The Watermelon Radish

Graduation

noreply@blogger.com (The Watermelon Radish) — Sat, 14 Jun 2014 01:19:00 +0000

Hello everyone! So, next week I'm going to be getting on a plane and flying to New York, then to London and finally France for two weeks. In France I'm going to be doing a two week art camp which is run by my dearest friends Bruce and Alisa. I'm super excited, and can guaruntee many posts from my travels! Before I leave, however, I'd like to leave you with something.

On Monday, I graduated from 8th grade at Turning Point. It was a wonderful occasion, and many friends and family joined me for it. Each one of them made it truly special, I'm not going to bore you with a list of names.
To start, the Head of School (remember when that was me for a day?) said something about each of us. Then, we each gave a short poem about ourselves, the only guidelines were that we
1) had to include a line about our community
2) had to include a line about our family, because graduation is just as much about them as it is about the actual graduates
3) it had to include something beginning with 'my soul is'

So, I though that I'd share my poem with you...

Graduation Poem
By: Kellen

My soul is a fiery chariot that never stops blazing

My soul is testing the boundaries

Holding a girl who watches the stars,

That’s where you’ll find me,

Looking out at nothing, but with me there’s always something

Always something to make me smile, full of joy

A bubble of emotion and a static wire crackling with life

See through my eyes, those common hazel eyes

Behind their brownish skies there’s a portal, spilling into our dimension everything from the one that I’ve invented

And all the writing that I’ve done up from the paper

And all the sketches and the pictures come to life,

See those rainbow sparks that crackle through the night

Those are the friends and family that form a firework,

my firework

And in the place I live, the land I’m from, they might not know my name, but soon they will, I’m sure of it

See the tiny girl with scrunchies in her hair

That was me at the beginning, how far I’ve come from there

To this place that is my home, and I won’t forget it in a lifetime

See the tiny fingers pointing to the stars

Years ago I caught them in droplets of crystal shimmers

The only girl who talks to the moon, and doesn’t fear what the sky will do to me

See how I’ve grown up like a flower, tall and wild, tame but true

And the smile on my face is like an ocean, the calm before a storm

See the girl who watches the stars, that’s me

Looking past what’s already happened, to the future, it’s a giant white page in front of me

But I know what’s out there, and I’m ready for anything, to branch out like a tree

Because with me, there’s always something

At our post graduation lunch at Petrossian

After the ceremony

My day as Head of School

noreply@blogger.com (The Watermelon Radish) — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 04:05:00 +0000

When I heard that I would be Head of School for a day, I didn’t know what to expect. I hadn’t the faintest idea about how the school was run, and I was interested to find out. I was so excited to be able to fill the shoes that I’ve been looking up to my entire life.

As a Level 8 student, I’m used to having a fair amount of responsibility and leadership opportunities, but nothing prepared me for the amazing whirlwind of a day I was about to have.

First thing in the morning, I prepared extensively to give a speech about our latest Speaker Series Presenter, Lori Getz. I was honored to give that introduction. After giving my introduction, I went back to Building 1 and got ready for my close up! We took some really great photos, especially for that early in the morning.

After photos, I was ready for my first, of many, meetings throughout the day. I was amazed to see how Division Heads like Mr. Segar and Mrs. Akana check in on classes and meet with so many teachers. Then, much to my enjoyment, I went back three years and visited a Level 5 class to discuss one of my favorite books, Maniac Magee.

I have to admit, though, my favorite parts of the day happened just before lunch. I went back to my roots on the Primary Playground and supervised the children playing. That was really touching for me because I was once playing there with the same carefree smile plastered to my face that I could see on all of theirs. It was really special for me, because that was the playground that cultivated me into the person I am today. I gained so many foundations there.

Another highlight for me would have to be going to lunch at The Point (which despite the

name isn’t owned by Turning Point) with Ms. Richman. After a refreshing walk there, upon which we discussed social media opportunities for the school and the stylistic decisions that some buildings had made, we were there. During lunch we also talked about common interests like reading and writing.

That concluded my day and my taste of being part of the Administrative Team, but I had a blast. It was an amazing opportunity, and the twelve years I’ve spent at Turning Point made it all the more sweet.

Until next time,

The Watermelon Radish

My Summer/Winter Adventures in Australia

noreply@blogger.com (The Watermelon Radish) — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 02:27:00 +0000

Happy New Year Everyone!

For the past two weeks, I was down in beautiful Australia! I was visiting two of my dearest friends who stayed with me last year. My mom offered to fly with me but I just said, "Mom, I've got this." She didn't hear from me much for two weeks. I stayed just outside of Melbourne, two hours exactly. The Chessel's live in a small town called Undera, and the Kulatunga's in Shepparton which is only slightly bigger. So, without further adieu, I would like to present to you some highlights from my trip Down Under...

Being a food blogger, I felt an urge to photograph my first meal
in the Australian hemisphere. It was simple and consisted of a spinach and
egg Fritata, some reasonably fresh fruit, and a few squashed Tater Tots.
I recommend Qantas, they have good food, and their flight attendants are
a bit sassy.

This is Diesel, the Chessels' family dog. She's a Blue Heeler and

extremely photogenic.

My very first experience on a dairy farm was filled with fun,

laughter and the occasional scare gun. A gun that kept the birds from pecking away at the hay, but it was only the noise (no bullet). When I first heard it, my heart lurched, but after about three days I was used to it.

This is me, on my second night at the farm, holding on to the back of the Ute

(which is like a pickup truck)

We went Kangaroo spotting, more like chasing, since we were rumbling through the bush like an angry beast. It was a lot of fun, and I saw my first wild Kangaroo in Australia.

This is a wild Kangaroo at the Kyabram Fauna Park. Imagine a giant zoo the size of a reserve, and then take away the bars. The animals, or most of them, could roam free around the park. I kept looking around for the Drop Bears, a vicious breed of Koala, that is, until they told me that there was no such thing as a Drop Bear. The animal is a work of fiction to scare off tourists,

and it looks like I fell for it.

This is a Tasmanian Devil at the Fauna Park.

I'll just keep emu-vin on.

Here we are on a paddle steamer on the Murray River. This river is the second longest in Australia. Smack in the middle of the river sits a port town called Echucha (echu-ca). I learned a lot of historical facts on that tour. A cool one was that when the bridge from New South Wales to Victoria was being built, six men fell in. Five bodies were found, so one body is still in the foundation of the bridge. We named it 'Dead Mans Bridge'.

This is quite possibly the best drink in the world. Of course, it can only be found in Australia.

Life just isn't fair, is it?

Here I am on Boxing Day with the Chessels Family. I had an amazing experience on the farm and a great time with them! I was super sad to leave, but I was excited to go with the Kulatunga family to their house for the remainder of my trip. Check out Diesel's hat, you have no idea how long it took to get that on her head.

This is a beautiful sunset over the "large" ( population 7,000 ) town of Shepparton on my first night with the Kulatungas. An awesome thing you can do at night there? You can actually see the stars.

On my first day with them, they took me to the Shepparton Chocolate Apple Factory. Which is, in case you were wondering, the most adorable place in the world. I got an apple that was covered in white chocolate and sprinkles. Yum!

These are some plaques from a bakery in the small town of Tetura called Tetura Hot Bread. This

bakery has broken some records for its award winning desserts.

It was only natural that we stopped by...

This is a Honey Joy. I didn't get to try it, but, my close source said that it was certainly a joyous munchie. It is, essentially, cornflakes stuck together with honey and caramel.

Sounds like honey heaven.

This is the Vanilla Slice, yet another Australian delicacy that the Americans don't have the guts to copy. Shame on you because this might be the best sweet I've ever had. The top is a layer of creamy icing, then there is a sweet and crunchy pastry, and in the center is a smooth vanilla custard. My mouth is watering. This slice has won for the Tetura bakery four years in a row.

Still not enough proof that this is the ultimate sweet treat?

There were only two left out of a huge tray when we got to the bakery.

At the end of a long day, KidzTown was the perfect way to relax. KidzTown is the largest playground I've ever seen, complete with a zip line, fifty different kinds of monkey bars, a huge slide and even a TeenTown. We spent most of our time in Teen Town. Above, you can see a giant swing, but some other highlights of the area were spinning cups.

You sat in them and then they spun in circles at the strangest angles ever.

Needless to say, I could barely walk for about five minutes afterwards.

Here we have one of my favorite dinners of the trip! Our resident chef prepared a special Shri-Lanken curry chicken. The chicken was amazing and came alive with spices, the fried rice was

different from anything I'd ever had. I loved the cultural aspect of the food and didn't hesitate to have a second helping of curry!

This is a river in the historical park Sovereign Hill in the town of Ballarat. The park was all about the Gold Rush in Australia. Everyone who worked at Sovereign Hill dressed in the clothing of the era. We went to the Hope Bakery, which specializes in amazing Australian food that you can't get in America. I had a Sausage Roll, and yes, it is just as amazing as it sounds. We stopped by the Confectionery where they hand make the hard candies like saltwater taffie, we created colorful candles at the candle factory, and finally we stopped by the river. Senara and I pounced on the first gold pans we found and began to sift through the the river rocks. In the end, I came home with a vial of seven pieces. I think I might need a few more to buy a car though. Maybe.

Here we have a beautiful butterfly in the butterfly house at the Melbourne Zoo. Trust me when I say, you did not want this one to land on you. It was as big as a hummingbird.

This is the logo for the hotel that I stayed at in Melbourne. It literally took up an entire section of the city with its three buildings. It was beautiful. My favorite part was an infinity pool on the top floor that gave the swimmers a lovely view of the entire city.

Goodbye Australia, I'll miss you so much!

The land, scenery and experiences were amazing and I will never forget them. But, the people that became my families for the two weeks I spent there were the best gift I could have ever wished for. You will never leave my heart, and I left a part of me back in Australia with all of you.

I left some on the Ute whizzing through the bush, I left some beneath the tree playing Keiffer tag, I left some in the Dairy surrounded by cows and I left some in the river to grow with the trees on the banks.

This I believe....

noreply@blogger.com (The Watermelon Radish) — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 01:38:00 +0000

This I believe....

