Do you like buildings?

OMGYOUGUYS. I am absolutely dead on my feet. I've just spent six hours cleaning this house top to bottom for our airbnb guests, followed by packing for a few days in Scotland and France, and only now, when I'm ready for sleep, am I able to sit down and spend this little time with you here.

I was going to share some Christmas burgers and sushi with you, but alas, it is too much and I am too tired so it will have to wait. Instead here is a photo of an alley I passed on my way to lunch yesterday. It's one of my favourites because you're walking down this crowded street, with scaffolding and traffic everywhere, and you happen to glance to the left and WHOA! OASIS! A whoasis, if you will, a quiet little retreat right off the main road, and this time of year it comes complete with Christmas tree:

One of the reasons I love this courtyard so much is because of the Gherkin leaning over it, like, 'Hey lil buddy, whatya doin'? Can I see?'

I must go to bed now - I have an early start - we're talking 5am - so I can do the last-minute tidying up and then run for the train station. First stop tomorrow: Selby, England.

Hugs and love,
Essss

Saturday night is the new Saturday morning

HAPPYSATURDAYYOUGUYS. We are halfway through the month and things are ticking nicely along. Still a scratchy throat - but no complaints there, I actually found myself thankful I couldn't speak at a social occasion last weekend - but there's no accompanying head cold and I have plenty of energy so it's not ruining my social life (in fact, it may be improving it, per the above).

Today we've got a Chrimbo pub crawl followed by a good friend's birthday party and it all conspires to be very lively and full of fun. It's dark by 3:30 these days so 7 feels like midnight and midnight feels like an all-nighter and all this means we feel young and wild by 9 and absolutely reckless by 10, which is generally the point we're hailing a cab straight to our local filthy pizza, cackling away (a treat we enjoy all the more because we eat it in bed while watching netflix).

In short: it's going to be a good night.

Leadenhall Market, Wednesday afternoon

But first: breakfast. See you tomorrow!

Big hugs and lots of love,

Essss

a hot dog, a book club, and a Christmas Carnival

OMGYOUGUYS. LET'S DO A POST, SHALL WE. Unlike last night, when I was a half-second from sleep before foggily remembering - then jerking awake - THE BLOG! I fumbled blearily for the laptop, stumbled out an entire sentence, and then immediately fell back asleep, blissfully content that I had written SOMEthing, coherent or otherwise.

But now, after that brief intermission, the show must go on. 

I had the best night: I had my first Christmas hot dog - a DELIGHT - and a Christmas party with a wonderful group of lively women (and a man) at book club. This particular club is casual, funny, and full of warmth, and I haven't laughed so much in ages.

The best (well, depending on my mood, or how late I'm running) part of meeting in Picadilly is the chance to cut through a charming part of the city, notably this time of year. It's not an area I venture into often - what with crowds, and not being much of a shopper - but they always dazzle it up at Christmas time with absolutely bizarre themes. This year was no exception, and I was overjoyed:

Nothing says Christmas like celebrating Lent.

Then I went to Foxlow for their Christmas hot dog: a free-range turkey sausage, slow-smoked sugar-pit bacon, sprout tops, and cranberry hot sauce in a toasted brioche bun. Also the obligatory gravy tureen, which is the feature that keeps me coming back again and again. It was SO GOOD.

 Just LOOK at that thick-cut sweet, crispy, tender bacon. LOOK at it.

Today has been good - I did my proofreading from the bed, where I could spread out all my maps and character lists, and really create a sprawling Roman empire - which is appropriate, since this book is about the Batavi Revolt - and helpful, since these battles are COMPLICATED. Now it's time to put on some Outside Clothes and head to south London, where I'm meeting a friend and then returning home (via one more Christmas dish) to do a little more work before bed. 

Hope your days have been lovely, and until tomorrow,

Hugs,

Essss

That ham and cheese fritter, though

Yesterday was a SUCCESS, youguys. We put two Christmas burgers in us, watched some football, and fell into bed exhausted by . . . well, eleven. Not as early as I needed, but as late as I liked. Tonight, though - tonight is blissfully free and I'm making venison steak and risotto for dinner then crawling into bed with my book.

Now about yesterday's Christmas burgers. Chick'n Sours was the first up, for lunch. (Note about this burger: they only make a limited number a day, so if you want to make sure you don't miss out, ask them to save you one when you're making your reservation.) It's worth the effort, though, because like all Chick'n Sours chicken burgers, it was terrific. This year's burger is different from last year's, which I appreciated because so many on my list are duplicates and who's got time for that?? This year, their burger is a fried chicken fillet, 'Christmas' ham and cheese fritter, kewpie mayo, lettuce, and pineapple kimchi.

I've always wanted to spend Christmas in Hawaii.

