Archive for 2005

Finally!

Posted on December 30th, 2005

After days and days of eating at restaurants, picking up snacks here and there, or making a meal out of shredded wheat, I finally cooked dinner tonight. A real, from scratch, delicious dinner. And guess what it was? Soup, of course! I was a bit disappointed with my first spoonful of this soup…I thought it was a bit bland. But after it cooled a little (meaning that I wasn’t burning my mouth anymore), all the flavors came through…roasted red bell peppers, corn, cilantro…the flavor was both delicate and complex. I spooned in a few chunks of avocado for good measure, and I have to say that the soup was fantastic…brothy and smooth. I also liked the tortilla strips. I usually spray tortilla strips with…

A very merry Christmas

Posted on December 28th, 2005

We’re back in Austin after a wonderful trip to see our familia in West Texas. This really was a great Christmas for me, a turning point of sorts. I had become increasingly bah-humbug-ish as the year passed, dreading all the hustle and bustle of the holidays. But my first night back in my parents’s house, I stayed up into the wee hours looking at old, old photos…sepia-toned memories of my family. There was my mom, beautiful as ever, always stylishly dressed and with such love in her eyes. There was my dad, strong with a sly smile and laughter in his eyes. There were my sister and my brother, tiny and helpless, and there was me, a little happy ball of love. This family,…

A Martian dinner

Posted on December 22nd, 2005

Last night, we dined with Chad and Lindsay at Mars, a gorgeous restaurant with red walls and dim, funky lighting. I actually took my camera with me, so that you all could see the many wonders of Mars, but the lighting was so dim that I would have had to use the flash, and I hate using the flash. So no photos. We started with two appetizers. The first was Scallops & Gyoza, seared plump scallops over a meyer lemon ponzu and served with a sweet carrot gyoza, or dumpling. Ohymyga…the scallops were so juicy and not a bit overcooked (my usual fear when eating scallops), and the carrot gyozas were creamy, sweet, and delicious. We also shared the Vegetarian Pot Stickers, which were…

My new obsession

Posted on December 20th, 2005

Move over, Harry Potter…my newest literary find is the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman. Chad lent me his copy of the first book in the series, The Golden Compass, and I devoured it within a few days. I quickly went to Book People and bought all three books (aren’t they pretty? I love how the spines form a picture), and lost myself in those just as quickly. I really can’t say much about the series without giving a lot away, but it is such an amazing concept. The story follows Lyra, a young girl full of strength, curiosity, and bravery, through multiple worlds and adventures. Pullman’s descriptions are so vivid, I found myself feeling as if I myself was in Lyra’s world.…