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DIY Sushi
On Saturday, I attended the bridal shower of a friend who (lucky for me) also happens to be a foodie. For her shower, she brought in a chef, Kum Ng, to show us how to make sushi. Now, I’ve made sushi before, but it always ends up being a day-long project. First, there’s the running around to 3 different stores trying to find sushi grade fish. Then there’s the cutting of said fish and all of the vegetables into perfect, thin strips. I bought a mandoline for this purpose, but in the time it takes me to get the thing set up and conquer my anxiety about chopping a finger…
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Bike to Work Without Looking Geeky
It’s Bike to Work Week. As I pedaled to the office with my pants rolled up, I realized that, although I love a morning ride, the biker look is really cramping my style. Is there any way to look moderately cute on my short commute without having to change once I get to the office? Rumor has it there’s a shower/locker room in the basement of our building, so technically I could just get ready there, but I try not to get naked in the building where I work, as a general rule. So I hunted online for a bike-friendly, fashion-friendly outfit with two requirements: (1) no spandex and (2)…
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Rags and Drag
One of the many reasons it is good to have a dog is that it forces me to take a lot of walks around my neighborhood, during which I always keep an eye out for promo posters on fluorescent copy paper. It keeps me apprised of goings-on, and just the sight of those round kiosks plastered with colored concert flyers makes me happy. If you’ve ever lived in Madison, you know what I’m talking about. On my rainy day dog walk this morning, I spotted a poster for a Rags and Drag Fashion Show being put on by one of my favorite stores, ReThreads, on June 16 at 9:00 PM…
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Strawberry Season: Squatting in Heels
Because of the great spring we’ve had, strawberries are here early this year! I picked some up from the farmers’ market yesterday. I am obsessed with local strawberries. The small, sweet varieties grown in Southern Wisconsin are the best strawberries I’ve had anywhere. I horde them when they are in season and then freeze them with a little bit of sugar so I can eat them all year long. I am so crazy about strawberries that, last June, I drove out to JenEhr Farm in Sun Prairie over my lunch hour to buy some 10-lb. flats of organic strawberries. When I got there, the pre-picked containers of strawberries were sold…
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On Writing: Give It All, Give It Now
American artist Sam Fink, who is in his nineties, published a gorgeous, illustrated version of Annie Dillard‘s advice to writers in a book called Give It All, Give It Now (Welcome Books, 2009). Lena Tabori recently featured some of the book’s illustrations on The Huffington Post. I found the article so inspiring that I wanted to share some of it here. The quotations featured in the illustrations are from Annie Dillard’s The Writing Life (Harper Perennial, 1990).
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Bands that Should Come to Madison… Pretty Please?
The Overture Center recently asked me (and its other 2,932 Facebook friends) who we would like to see perform on their stage. And that got me thinking… Madison is getting the shaft this summer on a lot of tour schedules. All of my favorite Canadian indie bands are touring this summer, and not one of them has a Madison stop. Stars‘ new album, The Five Ghosts, releases on June 22. They play in Chicago on June 9 (already sold out) on their North American tour, but no Madison stop this time. I’ve seen Stars at the Metro in Chicago and at the Barrymore in Madison, both on brutally cold days.…
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Sangria: A Classier Version of Wapatuli
It’s almost Memorial Day weekend, which, here in the great white north, is the unofficial start of summer and a cause for celebration. Summer, to me, means sangria. And I’m picky about it. It can’t be too sweet or too heavy. I’ve asked many people to share their sangria recipes only to get the response, “Oh, a little of this, a little of that. It’s different every time.” I guess sangria is one of those things you’re not supposed to make with a recipe, kind of like a classier version of wapatuli. But if you’ve never made it before (sangria, that is–I know you’ve all made wapatuli) and you need…
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Jenny & Jackie: My Fashion Heroes
Jenny and Jackie. One’s a rock star, the other’s American royalty. But both are my fashion heroes. Maybe I should try to combine their looks into one. I’d call it “rich girl rock.” JENNY If you’re not familiar with her solo debut, Acid Tongue, or her many albums with the band Rilo Kiley, you may remember Jenny Lewis from the 1989 movie “Troop Beverly Hills.” This indie princess and one-time child star can can rock pretty much anything, from a leotard to haute couture. JACKIE And then, of course, there is (always) Jackie O. My favorite photos of her are not the ones in which she is all dolled up…
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Garden Couture
Double peonies are in bloom! The single peonies started unfurling about two weeks ago, but they pale in comparison with their later-blooming and better-looking sisters, the doubles. There is no flower quite so feminine and showy as the double peony. They remind me of 1950’s ball gowns and wedding dresses:
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Fishing Around for an Easy Recipe?
Grilled fish tacos are a staple around our house in the summertime. They require little preparation and make a simple, tasty meal. All you need are the following: Fillets of white fish: tilapia, mahi mahi, orange roughy, or halibut work well 1 tsp. ground cumin 1/4 cup olive oil Hot sauce of your choice. I like Valentina. 1 jalapeño, de-seeded and diced 2 limes- cut one in half and cut the other into wedges 1/4 cup chopped cilantro salt & pepper Green cabbage, chopped (you could also use pre-shredded cole slaw mix) Salsa (homemade or from a jar–your choice) Avocados, chopped (or guacamole, if you like) Corn tortillas Optional: mayonnaise…
a blog on fiction, fashion, food + family