Moonlit Wenis Crinkles

A New Journey

2010-07-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

Dear kind readers and SPAMers,

I am moving!!! And in more ways than one.

My patience has FINALLY paid off and I have an invitation in the mail to serve in the Peace Corps. Destination currently unknown.

I do know it is in the Pacific and that I leave in September.

To chronicle my journeys, I have begun a new blog. And at a new site.

Come follow me!

(Learning Wordpress will take some time, so bear with me!)

Love,

Jennifer Roxane

Randy makes things too.

2010-05-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

I used to believe that you had to date chefs to be fed good food.

Not true.

Enter Randy's bison and lamb burgers. Stuffed with feta, mint, garlic, and other goodies.

This time I made pickled onions and a yogart cucumber sauce to go along with them.

We eat well. And we'd love to cook for you.

gusto ko ng manok

2010-05-09T18:13:00.000-07:00

I like to dream that if an acceptance package for Peace Corps ever arrives, it will be inviting me to the Philippines.

Earlier, I blogged about Emmanuel running the marathon. Well Emmanuel taught me loads about the Filipino culture, and his mom taught me a dish or two.

The following staples are seen at just about any Flip potluck, restaurant, or event. I decided to make them a couple weeks ago when I had some time on my hands.

Pancit Canton.

I made mine with chicken.

There of course are a lot of varieties, but I prefer this dish with the canton noodles (the yellow ones) and "Excellent" brand (the one with the shrimp) rice sticks. Here is a recipe that is very similar to Emmanuel's mothers. I can't really go step-by-step because I was winging it most of the time... I've made the dish enough to have the general idea down and know what consistency I prefer my noodles and veggies.

Although this dish takes a lot of chopping, it is quite simple once the cooking has begun. You do have to boil a whole chicken and use the delicious broth in the recipe.

I was reminded at how clean and fresh the flavors of this pasta dish are. The lime squeezed on top makes this moy perfecto. My belly was so happy!

Appetizer: Lumpia

an eggroll filled primarily with pork, onions, and soy sauce.

These are super simple but the wrapping can be tricky. I bought square wrappers and cut them in half to make double the amount of small rolls. Every time I've consumed Lumpia, whether they have carrot or green onions within them, they are always rolled very small (2-bite size) and taste pretty much the exact same. I even had them in a Philippine restaurant in New York City (where my mom impressed the waitor with her knowledge of Pancit).

This time my wrapping was perfect. I used egg white and a craft brush. I find that silicone brushes do NOT do a good job of holding liquid. I've had a terrible time using the silicone variety for spreading any liquid, from olive oil to BBQ sauce. Go for the hairy-styles.

Served with Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce. So Good.

I know there are Flip restaurants in town but I haven't ever felt the need to go. I can make my two favorite dishes. Now if I ever go to the Pacific Islands for the Peace Corps I'll be ready to impress the locals with my knowledge, perhaps even cook for PacMan!

Oh yeah- and they all eat with just a fork and a spoon. Not chopsticks. No knives.

Spring Dreams

2010-04-26T18:50:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung.

Been thinking a lot about summer. How I wish I could get started with the guilt-free lazy days which I will spend lying by the springs while reading a book.

I also have been dreaming about my two vacations this summer. A trip to the lake house with a bunch of teachery friends and a rather Epic road trip with the Randy that will include stops in New Mexico, Utah, and California. Then my brother will be coming down from Connecticut with the childrens and there will be some family summer love. It should be a grand June and July.

But for now I can just watch the Spring flowers bloom and then whither in the sun, and wait for the next batch of colors to come up. Blue.....Yellow....Purple....Red... I'm loving them all.

Life up and down dates:

I am poor. Substitute teaching is not my cup of tea.
My search is well underway for a full-time art teacher job in the public schools for 2010-2011. Cross your fingers for me, please.
In July I start my communications up with the Peace Corps again. Cross all sets of fingers for me.
I have a couple of potential summer gigs lined up. Babysitting, nannying, possibly collecting the census.

The Results are In!

2010-04-20T16:10:00.000-07:00

Not only did Emmanuel finish the Boston Marathon, but he set a whopping personal record there.

Time: 2:47:16

Pace: 0:06:23

Overall Rank: 416

Gender Rank: 385

Age division Rank: 322

That is awesome!

He was the top Austin finisher and there is an article about him and the other runners up on the RunTex site. Yay!

Congrats Em!

These boots are made for walking.

2010-04-17T13:33:00.000-07:00

Back in the day, this curly-headed girl tried out for and made the UT women's rowing team. I was an NCAA athlete for, eh, a month or so before deciding the full-time training and pain and dropping grades was not for me.

However, I did get forced in to a fondness for running in those days, and forced my boyfriend at the time, Emmanuel, to run with me. Although he had run track as a youngn', I'd like to credit myself for his getting back in to running in college. I like to think that at one time, I was a bit more in shape than him.

Time passed.
Jennifer began yoga and less body-damaging activities. :) Emmanuel kept running.

Em trained himself to do a half marathon.

Me dropping Em off at 5-ish in the am for his races. Then I'd rush and wait at the mid-point and the end to photo/yell/wave.

Tick-Tock Tick-Tock
Emmanuel ran his first marathon in Austin. After finishing, rather than say "OK, that's that" this little Filipino says, "I think I'm going to qualify for Boston."

More Time passed.

Emmanuel happened upon a top-notch coach who took him under his wing.
Emmanuel started working at Run-Tex. (You can thank him for the water deliveries around town lake and go to him for amazing athletic shoes)
Emmanuel started running for TeamMac

Tic-Tock

1904 Boston Marathon (earliest known picture)

Emmanuel qualified for the Boston Marathon!! For those of you who don't know, Em's qualifying time had to be below 3 hours and 10 minutes..... That means 26 miles at a 7 minute 30 second pace... that is INSANE(ly awesome)!! He also did it at the Austin Marathon, which is one of the harder Texas marathon courses.

Em continues to run and get rediculously fast times, improving all the time.

On Monday, April 20th, he will be running with 25,000 others at this prestigious event. He is hoping to achieve a personal record, but really he already has... he made it!

GO EMBO!!

"Places are like people, Some shine and some don't"

2010-04-16T13:31:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Randy and I took a big vay-kay to Houston, Texas where we visited two wonderful peoples, Matt y Meredith. He is an engineering tank guy who brews beer, she is an art-director-assistant gal who writes a f ab-o blog. Together they are practically two peas in a pod. Arguably peanut butter and jelly all squished between love and happiness bread.

They took us to a delicious rum-tasting dinner and out for beverages on Friday. Saturday was spent smokin' meat. And Sunday we went out to what looked like an amazing brunch spot (bacon bloody mary's!!!) but I was feeling ill that day and couldn't even bring myself to eat a gourmet fried SPAM sammy.

My favorite part of the visit however, was seeing this couple's AMAZING abode which will one day soon be transformed in to a brew pub.

The house was built by it's previous owners in the early 80's and is jam-packed with charm. Matt y Mere are doing a fabulous job of accentuating all of it's natural beauties while fixin' 'er up.

Peacock themed stained glass...and cloth Curtains.. and lacy Curtains.

Craft Room!! (SQUEEE!) I helped myself to it while Mere was away on Saturday.

Happy cat with sad foot.

Happy Dog with Horse.

Gremlins.

Zombies.

Circle rooms with lovely lighting and lovely hanging light fixtures.

These are just a few of my favorite things about their abode. I didn't get a photo of the gold claw-footed tub or the sitting area outside that will one day be an outdoor theatre but you get the idear.

I can't wait to visit again. One day I hope to have an abode of my own where people can wander around and discover little bits-o-Jenniferness around every corner.

Happy Friday!

All You Need is Love

2010-04-10T08:13:00.000-07:00

Randy and I made this video as a wedding gift for one fantastic couple, Matt and Meredith. We finally delivered it to them last night on a cute purple flash drive. Only 7 months late. :)

Coffee Viewing

2010-04-06T13:31:00.000-07:00

The following idear did not come entirely from my own noggin'. In fact, it was stolen from another red, curly-headed gal named Emily.

I saw an old window frame in her room that she had used to frame some pretty fabric. I thought, "By golly, I should do that!"

I love using old windows as paint palettes because they are large, easy to clean, and super CHEAP! Believe it or not, an old window can be found for just 1 or 2 bucks at the Austin Habitat for Humanity Re-Store. Art supply stores charge over 20 bucks for a small sheet of plexi-glass crrrap to paint on. Do yourself a favor, use a window. :)

After visiting Emily's abode, I was thrilled to discover this new use for the cute lil' old windows.

A couple days before this I had bought Randy two burlap coffee bean bags from the Texas Coffee Traders. I figured the boy loves coffee, and the boy loves things from other countries to show his students and hang in his classroom. Win-Win.

Now I could combine the burlap sack + window and have a truly unique wall-hanging!

But I'm not all good and generous. I had to make myself something cute first. :) So I practiced on a print that was hanging in my bathroom featuring one stunning fish riding a bicycle.

I cleaned the window pane really carefully and used a metal glass scraper to remove some old paint drops.

Then I used spray adhesive to mount the poster to the glass window from the back. The adhesive goes on clear and seems to be holding really well (not sure how it'll look in a decade).

Finally, I took half of a coffee bag that I wasn't using for the Randy, and I used a staple gun to mount it behind the fish poster. I did not stick the bag to the window because I wanted there to be a small gap between the poster and the burlap, adding more dimension and making it a little more interesting to look at.

Then I fashioned a hanger with wire on the back and decided to hang it in my bedroom where it fits with my current decor. I think it turned out quite well. I even did some additional scraping to the window to uncover some of the older layers of paint. Mmmmmm, character!

On to Randy's, which involved less steps than mine did.

For his, I simply cut out the coffee bag to fit the window. I then sprayed the adhesive both on the window and the front of the bag.

I carefully smoothed the bag on to the window and finished it by stapling the edges to the window frame.

I put some wire to hang it up and that bad boy was done!

His is hanging in his kitchen and it looks really great. I honestly think every local coffee shop should do this... Or buy one from me. :) They look really nice and provide an artistic use for these furry little coffee bags.

I like it black

2010-04-03T19:07:00.000-07:00

So I bought Randy one of these for a yeariversary present.

Apparently, there is quite a following of this product amongst people who know their coffee. I saw it used at Frank, one of our new favorite Cappuccino spots. I bought it from a fellow named Tyler who placed third in a South Central Regional Barista competition and is always showing us new coffee gadgets when we go in.

Randy's is a red Hario v60 Dripper.

