Fresh

Why hello.

Yes, yes, I suck at blogging.  Why, I’ve even gone so far as to award myself the Worst Blogger of the Month award.  Look, I’m such a terrible blogger that I couldn’t even be bothered to make myself an award for it.

Na, but on the real side yo, I’ve been meaning to post about Passover, and then every day since then has been gloriously beautiful to the point that I have not wanted to come inside and sit down in front of a computer (I know, that nice), and then the idea of actually writing my Passover post, when I have so many pictures and ideas to sort through…Well, let’s just say…I’ll get to it, maybe.  But I wanted to blogggggggggg.  And I had a pretty foodie-full day so I thought I’d hit ya’ll up with some food visuals.  You know, because this is a food blog.

Ssssoooooo… Lately I’ve been taking my bike out for an early morning spin, and it’s been a really great way to kick off my day.  This morning when I woke to do my biking, I was thwarted by my market-loving stepdad (parentals spent the night) who wanted to hit up one of the Asian grocery stores around.  Because obviously if it’s Asian it’s superior.  But seriously…

After a quick French pressed cup of coffee, we were outie.

Well, off to the market.

Nothin like a quick stop in Asia before breakfast.

I have about a million and two pics from the market (and everyone was staring at me like what the fuck is this crazy chick doing snapping pictures on her BlackBerry in a supermarket at 8am) so I’ve had to be selective in my presentation.

I’m allowed to just let the pictures speak for themselves, right?  One more tally on the “Worst Blogger” scorecard..

king mushrooms

my beloved durian (just kidding?)

green

squash

the little mean ones!

pumpkin (or in Thai, "fuk." I kid you not.

Like I said, this doesn’t do it justice.  Aisles upon aisles of produce…  Listen, ya’ll can have your Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s and whatever else, I shop at local supermarkets (not national chains) and find amazing produce.  Yahello.  I came out with baby bok choy, green beans, spinach, broccoli, oranges, bananas, kiwi, papaya, grapes, various shrooms, um, some other stuff? and this…

Palm sugar? AKA, sugar crack?  AKA, I’ve been dreaming of this stuff ever since I left Thailand?  And now it is sitting so innocently in my cupboard.  Honestly I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do with this but I got so excited to see it I grabbed it off the shelf and for under $2 it was mine. Aha.

After el mercado (I forgot how you say it in Thai…I forgot if I ever knew how), we came home for breakfast and then it was time for me to be on my way to school.  Breakfast:

Overnight oats.  Combo: Oats, banana, Better’n PB (no it isn’t), strawberries, cocoa powder, flax, seeds and nuts, raisins, a lot of cinnamon.  So good.  I’m just mixing EVERYTHING I want in my oats into my oats the night before, sticking it in the fridge overnight, and we’re a go.  It’s the quickest thing ever, takes five seconds.  And…so good.  With grapes and coffee.  Surprised? Nope, me either.

It was such a gorgeous day out!  These are the days I can’t help but wander lazily around my quad or just set myself down under a tree and gaze around at the beauty of my campus.  I really mean it.  I love my school so much – neva gonna leave.  Grad school, Queens College, whattup.  See you in the fall.

it's a shame today was smoggy...usually this is prime NYC skyline viewing territory

Snd our clocktower….love the clock tower.

this picture is really for my boyfriend, who doesnt read my blog anyway, but if he did he'd know it's for him

So my friends and I lazed about on the quad for a bit after classes and bitched about life and boys and getting older and whatever other things twenty-somethings have to bitch about, and then I walked home.  I think my school is about a mile and a half (a little more, walking) from my house.  I’ve done the walk before on several occasions, and they are always strangely blissful and serene.  Today, no exception.  Got home quite ready for a spring-inspired lunch.

Salad, orange, tea.  My goodness I am predictable.

Really good salad though.  Shredded lettuce, cabbage, carrots, topped with cuke, carrots, tomato, enoki mushrooms (new fave), grilled asparagus.  The usual tehina-and-____ dressing is tehina mixed with Trader Joe’s Roasted Pepper and Eggplant dip.  This is a winner.

In addition to my nice walk home, I went for a bike ride around the hood during sunset.  I love taking it out for a quick spin, maybe three miles or so.  It really gets me out of my head and out of my space for a while and it’s a refreshing break, or a really amazing meditative way to start the day.  I’m about to become one of those urban bike people.  I know it.  Also, I put Glee on my BlackBerry to entertain me (yeah, my iPod has been laying neglected and uncharged in my purse for about three months now, my BBerry has Pandora and a shitload of Gaga MP3′s, what do I need my iPod for), and it was vaguely epic.  Just vaguely.  ”Don’t Stop Believin’” is a scary good bike riding song.

Then I rolled home forrrrr…dinner!  What I’m discovering about myself as I continue on this little food journey of mine is that I am an uncomplicated person in most aspects of my life – clothes and hair, schoolwork, relationships, whatever, I don’t like to have to fuss with things.  I like to just let things be and usually I am rewarded with beautiful results.  Well, apparently my life philosophy and my food philosophy are one in the same.  Uncomplicated.  Now, I love all those recipes with a hundred steps and a thousand things to do and assemble and pieces and flavors and all that, and I even love to do them, but not all the time.  Usually, it’s a matter of throwing a bunch of fresh vegetables on a plate and letting them speak for themselves.  I’m not even one for complicated plating, although I for sure appreciate the beauty at a restaurant.

Well now after all that chatter about uncomplication, let me show you my amazing dinner that I was literally stoked to eat.  I actually texted people to tell them how excited I was to eat this.

Does it get any simpler?  Fresh grapes, a carrot, asparagus grilled with a touch of olive oil atop fresh spinach, steamed broccoli rabe, and mashed yam with cinnamon.  A wedge of lemon squeezed over the entire plate made everything pop.  This dinner made me the HAPPIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD.  Then I turned on Top Chef and sat there proudly eating my fresh dinner while watching James Beard award nominees battle it out for the title of whatever.

I had this red-bean filled sesame bun for dessert.

Now I’m about to Skype with the boyfriend and go to bed.  I got tired towards the end of this post.  I’m lame. Worst blogger ever!

So tell me…if you had to give yourself an award. what would it be? What are you GREAT at?  I want to knowwww!!

Miss you guys, truly.  I *will* catch up on the thousand-plus entries that have piled up in my Google Reader over my past two weeks.  You are all beautiful people – all of your comments truly warm my heart and I am so lucky I was able to share with you all even just these little pieces of our lives.  Your comments on my post about my stepfather yesterday were really really needed and appreciated.  Thank you thank you thank you.

With that, I’m off.  Later later.

PS- look how freaking cute my kitty is.

She actually thinks I'm her bed. Love her.