My morning coffee

I like to ease into the morning. Before I do any heavy lifting (i.e. work email), I peruse my favorite cele-blogs (a term so aptly coined by Hannah) and then move onto the news. I never did this when in California -- perhaps distance has made the heart grow fonder of the trashy and scantily clad underbelly of Hollywood? If nothing else, it always provides small talk for the metaphorical water cooler.

The writers at Go Fug Yourself never cease to amaze. This gem made my morning. Two of my great loves: Sex and the City AND Sex and the City behind-the-scenes trivia. Oh Chrissy, thank you for having the full DVD set with special features -- as soon as Jessica said "bright pink head," I knew EXACTLY who she was talking about.

Pembrokeshire Adventure, Part 2

After setting up shop next to the tepee, we ventured out for a rambling hike along the ocean with Blue Flag Whitesands Beach as our destination. A narrow coastal path winds its way around the peninsula and we frequently squeezed by fellow hikers and their dogs. Three (and a half?) hours later, and long after the fog had rolled in, we arrived. The walk was gorgeous (see slide show below) and Google Earth suggests we went *at least* 7 miles.

After an ice cream break at Whitesands, we took a (relatively) direct path back to St. David's for dinner. I'm not quite sure if it was really a public path or just some flattened grass between adjacent farms, but we made it. The half dozen or so restaurants in town were not prepared for the deluge of holiday-makers and we had to fight for a table at The Bench only to be told that it would be an hour before our food would arrive. Fortunately, it only took about half that time and it was delicious. Spicy pizza and spicy pasta and a salad that had ingredients rarely found in Cardiff like pine nuts(!), and pesto(!!), and shaved parmesan(!!!).

With ice cream #2 in hand (The Bench had peach sorbet!), we hobbled/shivered back to the campsite bringing our mileage count in at about 10 miles. We were zipped in our sleeping bags before 10pm in preparation for the big kayaking adventure to come.

Pictures from the whole weekend:

© ELA Photography

Tune in for Part 3 coming soon...

Recipe Review: Bean Burgers!

The Minimalist treats me so well. I made the bean burgers (with black beans) from this recipe (NYTimes) and they were amazing and amazingly easy. I just finished the leftover burger for lunch.

I did it in the blender (which worked out just fine -- provided that I chopped up the onions), but added a bit too much water, so I needed to dry out the mixture with some bread crumbs. I let the patties sit in the fridge for about an hour before pan-frying them and they were super! Zesty (thanks to the chili powder) and flavorful (I added some garlic) and perfect with some cheddar on top.

I highly recommend!

Pembrokeshire Adventure, Part 1

At the first forecast of sun for this past 3-day weekend, Eliot began researching campsites near St. David's, which is in the westernmost tip of Wales, surrounded by the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Apparently St. David's is the smallest city in the UK with about 2,000 people and it's a very popular town for outdoorsy folks, particularly rock-climbers, surfers, etc. After an easy 2.5-hour drive on Saturday morning, we arrived in this teeny tiny and completely adorable town. The traffic along the one-way main drag crawled along as tourists in their walking hats ambled on and off the sidewalks.

We met up with an acquaintance of Eliot's (who we also saw at the Hay Book Festival) who is the director of TYF, an adventure company (and main attraction) in St. David's. He reserved us two spots for the Coastal Explorer on Sunday and then offered suggestions on what to do with the rest of our weekend. He's one of those immensely likable people -- the kind that appear to be living life to its fullest at every possible moment; the ones that make you think "I'm going to get myself a cup of coffee and then take on the day/week/month/year!" (Which is what we did! Well, for two days at least...)

Armed with our virtually life-sized map of the tiny peninsula (and our trusty GPS) we made our way to the (gasp!) campsite in Porthclais. Now, prior to this weekend, I had done "camping lite" -- one- or two-night stints and always with the certainty of a nice shower on the horizon. Despite what the magazines say about optimal hair washing frequency, I MUST wash my hair on a daily basis if I am to be seen in any sort of public forum. We had been warned by the campsite baroness that there were no toilets -- "only earth closets or the hedge" -- and cold showers for 20p. Upon hearing this earlier in the week, Eliot (bless his heart) arranged for us to shower at the TYF Eco-Hotel, but this only partially assuaged the impending doom I felt as we drove around the campsite searching for a place to pitch the tent.

There were four football-sized fields that were filled to varying degrees with tents of varying sizes. Some tents, and I am not exaggerating, were easily the size of studio apartments. After much ado, we settled at the edge of the least crowded field next to an honest-to-goodness tepee replete with dogs howling at the moon artwork. At this point, I got very quiet, thinking "WHERE IN THE WORLD AM I GOING TO PEE?!?!" Well, we took a walk and found the facilities. There were in fact four toilets, two showers, and two sinks for the ladies. Granted, I would conservatively estimate that there were 500 people at this campsite, so you do the math, but I began speaking to Eliot again.