My name is Kellen, and I am fourteen years old. Fourteen is a simple number, and it doesn’t account for much time on this planet. It might not even be enough time to develop a belief about the world. But to me it is. I believe in the power of perseverance. I believe in commitment. I believe in picking your passion and dedicating yourself to it. Following through with my actions is extremely important to me, and is a valuable asset in my life. When I began training to play tennis and improve my physical capabilities, I wasn’t as strong mentally or physically as I am now. I didn’t believe in myself, or my ability to pull my way to the top of my physical wall. I felt lost in a sea of the remains of hopes, and I had no idea how to pull myself out. I was drowning beneath my fears, and my subconscious mind was dwelling in a pit of self conscious denial. And I wanted out. My trainer once told me that I could do anything if I put my mind to it. It was a tired old cliche, and I’d heard it a thousand times before. Hearing it from him, under the circumstances that I wanted to be the best that I could be, made me want to persevere. Now, each time I go to training, I have a new found love for what I do. Once I knew that I could persevere through the hard times, nothing seemed so bad. Out on the court, just my coach and I, surrounded by trees and empty benches, was when this belief truly took shape. I didn’t see deserted white benches, I saw a busy stadium filled with loud noises and boisterous people. In my mind, I needed to impress them, I wanted them to look at me and remember my name. Each time I hit the ball I looked around, searching for something, searching for approval in their eyes. It wasn’t there. They weren’t there. The only way to find their cheers and see the admiration and respect in their eyes, was to go find it. No matter how tired I might be, no matter how much my bones ached, no matter how acutely I felt the burning in my thighs, I needed to persevere to get to those people. My perseverance allowed me to push through tough times when tutoring children younger than I, extend myself to new heights when training, and exert myself more than I thought possible in tennis. This belief has been extremely valuable to me, and everything that I stand for. Once I realized what I needed to do, there was only a starting point, not a finish. My perseverance is one of a kind because it never leaves me. I have to try as hard as I can, and accomplish the goals I’ve set. Once I gained perseverance, I started living. Whenever someone says the word ‘perseverance’, I am brought back to a thriving gym staring into my trainer’s thoughtful eyes, and I know I can go on.

See you soon, (or write to you soon because I can't see you, or can I?)

-The Watermelon Radish

The Trail of Tears

noreply@blogger.com (The Watermelon Radish) — Sun, 03 Nov 2013 23:09:00 +0000

Hello everyone!

Right now, at school we are learning about early American history. Andrew Jackson, supposedly the best president, supposedly the worst. I'm going to go with worst, because a good president wouldn't make over 8,000 American Indians walk from Georgia to Oklahoma in the middle of winter.
We were assigned to write a poem about somebody on the trail, so here's mine. I called it 'Tiny Angel' and it is about an eight year old girl named Effie Oaks who was on the trail.

Tiny Angel
Sleep now, tiny angel
in the morning you shall wake
your calloused feet are tired,
your frame will never cease to shake
Dry your eyes now, tiny angel
you’ve carried on so long
this tyrant who does plague you
will be washed away by dawn
Hush now, tiny angel
your family had to leave
but they never wanted too,
you carry your wailing brother, in hopes that he won’t leave you too
Tearful, tiny angel
the crystals gather in your eyes
diamonds cascade down your cheeks,
you used to be so shy
Remember, tiny angel
and rest your fevered head
remember 1928 when the first one was found dead
Blossom, tiny angel
and continue to bloom
your tears water the thirsty soil
and strain to grow
fight him, tiny angel
fight the one revered
he holds you back with gossamer threads to never again break free
It’s almost over, tiny angel
and when you watch the others die
do you feel emotion, or have to seen too many cry
Burning, tiny angel
this fallen snow cuts deep
the thorns of bruises open wide and leave splashes of red against the snow
Avert your eyes, tiny angel
for you do not need to see, the chief collapse of sickness
the elder slumped against the tree
Singing, tiny angel
you raise your voice in song, wail above the howling wind
been singing for so long
Don’t give up, tiny angel
you know you’ll get there soon, or will they have to dig another grave
to lay your weightless form
You couldn’t, tiny angel
you couldn’t stay alive
a porcelain beauty, as human as you
responsible for this child’s death,

A tiny angel, in the snow

See everyone next post!

-The Watermelon Radish

Laughter

noreply@blogger.com (The Watermelon Radish) — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 03:32:00 +0000

A family home should always be pulsating with laughter, and in this respect, my family shines with diversity. Laughter is to us humans as a mouse is to a cat. It is a reason to live, thrive and be happy.
The laughter that echoes in my house is unique. My grandmothers laugh is like a polite tinkling of bells clashing together to form a beautiful melody. Grandma's laugh is the sound of a wedding day.
My grandfathers laugh is choppy and fluctuates in rapid patterns. Grandpa's laugh is waves crashing to the shore.
For almost their entire lives, my grandparents have been sharing laughter.
My dad's bright ivory teeth smile, and his deep chuckles fill up the room. Dad's laugh is hard work and kneading the rich soil.
My mother's laugh is light and airy, and you can tell just by hearing it, that she is happy. Mom's laugh is shooting for the moon and snoozing on a star.
My family's laughs are filled with emotion and flair, but mine might be the strangest of all.
My laugh is the single drop of water that tumbles over the waterfalls and glints in the misty rainbow. My laugh is untamed, like the wild tiger caged in the zoo. My laugh gets higher and lower each second. My laugh is the moments where black ebbs your vision and insanity makes your voice quaver. My laugh is the moments hunched on the floor, unable to breathe, a mixture of laughs and sobs tearing through you. My laugh is me, my laugh is free, and my laugh is forever changing.

Chasing Monkeys

noreply@blogger.com (The Watermelon Radish) — Mon, 09 Sep 2013 02:22:00 +0000

Chasing Monkeys

There is nothing in the world quite like those eyes. Eyes veiled in a thick curtain of lashes, but wide, slightly watery, filled with admiration. Then the smile, overflowing with all the joy that their little bodies can’t hold inside. It isn’t the way they look at you; it’s why. Maybe because you helped them pick up a toppled truck, retrieve a stolen toy, or get one more Graham Cracker from the box. Even the smallest favor can impact their world.
The moment I stepped onto the playground, my feet sank deeply into the spongy astro turf. I was transported back to a world of make-believe. No longer a student, but their counselor. The highest honor had been bestowed upon me: caring for children. Spotting my favorite camper brought a surge of love and pride to my chest. Dylan was swinging from the monkey bars, his cheeks puffed out with the intense concentration it took to make it to the other side. The moment he spotted me, his fingers released their grip. Dylan hurdled from the monkey bars and sprinted towards me. In the past days we had developed a deep personnel connection. We understood each other. His tiny fingers curled into my hand and the rush of sparks in my palm sent a smile to my face. He jumped up and down, “Kewen,” He could never seem to get my name right, so each time it was a new nickname. “Kewen, we ride bikes now!” He trudged forward, forcefully dragging me to the bikes. Immediately, I saw him hop on the smaller of the two tricycles.
We had established the bike arrangements on the first day.
He had insisted, “I take the big bike!”
I pleaded, “Dylan, I’m too big to fit on the little bike.”
His feet dragged across the ground as he pouted, “I’m faster on the big bike!” Kneeling down so we were on the same level, I put an arm on his shoulder, “Dylan, I don’t think the bike is fast. I think that you make it fast! You’re like a superhero! Like Flash!” His chocolate brown eyes lit up like a tree on Christmas as he immediately switched bikes.
Though my legs were cramped between the wheels and the handle bars, I launched onto the winding bike path. “Watch out!” I narrowly avoided Graham as he stormed across the bike path after a group of screaming girls. To my left, the rest of the kids played on the playground. Isabella led the way across the bridge with her elaborate fabric wings, “Follow me to fairy land!”
Hannah argued, “Why don’t you follow me?”
If a two year old could pull an exasperated face, this would be it.
Isabella drawled, “Because I’m the leader so I go first.”

It really made you wish that you were their age again.
I snapped back to reality when Ms. Garcia called the children to the grassy area for group circle. There was lots of pushing and shoving and deciding who was going to sit on whose lap. All grass at our school is artificial, so it felt like stiff popsicle sticks on my legs. “Criss cross apple sauce!” Dylan made a bee line for me and plopped into my lap. Though it was hard on my knee, from surgery, I could deal with it if it made him happy.
Our head coach stood in the middle of the circle, barking out explanations for the week to come. He gestured wildly with his hands, somewhat like a crazed gorilla. Introducing the counselors and providing information about study trips was his main and only job. Though he thought he did everything.

The gym echoed with the sound of little feet jogging across the polished floor. Thundering next to me like a playful puppy, was Dylan. “I’m beating you Kewen!” With his words I slowed my pace so that he was, in fact, beating me. He raised his balled fists in triumph and ran to catch up with a friend.
“Kewen!” I felt a tap on the back of my neck, and a tiny tickle of breath by my ear. Spinning around on my scooter brought me face to face with Dylan, Jolie, Lochlann, Graham, Hannah, and Camille. Camille jabbed a finger in my face, “Chase us.” I tucked my legs underneath me so that I could lay across the scooter and propel myself after them. “Alright, but I’ll give you a head start. I’m pretty fast!”
Dylan yelled, “Not as fast as me!”
My hands paddled across the floor as I slithered after a group of screaming two year olds. Alas, they turned at the last second and I slammed into the wall. I was about to tag Dylan, but his smile stopped me in my tracks. My cheek was throbbing from my collision with the wall, the muscles in my arms ached and burned, and I could feel the sweat at the nape of my neck. Once I saw his smile, none of that mattered. If I could keep him smiling like that forever, I would. Soon, I was surrounded by dimples, bright teeth, flush faces, and rosy cheeks as they tackled me.

Back on the playground, I was tired. Hollis sprinted up to me, flanked by the rest of my campers. She announced, “You’re the bad witch, and we are the princesses and princes.” Before I could object, they took off. I had already experienced their great stamina first hand, so I tried to leisurely jog after them. I tagged bodies, fingers, legs, and heads. It was no use, because they just kept going. They didn’t seem to grasp the concept of freeze tag.
They were so ecstatic and their happiness seemed to be catching on. My heart felt as though it was going to burst when the kids giggled and screamed upon seeing me. They looked up to me, literally as well as emotionally. It felt as though a warm honey glow was radiating from my body. In that moment, I made a promise to myself and the kids. I’d always be back to play with them, make them happy, and keep them smiling for as long as I could.

That's Dylan

See you soon!
The Watermelon Radish

Easter Bunny Blues

noreply@blogger.com (The Watermelon Radish) — Sun, 18 Aug 2013 21:56:00 +0000

Hey Everyone!
This is a story that I wrote for my writing class about growing up, and my teacher said that I did a great job on it. I thought that I'd share it with you!

Easter Bunny Blues

It dawned upon me that I was old just last spring. Well, not really old, just old enough. It happened on Easter Sunday. There was always a family gathering on Easter, and as we pulled up I could see the brightly colored eggs littered across the yard. That was the first sign. In the past I never saw them, or at least I thought I didn’t. Seeing the eggs concerned me, but I didn’t have much time to dwell upon it. The younger children had begun to arrive. They were all smiles, stuffed animals, spring colors, and Easter baskets. I hadn’t brought mine.
I walked through the door,
“Hey everyone!”
I was greeted with enthusiastic replies. My little cousin Sadie who barely meets my knee announced,
“Kellen! Look at what the Easter Bunny brought me!”
She was clutching a stuffed purple bunny.
“That’s great Sadie!”
“When’s the egg hunt?” She asked.
Smiling I said, “Looks like it’s just starting. Do you want some help?”
She ran out the door shouting, “Noooo!”

Following her outside, I stood and watched the kids flying through the yard, It was like a game of leap-frog. Their pastel baskets were slowly filling up with every type of egg you could imagine. Each time they emerged from the grass, they seemed to have added another egg to the pile wrapped in strands of wicker. The sound of their giggles and cries of joy rang through my ears. Even Striker the old black lab had a purple egg in his mouth. I didn’t join them because I was too old to participate in their games. I would if I could, but I couldn’t. Maybe I was waiting for someone to hand me a basket and tell me,
“Go Kellen! There’s still more eggs to be found!”
But they didn’t.

