Tomates

Remember my little tomato plants?

Sprouts, March 30

Bigger plants, May 28

Last night
(see the teeny tomato in the middle of the plant on the right?)*

They look a little chaotic because I've tried to keep them under control by tying them down, resulting in branches twisted all around each other. However, the tied down branches just curl around and start growing up again. If I let them keep going, I'm sure they'll reach the ceiling in no time. I find it kind of hilarious that the Patio tomato is considered perfect for container gardening. Okay, yeah, the fruit is tiny, but the plant is HUGE and shows no sign of stopping.

We have eaten a couple of the teeny tomatoes that have ripened so far and they are amazingly wonderful. I used to think I didn't like raw tomatoes, until I figured out I just don't like store-bought raw tomatoes. Right off the vine, I LOVE them. Both plants have lots of blossoms and baby fruit in various stages so I'm sure we'll be inundated with tomatoes soon.

When I transferred the plants to their own containers, I had two containers, but 3 plants. So I planted one outside by our parking spaces, figuring the landlady wouldn't really mind. It's thriving and has 4 little green Roma tomatoes on it.

Oh, also, remember the cinnamon basil?


You can see it in the bottom left of this picture, next to the tomatoes.
Jason told me I should thin it out, but I have this thing where I feel guilty killing the plants that are growing so well for me. So I just make sure to use basil a lot and the plant seems to do just fine, even if it is a little crowded.

*The ladder outside the window is part of the shinglers' makeshift scaffolding.

Furniture

Our living room goes through cycles: it's full of stuff, it's clean, full of stuff, clean, full of stuff.

Yesterday morning it was basically clean. Other than the soda cans. By last night: full of stuff.

Marissa is moving to Seattle. She has to be out of her place by Monday. She and Jason will be driving to Seattle starting next Saturday. In the interim, she and her stuff are living with us. Yesterday, Jason, with some help from Taylor and Jason's friend Will, mostly moved Marissa out and did some furniture musical chairs, which will be continuing over the next couple of weeks.

First, the bed. Since Jason and I got married, Marissa has been sleeping on my bed because Jason already had a queen-size bed and Marissa had none. However, my mattress was nicer and I was sort of hoping we could finagle a way to get my bed down to Providence rather than selling it, although if you have ever dealt with moving a queen-size boxspring in and out of a converted Victorian home, you can understand why I thought that might not happen.

However, Brandon and Sarah have a bedframe they need to sell when they get back from India and Will from Jason's lab just happens to need a bed. $50 and some moving assistance later, Will has Jason's old mattress and boxspring, and will get the bedframe when Brandon and Sarah get back, and we have my mattress and boxspring down in Providence.

Second, the dresser. Brandon had this pretty dresser, which Marissa inherited when Brandon moved to India. Since Marissa is minimizing, she's not taking the dresser with her and I staked my claim to it. One of the back corners is a little busted, but you can't see that where I'm putting it and it's bigger and more aesthetically pleasing than my current IKEA dresser, which everyone in the world who has ever shopped at IKEA also owns. My new dresser body is in the living room, with drawers strewn about the living and dining rooms just waiting for me to make the transition. Then my IKEA dresser will sit in the living room until I Craigslist it.

Third, the desk. I've had qualms in the past, but I think it's definitely time to get rid of my desk. Jason has a HUGE desk, and we have determined that if (or rather, when) he gets it organized, there will be space for me to put some things in it as well. My current desk is not really my style anymore, takes up a lot of space, and is never used as a desk because the lowest shelf of the hutch is too low for me to open my laptop. Basically it's a large storage unit at this point. Marissa had a small bookshelf (which was actually mine, but I left it for her to use) that Jason carted down yesterday. It's smaller than the desk and will hold many of the things that are currently in and on the desk. Then the desk will move into the living room until I can sell it.

There is also a pile of stuff that has been accumulating in the dining room for, oh, the last year, waiting to be sold. We're going to have a Craig's List extravaganza!

Also, and I am SO excited about this, Jason is letting me throw away his ratty old armchair that is currently covered in an ill-fitting slipcover and about 3 pounds of cat fur. The last time I sat in that chair, I got hurt by some sort of tack. It's not a friendly chair. And I get to just put it out on the curb to be hauled off by the garbage men. Hurray!

Foodie

I thought this was pretty fun, although I don't know if I agree with some of the things that are on this must-eat list. Regardless, I'm progressing well toward having a complete list.

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating. (I made them red because I can't cross out in Blogger)
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at Very Good Taste linking to your results.

