My So Called Life

Backstory Cafe

/ Shane / 3 Comments

Given that I did a big write-up a while back about Robust Coffee Lounge, I would be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to the Backstory Cafe.

Backstory is a really cool place. It’s cozy, it has great coffee and the decor is cool. They are environmentally and socially conscious. They even feature a used book store section! They have sandwiches, pastries and sometimes even brunch. Some of my favorite features are the giant chalk boards (this is definitely Evie’s favorite part) and the outdoor seating area that is walled off by old, different sized and colored doors. I almost forgot, live music, film screenings, etc.

In short, what’s not to love?

The place is very well hidden, so I am always surprised at how busy it is. I don’t think I’ve ever been the only one there. It’s close to home, and Evie loves it. It’s so easy to take a great place like this for granted (hence me just getting around to writing a post about it). It hasn’t even been open that long, but it is already a part of the local landscape. I say that as a compliment.

Now, since I did write that review of Robust, I can’t help but compare the two. However, they really are totally different. I would say if I’m looking to sit back and relax for a while, then I prefer Backstory. However, if I wanted to just run in and grab a coffee to go, then Robust is the way to go. Robust’s seating area is bigger and more open, so it might be better for big groups.

So if you are looking for a most excellent hang out spot in the neighborhood, come and find the Backstory Cafe and Social Center. You will be glad you did!

Fresh Food – A Season in Pictures, Part II – Vegetables

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Well, you can’t always eat healthy. In her defense, we just handed her something covered in chocolate. Who could blame her for getting a little over-zealous?

Part I is here.

Fresh Food – A Season in Pictures, Part I – Fruit

/ Shane / 5 Comments






Labor-Day-Weekend in Review

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In order to ease our driving experience, we decided to leave on Friday night about bedtime, so the kids would sleep in the car. BIG MISTAKE! Neither one of them had much interest in sleeping, and they ended up staying up pretty much the entire way there. Oh well.

Saturday morning we picked apples at an orchard, for making into applesauce. This was something we did every year when I was little, so we thought it would be fun to continue the tradition with the kids (oh yeah, and stock up on delicious and healthy applesauce – high fructose corn syrup need not apply). It was really nice. We had perfect fall weather, sunny but a little cool. Now that I’m used to picking blueberries, raspberries, etc. apple picking goes pretty fast. Plus we picked some, but we bought probably more than half already picked.

When we were done with that, I went off and played some paintball for about 5 hours for a bachelor party. As always, paintball was a lot of fun. I got shot in the neck again, but it wasn’t as bad as last time. I took one in the pinky that hurt pretty bad too, but I didn’t really have too many welts or anything, compared to some of the guys. We played one game where the bachelor could only get out if he was shot on a little square on his chest. I think they counted 16 welts on his torso. Ouch! Anyway, it was a lot of fun, and a lot of fun to hang out with a bunch of old friends.

When I got home, we had to make applesauce late into the night. We made 35 quarts and 11 pints. Not all of it was just for us, but we took the lion’s share. I don’t know what our final count was, but it was substantial! We still haven’t found room for it in the pantry. It was quite the operation, with 5 people all working at the same time, including two canners going.

The next day we went do my dad’s house. The plan was to go swimming and close out the pool for the season, but it had been so cool that we figured it wouldn’t happen. However, the pool temperature was surprisingly pleasant. We also found some time top play Pretty Pretty Princess, and dad won both times…I guess he’s a natural Pretty Pretty Princess. We also came away with an alarming amount of produce, including 7 squash, 5 zucchini, and 2 pumpkins (although one of them is big enough to count for 2 or 3).

Since we were in the canning mood, we decided to come back for round 2: salsa. We had tomatoes from our garden, plus everybody decided to drop off more tomatoes; so many in fact, that we ended up not even using our tomatoes when we canned! But we made 9 1/2 pints of salsa, and again canned late into the night. We’re really putting our canning skills to the test this year!

Finally, Monday was Labor Day and we spent it the way Labor Day aught to be spent: grilling out. Some family friends came over and Evie entertained us with tunes while we ate (as usual). Unfortunately we had to eat and run, since we had the drive back, and driving with 2 small children takes a lot longer than it would otherwise. It was nice though, we were in no hurry, so we even stopped and did some shopping on the way home. Of course, once we got home we had about a zillion things to do, so I ended up exhausted (especially since I spent the previous two nights canning instead of sleeping).

So, in summary, dessert.

Yes, everywhere we went had desert. Not just store bought stuff, but homemade deliciousness. I probably gained 5 pounds over the weekend. But it sure was delicious! If you count all the canning, I’d definitely say this trip was all about food. What better reason to take a trip?

Birthday Bash

/ Shane / 2 Comments

On Saturday we had a little get together for Sara’s birthday (not nearly as big as what she planned for mine). We had a pretty good turnout, in fact, big enough that I had to make some last minute adjustments in the amount of food I had planned! Everything went more or less smoothly.

I felt a little guilty since Sara had put so much effort into my party, so I wanted to make something special for her cake, something a little fancy. So I ended up making a “honey bee” cake, complete with marzipan bees.

The cake was sort of interesting. There is 1/2 cup of honey in the cake and another 1/2 cup in the glaze. However, it mostly just tastes like chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate. Still, my mom said, “This is the best chocolate cake I have ever tasted.”

I think Evie was a little confused as to whose birthday it was, since somehow things always end up centered around her. She was having  a blast playing with everybody and even convinced everyone to walk a block away to the nearest open patch of grass and play parachute with her.

I asked her, “What do you think we should get mommy for her birthday?” “Adult stuff,” she said. “Like what?” “Like books and things.” So I didn’t think much of this conversation until much later when Evie suddenly got it into her head that we should buy mommy a magazine, because “she likes magazines.” So I took her to the store and she picked out In-Style. It was funny to see how excited she was to give Sara a simple magazine.

I also helped her use the scissors and construction paper to make a card for Sara. She took each rectangle of paper and cut a long slit up the middle, almost to the top. “It’s pants!” she said. It did look like pants, and Sara got about 3 pairs on her card.

Anyway, I think everybody had a good time. Happy birthday Sara!