Its only demerit was how impossible it was to eat: my mouth simply isn't big enough to get all the layers in one bite. I had to tackle it with a knife and fork after my first attempt scattered its contents all over my plate. It was a burger that wanted to be shovelled, and so I obliged. 

Then, after a snow-filled, romantic* jaunt around Covent Garden, we headed east to Red's True BBQ.  Their Christmas burger, called The Great Uniter, was a turkey patty with ham, bacon, Monterey jack cheese and cranberry sauce, tucked into a custard-soaked fried brioche bun:

Yep. Exactly as described. 

I'm not gonna lie: I liked it. The turkey patty was really flavourful - I thought for a moment I was actually eating stuffing, they must've put buckets of sage in it - and you can never go wrong with two different kinds of pork. The custard-soaked bun - the riskiest guest at the party - was not overpoweringly sweet, and kept the overall affair from dryness. Despite its appearance, it was also remarkably contained and easy to eat: 

I love a good burger cross-section. It reminds me of studying the earth's layers in science. "See the mantle? That's the tastiest bit."

And all that was for the best, because the rest of the food we ordered was not great. The restaurant was understaffed and perhaps because of this - the delayed service that plagued us all night - the pulled pork platter came out cold. The cornbread accompaniment was so dry you had to choke it down and so hard it could've been used as a missile if it didn't crumble into a thousand pieces just looking at it, and the mac and cheese - which might've been nice, if it were warm and bubbly - had become goopy and bland. The jalapeno and cheese sausage was the only dish that didn't suffer from cooling.

The best part of the night, though, was the company: we got to see our old friend Marcos, a world-travelling Brazilian who works as a freelance travel guide. He's seen more corners of the world than anyone I know, and always has great stories when we catch him. We were entertained well into the evening.

Today is work work work: I'm going to try to get through a quarter of this book edit and that requires a media and laptop blackout. Time to turn off phone and wifi, and dive in.

Wish me luck, and see you tomorrow.

Hugs,
Essss



*If by 'romantic,' we mean 'cold, wet and crowded'

Snowy Sunday and central London shopping

Alright guys, I gotta make this quick, because when we leave the house in two hours, we're gone for the day and we all know this isn't going to happen at 9 this evening (notably since that's when I plan to go to bed). I need a run at some solid sleep if I have a hope of kicking this cold.

But we're in luck, because IT'S SNOWING! I've been listening to it precipitate outside all morning as I half-slept, but assumed it was raining, which would've been the worst because we'd have to carry an umbrella and that's the last thing you want to do in central London, where a million people are crammed into an inch of sidewalk with their own, all the spokes and edges bumping and jostling and snagging on each other. It's a terrific way to lose an eye. Then we opened the bedroom curtain and lo and behold:

SNOWWWWWW!

People in Scotland will laugh at the quantity, but it's been years since we've had a dusting like this that actually stuck. And it's still coming down! What a dream.

Our plans today involve lunch at Chick'n Sours to try their Christmas burger - which was my favourite one last year - followed by some Christmas shopping in Covent Garden (I know, it's like we hate ourselves), and then we're meeting an old friend from SF, who happens to be in town, for dinner (little does he know, but I booked us into a place that has another Christmas burger). 

Time to get dressed and head out - hope your day is full of joy and charm!

Big hugs,

Essss

Who needs a dining room?

I always think I can write a blog post easily in an hour. Like, in my head, it goes like this: I sit down at 8 am, whip out some nice words about the day before or the day ahead, whack in a cute picture, et voila! 9 am and I am ready to post and start my day's work.

But that's not how it works at ALL. I'm very stream-of-consciousness when I write. What I'm thinking about right now, at this exact moment, is what goes in. Which would work if I had a large stream, but I don't. It's more like a trickle. Enough water to make mud but not enough to drink from. So I write a sentence. Then I stop. I don't know where I'm going from here. I meander over to Facebook, see if anybody new liked yesterday's post in the thirty seconds since I last checked. Return to blog. Re-read the first sentence, spend three minutes fussing with it because now it looks weird. Fix it. Time to move on to next sentence. Blank. Click over to Imgur, laugh at most viral. Contemplate digging through my phone to see if I have any good OC to share, consider making a gif. Don't do it because if I were feeling creative, I'd be writing successfully in my blog. Back to the post.

And so on and so forth. By the time I should be wrapping it all up, I'm only a paragraph in.

It's helpful - obviously - when I have something to talk about. Like today, we're hosting Cookbook Club. We're doing Polpo because it seemed fitting to have Italian this time of year, something cosy and hearty and warm. We want to eat pasta, and arancini, and bruschetta and meatballs. We're going to have a dozen friends crammed into a living room that seats four and it's going to be a comedy of cushions and couch-arm perching and I certainly won't regret having my Christmas tree up already, usurping valuable floor space. Surely someone can go on TOP the tree.