From behind me, I heard Uncle Timo snort,
“Feeling a bit old there Kell?”
My reply surprised even me, “Yeah.” What had happened anyway? Just two years ago I had been out there gallivanting in the spring sunshine with them. Maybe I had broken some invisible barrier that separated me from them. I remember thinking that I was just being paranoid, but then the adults started teasing me. Uncle Chris pointed out,
“Maybe now we can start hiring you to play Santa at Christmas!” Laughter.
“ Maybe you should go and hang out with Gigi in the kitchen, because you’re one of the oldies out here.” More laughter.
“I’m really not that old, just too old to go collect eggs.”
I forced a smile. An egg flew into my hands from an unknown source.
Uncle Chris smirked, “Here, take your last egg. Treat it like an initiation into adulthood.”
I joked, “The moment I stepped out of the car I could see these eggs, the Easter Bunny didn’t hide them very well.”
He shrugged, “I got a late start this morning, but what’re you gonna do.” I shuddered, he had just out and said that the Easter Bunny wasn’t real.

During lunch, I crept into the playroom and saw Sadie and cousin Vivian playing Barbies. I crouched down with them,
“What’s going on girls?”
Vivian pointed at me, “Only kids are allowed in here, no adults!”
I sighed, “I’m a kid; I’m only 13!”
She shook her head, “ No old people allowed! You probably never play with Barbies!”
Boy what an attitude. I had and I loved playing with them. I still had a few boxes of them at home. It was useless to argue; I was old in their eyes.

Later, at home, I was in my room. I wasn’t that old. I still went to birthday parties and played pretend. I still hung out with my friends, just didn’t call it a playdate. I still listened to music, just not princess lullabies. I still had dreams, only mine were more about becoming a tennis star than a unicorn. Maybe I was old. The Easter bunny probably hated me now for not participating in his holiday, but who was he to interfere with growing up?

Happy early Easter eveyone!!

Watermelon Radish

The (Eventful) First Week of Summer

noreply@blogger.com (The Watermelon Radish) — Sat, 22 Jun 2013 20:12:00 +0000

For the first week of summer my parents and I traveled to Seattle, Bellingham and Vernon. This is a writing piece about our cousins lake house in Vernon; enjoy!

The lake is roughly 99 miles long, and much like a black hole you can’t decipher the beginning or the end. Set back into the mossy bank is a large house. It’s fresh white exterior is accented by graceful curves of balconies where one can gaze out over the glassy turquoise water. It is known as Lake Okenagen, in Canada.
A smooth rainbow of pastel rocks merges with algae as water meets the choppy shoreline. It smells crisp and fresh, the odor of water wafting across towering trees. Throughout the area, wildlife is abundant, it is a natural habitat providing solace for animals. A solitary beaver, coat glossy and chocolate brown, wades through the cool shallows towards his refuge from the sweltering heat. A majestic Blue Heron perches upon a slick rock, one thoughtful eye trained upon the shore, its lengthly neck craned in sheer excellence.
A dock juts out across the crystal clear blue and green hues of the water. Attached are two powerful jet-ski’s, smooth wake boards, and a boat. This boat is the focus of my independent afternoon. Being the only one in a hulking boat built for about twelve, adds to the peaceful serenity of my emotions. Dashing down the blurring coast, it feels as though I’m growing wings and about to fly. I’m addicted to the salty taste of the frigid droplets spraying against my face, temporarily blinding me of my surroundings. I find myself in the middle of the lake, nobody around, save some deer on the shore and the summer lake house in the distance. Faint sounds of a dog barking is the only noise that reaches my ears. Terror would have gripped my heart in that moment, but it is now a fleeting thought, my mind is vacant. I cut the engine, its terrifying rumble like a beast poised to strike.
Frothy waves cease to exist, and the water is still, like a pool of crystal shards waiting for life. I focus on enjoying solitude in my mind. The clear water seems to be doing a dance, building up until it peaks beside me. After a short time, I replace my hands on the soft leather wheel, and steer the boat back to the jetty.
A beautiful sunset is beginning. I watch with wide hazel eyes, sinking slowly back onto a cracked log. Vivid orange morphs with spectacular pinks and bloody reds to form a magnificent spectacle. Soon the call for dinner jars me from my magical trance. Much like family, the lake is hard to part with, but sometimes it must be done. Words seem few and far between when I try to describe the emotions I feel when gazing at the water, illuminated by the sun. The sheer beauty of life is brought back, and faith in humanity is restored.
Wispy green grass is spongy underneath my bare feet, and the whispers of bugs are content in the meadow. This property is a vision of bliss. I grasp the railing and haul my tired body up the staircase, watching the darkness slowly envelope the dock, then the shore, and finally the shadows of the house.

For the first night in Seattle, we joined my uncle, his wife, and their graduating daughter Sienna for dinner at Canlis. The first thing that we enjoyed were the small bites (amuse) that arrived before the appetizers. The first on the left was a pungent mushroom tart garnished by a delicate purple petal, it was light and sweet. Next to it was a seaweed wrap filled with salmon mousse, cream cheese, and caviar. The salmon wasn't overwhelming, so one could still enjoy the familiar creaminess of the cream cheese. Finally on the far right was my favorite, a fried sphere. The outside was crunchy, but the true surprise was on the inside. The ball was filled with a cream/egg yolk mixture that exploded in your mouth, leaving behind a warm and comforting taste.

My appetizer was the Canlis salad which had blue cheese, vinaigrette, and bacon. It was much like a Cobb salad, and I enjoyed it very much.

The main course that I chose was a filet mignon. The rare steak sat upon potatoes, carrots, and a thick squash sauce. The steak was very rich and juicy, and it was one of the best steaks I've ever had.

The next stop was the Dale Chihuly museum to gaze at magnificent glass edifices. There were things like paper thin glass vases modeled after Native American blankets. There was a giant blue "ocean" filled with little glass fish and shells. A whole room had a ceiling which was made of thousands of glass pieces, I took a minute long video walking through there. There was also a giant glass world, which reminded me of Wonderland. There were rickety wooden rowboats filled to the bursting with speckled glass balls, and a giant room swathed in glass flowers.

My first story prompt segment

noreply@blogger.com (The Watermelon Radish) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 23:42:00 +0000

Hi Followers! I've decided to try something new, every once in awhile I'll write a short story based off of a prompt and post that. Here's my first try, enjoy!

Prompt: You put your house on the market and, on the first day, a extremely old woman comes knocking on your door. She’s not interested in buying your house, though. Instead she tells you that this is the house she lived in as a child. The friendly mood suddenly changes when she reveals something terrible that took place in the house years ago. Fair warning before reading: scary story! Read this yourself before reading to little ones!

I clicked the final button, my house was officially on the market. I felt as though the entire world sighed in relief. I had put thousands into this one piece of property, quenching the peculiar smell wafting up from the basement, fixed the broken floorboards, and removed the strange stains from the plaster walls. I admit, I would miss the sagging turrets, oak doors, stained glass windows, and adorably cozy rooms. Now, all I had to do was wait for somebody to take interest in this old Victorian manor. I didn't have to wait long because only minutes after putting my house on the market I heard a knock on my front door. I smiled, smoothing my short pink summer dress and hurrying to the door. "Just a minute!" I turned the knob and welcomed a tiny old woman into the foyer. She had crystal clear blue eyes that were magnified by giant tortoise shell glasses. Her nose was reminiscent of an upturned button. Her thin lips were twisted into an awkward smile, and her arthritis ridden hands were curled around a knobby cane. I showed her the velvet couch and she patted it like an old friend before sitting down. I sat opposite her, "Hello, I'm Rachel Johnson!" She shook my hand slowly before answering in a raspy voice, "My name is Ruth Alderly, pleased to finally meet you Rachel." I knit my eyebrows together, she had waited to finally meet me? She stared at the walls, "It hasn't changed a bit. Not a speck of dust out of place." I stared at her, "Excuse me for being so forward but, how do you know all this about my house?" She shook her head and said, "The transaction was done through a lawyer, but do you remember when you bought this house?" She must have seen the flash of recognition in my eyes because she muttered, "I couldn't stand to live here anymore. I could hear the souls through the floor, they were calling me. I couldn't stand it." I stared at her, she expected me to understand what she had just said? I stammered, "What souls?" She took a wheezy breath, "You can't sell this house, another family shouldn't have to deal with it. This house needs to be destroyed, the entire lot should be leveled. Please, you have to listen to me!" Her eyes were wild, her hands worked into a frenzy while she was talking. Whatever this old woman was trying to tell me, I wasn't getting it. I laughed nervously, "Look, Ruth, I have no idea what's going on here. I 'm just trying to sell this house." She spoke slowly, as though she was explaining something to a child.

"I used to live in this house with my family growing up. It was a seemingly perfect house for a working mother and father, and their twin children. I had a twin sister named Rosaline. We were fraternal twins. I had the long bouncy blond curls, wide blue eyes, and obsession with flowers and dolls. Rosaline was always gloomy with dark brown hair that fell down her back, always glaring, obsessed with books and blood.

