List 99

Love: Erich Pfeifer, whom I had the good fortune to marry twenty years ago today, on July 31st, 1993. I'm kind of in shock that it's been two decades, but in many ways it's equally not surprising at all since it's difficult to remember life before he came into it. We were engaged after six weeks. We just knew. Cut to today and we still know. He's my best friend, a wonderful partner and father to our Stella, and keeps making me laugh. 

Like: Erich's way with a playlist. He's a genius at capturing mood, time and place with his mixes. Erich's been working on one for the anniversary dinner party we're having this weekend with a handful of close friends, and in doing so he turned me onto my new favorite jam, Don't Kiss Me Goodbye by Ultra Orange and Emmanuelle. (It's actually from 2007 but was new to me.) Listen to it here.

Discovery:  An Inverness get away.  For our tenth anniversary, we went to the secluded, cozy Manka's Inverness Lodge.  Ten years later, we're heading to Manka's Fishing Cabin and will be toasting two decades together over dinner at Sir and Star, the new and wildly well-reviewed restaurant from Manka's owners, Margaret Grade and Daniel DeLong, which features dishes like A Neighbor's Quail Plumped with Kale, Nestled in Wild Greens Pilliaged Within Reach and Crab Plucked from Surrounding Seas, Clawing at a Dip of Local Meyer Lemons.

Obsession: The Paris Photo show, which brings together hundreds of galleries from all over the world to a lovely spot in Paris each November.  We last went in 2004, right before I got pregnant with Stella, and have been aching to go back ever since.  This November our return is finally on.  Twenty is supposed to be the china or platinum anniversary gift year, but for us, it will be photography.

Complaint: I had a fleeting thought of engineering a closet makeover for Erich as an Anniversary surprise, but couldn't pull it off.  I would have used Beastie Boy Mike D's Brooklyn Toille wallpaper in the closet, which I think Erich would have loved.  Maybe for 25.

List 97

Love: The Oaktown Spice Shop. At first I was jealous that someone had actually executed an idea that always lurked in the back of my mind: opening a version of Milwaukee's Spice House out here in the Bay Area. But then I met the guys who did it, found out that they, in fact, were from Milwaukee and had worked at the Spice House, and couldn't hold it against them. Their Better Than Everything Bagel Spice mix is a new favorite.

Like: The *free* Video Star app that lets you easily create professional-looking music videos, complete with a wide range of effects and seemless jump cuts to allow for costume and location changes. We now have a veritable library of Stella's takes on One Direction, Taylor Swift and Adele.

Discovery: Spencer's Pantry, a restaurant that comes to your house. My friend Jaime arranged this as a birthday dinner for her husband James last month, and it was such a lovely evening - an intimate, delicious, relaxed 6-course dinner in the comfort of your home, for no more than you'd spend at a nice restaurant. Chef Spencer grows or forages most of what he serves - vegetables from his own and his parents' gardens, eggs from a friend's chickens.  

Obsession: Stella's, with typewriters. We've raised her to appreciate all things vintage, and it's finally manifesting itself. A trip to San Francisco's The Perish Trust turned her onto typewriters and prompted one of the best questions ever: "Did you live in the Time of the Typewriter?" "Yes," I said, "I was alive when Smith Coronas walked the Earth." Truth be told, if I concentrate, I can still conjure up the smell of Liquid Paper. Her new-found fixation has had me scouring Etsy for the perfect candy-colored relic for her birthday later this year.

Complaint: I've been making my French Press coffee wrong for, like, ever!? I had the chance to meet Peet's Coffee Master Roaster Doug Walsh and learned a lot about the art and science behind what Peet's calls an Uncompromised Cup of coffee. Here are their precise instructions. Try it their way and you will notice a difference. Possible next experiment: would this sexy wood-handled press pot put it even further over the top?

List 96

Love: Having the prospect of a dinner out at Oakland's brand-spanking new Ramen Shop to look forward to when I emerge from my January Clean Program.  It was started by some Chez Panisse vets and is apparently already racking up 90 minute wait times.

Like: The idea of getting an indoor fiddle leaf fig tree, maybe for a corner of our sunny, West-facing dining room.  I saw this example on  Pinterest and like its wide, green leaves.  Plus it would be nice to harvest plump figs later this year without the problem of birds getting to the ripe fruit first.

Discovery: Barrel-aging cocktails without the barrel. Negronis have been off the menu for me this month, which meant it was the perfect time to barrel age a couple in this cool 2-cup glass jar with a bit of barrel wood inside, a very thoughtful gift from my friend Ralph.

barrel-aged cocktail kit found here

Obsession: Healthy grains and vegetables have been my constant companions during this experimental month of strictly clean eating, and I've come to feel satisfied by them in ways I simply wasn't before. So even though I don't have to, next week I imagine making things like roasted vegetable salads with lentils or quinoa, and spaghetti squash instead of pasta, and continuing to crave my new favorite daytime drink, the Energizer from The Plant Cafe - carrots, beets, parsley and ginger.  Clean January will yield to Cleanish February.

Roasted Vegetables with Quinoa recipe

Roasted Fall Vegetables with Lentils recipe

Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Herbs recipe

Complaint: That I haven't yet been able to cook from Charles Phan's gorgeous cookbook, which I got for Christmas, because nearly every recipe that catches my eye contains a few verboten ingredients. Still, it was a treat to flip through it this month and dream of things to try come February.

List 93

Love: The Meatball Shop in New York - and especially their terrific cookbook that lets you easily recreate their many different kinds of balls at home. For a birthday dinner for Erich this past Friday, I was feeling ambitious and made three different balls (classic beef, spicy pork, and chicken) and three different sauces (classic tomato, mushroom gravy, and parmesan cream) for a group of friends.  I'm tempted to compare my efforts with the real thing by attending The Meatball Shop's pop up at Oakland's Hopscotch tonight, but have a bit of a meatball hangover still. 

Like: Speaking of meatballs, a meatball shaper is one of those kitchen gadgets that could prove to be a lame waste of money (I'm thinking about you, mango slicer) but is actually massively useful, letting you create consistent, perfectly shaped balls.

Discovery: West Elm MARKET which sells well-designed utilitarian goods.  Almost makes me want to iron.

Obsession: Friends turned us onto early 1970s Detroit musician Rodriguez, subject of the well-reviewed documentary Searching for Sugar Man, which is about how some obsessed fans from South Africa (where Rodriguez had become a cult favorite) tried to determine if he was still alive and track him down. His song "I Think of You" is stuck in my head like crazy.

Complaint: That Syfy didn't order a full series of Battlestar Galactica prequel Blood and Chrome, which focuses on young Bill Adama during the first cylon war.  I'm watching the webisodes - new ones are released every Friday - and will tune in for the full movie when it airs in February, but think it had potential to be more.