Ode to a Favorite Mixing Bowl

O bright cheerful mixing bowl, how you made me smile

How your perfect shape complemented my electric mixer,

to beat my eggwhites to stiff, creamy perfection!

How your beauty added some semblance of style

to my collection of serving dishes

How you brought gaiety to my table through the darkest of dinners

You served me well, O favorite one.

How shall I get on without you?

Excuse me...I need to find a handkerchief.

My beloved mixing bowl, given to me by my dear friend, Ashley Currie, as a wedding present from none other than Anthropologie, is in its last days. I was washing it in sudsy water and it accidentally slipped from my hands, falling with a thud on the sink bottom. When I brought it out of the water to mournfully inspect the damage, I found a long, thin thread of a crack on the inside of the bowl, and a shorter but wider crack on the outside.

Can you see it here, just under the rim?

If you look REALLY hard, you can see the long gray thread of the crack next to where I am pointing.

*sniff sniff*

I no longer feel safe using an electric mixer in it. I'm going to let it live out the rest of it's days peacefully, resting under the weight of nothing more than a salad until it goes.

In this case, I thought a memorial before the death would be appropriate.

USA! USA! USA!

U.S. soccer, Landon Donovan, World Cup...it doesn't get much better than this ladies and gentlemen.

Soccer is my all time favorite sport to watch. Landon Donovan is my favorite player to watch. He's scored two goals so far this world cup, and his goal today sent our U.S. team into the finals. YEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!

I picked my dad and brother up at 5:45 am this morning so that the three of us could go watch the U.S. vs Algeria game at the British Crown & Anchor Pub in Thousand Oaks. We arrived at the Crown & Anchor at 6:20 am, and there was already a line formed at the gate, which would open at 6:30.

We got our place in line and tried to count how many people there were in front of us to determine whether or not we would get a seat at a table with a decent view of the game.

Then I tried to take a self portrait of the three of us, and failed miserably.

The atmosphere even outside the pub was exciting. People were wearing USA or England soccer jerseys (the pub would be showing the England match as well) and everyone was discussing the two teams' chances of making it out of Group C. I was nervous. I always get nervous before the start of a game that my heart is involved in.

When they opened the doors, we discovered that there was plenty of room for everyone. The bar they reserved for England watchers, so the US got the restaurant area with much more room. We sat down at a large table and offered for others to sit with us, including two of Hunter's friends from high school that we ran into in line.

The pub has a great atmosphere. Very British, very old-fashioned pubish.

Finally the Algerian and U.S. players came out onto the field. When our national anthem was sung, a bunch of people at the pub stood up with their hands over their hearts and sang along, including my dad, Hunter and me. Hunter and I had agreed that when the anthem was over, we would start a "USA! USA!" chant. We did, and it worked. The whole restaurant came alive with the chant, and we could feel the nerves and excitement in the air. It was awesome.

The game started with a near tragedy as Algeria made a shot at our goal within the first few minutes and barely missed, the ball hit the goal post. After that, the U.S. was on a mission to dominate the game, and dominate they did. Attack after attack and shot after shot that got tantalizingly close, until finally Clint Dempsey put the ball in their net. The whole pub erupted in applause and cheers, until we discovered that the ref had called the goal back because he thought it was offsides (it wasn't). Oh well.

Half time came and everyone breathed for a bit, discussing how the U.S. was playing and what they needed to do to get a win. They NEEDED to beat, not just tie, Algeria. It was the difference between moving on in the World Cup or their World Cup experience being over.

The second half started, and early on Donovan took a corner kick. As he was prepping for it, many people cheered for Donovan and yelled encouragements at the tv. Hunter and I started another "USA!" chant that again took off well in the restaurant.

Here is Hunter chanting:

Donovan's corner kick was anticlimactic, and we suffered through another 45 minutes of mouth-wateringly close shots by the U.S. The U.S. WANTED the win, it was evident, but the Algerian defense was putting up a good fight, and many of our shots were just simply wide or high. As the clock ticked closer and closer to 90 minutes, the U.S. began substituting offensive players for defensive...Buddle for Edu, Beasley for Bornstein. They weren't gonna stop attacking until they got their goal.

