Ack! It's been forever...

...since I've posted, and I really don't know why. Oh wait, yeah i do! T got sick with a cold on Halloween (and we were both off from work the following week) and just when he was getting better, I got it. I didn't start feeling 100% until last Thursday so Friday and my weekend were spent making up for the week before- cleaning, walk/jogging, shopping, etc.

But while on my break I finished Dita:

I also went through the huge stack of magazines that had been piling up.

And a watched a TON of movies. To name a few: Brideshead Revisited, The Eyes of Laura Mars, Wives & Daughters, Fallen Angel, Pure, The Other Boleyn Girl, Incendiary, Sweet Bird of Youth, and Harper. Not all were good. Some were really bad!

More later...

Required Reading: Atlas Shrugged

If you haven't read this novel yet, or even if you have- it's worth a second read, please pick it up at your earliest convenience.Seriously. Make it your holiday/winter reading. I'm on vacation next week and will be picking it up again. It is probably more relevant today than when it was written, with all this talk of nationalizing industries (without having the balls to call it nationalization!)... yikes. Scary times, my friends.

Have you read it? What'd you think? Leave a comment : )

I'll Never Buy Sushi Again

Okay, that's a lie. I probably will, but really, there's almost no need! (Except the raw stuff; I'm unsure about trying that.)

Using the Pioneer Woman's sushi chef as a guide, it was actually edible. And not just edible, it was good!

Yes, I'm aware that California Rolls are meant to be inside out, but those weren't very pretty so I switched to this method. Much tidier!

This was my second attempt (ever) at any sort of sushi. The first time was in my first apartment in Austin was it was so bad. Really, just so bad. Still have that rolling mat tho! This time, I used my new rice cooker (also a steamer- i could multi-task if i wanted to!). It was only $14. Spouts some messy liquid out the vent hole, and was sticky on the bottom, but overall, I'm pleased. I'll just aim the spout at the sink and use some non-stick cooking spray on the bottom of the pan, and then clean up should be a breeze. I think I really like the idea that I could add the rice and water, go workout for 30 minutes or so, and when I come back, the time consuming part of dinner could be ready.

What's your sushi-making experience? Got any favorite rolls I should try?
Leave me a comment. : )

It's here, it's here!

The new sofa is here!

So now this is how the living room looks. Much better than just a large entry, but still loads of work to do!

Some ideas are here.

Apartment Therapy Cure Update:
So last week I was supposed to clean the whole house. I didn't do that, but I plan to do it week by week. Tomorrow starts Week 2: The Kitchen and I was on my hands and knees last night scrubbing the floor. I loathe mopping so only do it half-assed, so it needed a good scrub. At Target last night I purchased a large (machine-washable) rug, the same as the one by the door in the above picture, so hopefully that will help keep the floor clean. The cats' food and water now have a carpet-sample as their placemat (maybe they'll get a proper one for xmas?) and I cleaned out their food bowl as well. Ew.
I haven't been buying fresh flowers, but clipping them from the yard. There's a soft pink rose in the front living room and a zinnia on the windowsill in the kitchen.
This week I'm to try a new recipe so I bought a rice cooker (it also is a steamer) at Target and am going to attempt a brown rice california roll this afternoon. Will take pictures later.

Yesterday I got the most fun thing in the mail- a pack of 3 british home magazines from my aunt! Trent kept laughing at me because i was *so* excited! Such a treat!! Thanks, Aunt Teresa!


I'd love to hear from you- leave a comment! : )

Cooking Fun

Last Sunday, my regular cooking day, I made:
baba ghanoush
Didn't have any lemon juice (shocking!) so used a wee bit of lime, but wow was it good. Best eggplant food I've had. Made a great afternoon snack for a couple workdays.

mac & cheese
Didn't have whole milk so used skim with a little whipping cream. Wasn't as creamy as I'd like but it was still really good. I'm a sucker for mac & cheese tho.

curried vegetable & chickpea stew
in the slow cooker, 4 hours
Didn't add the spinach but I thought it was really good. The addition of the coconut milk it what made it, I think.

banana bread
From a cookbook I have. It was a little dry (my fault) and not as banana-y as I would have liked, but I wanted to try a new recipe.

Today I won't be cooking much. Making rice for some curry dishes in the freezer, and prepping veggies for salads. Easy. Maybe I'll make more banana bread tho. If I get bored, maybe a carrot cake too.

Have another blog, a collection of recipes. Needs loads of updates, but it's searchable by ingredient, which makes me happy - http://curiosityinthekitchen.blogspot.com/

House Things

It's coming! The fabulous sofa from Macys will arrive this coming Saturday! We are so excited.

I've also signed up for the Fall Cure. Hoping to finish some projects, make a few adjustments and changes, and not necessarily redecorate. It starts on Monday.

Last weekend my Grandma from MN was in town visiting (hi Grandma!) and it was really nice seeing her. We had birthday burgers in the backyard (luckily the weather cooperated) and met for pizza before the end of her visit. Yesterday my dad and stepmom were up for the record convention and we all (brother, his girlfriend, and her parents) met for dinner, then had a belated-birthday cake and drinks over here.

The house is decorated for halloween, sans the foam headstones for the front yard and the purple lights for the crepe myrtle. Maybe I'll get to those today...

Ew. Worst Wedding Invitations. Ever?

I'm so bummed I can't find a picture online. Perhaps I'll make a trip to the store and stealthily take a photo. At Borders, in the Paperchase sections (a british stationery store) they had some pre-printed wedding invitations that were so horrible. They are sold in packs of 8, say "Wedding Invitation" or "A Wedding" or something yawn-inducing, on the front and inside it is a FILL IN INVITATION. Fill-ins are great, for kids' birthday parties, cocktail parties, bbqs, etc, but for a wedding?! ew. ew ew ew.

Cross Stitch Project, so far

Craft Work-in-Progress
Originally uploaded by autzve

So I obviously couldn't wait to start my Dita x-stitch projects. Here's how much I got done this weekend. Oy. But look- you can see her belly-button! See it? You do see it, right?
Hopefully I can finish this section of the pattern this weekend.

Oh, and the pink in the background are her ostrich feather fans. You'll see it when it's done I'm sure. (I wish I had huge ostrich feather fans. How cool would that be? Fan dances are awesome.)

Oh, Rock On

I just see that Somebody Up There Likes Me shipped today. Boxing + Mr Newman, i'm sure i'll enjoy it!

Faux Fireplace

Because I can't seem to find one I like on craigslist for a good (aka cheap) price, and am too lazy to make one myself, I was looking at the decals. I know, i know, decals? But whatever. It *could* look cool.
Like this one, from France:


It's 65e/$95... ouch.