Thursday, January 27, 2011
Is it weird to observe yourself from the side as you are fully engaged in life? May be so, but it has been by habit since i have been aware of myself, i think. So, after so many years of self-observation, i was quite used to the fact that i am always rational and introspective, and i came to accept that as my "default setting". Imagine my surprise as i was suddenly made aware that i have been a basket case lately. In the midst of a discussion following an argument, where i felt very much like a victim of his bad mood, C closely examined my behaviors and reactions for the past 4 days. I tried to refute his "evidence" at first, but then something "clicked", and i actually was able to look at myself objectively again. Omg, i have been a typical woman: i took issues with how he looked at me, or how he lacked enthusiasm, or how his voice sounded, got mad and just about attacked him on all those points. Since when is my mood dependent on his? Since when do i take his mood changes personally? When and how did i switch from comforting him when his mood changes to being mad at him for ruining my evening with his less-than-happy outlook? Not good, not good! But, it took C's patience to drive the point across, for which i am grateful. This is yet another building block for our happily-ever-after!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
catching up
So many things have come and gone, and as our busy life is zooming by, i am struggling to find the time to stop and make note. But i know that unless i put some of this to paper, most will eventually be forgotten, or, at best, overlaid with other memories and recollections.
The last week and a half has been dedicated to the very first lice incident by the kid. K noticed them first, but C delivered the news as sort of a joke, so i didn't take it seriously, until i saw her scratching. After a very dramatic, cow-filled episode of hair examination, and extensive research about lice on line, we were sadly able to confirm our fears - the kid had lice. Since i have never had them myself, i was absolutely freaked out and so was C. I started out treatment with tea tree oil, rubbing it on the scalp, keeping for 40 min, then washing it off, as well as adding it to shampoo for prevention. But either we were not able to cover the whole head with this method, or her problem was bigger than the oil could handle, but she still had lice. Not wanting to wait any longer, we moved to Rid. That seemed to have killed them on the kid, although we still had to do our brushing to get the eggs. I kept checking my hear, being totally paranoid about it, but i was clean. I still applied tea tree oil all over my head, just to be sure. And C and i have been doing our daily checks of each others hair. And, 2 days after we treated the kid, C came up with an egg!!! omg!!! So, the next day i launched into more research and in blogs saw some recommendation of LiceFreee spray, over Rid or anything chemical. So, the next day we got that at our local Wallgreens, and i applied it vigorously over C's hair. He complained that he had to let the stuff be in the hair overnight, but once we started brushing out dead things, he was no longer complaining. The next day i treated myself with it too, but nothing was brushed out, that confirmed my previous conclusion that i was, in fact, lice-free. Now we will wait and re-treat them both after a week and a half. Hopefully all the money i spent on the laundry, washing all the bedding daily, and these meds will pay off!
On a different subject, cooking experiments were in full force as well, and there were some successes and some, well, not so much...
The shining success was the Singapore Street Noodles revision of my existing recipe, where i made more sauce and replaced rice thai noodles by the real stuff - the dry chineese egg noodles. This made all the difference in the world, the color, the texture, were all right! And it looked beautiful:
This time i also skipped the sprouts, and added commercially fried onions as my topping. This is definitely good stuff!
The proportions for the sauce is now as follows:
1.5 tsp rice vinegar
1.5 tsp curry powder
1.5 tsp raw sugar
3 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp ketchup
1.5 tsp fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
2 Tbsp chicken stock
splash of dark sesame oil
The other cooking experiment was the french toast, following the recipe from the Food Network by Alton Brown . I added cinnamon, but followed the rest of the recipe exactly, and it turned out well, although both of us thought that we needed to use think bread, not the regular pre-sliced stuff.
And, finally, the napales cactus salad was the thing for this Saturday. We also made yucca and corn-flakes coated baked red snapper to compliment it. The napales were totally new to me, so not knowing how they are supposed to look cooked, or how to work them was a challenge. So it was that much more rewarding that it actually turned out well, and even better the next day. We did cheat by buying the pre-trimmed leaves that didn't have any edges or thorns anymore, that we got at a mexican store where we stopped for the fresh panela cheese. The proportions are as follows:
1 small red bell pepper chopped
1 small onion chopped
3 garlic clove, minced
3 paddles of cactus, diced, and pre-cooked
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 medium tomatoes diced
7 oz corn, cooked
2-3 haas avocados
1/2 cup cubed panela cheese
2 Tbsp marinated jalapeno peppers or to taste
Oh, and for the red snapper, this time i used beer instead of water with my eggs, and a combination of lemon pepper and old bay sprinkling on the lemon 20min pre-marinated fish.
