AWESOME. I was able to buy We Love Katamari (warning: annoying flash) at the Redwood City Target. There are three copies left, if you want to run over and buy it. Call your local Targets- it’s a week until the actual release date, but a bunch of them have it for sale already. I’M SO EXCITED TO PLAY.
Can I go home “sick”?
Heh, I just submitted our martini picture to the We Love Katamari! fanart contest. It’s not technically fanart, I guess, not in the traditional sense, although we are fans and it was art (well, thanks to Lionel, it was). I just really wanted people at Namco to see our costumes. They were so cool. (And seeing how my sewing is just pathetic, the next one won’t be so cool.)
Awesome t-shirt. (Link ganked from the Grub Report.)
From Indian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey
12 oz. dried chickpeas, picked over and rinsed
3 pints water
10-11 oz. onions, finely chopped
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 hot green chile, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, very finely grated
4 Tbsp lemon juice
3-6 Tbsp vegetable oil
8 oz. tomatoes, finely chopped (or a drained 15-oz. can of chopped tomatoes)
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp garam masala
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Soak the chickpeas overnight. Pour the beans and their soaking liquid into a large pan and bring to a boil. Cover, lower the heat and simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours or until the chickpeas are tender. Strain the chickpeas and save the cooking liquid.
Put 2 tablespoons of the chopped onions, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, the green chile, ginger, and the lemon juice into a teacup. Mix well and set aside.
Put the oil in a heavy, wide, casserole-type pan and set over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the remaining chopped onions. Stir and fry for 8-10 minutes, or until the onions bits develop reddish-0brown spots. Add the tomatoes. Continue to stir and fry for another 5-6 minutes, mashing the tomato pieces with the back of a wooden spoon. Add the coriander, cumin, and turmeric. Stir and cook for about 30 seconds. Next, add the drained chickpeas along with 14 fluid ounces of their cooking liquid, plus the garam masala, cayenne pepper, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Cover, turn heat to low, and cook very gently for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Add the mixture in the teacup. Stir to combine, and serve. (Good with rice.)
My mom is an awesome mom. She has loaned to me her sewing machine so I can make things that will embarass her and make her not what to answer the question, “So, what’s Sarah up to lately?”
Mom was astounded that I had never touched a sewing machine before (I never took home ec, nor was I previously interested in learning how to sew [I can hardly handsew]). She taught me a bit about it.
I made baraziq last night. They are tasty- a good cookie for people who like their desserts less sweet (aka my mom).
from Mediterranean Street Food by Anissa Helou
4 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
pinch salt
1/3 teaspoon baking powder
For the garnish:
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/2 cup quartered pistachio nuts
1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted in a nonstick pan until lightly golden
Put the sugar and softened butter in a mixing bowl and work together with a wooden spoon until completely blended. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend with your hands until you have a soft dough. If the dough is too soft to work with immediately, refrigerate it for 1 hour. Divide the dough into 18-20 pieces to make small baraziq or 6 pieces to make the larger size.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Shape each ball of dough with your hands until you have quite a thin disk, about 2 1/2 inches wide, and place on a large platter. When you have shaped all the disks, dip each in the egg white, then in the pistachios on one side and the toasted sesame seeds on the other. Make sure you coat them well with the seeds. Arrange on the lined baking sheet with the pistachio side down.
Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown. Let cool before serving. Baraziq will keep for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.
Well, I did make something new over the weekend. I just don’t know if I’m going to post it. It was a filled fried bread. First of all, I forgot an ingredient for the filling. And then the dough was far too wet to work with. I think I burnt some butter. Only the first bread turned out properly crisp. My stove is on a slant, so all the oil/butter pooled on one side. It was a right mess. I have so many dishes to do. Egads. It was overly greasy, but not untasty. I might try it again. Maybe.
Have you seen these shoes for sale in the Bay Area? Please let me know if you have. I am looking for them in a size nine or ten. They used to sell them at the Park ‘N Save in Redwood City, but they’re out of stock and are entirely unhelpful in letting me know if they’re ever getting any more. Gr! They’re cheap as all get out- probably found in an “around a dollar” type store. I have a pair in red for my Kuro costume. Yes, I need another pair. In yellow. Yes, I’m the lamest being alive.
In other, less lame news, I had a wonderful dinner tonight with my parents. Dad made lamb chops, and Mom made these adorable wee potatoes and brussel sprouts. I had forgotten just how excellent brussel sprouts are. I am looking forward to when they come back into season.
Oh yes, and my non-functioning and dangerous wall heater was replaced on Thursday. Now I won’t have to choose between freezing this winter and being exploded by a natural gas leak! I can be warm and safe. Huzzah. Now I just need to get my super back in here to paint the wall. It looks ugly.