The clock reached 90 minutes. The refs announced 4 additional minutes of stoppage time, and the pub erupted in cheers and applause (4 minutes is a rather long amount of stoppage time for soccer, meaning more chances for goals).

The U.S. owned those four minutes. They made an assault on Algeria that resulted in Donovan blowing the ball into the net. 1-0. U.S.

The pub EXPLODED.

As you can see, the screaming and cheering lasted for quite some time. It was deafening. Ecstatic. It was elation. I was jumping up and down and screaming and trying to snap pictures and punching the air and screaming and screaming. So was everyone else, except for the taking pictures part.

Oh my goodness, my stomach still gets butterflies when I remember that moment. (Is that what it felt like in Heaven when Jesus rose from the dead?)

Algeria tried to make a counterattack but got too feisty and the ref blew the whistle against them. They were furious and in the ref's face, so the ref gave one of them a red card, and he was sent off the field. The pub erupted again in screaming, cheers, and applause.

Hahaha. :)

Time was called. The U.S. had won. More jumping up and down, more screaming, more cheers. Tears came to my eyes, but thankfully didn't make it out (how embarrassing).

On our way out to the car, one of our fellow game watchers saw me, pointed and said, "You were a wreck in there!"

"Who, me?" I asked.

"Yeah! You were so stressed and involved in the game!"

Yup, that's me.

And the U.S. goes on.

USA! USA! USA!

P.S. If you were wanting a review of the Crown & Anchor as a restaurant, I have one. On a scale of one to ten, it's atmosphere is a 9.5. It's food and service, however, is more like a 2 or a 3. My omelet this morning, for instance, still had uncooked eggwhites............GAG! And they gave me American bacon, not British bacon like I had asked for. I'm just being honest.

Summer Chicken & Basil Pasta

So this was last week's new recipe dinner. The recipe caught my eye as I was skimming through a coupon book mailed to me from Ralph's. It was a recipe next to a coupon for I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! margarine...and of course the recipe utilized ICBINB!, though I substituted the real deal. I will NEVER use margarine in cooking. Ever.

This recipe is definitely a keeper. It's not gourmet, but it's simple, comforting, healthy and refreshing. Brent loves it, I like it, it's a one pan meal...it's going in my recipe book!

4 tbsp I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! (or, if you have any self-respect, BUTTER)

1 lb thinly sliced boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

2 cloves garlic chopped

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (I just used plum tomatoes...Brent and I don't like the cherry ones)

1 3/4 chicken broth

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

8 oz. whole grain spaghetti, cooked and drained

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Melt 2 tbsp butter in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; cook chicken, stirring occasionally, until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Set chicken aside. Melt remaining butter over medium heat and cook garlic 30 seconds. Cook tomatoes, stirring frequently, 2 minutes. Add broth; bring to boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes. Stir in chicken, basil and spaghetti; heat through. Sprinkle with cheese. Refrigerate any leftovers. Serves 4.

*Notes* It needs salt! A little bit does the trick. Also, the leftovers are just as good as the fresh cooked...trust me, we just had the leftovers for dinner tonight. :)

Food Update

Filets de Poisson Bercy aux Champignons

Translation: Fish Filets Poached in White Wine with Mushrooms

This was Saturday the 12th new meal of the week. My first attempt at a fish dish from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Brent and I had some good friends over for dinner that night, so I got four people to rate the meal. All four of us said very good. In fact, Brent even went the extra mile to say that the sauce was fantastic, and I agree. Buttery, savory, fishy. Very fishy, so if you're like my sister, this isn't the dish for you, but if you're someone like me who has started succumbing to the goodness of fishy fish, then try this. Tomorrow.

Though it was good, I'm not sure I'm going to make it again. I'm not sure I can explain why. I guess it felt like fancy restaurant food, when while I'm at home, I like to feel like I'm eating fancy homecooked food? Is that a good explanation?

