Nabokov News

If you happen to be in the NYC area tomorrow evening, and have an affinity for Nabokov (or free cake), head on down to Le Poisson Rouge! InDigest Magazine is celebrating the notorious authors birthday with some readings from his impressive collection, as well as some original pieces influenced by the man.
I will be reading, not an original work, but a passage from one of his short stories.

FREE

InDigest Celebrates Nabokov
w/ Meakin Armstrong , Nicole Callihan , Sasha Fletcher ,Dave Haan and Jade Wilkison

Sun., April 17, 2011 / 7:00 PM

free! readings the gallery this week

Pimento Cheese and Palmetto Trees

It's that time of year again.
The endlessness of winter in New York.
Like seriously, this is what the weather is right now!
It has me dreaming of warmer climes, noshing (see still in NY) on pimento cheese and tomato sandwiches preferably on a beach in Charleston somewhere.
See, I have to remind myself that we chose to move back here.  And I certainly don't want to move back to L.A.  In fact the thought of moving back to L.A. makes me want to throw-up a little in my mouth (probably from being carsick in endless traffic).
Now don't get me wrong, New York and Brooklyn in particular is an amazing place to live.  If I started today and went out every single night for the next 5 years, I'd probably not be able to eat in every restaurant, see every play, attend every exhibit or reading I wanted to.  It's a place magical with opportunity.
It's also a place that between the months of November and May, can be a little trying.
Lugging strollers up and down subway stairs, finding indoor activities for a 2 1/2 year old ACTIVE boy for five months is well, trying.  Which leads me to my next gripe.
For those of you who don't know (and bless you), the preschool process in NYC is a bit like being a piece of raw meat in a pond full of piranha.  Maybe that's a little harsh, but the preschool acceptances went out this week (believe me, I know, I scoff as I write this acceptances???), and it turns out that out of my group of friends NOT A SINGLE ONE OF US GOT IN ANYWHERE.  It's a wait-list (or "wait-pool" as one of the schools so politely put it) waste-land over here.  
What, might you ask, does this have anything to do with pimento cheese and palmetto trees?
Nothin' really, I just like to imagine that living in southern hospitality land the preschool rat race is more of a jog, and the wait-pool is really a wading pool.  
I'm sure the preschool thing will sort itself it, I'm actually not that worried about it, and our kids will go on get accepted to any number of Ivy League schools.
And as for my pimento cheese hankering?  Well, while I won't be sitting in a park, or on the beach anytime soon, thankfully Van Horn Sandwich Shop is literally right around the corner, and they make a mean pimento cheese and tomato sandwich.  
See, it is magical here, after all.

Where in the World...

Is Jade Servin Wilkison?
Right now I'm sitting at Provence en Boite, enjoying croissant, listening to french pop music, and pretending I'm in in Paris or somewhere in Provence with the drizzly weather outside.
It's been SO LONG since last I blogged.
There have been a few things going on...
Like my husband being reviewed in The New York Times!
And then there was this little ditty I wrote.
Mostly, though, I've been chasing after the boy (the little one), and waiting for this never-ending winter to well, end.
Still lots of Mexican culture to explore in the Brooklyn, but it's going to have to wait until the temperatures start to feel a little more...Mexican.
For now, I'll enjoy my cafe au lait and daydreaming out the window...

¡Viva México!

Happy 200th anniversary of Mexico winning her independence from Spain!  The hub is working late tonight, so we'll be saving our celebration for tomorrow.  I will be attempting Chiles en Nogada for the very first time!  And in reading this recipe, this might be one of the most complicated recipes of all time.  Then again, it's also one by Rick Bayless. YIKES. 

So, I'm thinking the recipe from Homesick Texan might be more up my alley.  After all, I'd like to spend some of my Hubs day off actually with him. 

I digress.

  

Chiles en Nogada from Homesick Texan

Why, Chiles en Nogada, you ask?  It is believed that after commander Agustin de Iturbide signed the documents freeing Mexico from Spain, he was en route to Mexico City and stopped in Puebla to celebrate his saints day.  While he was there the dish Chiles en Nogada was created for the very first time.  The dish celebrated the colors of Mexico's new flag (red, white and green). From that day forward it became a dish traditionally prepared in August and September, surrounding the celebrations of Mexico's Independence.

The first time I ever became aware of this dish was when I read Laura Esquivel's beautiful novel, Like Water for Chocolate.  

Go, read it.

I'll be making Chiles en Nogada, with a sprinkling of chopped onion placed upon my crown.

Brooklyn Book Festival!

Folks, it's almost here!
The Brooklyn Book Festival takes over on September 12th from 10am-6pm.  And there are loads of events on the 10th and the 11th as well.
So many cool events and a staggering array of amazing authors.
Esmerelda Santiago, Salman Rushdie, Ada Limon, Cristina Garcia, Chang-rae Lee, and on and on and on.
It's a little overwhelming.
Can you guess who I'm most excited about?
Luis Alberto Urrea!
He has a panel at 4pm on Sunday.  All about family and how they shape you into the person you are today and he'll be reading from Into the Beautiful North.

Now...How do I clone myself so I can attend all of these events?

Time Flies

And just like that, the baby boy turns 2.

Almost Baker

Let me say it again.  I'm SO HAPPY we moved back to Brooklyn!!  We have been so fortunate, and have made some really amazing friends.  We've hosted World Cup parties, had impromptu backyard BBQ's, lots of park dates and even managed to get away sans kids.

With all the parties and BBQ's we've been cooking a lot, and I'm ALWAYS one for dessert.  So, I've been making tarts and brownies (okay, Mr. Trader Joe may have helped out with those).  And I'm getting pretty good at it, if I do say so myself!

A friend of mine threw a little baby shower for two of her friends last weekend, and asked if I'd help out with a dessert.  Well, you don't have to ask me twice!

Being a baby shower I wanted to do something a little cutesy, so I wanted to do baby booties or carriages or something.....alas, I couldn't find a cookie cutter in that specific shape, in enough time to make the cookies.  So I just worked with what I had, hearts stars and circles.  Then I decorated them with pink (they're having girls!) icing.  All in all a pretty fun project.  My plan of action was pretty simple as well.  The shower was on Sunday, so I baked the cookies on Friday, decorated them on Saturday, and then they were ready to go on Sunday.  I was also lucky in that my husband took the kiddo to the park for a few hours Saturday so I was able to get 

them all decorated! 

Thank you to http://www.universityofcookie.com/ for some helpful tips, and thank you also to http://iammommy.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/12/dont-let-this-happen-to-you.html for the awesome cookie and icing recipes.

Now go get baked!

Hot in the City!

It's steamy and stinky in the city.  We must be in the dog days of summer!  All has been quiet on the Almost Mexican front.  Sorry about that!
I'm busy working on a short story, and it's pretty time consuming.  And I'm stuck stuck stuck.  Seem to be meandering around the same sentence for 500 words!
Also, following around a two year old who prefers to be naked most of the time.
OY!
Deadline for my story is July 31, so I'm hopping  back on the blogger train after that.
xo
j

World Cup Mania!

Happy Mothers Day! I had cajeta pancakes in bed!
Yum.