The coffee dripper makes a lot cleaner, and in my opinion, more flavorful cup-o-Joe than a French Press and clean up is a cinch.

There is definitely some (or a lot) of technique involved to really get the best flavor. Temperature of water, speed of pour, size and amount of grounds are just some of the factors involved.

Randy watched a video, read some factoids online (the box was in Japanese) and after one test-run, had an amazing cup of coffee.

It really was a beautiful thing and money well spent. The boy is happy.

Bloomin' Fun

2010-03-16T15:42:00.000-07:00

Spring break was made for.....

kites

hoops

dogs with mohawks

Sometimes a lemon rolls along and it seems like the fun won't last.....

Gilbert working on my first flat tire. Poor Jalepeno.

But something fun is bound to roll around again soon. This is Austin, after all.

One Lucky Proper Noun

2010-03-09T09:39:00.001-08:00

Sometimes (actually, a lot of times) Randy draws me things.

I'm a very lucky robotty-girl. :)

HapPy Tuesday/ Lost Watching Day!

Sugar subbed Woes

2010-03-01T16:18:00.000-08:00

Just when I was thinking to myself, "time to get started on my bathing suit belly," I get NINE boxes of cookies in the mail.

While I joke of this being a bad thing, in reality the timing of this delivery was perfect.

Ninth graders can really suck. In fact, public school students of all ages can suck when put in charge of by a substitute teacher.

Today (one 1.5 hour period, actually) was enough to ruin my entire afternoon. I pity any substitute who thinks that this is how life as a teacher really is yet it is something I struggle with daily. It is important not to take subbing too seriously because for some strange reason, students suddenly think they can do whatever they want when put in charge of by a sub. It's as if they don't realize that we DO communicate with their teachers. We DO know the rules. We can hear them whispering and see them cheating or texting. We WERE students once ourselves. Sheesh.

My students today had a three-part test to work on silently. And what did they do? Talk, goof-off, cheat, talk more, come in late from lunch, talk, throw things, curse, etc..... It's not like they were necessarily rude to me and I HAVE had much, much worse. Something about my emotional state today and the fact that I couldn't get them to be quiet for more than 1 minute on a test made me doubt my abilities as a teacher and created a tearful, red-faced Jennifer by lunchtime.

I regained composure and put on Nazi-Jen for the last period, still having trouble keeping them fully on task until the end of the day.

What's a girl to do when a bunch of smart-ass hooligans wont listen to her? Well, she's gonna go home and lay in bed and sulk.

Enter: Semi-Mysterious package on my doorstep waiting for me when I got home.

Addressed to one "Jennifer "Yoga" Blount," from my mother. I knew this package's contents would cheer me up. I also had an inkling that the contents would be edible. And have pictures of cute little girls in uniforms on the cover.

Sure enough, NINE boxes of Girl Scout cookies. None of those nasty lemon ones or peanut butter sammy ones. Only my favorite flavors. Even two boxes of a few.

Is it a bad thing that I instantly felt better?

I don't think so. I mean after-all, my mamma loves me.

Now I will go soak in an Epsom salt bath (I'm still yogaing- still sore), eat cookies, watch Fringe, and forget about the kids from today. Because tomorrow bright and early I'll be subbing for more students, hoping for the best. And I'll probably bring a bag of cookies with me.

Love to you on this gray and fuzzy Monday.

Get Your Eat On

2010-03-01T15:29:00.001-08:00

Every time Austin Restaurant Week rolls around, I vow to visit several restaurants that I otherwise wouldn't be able to because of low mula in me pocket. I usually get around to trying one- such as Parkside.

Well this time I will not be able to visit any because of low funds. In fact, I even loaned out my week's coffee/Zico money to a neighbor in need. (While this should be a deed I am proud of.... I really would like some caffeine and an after-yoga splurge throughout the week)

Anywho, the point is this-

YOU should go partake in this! Eat at a new restaurant, then bring me your leftovers.

Gettin' Fancy!

2010-02-25T18:43:00.000-08:00

In case you forgot, it snowed on Tuesday! Crazy!

My Bikram Yoga 60 day challenge is winding down. 9 days left!

I decided to further challenge myself by taking a "double" on Wednesday. I took the 10am regular class and the 1215 advanced class. Four hours of yoga later I was ready for a nap, an epsom salt bath, and a slathering of muscle cream.

The instructors at my studio are amazing. They not only are completing their own challenge, but they teach classes on top of that. And they regularly take doubles with students to motivate them. So I decided to bring a few of my kale chips to give to the teachers.

This time I wanted to try two new flavors, Orange Sesame and Salt n' Vinegar.

I toasted sesame seeds

For the Orange Sesame: orange juice and orange zest, crushed ginger, sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds, and dark soy sauce

The other batch had Bragg's Apple Cider vinegar, Kosher salt, and lemon juice

I also decided to make labels.

Even though some of the chips did not end up as crispy as before and I now know what to do to my next batches to make them extra vinegary, I hope everyone who got to try them enjoyed!

Updates, Woweeeee-Pow!

2010-02-20T14:01:00.000-08:00

I am currently reading Michael Pollan's 'Food Rules', and hope to move on to "Omnivore's Dilemma" afterwards. I tend to have a hard time finding books I like or can get through so I'm hoping the food-subject-approach will help. :)

Today I was informed that I won the best booth/ activity for the Chinese New Year celebration I wrote about earlier. Yee-haw! An accomplishment as a teacher to put down for upcoming job searches. The school gave me a gift certificate (in a red envelope!) to Toys-R-US and I'm looking forward to exploring and finding some new games.

I have only one(ish) week of my Bikram challenge left and we are going out with a Bang! I plan to continue practicing 5-6 days a week after the challenge is over, but it will be nice some days (like when i'm running fever) to not feel like i have to go. It has been an amazingly challenging and rewarding experience thus far. I will write more about it after I officially finish!

Speaking of the yoga, this is Ky Ha, who has been guest teaching at Bikram Yoga Davenport. The other day I asked him about Bikram Yoga studio locations and the possibility of me continuing my practice in the Peace Corps if I go. He taught in Singapore the past two years and is about to move to London. Pretty amazing.

Eggceptionally Sunny

2010-02-18T12:46:00.000-08:00

Although I hold a strong fear deep inside, I've always had a love for all things farm or ranch related.

My grandparents have a wide assortment of animals on thier West Texas land, from llamas and miniature donkeys, to two dromedary camels. I could watch these guys (and feed them!) for hours. But I prefer to be on the other side of a fence from them. Even my grandparent's sweet, bottle-fed longhorn/cow Oliver scares me a bit with his giant horns.

Enter chickens.

Mr. and Mr. Roosters, roosting on my bike

Randy had chickens when I met him but they were soon killed off by raccoons because of his unfinished chicken coop. Randy and I finished his chicken coop. Randy's roommate Tara got chickens from her friend.

Pro: baby chickens to look at, and feed, and watch gro.

Con: baby chickens that were not sexed. Nobody knew how many would become hens or how many would become roosters.

Now they have grown in to 3 large cacklin' roosters and 2 hens that lay eggs.

Lately one hen and one rooster have gone missing so we are left with one hen and two roosters. I'm sure one rooster will kill the other soon enough. Lovely.

Despite what some people might think, these roosters begin their crowing well before sun-up. I'm sure the neighbors are just thrilled.

Even though they poop everywhere and their pointy beaks and claws somehow scare me, I can't help but have a strong attraction to the little guys. Every time I go to Randy's I am outside feeding them and more recently looking for eggs. I love that we even have the opportunity to own such animals in our backyard in East Austin. Like a lil' slice of country living. Did I mention Randy also has one "Hunny Bunny" left by an ex who I have also adopted as my own?

I even set up a nesting spot for the hen that she now goes to and lays eggs in. I found 3 yesterday!!

So what is the point of this post?

Simply to gloat that I will soon be eating backyard chicken eggs.

And

I foresee chickens of my very own in my future.

And a goat.

Possibly a bunny.

Hopefully a pot belly pig.

And they will all be friends with my future Basset Hound named Pickle

祝各位虎年進步, 萬事如意, 心想事成!!

2010-02-15T07:35:00.000-08:00

Because Randy and I created our own Love-Love Day, we spent the weekend celebrating the Chinese New Year which fell on February 14th this year.

As it is the Year of the Tiger it is extra special for me since my birthday year was 1986.

Friday: Chinese dumpling party

assembling and eating pork dumplings with a lovely group of people

Saturday: Dumpling experiment and Asian flick

Randy and I had a brilliant idea to make Gyro-style dumplings. We thought dumplings were easy-peasy after our Friday experience, but it turns out there is more to it than we thought.

We mixed lamb meat, mint, feta, minced garlic, chopped red onion, and chopped mushroom to use for the filling which actually turned out to be quite delicious. The problem came when we had to quick thaw our frozen dumpling wrappers. When we boiled our dumplings, the meat shrunk up way to much (I'm thinking the lamb was too lean) and the wrappers bust rather than wrinkle up and stayed gooey and limp. We ended up with what looked like alien eggs in broth.

We did successfully cook rice, a delicious broth, and steam edamame.

But as for the dumplings:

Our idea- A+

Our execution- D

Watching Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, a Park Chan-wook film made up for it, even though it is a Korean film so does not quiiiite fit in to the Chinese theme.

Sunday: Chinese New Year celebration

I am the Art 2 teacher at the Austin Great Wall Chinese School. We had a New Year celebration on Sunday instead of usual classes.

I hosted a Paper lantern and Lucky Red Envelope origami booth. Thanks to Randy for drawing the dragon on my poster and helping cut hundreds of red paper into squares for the envelope making.

The kids were so adorable in their traditional outfits. I hung up a long chain of handmade lanterns above the prize table and it was great seeing the students from my class excitedly show their parents the lanterns they had made.

While I could not understand the speeches being made or read the signs posted on the wall, there was a warm fuzzy feeling floating around the room and it was lovely seeing several generations of families celebrating their Chinese traditions together.

I definitely got more out of this weekend than simply going out to an expensive restaurant with my boy. No matter what holiday you celebrated or who you chose to share your love with, I hope you all felt loved and continue to feel warm as this cool weather comes to an end and Spring slowly rolls in.

Happy Monday!

No Fail Kale!

2010-02-08T11:47:00.000-08:00

I am loving this weather. Even if it isn't rainbow-colored, bright, and shiny.

I know Austin needs rain badly and I try to keep in mind that we will soon be heading in to 9 months of hot weather again. Keeping positive and finding little things to do, like wearing smiling ladybug rain boots to teach in, helps keep me happy when it is gray outside.

