I had my dinner last night with Mr. might-be-engaged. We had a lovely dinner at Pizzaiolo. If I had any better foodie credentials, I would have taken pictures to document the gluttony that transpired that evening, but alas, in my frantic frenzy to find out whether my friend is engaged, I forgot to take the requisite pictures.
Thus in lieu of photos, I will give you a description of what we ordered:
For appetizers, we got
-roasted figs w/ a ricotta-like cheese that had a young balsamic glaze that was slightly caramelized and baked over it (superb. I really liked this appetizer, which can also double as a dessert.)
-A faro salad with arugula and cherry tomatoes and shaved pecorino cheese. (also really yummy. I mean, with pecorino-tomatoes-baby arugula combination, can you possibly go wrong? Not overdoused with dressing as many salads tend to be.)
For the main dish, I got a summer squash pizza with basil oil, while my friend got a halibut. The pizza was quite good. Although it is not NY pizza, the thin crust had just enough crisp/chewy factor, as well as the right amount of cheese. I also liked the delicate flavor that the basil oil imparted. The halibut was also quite tasty, though I was more partial to my squash pizza.
For dessert, we split what I thought was going to be something in which strawberries were going to be the central theme, but in fact, turned out to be amaretto-flavored ice cream w/ a big crumbly cookie and a few strawberries mixed in. I wasn't crazy about the amaretto-flavored ice cream (it should've been vanilla w/ black specks!), but the berries and the crumbly cookie were very good.
Overall, I really liked the food at this place.
But to return to Mr. might-be-engaged, he turned out not to be engaged. He is also not as east-coast reserved as I had originally thought. Let's just leave it at that. . ..
17 June 2007
15 June 2007
My five favorite kitchen utensils/appliances
So I was in Sur La Table today looking for a graduation gift idea. I know I know-- kitchen stuff don't really have much to do w/ graduation, but my friend just got her PhD, and will be moving across the country to start a teaching position in August. She won't have a new house or anything, (which is probably the more appropriate time to get kitchen stuff-- or if/when she gets married), but nonetheless, she is starting anew.
I actually intended to get her a nice pepper mill (since everyone should have a pepper grinder), but then my eyes started wandering over to the cheese section, the cool silicone baking mats. . . I ended up spending a good hour in the store trying to figure out what would be useful to her.
Which then got me thinking about my favorite or most-utilized kitchen gadgets and appliances. Stuff I cannot live without. So here goes a list of my favorite kitchen tools in no particular order.
1. Microplane grater-it grates Parmesan cheese, chocolate, nutmeg; it zests citrus. . . I think this is probably my favorite kitchen gadget. So versatile, so elegantly simple, and so useful! I mean, it grates three of my favorite food groups. :)
(this isn't a "must have", but if you are going to get a microplane, then you must also get whole nutmegs, so you can grate it over oatmeal, hot cocoa, steamed soy milk, over sweet potatoes, pancakes, sauteed spinach, soups. . . once you go whole, you will never go back to that powdered stuff again, but I digress. . .)
2. Wine opener my roommate got me from Germany-I don't actually use this frequently enough, but I am really fond of this thing and will probably cry if I ever lose it, since I have not been able to find anything similar in the U.S., much to my annoyance. If I ever go to Germany, I will buy 10 of these things. I just love the simple design. Mine has a plastic end, which I could part with, but the rest of it is stainless steel. There is a t-shaped lever on top w/ a nose-like thing that you point down to turn the screw into the cork. Once the screw is deep enough in the cork, the nose-like thing at the top catches on the protruding edge, and automatically gets tipped up, at which point, the screw now starts to travel upward till the cork can't go any further. Every time I use it, I marvel at the engineering and design of this thing.
3. Pepper mill- everyone who is serious about food should have a fresh pepper grinder, imbo. I personally sprinkle freshly ground pepper on almost everything. Well, ok, not ice cream or cake, but I've put it in pies, sprinkle it on certain fruits, use it in vinaigrettes, and pretty much use it to season almost everything that is made on a stove (sautes, stir fries, soups, omelets, sauces, pasta, curry, etc.) and most savory things that come out of an oven. The fresh stuff tastes worlds apart from the pre-ground stuff that you find in the spice section. One of these days, I will upgrade to one of these wooden ones that has 3 or 4 different sizes of grind, but my acrylic one works just as splendidly for now.
