morning rambles

This morning I had a thought.

It was a pretty standard morning for me. What used to seem like the great unknown of a new neighborhood and space, now feels comforting and peaceful. I pulled up the blinds to let what little winter light there was in, got ready, buttoned up, settled on an album to listen to and walked to the subway. My subway stop is above ground and goes over the WIlliamsburg Bridge. It's one of the best ways to start the day. I stood on the platform with my headphones in, gloves on, waiting for the train when I thought about my upcoming birthday. I ran down a list of sorts.

27. Female. Single. Average Height, Average Weight. Never been married. No Children. Can touch my toes. Cannot do a handstand (yet). Happy, yes.. I am happy. Brooklyn, New York. Blonde. Black boots. Overall comfortable.

And then I thought, how many of those things will change once I'm 28. How many will change in 5 years, 10 years. I remembered turning 27 and thinking about the year ahead but predicting nothing that had happened. There were some amazing things that happened and then there were some that I would have liked to fast-forward through but maybe not. 27 was a year of growing pains. Maybe it's a superstition but that odd number always did seem challenging to me and it did prove itself to be. I gained friends, I lost friends. I let go. I moved, twice. I ate too much then too little. Changed teams at work, changed again.

Someone recently asked me how I am.

"I'm well. I feel good. I'm trying to push myself a little more. Speak up, challenge myself. Go outside my comfort zone and be more daring."

They probably were just wondering if I was in a good or bad mood but hey, you asked.

Usually I make a list or goal for the year ahead when my birthday comes around. This year there won't be one. I want to live. I want to experience everything that comes my way. I want to open myself to everything that is coming. To not grip. To not wish and want but to be. Be happy and then be sad and then be happy again. Whatever comes will no matter what. I can't wait. 

Photo by Kate Diago

apples to apples

I made my first apple pie back in October when inspired by Blue Stoves own homemade pies. I've been perfecting my skill since then for Thanksgiving, Chris's Birthday and just for the sake of the smell filling the apartment. Tonight I made apple cake as requested by the apple king himself, Chris. As we wait for the cake to cool, I thought to share the two recipes for those of you who are looking to fill your own kitchen with the amazing aroma of baked apples. Happy Sunday to everyone. Cheers.

apple pie

crust

2 1/2 cups of flour

1 cup butter, chilled and diced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup ice water

Combine flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles crumbs. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball. Refrigerate while you prep the filling. Roll out half the dough to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in pie plate. Fill the pie with your apple mixture. Roll out the other half of the dough and either lattice 1/4" wide strips or cover it fully and slice small slits into the top.

filling

4-5 baking apples

3/4 cup fine sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Peel and core the apples. Dice them into 1-inch cubes. Place in medium bowl with sugar, flour and cinnamon. Mix together and empty into pie curst. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

apple cake

ingredients

3/4 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

4 large apples (a mix of varieties)

2 large eggs, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons dark rum

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted, melted and cooled to room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch pan. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Peel and core the apples. Dice them into 1-inch cubes. In a separate bowl whisk eggs until foamy. Whisk in sugar, then rum and finally the vanilla. Add in half of the flour mixture and half the butter. Add the rest once it blends together. Fold in apple cubes little by little until they are well coated in the batter. Scape everything into your pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes.

two

 I feel like one of those parents who says good morning to their child and then half way through the day looks at the calendar to realize that today is their own child's birthday - and they forgot. Hurry to the store and get a cake, what was that something they wanted from that store, do they like chocolate or vanilla, over spend, over decorate, happy birthday! no we didn't FORGET we've been planning to surprise you all along!

Today is suddenly lovely's two year birthday. I've written 162 posts inspired from my past, present and future. They are babbles of mine that have turned into a place for me to recall recipes, places I've been and people I've known.

