Wedding Bells Ring

April 16,2011
San Antonio, TX

People who know my sister know that she loves to cook, and that she's really great at it. When she cooks, it's a production - no 30 minute Rachel Ray meals here. Complicated spices and ingredients are involved, multiple courses, and food enough to feed a small army. If my sister's making dinner for you, you're in for a real treat.

When we lived together in New York City, we would host annual Chinese New Year gatherings, but really she did all the work because I couldn't wrap an eggroll to save my life - while Mindy would be making dumplings from scratch, including the wrappers.

I know Jeremy loves to cook, too, but I hear that these days he's in charge of making drinks because Mindy is just that great in the kitchen. Well, Jeremy, I hope that's not really the case and that you are still working some of your magic in the kitchen.

The first time I visited Mindy and Jeremy in San Francisco, they decided to make ravioli. Jeremy then proceeded to make the pasta from scratch, cranking out sheet after sheet and cutting the dough into little squares so that they could be filled. Mindy, though, just had to show off, and made stuffed zucchini flowers and strawberry balsamic vinaigrette for our salad.

Teamwork produced an amazing meal, and I'm glad I got to share it with the both of you.

Mindy and Jeremy, I think you make a fabulous team. I wish you countless more delicious meals made together - the best ones include lots of love, and I know you have that in abundance for each other.

Congratulations.

Road trip!

So this past Sunday, I rented a car and drove (by myself!) from New York City up to Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary to do some volunteer stuff. Getting out of the city was pretty terrifying without a navigator, and I kept a death grip on the steering wheel until I got on the highway. At that point, I could relax a bit. The drive up was not spectactular - spring hasn't quite arrived and so there wasn't much greenery for my scenery. :)

Things at the farm, however, were much spring-ier. The weather was in the 60s, and the animals were enjoying the sunshine. Here are some of the ducks at the duck pond:

I thought the sheep were looking hilarious - normally I visit in the fall when their winter coats haven't grown yet. At this time of year, they are in full fur. And they posed so nicely for me! This is Louise (you can read about her story here):

Baa-aaa...

I also visited with the goats (they were also chillin' in the sunshine), the cows, the chickens and one big pig on his own (Peter).

I hope to be visiting them all again soon. You should, too! Until then, why don't you make a donation? The sanctuary is smack in the middle of a matching fund drive - your donation gets doubled if you make it now! These ridiculously cute critters have survived horribly cruel starts to life - now they can live out the rest of their days as they should...with your help. Click donate to make your gift today!