Alex & Jill: Gift Ideas

Not sure what to get that special someone for the holidays? Why not consider a....


1. Grape skinner.

2. Banana seeder, for those pesky banana seeds

3. Sweater-cozy, keep your sweaters EXTRA warm.

4. Cereal that's just cereal dust from the bottom of the package. Surprise!

5. Bob Dylan Christmas album.

Desert Haiku

New Mexico lives

on a leisurely two hours

behind the East Coast.

Chihuahuan Desert:

after the rain, the clouds fade

the creosote bursts.

Is it you I crave,

or the backdrop of your life--

the mountains, the sun.

Growing Up, Keeping It Together.

Life as an adult:

Buying lots of vegetables,

Never cooking them.

¨Dishes, do yourself.¨

You, in the kitchen just now.

Post-dinner regret.

Alex Says...(Overheard while in my room)

"Wait, how do you eat it?"

The eternal question.

Pancake Manifesto

I make a lot of pancakes. It is the most calming way to ease into your weekend. As the pancake authority, here are three recipes I recommend.

I always use white whole-wheat flour (which is a type of its own, although you can also mix white and whole wheat if you already have them) and substitute canola oil for butter. I consider this the height of health, especially combined with a cast iron pan, from which you absorb real iron. This is why we are so robust at Lake Haus.

Add blueberries!

Plain (but not really) whole-wheat:
(makes 12)

1 tbl sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup white whole-wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1 cup milk (buttermilk is best)
2 tbl canola oil

I have made many pancakes which cook nicely and have a good texture, but just taste like flour. The vanilla and cinnamon make these lightly sweet, so you don't have to drown them in syrup.

Lemon poppy seed:
(makes 12)

1 tbl sugar
1 tbl lemon zest
1 cup white whole-wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk (buttermilk is best)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbl lemon juice
2 tbl canola oil
1 tbl poppy seeds

Rub the sugar and lemon zest together before mixing in with the rest of the dry ingredients. Let the finished batter sit for about ten minutes before cooking.

These are DELICIOUS. Put a tiny bit of butter or honey on them.

Corn meal:
(makes 12)

3/4 cup cornmeal
1 cup boiling water
1 tsp salt
1 tbl sugar
3/4 cup white whole-wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 tbl oil

Mix salt, sugar, cornmeal, and boiling water. Cover and let sit for five minutes, then mix the rest of the wet ingredients into it, and add the flour and baking powder. Make sure to cook them a little longer than normal because they stay mushy!


The first two recipes are from Joythebaker.com and the third is from Allrecipes.com.

A child´s perspective on the future

Sometimes I worry that adults don´t take children seriously enough, but this story I wrote in second grade about my hopes for adulthood makes me think that I should have been more respectful of adults, lest I doom myself to a future of snark weddings, sparkles, and too-loud alarm clocks. 

This is how I envisioned my marriage. Our smirks suggest that there is something more than just a standard wedding going on. All I can hope is that he is named Olof and I am marrying him to get Swedish citizenship. 

Make it stop. Where is my Oxford comma?

Good morning, adults!

Top Five Favorite New Mexico Town Names:

1. Los Lunas
2. Chamisal
3. Mescalero
4. Magdalena
5. Shiprock

Oh New Mexico, I Zia Sun Symbol you.

Top Five Creepiest Bob Dylan Lyrics:

1. "Jump into the wagon, love, throw your panties on the board." High Water for Charley Patton

2. "Some young lazy slut has charmed away my brains." Rollin' and Tumblin'

3. "I'm just sitting here, beating on my trumpet..." Absolutely Sweet Marie

4. "Oh me, oh my, love that country pie." Country Pie

5. "I've been thinkin' about Alicia Keys, couldn't keep from crying...I'm wondering where in the world Alicia Keys could be." Thunder on the Mountain


He really says that! He says all those things!