Passport Panic

Andy Warhol; "Holly Solomon", 1963-1964; Image Source

One of my resolutions this year is to take an international trip and with spring and summer coming up quickly it’s time to get our act in gear! We’ve gotten over the first hurdles of when and where to go (leaning toward early May; probably Croatia via a brief stopover in Southern France – woot!) Now, for the more terrifying hurdle: my passport photo. This is one of those post-marriage, name change boondoggles that I’ve been avoiding for nearly four years, but now there’s an imminent need to have my passport updated. It’s time to bite the bullet, send in the paperwork, and brave the photobooth. Be strong!

In my first passport picture, circa April 2000, I made the cardinal sin of pulling my hair back in a ponytail and the end result was terrible. Add florescent lighting and I looked sort of bald and moon-faced, but it got me back and forth from U.K., Ireland, Australia, and Fiji. So, success I guess? It expired just in time to need renewing the month before we were married.

Mike and I were invited to a wedding in Bermuda literally 2 weeks after our own, so delaying until all the certificates and licenses were filed wasn’t an option. A hasty photo in CVS where I look unaccountably sweaty (eww.) represented me through customs and has been lurking in the ‘Travel Documents’ folder of our filing cabinet ever since. Yikes. That’s 14 years of international-incident level hideousness, people!

This time I’m determined not to look sickly green as if I’ve been on an all-night bender, so I’ve been searching out resources and advice. Here’s my plan of attack:

1. Enlist Mike to take a picture for me and use epassportphoto.com to size it

2. Follow the tips from these articles: Beautylish, Flare, Anywhere-Anywhere, which hit some similar points. In a nutshell: hair down, shoot in natural light, define features with make-up, smile with the eyes (aka: smize.)

3. Do-overs. Lots and lots of do overs.

I’m determined. This time I will slide that little blue book across the podium with confidence! Do you have any passport photo advice? Travel stories? Ideas for things to do in Croatia? I’d love to hear it!

I Love You Much

In honor of Valentine’s Day I decided to get creative and put together a design with the theme of love in mind. I started with the idea of combining a quotation with an image but I didn’t have a specific concept right away.

But you know when you hit on something and it just clicks? Like meeting the person you know you’ll spend the rest of your life with, maybe? I had a mini moment like that where I realized that these words and this photograph were made for each other and the end result is close to my heart.

Design: Laura Messersmith; Image: Karin von Voigtlander

I often tell my husband Mike that he’s my favorite friend., which if I were a poet might sound more like the first few lines of I love you much(most beautiful darling) by e.e. cummings which are so, so lovely and expressive. It’s one of my favorites and I think it’s a perfect match for this image. The picture was taken four years ago in May 2010 just before Mike and I walked to the church for our wedding ceremony. I vividly remember standing on the dock under the blue sky as we laughed and Mike threatened to 'fall in.' I can’t thank our wonderful photographer Karin von Voigtlander enough for capturing such a perfect shot of that memory.

I hope you’re feeling loved today and I hope you tell at least one other person - a spouse, B.F., G.F., B.F.F., parent, sibling, snuggly pup (yes, they count as people) - that you love them too. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Savory Coeur a la Creme

Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa, and her cookbooks are already a source of guidance for basic recipes but her show serves as my inspiration for more adventurous culinary efforts.  So now that I’ve got the essentials down it’s time to branch out. I’ll choose a recipe from an episode of the Barefoot Contessa to try in my tiny New York kitchen. We’ll see if I can keep up with the Contessa!

Episode: “Say Cheese”

The Set-up: Ina is experimenting with her favorite cheeses and creating new cheese-related recipes.

The Menu: Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart, Savory Coeur a la Crème, Baked Pears with Stilton & Walnuts

0:20 – Ina is paying a visit to what appears to be the cutest cheese shop in all of the Hamptons. Cue Monty Python sketch humor in three, two, one…

0:27 – “Stinking Bishop from England.”  Hah. Classic.

1:12 – We’re back at Ina’s and its Goat Cheese Tart time. I think I may lack the patience required, but her caramelized onions for the tart look amazing.

2:45 – Just found out that puff pastry is involved in this recipe, no pastry making required. Hallelujah!

4:02 – Onions + thyme + white wine = “Very Provencal.”

4:44 – Tomato + goat cheese + basil = “Very Provencal.”

5:29 – I think we’re in need of a “Barefoot in Provence” travel episode. We could call it “How Provencal is That?” Are you listening Food Network? The people have spoken!

6:07 – I just realized that the tarts are dough + tomato + cheese = essentially fancy pizzas.

7:34 – Jeffrey has arrived on the scene just in time to fulfill his responsibilities as “Chief Taste Tester.” That’s the kind of C-level job I’d be well qualified for. I wonder if the position comes with profit sharing.

7:38 – Or really good chicken stock options? (I’m so sorry.)

10:11 – Back in the cheese shop – crossing my fingers for more inappropriate cheese names.

10:12 – Alas, no luck on the names, but now I’m noticing that this shop appears to be totally unattended. Did Ina break in or are they just a really trusting bunch?

