My Soap Is Dope

My DIY diversions continue. The latest at-home project? Soap-making! Here's how I did it:



INGREDIENTS

37 oz. olive oil (use the cheap stuff)
2 oz. cocoa butter
24 oz. coconut oil
18 oz. palm oil
28 oz. cold water
12 oz. lye crystals (also known as sodium hydroxide)

I ordered all of this from Texas Natural Supply, and I used a kitchen scale to weigh it.

Start by mixing the lye crystals with the water in a Pyrex measuring cup, but remember, sodium hydroxide (lye) is caustic, so wear a dust mask (I'm not exactly sure if that even protects your lungs from the fumes) and ventilate your kitchen. I donned a bandana and blew a fan in my direction and survived. Don't let it get on your skin (OUCH!), and don't be alarmed when the mixture heats up and starts steaming. Let it cool to 110 degrees; meanwhile, warm the coconut oil, palm oil, olive oil, and cocoa butter to 110 degrees in a big ole' pot. When both the lye mixture and the oils are at the same temperature, pour the lye into oil pot. Stir with a wooden spoon until you see the trace (this takes A WHILE, and by A WHILE I mean, 45 minutes, so get comfortable or pour yourself a glass of wine). This video helped me figure out how to recognize the trace, which is basically when you lift some of the mixture out of the pot on your spoon and dribble it back into the pot, it makes a very thin residue on top. Apparently, you can buy a stick blender to make this process happen a lot faster, but I haven't done that yet.When you see the trace, add 10 ml of peppermint essential oil (or whatever essential oil you want). Then, pour into the mold. I used a 13" x 9" clear glass baking pan lined with wax paper. Cover with tin foil and let it set overnight. Afterward, cut into bars and individually wrap each one (I used wax paper and printed out homemade labels). Scrub a dub dub.

Now On Newsstands: The T+L 500

The T+L 500, my last big editing project at T+L, is out now—pick up the January issue of Travel + Leisure!

Four-Year-Old Newsmakers

Poor Taylor Pugh. At four years old, he has found himself at the center of school system controversy - all because he has shaggy hair. You see, it occasionally hangs down to his collar and covers his eyes, which, in the eyes of the administration, is outrageously inappropriate. (I think it's irresistibly cute.) So, since early November little Taylor has been receiving his pre-K instruction in the library, away from the other kids. This will continue until he gets a haircut - or until the powers that be get their %@#$ing priorities straight. Way to encourage individuality and self-confidence, teach.
But Taylor's not the only four-year-old making news. In Chattanooga, Tennessee, four-year-old Hayden Wright cracked a beer then walked over to the neighbors' house and stole five Christmas presents, including a little girls' dress which he was wearing when he was found (he was also holding a half-empty 12-oz beer). [resisting urge to mention countless beer-drinking Christmastime shenanigans here...] Sadly, the stint is a result of some serious family issues. Take it from Taylor's 21-year-old mom, April: "He runs away trying to find his father," she said. "He wants to get in trouble so he can go to jail because that's where his daddy is." Sorry, I just don't know what to say after that...

Whirlwind Weekend

Wow, I forgot how short weekends become when you work on Saturday and Sunday! Still, Dan and I managed, in our typical fashion, to try four new eating and drinking establishments, tuor seven houses, and take a trip to Irving:

Friday:
Finally made another, long overdue trip to Vino 100, one of the first bars I went to here in Dallas. (Remember my post?) The fireplace was going, the wine was half-off...doesn't get much better, if you can stay awake that is. After an unsuccessful quest to find Thai food within walking distance, we ended up at Gui, which touts itself as a "Korean Japanese Bistro and Bar," that we found to be overpriced and slightly scene-y. Luckily we didn't overorder and had room to duck into one more sushi establishment, Yutaka. 100 times better.

