Kumquats are definitely not locally produced, but I couldn't resist buying them anyways. I thought about making a marmalade but really didn't feel like going through all the effort to can and preserve it-- I am lazy-- so I decided to experiment with our ice cream machine.

A day later and we had kumquat sorbet!

Since I've been posting lots of food pictures, I might as well continue.

Prosciutto and mozzarella from Fairway

and Neil's pasta with bolognese sauce-- his best yet.

Making Kumquat Sorbet

More photos soon.

Lovely day.

Salt & Pepper Dungeness Crab from R & G Lounge

At The Slanted Door, we had Crispy Imperial Rolls

Cellophane Noodles

And Blood Orange Sorbet

Dessert at Chez Panisse Cafe, a slice of Pink Lady Apple and Sour Cherry Tart and Lime Sherbet with Candied Mint

12-course prix fixe dinner at Jai Yun

A fire while we were walking on Pine Street

Ferry Building/Farmer's Market

Dungeness Crab Omelette with Avocados and Brie

And side of Brioche French Toast from Mama's

We arrived at 8am for breakfast and this was the line after we finished eating.

Of course there's nothing like home-cooked food: Neil's Aunt Amy's banana bread-- the best I've ever had!

Back from San Francisco

And we had such great food! Above, Meyer Lemon Meringue Tart from The Slanted Door. More to come soon!

President's Day Weekend

Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance to the radio!

Awake in the middle of the night.

Once again.

And hungry.

Today we went to Mitsuwa, a Japanese supermarket that I used to go to with my family when I lived in California. Since Neil has been wanting to buy some Japanese ingredients to cook with, we decided to drive over to the supermarket's East Coast store, located in Edgewater, New Jersey.

We had lunch at the food court before heading into the city to do a little shopping. Below, my free-range chicken cutlet from Katsuhana.

For dinner, a great meal at Bombay Masala in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Yes, my life seems to revolve around food, though I was too hungry by dinner to take any pictures. Great pick, Mandy-- we'll definitely have to go again!

Missing Montana

My first movie of the year, Sweetgrass, a documentary about sheepherders in Montana. We went to see it at the Film Forum after reading great reviews and although I enjoyed the film (it's set in Montana after all!) my sister and husband did not share the same enthusiasm. Shobes had to keep herself from falling asleep and Neil's sole response was to mimic the noise we heard for the majority of the film... "Baaahh."

I can't wait to see Broken Embraces. I'm waiting for you, Shobes, unless you already have someone who equally loves Almodóvar to watch it with. It's a beautiful morning, and I had a good night's rest... but now I have to wean myself back to sleep again within the next couple of hours to prepare for work tonight. Bah.

The day after Thanksgiving and I'm having cheesecake for breakfast =) And turkey too.

While prepping for the big meal, we busted out the Kitchen Aid mixer for the first time. I don't know why I haven't used it earlier-- it really makes baking so much easier! Mandy and I made red velvet cupcakes, which were delicious. Mandy brought over ice wine from Pellar Estates, which we visited last week on our way to Toronto.

More cooking: I made (pretty awful) cornbread for Neil's (really good) oyster stuffing. He also cooked us up a beautiful breakfast of steak, eggs, and asparagus with his new sous vide machine.

Other news: I have wasted about 20 hours of my life in the past 3 days playing Scramble on my phone.

On another note, here are pics of the concert we went to see with Lang Lang and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. I think even if you don't like classical music, you would be moved in some way by Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2. But then again, Neil didn't seem to be too impressed. He said, "It was alright."

I can't remember the last horror movie I saw, but I would have watched 100 horror films if it meant I would never have to see Old Boy, a movie I watched tonight at home in Toronto with my sister and Eddie (who is Korean by the way... how dare he not warn me!) Since I am now very disturbed, the only remedy I can think of is to watch this:

As usual, my sis and I are now the only 2 people awake at 4 in the morning, unable to sleep. Boo. But at least I'm not Oh Dae-Su.

Ouch.

Columbus Day Weekend

Drove to Vermont over the weekend to pick apples and buy fresh produce from Dwight Miller Orchards, Scott Farm, and Walker Farm. Neil cooked a nice dinner with the vegetables from the farm and lobsters from Fairway. I made an apple pie with the following heirloom apples: Calville Blanc D'hiver, Greenings Rhode Island, and Bramley's Seedling

Coco Before Chanel Rated only 65% on the tomatometer but I still went to see it and I liked it. Partly because of Audrey Tatou, partly because I like French movies, but mostly because there was a lot of tweed!

Wake up, wake up, it's the first of the month.

Came home after work this morning to the smell of burnt paint, only to discover... it really is burnt paint! The radiators are working and the heat is turned on! For the last 4 days that I've been back in NY, I have worn 2 layers of clothes to sleep and buried myself under the thin blanket. And to think, one week ago, I was in the Philippines. The thought of abandoning blog has crossed my mind multiple times. But alas, I continue forth.

Afternoon Tea at the Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong

To Manila Via Korea Air, Layover at Incheon

Labor Day Weekend in Toronto