Thursday, December 10, 2009

There is a teenager in the house

Isabel turned 13 yesterday. She received a hair dryer, a curling iron, nail polish, a GAP hoodie, and a Lady Gaga CD, all of which she wanted. She didn't request a Snuggie, which was Owen's gift. He was very proud of his gift; she was uncharacteristically gentle and diplomatic. 

She and I also had this first-ever exchange.

Isabel: Mom, are we doing anything on Saturday night?

Tipsy: No, why?

Isabel: Because Juliet and I want to go wander around the mall.

Silence. 

Tipsy: What mall?

Isabel: Oh, I don't know. Just a mall.

Her dinner of choice: hibiscus cooler from the Mexican phase of this blog, calzones, and an Oreo bundt cake from Maida Heatter's cake book. It looked like a giant chocolate donut.

You make a rich sour cream batter into which are folded fifteen chopped Oreos; bake; top with thick chocolate glaze. Not a bad cake, but you can't taste the Oreos at all, so there is really no point. 

After cake, after my mother went home, we watched The Office. Fought over the Snuggie.

*****
It seemed unappealing to lead this post with lentil soup, but I did start cooking from Moro the other night and the lentil soup is vegan and yummy. It's also ugly and sludgy brown, so no picture. To go with, I made Moroccan flatbreads
 
that contained fennel seed and were perhaps a tiny bit overcooked hence cardboardy. Tasty, though.

Here are some Moro dishes I want to make: chestnut and chorizo soup; pheasant with cloves, cinnamon and chestnuts; grilled quail with rose petals; Malaga raisin ice cream.

Here are some Moro dishes I don't want to make: pickled turnips, turnips with vinegar, scrambled eggs with mushrooms, kidneys with sherry.


17 comments:

  1. I read the re-print of your story about Arlene the chicken in The Week and loved it! I needed to read more of your writing and found you here.

    Just wanted to drop some props. I love your writing style and each of your blog posts has at least one tasty sentence that I wish I'd written.

    Thanks for sharing your adventures!

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  2. When you get to the chestnut soup, let us know how it goes with the chestnuts. After my Thanksgiving experience with them, I'm really interested to find out how one is supposed to deal with them. They gave off the greatest, homiest fragrance while roasting in the oven. But the process of trying to peel them was exceptionally fraught. I'm sure there are some special tricks or techniques I need to learn.

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  3. I wish it were called the Slanket in real life, instead of just on 30 Rock.

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  4. Melissa "Melicious" Joulwan -- THANK YOU!!!

    Melvil -- it calls for vaccuum-packed peeled chestnuts, which I have not seen but am going to look for.

    Layne -- That really is a better name.

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  5. the answer to the "which mall" question is, of course, whichever mall the guys are planning on hanging out at that night. they should at least come up with the excuse of a "movie." blatant mall walking is for seniors.

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  6. grandpa david wants a piece of the cake.

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  7. Go Owen. Snuggies rock. I picked one up for everyone on my holiday list. All best wishes to Isabel on the occasion of her birthday and best wishes to the family on the advent of teenage years (heaven forfend).

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  8. I love their faces in that photo! Cracks me up.

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  9. Pheasant with cloves sounds amazing...turnips, blah.

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  10. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  11. Agree that kids' faces in the photo are classic. Him thrilled with his choice for a present, her preparing to be diplomatic. But she did end up fighting for the Snuggie!

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  12. its called "shopping" and it wasnt my idea to go, and were only going to buy secret santa gifts so mom, maybe you should check your facts before you post stuff about people on the internet.

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  13. I'm sorry, thanksalot. You're right, I should have inquired further.

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  14. BUSTED tipsy! but you're right about one thing: there most definitely is a teenager in the house.

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  15. Please do not cyberbully thanksalot. It seems like that's what you guys are doing.

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