CityMama™

Uncooked spaghetti sauce: Italian tuna, heirloom tomatoes, mint, and orange

This pasta reminds me of all the flavors of the Amalfi coast. It's a simple, uncooked sauce—perfect for summer—which comes together while you are cooking the pasta. The key is to use a really good imported tuna packed in olive oil, sweet summer tomatoes, and the freshest herbs.  Mint and tomatoes go really well together. So do tomatoes and orange. I decided to gild the lily and throw everything together and it worked quite nicely. It was so delicious that Bunny and Wallie ate every speck and were licking their pasta bowls. I think I'll call this one:

Spaghettini Positano

• 1 lb spaghettini or spaghetti
• 1 5 or 6 oz can or jar of imported Italian or Spanish tuna (Genova or Flott) packed in olive oil
• 3-4 glugs of extra virgin olive oil (1/2 cup or so)
• 2 medium heirloom tomatoes (different colors are lovely), seeded and chopped
• 1/3 a bunch of chives, minced (about a handful)
• 1/2 a Vidalia, Texas Sweet or Maui sweet onion, chopped
• 6-8 fresh mint leaves, rough-chopped
• the juice of one orange, if you don't have an orange, a lemon (if you don't have fresh citrus, skip it)
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper
• small dried Tuscan chilis to crumble over your serving (or chili flakes)

Cook pasta for about a minute less than the box indicates in generously salted water.

Place remaining ingredients in a large serving bowl, toss together gently, then season to taste with salt and pepper. When pasta is cooked and drained, dump into the bowl and toss with the sauce. Serve at once. (Cheese is not served with this sauce.)

Here is the sauce hanging out, waiting for its pasta partner.

Wall-to-wall peace and quiet

When I was in high school, I read All the King's Men and was most fascinated by the main character's (Jack's) periods of "Great Sleep." These were phases in his life where he was basically unable to deal (and possibly depressed), and either slept all the time or just plain idled the days away until he snapped out of it.

Since moving into our new place, I feel like we're coming out of a Great Sleep and the most tell-tale sign for me is that we are all sleeping better. The last year seems to have been characterized by kids who would get out of bed a thousand times after being tucked in to ask for water or complain about growing pains or to whine about being too hot or to see what we were doing. Getting them to bed most nights was a chore. By morning, both of them would be in our bed and I'd be woken up far in advance of my alarm by a tiny fist to the dome or by two girls quietly fighting about who gets to "lie next to Mamma."

Our new apartment is carpeted, which means it is quiet. Really quiet. It is so quiet you'd think we lived in the country, not an urban complex with 12 other units around us. We've always lived in houses and apartments with hardwood floors. In San Francisco, carpet can be the kiss of death for an apartment. Unless the building or location is stellar, good luck renting that!

I love the ease of care of hardwood floors especially when you have kids or pets, but man, I never realized just how loud and echoey they were until now.  Our house is so quiet that we can watch a Jerry Bruckheimer action film at a maximum explosion volume and we won't wake the girls. It is so quiet that the girls can be fighting over their Groovy Girls in their bedroom and I can't hear them in the kitchen. (Groovy, indeed!)  And I have to say that waking up to soft carpeting underfoot feels pretty dang luxurious.

Carpeting has done wonders for our sleep. (And maybe the pool has, too.) The girls crash hard at bedtime, sleep all night (even Wallie who usually gets up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom), and I have to wake them up in the morning. That hasn't happened since, like, ever.

I pad to bed, fall right to sleep, and I swear, I don't move all night. Once asleep, I am gone, and I am usually a pretty light sleeper. We are all sleeping better, and it's about time. I realize now, we were overdue.

Carpet, right now, I am your biggest fan. So far, you are doing everything right.

Kitchen

Some of the best meals are created in small restaurant and/or home kitchens. Can't wait to start working my magic in this one!

posted on-the-fly with my iphone

Celebrating turning 40 with a midwestern roadtrip!

What do you do when you and your BFF both turn 40 within months of each other?  Plan some kick ass road trips in a hot ride, that's what!

In a little over a week, Bad Kitty and I land in Detroit where we pick up a Ford Mustang (and if there is a god it will be a Shelby Mustang) and head to Mackinac Island for a weekend of fun and relaxation. All you Somewhere in Time fans (and I know you are out there), HOLLA! Yes, we are visiting the Grand Hotel that magical place where Christopher Reeve traveled back into time (just by thinking real hard about it) to meet his beloved, played by a winsome Jane Seymour. We will tour the island, interview the proprietor, and bring that cult classic to life via the magic of Twitter and blogging like only we can. And there will probably be vodka.

Then we head back down the coast (which seems odd to say refering to a state that doesn't border an ocean) to Detroit to meet Ford's Master of all Time, Space, Dimension, and Social Media, Scott Monty, for a tour of Ford and to hear about their latest product line up and company plans.  Then we jump in another Ford—one of their hybrids—and cruise down to Chicago for BlogHer! Where there will certainly be vodka.

Do you live in Detroit or Northern Michigan or Chicago? Want to meet us for relaxin' on Mackinac Island, for drinks in Detroit, or for a Hot Doug in Chicago—we arrive a couple of days before BlogHer—to help us celebrate our 40th birthdays (Bad Kitty's was in May, mine is in October)? Drop me a note in the comments and I'll hook you up with our itinerary! If you can't celebrate with us but have suggestions for places we should stop along the way let me know! We are seeking out the best local food (from fancy to fried), the oddest roadside attractions, and the prettiest vistas.

