By Jessie on
Tuesday, 6 January 2009 tagged anniversary, eating out, Family with no comments
Yesterday was our first anniversary.
Thank you to all who wished us well on our special day. It is hard to believe an entire year has passed. We have grown a lot, but through it all we have become even better friends.
How did we celebrate? With an extravagant dinner, of course.
Robb and I had been trying to decide which fine dining establishment we should have our meal at. We treated ourselves to Harvest. Harvest prides itself on only serving locally grown, organic foods on a seasonal basis. (aka, a “localvore’s” dream restaurant).
Of course we splurged. We started our meals with a glass of wine each. I chose a lovely red wine from Argentina whereas Robb chose a Cabernet Sauvignon from France. The chef sent out tastings of a butternut squash soup which we adored. It was so flavorful and rich, yet still light.
For starter courses, Robb chose a beautiful salad of fresh greens. I decided on a fava been soup (my first time to try a fava). Next came the main course. Robb selected the monkfish which was served over fingerling potatoes, wilted spinach, golden raisins, and some type of tree nut. I ordered the special, a 5 ounce tenderloin served with a salsa verde and on top of creamy buttermilk mashed potatoes. I cannot begin to tell you how amazing this piece of meat was. It literally melted in your mouth.
Robb asked me if I would prefer the 5 ounce tenderloin or a 10 ounce steak prepared by my dad (and my dad makes excellent steak). No offense, Dad, but I would take the tenderloin hands down.
We rounded out our evening with some coffee. At home, we enjoyed the same champagne/sparkling wine we served at our wedding, and a box of delicious, local chocolates from Candinas Chocolates.
By Jessie on
Tuesday, 30 December 2008 tagged Christmas, Family with 1 comment
This was Robb’s and my first Christmas away from our families. I am surprised by how much we enjoyed it. We were a bit homesick, but we were able to talk to both of our families using video chat. It made the separation a bit easier to handle.
We began our morning with some delicious cinnamon rolls by the lovely Molly Wizenberg of Orangette. While these baked, we opened our gifts. Robb surprised me with the most beautiful pie dish from William & Sonoma (Emile Henry):
(I had been eyeing this pie dish since we registered for our wedding –- over a year ago! And with the help of Ruthie, Robb bought me exactly what I needed/wanted!)
I won Robb’s heart by giving him a video game for Wii. I will admit, Super Smash Bros. Brawl is actually an entertaining game.
Our parents were also very generous and we are very grateful for their wonderful gifts.
Perhaps what I missed most was waking up in my parents’ house on Christmas morning. My dad is always the first one up thus able to capture the stillness and beauty of Christmas morning:
We decided that the 1ºF weather was not ideal for playing outside in the snow, so we opted to watch both Home Alone movies. We couldn’t help but think fondly of our good friends Jamie and Nick who love these films so much. Here are a few memorable quotes:
Harry: Where did he go?
Marv: Maybe he committed suicide.
Kevin McCallister: I’m over here you big horse’s ass, come and get me before I call the police.
Harry: Why the hell did you take your shoes off?
Marv: Why the hell are you dressed like a chicken?
Ah, but I almost forgot to tell how how wonderful our dinner was. Robb made the most delicious and tenderest Cornish Game Hens I have ever tasted (and chicken for that matter!). Robb used the brining method and let them soak for about 48 hours before we cooked them. We also enjoyed steamed carrots with asparagus, mashed sweet potatoes with orange, cranberry sauce and Trader Joe’s Vintage Ale.
One of the best things about this Christmas (besides not worrying about flying to Seattle) was that Robb and I were able to forge traditions that we will carry on for years to come. One of the simplest, yet meaningful, traditions is a birthday card to Jesus. After all, we are celebrating our Saviors’ birthday this cold day in December. We bought a simple card with a lion on the front and signed our names. One day, when we have children, we can add their names to the card, too.
And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” Revelation 5:5
By Jessie on
Monday, 29 December 2008 tagged haircut with 1 comment
Once or twice a year, Robb will get his hair cut. This weekend was the second time this year he had it cut. (Before it was this past March for his part as an extra in Public Enemies. Linda Rizzuto, who did styling on many movies including Home Alone, cut his hair.)
And now for your enjoyment, the new Robb:
What is so great is that his hair is no longer bleached blond from this past summer’s sun… And there are a few curls left (his hair was blown dry in this photo). But the first time I saw him post-haircut, I hardly recognized my husband!
By Jessie on
Saturday, 27 December 2008 tagged Christmas, Coffee, Homemade with no comments
Christmas is over, but we still have a box of homemade marshmallows waiting to be consumed in our kitchen. Feeling a touch adventerous, I decided to make Robb and myself some mochas using our little Moka espresso maker and my favourite hot cocoa recipe. I suppose I have made this combination before, but I tweeked it a bit… I heated the milk up in the microwave and added ground cinnamon to the cocoa-sugar-water mixture instead of using a stick of cinnamon.
I urge you to try out this little combination. It goes very well with a cold, snowy day.
By Jessie on
Friday, 26 December 2008 tagged Christmas, Family, Snow with 2 comments
Something Robb and I realised while looking through photographs from 2008, we don’t have any photos of us together!
Our goal for 2009 is to be more intentional of taking photos of us together.
Here is one to ring in the new year from our fun in the snow on Christmas Eve. We attempted to build a snowman, but the snow we get in Madison is pure powder. And thus, excellent for snow angels.
We hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones. We surely did.
