If ice skating is not part of your routine, you probably only think about going during the holidays or during an Olympic winter. If so, it's time you thought about a session by month's end. It's national ice skating month in the States & many ice rinks & arenas are having special events, plus lower rates for a session. If you go, we'll go. Deal? (Our neighborhood has a small outdoor rink, open November through March. No excuses; we walk by it on the way to the market. Gulp. Photos, um, maybe:) If you're coming to Washington, DC for the Inauguration festivities, you should visit the National Gallery Sculpture Garden & go skating, too. If you live near an outdoor rink, try it (or go again). There's something special about skating at night under the stars that makes up for the cold. xoxo
PS: Reward yourself with this. Or this, if alcohol isn't your thing.
Not light as a feather (again, yet) but getting there. Ten pounds by ten. (Update: nope, 14 pounds, or a stone if you're British:)
Thanks to:
xoxo
The title is from a poem; don't worry, Giulia isn't lurching around from the effects of Calvados. A busy day but here are some helpful apple links.
Where to pick apples in your region of the States.
ciao/xo
These recipes can be served hot or cold, whatever the weather calls for. We've tried all four & love them equally. Two things, though: please don't use dried basil, especially in the summer; anything calling for chicken stock can be made with vegetable stock. (Or with water if your tomatoes are really good.) If you don't have access to fresh tomatoes, you can use good tinned ones.
Roasted tomato soup by Tartlette
Roasted tomato soup by 101 Cookbooks
Egyptian tomato soup
How to cook perfect tomato soup by Felicity Cloake for The Guardian
Have a great Monday! ciao/xo
(photograph via The Kitchn)
Sure, it's great to go swimming during the day. But if you're as pale as Giulia's obedient servant, you probably prefer to go at sunset or after dark. There are usually less people around, too, so you can get in your lap swimming. You are doing that, right?
The Let's Move! website is looking a lot better & more interactive these days. Encourage the White House by visiting the site & using it for inspiration (& some cool tools).
ciao-meow/GGCM
PS: Really trying to pick up the pace & length of posts...but life is not cooperating. Thanks for sticking around. (And for the emails of concern. Return emails forthcoming - promise!)
(photograph detail by D Sharon Pruitt)
Today GG's editor is making this easy & highly-rated dish from Martha Stewart's site. Basically, three turnips, two sweet potatoes, a bit of broth, cheese (only 4 ounces) & a few pantry items = 8 servings. (It looks easy enough to make a half recipe.) Paired with a quick green salad or sautéed spinach, a lovely Meatless Monday. ciao-meow/GG's ChefPS: Sweet potatoes & turnips are fresh in farmer's markets now. There will be some over-wintered ones, too, of course. Either is just fine as long as they are firm. And yes, Giulia eats sweet potatoes...she just doesn't know it. Her editor has come to embrace the sweet potato later in life, understanding finally that one can dispense with the marshmallow & brown sugar element entirely. Simple but a revelation nonetheless (to us).(photograph via Martha Stewart)
The White House is celebrating the second anniversary of Let's Move, the program the First Lady started to solve the problem of childhood obesity. Visit their website & be inspired (no matter where you live). Whether you live with children or not; whether you wrangle a redheaded feline (or not), you need to get out for a walk. Even if you're not living in one of the 25 best walking cities (we do, hooray), you need to get out for a walk. If you use the word flâneur you'll feel even better about the whole business. There you go, out for a stomp...but remember to stop at a café or to admire a view. ciao-meow/GGCM(photograph by Aya Brackett)
Don't despair of the slim fruit pickings available now. One thing we've done recently: purchased a 99 cent package of mint to perk up oranges. The other: remember that pineapples are in season now. And while GG's editor is not overly fond of fruit in savory dishes, investigation of fruit salsas is on the to-do list.
Smitten Kitchen has two wonderful recipes: citrus with feta & mint and winter fruit salad with a star anise spiked dressing. (We bought star anise for the first time last month.)If you have fruit on hand that's beyond redemption for your consumption but is not spoilt, consider offering it to a squirrel for supper.ciao-meow/GGCMPS: Giulia eats fruit but she doesn't know it (& we're not telling her!).(photograph by liivia)
We hereby resolve to go to bed early (or earlier) in 2012. Giulia will have no problem keeping that resolution; cats are talented sleepers. Here are 7 steps to better sleep. We'll be posting late tomorrow because we stayed up so late to read about getting more sleep. Yikes.ciao-yawn-meow/the Management(photograph via observando)
January is National Ice Skating Month here in the States. It's too cold (for us) to think about skating outside today; however, a slightly warmer weekend forecast tempts us to think about the National Gallery Sculpture Garden rink. If there's a rink near you, outside or in, think about going. You don't have to be a great skater. Just have fun. (Plan treats for after or at the interval:)
If you're fortunate enough to live in London, Somerset House skating is on until January 22. Of course there are more rinks than that one. In New York, the famous rink at Rockefeller Center is fun, but our favorite is the Wollman. (A certain real estate mogul has insinuated into this area, as well. Refuse the 'T'...argh!)
ciao-meow/GG's editor
(illustration by Italian Alessandro Gottardo; see here for more. Love him.)
