Lonely Hearts Dinner #1

Sunday, September 27, 2009


Badge flew out to NY this afternoon for a business trip. While he's gone, I plan to make many healthy lonely hearts dinners for myself. Lonely hearts dinners are dinners for one. Not sure where this term originally came from but I heard it from Monkey so I give her credit.

Today I had a salad for lunch and then sesame noodles for dinner. This recipe is a no brainer and totally free form. Just adjust until it tastes good to you. I omitted the canola oil and used sriracha sauce instead of hot chili oil. I also threw in a hard boiled egg and accompanied the meal with lemonade that I made yesterday (I was inspired to make normal lemonade after reading about NeverTap and Michigan's lemon cleansing diet). Of course, flan was the dessert of choice. Lots and lots of flan. There goes being healthy.

Simple Sesame Noodles
Courtesy of Pioneer Woman

12 ounces thin noodles, cooked and drained (angel hair, thin spaghetti, or Asian style)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 to 3 tablespoons pure sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon hot chile oil (more to taste)
4 to 5 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons hot water
3 to 4 green onions, sliced thin

Whisk all ingredients (except noodles and green onions) together in a bowl. Taste and adjust ingredients as needed. Pour sauce over warm noodles and toss to coat.
Sprinkle with green onions and toss.

Lemonade
Courtesy of AllRecipes

1 3/4 cups white sugar
8 cups water
1 1/2 cups lemon juice

In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Remove seeds from lemon juice, but leave pulp. In pitcher, stir together chilled syrup, lemon juice and remaining 7 cups water.

Frustration and Flan

Saturday, September 26, 2009


Well, I attempted another glorious return to yoga today. Like last time, it turned to be not so glorious (no surprise).

My sumo left knee injury still hurts and my yoga right sit-bone/hamstring injury flared up again. I tried to take it easy but it's hard because my weekend classes are advanced. I had to vigorously wave my teacher away when he came to pry my body into Marichyasana D. So sad. Strangely enough, the front of my right knee started hurting when I got home. Was it from the bike ride home? Wtf? I'm falling apart. I feel old...

To console myself, I decided to make flan. I've always wanted to make flan but for some reason assumed it was difficult and not worth the effort. Amazingly not. All I had to do was make a caramel from dry sugar and mix the custard. I baked it in a water bath even though the recipe didn't require it (just in case). After it cooled, Badge manhandled the flan during the flipping so I didn't get a perfectly inverted flan, but I was able to cut a nice square out for the photo op. Delicious! Consistency was perfect. Everything I expect a flan to be, and SO easy to make. Will keep this one in rotation.

Spanish Flan
Courtesy of AllRecipes.com

1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt sugar until liquefied and golden in color. Carefully pour hot syrup into a 9 inch round glass baking dish, turning the dish to evenly coat the bottom and sides. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs. Beat in condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla until smooth. Pour egg mixture into baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake in preheated oven 60 minutes. Let cool completely. To serve, carefully invert on serving plate with edges when completely cool.

Sumo Wrestling

Thursday, September 24, 2009

I recently described my adventures in sumo wrestling. Here are some hilarious pictures from that night.


My opponent Anna and I.




My fall from glory. Twisted knee and out for the count.


Sammy The Musical

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Last night, we went with Spike and Frog to see Sammy the musical at the Old Globe theater in Balboa Park. To be honest I didn't know who Sammy Davis Jr was before they invited us. But hey, I like musicals so I was in. A quick trip down Wiki road revealed that Mr. Davis was in fact a muli-talented black Jewish entertainer of Rat Pack fame. Who knew?

When we arrived, I was surprised by how nice the Old Globe theater is. It's tucked away off the main path so I've never seen it before. Very rustic and quaint (using quaint in a non-patronizing, comfy and homey way). The show itself was very well done. I would have probably enjoyed it more if I was familiar with that whole era, but overall I still thought it was an impressive musical. Maybe a few songs from the first act could be cut (looong first act). The lead actor (Sammy) gave a stellar performance and the woman who played his grandma had a very memorable voice. After the show ended, we had a late night dinner at City Delicatessen in Hillcrest. I stuffed myself with fries and tuna melt sandwich. Mmm.

Tonight, I've flying solo. Badge has abandoned me to play in 3 consecutive soccer games. Yes, 3. He is out of his mind. Myself...my knee still hurts so no go on yoga. Instead I've been obsessively watching an anime on Netflix (just finished). Now I'm making noodle soup and trying to think of something to bake that will use up the rest of my eggs. I'd like to make flan but I don't have condensed milk. Time to do some research on my favorite recipe sites....stay tuned...

Stuff

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Let me catch up on the events of last week.

On Wed, we went over to Spike and Frog's to watch SYTYCD. We plowed through 3 hours of recorded dancing while munching happily on Rubio's. On Thurs, the four of us met up with Dog and the Luna family to celebrate LL's 30th bday. Since the Lunas (except LL) had never had Indian food, we went to Ashoka and ate our faces off. I'm glad to report they enjoyed it very much. But then again, who doesn't like Indian food??

