After an almost two-year hiatus…

Posted on by
1

We’re baaaaack! You know you missed me. So, what has happened since September 2009? I had a baby girl in January 2010, moved to the East Bay (though I’m not getting rid of that Golden Gate Bridge picture on the blog) in May, and got a new job as a copywriter in August. So you might say it’s been a busy few years – but definitely not an excuse to not write here!

To be perfectly frank, I sometimes get freaked out by people’s blog posts. It just seems to be so much information – so much personal information – just hanging out there…ready for anyone to read. Granted that’s the whole point, and I can even be OK with putting stuff about myself on the blogosphere. But writing about a newborn (well, a toddler now)?

I’m not so sure about that.

What if she resents me for the play-by-play of her life? End up hating the fact that her personal accomplishments were laid bare for the whole world to see? Who knows how her generation will feel about all this social media – goodness, blogs will be sooooooo 2011 when she’s in college (hopefully) in 2030 (eek!).

Just to be on the safe side, I’ll try to keep her out of it as much as I possibly can. So no pictures of her on the potty or in the tub, no videos of her throwing food on the ground, and no mentions of her name. She’ll be known simply as P, and we’ll see how much we can keep this blog about me (me me me me me), and sometimes about food. Maybe baby food.

Tonno e cipolla

Posted on by
3

P1020147

Disclaimer: these pizza toppings are NOT fruit of a pregnant woman’s cravings.

I love pizza. I make it (yes, the dough, too) once a week. I have to, so I can keep happy a picky Italian husband who from one day to the next decided he doesn’t like American pizza.

This combination of pizza toppings – tuna and onion – is one of A’s favorites, and found everywhere in northern Italy where he’s from. When we moved to Rome, it was a different story: he didn’t see it on the menu once, asked the waiter if he’d make one for him anyway, the waiter looked like him like he was a martian, then he came back with a pizza with tuna on it and three tiny pieces of onion. Oh no: the thing has to be LOADED with onion (note: the picture was taken before the pizza went into the oven).

Anyway, try it at home! Tell people it’s the Italian version of tuna melt. That line always seems to work.

A Rose by any Other Name

Posted on by
1

So, what’s in a name? Apparently, a lot. It turns out that the thing most people are curious about after they find you’re pregnant (OK, the second thing after the sex of the child) is what you’re going to name him/her. Well, in our case her. Following my friend S’s method, we have decided to keep it a secret until she’s born. As I mentioned in my first post, A. and I came up with names in about an hour after we found out I was pregnant, and have stuck with the names throughout.

It’s not like we’re afraid someone will take the name…it’s that no name is good enough for people, it seems. I have been asking for suggestions about Iranian names from my mom, and she’s come up with some good ones…too bad none of them can be pronounced by the girl’s Italian father. And we’re afraid that the name will be ruined by someone, as in “you’re naming her Joni? I know a Joni and she’s horrible! Don’t name her that!”

There are many considerations to take into account: the name will have to work in English, Farsi, AND Italian. That’s asking a lot of a name. And A. and I both wanted something simple enough that the poor thing wouldn’t have to spell it out for the rest of her life (that, I can assure you, is no fun at all). A name easy enough to tell the maitre d’ in a restaurant, and one that can be understood at loud frat parties when she’s in college. Not that she’ll go to any of those, of course.

You Might Look Pregnant If…

Posted on by
2

I still don’t think I look pregnant. Just thick around the middle and generally…thicker. Sadly, A. seems to agree most of the time. Yesterday, however, I started thinking that maybe I do look pregnant. Here’s what happened: I went to a tea shop – one of those fancy ones with a gazillion types of tea (apparently, tea is the new coffee, or something like that). Once I was in, I was immediately accosted by a salesgirl. The following exchange ensued (some things are paraphrased, mind you):

Shopgirl: “Hi there. Welcome to Blah Blah Tea Shop. Can I help you?”

Me: “I’m just looking, thanks.”

SG: “Well, if you’d like, we have two teas we’re sampling today. Key Lime Green Dream Something or Other and Mandarin Orange I Tuned Out.”

Me: —blank look on face—

SG: (after two second pause and a once over) “If you prefer a one without caffeine, it’ll be the Mandarin Orange.”

Me: “Yes, thank you, that would be lovely.”

I then had a sip of the said tea, which was great, by the way. So either she thought I was preggers and offered me the decaf, or I looked so perky that more caffeine didn’t look like a good idea. I can assure you that it was not the second.

Dessert Philosophy

Posted on by
1

document_article_CVR_SFS_Choco_Cookie_0022_article

A long time ago I settled on my dessert philosophy (what…doesn’t everyone have one??): if it doesn’t have chocolate in it, it’s totally not worth the calories. Don’t get me wrong – I LOVE fruit. But I’d rather eat it fresh, without all the added sugar and dough and whatnot.

So yesterday, I made Chewy Chocolate Cookies from Cook’s Illustrated. They were AMAZING. Highly highly recommended for anyone who loves chocolaty things. I followed the recipe to the letter, but I don’t agree with the ball-shape formation of the cookie as they go in the oven. In my opinion, that didn’t allow them to flatten enough. So next time I make them (and mark my words, there will be a next time!) I’ll flatten them out a bit more between my hands before popping them into the oven.