© ELA Photography

Part 2 to come...

Recipe Review: Risotto! (And the problem with broad beans.)

The problem with broad beans is I don't know what to do with them. I attempted a broad bean and mint hummus-like spread the first time they arrived in the veggie box, but we don't have a food processor so it wasn't very hummus-like (although still pretty tasty). I found this recipe for "Green Risotto with Fava Beans" (All Recipes), so I decided to sub my broads for the favas. Oh, excuse me Wikipedia, broad beans and fava beans are the SAME thing....NO WONDER they looked so similar in the picture!

I smooshed the beans up with a fork and a potato masher (in place of the food processor), so I didn't really get a puree per se, but it didn't matter much. I added some shiitake mushrooms and some garlic. It was absolutely delicious. I might dilute the chicken stock a bit next time, but this is definitely one to repeat. The constant stirring, was well, constant, but the end result was well worth it.

Pen-y-Fan or bust!

In an effort to impress our first real house guests (Travis, his cousin Carrie, and Carrie's hubby Daniel) this past weekend, we baked up a storm, made a dinner reservation at Happy Gathering (which allegedly serves the best (Chinese) food "ever"), and planned a hike -- basically, we pulled out all the stops.

Well, all was going smoothly -- Mom's Chocolate Chip Banana Bread was a big hit and Happy Gathering proved well worthy of its superfluous reviews, but then came the inclement (and not-so-surprising) Wales weather. Sunday's forecast of "sunny intervals" meant one such interval on the hour drive north to Brecon Beacons National Park and another off in the distance over a lake about three hours later. Our guests were troupers though (quite literally) and we all made the most of what had to be the foggiest and windiest trek up "the highest peak in South Britain" in the history of Augusts in Wales. Carrie and I knew we were in for it when EVERY single person we passed was decked out in full hiking gear and we looked like we were on our way to pilates. We might as well have been holding Starbucks' lattes and walking down Union Street with a puggle. But hey, if the weather had been perfect and we had been prepared, what fun would it have been?

© ELA Photography

Recipe Review: Really Homemade Chicken Salad Sandwiches

This meal was fantastic, the only problem was the quantity. There are only leftovers because I forced myself to stop eating.

Holiday Chicken Salad (All Recipes). I'm not sure what the 'holiday' part is, but never you mind. I made half the recipe due to a chicken shortage. I didn't have pecans. I didn't include bell peppers or celery because I don't like them. I didn't have paprika, so I used the trusty Season-All Seasoning. Oh, and the dried cranberries I had were mixed with golden raisins ('sultanas' on this side of the pond!), so those went in too. I added half an apple, parsley, and a tiny pinch of rosemary. And I wouldn't change a thing!

Here's the kicker: we made homemade "quick bread." This was my second attempt making The Minimalist's Quick Whole Wheat and Molasses Bread (NYTimes, 2/28/07). I have never used the molasses (because it's not exactly something I keep around the house) or the cornmeal (because I can't find any), but the recipe works just fine without. I used a honey-flavored yogurt the first time and buttermilk (+ milk + a little bit of honey) this time. I didn't want it to be super sweet and the result was a dense and delicious bread that was great on its own as well as with the chicken salad. (And then later topped with honey!)

We made open-faced sandwiches because of the bread density, and the chicken salad was more of the eat-with-your-fork variety anyway.

Perfect meal. Now I need to go and finish the rest.

"You take the blue pill, the story ends...

...you wake up and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes."

Article Du Jour: "Our Lives, Controlled From Some Guy's Couch" (The New York Times, 8/14/07)

So there really is no spoon.

Well, here's to being interesting and/or "good" enough to make it to the next simulation!

The Ethicist lays the smack down

I always read Randy "The Ethicist" Cohen's column in The New York Times Magazine. But a mere five months ago, I was privileged with the hard copy courtesy of my Manhattan-born roommate Amanda, now, alas, the e-version will have to do. I usually work myself up to it by reading half a dozen other articles before allowing myself this cherry on top.

I must assume that my appreciation of advice columns came from years of reading Dear Abby and Ann Landers in my parents' kitchen before heading off to school in the morning. I like Slate's "Dear Prudence" (this past week's "My Mourning Jacket" was noteworthy actually), but Mr. Cohen is closest to my heart. He answers questions of ethics (so it's not just a clever name!) rather than of manners per se, and his writing style is oh-so-witty and utterly enjoyable. On to the Article Du Jour!

