The Pie Bride

Dan and I spent another weekend at a wedding stalking cater waiters.  (Our strategy is to mingle near the entrance from the kitchen where they come out.  No, we don't play around when it comes to snagging bacon-wrapped scallops on toothpicks.)  This weekend's wedding was my cousin Jen's, and it was kind of like A Mid-Summer Night's Dream meets Top Chef... dreamy and delicious.

I always enjoy an unnecessarily detailed wedding breakdown, so here are just a few photos for anyone else who used to watch the occasional TLC Wedding Story while wearing yoga pants too.  Or just me? 

My uncle walking Jen down the aisle.  You can see that the bridesmaids (in background) were allowed to each choose their own dress in light pink:

Next, meet the happy couple! Jen is one of the coolest people I know: stylish, beautiful, funny, quirky, and modest. Also, she's an aspiring food critic who lives in New York City and invents her own dishes, like savory ham and cheese cookies. I don't know much about Josh except that he teaches fourth grade in New York, which strikes me as being a very giving and patient person.

We left the church and a school bus (a wink to Josh's job) brought hotel dwellers to the beautiful manor house for the reception.  When we arrived, Dan and I signed the guestbook (see below).  I've never seen this idea before!  Guests put their thumb in colored ink, press as leaves on this drawing of a tree, and then write their name.  It struck me as such a cute play off "Family Tree" and is definitely a sentimental piece of art for their future home.

Here is an obligatory picture of us  on the grounds before we started mauling the shrimp. 

I was too busy knocking back drinks to take too many detail shots, but I did get one of the table: sweet galvanized tins with herbs and roses and daisies. 

My sis and I during cocktail hour:

The couple put disposable cameras and incognito eyeware on the tables, along with a photo scavenger hunt ("Take a pic of a cute couple!"  "Take a pic of a moustached guest!")  As seen in my last post, Bethy and I can't resist a cheesy photo complete with props.


     Anyway, Bethy, Dan, and I kept talking about how we noticed Jen's attention to detail everywhere, especially in the food.  It was as eclectic and cool and New Yorky (yes, that's an adjective now) as she is:

 Savory cones filled with raw tuna and avacado

Scallops wrapped in bacon

  Falafel Bar

 Peking Duck Rolls

Katz's Pastrami from Lower Manhattan

 Israeli Couscous Salad

The favors: little brown boxes filled with maple and walnut turnovers, wrapped in twine, and decorated by Josh's fourth grade students

 You can always tell when a bride is having fun at her own wedding, and Jen definitely was enjoying all the food she spent months picking out.  When I asked if I could have Dan take a picture of her and her brother Justin with Bethany and me, she asked, "Is it okay that I keep holding this piece of beef??" 

See her app in hand in the below close-up?  Dan commented on how it was so refreshing to see her relish in the food as much as the guests!  This girl's a chef, for goodness sake!  Food is her life.

The adorable couple:

The big white tent reminded Dan and me a little of our own weddding, except we weren't drowning in sweat at this one. :) 

It was really magical later that night when all the lanterns and sparkly lights were aglow and fireflies were out in the yard.

Josh and his family are Jewish, so the couple was hoisted in the air for the Hora.  Jen's expression when she first got up there is priceless- ha ha!

Instead of wedding cake, Jen ordered three types of pies:  Key Lime, Apple Crumble, and Strawberry Rubarb.  There are no words to how freakin' psyched everyone was when these came out.

The absolute favorite moment of the night?  My entire family, Dan, and I were dancing to Black Eyed Peas, and we looked over and saw Josh with a plate with enormous slabs of each type of pie.  He and Jen were busting a move, and every whoop from Fergie and the gang ("Let's do it, do it, do it again!") he would feed her forkfuls so she didn't miss out on one taste.  There she was... laughing, twirling, and leaning in to savor more. 

That's why Dan and I now call her "the pie bride". :)

Can I get a "Here! Here"??

So my cousin Meghan asked me to give a toast at her wedding this upcoming weekend.

My response? "Uhh... sure! (nervous laugh), I'll just need a cocktail first! (nervous laugh)."

In my head:  *nervous laugh*  Eeek! 

Then:  What will I write?  I don't know anything about her relationship at all... Man, I wish I just had one story I could weave into my speech!  Should I try to be funny?  No, I don't want to hear crickets chirping...  Should I talk about how I know her and how our familes have spent almost every Thanksgiving with her family?  Nah...  Maybe I'll just read a sappy poem?? 

Finally:  Oh! And I need to get Dan to be that guy that calls out "Here! Here!" after I say "Raise your glasses to the happy couple"!  This girl doesn't want any awkward silence when I finish!

