lately

reading:

we are renovating. it seems that paint fumes have gone to my head because i have the attention span of a gnat. needless to say i won't be reading war and peace this year. blog posts are more my speed these days. i read this one on health and diet (and life) last week and have been thinking about it ever since. i don't know if i agree with the thesis, but it is thought provoking and worth reading. in fact, all the posts are

listening: i'm not the one who is going to typically introduce you to new good songs. i don't know who is cool or hip or innovative. i do, however, know what i like; stuff that you want to sing along to, stuff that makes you feel happy, and stuff that makes you want to dance. i have been listening to firefly by owl city on repeat for about two weeks. so your self a favor and listen to it now and then write me back and tell me how you think this song sounds like love (because it totally does).

watching:if your idea of a good time is watching a masterpiece theater mini-series, you will love this new HBO mini-series about john adams. michael and i started watching it last night so far my opinion is: john adams is cool and thomas jefferson drools.

eating:romesco dip. lots of it. i've had garlic breath (etc) for two weeks. so does michael. it is worth it.

what are you reading, listening, watching and eating?

Tour du Plate

we had a lovely canadian thanksgiving and i thought i'd better post about it before american thanksgiving rolls around. i'm going to go out on a limb and say this was the best canadian thanksgiving dinner i have ever made (admittedly not saying much).

the menu included:

chicken
we cooked the whole bird in the crockpot as recommended by julie of dinner with julie fame. it was perfection.
sweet potato fries tossed in truffle oil and parmesan cheese
hazlenut mushroom stuffing
prepared by michaela, the carey family executive chef. if you want to try something new this year TRY THIS!
roasted beet salad with arugula, walnuts, gorgonzola cheese and a red wine vinaigrette.
i am obsessed with beets.romesco dip prepared with roasted sweet red peppers, olive oil, and ground almonds
so easy and so good. we served it with fresh baked multigrain bread (the nutty chewy kind).
jarlesburg and gouda cheese, almond stuffed olives, fresh strawberries

cranberry blueberry sauce infused with lemon and nutmeg
if you use blueberries you need less sugar in the sauce

butter tarts and michael's special pumpkin cheesecake
made without a recipe but this dish is proof that when starting with cream and sugar, it it pretty hard to go wrong

now i am obsessing about what to have for american thanksgiving.

what do you usually have? what new recipe are you going to try? what do you consider your "best" thanksgiving dish? we need some inspiration here!!

New "Job"

i pretty much thought my life would be over when we moved to utah. to be honest, for the first few weeks we were here, i was kind of lost at sea. luckily, a few therapeutic shopping trips to nordstrom rack, some hiking in southern utah, and a new "job" seem to have revived my spirits.

so let me tell you about the "job"*

i am a research assistant at the center for documentary arts in slc. i do things like hunt down news stories on immigration, read up on minorities in utah, and chat (a lot) with the fascinating people i work with. currently the center is doing research for an exhibit for the leonardo on the civil rights movement in utah.

i'm so excited about this because for months i've wanted to do something that will help me with my long term goals. this opportunity exposes me to the documentary arts which will help me develop the skills, contacts, and technical know how to begin work on my own project (soon).

moving forward is so much fun (even if it is in utah).

and in honour of the new "job" i got bangs. wow. bangs. i'm a real wild woman.

yikes.

brows need HELP.

i better get off here before i pick my whole face apart and spend the rest of the night looking into botox/lasers/peels.

*i say "job" because i work for free. i am sure my boss thinks i am both insane and desperate. (not far off the mark actually).