yum?

think you would ever try this stuff? i would just cause it has the michigan logo on the outside. talk about marketing. im not so sure how the contents inside would be though. GO BLUE!

Osso Bucco w/Risotto

Of course, I didn't make the guinea pigs just eat tiramisu at the experimental dinner! Before the tiramisu, we started off with some appetizers: various flavored nuts, brie cheese w/french bread and rosemary crackers and a red bell pepper spread. The red bell pepper spread was the only appetizer that I made.

For dinner, I made osso bucco (veal shanks) and risotto (see picture above). The risotto is a dish that I make often but the osso bucco was a new recipe. Another dish that was easier to make than I thought. The hardest part about the osso bucco was finding a place that sold the veal shanks. Luckily, Mr. Moc found some at Sebastian's at the West Side Market. Good job, Mr. Moc! --MM

Tiramisu

We had some guinea pigs over for an experimental dinner this past weekend. The deal was they could come for dinner but I was going to try out new recipes on them. This was the first time I made tiramisu - surprisingly, it's very easy to make and yummy to eat. Sadly, there were no leftovers. --MM

Happy Halloween!

Driving home yesterday, we passed this scene from "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!".

If you're wearing a costume today or wore one to a party over the weekend, leave us a comment and tell us what your costume is. Happy Halloween!

skeerrred

So last night, I was laying in bed reading. I had my candles going and my night stand lamp so it was slightly dark in my room, I was reading "The Lovely Bones" courtesy of Mocmoc. Anyways for those of you who don't know the book is about a girl who gets murdered and basically its told from her point of view when she is dead. Seeing as it's almost halloween I thought this would be appropriate. But this is what I was reading....
"..a soul would run by a living being, touch them softly on the shoulder or cheek and continue on the way to heaven. The dead are never exactly seen by the living, but many people seem acutely aware of something changed around them." -- AND THEN!! The smoke detector went off and scared the crap out of me!!! Talk about timing!

It's almost like the time in AP US History in high school when we were watching a video on nuclear bombs. Right when the video said "Nuclear bombs feel like earthquakes" the classroom shook. It was an earthquake. Our teacher yelled for us to get under the desk. So we did. Duck and cover, you know the drill. The teacher next door came over to us and was like "was that an earthquake"? And there we were trembling under our desks. I asked my friends later who weren't in my class if they felt the earthquake, they had no idea it happened.

But speaking of ghosts and how it is halloween...about 3 years ago I was sleeping in Alhambra and I woke up in the middle of the night, unable to move and it felt like someone was pressing down on me. I opened my eyes and there hovering directly above me, face to face, was the pale, hallowed in face of an old man who was wearing a top hat and bow tie..... I quickly closed me eyes.

--RD

mmm cookies

I made cookies tonight. For some reason when the weather gets colder I like to bake. It's a good thing I don't live in Michigan anymore. But I made like 3 dozen cookies and that's quite a lot for me, roomie and mr clean to eat, believe it or not. so I have to find someone else to eat them. Anyways, they are a swirl of dark and white chocolate morsels and walnut cookies. It was tiring to make because I don't have my mixer, my arm got a work out. So much for those 2 miles I ran today. Oh yah a little trick that Mr Clean taught me... put a piece of bread in the tupperware with your cookies and it will keep them softer!
--RD

my lil pony

So Mr. Clean and I are watching Gilmore Girls, recorded from earlier tonight. Anyways, so they are having this fancy party for Rory and they have a signature drink for Rory. It's basically a really girly drink that's pink. Luke had a "rory" and while he was drinking it he said "I feel like i'm turning pink from this drink. I feel like I'm drinking a My Little Pony". HAHAHA.
Paris: "I was sleeping with the editor" Doyle: "Now I'm sleeping with the editor"
Richard Gilmore: "Rory is having sex under my roof. I paid $40,000 to renovate the pool house so she could have a sex house."
Mr Clean and I can't stop laughing, this episode is so funny. Haha i have Mr Clean hooked on my girlie show! OMG JESS IS COMING BACK!!!

