We Love Tomato Sauce

My tomaters are in! We have them coming out the wazoo now and are eating many variations of tomato-based sauces and salads. Tomatoes out of the garden taste soooo much better than the ones at the store, it's crazy. I especially like them fresh picked just seconds before... there's something almost magical about feeling the warmth of the sun still on their skins. Or maybe I just miss eating dead animals, har de har.

My tomato plants totally outgrew the original plot so I spent a couple hours on Sunday ripping out grass and digging a bigger plot to accomodate them. There were some seriously weird bugs in there. And my shoulders are still sore. But the plants responded by seeming to explode even bigger than ever, and greener, and with more and more new fruits.

I'm finding that gardening is pretty intuitive. I was apprehensive at first to try something about which I knew absolutely nothing. But for instance, when I see tomatoes sprawling all over the ground and being swallowed up into the shade, I can figure out pretty quickly that I need to stake them up a little better. Not saying my garden's going to win any beauty contests, but it's growing like mad so I must be doing something right. Or not terribly wrong.

And let's not forget the basil of course. I have two like this, and it's all I can do to keep them pinched back so they keep getting fuller and not spindly and tall. I'm really pleased with the health of them too. I obviously have a few critters out there, and some bug bite marks, but nothing really out of control at all.

There is this weird tomato though. It's had this dead, flat white patch since it was green, and now getting the brown spots. I think what happened was the stem was twisted around and half of the tomato wasn't getting any nutrients as it grew. I guess I should have tossed it long ago, but I'm curious about what's going to happen to it. Eventually I want to pick it and cut it open and investigate. Gross, right?

A wider shot of the yard. The shadow is from the garage at left. In the evenings Mike and I stand in the shady area there to hit wiffle balls out to Russell.

This is the facial expression we have to endure from the moment we get home from work until we go out and play, and then once he's caught his breath, again all the way until bedtime. Please play ball with me, please please oh please play ball come on please I'll be soooooooo sad if you don't play ball with me. Dogs are truly wonders of evolution. They don't have opposable thumbs but they have mastered the art of emotionally manipulating humans with great subtlety.

Pinkney Garden

When the previous owners of our house moved out, they removed their children's swingset from the backyard and left behind a small square patch of dirt & mulch in the lawn. I immediately decided it was the perfect place to plant a little garden. Only problem is, I know nothing about gardening and have had a poor history with houseplants. In college I used to name them as an added incentive to keep them alive, but alas even Esau the wandering Jew and Julius Caesar the mystery fern did not survive my haphazard nurturing.

But I was determined to at least try to grow a garden, so I read up on gardening in some dusty old library books and hit up the farmer's market. I purchased two basil plants and two varieties of tomato. I bought topsoil, natural fertilizer, and a basic set of tools, and planted my garden.



It rained for most of June, and yet there was plenty of sun as well. I hear that's what plants are made of. And mine shot up like weeds. The basil is Genovese, a strong, spicy variety that is the preferred kind for traditional Genovese pesto. I learned that one should begin to pinch off top leaves once the plants grow past six inches or so, to help them grow bushy and full. In the last few weeks I have so much basil out there that I've made pesto two weekends in a row and it just keeps coming.




I have two kinds of tomatoes, one determinate and one semi-determinate. Lest you think me a smarty-panty, this was explained to me by the farmer who sold me the plants. Determinate means it puts out one batch of tomatoes and that's it for the season; semi or indeterminate means it will keep putting out tomatoes until the season is over. The tomato above is my semi-determinate, I believe it was Super Sioux. The tomatoes are medium-sized and the plant is quite large, already almost three feet high and sprawled all over the place. It completely outgrew the cage and is staked up in three or four places. The tomatoes are heavy but still light green.

This would be my Siletz, an early-maturing determinate. This little tomato huddled in the center of the plant is just beginning to ripen. The tomatoes here are also medium-sized but a slightly darker green and the bigger ones are a little striped. It's smaller than the Sioux but still quite proliferate and healthy looking.

I haven't had any pest problems, or, surprisingly given how many rabbits run around the yard, varmint problems yet. But if I do I'll have to research some natural non-chemical ways to combat such things. I'm so pleased with my bounty thus far that I'm definitely planning to expand next year. I'd love to plant things that we already love to eat - cucumbers, a squash or two, peppers, perhaps even some lettuce. I also have three window boxes, one with a miniature rose and the other two idle, that I would like to turn into herb gardens for next year.

