dinner rolls

i love nigella lawson, with her cheeky encouragement and simple recipies. last night the boys and i feasted on her soft white dinner rolls, which she says are perfect for kids to bake. both boys were too engrossed in legos to participate, but my babysitter and i had fun making them.

you'll need:

3 1/2 - 4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons (1 envelope) rapid rise, bread machine or other instant yeast
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon superfine sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
1 heaped tablespoon butter

mix, let rise a few hours, then shape into small balls. put on pan abotu 1/4 inch apart. coat with mixture of:

egg
teaspoon of milk
pinch of salt

bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.
eat as soon as they're cool enough with butter or jam. or both.

world's uglist birthday cake

who knew you could buy birthday candles shaped like army tanks?

my son wanted an army-themed birthday, so i made what is hands-down the world's ugliest cake (photos coming). it was pure military-industrial complex on a plate, with soldiers hiding from little diorama trees, guns pointing. never mind that i've spent months practicing making lovely fondant cakes in pleasing colors. never mind that i've taught my children that we pray for peace, pet animals, vote democrat, and "feel the love." the gun thing is encoded on little boys' dna. army is what he wanted. so i made the cake. as i mixed up green and brown camouflage icing, i couldn't help wondering about the pet-me-pony cakes a six-year-old girl might ask for on her birthday. or the dessert cart brimming with miniature pastel-colored cakes at the plaza, where my father used to take me for tea as a special treat when i was a child. in any case, happy birthday, william! you are six, and you are my world. i love you.

lost and found

not sure about you, but i'd love to know the story behind this note posted on foundmagazine.com.

perfect cookout

summer night + barbeque shrimp = heaven!

2 pounds large shrimp, unpeeled
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup tequila
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons cumin
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Thread 3 to 4 shrimp on skewers (note: soak bamboo skewers in water first or they'll burst into flames when they're on the grill). Slather with marinade, which is all the other ingredients whisked together. Marinate at least 2 hours. In the interim, invite friends over. Have cocktails. When shrimp's ready, cook for about 2 minutes. Serve with killer guacamole.

paris

haven't written in a while but have been to paris for four, way-too-short days. i'm greedy. it wasn't enough, and i'm yearning for the beauty of paris and the possibility that travel brings, no matter where it that is our wanderings take us. i left my husband and kids at home for this trip, and though it's ugly to admit, i missed my children but not being a mom or a wife or an employee or all the other quotidian roles i play at home. so here's the stickler: how do we retain our dreams as part of our daily lives instead of living them out and squeezing them into four-day trips? and how am i ever going to learn to make vinagrette and coffee that tastes as divine as the salads and cafe cremes in paris?

on the bright side: found the PERFECT chandelier at the flea market. photos coming soon!

flower power

i love the spring peonies starting to bloom. think it may be time to plant some more.

state of play

saw state of play this this weekend, and it made me very homesick for newsrooms. russell crowe reminded me of an older, boozy reporter who told me on my first day at work: "kid, if your mother says she loves you, verify it." now, 20 years later, i've left journalism and am in a ridiculous, mediocre job, wondering why i left a profession i so adored. (can i say, "stupid, stupid, stupid me?" ) makes me determined to encourage my sons to follow their bliss, and guts, no matter what.