Welcome Cherry Blossoms

Spring in Washington = Cherry Blossoms and they're on Martha's radar.  Actually, they're on everyone's radar within a 1,000 mile radius.  And every year, we brave the hoards of tourists and head to the Tidal Basin to enjoy them.  It's a tradition that we started before we were married and it's something that we've continued with Benjamin. 

My little man plotting to make his way to the paddle boats.

Fabulous Forsythia?

I agreed to make the forsythia flower arrangements in this month’s magazine because “I have forsythia.”  At least, that’s what I thought in February when Ali and I were planning for completing the March issue tasks.  Lo and behold, March arrived and my crop of forsythia looked like this:

Well, certainly the four viable branches from this specimen were not going to make an attractive arrangement, so what’s a girl to do?  Buy some?  No.  “Borrow” some from the side of the road near the metro tracks?  Yes!

My mom schooled me in her view, and now mine, of the proper way to trim forsythia, so that beautiful, long, tender shoots gracefully flow outward, like this:

Photo credit: by Arielle



Of course, forsythia one finds on the side of the road is not the most well groomed, so my cuttings were not great.  But, I gathered a bunch of the best I could find, snuck back to my car without being spotted, and headed home to start arranging.

My mom has also taught me disdain of forsythia trimmed into box-like hedges.  It’s just wrong.  A hedge needs to be full and bushy, not full of holes. 

See what I mean?
Photo credit: dancingwithdaisy.blogspot.com

 So, I was surprised to see some of Martha’s arrangements mimic a hedge.  They at least looked better than the real hedges, but still, not a fan.  No surprise, I didn’t make one of those.  I tried two others, one simple forsythia, the other mixed with daffodils. 

 

Pretty, but not really worth turning to a life of crime.

Jacqui

Sowing Seeds

I come from a long line of gardeners.  Relatives on my mother's side were head-gardeners at Bodnant Garden in Wales for three generations.   My mother knows the Latin names for plants I couldn't fathom a common name.  Our home was even open for garden tours while I was growing up - it was and still is a beautiful English garden in upstate NY. 

I do not have a green thumb.  My biggest source of pride is my Christmas cactus from 1986.  It has seen its share of neglect and has suffered through some hard times. But it's still going and blooms once a year.  I love that little guy.

Anyway, much of Martha's March issue is dedicated to gardening and it was my turn to sow some seeds.  So off to Home Depot I went.  I was shocked that I couldn't buy the little plastic seed containers separately, and was forced to buy this little kit instead - I guess it's convenient.

Each section contains a little pellet and with a little warm water...

poof!  they grow like little..... worms.  Such fun!

The kit also includes a plastic cover to complete the greenhouse effect.

Martha suggests putting the lidded container on top of the fridge for warmth and once the seeds have  sprouted to transfer them to a sunny place.  So, of course, I complied and on top of the fridge it went.

I opted to plant dahlias in honor of my step-great-grandfather who used to grow them competitively.  I'm not trying to win any prizes, I'll just be super excited if I see a little sprout.

I'll keep you posted.

Ali

Update:  LOOK!!!!  Only four days after planting!  They've sprouted!  So excited!

Lavender Sachets

Something about the little muslin bags used for sachets in Martha’s “good things” section this month really appealed to me. 

Ali suggested checking Michael's for them and sure enough, there they were exactly like the ones in the article.  I did have to spend half an hour searching aisle after aisle of tchotchke craft junk before I ended up breaking down and asking someone (which I should have done immediately) , but whatever, I found them.


I had dried lavender I cut from my garden last year and dried in the basement, so that was the natural choice for the bags.  It seemed like so much when I harvested it, but it really ended up being only enough for two sachets.  But, really, what am I going to do with a bunch of lavender sachets anyway.

Ali suggested stamping the bags, a brilliant idea.  

I think they ended up looking cute, but if I had thought about it in advance I think using a purple stamp pad with a more lavender looking flower would have made more sense.  My stamped bags seem more appropriate for holding sunflower seeds, but still pretty. 

Jacqui

Iced Raspberry Loaf Cake

<>As Jacq said, I called dibs on this one as soon as I saw it and it did not disappoint.  I had a friend's party to attend and since my mom taught me never to arrive empty handed, I thought it would be perfect.  I made the loaf the night before and iced it a couple of hours before I left.

Pretty on the inside

and pretty on the outside...



Cut and ready for the party to start!

Everyone LOVED it!!  I think someone actually asked if she could move in with us.  She said that she was small and didn't take up much room.  Now that's a compliment!