Read all about our 10 day adventure on 40 Whatever. Even if you can't come with us, you'll be with us, know what I mean?

First week in the new digs update! [and some meal planning]

Phew! We made it!

We moved into our new place on July 1 and now, instead of there being barricades of boxes and bins everywhere, we have actual pathways through the apartment. In typical Butler fashion, we've encountered small glitches at every turn: I have way too many kitchen gadgets and not enough drawers. Curtains are hung, but the rods aren't right. Our bookcase extravaganza is up but J. nailed some of the shelves on backwards (fixed now), and the special bracket that creates the corner combination unit is out of stock at IKEA until the twelfth of probably never. So the shelves aren't quite aligned but, hey, that hasn't stopped me from loading them up with books.

We're still getting to know the lay of the land. The new crib is a spacious garden apartment that is slightly smaller than our previous house. It has more usable patio space, bigger bedrooms, a bigger garden, its own entrance, and has central heat and AC. (Score!) It also has a pool which we have been visiting everyday. It is a six minute walk to the heart of downtown, and since we spend lots of time there, especially on Friday nights, we wanted to be within walking distance. We are city folk through-and-through.

The downside is that I lose the room that was my office, but I'm getting creative about that by seeking out a cool coworking space. And we're making up for not having an extra bathroom by getting cable and HBO. Yes, our no cable experiment lasted about a year and half and it was great, especially for the girls. But, truth be told, I really miss my HBO shows, so if I have to wait my turn to use the can, at least I can be watching True Blood or Bill Maher.

Seven

CityMama's BlogHer 09 Survival Guide [and Shoe Recommendations]

Whether you are going for the first time or just need a refresher course, here are my two cents (adding to Kristen's excellent tips) to make sure you have a fabulous time at BlogHer.

1. Inhale and say it with me: Bringbusinesscardsandyourlaptopnoyouwontbetheonly oneeveryonefeelsawkwardandshysodontworry nothosearentcliquestheyarejustgoodfriendssogotalk tothemtheyarereallyfriendly. Now exhale. We good with number 1?
2. I have been to 4 out of the last 5 BlogHers and I honestly can't recall a thing about what anyone wore. I do recall the people who had beautiful bright red or purple hair, though. You will see a range of attire but most people are casual. As in, jeans and t-shirts casual. The people who are dressed up are usually the marketers and that's only because their bosses are there. Dress comfortably and for yourself, not others. If you aren't 100% comfortable with your outfit, it will bum you out. (Trust me on this.) And if you want to be memorable, dye your hair pink.
3. Roommate protip: Laxatives are your friend. If you are sharing a room with someone and the bathrooms don't allow for much privacy, you will be constipated at BlogHer. Even if you don't wear perfume, bring it to leave the bathroom smelling fresh. It's what considerate roomies do. (Let's face it, hotel bathrooms aren't known for their ventilation.) You will probably won't have a proper constitutional until you get back home so just keep on eating your fiber and drink lots of water. Again, you'll be in good company—everyone will be kinda grouchy and clenchy by Sunday.
4. Leave the gym clothes at home. Trust me, even if you have the best of intentions, you won't be working out.

Meal planning (and blogging) on hiatus until after we move

Yes, it's true, we are moving again.  But you've come to expect that from us, right?

This time the move is just a few short blocks away and all for a very good reason.  We are downsizing to save money because, among other things (like maybe, possibly buying another house someday) I am starting a company. With two incredible partners. And we're self-funding it. We're so excited we can't even stand it and will be sharing more very soon.

Start a company? In this economy? Those are two questions you might be asking yourself. The answer is, "Yes!"  As freelancers, the three of us have been so amazingly busy, that in order to take what we do to the next level, it made sense to join forces. We want to be sensible about how we go about this, and we are all making sacrifices. So move we must so that I can focus on making our little company a success.

The coming week brings many changes: A new abode. Our first company off-site. The finalization of our LLC and our logo. As a result, I am working harder than I ever have and am not cooking much.  So no real meals until after we move.  I'm just thankful that my mom is here and we can duck over to her house for some home-cooked goodness.

P.S. Need an indoor grill or a panini press or a new toaster or a blender for whipping up some pomegranate margaritas? Check out my Breville giveaway!

It's kind of scary how much she really gets it

Conversation with Bunny.

Bunny: Mamma, are you the boss of all the bloggers?
Me: No, but I am the boss of my own blogs.
Bunny: So you can make whatever blogs you want?
Me: Yup.
Bunny: I have an idea. I think you should make a blog called "Totoro Moms." Then all the moms who love Totoro like you will have a place to go and talk about how much they like Totoro.

And then I bought a domain name. I'll probably never do anything with it, but it's for her.

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers, even the ones not in urgent care waiting to see if their toe is broken.

The Best Papa in the World gets to spend Father's Day getting his big toe x-rayed. That's what happens when you have too much fun after work playing soccer on a turf field with other almost-40-year-olds.

Bunny and Wallie have been whining, fighting, crying hot messes all morning as the result of not getting enough sleep at Tata's house last night, so I envy J. his quiet, peaceful waiting room time. (I hope the toe isn't broken because we move in a week!)

Happy Father's Day, Pops!  We love you!