Monday, August 31, 2009

Marrying for money

I read this in an article today and it made me chuckle:

"Young women, here is some advice:
Don't throw your hot, youthful selves away on young, financially unproven men. They may never become successes, and if they do, they'll probably just chuck you for younger models when you're too old to successfully compete again in the marriage marketplace.
Instead, marry rich guys while you're still taut enough to snag them. They may dump you, too, but at least you'll have nice, fat divorce settlements with which to pursue true love, or the pool guy, whoever comes first.
Notice I didn't say it was good advice.
But that is the gist of a new book, Smart Girls Marry Money: How Women Have Been Duped Into the Romantic Dream -- and How They're Paying for It, by Elizabeth Ford and Daniela Drake."

I like nice things as much as any girl, but is that what our society has come to? I see the benefits of not marrying for lust and taking a more business-motivated approach to marriage, but at the same time, give me a break.

I tell the Lumberjack that I married him for his money. It's in jest, of course. We married when we were both penniless, just out of college and ridden with student loans. But the thing is, it's not about the money, nor should it be.

The Lumberjack and I grew up in different worlds--I with a silver spoon in my mouth, he with a plastic one. And, despite our very different socioeconomic upbringings, we both arrived at the same conclusion: money doesn't buy happiness, nor does it secure a marriage.

Yes, money is nice. Life is "easier" when you don't have to wonder if the rent will get paid this month. But I also know that I married a man who makes wise financial decisions, and even if I never have a million-dollar mansion overlooking the Pacific, we'll be OK. Personally, I'd rather a lifetime in a condo with him than a mansion with someone I don't love.

But, is that common anymore?

Friday, August 28, 2009

A Reflection: Traveling

Two months after we got engaged, the Lumberjack and I moved to London to study abroad for a semester. It was a life-changing experience. There's something about seeing the world outside of yourself -- outside of your friends, your family, your country, your customs--that gives a real perspective about how finite and insignificant we can be.

For four months, the Lumberjack and I lived in London. It was one of the hardest but most rewarding experiences I'd had up until that point. We had moved to a city where we knew virtually no one, except for a few classmates. There were times that were hard -- we were surrounded by the same 20 students, not only for classes, but living with them. And then there were some amazing times.

We spent evenings after dinner walking to Kensington Park, feeding the swans and marveling that we were thousands of miles away from home--together. We took weekend trips to Dublin, to Cardiff (Wales), to Paris, Venice, Lisse (Holland), and Edinburgh. We traveled to Stratford-Upon-Avon, Castle Combe, Lacock, Stonehenge and Bath (all in England). We spent afternoons exploring the tube lines and getting off whenever we wanted. We wandered Harrods, St. Paul's Cathedral, Picadilly Circus, the Embarcadero, Big Ben, Westminster, Trafalgar Square, the British Museum, The National Gallery, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Shakespeare's Old Globe theater, and so many other places that will forever be photographed in my mind. Afternoon teas and bottles of wine in the park, along with scrumptious Hotel Chocolat treats litter our time in Europe. We saw Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Titus Andronicus, Comedy of Errors, Cymbeline, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Taming the Shrew, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, Othello, Anthony and Cleopatra, Les Miserables, Spam-A-Lot and so many other plays and musicals. We ate the food, drank the drinks, rode the public transportation, studied the culture and absorbed every moment of the culture that we could.

Traveling can either make or break a relationship. Something about having to rely fully on the other person, to be your best and your worst and have no escape, really challenges a relationship to grow or fall apart.

Toward the end of our trip, the Lumberjack and I planned a romantic trip to Venice. That Thursday afternoon, we took the tube to Heathrow airport to catch our flight. When we arrived, we realized EasyJet, with whom we were flying, didn't leave from Heathrow. Instead, I had booked our tickets for Gatwick, an airport on the other side of London. Talk about a challenge!

