My apartment!

These photos are all larger than blogger will display, so right-click and "view image" to see them full-size.

The view from my living room window:

My wall of mirrored closet and a reflection of my bedroom:

My trapezoid-themed bathroom:

My desk:

The view from my bedroom:

The "entertainment center" and corner of Halloween decorations:

A sampling of the weird art in my living room:

Triangular kitchen:

jellyfish and geriatrics

Two things I learned today:
1. Members of the Australian Navy sometimes wear short shorts. Captain Tightpants, indeed.
2. There is no hubris more annoying than that of an olive-skinned girl. I thank my Italian lineage for a shade which is often pale, but keeps a tan well and rarely burns. That said, I wear a light facial moisturizer with SPF most days to prevent wrinkles. Also, I've lately worn bangs which keep my forehead in the shade. Today of course I did neither, and came home with a perfectly pink brow. What a pain in the butt.

I met up with a nice French girl named Sandra this afternoon. She's newer to Sydney than I am so I thought we should eat at Harry's Cafe de Wheels. Woolloomooloo has a very special place in my heart. I've spent many chunks of my formative years there, heard INXS perform live there when I was a little girl, and I've eaten at Harry's more times than I can count. I remember when the Blue Hotel on the Finger Wharf was a W Hotel, and before that when it was just empty. And yet I never once noticed the thousands of jellyfish living in the water there until today. Curious.

Sandra quite liked Harry's, and we walked through the Botanic Gardens over to Circular Quay, up through the Rocks, and up to the observatory to chat and kill time for a few hours. It was very nice. She had to go to a meeting in the CBD and I made my way to the Dendy theater to catch the matinee of Brideshead Revisited with all the bluehairs. I really like that theater. For some reason I can remember every movie I've seen there. Adaptation, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, No Country for Old Men, and recently, Towelhead. I got a lot of inspiration for my writing this afternoon, so I'm excited about that.

Walking home via Mrs Macquaries Bushland Walk, I noticed something interesting. When I was a teenager traveling with my family, I would often think, "I wish I could come back here when I'm grown up with some great romantic love and look like a couple on a postcard." Picnicking at the Coliseum, peering off the side of the Eiffel Tower, or even watching the New Year's fireworks here in Sydney – I mean, I love that I got to experience those things, but a hopeless romantic seven years into girls' school I can't be blamed for thinking that. Today I passed a few dozen couples holding hands and sharing kisses in the dusky botanic gardens with a breeze coming over the water. At fifteen this would have made me so petulant. Today I felt glad to be experiencing a moment that only I had, something to store away as a personal memory. I don't know if I can adequately describe it, but there was a peace in my solitude that I think I'm finally old enough to appreciate. It was energizing.

But now I'm going to take a sea salt soak. I thought about going for a swim but I think it's too cold now. I want to feel like I'm floating for a little while, to clear my head so I can stay up all night writing.

quick one

Don't have much to say, just wanted to post this photo of the flowers I bought last week. Skipping the Hash run tonight because of the weather. It's gray and rainy and a comfort food kind of day. I'm having my favorite "wrapped in a blanket reading a book" dinner of split pea soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. The book? Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. It's bitchin'. Also putting together secret treats for next week's Halloween party! Get excited!

Yankee Doodle Dandy!

I am so glad I went to Noodle Nights in the park for dinner last night. It reminded me of I-Fest at CMC (which I am still devastated I only attended twice … maybe I'll go this year?) in that there were many stalls serving food from different cultures and a ton of people out enjoying it. I decided to come back a few nights next week and try something totally new each time. Last night I had okonomiyaki, a Japanese pancake with spicy beef and cheese, garnished with seaweed flakes. It was very good, but tasted similar to the Turkish gozleme I had recently.

Then I went to the Argyle to hang out with the American Expat group which was an interesting experience. There were people from other countries there, which I liked, because we all need a little variety. I was skeptical about meeting up with Americans simply because we're from the same country, but I looked at it as a chance to get a little nightlife and meet some new people. The Argyle was more posh in some ways than I expected it to be, so I'm glad I thought to dress up a bit. The night got me thinking about some of the specifics of being an American abroad, so I thought I'd share them with you.