I should hit the shower and then the kitchen soon; once I'm done with all that, it's time to gather every chair/stool/ottoman/strong-looking side-table that could be used as a seat into the living room. Welcome to our home, please take a lap. Yes, you're doubling up.

Hugs,
Esssss

A little virus for you, a little virus for me

Okay, I don't what joker of the ten billion we've hung out with lately has given me a sore throat, but they'd better show their face so I can hack violently at it. My throat is tickle-tastic. Can't wait to continue going out so I can spread this around. Nothing is holding me back this holiday season.

Clove Club was an absolutely knock-out last night. Look at all these beautiful bites:

Chicken feet: the pork crackling of the poultry world

 Fish and meat and meat and fish

I wish they sold these fernet gushers in a bag so you could pop 'em all day like skittles

Heading to work in a mo and looking forward to it - my new proofread is historical fiction and that's always a good time. I want to get a good amount done before heading out tonight. Some gf's and I are going to curl up on a couch and watch a Christmas movie and eat sausage casserole and be cosy together. And then afterward I'm going to see a friend's band play their first gig, like I'm some sort of crazy young person with bounds of life-force. It'll be worth it, though - just think of how many people I'll be able to spread my lurgy to.

See you all tomorrow, when I am sure I will feel 100% and not regret any of my choices.

Big hugs and lots of love,
Esssss

Two more burgers down, only one worth it

OKAY, YOUGUYS. Speed-post. It's nearly ten and I have two burgers to talk about and the house is so cold all I want is to get under the duvet as quickly as possible and read my book.

Today Jess helped me knock a couple burgers off my list (one cannot eat all of these alone) and we decided to tackle Patty & Bun and Gourmet Burger Kitchen (henceforth called GBK, or FUGBK).

First, Patty and Bun. Lovely, juicy, thoughtful Patty & Bun.

This year, instead of doing a traditional* Christmas burger, Patty & Bun got together with Flat Iron and made this beast of a special called The Iron Patty. It was terrific, and contained all the elements promised cooked to medium rare perfection: a galloway mince beef patty, roscoff onions, fontina ‘goo', dripping & truffle mayo, on a brioche bun with pickled cucumbers on the side. I don't need to say much for this, other than it was scoffed heartily and with great pleasure. 

    

Two more snaps for your viewing pleasure before we leave P&B and things take a dark turn. 

THEN WE GET TO BURGER TWO. There was a GBK located right around the corner from Patty & Bun, a convenience that I took advantage of, but should not have. I should have immediately high-tailed it all the way across town, to Red's, or Dirty Bones, or heck, KFC, whose Christmas burger I ate last year and which was, for the record, STILL BETTER THAN THIS, and I'm pretty sure it was just mayonnaise. I learned tonight why I've never been to a GBK: BECAUSE IT IS TERRIBLE.

According to the article I read, it was 'Beef, venison or chicken, topped with hash browns, smoked Applewood cheese, cabbage, bacon and tarragon mayo. All sloshed down with a shameful wheelbarrow of gravy'. None of these are bad ingredients, right? In fact, pretty standard, hardly even worth calling it Christmas-themed. We ordered the venison version (because something had to make it feel festive), and then, soon, this arrived:

Now, okay, objectively, not the worst burger we've ever seen. It may not be the sexy, gooey fun-fest the others have been, but it's not sloppy. The pieces are all there, including the seemingly-obligatory, gratuitous, crowning meat chunk. (A little excess for you, Emma.)

THEN WE OPENED IT UP.

Just LOOK at this:

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A DRIER BURGER IN YOUR LIFE? 

Also, that cheese? It had clearly been frozen and then defrosted. It was crumbling, no, flaking out of the burger in oily pieces. FLAKING. How gross is that descriptor for something falling out of your burger that isn't truffle, or parmesan?

Oh, and the 'shameful wheelbarrow of gravy'? THIS:

The only thing shameful about this is the reviewer's description of it. And, well . . . everything else. We poured it over the burger hoping it'd save the day - or at least, fix the sahara-like texture - but alas. Nothing could. Jess didn't even finish her half, calling it - graciously, elegantly - 'a serious misstep'. Oh yes it was, Jess. Oh yes it was. 

Now I need to go upstairs, put on my pajamas, and try to forgive myself. 

Tomorrow's schedule isn't likely to allow any Eating Christmas, but it will contain editing, laundry, and probably a stomach-ache. EXCITED ALREADY. 

Hugs,

Esssss

*I'm flying pretty fast and loose with this word here

Oh Pizza, Where Art Thou

So much has happened in 24 hours. 