The last week and a half has been dedicated to the very first lice incident by the kid. K noticed them first, but C delivered the news as sort of a joke, so i didn't take it seriously, until i saw her scratching. After a very dramatic, cow-filled episode of hair examination, and extensive research about lice on line, we were sadly able to confirm our fears - the kid had lice. Since i have never had them myself, i was absolutely freaked out and so was C. I started out treatment with tea tree oil, rubbing it on the scalp, keeping for 40 min, then washing it off, as well as adding it to shampoo for prevention. But either we were not able to cover the whole head with this method, or her problem was bigger than the oil could handle, but she still had lice. Not wanting to wait any longer, we moved to Rid. That seemed to have killed them on the kid, although we still had to do our brushing to get the eggs. I kept checking my hear, being totally paranoid about it, but i was clean. I still applied tea tree oil all over my head, just to be sure. And C and i have been doing our daily checks of each others hair. And, 2 days after we treated the kid, C came up with an egg!!! omg!!! So, the next day i launched into more research and in blogs saw some recommendation of LiceFreee spray, over Rid or anything chemical. So, the next day we got that at our local Wallgreens, and i applied it vigorously over C's hair. He complained that he had to let the stuff be in the hair overnight, but once we started brushing out dead things, he was no longer complaining. The next day i treated myself with it too, but nothing was brushed out, that confirmed my previous conclusion that i was, in fact, lice-free. Now we will wait and re-treat them both after a week and a half. Hopefully all the money i spent on the laundry, washing all the bedding daily, and these meds will pay off!
On a different subject, cooking experiments were in full force as well, and there were some successes and some, well, not so much...
The shining success was the Singapore Street Noodles revision of my existing recipe, where i made more sauce and replaced rice thai noodles by the real stuff - the dry chineese egg noodles. This made all the difference in the world, the color, the texture, were all right! And it looked beautiful:
The proportions for the sauce is now as follows:
1.5 tsp rice vinegar
1.5 tsp curry powder
1.5 tsp raw sugar
3 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp ketchup
1.5 tsp fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
2 Tbsp chicken stock
splash of dark sesame oil
The other cooking experiment was the french toast, following the recipe from the Food Network by Alton Brown . I added cinnamon, but followed the rest of the recipe exactly, and it turned out well, although both of us thought that we needed to use think bread, not the regular pre-sliced stuff.
And, finally, the napales cactus salad was the thing for this Saturday. We also made yucca and corn-flakes coated baked red snapper to compliment it. The napales were totally new to me, so not knowing how they are supposed to look cooked, or how to work them was a challenge. So it was that much more rewarding that it actually turned out well, and even better the next day. We did cheat by buying the pre-trimmed leaves that didn't have any edges or thorns anymore, that we got at a mexican store where we stopped for the fresh panela cheese. The proportions are as follows:
1 small red bell pepper chopped
1 small onion chopped
3 garlic clove, minced
3 paddles of cactus, diced, and pre-cooked
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 medium tomatoes diced
7 oz corn, cooked
2-3 haas avocados
1/2 cup cubed panela cheese
2 Tbsp marinated jalapeno peppers or to taste
Oh, and for the red snapper, this time i used beer instead of water with my eggs, and a combination of lemon pepper and old bay sprinkling on the lemon 20min pre-marinated fish.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Friday's date night
The best thing about living in LA is having options: because there is such a diverse community of people living here, you can get a chunk of just about any culture within minutes of drive. Apparently this does not apply to finding a low-key, relaxed establishment to play pool at on a Friday night. After a bunch of frantic yelp.com searches, we both came up with nothing. What we had available was either a crowded "hip and happening" place where we would be mingling among the glued-hair-wanna-be people trying to look pretty, or a hole-in-the-wall dive bar with one raggedy pool table and loud and obnoxious music, or a male gay bar with, at least based on reviews, a fighting atmosphere and a hostile bouncer. We didn't want either, so we ended up dropping the idea in its entirety. Perhaps i have been spoiled by the Midwest, where every other block you can find a half-empty pool halls where locals come with their own and leave with their own, no one wants to know your name, and you can miss all the shots you want without any embarrassment, because no one is looking at you, unless they came there with you. But, i guess, it makes sense that with a large population of LA and such a high price for a piece of land, a place with a bunch of pool tables and no crowd would not be able to stay open very long, since they won't be able to pay their rent. Ha!
But, Friday wasn't lost to new discoveries, because we went to Cholos. This place, as it turns out, has been in business for decades, and proudly displayed its history on their walls, and memorabilia in their menu covers. They existed way back when a dinner could cost 35 cents -- pretty cool to stay in business through so many changes in population, tastes, the economy. But i digress...The place was busy, primarily with large groups of people, and we had to wait to be seated. But the drinks were extremely strong: i was buzzed from 1/3 of my mojito, and was smashed after i finished it. My C was happy with his margarita as well. We placed an order for the food, and it came out almost immediately, - we were both surprised. But the most surprising part was how incredibly good it was. I ordered the crab enchilada, and it came with delicious green sauce, and all geometrically arranged! I love my food geometrically arranged! The enchilada was perpendicular to a stripe of rice, and a stripe of beans, and had avocado smiley face -- awwww.... C ordered a veggie enchilada, and although there was no geometry on his plate, the yellowish sauce that it came with was unique, slightly sweet and delicious. The rice and beans were also yummy, by the way. I will definitely look forward to my subsequent visits.