I am on day 34 of my Bikram Yoga Challenge. This 60 day challenge has brought along a strange side effect that I wouldn't at all call bad. I have been craving vegetables, in particular dark green superfood type veggies, and fruit more than ever before. This is forcing me to explore produce sections I did not frequent before.

Today I decided to make kale chips, something a customer told me about back when I worked at Central Market.

I have seen them on sale once in a gas station for an obscene price (something like 6 or 7 bucks a bag) and figured with Kale being $1 a bunch, might as well give it a go. Afterall, Kale IS an awesome super food.

The process was so simple. I cut the stems off the kale and cut it into smallish pieces. (They shrink significantly as they bake)

I tossed the greens in the oil mixture. Some people suggested putting them in a salad spinner after adding the oil to ensure they were not over-coated. I do not own a salad spinner so I just shook them off before arranging them in a single layer on a pan.

For one smallish bunch of curly kale, I used about 2T olive oil, one small lemon, salt and pepper to taste.

Bake at 250 for 30 minutes. I found that my smaller pieces were ready to come out about 5 minutes early. Then I turned over some of the larger pieces so they would dry out more evenly. They are done when they are crisp. So easy!

For those who have never tried Kale, I would liken it to brussel sprouts. Haven't tried those? It's a bit like broccoli- definitely meaty and can be a bit bitter when overcooked.

I already have several varieties in mind to make next time, from Salt n' Vinegar to Orange Sesame. I plan to make some baggies for my yoga team The Cobras, because we are super and all.

Happy Rainy Monday!

Love to Love to Love

2010-02-04T08:45:00.000-08:00

I love and want some of these badly.

Too bad they are not for sale.

Randy and I made up our own version of Valentine's Day- "Love Love Sandwich Day."

We will be spreading our love on February 13th and 15th... A nice little sandwich around the actual upcoming pink and red Sunday.

I might make one of these in celebration.

P.S. I know I have been slacking in the blogosphere, but I have good reason. When I am not substitute teaching I am sleeping, cooking, and partaking in a 60 day Bikram Yoga challenge. I am on the "Cobras" team and today will make day 30! Weeeeee!

Bikram says, "Do my yoga every day for 60 days and you will have a new body, a new mind, and a new life."

After 3 days my biceps were larger. After a week my flexibility had almost returned to when I had done yoga previously, and now I am so much calmer in the room and the heat (almost) doesn't bother me. Not to mention my entire body is toned. Unfortunately my butt has shrunk more than I'd have liked :)

Now that I have reached day 30 I have the opportunity to take an advanced class and I am moy excited!

I can't wait to see what happens over the next couple of weeks.

Snow Day

2009-12-29T12:06:00.000-08:00

Randy and I pulled over to play in the snow and look at an icy river after spending our second day skiing. I've never made a snow angel in such deep and powdery snow- yummy!

Rocks Rock.

2009-12-27T19:24:00.000-08:00

There is too much to talk about, too much to see. Hurricane is less than an hour drive from Zion, the Red Cliffs, old mining sites, abandoned mills with green and blue rocks, and Babylon Trail (The Sin City for silver miners) which has petroglyphs!

I have waaaay too many pictures I want to post and talk about and I'm not sure how to organize the entries from the past few days. I'll just start with these photos from yesterday's adventure with Randy's marmy.

The road at Red Cliffs is super sandy and easy to get stuck in. The earth is so soft and is a lovely shade of burnt orange. :) I found lava rocks, flint, and a "rock taco" at this site. The weather was gorgeous and the mountains were easily visible all around us- perfect picture taking condition.

Old mining spot. We were able to stand on it and look down the hole but couldn't see the bottom.

Nearby is a small cemetery with crosses marking several "unknown" graves from the 1800s. One man came all the way from Ireland.

I hunted for treasures at this old mill for at least a couple hours. There were bright blue and green rocks everywhere and some really old glass pieces mixed in. I started with a peanut can and quickly filled that up. I think I earned Michele's respect as a beginning Rock Hound at this location.

Tomorrow Randy and I go skiing again.

I have a huge rash around my mouth from our last skiventure (Randy named it my RashStache) and my knee is a little achey but other than that we are ready to return, with warmer socks and a neck/face protector for me!

I'm dreaming of a.......

2009-12-24T17:38:00.001-08:00

So Randy got a raise because he is an awesome teacher. (And got Teacher of the Month in December- woo-hoo!) Because of this raise, we decided to try and ski while in Utah. Because of this ski-venture, my amazing roommate/former Whole Earth employee decked us out in some rad gear. Really nice pants, helmets, goggles, and gloves- we were set!

Despite one near-death, life-flashing-before-eyes experience of sliding on an access ramp prior to turning on 4-wheel-drive- I would highly recommend skiing at Brian Head Resort in Brian Head, Utah.

Recommended to us by Randy's family friend, Brian Head is only an hour and a half drive from his abode. We took his brother's 4-wheel truck which ended up saving our lives during the trek up the mountains.

This ski location is known for having short lift lines and reasonable prices, something that we definitely encountered while there.

I'm not sure if there were less people because of the holiday (not likely) or because of the harsh-ish conditions driving up to the slope, but I was amazed at the amount of people there and the space we had while on the slopes. Four-wheel-drive or tire chains is a necessity to get there, unless you want to drive 5 miles an hour and swallow your stummy the entire trip.

Anywho, Randy and I arrived safely and because some of the more advanced lifts were down we only had to pay half-price for the lifts and rentals. Awwwwwesome.

The longest lift line was less than 5 minutes and the snow was perfectly powdery.

It was cold, and my hair turned to icycles. It was hard work, Randy and I made the misetake of trying one blue and I spent over 15 minutes trying to put my skis back on after losing them in a face-plant. I'm not complaining though because had we never tried and failed that course, we never would have known that the powdery snow was higher than our waist. It literally swallowed me.

This was a beautiful skiing experience. We will try to go again if my aching body and sore knees have recovered.

A Little House in Hurricane, Utah

2009-12-24T15:36:00.000-08:00

Here are some more photos of Hurricane and the abode that Randy's folks live in.

I am taking it easy, cooking a few dishes for tomorrow and resting my sore body because every muscle aches from skiing...Even my fingers under my nails.

Mr. Duck.

Mocha.

Stonework all done by Randy's mom.

Stones all found and collected by Randy's mom. She has buckets and buckets of beautiful rocks of every type and petrified wood.

Backyard Treasures.

I've had a taste of why this town is called Hurricane- you can hear the wind howling outside at night.

It's nice and cold here but the sun is shining, exposing the many reds in the rocks and burnt orange soil, subtle reminders of Austin. :)

Off to peel eggs...

Merry Christmas Eve!

Utah Part 1

2009-12-22T13:35:00.000-08:00

Day One of Utah Vacation:

Gambling in Nevada for the first time after leaving the airport. (Ten whole dollars turned in to dust in less than 10 minutes)

Hurricane, Utah. Home of Randy's folks. I love me some pomegranate trees, and they have three around their abode.

I have met three of Randy's four brothers, his "wicked" funny mom and pop, the family dog Mocha, and the pet duck.

Randy's mom took me on a quick tour of Zion. We saw the Virgin River and drove part of the Switchback. Dramamine has served me well.

I feel lucky to have my very own rock hound (Randy's mother) to show me around. She gave me a box to store all the goodies I find while here, I wish I could carry on the flight some of the beautiful boulders I have already encountered.

Michele is an amazing collector of antique and rusty treasures. She builds stuff..... out of rocks and stuff.... And is quite the eccentric lady........ And we have twin cameras.

Every time I go outside (or walk around inside), I find more interesting and beautiful things to look at. Not too shabby of a vacation, I'll say. And tomorrow Randy and I will drive about 2 hours and go skiing all day.....Weeee!

I've Been Slackin'

2009-12-15T20:00:00.000-08:00

But I've been craftin'....

Due to lack of time and my dead money tree, there will be fewer (but more crafty) presents for friends and family this year.

While away from the Blogiverse, I have been sick, resting, stressing, crafting, and preparing for my upcoming adventures. On Saturday I will be heading home to Odessa and then to Utah for the first time in my lil' life with the boy to visit his semi-homeland.

I cannot share what I have been making since I will be giving them to some of the readers, but I can show you what I planted in my bathroom! (My going away present from Central Market to myself)

It was a little scary how fast this thing bloomed- like an alien, it was.

And I can show you my awesome paper star that Shaela taught me to make and is now the primary Winter decor in our abode.

The stars served as awesome decorations for my housemates Hanukkah Party last Saturday, where I got to see my very first Menorah lighting. It was beautiful.

I'm very lucky to have such grand roommates. And because of them I have tried Latkes and Matzo Ball Soup! Hoorah!

Latkes, served with applesauce and sour cream

Dradle, of course

I hope you all have safe travels and stay warm over the Holly-Days! I will be posting many pictures of my travels.

Until then....

Furry Trees

2009-11-14T09:16:00.000-08:00

I splurged and bought myself Thymes-Frasie Fir oil to put in my oil burner.

The entire house smells like pine trees.

Ahhhh, happiness.

On another happy note, Randy just texted me that he is picking me up and taking me on my Pickle Picnic. Almost makes up for the fact I have to babysit all night and will be missing out on some of the East Austin Art activities.

Happy Saturday!

'Tis the Season...

2009-11-09T20:13:00.000-08:00

to stuff our faces.....Tonight I went out and ~~bought~~ picked up my Riverside turkey from HEB. A nice big pre-cooked, frozen, 23 pound feller. Probably raised in a warehouse and injected with lotsa poisonous goodies, but he was FREE and he will be a grand treat for all of my Thanksgiving guests.

I want to do some trial runs of Thanksgiving.

In fact, I think the feasting done on Thanksgiving should be performed several times a year. We have breakfast for dinner don't we? Why not Thanksgiving for Spring Break, for the beginning of summer, Easter, Memorial Day, etc.?
I have fond memories of Turkeydays past. It is one holiday I sorely regret not being able to go home for. In Odessa I get to partake in multiple Thanksgiving feasts, each of them with traditional and unique dishes that are absurdly delicious. Why wouldn't we eat these more than once a year?

It usually goes something like this:

Helping prepare the meal, carrying the dishes over to the host's abode or preparing the abode for guests.

Chatting away and picking at food while the meal is finished up.

Eating said meal. Miserably returning for seconds and thirds.

(watch football)

Nap time

Wake up and eat more.

Eat food for the following week.

Eat bean/ham stew mom makes with leftover ham.....You know the drill, or know something similar.

