only a matter of thyme

A little sin on Sunday - Brunch with the girls

2012-01-09T23:15:00.010+01:00

There was a time when I hated eggs. At first they were never served to me properly – as a kid I found the typically dry, overcooked scrambled eggs and the difficulty of peeling a soft boiled egg so very unappealing that it turned me off to eggs altogether. Then somewhere along the way my taste buds were introduced to eggs cooked slowly, with care and attention. And since then I have loved eggs and feel much delight in experimenting in the numerous ways to prepare eggs. I am so very adamant about my eggs being cooked slowly on not too high of heat, my sister Soniya, refuses to prepare me breakfast altogether.

A few weeks ago, to celebrate the existence of our dining table – (my previously tiny Manhattan apartment had only an island counter with stools) I invited a few of the girls over Sunday brunch.

Menu
December 12, 2011

Oeuf en Cocotte
boursin, grape tomato, herbs

Potato Gratin
garlic, thyme, cream

Yellow Cornbread
rosemary, olive oil

Berry Crossover
strawberry, cream, confectioner’s sugar

Oeufen cocotte, which may sound intimidating, is rather easy. Some refer to this dish as baked eggs or shirred eggs. The components vary, but oeuf en cocotte is typically prepared with cream or cheese inside of ramekin. I found this recipe on Chocolate Zucchini and prepared it with a few alterations seen below.

Oeuf en cocotte

- 1 egg / Or two if you prefer
- 1 tablespoon of Boursin with fine herbs
- ground black pepper,
- sea salt with herbs de provence
- paprika
- a pinch of grated pecorino romano
- chopped grape tomatoes

This is what you need to prepare breakfast for one and will require one ramekin, but make as many as needed.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Butter a small ramekin, in this case, the exact size is not so crucial, though be conscious if you decide to use two eggs. Spoon in the tomatoes and Boursin. Crack the egg on top. Put in a tiny pinch of salt, pepper, and cheese.

Put the ramekins in a large baking dish enough to hold water. Pour hot water in the dish halfway up the ramekin. Be careful not to spill water inside the ramekins. Bake for 10 minutes, or longer if you prefer a more solid yolk.

Remove from the oven and carefully lift ramekins out of hot water. Add a tiny pinch of paprika for color and serve immediately.

Traditional Potato Gratin

I found this recipe on La Tartine Gourmande, I love this blog and cook from here religiously. She posts her entries in French and English, and I love getting a chance to practice my French. Her recipe calls for Celeriac, or celery root, which I could not find at Whole Foods so I simply omitted it and made a few alterations based on ingredients available in my kitchen. The gratin was enough for six servings and made for such a hit, and as La Tartine Gourmande says, “Can you really dislike a gratin?”

1 lb & 5 ounces Yukon Gold potatoes
1 whole garlic clove, 2 crushed, or more if you wish
7 fluid oz whole milk (7/8 c)
7 fluid oz heavy cream (7/8 c)
3 thyme twigs
Nutmeg
Unsalted butter
Sea Salt with herbs de Provence
Fresh ground black pepper

Pour milk and cream in a pot and heat to a boil. Add the crushed garlic and thyme twigs. Turn off the heat, cover, and allow the flavors to combine for a half hour. Then remove the garlic and thyme from the pot.

While infusing the milk, peel and slice the potatoes very thinly. At the time I did this by hand, but I now have a mandoline and highly recommend that. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 400F. I prepared this in a rectangular baking pan, but you can prepare them in individual sized dishes, too. Prepare the dish by rubbing the remaining garlic clove along the surface and then grease with butter. Line the dish with slices of potato and repeat for layers. Pour cream over potatoes. Add a pinch of nutmeg. Bake in center of oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Rosemary Cornbread Muffins

For brunch, my roommate Deepa actually did all the work on this one! I was so bogged down with cooking other things and tired from spending the early hours in the kitchen, she woke up and came to my rescue. I found this recipe on Martha Stewart's website, and they were a scrumptious addition to brunch.

I made this on my own a week or so later and was so very unsatisfied because I had switched things up and used whole wheat pastry flour. I found the muffins far less pleasant as they cooked a bit faster in my mom’s oven. I stupidly asked my mom to remove them from the oven while I rushed to shower before my sister arrived from the airport. She took them out as soon as the timer went off but they had become far too golden. I prefer muffins and cupcakes to be soft and delicate – but I suppose if I wanted a sort of skillet style cornbread that coarse cornbread would have been fine.

This recipe when followed exactly produces a super soft cornbread with this pleasantly surprising infused flavors of rosemary and olive oil, and is quite addictive!!!

1 c organic yellow cornmeal
1 c organic all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp natural salt
1 T finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 large organic eggs, lightly beaten
5 T organic cane sugar
2/3 c organic low-fat buttermilk
2/3 c extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Place cornmeal in a mixing bowl. Combine remaining dry ingredients and sift into cornmeal. Add chopped rosemary and mix briefly.

In a separate bowl, break eggs into sugar, buttermilk and oil. Blend with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. On low speed, add half of cornmeal mixture until combined, and repeat with second half. Don’t over mix.

Prep muffin pan with cupcake liners. Divide batter among cups. Bake until solid and a knife comes out clean when inserted into a muffin, approximately, 20 to 25 minutes. Keep a watchful eye, as the muffins should remain yellow, and not be golden. Remove muffins from pan to stop cooking and place them on a cooling rack.

Strawberry Crossovers

I wanted to end the meal on sweet note and found this lovely recipe for pastry made with fresh strawberries. This blog has such a great set of pictures displaying each step I’ll go ahead and suggest reviewing that for detailed instructions on how to make the crossovers. I followed the recipe to the t, and the pastries came out sweet, but not too sweet. Everyone loved them! Enjoy them immediately – they were a bit soggy the next day after refrigeration so I wouldn’t make these in advance. The nearby Whole Foods carries fresh puff pastry dough from a local bakery, which I found much better tasting then the typical frozen puff pastry. Be careful to not let the dough get too warm and also to not let the strips get too thin. It’s handy to have scissors for your kitchen, too.

Thatsaagreat pizza!

2012-01-06T04:02:00.003+01:00

Ever since I left Paris I've been dying to find another slice of delicious saag pizza (Oh how I long for my Pink Flamingo Pizza) I've been begging my parents to show me how to make saag properly so I could make it at home, but they always thought it was a silly idea. Alas, the beautiful day has come and my tummy is oh so satisfied with my beloved saag pizza! My parents were really stoked tonight since I rarely please them and even more so rarely please them by eating Indian food.

Saag Paneer Pizza

Tonight, mom and I teamed up. Pizza girl plus Indian mom yields amazing Indian fusion pizza!!! This recipe for saag paneer is stand alone - she's made this recipe for years - and you can easily prepare it and serve it with naan as eaten traditionally. Or you can have it my way, slathered in melted cheese.

Canola oil
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp plus more Laal mirch
Garlic cloves
Fresh ginger
2 10 oz frozen spinach packages, thawed
2 T butter
Ready made paneer, cut into cubes (soak in water for ten minutes to soften)
Ghee
Asafoetida (in India known as Hing)
2 8oz fresh balls of mozzarella

Makes 2 14-inch pizzas

Put a little oil in a medium sized pot on medium heat. Add half tsp turmeric, laal Mirch, garlic, and ginger. Fry a half cup chopped onion and stir occasionally. Then add the spinach and mix well.

Allow it to simmer, and ensure no more frozen pieces are present. Add in the butter and stir. Mix the contents of the pot with a hand blender and blend until smooth. Add one cup Indian yoghurt and stir well. Add the paneer and mix.

Separately prepare the Tarka. Heat ghee and add 5 little shakes of asafetida powder, pinch of laal mirch, just for a minute!

Pour Tarka immediately in. Mom scoops up the spinach afterward and then pours it back in so that all the the tarka mjxture absorbed and the yummy oil doesnt stay in the other pan.

Add a pinch of cumin to the spinach mixture. Stir. Remove from heat!

On a floured surface, roll out dough into a rectangle or circle depending on your pizza pans. I prefer to cook on either a pan with holes to allow the crust to cook well or a pre-heated pizza stone. Otherwise especially with a saag pizza you may have some soggy saag pizza on your hands. Place crust in pan.

Grate or slice the mozzarella depending on your preference.

Brush dough with olive oil with a pastry brush. Cook at 425F for 8- 10 minute you want dough cooked. Don't worry, the crust will get crisp/golden when you put it back in with the toppings.

Remove the crust and spread palak paneer on both crusts in a manner that you would put tomato sauce.

Sprinkle cheese evenly on both pizzas. Cook for ten minutes and then broil for a few minutes. Keep a watchful eye so the pizza doesn't burn! My dad prefers a more golden look so I broil for a full 3 minutes.

It's About Thyme for Another Potato Gratin!

2012-01-05T02:34:00.009+01:00

I have been preparing gratins quite frequently since my mother gifted me this for Christmas (And to think all this time I was making delicate slices by hand)!

THE SHARPER IMAGE MANDOLINE SLICER(video)

Why do you need this? 4 Reasons: Scalloped Potatoes, Homemade Chips, Beet Carpaccio, Uniform vegetables that cook evenly!!! You know something is really amazing when a mom buys it for herself and her three daughters.

Typically, I prepare a gratin with a combination of whole milk and heavy cream, but today I wanted to make something a little lighter and a little easier on our lactose intolerant digestive systems. I found this without cream potato gratin recipe on High Ground Organics and decided to give it a go. I made a few alterations and this is the recipe I ended up preparing.

A Potato Gratin, Without Cream

Ingredients:

- 2 c red onions, chopped (USE AN ONION CHOPPER! Another great invention!)
- 8 medium potatoes, I used russet but prefer Yukon Gold, sliced thinly (with your mandoline slicer!)
- 2 cloves garlic
- dried thyme
- ½ c Chardonnay
- 2 c mushroom broth
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 c grated Comté

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prep a ceramic or glass 7x11 dish by rubbing a garlic clove along the surface. Mince this clove and the other and set aside.

Lightly sauté onions in olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for another few minutes. Add the wine and cook until it has evaporated.

Meanwhile, heat broth over stove over medium heat with a lid. When hot, keep lid on, but turn off heat or keep on low until gratin is just about to go into the oven.

Spoon out about a third of the onions on the bottom of the gratin dish. Inside a large bowl, stir remainder of onions, sliced potatoes, thyme, grated cheese, salt and pepper until well mixed. Pour mixture into gratin dish over onions and spread as evenly as possible.

Using a spatula, press down on the potatoes to compress them (reminds me of the days I used to sit on my suitcase so I could zip it close). Pour in the hot broth very slowly to avoid spills or running over the side of the dish. The broth should cover the potatoes about 3/4 of the way up the dish.

Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on top and place uncovered on the middle oven rack for an hour. The top layer will be golden and a little crispy, and the liquid should be absorbed.

Allow gratin to set for a few moments upon removing it from the oven before serving.

Pumpkinpalooza

2012-01-01T02:10:00.006+01:00

What to do with all that leftover canned pumpkin from Thanksgiving!!? Somehow the day before Thanksgiving we are all running to get the last minute ingredients we forgot or decided to add to the menu. It always happens but some how we're all still surprised to see empty shelves where canned pumpkin or yams are supposed be. This year we ventured to four stores in Toronto before finding pumpkin, and when we did, boy, did we stock up! As you can imagine after making our Thanksgiving dinner pumpkin souffle, we had so much pumpkin left to go through.

Pecan Topped Pumpkin Pie in a Puff Pastry Crust

We had leftover puff pastry from making tarts earlier and decided to nix the traditional pie crust used for pumpkin pie. You can never go wrong with the recipe on the back of the can - I feel a little better about using organic canned pumpkin when I put the spices and vanilla in myself - as opposed to buying "Pumpkin Pie in a Can," when I don't have time to cook and scoop out a whole pumpkin. Just roll out the puff pastry a bit larger than your dish to leave enough room for the crust. Pour in your filling, brush the edges with an egg wash, and bake at 375F until set. I decorated the pie with chopped pecans immediately upon removing it from the oven. I think I throw nuts in everything - vegetarians can never get too much protein.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Mini-Loaf

And still there was more pumpkin! My sister's kitchen has all sorts of lovely tools and pans she's inherited from our mom, her mother-in-law, and my college apartment, ha! I love this baking pan that's just perfect for the holidays when you want to make a bunch of mini-loaves of pound cake or pumpkin bread to give to the mail persons (?), your children's teachers, coworkers, etc.

The pumpkin makes these little loaves so moist and the chocolate adds such a pleasantly, sweet touch, especially when fresh from the oven!

[be back with the recipe, soon]

A Canadian Thanksgiving

2011-10-10T16:47:00.012+02:00

Greetings from Canada!!

My sister Pooja, my brother-in-law Anish and I had the most delicious Thanksgiving last night! Against all odds, we didn't plan it out - we just went to the farmer's market literally after it closed, snuck in when some people were walking out, and grabbed as much fresh produce as we could.

Everyone complains about spending so much on Thanksgiving dinner ingredients (cough, cough, you know who you are) but everything was inexpensive because it was the end of the market! The vendors knew what they didn't sell now wouldn't last the holidays to be sold after. One of the ladies working the market gave us a box of free peeled garlic, too!

We cooked everything in about four hours. We got home after six and ate just after ten! Would have gone even faster if that PGA tournament wasn't on.... We made some seriously yummy dishes, and the most satisfying part of this Thanksgiving was that nothing was too complicated aside from one of the desserts. I'm not sure how your holidays go but usually in our kitchen with the good food, laughter, and thanks come arguing, burns, cuts, and tears. In fact the cooking was so simple and easy to replicate that my sister is going use these recipes for an upcoming dinner party. Honestly, we made a lovely meal from just chopping vegetables and fruit and throwing it together.

To start, we made a salad with chunks of yellow peach, chopped yellow tomato, creamy buratta cheese, baby arugula, chopped pecans and shaved parmigiano.

For a colorful side, we threw beets in the oven for a little over an hour inside packets of foil filled with olive oil. After letting the beets cool down, I peeled and chopped till my hands turned a lovely purply pink. We dressed the beets with a cup of Greek yoghurt that we had mixed with honey, lemon, and cayenne. To add a little decoration, we topped the beets with pistachios coated in salt, turmeric, garam masala, red chili powder, and coriander powder.

You can't have Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes. Pooja boiled sweet potatoes till tender. She kept the peel on - which is both nutritious and minimizes work - and mixed the potatoes with milk, butter, salt, pepper, and some sage, garlic, and thyme that she browned in butter.

Aside from Anish's lamb souvlaki (which by the way he picked up at the market marinated, 4 skewers for $5) our meal was vegetarian, and so we made a savory Wild Mushroom Leek Tart for our main dish. So tasty, but so easy! Pooja rolled out some thawed frozen puff pastry (I usually make my own dough but here in Canada it's easy to find puff pastry without lard or hydrogenated oil) to fit 10x14 sheet pan. She brushed it with a beaten egg and baked it for 10 minutes. She repeated this step with a mixture of shredded Gouda and 2 beaten eggs and baked for 10 minutes. The final step is to spoon out sautéed leeks and mushrooms leaving room for crust, sprinkle with some basil and thyme, and broil for a minute!

For the first dessert (because Thanksgiving can't happen with just one) we dumped a bag of Walkers shortbread cookies that Pooja brought home from a flight on Porter Airlines and butter in the food processor. Got the cookies down to crumbles, and then pressed them into two small "tartlet" dishes. You could really do it with any size, you just have to use a bigger bag of cookies. We hardened the empty crust in the oven for about 15 minutes. I sautéed three kinds of berries (blackberry, raspberry, and local gooseberry) with sugar and a pinch of cornstarch, let it cool, and filled it in the shell, and the tart was ready to go!

The only dish truly complicated was the recipe from an old issue of Gourmet magazine (I'm still mourning for this discontinued magazine) for a spiced pumpkin souffle. The recipe can be found here. The souffle was to be served with a bourbon molasses sauce but we couldn't find a mickey of bourbon anywhere in Toronto nor the jar of Grandma's molasses in Pooja's kitchen. At this point the tension started to build in the kitchen, but no worries. Anish brought out a bottle of Pondview Gewurtztraminer Riesling to calm us down (Anish and Pooja recently visted this winery at Niagra-on-the-Lake). Instead of the molasses and bourbon, we used local maple syrup and Jack Daniel's! The souffles soak up that caramel whisky sauce, and oh, was it delectable!

We were so busy having fun this weekend, we just didn't have time to find recipes. Anish was adamant about not spending too much time in the kitchen so we just didn't have time to stop and look at recipes while cooking. The moral of the story is buy fresh ingredients in season, be flexible, have fun, and everything will work out and come out well. Thanksgiving has and always will be my favorite holiday, and this year it comes twice! Just a month now ,and we'll have round 2 in the States.

I want this real bad. Santa, baby....

2010-10-20T20:58:00.005+02:00

I want this for Christmas or Diwali or my birthday in 6 months. Is someone reading this? I actually need a kitchen of my own to put it in first. Santa, get to work!

I've been eying this bad boy since August.

Giada's Cast Iron Panini Press

1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue

2010-10-20T20:32:00.003+02:00

Location: Manhattan (My new home, New York)

Went to 1492, a tapas bar in the Lower East Side with Kelly the other night for much needed friend date after work.

Trekked down there from the Upper East Side on a Monday night sometime around 7:30pm. Apparently Happy Hour was still going on, of course the waiter failed to share that us when we specifically asked what the specials were that night. It was fairly quiet, not an exciting happy hour atmosphere that I'm used to in Soho - regular crowds regardless of what day it is.

Atmosphere was soothing after a long day's work. I imagine things would've picked up on Thursday or over the weekend. Good feel for a date or relaxing evening, but don't bring your foodie significant other here. Despite the annoyance that we each could've gotten our second drink for free (2 for 1 cocktails during Happy Hour) had the waiter given us the happy hour special, our waitor was friendly and went and tracked down the name of the song playing per my request.

The food was a disappointment. I ordered the wild mushroom croquettes. Inside to my displeasure I found mushroom puree. It was bland and unpleasant to consume. I also tried the Vegetable Coca.. some sort of spanish flatbread... It was like a bad bland open quesadilla. I couldn't taste the supposed manchego (which I love!!) cheese and wasn't excited by the limp red pepper and tomato on top. My friend enjoyed the shrimp and steak and potatoes tapas she ordered, but said they were nothing special. Also, I'm not sure how steak and mashed potatoes makes serves as a tapa...

The cocktails we had were a plus! The vodka with strawberries was potent and fresh tasting. One sip and we didn't regret overlooking the sangria on the menu.

Overall I give this place 3 stars. Will I be back? Maybe, but just for the drinks and only on night where I can expect a more lively atmosphere.

N.Y.C. / The rich and the rundown / The parade goes by

2010-06-03T12:10:00.008+02:00

Location: Paayal's living room couch, which is coincidentally a bed
Listening: N.Y.C. - Annie (Remembering Soniya's laryngitis performance as Grace in middle school...The show must go on!)

Diploma in hand, it's time for me to two-step over to the East coast and make my run of the big city. I'm in Manhattan for about ten days looking for apartments, mostly business, but I wouldn't be a Longhorn if I didn't know how to have a little fun.

I started browsing in the Financial District (FiDi). One place I checked out was directly across the street from The Trump Building and next door to Tiffany's. Talk about lavish living. Knowing me, I fell in love with the more open-spaced neighborhoods filled with small grocery stores, boutiques, and eateries like East and West Village, SoHo, and the lively Union Square area. I'm pleasantly surprised to see wonderful little imports from Paris like Maison du Chocolat and O&Co. Oui, Le Marais, I still think of you fondly...

The hunt for an apartment has pretty much been a disaster, but I'm happy to share a few things I've learned. If you see an apartment and like it in NY, you put an application in right on the spot. Better come stocked with lots of goodies for the management i.e. Social Security card, bank statements, tax returns, pay stubs or an offer letter featuring a salary up to 50x the rent, and much, much more. Also, during the summer months, you're much more likely to find June 1st leases than anything else and for any time of the year, you really want to be looking only 2-3 weeks before move-in date (which is generally the 1st and sometimes the 15th of the month). Surprise, surprise, there really is such a thing as TOO EARLY. 2 months is far too soon. No brokers will talk to you and listings on public sites are just not available.

Now on to the fun, less heartbreaking stuff.

Well, maybe just one more brief setback. Walking there in the heat and finding out that tickets were not available was a disappointment, but no worries I got my fill of funny at UCB, Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. I saw a $10 sketch show with two troupes, the first of which was just not funny. See for yourself (There's a trailer on their website). The second troupe however blew me away with their parade of scenes showcasing die-hard LOST fans, shopping mall gays, a Staten Island talk show host, and my personal fav, I Love Lucy.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Thunder Gulch

Pretty much since the day I started reading From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (circa 1996) I've been dreaming of living inside the Met. With a bit of age and wisdom, I've decided to settle for just a visit.

Best affordable souvenir. $16.95/$15.95 (Non-member, Member)
Quite tempted to purchase it actually. You know, the old framed puzzle ordeal. But I didn't bother to get it on this trip as I'd only be bringing it right back.

Out on the front steps of The Met, despite the drizzle, I decided to rest and listen to this sax player.

