random – Page 20 – morestomach

holidays & birthday | gift guide 2014

Published on November 24, 2014November 23, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach3 Comments

friends:
if you partake,
it’s that time of year
where your wallet takes a big hit.
in case you’re looking for something
for someone:
friend
family
yourself
here’s a list of things
we purchased this year
that i recommend,
or things i really want.
they range from the
super frugal
to the super absurdly expensive.

happy shopping!

reasonable:
|| pocket notebook, $5: i keep this in my purse & i jot down to-do’s. mainly i like to doodle.
||The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm: The Complete First Edition, by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm, Translated and edited by Jack Zipes, $35: apparently, it’s the true scary stuff, none of the fluff we grew up with.
||jack white’s album “Lazaretto”, $9.99: as the bff says “I’m really enjoying it. It has a good mix of rock, funk and slow jams for baby making.”
||jar funnel, $15: i scoffed when dw got this. now i use it very often.
||kate spade stud earrings, $35: how blingy are these? i don’t even wear earrings much but these are so adorable.
||WOMEN’S MIGHTY LITE™ HOODED JACKET, $140: this is keeping me warm all winter long.
||WOMEN’S MIGHTY LITE™ III VEST, $90: for those in between days, perfect for layering too.

fancy:
||cage ring, $125: again with the accessories!
||Oral-B Precision Black 7000 Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush, $169.99: purchased on sale, and dw says “It buzzes me so clean”.
||vitamix 7500, $529: we have an older version that is getting old, and there was a scare this year…

ridiculous:
||wall table, $1348.86: if we ever lived in one of those tiny houses, i’d want this. how genius.
||birdsnest, $3K – $10K: i don’t even know where i would put this, and the getting in/out process is giving me a headache just thinking about it. but it doesn’t lessen my desire for it.

ultimate wishlist:
nikon d610, $1600
Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens: $196.95: i’d settle for this, if i can’t get the d610.

and of course, other gift lists. as the season progresses, more will be coming up. i just wanted to get this out there during black friday week, in case you partake in such activities:

goop
tasting table
cup of joe

last year’s gift guide

za’atar socca + middle eastern smashed avocado

Published on November 10, 2014November 9, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach18 Comments

we’ve been travelling
these last few weeks,
with just two more trips
before the year is out.
as with tripping
there’s been eating
and with eating
there’s been the lament
about expanding waistlines
spending of money
exhaustion
lack of time to be bums.
for all our desires to
be elsewhere
there is just something about
being home.

last weekend
we were in ky
and one of the many, many
delightful dishes
we consumed
was a pita + crushed avocado appetizer
at a local middle eastern
cafe.
it’s simple, really.
guacamole
with a Mediterranean twist.
rather than chips,
it’s served with pita bread.
my version is with socca
topped with za’atar.

za’atar socca + middle eastern smashed avocado
inspired by grapeleaf
socca adapted from dolly & oatmeal

socca
1 cup garbanzo bean flour
1 cup lukewarm water
4 TBL olive oil, divided
healthy dash of za’atar, for the batter and after baked

preheat oven 450F
prepare two 8″ cake pans by drizzling 1 TLB of olive oil in each. set aside.

in a mixing bowl, or glass measuring cup with a lip, mix all the ingredients and remaining olive oil.

pour batter evening into prepared pans. bake for 12 minutes. remove pans and carefully flip the socca over. bake for additional 3-4 minutes.

allow to cool completely before removing from pan. smear with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle, generously, with the za’atar. if you’re up to it, toast until just warmed through and crispy around the edges.

smashed avocado
2-3 ripe avocados
5-6 chive blossom stalks (or you can use half a small red onion, diced)
bunch of cilantro, rough chopped
handful cherry tomatos, halved or quartered
1 garlic, finely minced
healthy squeeze of lime
salt/pepper to taste
seed of half pomegranate

in a bowl, thoroughly mix all the ingredients. you’re aiming for a guacamole-type of concoction.

BAM!

confab | current reads

Published on November 3, 2014October 28, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach2 Comments

“poor boy. with a name like atticus, every word he utters ought to be inspired and wise, spoken with a voice that compels all within earshot to sit up and listen. i wonder how disappointed atticus’s parents must be. such a noble and lofty name full of great expectations, and they end up with a heavyset boy with a prominent brow and underdeveloped frontal lobe who says “um” a lot and scratches himself in the cafeteria.”
-steve brezenoff, guy in real life

“i may not be old but i’m too old to have this much nothing.”
-jonathan topper, this is where i leave you

“it is an impressively arrogant move to conclude that just because you don’t like something, it is empirically not good. i don’t like Chinese food, but i don’t write articles trying to prove it doesn’t exist.”
-tiny fey, bossypants

“he sighed. it was a long sigh, weary and worldly-wise. the kind of sigh you could picture god heaving after six days of hard work and looking forward to some serious cosmic r&r, only to be handed a report by an angel concerning a problem with someone eating an apple.”
-neil gaiman & michael reaves, interworld

“knowing what i know now, it is difficult to describe what it was like, loving Ray. years ago a recovering crystal meth addict spoke at my son’s school. she said that even after ten years clean, she still missed the way it felt to have that deadly substance in her veins. still, life without the drug felt, sometimes, like a lesser thing. a sad though necessary comedown. listening to her speak in that auditorium filled with my fellow concerned parents, sitting next to my good husband with whom i’d lived at that point for close to twenty years, the image of Ray’s face was all i could see, and a wave of grief and longing overtook me, so strong i had to cover my eyes. even after all that time.”
-joyce maynard, the good daugthers

notable online reads:
15 career tips from smart women
childless women
introverts unite!
anthony bourdain travel tips
how cooking for others is selfish
homecooking
Visiting Médoc, France: Where Vines Outnumber Visitors

what have you been reading?

elephant march pumpkin

Published on October 31, 2014October 29, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach5 Comments

super super super quick post.
because i’m on vacation.
and i’m shoving a bunch of halloween candy in my face.
one of my favoritest canucks
brought back one of her contests,
that i like to lose at,
and you better believe
i made dw do all the work
and i’m gonna claim all the glory.

like i said,
this is a contest,
head over to movita beaucoup
and vote for the best pumpkin carving.

happy halloween friends!
BAM!

travel | boston, massachusetts

Published on October 9, 2014October 6, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach8 Comments

hihi!
i wanted to sneak a
very quick post
about our jaunt to
boston last month.
it was our first time
travelling to this area of
the country together.
southwest had a sale
early in the year
so we booked
our anniversary trip
while planning our honeymoon.

tips:
public transportation – boston is a great city for walking and hopping on the bus or metro. i only threw up ONCE due to my motion sickness; as a result, we walked 2.5 miles home after our anniversary dinner. no worries, it was a lovely time spent in the city with dw.

if you’d like, more pix below, as well as some links to the places we visited. stars are the ones that i highly recommend.