Saturday:
We got up bright and early to tour seven houses up for sale (we're hoping to move out of our apartment and into a house in early April). They ranged from seriously outdated, seriously SCARY (as in insecure foundations and evidence of squatters) to absolutely charming. We've got our eye on one in particular just off Henderson Ave. We celebrated with an extra-large pizza at Rocco's, a BYOB pizza joint just up the street from our apartment. I had to put in a few hours at Molto, so Dan got the afternoon to himself. When I came home he was wearing a Santa hat and our living room window was decorated with Christmas lights, so the least I can say is that we was productive! That night we drove out to visit our friends Kate and Josh in Irving, just outside Dallas, who were hosting a game night. An evening of Apples to Apples, Battle of the Sexes, and Taboo ensued.

Sunday:
Another day at Molto - this time at the Preston Royal location. On my way to work I passed under the marathon runners on a Katy Trail pedestrian overpass (yesterday was the White Rock Marathon). After work we walked around Henderson Ave. and ducked in for a drink at Vickery Park just as the sun was setting. Did I mention it was 61 degrees here yesterday?!

Back to Work

I'm now gainfully employed, part-time, at Molto Formaggio, a cheese shop here in Dallas! There are two locations - one in Highland Park Village, and one in the Preston Royal shopping center. If you know me you know that cheese has been my favorite food since I worked at Murray's in New York. It's great to be back in the game! So, if you're in Dallas, come on by...

Dallas's Bishop Arts District

Today's Dallas adventure takes me to the Bishop Arts District, in Dallas's Oak Cliff neighborhood. I have returned with the promise to always bring out-of-towners (especially New Yorkers) here. It's one of the city's best pockets for eating, shopping, and walking around, all whilst supporting local small businesses.

My finds:

Zola's Everyday Vintage
Where I scored this sweet 70's handbag for 30 bucks!Bishop Street Market
The perfect spot for indulgent gifts, including an entire line of Thymes products, which, in case you don't know, includes those amazing-smelling Frasier fir candles, diffusers, and soaps.
Fete-ish
A bright assortment of giftable goodies, plus local art. I loved these wall plaques by Dallas artist T.G. O'Reilly.Make
Carries wares from crafty locals, like these snarky pillows, as well as hosts classes on everything from sewing to soap-making.

The Dallas Flea

Saturday was the debut of the Dallas Flea, a well-edited marketplace of locally made goods, dreamed up and executed by Dallas's own Brittany Edwards, the editor of Daily Candy's not-long-for-this-world Dallas edition. (Last week Daily Candy announced the closure of several of its editions, including ours) Don't worry, I spoke to Brittany on Saturday, and she's got plenty up her own sleeve.

A few of my favorite find at the Flea:

Leah Duncan's drawings, printed on
8 x 10 paper, tea towels,
pendants, and pins.













Petit Four: pillows made from coffee and grain sacks festooned with colorful appliqué and trimmings.








Pamela Michelle's
hand-painted wood jewelry.
Cooper by Courtney Warren: oh-so-dainty party dresses.

I'm DIY'ing

A combination of joblessness and cold weather that's keeping me inside has sparked the DIY bulb in my brain. Earlier this week, I made made pickles! Now, I cannot vouch for their success until eight weeks from now when I pop the top, but here's how I did it (tweaked from Allrecipes.com). You can buy all the ingredients at Whole Foods (or, if you're in Dallas, Central Market). I bought the jars at Sur La Table.

Ingredients

• 4 pounds pickling cucumbers (also called kirbys)
  
• 2 cups white vinegar
• 6 cups water
• 1/3 cup pickling salt
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
• 12 sprigs fresh dill weed
  

Directions

1. Cut off the flower end of each cucumber (it's the little brown spot on the end).
2. Soak cucumbers in a big bowl of ice water for at least 2 hours.
3. Sterilize 4 (1 quart) canning jars and lids in boiling water for at least 10 minutes.
4. Bring vinegar, water, and pickling salt to a boil.
5. Place 2 half-cloves of garlic and a few sprigs of dill in the bottom of each jar, then fill with cucumbers. Add 2 more garlic halves and 1 sprig of dill, then fill jars with hot brine and put the lids on.
   