Rhapsodie de fruits

2010-01-30T18:53:00.004+01:00

Literally one of the most satisfying jams I've ever tasted. My cousins in Ashford run through St. Dalfour's jars so quickly. I find the texture, pieces of real fruit, and amount of sweetness create a pleasing combination. I love the four fruits variety on toast and usually put a tiny spoonful on my mother's buttery lemon cookies. My tummy is smiling just thinkin' about it.

Chocolate Cake with Kahlua Glaze

2010-01-13T21:48:00.004+01:00

Oh my, what a delight to add to any evening. Last Saturday I brought this Martha Stewart chocolate cake over to my friend's apartment for a little get together. It's a fairly simple recipe, but you'll need a spring form cake pan. The cake comes out very rich and chocolatey. It does crack and crumble only on the top as you can see in the picture, but don't worry about when it comes to serving it's easy to slice, and the moisture helps it stay together.

I did have a few substitutions. I didn't have instant espresso, so I replaced it with instant coffee, really a minor change, but of course a slightly different flavor. I also made my own glaze... just a bit of milk, powdered sugar, Kahlua, and melted chocolate... It took me a while to get the right blend of sweetness and consistency so play around with the ingredients to your liking. I ended up with a nice runny glaze to drizzle upon serving. .. although I have so much leftover.. Not really sure what to do with all my Kahlua glaze now? Maybe drizzle it over ice cream or cheesecake?? I even considered using it for pancake syrup ;)

Hum didalee dumplings!

2010-01-05T22:50:00.014+01:00

After spending a week drooling over the latest Bon Appetit issue's feature on Sriracha sauce dishes, I finally convinced Mother the fridge was not too full for a trip to Asian supermarket. So many delicious things we found, but so many brands to choose from! We decided to do a little taste testing of two of our favorite appetizers prior to cooking a little Asian feast (Another entry coming soon, Dad misses all the fun stuff when he's out of town).

evidence Mother still loves me

deathly duel of dumplings

skinny v. short vegetable dumplings

Skin-wise both browned well and tasted as they should, however I found the an odd, indescribable flavor in the skinny ones and an unpleasant smashed peas textured filling. I overwhelmingly preferred the short ones - just the right amount of filling for the right amount of crunchiness.

Every time we make dumplings or potstickers or gyozas or whatever you like calling these savory treats, my family prepares this easy, sweet dipping sauce to give the dumplings a little zing!

mom's dumpling dipping sauce
a pinch of sugar
1 part soy sauce
1 part water
splash of vinegar
finely chopped scallions
grated ginger to taste

Combine and enjoy!

battle of the egg rolls: India v. China

Indian eggrolls Mom found at the Indian supermarket.. Indian-Chinese another cuisine in its own right

Orientex chinese eggrolls (we were hoping that they forgot to change the year on the stickers and really meant 2010....sketchy yes)

The chinese egg rolls ( and this is NOT the first time this has happened to me) were not packed tightly and the wrappers broke! Naturally, the hot oil flooded inside and the filling flowed out. What a nasty mess!

The Indian eggrolls, and I'm not saying this because I'm Indian as I tend to avoid Indian-Chinese food, were much much better! They were bite-sized. Literally the size of my thumb. Neatly wrapped and therefore cooked well. They also had a bit of spice to them which I can appreciate!

And the moment you've all been waiting for...the return of Fun Finds column!

Fun Finds in the Asian Superstore

Liver Care Tea .: college student's new BFF

Viva EL QUAIL MAN!

apparently the Asian supermarket has also fallen prey to green-washing

Why the hell not?

2010-01-05T20:36:00.001+01:00

Definitely microwaved birthday cake... Best idea ever. I know I'm
usually disinclined to eat birthday cake but who can say no to a warm
chocolatey mess? Happy birthday, big sis!

Baked Eggplant Parmesan

2009-12-21T20:05:00.010+01:00

There's really nothing like spicing up a regular old Saturday lunch with this easy Baked Eggplant Parmesan from Martha Stewart! A few notes about the recipe. I halved this recipe to serve 4 people and found that my eggplant cooked in 25 minutes to a beautiful golden brown on both sides without flipping it over or cooking it for the additional 20-25 min recommended. Interestingly enough, I still used the same amount of tomato sauce!

I made my own tomato sauce, and why not? It's so easy! Plucked 6 or 7 leaves of basil and combined it with 6 quartered roma tomatoes and chopped garlic to create a fresh, chunky tomato sauce in the food processor. Be sure to season with salt and pepper! It's funny how simple and yet essential are salt and pepper.

A final note... I didn't have breadcrumbs, but toss a few cups of cornflakes in the food processor and you're ready to go. I guess I have ONE more thing to say. There was a certain lack of dried herbs in my parents' pantry, but luckily I had a bottle I brought back from Paris of Herbes de Provence, and that works just fine as a substitute in this recipe!

"round" eggplant slices
(I thought I was making something else and had started cutting the other way first)

water+egg bath use before these babies dive into a bowl of seasoned breadcrumbs

arrange the slices on a tray lined with greased parchment

13x9 casserole dish filled with this beautiful, red sauce
(fresh tomato puree, fresh basil, garlic, sea salt, pepper)

end result, plated on a bed of pasta

You'll notice I didn't use angel hair, but honestly I prefer it with eggplant parmesan. But there are just times when you just have to tell yourself "I WILL ONLY USE WHAT IS ALREADY IN MY KITCHEN!" And so it goes!

La vie en chocolat

2009-11-30T16:46:00.004+01:00

I literally dreamed of chocolate landscapes. So intricate, so inviting! From chocolate mulch to chocolate trees and bushes. It was magnificent! What pleasant tricks my mind plays on me at night! I went to sleep thinking about keeping will power this holiday season by pawning off on everyone else all that I bake. Talk about sweet dreams! Have you ever dreamed in chocolate?

Festival of Fennel at Sagra

2009-11-25T15:17:00.013+01:00

Sagra
sagrarestaurant.net
1610 San Antonio St Austin, TX 78701
(512) 535-5988

A couple of Sundays ago, my friend Rachel and I decided to go on a girly date for dinner! Whilst trying to find a cozy place to catch up on our busy semester, I came across a local event coming up at Sagra (keeping tabs on food and art events happening in Austin is a much enjoyed pastime of mine). To my surprise, although it makes perfect sense, Sagra hosts a food festival twice a year where they offer a free dinner, fixed menu of course, to celebrate some produce of the season.

An excerpt form Wikipedia reads:

"A sagra is often dedicated to some specific local food, and the name of the sagra includes that food; the array of gastronomic specialties covered across Italy is amazing: for example, we find a Sagra della Rana (frog) at Casteldilago near Arrone, a Sagra della Cipolla (onion) at Cannara, a Sagra della Melanzana ripiena (stuffed eggplant) at Savona, a Sagra della Polenta at Perticara di Novafeltria, and so on. Among the most common sagre are those celebrating olive oil, wine, pasta and pastry of various kinds, chestnuts, and cheese."

I found out just in time to take Rachel to Sagra's Fennel Festival. Naturally, the reservations had filled up days in advance, but thankfully Sagra kept their back patio open to first come, first serve. We came about 30 minutes early and secured ourselves a lovely table out back on the covered patio, sheltered from the rain.

Dinner circa 4pm after a glass of wine at the bar...

Mixed green salad

fennel pollen, orange and fennel

Fennel Gratinati
layers of fennel and potato baked with cheese

Brodetto
mussels, shrimp, squid, clams and fish in a “little broth” of fennel, saffron and tomatoes
grilled sourdough bread

Apple Fennel Crostata (not included in the free dinner)

The entire meal was light, colorful, and pleasant. Sagra did not have a vegetarian option for the main dish, but I was able to enjoy the other 3 fennel-filled plates. The salad's citrus dressing complemented the fennel well, and the dessert, not overly sweet, had neat layers of apple and fennel a nice variation on the traditional apple pie. The white cheddar, potato, and fennel made a perfect combination...both were sliced thin and cooked till tender. Rachel especially like the golden crust of hardened cheese on top. Tasty, but I preferred the cream sauce within. Rachel did not care too much for the brodetto, though it smelled delicious and looked appetizing. However, she appeared to be frightened of shellfish in general and mostly used the broth as a dipping sauce for her bread. :)

If you'd like to send yourself on a similar fennel adventure, you can check out these tips from my bff Martha on selecting, preparing, and storing fennel: CLICK HERE
I was excited read some nutritional information on fennel. Fennel has very low glycemic index, which I try to be conscious of when preparing dinner for my mother.

I have since been back for brunch with some other friends and enjoyed Sagra again. We split the Polenta bowl, Rustic French Toast, and Steak Hash. I love ordering family style especially for brunch since I'm always missing Papa's Sunday breakfast when away from home. Andrew and I cherished the polenta bowl and eggs. Karina didn't touch it. She finds the texture of soft polenta unpleasant. I love polenta in all forms, but I think Andrew's spicy cheddar cheese broccoli and grits over poached eggs could rival it!! I feel like so many people settle for terribly ordinary and quite frankly soggy French toast, but I would definitely go back for Sagra's rendition, crisp and sweet!

I can't find any brunch pictures so I'll leave you with the menu. Pictures could very well turn up on my SLR which is currently accompanying my sister to her pedicure. On a brighter note, excitement for Thanksgiving has reached its height. Preparation starts tonight with some gnudi dumpling dough. Stay tuned!

Oh how you fill me up butternut squash and don't let me down or mess me around

2009-11-21T00:04:00.006+01:00

I got together this week with some buddies I've had since the beginning of college. We call ourselves "The Blobby" after many nights of debauchery and very little studying in and around the Blanton Lobby, a study lounge in our residence hall. We celebrated Thanksgiving a week early with a potluck that sent us in such a dizzy food coma: sweet potatoes, green been casserole, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, deviled eggs, sangria, turkey, pumpkin mousse, steak, and more!

I brought a new dish I'd never made before: Scalloped Butternut Squash and Yukon Gold Potatoes. I followed a recipe I found on Epicurious with a few alterations. As a "starving" college student in love with food, I hardly have all the necessary kitchen tools I wish I had. (Thank God it's the season of giving. I have a tendency to accumulate cooking supplies around this time of the year). Anyway, I most certainly lacked a potato slicer so you can imagine the pain and suffering I went through in thinly slicing raw butternut squash by hand!

Thin slices is really the key to a successful scalloped dish. You want to achieve a tender bite, not too mushy or too firm.

Butter the pan well so you don't struggle in serving.
I decided to mix up the recipe and use half potato and half butternut squash. I think it really helped in preventing that heavy Oh God I ate too much feeling for my friends.
I enjoyed this recipe because of its buttery goodness, and do I need to mention how much I like thyme? I would, however, have perhaps used another cheese. The grated block of mild cheddar didn't melt into a creamy sauce associated with scalloped potatoes, but rather gave the consistency of cheese on a slice of pizza. The recipe suggests discarding the fresh thyme used to flavor the cream, but I recommend pulling off the leaves and sprinkling them on the top layer of squash just to give a little contrast.

I eat, You eat, We all eat for Meals-on-Wheels!

2009-11-19T22:46:00.002+01:00

Everytime you go out to eat until November 30, review your meal online and Dishola will match it with Meals-on-Wheels!!

dish-for-dish challenge!

here's how it works

You write a dish review on Dishola
We donate a dish to Meals on Wheels & More
Someone gets a warm meal thanks to you!

Thanksgiving Sneakpeak

2009-11-19T16:10:00.007+01:00

You've probably heard me say I wish Christmas lasted all year long (I have been found watching ELF smack-dab in the middle of the summer), and so it must be no surprise I share the same affection for Thanksgiving. Honestly a holiday to reflect on the good times over a festive meal with loved ones should come around more often. I'd be pleased with a similar feast to celebrate each season.

I am thrilled to attend three Thanksgiving potlucks prior to my family's own Beastless Feast 2009, which of course gives me ample opportunity to test ideas on my friends. I could not imagine sending myself unarmed to my parents' home to prepare a dinner for their critical palates. I love my family dearly, but we are all a bunch of hungry, hard to please fools spoiled by our mothers' good cooking.

Anyway, I promise to catch you up on all of the "coming-soons" below, but first let me delight you with a sneak peak of the draft menu I've assembled from a few sources:
- the three latest issues of Bon Appétit
- American Way Magazine (Papa pulled one from the airplane on one of weekly trips to Bloomington, IL.. I love their online version.. Papa flipped through his hard copy, while I browsed the interactive pdf!)
- FoodNetwork.com
- Whole Foods flagship store Thanksgiving tasting (gave inspiration for the crostini)
- Times Online UK
- Primizie (One of my favorite dishes in Austin is Primizie's gnocchi, I'm talking I almost licked my plate clean... With my parents in Dallas, I hoped to create a similar version to share with them)
-Recipezaar (I don't usually trust this site, but wanted to use to give me some basic direction)

You'll notice a few notes throughout the menu. I emailed this draft menu to my parents because when it comes to Thanksgiving, everyone has to get a say on the menu!

LE MENU THANKSGIVING : another Vegetarian celebration of food and wine!

L'ENTRÉE
Crostini w/ Fig Spread and Brie
http://www.mirassou.com/recipes/crostini.asp

LE PLAT PRINCIPAL
Savory Bread Pudding w/ Mushrooms
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Savory-Bread-Pudding-with-Mushrooms-and-Parmesan-Cheese-236494?sisterSite=bonappetit.com&src=1
OR
Butternut Squash & Cheddar Bread Pudding
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2009/11/butternut_squash_and_cheddar_bread_pudding

LES LEGUMES ET LES FRUITS (CHOOSE UP TO 4)
Winter Greens & Shitake
http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2009/11/saute_of_winter_greens_and_shiitake_mushrooms
Broccolini w/ smoked paprika & Almonds
http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2009/11/broccolini_with_smoked_paprika_almonds_and_garlic
Smashed Rutabagas w/ ginger roasted pears
http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2007/11/smashed_rutabagas_with_ginger_roasted_pears
Cranberry Sauce
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alexandra-guarnaschelli/cranberry-sauce-recipe/index.html
Sage Potato Gnocchi w/ Chanterelle Mushrooms, Roasted Sweet Corn
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Gnocchi-with-Sage-Brown-Butter-Sauce-239838
Scalloped Potatoes and Fennel
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2009/11/scalloped_potatoes_and_fennel
Swiss Chard Ricotta Gnudi with Fall Mushrooms
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2009/10/swiss_chard_ricotta_gnudi_with_fall_mushrooms
Grilled Asparagus with Sesame Citrus Sauce
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/asparagus-with-sesame-citrus-sauce-recipe/index.html

LE PAIN CHOOSE UP TO 2
olive bread (an incredible olive loaf available at Tom Thumbs near our home.. brand to be mentioned upon recall... even I need a break sometimes!)
Chile cornbread
http://www.americanwaymag.com/acacia-honey-cake-honey-thyme-butter-jose-garces-heat-oil
Fresh Cornbread w/ basil
http://www.bonappetit.com/dishes/corn-bread/2008/04/fresh_corn_and_basil_cornbread

LES DESSERTS (PICK AS MANY!)
Harvest Pear Crisp
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2009/11/harvest_pear_crisp_with_candied_ginger
Apple Goat Cheese Honey Tart
http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2007/10/apple_goat_cheese_and_honey_tartlets
Lemon Tart
http://www.recipezaar.com/Classic-French-Tarte-Au-Citron-Fresh-Lemon-Tart-234277
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/recipes/article2179839.ece

LES BOISSONS
Pommeau (french apple wine) - first course
Pinot Grigio - 2nd course
Vin Santo (red wine from Santorini) - 3rd course.. For now I still feel a white wine goes best with the dessert. Papa is eager to open this bottle, however. Mother would be saddened without something to emulate her beloved apple pie.. Oh what a toss-up! Perhaps Papa will need to wait till I make something chocolatey later in the week.
Le Chocolat l'Africain a recipe from Michael Turback's "Hot Chocolate"

P.S. Did I mention I'm still mourning the loss of Gourmet magazine? Depression!

Coming Soon

2009-11-19T15:29:00.003+01:00

Dining out in Austin:
Joe DiMaggio's Italian Chophouse- happy hour
Blue Dahlia Cafe - dinner
Primizie - brunch and dinner
Sagra - brunch and fennel festival
Thai Passion Lunch buffet
Titaya

From my kitchen:
Pumpkin brownies
Scalloped Butternut Squash

Guest chef prepares dinner!

Thanksgiving dinner

It's November and I'm pumped up for the holiday carbs and singing!

2009-11-12T14:11:00.002+01:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Can't kick butt let alone make coffee

2009-09-02T16:01:00.012+02:00

Kick Butt Coffee
4600 Guadalupe at the Triangle, Austin, Tx

Simply put, Kick Butt Coffee sucks. The terrible lighting and an unimpressive food selection is enough to send anyone that enters running. How I managed not to leave immediately is truly a wonder. You couldn't possibly dream of studying inside this coffee shop... Not with the awkward music performance by self-deprecating, absent-minded artist who couldn't remember where his instrument was let alone what note to play next. He was from out of town and I hope they've politely encouraged him to return from whence he came.

I believe I stayed because I was forced to kill a bit of time after dinner and before pub trivia at The Flying Saucer later that evening. I highly recommend trivia night! But back to Kick Butt Coffee. I don't believe anyone could possibly enjoy a lukewarm drink of any kind let alone an iced coffee that is so! Here I am sitting with a friend with no coffee to enjoy and no hope of studying in the dark (and it was dark long before the performer arrived) or drowning out the music.

To add to the unpleasantries of the place, you will find there is no mirror in the bathroom, and yet a TV. Oh yes, and as you may have noticed on the website an overall alarming and just godawful Chuck Norris theme. My dear friend, Chuck Norris and coffee do not blend well together. Indeed I was never able to reduce my cognitive dissonance before leaving. Naturally I have no intention of returning to this terrible excuse of a cafe.

Photo: The Daily Texan
Here you will find a few notes from The Daily Texan on Kick Butt Coffee.. I find their grade B entirely too high.

"Ooh La La: How to be Infuriatingly French"

2009-04-14T11:47:00.006+02:00

Current Location: Slouched on the couch
Currently Listening: Asher Roth - I Love College
Weather: Sunnny sun sun sunnny

For my birthday, YES I'm FINALLY TWENTY ONE!!!!!!!, Kristina got me a box of de-lish Leonidas chocolates and a funny book called "Ooh La La: How to be Infuriatingly French." After reading it I decided to come up with my own such how-to-guide.

Step 1: Always keep the mood lighting on...you know just in case.
Step 2: It's customary to observe "les neighbors" through their windows and pretty much any person walking down the street.
Step 3: Shop at Picard: the frozen only grocery store and pick up things like puree peas, escalopes de fois gras, and quartered figs.
Step 4: Eat hazelnuts in everything, and consume exorbitant amounts of nutella
Step 5: Put every cheese but mozzarella on your pizza.
Step 6: Store sugar in milk cartons.
Step 7: Have tiny ass kitchens so that when you open the fridge your butt touches the back wall. Oh and eat lots of confiture!
Step 8: Always buy belgian chocolate.
Step 9: Showcase all eccentricities especially in the window displays of your family shop
Step 10: Don't shower often.
Step 11: Learn traditional dance moves in your weekly African dance class.
Step 12: Never buy books in English or speak English for that matter unless a French-speaking American tries to speak to you in French.
Step 13: Alway order cidre with your meal and drink it from a bowl...like a cat. Michael Rosenthal would approve.
Step 14: Drink on the hour every hour!
Step 15: Revere French culture and lovingly tease Sarkozy
Step 16: Plaster your apartment with old, dark paintings that have been passed down in the family
Step 17: Bump the cars behind you in attempting to parallel park.
Step 18: Ladies always cover their shoulders and never wear silly American things like flip flops.
Step 19: Never go to church
Step 20: Spend summer holidays at the family chateau
Step 21: Since the French rarely leave France the only way to show kids some wildlife is at the city zoo.
Step 22: Lure your gay jewish boyfriend to Bois de Vincennes for a romantic boat ride.
Step 23: Flambee everything with Grand Marnier
Step 24: Eat crepes and gaufres daily without gaining a single pound.
Step 25: Shake that laffy taffy (because you secretly listen to American rap, but are behind about 2 years)
Step 6: Pucker up for PDA. French kissing in public is mandatory!
Step 27: Own a menswear shop in the Marais if you want to profit off all the bar mitzvahs
Step 28: Let old things fall apart. And rename streets every block.
Step 29: Never drink water in public. Wine or espresso only.
Step 30: Be a cute gay couple.
Step 31: Never get worked up about shops closing at 6pm.
Step 32: Take romantic strolls through the Marais with your same sex significant other.
Step 33: Buy over priced clothes from small boutiques that carry only 6 articles of clothing
Step 34: Always sport a one piece pant suit
Step 35: Be excessively green in terms of recycling but leave cigarette butts everywhere.
Step 36: Eat strange things like goose liver.
Step 37: Have a nice ass from walking up all those stairs since elevator technology never made it to France

For the complete picture by picture guide, check out the Facebook album I made.

I miss wearing t-shirts...

2009-03-29T12:29:00.006+02:00

Location: At ze kitchen table
Currently Listening: Eric Pridz - Pjano
Weather: Decent. A little cold but I managed to shop the Bastille fresh market in less than pants. At least I didn't get pooped on by pidgeon. .aka poor Laura.