--RD

Happy Anniversary!

Did I forget to mention that Mr. Moc and I went to Niagara Falls, Canada this past weekend to celebrate our 1-yr anniversary? Yeah, can you believe it?!

This is Horseshoe Falls (aka Canadian Falls since it is on the Canadian side) at Niagara Falls. Luckily, we got there Friday evening while there was still some light out because it rained the rest of the time we were there. In any case, Mr. Moc and I had a great time in Niagara Falls...freezing our butts off. I guess we could say we were in training for what's to come in the next couple of months in Cleveland.

Mr. Moc

Here he is - Mr. Moc... wearing his blue poncho. Everyone gets one of these blue ponchos to go on the Maid of the Mist boatride at Niagara Falls. Not only did we get soaked on the ride but then we had to "squish" our way back to the hotel in the rain. I'm still trying to dry out my poor Pumas.

What?!

Okay, this image is a bit blurry but I think you'll get the point. I've been to MANY Korean restaurants and NEVER, EVER have I seen a waiter in a Korean restaurant...only waitresses. You know what I mean?! I think it goes with the Korean culture that women usually handle kitchen-related chores (I'll just leave it at kitchen-related chores)...i.e. food prep, cooking, serving, clearing the table and dish-washing. Now, if you're Korean, please feel free to correct me. So, it makes sense that you don't see Korean men as wait staff in Korean restaurants. However, this past weekend, I saw a Korean man busing tables. Correction: I saw 2 Korean men busing tables but I only got a shot of one of the men. I just had to take a picture as proof for you doubters out there. ;P --MM

Starbucks

Can you guess what kind of Starbucks beverage this is?

lakers

Last night i went to my first Lakers game, well, my first Lakers home game. Roomie, Mr. Clean, Betty Green and I went to the Lakers/Bobcats pre-season game. My old boss, El Jefe, got me tickets through his equivalent at the Lakers. It was fun. The Staples Center is so pretty! So much better than that barn we played in last year, called the Charlotte Coliseum. (Actually yesterday was the grand opening of the New Charlotte Arena with the Rolling Stones. The New Arena is the most modern arena in the nation. So if you get a chance, check it out!)

Anyways, back to the game, I was rooting for the Bobcats, although I always imagined I would be rooting for the Lakers when I went to a Lakers game. Believe it or not I didn't have any arena food. We had in seat service but I resisted, probably because Betty Green picked up some California Chicken Cafe for dinner prior to the game. But the in-seat menu had sushi, edamame and of course hot dogs and hamburgers (priced at a gazillion million dollars). Yah, and of course, the Bobcats lost. I can't wait till they come back agian in December.

Today I we had our first earthquake in our place. It was a 3.1 (or something like that) centered in Santa Monica. It was Roomie and Mr Clean's first cali earthquake. And then when I was taking a shower, my poor puka shell necklace broke all over the tub floor =( Now I am trying to piece it back together again.

Oh yah and Michigan football won today YAY GO BLUE!

--RD

the pig skin

Quite possibly one of my favorite past times. Drinking beer and watching sports. Well, the drinking beer thing probably isnt my favorite past time, but watching sports definitely is. Right now I just got home from class, last class of the week and I got out early today. yay! So I'm kicking back, having some pumpkin beer and watching Sportscenter. Ohh, I walked by the SC QB today at school. Extra bonus points if you can name who he is.

Speaking of football, did anyone watch the USC/Notre Dame game last week? Whew! One of my classmates actually got to watch the game from the sidlines, he went from no ticket to sidelines. no fair. Plus, did you watch the Michigan/Penn State game? We beat the Nittany Lions with 0 seconds left with a touchdown pass (which by the way they just showed the play on the Sportscenter top 10, making it at nmber 3). WOO HOO! And then the Chargers went on to beat the hated Raiders in Raider nation.