After purchasing two bus tickets from Heathrow to Gatwick, we arrived in Gatwick to miss our flight by 15 minutes. The next flight out was the following morning, or we could fly to Milan that night and take a train to Venice. The Lumberjack suggested we sleep in the airport and fly out the next morning.

Hah. Those who know me well know sleeping in the airport is never an option for me. Unlike the Lumberjack, I need quiet, darkness, and a horizontal soft space to sleep. So, we booked a room for the night, woke up at 4 a.m., and took a taxi to the airport the following morning. We made it to Venice by 8 a.m., and the delay actually turned out to be a blessing because we never would have found our hotel in the dark the night before.

Hiccups like this teach you a lot about your relationship. While I was freaking out, apologizing and practically crying because I was so upset about leading us to the wrong airport, the Lumberjack was calm, reassuring and not upset at all. Instead of getting mad at me, he held my hand on the bus ride over, gave me hug while we tried to find a hotel at the last minute, and kissed me good night while we stayed in a two-star hotel with a window that wouldn't close all the way (and it was November, in London, and COLD).

In fact, most of our relationship has been like that -- balanced. Whenever one of us is stressed or freaking out about something, the other is calm, and that perfect balance is something I treasure about our relationship. There is something so wonderfully reassuring about finding someone who balances you so entirely that you know you can face anything that comes your way.

That's what travelling did for us and I wouldn't trade those four months--or those memories and experiences--for anything in the world.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Flank Steak and Spicy Garlic Potatoes

In our home, Sunday night is steak night.

A great cut, which is less expensive than, say, New York strips, is a flank steak. Marinated properly, this cut is tender, juicy, and full of flavor. I generally switch between my favorite two marinades: Italian and Teriyaki.

And they're more simple than they sound. For both, I place the steak in a gallon-size Ziploc. For Italian, I add one to two cups (depending on the size of the steak) of Italian salad dressing into the bag. For Teriyaki, I add one to two cups of Teriyaki sauce. Marinate in the fridge for 6 to 24 hours before grilling.

While the Lumberjack does the grilling, I make the sides. Last night, I made my own recipe of Spicy Garlic Potatoes. Since there's only two of us, I started with 4 baking-sized Russet potatoes. I peeled them, cut them into quarters and added them into a pot of simmering water. Once they were soft, after about 30 minutes, I tosses them into my KitchenAid mixer, along with 1/8 cup of half and half, 1/8 cup of low-fat milk, 2 tablespoons of sour cream, and one stick of butter. For the spicy garlic part, I added in "Kay's Spicy Garlic Seasoning," a mixture she brought back from Big Creek. I suspect it's seasoning salt, cayenne pepper and some garlic power, along with some pepper. I added about 1 1/2 teaspoons of seasoning, mixed well, and served hot. Delish!

I would offer pictures, but it's tough to get a picture of a steak before the Lumberjack has made his move. When there's steak up for grabs, he doesn't wait for cameras and food arranging and blog preparation.

Spicy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
4-5 medium Russet potatoes
1/8 cup half and half
1/8 cup milk
1 stick butter
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons of spicy garlic seasoning

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Banana Bread: Breakfast OR Dessert

Last night, when I got home from work, I noticed four over-ripe bananas sitting on top of my fridge. They were much too ripe to eat by themselves, but I knew they'd be just perfect for banana bread.

At my bridal shower, right before the Lumberjack and I got married, I was given a perfect banana bread recipe from a family friend. It's moist, simple, and delicious.

Ingredients
3 to 4 over-ripe bananas
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup of nuts (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mash bananas in bowl. Mix in remaining ingredients. Bake in two to three mini-loaf pans for 30 to 45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean when you test it.

