my new favorite

DAILY PROMPT: Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?

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won·der n.

1. One that arouses awe, astonishment, surprise, or admiration; a marvel.
2. The emotion aroused by something awe-inspiring, astounding, or marvelous.
3. An event inexplicable by the laws of nature; a miracle.A feeling of puzzlement or doubt.

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We traveled.

My partner Ken and I flew to friends on every coast, set aside weekends to camp each month of the summer, & planned excursions to the exotic in our back yard — Bellingham, Portland, OR, Victoria BC.

“People travel to wonder
at the height of the mountains,
at the huge waves of the seas,
at the long course of the rivers,
at the vast compass of the ocean,
at the circular motion of the stars,
and yet they pass by themselves
without wondering. ”
— St. Augustine of Hippo

We celebrated with beautiful food. 

We hosted lovely dinner parties with friends.  We made a variety of food from gourmet grilled pizzas to Beef Bourguignon.  We also had the opportunity to eat at some amazing restaurants where food is art.  Our two favorites: The Publican in Chicago & Toro Bravo in Portland, OR.

We designed a home we love.

“You will be surrounded by beauty because I think your house should rise up to meet you every single day.” - Oprah

We worked very hard on our new rental space.  We painted every wall.  We treated our selves to a few key pieces of art.  We patiently pursued the things we wanted within our budget, and we valued leaving open space — instead of following our gut to fill every corner and every shelf to the point of overflowing. 

And you know what?  I love it.

Wonder has been a daily occurrence this year.  May 2011 follow suit.

It’s Friday and I’ve got a lot to be grateful for.  Enjoy your weekend.

I have several friends who will be getting these morse code necklaces from Coatt. Each necklace spells out a sweet phrase or word like “your name” or “lucky”.   I saw these necklaces on one of my favorite blogs “A Cup Of Joe.”

We have been working on organizing and cleaning our house, mainly just getting some of the final finishes on each room (new sofa, new carpet, etc.).  So we need a cozy fall recipe weekend meal to eat while we work? Answer:  French Onion Soup in a Crock Pot.

A few helpful hints from the Gourmet Gallery:

Use at least 4 (yes F-O-U-R) types of onions:  Yellow, White, Red, Sweet Vidalia, and Shallot.

Nothing caramelizes onions better than your trusty Le Creuset. It’s a must.

Resist the urge to add the liquid too early - let those babies cook!

Finally, Quantity. You’ll want about 6 pounds of onions total. More depending on how much you’re making, but for a good ol’ big pot of soup 6 pounds should do it.

Thank you Gallery Gourmet!  Will let you know how it turns out.  Happy Autumn.

What are you up to this weekend?  I’m looking forward to a quiet few days at home to get my life back in order, enjoy some homemade pizza, and catch up on some blogging.

Enjoy falling back and catching a little extra time.

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Here are a few fun ideas to be grateful for:

New Creative Jobs.

Discovering new jobs working for awesome bands like The Decemberists as their “illustrator in residence”.

Easy Roasted Chicken Recipe. 

Last weekend we went to visit friends in Washington DC.  Our host with the most, my friend Trisha, made a cozy roasted chicken that was perfect for a fall dinner party.

Just before that I had seen an easy roasted chicken recipe that Jessica Seinfeld made on Oprah.  Easy and delicious. 

Seriously Basic Roasted Chicken and Root Vegetables Recipe

• 1 whole chicken (4 pounds)
• 1 Tbsp. and 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 3/4 tsp. crushed black pepper
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lemon
• 6 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 pound carrots , cut into 3-inch sticks
• 1 pound parsnips , cut into 3-inch sticks
• 1 pound small red potatoes , halved

Directions:  Heat the oven to 400°. On a sheet pan, toss the carrots, parsnips and potatoes with 2 tablespoons of oil, 4 sprigs rosemary, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Rinse and pat dry the chickens and season with the remaining salt and pepper, then rub with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Pierce the lemons several times with the tip of a paring knife and stuff, along with 2 sprigs of the rosemary, into the cavity of each chicken. Using cooking twine, tie the legs together.

Nestle the chicken among the vegetables and put in the oven—with the chicken’s legs toward the back of the oven. Roast, stirring the vegetables once, until the chicken is cooked through (the internal temperature reaches 165° in the thickest part of the thigh), 55 to 60 minutes.

Carve one of the chickens and serve with the roasted vegetables.

New Couch.

Our new couch from Dania arrives on Tuesday.  For the last few months we’ve been living on a futon — it isn’t so bad, but we spend a lot of time online from the couch and our lower back are sore.  So some new comfort & new style are welcome!

As a resident of Seattle - I take coffee very seriously.  So I feel a little like a trader to say, my favorite coffee right now is from Baltimore!

I arrived home from visiting my friends in Washington DC this past weekend.  I never leave the east coast without a pound of my favorite Zeke’s Coffee. 

Zeke’s is a small coffee roaster in Baltimore (and no I don’t just love them because they roast in Lauraville — although that doesn’t hurt).  They have some very unique brews and they are committed to sustainable and organic coffee.

I have to mention, that I’m also dear friends with their farmer’s market salespeople, but they did not pay me for this post — although I wish they would, with coffee. 

Now, you can purchase Zeke’s online.  Check it out.