bloom watch

Here's one long overdue photo from our picnic at the cherry blossoms. Someone seemed to enjoy himself.

More to come.

Keep sweeping, Martha

thank you for not smoking

Tonight, Mr. Beeton and I both realized that we have now entered that phase of parenting where we have to be very careful of what we say.

After a very pleasant evening in Leesburg, Virginia which included a visit to Papa's office, dinner at Jasmine, and a photography exhibit, we passed by a cigar store. Of course, passing such a store sparks a compulsion in me to begin asking, a la the Tiparillo girl, "Cigars? Cigarettes?"

Well, Baby Beeton, for some reason, found this to be particularly hilarious and began exclaiming, "Cigar! Cigar!" in order to get me to keep saying it.

Could be worse. I know.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Finished reading Good-bye for Now by Laurie Frankel. Watched Tiny Furniture.

lunch is the new dinner

Dearest, dearest readers. I don't know what kind of voodoo magic you all have been doing on our behalf but whatever it is I thank you for it. Following that last post, we entered a divine week of really, really good sleep. And, as a result, I had been feeling like a million bucks. Of course, minor disruptions have set in again, but the memory of that week keeps me going.

I think another mood booster has been our commencement of "Date Fridays." Fridays originally began as a day devoted to work. It's the day when our babysitter C (who's so wonderful!) spends the afternoon with Baby Beeton, and it was our intention to spend the four hours that she's here working on whatever it is that we need to do (thinning plants, writing grants, revising chapters, assembling promotion materials - yikes!). But, after the first few weeks, we realized that all this work could be done outside of our home, that we could actually leave and return when her shift was done. So, we began going out to lunch and then heading somewhere to do work. This past Friday, we went to Busboys and Poets, and in weeks past, we've gone to Takoma Bistro, Adega, and Wasabi. And, we've found ourselves typing away in the Silver Spring Whole Foods, the Stamp Student Union, and the McKeldin Library. It's been the best way to end the work week and begin the weekend.

We even managed to sneak in a dinner date. We had intended to use a gift certificate we received for Christmas from two years ago (thanks K & B) to Marvin in the U. Street Corridor a few weeks ago. But instead, we spent the evening in the veterinary hospital with Ella who was attacked by a nasty, nasty dog on the Sligo Creek Trail (I'd love to track down the dog's owner who walked away rather quickly after the vicious attack and who most likely lives in one of those mansions lining the parkway... it would give me great satisfaction to present him with the $2000 bill!). Once Ella - and we - recovered, we decided to try again, and thanks to Grammy and Papa who came to sit with Henry, we were able to not only have a terrific meal but also join our friend E for her 30th birthday. I can't say that I've ever had a cocktail as delicious as the one I had that night (even if it cost $12 and took me 20 minutes to get). Unfortunately, I can't remember the name and googling "champagne" and "marvin" has produced ridiculous results.

In any case, that's a brief update from here. I realize that I'm long overdue for a post about Baby Beeton, but in order to do that, I need some photographs so that you can see our growing boy in all his glory (maybe today... we're headed to the pumpkin patch). Let me just say that lately, I feel a lot like I live in a zoo - "minou, minou, quack, quack, woof, woof."

Keep sweeping, Martha

Watched What to Expect When You're Expecting and Conception. (I realize that there's a theme here, but don't worry, dear readers, it means nothing. Believe me.)

happy happy happy

I have been remiss in reporting on our exciting birthday adventures so far this month. As you know, May is a big month in the Beeton household.

We kicked off the month with Mr. Beeton's birthday which we celebrated over the Cinco de Mayo weekend. On Friday, we took a family trip to the zoo and then got takeout sushi from Spices in Cleveland Park. It used to be our tradition to eat at Spices after we filed our tax return at H&R Block every year, but since our good friend Mr. T. has been doing our taxes, we haven't ventured over to that neighborhood in April as we usually do. A birthday seemed a good excuse to stop in. On Saturday, we headed to a Derby Party near H Street, and on Sunday, we went to Grammy and Papa's house for a cookout. The best pictures of the weekend are from the zoo. Earlier in the year, we had snapped pictures on the bear statue pictured below. Check out these comparison shots.

This past weekend was my birthday, and Mr. Beeton surprised me by asking Grammy and Papa to babysit so that we could try out Mintwood Place. The deviled eggs and baked Alaska were amazing! And, walking around Adams Morgan for a bit after dinner made me feel young again. If only Tom Tom's was open...

The birthday train makes its next stop this weekend with Baby Beeton's first birthday! Hard to believe. We're celebrating with a big party on Saturday, and then our family celebration will follow all week long. Stay tuned for pictures and details. In the meantime, we've got to keep practicing blowing out these candles!

