Thursday, November 06, 2008

More Hard Work...

We're still preparing for Cynthia's trip to Colorado. We've got miles and miles to go before all is said and done. It's good work. But hard work builds up an appetite. To keep our strength up, I've been making little sandwiches made up of tahini, Twist (which is like Nutella - a spreadable blend of hazelnut and chocolate), and honey on thinly sliced bread. They make really quick and energy-packed treats to help us get through the day.

Azalea was particularly excited about all the good comments about her fairy doll. I told her about her "good use of color" and she was very pleased. She's very accomplished and doing some really cool things with her art. Cynthia sculpted faces on her articulated wooden dolls and Azalea fashioned this draped polymer clay dress. She embellished it with Swarovski flat-backs. (I know, she's got expensive taste. No pony beads for this baby bunting.) In the background you can see the sketch of the dress design. (Is it that apparent that she watches Project Runway with us?)

We were going to make a duck while Greg was here, but he had to go out to BABE in San Francisco/Oakland. Make sure to drop by if you can and say, "Hello!" Since it was thawed out, I had to make it. I stuffed the duck with lots of onions and garlic and then "steamed" it. This insures that the duck is super moist and not dried out. Then I roasted it in an orange, pomegranate, and brown sugar sauce. The super flavorful skin turned out nice and crispy. On the side we served mashed potatoes and green beans doused with a gravy made from the drippings from the pan. It turned out really well and was the perfect way to end the day.

Actually the perfect way to end the day was turning on the HBO On Demand (we didn't even know we had this!) and catching up on a new series called, True Blood. At the New York show, we had a nice conversation with Erica Cessna of Reed's Beads in Ambler, Pennsylvania. She turned us on to the show. It's graphic, foul-mouthed, Southern, and totally addictive. We can only watch this after Azalea has gone to bed as it's totally inappropriate, but this vampiric romance laced with dark humor and sweet tea is habit-forming.

10 comments:

Erica said...

So glad to see that you've been sucked in!! Now if only we could get you and your sister caught up on Dexter..

Unknown said...

I have Demand too but have never looked into using it...I will have to since you said its a good thing.
Azaleas design in this doll is a Fashion smashing success! Look at the waist are those belts? Vert very spiffing. I believe we have a Girl Wonder here just like her Mom!
I love to cook but my Brit husband is soooo pickey and is annoying lol...often raining on my parade ach well. I keep trying!
x

Unknown said...

I really like True Blood too. It has such a neat undertone. My boyfriend and I are hooked.

Can you come on over to Arizona and whip me up some dinner? Your meals looks like they belong in 4 star restaurants.

Jobee said...

Mr Thornton, you just had to mention Nutella didn't you!!!!! lol

Unknown said...

Brandon and I are totally addicted to True Blood. I didn't know you guys had HBO, or I would have recommended it ages ago.

Andrew Thornton said...

Hey Erica! I totally need to catch up on Dexter as well. I think we'll end up buying the DVD set, as they haven't got Showtime.

I am looking forward to the last two episodes of TrueBlood. However, I haven't got HBO here and will have to find someone who does!

Andrew Thornton said...

Hey Janet! Cynthia and I kept looking at each other when we were catching up on old episodes of TrueBlood saying, "Oh my goodness! What will Janet think!"

It's raunchy and vulgar and there's lots of booty shots and bad words. Don't say I didn't warn you! Cynthia and I were both pretty shocked at first, but we watched a bunch in a row and the shock-value sort of wore off.

Oh! And keep up the cooking! It's surprising to see what people will discover they like. I think food can be an amazing adventure!

Andrew Thornton said...

Hey Sara!

I like shows about the South. I like shows about vampires. It was a given, perhaps, that I would like TrueBlood.

The next time I'm in Arizona, I'll have to do that. You know, each year in Tucson, the Green Girl crew has thrown a little party where we cook a feast. If we do it again this year, you'll definitely have to come on over and feast with us!

Andrew Thornton said...

Hey! I have the Nutella love as well. Why fight it? It feels so natural to love it.

Andrew Thornton said...

Hey Eva! It's weird, because up until now, we didn't have HBO. I guess when we switched the phones and cable around, we got it.

Now, I just have to find a place to watch the last two episodes here in New York! Ugh. I wonder if I can watch it online somewhere. Cynthia said that she would tape them for me, but I want to watch them in real time. You know!