Soulless freakazoids. That's who.


On Friday, my department hosted happy hour at work. Someone had the brilliant idea to rent inflatable sumo outfits and have sumo wrestling. Strangely enough, we decided to pair this with lots of hot wings and beer floating in kiddie pools. Go figure. I spent most of the event helping contenders get in and out of the tricky suits. After the prizes were handed out, I was coerced into an exhibition match. After winning the first two rounds, I went down hard on the third, having landed poorly on my left leg and twisting my knee. Ouch. While I limped away, my opponent Anna laughingly commented on how aggressive I am. If she only knew...if she only knew...After happy hour, I made away with a tray of extra spicy hot wings and a bag of chips. I tried to snag some bottles of beer but sadly the vultures had already swept the area. Sorry Badge. That night we watched 4 episodes of Dexter. So good. Why can't they put more episodes on one disc?

The rest of the weekend was spent limping around sadly. This ranks up there on my list of Stupid-Drunk-Injuries, right under the time I broke my ankle trying to click my heels and side kick my friend at the same time (inebriated of course). Unfortunately, I was unable to go to yoga which is just as well since book 8 and 9 of the Sookie Stackhouse series arrived. Sat was spent plowing through both books and Sun was spent puttering around the house, baking scones, cleaning, and gardening. I didn't think it would ever happen but one of our plumeria plants has finally bloomed! Pretty...


Also, the seeds Monkey planted have sprouted. All except the chives which I suspect are overheated since they are cool weathered plants. We'll see.


Last night, Badge and I decided this week would be a "good week" so we went to Buga to preemptively celebrate our "good week" with Korean BBQ. The service was reeeeally slow but I could forgive almost anything (short of being slapped in the face with raw meat) because the food is so tasty. After all this recent intensive eating, I finally decided weighed myself. Yikes! 4 lbs have somehow snuck up on me and landed on my ass! This just won't do. I need to lose these lbs and then some before I go to Taiwan. Not only is my family notorious for telling me I'm big (hey I can't help that I'm twice the height of a standard Asian) but I know we'll be eating a LOT and exercise NONE so I need to be prepared. 6 lbs, 8 weeks, let's make it happen.

Before and After

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

By request of Busy Mama, here are before and after pictures of the kitchen. I should have taken these at daytime but you get the idea. Much brighter and airy!

Before:


After:


And here's your cat pic for the week.


Monkey and Mommy Part 2

Monday, September 14, 2009

To finish on the Monkey and Mommy post, we pretty much just hung around on Thurs and Friday. Unfortunately, I had to return to work, but I tried to sneak out early. On Thurs, we ordered deep dish from Regent's Pizzeria. Popeye pizza is soooo good (spinach, artichoke, lots of ricotta and mozzarella cheese). On Friday, Uncle Jaime came and we made a small feast of chicken katsu, pan fried salmon, steamed broccoli, green beans, corn on the cob, and berry cobbler with vanilla ice cream. And of course wine. We talked Monkey into one last game of settlers and to my pleasant (read: ecstatic) surpise, I won for the SECOND time. My next goal is to beat Ferret, Monkey's beau, as he is a crafty settler player like Monkey.


For no reason whatsoever, here's evidence of what an amazing corn eater I am. Note cob in the middle. Thank you, thank you.


Aside from hanging around, Monkey and I have blow through the 7 book box set of Sookie Stackhouse books that arrived last Saturday. We've been averaging 1.5 - 2 books a day. Pure entertainment with fantasy, romance, and mystery all rolled into one. I've ordered book 8 and 9 from amazon, hopefully they will arrive soon. After reading the books, I was a bit disappointing by the season finale of True Blood on Sunday. Kinda nervous they'll deviate from the book so much that I'll get pissed off and stop watching altogether. We'll see next season. If I don't see more of hunky Eric the vampire (also one of my fav characters in the book), I will boycott. At least the second disc of Dexter has arrived. On to the next obsession!


Lastly, here's a look at our newly painted kitchen. White cabinets, light blue back wall. We put some silver pulls on the drawers but have yet to install some knobs. Once we do that, we'll finally be done with the kitchen. Whoo hoo.


Finally In The Club

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

YES I FINALLY WON AT SETTLER'S OF CATAN!!! I'm no longer a Settler's loser. Now I'm officially in the winner's circle. What a great feeling. All my heartbreak these last few days have quickly become a distant memory. I can sleep happy tonight.

Monkey and Mommy



This week, Monkey and Mommy have been in town visiting. There has been a LOT of heavy eating (of course), a good bit of relaxation, and a decent amount of napping. They're still visiting but I figure I should blog what I can so far before it becomes too daunting.