But, Friday wasn't lost to new discoveries, because we went to Cholos. This place, as it turns out, has been in business for decades, and proudly displayed its history on their walls, and memorabilia in their menu covers. They existed way back when a dinner could cost 35 cents -- pretty cool to stay in business through so many changes in population, tastes, the economy. But i digress...The place was busy, primarily with large groups of people, and we had to wait to be seated. But the drinks were extremely strong: i was buzzed from 1/3 of my mojito, and was smashed after i finished it. My C was happy with his margarita as well. We placed an order for the food, and it came out almost immediately, - we were both surprised. But the most surprising part was how incredibly good it was. I ordered the crab enchilada, and it came with delicious green sauce, and all geometrically arranged! I love my food geometrically arranged! The enchilada was perpendicular to a stripe of rice, and a stripe of beans, and had avocado smiley face -- awwww.... C ordered a veggie enchilada, and although there was no geometry on his plate, the yellowish sauce that it came with was unique, slightly sweet and delicious. The rice and beans were also yummy, by the way. I will definitely look forward to my subsequent visits.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
things of dinner and discipline
After the inspiration that i have gotten for all thing new by C's salad the day before, i was also feeling like taking it up a notch.
I was feeling Thai, but not Pad Thai, so i decided to go with the Thai fish cakes, the healthy baked version of them, of course. I strolled into my local Jewish grocery store for some fresh ground fish, which i like because they do a nice blend of salmon and white fishes. As i was there, i saw a bunch of very fresh looking parsnips, and the idea emerged, -- parsnip and carrot salad
I took a couple of parsnips and a couple of organic carrots that i had in my fridge and shaved them into long thin slivers.
Then for the dressing, i mixed:
lemon juice from half a lemon and its zest
1 teaspoon of mustard
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons of oil
pinch of salt and some white pepper
Then i chopped up some parsley and put that on top.
This salad turned out to be a great compliment to the fishcakes, which i served with rice noodles cooked in wok with a mix of oyster sauce and peanut butter with a splash of soy sauce. Great stuff!
Oh, and the kid called my fish cakes "fish cookies", which i took as a compliment :)
And, speaking of the kid,
yesterday was the first time she actually climbed up the monkey bar on the play ground! She was still freaking out a bit and wanted the security of us holding her, but she did do it a few times, with just a little help and instruction, before she got tired and frustrated and gave it up.
Also, yesterday i implemented my first discipline move - a time out, for 1 minute for repeatedly poking cats with the broom and yelling "shut up" in Spanish when the broom was taken away. I had to return her to the corner about 4 times before she finally gave up and stood there. At the end of one minute, she asked "Good?", which means she was inquiring if this was enough and if she could come out. I explained to her why she was there in the first place and told her that i loved her, but didn't love the behavior. She seemed to understand....In any case, it was a good first run.
I was feeling Thai, but not Pad Thai, so i decided to go with the Thai fish cakes, the healthy baked version of them, of course. I strolled into my local Jewish grocery store for some fresh ground fish, which i like because they do a nice blend of salmon and white fishes. As i was there, i saw a bunch of very fresh looking parsnips, and the idea emerged, -- parsnip and carrot salad
I took a couple of parsnips and a couple of organic carrots that i had in my fridge and shaved them into long thin slivers.
Then for the dressing, i mixed:
lemon juice from half a lemon and its zest
1 teaspoon of mustard
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons of oil
pinch of salt and some white pepper
Then i chopped up some parsley and put that on top.
This salad turned out to be a great compliment to the fishcakes, which i served with rice noodles cooked in wok with a mix of oyster sauce and peanut butter with a splash of soy sauce. Great stuff!
Oh, and the kid called my fish cakes "fish cookies", which i took as a compliment :)
And, speaking of the kid,
yesterday was the first time she actually climbed up the monkey bar on the play ground! She was still freaking out a bit and wanted the security of us holding her, but she did do it a few times, with just a little help and instruction, before she got tired and frustrated and gave it up.
Also, yesterday i implemented my first discipline move - a time out, for 1 minute for repeatedly poking cats with the broom and yelling "shut up" in Spanish when the broom was taken away. I had to return her to the corner about 4 times before she finally gave up and stood there. At the end of one minute, she asked "Good?", which means she was inquiring if this was enough and if she could come out. I explained to her why she was there in the first place and told her that i loved her, but didn't love the behavior. She seemed to understand....In any case, it was a good first run.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
my hobby
From Wiki:
"A hobby is an activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure or relaxation, typically done during one's leisure time."