My stepdad often fries a turkey after injecting it with cajunesque goods- the BEST way I have ever had one. Although one year my mom did the brine and it was mighty fine too. Then there was the deep-fried-turkey-accident year, a day my stepdad was severely burned, so that was put on hold for a few years.

My mother always goes overboard, as she does with most holidays. She makes homeade stuffing (the kind where you actually bake cornbread and such), broccoli and rice cheesy casserole, cranberry compote (admittidly NOT my favorite), stuffed mushrooms, millionaire pie which she attempts to hide but my brother and I always find, some sort of veggie because people tend to forget about healthy-er stuffs, etc. etc. etc.

My grandmother makes a red velvet cake, the best I have and will ever have.

Pam, my stepmother, always makes Twiced baked potatoes and her version of broccoli and rice casserole which is moy yummy.

My MiMi Karen makes this strangely delicious dish that has pineapples, Ritz crackers, and cheese among other ingredients that make for a surprisingly good party in yo mouth. She also makes these deathly good Chex caramel peanut butter bars. We are lucky to get those at Christmas time as well.

It's interesting to see what families have a tradition of making. Some do green bean casserole, which I love, but I don't remember ever having. Some do duck or pheasant or steak. We stick with the turkey, ham, and sometimes Turducken. (tasty indeed!)

Throughout my many years of gorging, I have made a mental list of my favorite dishes and as I prepare my own Thanksgiving feast this year I will force these dishes upon my pals. While there are several recipes I found in Gourmet magazine I want to try, such as a fig tart, I will always have my favorites that have been with me since my childhood.

The following are must-haves at a Jennifer Thanksgiving feast:

Turkey

Mashed Potatoes

Giblet Gravy

Cranberry Sauce- and although I make homemade version, my favorite is from a can.

Broccoli and Rice casserole- the type with wild rice and velveeeeta

Stuffed mushrooms

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

I'm sure I've left some things out- I'll probably have to make a few edits.

But this is what comes to mind for now, and these are the things I will be dreaming about until Thanksgiving day.

Oh, and I MUST do the wishbone.

Happy November!

Pizza Much?

2009-11-05T15:38:00.001-08:00

Randymanboy and I have been on a pizza kick.

Actually, I think Randy could eat pizza every day and not get sick of it. I get sick of the idea of what it is doing to my waistline, but I love it all the same.

The following pizzas were inspired by the delicious parmesan pizza crusts sold in the bakery section at Central Market.

Pizza #1 and #2-

Baked potato Pizza.

Made with purple and red potatoes, bacon, broccoli, cheddar and mozzarella cheeses.

One pizza had a ranch/sour cream sauce and the other had an alfredo sauce.

Pizza #3-

Macaroni and Cheese Pizza.

Made with pepperoni, bacon, Kraft mac-n-cheese spirals, black olives, 2 cheeses, tomato/alfredo (pink) sauce, and a bread crumb topping.

Pizza #4-

Macaroni and Cheese Pizza Version 2.

Made with MORE pepperonis, bacon, green chili sauce + pink sauce, Velveeta shells-n-cheese, two kinds of cheese, bread crumb topping.

We have more plans such as a tuna pizza with capers and dessert pizzas, oh my!

Perhaps it is a good thing the 'ole CM is cutting my hours big time because Randy has suggested we come up with a pizza for every day of the year.

Yikes.....Yum.....Oi.

Zom-Weeeee!

2009-10-22T19:06:00.000-07:00

This weekend will be Zombielicious!!

Friday- Zombieland viewing with Randy and Co. I hope it's not too scary- I am a weenie Zombie poser lady.

Saturday- Thrill the World Dancing! Complete with a full dance lesson at 5pm and a mass Thriller dance at 8pm which will hopefully break the world record- weeeee!

Description from the Alamo Drafthouse Page:

On Saturday, October 24 we'll have the main event at the iconic abandoned power plant in downtown Austin: SEAHOLM! The festivities that day will start at 5pm with a FULL LESSON for anyone that hasn't had a chance to learn the dance yet. Then promptly at 8pm we'll join in with all of the Thrill the World dancers from across the world, setting at least one world record and maybe, just maybe, taking Mexico City down as well. After that performance, we'll have multiple screens set up to play music videos and more and we'll celebrate with Austin's first Rolling Roadshow outdoor Sing-Along with a full on Michael Jackson Dance Party.

Fun pictures to come! Nothing planned for Sunday yet, but word on the street is I am being thrown a pickle picnic! Color me Green!

The weekend is forecasted to be beeeeauteeful! Get out there and get yer Zombie on!!

A Friday Night Tale....

2009-10-17T09:36:00.000-07:00

Randy is a Geography teacher.

Randy invited me to the Manor High Homecoming game and dance.

We made each other mums.

Randy's mum was robot themed. It's name was Mumbles.

My mum had drawings of Julia Child, a pickle, an art palette and art easel on it.

We went to the football game.

And then to the dance.

And while at the dance we discovered this little gem, which I will be submitting to Cakewrecks.

Wow.

Despite the lovely HEBaked good, the night was fabulous. Even better than my high school homecoming experiences- which I'm not sure I even partook in.

Mee-Maw.

2009-10-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

Clydene Celeste Damron(English)- 8th Grade

Mee-Maw turned 80 in September.

Mee-Maw is my mom's mom and has collected bells over the years while on her travels. Us grandchildren used to ring the ones on her entry shelves and she would threaten to make us dust them. My brothers and I had first pick and I took home 6 or 7 bells; most of them were from India and one was an old school bell- because I'm a teacher and all.

Mee-Maw decided to give away bells at her birthday- she gave away well over 150 bells.

There was a grand slide show put together by my brothers and I designed the invitation.

A deeeeelicious raspberry butter cream cake was served.

My brother Tony flew in from Connecticut. Between him, my other brother Ben, and me, we had plenty of photos of the event .

There were 4 generations and some of my Mee-Maw's oldest friends present.

One man even told me that he and my grandmother used to ride horses to their schoolhouse together. Bah!

My friend Mollie who I've known since elementary played the harp.

It was a grand 'ole time. Happy Birthday Mee-Maw!!

(She is kind of adored by all)

Tis the Season?

2009-10-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

Whether it is because I am the product of a very large family, Santa Claus is not very creative, or my folks want their life to be made easier, I am required to submit some form of Christmas list every year.

You may have noticed some hints and suggestions already posted on my past blog entries....

I really am at a point where I don't need or want much. I don't have space, really. But this year I have thought of two things that I really, really want and "need."

1) A bathrobe

I no longer live by myself, and scampering from the bathroom to my room in the buff is no longer acceptable. A towel alone can be chilly and I am modest. Nuff Said.

2) A Dutch Oven

Not the Urban Variety.

1. Colloquially, a "game" in which one person traps another under a doona after a pungent rectal emission in order to "share" the odour.

Rather, this type.

Although I may not be worthy of such beautyful kitchen things, I have a dream of acquiring a set of GREEN Le Creuset cookware.

I figure I have a number of years left to cook, and these will last a long time. I'll just start one pan at a time...... Hopefully this year- an oval Dutch Oven!! (or French Oven) I'm not at all sure about the size so any suggestions would be grand.

I do not at all need these, but I have been lusting after them ever since I saw them in the Le Creuset outlet store. Soooo cute!

Julia who?

2009-10-06T10:16:00.000-07:00

This post is a little past due.....Meh.

A week-ish ago, on one of the first "chilly" and cloudy days I became inspired after a Central Market shift to make an innard-warming meal of sorts. Remembering the movie Julie and Julia, I decided to try Julia Child's version of beef bourguinon. I spent the next 5ish hours preparing a meal which ended up feeding Randy, Emily, and Gilbert.... some pals with kind words and very appreciative stummys.

I knew I was very capable of making this turn out deliciously, and I knew Randy would love me for it. I did not know the amount of pans, time, and work involved. I am convinced that I do not have the patience to be a full-time French chef. I am also in love with Julia's way of making a cookbook- so informative and detailed. I remember watching her as a child on PBS and remember loving her and thinking she was a bit bonkers. (Christmas list idea: Julia cookbooks!)

I will skip the recipe, descriptions, complaints, and things and simply post a few pictures.

I have never made anything requiring an herb bouquet...

Lessons learned:

Brown Braised pearl onions are worth every second of work and provide a magical party in your mouth.
Don't be afraid to really, really brown the beef before cooking. I didn't give mine enough color- but it was still deelish in the end.
Mine took well over two hours until the beef was fall-apart tender- almost 3. I followed the Central Market meat-man's suggestion and used a less fatty stew meat.
A dutch oven is going on my Christmas list!

Summary:

This kicked my traditional Irish stew's (or any stew at that) beefy arse. All of the flavours really came through, especially that entire bottle of red wine. Served on mashed potatoes it was just perfect. I can't wait for more chilly weather to come around.

Confession.

2009-09-24T18:57:00.001-07:00

I really, really want a slice of this right now.

That isn't my confession, though. My confession is in regards to my favorite chocolate cake, one that I haven't had in a long time and wish to have sitting in front of me right this second.

Since middle-schoolish days, my all time favorite chocolate cake is the version bought at Johnny Carino's (I think now it is just Carino's??).

Don't give me the stink eye.... Don't do it.

I love, love, love the not-too-sweet warm chocolate cake topped with oh-my-gawd sweet frosting and Heath pieces. So moist and fantasticly rich. While I love the scoop of icecream next to it, I could do without.

Even Shaela's Guiness Chocolate Cake recipe, while outstanding (and the cake that made me like beer) does not measure up.

Poo.

Sometimes I steal.

2009-09-22T15:22:00.000-07:00

My dad made this planter thang.

I gave it to my mom for Mother's Day.

My mom is a busy lady and did not use it for several months.

I stole the planter thang from her garage and brought it to Austin.

I planted stuff in it.

I think I did pretty well.... Although one plant is already dead (it's been a week).

Food Moods

2009-09-08T20:04:00.001-07:00

I am quickly discovering that my job at Central Market should be that of a Foodie.

After every training session or shift completed in the past week, I spend well over what should be my allotted food budget (I can't say for certain what that is) on foods to take home. It is my only solace after an 8 hour shift on my feet.

I also get a free cooking class (up to 45 dollars) each month, which I have already picked out for the next two months.

Aside from spending way too much money on groceries (at least it's not boos or boobs??), I HAVE been attempting to eat healthier.

And I am trying to turn my grocery store job into an educational experience. It really is better than reading a book and almost like free culinary school.

New foods discovered this week: Black quinoa, and fresh Bahri dates.

