beautiful detroit

I do admit, I'm unabashed in my love and loyalty toward the Mitten and all of its charms. But, since starting my faculty position in Detroit, I have felt my allegiance to the city deepen and grow.

Which is why I was stoked to see the D featured in a couple of un-hyperbolic, yet refreshingly positive blog posts today. Meghan from Design Tripper has recently opened a super-cool-looking boutique hotel/B&B, and her guests this weekend were particularly interested in checking out the Belle Isle Conservatory.

The visit is exquisitely captured and captioned at roam & home. Check both blogs out for some poignant and lovely inspiration; they made me so proud of my Mitten and this sprawling city at the base of the "thumb."

book talk: accessing my inner french woman

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I've attempted it before. This time, it seems different, somehow. In the past, it's been abandoned due to to distraction, crushing food-guilt or just plain non-French-ness. But now, reading Mireille Guiliano's now-classic opus of French eating "tricks" and pleasure-willpower balance, I feel like I'm sitting at the feet of a wise oracle. 

Have you read it? If you have, what do you think? On this, my third attempt, I think I'm finally in the right head space to embrace my French heritage and cultivate my own je ne sais quoi.

Meatless Monday: prep work and Punjabi food

So, over the weekend, I decided to try the method outlined in this article for what promises to be a week's worth of healthy dinners. I went shopping, got everything set, and now look forward to "easy" and "delicious" meals that aren't too much of a hassle to put together (thanks to the plan-ahead stuff).

Luckily for my meatless initiative, there are two meatless options in the plan. I'm actually pretty excited for the english muffin pizzas. I'd forgotten about the "muffin-pizza" as a culinary genre. Weirdly, though, I couldn't find eggplant at the store, so I'll be subbing in zucchini instead, which I think will be just as yummy.

The other option on the program for this week is a vegetable curry. Which is great, since I'm pretty comfortable with curries as a general rule. I used to work as a home-health-care aid for an adorable elderly couple who happened to be from Punjab. Savitri usually wanted me to help her make meals, and so I absorbed a lot from her about spice-ratios and the building blocks of curries, dahl and sarson da saag. One of her daughters even let me in on one of the key tenets of "the curry way": constant stirring of the spices, tomato, onion and herbs to make the paste. Every time I make Indian food, smelling the roasting spices in the pan and the sharp coriander leaves, I think of Savitri and her family and my time working for them.

What about you? Do you have a dish or a type of food you make that has a story behind it? Do you always make brownies, or spaghetti the same way because of how your grandmother made it? Do tell.

saturday snapshot

Strawberry muffins with hot coffee and maybe a dab of maple-almond butter, just to keep things interesting. Planning a trip to the library and maybe a dinner involving the crock pot. TGI-Saturday! 

How 'bout you? What are you up to today?

old lady tricks~bedtime routine

Good evening. I'd like to share with you another old lady trick that garners plenty of teasing in our small household: my bedtime routine.

I suppose this trick could either be considered "old lady" or "small child." I choose old lady, if only because I am usually much more crotchety than any of the small children I know. Especially in the morning. I will confess to you, friends, that mornings and I do not like each other. Maybe that's why I feel so intent on getting things ready the night before...

My bedtime routine is mainly conducted in the bathroom. I brush my teeth, wash my face (or swipe with one of these puppies), apply nighttime lotion (this organic stuff is currently my fave), floss, brush my hair, etc. All pretty standard. 

I also have to set out all my "stuff" for the following day--outfit, workout clothes, jewelry choices, and so forth. Have my lunch packed and in the fridge, ready to go. The mail stacked by the door--which almost didn't happen tonight! As I typed this, I realized I'd thrown away the Netflix movies with the rest of the junk mail and had to go dig 'em out of the garbage can. Sheesh. 

Once everything is set out and ready for the morning, it is time for the hands and feet. Especially in the winter, I try to keep my hands, which are chalk-covered for most of the day, moisturized. I really like using this stuff on my feet, too. As a teacher, I'm on my feet all day, most days. I try to be kind to my feet by shopping for not-too-torturous shoes and giving them a minty rubdown before bed--my way of expressing gratitude to them for holding me up and carrying me wherever I needed to go. 

Last but not least, I sip a cup of hot water with lemon and slick on some moisturizing lip balm. 

At this point, Jake is usually chuckling at me, trying to cajole me into bed, already. And let's face it, sometimes the routine does have to get chucked out the window. But as a general rule, it soothes my old lady soul. It helps me relax. It helps me feel ready for that ominous event called, "morning."

What about you? Any interesting routines--bedtime or otherwise--you like to follow? Do tell. 

book talk: books about writing

I can't get enough books about writing. I have to try to regulate my addiction to them; writing books are a lot like good wine, or chocolate, or cheese. Purchasing and consuming these books can be delightful, enjoyable, healthy, even--in moderation. In excess, it can lead to depression, sickness and a pernicious sense of vacancy.

That said, I'll be straight with you and let you know that I'm in the market for a new book about writing...a good one. I recently picked up this book again (I'd set it aside because of school starting, or something):

The first chapter, "Writing as an Act of Courage," is so great. I've been scheming for awhile about how I can incorporate it into my writing classes. The opening anecdote about E.B. White is one of those stories-about-famous-writers that gives students, and myself, a giant sigh of relief. If E.B. White, a famous, published author, got scared about writing...then maybe it's not so bad that I get a little scared, too.

I'm thinking about this a lot today, because I just had a full day of one-on-one conferences with students about their upcoming self-analysis essay, where they are asked to analyze themselves as readers and writers. We also just got through reading/discussing Anne Lamott's stellar chapter, "Shitty First Drafts," from Bird by Bird. Let me tell you, that this chapter (this book!) never stops speaking to me--and my writing students! I am amazed at how Lamott's hysterical honest look at just. getting. something. down. on. paper. keeps encouraging students. I assign it every semester. And every semester, students respond with relief and a little bit of joy to know they're not the only ones.

There is always this Strunk and White classic. I'd love to get my hands on this smartly illustrated version!

What about you? Do you have any suggestions for good books about writing? (or does the mere thought of that utterly bore you?) Do tell.

Meatless Monday: zucchini

Hey all! Happy Monday. I feel like I've been going one-hundred-miles-an-hour today. How 'bout you?
I'm ready to unwind in my little kitchen, making some meatless grub for the hubs and myself.

What do you say to some zucchini pancakes? (or fritters, some people call them fritters.)

I'd almost forgotten about these yummy and quick-to-whip up little guys. I first fell for their charms when we first got married, and I discovered Ina's recipe for them. They were so delicious, and surprisingly comfort-food-esque for being made mostly of vegetables. I rediscovered them this weekend, flipping through my trusty new Moosewood cookbook.

Deb has a lovely (of course) post about them, and I think I'll definitely steal her ideas for condiments--especially the pinches of salt, the plain yogurt and the bit of minced garlic!

Hope you are warm and dry this Monday afternoon! (anyone making any yummy meatless meals this week?)