4. Immersion blender-this is another thing that everyone should have. Make sure you get one that comes with a chopper and whisk attachment. I am partial to my microplane, but I use this thing several times a week for chopping, pureeing, mincing. . . pretty much everything.
In fact, I used it so much that my original immersion blender, a Braun, broke. Twice. After that, I got myself a Cuisinart, which seems to be doing fine for now. Here are the many things you can do w/ an immersion blender:
-beat egg whites so you can make meringues and souffles
-make tapenade
-make hummus
-make baba ghanoush
-finely chop nuts
-finely or coarsely chop lots of things
-make smoothies
-froth milk
-puree soups
-make breadcrumbs
5. A really good chef's knife- you do not need an 11-piece knife set, but what you do need is one good chef's knife. You can eventually add on other types and sizes of knives, but if you get just one knife, get a chef's knife and make sure it is a J.A. Henkels or Wustof. If you take good care of it, you will have it for life. Forget the $39.99 knife sets they sell at Target. I'm not trying to bash Target, but they sell the kinds of knives that are too dull to cut tomatoes or leave you with a string of onion dominoes, b/c they are too dull to fully pierce the papery onion skin.
6. (if you have 5, then you will want this--) knife sharpener to sharpen #5. Though actually, according to Patita, you can sharpen knives on the back of a ceramic bowl as well.
7. Silicone spatulas-another kitchen tool that gets frequent use in this apartment. They are especially useful for baking, but I use it for sauteeing, mixing, serving, cutting, as well as for many other things.
After all that time spent at Sur La Table, I ended up getting my friend a pepper mill after all.
Next time: essential things you should have in your pantry.
(Peppercorns, whole nutmeg, cinnamon sticks, maldon sea salt, olives, soup stock. . .)
I actually intended to get her a nice pepper mill (since everyone should have a pepper grinder), but then my eyes started wandering over to the cheese section, the cool silicone baking mats. . . I ended up spending a good hour in the store trying to figure out what would be useful to her.
Which then got me thinking about my favorite or most-utilized kitchen gadgets and appliances. Stuff I cannot live without. So here goes a list of my favorite kitchen tools in no particular order.
1. Microplane grater-it grates Parmesan cheese, chocolate, nutmeg; it zests citrus. . . I think this is probably my favorite kitchen gadget. So versatile, so elegantly simple, and so useful! I mean, it grates three of my favorite food groups. :)
(this isn't a "must have", but if you are going to get a microplane, then you must also get whole nutmegs, so you can grate it over oatmeal, hot cocoa, steamed soy milk, over sweet potatoes, pancakes, sauteed spinach, soups. . . once you go whole, you will never go back to that powdered stuff again, but I digress. . .)
2. Wine opener my roommate got me from Germany-I don't actually use this frequently enough, but I am really fond of this thing and will probably cry if I ever lose it, since I have not been able to find anything similar in the U.S., much to my annoyance. If I ever go to Germany, I will buy 10 of these things. I just love the simple design. Mine has a plastic end, which I could part with, but the rest of it is stainless steel. There is a t-shaped lever on top w/ a nose-like thing that you point down to turn the screw into the cork. Once the screw is deep enough in the cork, the nose-like thing at the top catches on the protruding edge, and automatically gets tipped up, at which point, the screw now starts to travel upward till the cork can't go any further. Every time I use it, I marvel at the engineering and design of this thing.
3. Pepper mill- everyone who is serious about food should have a fresh pepper grinder, imbo. I personally sprinkle freshly ground pepper on almost everything. Well, ok, not ice cream or cake, but I've put it in pies, sprinkle it on certain fruits, use it in vinaigrettes, and pretty much use it to season almost everything that is made on a stove (sautes, stir fries, soups, omelets, sauces, pasta, curry, etc.) and most savory things that come out of an oven. The fresh stuff tastes worlds apart from the pre-ground stuff that you find in the spice section. One of these days, I will upgrade to one of these wooden ones that has 3 or 4 different sizes of grind, but my acrylic one works just as splendidly for now.
4. Immersion blender-this is another thing that everyone should have. Make sure you get one that comes with a chopper and whisk attachment. I am partial to my microplane, but I use this thing several times a week for chopping, pureeing, mincing. . . pretty much everything.
