For now, let’s recap life since we last spoke.  Hmmm where to start?  Where. To. Start.  I’m still living in the ghetto in my diamond in the rough apartment.  I really love the fact you can’t tell how awesome my house is from the outside.  It’s always fun watching people nervously walk up to the front door only to just gush over the inside and how it’s decorated.  Work is work.  I love it through the ups and the downs.  The freshman I’m hiring this year for the fall semester are all 10 years younger than me which is a just another reminder that I’m not quite the youngin I was a few years ago when I was hiring kids who (like me) were born in the 80s.  Now most of the kids have no clue that The A-Team was a tv show twenty-something years ago.  I have so much to teach them!

My family is still doing well.  Dad is in “retired” but still teaching, and mom is quickly closing in on her own freedom.  Zac is still Zac, and I truly wouldn’t want it any other way.  We rendezvoused with Miss V and him a few different times this spring which was sweet and, hopefully, a new tradition.  My guy and I are still together, and things couldn’t be better.  It’s funny how much I liked being single and independent just a few years ago, and how that holds no appeal for me now.  He gets along so well with my family and friends that it’s hard to remember a time when he wasn’t part of the gang.  Gosh… when did I become such a girl!  Don’t answer that.

Great pictures are not taken with a cell phone camera in a room with a chandelier and sparkling candles.  That’s a fact.  But great memories are made when family and best friends come together.  My baby brother turned 27 on Saturday.  How does time go by that fast?!?! So to celebrate Miss V, CoLo and I all headed to the playground of the stars to celebrate with him for the weekend.  Little did he know Chicago would be surprising him by driving down the day after we got there, too, and boy was he surprised!

So with the gang assembled, it was time to celebrate.  After a birthday breakfast, we drove to the big city to play goofy golf (and be hustled by CoLo), break the basketball game in the arcade and grab lunch at PeiWei before a quick stop to pick up the new Neil Casel photobook from his time in The Cardinals with Ryan Adams.  The drive home was filled with dissecting the chances of Ryan Adam’s returning to music, bad 80s music and naptime.  We arrived back at the parentals just in time to help mom finish up birthday dinner, meatloaf and mashed potatoes (and I took my first bite of meat loaf in 23 years! Let’s just say I had a bad experience.)

After dinner Z opened his gifts which included more pearl-snap button shirts, a GPS for those El Paso adventures, a gift card to expand his vinyl album collection and a knife that every guy would want and only a few should be entrusted to carry. Then before the hour got too late, Miss V packed up and headed east for Cruces, and those who remained capped off the evening with “The Hurt Locker” and Bon Iver’s “For Emma, Forever Ago” on vinyl in the manroom.

While this weekend was nothing like last year’s Zacapalooza with the huge bbq and trek to Texas for Ryan Adams and The Cardinals, for me there was something quaint and heart-warming about spending time with the people who mean the most to you.  I’m pretty sure the birthday boy feels the same way.  Happy birthday, brother.  May you have many more and may those you love be there to share each one!

With the awesomeness of those mixtapes lost in time, my brother provided his own slice of musical gifting in the form of mix cd when I was home for the Super Bowl.  Teary-eyed and not wanting to have to say good-bye and head back to ‘real life’, I graciously accepted the disc he handed me as I was leaving.  He’d previewed bits of it for us as we’d driven around throughout the weekend, but it wasn’t until I was in my office the next the day that I truly got to experience his collection of Winter songs. That was three weeks ago, and I’ve yet to stop listening to his mix since.  It’s now a playlist of each of my iPods (yeah, yeah I have more than one and less than six) and before I share any of the rest of the music I’ve been listening to this past year, you need to hear this modern day mixtape.  With sixteen different artists there’s no expectation that you’ve heard them all, but trust me, the rest of their stuff is as good as the songs in this post.  So if you’re itching for something new and don’t know what to buy, let this be my suggestion list.

P.S. – Thanks, Zac.  You truly are the best musical (and every thing else) brother ever!

Wilco – Jesus, Etc: Go buy Yankee Foxtrot Hotel and then every other album of theirs’ you can find.  Trust me.

Whiskeytown – Sit and Listen To The Rain: My Ryan Adams love knows no bounds especially when it comes to the old Whiskeytown stuff. “Sit around, dream away the place I’m from.  Used to feel so much, now I just feel numb” Yeah, that good.

TV On The Radio – Wolf Like Me: More likely than not you first heard this song advertising the 2010 Winter Olympics and not from TVOTR’s 2006 Return to Cookie Mountain.  That doesn’t mean you should pick up the latter.

Sun Kil Moon – Carry Me Ohio: I’m pretty sure Zac gave me his beloved disc so that I’d finally listen to this song he’d recommended weeks before.  But somehow in the hubbub of life, I’d lost his recommendation and grown tired of googling to figure out that weirdly named some from that weirdly named band.  And of course, pride would not allow me to ask again.  Luckily, he acted with pity on me and provided this gem and highlight of the album.  My students may have grown tired of it after three weeks of constant play, but you should hear that stuff they force me to listed to.  ::shudders::

Sufjan Stevens – Chicago: Just a few years ago and countless other albums later, Sufjan promised to write an album for each state in the union.  So far we’ve seen just Illinois and Michigan.  Both are phenomenal, so when you get around to listening to Michigan make sure to check out “For the Widows in Paradise, for the Fatherless in Ypsilanti”.

The Shins – New Slang: Garden State.  Need I say anything more.