Housewarming

This little vase is a gift that was sent to us by Jenn, who is my oldest friend... we first met in the first grade, stuck together when the leader of our sixth grade clique dumped us, and have managed to stay friends for over 20 years. It is rare for two people to continue to share common interests for so long like we do, so her friendship is very special to me. We were lucky enough to reconnect in Boston a few years ago and spend time together after not seeing each other for a while after college. Jenn is still as unique and creative and funny as ever, and she always sends me the cutest little things, handmade cards and knitted items. She's getting married this summer and Mike and I can't wait to come celebrate with her and her husband to be.

We also received a package this week from my mom and sister with more housewarming gifts, woo hoo! Leave it to mom to take note of our colors from the photos we sent... everything she gave us goes so perfectly in the house. Above is a beautiful handprinted cotton tablecloth and set of napkins - in need of a little ironing but I was eager to display them right away.

Mom & Leah also sent this little plaque that I hung over our console table/bookcase by the front door, where we stash our keys and ipods. Two tin bluebirds perch over the words Home Sweet Home written in wire. Very cute and one of a kind... they also sent us a collapsible in blue with brown butterflies that I put in our master bedroom.

Last week we were waiting with bated breath for our economic stimulus payment, but it didn't come. I suppose because we owe some back taxes (oops). The government made a mistake on that one, because we were ready to do some serious stimulating. We were hoping to buy a washer and dryer and end the hellish routine of trudging to the laundromat every weekend. As it happened, though, a coworker of Mike's was looking to sell a practically-new set for $375, and we picked it up last night. This has been a crash course in DIY for us - really for Mike, since he's doing all the work - involving rewiring the plug and blah de blah. But it looks like by day's end we will have a functioning washer and dryer in our house. In the actual house. Here. In the house. If I ever complain about having to walk down a set of stairs to do a wash, please slap me.

Also this weekend I supported our local Benson Farmer's Market. They tried to get it started last year but there wasn't enough interest. As much as I love the Farmer's Market downtown, I'm keen on helping revive Benson so I swung by. There were only five stands and one was from the health food store, but I picked up two tomato plants, some green onions, and rhubarb. I also have two basil plants (doing okay) and a small dwarf rosebush - all still indoors. I want to start a small garden in the backyard where the previous owners had a swingset (now a square patch of mulch in the lawn) but am spacing out my purchases... I still need topsoil, fertilizer, and a set of basic gardening tools. I have a black thumb and have never been successful with plants, that won't stop me from trying. I'm bound and determined to raise some veggies.

Shrimp for two.

Like this bouquet of hydrangeas? I hope so, because we spent $15 on it while laughing in the face of a nationwide recession. Haha! Now that we're official lifetime residents of Benson we're supporting local businesses whenever possible, which this weekend included these flowers and a half dozen dinner rolls at a new bakery that just opened on Maple Street called Sweet Georgine's. And really, thems are some pretty hydrangeas.

Mike and I had a little cocktail party to go to hosted by someone who worked with me in faux finishing but is leaving the business. You can be sure you enjoyed a party when all your laughing muscles hurt by the time you leave. We made our exit around 8 pm and were famished, but didn't know where/what to eat, so we just headed downtown. By the time we found a parking space we were starving and it was raining hard, so we literally dashed across the street to the nearest restaurant, which happened to be Vincenzo's in the Old Market.

Apparently it was prom night, because half the tables were taken by young ladies and gents in formal wear, which of course prompted much reminiscing about high school and how lame our proms were etc. Mike ordered Shrimp Scampi with angel hair and I ordered the Shrimp Trittata with bow tie pasta. I never prepare seafood at home but it's often an indulgence for when we eat out and have limited vegetarian options (or particularly appealing seafood options). We were served warm rolls (fine, not great) and house salads (ditto). I thought the pasta and sauce were fairly good, but the shrimp was quite tough and had very little flavor. Overall it was a pleasant enough meal but I don't think it will make the list for a return trip... there are far too many other restaurants we'd like to try before we'd even think about going back to Vincenzo's I'm afraid.

When we got home Mike brought out our high school yearbooks and we played a little game called "guess which people were my friends." Mike did pretty well. I badly misjudged the girls in his class - all the girls I picked as the pretty, popular ones were actually outcast, cigarette-puffing headbangers who hung out by the auto shop. I say he missed out, lucky for me perhaps.

