savory (thursday): mac&cheese and roasted roots

Seriously, it is SO COLD this week.  It was -12F this morning (that's -24C), and I am in full hibernation mode.  Something about the cold weather is making me moderately domestic, however.  Nesting?  I've been cooking and baking, which is not a common occurrence.  Maybe it's the opportunity to stand over a warm oven?  Anyway, it's cold.  A couple of nights ago I decided to make macaroni and cheese (because what's more heartwarming than comfort food?) and roasted root vegetables (my friend Elizabeth introduced me to the deliciousness of roasted roots).  So here are some pictures.  Because I'm certainly not stepping outside.

life lately: signs of brightness

1: surprise flowers/collage

2: el cortijo/secret bubbly

3: scribblings

4: steph comes to visit (thai food, ravioli/twilight)

5: springtime sandwich & lemonade

6: holga/ice cream dress

7: sunday breakfast (k makes coffee, i make crepes)

8: baby bananas/big rock candy mountain

9: tree bark

10: woodland wanderings

11: reading by the riverside

12: cloudy day

in which i miss the weekend (and warm weather)

Hooooooooly smokes. I am amazed that I am still alive. I was only outside long enough to take about five pictures, and I thought my hands were going to fall off.

(dress/belt/sweatervest: thrifted; hat/tights: gift; boots: seychelles)

This weekend it was crazy cold. Today it is crazy cold. Friday there was a blizzard and I went straight home (skipped the gym--fail) to huddle under a blanket and watch Friday Night Lights with K. Saturday we were going to go bowling but we slept pretty late, so K made cinnamon rolls and we watched more Friday Night Lights. We decided to go see Sherlock Holmes that night, but after cleaning the snow and ice off of my car we realized that somehow it had filled with exhaust (I was sitting inside waiting for it to warm up, and suddenly felt like I was going to pass out--but my door was frozen shut, so that was even more terrifying). We cleaned off K's car and took that instead, but I was annoyed. The movie was good, and we continued our tradition of getting Moe's when it was over (buy one, get one 1/2 off!). The next morning we got up even later (it's hard to throw off those covers when it's this cold--even in a relatively warm, albeit drafty, apartment). I made Swedish pancakes, and we decided to go bowling that afternoon instead. When we started up my car it didn't fill up with exhaust, but the heat suddenly didn't work. So basically we said screw it, walked to the market for some groceries, and stayed in for the rest of the day. I won't lie, it was pretty relaxing. I'm finding it harder and harder to get going on Monday morning when weekends look like this (notice all of the ice on our window):

Swedish Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 c flour

1 c milk

4 eggs

1/2 c warm water

pinch of salt

sprinkle of cinnamon

bananas

jam

maple syrup

Directions:

Mix flour, milk, eggs, water, salt and cinnamon to make batter. Melt butter in pan and cook pancake until flippable, then flip and cook the other side. Spread jam on cooked pancake (I just do a strip down the middle), pile on the banana, roll up and smother with (real) maple syrup! This is one of my favorite quick-and-easy breakfasts :)

in which what's in a trend?

Trends are funny. Last year at this time, babushka/matryoshka dolls were everywhere and people were swooning over them left and right. And then? Silence. Whatever, I still think they're adorable.

(dress/scarf: thrifted; tights: hue; hat: h&m; necklace: forever 21; shoes: payless)

Someone should keep track of all of the trends we experience throughout the years. It can be pretty obvious based on blog archives and the like, but who has time to scroll back through? Maybe I'll start. A trend journal, or something :) I just think it's amusing how crazed people get about the smallest things (babushkas and buntings, moustaches and owls, bicycles and peter pan collars... the list goes on and on and on and on and on...).

Today it's really snowing (the snowfall seems to be on a biweekly dump schedule, like recycling pick-up or something). I'm looking forward to going home and snuggling on the couch with a big bowl of delicious soup (potato/onion/kale/celery), which my wonderful boyfriend made yesterday, and the last few chapters of my book.

We're almost to the weekend!

this year in photos: 2011