From the past year, below are the three posts that stuck out most to me.
The most truthful: Don't Stay
The most delish: Scrumptious Scone
STILL the most read: Naked Truth

I still am completely taken back when people reference suddenly lovely. It means so much that someone (anyone really) reads this. Thank you for reading, putting up with my bad grammar and spelling and for saying little things here and there to me about a post or picture that stuck with you. I hope that for maybe a few minutes a day at work while you have your lunch or need a break you can click around here and find something that you enjoy.

checkpoint

 Midway plus a month or so and I'm checking in about those 25 goals I set on my birthday. Here's where they stand thus far:

1. Travel more  Yeah, be careful what you wish for
2. Make less excuses (oh crap, a bad start but I will get better) such a good goal to set
3. Go to more flea markets/antique fairs what up bk and uws
4. Spend more time kissing I don't kiss and tell
5. Train for the NYC marathon
6. Write more thank you notes lots to be thankful for
7. Learn to moon walk
8. Do more yoga
9. Keep up with this blog constantly trying
10. Visit the ballet
11. Take ballet
12. Make it to the beach come summer once counts I guess
13. Get a promotion at work Got a promotion and then a new job, double win
14. Donate more of my items clutter free
15. Spend less time being hungover
16. Drink way less sugar silly yet effective
17. Get my allergies (to almost everything) figured out
18. Pay off my credit card
19. Procrastinate less ready. set. go.
20. Spend more time with my sister but still happy to spend more
21. Go horseback riding more continue through the fall I hope
22. Learn to cook all the dessert recipes I save
23. Keep up with my journal (nerdy, I know)
24. Take a cooking class
25. Make more friends meeting more amazing people each day

14/25 is okay but still lots to do and think about. Half way to 26 is sort of scary but in a good way. As long as it's not 27 which is my "scary" age where I think I should be grown up or accomplish something grand. What's your scary age?

one

Today marks one year in blogging. Before I blow out those birthday candles though I'd like to make a toast. Ahem.

Thank you for reading. Sometimes when I seriously doubt anyone even reads anything I write, I get a very lovely surprise. I hear about my friends parents who visit my blog, my moms coworkers, my high school peers, others mention my blog or specific posts in conversations, people I don't know leave comments or send me messages. It means a lot to me, you have no idea.

Most of what I write has been inspired by conversations I've had with others. Friends, enemies, coworkers, strangers, family, the works. If we're having the conversation then I'm sure someone else out there is wondering about it too, which is why I write. Sometimes it's nice to know that there are people as nutty as you out there. I'm here to say that I support your nutty-ness, you are not alone.

I have for good reason never mentioned the names of those who I am writing about. Most of you probably wouldn't care but I would never want to subject anyone to anything I say. This is me putting myself out to the public, not me putting you out to the public. If you know me personally, I'm sure you can figure out who each post is inspired by. Some of you have even commented remembering the conversation you initially had with me that turned into a post. Thank you for the inspiration.

My favorite post: The Wave
Your favorite post based off of the stats: Naked Truth
The most useful post: Perfect Pair
The most delish post: Guac-mole-me
The most "real" post to write: How to treat a snake bite
The post that I can laugh at now that I've moved: Things that bump in the night

Special thanks to
My Mom Carol: Thanks for ALWAYS reading. You never miss one & I really appreciate that. I love you.
Matt & Xaiver: Thank you for fixing/answering my tech questions!
Kate & Mallory: For commenting and reading and being two of my very best friends ever. I love you both.

All my other friends: Thank you for having those conversations that have led to over 100 posts. I can't wait to see what sort of weirdo stuff we talk about next.

P.S. Suddenly Lovely is on facebook now if you'd like to be a fan :)

act your age

As much as I try to deny the fact, I am an adult. Once I turned 25 years old earlier this year, I realized that I should probably stop fucking around and act my age. What I didn't know is, I actually already was. Subtly over time, habits and personality traits of my younger self began to disappear and I began to grow up. While walking home today from the grocery store I realized while passing a high school girl how much younger she actually was than me, and how glad I am that I am done with that chapter of my life. While friends can still hurt your feelings and your heart still breaks the same, there are bits of things I do on a daily basis that categorize myself as an adult. Below are 10 signs of my adulthood that are both light-hearted, and laughable. Enjoy.

1. I force myself to eat vegetables, the one's I don't like
2. I save recipes
3. I use the term "tween" as a general description
4. I'm done dating assholes
5. I don't use the term "when I get older" I say "eventually" instead
6. I critique other parents parenting skills instead of blaming the child
7. I don't want to waste a sick day on actually being sick
8. I no longer buy the cheapest wine bottle at the store
9. I drink coffee not for the caffeine but because I like the taste
10. I am genuinely concerned with what I will feed my guests if they come over before we go out

summer sips

Two Christmas holiday's ago I was inspired by a friend's homemade irish liquor which was gifted to me. He and his girlfriend have been making the liquor since their first Christmas together with the recipe steaming from their family's backgrounds in Ireland. The blend was absolutely divine and I instantly started wondering how I could put my own spin on the idea. Since summer is one of my favorite seasons in the city, I was influenced by all the fresh fruit in my local grocery market. I found this simple recipe and have been meaning to share it for some time now. The raspberries I used can be replaced with just about anything. Note that I am absolutely not a fan of typical flavored vodka but this recipe flavors it in a way that is perfect with just a splash of soda or additional juice over ice. I am going to prep blueberries and strawberries this weekend. Recipe below & cheers!

