meandering eats

The Glass is Cold: On Life, Movement, and Limbo

2012-05-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

(top, left to right) Diane and Todd of White on Rice Couple with Joy of Joy the Baker; Dianne Jacob; Khao man gai from Nong's in Portland, OR; (middle, left to right) Coava Coffee Roasters in Portland, OR; pomegranate seeds at Mercado Hidalgo in Tijuana, Mexico; lengua (tongue) and tripe tacos from Tacos El Guero in Tijuana, Mexico; (bottom, left to right) Minassian-Young Vineyards, Paso Robles, CA; Jenks Lake, near Angelus Oaks, CA, site of Camp Blogaway; Fentons Creamery, Vacaville, CA branch

Imagine me with my face pressed against a frosted glass window, trying my damnedest to see what's on the other side. That's what life has felt like in the past couple of months. 6 trips in 9 weeks, with all of them fun and enlightening. Exhausting, too, especially for an introvert who loves people, loves to travel, but really needs time to dial down and recharge.

My last post was written on a lazy Sunday afternoon and it feels like I haven't had a chance to sit down since. The following week, I drove up to visit Todd and Diane at a lovely event featuring Joy the Baker, Cristina Ferrare, and lots of Kitchen Aid products, I had a fantastic time hanging out with everyone. While I was there, a rejection letter popped up on my email. Damn smartphones.

The weighty thought hit me... maybe I have a snowball's chance in hell of getting into medical school.

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Spring Sunday: On Relaxing Weekends

2012-02-26T18:10:00.000-08:00

This? Sunday morning here in San Diego. Winter, we hardly knew ye.

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Sam Live Giveaway Winner!

2012-02-16T13:15:00.001-08:00

Image from thecookingguy.com

Thank you very much for all of your entries! These were the numbers each entry was assigned based on order received.
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Sam Live: Recapping the Livecast and a Giveaway

2012-02-11T21:36:00.000-08:00

Back in October, I had the honor of visiting Sam the Cooking Guy and the crew over at The Sam Livecast. It was a total blast. I showed up, we chatted, I watched some cooking, and next thing I knew, it was streaming over the internet. Dan said I didn't seem like too big of a spaz. Unfortunately, with fall being as busy as it was, I didn't have a chance to post about my visit.

The episode is here. I always cringe when I hear myself on a recording, like on camera or on voicemail. Yes, I do sound that ridiculous.

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Fried Balls of Deliciousness: Bitterballen and Arancini

2012-02-07T07:33:00.000-08:00

Arancini (left) and bitterballen (right), right before kickoff at our Super Bowl party.

This is technically an Amsterdam-inspired post, although I don't have photos of the bar in Amsterdam where we tried bitterballen. In fact, there's a lot of food from Amsterdam I didn't photograph, because we ate like gluttonous kings and there isn't always good light. When I hang out with Kirk, we EAT. Our marathons have taken place in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and now Amsterdam.

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Amsterdam: On Cheese and Bringing the Magic Home

2012-02-03T07:56:00.000-08:00

We had walked into the cheese shop from a brisk foggy cold. Pulling off our layers, we noticed the small shop was bustling with folks tasting cheese and sipping wine. Stepping down into the main area of Kaashandel Abraham Kef, we were greeted by a friendly woman who asked if we wanted to try some "khh-howda". It sounded like "chowdah," said a la Boston, and replacing the "ch" with a guttural, throat-clearing "khh" sound.

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Amsterdam: On New Directions, the New Year, and Nostalgia

2012-01-28T09:00:00.000-08:00

A year ago today, I was heading to Food Blog Camp and starting a course in Genetics at the alma mater. I went back to school for six months, spent the summer applying, spent the fall freaking out, went to Paris, and now 2011 is over.

The most telling sign that I have no idea about what happened to 2011 is when my day job had some recent major breakdowns. It involved a lot of backtracking and reviewing data. In a discussion, I remarked that one of our molecules was made recently, in June.

Everyone stared at me. Turns out it was June 2010. Wow.

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On Resolutions: Guest Posting at Kitchen Corners

2012-01-26T21:36:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year.

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I don't have my act together enough to post on this blog. I have a post in progress, but catch my first post of the year: a guest post on my favorite salad ingredients over at Kitchen Corners.

Damaris and I met at Food Blog Camp and I was so glad to spend a little time with her this summer before she moved to Brazil. She's an amazing person to chat with and has a great eye for food and design. Check out her beautiful blog and say hello!

Oh, and the anecdote about the maternity pants? Totally true. I definitely need to stick to a diet resolution.

Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap: Meyer Lemon Sables

2011-12-12T08:05:00.000-08:00

The package was coming together nicely, but as I almost finished putting them together, I realized that my lovely little chocolate macarons had started to split. Their cajeta middles were oozing everywhere. It was clear that these wouldn't survive shipping without refrigeration. Baking them was a moment of overambition borne out of our recent trip to Paris. I'd wanted to bake a cookie that was undeniably French. The cookies were baked and filled, but the cajeta filling was just a little too soft at room temperature.

It was the day the cookies were to be shipped. Out went couple of panicked emails to Lindsay and Julie notifying them of the delay and then I had to figure out my Plan B. I still wanted to do something French, but it had to be fast and delicious.

meandering eats

The Glass is Cold: On Life, Movement, and Limbo

Spring Sunday: On Relaxing Weekends

Sam Live Giveaway Winner!

Sam Live: Recapping the Livecast and a Giveaway

Fried Balls of Deliciousness: Bitterballen and Arancini

Amsterdam: On Cheese and Bringing the Magic Home

Amsterdam: On New Directions, the New Year, and Nostalgia

On Resolutions: Guest Posting at Kitchen Corners

Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap: Meyer Lemon Sables

Stress-Free Celebrating: Roy's Restaurant

Mama's Pie in the Sky: On Missing Great Things

Weekend Plans: Sublime Ale House

Guest Post: Sugar and Spice Apple Chips from The Cilantropist

On Sunsets and Old Pups

Farewell, Teej: Cucina Urbana and Balboa Park

Guest Post: Fresh Spinach and Gruyère Flatbread from Life & Food

Taking a Break: Chicken Liver Pate

Smashburger: Deliciously Comforting

A Fund for Jennie Auction: San Diego Food Bloggers' Basket

Big Summer Potluck: On Inspiration and Community

Eat Out, Help Out: Dollar a Dish for Food 4 Kids Backpack Program

Mikey's Peanut Butter Pie: Celebrating Those We Love

Guest-Posting at The Cilantropist: Brioche for Busy Schedules

My Latest Addiction: Cucumber Dill Dip

My Return, Cont'd: Yu Me Ya Hillcrest