I was thinking about hobbies today, which i have had so many. From chess and stamp collecting as a kid, and later from photo editing to all of the outdoors sports, from building things to growing things, -- there is an endless list of enjoyable activities that i have embarked on, some mastered, others barely got into. Some of them occupied me for a period of time, some of them lasted a lifetime and filled my existence with unforgettable experiences and awesome thrills.
Today i realized that now taking care of my family is my main hobby. It is something that gives me pleasure and relaxation, it is something that i would rather do over anything else. Just a short while ago i would not have imagined it. It is not the kind of thing you can conceptualize abstractly. But as i cut another green onion for my Thai fishcakes, i feel joy, and energy, and love, - i feel i am attempting to create another daily masterpiece to nurture those that i love the most with the most flavorful nutritious, creative food that i can master. And, as i fold the warm laundry, my heart fills with tenderness, fluffy as the towels i washed, because i am taking care of items that will caress the bodies of my loved ones, and that exhilarates me like no other hobby ever did.
"A hobby is an activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure or relaxation, typically done during one's leisure time."
I was thinking about hobbies today, which i have had so many. From chess and stamp collecting as a kid, and later from photo editing to all of the outdoors sports, from building things to growing things, -- there is an endless list of enjoyable activities that i have embarked on, some mastered, others barely got into. Some of them occupied me for a period of time, some of them lasted a lifetime and filled my existence with unforgettable experiences and awesome thrills.
Today i realized that now taking care of my family is my main hobby. It is something that gives me pleasure and relaxation, it is something that i would rather do over anything else. Just a short while ago i would not have imagined it. It is not the kind of thing you can conceptualize abstractly. But as i cut another green onion for my Thai fishcakes, i feel joy, and energy, and love, - i feel i am attempting to create another daily masterpiece to nurture those that i love the most with the most flavorful nutritious, creative food that i can master. And, as i fold the warm laundry, my heart fills with tenderness, fluffy as the towels i washed, because i am taking care of items that will caress the bodies of my loved ones, and that exhilarates me like no other hobby ever did.
happy busy days
How amazing it is to have a great husband:
Yesterday i had to work late, some sort of work crisis broke out, so i didn't have time to cook dinner at all. C called me on his way from picking up vaccination paper from the doctor for the kid's pre-school. It was already getting late, the fridge was pretty much empty and i was still in the midst of work. What happened next left me in awe: C went to the store, got some good stuff, picked up the kid, came home and cooked some great stuff, while taking care of the kid and making effort to keep me from any interruptions. He came up with an awesome salad, that i absolutely adored, and he even made my comfort food - mashed potatoes!
I was so tired, but i felt such a burst of energy: i was so grateful, so impressed, so in love, that i was able to quickly fix the software problem that i've been working on for the most part of the day in about 2 hours. My C rocks!
Oh, and, the salad contained:
Tuna
Avocado
Romain lettuce
Red onion
Red pepper
Tomato
Egg
Apple
Mayo
Parmesan cheese
Proportions will forever remain a secret though :)
In other developments of the day: It seems that VLC player has some issues working with the current configuration of Vista on our Sony laptop. Last week the laptop kept freezing, but when i looked at the processes, there was nothing chewing up the CPU or anything like that. I tried a bunch of stuff, and in the end just removed the VLC player. Time will tell if this was the true issue, or if more things will crop up...
On the brighter side, the iPhone app for Skype works great on my iPhone 4, so this is exciting, because it means that we can talk with my parents even while we are out and about. I personally get no particular joy from seeing them, vs just talking to them on a regular phone, but it is important for the kid to know her grandparents, and for them to love her as their grand kid. In the past we've had a difficult time connecting with them on Skype, because it always felt like a bit of a production - moving laptop to the kitchen, booting up, connecting, C trying to watch the kid while i am trying to cook, while we are both trying to communicate with my parents - it all seemed way too hectic at times. Now it will be a more spontaneous communication, or so i hope.
Yesterday i had to work late, some sort of work crisis broke out, so i didn't have time to cook dinner at all. C called me on his way from picking up vaccination paper from the doctor for the kid's pre-school. It was already getting late, the fridge was pretty much empty and i was still in the midst of work. What happened next left me in awe: C went to the store, got some good stuff, picked up the kid, came home and cooked some great stuff, while taking care of the kid and making effort to keep me from any interruptions. He came up with an awesome salad, that i absolutely adored, and he even made my comfort food - mashed potatoes!
