**Birthday Brunch**

Yesterday we had a little birthday brunch at our house for our friend, Rita. Katie (who I forgot to get a picture of) made a delicious frittata and breakfast potatoes and I made a caesar salad and smoked salmon plate. I got the idea from a magazine -- juniper sea salt and caper/lemon zest/mustard/herb butter on dark rye with salmon. Yummy....

Oh yea, and bloody mary's! Mmmm!!!

That's Rita and Michael and yes, we are playing a super nerdy, hilarious, fun game called The Settlers of Catan. It was a really great day!

•∞ My Reality ∞•

Chris and I are in the middle of remodeling our basement. It's hard to see through the mess but it's going to look amazing when it's done. I think the wood strips on the wall look awesome and can't wait to clear all this junk out of the room and set everything up like a real room. It's going to be an art studio/office/letterpress room. I'm so excited! I'll show you pictures when we are done.

!!!So Darn Excited!!!

Chris and I were completely honored when asked last summer if we wanted to be interviewed and photographed for an article in Lawrence Magazine. Yes! Of course we do! It was a really fun process and an anticipatory 8 months to wait before the article came out, but it's finally here! Below are some shots of the pages but if you wish to read the whole article go here. Thanks Lawrence Mag!

++Pear in a Bottle++

When we were home for Thanksgiving my dad gave us a bottle of pear brandy that he had been holding onto for something like 30 years(!?). We cracked it open and it was quite the tasty treat. Apparently this is not that common anymore but it used to be that they would put the bottle on the pear tree branch and let the pear grow inside the bottle. I kid you not.

This is the box it came in. Fancy yet retro at the same time.

~{ Chinese New Year }~

This past Supper Club was Chinese food cooked by Sean. He used some of the ingredients that he bought at the Asian Market the weekend before. It also happened to be the Chinese New Year and my birthday weekend. Chris surprised me by hanging a Chinese New Year banner and getting everyone to sing "happy birthday" in Chinese. Pretty sweet, don't ya think? The food was awesome and as usual we had a blast.

The appetizer was my contribution and I made yuba rolls. They were really good, if I do say so myself.

Crazy mushroom!

Chris with the Chinese "happy birthday" song cheat sheet.

Soup that Depal made. Yummmm...

The Chef du jour.

The Coolest Birthday Gift Ever!

Check out this photo of the second coolest birthday gift I received yesterday: breakfast made by my sweet husband, Chris. He hates to cook but loves art and has proved it in this very artistic arrangement of eggs, grits and grapefruit. It really hit the spot though. Yummy and super thoughtful! What was the #1 coolest gift you say? You have to go here to see....

A Crock of Kraut

I've been meaning to try my hand at making sauerkraut ever since I made my first batch of kimchi a couple of years ago. I have no idea why it's taken me so long!

Did you know that (homemade) sauerkraut is chock-full of good bacteria for your belly and immune system? I'm hoping to keep a crock of kraut going constantly and eat a little bit each day to keep me healthy. I'm excited!

Have you ever made any fermented foods?