This week's "Visiting Justice" advice seeker was, ironically, from Pleasant Hill, CA (which borders my home town of Concord), and he wanted to know if he was right in refusing his sister-in-law's invitation to come visit because he did want to "give the appearance of approval" of her new boyfriend. The Ethicist lays it down accordingly:

You should accept her invitation. Whom are you giving “the appearance of approval” to? Your wife knows your views. Your sister-in-law is unmoved by them. The American people? This visit is unlikely to get much television coverage. Not even local news is this local.

The Ethicist rocks.

UPDATE: Wikipedia just informed me that The Ethicist was married to Katha Pollitt, a feminist writer and activist, who also totally rocks -- don't be surprised if she has her own Article Du Jour. What a duo.

Question: What is the most popular Bachelorette Party destination in the world?

Las Vegas? Miami? The Velvet Lounge in San Francisco? No, no, and no.

Answer: Cardiff.

By whatever twist of fate, it appears, by my extremely scientific methodology, that Cardiff is the Bachelorette Party -- or Hen Night, as they're called here -- capital of the world. On any given weekend in Cardiff Bay or the City Center, packs (broods?) of "hens" can be seen cheerfully and/or drunkenly wandering the streets with pride. And costumes are big. Nurses, prisoners, devils with sequined horns -- all with the requisite "Katie's Hen Night [or Weekend!] 2007" mini-tees. And the women are of all ages; it seems en vogue to have the bride's mother or aunt attendance -- to rule the roost perhaps? (Ha ha.)

Next up: "What happens in Cardiff stays in Cardiff" commercials.

Restaurant Review: The Thai House

This past Friday marked my third visit to The Thai House and oh how I love it. Indian aside, Thai appears to be the most common foreign cuisine here, but most of the Thai restaurants are of the Thai/Chinese combination variety that put "take away" menus in your mailbox on a weekly basis.

I would categorize The Thai House as "upscale Thai" based on the service, atmosphere, and price$$$. The staff always seem to remember us, but this may be because everyone in the UK thinks Eliot looks like David Schwimmer. (So much so that he has been stopped to take pictures with adoring fans, for example.) The Thai House takes the service-by-the-masses approach and our usual visit brings at least four different individuals -- dressed in blue satin fabrics -- to our table. The restaurant has a colonial-like feeling, which is, I suppose, quite fitting.

We ordered a bottle of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (£16.50) and a bottle of water (£2.95!). We started with the Pak Joop Bang Tord, Thai-style vegetable tempura (£4.95), and Kanom Jeep, pork and prawn dumplings (£5.50). Both dishes were excellent. The tempura portion was very generous and consisted of mushrooms, broccoli, snap peas, and baby corn(!). The breading was perhaps a little heavy, but really there are worse problems in the world. The dumplings were very nice and had a lovely little crunch from the water chestnuts.

Then we ordered the dish that "people travel miles for": the Bed Tord Grob, crispy fried duck with tamarind sauce (£11.50). This dish has been ordered all three times that I've been (and all five times Eliot has been). And it is well worth our .75-mile walk. The duck is cut into small slender pieces and crisped just the right amount. The sauce is incredible and it's all garnished with tiny slivers of crunchy seaweed. We never leave anything on the plate. We decided to branch out from our usual green curry with bean curd to try the Gang Makua, spicy aubergine (eggplant) curry (£8.50), and boy was it spicy (which is VERY unusual for the UK) and man was it delicious! I needed all of my bowl of rice (£2.25 per person!) to cool the fire.

We split the mango and coconut ice cream dessert (£4.25), which was tasty and probably unnecessary.

So, we had another wonderful, grade A meal at The Thai House. The only downfall (and it is quite the fall), was the £65 ($130) bill, which included a £5 tip (we still haven't figured out if and how much we are supposed to tip). Perhaps if I think of The Thai House as the Gary Danko of Cardiff it will help...

What kind of man are you?

Take my quiz! (You'll probably get more out of it if you've actually seen Sex and the City and Grey's Anatomy, but it doesn't really matter.)

Quiz me!

(Eliot's cousin Seth made this cool free quiz/poll/survey website. Create your own "quibblet" at www.quibblo.com!)

UPDATE: As of 8/10/07, we've got ONE McSteamy! (And one Big.) If you are so brave, make yourselves known!

Two Fat Ladies

Our "Tennis Pro" canceled on us again this Saturday. We are supposed to get four free lessons with our "Racquets Membership" at the gym, but this has proven to be easier said than done. Actually he didn't even call us to cancel; his girlfriend did! An hour before said lesson!

