new food endeavors!

I followed instructions here and made my own pasta for the first time!  I was always intimidated by the prospect of this and thought i needed a machine or something, but NOPE!  It was easy as anything and soooo good.  Literally 2 ingredients. I didn’t even have a rolling pin, so I used an empty wine bottle!  I would follow the advice of one of the commenters and roll the dough into a tube after it’s rolled out and slice it that way.

The cutting is the most tedious part, and you definitely want to cut the noodles as thin as possible.  Also, I used three eggs (1 1/2 cups of flour to start) and it was enough for four huge servings.

Wouldn’t you think that you’ve explored all the options for cooking a potato that exist? You know, like you can mash, bake, roast, or grill them (I make potato packets for the grill out of foil and include onions, herbs, and dijon mustard). Well, think again, because I found two new ways! (I don’t count gratins or recipes that feature other main ingredients besides the potato).

Fondant potatoes from Bitten

And Hasselback potatoes from Seasaltwithfood.

What cool ideas to fancy up a potato if you’re entertaining (which I obviously am doing constantly)!!

i can’t wait to serve you water!

I just got the best tip from Kitchen Therapy.  Buy these bottles, drink them, and then save them for other various purposes! When I read the post, I wasn’t sure where I could pick them up or how much they would cost, but I figured that Garden of Eden probably would, and, indeed, there was a large display by the cash register.  They were only $3.99, so I got two!! Considering I will repurpose the bottles, that is not a bad deal.  I was amused by these suggestions on the web site.

I am going to save mine for decoration, to use as a vase, and also as a carafe for serving water at dinner.  I’m really starting to love vintage bottles.  Aren’t these from Etsy so cool??? Milk is the sunshine of life!

summa

As a follow up to a previous post, my Keds are AWESOME.  Comfy, cushiony, and simply attractive.

Here’s some lists:

Some Things I Love:

1. Sitting in the sun at lunch.
2. Riding my bike to get around JC.
3. TOMATO SEASON IS NEAR! All you need is salt and pepper for the most perfect snack ever.
4. Really good bagels.
5. Suspensful, psychological thrillers without a lot of gore.
6. Patchwork.

Some Things I Hate:

1. People wearing sunglasses indoors, esp on the subway.
2. Dogs off leash.
3. Driving into the city.
4. Toenails and clipping nails in public, which happens a lot more than you probably think.
5. Family Guy.
6. $6 Bud Lites.
7. Going out anywhere that I have to get changed for.

Some Things I Just Don’t Get:

1. Why anyone would choose to sit 2 inches away from me while I’m waiting to meet someone outside the PATH while reading a book.  There was literally yards and yards of space for her to sit, but she chose to sit directly next to me.  I immediately thought she might be trying to pickpocket me.  I looked around and saw there were a million other places for her to sit, and got up to move, but Matt came, and he had seen the whole thing, luckily, so I didn’t have to describe it to him later.
2. Waiting in line to get into a bar.
3. American Idol.
4. Purses that cost more than $50.
5. Kelly Bensimon.

justified!

This article from yesterday’s NY Times was so relevant to my life!  I love love love Real Housewives of NYC, and I’m SO excited for the NJ version to air.  But I always have to defend myself  to Matt because he thinks it’s trash TV.  I insist there’s more to it than that.  The show isn’t worshipping these women, and I don’t watch it because I want to be like them.  I watch it because: a) It’s entertaining, and b) It’s interesting social commentary on a particular group of people.

And I think that, coming from this area, you can see little bits of people you know in the characters: relatives, relatives of boyfriends, people from high school.

Also, Simon and Alex are living in another universe.  I will NEVER get over the fact that their kids’ names are Francois and JOHAN! They live in BROOKLYN.

From the article:

“Everyone likes to judge,” said Jennifer O’Connell, executive vice president of Shed Media US, which produces the New York show. And Bravo makes that easy. Unlike most other reality shows, this one about “housewives” is not filmed on a set but during the women’s actual lives. And the episodes rely on cutaway shots showing the reactions of the real-real people in the women’s lives: the cringe of a child, the frown of a disapproving sales clerk, the sigh of an overworked nanny. The subjects may be rich, the shows suggest, but their lives aren’t necessarily desirable. And that may be the most recession-conscious message of all.

Andy Cohen, senior vice president for original programming and development at Bravo, described those reaction shots as “winks” to the audience. “I know more really, really smart people who watch these shows who are like, ‘I’m embarrassed to admit it,’ ” he said. “That wink is also something that allows a lot of people to feel like it’s O.K. to watch these women.”

what i do when left alone

There were layoffs at Matt’s work yesterday, so he was out all night bonding and drinking with co-workers (when he came home, he kept telling me that he “was a survivor!”).

Soooo, I made cauliflower curry.  I added lots of garlic and ginger, tripled the curry powder, used only cauliflower and no broccoli, used light coconut milk instead of regular milk (ew.), and also added a block of frozen spinach, for those of you who are wondering.

I also bought these for my feet this summer.

Aren’t they clean, cool, and classic like the web site says?  I haven’t had Keds since elementary school.  I also am getting really good at remembering to search for coupon codes before purchasing online so that I can get a discount or at least free shipping.  I think they will look especially good with shorts.

I also bought this poster for my kitchen.  How perfect is it???

It was only $4.50 at Touch of Europe!!  Yes, that’s right.  Don’t we all want a little touch of Europe in our kitchens? Basically, this poster embodies who I am as a person  (my dreams, my goals, my internal make-up).

I also read wedding blogs and advice columns for the most of the night while watching the Food Network and then Sean Hannity when the Food Network Challenge came on (I don’t care about cakes!).