1) "Seppo." A slang term for Americans because "septic tank rhymes with Yank." I'm not personally offended, of course, because I think it's more of a teasing moniker than an aggressive one. I just think it's weird. I mean, if someone from another country visited the U.S., I could never imagine throwing pejorative slang at them, but I know there are many people who would.

2) "That accent – are you Canadian?" "No, I'm from the U.S." "Oh, I knew you were one or the other, but I didn't want to offend you." Well, you certainly did. It's no bother to think I might be Canadian as some of the regional accents sound very similar. I think an Aussie would be much more offended to be mistaken for a Kiwi based on accent than I would. It's offensive to me that the person assumes I am ashamed to be from the U.S., and is giving me an out by offering the Canadian option. There's nothing wrong with being Canadian, but there's certainly nothing wrong with being from the U.S. either.

3) "Oh, you're American? [IMMEDIATE POLITICAL ATTACK]." Look, I get it. There's a really exciting and important election going on in the U.S. right now and it's international news. As an American citizen, I may have an interesting opinion to share with someone who'd like to hear that perspective. But that is clearly not why they've brought up politics after knowing nothing about me past my name and accent. They've brought it up to air some grievance that I can be held responsible for. I don't like to talk politics with people who I think are going to be disrespectful of views different from their own because it's like talking to the mean kid on the playground.

4) "Where in L.A. are you from?" "Glendale." "Oh, I have a sister who used to live in Riverside." This is just cute, and it could happen anywhere in the U.S. also. It's always the goal to find common ground with new people, and I'm sure I do the same thing. Last night I told a woman from the French Riviera that I'd been to Paris when I was younger. It's just conversation, but I love how we're all always flailing about to make connections.

5) "You have a very nice accent, but you don't sound American." "Oh? I mean, I think I do. I can't imagine what other accent I might have." "Well, you don't roll your R's." "Um, I'm neither Scottish nor Spanish." "I mean, you don't sound like George Bush. Everyone hates American accents because they sound like George Bush." Siiiiiiiiiigh. First of all, thanks for the heads up that everyone hates America, it's a nice thing to say to someone you've just met. Secondly, have you never seen a movie, news clip, or TV show that had an American person in it? They sound just like me, because I'm from California and we have a pretty simple American accent found in movies and television. The U.S. is a very big place. I don't sound like George Bush because I'm not from Texas. I don't sound like JFK because I'm not from Massachussetts. What a thing to say.

And what do I bring to the equation? Well I will say that I've been tipping a lot less while I've been here, which I should probably fix. I'm definitely someone who misses the lifestyle to which I am accustomed, so I'm always seeking out foods and media that I would have at home. I'm going to be celebrating Halloween and Thanksgiving because it's tradition. I could say that I should be fine without these Americanisms in my life, but I think the difference is the length of time which I'm here for. I've spent a number of Halloweens and Thanksgivings abroad, and it's never bothered me. One of my favorite Thanksgivings was one spent eating samosas at an Indian restaurant inside Sainsbury's department store in London. But this is my first time keeping my own place for an extended period of time away from home, and I want to celebrate these things. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

On ons, Oom-pah pahs, and Pedophiles.

I've had a great couple of days. On Wednesday, Lyndalcakes and Sharanoodle and I ate more chocolate than should be advised and then saw Towelhead at the Dendy. As always, conversation turned to differences in cultural concepts of beauty. Doy. Then after the movie we met up with Webbird for Greek dinner and they helped me decide on my ideal tattoo design. A bald eagle holding an American flag in one talon, and a nest with three eggs in it in the other talon. The eggs are painted with the Mexican, Italian, and Ukrainian flags. The eagle is grimacing, but proud, and the silhouette of the World Trade Center is reflected in its single tear. I'm thinking this would make a good chestpiece.

Yesterday I made my way up to the Rocks for my 2nd Hash run. As it was Oktoberfest, a couple of the runners were in lederhosen. I actually got to the meeting place a bit early and walked up the hill to the Observatory where there's a gazebo offering a view from the Glebe Point Bridge on one side to the Harbour Bridge on the other. It was sunset, and it was beautiful. I was thisclose to making out with myself it was such a lovely view. I felt the same way I did on my first full day here when I walked to the Botanic Gardens and was surrounded by sunlight and gorgeousness. Then I went back down the hill to meet the Hashers and they made me run, so I promptly forgot all good feelings and started to hate myself.

