This recipe comes from David and Susan's cookbook as little kids. It's simple and delicious and quick. Also, it should be noted that this isn't what American's call a scone; it's very much a British one, flaky and crumbly and a savoury dough, not dissimilar to an American southern biscuit.
It's coming up on Nowruz again, and a friend asked me about this kuku sabzi recipe in the NYT.
Holy cow, that's one fiddly recipe. I love Najmieh Batmanglij, but I've said before that some of her recipes are just too heavily spiced for me, and this is one of them. As far as I'm concerned, the whole point of kuku sabzi is to revel in the freshness and flavors of spring; adding so much advieh (that particular combination of spices) just muddies the brightness of the herbs. A big nope for me.
Here's my own kuku sabzi. It's simple and vibrant. It can be eaten hot or cold, wrapped in lavash bread with some feta cheese or on its own. Oh, and there are a lot of recipes out there for baked kuku, and you could absolutely bake this one. But for me, the little burnt and crisped bits you get from frying are worth the extra calories. After all, this is otherwise an incredibly healthy dish.
It's hard to believe that Miss VJK's Picholine at Prefere (known in these parts as "Olive", "Baby Puppy" or "Dark Menace") is 2.5 years old. It seems like just yesterday that we asked the internets to help us name her, and now she is dam to a litter of four stunning puppies who are already well-loved family dogs that are going to do beautifully in the ring.
There have been some truly hysterical moments this year, but somehow our visit to the puppies when they were a week old really encapsulates the joy of laughter for me. This was a laugh that came from a place of pure love, of the euphoria of watching four little hamster-sized critters develop their own personalities at such an early age. There was nothing particularly comical about this moment (oh, who am I kidding?) but I smiled and laughed so hard and for so long that my face absolutely HURT.
I hope this little video brings a smile to your face as well. :-)
I've had a Twitter account since May 2007. I wasn't too prolific in those early days, but I was fascinated from the get-go. I was preaching the future value of LinkedIn when most of my industry peers considered it "MySpace for grown-ups." And when I discovered StumbleUpon, I thought it was the coolest thing since sliced bread. And then, of course, there's my blog with with I've had a long-standing love-hate affair.
All of these media have brought with them their own brands of serendipity and experiences. Virtual friendships have developed, professional doors have opened, travel arrangements have been made, and new experiences created.
What I'm trying to say is that I'm no stranger to Social Media, or the way it has changed our lives. But the most awesome "social web" experience I had this year had little to do with my OWN activity on any social site. It was realizing that the industry I've grown up in and love (Multichannel Retail) was missing the boat, and that most of my peers in marketing just weren't sure where to start tapping into the power of customer engagement.
With that revelation came a lot of hard work (the paperwork! the financials!), a lot of soul-searching (do we really have the backbones for entrepreneurship?) and the subsequent birth of a partnership with someone I have a gross ton of respect for. On August 27th, TimesTwoMarketing, a marketing optimization consultancy for multichannel retailers became a legal entity, and our website went live.
Four months to the day later, I have to smile when I take stock of what we've achieved. I'm thrilled with the roster of the clients we've worked with, the challenges we've overcome, and the mentors who've taken the time to help us grow. I truly believe we are going to help our industry thrive in these new channels, and make our clients look like heros to their internal organization leaders. These are things to be proud of, and none of them would have been possible were I not as enamored of the social web.
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This post is part of Gwen Bell's "Best of 2009 Challenge"
I don't usually write about people. The few times I have, it's been a family member, or else veiled by some food-related event that keeps this blog from become too personal. But once in a while, it's necessary to shed those safeguards, and write about people and events which have changed everything. Today is one of those days.
The person who left an indelible impression on me in 2009 won't be a surprise to many people. She has a knack for changing lives, you see.
Her name is Eugenia Gratto, and I'm honored to call her my friend.
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This post is part of Gwen Bell's "Best of 2009 Challenge"