I also took the extra step of italicizing all the things I can't try due to religion. Out of the 88 things not prohibited by my religion, I've tried 51. Pretty good.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile (I count this as a yes because I have had Alligator)
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomato (for shame on me. Next year I'm growing an heirloom tomato)
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese (no, no, no. My grandpa ate this stuff. The smell was enough to put me off forever)
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi (not salted. I've had sweet lassi actually in India, so I think that should count for half a point)
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (chopped up insects I would probably try. Maybe something in a nice casserole)
43. Phaal (maybe. Probably not since it has a reputation of being insanely hot according to Wikipedia, but I did have some pretty spicy stuff when we were in southern India)
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear (I'm counting this as a yes even though I've never had the prickly pear pad itself. They used to serve us prickly pear fruit jelly on the PB&J in elementary school. Things that happen when you grow up in Tucson)
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian (in a shake. What a way to mess up a perfectly good shake)
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini (I've had each separately. Versus a caviar-stuffed blini)
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant (maybe. I've eaten selections at a couple of fancy places during Restaurant Week)
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Busy Busy

We have begun the month-long adventure with Jason's siblings. Jason's youngest brother Taylor is in town and we met each other for the first time on Thursday since he was on a mission when Jason and I got married. He seems pretty fun so far. Unlike the other brothers he's kind of an extrovert, dresses fashionably, uses hair product, and has absolutely no problem calling restaurants to make reservations*. Jason says they're not quite sure where Taylor came from.

Taylor and Marissa stayed with us this weekend. On Saturday we went kayaking on the Narrow River. We paddled down to Narragansett Beach, parked our boats on a sandbar and went swimming. Then we paddled back. Paddling upriver - kind of hard actually. Taylor almost got swept out to sea, but he fought his way out of the current. My shoulders are still sore. I had never been kayaking before and I really liked it. So much so that I told Jason we should look into getting one, but then he pointed out that we have no place to keep it. Darn.

Yesterday we watched the Olympics and they played a lot of Rock Band while I cleaned up my desk and cooked dinner. I know, it sounds like I'm a bedraggled housewife whose husband parties while I do all the work. But I've been wanting to clean my desk for awhile. When Jason saw me working so hard he stopped playing and asked me what he could do to help. I told him nothing since I was cleaning up my own stuff. Sweet of him to ask, though.

Last night I made Soyaki marinated pork chops, sesame steamed zucchini and tortellini. I was going to make rice to keep with the Asian theme, but meal moths had gotten into the bag. I don't think rice is supposed to wiggle...

Taylor leaves Friday, but as of September 1, Marissa is moving in with us for a week. then she and Jason are driving to Seattle to take her to grad school. I'm really going to miss having her around and I know Jason is too. All of his siblings have moved away from him now. However, soon after Jason gets back from Seattle, Brandon and Sarah are coming back from India and will be staying with us for several days while they figure out what to do with the things they left behind in storage in Boston before they move to California.

Good thing I like Jason's family.

*The rest of the siblings have mild to severe phone phobia. It was kind of nice to not be the only one making those calls this weekend.

Dating and Marriage

3 years ago yesterday Jason and I went out on our first date.

It's been kind of a strange 3 years, to be honest. Neither of us were looking for a relationship when we went on that first date that wound up lasting 9 1/2 hours. I was moving to DC in 4 days, he was trying to move on from someone else who had been a big part of his life. During the 2 years we were dating I tried to break up with him several times, but he would never let me. Kind of like, "I do not accept this break-up." It is very difficult to break up with someone you love who also loves you even though there are many dysfunctional issues and it may not be the best thing in the world for you and your sanity.

Sometimes we reflect on the weirdness of it all.

However, now things are really, really good. I feel like we've gotten over some of the roommate issues (though I don't think he will ever be tidy enough for me and I have a feeling that we will always have an assortment of empty Fresca cans on the shelf behind the couch, at least until we move and those two pieces of furniture are not together anymore. Then I guess the cans will be on the floor next to the couch). We always have a lot of fun and make each other laugh. I tend to be dramatic and emotional and Jason is a pillar of logic. Sometimes that can be extremely infuriating, but more often he is the voice of reason that I need when I feel like the world is collapsing on me.

I had a realization a couple of weeks ago that maybe should have come before we got married, but let's not be picky. Basically, I realized that Jason is the one who will be there in life from now on. Friends come and go, some are ones that I will always be in touch with even though we're not in each other's daily lives. But it's Jason and me now. We are this unit who will be experiencing life together from now on. I know I knew this, but somehow it's more real now. Perhaps it's because we have had friends move away, and potential new friends come into our lives. We are the constant in each other's lives.

In 2 months we'll have been married a year. I told Jason last night that I'm really glad we got married. He said he is too.

