So now that I live in North Carolina, a state known for agriculture (long days, long growing season, large variety of things that can be grown here, etc), I thought it was about time that I get serious about that vegetable garden I’ve been talking about for a few years now. I’ve made some pitiful attempts in the past (a patio with about 20 different potted plants all crammed next to one another in pots that were way too small), but I thought I’d try to do things right this year. Its still early, but we shall see–I have high hopes for eating something from my backyard this year…hopefully its one of the plants I put in the ground and not a rabbit trying to get to them before I do.

Early in March, I cleared a 10×10 patch of

After all of the stress, impatience, worrying, preparing, and so on, finally, the day has come. Precisely on my wife’s originally predicted due date of March 30th (and almost precisely at the time of the final OB appointment), Ramya was born and ushered into the world eyes wide open.

She was a healthy 7 lbs 7 oz, 21 inches long, and so far, something of a night owl.

She’s a beauty (convenient since her name means “beautiful”) and we feel blessed to have her in our lives as happy and healthy as she is. I was also finally forced to take photos of something not garnished and not on a plate, lol.

As for what this means in the short term for Mike’s Table, well, since you get a good bit of notice

2009 promises to be a crazy year for me, and a part of it is possible (as in highly likely) relocation. Moving always stresses me out, but with things like a baby on the way, I haven’t gotten too stressed about moving…yet (I’ll wait until I have to start house-hunting). My wife and I have been surveying cities all over the country for the bulk of this past month (so in case I’ve seemed absent, well, I have been), and its been fun and exhausting. Now I haven’t been great about photographing the whole experience (e.g. a few great restaurants and plenty of awful ones), but there were a few photos from one stop on our tour I thought I’d share with you: Seattle.

If you like food (and if you don’t, what are you doing here? lol), you’d love Pike’s Market. Its a food market in the Seattle area that has a great variety of top

I hope you have a great holiday (and time off!), and as always, good food. Just in case you’re looking for any last minute dish ideas if you’re cooking/baking anything for the holidays, I thought I’d give you a quicky:

• Egg Nog: the way I see it, everybody loves egg nog. If you don’t, you simply haven’t had good egg nog. Plus, its a holiday-friendly excuse to load up on the bourbon (think about, which sounds better around noon: “I’m having a
  bourbon” or “I’m having a glass of egg nog?”). Its really simple and hits the spot.
  
• Linzer Cookies/Augen: hazelnut and almond flavored, crisp cookies filled with a jam/fruit preserve of your choosing and dusted with sugar. A great Christmas cookie that is sure to please.
• Rugelach: why should Christmas get all the cookies? Hanukkah overlaps Christmas this year, too, so this is another great holiday friendly cookie that is easily customized

1. Happy Holidays! I just wanted to wish everybody happy holidays this year....
2. Happy Thanksgiving! Some last minute ideas Its that time of year again! Thanksgiving is when we...
3. Thanksgiving: the plan I had originally hoped to have the majority of my...

Also, something worth mentioning: Foodbuzz. I’ve been a member with Foodbuzz for a while now, and they have been nothing but good to me, so imagine my delight when I was selected as one of the food bloggers to take part in their monthly

1. Thanksgiving: the plan I had originally hoped to have the majority of my...
2. Happy Thanksgiving! Some last minute ideas Its that time of year again! Thanksgiving is when we...
3. Pork Chops with Honey Chipotle Cranberry Sauce I’ve wanted to experiment a bit more with cranberries since...

By the time you’re reading this, I’m abuzz in the kitchen (and I promise you a post to show the fruits of my labors during this holiday, so check back in a few days!), so while I do that, I thought I’d post a mini-roundup of dishes I’ve done before that would do great on your holiday table. This list is by no means exhaustive and I’d love to hear what your plans are for this year, whether they be what you intend to do or

1. Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Holidays to everyone who...
2. Happy Holidays! I just wanted to wish everybody happy holidays this year....
3. Thanksgiving: the plan I had originally hoped to have the majority of my...

First off, I apologize to the regular readers as this post is not the usual food/recipe subject matter (but I’ll get right back to it after this one, I promise). However, for my fellow food bloggers, I just wanted to say yay, Tastespotting is back. Except its different now and in a very fundamental way that was worth discussion before we all hastily get back to submitting our photos. I apologize for the length of this post,

1. Mike’s Table: bigger, better, stronger…and moved! Over the past few months, this blog has grown in...
2. A Stop in Seattle and Other Travels First off, Happy New Year! 2009 promises to be a...
3. Devil’s Food Cake with Fudge Frosting Dessert has been a little pie-centric lately, so it was...

That’s right–no more bizarre-o looking web address to get here. Mike’s Table is now located at http://mikes-table.themulligans.org. The old address will still be around for a while so that there can be a smooth transition, but please, please, please update your bookmarks to the new address.

For the email subscribers, since you already subscribe to the email

1. You Scream, I Scream, We All Scream for Frozen Desserts: A call for posts! After the big success of Strawberry Seduction a few months...
2. A word of caution to other food bloggers: Tastespotting is back. And its changed Update: I’ve been chatting with Sarah of Tastespotting offline and...

As you read this, I will be out of town and with family for a short vacation. But have no fear, loyal readers–I’ve written up many a post in advance and if everything works right, they should continue to come online at a fairly regular schedule until I return home in January. Just thought I owed you an explanation in case I seem to M.I.A. in the comments.

So anyways, again, happy holidays!

Related posts:

1. Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Holidays to everyone who...
2. Happy Thanksgiving! Some last minute ideas Its that time of year again! Thanksgiving is when we...
3. Thanksgiving: the plan I had originally hoped to have the majority of my...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

1. Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Holidays to everyone who...
2. Happy Thanksgiving! Some last minute ideas Its that time of year again! Thanksgiving is when we...
3. Thanksgiving: the plan I had originally hoped to have the majority of my...

I’m hosting a small Thanksgiving this year, and I’m looking forward to preparing everything. I hosted a Christmas get together once before (20-30 people), and I remember the meal going well (good food, enough for everybody–it all came together!), but realistically, I barely squeaked by. I was still pretty new to cooking and did an awful job of planning, so I was running around like a headless chicken all day. I’ve cooked a lot more since then, I’m much more comfortable, and I feel like I can put a lot more thought into what and how I intend to get things done. With that said, I’m really looking forward to this dinner, even if its not quite for the 20-30

1. Happy Thanksgiving! Some last minute ideas Its that time of year again! Thanksgiving is when we...
2. Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: A Southern Inspired Thanksgiving I hope you had a good Thanksgiving–I certainly did. I...
3. Thanksgiving Risotto So, why am I posting about Thanksgiving in February? The...