Materials
large stock pot

spatula

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups water

1 whole bag fresh raspberries

4 cups reasonable vodka

food processor (you can do this by hand with a knife without an issue)
cheesecloth (you can also use a coffee filter, see below)

large very clean glass bottle or steeping jar with lid

4-6 or more small decorative bottles with lids to hold the finished liqueur (only if you are giving these as gifts)

Instructions
1. Pour water and sugar in large stock pot over medium heat. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves and water looks clear. Let cool.
2. Place raspberries in food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add to the cooled sugar water and then add vodka. Stir. If you don't have a food processor just mince up the raspberries by hand, I did this myself and it worked fine.
3. Pour into large steeping jar or bottle. Seal and store in cool dark place. Steep for 2 to 3 weeks, shaking every other day. (I put mine in the back of our kitchen closet)
4. Pour mix through strainer to separate solids. Using cheesecloth will remove more impurities. You can also use a coffee filter!
5. Use funnel to pour into small individual bottles, tie ribbon around the fun red liqueur and voila! Makes 4-8 gifts depending on bottle sizes. Cost is about $5 to $10 dollars per gift depending on vodka and individual bottle cost.
Other fruit options include but are not limited to: vanilla bean, simply slice in half and place in storing. I recommend steeping this a month. Orange or lemon peel (avoid rind). The bottles store for one year.

guac-a-mole-me

While in sunny Charleston, South Carolina over Memorial Day weekend, I celebrated a good friend's birthday. Her mum took her out for a 2 hour shopping trip so all of us visiting were able to get to the market and prep for the surprise party. I contributed with fresh guacamole which turned out better than I had anticipated. I went out on a whim having that this was the first time I was making it from scratch. I doubled the recipe since I was making it for a party of 10. It took 30 minutes (mostly because I was eating and talking between) and came out delish! I think I'm going to make another batch this weekend to enjoy in the park.

Ingredients
2 ripe avocados
1/2 red onion
1/2 tomato
1-2 serrano chilies or jalapeños
1 lime
2 tablespoons of cilantro leaves
coarse salt to taste
fresh grated black pepper to taste

Cut the avocados in half and remove the seed. Scoop avocado from peel. Usually I cut up the avocado into small pieces to make mashing easier. Place in mixing bowl and mash with a fork. Chop your onion, tomato and cilantro leaves, add to avocado. Remove the stems and seeds from your chilies or jalapeños and dice up. Add to mixing bowl to taste. Be sure to taste as you go so that you don't make it too spicy! Add salt and pepper to taste. Cut your lime in half and squeeze both halves into mixing bowl. Most of the recipe is done to taste because your fresh ingredients will vary. Enjoy!

xxv

I'm such a bad blogger. I do however have an excuse and it's a good one! Yesterday was my birthday and all weekend was spent celebrating with friends and family which left me zero time to blog. In honor of my 25th birthday I am listing out 25 goals for the year ahead. Some serious, some a little ridiculous. Also a very big shout out to everyone who helped welcome me to year 25 of my life. You all mean the world to me and I love you so much.

1. Travel more
2. Make less excuses (oh crap, a bad start but I will get better)
3. Go to more flea markets/antique fairs
4. Spend more time kissing
5. Train for the NYC marathon
6. Write more thank you notes
7. Learn to moon walk
8. Do more yoga
9. Keep up with this blog
10. Visit the ballet
11. Take ballet
12. Make it to the beach come summer
13. Get a promotion at work
14. Donate more of my items
15. Spend less time being hungover
16. Drink way less sugar
17. Get my allergies (to almost everything) figured out
18. Pay off my credit card
19. Procrastinate less
20. Spend more time with my sister
21. Go horseback riding more
22. Learn to cook all the dessert recipes I save
23. Keep up with my journal (nerdy, I know)
24. Take a cooking class
25. Make more friends