Living Room Before & After

Living Room Before: The walls were painted a pale beigey gray, with the wall facing the door being the dreaded accent wall in a dark taupey gray. The main sofa, just barely pictured, faced the front door and front windows, which we felt was a bit of an odd arrangement.

Living Room After: We painted all walls a greeny blue, which makes the natural woodwork and floors pop nicely. (Oops, please ignore the stack of plastic bins in the dining room there.) The TV setup is temporary until we get furniture in the family room downstairs. The TV will then reside downstairs and this room will be a sunny, electronics-free sitting room where we can read and entertain.

The hallway going up the stairs is painted in the same blue, which transitions nicely into our paler blue master bedroom. The sofa here is a piece we bought when we first moved to Omaha, at Nebraska Furniture Mart, at a significant discount because it's an incomplete sectional. We think it just looks like a groovy asymmetrical sofa (and the right end is finished so doesn't need to be hidden by a wall).

Feathering the Nest.

I've painted the master bedroom (floor still needs another coat), kitchen, and dining room at the new house. What's difficult is not finding the time to work on the house, but tearing myself away at the end of the day when the sun goes down and I know I have to get home, feed the dog, make dinner for us humans.

Next weekend Mike and I are driving to Twin Cities to raid Ikea for bedroom furniture and all the lovely little Ikea goodies that make us drool. The weekend after that is (tentatively probably) our final move-in date. And not a day too soon. We can't wait!

On a side note, we're having some trouble figuring out how Mike can post here under his own tagline; although he drafted a post once, the method is gone from our memories. Whether this is due to home improvement induced sleep deprivation or mere stupidity... we'll leave to you to decide. Suggestions welcome if anyone out there is a Blogger user.

Behind the dirt is secret dirt.

I've been going over to the new house mornings or afternoons before or after work, to get started on cleaning. And boy is it dirty. Every layer of grime I scrub away reveals another layer of filth. The previous owners lived there for about seven years, and while they did some nice home improvement projects, it doesn't appear they cleaned all that often. I myself am an unapologetic slob, but I do have limits, and I draw those lines way before a quarter inch thick layer of dust accumulates on top of a cabinet. I think.

The sellers also had two cats, one long-haired, and my god the unholy cat hair. Again, I know the joys of wearing dog hair on my sweaters, but seriously. I could wear my dog hair on a sweater made of the cat hair I have collected from the floors in this house. I picked up a couple of floor vents and they looked like they were wearing beards. Being allergic to cats, the cleaning process has involved sneezes that sound like my lungs are exorcising demons rather than mere hairballs, but I think I've finally got it to the point where I can walk through and breathe, even if everything is still covered in a layer of gunk.

Next comes painting, which I am eager to get over and done with. As a professional faux finisher, I'm under some pressure to do something amazing with my own walls (apparently people haven't heard the one about the cobbler's kids), but I have to confess I'm a little short on ideas at the moment. I don't want to slap on 'just any' finishes all over and then have to live with them for the next 20 years. I'd rather just get some good colors up and wait for inspiration to strike when it comes to faux, which is exactly what I plan to do.

Weekend Update.

We closed on the house on Friday! We were on tenterhooks until the last minute. Our real estate agent called as almost as we were walking out the door to tell us that the roofer still wasn't finished putting on the new roof (!) and we couldn't close until that was done and the house was reassessed, hopefully that afternoon. Then we got a call at 1:15 from our loan officer who said, "Oh, closing's at 1:30, didn't you know that?" So we raced to the bank and signed forty bajillion scary documents and the house is officially ours.

Our agent, Kit, gave us a thank you card that included a membership to Passport (like a diner's club) and promised to stop by the house in a week or so with a bottle of wine to toast to our new home. We loved working with Kit, who was fun and helpful and attentive all the way through the process, so if you want to join us in the joys of Omaha homeownership, we highly recommend Kit Pflaum of CBSHome.

That evening we relaxed at home with a Whole Foods pizza that we got for free. Oh, the Whole Foods pizza... I have to tell the story behind it. So two weeks ago we decided to order a pizza from the grill at Whole Foods while we were doing our regular shopping, and we went to the counter to place an order. The employee there told us that because they'd just gotten a fresh shipment, ALL the pizza dough was totally frozen and it would be at least a 45 minute wait. We said never mind and continued to shop for groceries. Not two minutes later we spotted him making a pie for someone else and were somewhat annoyed but said nothing.