6. Place each sealed jar in a pot of boiling water for 15 minutes.
7. Remove and set on the counter for at least 8 weeks before eating. Refrigerate after opening.

Day Trip From Dallas: Fun on the Farm

A few weeks back while we were tooling around a farmer's market in Austin, we picked up a flyer for the Homestead Craft Fair, held annually in the itty bitty town of Elm Mott, Texas, near Waco. So, after a hellacious post-Thanksgiving travel day, we decided to sink into a simpler way of life. The event takes place at Brazos de Dios, a 510-acre "homesteading community." It's essentially a living history museum; except that the people you see spinning wool and milking goats actually live the colonial life within their own homes as well. It's part of their belief system, which I found to be best explained here. For us, it was a fantastic few hours of good clean fun—we watched rope making and soap making, sat in on a mozzarella-making demo, sampled hot apple cider, and listened to some staggeringly good fiddle-playing. The village is open year-round and offers classes to the public—from beekeeping and basketry to weaving and woodworking. Guess which one I'm signed up for?

New York, New York

This week is the first time I've been back to New York since the move, and I spent yesterday wandering around Manhattan by myself. I had no place to be except for on the streets, and, for the first time since I moved to the city seven years ago, I felt like an outsider. With no apartment to go home to and no desk to sit behind, I really had no purpose. And because I wasn't distracted by all life's goings-on, I could finally see the city from the outside. The feeling of being here knowing that this place is no longer home is powerful. It's freedom; it's sadness. Every street I walked, every etablishment I entered held a memory. I watched the flurries of people crisscrossing paths in front of me, all hurrying to get to that place they were supposed to be, while I sat there with nothing to do but take it all in. Thing is, when you are one of those scurrying bodies, you long for the moments when you can sit back, relax, and have no plans. Most of the time, those moments are pretty good too.

Perfectly Pickled Cukes

My new obsession: Habenero Dills from Hill Country Homestyle Canning. We picked up a jar at a farmstand on 281 somewhere between San Antonio and Dallas. I ate six on the way home. And I just had another...and another...and another.

A Most Splendid Wednesday Night

It's hard to put together a series of events more perfect that the ones that unfolded last night. I have a wonderful husband, and I now I must gloat.

At quarter-to-5 we set off on a bike ride on the Katy Trail. But instead of arriving at Toulouse, the restaurant that I thought we were going to have a glass of wine at, we arrived at Spa Habitat. Surprise! Couples massage. And for no reason other than that it was Wednesday.

From there we stopped in at Cru and each got a flight of three wines and, of course, a cheese plate. We biked home, where we consumed even more wine and cheese (and, as luck would have it, I had a smidgen of Red Hawk, one of my all-time favorite soft and stinky cow's milk cheeses, left in the fridge - made even better by letting it get all oozy as it sat on a wood board by the fireplace. Mmmmmm.

To top it all off, Blood Simple, the Coen Brothers' first movie, had arrived via Netlflix. What's more romantic than a bottle of cabernet franc, a cheese board, and a knife planted in M. Emmet Walsh's hand by a 27-year-old Frances McDormand? For me, not much.,

An Evening at the Stoneleigh

Last night I got a behind-the-scenes tour of the Stoneleigh Hotel, a 1923 property that was restored to its glamorous Beaux Arts self just last year. It's actually a five-minute walk from my apartment. I met Kate Neu, the hotel's PR director, at the bar, which is the kind of place that exudes old-world romance à la the Oak Room. On one wall, a worn red velvet banquette with a back spiring to the ceiling begs for you to sit on it and sip and old-fashioned as you daintily swing your high heel and scan the room. Above the bar itself are several pretty beaded glass chandeliers. But the best part was learning from the bartender a few secrets about the place...You see, back in its heyday the owner lived in the penthouse, which he outfitted with all kinds of secret passageways and storage spots. He even hid his mistress in a room on the second floor. Sneaky, sneaky.