It all started with a dinner party based on Land of Fish and Rice. The menu:

+ Shanghai noodles with dried shrimp and spring onion oil (SUPER EASY, STUPID TASTY)

+ Ningbo omelette (you think you have too many chives, but get this - you DON'T. They hecka earthy fragrant. Also the directions say to flip it, but it also doesn't specify pan size and my fry pan was so large it was cooked through in less than a minute with no flip required. So you can choose your own adventure.)

+ Shaoxing slow-cooked pork belly (is it possible to go wrong with pork belly?)

+ Spiced wheat gluten and four delights (the most work, the most beautiful. Will never make again but will pay any amount to put it back in my mouth)

+ Cucumber salad (always and forever. Is there any culture that doesn't do this right?)

+ Slippery wood-ear salad with coriander (this black mushroom looks so much like ears it's FREAKY.)

+ Green soybeans with snow vegetable (the surprise of the night, and may've been my favourite)

Spring onion noodles, soybeans with snow veg, and below, spiced gluten with the full spread

       

We made a sleepover of it and ended the night in our TV nook (or the 'Den of Iniquity' as we like to call it, our Room-under-the-Stairs), watching Nightmare Before Christmas - Al and I hadn't ever seen it, and Pip and Rich knew EVERY WORD AND SANG ALONG (heck, I didn't even know it was a musical) so basically, our christening was in the best environment possible.

Then we get to today: EATING-CHRISTMAS SUNDAY. We decided to try the All Star Lanes Christmas burger, described as "a turkey, chestnut and cranberry patty beneath a layer of duck-fat-roasted potato salad, topped with a sausage and apricot stuffing fritter." Here's what we got:

Not gonna lie: the description was close enough, and It. Was. Tasty. The problem? The cold potatoes that constantly fell out, and sogged up the bottom bun, on a hot burger (this contrast did not bother Al, but man loves potatoes, so if you are in that category, it likely won't bother you, either). I will also contest their use of 'fritter' - while I did find that bulbous hunk on the top to be the tastiest bite of the entire burger (Honestly. GOOD), it was far closer to a meatball than anything battered and deep-fried, and I didn't taste a lot of stuffing.

All of that is minor, though - it was objectively a tasty, tasty burger and we would both definitely eat it again. The real problem? THE SETTING. This is a BOWLING ALLEY. In a MALL. Maybe other locations are different - a BOWLING ALLEY. In the FINANCIAL DISTRICT - but regardless, this time of year, esp on a Sunday, it's Kidsfest2017. We were surrounded by shrieking birthday parties, balloons, tiny monsters screaming at vocal pitches that should not be possible in humans - and no burger could possibly be worth the assault on the senses. 

But we ate it, and we liked it, and would even go so far as to recommend it (if you can get it delivered, or enjoy dining out with headphones).

Then we took our full bellies to the nicest of nap spaces: the movie theatre. We watched Murder on the Orient Express, and as usual with me and mysteries, I did not come close to guessing the culprit. Alan took a nap. Altogether, SO SATISFYING. I hope they make more. 

Now we're home for the evening and waiting for our Christmas pizza from Yard Sale. I am going to be MADE of brussels sprouts by the end of this month. 

I love this country.

Big hug and lots of love,

Esss

Diving in for December

Alright alright alright. I know I said I'd never do another MyBloWriMo but I have the memory of a goldfish and can't recall now why it's the dumbest idea ever. Also I don't do things by halves (which is probably why I do so very little) so here we are.

It's a good month for it, to be honest - it's too cold to leave the house without getting a tension headache from hunching my shoulders which means I will be spending an inordinate amount of energy trying not to - but also there are holidays, and holiday foods, and fireplaces, and family, and twinkly trees, and all that is nice to talk about.

Youguys want to see the dark cave that is our house in the winter? Our social spaces are subterranean and this is as bright as they get this time of year. This was taken just past 9 this morning and soon I will need to turn on the lights.

That is not a nice wintery thing, per se, but it is my current view from the shadows of the couch, so there we go. I hope you like it, because I'll probably be sharing it every day.

Starting this blog as we mean to go on.

Today is going to be a lovely one, despite having to enter it. I have a friend's* birthday party this afternoon, followed by our first Christmas burger of the season at Hawksmoor Spitalfields Bar. I have high hopes, even though I'll confess I wasn't crazy about last year's (though at least their pork patty was heads above MeatLiquor's) (who, incidentally, seem to have created THREE Christmas burgers this year, so I'm diving back in).

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a book edit to work on and it's due Monday so as much as I hate to leave you, I also want to invoice things so I can buy more Christmas sandwiches.

Big hugs and lots of love,
Essss





*I HAVE FRIENDS, THEY JUST HAPPEN TO BE CALLED 'BREWERY' AND THEY'RE BIG AND SHINY AND I SPEND MONEY TO HANG OUT WITH THEM

Throwback Friday is a thing, right?

