Post Thanksgiving Post: Central Park

I hope everyone had a splendid Thanksgiving! I got to spend mine in Pennsylvania with my relatives, which was really nice. I forgot how much I truly miss a real home: one with molding, wood floors, and a sink that's bigger than the one you would find in the bathroom. I got a bake a lot, too, with a real kitchen! I made this delicious Pumpkin Bundt Cake, which I highly recommend. It was perfect for the autumnal feast that Thanksgiving is all about.

As I promised, I come bearing pictures from my excursion to Central Park with my friends last weekend. We had such a lovely time amidst the falling foliage and crisp wind. However, one thing spoiled our fun: a terrible pretzel! We decided it would be a good idea to get some food, so we went up to one of those carts and two of my friends purchased pretzels, and after they tasted them, I decided it would be a better idea to invest in a hot dog. The hot dog wasn't too great either...disappointment!!

Something entertaining did happen, however. While walking around one of the lakes (not the big one), we spotted a bunch of camera men and big light diffusers and all those types of Hollywood toys. And then we saw Natalie Portman, which was exciting, but I am sad that she has long hair again. She looked so cute with that pixie cut. I'm not a stalker or anything, but I did manage to take a totally creepy stalker picture of her from across the lake. I won't post it here, because that's even creepier. Anyways, it's so far away you can barely make her out, haha.

So we had a pretty good time, I reckon. Yeah, it was cold. And yeah, it's 76 degrees back home in California right now, but sometimes I really do like it here!

Until next time...

Coveting that Jazz Age Charm

I just wish I were any of these ladies! Even the ones in the first picture who are getting arrested for violation of dress code on a beach in Chicago.

Anyways, being Sunday, I am diligently (or not so diligently) working on homework, laying in my bed with my down comforter pulled up high. It was a crazy weekend, which included homemade meatballs with some friends and a trip to Central Park. Picture to come, once I am freed of my workload!

Until then...

MWMH :: Frozen Toes and Nose, You Knows?

So it turns out that New York City gets cold in the winter. Colder than, say, Los Angeles.

Yes, it's true! As of today, I think we have entered winter. I now don my new long down parka, which makes me look like an commercialized, capitalist Eskimo, nearly every day in order to fight off the lower-than-40-degrees weather. Now, I am sure that some more seasoned New Yorkers will laugh at me for quivering at the thought of temperatures that aren't even below freezing, but let's just say I know I'm naive, and I realize that it's only just begun, but I plan on complaining and whining all the way through April.

One nice aspect however is that when I look out of my window from my bed, I see the orange and yellow leaves on the tree right outside, and as a form of procrastination, I can watch them float to the pavement below. I can't wait until it snows (this Friday they say!) and I can look out and see a tree naked of it's leaves but outlined in a fine powder of snow! Okay, so I know that also sounds ridiculously idealistic, and that in actuality the city rarely gets these perfect Aspen-like snow storms, but I can hope, right?

Until then, I shall continue my work on a watercolor I am painting for my drawing class. I just have to work on making it less corny. It's seeming a little tacky right now...pictures to come!

Stay warm!

(P.S. I have begun reading Jane Eyre, Anne, and I love it!)

Union Square Farmer's Market, again!

Walking around the Farmer's Market at Union Square on a cloudy
morning, indulging in a pumpkin scone and a steaming hot cup
of fresh apple cider for breakfast.

Can it get any better than that?

MWMH :: Stuffed Acorn Squash!

Did you know: I love autumn foods? If you read this "blog" at all, the answer should be yes. Also, I love it when I go to the super market and end up having leftover money from last week's allowance and then I can buy things I don't need. Such as Peppermint Hot Cocoa Mix!

Anyways, TANGENT! Here's the deal. This stuffed squash was really delish and very easy and you should make it tonight! I got the recipe from Elana's Pantry via TasteSpotting. I hope she won't mind if I post the recipe here for all my lovely friends and comrades to try.

Acorn Squash with Cranberry Apple Stuffing

You need:
~2 acorn squash
~boiling water
~2 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
~1/2 cup dried cranberries (I used golden raisins...)
~1 teaspoon cinnamon
~2 tablespoons butter (She says grapeseed oil, but she cooks gluten free, dairy free, etc.)

1. Cut squash in half and with a spoon, remove pulp and seeds
2. In a large pyrex baking dish place squash cut-side down
3. Pour ¼-inch boiling water into pyrex dish (or use 1/4 inch room temperature apple juice for extra sweetness)
4. Place dish in oven and bake squash for 30 minutes at 350°
5. In a large bowl, combine apples, cranberries and cinnamon and grapeseed oil to make stuffing
6. Remove squash from the oven after the 30 minutes
7. Turn halves over and stuff center of each squash half with apple mixture
8. Return to oven and bake for 30-35 minutes (or longer) until squash and apples are tender

Serves 4 lucky ladies or gents

Now do it! Make it! Have a lovely mid-week feast. Until next time...

Pumpkin Bread Puddin'

Now, I know you're all thinking that this looks like the most disgusting thing ever, but don't judge quite yet. The pictures that I took of this Pumpkin Bread Pudding are, well, not so great. I admit it. It's true. But the thing is, I've been having some serious trouble photographing food ever since I've come to New York. First off, it's getting closer to winter, so by the time the food I make is finished, it is always nearly dark out already, thus spoiling my chances of shooting the food with a little natural light. Secondly, even if I do finish when it is still light out, I have only 1 window in my whole dorm room! Terrible, no? And only 1 ugly window sill to shoot from. So, I have turned to using flash (in the worst way possible).

Action shot during prep work...

But, I digress. This Pumpkin Bread Pudding was quite tasty, despite its awful, awful portraits. If I make it again, however, I think I am going to add more spice to it. I tried using a general Pumpkin Pie spice instead of each individual spice (ie. nutmeg, cloves, etc.), but I think I didn't add enough and something didn't quite work. I also want to try it with real pumpkin, but that's for another time.

Definitely delicious with whipped cream, no doubt!

In other news, we have a black president! I am most certainly flipping out and I can't even get over it for one second! It is beyond amazing. On election night, at 11 pm when Obama was announced winner, my friends and I ran over to Union Square and it was completely NUTS. I danced for hours. Maybe I'll post pictures some day in the future...I have many.

Until later, lovelies....

Slipcase Project

In sculpture class, we had to make a slipcase for an object that does not generally have/need one. I chose this machine that is in the jewelry making sculpture studio to cover. It was quite a fun project and I got to relieve my need to sew!

Before:

After:

And some detail shots:

Click on the images for a larger view!

I like to think of it as the ultimate granny project, but some people read the lace-ups as a slightly naughty twist. What do you think?

Post Halloween Post

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!







General mayhem...

(but in other news, it's November!)