Our parents were always working, but on the rare occasions that they were home, it was obvious that I was the favorite child. Rosaline began collecting cheerful birds, mice, squirrels and sometimes stray dogs or cats. After many days of keeping them in her room for company, she would suddenly turn on them. I would hear the yelling fits from my room across the hall, she would be screaming at them and then their whimpering would end. I would always see her stalking out of her room, leaving behind a large knife, and taking their carcasses to the basement. Rosaline was still the best sister to me, I reasoned that every child needed a hobby. She threatened terrible things if I told mother and father, so I kept it a secret. The smell in the basement got worse. I think it was the one year anniversary of the day we moved into the house that father went down to the basement and discovered the dead animals. He was furious, and scared. Scared of the creature that his beautiful daughter had turned out to be. It wasn't long before he took out the dusty old phone book and looked up a number on the very last page. I remember the day they came to take her to the asylum, she was sitting in her turret room, staring out the window into the sunny sky, shaking. I sat down with her, putting an arm on her shoulder. She stared into my eyes, "Please don't let them take me Ruth, don't let them hurt me Ruth. Please. It isn't my fault Ruth. Please don't let them take me." I hugged her to me, mindlessly promising, "I won't, I swear Rose." Obviously, I couldn't keep that promise. Minutes later, they came into her room, their false smiles still haunt me today. They told Rosaline that they had a sweater for her to wear instead of her threadbare dress, and she put it on. I'll never forget her cries as she realized that she was in a straight jacket. I struggled, held by my parents, while they loaded her into the white van marked with the red asylum symbol. She glared at me then, "Ruth you promised. I'm not crazy! I'll make you pay Ruth, I'll make you all pay." Then they shut her into the back, and I could only watch as they drove down the lane. Her face was twisted in agony as she cried out for her parents to save her. At night I would lay awake, staring out the hallway into her empty room. I thought over all of the terrible things I could envision them doing to her. I could see her tiny body convulsing under the pressure of electro shock therapy. Her hands restrained so that she couldn't kill herself.
By then, we had bought a television for the family room. One night, about two months after committing her to the mental facility, we were all piled on the couch. A fire was going in the hearth, and I was cuddled up to my mother. My father flipped the channel and we stared in shock as the news channel showed us a shot of the mental hospital. The caption below read, 'Rosaline Alderly escaped from Asylum just minutes ago'. We stared at the camera shots of her empty room and the broken window. Suddenly, we heard the front door creak open. Father jumped up, clutching the remote. A figure came into view. Rosaline was a forgotten husk of the person she used to be, her brown hair was scraggly, her head was tilted to the side, her dark eyes were crazed, and her hospital gown hung in tatters around her thin frame. A long, sharp butchers knife was clutched in her pale hand. Mother screamed loudly, and I shrunk back against the far wall. Father held out his hands, "Rose! You're back! We missed you so much!" She smiled wickedly, "Did you father? Did you really? That isn't what they told me at the asylum. They said that you were better off without me. I know that you hate me, that you sent me away because you liked her better. But that ends now." She pointed an accusing finger at me, "You promised, and you let them take me. You stole mother and father from me. And now I'm back. How do you feel about that oh great and privileged Ruth?" I began to cry, not knowing what to say. Mother was crying as well murmuring, "All we ever did was try and love you." Rosaline shook her head, "You didn't do a very good job with that, did you?" Mother put an arm around me. Rosaline stalked towards father, cleaver in hand. He flung the remote at her, stepping back against the wall. Mother scolded, "Harold! Don't hurt her!" Rosaline moved closer and swung her blade. It sliced his neck and deep red blood splattered against the wall. That's where those stains came from. He wasn't quite dead yet, so she used the knife to carve a chunk out of his chest. More blood spilled out, along with some of his entrails. She picked up his heart, "Now I finally get to hold fathers heart! Now do you love me father? Answer me!" He was dead, mother and I knew that, but my sister didn't seem to. She began to wildly chop at his body until you couldn't recognize any part of it. My mother turned to me, "Run Ruth!" I did. I ran up the staircase, waiting at the top so that I could observe the gruesome scene in the living room. Mother pleaded, "Why Rosy? We love you! Don't kill me too! It wasn't my decision!" Rosaline shook her head and looked down, "You're right mother." Mother moved to hug my sister and I screamed, "No! Mom!" It was too late. I saw their bodies meet in a hug, and then the knife impale my mothers body. Blood soaked her dress, and she slumped against my twin. Rosaline turned to me, "And now for you. You promised. You stole my dream, you blinded me with candy and treats when all I really wanted was to be loved. By you." I began to cry, both my parents were dead. She began walking up the stairs towards me. I saw the sinister glint in her eyes, and the glint of the knife in her hands. I screamed, "Rosaline no!" She came closer, giving me a tortured smile. When she was close enough, I pushed at her blindly. I felt the sharp pain of a deep cut to my forearm, but heard her cry out as she crashed backwards down the stairs through the floor and down into the depths of the basement. I forgot momentarily about my arm and sprinted to the basement door to push it closed. I saw her pale hand curled around the door frame, trying to keep it open. I could hear her voice, "Ruth, let me out! Let me out!" I yelled back, "No! You'll tear me apart!" I slammed the door shut and locked it, haphazardly running from the house."

She finished telling the story and I was curled against the arm of my chair. It all made sense now. The nasty smell in the basement was from the dead animals, dead bodies of Ruth and Rosaline's parents, and Rosaline herself. The stains on the wall were blood from the horrific murders committed in this very room. The broken floor boards had been from Rosaline's doomed fall to the basement. I nodded slowly and helped Ruth get up. She opened the door and I followed her out. She began to walk down the drive, taking the For Sale sign with her as she went.

Cupcake Wars; Shakespeare Style

noreply@blogger.com (The Watermelon Radish) — Sat, 04 May 2013 20:33:00 +0000

Greetings friends and followers! I bring news of the Shakespearean cupcake wars, where each young soul is assigned a category from The Tempest. They are then given the challenge to create a handsome cupcake deserving a reward! Your very own Watermelon Radish partook in this affair, and was assigned the topic of Ferdinand. Shall we see how she represents the handsome hero of our own bards famous play?

I was given the topic of Ferdinand the prince, the daring new love of Miranda. "'tis fair morning when you are by at night," These soft spoken words of Ferdinand convey his love for Miranda. The moment he happened upon her nestled deeply into the island, he knew he had found an angel. To represent the deep new love of Ferdinand and Miranda, the cake is sweet red velvet. Since Ferdinand is a prince, rich chocolate frosting coats the top of the cake to symbolize his monetary wealth. The silver wrapper represents the many tears he cried for the loss of his father in the storm and inevitable shipwreck. The delicate white chocolate flowers on top illustrate his growing love for the exotic island.

It all began with a box of red velvet cupcake mix, because that seemed the best to me. I had the help of my grandparents caregiver, and my friend, Brianna. She bakes a lot, and gave me some helpful tips. Instead of oil, we used butter to make the cake moist. When I opened the box, the mix was brown. I was, naturally, very confused. Red Velvet cake should be true to its name, and be red right? Brianna assured me that when we began to mix the cake, it would turn red. That was a relief, I really hate chocolate cake!

I definitely made sure that the batter tasted just fine before we baked the cakes in the oven, and I might have tried the frosting (just to be sure that it was good!). Next up where the "delicate white chocolate flowers" that I spoke about in my speech. It definitely wasn't delicate trying to make them. My mom had been experimenting Friday night when I wasn't home, and I'm positive that I wouldn't have been able to make them if she didn't. I had done some research in a cooking book (given to me by my friend Maya) and decided that using Wilton's melting chocolate would be the best. The best way to do this, was by using a lot of plastic spoons. When I got home on Saturday, we immediately got to work with the white chocolate. After dipping each spoon in the newly melted chocolate, we stuck them in the fridge and waited for the chocolate to harden. After they did, we took them out and began attempting to peel the petals off of the spoons. My mom explained to me that you had to bend the plastic so that the chocolate started to peel off, but not to break the spoon. This sounded easy at first, but not as easy when shards of plastic were flying around the room at alarming rates. You have never felt frustration, until you have tried this. Some spoons worked perfectly well, and led me to believe that the next spoon wouldn't give me any trouble. So I proceeded to break the spoon. After many trials, complete flowers were finished.

Once we had set our our many tools of the trade, we decided that it was time to prepare the actual cupcakes.

The rich chocolate frosting was lovingly spread across the top of the cupcake, and my fingers (yummy). I had to be very gentle, or else the cake would lift up and leave gaping holes of red. After the chocolate was spread as thick as we dared, the flowers were attached to the cupcake. We attached the flowers by spreading a thin coat of chocolate on the bottom. Then we squirted a perfectly textured dab of pink in the center of the Lilly, and then added yellow sprinkles. The cupcake was complete!

Everyone in my family enjoyed them, including my grandparents. I felt very touched by these comments because my grandpa doesn't ever eat cake. My mom and dad shared one, and I had the last. It tasted perfect! I loved the moist cake, and the chocolaty frosting!

I guess that all of that hard work payed off, because yesterday at school we heard the winners of the cupcake wars! I was one of the winners in my class! The other winner was my friend Maya. I had so much fun, even though all the cupcakes were good!

Duffs Cake Mix and Sushi

noreply@blogger.com (The Watermelon Radish) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 18:44:00 +0000

All of my friends have been talking about Duffs, and posting endless streams of photos. On more than one occasion, it had peaked my curiosity. I did not expect, after getting in the car with my friend

Eliza and her mother Ellie, to be told that we were going to decorate our own cake.

The bakery smelled like icing, sugar and candy. We were handed a clipboard filled with options for the genetic makeup of our cake. We had originally thought that we were going to make an Avengers themed cake, because that is our favorite movie. After seeing what they had to offer, we realized that a cake with such a complicated theme would be extra hard to create. So we were left to think about what we wanted. Many ideas were thrown around, but none made us overly exited. At that moment

I was reminded of something that my godmother Lynn made, a giant piece of sushi with real fish. She had referred to it as a sushi cake. So, why couldn't we do that, but without the fish?

Eliza and Ellie loved my idea and we began plans for our cake. It would be made up of vanilla cake, and the frosting would also be vanilla. The outside would be built of white fondant. Fondant is thick creamy sugar paste. You may be thinking, sushi isn't white. Ah, but the rice is! Our amazing helper, who was extremely nice to us (let's call him Alex), cut large slices of black fondant and wrapped them around the sides so it began to resemble a sushi roll.

We were really getting into it, snatching pieces of fondant and sugar, then moving our newly clothed cake to our table. We were each given another large piece of white fondant by Alex and we proceeded to learn how to stick fondant to fondant. Fondant is an extremely sticky material to work with, especially when your hands are wet. Soon, there was a circle of water on our cake, leaving a lopsided circle in the middle for fish. After about a half hour the entire wet area was covered with over sized "rice" grains. The fondant "rice" began to harden and we began working on the next area of the sushi. The avocado and the salmon, only the most important parts!

I cut cubes out of my fondant and set them down on the table, wondering how I was going to get them orange. Eliza had the same problem after cutting triangular slices of "avocado" out of her fondant. Alex pointed us to the dye rack, the only part he forgot to point out were the gloves. Only a minor detail right? No. I still look like Snooki gave my hands a terrible spray tan, and Eliza's hands have green spots. But, back to the story!

I grabbed the dye bottle labeled orange while Eliza picked up yellow and green. I tried squeezing the orange, expecting it to come out like liquid, but it was actually colorful paste. I did the only thing I could think of, smashing the fondant cubes between my hands until they turned as Orange as the bottle. I also helped Eliza with mixing green and yellow, then molding them together. I stuck the orange cubes to the clear circle with water and then went around each one with orange butter cream frosting. To top off the salmon look, I sprinkled sparkly orange sugar on the icing to give them impression of salmon roe. I know what you're thinking, I'm so full of good ideas, right? Eliza did the same with the avocado, using green frosting.

The cake looked heavenly, I didn't know whether to continue working on it or take a giant bite out of the side. I obviously didn't do the latter. Then we sprinkled the sides with brown granules of sugar that looked like sesame seeds. Finally, we added some green grass peeking out from underneath as a garnish. It turned out amazing, better than we ever could have hoped. It was our baby!

I tried the cake with Eliza that night, it was so good! I love how the vanilla cake compliments the sweetness of the butter cream and the fondant. It might be the best cake I've ever had! If you'd like to check out our cake on instagram go to @DuffsCakeMix and click on the picture of the sushi cake! It has over 850 likes, last time I checked and over 33 comments! I feel so accomplished. Please go there, it is so fun!

Bye,

See you soon,

The Watermelon Radish

24 Hours Of Christmas 2012

noreply@blogger.com (The Watermelon Radish) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 04:51:00 +0000

Picture this: It's Christmas morning and the kids wake up at the crack of dawn, dashing into their parents room. Even though their parents are still asleep, they don't care! All they want to do is go downstairs and look under the tree. The kids bounce on the bed and try everything to wake their exhausted parents.
Now return to reality.