OMGYOUGUYS I have nothing new to blog about today. I am still doing laundry - that will never end - I have packed for Kir-koo-bree (jeans, windbreaker) - and now I'm working in the back garden hoping my laptop doesn't overheat like I'm about to. I gotta get a paddle pool out here if this continues.

In lieu of talking about things within my current eyeline - you may have noticed that informs a lot of my content - I'm going to share some pics from a lovely evening with friends from a couple weeks ago.

(Nothing but lemonade here, Grampa.) Also, LOOK AT THOSE FACES. The flush of youth, I tell you.

It was a sweet day all around: Al and I had a nice brunch, went to the Museum of Childhood, and took a pasta-making course. (What I learned in that class is that I will never, under any circumstances, be making my own pasta.) 

We ended the day at another museum, the Brunel, where we met Pip and Rich - a couple we love for their joie de vivre, their intellect, and most importantly, their good-looks - for some rollicking hijinx (no doubt why everyone goes to the museum on a Saturday night). We had tickets to attend The Midnight Apothecary - an evening of botany-inspired bebidas on the rooftop garden of the museum - and it came complete with a bonfire, marshmallows, and the occasional lashing rain. (Now that's the London I know.) 

The garden roof terrace, lushy lushpants. We also did a guided museum tour and learned about tunnels! What a day.

The night ended with a trip to the pub across the road, where you could follow some steps down the back - at low tide, cors - and find yourself on the bank of the Thames. More friends joined us there and it was romantic and gorgeous, and everything - the city, the sky, the water - felt so close, almost touchable. A sense of fullness, of one-ness was in the air; the soul soared. It felt like we were on top of the world.

In a very sea-level sort of way. 

Ah. What a night. 

Okay, I'm off again! Time to finish packing for Scotland. See you on the other side of the wall!

Cheers,

Esss

So much more thrilling than Spain

Happy Laundry Day! I am back in London and currently listening to the hum* of the washing machine on the first of many loads. Today is Catch Up Day: laundry, emails, a meeting, a grocery delivery. All necessary tasks before heading to Scotland tomorrow - Kirkcudbright, specifically (pronounced kir-koo-bree, natch) - for a weekend with MumBetty.

Oooh, groceries are arriving! Hold on.

Hey there, little buddies

I never let the delivery guys carry the bags all the way to the kitchen because I already feel guilty they've had to haul a crate down a flight of steps just to get to my front door. Instead I get it all dropped in the living room, where I can easily forget about it until I remember that I've ordered perishables, at which point I go sprinting back - from wherever I am in the house, doing More Important Things - cursing myself and the carton of milk trying to ruin my life. Every two weeks I play this game, proof that I have reached an age in which I've quit learning.

You know what's in this week's bags? READY MEALS. So I actually have to be quick about unpacking them today. Right after I blog. And you know what else this means? A ROUND OF FREEZER TETRIS. There's no way there's room in there for all of it. And on top of that, they need to be stacked front and center where Al can easily find them next week (he's not one for rooting around). Already it's so full that when I open the door, bags of frozen miscellany cascade down on me like a dull yet aggressive avalanche. SO THIS IS GONNA BE GREAT. 

Laundry One just finished, time to hang it to dry! Wait. Groceries first. Groceries first. I got this.

Big hugs and see you tomorrow,

Esss

*And by 'hum' I mean 'the kind of racket you'd expect of a twenty builders breaking tile with a jackhammer'. I swear the machine is trying to do a runner, inching across the floor in the direction of the door. I CAN SEE YOU, M8. 

On bookstores, harnessing the sun, and face-stuffing

HEYYOUGUYS. Guess how many blog posts I planned to write but never did and now they're likely never to see the light of day? The rest of my Christmas burgers - I had 16 in total, shout out to Chick 'n Sours for the best one - our trip to the Ice Hotel in January - in which the northern lights flipped us the bird but we still basked in the glow of permanent snow-twilight while snowmobiling and dogsledding - and last month's trip to Sicily. (Though that one may still make it in at some point, probably when I'm feeling moody at the endless London grey and want to pretend it's okay because you can leave it so easily.)

Instead of all those topics that come with built-in photographs and adventures, I will tell you all about my day of nothing yesterday. Extra fun, because I have no pics or actual story. Good to get the practice in if I'm going to do an additional MyBloWriMo in June this year (jury's still out on that one). 

Al and I are very good at spending our weekends lazily and yesterday was no exception. We booked a nice lunch, then spent the afternoon wandering through bookstores on our way to a nice dinner. These activities encompassed two of our favourite past-times: eating, and reading, and eating some more.

