I purchased a lunch box for myself the other day. The tag said it was a "carryall case" and I found it in the notebook section of Borders, so technically probably meant for carrying school supplies or something of that sort. But it's metal with a handle and clasp, and has robots all over on it. Therefore...a lunch box.
I love leeks. I love them in dumplings, in soups, grilled and eaten whole in the summertime with BBQ chicken. Apparently they make great onion rings too. But I have a confession to make, I've never actually cooked with them. Thankfully these days finding a recipe online takes only seconds. And cooking them was even faster:
4 large leeks
2 tablespoons bacon drippings (alt. use 1 tablespoon olive oil)
Heavy pinch kosher salt
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Crumbled bacon and goat cheese (optional)Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove the green sections of the leeks by cutting an inch above where the leaves begin to turn green. Keep the root intact but do cleanup the fibrous ends. Cut each leek in half lengthwise and rinse thoroughly to remove dirt and sand. Brush leeks with the bacon drippings and sprinkle with kosher salt. Grill on a cool pan over med-high heat, approximately 3 to 5 minutes, turning so that both sides are slightly browned. Remove the leeks to a sheet of aluminum foil and lay cut side up. Brush the leeks with balsamic vinegar. Reassemble the leek halves together, wrap loosely in foil, leaving an opening at the top and place in oven for 5 to 8 minutes.
Remove the leeks from the foil, cut off the roots, and serve as is or with crumbled bacon and goat cheese. It's delicious alone but I love bacon so I couldn't resist. You can also substitue the balsamic vinegar with dijon mustard.
]]>I've had horrendous allergies for the last, I dunno, two months. It's been a constant stream of sneezing, runny nose, and congestion unless I decide to medicate myself. But I hate being that medicated all the time. So I've opted instead for just being well equipped with tissue. On Sunday I went from just having allergies to being sick. Or maybe I've been sick and just assumed it was the allergies? It wasn't really unbearable until I woke up at 3:30am with a painful sore throat and snot running down the side of my face. I reached over to the nightstand and found my tissue box...um, empty. WTF. The next best thing would be toilet paper, however this was Nick's apartment and his roomie buys the 1-ply, scratchy stuff from the liquor store down the street. Fabulous.
I thought I would get through the day at work but who was I kidding. After my morning meetings I packed up my germs and headed home, picking up vegetable soup, orange juice and two movies along the way. The finale to my great Monday happened as I pulled into the garage to find my neighbors in my parking space. Again. Each apartment gets one garage space, so if there are several cars then someone needs to alternate with street parking, which is by permit or meters only. Yearly permit parking isn't too expensive but it can be difficult to find available parking during the school year. My roommate pays to get an extra space in the garage. Whereas my neighbors like to find opportunities where I'm away to use my parking space. I left them a nasty note in all capital letters. Now I'm going to crawl into bed with my TheraFlu. Happy Monday.
The wait was over an hour long, they ran out of the mac&cheese pie (*whine*), the fried chicken was dry and flavorless, but the atmosphere was wonderful and I adored the stamped tin ceilings. Plus we got to drink wine out of a box and champagne from vintage glasses.
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The longest acronym ever. Heh. The 26th annual San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival is coming in March with what looks to be a very juicy selection of films and events. The SFIAAFF is one of the largest showcases for new Asian American and Asian films and presents all over the Bay Area. I'm going to try to see a few of the films though would love to see them all if I had the time.
Let me know if you're interested in seeing any of these with me. They'll be playing at the new Sundance Kabuki theaters in Japantown.
]]>I surpised Nick with Sunday Jazz brunch at the Ritz Carlton. At about $100 per person including tax and tip, it's best saved for special occasions. But the relaxed atmosphere and friendly wait staff turns the meal into something you'll want to do again and again.
They serve a full buffet brunch including complimentary champagne (along with refills!). There's a great selection of seafood prepared both chilled and warm including lobster, crab, oysters, scallops and shrimp. The grilled dishes might differ from week to week but the chilled selection is always consistent. There's a caviar stand with three different varieties served alongside diced herbs, red onions, capers, and creme fraiche.
The breads and pastries were plentiful but I saved myself for the savory and sweet crepes made on the spot. Yummy. All with a choice of toppings and sauces. I tried the cheeses, truffled pate, roasted chicken and rack of lamb. Not sure how I packed it all in but I definitely did. I went back for the lamb twice even. If you're vegetarian, you probably won't be satisfied by the food unless you spend most of the time at the dessert stand. The desserts were heavenly. The tiramisu actually tasted like rum. Enough said.
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Though Nick had to work tonight, we did get to do a little celebration at the restaurant. I was much impressed by the handmade card that he thought of on his own. The flowers and truffles were just added bonus after that.
Here's one for the ladies: What's in your handbag right now?
Submitted by Kadeeae.
It's oddly fascinating to see what's swimming about in someone else's purse or backpack. Unless of course it's a pair of socks, gym shorts or last night's underwear:
Hmm, alas no red envelopes..
]]>Taken from hello_naomi through Serious Eats: Photo of the Day. Robot and Pacman cupcakes look too good to eat. Nom nom nom.