christmas fun

twig & berries.

i had been wanting to get a name necklace for a while and more recently i decided i wanted it in arabic. my mom called me last week and told me to meet her at the jeweler so that we can choose the specifics and have my necklace finally made. (by the way, when i asked the arabic jeweler to see a dainty chain, he pulled out something mr. t would have worn in his early years. not dainty. i tried to politely say "hell no" in arabic.) 

so anyway, i went to pick up my necklace earlier this afternoon and was very pleased. it was a little different than i had expected, but pretty regardless. later in the evening as a bunch of us were eating a lovely meal michelle prepared (amazing garlic bread, mish! thanks!) renee kept staring at my necklace and finally said, "i'm not sure i really like it." this made me a little sad and i said, "what do you mean?? i love it!" renee's eyes were still fixed on my necklace as she said, "look at it. what does it look like to you?" i studied my necklace and after about 45 seconds, my eyes widened and i said, "oh my god. a penis and balls."

(btw, since my mind is NOT in the gutter, i still love it.)

seattle in pictures

delicious & inexpensive!

on days when i feel too lazy to cook but my taste buds are craving something warm and hearty, i turn to a cheap meal i was introduced to by my brother who is adventurous enough to eat the most exotic of sushi, but refuses to eat tofu. chrissy poo turned me on to the japanese version of ramen noodles. you can get a variety of these noodle dishes/soups in the asian food section of your local supermarket (i get mine at meijer.) my favorite is the soup w/ tofu (surprise, surprise) and i like to add a soft boiled egg on top. mmmmm...after 2 bucks and 5 minutes, you've got a hot meal for one!

p.s. i would tell you what they're called, but the packaging is in japanese!

i know...

...i have been a slacking blogger. i am not going to only blame it on being busy because everyone could have the same excuse. here are some pictures to hold you over until my next post, seattle 2008.

the scene outside my bedroom window from my parent's house last new years eve.

lucy sunbathing on my apartment floor.

silliness on halloween.

me trying to fold my tongue more than once. it eventually worked.

my friend don's dog, milo. he likes posing for pictures.

christmastime is fast approaching!

i just put up my christmas tree..which took all of five minutes since it's only three feet tall. i am in love with it and i just want to stare at it. the funny thing is, i'm not really a fan of the color pink. 

p.s. i will blog about my seattle trip soon..i've been lazy!

the look of defeat:

caramelized mushroom tart

i wanted to try this recipe out after reading it in chef tom colicchio's book, "think like a chef." as some of you may know, colicchio is the head judge on my favorite show, top chef, which is starting up again this wednesday!!! woo hoo! 

the tart turned out delicious! it was a lot easier to make than i had expected. it just involved a few different steps and then everything came together in the end beautifully. 

first, i made the onion confit which was pretty basic. i sliced about six onions very thinly and cooked them on medium-low heat w/ olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper. after they became soft, i added white wine vinegar and vegetable broth and let it cook until all the liquid evaporated. at the end, i added fresh thyme and mixed it all up and put it aside. 

while i made the mushroom part, i roasted a large shallot in foil. to make the mushrooms, i just cooked them in batches w/ some minced garlic, minced shallot and some more fresh thyme. i set that aside. i took the shallot out of the oven and waited for it to cool off so i could peel off the outer layers.

i had brought out a puff pastry sheet from the freezer to thaw and at this point i laid it out on a cutting board and used the rim of a glass to cut out circles of puff pastry. 

this part is essential since it brought all the sweet goodness of the caramelized onions and mushrooms together. i put three tablespoons of sugar and one tablespoon of water in a small saucepan and let the sugar dissolve while swirling it around frequently. i waited for it to become a nut brown color and added a tiny bit of apple cider vinegar. i swirled it around a little and took it off the heat. then i used a greased cupcake tin instead of the ramekins colicchio instructs the reader to use. (this worked out great because of the size!) 

first, i poured in a little of the caramel. then i took a piece of the roasted shallot that i had chopped into chunks and placed it in each of the holes. then i topped that with the mushroom mixture. on top of that i put some of the onion confit. i capped it all w/ the puff pastry circles and popped them into the oven to bake for fifteen minutes.

when i took them out of the oven, i let them cool off for a few minutes and then flipped them onto a tray. they came out perfect and were even more delicious than i had imagined! 

thank you, tom colicchio...i will be seeing more of your bald handsomeness soon. 

breakfast

a lovely latte i made this morning in my ballerina teacup and saucer.