The first bookstore we hit was Persephone, notable as both a publisher and bookseller of out-of-print works by female authors. It was teeny tiny and quaint and crowded and sweet and the overall environment made me want to buy every book in the house, even though I knew I probably wouldn't make it to the end of half of them (all that old timey wordsmithing, innit). I did get this one, though, because it was flipping hilarious:

 

Here are the first two pages that sold me:

I think we all know Lady B.

After that we hit Skoob - MY NEW FAVOURITE BOOKSTORE EVER, like the green apple of London - which has - according to le googles - over 55,000 used books. The ceiling was low, the shop was dark and underground and full of nooks, and books were stacked EVERYwhere. After tripping over a half dozen piled haphazardly on the floor, I was in love. I couldn't stop myself from buying a handful of crime novels on our way out. 

We also hit Judd's used books, which was no Skoob but had - randomly and weirdly - an excellent vegetarian cookbook selection - before wandering to Treadwell's. NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT TREADWELL'S. This came as a recommendation from my favourite darkest magik friends as an 'occult bookshop,' which is - as one pointed out - 'two of the best words to hear in sequence in the English language.' And the shop was LOVELY. Warm and incensey with Celtic font everywhere, including on the signs to the Hindu and Biblical sections. I couldn't resist buying two aroma oils - frankincense and sage - which - per the shopkeeper - apparently have planetary alignments (the Sun and Jupiter, respectively) that would bring me wellbeing (the former) and success (the latter). To think I just thought they smelled nice! Embarrassing. Needless to say, I blended the two before bed and smeared them all over my face. 

Then we headed to the Waterstones on Gower which - while being a chain - still exists, so gets props for surviving in an Amazon-era. This one is extra lovely because it's got red carpet and mini-levels. We headed straight for the basement to see an art exhibit - recommended by KT - of The Quiet Medusa, who sculpts/stitches/creates doll-like female effigies - that relate to works of literature and also her life. It was powerful and intimate stuff. Do go to see it if you're in the area.

And then we ate some more and then went home and read some more. It was a thrilling day, I tell you. 

I hope to see you again in June - post- our next trip Stateside - and until then,

Big hugs and lots of love,

Esss

No, YOU ate four burgers in two days.

OMGYOUGUYS.

 I am officially on a Christmas Burger Rampage. 

And YOUGUYS, it turns out the only thing better than a Christmas sandwich is THIS:

These are the first four Wolf and I have tried, and I have to tell you, it is HARD WORK, all this research. We have to cut these in half, and then put them in our mouths. But we are doing it for YOU, our loved ones. Because not all Christmas burgers are equal, and you need to save yourself for the best. We, on the other hand, enjoying flirting with heart disease. Live dangerously, live once.

1. Byron Cheesemas: An objectively tasty burger (how can a double-cheeseburger topped with an onion ring and bacon relish not be?) but as A put it: 'What's Christmassy about it?'

2. Patty & Bun: THIS IS WHY THE HOLIDAY EXISTS. The photo above does NOT do this burger justice - it's the result of me trying to filter out the red lighting from the restaurant (speaking of, why do places use those?? It makes everything look awful!). It was hands down the juiciest turkey I think I've ever had. Like ever. It comes buttermilk fried, with sage and onion stuffing and bacon and sprouts and sausage relish and pickled red cabbage. It was the exact OPPOSITE of Byron's. It was ALL Christmas. And you wouldn't think brussels sprouts would work in a burger, would you? EXCEPT THEY DO AND I'M A FOOL FOR THINKING OTHERWISE.

3. MeatLiquor: WHAT THE HECK IS THAT SAUSAGE PATTY DOING? No amount of stuffing and gravy could save that grey squeaky slab. UGH. Next time I'll get their double cheeseburger with an onion ring and call it a day.

4. Lucky Chip: This was Alan's favourite of the bunch. It may have been mine, too, but I devoured it too quickly to tell. Really I should eat another one to double check. It was a lush deer patty with stilton cheese and a blueberry, blackberry, gin jam. I KNOW. No wonder MeatLiquor made me so mad afterward.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a guinea fowl dip bap with stuffing and cranberry sauce and gravy from The Duke's Head to try, and my home defibrillator isn't going to charge itself!

Big hugs and lots of love,

Esss

They don't call it 'dreaded' for nothing

WELL, YOUGUYS. I spent an entire season fighting the lurgy that was causing friends to drop around me, and at last it has caught up to me as well. It was only a matter of time, really: public transportation alone would've taken me down eventually. I've denied its onset for a couple of days - 'I'm sniffling because of ALLERGIES' - but this morning when I woke up, tissued glued to my cheek, I was forced to acknowledge that either allergies have gotten a lot more vicious or I've succumbed to a nasty little cold.

Man, Ron Swanson is really my spirit animal this week.