On Christmas morning I didn't wake up early like these kids, I was out like a log. I had stayed up late the night before, putting out fudge and milk for Santa, playing Wii all day with my friend Effie, and listening to my grandparents noisy friend on speaker phone when I was trying to sleep. I had cracked. I was saying, "Who cares if Santa comes while I'm awake? Who cares if he even comes?" Deep in my heart I knew that I would definitely care, but I wasn't ready to tell myself that yet. Soon I fell asleep, and if this was a cheesy Christmas story, the sugarplums would come dancing in my head right about now. Sadly, no enchanted candy visited my dreamless sleep. I don't think I would have gotten up if it wasn't for my dad in his Santa hat. He barged into my room, bombarding me with early morning Ho Ho Ho's and sitting on my bed. I reluctantly got up and donned my elf hat.

I checked on my fudge happily noting that it was all gone. Then I moved to the milk, which hadn't been touched. My dad shrugged, "I told you that you should have left wine for Santa." I sighed and moved to the stockings, taking mine and Stella's. We sat down in our playroom and opened our respective stockings. Stella's stocking is red with a black lab stitched into it. The stocking contained a collar, a big puffy red velvet collar with bells. It was very classy.

I left her to inspect her new gift and try to take it off, and moved to my stocking. There was a bear surrounded by presents worked into the material. The stocking held many great gifts, a new grip for my tennis racket, animal butt magnets, and some not so great deodorant. Then it was time to open the gifts underneath our wooden Jewish star tree.

I received a gift all the way from France, a hand stitched donkey ornament to match the painting in my room.

I opened a box that contained a porcelain mask, the face had sparkly golden eye shadow and lips with a very elaborate turquoise hat.

My parents gave me an Ipad and a very cool keyboard case for it.

I acquired my very own hairdryer and curling brush. Loads of new makeup for me to "experiment" came pouring in. All in all, it was a very successful Christmas. Most people would be content with their gifts and decide to sit around all day and wait for Christmas to be over, but not me. The moment that the last present was opened it was time to start getting ready to go to my uncle's house for breakfast. I donned my rather space age silver pants and black shirt, accenting the outfit with a red scarf and stylish Santa hat.

My parents had on rather similar color choices, so we looked like a family car full of red, silver, green, gold and black wrapping paper and tinsel. During the long drive out to New Hall I plugged in my headphones and listened to some music. Most of the music was purchased using my birthday gift cards, especially the six minute song that I accidentally bought. It's a very good thing that I now like that song, or I would be a very angry Kellen. I was jolted out of my music world a couple of times from the wet nose of Stella who was next to me in the car. Soon we rolled to a stop and I opened my eyes to find the familiar outdoor facade of my uncle's home. I threw open the door, grabbing the first bag that I could find from the trunk (letting Stella out in the process), then ran over to the gate. I pulled on the little black string that pushed the gate open. I stared into the beautiful back yard and then I was run over by two black Labradors. In a storm of black feet, wet pink tongues, and jingling bell collars, the dogs started to wrestle playfully around the yard.

I picked myself up and fixed my toppled hat. Once I walked through the back door I was almost run over again, but this time by relatives. The first in line was my uncle Timmo, next my grandmother Jeanne gave me a hug, then my aunt Elisabeth, my uncle Kurt, cousin Mathew, and finally our family friend Kit. Everyone was especially festive and gathered around the counter to catch up and chat. I walked into the backyard and immediately saw the three black labs rounding a corner, frantic for more attention. It was hard to pick out which was which; Tonka was like a large bear running towards me, Stella was distinguished by her fluffy collar, and finally Striker was the oldest, identified by his white beard. I wrestled a new toy from their gaping mouths, and chucked it down into the vineyard, slinking away as soon as I could. There was a very inviting smell coming from the barbecue and I decided to go and check it out. My uncles were crowded around the silver grill, layering different sausages onto its hot surface. I clapped my hands when I saw the ham (made just for me) and stepped back when the meat began to spit and sizzle with delight.

Inside, uncle Tim was cooking some breakfast sausages on the stove.

There was a big bowl of vibrant raspberries, dark blackberries, and fluorescent blue berries.

My parents had brought Rugula cookies as their contribution, which were filled with various things. They were encrusted with granulated sugar, which made them even more enjoyable.

Tim was also tossing some scrambled eggs in their clean black pan. The yellow yolk was consuming the white as he stirred the mixture with some milk.

Once the entire buffet was set up, we all loaded our plates with delicious food. The hash browns were perfectly seasoned, with just the right amount of salt. They were also fried, not burnt, but crispy which made them a nice honey brown color.

The sausages and ham were all cooked to perfection, and I tried the ham with my meal.

The hash browns tasted kind of sweet but also had a strong flavor of potato in them, but that it understandable considering that they are potatoes. The ham was charred on the top and had a rather smoky taste to it. After breakfast was finished, my brother Pat and his girlfriend Zsanett arrived. We were trying to scold them for missing breakfast, but that didn't work because they had some really big news! They were engaged!!!! I was totally taken aback, and super duper happy for my brother and Zsanett!

We chatted while they ate their breakfast and the rest of us opened our presents. My aunt Jeannie and my uncle Chris gave me a really pretty yellow striped scarf and a headband to warm my ears in cold weather. I received a super nice Barnes and noble gift card from my grandmother, a cute handbag from my uncle Tim, and a cool tank top from my brother and his FIANCEE! Most people would have given up at that point, being way too Christmas-ed out on Christmas. Not me. My parents, Stella, and I drove home to prepare for Christmas dinner at our house that night. My dad, still in his bright red pants, began to cook the rib. Using his very favorite seasoning from our dear friend Dario in Panzano, Chianti Italy. This famous butcher/chef would be proud to have my dad in what he calls "Dario Pants"( because Dario rocks those red pants), with his Dario Salt, cooking meat like Dario.

After much preparation by my parents, and much Sim playing by me, we were ready for our guests. The first to arrive was my other brother Chris, we enjoyed the house music mash up CD I made him for Christmas. The other guests started to roll in, and we all made our way to the den for H'orderves. There were two types of eggnog. The plaque for one said, "Without" and then a Christmas tree, so I guess it meant "Without Christmas Tree" and the other meant "With Christmas Tree". I tried the "Without Christmas tree" one and I'm pretty sure that it was the right move because I didn't immediately stagger back in alcoholic overdose.

After the eggnog drinking and H'orderve eating, it was time for the main attraction. We all sat down at the very festive holiday dining table and awaited our salads. The lettuce was very thick and multicolored, mainly green and pink, and there was melted cheese on the top. I had chosen not to have hazelnuts sprinkled on my salad, but that is only my preference. The salad tasted very citrus like with the dressing.

After the salad I was called to the kitchen to help serve the plates of prime rib. I placed plates down for everyone, serving on the left and clearing on the right. After I had finished with serving, I sat down at my own seat with my own plate. The piece of prime rib looked juicy and rare. It tasted perfectly tender and it went really well with the other items on the plate. My mom just made a lovely jello mold, it had raspberry on the top and sweet cream on the bottom. It was very good, sweet, refreshing, and I wanted to stick my hand in it because it was so wobbly. There were also mashed potatoes that stuck together and were very sticky, creamed corn that was sweet and warm, and pop overs that could break a window.

That was my Christmas, and I wouldn't change anything about it for the world.

Wedding Soup

noreply@blogger.com (The Watermelon Radish) — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 02:24:00 +0000

On Tuesday it was cold, and my dad decided that it would be a perfect time to try out a new soup recipe. We all agreed that soup was a great choice for a day like this. After school I went to tennis and got home about 7:30 PM. It was very cold outside, the air smelled wet, like mist, and I thought that it might rain yet again, so I rushed inside our warm house. I slammed the door shut keeping the cold where it belonged. I was immediately bombarded by the smell of chicken broth in the kitchen. Rubbing my hands together in delight, I followed my nose. There was a pot of broth, simmering on the stove and spitting with delight, the soup that was going to serve as our dinner. I quickly rushed upstairs and changed into something cozy. Just as I had plopped onto my bed to read Animal Farm in my fuzzy pink polka dot pajamas, my grandmother's voice came over the loud speaker. She requested our presence, putting an emphasis on, "Come to dinner NOW!" She only said, "Come down to the table Arthur (my grandfathers name)!" I sighed, how easily I was forgotten! Even though I wasn't called downstairs, I hustled to the table and gave Grandpa his pills. My parents were already downstairs with Brenda, marveling over the Italian Wedding Soup. The soup had steaming broth with pieces of spinach and egg floating in it, and each person got some tasty meatballs. In the meatballs there was, ground beef and pork with a pinch of salt, a sprinkling of pepper, a handful of mushrooms and a substantial amount of garlic. We all sat down and sprinkled some parmesan cheese on the soup and dug in. At the beginning it was very hot and I very nearly burnt my tongue, but it soon cooled down. The meatballs had a light flavor and added a nice touch to the soup. They were very mild, but were still hearty and satisfying. The egg tasted just like the scrambled eggs I have in the mornings, and I liked them best. There were also pieces of spinach that were soggy and chewy. The broth itself was very flavorful and made from chicken stock, which was very noticeable. I was told that there was also fennel, but I couldn't taste it!

That's all for tonight!
Watermelon Radish

Sweet Chop

noreply@blogger.com (The Watermelon Radish) — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 01:52:00 +0000

Today my friend HK came over to talk about the Science Fair. We came up with some really interesting topic ideas, we just have to get our teacher to approve them. When we were done with Science we tried to figure out what next to do. We wanted to go on the computer, but we did that a lot the day before, so we were stumped! We thought for what seemed like forever, and then it came to us! We would open up a fake smoothie shop in the kitchen called The Sweet Chop, because the smoothies will be sweet and we chop stuff up to put in them. Down the stairs we ran, my mom agreed to let us do it, IF only we didn't waste food! We decided to make a brochure/recipe book for our future smoothie shop. The first and foremost thing we had to do was take out the blender and plug. It would be really sad if we got everything ready and forgot to plug it in. Our first smoothie would be called, 'The Desert Smoothie". We both knew that raspberries went really well with chocolate so we based this recipe off of that fact. First we placed 9 frozen strawberries into the blender, followed by a few chunks of frozen raspberries. We also added 3 spoon fulls of marshmallow sauce, for flavor, and I can't say we didn't taste some (just to make sure it was OK). Then we searched high and low for the chocolate sauce, but it was nowhere and we were kind of impatient, so we settled for the next best thing. A packet of cocoa powder that my grandmother uses to make hot chocolate. We put this all in the blender and started it but it wasn't blending, and we searched for the solution. Then we realized that we needed some sort of liquid to break it down, so we added 1/4 of the gallon of milk. Or something like that. Then we blended it and it turned a muted pink color with white swirling around at the bottom. We were eager to try it so we left some small pieces of frozen raspberries in the blender. To make it look good we put a swirl of whipped cream on the top, with a real raspberries for a garnish, not to mention the caramel sauce. It tasted like a raspberries with a tiny tinge of chocolate that you would get once in a while. It was super sweet, and it was hard to drink all of, but we managed. Then we decided to make another one, I mean whats a smoothie shop without more than one smoothie? NOTHING!