I was so tired, but i felt such a burst of energy: i was so grateful, so impressed, so in love, that i was able to quickly fix the software problem that i've been working on for the most part of the day in about 2 hours. My C rocks!
Oh, and, the salad contained:
Tuna
Avocado
Romain lettuce
Red onion
Red pepper
Tomato
Egg
Apple
Mayo
Parmesan cheese
Proportions will forever remain a secret though :)
In other developments of the day: It seems that VLC player has some issues working with the current configuration of Vista on our Sony laptop. Last week the laptop kept freezing, but when i looked at the processes, there was nothing chewing up the CPU or anything like that. I tried a bunch of stuff, and in the end just removed the VLC player. Time will tell if this was the true issue, or if more things will crop up...
On the brighter side, the iPhone app for Skype works great on my iPhone 4, so this is exciting, because it means that we can talk with my parents even while we are out and about. I personally get no particular joy from seeing them, vs just talking to them on a regular phone, but it is important for the kid to know her grandparents, and for them to love her as their grand kid. In the past we've had a difficult time connecting with them on Skype, because it always felt like a bit of a production - moving laptop to the kitchen, booting up, connecting, C trying to watch the kid while i am trying to cook, while we are both trying to communicate with my parents - it all seemed way too hectic at times. Now it will be a more spontaneous communication, or so i hope.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Odd things in LA
Since i have moved to LA i have seen many things that struck me as odd, unusual, or just plain weird. Now, it is possible that some of them are only new to me because a) i am from the "villagie" mid-west b) i wasn't born here. Here are some of the things that i saw and captured:
1) I saw this "Jail collect calls to cellular phones" poster on multiple intersections...I guess i didn't realize that jail services were so popular, or that the jailed population was so significant that it warrants general intersection advertisement... Weird...
2) So, i went to the Sanrio's "Hello Kitty" special event, and as a part of the even they presented an art show with "Hello Kitty" themed art. This was one of the paintings:
I understand it was close to Thanksgiving and all, but isn't this waaaay too disturbing? If i was a kid, i'd bursting in tears!
3) Ok, this one comes from the lab located in Beverly Hills, in the bathroom where you are supposed to put your urine specimen, on the box it says: "No Drugs or money kept in box, blood and urine specimens only"
Like, someone would break into the medical lab in Beverly Hills, and while they are at it, run to the bathroom, see this attractive white box, and decide that it contains money and drugs and take it with them....And this sign is to clear up any confusion... yeah, great!
4) Ok, this next one is not unique to California, i guess, but this is a tree trunk. It is just weird. I guess the tree wanted to prevent people from climbing on it.... Because animals with fur wouldn't really have a problem, i don't think...
5) This is definitely an LA oddity. Its a train that goes up and down a little tiny hill. No, its not free, its about 50 cents or so. There are stairs there too, of course. And, there is a way to drive around to the top. But i guess if you don't like either option you can take a train:
6) Our local bakery created this crap-turtle mutation...Perhaps they are branching out into a pet store soon? or a genetics lab?
7) Art can take all forms. Advertisement too. This cell phone store is decorated with art from empty plastic bottles:
It looks cool. But if it was my store, i think i'd try to use the huge window space to advertise my product instead of just displaying fun odd stuff, especially if my store was located in a pricey area with expensive rent space, unless of course my husband was a zillioner and i just owned this store for kicks.
8) A combination of plumbing and lighting:
we encountered this on a walk of the Food Truck Friday, and event which itself should be included in this list of odd LA things: first Friday of every month all of the lunch trucks gather in this one area and huge crowds of people come out to stand in loooooong lines to eat various truck food.
9) Food full of bugs, on purpose! This was at a nice restaurant that featured "down south" food. Crickets were on the menu, so i tired them. They were crunchy and delicious!
10) If you decided to organize a fair, wouldn't the perfect place for the Ferris wheel be right NEXT TO A MORTUARY? Oh, yeah, that's a great idea!
this was, by the way, right in our neighborhood!
1) I saw this "Jail collect calls to cellular phones" poster on multiple intersections...I guess i didn't realize that jail services were so popular, or that the jailed population was so significant that it warrants general intersection advertisement... Weird...
2) So, i went to the Sanrio's "Hello Kitty" special event, and as a part of the even they presented an art show with "Hello Kitty" themed art. This was one of the paintings:
3) Ok, this one comes from the lab located in Beverly Hills, in the bathroom where you are supposed to put your urine specimen, on the box it says: "No Drugs or money kept in box, blood and urine specimens only"
4) Ok, this next one is not unique to California, i guess, but this is a tree trunk. It is just weird. I guess the tree wanted to prevent people from climbing on it.... Because animals with fur wouldn't really have a problem, i don't think...
