Since I was making the curry already, and I thought the boys might need fed, I did some poking around for things to go along with it. Turns out it will just be Tom and I eating (and a bit later, so, yay for easily reheated things), but the menu is looking (and smelling, and tasting) pretty darn good for a lazily half-planned thing:

Slow Cooker Vegetable Curry - Potatoes seem to be cooked through!!! yay!!! adding a few extra spices, of course, including the saigon cinnamon (aka, real cinnamon) I got for Christmas. I tried a little touch of it, and HOLY CRAP IS IT DELICIOUS. So much more depth than your usual little jar from the grocery store.

Indian Style Basmati Rice - Well, that was my jumping-off point anyway. Somehow or another, I HAVE NO RICE!!! ...Actually, I have some brown rice that Tom hates, and some black rice that terrifies him. And sushi rice. But none of those applied. So I snagged the cup of jasmine rice from a boxed dinner I'll never get around to making, and used the last cup and a half of generic white rice left in my container. Saigon cinnamon and cardamom and a sprinkling of garam masala.

Kiwi Raita - I was going to make a flatbread, but, I have yet to find a recipe that's actually tasty, so I just snagged a multi-grain artisanal baguette at the store. I tried a bit of this stuff on a saltine, and it is *delicious*. Yay kiwis!!! I love kiwi.

Mango Lassi - I knew I should have picked up that bottle of rose water I miraculously saw at Tops the other day. Then I could have made rose lassi. sigh. But mangos will be awesome as well, and I'm anxious to see how this stuff tastes homemade, it's been amazing at the few restaurants I've been able to get it at. First, however, I need to get some bits of apricot soup (which is just as you'd guess - really different, but super delicious, both sweet and savory) out of my blender...and find an available outlet. ^^;;

Yay food!!!


edit (the next morning): Lassi was yummy. Raita needs to stay chilled, gets wonky if it warms up. NEVERFREAKINGEVER trust bhg when it comes to spice levels - not nearly enough! (Tom has now challenged Melissa to make a curry he likes. harumph. they've all been tasty!) But it was still a super-yummy little meal.

Labels: cooking

 
Photoshop day!

I happened across White Flower Farm's website during NaNoNovember, looking for reference pictures for something or another, and remembered how much I'd always loved their catalog. Mom had lots of plant catalogs always around the house, but White Flower Farm always had the best selection of oriental lilies. :) Flipping through their online catalog, I was happily surprised by the quality of their photos, and mentioned to Mom that if she had any old catalogs laying around, I'd love to snag them for reference.



Lo and behold, a few weeks later, a copy of the catalog lands in my mailbox. Thank you, Mom! The spring catalog just arrived, and I spent a good long time pawing through it. They do some gorgeous arrangements of flowers, which are sototally going to influence my own drawings/writing. The catalog is full of unusual and incredibly striking plants, everything is just *really* *freaking* *pretty*. But what really grabbed me were some of the foliage plants and things... and the second I saw the hellebore flowers, I was dying to draw one.



I almost did late last night... I went downtown with a coworker, and while it wasn't a particularly exciting evening, we talked a lot. I haven't had a chance to really talk with her much, but she's one of my favorite people, so I was happy to have the chance to. Unfortunately, she's going through a rough patch - almost done with college, no idea what she wants to do with her life, things at home going downhill, boys being..well, boys, which is to say, emotionally distant and ridiculous. But I'm good at listening, and while I doubt I was able to contribute much help, I know sometimes just having a sympathetic ear and some company helps.

It made me realize though... I've been so insanely lucky in my life. Like, really. Hearing Tom's stories of his high school, hearing stories from my friend and a friend of hers about failed and troubled relationships, all these countless stories around me... and my life sounds suddenly boring next to all of theirs. But while it means I don't have a particularly captivating repertoire of life stories to share... it means I haven't had to deal with all the troubles they have. My home life had its dramas, everyone's does, but really, mine was pretty darn calm. My last couple years of high school were an emotional roller coaster, but whose weren't? I still have no idea what I'm doing with my life, but, y'know, I have a job I don't totally hate - it even sometimes gives me the chance to do what I love. I have a place of my own - even if I can't keep it clean, and doing dishes and laundry drives me bananas some days. And I have the most supportive boy ever, who keeps me grounded and largely sane, and knows I'm crazy but somehow doesn't entirely mind.

So I came in somewhere around midnight last night, all of this filtering through my mind. I was pretty tipsy still, and my mind was too awake to let me sleep for awhile, so I turned on the computer when I came in, planning to try my hand at a hellebore flower. I went upstairs to the bathroom while the computer was booting, and before I came back down, I peeked in to check on Tom.

And he was curled up on my side of the bed, half under the sheets, just, *curled*, his hands tucked up by his chin, sleeping so sweetly and beautifully...

I turned the computer back off, and came upstairs to bed. Didn't sleep for crap last night, but, you know, I didn't entirely mind.

Today, I took him out to breakfast, picked up some veggies to make a nice slow-cooker curry today, and spent the day in Photoshop. Tom's out with DJ, I told him they're welcome to come by around 7 when the curry will be ready, there'll be plenty to go around. I might do some laundry, or might wait until tomorrow. I have Labyrinth on Blu-Ray. (I also have Rattle & Hum on Blu-Ray, and I've had an awful lot of U2 dreams out of nowhere lately.) I have Guitar Hero. I have crochet projects and new Sigur Rós cds. In an hour or two, I'll have some of the promising-looking curry. I'm a pretty darn content little thing. (I also can't stop looking at my drawing. so pretty!!!)

Labels: art, being social, cooking, drawing, friends, life in general, navelgaze, storytime, wallpaper