Camping at Picture Rock National Lakeshore

I'm going camping this weekend in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
My friends Laura and Colleen found a place called Pictured Rock right along Lake Superior.

We won! Next week is our championship game against JP Morgan.

Softball

Tonight is our play-off game. We are going against
a local gym. Let's see, a publishing house vs scowling U-bar mustached men who work out for a living. I wonder whose going to win.

Biking in Boston

Before getting a bike, I was hopeless getting around on my own. Couldn't find parking if I drove. Running late to work because of subway delays. You know what I mean? What I didn't realize was that biking broadens the world of OPTIONS. And oh what a magical world that is. There are a gajillion ways to have fun riding a bike and we deserve to explore them all.

At first I was nervous to bike around a city notorious for bad drivers but I found through being a bike rider there are many people that are helpful and watch out for us. I bike through parks, Downtown, and to restaurants- contemplated how certain routes will take me to what destination, wondered what biking across to Roxbury would feel like. I must have circled Boston a dozen times. And then it dawned on me that bikes, they are for US to have fun. No other destination is necessary. So no matter what my plan is to bike to work or to a party, I definitely learn a lot more about my city when biking through it.

Last Weekend.

(Katie at Le Pain Quotidien)

The greatest time I had in New York City was five years ago with my best friend Katie. It was our first time in NYC and the smell of Polish donuts in Green Point, loud sweaty clubs in the Greenwich Village, and plague of rats in the subway made New York an adventure.

Last weekend she was in town for the International Gift Show and I came up to meet her. This time around we shopped (for her work) and ate out with some of her vendors. We even got to go out with one of our friends from Japan who last year toured us around Tokyo in her convertible mini cooper.

I'm hunting for a cheese to bring to my Japanese friend on her visit to New York. Bedford's Cheese Shop is just the place to look. Australian feta (they keep it a bowl of green olive oil by the counter) with a strong herbal flavor was my choice last time I was in Williamsburg and felt hungry. This time I need something that sets itself aside from other cheeses.

I often times feel dumbstruck with cheese overload when entering the store, though, I get over this by simply asking for a recommendation. They know exactly what to recommend and don't use too much of that triple creamed cheese jargon.

Every cheese seller I chat to about the gift recommends I have a sample of my own. Some cheeses are homely and welcoming while others comforted me with reassuring flavors. The muslin wrapped rind of some unique cheeses looks like the skin of a mummy.

I bring my friend dense Galloway cheese. It is made from raw unpasteurized sheep's milk. The sweet pungency dilates my nostrils the taste fills a void I never knew I had. I love this cheese. I leave with a floppy grin and a gift worth giving.

To celebrate finishing my final project, I took a walk after work to the ICA, Boston's contemporary art museum. I'm only now finding the places of inspiration that make this city so alive. After viewing the creativity behind the Shephard Fairey exhibit and other artists, I was inspired to take pictures down by the waterfront.

It's finals week. Finals to end all finals, my very last class to be exact (at least for this degree). I've been staring at the computer screen for several hours. A numbing sense of lethargy overwhelms me when I can't think of anything more to write. Whenever my brain is mush, I turn to cooking. It's not exactly nihilist extremism, but it is a good distraction.

Stimulating new flavors like Gajar ka Halwa, Indian carrot cake, or carrot halva is an instant comforting equalizer. The fluffy sweetness brings a wonderful joy rushing happiness to my brain. Simple and delicious.



Ingredients for carrot halva:

1 kg Carrots
1 liter of Milk
1 teaspoon Cardamom seeds
3/4 cup Water
3 tablespoons Ghee (substitute with unsalted butter)
2 tablespoons Raisins
2 tablespoons Almonds
2 tablespoons Pistachios
450 grams Sugar ( I cut this and used agave syrup to substitute)

Preparation of carrot halwa :

* Wash and grate the carrots. Soak the raisins in water for 30 minutes. Blanch and shred the nuts.
* Put the water to boil, when it starts boiling add the grated carrots. Cook for 5-7 minutes.
* Add the milk. Cook on a low flame for 1 hour stirring occasionally. Add sugar, mix well and cook till the sugar has dissolved and all the milk has been absorbed.
* Add ghee and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the slightly crushed cardamoms and the raisins. Mix well.
* Remove the gajjar halwa from heat and arrange in a serving dish. Garnish with almonds and pistachios. Serve cold, hot or at room temperature.

GoodGuide

I found a reliable online source that rates the safety and environmental impact of everyday products from food, personal care to household chemicals. GoodGuide was founded by Dara O'Rourke, an environment policy professor at University of California, Berkeley. The website is independently owned and has no corporate sponsors. The team behind this website consist of a network of leading academic institutions, scientists, engineers, and private research firm.

I found out that some of my products contain known carcinogens.

There is no better way to eat than with the company of my pals.Two of my friends came over for dinner Saturday night.

A walk outside to my garden gives me the same warm rush as a thoughtful gift. Sustainable and organic, this easy to maintain pleasure embodies the "eating green" ethos. My tomatoes have a fresh-picked taste. Admittedly, it also feels good to know that while growing my own, there hasn't been people palming the food. I want my cellulose intact!

Bundles of herbs are easy to grow, these ingredients I wouldn't typically pick up at the local grocery store myself, though, the selection of herbs I buy to grow have expanded my gastronomic repertoire and inspire creativity in the kitchen.

Tonight, we are having a caprese salad with tomatoes (mine), basil (mine), pine nuts (not mine), and buffalo mozzarella (give me a break). Then for the main course a pesto whole wheat pasta.

The price to grow a garden is reasonable, you're paying for the cost of convenience. I will continue to spoil myself and friends with this supreme freshness of produce and the enjoyment in maintaining it.