5) This is definitely an LA oddity. Its a train that goes up and down a little tiny hill. No, its not free, its about 50 cents or so. There are stairs there too, of course. And, there is a way to drive around to the top. But i guess if you don't like either option you can take a train:
6) Our local bakery created this crap-turtle mutation...Perhaps they are branching out into a pet store soon? or a genetics lab?
7) Art can take all forms. Advertisement too. This cell phone store is decorated with art from empty plastic bottles:
8) A combination of plumbing and lighting:
9) Food full of bugs, on purpose! This was at a nice restaurant that featured "down south" food. Crickets were on the menu, so i tired them. They were crunchy and delicious!
10) If you decided to organize a fair, wouldn't the perfect place for the Ferris wheel be right NEXT TO A MORTUARY? Oh, yeah, that's a great idea!
this was, by the way, right in our neighborhood!
the kid is 2.5
Yesterday the kid turned exactly 2.5. That's an interesting age -- they start to understand things and to control things, and, apparently to use inappropriate language, in our case. The Spanish equivalent of "shut it" has been yelled at us whenever the kid is dissatisfied with our discipline lectures. We are not exactly sure who's behavior she is modeling, because in our home we don't use rude language, and we don't yell or swing arms. But we don't live in a vacuum, so whatever influences are out there, our influence has to be the deciding factor ( at least until she is 13 :) ). And, C handled it very well yesterday, i was proud.
But, on the bright side, the interesting thing about having a little kid is that every day there is something new: either a new word, or a new game, or a new understanding of something.
Yesterday the kid came home and drew a face, all by herself. Previously she would draw eyes, a smile and a nose, but only after she already had a head drawn for her. But yesterday she drew eyes, smile, nose, ears, and then a big circle around it for a head. The head turned out quite a bit big for the face, but everything was quite symmetrical.
But, on the bright side, the interesting thing about having a little kid is that every day there is something new: either a new word, or a new game, or a new understanding of something.
Yesterday the kid came home and drew a face, all by herself. Previously she would draw eyes, a smile and a nose, but only after she already had a head drawn for her. But yesterday she drew eyes, smile, nose, ears, and then a big circle around it for a head. The head turned out quite a bit big for the face, but everything was quite symmetrical.
Monday, January 10, 2011
baking experiments of the 2010
I am no baker, - i don't really like sweets all that much, and i always feel that the harm to the body is not worth the enjoyment received, so, i never really bothered. But in my new life i found a new inspiration to bake, in a form of my sweet-loving C. Learning a new skill is always nice, especially when there is someone appreciating the effort and the result. Plus, seems that C was well accustomed to the freshly baked goods being always available, since K enjoys baking as a hobby, so i figured i might as well try
.
The first was yablochnaya sharlotka, using the family recipe, and it came out nicely, the picture of it was saved off somewhere, i'll add when i find it again.
The second one was my favorite Lemon Merengue Pie, for which i make my own graham cracker crust, which tasted good, but the edges didn't look pretty. The Merengue part was a bit flat, because when i separated the whites from the yokes, one of the eggs broke and, consequently, the yoke touched the whites, which, as i later found out, prevents the whites from whipping properly and becoming stiff. So, soggy merengue it was...
then there were banana mini muffins. Since i don't care much for banana-baked goods, it was hard for me to be excited about them. But C ate them, and so is his visiting cousin, although i later discovered that they must be shrink-wrapped individually to preserve freshness.
Later i made cranberry walnut muffins, and liked them a lot better.
The masterpiece came in a form of a late birthday cake for C's birthday. This German Chocolate cake took some 6 hours to complete, but it was truly amazing. We shared some with his brother, and he approved the creation as well. I am not sure i would be brave enough to repeat this though.
The next thing i tried was pumpkin cranberry cookies, using my Fridays off for the experiment. They looked too yellow, and had a soft cake texture, so i was tired of them after eating the first two cookies. I got the recipe off the all-recipes spinner, but i don't think i'll be repeating that one.
The next came the German Apple cake, also off the all-recipes spinner. I modified it a bit, and it came out perfectly delicious, very similar to our yablochnaya sharlotka, but even better and healthier, i think.
For thanksgiving, C's son asked for the pecan pie, which i myself like, so i figured it would be a good idea to try. Once again, i made my own graham cracker crust, and picked a recipe that did not call for corn syrup, which is probably why it lacked the gooey layer that i like in pecan pies. The son liked the taste, so we will call this production a relative success.
The next experiment was a Key Lime pie. For this i used a store-bought gram cracker crust. The pie was very easy to make, the only effort being squeezing a zillion key limes, and both C and his son loved it, but it was certainly not healthy, as it contained loads of condensed milk .
Somewhere in between all this, there was also a pizza from scratch experiment, which was time consuming but fun and delicious.
and left my kitchen looking like a war zone
So, this was 2010 baking, in review :). Now we will see what the 2011 will bring us!
.