The Bahri dates are almost good enough to pass as a dessert for me. I'm trying to eat more fruit, but with my roomy making brownies and me having an itching to bake every week it is quite hard to substitute the butter with sweet produce.

Last Thursday I made these little guys-

Maple cranberry, walnut, oatmeal cookie sandwiches (with maple cream-cheese frosting).

It's all the frosting's fault, really.

I had a bucket of it left after making cupcakes last week, and had a desire to get more rave reviews from Randy's colleagues (since I don't have my own teaching co-workers).

So I made maple flavored sweet, sandwich, deliciousness.

I think it made a few people very happy.

I know the cookies made me happy.

And now I'm all out of sweets and frosting and must bake something tomorrow on my day off.

'Til Then, friends.

Healthy Eyes, Rottin' Teeth

2009-08-27T16:07:00.000-07:00

Today I received word that I have a job as a checker at Central Market. After hearing this, I felt a burst of productivity and decided to make the most of the day.

I went to the store.
I started knitting a new hat- Using more than one color, woo-hoo!
I mowed the lawn.
I did two loads of laundry.

I made carrot cake cupcakes with maple-cream cheese frosting.

(Recipe courtesy of SmittenKitchen)

Grating carrots was by far the worst part. I started out with a large grater and soon went on to my micro plane which worked a lot better for me. I was going for really fine grated carrots and smoother batter. I only grated my fingers 3 times, and burned myself once. Not too shabby.

The icing wound up a bit to soft for me to do a fancy icing job. I cooled it well over 30 minutes and put in nearly double the powdered sugar (shhhh, don't tell).

All-in-all these are quite deeeelish. Specially since I put hardly any nuts and only a few raisons... Keepin' it plain.

Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes 24 cupcakes (or one two-layer cake, instructions at end)

2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups canola oil
4 large eggs
3 cups grated peeled carrots
1 cups coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350&176;F.

Line 24 cupcake molds with papers, or butter and flour them.

Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in medium bowl to blend. Whisk sugar and oil in large bowl until well blended. Whisk in eggs 1 at a time. Add flour mixture and stir until blended. Stir in carrots, walnuts and raisins, if using them. Divide batter among cupcake molds, filling 3/4 of each.

Bake cupcakes 14 to 18 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Let cool in pans for five minutes or so, then transfer cakes to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before icing them.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Two (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

In a stand mixer beat all the ingredients on medium until fluffy. Chill the frosting for 10 to 20 minutes, until it has set up enough to spread smoothly.

Not Your Ordinary Corn Part 2

2009-08-25T08:59:00.000-07:00

Once the cob was made, it was time to build!

First things first, spray the previous dry layer with water and let it soak a bit.

Then create bricks from the mamma terd hunk-o-cob.

The process was really quite simple since we were only filling in a few holes and finishing up a couple sections of walls Randy had not completed.

There are a few guidelines to follow, as all architecture goes... such as starting the bottom at a specific thickness and slowly getting thinner towards the top. Or only adding 18ish inches every day.

Sprinkling jars here and there was my job.

The weight of the cob causes the walls to bow out a bit, so you don't want to add too much.

There is a sewing step that requires stabbing the layers with a tapered stick which helps them bind together a bit more... Very similar to scoring in ceramics.

After being a ceramicist in college, I felt really comfortable with the material and it made me long for clay again.

Before y After!!!

Before y After!!

The last thing we will do, hopefully next weekend, is fill in some final holes and create a thinner weather-proofing type material (with raspberries!!) to rub over the entire outside.

I can't wait!!

Not Your Ordinary Corn Part 1

2009-08-24T17:52:00.000-07:00

Last summer Randy built a chicken coop by himself using cob, an ancient building mixture of clay, sand, water, and straw. It didn't get finished and his chickens wound up being eaten by a raccoon- good news for him because now he/we can finish the coop and get more chickens... and then more eggs!!

Above are photos from the front and back. Eventually the roof will be finished up as well.

The windows and bottles (and motorcycle lights/eyeballs) let in light, let the chickens run free when needed, add character, and take up some space so that less cob is needed.

Yesterday we made several batches of cob and finished up a majority of the coop. I was in charge of aesthetics and Randy did most of the manuel labor.

Below is a step-by-step guide of our work. It really was super rewarding and fun, despite my sunburned back where I neglected to apply sunblock.

Three Cheers for earthy, handy, dirty work!

One Part Sand

Two Parts Clay

Mix with tarp.

Pull corners of one side all the way over the other side.... It's rather heavy.

Spread out mixture and break up large lumps with feet. Like smashing grapes + doing the twist!

Remove large rocks.

Spray mixture with water until it no longer absorbs water. You will know because some small pools will form in some areas.

Mix again with tarp and mixture will look something like the above.

Do the twist with yer feet to break up baby terdlings.

Sprinkle straw on top.

This creates tensile strength and absorbs extra moisture.

Mix again with tarp. It is possible more straw will need to be added.

After the final tarp mix, you should end up with a mamma terd.

This is COB!!

To be continued......

Me.

2009-08-16T19:58:00.000-07:00

~~I got a job at Heart House.~~ So apparently there was a dirty miscommunication and they had to take away my job.

Buuuuut-

UPDATE: I did fantastic in the group interview and now have a one-on-one interview with a manager at Central Market.

I've been working art camps the last two weeks and have my final Kidzart camp at the J (Jewish School) this week.

Things are looking up.

While researching for the Central Market job, I found this contest.

And the Hatch Chili Festival is next weekend, yum!

Christmas List Item #1

2009-08-16T17:29:00.001-07:00

Dear Santa Claus,

This would make an excellent stocking stuffer.

Love,

Jennifer

M.A. in Meat.

2009-08-16T16:05:00.000-07:00

While conducting some nightly internet research... Or, ummmmm, reading food blogs, I discovered this beauty-

Bacon Explosion!!

"Inside a mold of country sausage is pork belly, bacon and smoked sausage—which was layered and rolled into a loaf. This center pork core was wrapped in ham and a layer of peppery sausage before being manipulated into the shape of a pig—which included garlic for eyes, tomatoes for ears and a jalapeño for a tail. After a final layer of bacon, the “pig” weighed in at 15 pounds and took two hours to cook. Photo courtesy of Porktopia.com"

And then I saw this one.....

db Burger Double Truffle

"This specialty sandwich, available at db Bistro Moderne in Manhattan, sells for a whopping $150—but it’s certainly something to marvel at. Stuffed inside the burger are braised short ribs along with a flavorful helping of foie gras, which is topped with 20 grams of shaved black truffles and served inside a crispy Parmesan bun. Photo courtesy of db Bistro Moderne"

I love the interweb.

Sunday Sun

2009-08-09T10:53:00.000-07:00

This morning I was especially inspired by a certain bright and cheery blog that I follow. While I do not have the funds or the materials to do a lot of projects that I would like to tackle right now, I do have a great camera and the resources to make a movie for your viewing pleasure.

After eating cookies for breakfast and breaking for homemade pesto pasta salad for lunch, I managed to produce this- My first stop motion iMovie.

For a certain special someone who is in Oakland at the moment and has a birthday coming up.

Happy Sunday!

Poor Me Another.

2009-08-08T20:24:00.000-07:00

Still workin' on my camera techniques.

This summer has been a busy one. It began with a bang- a graduation and huge family gathering in Austin with lots of eating, visiting, and gifts.

As thankful I am for that event, I've been realizing a lot lately with the heat and my seemingly eternally empty bank account that I haven't really done much relaxing or vacationing or getting away. Not even any real stay-cation. I've always been under the impression that summers are meant to be spent frolicking around in green grass and skipping on rainbows with unicorns and such. But not this summer, not even close.

Let the complaints begin:

I haven't seen nearly enough of my pooch Merydeth.
This summer has consisted of my constantly scrounging for money.
And looking desperately for teaching jobs- an exhausting process, especially when it doesn't ever seem to pay off.
Needing more money.
Finding occasional jobs- but not enough.
And finally, most recently, a move in to a new Eastside abode with two lovely people, Jess and Dylan. (Attempting to move away from my college abode and save a few bucks)

Even though I do not feel rested, I do not feel travelled, and I do not feel like I will ever be financially sound, I have accomplished a lot and done quite a bit to smile about this summer.

I went to Barton Springs for the FIRST TIME in my 5 years in college.
I went tubing for the FIRST TIME in New Braunfels. And only this year went tubing with Marny for the first time ever in a river..... I actually am quite "tan" compared to most summers- a nice shade of off-white.
I started Sprouting, and successfully grew a jar full of cute (and delicious!) lil' sprouts!
I got a job as the Art 2/3 teacher (a once-a-week gig) at the Austin Great Wall Chinese School.
I have a second interview to be a program leader coming up for Heart House, which would be a great job at an after-school program located really close to my new house. Fingers crossed!
And I recently went to our family get together at Lake Nasworthy in San Angelo and ate a fantastic shrimp and crab leg boil. The guys all had to stand in the rain (I finally saw real rain!!!) under umbrellas to finish the boil but I think it was well worth it. :)

I am hopeful.....

Soon enough I will have a job and be out of this 'recent grad, no money' funk and will scurry off to Belize.

Or at least the beach??

But at least for now I'm trying to keep my chin up.... all the better to keep the food in me mouth.

Curiously Bubbly

2009-07-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

I read about Coca-Cola launching a new drink..... Fizzy Milk.

Milk (skim)+ carbonation+ fruit flavor+ sugar= Hmmmmmmmm.

I'm not so sure. I imagine it would slightly resemble an Italian Cream soda and possibly not be too terrible??

Must try one.

I am a fan of the egg cream (milk+chocolate syrup+ seltzer) which isn't the most common drink to get around here.

Perhaps this Fizzy Milk could be a pleasant new drink to try- but I have a feeling it wont last.

If I could Turn back Time.....

2009-07-26T17:10:00.001-07:00

Go here for an entertaining waste of time.

1978

1962

1964

1968

1970

1972

1974

1982

1984

1986

1992

An unfortunate chain of events....

2009-07-26T14:17:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling crafty lately, and have been decoupaging the top and the drawer of a lil' plain white table for my new abode. (Yes, I found somewhere to live!! I will be moving in this Wednesday through Friday! Weee!)

Thursday:

Began decoupage project, stood up on knees to work and cut my knee with the EXACTO knife that had been lying on the ground.

Pain level: Tolerable

Blood loss: Minimal- a nice clean cut with blood running down my leg, but no more than you'd get from cutting yourself shaving or something.

Friday:

Was trimming paper to put inside the drawer. Somehow managed to STAB the EXACTO the entire length of the blade in to my hand below my right thumb.

