The Ole' Switcheroo

Due to no time lately, and lack of popularity, I'm switching my blog to tumblr. I won't have to type as much so everything is simpler, and there's only a few people looking at this anyway (thank you dad :p).

But, as a parting gift, I'll leave with a few photos.
Brunch:

Dinner:




Ah, parting is such sweet sorrow.


See ya on Tumblr, I guess!

This just keeps getting better and better!

Seriously guys. I feel like this weather is going to lead to something awful because there is no other reason it would be so incredibly perfect right now. On top of all this, I now have tons of awesome stuff thanks to my mom (mostly cleaning supplies, but also Diet Coke, apple juice, and basically dinner for the next few nights).

Not only this, but the Best Coast concert is tomorrow!! I can't wait it's gonna be awesome! I bought my ticket as soon as I heard of the show. Plus I listened to the other two bands that are playing and they sound great too.

Plus! I'm up to 4 little memory drawings a day, so I'm staying sane and finishing a project at the same time!

Pillow Fight Day!

Last night we went to a great French restaurant called Les Halles. It's hard to find a bad restaurant in New York City, but this one really was great. Some French places just serve Americanized French dishes, but they had classic dishes like Boudin, Cassoulet, and Saucisse Alsacienne, which is what I ordered.


And today was that day of the year where everyone gets together for a HUGE pillow fight in Union Square. And huge it was...

I did not fight with a pillow, but when I went in on the action I had to keep the ole elbows out. Someone actually apologized to me because they couldn't see that I didn't have a pillow. But I got whacked in the head more than once without apology.

My mom, Elsa, Elsa's mother, and I went to Pinkberry afterwards, a much needed treat after all that pillow-ing.

(I got chocolate with Cinnamon streusel, cheesecake, chocolate, and mixed nuts)

We're going out tonight again because it's Elsa's birthday, and her last day in town. There'll be an update tomorrow.

AMAZING WEATHER

The last few days in New York had been rainy, cold, and just down-right miserable. But sort of yesterday, and definitely today the weather is beautiful! Hopefully it will stay this way the whole weekend like it's supposed to.

Elsa and her mother are in town, and so is my mom, so we're wining and dining all over the place. Today we had lunch at Soho Park on Prince and Crosby.

I had a helluva burger and fries, and we all shared some of their red-onion onion rings.


We also went to the American Indian Museum, which was pretty neat. After seeing all that handicraft I really want to make some of my own. I usually hate going in that area of town though, because everyone is either a business person (though they don't bother me too much) or a tourist. I hate everything about tourists, and I hate being a tourist, but the museum was pretty interesting, as I said, and the weather was just perfect, as I said.

But still, pictures like this:

taken with blinding flash, on the subway, in front of some building, next to a homeless person, in crocs/an I <3 NY tee/an NYPD baseball cap/those huge white shoes tourists ALWAYS wear, make me die a little inside.

Lunch Today: Fish Fry

Fish Fries always seem so sentimental. My family never traditionally had a Friday fish fry like some families I know did. BUT I did work for a restaurant that had a special Friday menu with a Friday fish fry. That was one of my favorite parts about working there on a Friday night-at the end of the long night working I could drive home and eat some Lake Perch with potato pancakes in the parking lot of the church across the street.

So today for lunch I made Lake Perch with cheesy skin-on mashed potatoes (just like the mashed potato casserole the restaurant/inn would serve) and a mini salad.


The inn and my family (when we did the recipe) would make a beer-battered perch, but since I can't get that on my own quite yet, I found another recipe that worked out just great.

Beer Batter Recipe:
1egg
1 cup warm stale beer
1 1/8 tsp baking powder
1 cup flour
1tsp salt
¾ tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic salt
fish filets
cooking oil
1. Mix all ingredients except fish.
2. Wash and pat dry fish with paper towel
3. Heat 2 inches of cooking oil in pan over moderate high heat.
4. Dip fish pieces in batter, fry in oil, turning as necessary.

The "non-alcoholic" recipe:
1 tbsp. vinegar
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. milk
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Fish fillets
And the directions are the same.

Breakfast Today: Heart Pancakes

Another recipe from the .zip cookbook my parents sent me.


Martha Stewart eat your heart out...

literally.

