That Guy's a REAL Schitter

So, originally this was supposed to be little ray of sunshine in your life showing you that someone named Schitter (yes, you pronounce it that way. . . . or at least that's how I've been pronouncing it) had dozens of signs posted around our neighborhood for the last 2ish months, while simultaneously exhibiting my new haircut, but Brother Z decided that basketball was more important than an unintentionally hilarious sign/hair photo-shoot. This was what we got before he left to go dribble his balls. Heh. heh heh heh.

But actually, today isn't about hair and Schit (my affectionate nickname for the candidate). It's about you.

Do vegetarians eat animal crackers?

Last week we celebrated P's birthday with a little lunchie. I made pizza, Momo made salad and Z made the most sinfully delicious torte I've ever had. Seriously, it was ridiculous. Hopefully we can coerce him into sharing the recipe sometime, but for now you'll have to settle for my pizza (which was actually pretty good). 

Happy Belated Birthday P! We love you!!!

Pizza

For The Dough

(adapted from Barefoot Contessa PARTIES!)

1 1/4 cups warm water

2 packages (or approx. 2 tablespoons) dry yeast 

1 tablespoon honey

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon salt

Combine water, yeast, honey and olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add three cups of flour and the salt and mix. While mixing, add 1 more cup of flour--or enough to make a soft dough. Knead the dough on a low speed for about 10 minutes--sprinkling with more flour as needed. When the dough is ready, move it onto a floured board and knead by hand. It should be smooth and elastic. Put dough in a well-oiled bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel. Let rise for 30 minutes at room temp. Divide the dough into 6 equal parts and roll each one into a ball. Let rest for 10 more minutes. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.       

For The Sauce

1 onion, diced

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon thyme

1 cup milk or cream

1/2 cup ricotta 

salt and pepper to taste 

3 cups white wine

Cook onions in butter, sugar and thyme until caramelized. Add wine and allow the mixture to sit until  reduced. Stir in milk, ricotta, salt and pepper. Let simmer until reduced.    

For The Toppings

caramelized red onions 

thinly sliced browned potatoes

pesto

fresh mozzarella 

goat cheese

Jarlsberg (thinly sliced)

sharp white cheddar

dates

ricotta

rosemary 

anything else that sounds appealing at the time :) 

Preheat oven to 500

Roll and stretch each ball into a circle and place on baking sheets. Brush dough with olive oil and add sauce and toppings.*

Bake for approx. 7-15 minutes, or until crust is crisp and toppings are cooked.  

*Our three favorite pizzas were the one with the wine sauce, potatoes, Jarlsberg, goat cheese and rosemary; the one with pesto, red onions and ricotta; and the one with the wine sauce, dates, cheddar and Jarlsberg. So good. In fact, Momo liked it so much--I remember her saying something to the effect of: "I love the candy pizza!" I still haven't had the heart to tell her that the pizza was actually covered in dates and not candy...

Indulgence

I like to think that I'm a pretty low maintenance lady.  But occasionally I ask people to indulge me.   

For instance....

There's a chance I might ask you to go to the grocery store with me.

At Midnight.

To buy ice cream.

In matching shirts.

And while Dr. P might have hammed and hawed initially, with the help of our check-out guy Domingo (who refused to let me pay), and the Safeway manager congratulating us (we're not sure why, but I'll take well-wishes wherever I can find them), we ended up having a pretty delightful time.


Speaking of indulging me... pleeeeeeese vote for One! I promise we'll stop soon!

Let Freedom Ring

The events of this past weekend were humbling for a myriad of reasons.  This post isn't about the Royal Wedding or free jewelry (sorry).  It's about developments in  our national security.  As I watched our President deliver the message of what transpired Sunday Evening, the brave and disciplined actions of our soldiers, and the earthly end of a man's life who had wrought so much sadness and destruction around the world, I couldn't help but think about our three exchange students from the Middle East.

I'll call them Mo, King and Rudy.  I have never met three kinder, more generous and helpful young men.  In certain ways, the last ten years have forced citizens of many middle Eastern countries to evaluate what is and what isn't acceptable from their governments and in their cultures.  There are many decent people who scrutinize everything they do, knowing it will reflect on their country and on their people who have been so poorly represented for so many years.

What I will say, is regardless of what you think about the last ten years, Mo, King and Rudy are some of the finest young men I have ever met.  If this is what the next generation holds for the Middle East, we have something to look forward to. I also hope that in our political discourse and interaction, we can understand what we do and say to each other reflects a message to a much larger audience and has implications far beyond our borders.  I hope I take this experience as an opportunity to ask more of myself and to treat others with more civility and respect.  Please join me.

Prince William Got It Right

Though I am sure Ms. Middleton is a perfectly lovely lady, I'm not talking about her.  I'm talking about the ring!  I mean, enough with diamonds already.  Since when did they get a monopoly on our ring fingers?  There are SO many other options to choose from.

Just take a look at some of these...

Probably the most expensive of the batch, but even Kate would have flipped for this Sapphire Cabochon ring.

How many languages can I say "yes please?" in to this vintage Aquamarine?

The imperfections in this blue tourmaline make it MORE beautiful! From ElizabethStreetJewelry.blogspot.com

A gorgeous light green Beryl by David Wein

Who needs a yellow diamond when they can have a locally mined Yellow Quartz?

I usually think Garnets look evil, but this is just so refined

This amethyst cabachon ring is just so understated and elegant.

Who's not going to feel like a princess in this Pink Tourmaline -- even if you don't like pink!

Umm,.. Sign me up for this opal by Pamela Froman.  Gorgeous.

I love this rough cut Citrine in gold from the Rain Collection

Yman got me a ring just like this one made from a snail shell when we visited his aunt last summer but for about 60x less!

