Friday, May 23, 2008
Mama's Boy


So to make up for the absence of "Chris and Mom" photos on our Mother's Day blog post, I requested these absolutely adorable shots from his Dad, Jim.

Chris is familiar with the high-pitched, incomprehensible gibberish I speak when encountering anything cute--kittens flying out of tarps at Mets games, British kids named Charlie, blogs about talking cats--you name it. If it's tiny, fuzzy, or has an accent I'm probably already squealing some nonsense. This is no exception.

Thank you Jim for sending them and a happy belated Mother's Day post to you Carol.


Posted by Kelley at 9:04 PM | 2 comments

Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Losing at Russian roulette



That is the popular headline following Chelsea's defeat on penalties against Manchester United in the European Cup final in Moscow. I watched the match at the Mad Dog in the Fog, a San Francisco pub that was a favorite of Scott's and mine during the World Cup two years ago, and removing the result from the matter, it was a great time -- perhaps 200 people packed shoulder-to-shoulder, cheering and singing and holding their breath throughout a tense match (and outside at halftime, calming the nerves this way).



(The guy's red socks bore a hammer and sickle, in honor of Chelsea's owner and a newly discovered art appreciator.)



(When Frank Lampard equalized for Chelsea just before halftime, we celebrated. The rest did not go so well.)

Posted by Chris at 10:46 PM | 0 comments

Saturday, May 17, 2008
Escape to Santa Cruz


On Wednesday it was absolutely too hot to stay in San Jose. It's been anywhere from 85 to over 100 degrees this week and nothing seemed more fitting than a trip to the beach.

A quick express bus trip over the hill and we were in downtown Santa Cruz. The temperature usually drops 10-20 degrees around the water and it was much more comfortable than the sweltering heights it has been reaching at home.

We spent the day lounging by the ocean, reading, and baking in the sun--with plenty of sunscreen on! I am the palest "Cali girl" ever so I have to apply it liberally. We even had a close encounter with a sea otter, who was probably a little disoriented and too close to the shore.

After a few hours of that, Chris led me on a trek to find a recommended taqueria. The walk seemed way longer than a mile and half in the heat but once we found the place the burritos were worth it.

All in all a fun day and surely the kick off to a great summer. We'll spend the rest of it shuffling in and out of air conditioned movie theaters, drinking iced coffees, catching ball games at AT&T Park, and, hopefully, spending more days at the beach.

(Note: The picture above of our feet is for you, Scott. We know how much you adore sappy pictures of our feet in the sand).





Posted by Kelley at 8:43 PM | 0 comments

Thursday, May 15, 2008
Oil and Water


This is what Chris looks like when he cooks with oil. I think it's pretty hilarious when he puts on the oven mitts for fear of being splattered but hey, I'm the one with a hole in my hand so maybe I shouldn't speak on the topic of kitchen safety.

Oh, and he was making spaghetti and meatballs, which were delish!

Meatballs from Cook's Illustrated
2 slices white sandwich bread (crusts discarded), torn into small cubes
1/2 cup buttermilk or 6 tablespoons plain yogurt thinned with 2 tablespoons sweet milk
3/4 pound ground beef chuck ( or 1 pound if omitting ground pork below)
1/4 pound ground pork (to be mixed with ground chuck)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1 large egg yolk
1 small clove garlic , minced (1 teaspoon)
3/4 teaspoon table salt
Ground black pepper
vegetable oil for pan-frying (about 1 1/4 cups)

1. For the meatballs: Combine bread and buttermilk in small bowl, mashing occasionally with fork, until smooth paste forms, about 10 minutes.
2. Mix all meatball ingredients, including bread mixture and pepper to taste in medium bowl. Lightly form 3 tablespoons of mixture into 1 1/2-inch round meatballs; repeat with remaining mixture to form approximately 14 meatballs. (Compacting them can make the meatballs dense and hard. Can be placed on large plate, covered loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerated for several hours.)
3. Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in large pot for cooking pasta.
4. Meanwhile, heat 1/4 -inch vegetable oil over medium-high heat in 10- or 11-inch sauté pan. When edge of meatball dipped in oil sizzles, add meatballs in single layer. Fry, turning several times, until nicely browned on all sides, about 10 minutes, regulating heat as needed to keep oil sizzling but not smoking. Transfer browned meatballs to paper towel--lined plate; set aside. Repeat, if necessary, with remaining meatballs.


Posted by Kelley at 8:16 PM | 0 comments

Sunday, May 11, 2008
Happy Mother's Day


Happy Mother's Day to our moms, Lydia and Carol!



I spent this weekend down in Big Sur with my mom and the two of us ended up sifting through some old photo albums "awing" over baby photos and laughing at style choices that were so '80s (a huge perm sported by her comes to mind and these shorts below).



I'm thankful for a lot of lessons learned thanks to the mom but looking at the old snapshots I realized what a great example she set, always documenting my life and teaching me to be proud of my accomplishments. Before I became the shutterbug I am today, it was her behind the camera urging me to smile and teaching me to be comfortable in my own skin. Thanks, Mom.


Posted by Kelley at 6:11 PM | 0 comments

Friday, May 2, 2008
Farmer's Market is back!



I was excited all week for today's return of the downtown farmer's market. So around noon, Chris and I headed out (re-usable bags in hand) to see what was in season from the local growers. Once the weather warms up about 10 degrees, it becomes my favorite way to gathering ingredients for a picnic or dinner.

Now we have a produce stocked fridge and flowery table top. And I have a great big smile.





Posted by Kelley at 5:50 PM | 1 comments