Luna De Miel

1546, hony moone, but probably much older, from honey in reference to the new marriage's sweetness, and moon in reference to how long it would probably last, or from the changing aspect of the moon: no sooner full than it begins to wane.

-Etymological Dictionary

See you when we're back from Me-hi-co

Olivia Birdsall writes reel good

Every once in a while, a book comes along that combines a fresh original voice, a sense of humor, cool experiments with form, and draws original insights from cured meat products.


This, my friends, is such a book. Plus, it's about an entire family named after Woody Allen characters. Here's an excerpt from one of my favorite chapterettes, entitled "love means never having to eat your pepperoni."

I hate eating pepperoni, but I like the way it makes pizza taste...so I always order pepperoni pizza and then pick off the pepperoni. That way I can still sort of taste the pepperoni, but I don't have to eat it.

I lean over and look down the couch to where Julian sits with a small stack of pepperoni on his plate, yelling out answers in the form of questions.
He's never touched my pepperoni before.
I want to frame this piece of pizza and hang it on my wall. I want to call Haley and tell her that Julian knows how I feel about pepperoni; he cares about my pepperoni needs, and he has met them.

"He's never touched my pepperoni before." Now there's a killer line.


Olivia and Utah's Grand Dame of YA writing Louise Plummer will be reading at the Gateway Barnes & Noble tonight at 7 p.m. I highly recommend you attend. And buy a book. And get it signed. And then READ it.


You will be smarter and happier.

Love Poem

Wilderness

You are the man
You are my other country
and I find it hard going

You are the prickly pear
You are the sudden violent storm

the torrent to raise the river
to float the wounded doe

by Lorine Niedecker


I like the way this poem compares being with a man to exploring a frontier: unknown, sometimes frightening, exciting. The movement within it is remarkable to me as well--it goes from violent to gentle in a matter of stanzas. The poem itself is masculine and even a little sexy, no?

Presents

Not all the bridesmaids are here yet, but all the bridesmaid dresses are. Here they sit, all wrapped up pretty thanks to the store that shipped them from New York. I've been watching this little stack and waiting for the girls who will wear them to get here.

One of the best things about throwing a wedding is talking all of your favorite people into coming to see you at the same time. These boxes keep reminding me of all the people I love so much who are on their way here soon to be with me. Hurry up!

Where Letterpress Comes From: Athenaeum Press

Since I live in close proximity to Brooklyn--where you could probably spit out your window and, with a good cross-breeze, hit a letterpresser--I was dubious about finding one in Salt Lake City.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the guys at Athenaeum Press.

Peder went through about 1.2 gazillion design drafts with me, and he was so intense about getting the invites perfect that they had me down to the shop during production to make sure the shade of yellow and amount of ink were just so. Aside from being insanely customer service-oriented, their work is top-notch, their paper is gorgeous, the price is extremely affordable for authentic letterpress, and they are located in a cool little warehouse loftspace as all letterpresses should.

If you have need for invitations, announcements, just want to buy some cool cards and stationery-- I highly recommend Peder and Athenaeum. Here are some photos I snapped around the letterpress shop:

Peder Singleton

Athenaeum Press Salt Lake City, UT

peder[at]athenaeumpress.com

Princess Cakes

I fell in love with these filigreed cupcake wrappers. They're supposed to be for a wedding, but I think they would be divine at a shower or other girly party. They almost look like a crown, or a tiara. If the Snow Queen had a tea, these would definitely be served to the Sugar Plum Fairies. These wrappers could also be cute just filled with candy.

p.s. Can I register at fancyflours.com?

NYC Treats: Smackdown! Iced Hot Chocolate

I'm back in the city, and so is the humidity, which can only mean one thing: My search for the city's best frozen chocolate is back on.


I first moved to New York in August, when it was sweltering in the high nineties. While seeking refuge in my favorite chocolate shop one day, to my delight I found they had cold chocolate to replace their warmer winter fare. Hot Cho is a major comfort food for me, and in need of warm-weather comforting in the big, steamy city, cold chocolate was there for me. It became something of an obsession. Here are my picks for the best cold cocoa in town.


1. Petite Abeille. If tiny shavings of rich chocolate blended and suspended in creamy milk sound bad to you, DO NOT go to Petite Abeille. Because the magical chocolate dust in this stuff melts in your mouth creating a perfectly rich, cool, creamy sip. It doesn't look fancy--the low-frills plastic cup looks like chocolate milk poured over ice. But when they pour this elixir out of unassuming punch pitchers you are in for a treat. Not too sweet and not even the littlest bit waxy, it really is as though the finest belgian chocolate truffles have been shaved, melted down, and served on ice. Simple with major chocolate power, RUN do not walk to Petite Abeille.


2. Mariebelle. This is hands-down my favorite hot chocolate when it's served warm (sorry City Bakery). It's almost like drinking a brownie. An insanely high-quality, slightly spicy, smooth brownie. Obviously I like my chocolate strong, and the frozen variety is served blended with crushed ice margarita-style, which makes it a little heavy on ice and milk and a little weak on chocolate for my tastes. Nonetheless, the chocolate is amazing and distinctive, with that little bit of Aztec chile bite in the back of the throat. Hard to pass up.


3. Serendipity 3. This is where it all supposedly began with Serendipity's "Frrrozen Hot Chocolate." First I'll say, it's pretty good. I mean, any cafe snobby enough to deny the recipe to Jacquelyn Kennedy for White House dinners is kind of awesome. The ice-to-chocolate ratio is good, the giant daubs of whipped cream are a perfect complement, and the fact that the whole thing is served up like a giant sundae in a parfait dish means they clearly take this stuff seriously. That said, I don't think I would ever wait two hours in line for this stuff. Okay so yes, I did once, and I never would again. So, if you must go to Serendipity, then get the chocolate. But otherwise, spare a few hours of your life and grab an equally good cold cho at one of these other places without the waits, and, allbeit, celeb gawking.


4. Cafe Lalo. This is another tourist fave ala "You've Got Mail" fame, but I still find it charming. More importantly, the frozen cho is quite delightful. It's light on the crushed ice, goes down easy, and is not as intense as some sister varieties. If you're a milk chocolate person, pull up your straw. In fact, order it as a drink, and you'll still probably have room for one of Lalo's other myriad desserts.


In truth, though some are better than others, I have yet to meet an iced chocolate I don't like. Maybe when Swiss Miss releases a version I'll change my mind. If you know of a good (or bad)frozen cho, lemmeno.