So this week we called ahead for a pie and were told over the phone it would be a 45 minute wait. We arrived at Whole Foods 45 minutes later and the same employee as last time told us he hadn't started our pizza and it would be at least 10 more minutes. We were both irritated by this and wandered off to the wine section to debate canceling the order. I said I'd rather wait the 10 minutes than have to call one in elsewhere and wait 45 more, but Mike wanted to cancel on principle, so that's what we did. Somewhere between the pizza counter and the exit our outrage grew until Mike decided to complain to a manager. We explained to the manager about the two pizza incidents with the same employee. He was sympathetic and apologetic and wanted to give us a free pizza. Mike said that wasn't necessary but I felt it would make the manager feel better to send us away satisfied - and, plus, ummmm free pizza - so we accepted.

The worst part was the pizza was delicious. Spinach mushroom gorgonzola and it was really really good (if a little undercooked, and who could blame them at that point). But we can never order there again, because the same guy works every weekend night shift, and we will always be the jerks who complained to the manager.

Moving right along, on Saturday we decided to celebrate our closing by going to a restaurant I'd been dying to try - Espana, right in downtown Benson. We goofed by not making a reservation, since this is one of the few restaurants in Omaha where one is recommended... but even so we were quickly seated at a table for two. We were immediately pleasantly surprised by the ambience in Espana, which was cozy and relaxing. Most of the places we've gone to eat in town have been harshly lit like fast food joints, even at establishments that were otherwise aiming at a high quality atmosphere. Espana managed to feel both private and romantic, and social and fun. The older lady who was acting as hostess was also visiting some tables and taking ostentatious shots of sangria straight from the bottle to entertain the larger groups of diners. A ten year old kid followed his dad, presumably the owner, around as he ran the show.

Espana has a menu of about 100 hot and cold tapas, plus a selection of paellas that require a 45 minute wait. I was familiar with tapas style eating from a high school exchange trip to Spain, but the waiter also gave us a rundown on how to order. In Spain, tapas are kind of like bar food, but better. Usually a group of friends will go to a tapas bar, order a bunch of food and drinks, and share everything. Tapas are all appetizer-sized dishes; our waiter recommended we order at least 3-4 per person, but we found that 6 total was more than enough to fill us up. Out of such a large menu, I will admit that our choices were rather limited by the need to avoid meat, but even so we had enough good options to make a meal.

We started with a grilled shrimp dish that was full of garlicky flavor. Next came a plate of diver scallop and shrimp ceviche, which was light and tangy with a bit of orange sweetness, served with plaintain chips; crusty bread soaked in olive oil with a plump fresh olive on the side; diced potatoes with spicy tomato sauce that tasted authentically Spanish to me (I remember a kind of tangier ketchup-like sauce that was ubiquitious in Spanish fare). When we were about midway through that selection we got our breaded fried calamari with lemon (good, if not standout), and breaded grilled portabello mushroom with spicy tomato sauce - I used the sauce for calamari as it was quite hot and I felt it smothered the lovely flavors of the mushroom. We also ordered margaritas - admittedly not a truly Spanish drink, but made more so by the substitution of orange juice for lime. All of the food was quite simple, but delicious, and at least going by my decade+ year old memories of Castellon, authentic Spanish cuisine. Two thumb up and we will surely go back again, next time for paella!

We finally took ownership of the house today after giving the sellers the weekend to move out. Mike stopped by before he went to work, and I went in with Russell after my work day was done. I brought over some paint samples and put them up... unfortunately it's a dark rainy day in Omaha and I couldn't see the colors well, but we'll decide another day. The house is... awesome. A little dirty. Needs a good mopping. But it's a great house. Russell ran around sniffing and panting happily, and christened the master bedroom with a puddle of pee, god bless him. The sellers left behind an entertainment center in the basement that I think will do as a temporary unit until we find (and can afford) something we love. We got back some money at closing and are planning a trip to Twin Cities, MN to go to Ikea in two weeks (yes, we are dorks enough to drive 400 miles to hit an Ikea). Aside from repainting most of the interior, we're planning on focusing on one room at a time beginning with the bedroom. Currently we have no bed frame, end tables, or dressers so those are top priorities. Exciting stuff.