11:20 – Coeur a la Crème time and Ina has the most adorable heart shaped mold. What a cute Valentines Day present this would make! I might have to break down and get one…

12:15 – Ina’s making a Savory Coeur a la Crème with lemon zest and pepper instead of mixing in sweeter flavors like vanilla and raspberry. I wonder if this would work with something like plain Greek yogurt? (see below for the answer)

15:00 – Jeffrey Garten, aka “The Dean” of taste testing, is up for the challenge of drinking a glass of rose and eating some cheese. Clearly a highly skilled profession.

15:15 – For those at home taking notes - step one to getting Jeffrey’s attention: rattle a box of crackers. Step two: serve cheese. Coincidentally, step one works well on Maddie-pup too. She and Jeffrey must be kindred spirits.

19:45 – Baked brie, always a good idea. Combined with green apples and honey – winner!

21:29 – New cooking equation: pears + Stilton + port wine = “Very English.” I’m fairly sure this is the only culinary circumstance where “very English” is considered high praise. Sorry Britain, but you still have a lot to overcome in the food-rep department.

22:47 – It’s taken me forever to develop a taste for bleu cheese but now a recipe involving Stilton or Gorgonzola is actually appealing. Bring on the baked pears and walnuts!

26:33 – So far we’ve done recipes with Parmesan, goat cheese, cream cheese, brie, and now Stilton. But the real question is: where’s the Gruyere? I can’t believe it didn’t clear the Top 5!

28:10 – Lunch is served – two baked pears halves stuffed with Stilton, walnuts, and cranberries on a bed of arugula with port vinaigrette dressing. My favorite kind of salad – gorgeous presentation, but easy to assemble.

29:00 – Jeffrey, C.T.T. of Barefoot Contessa Inc., is back in the office. Ina ribs him a little about this being a lifetime appointment. Tenure track perhaps?

29:42 – The Dean pronounces the Stilton recipe “delicious.” Excellent political maneuver Prof. Garten.

Final Thoughts:

I still want a Barefoot in Provence episode.
Kind of fascinated by the Coeur a la Crème recipe – that could be a dangerously tasty addition to our appetizer options.
Adding “investigate Chief Taste Tester and/or Dean of Tasting career opportunities” to my to-do list.

Coeur a la Creme, Image: Laura Messersmith

 Lessons Learned: Oh, dear. I attempted to make the Savory Coeur a la Crème recipe while home visiting my parents. Since we’re all trying to be healthier and because I had some notion that it might work I tried making it with plain greek yogurt only instead of cream cheese and heavy cream.  Suffice it to say: 24 hours later and my Coeur a la Crème hadn’t set very well and the lemon zest in combination with the tang of the greek yogurt was a little too acidic for any of my taste-testers. I think it might have gone better if I had used at least some cream cheese for balance and gone with herbs instead of lemon. In any case, the blame belongs directly at my feet – so sorry Ina! – and means that I will have to try this again actually following the instructions this time. What a novel idea!

Update: I tried again over the weekend and it's a night and day difference. The cream and cream cheese have a much mellower flavor and balance nicely with the acidity of the lemon. This is also very, very easy and definitely small kitchen friendly. One bowl, one sieve, cheese cloth, a microplane - that's it!

The Verdict:  We really liked this recipe and even preferred it without the chutney. I could see making a savory coeur a la creme as an appetizer for a cocktail party.

Laura Ingalls Wilder-ness

This posted started with an unwieldy title: Things That Happen When You Go Home for a Week. Then I hit on this new one, which made me feel clever. You be the judge.

I’ve spent the last 7 days in Upstate New York with my parents, which I realize now I still consider "home" even though this is the longest span of time I’ve been here since college winter breaks. It’s the house where I spent ages 12 - 18 and the place I’ve come back to for all those red letter occasions – Thanksgiving, wedding showers, birthdays. I just feel different and comfortable in my hometown - where things change, but simultaneously remain unchanged - in a way that I don't feel other places. My lovely and talented friend, Kate Racculia, has written about how even on the radio it feels perpetually like 1994 here in the best possible way.

Being in my parents' house where the walls are hung with my grandmother’s paintings, the Internets are still found in cords instead of in the airwaves, and books published by Harper and Brothers in 1956 still wear their paper dust jackets with pride has reminded me of a few things.

One – I might be less citified than I realized. Since I’ve been here I’ve carried wood, built fires, dug multiple cars out of 12” of snow, shoveled steps, and made chicken stew with mashed potatoes. The surprising part is that I didn’t mind at all. It was actually kind of fun and gave me a sense of accomplishment. Perhaps I’m channeling my inner Laura Ingalls Wilder? Also, I know why gyms didn’t exist back in the day. Physical labor = no guilt over a chocolate chip cookie at the end of the night.

Two – walking a dog in the country is a whole different story than walking a dog in the city. My parents’ house sits on several acres of land, most of which slopes down a hill that seems gentle until it’s time to hike back up. Woof. My walks with Maddie-pup have taken a more adventurous turn as we shuffle through the drifts exploring the various animal tracks and enjoying the bright sunshine shimmering on the snow. So different from New York where an elevator and 12 floors stand between us and the outdoors.

Three – on a serious note: it is possible to detox from Pinterest. Not totally pleasant, but possible. Oh trust me, I plan to return to my Pinterest bingeing ways A.S.A.P., and I hope never to do this again, but it is still comforting to know the possibility exists.

Have you ever been back on your old stomping grounds and had a moment of clarity about your roots?

All Images: Laura Messersmith