This weekend, the Wolverines take on Iowa, and the Chargers take on the Eagles. YAY!

gumbo yaya

Today I went to the grove with roomie and her fiance aka Mr Clean, and roomie's friend from NY. We decided to go to the farmer's market to eat. MMM... Mr Clean and Roomie's friend had bbq. Roomie and I had cajun food. And yes, I had GUMBO YAYA! Ooh was it good! I wish I had a picture of it. But I got the chicken and adouille sausage. I have to say that out of all the gumbo I've ever had this place might possible be the best. Of course I haven't been to New Orleans so I don't know how they do it down there. One day I will make it down to the Big Easy. Then afterwards Roomie, Mr Clean and I shared some funnel cake. YUM! And we bought fresh fruit - rasberries, mangos, apples, and grapes. Now I'm hungry.
--RD

Penne with Vodka Marinara

We had a simple dinner before the concert - penne vodka marinara with chunks of fresh mozzarella and fresh herbs. Not bad for a quick 10 minute dinner. --MM

Severance Hall

Since RocketDog seems to have disappeared from her blogging duties, I am blogging again. Mr. Moc and I went to Severance Hall to watch a concert by the Cleveland Orchestra. They performed 2 pieces: the first one was written by a Chinese composer named Chen Yi entitled Si Ji ("Four Seasons") and lasted about 20 minutes. The 2nd piece was Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 9 with 4 movements. There is no intermission between the 4 movements so we couldn't move for 1 1/2 hours. Usually I can't sit for such long periods of time...I doze off...but this time I didn't. I think that means I liked the concert! ;)

You can't really tell from this picture but Severance Hall is gorgeous. The lighting was really soft and pretty. Mr. Moc and I both agreed that if we could bring books to read, it would have been a perfect concert! Hehehe. --MM

Echigo

Day 4 Continued - Crab Handroll

RocketDog and I had dinner at Echigo along with my good friend, Scooby. Echigo is a sushi restaurant that offers the option of "omakase" style eating. This means that you don't place orders...the sushi chef will serve you whatever he wants - usually what's fresh for that day. We ended the meal with a second crab handroll. Although I can't complain about Echigo's sushi since it's great compared to what I get in Cleveland, I like Sushi Wasabi better. The sushi seems to be fresher and the dishes more inventive. There is no other option but "omakase" here. Unfortunately Sushi Wasabi was not an option on this trip. :( I heart sushi! --MM

Hodori Restaurant

Day 4 - Dol Sot Bibimbap

RocketDog and I needed sustenance before we headed over to the King Tut exhibit at LA's Musuem of Art. The sustenance was great but the King Tut exhibit was a disappointment - way TOO many people for such a small space. And both RocketDog and I thought we'd at least see a mummy at the exhibit but we didn't. Lately I've been really interested in Egyptian history - ancient history - and specifically mummies and pharoahs so I was really excited to go to the King Tut exhibit but realized that my expectations for the exhibit were just too high.

Anyway, back to the Dol Sot Bibimbap - it was delicious and very satisfying. For those of you who don't know what bibimbap is, it's a korean dish of rice, tender beef, vegetables, strips of seaweed, and raw egg. The stone bowl is very hot so the egg gets cooked and the rice at the bottom gets crispy. I like spicy so I add the spicy Korean sauce until the rice is practically red. If you look closely, you can see RocketDog in the background furiously mixing her own bowl of bibimbap with the korean red sauce. Yum! I heart red crispy rice! --MM

Tay Ho Vietnamese Restaurant

Day 3 - Shrimp Tempura

Lunch before our big shopping adventure was Vietnamese food at Tay Ho. Tay Ho's specialty is this "shrimp tempura" type dish. I'm not even sure exactly what it's called or what it's made of but I think in addition to the shrimp, there is also some fried sweet potato. It's served with lots of bean sprouts, julienned cucumber, egg noodle with ground meat and this pork-loaf. I drown the whole dish with spicy fish sauce...I know, I know, none of this sounds at all appetizing but it really is yummy and I can't get this in Cleveland. Although RocketDog and I agree, the restaurant is getting dirtier and dirtier and seems to be losing hole-in-the-wall cuteness.