I hate hate hate running. I am worse at it than any other thing. My stamina will last me 1 city block before my knees and lungs start pleading for the sweet release of death. I felt particularly bad about being so pooped during last night's run because it was such a lovely track. Through the Rocks, the Botanic Gardens, Hyde Park with all its lights and people. I immediately fell behind, but Last Lix (a.k.a. Seth) hung back to tell me about a shortcut. I followed it to Hyde Park (I've figured out what the Hash chalk markings mean, for the most part), and then I lost the trail. So I created my own "scenic" journey back to the meeting place through the Pitt St. Mall, Martin Place, and up George St. Natural beauty at its finest.

To treat myself for getting lost and walk/jogging most of the way, I bought an ice cream cone before I met up with the Hashers. As I double-fisted an ice cream and a Toohey's, I kept making the same joke about having a "beer float," but I think that's an Americanism. What I would call a "root beer float" they would call a "root beer spider" apparently so my joke fell on deaf ears. People were glad that I'd come back after my virgin hash a few weeks back, so I got charged with getting lost, and had to "down down" a beer. Everyone was very welcoming and I could see how much they'd really become a family to each other. Then off to Löwenbräu for Oktoberfest. More beer, a wurtsalat, and a delicious pretzel with mustard. I'll have to go back there after the Oktober madness and get some yummy German food.

It was a very good time and I can't wait to go next week. Some of the Hashers have already reached out to me to help me get to some of the more suburban runs that are harder for me to find using public transport, or have let me know about upcoming parties and events that I might be interested in (especially since many of them are expats too). They're working on a Hash name for me, so hopefully I can get one next week! Then I can go to Hash in other countries and be all "Oh yeah my name's ________ and I ran with Sydney Thirsty back in '08."

Got some business to attend to today, and my first ever loaf of handmade bread is rising in the other room. This afternoon I'm heading back up to the observatory to take some photos and sit and enjoy the view. Then at 5 I'm going to Noodle Nights at Hyde Park and eating tasty Asian food, before meeting up with the American expat group for drinks at the Rocks. It should be a good day.

This. Is. Bliss.

Just a quick post before I fall into a deep and fantastic food coma. The great experiment of making a Mexican dinner using ingredients purchased in Australia went down tonight, and it was definitely successful. There were a lot of ingredients I didn't have, so what I ended up with tasted exactly like a Del Combo burrito. This is an item I have only eaten between the hours of 3 and 5 a.m., while in a state of inebriated hunger so severe that only sitting in a parking lot in the Inland Empire eating the greasy meat/bean mush will make me happy. What I made tonight was warm tortilla + ground beef with taco seasoning + refritos + jalapeño slices. I also had some Italian cheese, Mediterranean style tomato rice, and avocados, but none of them looked or tasted right.

I'm so used to the uncooked tortillas that we've been eating at the Spada household, but the Old El Paso ones were fine. The refritos were manna from heaven and nothing less. I don't know why I love the pinto bean so much but it is just the most delicious thing. The beef was decent. I would make burritos or tacos with it again, though it's not my first choice. The big difference from what I'd usually eat is that there was no salsa. The stores only sell "mild" or "medium" which is like...I might as well just eat a tomato, and then kill myself from shame. But I am going to experiment with some recipes and try to make my own. I bought peppers and tomatoes, but I just need to get a mortar & pestle. I actually have the salsa that I brought in my suitcase (the favor from Kevin & Stephanie's wedding), but I'm rationing it to eat with the organic corn chips I found at the market (which are roughly similar to Trader Joe's tortilla chips). Rationing in this case means I ate half the jar in one sitting. And it's labeled "hot," but let's face it, it was medium, and I was inhaling huge scoops to compensate.

Topping off the meal tonight was horchata, sweet milk from the gods. My lovely parents sent me some powder to make aguas frescas, and I couldn't resist. What a fantastic half-hour I just spent eating. I was very close to taking my dinner out behind the middle school and getting it pregnant, but I think I'll save myself for the even better burritos I'll make next time.

Wine, cheese, and fresh flowers!