Thus, we ended up watching Two Fat Ladies on TV. This was a very popular British cooking program in the '90s that featured -- you guessed it! -- two fat ladies! Their shtick is that one of them drives around on an old motorcycle and the other is chauffeured in the attached side car. They putter around the English countryside making extremely unhealthy food. One of the women passed away in 1998, but reruns still air regularly. The Hairy Bikers are the Two Fat Ladies of the '00s.

In this episode, the Ladies made a "Shooter's Sandwich." Now that I know what this is, I can safely say that nothing else more perfectly sums up British food. The fat lady cut off the end of a loaf of white bread (not French bread mind you, imagine a loaf of unsliced IronKids bread) and hollowed out the inside. She grilled a MASSIVE steak and stuffed it in the white bread shell along with a few mushrooms. Then she wrapped up the whole thing, squashed it under something heavy like a cinder block, and let it sit for 5 (8? 12?) hours. After the "marinating," she sliced it up like a meatloaf and served it to a troop of Boy Scouts.

I was just cracking up the entire time, while Eliot sat silently in disbelief.

I found a picture and a recipe, but these actually make it look relatively good/edible.

Recipe Review(s): Roast 'em up!

I threw this meal together last night based on two criteria:

1. Use things from the organic veggie box before they go bad (thus A and B).
2. Find a recipe for easy chicken with ingredients I have, preferably including basil because my basil plant may or may not be on his last legs (thus C).

A. Sweet Potato Oven Fries
I basically followed a recipe from Martha, but I spiced it up with 1/2 tsp. cumin (I finally got some!) AND 1/2 tsp. Spicy Seasonal-All. I mixed all the ingredients in a bowl with the potato slices (instead of doing the tossing on the baking sheet). They needed quite a bit of time in the oven -- maybe 40 minutes? -- but they were DELICIOUS.

B. Roasted Zucchini and Onions with Herbs
I guess I kinda followed this All Recipes recipe, but I didn't have all the other vegetables. Per Reuel's instruction, I made sure to cut larger pieces of zucchini and smaller pieces of onion, then I mixed 'em up with olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and basil. I did these at the same time as the potatoes. They were in for about 30 minutes (stirred a couple of times). SUPER!

C. Honey Orange Basil Chicken
This All Recipes recipe says to marinate overnight, which I did not do. Two or three hours worked just fine. We did it in a pan (well, a wok actually) on the stove and just poured in all of the extra marinade with it. They ended up very moist and flavorful (despite what some of the reviews said). FANTASTIC!

The meal ended up being one of our best and it couldn't have been any easier. SUCCESS!

"Can I get you an energy bar? How 'bout some water?"

I have a little place in my heart for good commercials. In the age of TiVo, DVR, and Sky boxes (which is what we've got, which does NOT include a search function NOR does it allow you to continue watching TV while accessing the menus), I must say that from time to time I miss them. Chrissy and I used to stay up until all hours of the morning in college (or was that in SF?) watching ESPN SportsCenter commercials like this one:



and this Pete Sampras one, and this cheerleader one. Well, I actually just found those two, but they're really funny.

I was re-inspired to find these ads after reading/viewing Article Du Jour, "There Are 12 Kinds of Ads in the World" (Slate, 7/23/07). Slate does these great slide show essay-type things. If you've got 10 minutes to spare, this is well worth it. Even though writer Seth Stevenson finds the sixth format ("benefit causes story") to be a bit annoying, I think the ad he chose as a demonstration is hilarious.

Wednesdays got a little less awesome

Wednesdays are a big day for me. Mark Bittman, a.k.a. The Minimalist, posts his weekly how-to food video (although today's required an ice cream maker, which made it obsolete). The Onion News Network (ONN) airs at least one new clip (and even if the topic isn't that funny, the scrolling banner at the bottom will make up for it: "Ojai, CA: Woman listens to movie scores on her iPod to add some gravitas to her life," "America's best sound: Puget or Albemarle?"). San Francisco food critic extraordinaire, Michael Bauer, writes his make-it-or-break-it restaurant review for the San Francisco Chronicle. (When he slams 'em, he slams 'em! ;-)) And, until today, http://www.clarkandmichael.com/ featured their newest episode. Last week was the finale of the completely enjoyable 10-series "show." If you enjoyed (i.e. watched) Arrested Development, this is a must-see. Wednesdays are just a little less sweet now.

HOWEVER, I just found Sex and the City reruns on TV (and these are NOT of the censored TBS/KRON4 variety...thankfully. Talk about destroying the integrity of the show!). Two per night. Season 1 started this past Monday night. Money can't buy this kind of happiness/relief/elation.