This one was called "Healthier Than The Last One Smoothie". But I'm not sure the title was accurate. This one was a mixture of mango and bananas, witha little whipped cream. And a little too much orange juice! I Didn't exactly like it, but my mom did , and that's all that mattered.

The next one was our best by far, and if you can then make it yourself! We called it, "The Blizzard". The exact recipe was:

2 milk chocolate oreos, 1/8 gallon of milk ( We think), 5 peppermint chocolates, and as much marshamllow sauce as you want! It was the best, all I can say is, "It tastes like the holidays!"

Makign smoothies is a reall blast, try it sometime

The Watermelon Radish

Boba Before Tennis

noreply@blogger.com (The Watermelon Radish) — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 01:27:00 +0000

After volley ball practice on Tuesday last week, my friend Maya and I made plans to go to the Tea Forest for drinks. The Tea Forest now has a new name and a big Gelato counter, but it will always be the Tea Forest to me. When I arrived Maya and her mom were already in line, ordering Boba. Some of you may think that I'm crazy, but I've never tried Boba before in my entire existence on this planet. I decided to try it, if so many people liked it then could it be too bad? Maya and I sat down at one of the small wooden tables, the ones who make a lot of noise on the hard concrete floor, with our Jasmine Milk Tea Boba's. Maya started drinking without hesitation, and after slurping on the straw for a couple of seconds the small black tapioca balls started to emerge.

Without any further adieu I tried the fragrant jasmine tea. It was eye crossing sweet and while you were drinking it you could smell it in your nostrils. It wasn't long before I saw one of the tapioca balls, it was stuck on the top of my straw.

I soon found out that the Boba tasted exactly like the mochi that you get at a frozen yogurt shop. The tea was way to sweet for me, and I could only drink a little bit. The boba were chewy and you had to chew them about twenty times to be able to swallow! OK, not twenty, but a lot. That was my eventful Tea Forest escapade before tennis, but I do have one more small piece of information to share.

We are hatching sea monkey eggs in science. In our control beaker we put 1000 ML of water and 5 ML of salt. In our "Whatever we want" beaker we put 1000 ML of water and 38.5 ML of salt. We're talking Dead Sea salt here! In each beaker we put one scoop of sea monkey eggs, and ours did the strangest thing. In the super salty container all of the eggs clumped together and rose up towards the surface. Our teacher said that my group put more salt in our experiment than any group before us! Because we are just cool like that. We named the super salty ones, which we are pretty sure will shrivel up and die by Monday, Fred. We named the somewhat normal eggs Mason, and we are pretty sure Mason will hatch, because Mason is behaving and staying on the bottom like he is supposed to. More from my Sea Monkey experiment in the next post!

That's all folks!

-Watermelon Radish

I scream, You scream, We all scream for HOMEADE ice cream

noreply@blogger.com (The Watermelon Radish) — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 17:40:00 +0000

When my parents took their long trip to Spain I was left in the hands of my grandparents, Brenda, my good friends Nikki and Jennifer, and my friends families. When Nikki was there to greet me after a long and grueling three days at "WOLF Camp" I was so happy I could have died(which I was on the verge of doing anyway). To make up for all the hiking and mosquito's we had two days of laying around and having fun. Nikki brought her Vita Mix juicer so that we could have homemade smoothies and her low fat ice cream. I think we only left the house one time, and that was to eat at CPK and then get dinner for everyone. Some nights we made ice cream with little else than frozen walnuts, frozen bananas and whatever frozen fruit we wanted. It doesn't look like the sugary stuff that the tycoons advertise on TV, but it sure is good. It's very creamy and fruity, you can't taste the walnuts at all! I recommend strawberry and pineapple. While eating the ice cream we watched 'Tangled' the super funny Rapunzel story, 'The Princess and the Frog' a new take on the Frog Prince, and the Turtle-Man. Please comment if you have seen the Turtle-Man, he is the whackiest guy on Animal Planet, he has a strange team, no teeth and he dives for turtles. I think he is hilarious. The fun weekend with Nikki had to end on Monday, my first day of school, as I was taken against my will, to school. After school I was on the road again, moving in with another family. While at my friends houses I had some great home cooking.

When at the Gubernick's house, whom I have mentioned before, I had a number of terrific meals. My favorite was a tofu stir fry with sticky rice, the tofu was soft and marinated in a sweet sauce, and the rice was nice and....sticky. There were some vegetables like asparagus, that added a nice crunch to the meal.

At the Vizard's house, who I'm sure I've also mentioned, I had a light salad with Dijon mustard vinaigrette and pizza. The vinaigrette was pungent, and tasted like a combination of mustard and lemons, a perfect idea! The pizza was exactly what I was craving that day, and I talked animatedly over dinner.

After my first week at school I came home to my grandparents, Brenda, Stella (my dog), Cruella (my rabbit) and Jennifer. I was overjoyed to see Jennifer. That night we went out to Asahi Ramen on Sawtelle. As we scored a table and sat down we were giggling like we hadn't seen each other in a long time. But truthfully, I see her a lot while she is reading to my grandpa. The first items to arrive were our pickles, now you must understand that these are no ordinary pickles, they are soaked in sesame sauce and a pinch of hot sauce. So after we tried, unsuccessfully, to eat them slowly, we ordered another plate for each of us. Then, using my sweet voice, I ordered a platter of noodles with pork and bean sprouts. Jennifer specified a half order of fried rice and tofu. The noodles were decadent and the bean sprouts were crunchy. There was some sort of spice on the top, like curry or cumin. The only problem was that after a while the pork and pork sauce on top was very rich. The "Half Order" of rice didn't seem like a half order to me, or to Jennifer. But combined efforts conquered the rice. It tasted like any other fried rice. Jennifer also had some of my noodles, but not the pieces with pork. The tofu from the rice dish was soon soaking in soy sauce in its bowl while we half laughed half ate. I made sure that Jennifer had chewed and swallowed whatever she had been eating before I told her a funny joke. After our dinner we made a quick cupcake stop to Magnolia Bakery to have a late night birthday celebration for Brenda. We had planned on beating Brenda and the grandparents home but we were a little bit later than we thought. We arrived at the house and set out our homemade card and one chocolate cupcake with a sign and candle (not lit) in it. As Jennifer turned off the lights I ran upstairs to get Brenda. And once we had sung "Happy Birthday" we each had a very yummy butter cream cupcake.

After drinking three glasses of milk to help with the rich and silky frosting, I went to bed.

The next morning, it was time to make HOMEMADE ICE CREAM! One of the bonuses, even though making ice cream is the big bonus, was that it was going to be strawberry flavored. So at about 8:00 in the morning Jennifer and I followed Brenda into the kitchen to get her ice cream maker. Once she left us with little else than the ingredient book and some yummy items, Jennifer and I started to add them to a big metal bowl.

First we added some half and half cream, almost the whole carton, and then mixed it with vanilla. I am, "BLUSHES" very good at whisking, so the mix was fluffy and blended nicely after only a few minutes.

While the ice cream sat in the freezer, Jennifer and I went off to play tennis. Jennifer and I almost died from the heat while playing, but we rewarded ourselves with a nice 'frosty' shaved ice.
While we were gone Brenda added the strawberries to our ice cream and then all we had to do was blend them together and put the bowl back in the freezer. We were looking forward to a great dessert after dinner!

Dinner was a long time away, and that didn't help. But once dinner arrived we ate politely, but what we ate isn't important, this post IS about HOME MADE ICE CREAM (just read the title). Once dinner was over we tried the pretty pink frozen cream. It WAS good!! The frozen berries were very sour, but the sweet creamy ice cream balanced the two flavors. The ice cream was so yummy that I just had to have two scoops, which I did.

Finally, we sat down to watch The Incredibles and Lemony Snicket's: A Series Of Unfortunate Events. The Incredibles was way better.

-Watermelon Radish

Over the Summer

noreply@blogger.com (The Watermelon Radish) — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 16:27:00 +0000

Hello friends, followers, and readers!

I know that most of you were sad, like me, to say goodbye to summer and hello to a long year of work, school, etc. This particular summer is one of the best summers I've ever had! One thing I've noticed over the past few months is that I have grown a lot! It must be because of all the good food I've been eating. During the summer a lot of my meals were spent eating outside, and with summery foods like chilled soup and light salads. I spent many a day with friends on the beach, swimming in pools and oceans, and sleeping late. I ate at many a good restaurant like Monsieur Marcell, Shu, Asahi Ramen, and Mulberry Pizza. A note on Mulberry: try the white with spinach, it is delectable! The spinach compliments the creamy cheese, and it is a pizza that can be eaten cold or hot. I hope that everyone enjoyed their summers, and this post is a formal, "I'm back and ready to blog!"

Plan Checked!

noreply@blogger.com (The Watermelon Radish) — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 22:48:00 +0000

Last night I had a sleepover with my good friend Eliza after tennis camp. Once she arrived we hung out until my dad got home and we could go to dinner. We ate at a restaurant on Sawtelle called Plan Check. Eliza's parents told us about Plan Check and we decided to try it. It was super crowded, but we managed to score a table outside next to the door. The only downside to this table is that the door next to it was opened constantly when people came outside. Our party decided to look at this positively, and gazed down at our menus. The menus were slipped onto clip boards, and did not have too many choices. Soon our waiter Adrian G. came outside, opening the annoying door, and helped us through our confusion about the menu. We learned that 'ketchup leather' was ketchup that was hardened into a fruit roll up and placed on the bun. Once the ketchup leather was exposed to the heat of the patty it would slowly melt. I knew immediately that I wanted to try that! Then Adrian told us about the two types of bacon and cheese, the pig candy and the specials on the menu. Eliza and I knew what we wanted, so we moved on to the back and looked at the non-alcoholic beverages. There was homemade soda, but since Eliza didn't like soda I didn't want to get it. She soon convinced me, and I said I would get a glass IF she promised to try it. There were many different house made sodas, cream soda, tangerine, lemonade and yuzu. This last one surprised me, I love yuzu sauce on my sushi, but in a soda? I decided to be adventurous so I went for the yuzu soda. My parents ordered a couple of appetizers. My soda came first, it looked just like the sparkling Lemonada that I drank on the Italian Riviera. As promised, Eliza took a sip and loved it. I don't know how to describe the soda, if anyone has ever had yuzu sauce on their sushi they will know the taste. A yuzu is a Japanese lemon that grows on trees, it tastes almost exactly like a lemon except it has a sour and a saucier taste. If you ever want to know what it tastes like, then go to Plan Check or a sushi bar! Soon Eliza ordered her own soda just as the appetizers came.