The first was yablochnaya sharlotka, using the family recipe, and it came out nicely, the picture of it was saved off somewhere, i'll add when i find it again.
The second one was my favorite Lemon Merengue Pie, for which i make my own graham cracker crust, which tasted good, but the edges didn't look pretty. The Merengue part was a bit flat, because when i separated the whites from the yokes, one of the eggs broke and, consequently, the yoke touched the whites, which, as i later found out, prevents the whites from whipping properly and becoming stiff. So, soggy merengue it was...
then there were banana mini muffins. Since i don't care much for banana-baked goods, it was hard for me to be excited about them. But C ate them, and so is his visiting cousin, although i later discovered that they must be shrink-wrapped individually to preserve freshness.
Later i made cranberry walnut muffins, and liked them a lot better.
The masterpiece came in a form of a late birthday cake for C's birthday. This German Chocolate cake took some 6 hours to complete, but it was truly amazing. We shared some with his brother, and he approved the creation as well. I am not sure i would be brave enough to repeat this though.
The next thing i tried was pumpkin cranberry cookies, using my Fridays off for the experiment. They looked too yellow, and had a soft cake texture, so i was tired of them after eating the first two cookies. I got the recipe off the all-recipes spinner, but i don't think i'll be repeating that one.
The next came the German Apple cake, also off the all-recipes spinner. I modified it a bit, and it came out perfectly delicious, very similar to our yablochnaya sharlotka, but even better and healthier, i think.
For thanksgiving, C's son asked for the pecan pie, which i myself like, so i figured it would be a good idea to try. Once again, i made my own graham cracker crust, and picked a recipe that did not call for corn syrup, which is probably why it lacked the gooey layer that i like in pecan pies. The son liked the taste, so we will call this production a relative success.
The next experiment was a Key Lime pie. For this i used a store-bought gram cracker crust. The pie was very easy to make, the only effort being squeezing a zillion key limes, and both C and his son loved it, but it was certainly not healthy, as it contained loads of condensed milk .
Somewhere in between all this, there was also a pizza from scratch experiment, which was time consuming but fun and delicious.
Another beautiful weekend:
Friday's dinner and a movie turned out to be a complete success, despite the fact that we forgot to load up on the liqueur prior to the movie outing, which made me worry about my ability to sit through a 2 hour movie next to a person who is actually "into" movies. But "The King's speech" was both engaging and emotional and was based on actual historical events, so we both really enjoyed the story and the acting. I will omit a review, since so many others are way better at it, and i am in no way a movie critic.
The Japanese restaurant was right next to the theater, called Torafuku. It promised authentic Japanese cuisine, and it delivered on the promise. The miso appetizer was good, although not worth the $7 in my personal opinion, just because it was miso and not fish, but i am, clearly bios, because C loved it and raved about it long after dinner. Something called a "sushi ball" was new for me, it was sushi rice compacted into a patty with a choice of fill-in wrapped in sushi paper. I had the one with baby anchovies, and enjoyed it very much. Next time i will try it with smelt row. I think what made it exceptional was their sushi rice -- it was simply delicious! Also, the fish itself, i felt, was of a superior quality.
Saturday we had a late start, C picked up S from K pretty late, and i was actually waiting for them for quite a while before they showed up. But, i guess, the extra "talking time" was good for K, so, whatever keeps the peace... The kid was badly in need of a nap, but we pressed on with the daily agenda, which was a big mistake, because she was constantly in a pre-cow state, wanting everything we didn't have, from chopstick, to fish, to juice, to bubbles. But we were well rested, and very much in love, so we handled it well, and remained in harmony. Harmony is actually what makes or breaks a day, and i think sufficient sleep and good intimacy is the key to cultivating harmony.
We tried to follow up on the doctor's note that we needed for the pre-school, but they were already closed - bummer. A trip to the nail salon, potatoes with mushrooms, and finally a nap for the kid followed. The funny part is that the kid loves all the industrial smells, just like me - and kept asking me to let her smell my freshly painted nails, even the next day - i had to explain to her that it only smells while the paint is fresh -not sure if she understood though.... Subsequent outing to Menchies followed by a late evening stroll in Beverly Hills completed the day. One complaint - Menchies must always carry the dulce leche flavor -- it is the whole point of going to Menchies, as opposed to Yogurt Land.
Sunday's syrniki were exceptional, a $7 tvorog was part of the reason, but definitely the skill of the syrniki maker was the defining element. We enjoyed our breakfast outside, as the kid blew bubbles of the balcony. It warms my heart that she takes so much after me.