The texture of the loaf was light and spongy, but not overly sweet.  The raspberries were tart in contrast to the sweet icing.. it was just excellent!

I have a couple of recommendations though:

1. Halve Martha's icing recipe.  I promise, you'll have ample and it won't end up uselessly surrounding the loaf.
2. I'm not sure if I have a hot oven, but I cooked it precisely to Martha's specifications and when I took it out, it was quite brown on the outside and a little goopy in the very middle.  I'd cook it a little slower next time.  

And there will be a next time.  This one is a keeper.

Here's the recipe: http://www.marthastewart.com/875405/iced-raspberry-loaf-cake

Ali

Shortbread Sandwiches with Grapefruit Curd

Ali and I divided up the desserts this month and I picked Jasmine Shortbread Sandwiches with Grapefruit Curd.  http://www.marthastewart.com/875407/jasmine-shortbread-sandwiches-grapefruit-curd  Ok, we both actually wanted to do the Raspberry Loaf, but Ali won and I've never made a curd before, so I wasn't going to be a sore loser (just a little bit when I heard how good the loaf turned out.)

I wasn’t that excited about the idea of the jasmine tea to start and completely abandoned the idea of using it when I finally tracked it down for $8 a box.  I knew I’d never use it for anything else, it would just clutter up my cabinet, and it just seemed like just a waste for cookies that I knew my kids would like better plain.  So, I can’t judge what the cookies were supposed to taste like, but they were really good the way I made them.  Tasty shortbread morsels.  Buttery, but not overkill.  Perfect with a cup of tea and very easy and quick to make. 

Martha used the rolling then freezing the dough method for easy cookie cutting that I perfected, you may recall, during the cookie valentine project last month.  I highly recommend it.

frozen dough, ready for cutting

The grapefruit curd was also easy.  The recipe called for two ruby red grapefruits, but mine were so juicy I got the entire cup of juice needed from just one.
    

So juicy.

Here is my curd on the makeshift double boiler.

My curd looked lovely and I strained it just like Martha ordered, uh, instructed.  After chilling, I sandwiched the curd between two cookies.  Mine seemed much more runny that the pictures in the magazine.  I guarantee that mine wouldn't have stayed put for much longer than to take that photo (though I can't be sure since my husband ate it immediately.)

So, both my cookies and curd were delicious on their own, but as a combination, not so much.  Maybe the cookies did need the jasmine tea (though I doubt it).  It wasn't bad, just ok.  My husband agreed and kids, well, come on, there's no way they would eat anything called "curd." 

I ended up making a batch of whipped cream and folding the curd into it to make what I called grapefruit mousse.    


Grapefruit mousse - delicious!


Yummy.  Light and somehow refreshing, despite all the heavy cream, though I don’t want to know the calorie content.  I thought about putting it in the ice cream maker too, but before I realized it, we gobbled up so much there wasn’t enough left to churn.  This one I'd make again.

Jacqui

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

I thought I'd try the lazy man's version of the recipe.  I had a jar of lemon curd saved from our trip to England last year.  I've been waiting patiently for just the right occasion of open it..

I love lemon curd as much as I love the village where I bought it - Tideswell, Derbyhsire!

I went to the local bakery and found some pecan sandies.  I thought they would be a great accompaniment to my lemon curd.  And they were.

These were for Benjamin and me.  OK, there should have been three.  Benjamin taste tested one before the photo was taken.  While I was trying to take the shot, all I kept hearing was "more cookie!" "more cookie!" "more cookie!"  It's safe to say Benjamin was a fan, a HUGE fan.

I brought these into work for a couple of friends and they were a hit!

This is a great treat for those short of time.  Give them a try and let us now what you think.


Ali

Loathsome Lentils

I had such high hopes for this one, Martha.  But you failed me.  Again.  While our meal looks wholesome and delicious, the photo deceives you.  Just as the photos in the magazine deceived me. 

On the menu:  

Pork with Lentil, Orange, Avocado, and Basil Salad

Lentil Cakes with Feta-Yogurt Sauce and Cucumber-Cress Salad
 
I'll spare you the agonizing details of lentil cake and salad preparation.  I used green lentils for the cakes instead of red ones, which shouldn't have made a difference.  The lentils were boiled, soaked, and blended in a food processor.  The basil, garlic, and shallots were chopped and diced.  Harissa was even borrowed from a friend (thanks, sweetie).