One thing I didn't manage to bring is a single t-shirt to Paris! What was I thinking?! You can't go out in public in t-shirts, but seriously I end up wearing crazy things in the comfort of my apartment because I didn't bring any "loungewear." Hahah it's kinda like when you see all the guys at school wearing their nice button ups and slacks and you know it must be laundry day.

Well, I FINALLY bought my ticket to Greece to meet up Rachel this May. For the longest time I only had a ticket leaving Greece to get back to Paris in time to catch my flight back to the states. (YAY can't wait to be home!) You aren't going to believe what crazy adventure my friend Luiza and I have in store for ourselves to get to Athens cheaply.

So first we have to bus out to some little town outside of Paris called Beauvais and catch a Ryan Air flight to Venice. We'll stay the night and a day there and check out the city, and then wake up super early the next day to get to the port to catch a Minoan Line ferry cruise called Ikarus Palace to the Greek island Corfu. Guess how long's the cruise. TWENTY FOUR HOURS. Haha and we bought deck accommodation tickets, which basically means we stay awake all night and roam the public lounges with our bags on our backs. We found out my friend from Milan, Alan, who apparently did this once, that if we run on the cruise in front of the herd of deck ticket holders we can claim some space behind a staircase where the crew members won't catch us sleeping. We didn't realize that even in May it will still be cold out at sea so it's not exactly fun being up on the deck at night. Woops, missed that memo. I hope they sell espresso on that boat....... Well after one crazy night on that cruise we make it to Corfu where we'll spend a few days soakin' up the sun on the island. Then we'll have to take a night ferry to this Greek port city Patras and then take the subway to some other city where we can catch a train to Athens. Oh God, got to love budget travel. :) I think the one problem with budget travel is that it's usually a catastrophe. Then I feel like the world owes me something, and I end up spending money to make up for it. Haha. Okay well, hopefully I can stay sane all the way to Athens on my Skippy Jar compliments of Karina who recently visited and brought me peanut butter.

WHAT-THE-FRENCH!
Went to a MONOCHROME party the other night with my neighbors Alan, Henning and Matthias. The costumes were pretty crazy. Everyone had to wear one color only and they took it seriously. One guy wore all foil. I think he was supposed to be the Tin Man. Another guy wore orange pants, shirt, and turban...and held a giant carrot the entire night. But nothing was as ridiculous as what my neighbors and Henning's girlfriend were wearing. They went in this ABBA meets Teletubby yellow attire equipped with a yellow ruffly blouse and a tighter European version of gaucho pants. Apparently Henning had convinced some wholesale (they only sell to retailers by the hundreds)shop to give them 4 samples to show to a "crowd of hundred people" to "confirm" the purchase. Hahaha. Talk about awesome.

"We are always running for the thrill of it, thrill of it" - Empire of the Sun

2009-03-25T15:10:00.008+01:00

Location: My sofa that caves in the middle

Currently Listening: Empire of the Sun - Walking on a Dream

Weather: A little drizzle, a little shine

Spent the "better" of the morning waiting at the SNCF office only to be disappointed by the lack of good deals to South France...maybe I won't end up there for my birthday. I really wanted to see Nice... Maybe I will go there in May. I always thought traveling alone would be fun, but now I just feel like without someone else there, what's the point? But then the other part of me thinks why should you need someone else to enjoy life. Oh I don't know. I think I just wanted to go to the beach to drown in the sun and try to pretend I don't very much need to be home taking care of matters with friends and family...and of course spending my 21st with my best friends. Well, I'm in Paris for my birthday end of story.

What's it like in Paris? It's normal. I think what I've learned from being here is that life is the same wherever you live. It still has its ups and downs...so you can't just run off to the other side of the world and expect life to suddenly be more exciting. I always wanted to start my life in Europe, but I think I could be happy anywhere if I just decide to live life that way.

That's not say that Paris isn't completely different and bizarre in it's own way from Austin. So just for kicks.... You know you're in Paris when...

-Wine is as cheap as bottled water

-Local pizzerias are the hot spot for anyone that sports a yamaka or earlocks

-Children are always accompanied by their au pair
-Women wear billowy pants like Aladdin

-Most guys have better hair days than your very best

-Cute dogs sit on window sills of small shops

-The constant techno gets you more jittery than any cup of espresso

-Cafe Noisette ("hazelnut coffee") is not a cup of hazelnut coffee, but rather espresso served with a touch of cream to give the color of hazelnut

-The business schools hire professional bouncers for their parties

-Chestnuts are not something in your plate of Buddha Delight, but are mashed into a creamy sweet paste for crepes [Really strange texture... don't really recommend it]

-Tomato in a sandwich is not slices, but rather pasta sauce

Oh Paris, so silly, but I still love you.

By the way, I started this 365 days of pictures ordeal on Flickr so check it out:

Saloni365

<-- A little preview

"Ah-what what what what what did you think would happen next?" - LCD Soundsystem

2009-03-15T08:59:00.015+01:00

Location: Soaking up the window light from my bed, now equipped with one killer pillow
Weather: Warmer than Austin, Texas, what?!
Currently Listening: Time to Get Away by LCD Soundsystem

Dublin:
Good Lord getting to Dublin on Wednesday was quite the journey. Flying Ryan Air was absolutely miserable. Had to pay 10 euros for being American (non EU passport carriers must pay for check-in) and my carry-on was so heavy that I literally wore 3 pants, 2 shirts, 3 sweaters and my coat, hat, and scarf. Add to that, my make-up in my boots, laptop charger, deodorant, phone, key, and wallet in my pockets. Oh and I wore my SLR around my neck. Yes, I was ready to pass out from hyperthermia. Naturally I made no hesitation in coughing up 3 euros for the bottled water on the flight. On the plane to further irritate me, an earring Rachel had given me for Christmas fell out of my wallet. I never found it, but I did manage to break the other that I was holding up to show the girl in the seat next to me when I tried to return it to my wallet. Well a flight and bus later, I was thrilled to see that gorgeous of a blonde Brady and pretty much collapsed in bed upon arrival to her dorm.

Exploring Dublin started the next morning. After hanging out with Oscar Wilde atop "Pride Rock" in Merrion Square, I walked Brady to class (I should have carried her books and brought her coffee) at Trinity, I headed straight to all the good shopping on Grafton Street. My first stop was Marks & Spencers, which made me get all nostalgic about Scotland. Used to pick up all the yummy, extravagant chocolate mousse desserts at the M&S on Princes Street and enjoy them in the gardens below. I made no hesitation in picking up one of their melt-in-your-mouth chocolate shortbread slices from the bakery.Lots of butter and lots of sugar equals very happy Saloni.

That happy snack set me on my way to River Island, which has really fun wallets and handbags...and I pretty much wanted to buy a whole new wardrobe- maybe because I finally wasn't looking at things that cost hundreds of euros (Silly Paris). At that point though I'd not had my will power broken from shopping for non-groceries so my ogling didn't result in shopping bags. Top Shop has a lot of cute clothes, too. It's not as cutting edge fashion as the boutiques in Le Marais where I live but of course the pricing is much more accessible.

During her lunch hour, Brady took me to Butlers Chocolate Cafe where I had some hot chocolate and a whiskey truffle. Milk chocolate definitely has its place in my heart, but it was definitely a change from the intense dark chocolate consumption in France and Belgium.

Brady had a little more class so I decided to walk around St. Stephen's Green, which is a massivepark/garden. I wished I brought a book with me to lounge and read, but I had nothing but a map and camera on me. After a nice walk outside around the duck pond and starting-to-bloom trail, I decided to hit up the national museums, most of which were closed because of a low wage workers protest, but I was able to visit The National Gallery to see Jack B. Yeats' work. His painting "Many Ferries" intrigued me most.

At night, Brady took me The Porterhouse where I was able to satisfy my craving for Bailey's on the Rocks. The glass was shaped funny or more likely purposefully so that the ice cube could not leave the glass. I've decided when I return to Austin, I'll be mixing Baileys in cup of Sonic ice, yes, I hate fast-food, but this drive-in establishment is good for something.

After walking around the rest of Temple Bar(this can refer to the pub or the street of pubs), which I found to be rather touristy and what I envision what a street would look like if Party City got drunk and puked on it, I had Brady take me to O'Connel Street and forced swimsuit shopping on her. Rachel can take comfort in the fact that I've decided not to swim in a bra and underwear in Greece. We had gotten to this store and picked out all the swimsuits to try on and just as we reached the fitting rooms the store closed. Even though I was royally pissed at Penney's, I dragged Brady back there in the morning to finish what we started since the prices were just too good. I felt perfectly fine with purchasing a swimsuit for 7 euros because I will probably never use it after the trip. I pretty much hate swimming and never really need a bathing suit other water activities, but figured I must go swimming anyway in Greece because it's the thing to do. After picking out the swimsuit, I found a beautiful, lavender dress at surprisingly Penney's and had to get it. First article of clothing purchased on this trip! Brady got herself a burnt orange purse. I was a big advocate of Brady buying a purse and anything relating to her girly-transformation.

Purse packed with hiking essentials (aforementioned swimsuit and dress) Brady and I boarded the bus to Glendalough for "some green" as per my request. There we went hiking on a few nature trails in a lake filled valley below the mountains and shared a lovers' picnic on a fallen tree-trunk. In the forest, the air tasted so fresh and untainted from cigarettes. The trees and ground were covered in green moss and looked beautiful. Wherever I stood I could hear the sound of the stream, and for the first time I felt so at ease.

On Friday Night, we met up with the Frisbee kids (Brady plays on the Women's Ultimate Frisbee Team, go figure) for someone's twenty-first at this pub called The Bernard Shaw. It was fairly crowded, but there was was a back room reserved for us. Brady thinks drinks are expensive in Dublin. In France you can pay 4-5 euros for a half a pint. You pay that much in Dublin and get a full pint! Anyway, I ended up with one of the must-haves (I turned down the Guinness as I've tried it before and there was no way in heck I'd be able to consume an entire glass let alone more than sipfull, and some crazy purple drink called like Booker's Fast, someone correct me on this..because apparently it tastes like dying), a pint of Bulmers. That took me forever to drink. My belly is so small! And it wasn't pleasant to me either. I'm glad I have the sense not to keep up with Brady. She's full blooded Irish when it comes to drinking. Anyway the pub and meeting all of Brady's new friends was entertaining, but it soon came time for dancing at The Village! The atmosphere is very different from Parisian clubs. Most people just dance to dance and enjoy the good music ( a lot of indie techno, classic 80s songs )...no excessive touching/grinding. It's definitely worth the cover, that's all I have to say. We danced until I don't know how long, and then Brady and I walked across town with some of the frisbee boys back to her dorms.

I had a lazy Saturday morning and slept in till noon (Brady had slept for what, 3 hours? and left for a frisbee tournament). I finally got up, showered, and made my way into center of town to finish up the tourist attractions which I decided to see at turtle pace. Rushing through from point-to-point just would've killed me. I enjoyed a tour(included in the entrance fee) of Dublin Castle, which now serves as a government building and visited the ChristChurch and St.

Patrick's Cathedrals. Actually after

seeing ChristChurch, I felt it unnecessary to pay to see the other and only walked around the nice garden outside. I exhausted myself from walking but managed to get myself as far as possible from Brady's dorm and so I inched slowly back to the dorms to meet her upon return from the tournament. So tired from my day, Brady and I just laid in bed reading for the evening, me with Twilight(KP lent it to me) and Brady with her physics textbook.

On Sunday, we woke up and took the DART tram to the fishing village of Howth.

Outside the station we ran into a fresh market where we tried on some seaweed beauty cream and got cupcakes! We hiked our way up

through the town on the hill with the warm sun shining down on us to get to Howth Head. The cliff was so green and beautiful and overlooked the

sea, definitely

breath-taking. Brady and I found a big rock and just sat to enjoy the good weather and a few sandwiches. After coming down the hill we walked around the other side of town to try and find some castle gardens.

At night we came home just in time to start getting ready for Brady's Texas Independence Day party fully equipped with enchiladas, salsa & chips, margaritas, and George Strait. Brady had just gotten started on the cooking when I realized she had several packets of Papadum and no tortillas!!! Papadum are like these fried, spicy Indian

crackers you eat with dinner and needless to say would not be useful in making enchiladas. Brady rushed back to the store while I kept Sean (a friend from UT also studying in Dublin) and the other guests company. She returned soon enough and taught me how to make some vegetarian enchiladas. So so easy and so so good. I will definitely be making these upon return home. I made them with some faux-chicken cubes (Quorn Chik'n Tenders) which actually worked out really nicely even though I didn't shred them like real chicken. It was so nice to eat something that tasted like home, although I still haven't killed my craving for guacamole, the last bit of Tex-Mex I had before leaving Texas. T sheer stomach delight sent me in a food coma for the few hours I had left before my flight back to Paris.

"So what can I do when I'm thinking of you?" - Shout Out Louds

2009-02-25T10:59:00.014+01:00

The Answer? Wear my mom's earrings, eat belgian chocolate for Rachel, try pink beers for Paddy, order a dose of Jameson for Joe, attempt to purchase a giant bra of Belgian lace for Karina among other things

Location: En route to Dublin

Currently Listening: My Friend and the Ink by Shout Out Louds

Weather: Surprisingly sunny

I didn't make it to Lux, but I got the "Be" & "Ne" parts out of the way.

An Overview of Belgium & the Netherlands:

Brussels

Emily, her friend Carley, and I caught a train Friday morning to Brussels where we met up with Chole. None of our cell phones worked and meeting up in the train station was nothing short of a disaster. It's funny how now matter how clear a person is about meeting place there's always some unavoidable confusion with the interpretation of places. Anyway, I followed the little-kid-lost-in-the-grocery-store-plan and stood in one place till Momma Chole found us.

While Em and Carley dropped off their things at their hostel, Chole and I walked around the Grote Markt (Market Square) which was full of SURPRISE, SURPRISE beer, chocolate, and waffles!! You know that bewitching smell of buttery popcorn they pipe out of movie theatres to lure people inside? Well, intensify that by infinity and switch it out with the cozy smell mapley waffles and dark chocolate. Basically Richard Simmon's worst nightmare. Of course, I hit up Neuhaus and Leonidas, which are the more affordable, most heard of chocolatiers, but couldn't walk two feet with out finding myself in smaller local chocolate shops where I selected the most interesting truffles. I didn't even step inside Godiva since it's way too easy to find it at home.

For dinner, we met up with with Carlos, my cousin Ram's new wife Monika's college buddy who I met at the wedding. The restaurant was traditionally Belgian and of course lacking in the vegetarian department. I ended up with fondue and a Lindemans Framboise beer. Surprisingly the beer went down pretty easily and I rather enjoyed it. The fondue on the other hand was some sort of fried mushy cheese. Not really pleasant. I will have to try fondue somewhere else in Europe, that's for sure. At dinner we talked about how easy it seemed to ride the metro or train in Brussels without anyone checking tickets, but Carlos warned us that the train station closest to him was often checked by controllers. Sure enough on the way home sleepy from beer, Chole and I forgot to mark our Belgium "Go Pass" with our arrival destination before getting on the train and were fined by the controllers! Luckily they only gave us fine worth the price of a ticket.

Antwerp

The next day Chole and I met up with her friends Patsiya and Pui to explore Antwerp. We tried to meet up with Emily and Carly at the train station, but couldn't find them anywhere. Apparently we were standing on either side of a wall and missed each other completely! After a long while we had no choice but to give up and left the train station. A short walk from the station and we found ourselves in China Town, where I found the most ginormous Jumbo Size Asian Rice Crackers. I felt like a little kid and haddd to get them. :) Plus they are considered a luxury in Paris and cost a arm and a leg (a theory later disproved by trip to LIDL discount store). I also picked up some instant Pad Kee Mao to make in Dublin... wouldn't recommend it..but apparently I'm not allergic to MSG 'cause the noodles didn't kill me (This is my version of living on the edge).

My intense Belgium research (I spent all of Thursday during class reading wikitravel) told me about a hidden street in Antwerp, which you won't find on any maps. Needless to say it's a walking street that can't be accessed by car and is found behind giant sometimes closed doors. I won't ruin the fun if you plan to visit so I'll just tell you the street is near Hoogstraat. The street was full of surprises: cute European stacked homes, a bizarre art gallery, greenery, and a small restaurant.

We spent most of the day walking around the nice clothing stores and small boutiques deeper into the town. The major fashion museum was closed, but we peeked inside the building through the windows and it was so beautifully designed. The boutiques surrounding the museum made for a delightful browse. I couldn't peel my eyes off some of cardigans and dresses I found, but of course none of trees on the street were sprouting euros. The Staadstfeetszal shopping centre was also a sight for sore eyes. In the center of the mall there's a swanky Laurent-Perrier Champagne Bar....literally the shape of a champagne glass. Who wouldn't want to sit on top of the bar and drown himself in champagne?

We picnicked in the main square by a beautiful flower market. It was nice to see the bright reds, purples, and yellows after a cold, colorless winter. Good old PB&H (Peanut butter & honey - new cheap love) wasn't enough to fill our bellies so we ventured off to find dessert. I spotted a GuyLian Cafe and dragged the girls inside. My chocolate milkshake was decent..it was essentially a glass of milk with tiny bits of chocolate on the top and bottom and gave me a terribly stomach ache (lactose intolerant)... but the chocolate was naturally sinful.

After some more shopping and a visit to Castle Steen, we ended our day taking goofy pictures on the boardwalk of Antwerp Port. Pretty sure all the locals were staring at us...4 crazy girls photographing themselves jumping up into blue sky. I will never get too old for some games.

Maastricht

In the morning, Chole and I met up with her friends Sara, Laura, Corinna and Lad for day in Maastricht, a town in the Netherlands for Carnaval. Again we tried to meet up with Emily and Carly at the train station but to no avail. We picked up some beer and rum cola at the nearest Albert Heijn and headed into town to meet up some more friends at an Irish pub.

We'd heard that Maastricht was second best after the carnaval in Venezia. Well needless to say, Carnaval was absolutely crazy. Not sure if it was water falling from the sky or beer. We spent the day in the streets making friends with everyone (One lady just gave me a glass of Heineken for no reason other than I raised my hand slightly when she asked her friends if anyone wanted one) in their crazy costumes. The locals spend all year putting together extravagant costumes. Sometimes it seemed as though a family spent all year collecting all things blue(or green or pink or silver or black) and sewed it together to make some sort shiny, fabulous outfit. Every group had floats (equipped with coolers for storing beer) and swarmed the streets for the parade that lasted all day collecting more and more people. The craziest costume was an entire group of toilet brushes..but the shock from that was nothing in comparison to the baby-in-a-glass-box float.

We felt ashamed for our serious lack of costumes and searched all through town to find the one store left open on a Sunday. Chole and I bought masks but mine couldn't really fit over my glasses so I wore it on the back of my head and used Carly's eyeliner(I ran into Carly and Emily out of sheer luck later that afternoon) to draw a peace sign on my cheek. I also made a make-shift hippie headband out of a yellow clip-on highlight from Corinna....haha. It was interesting-looking...

Whenever it got too cold or alcohol in-take required relieving we made ours way into the bars that were extravagantly decorated. Imagine Party City puking on a bar. The one thing that seemed to confuse me was the street full of not bottles or beer cans but glasses. Apparently the bartenders don't collect the glasses or make any attempt to stop people from walking right out of the bar with glasses in hand. So naturally I felt no need to return the adorable beer-mug shaped shot glasses after Sara and I had ourselves some Jameson.

Brugge

On the train to Brugges I realized I left all my notes and my map at home. Luckily I ran into some guy from Cleveland who let me borrow his guidebook for the train ride there where I hurriedly jotted a list of things to see.

Map-less and groggy I made my rainy day exploration to the nearest tourist center where I had to buy a city map from a machine. After leaving the tourist center, I looked everywhere for this lake of swans, but gave up trying and headed into the town center.

The architecture of the town was delightful and overly cute. It's kind of like walking around Southlake Town Square but much bigger. Mostly the city's remodeled so it's kind of like historical fiction...but I don't mind it much. I imagine walking through Brugge is what it would be like to walk through a town of ceramic Christmas houses if came to life.

The cold sprinkle made me shiver so I was pleased to come across the Museum-Gallery Xpo: Salvador Dalí in one of the squares. Dali's work never fails to surprise, amaze, and delight me. He was so unbelievably clever. The gallery itself was its own work of art, such glorious colors and textures and arches.

But what's a day in Belgium without handmade chocolates? I decided to eat chocolate and keep walking as food seemed too expensive, plus rain and being alone was too depressing for un table pour une.

The Truffle Hop:

The Chocolate Line

On Rick Steve's recommendation, I tried a slab of dark chocolate with crispy cacao beans of which I made scrumptious lunch.

Dumon
I'd remembered reading something about a small museum underneath the chocolate shop, but the lady inside had no idea what I was talking about so I gave up bought some champagne truffles and walked away.

Louvain La Nueve

Walked around the fresh/flea market...you can pick up a jumpsuit or 1kg of epinard for 5 Euros. At the mediterranean stand, I picked up red bell peppers instead of tomatoes (YET AGAIN). I thought they were feta stuffed cherry tomatoes. I hate my life sometimes.

Of course it didn't take me long to find a kitchen store where I found a few must-haves.

1) Ravioli Mold by Imperia

2) Pasta Bike by Marcato

3) Yes the are birthday gift hints. Think of it like this. You buy the supplies, I cook you up a wonderful meal.

