Valentine’s day slipped by with hardly a whisper this year, no doubt drowned out by the sound of firecrackers going off for Chinese New Year. The Saturday night before we had a huge dinner at a Sichuan restaurant in Queens that involved chilies, chilies, and more chilies. There was rabbit, and rice cakes, and amazingly good steamed buns served with sweetened condensed milk. Sunday was a quiet day: a little breakfast, some olympics, and lots of time spent indoors, relishing in a lazy long weekend.
By the middle of last week I was feeling that maybe I’d neglected Valentine’s a little. I love holidays, even silly ones that many would chose to ignore; any excuse to give gifts, bake sweets and make a special dinner is good enough for me. Because everyone else was doing it, I decided to make these dark cocoa brownies, and I’m glad I did. I cut them into little hearts and sent a package off to my parents, and one of my uncles. The rest we gladly gobbled up ourselves. They’re fudgy and rich and nearly black (I would love to make a Spinal Tap reference but sadly there are some brownies that are …]
I’ve been on a tomato kick recently. It’s the end of summer (actually summer pretty much exited stage left the moment September came into view) and I’m trying to cram as many fresh tomatoes into our diet as I can.
I first made this pie over a month ago, and while we loved it then, it was so juicy that the pie plate was flooded the moment you cut into it. It wasn’t a huge problem, we just drained it off and continued eating, enjoying the bright taste of the fresh tomatoes and corn.
I need them. I’m a little nearsighted. I rarely wear my glasses and I’ve become used to my slightly out-of-focus world.
Sadly, slightly out-of-focus doesn’t really work for photography, at least not when you thought the picture was completely in-focus. Like this one. When I took it I thought it was as sharp as could be. Then someone pointed out that maybe the label was clear, but couldn’t the skin of the lemon be a little better defined?
As it turns out, I should look through these lenses before looking through the camera’s.
*I would like to note that I took this photo sans glasses (obviously) but they turned out as crisp as a freshly ironed shirt. Sometimes I get lucky.
Today there is a memorial service for Michael Jackson at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, about 15 minutes from where I grew up and where I used to listen to Billie Jean on a walkman while sitting on the living room floor.
My mom started a gift basket company when I was about three-years-old, and one of her largest clients was MJ himself. He would send lavish gifts to his nearest and dearest, including his sister, Gregory and Veronique Peck (whom he thought of as a father), and Elizabeth Taylor.
My question for you is:
What animal did Mr. Jackson send to the above-mentioned celebrities on multiple occasions?
Please post your answers in the comments. The winner will be sent 1/2 pound of this cheese (I work at a cheese shop and have limited resources, it’s not like I’m the Pioneer Woman over here), or if you’re lactose intolerant or a cheese-hater we can work out some other deal. Seriously though, the Tumbleweed is insanely delicious, you want it, and I’ll be posting a recipe using it in the next few days.
Finally, a little salute to the King of Pop himself, one of the greatest performers ever, when he was just a tender …]
From food
What do you do with one banana as ripe as this one? I couldn’t make banana bread because that requires at least two bananas, and I didn’t want to eat him because he was nearly liquid but I also didn’t want him to die an inglorious death.
From food
So I started making the blueberry cake from Edna Lewis’ A Taste Of Country Cooking and stewed some blueberries.
From food
Then I added the mashed banana to the biscuit-like dough.
From food
I tossed the blueberries (without their juice) on top on the batter.
From food
Then covered it all with cinnamon and sugar.
From food
It turned out okay, but there are some changes I’d like to make to the recipe, so stay tuned.
I woke up this morning to a torrential thunderstorm and I lay in bed, trying to return to sleep, counting the seconds between the flashes of lightening and the answering thunder.
From food
I’m now eating homemade graham crackers dipped in tea, a perfect rainy day breakfast, or any day breakfast if you ask me. They’re very crisp and stand up much better to the heat of the tea than do wimpy store bought ones, which pretty much turn to mush the moment they touch hot liquid.
From food
Despite being a member of a generation (generation y? I think that’s what they call us) that’s supposed to be all about the internet and all over myspace and facebook and youtube and who knows what else, I didn’t start reading blogs until about a year ago (as a testament to how backwards I am, my mom has had a blog for a few years already). Stuck in a boring office job, catering to two egotistical architects, I needed a way to get through the day, and reading food blogs became the answer. I have since left that job and started grad school to become an ESL/EFL teacher. Now that I’m on summer vacation and …]
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