Business Professional

I'm looking for a nice work bag. I've been using this giant black bag I got at Target for $30 for so long that it's starting to come apart. It's been handy, though. As I mentioned, it's giant. I can generally put a couple of files, my wallet, cell phone, business card holder, lipstick, lotion, book for the bus, lunch AND high heeled shoes in it and head to work. Plus, it has a really snazzy bright green lining.

I hit the Wrentham outlets today after work. First off, there's a new Kate Spade outlet there. I stopped in and wanted to buy 10 or so bags, plus a wallet, and this wee little pocket mirror wrapped in light blue leather. But I restrained myself even though they were all so very cute. Alas, no large black professional-looking bag.

Then I went to the Coach outlet. Plenty of cute bags, but nothing appropriate.

Then I kind of got sidetracked at Banana Republic and the brand new Ann Taylor Loft outlet. I bought a few tops and a new pair of sunglasses all at amazing outlet prices. I really need some professional clothes because a lot of my stuff is either getting too raggedy or just doesn't fit anymore since I've gone down a couple of sizes since the last time I did any serious business clothes shopping. I was going to stop at some shoe shops too, but while I was in Ann Taylor Loft the shops all closed. The problem with going after work is that I really only get about an hour and a half and there are a LOT of stores.

On my way out, I noticed the Burberry outlet, but by that time it was closed. I don't know if they'll have a business bag, but I would just like to own something in Burberry plaid and the outlet seems like the place to make that sort of investment.
Fancy.

The truth is, I found the perfect bag at the Coach store in the mall a couple of weeks ago when I went shopping with my friend Deborah. It's called Madeline and is $500. Yeah, so that's not happening. But, see, look at the pretty:
It's big enough for files and other things, but not quite as obscenely big and ostentatious as the bag I've been using. And the thing you cannot even see is how the lining is this very delicate lilac color. It made me go, "Oooooo..." So it's kind of hard to find a suitable bag when I feel like I already found the perfect bag.

The search for the second place bag continues.

Getting Social Again

I'm making an effort to expand my social circle in Providence, now that the Bar is over and I have some free time again. Last night some ladies in the ward got together for what they're calling Project Night. Basically, if you have some unfinished project that you're working on, you can bring it and work on it. Or you can just sit and chat and eat treats.

I pulled out one of the several afghans I'm crocheting right now and did a few more rows. A few women brought knitting (and one of them is going to teach me!). One woman hemmed some pants. Another woman just joined in the conversation. We watched the Olympics too.

It is a fairly diverse little group. We're all in our late 20's/early 30's, but are a motley set when it comes to kids and marriage. So it's fun to talk about our different experiences. One of the women is my age, but has an 11 year-old, which means she was the same age as my mom was when she had me. I cannot even fathom having an 11 year-old right now.

I got a ride with a couple other people and on the way home we were talking about other ideas for gatherings. Someone suggested a monthly cooking group and we got all excited thinking about doing theme nights or doing it Iron Chef-style, with a secret ingredient that everyone has to use somehow. Getting out and about makes me feel less isolated down here in Providence. And then I came home to a husband and kitty who were both happy to see me. This is good.

Saturday Cookery

Saturday we had a going-away party for our friends Molly, Garrett and Baby Liam. They're moving to DC this week and we're very sad to see them go.

However, throwing a party gave me a chance to whip out my cooking magazines and favorite recipe sites and find a few things to make.

Garlicky Lima Bean Spread
I used this as more of a dip than a spread and it was great with fresh veggies and baked pita chips. The recipe calls for roasted garlic paste, which I couldn't find after looking in a couple of different stores. So I used my terracotta garlic baker and baked 6 cloves of garlic, smushed them up and threw them in. Honestly, I think it probably could have used more. But then, I love garlic.

Speaking of fresh veggies, this is a zucchini from my friend Jessica's garden.
Yes, that's a roll of paper towels. The zucchini is actually slightly longer than the paper towels. She brought me 3 zucchinis of this size, plus a cucumber around the same size. I need a garden.

Coconut-Almond Macaroons
Since this is a Cooking Light recipe, I call these relatively-healthy macaroons, which is great for me because I love macaroons. They were a little sticky, but very tasty.

Lime Meltaways
I really like limes, and I like key limes, which the recipe calls for, even more. (Seriously, Diet Coke with key lime juice squeezed into it is pretty great). However, I did have limes on hand and did not have key limes. I'll have to try this again with key limes when I get a hold of some.

Anyway, these are great, nutty-tasting cookies with just a slight tartness from the lime juice. And as a bonus, I have some leftover dough. See, the recipe calls for 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) of butter. It didn't occur to me until after I had started mixing that the author used the 4 tablespoon sticks, rather than the 8 tablespoon sticks that I use. So I started out with 24 tablespoons of butter. After I realized that, I just doubled everything and I have two extra dough logs in my freezer waiting to be thawed and sliced at a moment's notice. You know, if we have a cookie emergency.