In fact, I used it so much that my original immersion blender, a Braun, broke. Twice. After that, I got myself a Cuisinart, which seems to be doing fine for now. Here are the many things you can do w/ an immersion blender:
-beat egg whites so you can make meringues and souffles
-make tapenade
-make hummus
-make baba ghanoush
-finely chop nuts
-finely or coarsely chop lots of things
-make smoothies
-froth milk
-puree soups
-make breadcrumbs
5. A really good chef's knife- you do not need an 11-piece knife set, but what you do need is one good chef's knife. You can eventually add on other types and sizes of knives, but if you get just one knife, get a chef's knife and make sure it is a J.A. Henkels or Wustof. If you take good care of it, you will have it for life. Forget the $39.99 knife sets they sell at Target. I'm not trying to bash Target, but they sell the kinds of knives that are too dull to cut tomatoes or leave you with a string of onion dominoes, b/c they are too dull to fully pierce the papery onion skin.
6. (if you have 5, then you will want this--) knife sharpener to sharpen #5. Though actually, according to Patita, you can sharpen knives on the back of a ceramic bowl as well.
7. Silicone spatulas-another kitchen tool that gets frequent use in this apartment. They are especially useful for baking, but I use it for sauteeing, mixing, serving, cutting, as well as for many other things.
After all that time spent at Sur La Table, I ended up getting my friend a pepper mill after all.
Next time: essential things you should have in your pantry.
(Peppercorns, whole nutmeg, cinnamon sticks, maldon sea salt, olives, soup stock. . .)
09 June 2007
Asking awkward questions
So I am supposed to go on a info-seeking mission to the East Bay at some point to find out if a certain guy is engaged. I guess I could just ask him point-blank, but the problem is that I don't really know him too well. Oh, and he's one of these formal, reserved, east coast types. He is also one of these serious eldest child types. (Note: I am not mocking these types. I can caricature these two types, b/c technically, I'm one of these types as well, except that I occasionally need to be frivolous as well.) In other words, he is the very sort of person that I'd have a difficult time extracting this information out of.
This could happen one of two ways:
1) The "subtle" way-- probably the method that my friend prefers, but I can see myself spending hours at this pizza joint in Oakland, half paying attention to his conversation, and half trying to find an angle to subtly work this whole engagement thing into this conversation. Hmm. What would be likely to get him to open up about his personal life and fiancees or lack thereof to someone who has hung out with him maybe all but two or three times? Maybe I need to conjure up an imaginary fiance of mine. I'll tell him that I'm engaged, and then hopefully, he'll say, "me too", or not. Oh wait. Scratch that. I don't have a ring that could even remotely pass for an engagement ring. . .. NM. :-P
Thus, I think then, I'll go with method #2:
2) The "ask point-blank" way-- I'm usually not a "point blank" asking type of person, especially if I were interested in this particular guy. However, in certain situations, and with certain people, I can be very point blank to the point of probably being rude.
For example, I once saw $120 per spoon spoons from Tiffany listed on someone's registry. I mean, wth. Granted, I know it is a registry and you are supposed to request things you wouldn't buy for yourself, but I was looking for something appropriate to give to a "sort-of-but-not-close friend" level, and I think the cheapest option were these $120 Tiffany spoons. Ok, I'm majorly digressing, b/c this $120 spoon thing really baffles me, but do people a) suddenly take up an interest in $120 per utensil place settings just b/c they are getting married? Or b) do people have these wish list of things they want-but-will-hold-out-till-they-get-married? B/c although I might upgrade from my el cheapo Ikea silverware, I don't think I will ever suddenly want $120 spoons just b/c I am getting married. But on the second possibility, again, I understand to an extent about people holding back on buying things like the cuisinart big mixer thing. But what if you don't end up getting married? I mean, if there is a $120 spoon that you really want, why don't you just get it instead of waiting for the big day?
Anyway, So I called my friend, the groom who had probably nothing to do with this registry and asked-- "So you're like 45 or so. The average life expectancy is about 87, so we'll tack on a few years and make it 90, which means that you've finished living half of your life already. And right now, you are using what sort of spoons? Oh. Mismatched from good will? Yeah, me too. So tell me. What is the rationale behind you at your halfway point in life suddenly deciding that you have to get $120 spoons. I mean, if you were going to get maximum use out of them, then shouldn't you have bought them way earlier? Or do you suddenly at 45 have a newfound appreciation for high-end spoons?" We have the sort of relationship I can get away with asking such blunt questions, b/c that is how I think we first met.