Then again, if I had a restaurant's chef in my home, I would ask him to make this dish often. So maybe it's the effort put into the dish that makes me want to pass over writing this one down as a keeper?

I would post the recipe here, but it's very long and complicated. (It is, afterall, from Julia Child.) If you really so desperately want it, ask me. :)

Virgin Daiquiri a La Brent Tyler

I love that I have the kind of husband who likes to make virgin daiquiris, and that he adorns them with umbrellas and extra pieces of fruit every single time. His daiquiris are delicious...they always turn out different, depending on what fruit we have on hand, but they are most often delicious. :)

Strawberry-Vanilla Bean Cake

The picture doesn't do it justice....the camera made the whole picture too orange, so I spent four seconds trying to fix it in Photoshop, got impatient, and saved the picture like this. But imagine a creamy white cake flecked with vanilla bean specks, with creamy white frosting with a hint of pink and strawberries. It was a beautiful cake.

Delicious too. So moist, so rich.

I had seen the recipe in a magazine a little while ago, and salivated every four hours every time that I thought about it till I made it. I waited for a special occasion with guests to make it, and when I finally did, it was worth the wait.

My only regret was that I wished I had used more vanilla bean. The recipe called for one whole tbsp of the pricey stuff, so I bought four beans thinking they would probably be more than enough. Wrong. Four vanilla beans barely got me half a tbsp of flecks. I dream of how flavorful the cake would have been had I used an entire tablespoon.

Again, if you want the recipe, ask me. :)

Our Weekend Dash to Napa Valley

Like I said before, over Memorial Day weekend Brent and I made the seven hour dash up to Napa to visit some friends.

I said that, and that I'm a bad blogger...Forgive me for the two week break!

Anyway, a major feat was accomplished on the way up to Napa....I did not sleep a single minute of the seven hour drive! Not only that, but I drove for the first four hours! This may not seem amazing, but it is. I am infamous for not only for not getting behind the wheel on road trips, but

also for sleeping during the entire trip, like I did last November on our way home from Napa, leaving Brent to the company of his iPod.

This time I was good company for Brent. On the way there, at least.

Here is one of the memorable views of the trip up:

Brent knew the windmills were coming and was excited to get some good pictures of them as we drove by. He was in the driver's seat as we sped through them, so I had control of the camera. I must have taken hundreds of pictures as we zipped through hundreds of windmills, and two of the pictures turned out cool and only this one turned out worthy of playing with in Photoshop. I am quite proud of this photo.

We arrived at Wyn and Chelsea's home at about 7:30 pm. They had a nice warm dinner of stuffed bell peppers and some fancy-schmancy rice waiting for us. Other than eat and laugh together, we didn't do much with them that night because we were tired from our drive and Wyn was exhausted from his day at work. Right after dinner we curled up on their comfy couch and watched The Three Amigos and ate Oreo ice cream until we couldn't keep our eyes open any more. (About halfway through the movie.)

Before I continue narrating our trip, I need to take a break and let off some steam about how much I love Wyn and Chelsea's (from here on referred to as 'WynChels') decorating style! There home is not only warm and inviting (as I would describe mine, I think), but also supremely artistic and BEAUTIFUL. Wyn teaches art for a living and Chelsea is naturally artistic, so their home is a haven for their creativity to run wild. Take a moment with me to admire their style.

Guest bathroom.

Guest bathroom.

I love this countertop display. The picture was taken the moment WynChels were getting engaged at the beach, you can just barely make out the two of them in the middle of the picture. Every room in their house is filled with pictures of the two of them and their memories together...it makes the house feel full of love.

More guest bathroom.

That is a hand-painted, uh, painting, by Chelsea. I just love the contrast in color between the bathroom walls and the shower curtain! So bright and cheerful!

More guest bathroom.

(What can I say? I spent a lot of time in here, got to know it well.)

I love the modern-yet-elegant accent of the chandelier type thing above the toilet.