Martha says that the lentil cakes were inspired by falafel.  I say falafel works, don't mess with it.  The result of such inspiration?  A lentil cake that is as heavy as lead.  True story.  Ben said it was imperative that each bite had a piece of cucumber and some yogurt sauce, otherwise it was like choking down sand.  Though I wanted to, I couldn't disagree.

All was not lost.  Her recipe for the feta-yogurt sauce was amazing.  And super low in fat, since I used both non-fat Greek yogurt and fat-free feta.  I can think of about a million different uses for it - such as topping for a baked potato, salad dressing, and maybe even a simple dip.  Try it!  You won't be disappointed.

Here's her super easy recipe - whisk together:

• 1/2 cup of feta cheese
• 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon finely grated garlic (from 1 small clove)
  

Her lentil salad wasn't much better than her lentil cake.  I used blood oranges and followed her recipe in detail.  It was dry and tasteless.  If I had been served this at a restaurant it would have been sent back.  No joke.

Two perfectly innocent blood oranges were sacrificed for this meal.  Poor little guys.  I tried desperately to salvage them on the flip side.

Benjamin liked his lentil cakes just fine.  I'm sure masking the taste by dipping them in his uber hot salsa didn't hurt.  Yep, hot salsa... he likes 'dip' with everything.

Branston pickle saved the day for Ben.  As for me, I was a lost cause.

Ali

Clover Pencils

This almost made our 'what didn't make the cut' list until I found out that Benjamin's school was having a green party to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and then it was back on my 'to do' list.  Martha had intended the project for straws, but since there are some quite young babies who likely don't know how to use a straw, I opted for pencils.  Makes sense, right?  If you can't use a straw you're likely going to be able to write with a pencil.  Hmmm... I'm sensing a repeat of starburstgate.  Anyway, these little buggers aren't quite as easy as I thought.  Here are some of my first results:

Butterfly? Siamese snowmen?  No, just a couple of clovers gone awry.

Ah, here we go!   Now we're shaping!

Lets be honest, it's a silly little project and once I figured it out, it took no more than 10 minutes.  Benjamin loves bringing things to school to share with his friends, so I say it's 10 minutes well spent. 

Ali

The Mascara Hunt and the Skin Cream Find

Martha notes that every woman wants longer lashes whether hers are amazing or anemic. Is there something less than anemic?  Pathetic?  That’s what my lashes are, pathetic.  There have been a lot of attempts at different mascara’s over the years to try to find something to compensate for what nature did not provide.  



Just a few of the latest I've tried



But none really fit the bill.  So I was excited to see Martha’s article on mascara with descriptions of 20 different kinds. Surely I could find something among 20 different options.  I had some criteria though.  I’ve been burned many times before so I was not about to spend a lot of money on trial and error.  At $49 for Guerlian Noir G and a whopping $70 for Cantecaille Faux Cils Longest Lash those were definitely out.  Come on, it’s mascara. I can find shoes for less than that.  Others I had tried before and didn’t pan out.  Like, Great Lash – I don’t get the cult following.

I settled on L’Oreal Paris Voluminous False Fiber Lashes in Waterproof ($9) based on the description that it would make “modest lashes look positively false.”  Sounded perfect.  And it was!  My first pick was a great one.  This mascara rocks!  I love it.  My lashes look great, long and thick.  I showed my newly lengthened lashes to Ali and she agreed – went out and bought the same mascara.  My only complaint, and it’s a minor one, is that when they say waterproof they mean waterproof.  While it’s nice that my lashes stay lovely during a workout (and I’m going to try it at the beach and pool when I go on vacation next month) it’s a PAIN to take off at the end of the day.  With my old mascara I was able to just wash my face with my regular cleanser-done.  Now I have to remember to use make-up remover and really work it in there and then wash.  It’s a small price to pay though for a great find and who knows, maybe there’s a non-waterproof version.    Until then, I will be making use of these.

Found these in the closet - makeup remover doesn't go bad, does it?

Jacqui

++++++++++++++++++++++

I have been a dedicated user of Trish McEvoy's Lash Curling Mascara for years.  (A big shoutout to the friend who introduced me.)  Anyway, this sleek black matte tube rocked my world.    It forms tubes of mascara around your lashes, dries instantly, and will not smudge or smear.  What's even more amazing is with just a little warm water it slides off without leaving a trace.  All for $30.  Not bad, right?  And then I saw Martha's article and Jacqui's LASHES!!! 