Speaking of Thanksgiving, the below pic is from this year's holiday outside Maggiano's.  (Our moms wanted a year off from cooking- ha ha!)  See the glowing bride in the middle? Side note:  look at the bottom.  The red hat? That was her son, who tried to photobomb us at the last second, but was too short to make it in the shot.  :)

But back to the speech.  Ya'll, I hate public speaking. I realize this is kind of random phobia for a teacher who has to speak in front of three classes of 30+ kids daily, but that's so much easier. Those kiddos are fourteen and half tuning me out anyway. This will be to drunk adults!  And again, while I know that they are a very happy couple, I don't have much of an idea about cutesy stories or anything.  I got nothing.

Well, not nothing.  I have a start, and it will do, I think.  Mind if I share with you and you can send feedback?  The one thing I know about her relationship is how he proposed, which is cute.  So I'm milking that one story for all I can.

Here's what I have so far:

Hi, I’m Christen, Meghan’s godsister. When she first asked me to make a toast, I thought to myself, “Boy, do I have some stories I could tell about Meghan!”


I’ve known Meghan for many years and almost every year for the last three decades our family has spent Thanksgiving together. Instead of telling you all my stories, I’ll just tell you one tidbit you may already know about her: Meghan loves her sleep. I know after the big turkey meal, Meghan always, no matter what, is sure to take her nap. Anyone who knows Meghan knows that she really enjoys her sleep, whether it’s a holiday or not. And this brings me to the story of Meghan and Tremayne’s engagement.

They were on vacation when one morning Meghan was awoken by Tremayne when he turned on all the lights. Of course, she didn’t want to wake up because she loves her sleep, so she begged him to turn the lights off, but he told her to open her eyes. And when she cracked an eyelid, she saw him waiting with a ring and a proposal. You know, I can’t think of a nicer way to wake up than that.

So, if you would, raise your glass! To waking up to love each morning! We love you and wish you all the best!



Okay, all toastmasters out there.  What do you think?  Any tips for nailing this thing?

La Vida Lista Encyclopedia: Volume C

Before I was married, I had four (yes, four) C's in my first and last names. I love this letter!

But instead of giving a list of the many things that begin with C that I adore (Coldplay, chubby bunny, charming towns), I decided I would write a story I've been meaning to share for a while now instead. It's about cookies.

Comfort Food

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I lost my beloved Grammy about a month ago. When my sister and I traveled up to Massachusetts for the funeral, we kept discussing how much we missed her cookies. You see, my Grammy was a health-food nut who could tell you the caloric intake of eating an apple, but there was one treat that she did make... anise cookies.

These delicate little tea cakes with a subtle flavor of licorice are quite unlike any cookie ever. And they look like they are made for a party, all covered in icing and rainbow sprinkles. They are as sweet, delicate, fun, and old-school Italian as my Grammy herself. She would bake them for every family dinner, ever graduation, even every Christmas, neatly stacked in tupperware containers and mailed to us in Virginia. When we were little, my sister and I would lick the icing and sprinkles off each one 'cause that's the best part.

As we were in her little pink and blue house in Massachussetts getting ready for the wake, we were struck by how empty the house was. The absence of my grandmother was palpable. We desperately wanted to hear her laugh, hug her one last time, and eat another one of her cookies.

"Maybe she left a bag of them in the freezer?" my sister Bethany asked hopefully. But I knew even as she scoured the shelves that she wouldn't find any. My Grammy didn't keep sweets around unless there was a special occasion coming. Then, Bethany suggested that we make them ourselves, but we couldn't find the recipe. I guess Grammy knew it by heart after forty-some years of making them.

That afternoon, my family and a handful of other relatives went to my grandmother's wake, where I said my good-byes. We came home red-eyed and exhausted. There was a bag of comfort food and wine from our amazing Aunt Linda and cousin Lisa on the front porch. And what did we find at the bottom of the bag?

A plate of anise cookies.

My mom laughed as my sister and I immediately inhaled three of them each. I have to admit, I had to choke back tears when I tasted the licorice flavor. It was like a piece of my Grammy was back, right there in the kitchen with us, baking and taking care of us.

After the funeral, my sister and I went up to Aunt Linda who had baked the cookies. Our aunt is such a warm presence- loving, funny, and sassy, but even with her being all-around amazing, we were still shocked that she had remembered and baked Grammy's specialty, especially since Gram had almost always just made them for us, not friends and extended family. 

We crooned to her, "That was so thoughtful! You have no idea how much that meant to us! Grammy used to bake those cookies all the time."

I promise you all I'm not making up or embellishing her response...

Our aunt looked at us, completely bewildered for a minute and then responded with a grin, "Oh! So glad you guys like them. I didn't know Ann used to make anise cookies. Actually, I was baking pizzelles, and then I realized I was making the wrong dough. I looked through my recipe box and saw that I was making anise cookies, so I went out and bought anise and sprinkles and that's what I made."