My parents were celebrating their 41 anniversary, so we decided to join them remotely and cracked a bottle of champagne, which was both pleasant and effective and made our playground outing that much more fun. We finished the day at Cheverichnaya, where i had their 7 mares soup for the first time. I did like it, although La Baron still holds the 1st place (lunch time better than evening though). We crashed as soon as we got home, and slept nicely from 7pm until the morning, although not without a nightmare for me, about an escalator and the kid disappearing to the other side of it, just like my grandmother told me once a chicken did... Yeah, i know it doesn't make any sense...
Friday's dinner and a movie turned out to be a complete success, despite the fact that we forgot to load up on the liqueur prior to the movie outing, which made me worry about my ability to sit through a 2 hour movie next to a person who is actually "into" movies. But "The King's speech" was both engaging and emotional and was based on actual historical events, so we both really enjoyed the story and the acting. I will omit a review, since so many others are way better at it, and i am in no way a movie critic.
The Japanese restaurant was right next to the theater, called Torafuku. It promised authentic Japanese cuisine, and it delivered on the promise. The miso appetizer was good, although not worth the $7 in my personal opinion, just because it was miso and not fish, but i am, clearly bios, because C loved it and raved about it long after dinner. Something called a "sushi ball" was new for me, it was sushi rice compacted into a patty with a choice of fill-in wrapped in sushi paper. I had the one with baby anchovies, and enjoyed it very much. Next time i will try it with smelt row. I think what made it exceptional was their sushi rice -- it was simply delicious! Also, the fish itself, i felt, was of a superior quality.
Saturday we had a late start, C picked up S from K pretty late, and i was actually waiting for them for quite a while before they showed up. But, i guess, the extra "talking time" was good for K, so, whatever keeps the peace... The kid was badly in need of a nap, but we pressed on with the daily agenda, which was a big mistake, because she was constantly in a pre-cow state, wanting everything we didn't have, from chopstick, to fish, to juice, to bubbles. But we were well rested, and very much in love, so we handled it well, and remained in harmony. Harmony is actually what makes or breaks a day, and i think sufficient sleep and good intimacy is the key to cultivating harmony.
We tried to follow up on the doctor's note that we needed for the pre-school, but they were already closed - bummer. A trip to the nail salon, potatoes with mushrooms, and finally a nap for the kid followed. The funny part is that the kid loves all the industrial smells, just like me - and kept asking me to let her smell my freshly painted nails, even the next day - i had to explain to her that it only smells while the paint is fresh -not sure if she understood though.... Subsequent outing to Menchies followed by a late evening stroll in Beverly Hills completed the day. One complaint - Menchies must always carry the dulce leche flavor -- it is the whole point of going to Menchies, as opposed to Yogurt Land.
Sunday's syrniki were exceptional, a $7 tvorog was part of the reason, but definitely the skill of the syrniki maker was the defining element. We enjoyed our breakfast outside, as the kid blew bubbles of the balcony. It warms my heart that she takes so much after me.
My parents were celebrating their 41 anniversary, so we decided to join them remotely and cracked a bottle of champagne, which was both pleasant and effective and made our playground outing that much more fun. We finished the day at Cheverichnaya, where i had their 7 mares soup for the first time. I did like it, although La Baron still holds the 1st place (lunch time better than evening though). We crashed as soon as we got home, and slept nicely from 7pm until the morning, although not without a nightmare for me, about an escalator and the kid disappearing to the other side of it, just like my grandmother told me once a chicken did... Yeah, i know it doesn't make any sense...
what happened before, in pictures
one fateful moment that started my life (6/1/2009)
the mix tape:
then a very long wait over a mimosa:
then the concert (11/4/2009):
and one place to keep in my heart as "the beginning":
all of this was the beginning of the road toward my "happily ever after".
Then there was a pre-life "honeymoon" vacation:
Then came all the hard work:
the search for a home:
and the packing:
and, finally, the long road to California (since we were both way too in shock to take photos, i believe this is the only photo from the trip):
And, then we were here, the new place:
 |
| Portland, Pioneer Square |
the mix tape:
 |
then the concert (11/4/2009):
 |
| Bunbury |
and one place to keep in my heart as "the beginning":
 |
| Marina Del Rey |
Then there was a pre-life "honeymoon" vacation:
 |
| captured on a night walk |
Then came all the hard work:
the search for a home:
and the packing:
 | ||||||
| which one to take? |
And, then we were here, the new place:
so, this is life
I have been long wondering what makes one start a blog. Now that my Facebook account is no longer in use, i feel i am lacking a web-based platform of self-expression. It is true that i have been feeling a sense of freedom since i quit it, -- more time to work during work hours, less "ding"s on my iphone, less distractions from my real life that i am living. But, Facebook's "year in review" app showed me that it is nice to have a summary of a year's themes and feelings. It is nice to re-visit all the little moments that made you smile that were, perhaps, not significant enough to remain on the forefront of your memory. Diaries are so passe, but perhaps an on-line notebook is ok? Let's try that.
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