I got to walk through that 12th-floor penthouse, which is now used as an event space. 500-year-old wood panels ring an entire room, there's hand-painted wallpaper in the dining room, and cozy little library bar. Now, I just need someone to hold a function there (and invite me). Meanwhile, I can't wait to mynext take in-town visitor to the bar!

Road Trip!

We took of first Texas road trip over the weekend! The reason, above all, was that we were attending a party on Saturday night in San Antonio...

On our honeymoon back in September, we met five couples from San Antonio on our small cruise ship. Granted, they're my parents' age, but still, we had a great time hanging out with them that week. At the end, we were officially invited to the party they throw annually the second week of November.

So, on Friday afternoon we got in the Jeep and headed to Austin, where we spent the night to break up the trip (it's a five-hour drive to San Antonio). We had a fantastic dinner at East Side Cafe. It's tucked into the leafy neighborhood of Cherrywood, and housed in...a house. It's one of those places that has had its own garden since way before it was cool to do so. For starters, we ordered the crudité plate full of radishes and carrots fresh from the garden. My favorite was the watermelon radish - it's fairly mild for a radish, and when it's sliced it looks like little watermelon pieces. Dip it in a little kosher salt. Mmm.

The next morning we parked downtown and had brunch at Taverna. Freakin' good breakfast potatoes and $1 mimosas and bellinis! We meandered around downtown, stopping to partake in the Green City Festival and the farmers' market. Yes, Austin is every bit as chilled out, green, and delicious as we'd been told.

There were three items on our San Antonio to-do list: 1.) the Alamo, 2.) the Riverwalk, and 3.) El Mercado, the cluster of Mexican shops (if you went to Mexico and didn't bring back souvenirs, just come here). By 6 o'clock, we'd done it all, and that includes the educational video at the Alamo and a pit stop for margaritas.

Rather than taking the interstate home from on Sunday we took 281, which is a long stretch of country road that passes cattle ranches and small towns that post their population numbers on their welcome signs, as in EVANT, TEXAS. POPULATION 393. We passed through LBJ's hometown, (surprise!) Johnson City. We even pulled over at a farm stand to sample some fresh pecans. We passed the entrance to the Chisholm Trail, and the place where we'd turn to get to Dinosaur Valley State Park, which we're eagerly awaiting to check out on our next long, lazy drive...

Testing Dallas's Public Transportation

Last week I took my first ride on a Dallas public bus. This was my second test of the city's public transportation system—the first being the time Dan and I rode the rails of the new Green Line train out to the State Fair, a trip that, despite the crowds, went rather smoothly.

Back to the bus ride...I was trying to get from my apartment in Uptown to 560, the restaurant housed in the big ball at the Hyatt hotel. I used the Trip Planner on DART's web site, which told me how to get from point A to point B. So far so good. I caught the bus on McKinney heading downtown and kept an eye out for my stop, Houston and Young Streets. Well, the bus never stopped at "Houston and Young," and pretty soon I was whizzing out of town on a bus bound for god knows where. After we got far enough away from downtwon that I realized I'd missed something, I asked the bus driver to let me off and I transferred to an uptown coach. Turns out I needed to get off at Union Station, which is located at Houston and Young. Would've been nice if the easy-to-use Trip Planner would've just mentioned that. So, I finally arrive back at Union Station, and I see the ball! Great! I walk towards it only to find a wide gap in the ground holding several north and southbound train tracks. Can't go over it, can't go under it...

Turns out I had to make a big arc around the station and down an underbridge ramp to get to my final destination. Great night to be wearing heels...Thanks again Dallas for being so pedestrian—and public transportation-friendly.

But I do have a soft spot for one mode of transport in Dallas's system: the M-Line trolleys that runs up and down McKinney. A.) They're free. B.) They're actually refurbished trolleys from the early 20th century—kind of like the historic trolley tours found in other cities, but without a driver spouting off factoids. Kind of makes me want to don my best feathered hat and head for a night on the town...