There were cucumbers, dill pickles, a spicy cucumber, bread and butter pickles, pickled egg, jalapeno escabeche, and chorizo. My parents tried some of each, Eliza had bread and butter pickles, dill, and a pickled egg. I tried everything except for the jalapeno escabeche. The dill pickles were what you might expect from a deli, dill pickles are only dill pickles. The spicy cucumbers were definitely not spicy, or at least not to me. There was a tiny kick, a measly bite, but the full extent of the flavor I picked up was that of sesame oil. I was hoping that the bread and butter pickles would be more like Vlasic bread and butter pickles, I can eat those right out of the jar. These pickles weren't as heavy on sauce, and weren't as soft, but they had a nice crunch and they were a light start to the evening. Finally I tried the chorizo sausage. Whenever I hear the word chorizo I think of my mom, she never likes them. But these were different because the meaty sausage part was chewy and just a little hot. I liked these sausages immediately until I bit into a rather crunchy bit in the middle, and I couldn't figure out if it was fat or garlic. During this sensation of appetizer tastes we ordered our main courses.

My mom and dad have not eaten any red meat for over three months, so this was their big treat as they ordered a blue cheese burger and a chefs special. They turned their noses up at Eliza and I, Eliza ordering a Plan Check Burger with just cheese and ketchup leather. I stuck with a Plan Check burger and their "special" cheese which is a combination of cheddar, garlic, fish sauce and parmesan. Just as we finished enjoying the appetizers my father decided to order some beer nuts. The moment he ordered these nuts out burgers came in pretty black skillets. With our order of sweet potato waffle fries there was some peach ketchup and with our regular fries there was ketchup that tasted like liquid gazpacho.

I tried every burger except for Eliza's. My burger looked great, and I tried a piece of the ketchup leather alone. As Alice said, "Curiouser and Curiouser!" It tasted just like ketchup but looked like a fruit by the foot roll-up! After sampling the outlandish leather I picked up my medium rare burger, which was cooked to perfection. I was about to take a large bite when I picked up the scent of truffles. My mind kept hopping around saying, Truffles? Truffles! The menu never said ANYTHING about truffles! I could have been allergic to truffles and then die because I didn't know that they were in the burger. I quickly brought this to the attention of my parents and Eliza, but my dad insisted that there weren't any truffles in the burger. Though my truffle radar kept beeping I took a bite of the luscious burger. The truffle taste was gone, and the juicy meat and rich cheese filled my mouth.

While I was mixed up in my flavor mix, Eliza had some of her, "Medium rare, but on the rarer side" burger. She said that it was great, and continued to munch happily.

My mom's Chefs Special burger reminded me of a breakfast muffin and it tasted like a gourmet one too. It had an over easy egg and bacon.

My dad's, the Blue Burger was loaded down with bacon and........you got it! Blue Cheese. It had an overwhelming aroma, and a taste that was even more so. When you bit into it you thought, "WOW! Blue cheese! But whats that crunchy stuff, maybe bacon but I don't know." Maybe my dad didn't think that, but I sure did.

After the meal was through and we were all stuffed it was time for dessert. For months Eliza and I have had our eyes set on a small place near Plan Check called Brian Shave Ice. We wanted to go there, and we wouldn't take no for an answer. My mom was craving something chocolate, so she ordered the rocky road ice cream bar. She seemed to like it except for the toasted almonds coating the outside. When I had a small bite I decided that there was too much chocolate and not enough marshmallow. We all agreed.

After we payed we walked along the streets heading for Brian Shave Ice. There were so many flavors, fillers, toppings and more! Eliza knew exactly what she wanted, mango, strawberry, blue raspberry, filled with vanilla ice cream, and condensed milk on top. I didn't try hers, but she gets it every time she goes there so it must be good!

I tried green apple, strawberry, watermelon, filled with vanilla ice cream, and then condensed milk on top. The watermelon part was light and refreshing, the green apple was sour and sweet, the strawberry was very yummy and sugary. The 'snow cap' (condensed milk) wasn't very good at all, it tasted sour (not in a good way) and way to sweet!

After that we drove home, and Eliza and I went upstairs to watch an instant movie on Netflix. We knew we could watch The Addams Family movie, my favorite movie. And I almost screamed when I saw that Netflix had taken it off the instant list. The sheer nerve of those people, I mean how could they take away MY favorite movie? I mean really!!!!!!!!!!
After watching some Americas Funniest Home Videos episodes we went to sleep.

The Watermelon Radish

Dinner with Friends

noreply@blogger.com (The Watermelon Radish) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 23:42:00 +0000

A few nights ago my family packed our wine and cheese in a bag and drove over to our friends Jeff, Julia, Paige and Sidney's house for dinner. The adults spent the first part of the evening conversing, while the kids played fun games like laser tag and hide and seek. A normal game of hide and seek soon turned into tag, unbeknownst to the seeker. We played that for a while, waiting for dinner to be ready. My mom and Julia worked in the kitchen, so we had to avoid that room. The moms made chicken picatta. They pounded chicken, dredged it in flour then dipped it in egg. They finished the chicken with panko/bread crumbs. Heating the pan with hot oil came next, then cooking both sides of the chicken while adding more oil. At the same time Julia cooked some risotto, so both of them were flipping like crazy. The dads sat in the living room and finished off the cheese that we brought for an aperitif. They were oblivious to the three girls running through the room being followed by Andy, their small dog with a big bark. I caught only snatches of their conversation about wine, cheese, vineyards and all the usual dad topics. Soon, dinner was ready and we all gathered in the kitchen to load our plates. The chicken was a masterpiece, it was now cooled and sprinkled with a sweet and sour lemon sauce. You could still taste the clean white meat, and the bread crumbs gave it a nice crunch. The risotto had miraculously been compacted into risotto cakes! The were warm and gooey, due to the wonderful cheese that had been placed in the center. I love green beans so I put some on my plate. The only time I've seen white green beans is when I went to their house. The fresh green beans were sugary and split in your mouth. There were also baked cherry and heirloom tomatoes. They were warm and filled with warm juice.

Then came dessert time, I found out that Paige, a third grader, had made the entire dessert herself! She made the fragrant raspberry sauce, the velvety brownies, but not the ice cold vanilla ice cream. The brownies were chocolaty and warm, the raspberry sauce made them taste sour and sweet. The ice cream, which I ate separately because I'm weird that way, was also very good. It was all amazing.

And it is always a treat to have
1. Dinner with friends (that have kids, especially if they are my great friends)
2. If the dinner is also super good too!
3. If I can post it on my blog!

Kudos to the G family!!

Watermelon Radish

YojiSan

noreply@blogger.com (The Watermelon Radish) — Wed, 16 May 2012 00:39:00 +0000

Kon'nichiwa everybody!
I am speaking a traditional Japanese greeting, and, even though I do not know much about the Japanese language, I do know about the food. One of my favorite species of foods is the silent and spicy creature called Sushi. YojiSan Sushi a great new restaurant from the restaurant group Drago. My parents and I go to another sushi restaurant called Shu, and the same main chef there now has his own restaurant. We thought that we should come by and visit him at his new place. The architecture was very different from the dark and relaxing interior of Shu, it was filled with light and a bright red light adorned the center of the room. We sat at the bar, and waved at Yoji. My parents trust Yoji completely and wanted to do Omakase, as they always do, even though I never do it. Today, I decided to be daring and agreed to Omakase as long as there were NO truffles included. That was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my short life span. Here is a picture of Yoji holding my business card.

Soon, he whipped up the first course of many. This was a scallop inside its shell with pears, avocado and tomato. Underneath the shell was a bed of blue salt, that, after a taste and a few questions I discovered that is was not edible. On to the good part! I have never tried scallop before, because I did not like the look of it. I did not even INTEND to eat scallop, I didn't know it was on the plate, I thought it was only fresh veggies. I soon found out that the chewy stuff that melted in your mouth like butter, that was only a tiny bit salty was scallop. It was one of the best types of fish I had ever tasted and with the vegetables it tasted crunchy and groovy with many different flavors.

The next course was albacore, wrapped around watercress with sesame seeds. The sauce was like a ponzu-yuzu mix. The toasted almonds on the side gave the fish a crunchy and burnt taste. My preference would be to not have the almonds, but they were soon drowned out by the delicate fish. The dish tasted deliciously sour and the fish made it chewy and sometimes you got a little bit of fish taste. The watercress was crunchy and crackled when you chomped down on it.

Next was a plate of three sushi tacos! The first was filled with pieces of juicy Kobe beef and avocado, the taco tasted sweet and savory, the sweet sauce that the beef was soaked in made it taste candied and the avocado made it taste cool, cold cool. The second was cod with jalapeno and cucumber, it tasted gushy and spicy when the jalapeno hit my tongue. I was fried, literally, but not fried enough not to eat my favorite of the three. SPICY TUNA AVOCADO! The spicy tuna was stuck together, the way I like it, and the avocado was also mooshy. The overall affect was moosh, and that was yummy!

Here comes my FAVORITE!!!!! It was crab tempura, fried, with a sweet lemon sauce and crunchy cucumber base. The crab tasted crunchy, fried, and sweet on the outside, but on the inside there was a fleshy sweetness too. The lemony sweet sauce complimented the fish completely. I basically liked it because it was sweet.

The last course was uni, sea urchin, which I have never eaten or ever want to eat. My mother convinced me to force it down my throat. It tasted like the sea, and it made me feel sick.

Lastly was dessert, this was my favorite. Think about it....
warm dough on the outside and cold ice cream on the inside.

MOCHI MOCHI MOCHI MOCHI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bringing Up Bunny

noreply@blogger.com (The Watermelon Radish) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 02:48:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

I have added a new pet to our family, a bunny. She was my science project, and I decided to keep her, my partner and I named her Cruella. For those of you who might not know, rabbits do what they do best, pee and poop. So, after some research, I decided to give her a bath. Those of you who are reading and have your mouths hanging open and are quite confused and wondering "who would wash a bunny?" please close your mouths and listen. First, I took apart her travel case and placed it in front of her hutch. Then got the hose and dribbled a little bit of water into it, only up to her feet. I strategically opened the door and grabbed her. She clawed and made strange snuffling noises and tried to get back into the comfort of her bed. Once she calmed down I put her into the water and washed her feet. I had only intended to get her feet wet but I actually got her entire body wet, so I got a bottle of our dog's shampoo and cleaned her fur too.

This was very cute and she seemed to like it. After that I put her on top of her house and plugged in a mini hairdryer. When I turned it on, she freaked out and bit my finger. Biting my finger is a habit she has whenever she is about to start licking it. And yes, close your mouths again, bunnies do enjoy licking people. Holding her tightly, she allowed me to turn her into a puffball of white fur. She looked like a million dollars.

For any of you out there who need me hairdressing services, please comment on my blog. After giving her a bath, I had many scratches and a big case of C.O. C.O. is cuteness overload, and I had to lie down.

But, I didn't lie down for long because the voice page rang through the house, "Dinner is served. Come to the table. Can you hear me?" and from the background, "Hang up mom, hit the red button." Grandma said, "What red button?" And the rest was cut off, but I raced into the kitchen, to be greeted by a delectable smell.