But back to Mr. eldest child/east-coast reserved type. I'm not sure how point blank I can be with him. Mr.-$120 spoon can roll with the punches and take my line of questioning/uncouthness. I'm not sure about Mr. is-he-engaged. Will he be taken aback? Get flustered? Get mad?
Since I am not asking this information for myself, but rather on behalf of someone else, I feel less inhibited. All the same, I still probably need to find a nice segue into, "so, are you engaged?" As I was telling my friend, if it were left up to me, this is how the conversation would transpire:
(Setting: hip-ish restaurant in the east bay. We are almost done eating our main meal. Actually, we could have just finished ordering appetizers, but somehow, I think, just in case this doesn't go over too well, I will save it till we are both almost done with the meal. Mr. possibly-engaged is updating me about his summer plans.)
Mr. Possibly-engaged: ". . .so I really want to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro w/o the help of Sherpas. I've been doing some conditioning and training, etc. and have been keeping myself busy."
moi: "Wow. I just did my big travel thing a month ago, so probably this summer, I will stay put. Maybe date around a little. Look for a new job. Elope. Speaking of eloping, are you engaged?"
Mr. Possibly-engaged: "shemme?"
moi: "Oh, I'm not propositioning you or anything. I'm just idly curious." (Actually, I am not really idly curious at all, but I'm asking this on behalf of a friend. I actually really don't care if you are engaged or not, other than whether the outcome will make my friend happy. I want her to be happy, so in this sense, I guess I indirectly care. However, since I can't actually tell you this, I'm feigning idle curiosity.)
Does anyone have a less overt way of asking someone if they are engaged? I mean, with females, it's a bit more obvious, but w/ guys. . . they don't go around sporting engagement rings. (They really should though. Sometimes this is very critical information.)
This could happen one of two ways:
1) The "subtle" way-- probably the method that my friend prefers, but I can see myself spending hours at this pizza joint in Oakland, half paying attention to his conversation, and half trying to find an angle to subtly work this whole engagement thing into this conversation. Hmm. What would be likely to get him to open up about his personal life and fiancees or lack thereof to someone who has hung out with him maybe all but two or three times? Maybe I need to conjure up an imaginary fiance of mine. I'll tell him that I'm engaged, and then hopefully, he'll say, "me too", or not. Oh wait. Scratch that. I don't have a ring that could even remotely pass for an engagement ring. . .. NM. :-P
Thus, I think then, I'll go with method #2:
2) The "ask point-blank" way-- I'm usually not a "point blank" asking type of person, especially if I were interested in this particular guy. However, in certain situations, and with certain people, I can be very point blank to the point of probably being rude.
For example, I once saw $120 per spoon spoons from Tiffany listed on someone's registry. I mean, wth. Granted, I know it is a registry and you are supposed to request things you wouldn't buy for yourself, but I was looking for something appropriate to give to a "sort-of-but-not-close friend" level, and I think the cheapest option were these $120 Tiffany spoons. Ok, I'm majorly digressing, b/c this $120 spoon thing really baffles me, but do people a) suddenly take up an interest in $120 per utensil place settings just b/c they are getting married? Or b) do people have these wish list of things they want-but-will-hold-out-till-they-get-married? B/c although I might upgrade from my el cheapo Ikea silverware, I don't think I will ever suddenly want $120 spoons just b/c I am getting married. But on the second possibility, again, I understand to an extent about people holding back on buying things like the cuisinart big mixer thing. But what if you don't end up getting married? I mean, if there is a $120 spoon that you really want, why don't you just get it instead of waiting for the big day?
Anyway, So I called my friend, the groom who had probably nothing to do with this registry and asked-- "So you're like 45 or so. The average life expectancy is about 87, so we'll tack on a few years and make it 90, which means that you've finished living half of your life already. And right now, you are using what sort of spoons? Oh. Mismatched from good will? Yeah, me too. So tell me. What is the rationale behind you at your halfway point in life suddenly deciding that you have to get $120 spoons. I mean, if you were going to get maximum use out of them, then shouldn't you have bought them way earlier? Or do you suddenly at 45 have a newfound appreciation for high-end spoons?" We have the sort of relationship I can get away with asking such blunt questions, b/c that is how I think we first met.