Serve warm for breakfast by itself.
But, since I made the banana bread after dinner, I was hankering for a little dessert. I served the bread warm, right out of the oven, and topped it with a scoop of slow-churned Butter Pecan ice cream. Since I hadn't added nuts to the banana bread recipe, the nuts in the ice cream were a perfect complement. It was scrumptious. So much, in fact, that may need to have it for dessert again tonight!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Now offering: Custom Invitations/Announcements

A few years ago, I worked in the most adorable bridal/invitation/paper shop in San Diego. I learned a lot of wedding etiquette and invitation design, along with announcements, menus, place cards and other paper products. Coupled with my design training and experience, I've started designing wedding invitations on my own. It started out being just for friends, and has evolved into more.

Officially, as of September 1, I will be accepting clients for custom event/wedding invitations and announcements. Everything I design, print and assemble is to order. You pick the colors, the styles, and I provide design samples. For more information, for a personal consultation or to schedule a meeting, please leave a comment or contact me at courtney.d.design@gmail.com. Below are some of my favorite samples.

Here is the first wedding invitation I did on my own, outside of the shop:
It was for my dear friends Matt and Jackie, who were married in March 2008. It included a shimmery orange paper as the back layer, with a shimmery yellow and then ivory layers on top. We printed in black and orange.

Some of my favorite invitations include the one I designed for my own wedding. They were 7"x7" pocket-fold invitations. The color I used was a shimmery red paper with linen-textured black and white as the matting and printing pieces. Here is the outside:
And the inside, with a floral vector image, printed in black and red. Included in the pocket are two inserts -- a location card and a response postcard:
One of my other favorite pieces for my own wedding was the "after wedding announcement" because we had a really small wedding and didn't invite everyone we probably should have. (The address is blurred out at the bottom, but it's printed clearly on the actual invite.)
And finally, my good friends Josh and Lisa got married over July 4th weekend this year. We used their engagement photos on one side since they didn't mail out save-the-dates, and matted the photo on a teal blue linen-textured paper.
On the back of their invitation, we printed the details, including their names in a teal blue to match the paper and their wedding Web site to gather more information and RSVP.
All designs are custom. Please note that I do not do letterpress or thermography at this time.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Homemade Pesto Pizza

The Lumberjack and I have a soft spot for pizza. But, no matter how hard I wish, pizza from Pizza Hut or even the frozen kind is not great for you. Instead, I make homemade pizza so I can control the calories. It's easy, delicious, and completely customizable.

Ingredients
Pizza dough
Fresh Mozzarella
1/2 cup Shredded Mozzarella
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons Pesto
2-3 whole tomatoes

Directions
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Lightly spray a baking pan with Pam or similar greasing agent.
Slice the tomatoes thin and even so they bake at the same rate. Spread out your pizza dough (I like whole wheat from Trader Joe's) and place it on your baking pan. Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh or store-bought pesto onto the dough. Top with tomato slices. Next, add freshly-sliced mozzarella. I like the kind that comes in water.
Finally, add 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella and 1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the pizza crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly.

Slice and enjoy!

Friday, August 7, 2009

Blueberry Muffins with Cinnamon Struesel

Costco is an evil, evil place.

Why? I love fruit, but Costco sells their fruit in packages to feed of family of 12. And between the Lumberjack and I, it's tough to eat 6 pounds of nectarines or 3 pounds of blueberries before they go bad. Luckily, Dutch helps with the nectarines, but I'm not so sure blueberries are good for dogs. And so, I set out to make Blueberry Muffins with Cinnamon Struesel, which I found on "Dishing Up Delights" and is originally from Vanilla Sugar.
Ingredients

Muffin Batter:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of 1 small lemon
1 cup fresh blueberries

Crumb topping:
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin cups with Pam (or similar) cooking spray.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.
In a separate bowl mix vegetable oil, the egg and milk, vanilla extract, and lemon zest.
Incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Do not over mix, the batter will be thick and slightly lumpy.
Fold in blueberries.
Fill muffin cups to the top.
To make the crumb topping by mixing the sugar, flour, butter, and cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until done.
Enjoy warm with a glass of milk. Yum!