We're off for a drive (& a walk) in the country & to visit friends & family. What else are holiday weekends for? OK, many of you will be shopping, either online or walking on your two little feet. Take a break, either way, & visit a nearby park/museum. GG's editor was pleased to see that Brookside Gardens is a member of the First Lady's Let's Move - Museums & Gardens. Check to see if your favorite park or museum is on the list. Then take yourself on a walk, even to the corner store. You'll feel so much better.
Make some of these as soon as you can. Pepitas (or pumpkin seeds but it's so fun to say 'pepitas') are fresh this time of year. From pumpkin carving to doing what we did: buy a bag at Whole Foods or your co-op. We just made the Maryland style & there are 5 more variations on the darling Cherry Tea Cakes blog. You can make up something of your own, too. Yum. PS: Do you have your pumpkin yet? No? Neither do we. Don't panic. There's a whole weekend left before Halloween. We keep telling everyone & anyone who will listen.
ciao-meow/GG Snack Central
(photograph by Cherry Tea Cakes)
The Bing cherry is a favorite but other varieties (such as the Rainier & the Queen Anne) are gaining in popularity every year. Life may not be a bowl of cherries, but few things so simple can make people so happy. Even Giulia is enamored of this stone fruit, much like her comrade-in-fur in the photograph. Here are more cherry recipes than you probably know what to do with...that Martha, she's on top of it, as usual.
Remember to visit the new litter of kittens at the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee. We're down to the last week of the fundraiser & there are treats galore waiting for you. Following a litter of kittens from their shaky start to their adoption is a good thing. Trust us.
ciao-cherry-meow/GG Summer Central
(photographer unknown but via pinterest)
We're running behind today (this week, last week, this year, last year...) but below are some great summer salad recipe links. We just boiled our first pot of quinoa (we're a bit behind the times) for summer salads. Well, GG's editor did...Giulia is flooping about in the (empty) bathtub, cooling her ear-tips & paw-pads.
Salads:
The always-helpful Mark Bittman's 101 Minimalist Simple Salads
Achoo! Aches & pains. Wah!
Well that's out of our system; if only this sudden onset of a terrible summer cold were gone. We just had a market delivery & Giulia does not eat blueberries in great quantities. So we're researching blueberry smoothies. (Did you know that July is blueberry month? Neither did we.) Here are five things to do with one pint of berries.
If you have more recommendations, do send us a tweet @juliethecat.
ciao-sniff-meow/GG's kitchen
(photograph by MonikaElena via Cup of Jo)
Pineapples were something we bought rarely until this past March. Since then, we've bought one every week. They're available year-round but at their harvest peak from March through July. Golden fair-trade pineapples (including some organic) are available for $2.99 - $3.99 on sale. It's worth it, whether you have a family or you live alone. We haven't had any leftover to make salsa or to use as a facial mask. Carve up the pineapple & store the leftovers in the fridge; it will disappear quickly. Icy pineapple on a hot summer evening is a low-calorie thing of beauty. (Some terrific ideas if yours last longer than ours.) If you have a cat or dog, you can tie the discarded pineapple top onto their head in a tribute to Carmen Miranda. (Kidding!)ciao-meow/GGCM(pineapple illustration - for sale - by Andy MacGregor via Supermarket Sarah via Bippity Boppity Boo)
A busy summer morning here but as the thermometer plummets to a mere 90 degrees (aieee), a berry-picking trip might be in order. (Of course, this does not include the redheaded one...she likes berries but is not keen on farm work.) If you are feeling similarly optimistic, visit Pick Your Own. It has listings for countries other than the States, too.
Make this super-easy oven raspberry jam using Nigella's recipe. Giulia's editor makes it several times a year. It makes you feel like the genius that you are not! Back soon.ciao-rush-meow/GG
(photographs by acromatopsico via Pinterest & Alison Miksch)
Giulia is busy sleeping (in a yoga position, to be fair) & her editor has just finished her first Ballet Beautiful Blast - Swan Arm Series. So far Ballet Beautiful, created by genius Mary Helen Bowers, has four online streaming videos available for $8.00 each & more are promised. When in New York, you can take classes in-person, of course. This is a good alternative when it's raining or you need additional exercise.
We'd type more but...arms bit...sore, ow ow ow ow (it's all good).
ciao-whimper-meow/GG Dance Central
(Loomis Dean & Alfred Eisenstadt photographs via LIFE archives)
ciao-meow/GG Holiday Central
(photograph by Carl Monus)
