Blossom with Sam and Lydia

And I ordered the tofu scramble (same as Lydia) which came with a tapenade-like sauce, baked sweet potatoes, mushrooms, buttered 7-grain bread, arugula salad, and ketchup. As usual, I also requested some hot sauce.

Sam had this beautiful quinoa salad (the leftovers went back with Lydia).

I ordered some breakfast tea and it came in this pretty little green teapot.

We shared some sweet potato fries, which satisfied a serious craving Sam had all morning.

I hadn't seen my high school bud Lydia in quite some time. Today, her, Sam and I set up a lunch date. We all arrived at Lydia's apartment coincidentally and hilariously all dressed in dark jeggings and green sweaters of similar hues and cuts. We ate at the vegan restaurant Blossom; it was scrumptious.

Luna's Birthday Feast

A variety of vegetable dishes.

Falafel dish.

Chicken with yogurt, seasoned hummus, and salad.

Cheese and vegetable pizza.

Lamb kebab over rice with a side of seasoned hummus and salad.

Pita bread.

Brown rice with lentils.

Hummus.

Feta cheese dip with chili pepper.

My friend Luna turned 24 yesterday, so Emily organized a little surprise dinner for her before a surprise birthday party at her friend Jordan's house. The dinner was held at this delicious middle eastern restaurant off of the G, sort of on the cusps of Forte Green. They ended up giving us an entire room to ourselves, where we blew up balloons and paper-starred ourselves while awaiting Luna's arrival. Emily ordered a bunch of appetizers and main dishes for everyone to split; she made some good choices.

Arepas with Allie and Kate

An arepa is similar to a burrito, but circular, and with a thick, hard shell. It is made of corn flour, so it's gluten-free for anyone who has wheat allergies. This particular arepa is called La Mulatta and is filled with plantains, string cheese, black beans, and hot peppers. Yummm.

This was pretty much a hot toddy, but pomegranate-flavored rather than apple-flavored.

We started off with some taro and plantain chips with guacamole (and hot sauce, not shown).

My friend Hailey took me to this awesome Venezuelan arepa bar in Williamsburg recently. It happens to be on the same block as the concert venue where some of my friends were playing this past Thursday night. Before the show, Kate, Allie, and I met up for dinner.

Ocean Grill with Mom and Dad

Blackened swordfish in a chipotle glaze with a side of broccoli rabe, sun-dried tomato mashed potatoes, and a bacon crisp.

Baby octopus salad with fingerling potatoes.

Oysters.

Red wine.

Some bread.

On Tuesday, my parents and I went to Ocean Grill for restaurant week.

Indian Date with Roman Roommate Kate

Rice pudding.

My main dish: chicken vindaloo.

...and some naan.

Some rice...

We split fried, glazed cauliflower as an appetizer.

Happy restaurant week, everyone!

On Monday, Kate (my wonderful roommate from Rome Spring '08) and I had a much-needed catch-up dinner. It had been over a year since we'd seen each other! Kate had a particular Indian restaurant in mind, but it turned out it was closed, so we just walked into the next Indian restaurant we saw. The blind restaurant selection went well.

Happy 22nd Gina!

Circa July 1990

Circa December 1989

January 2011

Happy 22nd birthday to my little sister, Gina!

(Mini) Dinner Number 2

It was delicious, as usual.

I already ate dinner, but Mommy made me chicken-vegetable soup. So of course, I had to try some.

Peacefood with Dust

I had the Live Salad.

Dustin ordered vegetables, tofu, and white rice in a Thai curry sauce.

And a side of potato salad.

Then we split an appetizer of roasted vegetables: Japanese pumpkin, zucchini, brussel sprouts, and sauteed broccoli.

I started off with a very large peppermint tea.

Dustin and my Sunday night routine has become almost ritualistic. We go out to dinner and/or order dinner and/or watch television and/or a movie. However, due to conflicting schedules, we missed three weeks of hang out time. Tonight we braved cold and headed to Peacecafe, a vegan restaurant that's one of Dustin's favorite spots in our area. Take a gander.

A Matson Meal

Malone is great. Food is great. This is great. The gist of a hip-hip-Malone! toast by John Tyler Norton.

Here's my first serving. Andy told us we must be granted permission from him to go in for seconds, but obviously no one listened.

I am not sure what barbeque sauce Malone used for this, but it was hands down the best meatloaf I've ever had. It was moist without being spongy or soggy. You did good, Malone.

And the finished product!

And into the blender (notice Andy's arm creeping up on the bowl).

Stirring up the butternut squash soup.

Sweet potato fries.

Mashed potatoes and a green bean casserole.

My friend Malone is currently staying at her aunt and uncle's beautiful home in Cobble Hill before she sets out to travel the world, starting in Thailand. So she made use of the dining room with a large home-cooked meal and some friends. It was the perfect genre of food to warm us up in the cold.