But back to Mr. eldest child/east-coast reserved type. I'm not sure how point blank I can be with him. Mr.-$120 spoon can roll with the punches and take my line of questioning/uncouthness. I'm not sure about Mr. is-he-engaged. Will he be taken aback? Get flustered? Get mad?
Since I am not asking this information for myself, but rather on behalf of someone else, I feel less inhibited. All the same, I still probably need to find a nice segue into, "so, are you engaged?" As I was telling my friend, if it were left up to me, this is how the conversation would transpire:
(Setting: hip-ish restaurant in the east bay. We are almost done eating our main meal. Actually, we could have just finished ordering appetizers, but somehow, I think, just in case this doesn't go over too well, I will save it till we are both almost done with the meal. Mr. possibly-engaged is updating me about his summer plans.)
Mr. Possibly-engaged: ". . .so I really want to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro w/o the help of Sherpas. I've been doing some conditioning and training, etc. and have been keeping myself busy."
moi: "Wow. I just did my big travel thing a month ago, so probably this summer, I will stay put. Maybe date around a little. Look for a new job. Elope. Speaking of eloping, are you engaged?"
Mr. Possibly-engaged: "shemme?"
moi: "Oh, I'm not propositioning you or anything. I'm just idly curious." (Actually, I am not really idly curious at all, but I'm asking this on behalf of a friend. I actually really don't care if you are engaged or not, other than whether the outcome will make my friend happy. I want her to be happy, so in this sense, I guess I indirectly care. However, since I can't actually tell you this, I'm feigning idle curiosity.)
Does anyone have a less overt way of asking someone if they are engaged? I mean, with females, it's a bit more obvious, but w/ guys. . . they don't go around sporting engagement rings. (They really should though. Sometimes this is very critical information.)
01 June 2007
We can all use a little music in our lives
I'm having one of these trying weeks. I'm forgetting to attend meetings and inadvertently scheduling 2 lunches on the same day, b/c I forgot that I already scheduled a prior lunch! It probably doesn't help that I've had some after-work commitment/event every day this week. That, coupled with the week starting on a Tuesday rather than a Monday, has made me feel off-kilter this entire week. Even my bedtimes are off-kilter (as one may surmise from the very late time of this posting).
In the midst of such a week, my Congan drum instructor emailed me a very moving email with a very timely, inspiring quote which made my day and moreover, made me smile. It is on the subject of why (music teachers) teach music:
"We teach music: not because we expect you to major in muisic, not because we expect you to play or sing all your life, not so you can relax, not so you can have fun but so you will be: human, recognize beauty, sensitive, closer to an infinite beyond this world, have something to cling to, have more love, compassion, gentleness, goodness - in short, MORE LIFE! Of what value will it be to make a prosperous living unless you know how to live? "
I'm currently listening to one of Mozart's piano sonatas--the andante movement. I should really be in bed, but I'm already feeling much better and can feel the tension slowly melt away. I need this right now.
Thank you to people like my Congan drum instructor for providing me with small bouts of inspiration and beauty when I need it and showing me the right way to live--how to be a better human--how to not get bogged down in minor things and live more fully.
We can all use a little music in our lives, but we all need a Congan drum instructor in our lives as well. . ..
In the midst of such a week, my Congan drum instructor emailed me a very moving email with a very timely, inspiring quote which made my day and moreover, made me smile. It is on the subject of why (music teachers) teach music:
"We teach music: not because we expect you to major in muisic, not because we expect you to play or sing all your life, not so you can relax, not so you can have fun but so you will be: human, recognize beauty, sensitive, closer to an infinite beyond this world, have something to cling to, have more love, compassion, gentleness, goodness - in short, MORE LIFE! Of what value will it be to make a prosperous living unless you know how to live? "
I'm currently listening to one of Mozart's piano sonatas--the andante movement. I should really be in bed, but I'm already feeling much better and can feel the tension slowly melt away. I need this right now.
Thank you to people like my Congan drum instructor for providing me with small bouts of inspiration and beauty when I need it and showing me the right way to live--how to be a better human--how to not get bogged down in minor things and live more fully.
We can all use a little music in our lives, but we all need a Congan drum instructor in our lives as well. . ..
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