Three Highlights

Hub got me this sweater from Anthropologie, and I want to brag b/c he picked it out without any advice from anyone, and it is exactly the sweater I would have picked for myself.  What a stylish, insightful man.

I also received this throw from Hub's parents.  So soft and perfect!

This was Pup's gift from Santa.  As a bonus, you can put a water bottle inside, and she likes nothing more than the sound of crushing water bottles.  Also, Pup herself is sleeping underneath this nest of fluffy white blanket.  I tried to tuck her in for her nap, but I apparently lack nest-making skills, so she had to dig and root around to make her own fully submerged nest for herself.  Ah, Pup is quite the discriminating doggie. 

Perfect Day

I spent the ENTIRE day making cookies on Tuesday.  Can I think of a better way to spend five hours as I'm approaching Christmas?  No, I cannot.  What else could have been better when it was freezing cold outside and I could sip coffee and chat with Lu while rolling out my dough and dying my icing?  

Tangentially, this holiday season has been so much more enjoyable than previous ones, and I think it's b/c I have so much more time to do things the way I want to do them, to carry out my vision, if you will.  I like to do the chores required around Christmas:  making lists, shopping, wrapping, baking.  This is my stuff.  Normally, it's all shoved into the few hours between work and dinner and ends up being just a big pile of stress.  Maybe I could handle the housewifing gig.  I'm just saying...

Anyway, I made cut-out cookies for the in-law extended family gift exchange.  Edible gifts are my go-to gift of choice for pretty much anyone outside the immediate fam circle.  Is is inexpensive?  Yes.  Can I produce mass quantities?  Yes.  I meant to take pictures of all of them before I packed them up, but I forgot.  Oh well, here are some samples of the process and resulting delicacies.

Things that Annoy Mom

I just found this picture of my mom on our computer.  She looks like she's annoyed with something I'm doing.  She's probably about to give me sass about it.  These are the things that annoy my mother:  1) winter, 2) pretty much all animals, 3) when I don't return her phone calls, 3) misbehaving children, 4) when people joke about her abstinence from cooking for the last couple years, and 6) when things happen to her plants.

If she ever reads this, she won't like that I posted any of this information.  Fortunately for me, it is highly unlikely my mom will even turn on the computer before the end of the year.  I showed her my blog one time.  I don't think she was that impressed.  Additionally, I don't think she really understood what a blog is.  

And honestly, shouldn't I have better things to do with my time?  Like look for a job?

The Latest Pipe Dream

I've been scanning Craigslist lately looking for jobs, and I'm not finding much that would be worth leaving Lanny's... which means that everything's pretty much crap and pays pennies.  However, I did find a contract job writing as a food critic for Gayot.com for the Dallas Fort Worth area.  Can anyone imagine a better job (even if it is just part time)?  "I give this my lowest rating ever--seven thumbs up." The only con I can think of is the 900 lbs. I would gain from eating fried starters, butter-drenched sauces, and choco heavy desserts.  

Um, I'm literally salivating right now.  What's wrong with me?  I just had dinner a few hours ago--oh yeah, the problem is that tonight we had a sensible veggie-laden dinner of cassoulet.  It's one of our favorites, but lentils and leeks don't stick to your ribs like our other favorite chicken curry with its heavy cream base (or as Lanny has called it "full fat cream"... He informed us that's what it's technically called and that's what we should tell customers is in the pasilla soup.  Um, no.  I don't think the term "full fat" is going to sell anyone.)  

Anyway, what was I talking about?  Oh, yes, my application to Gayot.com.  Well,  I had to submit two 150 word sample restaurant reviews with my cover letter and resume.  I've decided to post them.  I picked two of my favorite Camp Bowie standards of which I was most comfortable: Lucile's and Winslow's.  Please enjoy my staggering food and bev knowledge.

LUCILE'S STATESIDE BISTRO  

15/20

For years, Lucile's Stateside Bistro has prepared Fort Worth's favorite brunch.  From the entryway of the historic building, the dining room opens up into two sections:  to the left, a raised more intimate area and to the right, the high-ceilinged, open sun room.  Although Lucile's lobster bisque and salmon salad from its everyday menu are sure crowd-pleasers, the bistro shines brightest with their Sunday brunch menu.  Not only do servers circulate with baskets of warm, tart sourdough rolls, but their chef cooks sides of beautiful, diaphanous, sugar dusted beignets to order.  As a quick disclaimer, Lucile's is no place for carb cowards.  However, for those without starch angst, Lucile's is happy to offer their most popular entrees, the Dutch Baby and the breakfast pizza.  The Dutch Baby, a delicate, platter-sized crepe, cloaks itself in lemon butter and powdered sugar, while a side of bacon or ham balances the flavor.  Additionally, they offer a variety of breakfast pizzas from their Morning Glory to the Southwest Pizza, all wood-fired in their stone oven.  Whether young or old, just coming out of church or just rolling out of bed, everyone can find something to love at Lucile's Sunday brunch

WINSLOW'S WINE CAFE

Quick Bite

Winslow's Wine Cafe set up shop this fall in the seemingly ideal location on the corner of Camp Bowie and Clover, just blocks from Fort Worth's cultural district.  The owners repurposed the historic gas station for their sleek new restaurant, bar, patio, and retail shop.  Editing their wine list to include around fifty varieties of some of the most popular bottles, the menu contains Far Niente, Cakebread, and Darioush Cabernet Sauvignons as well as a Susana Balbo Malbec, a Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay, and a Trefethen Riesling.  With this obvious focus on their beverages, the  food menu remains streamlined, comprised of hot and cold tapas, salads, and pizzas.  All the stock starters are accounted for:  bruschetta, check; crab cakes, check; carpaccio, check, and yet the menu contains some surprising inclusions, as well.  The vanilla-scented scallops and small brisket sandwiches satisfy customers looking for a starter with a little more Cow Town personality.  Within the wood fired pizza varieties, the Jim Bowie disappoints, bastardizing what pizza should be with its jam-like BBQ sauce.  However, the Spinach and Chevre pizza is the perfect combination of sweetness from carmelized onions, freshness from the spinach, velvety creaminess from the bechamel, and salty nuttiness from the shaved parmesan.  West-siders seem to love the idea of this neighborhood wine bar with its simple, elegant fare, and really, who can blame them?