Maybe it was just a coincidence, but it makes me smile to think that Grammy was and is still taking care of business from heaven. As my Dad said with a twinkle in his eye, "Grammy knew that her girls needed some of her cookies."  And if it was just a coincidence, it was such a nice one.  My Dad joked for the rest of the day that Aunt Linda was in direct contact with our guardian angel.  He smiled for the first time the entire weekend. 

Bethany and I polished off the enormous plate of cookies within two days. Cakey, soft, delicate, licorice, sprinkles, sweet... just like Grammy used to make. The ultimate comfort food.

(Pictures from here and here since I forgot to take photos of the ones we ate. A recipe can be found on first link.)

Grammy's List: Part 2

I'm back to finish my list of ten little things to know about my beloved Grammy who passed away two weeks ago. I have to say it's been really wonderful to go through old pictures and write this list. The memories make me smile!

And by the way, I really appreciate you all for reading!

My grammy (17)

Last time we left off at #6. Here's the second half:

5. She loved to travel! She had many adventures all over the world, from Russia to France, Italy to Alaska, Germany to Mexico.

- My grammy (in her 20's) on honeymoon in New York City

Years after my grandfather passed away, my grammy, now in her 70's, decided she wanted to see Israel and Egypt. Determined, she joined a tour group and traveled half-way around the world by herself!


4. She loved movies, but never read reviews before going to see them. She would have no clue what she was about to watch and would leave the theatre completely scandalized.

I talked to her every few weeks, and she would give me the run-down of her opinion on each movie. Here are two of my favorite reactions:

Grammy: "Christen, there was A LOT of sex in it!"

About:

Um... duh!

And my favorite reaction...

"I thought it was going to about an Italian man named Machiete. But it wasn't! It was about a man who carried a big knife around and killed people!"

About:

And that, my friends, is how my sweet Grammy ended up seeing a slasher movie.


At least she could laugh about it!

3. She sewed all her own clothes, from shorts and tops, to gowns and bathing suits.

Grammy and Me (high school)


2. She gave the best hugs.

Grammy congratulating me at graduation.

And #1....

1. Full disclosure: I had a difficult time writing this last item on my list. Since it is #1, I felt like it needed to convey something bigger about her, somehow capture her essence.

I thought about writing about how much she was loved. Because she was as loveable as can be.

I thought about writing about her roles as a wonderful sister, mother, wife, grammy, and friend because she relished her connections with others.

But I ended up deciding to write this instead:

She had joy.

Grammy had tough times in life. She said goodbye to many friends. She lost two beloved husbands. She watched as her son developed muscular dystrophy and took to a wheelchair. There were many events in life that could have completely broken her spirit.

Yet, she rallied, she loved, she smiled, she didn't give up. She appreciated the small things, like a phone call and a trip to see the ocean and her cat. Even at the end, she made a comment that indicated that she had had a good life. She exuded joy.

And she brought so much joy to all those around her.

Love you, Grammy!

Grammy's List: part one

This past weekend, I said goodbye to one of my favorite people in the world.

My grammy passed away after a three week stint in the hospital recovering from heart surgery. As crazy as it sounds to say I was shocked when I heard of my 83 year old grandmother passing away, I truly was. She was so determined and strong and vibrant that I guess a part of me always thought she would pull through. That she would always be around. And I miss her already.

I've been working on this post for days now, and I keep deleting, cutting, pasting, and then shelving it for another day. I'm having the same problem that I did when I spent hours writing her eulogy for the funeral last weekend...

There aren't enough words in the world to sum up her life

and what she meant to me and so many others.

So instead of trying to capture everything, I thought I would just share ten little things about her (five today and five after I finish scanning pictures). Just so you all so you could get a peek at this classy lady...

This list is for Grammy:

10. Her signature colors were pink and blue, and she decorated her house with them everywhere.

And I do mean everywhere.

9. She was a hilarious hybrid of Italian cook meets health food nut. Everything she cooked was salt, butter, sugar, and fat free. (When Dan and I visited her two summers ago, we snuck out for Coldstone's ice cream like two addicts.)

Even if some of the food had us all reaching for the salt shaker, there's a reason she still looked so great in her 80's!
8. She loved to dance.

Grammy and me (age 3) dancing to a record.

Many of the guests at my wedding marveled at how she (then 78!) danced for hours!

7. She was fun!

No swimsuit? No problem!

6. She had a great smile :)

Love this 1949 picture!

Proud grammy at my sister's graduation

5. She was a girlie girl, just like me:

Grammy letting me (age 5) play with her make-up.

The second half coming soon...