Already a new feature! I added a random thumbnail image from my gallery to the sidebar in this site. This might seem odd, considering my preference for design that emphasizes text. But I’m aiming for a little bit of imagery, to occasionally but not disruptively vary the appearance. You would see the image if you […]
Monthly Archives: March 2007
Soda lemonade / limeade (soda chanh)
Saturday, 24 March 2007
Several years ago during a blistering Summer, I had this drink at a Vietnamese restaurant. Soda chanh tuoi (a.k.a., soda chanh duong, or simply soda chanh), or soda lemonade as it’s often listed on menus, is usually made with limes, but it also tastes good with lemons. This drink is Most Revitalizing on hot days, […]
Variations on hot chocolate
Wednesday, 21 March 2007
Hot chocolate is great for dessert, or as comfort on a cold evening. One of my favorite chocolate drink experiences was at Ladurée in Paris: Just barely sweet and thick, slowly and happily relished. My opinion of hot chocolate mixes here in the United States has ranged from kinda interested to very disappointed. It can […]
Apricot chutney
Tuesday, 20 March 2007
It sure doesn’t look like the first day of Spring. With the rain today, I worry that the apricot tree won’t set fruit this year. The vast majority of the blossoms are over, and most of the leaves have come out. That was fast; but then again, the blooming and fruiting periods of Blenheims are […]
Cinequest 2007
Saturday, 17 March 2007
Last week I attended Cinequest, the 17th annual San José Film Festival. None of the seven shows I watched were amazing, but I enjoy having so many international movies to chose from. Overall, the best ones were Batad and The Owl and the Sparrow, which while not outstanding, were still very good.
Vanilla sugar
Wednesday, 14 March 2007
Vanilla sugar has a deeper flavor than vanilla extracts or essences, somehow more fruity and spicy to my tastebuds, more interesting. Sure, you can buy vanilla sugar. But making it at home is easy, and costs a lot less. The results can last for months by the clever continual addition of sugar. 🙂 You’ll have […]
Apricot blossoms!
Monday, 12 March 2007
One of the biggest attractions of our garden is the old apricot tree in the backyard. Our neighborhood used to be part of one the (formerly) many apricot orchards in the Santa Clara Valley. This thirty-plus (forty-plus?) year old tree is one the few sad, beautiful reminders of that era.
No-bake Mexican chocolate pots de crème
Wednesday, 7 March 2007
For me chocolate pots de crème is just another variation on chocolate pudding. Okay, a velvety, chocolatey egg custard pudding, to be exact! I had never made this dessert before, until my friends Sonya and Robert (pots de crème pro’s) suggested I try a no-bake method from Cook’s Illustrated. The trick: cook the cream-milk-egg yolk […]
WonderCon 2007
Wednesday, 7 March 2007
It has been five years since I last attended a comic book convention. Last Sunday I broke that spell of inactivity, and attended WonderCon in San Francisco with Kathleen.