Gratitude and Bliss

My birthday was pretty uneventful this year, by choice, but this year I got such nice birthday gifts that I had to take pictures of everything they were so thoughtful and beautiful. I felt really loved this year and as this birthday kind of coincided with being a bit under the weather, I also felt really lucky to have such nice people around me. (I denounce all future birthdays by the way.) Here's the sweetness:

Jim brought me a gorgeous lush bouquet from Sprout in Williamsburg

and then he took me there for a visit the next day. It's a really beautiful place and he bought that little plant from outer space in the pic next to the fleurs. He declared it "his plant" although I've been
watering it and the cat has been eating it!

Velvet Acorns handmade by my friend Ana.
She made 4 of them because she remembered I said I liked the number.
I mean---handmade VELVET ACORNS!!!! Incredibly sweet.The chubby leg on the right is from my assistant Vanessa and it is an antique milagro I think from Peru. We have a little collection now and I love this one especially. The leg can represent healthy travels or a good journey through life. For me, it's kind of about getting back on my feet. It's a really special gift.

And then a little package came from London and it was this hot little leopard print coin purse from my friend Ann of ANNANN fame. We met in Paris a few years ago and she's one of the sweetest people I know.

Yes, these are my first Le Creuset cookery pieces. And yes I'm excited. And yes, they are in the most lovely shade of green that the company calls "lemongrass" but I call it "grannysmith". The teapot is from my oldest and bestest friend Joie and the oval Cassoulet pot from my brother and sister-in-law. (My sister-in-law is also Joie's mom--my brother and she were married back when we were in school--I know I know--cool and strange). My first dish in the pot is going to be braised artichokes and fingerlings in olive oil, tomatoes and garlic.

I got some lovely teas from a few people--tea from Yunnan from Ana and flowering tea from Joie and this tea from Sandy (and a Tee also, not pictured but funny). This tea is from Forte and is amazing and subtle
as is the packaging--the little leaf is attached to the silk bag on a coated wire and wraps around the lip of your cup.
I am almost out--I've been drinking it with whoever comes for a visit.
Jim brought me a brewing cup as well, so thoughtful and lovely, especially for the studio while I'm working.

Oh cookbooks! Nothing better for this girl than to bring a pile of cookbooks over to the couch, spread them around and do a little research, plan a menu or just obsess over recipes and pictures.
My sister-in-law Sara knows this, and the Tartine book arrived at the door. It's the cookbook that began this blog and the one I just never bought for myself. She knows me too well--she is also a master baker.

Casa Moro, recipes from the restaurant by the same name in London known for it's "Moorish" cuisine is another beautiful gift from Ana. I love this cuisine, where Spain meets Morocco and have been recently obsessed with this style of cooking. The recipes in this book are droolworthy. For example: Quail stuffed with Couscous, Almonds and Apricots. I must go to London and eat here.
I bought myself the one in the bottom picture with a little of the generous loot received by both sets of parents. I never owned a Jewish cookbook and it's a great read, with some beautiful sounding recipes from Persia and Italy and my favorite chapter so far, Passover in Paris.