2 Eggs
1 Cup of milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup+4 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
Chocolate chips or other filling (optional)
Mix and pour on hot griddle. Flip. Eat.

A "Tight, Resolved Piece" and Some Valenstime Lovin'

I didn't exactly know how this was going to fare in today's critique, but my drawing teacher ended up really liking it.






MY PARENTS ARE SO CUTE. They also sent me a valentine that they originally gave me in 8th grade. I've been kind of regifted by my own parents. Even though it is a Snoopy card, so I didn't mind...

Pasta Night! With Molly!

Last night Molly came up to my room and we made an extravagant pasta feast. Check out the photo documentation of our glorious night:
I used that great meatball recipe of my mom's

Then comes the whole wheat pasta from Trader Joe's

And Molly brought a whole jar of sauce and some veggies, which we steamed

And the best part of making food is of course eating it



Or maybe the best part is taking home the leftovers?

Catching Up pt. IV: Another Recipe

As promised, here's a recipe for meatballs that comes from, you guessed it, my dear sweet mother.

about half pack of ground beef
2 eggs
2 Tbsp onion soup powder
Bread crumbs
cooking oil
1 jar tomato sauce

1.In a bowl, mix beef, eggs and soup powder. Add enough bread crumbs to make a dry mixture.
2.Cover bottom of a large saucepan with oil and heat up over medium heat. Form balls by rolling them between your palms, measuring about 1 tablespoon of beef for each. Drop in the oil one at a time, about half the mixture. Turn when brown, about 5 minutes, cook another 2 minutes and remove to a plate. Finish the other half of mixture the same way.
3.Add the meatballs on the plate to the pot and pour the tomato sauce over them, stirring gently.
4.Cover and lower heat to low. Cook for about 30 minutes, checking that sauce does not get too dry. Add ¼ cup water at a time if it does.

I only used one egg when I made this, but I didn't use that much beef, so I guess it depends on how much you have. I paired this with some homemade garlic mashed potatoes and it was delish.
To make the mashed potatoes I usually just cut up one or two potatoes into cubes, boil them with a pinch of salt and let them boil for 10-13 minutes. Then when they're soft I strain them and mash them up with some salt and butter.
For the garlic, I used half a clove minced and cooked in butter until a little brown, and then mixed in with the already-mashed potatoes.

WHAT THE FOCK!

The gallery in Milwaukee that my dad shows at (gallery 218) was nominated by the local paper, the Shepherd Express, as one of the best galleries in Milwaukee. Because Art Kumbalek is a weekly contributor to the Shepherd Express, and also sometimes appears in those annual "Best of Milwaukee" issues, he was at the event held at the gallery.

Luckily, my mom spotted Art wandering around or something, and snagged him for a photo. I'm insanely jealous!

I'm sure anyone who reads the Shepherd as religiously as I do (or did back in Milwaukee) understands why I love this man so much. In short: he's hilarious.


check him out!

MMMM candy!

I got a super duper amazing package from my parents! yeah! it's got candy in it! and a really cute card!

In other news, I keep avoiding my homework and going out instead. Antichrist last night was crazy, I highly recommend it. Though I didn't watch the famous "clitoris severing" scene...I looked away for that second. But it was a good movie. Crazy. Crazy good.
I've been watching movies all of today, and saw The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Itty Bitty Titty Committee, SLC Punk, Prom Night, and Matilda. I then went out to a diner, even though I had already eaten dinner. OH BOY. I should really start that homework...

Dinner Tonight: SweetPotatoPotatoCarrot Soup

My mom's recipe! SUUUUUUPER easy to make

1/2 Large Potato
1/2 Large Sweet Potato
about 1/2 Small bag of baby carrots
Sugar
Salt

Finely chop the potato, sweet potato and carrots to make them easier to mash later. Boil the pieces in a pot until soft (about 10 minutes). Strain about half the pot into the sink, and pour the other half into a separate bowl. Add a little sugar and salt to the strained mix (being a college student, I don't use actual bought salt and sugar. Instead I use the salt and sugar packets from McDonalds, Starbucks, etc. I usually add one sugar packet and two salts). Mash the pieces in the pot, adding water from the bowl little by little until soupy (I like it a little thicker). Dump any extra water out of the bowl and pour soupy mixture in. Eat.