New Year...no pictures

So during my NYE deubachary I reset the passcode on my phone. And forgot it. And had to reset it.

As a result I lost all of my pictures. Or almost all of them. What I e-mailed myself before this all happened, apparently I was going to do a post about baked goods:

Simplest Apple Tart

Chris helped peel apples...I sliced them...

Simple Roast Chicken that I cannot stop making. Thank you Thomas Keller and thank you Mattie for making try this recipe.

World Peace Cookies

Wait, have I posted these before? Idk but they were good! I would do it again except I need more quality semisweet chocolate.

Speaking of, I'm really into quality ingredient nowadays. I recieved some vanilla bean paste for Christmas which I absolutely adore. And now that I've tasted the quality of Scharffen Berger, I do not know if I can ever go back to Nestle. Now that my sweets taste amazing (quality + my natural talent, harharhar) the only downside is that these ingredients are more expensive. Is it worth it? I'll let you know after I gain 5lbs.  Or 10.

 On the note of 10, we got 10" of snow last night. Let's just say that Lauren and I had the longest walk to work. Because we like jumping in snow drifts.

Sorry for the boring, albeit tasty, post. I hope it suffices until I feel motivated to upload more pictures. Because I do have some more. I'm just too lazy to get up and get my phone. Story of my life.

BTW, I am overjoyed at the amount of readers I have. I want to post more! Yay!

Raise your hand

Or comment...if you still read my blog. I don't know if I should keep updating it!

Goodbye 2010

Obligatory post about 2010.

Best moments:

-Jackie's birthday celebration at Hamilton Pool and West 6th. One of the most memorable days for many reasons: cacarones, learning that life is precious, good times with friends is one of the best things ever.

-Going to Vietnam for the first time, having my eyes opened and learning more about my culture. Appreciating my heritage.

-Getting a job and moving to NYC. One of the best and most bittersweet things I've done for myself. I miss home but I'd rather miss something then regret something.

Next post in 2011!

The Coming of Chris...tmas

As most of ya'll know I will not be returning to Austin for the holidays. Woe. Originally, my family was to come up. But my dad is visiting one grandma and my mother has deemed NYC too cold for her. Alan will be coming the day after Christmast to visit. Kevin got a ski trip, so he won't be coming up...I think...

Dressed for company holiday party, haha

With my roommates back in Tejas, I will be spending the holiday weekend with Chris, mainly, with visits from Henry and possibly Simon. We will do nothing but watch March of the Penguins, Law & Order and eat. I will bake goodies galore. It will be glorious and as stress free as possible. Not because my roommates are gone, but because I will have time to do NOTHING! YAY!

Two notes: my reason for not updating in so long is that I've been swamped at work. Also, it's the holiday season so there have been many goodies at work...cookies, brownies and candy galore. And I bake alongside all of these free treats. What to do. What to do.

We got a Christmas tree!

With presents from best friends!

Delicious cookies and caramels from Mattie!!!

Moules Frites with Chris. 

Had some people over to decorate sugar cookies

Opened one of my gifts halfway!

 Had a lovely Christmas Eve lunch with Chris and  Henry at Sho Shaun Hergatt. And then Henry came over for Christmas Eve dinner. We're watching re-runs of SNL. I'm waiting for midnight mass. I opened all my Christmas presents already...

I LOVE THEM! I thought this Christmas wasn't going to be too fabulous. But it has been. All my loved ones have sent me something and it means a lot since I can't be home to celebrate the season with them. And a common theme: everyone who is close to me has given me something food related from Trader Joes to bakeware to food itself. I am truly lucky to have such wonderful people in my life.

More pics to come!

Busy blues

I'm home sick today. I kinda did it to myself because I went to work yesterday while under the weather. Why did I do that? Because I wanted to go to trapeze school. (this will be explained in my next post!) So here I am, at home, attempting to do some work while eating steel-cut oats and ice cream.

Been busy since I've come back. Gabby is in town! She's been here for the past weekend and will leave on Friday. It's her vacation. She actually left for Boston today though, to visit some family.

And since I owe ya'll a post but I am not feeling to well but have a best friend who's on vacation and has a blog of her own we'll just recap my weekend through her eyes.

Wintry Weather Weekend

Did I mentioned it's super cold here? Maybe not like Chicago but it's pretty blustery.

OH! And I will be on the CBS Early show this Thursday. Tune in. See if you can catch me decorating cookies!!! My network TV debut!!!

Back in the action

I am now back after a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday week in Texas. Gawd, I miss Austin so much. It was wondrous, glorious and so much fun. Much needed.

I know I owe ya'll a long, overdue post but that will come later. For now, I have to say that I have the best roommates ever. Only we would go to the gym and walk on the treadmill just to watch the Victoria's Secret Fashion show. One: because though we now have a TV we don't have any channels. Two: Dancing on the treadmill is great. Three: Even is you're running hardcore, you'll still feel too fat for life while watching this show.

Lifting weights, trying to find the taco truck and watching our horoscopes on L's new Roku--great night.

Weekend in DC!

Hippo in Smithsonian

YAY! I'm coming home so so so so soon. Get excited Austin! I am absolutely ecstatic!

Crochet of the coral reef in the Smithsonian

 Can't believe my last post was November 1st. Time has really gone by. I've mentioned it before but when you're working all day, 5-days-a-week and you're just living for a weekend it all just whooshes by. I can't believe I've been here for 5 months already.

Sculpture Garden in DC

Of course my job doesn't help with this flyby sense. I'm constantly planning for the future. Deliverables are due by this date and that. We need to think about next fiscal year (which is April). Deadline is at Christmas. blahblahblah. At this rate my life is like an oilslick!

I went to DC last weekend to visit Mattie. I had a grand ol' time. Shop, ate and walked around Whole Foods for the first time since I moved. Gosh, I miss that place. I am determined to start going regularly despite my horrid first impression with the one in Union Square (abolutely ridiculous line, and all I wanted was a snack!).

The mess we made in the kitchen

Anyways, Mattie and I made a delicious dinner. It was the most simple and perfect roast chicken (which is now my go-to recipe for guests. I made it for Chris and my roommates last night--awesome). And vanilla roasted pears with REAL vanilla beans. It was so nice to go back to a 'normal' pace. Slower, unhurried and just about lounging around and doing nothing. We did get to go the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, which was nice.

Smitten Kitchen...vanilla roasted pears

Voila!