hats for haiti

we all have been shocked by the news of the devastating earthquake that rocked haiti last month. but how many of us have done anything about it? as the images and correspondence from the wreckage are slowly being replaced by winter olympics coverage, celebrity scandal and automobile recalls, it is easy to forget about the long road towards recovery the nation of haiti is still facing.

as i was fortunate enough to be sitting inside my warm house one cold winter evening, i got to thinking about how i wanted to do something to help the earthquake survivors and families of the victims. then, i caught a glimpse of my basket of yarn and crochet needles in the living room, and hats for haiti was born.

so. your head happens to be cold in this freakishly snowy winter we've been having. and it just so happens that i like to crochet. i will custom make a hat just for you. you send me a check for 12 dollars made out to the american red cross, and and additional three bucks (if you want) that can go towards the cost of supplies so i can keep the project going. so for fifteen dollars you get it all: you'll know your check will go to good use to help others, and you in turn get a boost of good karma, on top of a sweet warm hat for your head.

your donation will be sent immediately to the american red cross to aid their efforts in helping the haitians.

send me an email (mollyrue@gmail.com) specifying your color choice, name, and contact info. and then we can get started!

hats for haiti: get them while they're hot (and while it is still cold!!)

amaretto choco-chip hazelnut cookies.

for the second time this week, we are being pounded by a blizzard. the obama-weather forecast for our area looks grim.

before the flakes started falling last night, i got inspired to bake some cookies to while away the hours i would be spending indoors. i picked up a bag of hazelnuts during our 2-hour long emergency stock-up trip to the grocery store, and the rest is history.

the verdict? they taste like ferrero-rocher chocolates in cookie form.

and if that doesn't convince you, there's always this:

ingredients

2 sticks butter, softened

3/4 c. each of brown sugar and white sugar

2 eggs

2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

amaretto

1 c. chopped hazelnuts

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

method

in a bowl, cream together softened butter and sugars with an electric mixer. add one egg at a time, beating into batter with mixer.

in another bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. mix in 1/4 c. increments, by hand, into the wet ingredients until just combined.

pour a little amaretto (maybe about a tablespoon) into the batter, and mix in along with the choco chips and hazelnuts.

bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 375 for 6-10 minutes.

ANOTHER BLIZZARD OMG.

i never thought i'd hear myself say this, but...

I AM SO SICK OF SNOW.

seriously.

this is the third major storm to come our way in two months, and where i live, the town infrastructure does not know how to deal with a light dusting, let alone an angry, powerful blizzard that all the forecasters are buzzing about. the roads will be deplorable for at least three days after the snow stops falling, rock salt will be haphazardly strewn on parts of sidewalks, and there will most likely be riots at the supermarket.

how am i preparing for the storm? ha. this coming from a girl who doesn't own a proper sever winter weather jacket. i have a couple of unopened netflix dvds, a whole bag of yarn that is screaming to be crocheted, and a healthy supply of wine stashed away in the basement. and a burly, hunky guy who will happily shovel sidewalks, scrape car windshields, and brave the crowds pre-blizzard to get bread, milk, toilet paper and batteries.

all i need is a yule log (or a real fireplace) and i'll be ready for the whiteout.

friends+dinner=...frinner.

last night we had a couple of friends over for a sweet, relaxing dinner get-together. with a never-fail pot of recipe-less chili simmering on the stove (read: no frenzied kitchen activity hindering me from socialization), conversation was effortless, stimulating, and enjoyable.

aaand i must exercise a little bit of self-congratulation for selecting the ripest, most succulent avocados at the local co-op. bonus points for them being on sale for $0.79 a piece!! homemade guac in an authentic mortar and pestle never tasted, or looked, so good.

frinner is my new favorite.

no more wrinkles

work sells dermalogica products: yippie for me AND for my skin.

newest obsession? dermalogica multivitamin power firm. smells like sweeTarts, and protects my eye skin from wrinkles.

to-do list

as of about 25 minutes ago, i will never have to take another GRE again. in celebration, here is a list of things i want to accomplish between now and april when admission decisions come around.

-make curtains

i was given a sewing machine for christmas...which would have been quite useful about three months ago when i sewed, by hand, curtains for our living room. they turned out quite well, but were definitely a labor of love. now that i have a sewing machine, coupons for fabric stores, and time to spare, i can not only mend the crooked stitches my hand made, but dress all the remaining windows in the house!

-FINALLY get my shop up on etsy.

i've been talking about it for a year now. it's time to cut the crap and get it going. more to come. buy something.

-get effing organized

closets, drawers, shelves, painting, everything. i've got vision AND a gift certificate to the container store.

-run 3 miles/day

i did it in college. now, i don't have the excuse of hours of studying the library to hinder me from doing so anymore, so, honestly, there is no excuse. plus, all this cooking, and subsequent eating, is starting to show since my pants are just a teensy bit tighter than they used to be...

miscellaneous things i am potentially doing in 2010:

-getting a tattoo*

-getting into graduate school**

-becoming a full-blown vegetarian

-driving across the united states of america

*mom, please don't panic. it will be very small. and it will fall under the 7-year rule, so you actually won't get to see it until i am 29. and i probably will have gotten it removed by then.

**and stop changing my mind so damn much. the third time/school's a charm...

sincerest apologies.

last night, my boyfriend, in his casual, loving way, gently inquired, "isn't your blog due for an update?"

i paused, and had to stop and think a moment. blog? what's a blog? do i even have one of those?

and then i remembered, why, YES, i've had one for a year now, and YES, it is painfully overdue for an update. think of all the wonderful meals i've eaten, cooked, and shared over the past two months that have not been photographed, documented and acclaimed on my humble little share of the internet real estate.

i am sorry.

now i have a zillion excuses, all of which are valid, and all of which lead me into a new direction with my vision for this blog. i like cooking, i like writing, and i like lots of other things, too. rather than starting a whole entirely different blog (which would make me feel bad about updating one and not the other; i was the kid who slept with 76 different stuffed animals in the bed because i couldn't pick just one without thinking that the others would get their "feelings hurt"), why can't i just write about ALL the things i like...recipes, traveling, theater, music, clothes, diy projects, jewelry, yoga, everything?

and blogging about everything means more blogging in general. i say, that's a brilliant idea if i ever heard one.