Name #2

This week: Catherine

NN: Cate

Meaning: pure (Greek)

I LOVE the name Cate/Kate (I go back and forth on the spelling). I really have only one major concern about this name amid some smaller things I could learn to brush off. Cate Tingey. The double 't' sound at the middle of her name sounds like a stutter; to compensate, you have to "eat" the 't' in Cate. Will people think she's saying her name is Kay? Will this even be enough of an issue to worry about? So, there are two groups of people in particular I'd like to hear from (though I still want as much input from everyone as possible). The first group is from all the Kates/Cates out there. How have you felt about your name? The other group is people with a double consonant in the middle of their names: Has telling people your name been an issue?

For the record, my more minor concerns are as follows:

1.) All literary connections I can think of are negative: Wuthering Heights. I hate this book more than any other, almost. Heathcliff is no hero and neither Catherine is a heroine. In Northanger Abbey, Catherine is a wuss. The end.

2.) Is Catherine becoming more and more old fashioned? Would we be better off just naming her Cate/Kate?

3.) Let me know how you feel about those two spellings. I'm not interested in other, "creative" spellings. No Cait, Kayt, etc.

Yummy, Yummy Food

Do you ever get into a recipe rut? Seems like every other month I do, and I'm stumped on how to get out of it. I graze through all the same cookbooks I've been using for years, looking for past favorites I may have forgotten about. This provides a temporary but sufficient fix, and I keep trucking away. But last month I decided to try something ambitious that my mother did for years: make a monthly calendar of meals. She hates grocery shopping, so she'd make a monthly menu and generate her shopping list from it. She'd have one big shopping trip each month and be done with it. I love to grocery shop. Aside from shopping for make-up, shopping for food is my favorite kind of shopping. I like to go weekly, not only to get me out of the house, but to follow the weekly specials and to break up the amount of grocery bags I have to haul up to the apartment at one time with a toddler in tow.

When I sat down to do this, it was fairly painful. Not only was I completely stumped as to what I'd fill a whole month with, but I began to realize how very often we ate the same thing. I finally filled it out, creating as much diversity as I could think of. It ended up working out better than I thought, but it plunged me into the depths of a recipe rut. I went searching over all your blogs to see if you'd posted links to recipe sites that you like to follow. I found so many recipes that got me excited that I couldn't wait to fill out my March menu of meals:

Red ink. You know this is serious. For this month, all the new recipes I'm trying are from Our Best Bites and Pioneer Woman. I chose 15 new recipes, and I'm dying to try each and every one of them. I already tried the Breakfast Taquitos from OBB, and have already added it to my personal recipe collection. But I found some other gems as well, and I have a feeling I've just grazed the tip of the iceberg with recipe blogs. If you have others you want to share, feel free. I'm loving this! I like fancy food as much as anyone, but what I like about these sites (which now have their own list on my sidebar for your convenience and perusal) is that they spotlight everyday recipes that don't break the bank.

In order to try to ensure economy and diversity, I came up with a few rules I'll share with you in case you feel inspired to do likewise:

1. Plan meals together that have similar recipe lists but different overall flavor. I never use a whole bunch of celery or cilantro unless I have plans for them. So if one recipe on the list calls for celery, I make sure there's another recipe calling for celery later that week so it doesn't go to waste and so I don't end up buying celery two different weeks when they'd BOTH go to waste.

2. Each week, I try to plan a sandwich meal, a pasta meal, a breakfast meal, a soup meal, and a salad meal. No repeats from week to week. Since I can't eat deli meat while great with child and since chicken generally nauseates me, my sandwich diversity is suffering for the time being. Egg salad and a fancy zucchini/yellow squash sandwich are taking turns for the time being.

3. Allow for as many meatless meals as meaty ones. One of the easiest ways for me to get stuck in a recipe rut is to think that a meal HAS to consist of a meat main dish, a starch, and a vegetable. No more!

Asking For It!!!

Something about naming a person who will be living in the three-dimensional world is a completely different process entirely from just choosing names on a "someday when I have a girl, I'll name her this" basis. I get bogged down with questions of a name's relevance and finding that perfect balance between something unique (but not bizarre) and not overly popular.

Really, the fundamental issue isn't one so much of finding a name that fits these criteria. It's mostly that I've spent hours on sites like nameberry and books like Beyond Ava & Aiden--and still, I have no name that I really LOVE for this little girl. If I had a name I was crazy about, the top 10 list wouldn't matter quite so much.

So, Chris and I have decided to have a name of the week. We'll cease to refer to this little one in euphemistic terms like "baby sister" or "little girl." We'll try names on for size and see how they fit. (My mom's word of advice is to imagine yourself yelling the name out the back door for dinner time. Can you still stand it?)

This week, we're calling her Ada Jane, a rollover from being pregnant with W. I got the name from reading the book Cold Mountain. I loved Ada's character and thought the name was sweet. But in the current naming climate I have concerns. Is Ada too old-fashioned? Do people know how to pronounce it just by looking at it, or will she spend her whole life explaining, "It's like Ava, with a 'd'?" And if we actually call her Ada Jane, is that too countrified like the way Mary Jane and Mary Beth sound? Will people inevitably call her A.J.? Perish. The. Thought. There's also the possibility in this scenario that her name would be Adelaide Jane, calling her just Ada.