On Friday, I decided to work from home. At 10am, Badge and I picked up Monkey from the airport. Apparently, she did not sleep the previous night (she was up till 3am watching Battlestar Galactica and her flight was at 6am). So we fed her some Rubio's fish tacos and she took a monster nap in the afternoon. That night, we went to Tofu House for some delicious kimchi jigae and of course had Yogurt World afterwards. We then made a mad dash to Barnes & Noble to look for the Settler's of Catan boardgame. We almost didn't find it but Badge made a last effort to ask someone and lo and behold, there it was. I also bought Dead Until Dark, the first in the Sookie Stackhouse series which True Blood is based on. That night, we played Settler's and drank some beer. As always, I thought I was going to win until Monkey pulled a quick one and took the game. So began my journey into Settler's insanity. Forlorn, I stayed up until 3am reading my book before passing out.


On Saturday, we mostly hung around at home. For lunch, we roasted some blue potatoes, summer squash, and carrots from our CSA delivery. I finished my book (quite entertaining) and we hit up Home Depot for some painting and gardening supplies. Afterwards, we went to Henry's where we discovered a sale on corn, 5 for $1. We bought the max limit of 15 (still tempted to go back for more). In the afternoon, Monkey and I planted some thyme, sage, chamomile, and chive seeds that she brought. That night, we went downtown to La Puerta for burritos and micheladas. Despite being grotesquely full, we still went to Chocolat to meet Dog for gelato. Upon returning home, Badge and I demanded a Settler's rematch. Monkey won again. Woe is me. Badge and I watched some Dexter season 3 to drown our sorrows.

On Sunday, I went to yoga and was happy that my injury felt better although I took extra care not to push myself. When I returned, Mommy and Uncle Jaime had arrived with a car load of misc objects such as a popcorn maker (huh?), a garden tool box on wheels (useful), and a watermelon. We fired up the grill that afternoon and had bbq chicken with corn. I made an upside down plum cake (forgot to take picture doh) that was very delicious despite the fact that I misread the recipe and added twice as much butter as it called for in the caramel sauce. Oops. That night, Uncle Jaime drove back to LA while we hung around. Monkey made us watch the pilot miniseries for Battlestar which started slow but ended pretty well. Eager for a chance at Settler's redemption, we forced Monkey to play again. I was so focused on penalizing Monkey that somehow Badge won the game. Is there no justice in the world? Inconsolable, I pouted on the couch before returning to reason.


On Monday, Monkey, Mommy and I hit up Mitsuwa for some asian groceries. We decided to get sashimi to make yellowtail, salmon and avocado, and eel and avocado rolls. Tasty. We accompanied the rolls with miso soup and edamame. That afternoon, I proceeded to paint the back wall of the kitchen a lovely sky blue color. Looks great, can't wait till Badge puts the hardware on the cabinets. I also started rubbing the paint stains off the floor with paint remover but it's a work in process. Lots of elbow grease. That night, we met Spike, Frog, Dog, and Leslie at Ashoka the Great for some Indian food. So delicious. As always, we completely over ate, came home, and went to cvs for ice cream. We watched the last Dexter episode on our disc and despite multiple attempts to engage Monkey in a chance for Settler's redemption, she insisted we take a night off for fear I lose my sanity. Fine.


On Tues, we had leftovers for lunch and went to Balboa park to walk around. We visited the botanical gardens and the rose and cactus gardens. I gotta say there are some really freaky plants out there. That night Badge went to soccer while the rest of us puttered around. For dinner, we made fish and bulgogi with veggies. Mommy and I had wine while Monkey and Badge had sake. Of course, we played Settler and of course just when I thought I had this one in the bag, Monkey pulls a win out of her ass. Seriously? Seriously?? This game is going to be the death of me.



Today, we went to La Jolla to have brunch at the Cottage. I had the chilaquiles, Mommy the breakfast burrito, Monkey the Monterey scramble, and Badge the Baja chicken hash. Everything was quite tasty. Afterwards we walked around and watched the birds, seals, and misc chipmunks. This afternoon, Spike brought Alexandria over to visit and now we're just hanging out. I can't wait till my shot at Settler's tonight. TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT MUHAHAHAH!!




Unfortunately I have to return to work tomorrow but hopefully I can go in early and leave early. Here's a link to more pics so far.

Diagnosis

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Today, I made my glorious return to yoga!

Well actually, it wasn't that glorious. My butt feels marginally better but still hurts like a bitch, particularly in forward bends like Prasarita Padottanasana. Ugh, this is seriously annoying.

After class I chatted with my yoga teacher who thought it sounded less like a butt injury and more like a hamstring injury. More specifically, he thought I probably pulled the tendon connecting my hamstring to the sit bone. A common yoga injury caused by overstretching, says he. Once home, I manically searched the internet and found this article on yoga journal that describes my injury well.

Yes folks, I've officially diagnosed myself with tendonitis at the ischial tuberosity...sad. I guess I'll keep going to yoga but really take it easy on my hamstrings (even though it hurts my pride because I always want to kick ass at yoga). Patience...patience.

On the bright side, Monkey is coming to SD on Friday and my mom shortly after. Hooray!