What had I been doing all this time spending so much money?  So, as Jacqui said, I too tried L’Oreal Paris Voluminous False Fiber Lashes in Waterproof.  It certainly couldn't hurt the household budget by spending a 1/3 of what I normally spend on mascara (Ben is thinking what would really help our budget is my getting my Starbucks habit under control... keep dreaming, Ben. ;P)  Anyway,  Jacq was not kidding.  While I like the mascara itself, when it goes on, it's on for good.  I haven't owned eye make-up remover in years. (I see those six trial-sized bottles up there, Jacq.)  The money I ended up saving on the mascara, went down the drain when I bought a good eye make-up remover from Sephora.  

Martha also discusses face creams.  Like perfumes, I've been through them all.  I'm a marketers dream.  Oh, you're selling youth in a bottle?  Yeah, I'll try it.  I have spent shameful amounts of money of bottles full of promise.  I can't even disclose the amounts, my husband reads this, remember?  Though he'd deny it if you ask.  I have tried them all and I am finally dedicated to one. 
  

Roc.  Formally known as LeRoc.

It's constantly featured in beauty magazines for its supposed effectiveness and its retinol content.  It is awesome.  Martha seems to agree as it was one featured in her article.  What skin creams do you like?

Ali

Iron Skillet Pizza

Making a pizza on a pizza-stone used to be a weekend staple.  I had never thought of Martha's concept - cooking pizza in an iron skillet.  Hmm.. it seems like such an obvious good idea. 

Martha proposed using store bought dough, which I did.  I got ours at Wholefoods and I'm not sure how long it had been on display, but it was quite gummy and tacky (fresh dough usually isn't).  Next time I'll get it directly from the pizza-bar to ensure that it's really fresh.

I made three individually tailored pizzas in a 12inch iron skillet. 

This is Benjamin's: 

I cooked it over medium heat until the bottom was slightly brown.

Then I popped it into the oven (500 degrees) for five or ten minutes, et voila!  Looks good, right?

I bet you're wondering whether he ate it, aren't you?  He did.  You can't tell the scale of the pizza from the photograph, but it's not small and he literally ate almost all of it.

This is Ben's. It has spicy pizza sauce with cheese and prosciutto.  It's actually kind of gross looking, but Ben's a self-proclaimed pizza connoisseur and not shy - he said that he definitely wants to have it again.

Ben's as it came out of the oven.

This is mine: White pizza with fresh buffalo mozzarella, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, sage, garlic, and salt and pepper.  It's a recipe a good friend and I used to make years ago.

Num, Num...

I think the pizza stone might be finding a new home at goodwill - because this method is definitely a keeper.

Ali

Been There, Done That

Thank you Martha!  This month the magazine contained two projects that I had already done enabling me to write without any additional work.  Woo, hoo! 

Plant Dividing, p.22

Anyone know what this guy is?

The big aloe

I used to divide plants all the time.  I actually collected and divided so many plants that when we moved one year during a brutally cold winter, I had to rent a U-haul so I could move all the plants and not risk the movers letting them freeze.  I think that craziness was the beginning of the end for me with indoor plants.  They became more trouble and less attractive and when we moved a few years later to a house without much direct sunlight and a radiator in front of almost every window, I decided it was time for the plants to go.  I kept just two, a small spiky plant (I have no idea what it is) and an aloe plant Ali gave me when she moved away temporarily years ago.  Both met my limited criteria, easy to care for and able to grow on a radiator—the only place they would get light.  The aloe needs periodic replanting, but I’ll be honest, it’s not because it’s outgrowing its planter, it’s because I neglect it so completely that it needs a good refreshing every so often.  I pull off all the dead stuff and repot the little aloe babies in new pots.  I may have to give these away though so I don’t end up with another van full of plants in a few years.  

Aloe babies

Accent Paint, p. 52 

One of Martha’s “good things” this month is accent painting—painting the back of a medicine cabinet, inside of a desk drawer, or edge of shelves with a complementary color.  I did this years ago when we converted our attic into a master suite.  I used leftover paint from our kitchen, a pretty bluish green, to paint the back of our open shelves.  It makes a big impact with little effort.  

I love it. 

I’m not crazy about Martha’s ideas for the edge of open shelves or the curtain rod and painting the inside of a drawer seems like a lot of work for little enjoyment.  I don’t know about Martha’s drawers, but mine are so full you wouldn’t really see the paint anyway.  I do like the idea of painting the inside of a medicine cabinet.  Seems like a little pop of color in the morning might make the day start easier.  Might have to try that one of these days.
Jacqui  

A: I'd like a baby aloe plant, please.  And B: I admit your shelves look super cute, but the inside of a medicine cabinet?  You're a nut-job! :D
Ali