And so, I am doing something that may turn out to be a big mistake: asking for your advice. Each week, I'll let you know the name of the week. And I want you to give me your honest impressions (just remember that while I do want honesty, I will eventually have to name this girl something so don't make me hate everything I throw out a you). NOTE: This does not give you permission to include anecdotes about someone you hated who had that name. This is irrelevant and unhelpful. Just, you know, when you hear a name, what is the image the name conjures up? Are my concerns about a name valid? Are there obvious embarrassing potential nicknames I've overlooked? So let me know how you feel about Ada.

And feel free to proffer names you like as well. We've had requests from family members to consider Adelaide, Catherine (Cate), Elizabeth (Betsey), and Jane. Since I'm none too opposed to any of these names, they've earned a spot on what I wish I could call the short list. We'll see how this goes.

Food for Love

In my world, food and romance are almost inseparable. I love food; I love it. I love remembering the best dishes I've ever eaten, who I ate them with, how the food made me feel. There's an enjoyable emotional connection we experience with food, however much weight-loss experts would train us to believe otherwise. WARNING: When it comes to talking about food, brevity is NOT one of my strong suits.

So, in honor of Valentine's Day weekend, here's my list of the Most Romantic Restaurants in SLC:

1. Cafe Madrid: Chris served his mission in Spain, and somehow found this incredible restaurant. He took me there first when we were dating, and we try to get there once a year. The romantic lighting, richly colored decor, teeny tiny dining room, and impeccable European-style food make this hands-down the most romantic place I've ever eaten. So romantic, in fact, that I had some of my bridal pictures taken there (none of which I have in my possession, so unfortunately, I can't share with you). The Entremeses, a cold platter of Spanish meats and cheese is one of the main reasons we go back. You can't find jamon serrano, Spanish chorizo, or lomo in any other restaurant in the city (that I know of; you can, however, purchase them at Tony Caputo's market downtown). And the pork medallion entree is almost the best thing I've ever eaten. Ever. The beef with Roquefort sauce is also plenty satisfying. 2080 East 3900 South. www.cafemadrid.net

2. The Melting Pot: Ok, so this is a chain, but the fondue experience is delightful, and very romantic. The experience takes long enough to be your entire date and to allow you to indulge in massive quantities of very tasty food. The cozy booths offer some privacy, allowing for some sly canoodling and romantic conversation. Something about the whole experience of being so involved with the cooking of your food, tasting all the different sauces, etc., makes for a sensory (all readers who are NOT my or Chris's parents should read "sensual") eating experience. 340 South Main Street. www.meltingpot.com

3. Bambara: Located at the Hotel Monaco downtown, this is a great restaurant for creative contemporary food. It's worth getting the Chef's Signature Steak just to get the herbed frites that come with it. I think my only negative comment for this restaurant in terms of its being romantic is the open floor plan. Some booths offer some privacy, however, and in every other respect the restaurant is elegant, clean, and conducive for romance. 202 South Main Street. www.bambara-slc.com/

4. Cucina Toscana: I've been here twice. The first time, in a large family dinner, the food was amazing. The second time, for Valentine's Day last year, the food was adequate, but not as great as we'd remembered. The atmosphere is very romantic, but the dining room we were in was crowded, hardly encouraging personal conversation of any kind. We were able to hear the family drama taking place a few tables away. And the tables are so tiny they barely held our food. But. It was still a nice meal, and as far as good Italian at an independently owned restaurant downtown, you probably can't do better. 307 West Pierpont Ave. www.cucina-toscana.com

5. Aristo's: Not the BEST Greek in town, but certainly the most romantic. Very tasty food, casual elegance, and like The Melting Pot, a slow dinner pace that could take up your entire evening. I find this kind of dining relaxing and romantic. There's no rush on the food or the conversation. Parking can be tricky, but we've never had too much trouble. Small and intimate, you won't find anything wanting. 224 South 1300 East. http://www.aristosrestaurant.com/about.php

If, instead of a full meal, you're just looking for a sweet treat, here's a few recommendations for that:

1. Gourmandise Bakery: My favorite bakery in town; a large selection of madeleine-style cookies, indulgent cakes, and tempting pastries. Very tasty hot cocoa to accompany.

2. Les Madeleines Bakery: Two words: Kouing Aman. You'll never, ever be the same. And there are plenty of other tasty treats as well.

3. Bruges Waffles & Frites: I've met this guy. He's from Brgues. He knows what he's doing. And, really, who DOESN'T want a giant waffle covered in chocolate, whipped cream, and strawberries?? No one I wanna know!

OK! So. Tell me your thoughts. What have I missed? If you don't live in SLC, give me your top 5 from your current city/region in case I visit there someday!

Lavender!!!

Well, ok, it's more of a dusty grape, but when I saw this skein, I knew I had to have it. Luckily, I found a pattern soon thereafter that will be beautiful with it and the gray and cream you see here.

In the same book, I also found this. Is this hilarious or what?! You knit a giant penguin, fill it with beads for your own kiddie beanbag chair. I think I'm going to make it for Will. It cracks me up. You could probably also knit it in white and put a red fringe on the head and make it a rooster, but I love the penguin, so that's what I'm going to do.