The rest of the mall was unimpressive, except for the grocery store...I kick myself every time I see the prices of food in other countries. Paris is so dang expensive. I feel like I'm living on a shoestring cooking every meal, not shopping, and staying with friends when I travel, but I'm failing miserably as my bank account is draining. I'm not sure what I can do except to try and stay in Paris as much as possible. I really wish I had a summer internship sorted out to make things more comfortable for my family and had made a bit more money working over the fall semester.

Great, I'm going to be late for school now. Wish me luck. I promise not to complain as much seeing as I'm in Paris, but I'm afraid it's absolutely Parisian to complain about everything. À tout à l'heure'

"What do you think they do in the Netherlands for two hours?" -Sara

2009-02-25T10:40:00.002+01:00

Location: Chole's Air Mattress in Louvain La Nueve

Currently Listening: Super Sjoene Daag (vlierglied) - De Radlers

Weather: Mild/Humid..probably from hanging wet laundry

Well, it sure has been a whirlwind weekend as I've spent the past few days making a tour of Belgium with a quick stopover in Maastricht for Carnaval. My weekend has consisted of the following:

- Losing my hat in the bathroom of a biscuit shop

- Intense BBCW consumption (Belgian Beer Chocolate & Waffles)

- A day each in Brussels, Antwerp, Brugge, and Louvain La Nueve (where Chole is studying)

- The Maastricht Carnaval (the European origins of Mardi Gras void of beads and flashing)

- Catching up on the Buck Wild History of Miss Chole Brumley

I would love to write more, and maybe I will on the plane, but I am of course totally unpacked for my flight to Dublin in a few hours. Promise fun stories to come!!

What-the-Dutch?

Every five seconds this song played from a float in the Carnaval parade in Maastricht.

"And I won't be satisfied till there's nothing left that I haven't tried," - Brendan Benson

2009-02-12T23:49:00.017+01:00

Location: My room, which has not experienced invasion by the Rat King. I'm waiting for my Nutcracker Prince to save me from Francois.
Currently Listening: What I'm looking for - Brendan Benson
Weather: Right index-finger-aching cold (That's zero degrees Celsius)

Source: www.potatomato.com
Fun Finds in Le Marais

Today's Reverse Course Dinner!

1) Creperie Suzette
24 rue des Francs Bourgeois 75003 Paris
Alas a good crepe curbside! I'll have to go back to eat inside where they have a much larger selection, but man it seems like you're more likely to get quality crepes when you go to a regular creperie that has a "take-away" window.

I ordered a crepe citron....Soft, sweet crepe doused in the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon and SUGAR. As Laura described it, he "rained" that sugar on, baby. Tasty, tasty!!!! What did Laura get? Nutella banana, as always! I would complain more about her need to try other flavors but I take comfort in the fact that she tries all the ones I order, and that I always get to sneak a bite of hers to get my Nutella fix.

2) L'As du Falafel 34 Rue des Rosiers, 4th Tel 01 48 87 63 60 Frankly, I'm not at all concerned with the fact that this in Lenny Kravitz' pick of Paris (If you forget to read your Lonely Planet, don't worry, the menu will remind you), but this place was freakin' de-lish. I loove my neighborhood, so much good food in such close proximity. Anyway, I had the Falafel special... red and white cabbage, roasted egglants, cucumbers, tzakiki sauce, and crisp - made on the spot falafels. They make 'em better here. I used to get tummy aches from the ones I find around Austin.. probably not fresh.

3) Laura picked out my new Metro husband...he's moroccan and has funny shoes.

The past fortnight...

Last week we threw a party at chez moi (my place)! A bit of wine and cheese is enough to get a party started here - big change from the trashcan-punch "soirees" that give UT its "#1 party school in the nation" title. I miss apartment parties from back home - good mixture of relaxed conversation and wild dancing with no cover and coat check fee! Most of our friends are all international students and live in dorms so we're mostly "forced" to socialize in bars and clubs, which gets expensive quickly...but sometimes wealthy friends get bottle service. The other night we went to Club Med. On the tables they had some atypical mixers...like apple juice. I hope this apple juice and vodka craze doesn't catch on in elementary schools back home...

How is school going? (Apparently, I'm allowed to conduct self-interviews on this thing) Got a ton of group projects I'm working on... I gave a presentation today for my International Business Management class on the how investors should put their money into the tourism sector of Vietnam. In the afternoon I had my European Model class taught by a rather young professor dressed in mustard suspenders, Harry Potter glasses, and purple tie who spent three hours discussing in detail the madness behind today's financial crisis.

I wish all topics could be taught by visiting a museum. The other day I went to a really neat art exhibition 6 Billion Others which should be coming to a museum near you! This man went to 65 different countries interviewing people about life over about ten years and created this video art presentation. Basically, you walk through different tents on subjects like change, dreams, fear, first memories, love, happiness, etc. and watch clips of responses. Incredibly moving.

Today Laura and I explored some random gardens we found on a page in our Paris map/guidebook. By explore I mean to say played make-believe and acted like we were on the Discovery Channel and crawled through passages in the bushes and made up descriptions of plants. She probably doesn't want me to share this with you. Outside the leafy labyrinth we found ourselves at some sort of zoo like exhibit where we met some wallabies! (Mmm Wallaby Yoghurt is delicious! It's just a brand don't worry not freaky australian food) We kept on walking and ended up at the Grande Galerie de l'Évolution, a natural history museum. Pretty fascinating display of animals. I'm too lazy to upload pictures, otherwise I'd show you. The whale jaws/teeth were kind of gross/weird like a sea broom. I'm rambling. Probably should wrap up.

Wraps make me think of Greek food which triggers baklava which reminds me of the dessert I found in the bakery down the street from the gardens. Kristina will be jealous because it was AFRICAN food! I thought it was Algerian, but the receipt says Les Graines de Kenza. I know that was not the name on the building though so good luck finding it. Incredible display of desserts I've never seen in my life. I have no idea what I ate, but it was a triangle and was flakey with honey and almond. Pleasant, but I think my tummy is rejecting sugar today. Oh well, the sun'll come out tomorrow.

What-the-French!
1) The infamous little sucker that gives me a little heart attack whenever I enter the kitchen. God, if I ever find him in my boot....

He likes hanging out under the sink, so I stand awkwardly away from it when I wash my hands.
The vegetarian/Gandhi-ist in me refuses to put the rat poison out or use a trap that may maim Francois. I tried to catch him in a cardboard box once. Quite the disaster. . he has too many passages to run through in the walls. Gandhi, help me, how do I kill him with kindness?!

2) They listen to TAYLOR SWIFT in the supermarkets here. Should I be surprised?

"Oh give me the words, give me the words" - Nouvelle Vague

2009-02-04T12:27:00.025+01:00

Location: Train to Paris

Currently Listening: Nouvelle Vague - In a manner of speaking

Weather: Snow fall!

THE ROAD TRIP

The Cast

Mama Blair

Description: Moves as fast as a bullet, powered by yogurt cups

Hobbies: Eating yogurt, speed-walking, making sarcastic comments

Famous Quotes:
“I’m prepared to do something illegal.”
“I want my carrots. Just give me the damn carrots!”

The Old Couple

Laura/Turtle #1

Description: Ham-nivore eager to play rugby and meet Mr. Darcy

Hobbies: Eating Nutella banana crepes, listening to HSM soundtracks, Skype-ing with Mama Suttles

Famous Quotes:
“You know, Camp Rock, the Disney movie?" (No….)

Saloni/Turtle #2

Description: Vegetarian with uncontrollable enthusiasm and bangs, and mad map skills

Hobbies: Finding husbands on the Metro, eating hummus, carrying too many bags

Famous Quotes:
“Oh my God, I saw a donkey!”
“What’s that recycling sign for?”

Setting

I strongly advise against visiting Normandie in January unless you are from Poland. Not even thermals, jeans, a cami, long sleeves, coat, scarf, gloves and hat could keep this Texan girl warm in the blustery winter of North France.

Overview of the Plot
On Friday Laura and I rushed after French class to meet Blair and head to the train station for a little weekend trip to Normandie and Brittany. The train ride was more than pleasant; clean, sleek, fast and heated! Much different from my experiences in India (the scent of urine can be so strong and the fight for a seat can be an ordeal) and in Italy (on our way to Pisa, there was a strike and we had to sit around waiting for hours on the train)… but nothing like riding through the French countryside! I just need to find me a nice plot of land in the middle of the country and set up a little B&B or creperie or something of the sort. Although I don’t think I’d like making a bunch of beds and cleaning bathrooms all day… Seriously though, I can’t wait to have my own house. I daydream everyday about the kitchen I will have with the a big round stove to make crepes or dosas, copper sinks that deepen in color with age, and the pizza oven out in the backyard…

Our train arrived in Deauville around 4. … not too much going on in Deauville although we kept seeing signs for some American cinema festival they have every year…This place is definitely for the wealthy who want to waste away on their yachts or in the casino hotel…. I gambled for the first time… Stuck a ten center in a slot machine. Yeah, I think I’d get a much bigger kick out of finding a toy in a cereal box. The shops were nice, lots of well-known designers, and smaller unheard of boutiques, but we arrived as they were closing (Oh Europe, the continent that starts falling asleep at 6pm). Blair spotted an Astin Martin and naturally wanted a photo shoot with the beauty. (Blair must’ve been a model in another lifetime because she can pull out the pouty lips or a sultry pose at a moment’s notice) Unfortunately for us the owner started walking up to the car just as we were taking photos. Hahaha how embarrassing!
After an Italian dinner, (you’d think I’d learn by now that Italian food sucks in France. I want basil on my Margherita pizza and I don’t want it coated with emmental!) and a 25 minute hike in the blood-freezing cold out of the city center along some dark foresty road, we arrived at our small hotel Kyriad.

Saturday morning we woke up and tried to get a car we’d rented online from Hertz. Unfortunately Hertz US failed to tell Hertz France about our reservation – much to our surprise because our families have relied on Hertz many times in the past. There was not a single automatic car in the city so we were forced to take a train (Thank God for public transport) to Caen and rent a care there. What’s a good road trip without a few hiccups?

We had to wait a few hours till our train arrived so we warmed our bodies by a heater in nearby brasserie. There we learned about the typical breakfast offering. Orange juice + Coffee + Croissant also known as death-wish for Saloni so I ordered a chocolat chaud and called it a meal.

Our train to Caen stopped in Liseux by the time our empty tummies began eating our insides. We walked around but nothing was open (again!) but this bar next to the train station. There was nothing vegetarian but a plate of fries. Tempting at the time, but I do not want this feeling of an extra layer building up to be more than my long underwear…so I found some chirwa I’d brought a long for the trip and made it my lunch while Laura attempted a strange baguette filled with mayo and hard boiled eggs – needless to say that did not end well…

Caen was a breath of fresh air. We walked around a nice set of shops along some cobblestone streets (I love cobblestone streets) where we found my French lover Paul waiting for us. I had the most delicious sandwich made with olive bread. Mom, I know you’d eat a loaf of this stuff in a heartbeat. I am growing a new liking to olives in more than just the olive oil context. After a quick look in Sephora, which was having a crazy sale like we’ve never seen in the U.S., we found ourselves in an environmental shop, Nature & Découvertes, which sells a lot of neat green products from beauty supplies to clothing, to incense to camping essentials. Of course everything was in French so when I tried to put on moisturizer, I ended up putting on soap. This tree-hugger/shop-aholic couldn’t walk out with buying something so I ended up walking out with this swiss army knife like thing with a cutlery set… for all the picnics I plan to have in warmer weather. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked out of grocery store in Europe wishing I could make a cheap healthy snack of yoghurt or couscous if only I had a spoon. I’m sure it’ll come in handy especially when I backpack through Greece.

We also walked around Abbey Aux Hommes, which was gorgeous. Don't worry, Karina, they also built an Abbey Aux Dames on the other side of town!

We drove off to Bayeux a nearby town. While the girls freshened up, I went off exploring on my own and picked up a few goodies at Salon de The, and Jeff de Bruges chocolate shop. Truffes in French patisseries are really chocolate dipped meringue balls with chocolate crème. I walked through the whole in search of good place for dinner but everything was close or way too French (code for anti-vegetarian). I ended up at what a surprise, another Italian restaurant. I had a nice aubergine pizza, nothing remotely Italian, but at least better than the night before.

This time there was a bit of chili oil and salt and pepper for me to give a little more flavor.

After getting lost a little I mustered up the strength to ask someone where I was and soon made it to the delightful Hotel Le Bayeux where I warmed up and watched The Daily Show while the girls ate a restaurant famous for the Normandy pig.

Sunday morning we visited the world’s longest tapestry, which tells the tale of William the Conqueror. Pretty amazing to have survived the years.. it did get a little gory at one point with chopped heads and horses getting strewn about.

Nothing like staring at a tapestry to work up our appetite (Laura and I could pretty much eat at all hours) so I brought the girls back to the Salon de Thé…I love the marble counters lined the shop and beautiful white tables and chairs perfect for tea parties. I found another apple dessert I like besides apple pie. If a Tarte Normande comes knocking at your door, by God open it!

After Bayeux we hit the beach…I thought we could have a picnic, enjoy looking at the water, it was of course cold. BOY WAS I IN FOR A SURPRISE! The weather found its way into negative Celsius degrees and the wind burned my cheeks and the occasional stronger gust had enough strength to knock me off balance. Still, we made attempts to enjoy all of the beaches we stopped at along the Normandie coastline by taking a few snapshots and getting as close to waves as possible without succumbing to death by frost bite.

The three of us brushed up on our history by visiting the American Cemetery where we

watched several short films about WWII and read about stories of war heroes. It was a little unnerving to walk through the room where a recording of a woman reading the names of those lost played and the sight of all of the white crosses. Blair and I looked at the pictures of then young boys in the war who had to grow up so quickly. I think if the entire world was suddenly at war, American boys our age wouldn’t be prepared or be able to handle what those before us went through and hopefully, they never will.

4 o’ clock on a Sunday afternoon in the middle of nowhere Normandy, we knew we were Kanye-West-screwed in terms of finding food since we’d missed lunch. (Oh the ever present American worry of missing a meal). We attempted a 2 hour drive to St. Malo south of Mont St. Michel where our hostel was that evening in search of food. Again we found ourselves among gated up shops and restaurants with the exception of a Domino’s, a questionable tri-Asian restaurant, and a fondue place…which appeared to be the French equivalent of a biker bar. We got as far as sitting down at the table in the fondue place, but we just couldn’t bring ourselves to order anything on the menu and the restaurant wasn’t technically open (they were cleaning and setting up) so we ran across the street to this tiny food mart and picked up some life savers (Monaco crackers & yogurt for Blair) and set out for Mont. St Michel (got way lost – we couldn’t find a map large enough to cover the area).

Just outside Mont St Michel, we spotted a large, nice looking restaurant with, PEOPLE and a fireplace! We rushed into La Restaurant de la Galette and had a nice long, hot meal. The owner served our meal and was a very nice man who was gracious to serve us difficult English speakers at what must have time for closing. Blair begged him to bring her out a plate of carrots (All of us are concerned with our nutrition here…it’s really hard to get vegetables in restaurants) and luckily he whipped up a vegetarian crepe for me. It was basically a crepe with a tomato, carrots, and white beans lying on top of it, but I was so hungry and the food tasted so nice and fresh I didn’t care (We found out afterward that everything came from the fields next to the restaurant). Oh, I almost did something horrific. I almost ordered a crepe with bourdin noir… Blair’s Oxford French – English dictionary translated this as black pudding…. But really it’s BLOOD PUDDING. Perhaps if I had eaten a proper meal that I would have lost it right there on the table when the waiter told me this. I think it was just the combination of my being ready to order it and who knows if I would have been able to tell what it was on a plate. Thank God they teach us in American schools (opposite in French ones) that no question is a stupid question!

We got back into the car to discover the dashboard lights had decided to turn. All this time, Blair had been driving with a flashlight in her right hand to see the dashboard. The radio also decided to stop working so we had to pull out my laptop and listen to the random songs I had on my iTunes. I think it was midnight by the time we made it to our hostel Au Bon Accueil,

which was advertised as in Mont St. Michel…To our surprise it was a good 20 minutes away…which is enough time to take you through a couple of city centres in northern France. But the hostel was cozy and the lady who owns the place turned out to be a really nice British lady, who was kind enough to give us a proper map of the area.

Monday morning we woke up and ate Blair’s fantasy version of Thanksgiving. Two cups of yoghurt (mine had tiny pieces of green apple! Yum!). We finally got to explore Mont St. Michel, which is a small island with a large castle and a few gift shops with freakish souvenirs: rabbit food with a cat’s head on it, tiny fake cats, dolphins on surfboards, etc.) A+ for creativity though! We were convinced the shops and restaurants had some sort of price-fixing going on. All of the creperies had the same menu (colors, prices and everything) posted outside each of them. We ended up getting these Tartes Provencales (sometimes an actual tart, but in this case, crunchy toast smothered in shredded cheese, herbes de provence, tomatoes, olive oil, and basil.) and, of course, yoghurt for Blair. Also, for whatever reason, we ran into gobs and gobs of Japanese tourists.

We tried to visit what we thought was a chocolate factory but it

ended up being a lame shop with a small museum… so we skipped that and attempted the yoghurt factory for Blair.

We literally saw it off the side of the highway and decided to just stop and see if they would let us in for a tour, but they rejected us. Depression. We made one final attempt at an industry tour and called a local ciderie, Les Vergers du Ducy, to see if they would let us visit in the off-season.

We talked with the owner over the phone, and he was gracious enough to give us a tour without a moment's notice! He was a very nice, knowledgeable man and taught us all about the cider-making process and let us taste a lot of the products they make, which are all organic! They make several drinks apple juice, cidre, pommeau (wine), crème de pomme (similar to Bailey’s), and calvados (brandy). We took a few drinks home, and some cidre vinegar and this yummy-looking confiture de lait, a creamy apple spread to use in crepes.

After that quite delicious pit stop, we hit the road for Deauville to catch our train to Paris. While waiting for our train we sat in this truly vile smelling room to keep warm..I think it was a mixture of vomit and urine. Once a couple, also cold, came by and turned around walked right out because it smelled so bad. They’d rather sit outside. 15 minutes later a woman came in and tried to sit down, but then threw her hands up in frustration and said “Non!” and walked right out. Oh the things we will do to stay warm. A little later, we got on the train and watched the snow fall as we traveled south to Paris.

What-the-French!
Shocking news! I started testing out my French on REAL FRENCH people, and I’m starting to get the gist of what people are saying when they respond to my questions. A few new phrases I’ve tried out…
Vous avez chocolat san soja? Do you have chocolate without soy?
Vous avez lait du soja? Do you have soy milk?
Vous avez un carte du Deauville? Do you have a map of Deauville?
Un tableau pour trois., s’il vous plait. A table for three, please.

"Once you go indian, you can never go back!" -Susanna the Italian professor

2009-01-26T23:34:00.049+01:00

Location: Le beddy-by

Currently Listening: Love by Rosey (as corny as that sounds)

Weather: warm and cozy (okay, so I'm really talking about my bed)

Fun Finds in Montemarte
1) Spotted an African lady with Barbie Pink drawn on eyebrows (don't believe she had real ones...)
2)Discobitch - C'est beau bourgeoisie ..saw the music video playing in pizza place.
3) Crazy wig shop...

What-the-French!

Amanda and I were walking around trying to find cheap opera tickets and word on street (Google) is that last minute tickets are sold half price at Place du Madeleine. .. Well we found ourselves on the square, but all we saw was a massive building that turned out to be a rather eerie Iglesis (church? home of Enrique Iglesias? who knows, really?). We found this nativity scene with super creepy mannequins..reminded me of Lars & the Real Girl, where this guy orders a customized sex doll that he takes around everywhere, and she becomes one of the townspeople. Going to go ahead and blame my sister Soniya for my having watched this. She also made me watch Eagle vs Shark. That was at least considerably better.

Friday is as far back as I can remember so I'll start there to recap.

Had my first french lesson. I like my class..it's cute and only ten people giving me ample opportunity to ask questions my teacher can't understand and/or forgets in midst of explaining. Everyone back home seems to be concerned with how my french is coming along. I'll have you know I have learned a few things like "Je suis Americaine" and "J'mapelle Saloni." By the way, "marron" is not maroon, but chesnut. That's about it.........

For dinner I tried to make Vodka sauce, but it was complete and utter disaster. Too many parts vodka to the tomato. Oh did my tummy toss and turn! I used this this really cheap vodka I got for about ten euros...

At night I went to the Fins' place (I've got two way too cute Finnish friends, Paula and Martina)for a little get-together. They served up this Fisherman's Friend drink, which is a mentos-like mint and vodka (as if I needed any more). The mint is supposed to hide the taste of vodka and apparently leads to nights of unintentionally excessive consumption. We had ourselves a smashing good time before heading out to an ESCP hosted party at Les Planchets. On the way there, one our friends tried to find a "good place" to hide his bottle of vodka...ended up in Laura's magic boot that actually fit the same nasty vodka I had used in my spaghetti (At this point the mere mention of vodka was nauseating). The ESCP party was somewhat fun, but a large number of recent graduates (high school graduates) found their way in and spoiled the fun. We tried going else where, but ended up on a very wrong bus route, which wore us out and so we found ourselves taxis and split.

Saturday

My great grandfather's sister's grandson's fiancee came to visit this weekend.

She's an MBA student studying for a semester at SDA Bocconi in Milan! (Her italian professor once had an Indian lover....hence the title) Meet Amanda! Isn't she beautiful?