Sweet Home.

Since we've gotten our mortgage approval and squared away all that other jazz, I think it's finally safe to publicly brag on our new home. This is the three bedroom bungalow that we are closing on in just two weeks:


We first saw this house before we "officially" started house hunting. They were having an open house, we were driving by, and we stopped in impulsively to see it.

After we got mortgage preapproval, we went out with a real estate agent and crammed 16 houses into one Saturday, because Mike has so little time off. The next day he went back to work and I saw three more houses alone. After seeing so many places, my mind went straight back to that first open house. I knew it was the best fit for us by far. Our agent managed to get me in to take a second look that day, and the next morning we'd put in a an offer.

The house is everything we wanted - an older, small home in excellent condition, in a nice older neighborhood, close to Benson's business district which is one of our favorite places in Omaha. We'll still be close to our health food store (where we buy dog food), our beer store, a library branch, and all those bars we never go to. The house itself was built in 1925 and has a bit of Chicago Bungalow flair, with natural wood trim, all hardwood floors, lots of sunlight, and a simple but pleasing floorplan.

The only drawback to the place was - at least for Mike - that the master bedroom is upstairs with no bathroom. This made him want to keep looking, and so we did. But ultimately we saw a lot of dogs and oddballs in our price range. One house had no bathroom on the main floor. Two houses had bathrooms that were in the master bedroom, and in one case that was the only bath in the whole house. One frightening home had a shower in the basement that prompted Mike to remark, "Now I know where Psycho was filmed."

So I knew - this was it. I suggested to Mike that we should buy the house but didn't try to talk him into it. I put the idea out there and let it marinate. I wanted him to fall for it on his own accord, and luckily he did.

This is the ochre-colored dining room that immediately grabbed my attention as we entered through the living room. It's such an intense, enveloping color that Mike and I are both having trouble envisioning any other hue in the room. We may even just repaint in something very similar. The corner hutch at the right is one of a pair that are staying in the house.

The front living room is very small. We plan to use it as a quiet sitting/reading room with no television. It gets lots of sun and is open to the dining room. It also contains the staircase leading up to the dormer bedroom, of which unfortunately we do not have a photo yet.

These are the listing photos, and I'm guessing that they couldn't get a flattering photo of the dormer master bedroom. It's large, with lower ceilings but still high enough that Mike (at 6' 2") won't hit his head. The chimney of the house bisects the room, and there someone has installed a small closet in the middle of the bedroom.

Two bedrooms are on the main floor, both being your standard square bedrooms. All have hardwood floors, which we love. One of the bedrooms will be an office and one a guest bedroom for the time being. The current owners painted a Dr. Seuss mural in the front bedroom that we are waffling on whether to keep or repaint. It's cute, but so bright, and do we need a Dr. Seuss mural?

The kitchen is small but cute and with a lot of cabinet space. The countertops are red tile and the owners put in a new wood laminate floor. They're leaving all of the appliances. This means that for the first time in our life as a couple, we will have a DISHWASHER. Mike is going to have to come up with new ways to spend a half an hour every morning. I'm sure he'll think of something.

Downstairs is the finished basement... family room, den, TV room, whatever you want to call it. We would like this to be the only TV room in the house. We currently have zero furniture for this space, other than the television, so IKEA here we come! I think we're going to paint all this dark blue paneling in a creamy off-white to brighten up the space. The floors are wood laminate. Have I mentioned how much I'm going to love having NO wall to wall carpeting? I hate wall to wall carpeting with an unholy passion.

Also downstairs is a laundry room (we have to buy the machines), a half bath that the sellers installed, and some storage space. There is also a shower head just sort of hanging off a pipe in the laundry room, near a drain in the floor. Not a place I'll probably ever bathe myself, but it might be a convenient way to wash the dog!

Out back the owners built a nice deck, and the yard is fully fenced. I had uploaded a photo of the yard too, but it disappeared and Blogger is driving me crazy. As you would have seen in the photo, we have neighbors all around, but they're not right on top of us, which is nice. You would also have seen that we have a detached two car garage with automatic door openers and a lot of built in shelving that will come in handy for all my painting supplies.

And here's the best part, the part that will make all our Bostonian and Californian friends puke: we're getting all of this loveliness for less than $115,000. Life is sweet.