The Joy of Costless Furniture

Because there are things like garage sales and pickup trucks here in Dallas, the great bounty of free stuff you encounter stacked on the sidewalks of New York on trash night just doesn't exist. Or so I thought...

Yesterday on our way home from a walk around the neighborhood, we came across a staggering pile of discarded household items next to the trash chute on our floor—dishes, hanging pictures, a coat rack, two vintage-looking travel chests. It was too good to be true, so Dan suggested we wait around to make sure someone wasn't just stashing it there momentarily (a ridiculous suggestion, I know). Pretty soon a guy came in from outside who was clearly the one moving out. Of course we could have all that stuff, he beamed—he'd be thrilled to see it go to someone who needed it rather than to the dumpster. In fact, he had a big lounge chair and a tv stand that he wanted to unload, and would we have a look?





So, not only did we come home with a few pictures to hang on the wall and one of the chests, we got a fab new tv stand (that actually fits our tv), and a big comfy chair.

Later that night on our way back in from a bike ride, we discovered yet another surprise in front of our door—a wine rack filled with red wine. Must be that our new friend just didn't have a use for it at his new place? I think it was just an incredibly generous "Welcome to Dallas" gift.



Oh, and those free wine glasses I nabbed? I think I know where they came from now!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. In high school I celebrated by throwing the biggest party of the year—every year (thanks for being so cool, mom and dad). Back then, I planned my costume six months ahead, and my mom sewed it for me (thanks again mom). In college I marched in the Village Halloween parade—three times. Then the merrymaking evolved into barhopping and attending parties, and the costume planning shortened to the weeks, not months, approaching October 31.

Last year, I threw my costume together on Halloween night. This year, things are shaping up similarly. I think I’m going to be a Jeopardy contestant. Thanks, Becky!

Correspondingly, as the costume planning takes up less time, irreverence and timeliness become more important than bearing skin. Yes, if you can pull off Bernie Madoff or Balloon Boy this year, you’re golden. Sure beats fading into the sea of slutty vampires...

A Box in the Mail!

Today I received a package from a dear friend. In it, the ultimate inspiration for my next dinner party: White Trash Gatherings: From-Scratch Cooking for down-Home Entertaining. It's a follow-up of sorts to Ernest M. Mickler's White Trash Cooking, a book that my mother's had on her shelf since as long as I can remember.

It arrived just in time. Dan and I just purchased a dining room table and chairs ($125 on Craigslist!). Now, what's for dinner—tater tot casserole or Poochie's biscuit bean bake?

Latest Travel + Leisure Book Out!

The book that I (and so many others) spent months working on has finally arrived! Go buy one (or three)!

Dallas High and Low

Yesterday's Thrill No. 1:
Finding seven perfectly good wine glasses in a box outside the trash chute. Score!

Yesterday's Thrill No. 2:
Happy hour at Wolfgang Puck's Five Sixty, the slowly spinning restaurant in the big ball. From 5 - 7 on weekdays there's a menu of $5.60 appetizers and drinks, made better on this occasion by meeting two new friends there (moms don't worry—they weren't randoms. They work in public relations and I'd been in touch with them while I was at T+L).

Yesterday's Thrill No. 3:
Pizza and 25-cent wings (none for me, thanks) at new friends' favorite dive bar Bryan Street Tavern

Yesterday's Thrill No. 4:
Welcome-to-Dallas gift basket featuring wine, heavenly Neiman Marcus cookies (damn those things are good!), and a well-vetted insider's guide to Dallas, written by said new friends.

Hooray!

Death Penalty Watch

Anyone who knows me well knows that I’ve got an irrepressible interest in crime reporting and exoneration cases. So does the state of Texas—on both sides of the spectrum. And, as Texas prepares for a gubernatorial election amid a series of wrongful death cases, capital punishment is front and center.

Tomorrow, two prisoners who were wrongfully sentenced for a 1997 murder will be released in a case that’s unique because it wasn’t DNA that proved their innocence, but a confession by the murderer after the case had been reopened. Research done by the University of Texas at Arlington Innocence Network and the Actual Innocence Clinic at the University of Texas at Austin prompted officials to reassess the case.

