honeymoon, you need a diversion to distract you from the fact that you are no longer sipping a piña colada on the sand. This is where a roomful of strangers and a lot of wine comes in handy. The book club was born in the forums, and when we had eight takers (the magic party number), we decided to meet (and if you’ve since written in wanting to join, I highly recommend starting your own party-of-eight chapters!).

You certainly take a leap of faith when you form a reading group of strangers, but you take the biggest chance when you decide to host the first meeting. Beth’s home was on the top floor of a brownstone. Her bookshelves were lined with all my favorites creating an instant, if sort of superficial, kinship. But it was when she brought out dinner that I decided she was an absolute genius. What do you serve to 7 strangers in the dead of winter when you have no mind for their predilections and preferences and don’t want to break the bank? Why, you make scalloped potatoes and ham, of course, just the way your mama taught you. Beth brought out an oval Le Creuset pot nearly as big as her filled with the sort of honest supper that makes my heart skip a beat: creamy potatoes flecked with fatty nubs of ham. I had seconds, and could have easily had thirds. But it was our first date, and I managed to restrain myself.

Of course, it’s not just that they are clever cooks, able to whip up dishes of delicious economy that’s made me so love my book club (we’re coming up on our fifth date and things are getting serious). Yes, they tell funny stories, and make wise observations — not only about literature, but about life — but I love a bigger lesson that they’ve taught me so far and that is this: All it takes to convert someone from stranger to intimate in this big crowded world of anonymity is an evening together. You don’t have to read the same books or share a love of cheese to bond (although all that helps). You just have to walk into a home with an open heart. And when you do, you’ll find that your neighborhood is rife with smarties, women who you’ll gladly let bend your ear, who turn you onto new podcasts, can recommend your next Netflix rental, and who remind you why the word copain means someone you break bread with.

Continue reading “$5 Dinner: Beth’s Scalloped Potatoes and Ham” »

If there’s one thing worth loving about winter, it’s how right red wine tastes when a cold wind’s at your door. To keep this habit from breaking the bank, I’ve developed a bit of a script. I walk into a wine store and say, “Hi. I’m looking for a great [insert desired wine varietal here] for under $10. Oh, and I want it to go really well with [insert what we're having for dinner here].” Wine store clerks love a challenge, and this is how I’ve found so many great wines, like the outstanding #4 below. To get you a really great list, I also turned to my friend Dan, who you may remember from his quick 3 course Italian feast, and who knows a thing or two about sleuthing out a great wine. Bottoms up, friends!

1. Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon, $9
2. Alamos Malbec, $10
3. Colores del Sol Malbec, $10
4. Lancatay Cabernet Sauvignon, $9
5. Two Brothers Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva, $11
6. Santa Cristina Sangiovese , $10
7. Trapiche Oak Cask Malbec, $9
8. The Footbolt Shiraz, $13
9. Cline Cellars California Zinfandel, $13
10. Campo Viejo Tempranillo Rioja Crianza, $10
11. Jaboulet Cotes du Rhone blend Parallele 45, $12

There was once a restaurant in our neighborhood where I loved to go on snowy days. Inside, it was what I imagine a Swiss ski lodge is like — all dark wood, tall paned windows, and a roaring fire. I would sit on the wooden bench, wrapped in a scarf, and order a bowl of their French onion soup. At brunch, a basket of sweet, yeasty breads and orange-scented butter would come out first. And then the soup would arrive, crusty with just enough melted cheese to make a point (but not create a stomachache) and I would break the surface and dip down into a rich brown broth. It was, until the restaurant closed a few years ago, one of my favorite weekend lunches.

I don’t think I’ve ever met a friend or foe who didn’t care for French onion soup. It’s one of those foods that’s pretty delicious even when it’s not it’s best (though I’ve never been one to grumble over too much cheese), and it’s blissfully simple to make. I confess I’ve gone into a bit of a panic in the last couple weeks over all the wintery foods I still want to make before the first asparagus crops up. There is the truffle mac and cheese beckoning and the fondue (and do I see a fromagey theme here?), but what I would say to you is: this should make your winter short list. If you’ve never made French onion soup it’s absolutely worth a whirl, and such a comfort on a snowy night when you are hunkered down on the couch this weekend watching Doctor Zhivago.

Continue reading “French Friday: Onion Soup Gratinée” »

Remember back in 2008, when I interviewed Cathy Erway of Not Eating Out in New York? Back then, Cathy was a cute girl with a cool blog, but in the two years hence she’s become a veritable force. She is the “Brooklyn food girl,” holding cooking demos at the green market, judging cook-offs, hosting a supper club, and writing for Edible Brooklyn. And now our hometown girl has gone and written a memoir with recipes about her experience of exclusively eating in in a city that loves to eat out. Her publisher is giving away one free copy of The Art of Eating In to one lucky Pink of Perfection reader. Leave a comment about what you love about eating in by midnight EST this Sunday February 21st. One winner will be chosen at random. US mailing addresses only.

Continue reading “Giveaway: The Art of Eating In” »

In addition to cozy, my love (and yours) of which we’ve discussed at length, I have a thing for wholesomeness. This is why, I think, I find myself so drawn to My Antonia, Anne of Green Gables, and fresh baked cookies. There’s something about them that just seems so guileless and innocent, how could there really be anything wrong with them? Who cares about the loneliness, Matthew’s death, or all that butter?

This is also how I feel about a certain sort of cake. It’s a cake with fruit it in and a dense crumb. The kind of cake that goes magically with a cup of tea on a dreary afternoon. The kind of cake that a mother — real or imagined — ought to bake. And the kind of cake that is just right after a rich and boozy dinner. It will soak up all the wine and cream sauce, brighten the air with citrus, and set things right again. Oh, how I wish at this moment there were still a slice in the kitchen.

Continue reading “Orange Walnut Cake with Greek Yogurt” »