Amanda and I started our afternoon walking around Le Marais.. that's my new neighborhood!! Picture Jewelry shops, up and coming designer boutiques, chocolate shops, brasseries, patisseries, shoe stores galore.

I skipped breakfast and was starving so we stopped at a falafel

shop. After standing in line at the window, we discovered the indoor order outdoor pick up method in practice. Unfortunately, we also discovered this man licked his thumb a few times whilst preparing pitas. We turned our heads the other way and gobbled down our rather delicious falafels (only 'cause we hoped the man that actually prepared ours had better hygiene).

Bodies pumping with new found falafel power, we made our way to Notre Dame. This time I wasn't wearing my silly hat that blocks all peripheral vision, so I found the cathedral a

little more breath-taking than the first time around. We waited in the cold for pretty much an hour to be able to climb to the top of the tower. Amanda really wanted to play amongst the gargoyles, which are kind of cute in an ugly duckling sort of way. I bet they made Quasimodo feel like hot stuff back in the day. Has anyone actually read that book? I debated buying it for a mere 3euro in the bookstore at the church, but I think I have quite a long list of suggested reading for brand management. .. Library please!?

One more trip down the cold, dark, never-ending spiral staircase and we hit broad daylight and solid ground. Worn out, we made our with home with my usual "scenic route" (I don't even try not to get lost anymore).

We stopped in this Whole-Foods-esque shop Naturalia on the way home. This is the shop for all the soy/almond/rice/hazelnut milk drinkers and organic chocolate lovers...relatively cheap,

too, for what you're getting! I picked up tofu and chocolate, of course. :) That Croque Tofou (a couple of days later) was actually rather delicious and made me feel a little less bad for avoiding the traditional meat-driven French cuisine.

For dinner, we delighted our bellies with some extravagant crepes. We actually tried to hit up Breizh Cafe for lunch, but much to our surprise this creperie requires reservations. The French take crepes seriously, and when you're not eating them curb-side expect the dining experience to be an ordeal that can include any but generally most of the following: appertif, amuse-crepe, savory dinner crepe (generally referred to as a galette) with cider, dessert crepe and I can't remember what else, but seriously it's quite normal to spend eating 2-2.5 hours eating several courses, though small and slowly.

I ordered one of the specials against the recommendation of the waitress (God gave us all individual minds for a reason) and it ended up being fabulous (You've got nothing to worry about, I will always be fabulous (That's an inside joke with J.K. Rowling in case she's reading this entry))

I ordered Crepes Vendangeur and split a carafe of the house specialty, cider, with Amanda. Cider we discovered is essentially sparkling beer. We were cold and expecting something warm, but it was decent. They had quite a selection of cider by the way, about 2 pages. We ordered something called Domaine de Mont Chevron described as "soft, acidulous and fresh" as if it made a difference to our American palettes.

Above is my Crepes Vendangeur..."fourme d'ambert, miel, pignons de pin, raisons, saladed." Blue cheese topped with mixed field greens, honey, grapes, and pine nuts. All for 12Euro50. My goodness, definitely one of the best meals I've consumed! I loved the dessert, too. We picked out a crepe with pears and chocolat. Oh Valrhona, how I love you so. I think at one point I kept my home page Valrhona's website... After dinner, I ventured up the windy stairs to the bathroom.. A tiny room for just the toilet and a sink stationed outside in a narrow supermodel fitting hallway. Anyway this French lady was convinced she had to go to the bathroom whilst I washed my hands and squeezed by me, and decided to top it off by leaving the door open so I had to uncomfortably listen to her relieve herself. She also came outside without her pants zipped and felt unmoved to wash her hands.

Sunday

Another failed attempt at leaving the house early, and we found ourselves at Rose Bakery. It's not one bit French, but rather unbelievably British. To my surprise the place was not bustling with people in the morning hours. I think the place is mostly a lunch destination as the food was not entirely laid out by 10. Although, it was Sunday. Amanda got herself some sort of orange white chocolate chip muffin and I decided to come back another time and get lunch. I'm not a big fan of muffins or pound cake or anything in that related category.

One long metro ride got the two of us into Montmarte, a hill that houses the white Basilique du Sacré Cœur, which I found well worth the deviation from the city centre. I'm glad we came on Sunday to witness their very traditional mass. The organ playing and choir singing sent chills up my spine - the good kind - it was just so beautiful. I wish I lived closer because the whole place is so pleasant I'd love just hanging out on the green hill below in warmer weather.

We made our way down from the hill stopping in souvenir shops. One was run by an Indian man so we listened to some good Bollywood jams for a bit and bought postcards (Yes, that means some are coming your way).

Later we walked among the sex shops to find Moulin Rouge(really disappointing from the outside, and the Red Light district in Amsterdam is much more lively/interesting), not that either of us could afford the tickets to any of the shows. I have my doubts on how amazing the shows are and honestly, I'd rather spend my money on a ballet or opera. We actually visited the opera house later, Palais Garnier, but unfortunately there were no shows playing this weekend for Amanda to see. The guard was a little forthcoming and offered to take us to the opera anytime for free. ... Questionable!

Quickly walked out of that place and hurried to Musee D'orsay. Everyone (that's foreign, any how, I don't actually converse with French natives...except my French teacher, the rest of my professors are from european countries) raves about how this museum is far better than the Louvre. I enjoyed visiting this pastel exhibition: "Le mystère et l'éclat" or "The mystery and the glare."

To the right:

Nocturne au Parc Royal de Bruxelles

William Degouve de Nuncques (1867-1935)

1897

We were in the midst of viewing the Picasso exhibit, very interesting.. a collection of paintings Picasso did in response to all the hoo-hah created by Manet's

"Le déjeuner sur l'herbe," which features a naked woman sitting among clothed men at a picnic in the park. Anyway, right in the middle of it, there was some sort of security breach and the entire museum was evacuated. I guess someone tried to run off with a painting? I don't think it could've been a terrorist threat because the museum workers stayed inside without any immediate desire to leave. Apparently, I can return and reuse my ticket....Doubt it. What-the-French!

It started raining as we left the museum. What luck! I really can't complain though because dinner turned out to be such a delight!!! And right in my neighborhood! We "dined" at Pink Flamingo Pizza, this small, eccentric restaurant serving up innovative pizzas California style. The place is owned by Americans, but hey, good food is good food. By dined I mean there were four tables all taken so we sat at the tiny bar and merrily ate our pizza.

Our Meal

La Gandhi: Sag Paneer (épinards cuisinés a l'indienne) et Baba Ganoush (le caviar de l'aubergine, crème de sésame, citron et ail) et parséme de mozzarella fondue

L'Aphrodite: Tranches d'aubergines grillées et marinées a l'ail, huile d'olive, pétales de piments rouges autour d'une louche de houmous maison....or eggplant pizza... fantastique!

Side note: I really don't eat Indian food.. I usually don't like it as a matter of fact..er rather I've mostly been too scared to try it - shocking I know. Any how. Sag Paneer is a pretty standard dish and my parents will be (REALLY) happy to know I ate Sag! It would take a pizza to get me to eat indian food, wouldn't it? Haha.

We boxed up our leftovers and left room for dessert :) We walked around my neighborhood (it's terrible having such good food walking distance from where I sleep. It's like having that mini-fridge/microwave next to your bed in college dorms) and found ourselves once more at Breizh Cafe.

They let us in without a reservation because we were just getting dessert and because they just knew we couldn't help ourselves. The dessert crepe itself was disappointing from the night before, but I know now to stick to my general rule of avoiding apple desserts in all restaurants unless it's one of two things: apple pie or apple crumble. I always find other apple desserts to be bland and unimpressive. This pomme crepe was boring indeed and infused intensely with an unpleasant liqueur. However, my strong recommendation to visit Breizh Cafe still stands.

Monday

As if the weekend couldn't get any better....

Fun Finds in Le Marais

1) cacao et chocolat Fun, little chocolate shop boasting impeccable chocolates for giving, cooking, snacking, and my personal favorite, eating in. I got myself a cup of their spicy hot cocoa, quite tasty. I love the French emphasis on chocolate rather than milk, as it always should be. Definitely not as spicy as Mexican hot cocoa though, which is how I like it in general.

2) Oliviers & Company

This is a small shop you'll also find in the U.S. They stock an assortment of mediterranean oils and spreads that could tease your palette before any meal. I fully intend on ordering a few jars when I return home. You'll also find other cooking supplies and olive-based beauty products. On the right is a picture of their beautiful chandelier of jars of olive oil. What a marvelous idea!

3) This is a two-part find. Couldn't seem to walk out of this hot botique a couple of blocks from my apartment where French designer Sophie Albou's collections are sold under the brand of Paul & Joe of which you have heard. While Amanda was trying on a few things, I heard this remix of Daniel Bedingfield's "The One." Love it. My friend Munish complains about me staying up way past my bedtime because I get wired on techno.. He thinks everything is techno. Whatever! I'd love a 24-7 dance party life. Anyway, check it out.

4) Wouldn't dream of leaving out Breizh Cafe

5) or my new loove: Pink Flamingo Pizza

The rest of Monday was incredibly touristy. After visiting Arc de Triumphe (don't try to cross the street to get there - you'll pretty much get killed - Thank God for underground passageways) we shopped on Champs- Élysées & Avenue George V stopping in Cartier, Hermes, and Brioni (a few of Ritam's favorite places.. haha (Ritam is Amanda's fiancee). I wouldn't mind a Cartier watch.........whatever, my Fossil works just fine. Of course, it was soon snacktime and we made our way into tea-party-esque Laduree for their highly acclaimed macaroons. Picked up six varieties: Pistachio, Mango, Vanilla, Rose, Praline, and Citrus. I liked the Rose and Mango best, but also the Pistachio, but to be quite frank, I'm not much of macaroon girl. It's really just frosting-y to me. You know when it comes down to it, I really just want my chocolat.

From there we walked all the way down Champs- Élysées through the Jardin du Tuiliri (a lovely garden with ponds) till we hit the Louvre. Here's a little map to give you an idea of all the places I've been visiting and how far apart they are.

A few snaps outside the Louvre and we were starved for lunch. By that time it was well into the afternoon so we turned south toward St. Germain des Pres where found a small cafe still open! Amanda ordered a traditional Croque Monsieur (Mr. Crunch!), and I had a Croque au Chevre.

My toasted sandwich was a nice change from the weather outside... and you know I will always have a special place in my heart for cucumbers. The stages of my childhood(ending in April!) can be marked appropriately: 1) Chicken-nugget-chicken-nugget! 2) Cucumber sandwiches! 3) Broccoli Monster! 4) Choco-holic!

After an American lady sitting next to us gave a lecture on our need to have a career back-up plan and proficiency in multiple languages, we set "sail" for Tour Eiffel. We didn't get there in time to watch the sun set over Paris, but at night they light it up and the tower sparkles like a sixth grader coated in Bath & Body Works glitter lotion. Gorgeous!

Took this on the way there...

The typical "up your skirt" shot

We took an elevator to the top (don't judge) where I found the view to be less than impressive...Maybe at night the city looks kinda boring. Also it was just so far away. I'll go back during the day and compare...and I'll take the stairs. The view from the lower levels were much better as the buildings were easier to recognize. Either way I much prefer breath-taking views of nature to urban ones.

All that elevator riding worked up our appetite so we Metro-ed off to the Latin Quarter for dinner. It's a fun place to roam around at night although it was a little bit dead on Monday night. Sundays and Mondays are days of rest/store closures. This guy started following us for quite a while begging for my photo and claiming I was Penelope Cruz...He didn't seem drunk, but appeared convinced as he chased us down the street and into a store. I actually hid in one of the aisles and we waited for a bit till he appeared to have left.

After that little escapade, we continued down the street Rue descartes where I spotted Taverne Les Olympiades, an Athenian restaurant. I'd seen it before when Laura and I had walked around the Latin Quarter a few weeks ago. I kept staring at the menu. Nothing on their menu looked remotely vegetarian, but I just felt compelled to continue looking as though something might magically appear. I felt drawn to eat there for whatever reason. After a while of looking at the menu, this elderly man came outside and started talking to me in French excitedly. Soon a younger woman who spoke English came and translated for a very confused me. He was saying it's the best Greek restaurant in Paris and someday, I should eat there. Well, that pretty much "done me" (as Eliza Doolittle would say) and I pulled Amanda's elbow inside. The woman working there didn't know any English. We tried to ask if there was anything vegetarian and she had a woman at a table across the room help her. I ended up with something called "saganaki" and it was one of the best things I've ever eaten and needless to say the best Greek food I've had in my life, though that's not saying much. All in all, now that my stomach's on board, I really am looking forward to Greece this summer with my best friend.

Anyway as it turns out, saganaki is a square of fried Greek cheese. If your mind is veering toward mozzarella cheese sticks, don't let it, 'cause it's entirely different. The plate also had some other greek side dish that I really couldn't distinguish.. possibly some sort of eggplant caviar or.. gosh, I really couldn't figure out what it was, but the dressing was delicious.

It also came with salad and these seasoned potatoes. .. Best 8 Euros I've spent! Amanda had moussaka for about 11 euros. If it didn't have beef, I would've tried it. It really looked amazing.

After a pleasant meal in the cozy restaurant, we went home to sink into the old sofa in my living room and finish off the rest of the macaroons.

Seeing a french person smile is like catching a butterfly

2009-01-23T18:31:00.010+01:00

Location: La salle de séjour
Currently listening: Yelle - Je veux te voir
Weather: The ache-y kinda cold

Fun Finds in Paris:
1) Electro French singer Yelle. I went out with my friends Jennie and Laura (Longhorns) to Club Mix for a party hosted by ERASMUS, international students organization. The place was massive and there were I-don't-know-how-many people from all over the world. Lots of French techno music with intermittent breaks of American rap or pop. Had so much fun, but very, very crowded. Sometimes smaller, less crowded clubs can be better 'cause you have a little more room to move. But God was it nice to see people from all over because that is one place where people are willing to make a little effort at broken English, or I mean dancing is it's own form of communication...This Italian guy asked me if I wanted to be Italian for the evening and handed me his Italian flag sticker haha. Speaking of Italians, all the girls are in love with my European Model professor. Class title quite fitting. He speaks Italian and French, but has been working in the UK so his English accent is a bit muddled which I find entertaining. Anyway, what a tangent! Bottom line: Listen to Yelle!

2) PAUL One word:Délicieux

What-the-French!

"It's bound to melt your heart" - Jenny Lewis

2009-01-20T10:47:00.011+01:00

Location: The sofa that may or may not be the roof over the head of Francois the mouse.

Currently Listening: Melt your heart by Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins

Weather: It's warmed up a tad, still very much coat/glove weather.

Le Recap'

Friday

The second I got to my uncle's flat in Mumbai, I was whisked off to the salon to get a much needed haircut. Don't worry it's still long, but I have a heck of lot more layers and bangs. I think it kinda looks like Ashlee Simpson in her Pieces of Me days, which I find troublesome, but sometimes it falls nicely. After that, we all left for the hotel in Powai, ate a terribly late dinner, and crashed for the night.

The new hair.

Saturday

Dance Practice.

My aunt hired a choreographer to teach everyone a few dances to perform at the Sangeet that night. It's essentially a talent show for the bride. A few of the married couples performed a dance - OMG hilarious to watch them learn how their dance. All of the wives complained about how their husbands had two left feet - and then all of the cousins learned a dance that made fun of the groom. We all ended up forgetting the steps except for my cousin Divya, who can actually dance.

Prabha Nani (My grandmother's sister) doesn't need dance lessons (or singing lessons for that matter). She busted out to a rather sultry song. It was pretty much fantastic.

Got a tiny glimpse of India outside the hotel when Dad and I went shopping. Picked up a few presents for loved ones and a kurti (Short Indian top, which is long by American standards). Seriously, I needed about 10 outfits for the whole weekend 'cause weddings are like living in a Bollywood movie where you have a costume change every 5 seconds.

Mehndi.

Several quite talented ladies came to decorate the women's hands with mehndi (Henna). Meanwhile, the men kept themselves busy with poker. My hands look pretty awesome right now, but later confused the immigration officer into thinking I was just married. The food at the Mehndi was so so tasty. People were making papadi chat and aloo tikis right on the spot for the guests. Papadi chat is like these wheat chip/crackers covered in yoghurt, spices, sweet and hot sauces, tomatoes, onions, and variety of other toppings. Think of it like an Indian version of Nachos. Aloo tikis are like mashed potatoes patties fried until golden brown. They are salty, spicy, and an eensy bit sour because they put aamchur, which is mango powder. They also cover these in the same toppings as I mentioned before. I was happy that the open bar (which was available at every event- although quite surprisingly the drinking age is 21) served fresh coconuts to drink the water from. Refreshing!

I was completely amazed by this guy making bangles at the Mehndi. He melted and shaped beeswax and swirled in colors from the blocks of solidified paint.

Sangeet.

Later that night we attended the Sangeet. At the bar I found myself a kiwi margarita! This could be completely ordinary, but I've never heard of such before. The open bar led to a rather drunken night of dancing for the entire lot in the hall that literally was transformed into a discotheque with crazy lights and blasting techno-bhangra. Prior to this, my relatives all performed dances for Monika.

I did a little number with my cousins Neha, Divya, Vibhu and Pranav.

It was interesting to say the least......

We also had a little champagne-cake birthday celebration in there somewhere to celebrate Neha's 22nd birthday. Rule#1: Neha's birthday first, Monika and Ram's wedding anniversary second!

Sunday

The next morning my cousins and I went to Monika's room where the bride and groom's sides exchanged gifts. I got a shnazzy gold evening purse!

Bharat.

Traditionally, the groom arrives at the wedding on horseback. The groom's side leads him dancing all the way to the Mandap (the tent where the ceremony takes place). It's like a great big parade with a band and everything! Holy crap was it hot though! It must have been a hundred degrees and with all that dancing, oh boy.

Just before we decorated his face with all of those flowers for the Bharat. Haha he couldn't see anything!!! The flowers are supposed to hide the bride from the groom's view.

Wedding.

The wedding ceremony was fun to watch. It's nice being related to the groom 'cause you automatically get a good seat in the mandap. I can't imagine how terribly hot Monika must've been under all those layers of fabric and jewelry!

Reception.

After a shower and much needed nap, I made my way to the reception. Lots and lots of foood. Greek food, Thai food, lots of desserts, and of course Indian food. I think I am becoming more and more okay with Indian food which I've rejected for the greater part of my life. For whatever strange reason, Mumbai has a noise ordinance so the band had to stop playing at 10:30pm because we were outside. Rather unfortunate in terms of dancing, but later there was dancing inside the convention center.

Left everyone more than tipsy at the reception at about 12:30 (the party did not stop apparently till several hours later) for a quick nap and left an hour later for the airport to catch my 4am flight to Paris(That was pretty much awful timing). Must comment on the complete disaster of the airport in Mumbai. They had 12 people manning the gate to keep boarding in order. What the heck! How unnecessary. Oh wait, this is India and no one follows any rules or understands the concept of a line. Oh did I mention they changed the gate of my flight and failed to announce it? Yeah, there's something called a screen. Get one so I can least figure it out on my own if you don't tell me! Also, I was really annoyed that they hired the equivalent of Indian "dumb blondes" to work the airports who just flirted with people via cell phone instead of answering my questions like "where the heck do I go?"

Anyway, I made it eventually to Paris so that's all that matters. I actually felt a bit of relief like I was returning home.

Green Acres is the place to be!

2009-01-16T19:38:00.002+01:00

Location: The Residence Hotel Mumbai, India
Currently Listening: Some african beats playing in the lobby

Just a few words. Made it safely to India and my Mama's (mom's brother) flat at Green Acres. I cannot express how thrilled I am to be here! I just met Nana Ji's (grandfather) brother and Nani Ji's (grandmother) baby sister for the very first time. I feel so blessed to have met them. :)

Right now I'm actually in the hotel where the wedding events will take place. Fun Fact: The Residence is a Zero Trans Fat Food Hotel. You know I approve!

Better catch some shut eye before the wedding events begin!

Fruits of the Sea and Apples of the Earth!

2009-01-16T07:15:00.010+01:00

Location: Dubai International Airport

Currently Listening: Daily Routine by Animal Collective

Weather: 63F Partly Cloudy

I'm sitting around in the airport....for a SEVEN HOUR LAYOVER. Oh God, not again! So that means I'm not really enjoying the warmer weather. I'm all cuddled up in my peacoat in the freezing airport. I will be in the sun soon enough. Apparently it's in the nineties in Mumbai. I am way too excited for the wedding. I have never been to a wedding in India!! I wish my sisters were coming.

Fun Finds in the United Arab Emirates

1) A Lindt chocolatier has a permanent stand where you can watch him make chocolates. I nearly drooled at the sight of churning the melted chocolate. If that wasn't heaven enough, I had a little taste of some of the dark chocolate. Cheered me up quite a bit!

2) Best hummus known to mankind. I got here at what 6:30AM? Thank you, Dad! And I'm here till 1:20pm. Good Lord! Anyway starved out of my mind, but of course the dollar sucks and every food item was like what the heck expensive. After walking around for a few hours I finally found some hummus and toasted italian bread for 13 Dirhams!!!! That's about $3.50. Boy, was it fantastic, and the paprika was the most beautiful red I've ever seen. I also walked by some Spanish saffron in a duty-free shop that was nearly intoxicating.

