My Inner June

Just when you thought I’s stick around here…

Claire — Tue, 26 May 2009 18:50:20 +0000

I have decided to move my blog address to the delightful http://innerjune.blogspot.com/. I will save this URL for a while, but please head on over to my new address for all future updates! Thanks & Love, Claire

Memorial Day Weekend in Columbus, Ohio

Claire — Tue, 26 May 2009 14:25:16 +0000

For all my complaining about the mid-west, I seem to find little gems of restaurants, stores, scenery, and people all over West Virginia, Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, etc…. Our weekend in Columbus, OH to see family and friends was no different.

Our friends Emily and Damon are in the process of adopting a child from Ethiopia. They had yet to try Ethiopian food and requested that we join them on their first Ethiopian culinary adventure while we were visiting. Now, if you know Ethan and I well, you will know that one of our favorite ethnic cuisines is Ethiopian, and we will drive miles out of our way to eat at our favorite Ethiopian restaurant, Dukem. We crave that sour injera soaked with the perfectly spiced veggie curries. Fish on the side, please. Anyway, I digress….SO, we went to the Blue Nile Restaurant with them to help eat their inaugural Ethiopian meal. The restaurant was not quite at the same level as Dukem, but it also did not disappoint with its fabulous greens and perfect injera!

The Spread

The Four of Us

The next day, we went out to a lunch with Ethan’s cousin, Tima. After a lunch of various Asian foods (Pad Thai, Szechuan Veggies & Tofu, Shrimp Fried Rice) we went walking in cute little Dublin, Ohio. We stumbled upon the most glorious of all ice cream places, Jeni’s Ice Cream. I am not kidding- this might be my all time favorite- even topping my old standbys of Capogiro and Emack and Bollios. They are all organic, grass-fed based ice creams with the most innovative yet simple flavors. I tried a salted caramel, Ethan enjoyed a buttermint, and Tima had pistachio and honey. It was pure bliss and my only regret is not trying the seasonal Ohio Strawberry and buttermilk flavor. Oh, dear.

Ethan and Tima at Jeni's Ice Cream

Claire & Ethan at Jeni's Ice Cream

I think we ate the ice cream so quickly that we forgot to take a picture of it! It was simply amazing. I am liking Ohio more and more

We had a wonderful cook-out with Emily and Damon, and we contributed a key lime pie and potato salad. It was a great relaxing weekend and I hope yours was too!

but, we are excited to be moving!

Claire — Mon, 18 May 2009 20:12:16 +0000

In late June Ethan and I will be packing up once again and moving to Providence, Rhode Island. We have such amenities as a guest room, 4 new & lovely beach towels, dining room, and one big kitchen! We are within walking distance to an awesome ice cream shop, an Indian restaurant, a vegetarian restaurant, and also to Ethan’s new employer.

We are super excited to be embarking on our newest adventure. Ethan is starting his post-doctoral fellowship at Brown University’s Butler Hospital and I will be our temporary homemaker. Yes, you read that correctly- I am fulfilling a life long dream of cooking, baking, cleaning, and generally keeping house (for the short-term, that is!). I am beyond thrilled!

Please come and visit us- we’ll take you to the beach and feed you!

We Miss Philadelphia!

Claire — Mon, 18 May 2009 19:17:58 +0000

sweet baby hawks at The Franklin in Philadelphia

Massive Sushi at Raw Sushi and Sake Lounge, Philadelphia

Us, at lunch at DiNics at Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia

Great job, Mr. E on passing your dissertation defense and being really really close to being a Ph.D.!

11ish Days

Claire — Thu, 14 May 2009 16:16:22 +0000

until I am able to wear open-toed shoes, white skirts, and white shoes. I have a lovely new pair of cole haans that are patiently waiting in our closet. I cannot wait!

So preppy and comfy....

Grateful Week

Claire — Wed, 13 May 2009 20:18:48 +0000

I am grateful for many things. Today these are the things I am especially grateful for:

Blue Colored Birds at the Aviary

Mussels and Frites at Point Brugge Cafe with Molly and Peter

Visiting Philadelphia tomorrow...seeing friends, and feeding Ethan's dissertation committee with my chocolate chip cookies!

Please wish Mr. Ethan luck as he defends his dissertation, this has been almost five years in the making! I am super duper proud of him (times 1000 million)!

A Weekly Menu a la Ethan et Claire

Claire — Thu, 07 May 2009 19:03:27 +0000

I scanned our next week’s menu… I like to include the cookbooks with page numbers of the recipes we are using. Obviously, next week is abnormal since we have a lot of travelling coming up. I will post a better weekly menu when I am more ambitious and and less hectic.

Eat!

Love, Moi

Feeling Dreary

Claire — Tue, 05 May 2009 20:11:23 +0000

I don’t know why, but lately I have been feeling out of sorts. Not sure whats been going on with me. I’ll need to get back and post something exciting next week. It hasn’t stopped raining here in Morgantown, maybe thats why I’m so melancholy.

For Rene

Claire — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 20:05:16 +0000

Over the past weekend, my family converged in Naples, FL for the funeral of my step-grandmother, Irene “Rene”. Although it was sad she passed away from the earth, we all felt grateful that she was no longer suffering. She was about 2 months shy of her 90th birthday and very, very sick and uncomfortable. Her memorial weekend was filled with good stories, a Catholic Mass, sifting through her boxes of photos, and eating. Perhaps most notable was the discovery of a box filled with hundreds of love poems written to Rene by her late husband Len. He wrote her a sweet poem for most holidays and her birthday. They weren’t just little rhymes, but heart-felt expressions of a man totally in love with his wife. It was pretty amazing that he kept writing these poems several times a year and for over 50 years! They were love-birds until his death in 2000. She was a terrific homemaker and mother–sharing her love for theatre, art, and music with my step-father.

It was really nice to see family, talk about food with everyone, eat fresh grouper and snapper each day, shop with my mom, and chat on the beach. I think Rene would have been glad that we got together and celebrated her sweet life.

First Night: Grouper Dinner

Watching Dolphins Swim in the Pass

Pre-Memorial Brunch- without fruit, bacon, or eggs....

Grouper Sandwich at Captain Kirks

A Week of Meals in Picture Form

Claire — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:36:41 +0000

Fried Chicken and Scallop Potatoes at Apple Annies with our friends, the Sakai Family

Arugula and Spinach Salad with our own salad dressing to make pretend I am still on a diet

Mushroom Pizza with Ethan's homemade pizza crust

Organic Chicken Parmesan

Vegetarian Pad Thai in Ethan's Birthday Present (Le Creuset Braiser)

Dinner in Front of the TV: Homemade Falafel & Hummus with Pita and fixings

Noreen and Ethan with a plate full of DELICIOUS Indian Food- fish curry, rogan josh, roasted eggplant, scented rice, and I made homemade nan bread

An Indian Breakfast a la Noreen

Coconut Cupcakes a la Noreen

Email me if you’d like any recipes! Enjoy!