Keep sweeping, Martha

in the fall, in the fall when the tide took them all

Menu: Peanut butter milkshake and chocolate malt at Chick and Ruth's. Guacamole, fish tacos, gazpacho, and braised pork burrito at The Latin Quarter. Tomato carbonara (Eat, Pray, Love style) and piadina parma at Carpaccio Tuscan Kitchen and Wine Bar. Fancy drinks, oysters, crab cakes, and soft shelled crabs at Hell Point. Crepe florentine and a nutty banana at Sofi's Crepes. Sashimi, a California roll, and a spicy tuna roll at Joss Cafe and Sushi Bar. Pizza and grilled cheese ordered through in-house dining at the Westin Hotel.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Finished reading Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. Watched Get Him to the Greek, Killers, Me and Orson Welles, and Shutter Island.

500 days

The other day, Mr. Beeton and I had the horrible realization that the summer had passed us by without our having engaged in some of our very favorite summer activities. We've been so busy visiting family, entertaining friends, writing treatises, and repairing atrocities that we had neglected to eat ice cream, visit a farmers market, and see an outdoor movie. This past week, we tried to correct these mistakes and cram these last few days of summer chock full of fun.

To start, we visited Moorenko's in Silver Spring, Maryland just a short drive from Quackenbos Street. While parking was terrible and an aging hippie less than welcoming (not to mention not very deft at packing a cone - my two scoops became one after the first lick!), our ice cream - Guinness flavored and ginger - was delicious. And, we were equally delighted when the shop got a shout out in the most recent edition of the Post's Sunday magazine. The Post also mentioned Summer Delights in downtown Takoma Park, so we headed over there last night. The ice cream wasn't quite as good, but you can't beat downtown Takoma Park on a hot summer night.

Last Friday, we went with our new neighbor and friend, The Rockstar Librarian, to the Petworth Farmers Market, which despite having lived in the adjacent neighborhood since May, we had not yet visited (read about it here). We walked around, bought beautiful red peppers, a big purple eggplant, some yummy tomatoes, and cucumbers. And, with our leftover change, we picked up two pieces of Dangerously Delicious Pie - Baltimore Bomb and raspberry. The Rockstar Librarian then headed to DuPont Circle to pick up some obscure DVD, and we headed across the street to the newly opened Sala Thai for sushi. Afterward, we took a long walk with Ella around the neighborhood. She especially likes to run in the fields by Coolidge High School.

While we still haven't seen an outdoor movie this summer, we did go see the summer blockbuster Eat, Pray, Love. And soon, very soon, we're headed out of town for a little 72-hour vacation before the madness that is school starts - just me, Mr. Beeton, and Ella.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Watched Date Night and Eat, Pray, Love. Been re-reading all kinds of food memoirs.

article one

land of the living

I never realized how much of my life revolves around food. Right now, of course, my academic work is focusing on food, but it's more than just that. I use food to mark occasions - from the big events in life like anniversaries to birthdays to the everyday small stuff like finishing an article or actually having cleaned the house. Essentially, ever since my high school days when Twin Peaks first aired, I've lived by Special Agent Dale Cooper's philosophy:  "Harry, I'm going to let you in on a little secret.  Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it. Don't wait for it. Just let it happen. It could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot black coffee." For me, these presents nearly always revolve around food - frappucinos, take-out sushi, fresh veggies. Even more likely, I get this tendency to celebrate gastronomically from my Nana. She always used food to express her love, and I remember a lot of good times at her house that involved some sort of deliciousness (I'm still searching for a recipe of hers that resulted in a dreamy, blended jello/ice cream dessert... I inherited her dishes to serve it in, but I can't seem to get the measurements exactly right to reproduce the darn thing).

The reason I'm reflecting right now is because I am finally - after a painful week - able to eat. My summer bug turned out to be strep throat, and it had progressed so far that, after attacking my tonsils, it actually crawled out of my throat and started assaulting my mouth proper, causing painful blisters all around the inside of my mouth. Most of what I ate caused my mouth to burn, burn, burn, so I was reduced to a diet of yogurt, applesauce, oatmeal, and buttered 'ronis. So painful. Even more painful than the blisters. 

But, today, for the first time, I feel better. The blisters are almost healed, and I'm celebrating with a roast - some serious comfort food. I popped it in the crock pot for the day with half a box of beef stock, some cut up yellow onions, some sliced red potatoes, and some carrots. I can't think of a better way to celebrate. My Nana would be proud.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Watching Mad Men: Season 1. Finished reading Climbing the Mango Trees by Madhur Jaffrey.

yes we can

The entire city is gearing up for quite a weekend. I came home from a tough, first week back at school and parked the car right in front of our building. We're not moving it until Thursday. We've heard lots of estimates about how many people will be flooding in. And, we've also received numerous alerts from the University about how to conduct yourself when downtown. The next few days will be interesting.

We started off the weekend with homemade sushi. Mr. Beeton knew I had a rough week, so while I was teaching yesterday, he went out on his scooter to pick up crab sticks, cucumber, carrots, and the ingredients for spicy mayo. After walking Ella, we spread everything out on the dining room table and made our rolls. The process was fun, and the rolls were delicious. 

The rest of the weekend will most likely consist of eating out.  (Don't tell Suze or Oprah.) I think it's the safest way to head into the city and see just how many people are around. And, then, on Tuesday, we'll be stopping in at Napoleon Bistro before heading to the University's unofficial inaugural ball. 

Keeping sweeping, Martha