Pain level: 10+

Blood loss: fountain-like

As soon as I stabbed myself the blood began dripping all over the counter and down my hand. Stupidly, my first thought was to grab my camera and take a picture of my hand for blogging purposes. But as the blood dripped all over my kitchen counter, cabinets, and floor and the pain started radiating up my arm I decided against it.

Randy came over and patched me up. We decided not to waste money/time on a couple of stitches.

I took a painkiller and rested my hand all night. It hurt well in to Saturday so I had to call and cancel a house painting gig that I was supposed to do. Phooey.

Be careful- craftin' can be a dangerous work!

Say Candy!

2009-07-20T15:36:00.000-07:00

Marny, Evie and I (and beer bucket) in the Phil's Icehouse photobooth

I worked a scrapbook table at a fancy schmancy wedding reception. This wedding reception spread across several rooms of the Four Seasons downtown, included a full brass band, catered sushi and sorbet shaped like real fruit, 2 full open bars, and much more. (They brought in brand new white carpet to create a "white room" with the 6+ tiered bride's cake)

At this reception I discovered two things that I MUST have at my future wedding shin-dig.

1) Self-serve candy table.

The table was decked out with a giant flower arrangement surrounded by beautiful crystal bowls and tubes of all sizes that were filled with candy in the wedding colors. Jelly bellys, licorice sticks, chocolate covered something-or-others, etc. etc. etc. All to be scooped out by the guests into a baggy to take home.

Trying out the booth

2) Photo booth/scrapbook table.

The photo booth man assisting everybody (he was actually just drinking and scooping candy out of the candy bar) estimated that it cost 800-900 per night. WELL worth it.

Basically every guest gets to take their picture in this photo booth and there are awesome hats, sunglasses, and headbands to wear. You even get to pick black and white or color. You are then given TWO strips of photos- one to take home with you and one to stick into a scrap book page.

My friend Marny and I really did stay busy all night helping the less-creative or less-sober folks create their pages. All the pages turned out fantastic and at the end of the night we had a huge stack of completed, personalized pages that simply had to be stuck in to a wedding scrapbook.

I think this is the way to go.

On top of that, the photo booth records all of the pictures that are taken all night, and the bride and groom get the disk at the end of the wedding night. So none of the guests can hide their pictures from ya. I guess that means Marny and my photo will be included in this happy couple's wedding memories forever.

Go find a photo booth and have some fun!

Marny and I trying to change costumes for each frame.....

In a Pickle

2009-07-06T07:04:00.000-07:00

The Giant Jack Rabbit of Odessa

Every once in a while I find with much disappointment that even the food-lovin', culturally diverse, and eclectic city of Austin does not have something from my Homeland.....Odessa, Texas.

Beef Chile Relleno BREAKFAST BURRITOS and the lack of Rosa's Cafe (specifically their queso or fajita burritos) are two big ones that come to mind.

But with every summer that rolls around, I am reminded of one other treat that I frequently crave and can't seem to get my hands on around here, Dill Pickle Snow Cones.

You heard me. PICKLE SNOW CONES!!!

If you know me at all this shouldn't surprise you one bit, seeing as I have 6 varieties of pickles in my refrigerator right now, including a huge jar of pickle okra from the farmer's market which will be gone in no time.

What might surprise most people is the combination of pickle juice and snow- something that in most people's minds is meant to be topped with disgusting sugary syrup (or chocolate with cream- my favorite).

Every stand in Odessa sells them along with my mother's favorite- snow cones drenched in fresh squeezed lemon (which she tops with salt).

For two summers I worked at Bahama Bucks, a really fantastic (though overpriced) shaved ice and drink stand that Austin is truly missing out on, and we had two varieties of pickle shaved ices.

One was a sugary artificial Dill pickle "flavor" that was strange and not too popular.

Another was the real dill :)....Pickle juice supplied by a nearby Sonic. We had worked out a deal with them and traded pickle juice for some of our blue coconut syrup. I had pickle shaved ices at my disposal for two summers, and didn't realize how much I loved and craved them until this summer heat wave decided to sit itself on to Austin.

I should stop and clarify now that I am using "snow cone" and "shaved ice" interchangeably, though they are two VERY different creations.

Snow cone: crunchier, chunkier, less moldable, soaks up syrup less

Shaved ice: filtered water, different shaver, snow-like consistency that is moldable and soaks up syrups like a charm. At Bahama Bucks we were required to make the cone on top at least half the size of the cup height. (we also had some that had ice cream in the bottom....Austin is SERIOUSLY missing out)

Finally out of frustration and the inability to fulfill my craving, I mixed up a jug of three varieties of pickle juices from my fridge and headed to Casey's New Orleans Snowballs.

My "vintage" pickle keeper with sandwich dills

I ordered a large cup or shaved ice and made my own pickle snow cone.

Total bliss.

After a conversation with the lady in Casey's, I learned that they did sell these treats at one time, but found it was too much trouble buying huge tubs of pickles with no use for the actual pickle.

What do the Odessa snow cone stands do to solve that problem?

"Pickle Surprises" A 32 oz or larger cup with an entire dill pickle shoved inside, covered in pickle snow cone.

So good.

I have this craving at least once a week now that the heat is blasting on us. I will have to consume my pickles at a much faster rate if I have any hope of continuing to supply juice for my homemade treats.

If anyone knows of a stand that sells these in Austin please tell me about it.

In the meantime, I just found these while searching frozen pickle treats...

MUST HAVE PICKLE POPS!!!

Oh Say Can You Eat....

2009-07-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

This heat is really getting to me. I don't want to drive, don't want to exercise, don't want to eat hot and heavy food, and most certainly don't want to exit my air-conditioned apartment.

The heat is even affecting my blogging (or at least I'll use it as an excuse), which has turned in to very much of a photographic outline-format.

So here you have it, my Austin Fourth of July in review...No parades, no fireworks. Just good company, good food, with some good music thrown in the mix.

11PM-2AM July 3rd:

Preperation of massive Blueberry Cheesecake. I am sad that I do not have a better photo of this beauty. It received rave reviews and turned out eggggceptional, especially for my first cheesecake.

AM July 4th:

Trip to the Sunset Valley Farmer's Market.

Purchased kabob items, Dragon egg items, macaroni and cheese pizza, okra, and blackberries.

PM July 4th:

Grillin!

Veggie Kabobs.

Dragon Eggs.

(Local Jalepenos, farmstead basil garlic creamed cheese, shrimp from the gulf all wrapped in slighlty smoked bacon)

Shrimp, cherry tomato, and pineapple kabobs.

Cheesecake Eatin'.

Nappin.

Viewing of Tara's Marching Band on the pedestrian foot bridge at midnight. There was a 5-7 person bicycle dragon creation present as well, slowly weaving its way along the bridge and streets.

I love Austin.

Dia de Daddy

2009-06-21T13:09:00.001-07:00

Stolen from Cake Wrecks blog......Oh-so-cute, I will have to duplicate this one day!! bah!!

Those are mini cupcakes (with brownie centers) for the burgers, and sliced sugar cookies for the fries.

Happy day, daddy.

Summer in Photo Form

2009-06-11T17:54:00.001-07:00

Cooking.

Trip to the lake.

Cooking.

Painting for money.

Knitting.

Trip to Enchanted Rock.

Painting for myself.

I'm trying to find a cheaper place to live away from campus, preferably on the East side.

Trying to find a job as an art teacher.

Selling whatever I can on Craigslist.

Needing to get back to yoga.

Waaaaaaay behind on writing graduation thank-you cards.

Trying to keep on the sunny side without getting sun burned.

Mmmmmm, summer.

Robert Dale Anderson

2009-06-02T07:47:00.001-07:00

Dutch Treat- 1999

I had the pleasure of taking drawing from Bob while studying in Italy.

He is an amazing character and one of the first UT professors that I connected with and felt comfortable talking with after spending time with him in Italy. (We both shared a bit of social awkwardness and dislike of public speaking)

Bob was an amazing artist and doodler and often gave his mini doodles away.

Bob was tall and walked painfully fast.

Bob loved to swim and drink wine. If he had his way he probably would have spent the entire time in Italy in the pool.

Bob listened to the most INSANE music on mixed tapes. (literally known for changing the way young artists made art and causing several nervous breakdowns while in his class)

Bob had a very full life and great stories to share. I feel really lucky to have had him.

Thursday June 4th at 6:00pm, at Okay Mountain in east Austin, there will be a gathering and exhibition in memory and celebration of Bob Anderson who as most of you know past away this Sunday May 31st. Okay Mountain is located at 1312 E Cesar Chavez St. Ste. B Austin, Texas 78702.

The good, The Ugly

2009-05-28T09:46:00.000-07:00

Good Find: OKRA CHIPS!!!!!!

Oh thank heaven for Central Market. I was a giddy little shopper when I stumbled upon containers of these guys by the coffee/tea/body sections.

Similar to fried okra, only much crunchier. So crunchy in fact that I found these can be dangerous to the gums, but well worth it.

Bad Find: Emma has Fleas.

Emma has been transforming in to more and more of an outdoor cat, which is fine by me because she still refuses to Poo in her litter box. She even recently PEED on a pile of my student's artwork that I was planning on putting in to my final portfolio.

What does all of this mean? She didn't do it when I first adopted her.

I think she hates me.

Anyhow, I found that as long as I keep her outside, all is well and swell and there are no "presents" left for me when I get home.

Until now.

Fleas. Flease. And more fleas. Did I mention Flea Poo??

I had never seen the little buggers until now, and I wouldn't mind never seeing them again. Emma has a flea collar and has been through two topical flea treatments with no luck.

Today she went to the vet and got a pill, and a sorry look from the kitty nurse, and I was told to go buy stuffs to de-flea my apartment and comb out as many as possible from my terror of a cat.

Not sure what my next step is.

Hmph.

An update from the Big-People world: I got an interview!

For an elementary school in Manor.

I've been told to think of the first interview as a "practice", which is not very reassuring because I really, really want this job. I found out another job in Manor has been filled, which leaves me with only two schools as possibilities. Arg.

My interview is on Monday. My stummy is already nervous. Wish me luck.

I don't know where to begin......

2009-05-25T12:09:00.000-07:00

I am now a graduate, with two bachelors, of UT Austin.

I received bunches of stuffs so far.... One of those stuffs was this awesome camera.

Another stuffs, pictured on finger: white gold ring with 14 diamonds and a garnet (my birthstone)

For the past week I've been a busy, busy geezer. Doing things like hanging out with the fam, eating delicious food, hoola hooping, watching Casablanca at the Paramount, spending the night in a haunted Driskill room, learning to knit, and making bananas fosters rice crispy treats. Rough, I know.