Dad ushered me to my seat and placed a steaming plate of Dover sole, and risotto in front of me. I cut a small slice, I'm quite neurotic about the possibility of bones, and took a bite. Thankfully, no bones. The light and meaty flesh of the fish was complimented by the olive oil and lemon-parsley sauce. Overall it tasted great and there were enthusiastic "mmmmms" from around the table. The risotto was infused with Parmesan Saffron, and tasted creamy and fresh. The Caesar salad dressing was a little thin, but nothing can't be fixed by adding dark green romain lettuce. Everyone likes the light green lettuce but I enjoy the darker green leaves. Finally, best for last, there were baby artichokes, grilled to perfection by my grandma! No kidding, my dad.

That's all everyone!

Bye bye!

Watermelon Radish

Amazing Birthday Dinner at the New and Improved Bel Air Hotel

noreply@blogger.com (The Watermelon Radish) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 21:43:00 +0000

Yes, last night we did have a birthday dinner for my mom at the new and improved Bel-Air hotel, we enjoyed the menu created by Wolfgang Puck. We sat at a lovely and warm outdoor table to start. This table did not meet the expectations of my grandmother, so we moved inside. Inside, the table did not meet the expectations of my father who was getting very annoyed at the kitchen door banging in his ear. Finally, after two moves, we went back to the original table. My grandmother agreed to sit under the heater and my father was quite happy that there was no annoying noise in his ear. The menu was spectacular, there were so many mouthwatering options. After a long time, we each decided what we wanted. Our kind server, Lathrop, came over to get our orders for appetizers. My mother, the birthday girl, went first, ordering tuna tare- tare wrapped in cucumber with edible flowers. Then it was my grandma's turn, she had spotted a nice spring salad with watermelon radish. My grandfather, who doesn't usually like things with exotic seasoning, ordered tortellini pasta with mascarpone cheese and sweet peas. It turned out that the pasta was one of the best appetizers we ordered. My father was caught between two options, the hand cut steak crudo or the scallop sashimi. After much inner debate he chose the scallops, and I chose the fava bean soup. While we were waiting for our interesting assortment of appetizers my mother opened the birthday cards from my dad. I had already given her a card, an egg hunt. Each egg contained a note saying something I loved about her and they each had a different face. If you use that idea for mothers day or a birthday you must pay me three million dollars because its my idea. I'm joking, really! The cards were lovely, and before we could talk more, the food arrived. I didn't try grandma's salad, but she said, "This is quite good." From her, that is a huge compliment.

Spring Salad

I did try my mother's tuna tar-tar, and it was very good. The tuna tasted fresh and with cucumber it tasked cold and refreshing, the edible flowers were just icing on the cake but I ate both of them.

Tuna Tare-Tare

I tried one of my grandpa's tortellini's, and that was enough. They were very sweet, and creamy, and the peas were drowned out in the cheesy sauce.

Pea Tendril Tortellini

I did not try dad's scallop, I never eat them, something about with seeing them alive at a sushi restaurant turns me off.

Scallop Sashimi

Of course, my soup was the best (hair flip here please). It tasted a lot like regular peas, but every once in a while you would get the strong taste of olive oil. Did I mention that there was a fruity foam on the top? Well there was. There were also whole fava beans at the bottom so that you could eat them with the puree/broth. I always know the best things to get at restaurants, so take me out to dinner!

Fava Bean Soup

After we finished the appetizers we talked and commented on how good the appetizers were. During this time my grandmother paid me the biggest compliment she has ever given me, "The part in your hair is perfect!" Even if it wasn't exactly perfect, I felt very honored and patted my hair all night. While I was wallowing in pride the main courses came.

Almost Perfect Part

My father ordered lamb saddle with a topping that tasted to me like cream cheese. The meat itself was rare, and it melted in your mouth.

Lamb Saddle

My mother ordered scallop and langoustine. I only tried a small piece of shrimp, which I drowned in sauce, so I'm not sure if I liked it or not. My mother did not enjoy it, but she liked my fathers and mine.

Langoustine and Scallop

My grandma got a grandma sized piece of salmon, which was crispy because it was grilled. It also melted in my mouth. My grandpa got a hamburger, a specialty order, which I didn't try but he seemed happy with it. But, he is with almost every hamburger.

Burger with Yummy Fries

I got, the best by far, three small pieces of Dover Sole. The sole was presented with mint, spinach and sliced green beans on top and drizzled in a fava sauce. I ate the vegetables and then tried the fish. Lets just say that I valued every morsel, it was amazingly yummy.

The ABSOLUTELY SUPER BEST Dover Sole

After all that food I didn't think I could eat another bite.......of dinner that is. Yes, it was dessert time. Mother said that, "They wouldn't sing or give her a birthday dessert." They did the later of the two, they brought her absolute all time favorite thing. A COOKIE PLATTER WITH A CANDLE AND CHOCOLATE SAUCE! She was overjoyed and sampled her various cookies, one chocolate chip cookie was about to explode with chocolate. It did, right on her shirt, thankfully it rolled down, leaving her spotless. I got raspberry sorbet which tasted exactly like an actual raspberry. It was amazing but super sweet and rich, so I settled for a peanut butter cookie which was good, except it didn't taste like peanut butter.

Raspberry Sorbet

The one problem was that once the restaurant was overwhelmed with people, the service became lackadaisical. If you don't know what that word means then

a) get a dictionary

b) it means lazy and lacking, it took almost 20 minutes to get the check

Thanks

Kellen-Watermelon Radish

Its that time of year

noreply@blogger.com (The Watermelon Radish) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 01:54:00 +0000

It's that wonderful Time of the year, the garden is being planted and we are all anticipating the yummy vegetables that will sprout out of the ground! Yes, I know what you're thinking, what about the watermelon radishes? This year we are planting plenty of those, they are so special that we have to order the seeds online. I plan to plant them myself, since we share a name. Once those light green bulbs are ready to be picked out of the ground, I will also be the first to cut them open. The bright pink interior will remind me not to neglect me blog, as I might have been doing for a while. But, the good news is that I'll have some exiting new posts about the trip I've just come back from on the East Coast.

Enjoy this new season of the Watermelon Radish

All terms and conditions apply!

Bye!

Ray's and Stark Bar

noreply@blogger.com (The Watermelon Radish) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 19:51:00 +0000

Last night, after a Power Surge birthday Party, my parents picked me up and we went to LACMA. When we got there we were standing at the ticket booth, and this girl walks over and stands at the booth next to us. She asks the guy inside, "Hey I hear you guys have an art exhibit going on right now." The guy looked a little stunned and replied in a very funny voice, " Well Ma'am, this being an art museum, we have many art exhibitions going on here." That was the highlight of my night, and I'm still laughing! We were going to the Modern California Living gallery, I thought it would be really fun because I love old furniture. When we got in the first thing we saw was a RAD, I mean totally AWESOME old school, metal airstream clipper. I looked at the inside from the open doors and my dad gave me a little bit of history on the subject. He said, "See that? That is the dining room table, and at night you fold the table down and the couch comes out to make one bed. Then in the middle there is the kitchen, and on the other side, in a little alcove is the other bed. I was in love, the trailer as beautiful, I want one for Christmas! We walked through the gallery and my dad told me all about the Eames, they found a way to bend plywood and we have one of their chairs in our house. There were also really old swimsuits, dresses and hats. We walked through, occasionally pointing out that we loved something or wanted it in our house. There was a plywood leg splint for the war and I looked at my mom and said, "I think that's what I need." Although, I'm fine with my brace! In another room there were different types of jewelry, one was a necklace that had writing on it that said something like,'As long as we breathe air and man can see...life creates us.' There was also a REALLY old white car that belonged to Dick Van Dyke. Then there was a recreation of the Eames living room, it was really awesome, but you couldn't go inside. I also saw little television box that had a thing you could put on your ear to hear an old commercial. It was for the 1959 barbie doll and it kept going on and on about the barbie look. At the gift shop there were old barbies for sale but I didn't get one, I really wanted an old toy called Push-Up Preston, which I ended up getting for Hanukah. It sounds weird, but get this, it was a toy who did push-ups when you wound it up! After going to the gallery, we went to dinner in a small place called Ray's and Stark Bar. It was still in the museum so I didn't have to walk very far. When we sat down the first thing I noticed was, 'there isn't a table setting'. But the host, pulled out a little drawer in the table. In it was our napkin and our cutlery, it was so cool! My parents decided to get the tasting menu, while I got two appetizers. The chef prepared a small taste for the table, it was dried meat with tomatoes and walnut puree. I didn't really taste anything other than the walnut puree though. The first thing that my parents got was Squid Ink Pasta, with a large piece of actual squid on the top. They loved it and asked me if I would like a taste. I was NOT going to try this pasta, not going to encourage people to keep hunting and killing squids. I asked for ONE, SINGLE, noodle. I had it sitting on my plate, all eyes were on me, I twirled it on my fork and raised it to my mouth. Before I knew what I was ding I shoved it into my mouth and sloshed it down with some water. The pasta tasted like lemons and Jalapenos too. I can't say I liked it, but it was an experience.

Then my parents got some Salmon with apples, it was really good and when you put it with the apples it tasted sweet and sour. At the same time my Cinderella Squash pasta came to the table. It was beautiful, I would order it just to see the presentation. The top was covered with a thin and tangy foam, there were large Oyster Mushrooms on the sides, and leaves of Arugula. The pasta itself was SO, SO, SO, SO, SO, SO, SO good. It was sweet since the squash was in the center, but when mixed with the lettuce and the mushrooms it was like a full meal. It was also very rich so I could only eat a few bites, and that was a half order!

It was so good! Next came a Duck Dish. It was a little too well seasoned for my mom, and I didn't eat the Foi Gras. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THE DUCK SAUSAGE! If I could eat it for breakfast I would, it was like a mix between regular sausage and bacon. Then I had Boar Pasta, it was really amazing, the shape of the pasta was an elongated tube filled with boar ragu. It was my favorite dish of the meal

. Next came a gourmet breakfast, it was an egg that looked like the foam you put on top of coffee, and there were truffles grated on the top. It was full of Ham and bacon, too. I tried it..but I NEVER eat truffle and it ruined my apatite. There's something about truffles, maybe its the smell, or maybe I don't like them because my mom doesn't like truffle OIL.

So, I was really full and tired so I was playing a game on my mom's phone and was absorbed in it when their steak came. I, of course was to full to eat another bite but they ate it, and my parents didn't even seem to like it because they were full too.
It was time for dessert, my favorite!! My mom got Hazelnut and chocolate ice cream on a chocolate cake, but I don't really like chocolate. The hazelnut tasted like Nutella, and the chocolate tasted very strong. My dad got ice cream with a ginger cake, that was too sour for me. The ice ream was coconut flavored, and even though I've never eaten coconut, I have been getting into a coconut craze! Coconut bath oils, ice cream, milk/water!
The only dessert that I could eat was the Oreo, but better. They were gourmet chocolate cookies with vanilla icing wedged in between. The chocolate cookies on top were more like Oreo Cakes, because they were cake like but soft, they melted in my mouth. The icing was creamy and tasted like smashed ice cream.

Bye!

Watermelon Radish