In other news, I am staying off Facebook - as a cruiser, not a poster - until I have watched the Gilmore Girls. I am determined to love it, regardless of what those 'last four words' are, and all the vague-complaints about it - even if there aren't any specific spoilers - are getting me down before I've even started. Stars Hollow is my happy place, and I won't let it be rained on!

In other news: must leave the house today, despite all desire to the contrary. This afternoon there's a CAMRA festival that oughtn't be missed, and tonight I have book club - and no sickness is going to keep me from a good old fashioned book rant. As for the other book clubbers I will be germing on:

Stay healthy, youguys, and see you tomorrow!

Big hugs and lots of love,
Essss

p.s. I tried the Eat Festive Full Works Baguette and THIS was a Christmas sandwich! Now I've got to get my paws on their brie and truffle mac 'n cheese. I am sure it will provide just the healing I need . . .

Thanksgiving Part III: With a Vengeance

OMGYOUGUYS. Happy Third Thanksgiving! This is the day that actual cooking is going to happen and I am going to put so much green bean casserole in my face that everyone* is going to be embarrassed. We've even pulled out our fancy dining table just for the occasion:

That's right. It's a folding card table, and our living room is now our dining room. I SAID it was fancy.

The other fun part of Thanksgiving is that as soon as it's past, I feel 100% free to put up the Christmas tree. I'm sure this will irritate all the December-First-and-Not-a-Minute-Before people, but I DON'T CARE THIS IS MY TRADITION NOW GO SCROOGE SOMEWHERE ELSE. Also, why do those people feel like they have the right to judge you for this? A friend recently put up her holiday decorations at the eager request of her children - this was like last week, not pre-Halloween - but you could tell she felt self-conscious about it because she was all apologetic when she posted the photo of her tree on Facebook. And for good reason: half the comments were variants of 'TOO EARLY, YOU INSANE WOMAN.' That's not their call! That's hers! So you know what? That IS my tree reflected in the mirror above, and I don't CARE if it's three days before some arbitrary allowance.

Okay, rant over. Sorry about that, apparently it's been building up. 

Al is currently in the armchair watching Game of Thrones with his headphones on and I can tell it's a good one because he's yelping a lot. He gets IN his shows. It's hilarious (also startling when the room is otherwise quiet). I don't watch the show because it makes me too jumpy, but that doesn't appear to bother him in the slightest. This is why I only watch shows like Good Wife or Gilmore Girls. NO MURDERS HERE, THX. 

Already, time to get cooking! This bird isn't going to roast itself. I hope your Sunday is sweet and relaxing and full of comfort and joy! 'Tis the season, after all.

Big hugs and lots of love,

Essss

*Me and Al. Nobody else has been invited for this reason.

MADE IT.

OMGYOUGUYS. Here's a thing I'm learning today: I can't blog from bed. I usually work in the kitchen but today I thought I'd shake things up and try the bedroom (the living room is too cold unless I light the fire) but this is not working. I'm so LAZY in here. I opened my 'new post' tab, leaned against my pillows, and then immediately started cruising the internet. WHAT IS HAPPENING AND LOOK AT THAT CAT WHY SO SQUISHY

I wouldn't say it hasn't been productive, though: I ordered McQ's first Christmas present! Very excited about it, want to hand it over as soon as it arrives tomorrow but MUST RESTRAIN SELF. Impossible.

I wonder what's happening on Twitter.

Okay, nothing.

Is it time for first lunch? It's past noon . . .

Speaking of food: YOUGUYS I thought I was going to die yesterday. It turns out two Thanksgiving meals IS too much, unless you spread them approximately eighteen hours apart. Four, as it so happens, was not enough; by 9 p.m., I was sure I heard death knocking - insistently - at the door of my over-worked digestive system. But I couldn't stop eating - I mean, have you BEEN to Capish?! - so I kept shovelling in every gorgeous morsel, one slow bite at a time. IT WAS GIRL V FOOD.

And I WON.

In other fun times, the Pinner Panto was far beyond what I expected. The entire neighborhood turned into a Christmas village for the night, complete with rides and fairground food, and all the little shops dressed up and provided some sort of entertainment. It was like ST. ALBANS-sweet: 

The only flaw was the CHILDREN. Don't they know that the shop featuring an Elsa look-a-like was for ME?

And you thought I was kidding.

And then there was the CHILDREN'S CHOIR, like we wanted to hear their precious voices raised in song: 

The storm trooper in the shop agrees.

We survived, though, and only puked from cuteness, like, six times. 

Today I get to travel to Peckham! This is south of the river, so in a way even more terrifying than yesterday's suburbs, which at least had the decency to be north. I'm nervous/excited about the adventure but I've got my waders on and I'm feeling migh-ty brave. 

Happy Friday!