3) Emirates Airlines has over 200 movies to choose from on their airplanes in Economy. What the heck? American Airlines, you need to step it upppp.

4) In the airport bathrooms I found a little surprise near the toilet. A spray faucet. In case your bum is missing the comforts of Charmin, feel free to use the hand held spray faucet. I guess that's better than the water buckets they use in India. Good thing I packed Charmin-To-Go!

So I got my first ounce of being homesick. . France really isn't the place to be if you don't speak French. Don't expect any police officer, information desk worker, or really anyone to know English. It was a disaster trying to figure out if I had boarded the right train (the trains are much more confusing then the Metro - I can handle the Metro). Getting on the wrong train is no good 'cause you can't just get off and pick up another 2 seconds later going back to where you came from. The trains hit the suburbs and go off into the darkness outside the city. As far as struggling with no one knowing even a little bit of English, I have travelled to many countries and never encountered such difficulty. I know I shouldn't expect the public to, but really can't the Information desk in a main train station or airport know a word or two!? I guess when I go to India there are places where no one knows English, but I know plenty of Hindi to survive. Honestly, I wanted to go to a Spanish-speaking country, but I didn't feel ready to take market coursework in spanish, which was they only option. I am practicing French every day now though. I hope I can stuff whatever I read in my phrasebook in my head well enough for recall. I am also trying to take an extra class in French on top of my regular schedule, which actually got changed up considerably. ESCP offers a lot of team and individual sports. I think I might pick up fencing, yoga or whatever "rock" dancing entails. ..

Tuesday:
Marketing Communication
Brand Management

Thursday:
International Business Management
Does the European construction lead to a European Model?

Friday:
(Hopefully) French for Beginners

What-the-French! (I plan to make this a regular column like Fun Finds)

I was reading a menu the other day and was remarkably confused by the crepe selection. Tip: Fruits de la mer ... I interpreted this as fruits of the sea, but I'll have you know this is NOT tropical fruit. It's seafood! Haha, what a disaster. I also started to get confused because I noticed "pommes" was used interchangeably for both apples and potatoes. Fun fact: "Pommes" means apples, and to say potatoes, you say "pommes de la tierre." Apples of the Earth.

Put me in your suitcase...

2009-01-15T00:39:00.003+01:00

Location: L'sofa? haha whatever.
Currently Listening: Devendra Banhart - At the hop
Weather: Cloudy 37F

...so then I don't have to buy a ticket to any of the places I should be visiting but can't aaaaaffford. Everyone is making quite expensive plans for trips throughout Europe. I am holding off and trying to find good deals to places I have never been before, but I'm not really having much luck. On a far brighter note, I stuffed my belly with some yummy crepes yesterday. I met up with Brooke and Emily finally who are here to study French at their strangely numbered universities. Beats Me. We went out to a bar with some friends I met at ESCP to celebrate a friend's birthday. My stomach hasn't adjusted well to the cheeses here so as I have been in a constant state of cheese hangover, the sauvignon I ordered did not go down so well. I would blame my lactose intolerance, but Kristina's (She goes to THE Sorbonne) been here for several months now and she says even her stomach hurts from the cheeses here.

After leaving the bar we just walked up the street and found this cute little place that served crepes with chocolate of all different colors called Marche ou Crepe. I had a savory crepe... here they call them galettes..( I feel like the same word is used to describe this almond pastry I ate the other day) they are made of buckwheat and are a bit thicker. Mine was filled with chevre (goat cheese), epinard (spinach), and emmental(swiss cheese). Brooke and I split a dessert crepe, really quite too much, don't intend to attempt that again, filled with chocolate and caramel. Bit too chewy. I prefer lighter ones with berries. Regardless, definitely plan on returning again (under 5 euros each- heck yes). Can someone put a creperie on the Drag back home? Say yes!

Tomorrow morning I have to take a silly test over the seminars I've been attending. Basically a test over the European Union, French history and culture, and a couple of other things that I conveniently slept through. After class, I'll be off to Mumbai for the weekend YESSSSS! I fly from Paris to Dubai with a rather unfortunately long layover (I can shop I suppose) and then reach India Friday evening. My cousin Ram whom I affectionately call Dinky is getting hitched. I am so excited. Hopefully I will remember to take my camera, speaking of which I can't find the camera wire which is why my posts have been devoid of pictures.

Still have not gotten a cell phone aka social enabler. David and I checked out a few phone shops, but they were all out of the cheap phones. Fun fact: It costs more to buy a sim card by itself then to buy a phone with a sim card. France is strange.

Good bye, Paris, for now. I shall return Monday afternoon in time for class!

"Days you spend wanting some of Michael Landon's grace" - Sondre Lerche

2009-01-11T23:37:00.009+01:00

Location: Mon lit (I think that means my bed..)

Currently Listening: Sondre Lerche's Two Way Monologue

Weather: Still Foggy -3C (27F)

Fun finds on the Metro:

1) Watched a guy roll a joint

2) An old lady was carrying a shopping bag for "D'Shop The Hip Hop Shop."

3) A man was jamming out to some really loud(like filled up the platform) Middle Eastern music off his cell phone... I kind of wanted to shout OH HOT DAMN, THIS IS MY JAM! (Yay, Flo Rida)

Metro advice:

RATP (Paris transport) has a website: www.ratp.com which has a trip-planner that will figure out the fastest way to get from one address to the other, or with the least transfers or shortest walking distances. Oh, and the RATP works can totally show up randomly and ask you for your ticket. They were checking them this evening and I almost couldn't find the one I was using. Word on the street is that there are some serious consequences for being caught without a ticket. Don't plan on finding out what that entails...

Spent a lovely afternoon in the Louvre today. I really do not care for the Pyramid. I think it just covers up the architecture of the main building, which is absolutely magnificent. I loved peeking out the windows on the higher floors to take a closer look at the carvings. We didn't have time to see too much but the sculpture gardens and the Italian and French paintings. I'm still amazed by the process of sculpting stone and working with such a large stone slab. One look at those statues will leave any person stumped. As my parents and I walked around we passed by several artists (one looked about 8 years old) sketching various pieces of art and felt a certain lack of skill within ourselves. I can't remember who my mother was quoting when she said to lack skill is a sin. I pretty much vary from terrible to mediocre in regard to all things creative (obviously not a question of level of appreciation, but simply of the task of doing such). I need to pick something I know how to do and learn to excel at it (I did not go to finishing school like my oldest sister).

At night, we strolled down Champs Elysse. All the trees are beautifully lit this time of year. We actually stopped at....STARBUCKS. Yes, I understand it's a crime to go to Starbucks in Europe, but I have been desperate to find some soy milk (otherwise I have to live without my breakfast staple oatmeal). I am really worried about not getting enough protein since I can't find tofu or tempeh or bean sprouts or chickpeas or lentils. So far all I've got are hummus and dairy products. Anyway, I was actually able to order a soy hot chocolate! Yay. I overheard the cashier telling the barista to make a Soja Chocolat and was able to find out that Soja (soy milk) can be found at Mono Prix (that crazy huge grocery store). FTW! ( That was for you, Paddy). Guess what they sell at Starbucks. Yes, that's right for 2 Euro 50 you can get three mini pancakes. Apparently they eat them cold with caramel or chocolate syrup. Strange, but truly resemble American pancakes (except in size). Obviously everything is smaller here, especially the people. Sorry, but fat people are a rarity. C'mon America get with the program. Exercise. Eat smaller portions. Stop being so sedentary! I know they use cream a lot here in foods, but it's still much less in saturated fats than dairy in the U.S. Foods are just more natural and healthier overall, but really it's the small quantities that make such a big difference.

For dinner, we went to Dragon Elysse a second down a cross street of Champs Elysse. It was like Circuit City meets Las Vegas meets aquarium. There were lots of flashing lights and red metal railings and staircases and the floors were glass atop pools of fish swimming around. This chinese/thai restaurant wasn't any different all of the other restaurants in Paris that just don't seem to be aware of vegetarianism. The long menu had 2 dishes that appeared to be végétarien, one of which I ordered but ended up having shrimp despite the waiter's confirmation of no meat. Oh, and our spring rolls also ended up having, meat. Did I mention we still had to pay 9 Euros for the spring rolls we couldn't eat? Yay. The dish of chinese broccoli and green beans was quite tasty though! Another thing you'll find is that making substitutions is really American culture so don't bother trying especially if you barely speak French. And you won't find tofu on any Asian restaurant menu or fortune cookies. I honestly couldn't care less for fortune cookies. I only ever read the fortune. I think society is better off without them. No one needs the extra calories after finishing a meal. It's really a waste of paper and plastic! Okay, the tree-hugger is done talking.

Trying to get home on the Metro was a disaster. Dad and I tried to take a train home, but when we got to the station all these strange French announcements were being played on the loudspeaker leaving us English-speakers worried. We tried to board the train, but every single person got off the Metro and they turned off the lights - we knew something must be really wrong. The sign still read another train coming in 7 minutes, but they made yet another announcement and slowly just about everyone was heading to the Sortie (exit). We found a RATP (Paris transport) worker and found out that our line was closed off for the next few stations (including the one next to my apt) and would have to walk home. Someone had fallen under the train...

Walking home was difficult. We couldn't find a street map, and didn't know how to ask for directions since know one knew the small street I lived off of.. We found a few young girls who knew how to get to Saint-Sébastien - Froissart station (which I know how to get home from) and sent us down in the proper direction on Rue du Temple. Unfortunately, the streets in Paris are mostly confusing. Every block the streets fork and you have to keep checking to make sure you are still on the same street. Every passing minute the confusion mounted as the temperature dropped. Finally, we saw a cab that came to our rescue and took us home safely. So glad. Note to self: Never leave home without cab money, street map, and back-up plan!

"There's no words to describe it in French or in English" - Citizen Cope

2009-01-11T02:08:00.010+01:00

Location: L'appartement
Currently Listening: Still Ghost Town soundtrack...Sideways by Citizen Cope
Weather: Foggy -8°C (18°F)

Got way lost in the subway today. Actually it wasn't bad at all. All the lines have two names. If you go say north, the name of the line is the last station you'll hit. If you go south, it's the last station you hit. Would've been nice to know that... haha. I also did not know how to open the subway door and missed my stop. Live and learn, right?! The metro stations are fun though. You get to hear really great music - sometimes an accordion player..I heard a violin rendition of "My heart will go on" as well, although I've obviously would've picked a better song. I had to sing that for choir in the 5th grade. Can you imagine having to practice Celine Dion daily for weeks? Torture. Oh P.S. There was definitely choreography..

Anyway, after getting off at one stop too far I had a long walk down Boulevard Voltaire to get to my parents' "oh-tel". That place has everything times two: salons, undistinguishable globs of meat, discount stores, brasseries (no that does not refer to bras), chocolat, electronics, and signs for Happy Phone. Definitely wouldn't pick up one of those, I have no desire to figure out who is at the other end of that line........

Met up with Mummy and Papa and sat down for "le petit déjeuner" (French breakfast, typically light) in a nearby patisserie. That's still the only French word I can say properly.

We headed first to Cathédrale Notre Dame, have a lot to pray about these days. The place, as one would imagine, is breath-taking with its intricate scenes of stained glass and peaceful aura. It's a strange feeling you get walking into a place like that..knowing important people who have done great things have been exactly where you're standing. I think I might have to go back there and audio-guide it to hear more of the history.

I ventured into the glam side of Paris that everyone knows and loves. Ah, mon cherie, mon Paris! Spent the afternoon shopping in Galeries Lafayette - 10 stories of shopping glory and wonder. Couldn't afford a single thing. Mom and I spent a bit ogling at the Swarovski nook. We both lost our earrings in Paris. All this taking clothes on and off, you're bound to lose something...

At night, my roommate Laura and I visited the Latin Quarter. It's lively, full of restaurants and brasseries and reminded me of Covent Garden in London. We had intended to meet up with some Longhorns also studying at ESCP, but somehow missed their happy hour at Cafe Delmas. By "somehow" I mean Laura and I left way late from the apartment and also had to go back because I left my gloves at home. After that setback, we perused the area browsing all the menus posted outside the restaurants. I hope I can find places to eat that actually serve something vegetarian besides Sandwich 4 Formagge (four cheeses and bread) and that is affordable. 17+ Euros my arse! I know these restaurants serve their purpose, but where do all the people eat on a regular basis? I guess back home I'm used to going to cheap/moderately priced eateries all the time.

We wandered somewhere outside the Latin Quarter and fell upon Crêpes à Gogo. HELL YEAH (Said that in the most Jeff Kramer voice possible). Got seated at a cozy table for two next to the heater. Tres awesome! There were so many crepes I almost started drooling at the menu. Laura ended up with Crepes Gourmande...laced with hot chocolate and toasted almonds and topped with ice cream. I kind of wanted something flambed but didn't really want apples, which I believe the waiter said was the only thing I could get as a filling with the various alcohols. What does cointreau taste like? Never tried it before. I ended up with crepes covered in Bailey's with a little scoop of Bailey's ice cream and sprinkled with coffee beans. De-lish, but seriously there was an entire shot of Bailey's poured over that crepe, totally drenched. Rachel(the bff) probably would have wet her pants over it. Anyway, Laura and I promised ourselves to go-go back and delight our bellies once more.

Our waiter sent us in the direction of Mono Prix, a 3-level grocery store where I picked up essentials: soy sauce, green beans, oatmeal, and risotto. I was really tempted to pick up a basil plant, but I tried to grow one in Edinburgh and that failed(It rains there incessantly). I also got mocked for eating leaves. Thank you, Monica, Lauren, and Karina! This cold weather = certain doom for that tiny plant.

Completely unrelated, but just got an email from my sister that I just had to share with you. LOVE YOU, SONIYA:)

"HI Saloni,

Be safe in Paris. Don't take any taxis with people you don't know (not to scare you but someone told me about how there are some people who get you to share a taxi with them, they find out where you live, and then they kidnap you for ransom later. Again, don't want to scare you, but I want you to be safe.

Love,
Soniya"

Well, it's time to make another attempt at getting rid of my jet lag so until next time, amigos.

C'est la vie en rose

2009-01-10T00:54:00.005+01:00

Location: L'appartement
Currently Listening: the soundtrack of Ghost Town

Paris! Paris! How long it has been since I saw you last! I am not used to kissing all these strangers. The lady who greeted me to give me the tour of the apartment laid two nice big ones on me, much to my discomfort. By tour I mean walked from room to room explaining in great, complex detail how to work all the really old appliances. I'm only somewhat frightened by the fact that I need to light the stove and oven with a match. After many breaks for food and exploring, I am finally settled in my lovely apartment in Le Marais("marshland") district in the heart of Paris. It's apparently home to a large Jewish Community (I miss Kevin and his latkas and RachelB).

I am in Paris from now until mid-May to study at École supérieure de commerce de Paris–École européenne des affaires aka The European School of Management. Fun fact: It is the oldest institution dedicated to business education in the world. I will be taking a total of four courses in marketing and European economics. More details on those once I make it through a rather painful, week-long orientation, or so my friend from ESCP tells me. I was lucky enough to have an exchange student from ESCP, who shared quite a bit of insight, in my marketing research class last semester.

My first day here I essentially spent with my parents walking around aimlessly in the 3rd arrondisiment. Dad amused himself asking strangers questions simply to listen to the French he needless to say doesn't understand. I am working on my French....which basically means I hope to get to a point where I can enter a restaurant, order a meal, and pay without making a fool of myself. What I've seen of Paris so far looks much like NYC...lots of graffiti, busy strangers, and hobos- and the drive from the airport - so industrial. It's not as charming as I remembered, and definitely not as charming as Vienna. I can't wait to go exploring and find the less-tampered nitches full of character. Bit hard though. My body has not adjusted to the freezing weather. I'll be fine in a day or two and possibly will rack up the courage to use my 50 Walks in Paris flash card set Karina gave me for Christmas. We (my roommates Laura & Blair and I) did go out to a little supermarché, Franprix...small and cute as grocery stores should be. I felt like a kid set loose in a candy store wanting to buy everything to try at least once. I kept picking up the wrong things 'cause I didn't know what the labels said. Buttermilk or regular?Shampoo or conditioner? Tomato sauce or tomato soup!? It can get confusing pretty quickly. I feel like I was less confused in Austria...but maybe that's because Lauren was a fantastic guide, having visited there several times. Regardless, pictures for the silly Americans, si'l vous plait! I bought some random things like tortellini with aubergine (eggplant) and what Laura and I thought may or may not be butter. I thought I was buying frozen yellow tomatoes, but they ended up being yellow bell peppers. Oh and I saw COCONUT yogurt?? Très sketchy. I need to find an actual market. There must be a little farmer's market somewhere in this city. .

All things go, all things go

2009-01-08T21:24:00.006+01:00

Location: Dallas Love Field Airport

Currently Listening: Chicago by Sufjan Stevens

Days of travel are always filled with enough emotions to drive out any sane fibers inside the body. Upon arrival at Dallas Love, my suitcases seemed as though they’d been rigged to fall off the smartecarte. My new winter hat (Yes, Chris, the one I opened a credit card to purchase – haha long story!) blocked all peripheral vision so I’m not quite sure if Professor Quirrell was anywhere nearby muttering spells under his breath. This nice man (God, I’m going to miss Texas) seriously put them on the cart about 12 times as the police men just stared, probably in disappointment of today’s young generation and their inability to part with material belongings. So much for packing lightly and living with European simplicity! Thoreau would not be proud, but I will say this. I was under the check-in limit on both pieces of luggage. I blame my sudden fit of apathy whilst packing for not being more exact.

I don’t know what it is about this airport, but it seems like everyone here is looking for a little action. Is there something romantic about airports? Meeting strangers or perhaps it has something to do with the mindset of the traveler. I always feel as though I am in a dream-like state when I am on the go and let reality slip far back into the depths of my mind.

“Everytime I talk to a beautiful woman she’s going to college!” That was the rather disappointed airport security worker after discovering my plans to study rather than travel for business/pleasure. Not sure how to react to that one. It’s general consensus that I look about 16 so it was a bit pedophile-esque that he was trying to hit on me. Although really that was nothing after I walked by the shoe shining area and a 70-year-old man winked at me. I thought to myself, are you kidding me? He did not just do that. I looked back thinking that must've been a twitch, but no, the creeper smile was waiting for me. Needless to say I walked away quickly. About twenty minutes later, my elderly waiter at Chili's asked me if I wanted him to check me out. I'm just going to pretend that was related to some sort of language barrier. But really, it's incidents like these (and the essentially zero interaction I've had with my grandparents) that just augment my feelings of weariness and discomfort towards the elderly. I hope one day that will change. Anyway, this is starting to sound like Dr. Phil. I promise you much more exciting entries upon my departure of the U.S. to where the grass really is greener on the other side. Well, I'm off to Chicago for a bit of a layover where I will meet up with Mummy and Papa before jetting off to Paris! Kiss, kiss!

Blue Star Cafeteria

2008-08-07T07:27:00.006+02:00

Blue Star Cafeteria.

Not quite a cafeteria. Blue Star is a sleek, clean cafe. A modern diner with retro lighting and deco that serves up ordinary food with a twist.

Our meals were decently priced but the dishes were nothing more than a-okay tasting. I guess it is a cafeteria after all.

Perfect Pumpkin Chip Cookies

2008-07-31T18:40:00.007+02:00

Sorry dears, no picture this time. I hope you will still consider this recipe. In general, I strictly avoid recipes without pictures. I am rather visual and prefer to have something to serve as a guide and means of comparison, but I assure you these cookies (should) turn out a lovely golden brown with a hint of orange in color.

These chocolate chip pumpkin cookies truly are impeccable in their simplicity and spiced goodness. I went on a hunt to find a pumpkin cookie that still tasted like a cookie. I'm quite particular about my chocolate chip cookies. I want something chewy and gooey that still maintains it's freshness the next day and doesn't dry out and get hard. But when it comes to pumpkin cookies, I often find them to be cakey and taste more towards the likes of a muffin top. Every single recipe I found - and I did in fact venture out of my realm of trusted websites and blogs - presented recipes for such cookies and so none were suitable. I realized then that I was taking the wrong approach. I closed all of those windows and went back to basics. If I want it to taste more like a chocolate chip cookie, then well, I suppose it should have been obvious that I start with one.

Essentially I took this recipe for Guittard's Original Chocolate Chip Cookie - but really just take your favorite trusted chocolate chip cookie recipe unless you're making cookies for me, of course - and add everything that you find in pumpkin pie! The cookies were softer because of the pumpkin, but really lovely and with one bite, my friends and I drifted off to pumpkin heaven.

Perfect Pumkin Chip Cookies

Ingredients

- Fresh Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (You know, the amount that always says it makes several dozen, tiny cookies, but really makes about 2-3 dozen)

- 2/3 Canned Pumpkin* (I suppose you could try this with fresh pumpkin, but I can't tell you how this will change the texture of the cookie, could in fact help make to cookie less on the soft side and more on the chewy cookie side)

- 1.5 tbs. pumpkin spice** (a combination of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, allspice)

- 2 handfuls of pecan halves (make the cookie taste like Thanksgiving)

Directions

If you've got the chocolate chip cookie going in the kitchen, I say before you add the chips to make things easier for yourself, spoon in the pumpkin and the pumpkin spice, and work it in really well. If you're not frightened of raw eggs, give the dough a go and see if it's spiced and pumpkin-filled to your liking. Go easy on the pumpkin. If you add too much, you'll get a muffin and we are not baking for moose! Follow up with a bag of only the best packaged chocolate chips - Guittard semi-sweet - or venture into bulk foods or imported chocolates section and find yourself something you trust. Then nicely chop the pecans to your liking and stir the dough till everything is mixed in evenly.