Ryan Adams and the Cardinals – Magnolia Mountain: If I had to describe the perfect way to get to know Mr. David Ryan Adams, you’d have to start in 2005 with 29,  Jacksonville, and Magnolia Mountain’s Cold Roses.

My Morning Jacket – I’m Amazed: After many of my musical buddies had listed Z as one of the best albums of 2005, I knew I had to hear it.  However, these Southern didn’t memorable to me until seeing them on Austin City Limits.  It’s worth a watch if you catch it on reruns.

MGMT – Kids: Ok, I might just get myself in trouble… but the first time I heard this song was in a episode of Gossip Girl.   It’s just as good as the intermission of this winter mix as it was on my guilty TV pleasure.  Don’t judge.

Iron and Wine – Boy With A Coin: What a great band name for a single man.  Another Garden State alum who you recognize and love his songs before you realize they belong to him.

Fleet Foxes -  Mykonos: CSNY in 2008.  If you don’t get it or hear it, watch this youtube video and wait til just after the 3:10 mark. Brilliance.

Doves – Kingdom of Rust: This cd was my first taste of Doves’ music; it won’t be my last.

Death Cab For Cutie – Summer Skin: Ok, so Summer Skin may not be the most appropriate ‘winter’ song, but I’m game to listen to Ben Gibbard sing no matter what the weather outside is like. Plus, it gives me hope that warmth will be here soon, and our constant companion of snow will give way to a mountain of green.

Bon Iver – Blood Bank: What could be wintery than a band whose name translates to ‘good winter’. If you ignore all of my other pleas in this post, please go buy Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago and the Blood Bank EP and wait for the snow to start falling, a long drive, or that moment where haunting melodies are just the thing your soul longs for… Bon Iver is meant for these times.

Band of Horses – The Funeral: If you recognize this song, it’s probably been a part of an episode of your favorite television show.  Now if only I could remember where I heard it.

The Avett Brothers – I And Love And You: I can’t decide how I feel about this final band.  Part of me loves their unique creativity, and for a second in every one of their songs I feel like I’m being punked. Yet, this quirky ending feels fitting somehow.  I think.

I’ve had this blue beauty since I got her for Christmas and am finally having time to put her to good use. First, there was berry crumble last week and then homemade beef stew today.  She’s just perfect for slowcooking a winter’s meal, and this has definitely been a winter.  For quite some time now I’ve wanted and enamel-covered dutch oven and am so glad Lodge (one of my favorite kitchen brands) makes such a gorgeous, kitchen heavy hitter that won’t set you back $300 like others.  So if you need something special for your mom, the chef in your life or even yourself, this is a must have!

Red Kitchenaid Mandolin

Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” dvd

• 3 cups oats
• 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 2 Tb
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp of cinnamon
• zest of two oranges
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 40 oz of frozen berries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.  In a large bowl, toss together oats, 1/2 cup flour, pecans (I used pecans that were already covered in cinnamon and sugar from a local orchard), brown sugar, 1/2 of the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and zest of 1 of the oranges.  Add butter and gently press with fingers to incorporate into mixture; set aside.
2. Place berries (I used 16 oz of raspberries, 16 oz of blackberries and 8 oz of blueberries) in a 12-inch cast iron skillet.  Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, zest of second orange, and 2 TB of flour and gently toss.  Scatter oat mixture over berries.  Transfer to oven and bake until fruit is bubbly and topping is golden about 35-45 minutes.

(Taken from Country Living magazine and tweaked a bit to my taste.)

• 2 Tb unsalted butter
• 1/2 medium white onion, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 medium carrots, sliced into 1/4 inch-thick coins
• 2 ribs celery, sliced
• 2 baby Yukon gold potatoes, sliced
• 3 Tb all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups roasted chicken breast meat
• 3/4 cup of frozen peas and pearl onions
• 1/2 cup of frozen sweet corn
• 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 (9-inch) store-bought pie crust
• 1 egg, beaten
• salt
• pepper

Directions:

1. You have two options for the roasted chicken in this recipe.  The first is to buy a grocery-store roasted chicken and just use all of the meat from it.  However, I roasted my own chicken breasts and LOVED the taste when I made this pot pie.  To do what I did, take 3 large split breasts that still have skin and pat them until they are completely dry.  Generously, salt and pepper, add a pat or two of butter and add a sprig of thyme to each breast under the skin. Drizzle the skin with a tsp of olive oil and roast all three on a jelly roll pan at 400° F for 45 minutes or until chicken is juicy and almost cooked.  Chicken may be 5-10 minutes from being completely cooked but remember that if will finish cooking in the pot pie. Once chicken is cooled, chop into large chunks and set aside.
2. Heat butter in 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, carrots, celery, potatoes, and garlic and cook until carrots and potatoes begin to soften.  Season generously with salt and pepper from the start.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in flour.  Cook 1 minute. Stir in heavy cream and broth, using a whisk, until combined.  Stir in chicken, peas and onions, corn and 2 thyme sprigs and bring mixture to a boil.  Make sure to taste mixture and season accordingly.Cook mixture on stove until all ingredients are heated thoroughly.  Remove from heat.
4. Gently roll out store-bought pie crust until it reaches 12 inches in diameter.  Place dough atop chicken mixture and brush with egg; cut vents in pastry.  Transfer skillet to over and bake until crust is browned and flaky, about 35 minutes at 400° F.

(Modified from Country Living recipe)