White chocolate rice crispy treats topped with grilled banana puree, white chocolate chips, and homemade brandy caramel sauce. :)

I'll try to do some more informative or themed blogs soon, but for now I have to go do 'important' things like take showers and deposit moneys and hopefully fit a swim in somewhere.

I: Part 2

2009-05-12T07:52:00.000-07:00

I....

Am almost finished with my last college assignment EVER... A giant professional teaching portfolio.

Am trying to find a new home for my cat Emma, who peed on some student artwork that was supposed to go in to the above portfolio. She also regularly poops on my floor- never in her litter box. (Any takers??)

Am about to start a massive job search for any available art teaching gig in or surrounding Austin.

Ran in the 2009 Undie Run and swam in the UT fountain.

Was quoted in the Daily Texan about my experience doing the Undie Run.

Am broke.

Am getting ready to mail out graduation announcements that will (hopefully) temporarily cure my broke-ness.

Was given a cake on my last day of student teaching and a student sculpture.

Am super proud of all of my student's art work.

Wire and Pantyhose Sculptures, 8th Grade

More to come when I am officially done with the schooling....

Ms. Blount

2009-04-27T16:47:00.000-07:00

I just found out.....

I passed both education exit exams.

I am now a certified art teacher. Alls I gots to dos is graduate.

May 22nd here I come.

Special.

2009-04-27T16:20:00.001-07:00

Let's get the bad news over with....

I was deferred by the Peace Corps for one year. This means they still want me, but not until July of 2010.

So I will wait around in Austin until then. What will I do? Hopefully something will throw itself at me. Smack in the face. Please.

Although I am completely heartbroken that my short term plans were shot down, I am keeping on the sunny side.

Making dinner for special people.

Cedar Baked salmon with reduced blackberry sauce

Randy

Hoola-hooping at Eeyore's Birthday. (While hanging out with special pals)

Marny and Evelyn

Making watermelon homes for watermelon people.

Going to a special friend's senior art opening.

Jess

Helping a special person make more dinner for more special people.

Tara and special boy whose name I temporarily forgot. :(

And playing games with all of the above people.

Soakin' up the sun rays despite the rain.

Life in Costume

2009-04-12T10:16:00.000-07:00

In my humble opinion, there are few things in life better than a dog in a good costume.

Eating pickled okra. Hoola-hooping barefooted in the grass. Making rice crispy treats and italian palmiers while listening to Sam Cooke, and sock wrestling are a few things that would make my list.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of accompanying Randy to a children's dog parade on South Congress where I encountered something new to add to my list of life's little blisses.

Randy's roommate Tara is a member of an Austin quirkified marching band, Minor Mishap Marching Band.

Their MySpace page describes their music as such-

Trying to ride a bike and play the trombone simultaneously the morning after the Russian circus blows through town. Music inspired by the folks songs of Eastern Europe, the magic of New Orleans, and the pandemonium of the circus.

Did I mention they dress up like bumblebees?? It's not any ole marching band- they include a 7 foot drummer (Also in White Ghost Shivers, an Austin band of the swingin' variety), a bassist with a homemade bucket amp on her back, a warshboard, and a violinist with a lil' amplifier. And that was just the day I saw them... Apparently there is an even wider variety of instruments, from accordions to kazoos.

Tara is one terribly adorable clarinet player.

The only thing that improved upon the spectacle was the line of costumed dogs following the band.

I think if I could pick a superhero power, I would want the ability to make this band appear out of thin air (complete with the dogs of course) any time I felt or I saw somebody feeling blue.

Happy Easter, y'all.

Happiness in a Box

2009-04-11T12:48:00.000-07:00

Flowers make me happy. I've been giving myself a lot lately.

Not too long ago, I raved about one of Target's brand's, Archer Farms, risotto from a box.

Well last weekend my loving Marmy brought me an Easter basket full of goodies, and one of those goods was an Archer Farms boxed Indian meal. I was somewhat weary of it, but I decided if it was anything like the risotto then hopefully I would be pleasantly surprised.

I shared this meal with a boy, Randy... And I got the bright idear (sometimes I get those) to make an entire Indian feast out of it.

I made a cucumber yogurt salad with the 'cumbers, carrots, lime, yogurt, cumin, and mint.

Then I mixed some mango, strawberries, and mint for deeeesert.

Fiiiiinally I had the brilliant idear to make Mango/Strawberry Lassi- which turned out to be the star of the meal.

For the Lassi, I simply mixed milk and yogurt (about a cup of Bulgarian yogurt to 1/3 cup whole milk) and then I mashed up about a cup of mango with one strawberry... I added a bit of cane sugar and then poured that mixture into the milk/yogurt mixture. It was amazingly yummy and complemented the spicy curry perfectly. I would drink it with every meal if I didn't mind growing a few pant sizes.

The boxed meal also turned out amazingly good. You only have to cook the rice, everything else is in pouches that you microwave (not so aesthetically pleasing). We were a bit skeptical about the amount of rice they included in the box, but with our salad and Lassi, the meal turned out to be the perfect size for two hungry people, hoorah!

The curry was really pretty spicy but toned down nicely with the addition of the chutney. the box also included green lentil stew which was yum-me.

the whole meal gets 4 stars from me.... pretty damn good considering it takes around 15 minutes to make.

The Lassi gets 9.4 stars. Because I made it. And it was awesome.

Now I'm really hankerin' to go to Target and see what other interesting boxed meals of the Archer Farms variety I can find.

I

2009-04-06T19:40:00.000-07:00

I.....

am alive.

took two certification tests and hopefully passed.

have less pain in my ribs-but still pain.

have been cleared on the dental part of my Peace Corps application.

learned how to use acid goo and etch in to glass- I made a vase with a moose and my initials etched in to it.

made an amazing pot of Pancit yesterday and some rockin' banana bread.

gave some of the above to Marny, who now wants to be my wife.

made an awesome pop-up card to give to an awesome new person in my life.

ordered my graduation goods and felt really weird about it.

am really liking teaching middle school art.

have been keeping on the sunny side.

have no proof in photographic form of any of the above.

FlatJack

2009-03-30T18:25:00.000-07:00

My brother Tony lives in Connecticut.

He is married to Karen.

Tony and Karen have two lovely children, Megan and Jack.

Jack has a school project where he sends a colored paper character named "FlatJack" to different people so that FlatJack can travel away from Connecticut and bring back photos, brochures, and experiences.

FlatJack went to Odessa, Texas with my mother.

FlatJack went to San Antonio, Texas with my brother Ben.

FlatJack finally came to me here in Austin Texas.

FlatJack and I made a trip to the E.R.

A trip to U.T.

A trip to the capital. It was the first time (that I remember) going inside. Yay Jack!

And the history museum.

We also went to Quacks, the Blanton Museum of Art, and various UT landmarks such as the Texas Natural Science Center, and the disgustingly massive football stadium.

FlatJack is a well traveled Texan.

Waiting Time

2009-03-23T15:05:00.001-07:00

Well. I've finally finished (hopefully completely) my giant medical clearance packet for the Peace Corps. I mailed it out an hour ago, and now I wait.

Where in Asia will I be sent?

Will my very slight scoliosis and heart murmur hold me back?

Let's hope not!

I'm ready!!!

Fingers crossed.

Breaking down

2009-03-21T12:33:00.000-07:00

Post sun....I have a very white back... And my pals have very dark arms.

Secret Hipster shot #1

The past few days have been a blur.

Wednesday AM:

Marny and I got coffee and mustache cookies from Quacks. Ran various errands.

Wednesday noon:

My baby, Jalapeno (Juh-lop-ino)

The Marny and I rode our bikes downtown to Club de Ville and caught some free music.

Walked to Mrs. Bea's on East 6th and caught more free music of the girl band variety.

Were told about the music gym down the street giving out free beer and absinthe. Walked and got some.

Jolly green American stuff

Rode bikes home and got our swimsuits.

Biked to Marny's pal (who has a TV) and sat by his pool then watched LOST. Mmmmmm.

Thursday:

Went with Marny, Evie, Nikki, Stacy, and Sam to San Marcos/Martindale to float in the river.

It was an amazingly beautiful day. Never too hot. The water was never too cold. The river was so peaceful and we only saw an occasional kayaker. It was a good day and everything felt right.

I plan to stay this white and wear these floaties all summer.

And then we got to our destination- the DAM- I freaked out and jumped out of my float, forgetting that my can with my car key was in the cupholder and sending it sinking to the bottom of the river. Awwwwwesome. Leave it up to the girl in the giant sunglasses and arm floaties to screw things up on a perfect day.

Things worked out though- Evie had roadside service that came and popped my car open. Luckily, I just happened to have a spare key in my purse because Marny accidentally locked my keys in my car just the other day.

whew.

Today:

I am trying to get caught up on life. Baking another loaf of soda bread that is looking fantastic, doing the laundry, and about to eat some more Irish stew.

Life is good.

Oh, and I watched a really quirky documentary last night, I like Killing Flies, about a man (who is now one of my heros) and his New York eatery where he has around 900 items on his menu.... One of my favorite things he makes- "Post Modern pancakes"...... He cooks pancakes, rips them in to pieces, adds them to more batter, and cooks new pancakes.

Brilliant.

Green Ribs

2009-03-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

St. Patty's Day began at the doctor getting my ribs x-rayed. The pain has not gone away after 3 weeks of Tylenol treatment.

Good news: no broken ribs

Good news: one Vicodin prescription

Bad news: not really sure what's wrong and I have to seriously rest my chest for at least 2 weeks.... no heavy breathing. no stretching. no yoga. no physical activity.

But I CAN cook.... And I did, oh yes, I did.....

One Irish Beef Stew.

I followed the recipe almost exactly except I added a bag of tiny peas. I haven't eaten much of it yet but what I have tried so far is quite tasty. I want to make some garlic, cheesy mash potatoes to serve it with.

I got to use my big ole pot!

One Loaf (flower shaped) Soda bread. (Thanks Austin Agrodolce)

This bread is dangerously good! I also broke in my new cast iron skillet with it.

I had a guest show up in mid-bake so I forgot to check on it... It probably could have been baked a few minutes less but it is still moy excellente.

Flower Power

I think I should have made my ball of dough flatter and maybe not cut in so deeply... I'm not sure why it flowered out, but I can tell ya it didn't affect the taste one bit. My pal Evelyn and I have already made quite a large dent in it.

Now I have one happy stomach and amazing smelling apartment.