Spoon out dough about two inches apart on parchment paper lined cookie sheet if you have it, otherwise leave the pan ungreased. Bake for about 10 minutes until golden turning around halfway. I find that not everyone appears to make cookies on cookie sheets. Seriously guys, it makes a difference in how the cookies turn out. I like my shiny silver cookie sheet that, no matter how bad it's been scratched, never fails to bring my cookies to that perfect consistency.

*There's now a company besides Libby's that cans pumpkin, and it's organic! Farmer's Market Organic Pumpkin. I have seen it at Whole Foods, not sure where else you can find it.

**A word of advice. Buy your spices from the bulk foods section. It's definitely cheaper in the short run and the long run since you don't have to pay for packaging! Plus, spices taste better fresh. Who wants to eat ground ginger that's been sitting in your cabinet for God knows how long?

My friends enjoyed these cookies very much, one of whom was my best friend and coincidentally my best/worst critic. I know when it comes to sweets, if I have to ask her if she likes it, then the dessert is sub-par, but if she asks for seconds and tells me she likes it on her own repeatedly that it's a hit, and thankfully that was the case this time. Unfortunately the cookies did not live to see the next day - they did, however, make it to the 10 o'clock showing of Prince Caspian at the dollar cinema 'cross town - so I cannot tell you how they taste the following day or any number of days after. But when I make these again, assuming they last more than 2 hours, I'll edit this entry and let you know.

I also plan to experiment again and see if I can come up with a Pumpkin-less Pumpkin Pie Cookie that imitates a pumpkin pie but maintains more the of the chocolate chip cookie texture that we have all come to know and love. I think I'll try making chocolate chip cookies again, but only add the pumpkin pie spice or maybe toss in some dried pumpkin shavings if those exist.

Now, if anyone has any recipes calling for cherry preserves, I'll be off to the kitchen. And as they say in Kenya, tigara buya (stay well)!

Cheaper by the cheesecake?

2008-07-31T08:11:00.006+02:00

That's right. Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake. One Dolla Fiftee.

In celebration of the Cheesecake Factory's 30 Year Anniversary they served up $1.50 slices (normally about $7 or $8) to dine-in customers. Yes, we all know the cheesecake is great but the food here isn't even worth mentioning. The Cheesecake Factory can't do food right. Karina's salad was gross. My grilled cheese on egg bread was lacking that buttery crunchy toast and the cheese wasn't even melted. The Rachels thought their Four Cheese Pasta was alright, but the others didn't even bother ordering entrees. Food here is always terrible. Their partner restaurant Grand Lux at least can do food right.

Our selection of cakes:

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cheesecake with Caramel - White chocolate cheesecake is nice if you're not look for an overload of milk or dark chocolate, but I'll have to say the whole macadamia nuts doesn't seem to fit in well with the cheesecake. It's like they tried to jam the wrong puzzle piece in just 'cause it kinda sounded nice together. It really does make a much better cookie.

Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake - My favorite. I prefer the delicate, light texture and the smooth blend of chocolate and the cheesecake.

Oreo Mudslide - The only one that was actually too bothersome to eat. It took forever to muddle through one spoonful. Just way too rich.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake - Essentially cheesecake atop traditional cookie dough. You get exactly what you ask for.

I don't really have anything to say about the Tuxedo Creme other than it was good and well-decorated on the plate.

Another friend ordered banana something or the other. It was blah-tasting. That whole banana creme flavor tastes artificial to me. I think my friend Shyam put it well. It tastes like Laffy Taffy. It also didn't look very appealing on the plate. That cake needs some work!

On the whole, Cheesecake Factory has good cheesecake. Lots of choices. Just pick the best ones! Be ready to cough up eight bucks a slice (they've upped the price, and dropped in size) except on what we all hope will be a yearly celebration of $1.50 cheesecake.

Baked Butternut Penne

2008-07-31T06:34:00.003+02:00

Baked Butternut Penne

My take on this recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/BUTTERNUT-SQUASH-AND-HAZELNUT-LASAGNE-105911. I guess this is what happens when you buy all the stuff to make lasagne and forget the noodles! For as long as I spend making grocery lists and analyzing recipes, when I get to the grocery store I get distracted by all of the different foods shouting out to me. Shopping with me is like setting a little kid loose in candy store. And with all the good stores sampling out delightful desserts on the weekends, I do indeed walk out with a sugar-high (and a money-low). As far as this recipe goes, that butternut tastes good alone!! It would make make an excellent side dish. Especially if you add a little green spinach for color. Dad and I kept snacking on it throughout all the cooking. Bad idea though it's sooo filling. I felt a little full before I even served dinner haha.

But if you have time, this baked penne is a breath of fresh air when all those store-bought-jar-sauce-pastas start to run together. It's colorful - red, green, white and yellow - and the butternut gives a nice sweet-salty combination. Using freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano makes this dish so I beg you- do not pick up Kraft packaged Parmesan and take the easy way out. I loved this dish because it has a lot of texture with the soft squash and pine nuts that give it a bite. Often you'll find lasagne and baked pasta dishes overrun with marinara. The Baked Butternut Penne has a nice white sauce for a change, but tomatoes are so good I'd rather use diced ones to maintain that taste of light freshness in the baked penne. Well, I hope you can sit around the table one evening and enjoy this penne with your family and friends!

For squash filling
3 scallions, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 cloves minced garlic
salt and freshly ground pepper to season
salt-free Italian seasoning

pine nuts

For sauce
3 cloves teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 cups milk
salt-free Italian seasoning
salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

For assembling casserole:
1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (5 oz)
15 oz wheat penne, cooked al dente
diced tomatoes
fresh spinach

Preparation

Make filling:
Cook scallion in butter in a deep pan or wok over moderate heat, stirring occasionally. Add squash, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is just tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Italian seasoning and nuts. Cool filling.

Make sauce while squash cooks:
Cook garlic in butter in a large, heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring, 1 minute. Whisk in flour into melted butter, whisking, 3 minutes. Add milk in a stream, whisking. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, then reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, 10 minutes. Whisk in salt and black pepper and remove from heat. (Cover surface of sauce with wax paper if not using immediately.)

Assemble casserole:
Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a large mixing bowl mix penne, ¾ of the parmigiano, squash filling, diced tomatoes, and fresh spinach. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in a 13- by 9- by 2-inch glass baking dish and cover with all of penne mix. Pour over remaining sauce and sprinkle with remaining parmigiano. Sprinkle Italian seasoning. Bake for 15 minutes.

Summer Fresh Strawberry Lemonade

2008-07-28T08:46:00.005+02:00

Sometimes it's not just about the food. Sealing the deal on a home-cooked meal is topping off your deliciously prepared food with a pitcher of a complementing beverage. It is always nice to give the drink a personal touch even if it's not completely home-made by adding something special like fresh fruit. My indian family drinks the same thing with every meal: a glass of chilled water with a slice of lemon to kill the germs and no ice to save your throat...possibly even to prevent unsightly chewing or sucking of ice cubes.

One night I decided to surprise my parents by serving them America's favorite summery drink: Lemonade. My lemonade of choice is Simply Lemonade. It's a great natural taste at a good price. To spice things up, or more appropriately sweeten and color things up, I pureed a pint of fresh strawberries and added that to the pitcher of lemonade. The strawberries give this drink a bright red, happy color and delightful twist on regular lemonade. I like to leave a few small chunks in the lemonade to keep the drink a little exciting, but to give a completely smooth look be sure to puree the strawberries a good while keeping an eye out for chunks of strawberry.

Quiche Queen Goes Florentine

2008-07-21T03:29:00.004+02:00

Quiche Florentine

Mmm, mmm, mmm. Quiche is so good. Especially when that crust is done right, buttery and flaky, it can really complement that savory egg flavor. Naturally, when it came time to make quiche I consulted my favorite gal pal, Martha.

Before we get started here, I'm just going to say when you approach a Martha Stewart recipe, you can either follow it exactly... or what I like to do when I'm feeling a bit lazy is take the easy way out and try to substitute with already prepared items i.e. PIE CRUST. I hate making pie crust. In fact I refuse to make it unless my Daddy is around to roll it out. I'm usually too tired from all the rest of the cooking going on in the kitchen to get to that part. Finding a healthy, tasty pie crust can be quite the task, and your best bet is head straight to Whole Foods or Central Market and pick up some frozen pie crust made without corn syrups and hydrogenated oils. You will also want to watch out for the Prepared Time! Some of the recipes can be quite long or use ingredients that have to be prepared in advance. I always investigate my recipes a couple of days in advance just to be sure I'm well prepared for any surprises good, old Martha might throw me.

Here's the recipe I used to make my Quiche Florentine. I suggest half-ing it unless you're planning on feeding a lot of hungry people. One quiche was plenty for my family of five and we definitely had leftovers. Keep in mind, I did serve it with a side dish. As for the recipe, as usual I did not follow it exactly. Dad couldn't find gruyere cheese at the store and picked up swiss instead, but honestly a strong cheese is the key to a flavorful quiche. I like to try any cheeses I haven't tried before if I'm going to rely on it heavily for the success of my dish, and the deli workers are usually willing to give you a taste.

I love how the leaves of spinach swirl in the egg on their own. The quiche becomes a canvas for dancing flowers, and the best part is YOU CAN EAT THE FRAME!

In the end, Quiche Florentine is a buttery delight perfect for breakfast or for dinner. It's so easy if you've got the frozen pie crusts ready to go. If you're a home-made elitist, this recipe for Basic Pie Dough is kid-tested, mother approved. I'm eager to give the quiche recipe another go, but with individual sized pie crusts making it easy to serve guests. Bon appetit!

Kyoto Japanese Restaurant

2008-07-17T01:30:00.008+02:00

Kyoto Japanese Restaurant

315 Congress - Austin, Tx

Meal: Veggie Sushi($3), Veggie Tempura($3.50), Edamame($2) - Happy Hour: 6:00-6:45, Mon-Sat

The Happy Club reconvened this week at Kyoto Japanese Restaurant, a sushi bar down on Congress. For whatever reason, I get a kick out of places with a staircase entrance and actually reside on the second level of a building. Maybe I subconsciously feel better about the calories I'm about to consume...as if I count calories.

For half of us, this was our first time to experience sushi. I always steered away from sushi as a vegetarian, which need not be the case. Obviously, there was a much smaller selection on the Happy Hour menu for the 2 Veg-Heads at the table, but it was quite sufficient (Other than what we ordered, miso soup, seaweed salad, and one other thing I can't remember were also offered). The atmosphere was pleasant for dinner conversation and the meal was enjoyable, although the traditional low tables were not as comfortable for the very, old 20-somethings at the table. I recall going to a Japanese restaurant when I was younger where they had built drops below the table for those who cannot handle sitting Indian-style (I think as an Indian, I am still allowed to say this... I'm not sure what they are teaching kindergartners to say these days). Our server happened to be a friend, and he was patient with our inexperience.

While most of my other friends ordered out the wazoo, I split 2 sushi plates and edamame with my fellow vegetarian friend, which naturally left us feeling in need for a later small dinner. I did not care for the edamame. I was told it served the purpose of cleansing the palate in between different sushi plates. The veggie tempura struck me as far better than the other 2 dishes - batter fried sushi with carrot and green bean - but I did also enjoy the veggie sushi made with avocado, cucumber, gobo root, shitake, and kanpyo (As for the traditional sushi, I've asked my friends to leave comments with their impressions on the meal).

A friend ordered Fried Purple Potato to go. Purple potato tastes almost exactly the same as russet with perhaps a softer squash-like texture. My friend appeared to enjoy these, but I did fancy the fried purple potato.

For dessert, I snuck a bite of the red bean ice cream. I am not sure why anyone would eat this. It's incredibly dull. Why eat red bean ice cream encased in dough when I can easily drive to Mandola's or Central Market for gelato. Needless to say no one but our friend who'd lived in Japan previously was compelled to order anything off the dessert menu. We found ourselves not much later at Mozart's for dessert. Choices galore, but I was not ready to spend $6 on dessert just for myself. Everyone else shelled out the cash because, of course, the desserts are delicious.

Dessert-aster: Vanilla Cupcakes & Chocolate Trifle

2008-07-15T00:29:00.008+02:00

I am not feeling lucky... I've had two consecutive a-okay desserts. I hope this won't be the start of a streak! In general, desserts tend to be one of my specialities, but earlier this month I made two rather lovely failures. Even worse was the fact that both were served at get-togethers putting my culinary disappointment on display! I blame myself for being too cocky and serving never tested recipes to non-family members. At least, they looked delectable.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Tri-colored frosting: White Vanilla, Cherry Preserves, and Dark Chocolate

The recipe I used for the cupcakes came from the usually disaster-proof MarthaStewart.com. The Vanilla Cupcakes turned out rather dense instead of the light, fluffy cupcake kids quickly devour. The cupcakes left everyone feeling overly full and tasted closer to muffin or pound cake. I knew there was no hope for this recipe when my dessert-loving friend Amira put her half-eaten cupcake to rest on the table. I am definitely open to suggestions of better vanilla cupcake recipes. My cooking friend Brady suggested that either this recipe is awful or perhaps the baking powder lost its rising agent. I wouldn't doubt that the baking powder could have "died" in the Texas heat.

I will say, however, that these cupcakes were frosted well! This frosting recipe for Mix-and-Match Cupcakes I will definitely use again. I used dark chocolate instead of bittersweet to intensify the chocolate frosting and Central Market Organic Morello Cherry Preserves to make the pink frosting as seedless raspberry jam is quite expensive. The frosting was more than enough to make 24 cupcakes so I would make plans to use the leftover frosting or make additional cupcakes.

The frosting recipe gives several suggestions for "tip-top toppings," but I used whatever tiny, delightful things I could find in my portable dorm room spice cabinet: Pecan halves, Red sugar, Ghirardelli Chocolate Hazelnut Drinking Cocoa, Cinnamon, and Shredded Coconut.

Conclusion: I'll probably pick out a new cupcake recipe to try out, but stick with this buttercream frosting recipe.

On to the next dessert...

Individual Chocolate Trifles

My best friend had me over for a family dinner and made quiche especially for me so when she showed me this mouth-watering recipe for Chocolate Trifle, I jumped at the chance to surprise her with it. I'm assuming had I followed the recipe, the trifle might have come out better...

Instead, I used the recipe as a guide so that I could do things my own way. My chocolate trifle consisted of brownies, chocolate pudding, and white chocolate mousse. I wouldn't be caught dead serving anything with Cool Whip so I replaced it with white chocolate mousse. The trifle was just one layer after another instead of mixing in a fluffy whipped cream to the pudding layer to make it light, which is really the point of a trifle. Yes, I know I messed this one up!

I never use boxed brownie mix, which the Chocolate Trifle recipe calls for, because I refuse to eat/serve anything with hydrogenated oils and would rather not buy an $8 box of natural brownie mix. I usually work with imported chocolate blocks found on display at Central Market and Whole Foods, but I went to the grocery store with no recipe in hand and ended up with Nestle Toll House Cocoa, which happened to have a "Chewy Cocoa Brownie" recipe on the back. These brownies tasted alright. I would definitely call them dull, chewy and sweet, but dull. I think I'll have to blame the Nestle Toll House Cocoa... don't plan on using this stuff again... or at least this brownie recipe! My best friend definitely thought boxed brownies tasted better.

To make the chocolate pudding, I just used JELLO Instant Pudding Mix and followed the recipe on the box. This was probably the only thing that came out well. I can't say I'd recommend this as I am not a fan of the ingredients used in the instant pudding mix.

The White Chocolate Mousse was the worst layer. I think I miss being able to pick up my white chocolate mousse from Marks & Spencers for 45p when I lived in Scotland. It simply did not taste like chocolate mousse at all. I used Ghirardelli White Chocolate Chips instead of Lindt, which taste fine themselves, but the mousse never got the right texture and honestly, tasted a little funny. The poor texture was probably due to the fact that I accidentally put all of the whipping cream in the melting chocolate at once instead leaving part of it cold to beat while the chocolate cooled as the recipe instructs.

3 repeated layers of brownie squares, chocolate pudding, and white chocolate mousse & topped with chocolate shavings

I topped the trifles with chocolate shavings I made from scraping a knife against a bar of Equal Exchange Dark Chocolate. There is probably a better method for making chocolate shavings, but I was losing patience by the end of this cooking experiment, (The heat from my hands melted most of the shavings as I scraped the chocolate).

Conclusion: It looked pretty, but didn't taste so. Sadly, I think my friends would've appreciated a much easier to make and less work-requiring Dirt-in-a-Cup.

Romeo's

2008-07-14T23:11:00.004+02:00

Romeo's

1500 Barton Springs Rd.

Meal: Margherita Pizza ($5.00)

Romeo's has found her Juliet, and it's my stomach.

Before heading out to the annual Zilker Park Musical, my friends and I stopped at Romeo's for an early dinner. The Romeo's website proudly boasts their $5 at 5 special, which includes a variety of wines, pizzas, and appetizers all for $5 each on weekdays from 3 to 6pm.

For the quality and amount of food and great service, this $5 deal is a must! With a special like this, one might worry that the level of service must drop at happy hour, but this was not the case. We found our waiter to be attentive and amusing. I had been to Romeo's once before. At night the atmosphere truly changes. During the day, expect a much more casual ambience, but equally good service.

As for our meal, each of us ordered a different pizza off the Happy Hour Menu: Margherita, Tomato Artichoke, Chipotle Chicken, and Four Cheese. I won't say the pizzas were on par with La Taverna or North, but for $5, I was more than satisfied. None of the girls at the table could manage to finish an entire pizza in one sitting, (Can't say the same for good, old Joe who couldn't risk his masculinity by leaving his plate unpolished) but our leftovers were perfect for sharing with our friends who we met up with to watch the musical a while later.

As opposed to the awful crème brûlée we tried at Chez-Zee, this dessert prepared at Romeo's delighted me at my original visit. I expect I'll be coming back to Romeo's soon to try out other items on the menu!

Chez-Zee

2008-07-07T21:40:00.010+02:00

Chez-Zee American Bistro

5406 Balcones Drive

Meal: Chicken Gorgonzola Focaccia Pizza (1/2 price of $5.00)

Two words for Chez-Zee. DON'T GO.

Now I try my best to avoid ruling out a place based on one visit, but this restaurant has received 3 visits too many, and that's based on 3 times I can recall going. I visited this restaurant on 4th of July with a few friends for their special happy hour event advertised on their website. Naturally, when I arrived Friday I was taken aback when the hostess had no clue about their special event. This could have been excusable except for the presence of a 4th of July Happy Hour poster hanging directly on the door across from the hostess stand.

Once seated, we discovered that the waitress was also unaware of the specials despite the small table signs put up on each table and special menu printed for the day. I asked the waitress to suggest something vegetarian, and she highly recommended the Chicken Gorgonzola Focaccia Pizza, obviously without the chicken. I am not a fan of jalapenos so I asked if could taste this in the cheese sauce described on the menu. I was promptly told by the waitress that most of the customer base was old so that most of the food was bland. Shocking, I know! I was positive the meal would only go downhill from here. The pizza could not have been more of a disappointment. The cheese sauce despite supposedly containing gorgonzola, a strong-tasting blue cheese, was indeed bland and in dire need of seasoning. It was laden with shredded mozzarella and tasted like a bad frozen pizza. I much prefer the traditional Italian thin crust, and this was thick and unpleasant. As this is referred to as a "Chez-Zee Signature" on the menu, one can only imagine what the rest of the selection is like.

My friend, having missed protein at our breakfast earlier at La Madeleine, ordered the Chicken Beignets: Marsala wine-marinated chicken breast strips, breaded and fried. He described the dish in a text message later: "Failure. The technique was great. Light, crisp batter and moist chicken. However, it tasted like nadadelicious. The flavors were tired and unrefined. Seemed like they used pre-packaged processed ingredients and oafish seasonings that were baffingly bland."

Another friend tried the "Southern" Maryland Crabcakes, which she found to be "decent" and "probably better than Cheesecake Factory." She particularly liked the tomatoey sauce served on the side to be good. However, she was not impressed with the advertisment for 1/2 price appetizers, which turned out to only be at a reduced price listed on their specially printed menu.

To finish things off, crème brûlée was ordered. I'm generally quite fond of this dessert, but definitely not when it is served completely blackened! The sugar was far too burnt and the custard beneath appeared to be missing vanilla. The poor quality dessert was the last straw and left me feeling embarrassed for bringing my friends to the restaurant, especially since I had raved about the Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake I had tried there previously.

All in all, Chez-Zee is one restaurant to which I will never return. If I'm ever hungry again in the area, I'd be willing to drive to H-E-B to pick up yoghurt and a Clif bar instead of going there.

