Wednesday, May 20, 2009

my lunch is missing something

Rachel and I have been friends since freshman year of high school where we attended Mayfield Senior School, an all-girls school in Pasadena, CA. In fact, (and I may be wrong here....) my earliest memory of Rachel is having lunch together on our school's terrace. Over our four years there, our group of friends owned that lunch spot on the terrace. Nobody else dared to sit there!

These lunch hours together were some of the best times of high school. Our school didn't have a cafeteria or anything like that so we all brought our lunch from home. It was always exciting to see what everyone had packed in their lunch. Now fast forwarding to today, I'm sitting here in my windowless office at my new job in Culver City (still "working"....I promise!), eating my homemade lunch reminiscing about those old times. Lunch just has never been the same! Sure, the food I've packed is wholesome and delicious but I'm left yearning for more.

And I know just what is missing...that pinch of friendship!


the girls on graduation day....minus mary!

Friday, May 15, 2009

Dinner Party!

So I had this awesome dinner party on Tuesday night. We made vegetable curry with brown rice, plus some salad and two bottles of wine. Thanks to Margaret who not only helped with the shopping, but also took over the cooking. She really made the curry super delicious! Connie brought the rice, which was really tender for brown rice (she said she used a special rice cooker...hmm), as well as the Napa salad from Amanda's in Berkeley. And Jeremy, well, he washed the wine glasses and poured wine, haha. See these cute photos?

This one is with our mood lighting haha.

This one is with flash. Sorry Connie looks a little drunk. She wasn't though. Oh, and I cannot forget we had cherries, blackberries, and chocolate-hazelnut sorbet for dessert. So good? Margaret, what was the name of the ice cream brand? Anyway, I recommend a vegetable curry if anyone's looking for a good dinner. Even Jeremy, who loves meat, liked it. I'll end with a two more photos.
connie & margaret

Monday, May 11, 2009

The Perfect Sunday

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day! My Sunday was awesome. I took my mom out to lunch at one of our favorite Sunday restaurants, Market City Cafe in Burbank, CA. They are an Italian cafe, serving pastas, paninis, pizzas, and tapas. On Sundays, the restaurant brings in a four-piece string quartet to play during Brunch from 11-3. So essentially, you get a free concert while you enjoy a great meal! It is quite a deal. The quartet takes requests and uses a HUGE book of sheet that includes everything including classical favorites, legendary movie scores, and popular music. My mom always requests music from her favorite musical, West Side Story.



The other reason I love this place is a litte random and out of the ordinary. They have the BEST ice tea. Seriously...it's the best I have ever had. The hot bread isn't bad either! Just look at the presentation.



We shared an appetizer of caprese and for my main course, I had my usual -- the lasagna. Lasagna isn't usually a favorite of mine but for some reason, I just love it here. They gave me such a huge portion that I got two very decent sized meals out of it!




The meal was amazing, complete with great company and music. I highly recommend the Market City Cafe if you are ever in Burbank of a Sunday afternoon. The prices are very reasonable and, hey, you get a free concert!

That's all for now,

ashley

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Curry?

So, I know we have very few followers in our early stages, but I was wondering does anyone know how to make a good curry? I have lots of bell peppers and potatoes, so I thought I would try to make some curry. Trouble is I've never done it before. I (surprisingly) turned to my old roomie, Stephanie, for some advice. This is what she said in an aim chat:

Um...you chop carrots and onions and potatoes and chicken
and then you throw in the instant curry stuff
with water I think
and voila
magic

but how do you get the curry consistency?

you just stir until it gets how you want it
or you could just copypaste the back of a instant curry box.
it's about the same level of informational depth

Oooooh
good idea

box might be better

So now my question is...does anyone know a good instant curry box to use? And what's your favorite veggies to throw in? Thanks! :)

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Aha!

Have you ever been so hungry that you settled for a fast food meal purely based on convenience? Well, not so long ago, that used to be me. Even if after eating my cheap meal I felt full, I didn't feel happy or healthy. Since my "aha moment," I really pay attention to what I eat and I try to make the right choices. For me, this starts with removing temptation by having the right foods at home.

But wait! Does something sound strange? Isn't dieting much easier? Well, this is the main reason Rachel and I started this blog. We love food but HATE diets. It never works. To us, DIET is a forbidden four-letter word.

We're young and adventurous. So come along with us while we...cover your ears, mom!...play with our food! Let's have a party!

<3 ashley

p.s. My favorite food is cheese! What's yours??

Welcome!

As Ashley said, we're two friends who love food. And because we love food, we're trying to learn more about it--what to eat, how to cook, where to enjoy it. This blog is a place to share recipe ideas, cooking tips, restaurant suggestions, and any food woes as well. Sometimes we get sick of cooking the same thing over and over, and other times we need to know how exactly you're supposed to eat jicama (and if that's even the correct spelling), and sometimes we get desperate and need a really good pizza delivery place phone number right now!

We hope this blog can help you find some of those answers, and if not, we hope you at least enjoy a taste of a pinch of friendship. (That pun was intended.)

Thanks!
Rachel