You want diamonds?  I do too -- if they look like this.  These rose cut ones are absolutely  exquisite, from COOMI's  Luminosity Collection

Don't get me wrong.  Diamonds are beautiful, but I think we can branch out and be equal opportunity consumers of what we like best, not what society tells us should be on our ring finger.  And often times, you can do that for MUCH less than a diamond costs... sometimes, not so much. And if the day comes when I do need something on my ring finger, I will say, "Thank you Price William.  Thank you."

Which ring is your favorite and what's your favorite stone?

PS. A few more days to enter the Giveaway.  I wish I could enter the giveaway!  Boo!!!

PPS. Thank you for all of your votes.  Please remember to vote again today!

Roadtrip!

Okay, friends.  I promise I'll lay off the vacation shots soon.  But not quite yet....

One afternoon, we piled the kids into our rental car and took off in the general direction of Zagreb.  This is where we ended up:  

Rovinj, Croatia

We bummed around the Istrian coast for a couple days, soaking up Adriatic sunshine. 

wild hair

wild asparagus

wild child

the harbor

how come European laundry is so photogenic? Piran, Slovenia 

   We popped over to Italy for lunch, and then took off for the Julian Alps.

...2 hours later

Bled Castle (where I would want to live if I were a princess)

I could really get used to the view

 

on the lake

Then it was on to Salzburg...

looking at the fresco

Where we stayed in the real-live-actual Villa von Trapp!

we slept in Maria's room!!

the entire estate was populated by adorable little bunnies, and all the other guests wanted to burst into song at breakfast... heaven!!

 

the hills are alive!  (p.s. see the random castle? we lost count of those around 30)

 We made our way "home" via Vienna and small roads along the Danube, through an area jam-packed with castles, abbeys and charm.  So, so delightful.  It's a good thing we had puppies waiting at home, or we never would have come back! 

More about Vienna and the puppies later...

 P.S. Koszonom szepen for all the votes!!  Just a few more days and we'll stop nagging you  ;-)

AND

You still have time to enter our Hungarian giveaway (or enter again!)! You know you want it....

Wedding Woes? Ask 5.

Q: I'm getting married--this is not my problem, but it is the source from which my dilemma springs.  You see, we are planning to have a small ceremony with only close friends and family, and like many brides to be I am being hounded pursued by casual acquaintances well wishers seeking an invitation.  The truth is that I would love to invite them all, but I'm limited by the size of my venue.  I originally sought to combat this situation by planning a pig roast on the eve on my wedding to which any and all are invited, but now I'm second guessing my choice of date for the roast, and the invitations have already been printed.  What do you think is the best way to invite these nut jobs colleagues to the one without making them feel excluded from the other?

A:

One (Wedding Survivor):  Here's the thing about weddings: They're actually a lot more like real life than those in the middle of them (i.e., YOU) realize.  This may well be the most beautiful/important/emotional day of your life, but that same level of passion doesn't translate to the entire guest list.  I think you already have a really great plan.  It sounds fun, and just for the record, way more inclusive than most.  Let go of the guilt, do what feels right, and then commit yourself to fully enjoying every minute.  Remember, you can never make everyone happy -- so make sure that you and your Love are on cloud nine.  Everyone else can work through their issues in therapy. 

Two (Thinks about this stuff all the time lately...): How much did you spend on the invitations?  If you spent a lot, stop second guessing yourself.  It is really nice to include people in your happiness as long as it doesn't create too much residual stress.  Your friends will be happy that you thought of them and wanted to include them in some way.  If they are your friends, they should also understand that you are not loaded and probably not in charge of your guest list or wedding.  let them know that his is your piece of the wedding and that you want them to be included in it. 

Three (Salivator):  Your apprehensions around inviting people to only the pig roast should stop by the time you say the words "PIG ROAST." I'm vegetarian and that still sounds awesome.  No one in their right mind is going to think "I'm only invited to the pig roast, boo-hoo, poor me."  And if they do think that, that's their problem not yours.

Four (Selfish): Call me old fashioned (or selfish, or crazy, or unreasonable), but, I have always believed that weddings are actually more about the marriage than the party--more about you and your fiancé making the commitment to spend your lives together, than the random guy at work who wants to participate (no matter how good or bad his intentions may be). So, I totally applaud your decision to have a small wedding. I think it will probably be absolutely wonderful to have only those you know and love best around during your wedding. I appreciate your efforts to have a party for everyone else, but agree that it may be unnecessarily stressful to hold the event the night before your wedding. Why not wait until after you get back from your honeymoon? It will be easier for you and--unless they're really crazy--I don't think anyone else will mind. at all. I guess it depends a little on how expensive your invitations were, but--I would say--for the sake of you and your nerves (and everyone who has to be around both of you during that wonderful but maddening time)--reprint. Or, if reprinting is just too expensive, send the BBQ invites via email. The thought of sending e-vites may make you cringe, but people do it all the time, and BBQ's are usually super casual anyway, so I don't think anyone will judge you too much :)  Whatever you decide to do, CONGRATULATIONS! (and, I'll hate you forever if I don't get an invitation to that BBQ...what's it to me that I've never met you before?) And by BBQ I definitely meant pig roast. Yeah.

Five (Unempathetic): From extensive participation in small weddings and their consolation celebrations, I've learned that the best way to invite people to one, but not the other, is simply this:

             Invite them to one, but not the other.

If they even notice, people should have thick enough skins to realize that they aren't the most important thing to you on your wedding day. If they decide to take umbrage, you can write them off as pissy haters, therefore nullifying any guilt which you may feel. Also, do a tree a favor and send out your already printed invites. . . or just 'reprint' them with a handy dandy Sharpie (it's what I'd do)!