Galaxy Cafe

2008-07-02T06:59:00.012+02:00

Galaxy Cafe

47th at Guadalupe - Austin, Tx

Meal: Veggie Burger & side of Mac & Cheese ( $7.25 +$0.50 for Smoked Gouda)

The Happy Club hosted its inaugural dinner at the newly opened location of the Galaxy Cafe situated in the charming luxury apartment complex The Triangle. Across from one of my beloved eateries Mandola's Market, Galaxy Cafe is a delight of its own from the spacey decor (reminiscent of the futuristic dining in Disney's Tomorrow Land and Epcot Center) to the wholesome items on the menu. Expect to be served La Madeleine style by ordering first at the register and taking your seat at table where your order will be brought out to you.

Although this may be a diner, don't expect greasy dishes attacked by salt and pepper shakers. All of the menu items will leave you with a light, satisfying feeling. I ordered the Veggie Burger(and added the smoked gouda, which I highly recommend) with a side of the highly acclaimed macaroni and cheese. Now, I normally think twice about ordering veggie burgers as I am well-acquainted with the undercooked veggie patties served daily at Kinsolving dining call on the UT campus. Of course in restaurants a much higher standard is used, but more times than not, I've ended up with a once frozen Gardenburger or something slightly worse. Galaxy Cafe makes their own homemade veggie patty, the taste of which reminded me of a falafel and not surprisingly, produced the same feeling of being well-fed. The burger was not overly moist since I prefer not to eat Mayo. I left it off and was tempted to add the avocado, but stayed away because of the $1.25 price addition.

As for the macaroni and cheese, I can't vouch for its nutritional qualities, but each spoonful of macaroni was coated in a creamy mixture of cheese. All of my friends enjoyed their meals, burgers and wraps - nothing shockingly innovative, but delightfully pleasing nonetheless. A remark could be made about the rather pinkish Tuna Steak, which tasted "fine" to my friend. I'd definitely say this place is a step up from Kerbey Lane in presentation, taste, and atmosphere. However, at Kerbey Lane you can count on a more entertaining server, yummy pancakes, cheap prices and the ever reliable 24-hour service.

Overall Galaxy Cafe is a quick, casual spot perfect for sharing breakfast or lunch with a friend. The hostess kindly arranged for several of the tables meant for 4 to be placed for our party of 8, which gave us plenty of room but left us feeling awkwardly far distanced from one another. Not to worry though, there is plenty of booth seating that lines the wall if you ever end up at the Galaxy Cafe with a dozen of your friends.

The Happy Club

2008-06-29T22:05:00.009+02:00

After very little deliberation, I decided to create dining club with some fellow food-loving friends in Austin. A single girl's got to find a way to keep her expensive, dining habit in check so The Happy Club is dedicated to such: Weekly, and when I say weekly I mean almost 4 or 5 days a week, we visit various hot spots (and a few undiscovered gems) in Austin's growing restaurant scene to take advantage of their happy hour specials or everyday great dining prices.

It all got started when a few of my friends went out to Mangia's on The Drag for some pizza to fill up time on another humdrum summer day. Of course, I've always known about Happy Hour, but it wasn't until I saw that sign among their tacky decor that a light bulb turned on in my head: Why can't it always be happy hour? And so I set out to find a way for all of us stuck in Austin for the summer (while the other half of our friends are off in Europe and South America on adventures) to enjoy our evenings without zero-ing out our savings accounts or resorting to PB&J and EasyMac. So here's a toast to Mangia's (even though I hate their pizza) for inspiring me to start making the most of my summer!

This blog will likely turn into something of a restaurant guide so that I may keep track of the fun, delicious places to eat for those dire times with no idea of where to go - Why is it that when my friends and I are starving, we can't ever seem to think of nice, affordable place to end our empty stomach misery? Or when my parents make their surprise visits, it would be nice to have a few places up my sleeve. Naturally, there will be intermittent entries containing recipes gone well (and surely some gone wrong) for the few times I'm allowed to take over the kitchen of a friend's apartment. Well, all this food-talk is making my stomach growl so I better get to it - this time, however, I won't be sinking in the red as I'm off for home-cooked, italian dinner in Round Rock with my second family. Arrivederci!

Flashback to Uncle Ricky's

2007-07-31T00:28:00.000+02:00

Here's an old post from Vienna. Sorry for my lack of organization or competency to blog daily.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007 6:45pm, Ricky’s Apartment

I’ve been in Vienna since Friday evening staying at Lauren’s uncle’s apartment and roaming around in the city. The rest of the journey by plane was alright. The food on the plane was far more extravagant then on the first flight. I really enjoyed the dulce de leche ice cream with turtle brownie pieces. I couldn’t manage to stay awake for any of the movies by the time I figured out that the movies had already started. Woops. None of them were really worth watching anyway. American Airlines has crappy movie choices. The real problem with that the flight was that instead of taking off at 11:35pm, it took off after 2:00am!! I met a hilarious couple from Brighton, England in JFK though and we laughed through the wait. They were surprised to encounter so many “tip me” looks during their stay, and had a rather strange incident in an outdoor bathroom in central park. Some vagrant fellow tried to grab the husband from under the door of the stall. I reminded him that at least he didn’t have to pay 20p to go pee.
Anyway that whole flight delay caused a disaster. They tried to rebook me for a flight from London to Vienna four hours later, but there was no way in heck I was going to miss that flight with Karina and get to Vienna at 10pm to find my own way to that apartment. So with twenty minutes till boarding as I reach the terminal, I had to run the fastest I’ve ever ran (faster than all last semester of waking up at 8 for my eight-o-clock’s) before through lines to get to the bus that takes you to another terminal, cry and beg my way through several security lines, somehow stuff my 2 carry-ons into one to meet the very lame UK rule of one handbag only, and run past several gates to get to my own. And like a light at the end of a tunnel, I see Karina’s long pony tail in the line for boarding, and I knew I had made it somehow in time. Soon enough Karina, her suitcases, and I had made it to Vienna. With no German and a mind full of frustration, I arranged for my bags to be delivered to the house later that night. (Sadly, my suitcase didn’t arrive until Sunday morning).

London happenings and corn-topped pizzas

2007-07-21T20:44:00.000+02:00

Saturday July 21, 2007, 7:47 p.m.,
Taya Ji's(my Dad's older brother) home in Ashford, U.K.

Golly gosh oh gee am I having the most wonderful time in England! Thursday after class I trekked over to the Edinburgh Airport to catch my flight to Heathrow. I've just been enjoying every last bit of it. I've been here so many times that I didn't have to run around doing all the touristy stuff and actually got a chance to relax and see some different parts of London.

Shopping of course is wonderful in London, but how much can one person buy in three days? Okay, I take that back. I must have a hole in my wallet 'cause the money is just slipping through with eating, transportation, must-haves from H&M, etc. My sister Pooja says I've spent so many pounds I'll be thin when I come back. Guess we'll see about that one.

So I definitely was informed today about being on the front page of the statesman by Charlene! I was thinking more like tiny column in the life and arts section...crazy! Meeting J.K. Rowling was absolutely amazing. If you can't wait to hear about it till I come home, go here:
http://www.statesman.com/news/mplayer/m/24209

fotos ahora!!

2007-07-14T03:21:00.000+02:00

I put up lots of pictures on facebook so take a look:

North Berwick - beach town
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2294788&l=79084&id=7958214

North Berick Law - mountain
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2294776&l=abab9&id=7958214

Scottish Parliament
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2294129&l=e15c9&id=7958214

The horns, that's like the Devil, right?

2007-07-10T14:02:00.001+02:00

We left early morning Friday on a bus tour through the Highlands of Scotland. I can't find the words to describe all the wonderful places we visited. Absolutely breathtaking, really.

Friday
After saying goodbye to my dead basil plant, which didn't quite make it past 24 hours, we ran to make it on the giant yellow bus. (Yes, I am the only person trying to grow herbs in the building). We were greeted by our friendly tour guides, Tom(who had a hearty chuckle) and Ewan(saying his name brings a smile to Lauren's face....) who entertained us throughout the 3 days with tales of Scottish heros, legends, and somewhat shockingly grotesque humor. One of our first stops was the William Walllace Monument (aka Braveheart). We walked quite a bit up this winding path to the top where we had a beautiful view all the towns the lay before us. At this point, however, we knew we were in for a rather wet, cold weekend. Managing an umbrella and an SLR proved to be a difficult(yet amusing for everyone else) task, but I luckily made it through without a scratch.

We made a pit stop (always as long as it takes for 30 kids to go to the bathroom and remember to use the ATM because they've run out of GBP again [Yeah, that's what the cool kids call pounds. G-B-P]) to see Hamish, the hairy coo who was absolutely adorable. I wasn't really a fan of him sticking his large tongue up his nostril, but he still won me over. Hamish is really quite the celebrity, and we all scrambled to get his autograph (or at least get him to eat a carrot out of our hands).

Then the most amazing thing happened: I witnessed the dazzling black and crimson Hogwarts Express pass over through the mountains with all its steam and mighty glory.

We visited this placed called Glencoe, a valley that still makes the hearts of highlanders sting in memory of the McDonalds clan that was brutally murdered in their sleep by the Campbells, an order by the throne of England to remind the Scottish the king will show no mercy. To this day, many pub owners in the area have signs saying, "No shoes, No Campbells."

Our last stop of the evening was near our hostel in the fishing community of Fort Augustus. With about twenty or so other tourists, we stuffed ourselves inside a tiny hut to watch a highlander weaponry show. We learned about various weapons used in battle, the worst of which was an axe thrusted between the legs of your enemy who was then bounced up and down before a series of other tortuous acts.

Most of us spent our first night ever in a hostel that weekend. Morag's Lodge was surprisingly very clean and had a kind of log-cabin-feel to it. We stayed in 6 bed suites with private bathrooms. It surpassed my expectations of a hostel, and it was much more like staying at a bug-free summer camp. While everyone else got ripped off buying a meal of haggis(the unused parts of a sheep cooked inside a sheep's stomach), Lauren and I headed to the nearest Spar( picture a large gas station market with souvenirs) to pick up frozen pizza and mac & cheese. Not exactly gourmet, but the exchange rate's a nasty bugger.

The hostel was about a two minute walk from the famed Loch Ness featuring not one but a staggering eighteen Loch Ness Monsters, fondly known as Nessie(s). Most of us took a boat ride on the loch, a vast waxy black body of water supposedly cold enough to preserve dead bodies. The man who owned the boat was a marine biologist who was dead convinced that these mysterious creatures(larger than a bus) lived deep inside the loch because of his extensive sonar research and a few sightings. We were lucky enough to spot something lurking far off in the distance...

A bit of karaoke summed up the evening. One of the Haggis Tour guides belted out La Bamba (more than once) among other tunes some of which were foreign to me. His lyrics to La Bamba were promising, and he may soon end up with a record career of his own. Needless to say I should never be allowed in a karaoke bar. I chickened out on singing alone, and when a group of a girls tried to sing It's My Party, I'm not really sure if the mic ever got turned on. Chad's attempt at Super Freak was surely the highlight of the evening. I can't decide whether it was the dancing or the attempted rhythm that was more entertaining.

Check back for the rest of this to be updated...

Saturday
faerie falls
5 sisters
portree
isle of sky
cliff where lauren almost died
kilt rock
braveheart

Sunday -
battlefield
burial mounds
first day of shine. truffle
church/river

Grey skies and no sleep

2007-07-03T13:52:00.001+02:00

12:53pm, yet another computer lab

Just got out of class- Law of the European Union. It was pretty interesting. My professor is pretty funny, but I must admit my eyes started glossing over during the last 20 minutes. Class goes from 9 to 1, which is definitely going to stretch my attention span after five weeks of class. I feel pretty comfortable in the class because Norman, my macroecon professor last semester, tested over the European Union so I've got the basics down already.

Yesterday after class, we hit up a few shops to get the last bit of groceries to make it through the week. Tesco Metro doesn't have a large selection, but I won't complain about my lovely little jar of Nutella, which will soon become a staple food in our kitchen. My stomach's had enough of gnocchi and tomato mascarpone sauce that I ate one too many times. There are a lot of little vintage shops, and actually cancer research donation shops that we perused through as well looking for warmer clothing which didn't quite make it into my suitcase. In the Oxfam shop, we found really beautiful jewelry that I was rather tempted to purchase, but I opted for a scrapbook to keep all the little knicknacks I've picked up along the way.

We're slowly realizing the weather here is quite terrible. It's never sunny, and it rains and stops raining over and over again. Rain boots would've been a good idea. We all go home with 6 inches of wet pants that never seem to quite dry with the humidity. I am making weekend trips to London and Amsterdam, and I hope weather there is a least somewhat reminiscent of summer.

Our flats don't have wi-fi so it looks like we'll all be spending our afternoons in the pub across the street where they have free internet. I think it's called Draughty Neebors or something of that sort. Naturally everyone feels obligated to buy drinks. As long as everyone around me is getting drinks, I feel no pressure, heh. We stayed there for quite a while (a little past closing, much to the owner's dismay), and then continued to bum around outside the door to use the internet so Chad could finish booking his flight to Amsterdam. I had no intention really to go Amsterdam, but I'm getting excited as time passes, because as it turns out, there is quite a bit to see there!

Many apologies

2007-07-02T15:09:00.000+02:00

2:10pm, Univ. of Edinburgh Computer Lab

So sorry I haven't had internet whatsoever. Vienna was fabulous. No worries, though. I've sort of been keeping up the blogging on my laptop and a tiny notepad. I'll add those entries as I have time this week. Sorry they'll be slightly out of order.. been very busy. Just got to Scotland Saturday and started class today!

P.S. Yes, I'm alive. Thank God all of us made it safely to Edinburgh even with the terrorist attacks this past weekend. A bit of a scare..

June 30, 2007, 1:00pm, British Airways flight to London.

I'm sitting next to a rather round man on my flight to London where I'll transfer to Edinburgh. I woke up after meals were served, but luckily was able to get one of my own. I was too scared to try much on my vegetarian plate when a lovely little box on my neighbor's tray caught my attention. I looked down at mine in hopes that I would have one as well, but was sadly disappointed. Everyone seemed to have a tiny cream colored box but me, and as the meal went on, I grew anxious to discover the contents of the little box. I generally avoid talking to others in public places unless they initiate conversation but I especially wanted to avoid asking Augustus Gloop here what was inside his box. I sat quietly intimidated, and waited for what seemed like an eternity for the man to lift his piece of bread off the cover so I could read the writing printed on the box, and perhaps have a clue as to what lay inside. Unfortunately, even with my glasses I lack Clark Kent's magnifying vision, and the label was all a blur. Leaning awkwardly did little to help the situation except reveal a name written in cursive and three smaller words printed below. Three words, three words. English tea biscuit? I could never be sure unless the man would magically offer me the box since he showed little care for it. After a good long while of watching the man drink his wine and imagining all sorts of delights that could possibly sit inside the box, the man made one grand gesture and picked up the box. My eyes, peeled with anticipation, locked themselves in his direction. With two grubby fingers, he lifted a small chocolate from the box. What kind? Is there a lovely cream filling? Coconut? I watched him bite into the chocolate with care, and my mouth watered at the site of such perfectly blended caramel swirling outward from the remaining half. Before I knew it, he popped both chocolates inside his cave of a mouth- no chance at perhaps having the other since I clearly had no box of my own. I was overjoyed when the flight attendant brought me a box, (She said they were afraid of vegetarians having food allergies and tend to leave chocolates off their trays). Lily O'Briens. Created with passion. Inside sat two fine truffles: honeycomb crunch and mandarin caramel duet. The latter of which was pure delight. The mandarin encased in the caramel gave a feeling of the first glimpse of sun in the morning. I turned the box over hoping the chocolates were from London or Edinburgh where I am headed, but learned they came from a place called Kildares, Ireland. I'll have to go there someday- Ireland, I mean, if only to see the Lake Isle of Innisfree.

June 31, 2007, 10:40 A.M - My flat in Edinburgh

Suitcase didn't come yet again. Big surprise. Little love for British Airways. The flat is slightly infested so Karina and I slept cuddled in her room. I'm eager for the other girls to arrive. Lauren and Monica should be here in a few hours. I better run to Boots and Tesco to pick up a few essentials.

Nueva York

2007-06-21T22:59:00.000+02:00

5:00p.m. JFK Airport in New York, New York

Here I am in N.Y.C., and I feel like breaking into that song from Annie. "N-Y-C! Just got here this morning. Three bucks. Two bags. One me." I wish I could leave the airport and go to Time Square. That place is just exhilirating especially at night. Grace has the city at her feet right now. I'd love to see her, but I'm trapped in Terminal 9.

The flight here was mostly enjoyable- slept most of the way. Unfortunately, when traveling trouble always ensues.

First, I was told by three different American Airlines represenatives that my vegetarian meal was confirmed my flight. Meal time comes around, and Saloni does not get fed. Well, I got some brie and some plasticky cookie, but apparently you don’t really count unless you keep Kosher. Where was the ice cream that everyone(cough, cough Miachel and my mother) always talks about? Boy, was I crushed. I had been watching Top Chef last week, and the food they served in first class looked like a masterpiece. I guess that doesn’t quite happen in real life.

I get to JFK with spirits still high until I find out that the terminal is still being built and the food court is not open yet. After missing lunch, I didn’t want to wait until I reached London tomorrow morning to eat! After a heck of a lot of walking and somehow having to go through security again, I found this small grocery stand with sandwiches. Praise the Lord! I’ve been saved. Oh, except, yes, that’s right my new debit card was DENIED. The bank froze my account, and I’m still waiting for it to be unfrozen. I have some money to last a bit, but if that thing doesn’t start working I am going to have a big problem. I just keep telling myself when I reach Vienna things will turn around, and I sure hope I’m right! On the bright side, I kept getting offered drinks on my flight and also received complimentary wine cards from two different people in the Admirals Club. Maybe for once I look older than fifteen...or maybe I just look like I really need a drink.

Oh, I realized I never quite mentioned the reasons for my travel. Let's see, I'm going to spend a week in Vienna with some friends: Karina, Lauren, Monica and Chad. Lauren's Uncle lives there with his wife and was kind enough to offer us a place to stay. After that I'll be spending the rest of the summer studying at the University of Edinburgh where I will be taking a class in the Legal Environment of Business and Law of the European Union. Somewhere in between I'll be heading to Ashford to visit my cousins and London to meet J.K. Rowling!!!!!!!!

Alright well, I better go pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming. Bye!

Bye bye birdie

2007-06-21T17:02:00.000+02:00

10:02 a.m., DFW Airport

I still can't believe I'm saying this.... but Europe, here I come! I'm off this morning from Dallas with two layovers in NYC and London. London shouldn't be so bad, but I am definitely not looking forward to 8 hours in the JFK Airport. Yuck! Although I do get to stay in this fancy-shmancy Admiral's Club, because my dad surprised me with a first class ticket to Vienna!! I know it's ridiculous, and I was definitely shocked. Better not miss my flight. Au revoir. I promise I'll figure out how to say that in German.... eventually

only a matter of thyme

A little sin on Sunday - Brunch with the girls

Thatsaagreat pizza!

It's About Thyme for Another Potato Gratin!

Pumpkinpalooza

A Canadian Thanksgiving

I want this real bad. Santa, baby....

1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue

N.Y.C. / The rich and the rundown / The parade goes by

Rhapsodie de fruits

Chocolate Cake with Kahlua Glaze

Hum didalee dumplings!

Why the hell not?

Baked Eggplant Parmesan

La vie en chocolat

Festival of Fennel at Sagra

Sagrasagrarestaurant.net1610 San Antonio St Austin, TX 78701(512) 535-5988

Oh how you fill me up butternut squash and don't let me down or mess me around

I eat, You eat, We all eat for Meals-on-Wheels!

Everytime you go out to eat until November 30, review your meal online and Dishola will match it with Meals-on-Wheels!!

dish-for-dish challenge!

here's how it works

Thanksgiving Sneakpeak

Coming Soon

It's November and I'm pumped up for the holiday carbs and singing!

Can't kick butt let alone make coffee

"Ooh La La: How to be Infuriatingly French"

I miss wearing t-shirts...

"We are always running for the thrill of it, thrill of it" - Empire of the Sun

"Ah-what what what what what did you think would happen next?" - LCD Soundsystem

"So what can I do when I'm thinking of you?" - Shout Out Louds

"What do you think they do in the Netherlands for two hours?" -Sara

"And I won't be satisfied till there's nothing left that I haven't tried," - Brendan Benson

"Oh give me the words, give me the words" - Nouvelle Vague

"Once you go indian, you can never go back!" -Susanna the Italian professor

Seeing a french person smile is like catching a butterfly

"It's bound to melt your heart" - Jenny Lewis

Green Acres is the place to be!

Fruits of the Sea and Apples of the Earth!

Put me in your suitcase...

"Days you spend wanting some of Michael Landon's grace" - Sondre Lerche

"There's no words to describe it in French or in English" - Citizen Cope

C'est la vie en rose

All things go, all things go

Blue Star Cafeteria

Perfect Pumpkin Chip Cookies

Cheaper by the cheesecake?

Baked Butternut Penne

Summer Fresh Strawberry Lemonade

Quiche Queen Goes Florentine

Kyoto Japanese Restaurant

Dessert-aster: Vanilla Cupcakes & Chocolate Trifle

Romeo's

Chez-Zee

Galaxy Cafe

The Happy Club

Flashback to Uncle Ricky's

London happenings and corn-topped pizzas

fotos ahora!!

The horns, that's like the Devil, right?

Grey skies and no sleep

Many apologies

Nueva York

Bye bye birdie

Sagra
sagrarestaurant.net
1610 San Antonio St Austin, TX 78701
(512) 535-5988