In addition to eating at Tay Ho on Sunday, we also had Alberto's Mexican Food. We had our usual there...2 orders of 3 rolled tacos with guacamole and 1 horchata (for RocketDog). Unfortunately, I didn't get a shot of the food because we were too hungry to wait. What a perfect ending to an afternoon of shopping. --MM

Din Tai Fung Dumpling House

Day 2 - Shrimp Dumplings

We had lunch at Din Tai Fung with the parental units before the wedding. We ordered lots of food but somehow we were able to eat all of it...xiao long baos, shrimp dumplings, sauteed watercress with minced garlic, shanghai rice cakes (nian gao), sticky rice, beef noodle soup, and red bean buns. I heart red bean buns! I heart xiao long baos too! We should have ordered more! Kekeke. --MM

Gaby's Mediterranean

Day 1 - Vegetarian Platter

This is the vegetarian plate that RocketDOG ordered but which I helped eat. :) My favorite on this plate was the hummus and the baba ghanoush - eaten with warm pita slices. I heart baba ghanoush! I had the chicken kebab sandwich which wasn't as exciting as RocketDog's lunch. Lucky for me, she had an upset tummy so I could eat more of her vegetarian plate. Sorry, RD!

Los Angeles

Just got back from my trip to Los Angeles. Unfortunately Mr. Moc couldn't go with me but luckily Rocketdog lives in LA now so I spent most of my time with her. I was in town for my cousin's wedding (which I'll blog about later) but I spent a couple extra days there after the wedding to hang with Rocketdog and to do a food tour. If you know us, you know that it's impossible for us NOT to do a food tour wherever we go and especially in LA. We tried to hit cuisine that I can't get in Cleveland. I'll post pictures and descriptions in a bit. --MM

rocketDOG!

This one's for you, RD! --MM

SHUTUP!!!

OH my gosh. There is a family that lives in the building next to mine. The windows in my room and my roommate's room face this building. Well, this family has some issues I think. First of all we can see their balcony and it is filled with Junk. At one point it was filled to the rims with just junk - old baby things, rugs, vacuum cleaners, old furniture. It's a little better now but that's not saying much. In addition, I get woken up every morning because I hear some kid sreaming. EVERY DAY and usually twice a day. The kid is screaming at the top of their lungs, screeching really for a good 1/2 hour. It's gotten to the point that I can't even open my window anymore because it is so loud. Maybe I should just launch my garbage onto their balcony instead of having to take the trash out, not like they would notice. --RD

98!

Guess what 98 stands for?! Keep reading and I'll answer that at the end of this post. ;)

So this past weekend was the "home" weekend. Mr. Moc and I spent a lot of time doing stuff around the house. I swept out the garage - kinda gross - tons of dead bugs, spiders, cobwebs, leaves and dried-up centipedes. Gross. I even unpacked all of our shoes and neatly arranged all the pairs of shoes in the garage. Until this past weekend, we had several pairs of shoes clustered around our 2 doors that lead from the garage into the house - everytime I stepped out of the garage, I'd trip in a pile of shoes and flip-flops. I even found my moc-mocs! :)In addition to cleaning and organizing the garage, I also started unpacking the boxes in my office and started to turn my storage/office into an organized office/arts & crafts room. :)

In the meantime, Mr. Moc washed and waxed our car for the first time since we brought it home! Yup, over 3 months. Luckily when it rains here, it pours and so the dirt/dust was rinsed off. Mr. Moc also took apart our kitchen cart and stained it a darker color so that I can use it as my project table. Can't wait til it's finished.

Don't worry, we still managed to squeeze in some fun over the weekend. On Saturday morning, Mr. Moc and I walked (over a mile) to our local Starbucks and had some coffee and pastries. It was actually a nice walk with a nice treat at the end. Unfortunately, we still had to walk home. Later in the evening, we met up with the gang and some new friends for bowling. And yes, dear blog readers, 98 is my score from bowling. 98 is also my best-evah bowling score! I know, I'm pathetic - my next goal is to make it to triple digits. This is the first time I've bowled twice in a one-year time period - which is probably why my score was so high! :)

Woohoo! 98!! --MM