Wedding Flashback

I'm finally getting around to organizing our wedding pictures and figuring out which ones we want to get printed and framed and such. As I've been looking through the DVD, the photos have reminded me of what a lovely Fall day it was. Yesterday morning Jason said, "Fall is coming soon" with a little bit of excitement in his voice. We both love Fall and October is my favorite month (and not just because it's the month in which I was born). October in New England epitomizes everything that's perfect about the season. I'm glad we were able to get married in October and have pictures like this:
Yes, we're in a cemetery. Mount Auburn Cemetery, the country's first garden cemetery. It's lovely in all seasons. Take note that permission is required to take wedding photos there, which we found out a half hour after we got there and one of the caretakers came over and told us. Whoops. She nicely let us finish since we were already there.





These two are outside the church where we were married.



Just for fun, here's one of my favorite pictures. I love the treatment our photographer used. It looks like an antique.

Blurg

I'm sick. I get annoyed when I'm sick because I've just got too much to DO. I'm sure it's partly the letdown from the Bar stress. I used to get sick at the end of every semester, once I gave my body a chance to rest.

The thing is, I started back to work slowly and am working 3 days this week, taking yesterday and today off. I had grand plans to clean the entire house, which it desperately needs, especially since we're having a going-away party for some friends on Saturday. To give you an idea of the shape the apartment is in, it took me 5 hours on Saturday to clean the bathroom, kitchen, and dining room. And I didn't even vacuum the rug in the dining room, just swept the floor. But I just can't seem to get motivated to clean. My head is stuffy and I feel like I'm moving at about half my normal speed. I've gone through some piles of mail and things, but the heavy lifting just feels like way too much.

So my alternative plan was to loll on the couch and make my way through old Netflixed movies that I haven't had a chance to watch. However, the shinglers are still here. Moreover, today they're working on the area in between the first and second floors outside of the living room. Meaning I was just sitting on the couch and realized there were two men standing in my living room window directly across from me. Not that they were looking in, but it doesn't make for easy-going relaxing on the couch.

Plus, they're using saws and sanders and other loud tools making it impossible to watch a movie without blasting out the TV speakers. So I've moved into the bedroom with a pile of magazines that I haven't had the chance to read yet.

Earlier I thought I could at least handle doing a few loads of laundry. I went downstairs and the washer is unplugged and all 4 outlets have some sort of power tool plugged into them. Oooookay. Jason noted that it's unfortunate that this whole project started during the only time of the whole year that I'm going to be spending my days at home. Yes, bad timing indeed.

Ugh

Dear Subconscious,

In case you didn't get the memo, the Bar is over. No need to have crazy nightmares in which I somehow lose 15 minutes of essay writing time and wake up all panicked. Also, when I do wake up all panicked, there's no need to go over all the elements of "Best Interest of the Child" that I didn't get a chance to list in my domestic relations essay because I ran out of time. Not helping my confidence level.

Cut it out.

Sincerely,
Me

Block Island, or, The Baby Liam Show

Yesterday, we went to Block Island with our friends Molly and Garrett and their baby Liam. I discovered that maybe the Northeast actually does have something to offer in the way of beaches and Baby Liam discovered that sand plus waves equals mud and that is pretty awesome.

I admit to being kind of a beach snob. I grew up going to the beach in South Florida where the water is clear and warm almost the whole year. I discovered yesterday that in August the water is also clear and kind of warm on Rhode Island beaches too. I swam out to probably about 8 feet deep and the water was perfectly clear. Then I saw a jellyfish about 2 inches in front of me and I turned around. But the point is, the beach was wonderful and I have the sunburn to prove it.*

We arrived on the ferry at about 10:30 AM.

It was Molly's birthday and she had planned out the day. First, we walked to the Southeast Lighthouse, which Molly thought was maybe three-quarters of a mile from the harbor. After walking, and walking, and walking some more, we finally got to the lighthouse. I mapped it out this morning, and it was actually about 2 miles from the harbor. And it was kind of hot out.
However, all along the way, we were treated to views like this:
Southeast Lighthouse

And, you know, the heat wasn't anything a sippy cup couldn't solve.**

After walking around the lighthouse we made the executive decision to take a taxi back into town. I'm just going to tell you right now, don't take a taxi on Block Island. That 2 mile cab ride back to the harbor cost $17. SEVENTEEN! Insane.

We had lunch*** and then made our way to the beach.








Then it was time to get on the ferry and head back to the mainland.

We were pooped when we got home. Jason came upstairs from getting the mail and exclaimed, "New Chinese place menu!" Yes! Dinner is served!

* Darn living in the north! I used to never burn.
** We call this Liam's big fat party animal picture.
*** Whole belly clams. Yum!