A Blithe PALATEtag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-1284352008-11-19T20:03:43-05:00TypePadOooooooooooooooooooh Yum.tag:typepad.com,2003:post-587586762008-11-19T20:03:43-05:002008-11-21T10:39:16-05:00No doubt about it. I have the best friends ever. (Thank you Katherine!) Don't forget: Vosges is still on discount through the end of the month...CathScones and a Spoon of Blueberry Jamtag:typepad.com,2003:post-583856562008-11-12T01:36:01-05:002008-11-18T06:50:45-05:00I used to make scones once a week, indulging in a weekend tea ritual with Hubby. Unfortunately, our somewhat hectic travel schedules this past year has precluded the continued observance of said ritual.But lately, with momentous changes on the horizon, I've found myself yearning for the sweet simplicity of a scone slathered with Devon cream and jam.A friend who knows I am mad about scones and tea sent me a jar of Spoon's blueberry jam recently to try. Spoon began as a catering company based out of New York and has since ventured out into homemade jams, baking mixes and...CathHomemade Granolatag:typepad.com,2003:post-582727982008-11-09T23:15:03-05:002008-11-21T10:39:25-05:00I'm very fond of granola. Always have been. A perfect breakfast bowl for me is granola with milk and some fresh fruit. When we were in Ireland last year, I pretty much devoured George's homemade muesli every morning; I always meant to ask for the recipe but kept forgetting.I'm not sure why it never occurred to me to make my own granola: there are plenty of recipes out there and it's surprisingly easy. I suppose it was one of those things I simply purchased and never considered making from scratch. I've been buying a particular blend of granola for a...CathVosges Haut Chocolat -- Discount!tag:typepad.com,2003:post-578443672008-10-31T17:09:44-04:002008-10-31T17:29:42-04:00Okay, so I'm a huge fan of Vosges Haut-Chocolat and the lovely chocolatier is offering a special 10% discount off all website purchases from November 1 to November 30. Go here: VOSGES HAUT CHOCOLATEUse this promo code: 2810WB1 when checking out. Ahem, family and friends: Enjoy!CathThis is not a fleur de lis.tag:typepad.com,2003:post-569854712008-10-14T14:28:51-04:002008-11-21T17:24:49-05:00Jenn and I are co-hosting a baby shower for our friend Katie in two weeks. For party favors we decided to make cookies in the shape of a fleur de lis; the motif is particularly special for the parents and Jenn and I thought it would be a nice touch. I ordered a fleur de lis cookie cutter online last week and it arrived in today's mail. I dunno. It looks more like a flamingo to me. At least this was good for a laugh today.CathWords fail me.tag:typepad.com,2003:post-560538022008-09-23T21:12:19-04:002008-11-10T12:23:03-05:00This was sent to me by a friend today: http://tinyurl.com/4mgw5q Apparently PETA is asking Ben and Jerry's to consider swapping out cow's milk for human breast milk in making their ice cream.CathYou can and you can't go home again.tag:typepad.com,2003:post-559543242008-09-21T22:09:03-04:002008-09-22T13:24:37-04:00In the eight week state of bliss back "home" in the metro DC area, I didn't bother to post for a variety of reasons, not least of which was because I was too busy enjoying the moment, eating at favorite and newly discovered restaurants, shopping at farmers markets, cruising down my favorite roads with Pug in tow, and generally enjoying the thrill of being back in town in which I had grown up. Nearly a month into being back in this part of the world, I've struggled with the real letdown of being back, having no access to the sights...CathHere we are....tag:typepad.com,2003:post-520794462008-06-30T14:18:51-04:002008-09-22T13:27:31-04:00The last two months have been a blur of personal and professional changes and a stockpile of blog posts have been building up with no where to go... But the house is soon to be in the hands of a sitter, Hubby on the road while I and Baby are now ensconced not too far from where I grew up. We will be here for some eight weeks and Baby is having a bit of a rough patch; I think that he, like me, misses his namesake. Sometimes, in the little corner of the world where we live, I deliberately...CathRun away! Run away!tag:typepad.com,2003:post-489373282008-04-24T08:20:00-04:002008-06-29T07:49:09-04:00These are conversations I should avoid getting enthusiastic about: "I'd love it if you could make our wedding cake." These are responses I should avoid spewing: "Oh absolutely, no problem!" She notes she prefers certain flavors and her fiance other flavors: "Oh no worries, I'll make one for you in your favorite flavors, one for him and one for the guests to enjoy." She mentions certain motifs that have meaning for them: "Oh that's easy! I can totally make fondant cut outs of the fleur-de-lis!" See, if I didn't already know that I was insane, I've now confirmed it for...CathBattered and Fried.tag:typepad.com,2003:post-489328522008-04-23T23:48:00-04:002008-09-22T13:25:19-04:00K. and I met for lunch today at the updated River Mill restaurant, where sandwiches and soup have given way to an actual menu. The chef has great imagination and greater ambition; the lunch menu is chock full of dishes more commonly found on a dinner menu and some of the ingredients actually surprised me. Bear in mind....there are routinely hour long waits to eat at the Olive Garden in these parts, so I'm always interested and pleased when someone does something differently in town. I picked the vegetarian lasagna with fresh tomato and cream sauce. It was a little...Cath