The story behind the 2004 execution of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was convicted of starting the fire in his home that killed his three children, has also been in the news recently. According to the Dallas Morning News, “In the past five years, at least six arson experts have examined evidence in the Willingham case and found that there were no credible indications that the fire was intentionally set.“ Governor Rick Perry defends the investigation, maintaining that Willingham was guilty and even calling him "a monster."

The case prompted former governor Mark White, once a dogged death penalty supporter, to release a television commercial in which he apologized for the executions conducted during his term, fearing that some may have taken the lives of innocent people. "There is a very strong case to be made for a review of our death penalty statutes and even look at the possibility of having life without parole so we don’t look up one day and determine that we as the State of Texas have executed someone who is in fact innocent," he said.

Before I moved here, I’d been following the saga of Sharon Keller, the judge who closed her office at 5:00 on the dot despite desperate pleas from a team of lawyers working feverishly to draft an appeal that may have stopped the execution of Michael Richard. “It seemed that Richard’s attorneys were having some computer problems that were preventing them from getting their motion for a stay filed before the clerk’s office closed, at 5. They wanted to know if they could deliver it after-hours—5:15, 5:30 at the latest. Keller, who has been on the CCA since 1994 and the presiding judge since 2000, listened to Marty’s question. Under her leadership the court has been one of the more conservative in the country, developing a reputation, especially on the left, for rubber-stamping death sentences. Her reply would cement this: “We close at five.”

Since 1982, the death penalty in Texas has taken the lives of 441 people. According to the New York Times, "that includes 334 since the start of 1997, a period in which Texas accounted for 41 percent of the national total."

Biking the Big D

Presenting my new wheels...I got the bike for fifty bucks on Craigslist and it looks almost exactly like the bike I had when I was 12. See that hot pink? So neon, so 1995. So awesome.

Scenes from the State Fair of Texas

Big Tex

Believe it.



Here's what winning the watergun game gets you!

Tre, the 1,000-pound pig.

Nachos, Texas-style. Yum!

Game Day

We'll just let the picture tell the story...

Wine, and a lesson in Texas politics

Say what you will, I have the best of luck meeting people in bars. Exhibit A: Looking for a glass of wine and some conversation, I walked over to Vino 100 last night, a wine bar and store just down the street. The place feels like a living room- there is a fireplace, a big couch, and some hearty wood dining tables. The bar itself only has a few stools, and the walls near it are lined with wine for sale. Over a glass of Viognier (and later, Sauvignon blanc), I got to know the bartender, Ryan, and the only other patron, Johanna, a professor of British literature at UT Arlington. My segue into saying that I just moved here was Ryan's comment on Thursday's New York Times article on the new Performing Arts Center. While the news made the front page of the Arts section, the writer just couldn't help but point out the reality of the arts scene in this city:

"Civic leaders have been trying to give this city a cultural heart for decades now, but the results have always felt more like a loose collection of unrelated buildings than a cohesive urban vision."

Having walked the Arts District just yesterday, I can attest that it does feel somewhat empty, especially compared to the stairs full of people that can be seen every day in front of the Met. And the area surrounding the two new buildings is anything but pedestrian-friendly. To walk there, you have to make a wide arc around the surrounding blocks, crisscrossing streets to avoid road construction and sidewalk closures. We'll see how things shape up in the coming months.

Turns out that my new bartender friend is an actor with a knack for Texas politics. Did you know that LBJ nicknamed his wife Lady Bird so that her initials would match his? Oh yeah, and his children also had the initials LBJ. Convenient (and narcissistic), huh?

During the course of the evening I was also introduced (in conversation, not in person) to Ann Richards, the charismatic former Texas governor known for her speech at the 1988 Democratic National Convention. My favorite line:

"Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels."

I also picked up a quote from Texas politician John Garner, FDR's vice president. In describing the job, Garner once said it's "not worth a bucket of warm spit."

Now that's Texan.