Big hugs and lots of love,

Essss

Why can't you have two Thanksgiving dinners?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, YOUGUYS! There won't be any cooking here today - I'm saving that for Sunday - but that won't stop us from trying to get fat, anyway. We've got an awesome mini-holiday lined up: first, lunch at beloved Hawksmoor (steak of my heart, marrow of my bones), followed by the Pinner Panto, and then it all wraps up with a Thanksgiving dinner at Capish.

Basically: THE DAY HAS ALREADY TOPPED ITSELF

The Pinner Panto is a risky one since it's Christmas-themed and I generally try to finish Turkey Day before allowing myself to go mental, but I have a meeting out there so WHAT THE HECK, let's do it. I admittedly have a weakness for London villages, especially during the holiday season. Every little high street gets so frickin' twinkly and charming that everything inside me gets all welly and I start believing in Miracles and Snow and the Innate Goodness of People and it just gets very messy and sentimental for a bit.

Speaking of messy, I screwed up another grocery order. It turns out that 625 grams of mushrooms is A LOT OF MUSHROOMS. I got them for Sunday's green bean casserole but there's enough here to make ten of them so it looks like I'm going to be whacking these into every meal for the next two weeks. Mushroom omelette! Mushroom toasties! Mushroom ice cream!

Mushroom mushrooms!

But on the bright side, in continuing my new tradition of Eating Christmas, these beauties from Pieminister have also arrived! A very exciting recommendation by this foxy lady, these are going STRAIGHT INTO MY PIEHOLE, WHICH IS FINALLY AN EXPRESSION THAT MAKES SENSE.

I'll bet they'll taste even better with some mushrooms on top.

Before I waddle out, I want to thank you for reading this little blog. I know there's a huge demand on your time and attention these days, so I am thankful for the minutes you spare to come here. I hope you have a wonderful day; my heart to yours. 

Big hugs and lots of love,

Essss

Food festivals are the BEST festivals

OMGYOUGUYS. Today was the last day with my manuscript and sending it off has to feel like your kid going to school for the first time: some sadness, some relief, a bit of wondering what you'll do during your day without it. I should've taken a photo of the pages wearing a '1st Day' sticker for posterity and included the milestone in my Christmas newsletter.*

Another first is happening today! I am having my first pressed lamb. Growing up in a cow- and pig-heavy state (country?), lamb wasn't something I had much of growing up. Or really ever until I moved to this fancy green isle. This particular treasure was a gift from a food festival on Sunday, when I had the good fortune to be backstage at a chef demonstration with One Of My Favourite People In The History Of People (let's use the acronym OOMFPITHOP to make it easier) and the show had leftovers. Pressed lamb, green beans and double goat's cream, to be specific, and they ALL made their way into my goodie bag. (I ALSO HAD A GOODIE BAG. GOODIE BAGS I THINK ARE MY FAVOURITE THING EVER.) This is going to be a far nicer meal than we usually get on a Wednesday night, and I am EXCITED. Like THIS excited:

Me on Sunday, high on free samples and tea with tonic and OOMFPITHOP

Alright, these beans aren't going to trim themselves so I'd better get cracking. Have a wonderful Wednesday night, and see you tomorrow!

Big hugs and lots of love,
Esss




*This does not exist but if I ever did, it would be a full-colour 'zine that would land roughly mid-February and none of us would survive it.

Yakety Yak, Don't Talk Back

OMGYOUGUYS. I am having a lot of trouble letting go of this book edit. It's so good and so involved that my comb is getting finer and finer as I continue to cycle through it and I can't stop teasing every little tangle, no matter how inconsequential. Someone take it away before it goes bald!

Oh man, I totally forgot it was Trash Tuesday and in our flat that means Hi Neighbour Night because we have the basement entrance and the building's bins are located right in front of our door. See those steps there? Under them is where our upstairs neighbours' trash cuddles with ours:

It's every little girl's dream to gaze out at the feet of the world.

So just now the upstairs neighbour came into our stairwell to get his bags and because I'm sitting right here, facing the window, we had to do the awkward-eye-contact dance in which we both saw each other but pretended not to, then realised it was too late so we turned back, but our timing was off so we each ended up half-waving at the air while leaving the vicinity as quickly as possible. He ran back up the stairs at a gallop - no easy feat with three bags - and I pretended I had to go into the kitchen to check on something I wasn't cooking. 

DISASTER AVERTED, HEY.

It's time to close the shutters - shoulda done that hours ago - and make dinner! Tonight my biggest goal is to bounce into bed with le netflee by 10 p.m. Want to find a program with baby animals so I can self-soothe before falling asleep. I dreamt I was petting a baby kitten for hours last night - is that the effect of hanging out with Chris and Katie?? - and it was the niiiiiicest. 

Big hugs and lots of love,

Essss