This is in their living room. She's a natural at adorning flat spaces.

This is what you see when you first walk in their front door. A mural of a tree painted on their wall, and...

Adorable hanging picture frames made out of twigs! (Brent and I both made it onto this wall of photos, btw. I think that makes us famous.)

I just really admired what she did with this shelf.

WynChels are experts at garage sale shopping. A TON of the furniture in their home was purchased at garage sales for crazy low prices, and then with just a bit of touching up and replacement of a knob or two, each piece of furniture was turned into an Anthropologie-esque item. Like this side table, for instance.

Display above the fireplace.

On one wall in their tv room, they have these 8x10 pictures of WynChels at different stages of their growing up years, before they knew each other. I love the idea!

Chelsea painted these birds.

So cute.

Wyn painted the motorcycle specifically for that wall.

And the two of them made the broken ceramic inserts for this coffee table. Creative, huh?

This is in WynChels' bedroom. Chelsea put cute mismatching fabric on that entire wall. *sigh* Love it Love it Love it.

Oh and their bed and headboard are just adorable.

More bedroom.

Wyn painted their bedroom doors to look like Medieval era castle entrances.

Their backyard is even full of innovative creativity.

And innovation in the works. (One of their) current projects: a mosaic backyard dining table.

Thank you for joining me on that tour through creative inspiration.

Back to our time in Napa. The above picture pretty much says it all.

CHELSEA HAS A LATTE MAKER. She made one for me everyday. Each one made me smile.

In addition to serving me a latte the first morning, WynChels went all out and made us french toast, turkey bacon and pineapple for breakfast. Yum yum.

After cleaning up breakfast and getting ready for the day, we prepared a picnic lunch to enjoy out in the vineyard country of Napa Valley.

We made a tourist stop in Yontville where there were fancy art galleries, wine stores, olive oil shops, and expensive boutiques.

I bought these adorable Holly Yashi earrings in one of the art galleries, having seen them featured on Pioneer Woman's website only days before. Needless to say, I wore them the rest of the trip.

Inside one of the olive oil stores there was this awesome table made out of bar soap. It was, of course, an advertisement for the bar soap that was being sold there.

I just think the next string of three pictures is so funny. Throughout all three, I have a run away piece of hair that I had no clue about. For the first picture, I thought I was making a great pose by holding up a bottle of olive oil. For the second, I decided the best way to show Brent my displeasure for him telling me to put down the bottle of olive oil would be to make a frown. For the third, I obliged him and smiled, without a fun pose.

We found a cool photo-taking bridge.

Cool dudes.

Studs.

I practiced my picture taking skills by taking portraits of flowers.

Chelsea was doing the same thing.

Oh, Napa. These sites are just like a ten minute drive from where WynChels live.

This was where we picnicked.

Later that day, we drove 40 minutes to Berkeley to watch one of Chelsea's friends play a gig in one of the restaurants there. These sunflowers were painted on the wall right outside the public garage where we parked. We were in a hippy-ish town, it was kind of a hippy-ish wall, I had a pretty hippy-ish hair-do...hence, the picture.

When we found out that Chelsea's friend wasn't playing a gig that night afterall, we goofed around on the Berkeley campus just for tun.

We had dinner at a really delicious Italian place that decorated the interior of the restaurant with white undergarments.

Brent and I pride ourselves in being tirimisu connoisseurs, so when the waitress told us the tirimisu was "out of this world" - or something to that effect - we had to try it. It wasn't the best tirimisu we've tasted, but I enjoyed that they didn't skimp on the liquour.

The next day, Sunday, we got to hang out with the Van Straatens too! Anton, Marietjie and the girls came to WynChels' after church and hung out the rest of the day with us. It was a delightful time of laughter, Wii Fit, backyard fun, and good food.

The next morning the Van Straaten family came to WynChels again, and Brent and I made everyone egg and canadian bacon sandwiches for breakfast. A couple of hours later Brent and I hit the road, already missing our dear friends in Napa.