What I've been cooking

I love waffles and it really helps that they're so easy to make. I have a "vintage" waffle maker that I found in my Grandma's things. It's called the Belgian Waffler. How great is that? It might burn the house down but since I'm in the kitchen the entire time it's on I feel it's safe enough to use. This is the recipe I always turn to, it's fast, easy and only requires basic ingredients I always have on hand. Then I slather on some butter and a touch of real maple syrup and my weekend is always happy.

My Favorite Waffles
1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 large eggs, well beaten
1 1/2 c milk
8 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. In a small bowl whisk together eggs, milk and butter. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Gently whisk them together, the mixture should have a pebbled look.
Yield: 4-5 large waffles
Adapted from Joy of Cooking.

CTO==Interior Designer

A couple nights ago, Thomas's mother called to ask some questions about a desk that we built for his office. His sister recently moved into a new home and is looking for a reasonably priced do-it-yourself two-seater desk idea. Thomas says to me, "Honey, my decorating ideas are being used across the country in other people's homes!"

"Your mother absolutely loves your crazy ideas. In fact, it's slightly nauseating."

Looking around the living room, Thomas points to the shelves on the wall. "I decided these should be offset, and you love them."

"You did, and I do," I reluctantly said nodding my head.

He continues, "And your purse wall, you have to admit you love that!"

"Yes."

"The mirror in the hallway, my idea. The red wall in the living room, my idea. The shelves in the dining room, my idea. Cooktop placement, me. Bed placement, me. Your sewing table! The Banksy prints! MY IDEA! ALL MY IDEA!"

To be honest, I've known Thomas is better than me at spacial reasoning for some time. He can look at a picture in the store and say where it will fit and with how much clearance around it and be right, every time. But when he went around the house listing his interior design achievements it made me feel slightly inadequate and nauseated. OK, it made me feel VERY inadequate and VERY nauseated knowing that his mother is right in her esteem for her son's ideas. I mean I'm the "designer" around here. Plus most of my friends' husbands aren't remotely interested in what color the sofa is and here I sit surrounded by a home COMPLETELY designed by my masters-degree-in-engineering husband.

To make myself feel better I ate a popsicle. No, I decided that as a graphic designer I really put all my focus on designing on a flat surface and 3D spaces aren't my forte (at all). Give me a piece of paper and I'll design the hell out of it. But give my computer-loving, video-game-playing, car-talking, tool-wielding husband a house and he can design the hell out of ALL OF IT.

Statuette with his scarf

Pub Pride

I had been noticing a lot of flowers on pubs around London but this one was the most amazing. It is right down the street from Thomas' aunt and uncle's posh flat in Kensington. I snapped the picture thinking that if pubs had contests for flowers this one would surely win. As it turns out The Churchill Arms was awarded "Boozer in Bloom" at Chelsea Flower Show 2007 because it's fabulous.

9 Reasons my dogs bark

1. A squirrel breaches the fence.

2. Someone approaches the front door.

3. Lola sneaks through the backdoor before Henry causing an argument about pack hierarchy.

4. The neighbors below are putting away their trashcans.

5. An opossum breaches the fence.

6. Hemi the boxer, another neighborhood dog, escaped her yard and is grazing in our front lawn.

7. No specific reason clear to humans.

8. One dog is barking for any one of the previous reasons and the other pup startles from an afternoon slumber, staggers bleary-eyed out of the bedroom and gives a couple deep puffs just to show they're putting in the necessary effort.

9. A coyote breaches the fence.