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One Second Video, 2024

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One Second at a Time, 2024

This is our one second video for 2024. You might notice it’s missing days, entire weeks even, especially in January. Mind ya business.

Is this a “highlight reel”? Absolutely.

Does it leave out a lot- some things that we didn’t mean to leave out (because we forgot to get the video before we left! Remind us next time?) and some moments that were less (far less) photogenic? Absolutely.

I gave up on the idea of “one second a day” meaning exactly one second per day a long time ago. In between some of these clips were days where we just went to work and then felt tired after, or, we had such a bad day that we didn’t have a darn thing that felt worth remembering.

But what we are left with is a conglomeration of moments that I’m delighted to notice and remember.

  • The matcha from Valor Coffee on that day I drove to drop off film at Dunwoody Photo.
  • The first time we left the house to go on a date after the 2nd miscarriage (we had sushi).
  • When we hopped onto the boat to “help” Dad burn off some fuel before winterizing the engine.
  • The day that we harvested honey. The day that colony swarmed.

There’s an argument that moving images– short clips, video, etc- elicit memory more readily than still photos. And I think, for my own mind anyway, that this tends to be true. Whatever anyone else may enjoy about the video, or whatever glimpse into my day-to-day it may offer, these short clips do trigger an entire contextual memory for me (at least for now). The joy in rewatching these clips is not that it’s some perfectly accurate record, but that each clip, at some point on that particular day, felt worth capturing.

For what it’s worth, I hope you enjoy this glimpse into our 2024 (but it’s ok if you don’t find it interesting at all, because it’s really just for me).

Happy 2025 to all! 🩷

a stable renovation

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My Mom started collecting Fontanini figurines in the early 90s. My Great-Grandmother Jewel was a big contributor to her collection.

I remember the small figures arranged in the dining room on the buffet, perfectly at eye-level for curious kids. I distinctly remember the year Grandmother gifted my Mom the inn and innkeeper, expanding the scene beyond a stable… from there the originally intimate gathering of a few animals and the Holy Family grew into a veritable village, now consisting of ~45 characters. From shepherd to angel, Roman Centurion to Rabbi, rug salesman to pregnant washerwoman.

Because the figures are virtually unbreakable, the children of the house had full leave to move, arrange, and play with the figurines at will throughout the Christmas season. As a child, I enjoyed reading the tiny booklets that came with each character- telling their name, backstory, and relationship to the birth of Jesus.

When it comes to Christmas nostalgia, “the Fontanini” (as they are called) are key players in my memory in terms of both decor and interactive play.

I recently found a Fontanini Nativity set of 7 pieces at a thrift store for $28 (quite a deal!).

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Ruddy and Small-Crumbed

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The story goes that it wasn’t always artificial red food dye that made a red velvet cake red.

The “velvet” portion of the name refers to the fact that this is a small-crumbed soft cake made with cocoa powder. A “velvet cake” is lighter and fluffier than, say, a pound cake. Velvet cakes rose in popularity in the Victorian era.

The original Red Velvet Cake was not artificially bright red, but merely had a reddish tint to the crumbs due to a chemical reaction caused by the combination of buttermilk, cocoa powder, and baking soda in the batter. That hint of rouge distinguished the red velvet cake from the deep brown color of a devil’s food cake (which is also a “velvet” cake, but has melted chocolate in the batter instead of buttermilk).

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Zuppa Toscana (to Get Ya Through)

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  • 1 pound Sausage (chicken or turkey are my preferred)
  • 1 package of Beef Bacon
  • 8 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 Yellow Onion, diced
  • 3 stalks Celery, chopped
  • 3 Carrots, diced
  • 5 tablespoons Salted Butter
  • 64 oz of Chicken Broth (2 packages)
  • 6 cups water
  • 1/2 bag of chopped Kale
  • 2 cans of Cannellini Beans, drained
  • One bag of Small Gold Potatoes, chopped into quarters (or 3 baking Russet Potatoes, diced)
  • 1 pint (small container) Heavy Whipping Cream
  • 1/4 cup Flour
  • 1 package Gnocchi
  • Salt, Pepper
  • Red pepper, Oregano, Thyme
  • Parmesan, grated

Heat the oven to 400 and bake the beef bacon on a pan for 10 minutes— it’s much less messy than doing it in a pan! Meanwhile, in your large stockpot, cook the sausage, then set aside. In the same pot, add 5 tablespoons of butter and then sauté the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic. After vegetables are soft, add 1/4 cup flour and stir. Cook for about 1-2 mins on medium low. Add the sausage, cooked and chopped up bacon, diced potatoes, drained beans, kale, cups of water, and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer. When the potatoes are almost cooked through, add the gnocchi and cook 10 more minutes. Season with salt, pepper, red pepper, oregano and thyme to taste. 5 minutes before ready to serve, slowly add in the heavy cream. Top your bowl of soup with grated parmesan. Serve with toasted sourdough w/ butter.

This is peak comfort food for fall or winter.

Enjoy!

Chicken & Gnocchi Soup (a la the Garden of the Olives)

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Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups cooked Shredded Chicken Breast (think rotisserie— or cook your own, whatever ya feelin)
  • 2 stalks of Celery, chopped
  • Small Yellow Onion, chopped
  • 4-5 Garlic Cloves, chopped
  • 1/2 cup Shredded Carrots (“Julienned” if ya fancy)
  • 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 5 tablespoons Butter
  • 3 tablespoons Flour
  • 32 oz container Chicken Broth
  • Salt / Pepper
  • Sprinkle of Ground Nutmeg
  • Thyme, fresh
  • 1 Package of Potato Gnocchi
  • 1 cup Small Potatoes, diced into very small pieces (this is a break from the O.G. version, but I feel the small diced potatoes help to thicken the soup and provide a nice texture- can skip if desired)
  • 8oz Half & Half (1/2 of a small container)
  • 2 cups water
  • 3-4 handfuls of Fresh Spinach
  • Shredded Parmesan for serving

Directions: Sauté the onion, carrots, celery, garlic and finely-diced potatoes in olive oil in a smaller pot or pan. In your large stockpot, melt the butter and add flour. Cook the flour and butter on low for 2-3 minutes stirring frequently, then slowly add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. To your large pot— Add the sautéed veggies, shredded chicken, fresh thyme and nutmeg. Simmer on low for at least 15 minutes (longer is better). Add the gnocchi and 2 cups water and simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Turn off heat. Add 3-4 heaping handfuls of fresh spinach and wilt into the soup. Add Half & Half slowly. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve in bowls topped with shredded Parmesan. I recommend warm crusty buttered bread for dipping.

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