Evelyn invited me to a movie night and I'm hoping to share my foods with her friends, seeing as I have WAAAAY too much for one person.

Happy green beer drinking day!!

Squint..... There ARE green dot/freckles on our shoulders. :)

I realized I have not been wearing green all day. Does a green freckle tattoo count?

(Marcie and I got "friendship" freckles over the Christmas break)

Friendly Support

2009-03-16T20:21:00.000-07:00

Salmon of the Americas is having a contest...My Pal Gary has entered.

Go Here

Vote on Him.

(he's tired from cookin', yo.)

spring snooze

2009-03-16T19:44:00.000-07:00

Once again, my gal pals and I had a very successful night of 80's dancing at Elysium.

So successful, I slept until 6pm today... Only waking up to finish There Will be Blood and feed the cat.

After waking up and realizing that I hadn't eaten since last night, I went with Cavason to Blue Star Cafeteria and had THE best meatloaf sammy of my life (Not that I've had a lot... but this was gooood) and some amazing fried oysters and chips. I've been here a couple of times and have never had a dissapointing experience. I did have the grilled cheese once because my pal Grant claimed it was the best ever. While it was a damn fine grilled cheese, I still maintain that my sister-in-law Karen's version is the best I've ever had.

I have decided to avoid SXSW at all cost. The people already taking over the establishments I frequent are enough for me. The last thing I want to do is submit myself to a throng of downtown hipsters. Even if the film and music is divine and they are handing out freebees left and right.

just....not....worth it...

Bloated Goats

2009-03-11T17:26:00.000-07:00

I have been to Parkside twice in the past week.

My restaurant night week isn't exactly going as planned.... I've only been to Parkside with my pal Peter. But the meal was deeelish. Thanks, Peter!

With both my Peter meal and my Mommy meal at Parkside, I had the chance to eat their goat cheese cheesecake with basil ice cream. The ice cream had pine nut brittle on top of it and there was some sort of strawberry sugar on the plate.

I think this is quite possibly THE BEST dessert I have had IN MY LIFE.

goat cheese + cheesecake= genius.

And I'm not even a huge cheesecake fan.

Basil ice cream= now possibly my favorite ice cream flavour...ever.

It was so fresh. yum yum and yum. It went so well with the cheesecake. yum.

Did i mention yum?

I also noticed that the second night I had it, the basil ice cream was significantly stronger in basil flavor..... I loved it even more.

I hope they don't get rid of this dessert, as I would like to have it at least twice a day.

I wonder how cilantro ice cream would be? mmmmmmm, cilantro!

Bony Moms

2009-03-11T17:04:00.000-07:00

My mother came in to town to "take care of me" last weekend.

I love my mommy.

I took her to Parkside Friday night with Emmanuel where we ate a giant oyster platter, white pâté, a hambooger, and I ordered the BONE MARROW!

something I had been dying to try the last two times dining there.

We finished our meal off with the disgustingly good goat cheese cheesecake which gets a post of its own.

yum!

The bones take about 30-40 minutes to prepare, and create a lot of attention from tables around you... People who stare in delight or wonder when they bring it piping hot out to the table... Alright, maybe the tables around me were just staring because I squealed with joy and held the bones up for a photo op after finishing my meal.

The table to the left and right of us asked me how it was and said that they had always wanted to try it. Try it! I say....

So how was it?

Ummmmm...... flavorful. (like bone, who would've thought?) Gelatinous. Unsightly. Unnerving if you can't get past the fact that you are scooping out blood-cell-maker-thangs....from a cow bone.

After eating it I told my mother, "It was good, but I would survive if I never ate it again in my life."

The next day my mom let me sleep in. I awoke to kolaches and coffee, a clean bathroom and kitchen, and a pot of soup cooking on my stove. She then took me shopping for "teacher clothes", out to Chez-Zee for dinner, and we finished off her visit watching Coraline in 3-D. (excellent movie, go see it!!)

Thank you mommy for the weekend!!

It's That time again!!!

2009-03-02T14:54:00.000-08:00

Austin Restaurant Week!!!!!

Last time it was here I only got to visit 2 of the restaurants... That's going to change this time.

I already have tentative plans to go to Paggi House and Imperia, but there are several more that I MUST go to... with or without you.

This is such a great deal- you must go!!

My mommy might be coming in to town for the weekend to "take care of me", and if she does we will be sure to go to some of these places.

Ahh yes, if only I didn't have class I would go tonight.

Here is the list... And this is for a 3-course meal, yo.

34th Street Cafe	Midtown	$35
Aquarelle	Downtown	$35
Austin Land & Cattle	Downtown	$35
Blue Star Cafeteria	Midtown	$25 $ $35
Botticelli's	South	$35
Chez Zee	North	$25 & $35
Cissi's Wine Bar	South	$25
Cru Downtown	Downtown	$35
Cru at the Domain	North	$35
Daily Grill	North	$25
Driskill Grill	Downtown	$35
Fleming's Prime Steakhouse	Downtown	$35
Fleming's Prime Steakhouse	North	$35
Green Pastures	South	$25	Menu
Gumbo's	Downtown	$35	Menu
Imperia	Downtown	$35	Menu	Reserve Online
J. Black's Feel Good Lounge	Downtown	$25	Menu
Jasper's	North	$35
Jeffrey's	Downtown	$35
Judges' Hill Restaurant	Campus	$25
Louie's 106	Downtown	$35
Maiko	Downtown	$35
Manuel's Downtown	Downtown	$25 & $35
Manuel's Great Hills	North	$25 & $35
The Melting Pot	Downtown	$25 & $35
The Melting Pot	North	$25 & $35
Paggi House	South	$35
Parkside	Downtown	$35
Perry's Steakhouse	Downtown	$35
Primizie Osteria	East	$35
Roaring Fork	Downtown	$35
Roy's	Downtown	$35
Sagra	Downtown	$25 & $35
Siena	North	$35
Silver & Stone	Georgetown	$35
Taste Select Wines	Downtown	$35 (D); $15(L)
Truluck's Downtown	Downtown	$35
Truluck's Arboretum	North	$35
The Woodland	South	$25
Zax

Yummy Art Night!

2009-03-02T14:26:00.000-08:00

My pal Kyle scored two tickets to Art Night Austin because he is a chef at Fete, a yummyful catering place.

He shared a ticket with me, and I was happy schnappy!

Art Night is a chauffeured tour to several Austin galleries, each featuring catering from a local restaurant, wine from Twin Liquors, and beer from North by Northwest. I learned that pacing myself on the boos at an event like this was key- and had quite the time listening to the ummmm older people there get more and more drunk as the evening went on.

He also got tickets to the after party at Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop....pretty awesome... with some really amazing scallops, more beer and wine, and disgusting Vodka Iced-tea cocktails.... Not for me.

Scallops, definitely for me. Thank you Bess Bistro and The Belmont.

My highlights from the food was braised ribs served over magical polenta from NoRTH.

Oh, and the art was fantastic too.

Thanks to Kyle for what would have been a $100 buckeroo night.... I had a grand-ole time... even if the wine caused me to stay in bed most of the next day. :)

On a side note, my friend Matt is driving his Shadow motorbike across the country to San Diego....I made him a good luck charm bracelet... Drive Safe, Kiddo!!

Ribbed...

2009-02-23T17:50:00.000-08:00

I have a strained/pulled/irritated muscle on one or a couple of my left ribs.

I cannot take in a full breath.

I want to curl up in a ball and die every time I cough/sneeze/lay on my side.

The Doc told me it's basically like having temporary arthritis. It should last 2-4 weeks. And is only treatable with Tylenol and if that doesn't work, a steroid of some sort.

Laaaaaame.

On a more positive note, I was given cough syrup with codeine so that I'm not in pain every night while coughing.

It's been over a month since I first developed this sinus infection.

I love my body.

I love children.

That's the end of my complaints.

I'm just thankful it wasn't pneumonia or lung cancer.

Praise be.

Happy breathing.

Loo Blues

2009-02-19T15:39:00.000-08:00

You know it's going to be an awesome day when you wake up and drop your phone in the toilet. And a first generation iphone, which I have handled with great care (only dropped it once prior) until now.

Needless to say I drove straight to the Apple store after school and bought a new one. But now I have no telly numbers. I think I'm just going to wait and see who loves me enough to call me. Yes, yes that's a grand plan.

I then wanted something new, so I bought things to make an almost insalata caprese (Central Market was out of basil!!) with prosciutto.

Now I am rarely a food "snob", but this is the first time I've tried to make caprese since eating it in Italy and it was NOT good.

Tomatoes- I got the ones on the vine grown in Texas..... no flavor

I bought the big ole balls of mozarella sittin' in their juice..... no good. no flavor. the texture was, "eh".....

the olive oil was fresh and probably the only thing that saved it... and the prosciutto was also lacking because i didn't want to buy the 12 dollar pack.

sheesh.

please transport me to Castiglion Fiorentino pronto for some quality foods!

This day has been good.

Runny Eyes

2009-02-15T11:05:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Emmanuel!!!!!

This morning at the Austin Marathon, Em qualified for the prestigious Boston Marathon!!

He finished somewhere around 3:07 (3 hours and 7 minutes) and needed 3:10 to qualify... For those of you who don't know, this means he was doing a little over a seven minute mile....FOR TWENTY SIX MILES!

Emmanuel has been working his arse off to qualify for the Boston Marathon. He ran his first marathon only two years ago, and after finishing claimed "Next, I'm going to qualify for Boston!"

Well, you did it! Yay!

This goes to show that determination and freakishly hard work really do pay off. Em works for RunTex. He runs with a running group and has a coach who was a former Boston finisher and top ranked runner. He even fills up the water jugs around Town Lake for all you other Austin runners.

Boston is full for this year, so he will be running in it in 2010. My mom is already making plans to go. If I am in the Peace Corps, I wont be able to make it unfortunately.

Congrats Em!!!

As for me, I am at home with TWO pink eyes. Thank you children at school. (I'm assuming I got it from them) I'm trying to wait til Monday to go to the UT doctor and get the ole antibiotics. Waking up with goo-glued eyeballs= not fun.

But at least they aren't swollen shut... yet.

Drillin' Fun

2009-02-10T14:53:00.000-08:00

I survived the dentist.

The first cavities I've had in my life (4 tiny ones in my back teeth) filled with no problems.

The doctor was really nice and the worst part was the water running down my throat while he drilled my teeth.

I guess I'll have to take it easy on the sweets... Or brush a little more thoroughly.

But the next time I get dental work done, perhaps I'll request some of these.

Happy Brushing!