unplugged, almost...

At this point, I’m not sure which is worse: my television, my computer or my iPhone. They’re all bugging me right now—and stealing way too much of my attention—but seeing as the computer is my avenue for writing, I’ve picked that poison tonight. But I'm only giving myself enough screen time to write, publish and be done with it. I need to unplug for a little while. I wrote “No T.V. Monday” onto a scrap of paper and taped it to the television screen in case I forgot and wandered into the den in a moment of weakness. Then I realized that it's actually Tuesday and that Rachel Zoe is on tonight. Dangit! This is going to be tough, but I know I can do it. Just for one night.

We just got back from our little mini family vacation on the coast of Maine. I have pictures to post, stuff to write about, but just can't bring myself to do it tonight. Time to unplug!

In the meantime, Emi & Isaac posted pics and stuff on their blogs, so take a look. I'm unplugging now! Don't call me tonight because I'm not picking up.

my love is like a red, red rose sorbet

The other day, my sister Hannah brought me some fresh red currants she'd picked up at our parents' house in the Northeast Kingdom. She presented them to me with strict instructions to make a special sorbet. Special? Okay, here is my attempt, inspired by the champagne cocktails they used to serve at our favorite old (now gone) restaurant Smokejacks. They spiked them with rosewater and prickly pear juice to make them hot pink! Ooh, that gives me an idea: I bet this would be really good with champagne too. Instead, I added a little bit of gin (you could skip the gin, but the smidge of alcohol helps to give it a smoother texture when it's frozen).

Red Rose Sorbet

1 1/4 cup fresh red currants
1 cup fresh red raspberries
1/2 cup sugar (this is for a sweet-tart sorbet; if you like yours sweeter, by all means add more)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
A pinch of salt
1 teaspoon rose water (my local store sells it right by the vanilla)
1 teaspoon Hendrick's gin (optional)

Remove any stems from currents and rinse. Puree currants, raspberries, sugar, lemon and salt in a blender till smooth. Pass through a mesh sieve. Add rose water and gin, if using, and stir to combine. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to your machine's instructions. (Mine usually takes 20-25 minutes). Transfer to a lidded container and put in freezer till firm.

snow in august

It's wedding season, and I can't help but feel nostalgic about our own. Colin and I finally went through the photos from our photographer Sabin Gratz a couple of weeks ago. It was like reliving the whole weekend all over again. Some of my favorites are from the shoot we did out in the snow before the ceremony. For months, we hummed and hawed about whether or not to do it, since doing so would mean seeing each other before the I-Dos, and we certainly got lots of advice NOT to do it. But in the end, we decided to go against the grain—we realized that having photos of us in the snow was a must. (I was sure to keep most of my dress covered the whole time, so at least that was a surprise later on!)

Months later, I'm so glad we did. Here are some of the my favorites from the shoot. Sabin did an amazing job. He submitted some of these to Vermont Vows magazine and this first one got picked to be in the Fall/Winter 2010 issue!

wild plum & raspberry sorbet

wild plums from the plum lady + raspberries we hand-picked from the berry farm + magic sprinkles & smiles =

hazy

This town has settled into another humid haze. It hovers like a thick swallow in my neck, then down, down, low and heavy around my hot feet. All I hear is the slow, steady squeak of the fan as it sways back and forth, pushing the hot air this way and that.

I'm tired just thinking about it.

Relief will come later this evening—just as soon as my wild plum and raspberry sorbet finishes churning in the ice cream maker. I'll have it for dinner, let it cool my hot throat.

Then this weekend, relief again as we leave the city for the cooler hills in Southern Vermont—my old stomping grounds—for a quick visit to see Auntie Lucy and Uncle John. Then a wedding at Stratton. Hopefully a stop at Mother Myrick's and the Vermont Country Store on our way home on Sunday.

That's the best I can do for inspiration at the moment in this steam machine...