Is there a nicer list of items to walk home with? I had a very lovely Saturday afternoon. I took my big Costco shopping bag down to Potts Point to get a whole bunch of groceries. I bought a bunch of ingredients to make my own Mexican dinner, which I will be doing tomorrow. More on that as it happens. Anyway, before I went to the supermarket, I found this tiny, incredible Italian market. There was a small restaurant in the back, and in the front, all sorts of imported goods from the motherland, fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses. It was fantastic.

Doing my grocery shopping I couldn't help but think that I could possibly be very happy as a homemaker. I felt this a little when I was at girls' prep school and not looking forward to four years of college, but when it comes to taking the time to pick out the perfect avocado and crafting a delicious meal, I feel very comfortable. Maybe I can be a Stephenie Meyer type, keeping a home while making millions on a book series. Except my books won't be terrible. Let's change this example to J.K. Rowling, then. Can't you just see me spending all day knitting, crocheting, cooking, and baking? I sure can. I also joined the cellar club at a local bottle shop for the one-time price of A$5 because they had a special on for members whereby I got a bottle of 2008 Secret Stone Sauvignon Blanc for A$16 and a free hunk of Fromager d'Affinois. I think this is the first time I've ever bought myself a bottle of wine, if we're not counting Modesto, CA classic Andre. I found a great deal on flowers, and got a huge armload of them for only A$10! As much as I like having fresh flowers on my table, I know nothing about them. These are the kind that look like the middle-ground between sunflowers and daisies. They're orange, red, and yellow. I'll post a photo tomorrow.

I've done a little bit of mingling the past week or so. Last weekend I volunteered at the Manly Jazz Festival for a few hours. There was absolutely nothing for me to do, but at least I got a free t-shirt and my first Big Mac ever? It was pretty cool to listen to the funk band, even though I'm not a big jazz person. That happened to be the day that the Manly rugby team beat Melbourne in a grudge match to win the Rugby Cup Finals, so I got to watch the win with Manly locals before I took the ferry home.

On Wednesday night I met up with the expat group at a place called Govinda's in Darlinghurst. It was a very cool place and I certainly intend to go back. Vegetarian Indian buffet and a single movie screen where you lay on futons and watch the film. The movie was Taken, the review of which you can read at my other blog before long. It was good to meet some new people and chat with some of the regulars. I saw a lot of these same people at Vivaz salsa club in the Rocks last night. The Spanish language, French language, salsa, nightlife, and expat meetup groups were gathered for discounted drinks and dancing. I ended up discussing philosophy ad nauseum with a couple of randoms all night, which was kind of a bust. But I have been craving night life for months, so it was just good to put on a dress and some heels and hit the town a little. Plus, my alcohol tolerance is just gone by now. Two glasses of sangria and one vodka cranberry and I was buzzing. Comparing my current drinking habits to my liver's abilities from sophomore year and I can't believe that was only three years ago. What happened to me?

As for tonight, I'm gonna cook up some zucchini fritters, give the apartment a clean, and enjoy the evening.

UPDATE a few hours later: The zucchini fritters were delicious, even better than last time. Unfortunately, I didn't trust that the tzaziki sauce was still good so I ate them on their own. Delicious dinner, two glasses of wine, and Alien vs. Predator on TV? I couldn't ask for anything more.

turn and face the strange...

So, I have to admit, I'm still waiting for my time abroad to "Change My Life." Apparently this is what's supposed to happen when you live in a foreign country for a few months. I mean, maybe it's because I didn't go to a place with a different language or culture to get used to, or because I'm not here with other people new to the country, discovering the new place as a group and developing into a family, as the brochure version of students in other continents are supposed to be doing. But I just feel like put-put-put with no religious experiences or Morgan Freeman hobos-of-wisdom inspiring me to do great things.

That all said, I have definitely noticed a number of possibly-insignificant changes in my habits which will probably amount to something when all is said and done. I've been here a little over a month, living on my own. Three summers ago I lived in my own studio apartment, but it was on campus and there were other student workers living in the same complex, so I often shared meals and hung out with friends. Summer '06 was a pretty crazy time for me, though, so I think my living habits were uncharacteristic - more of a byproduct of circumstances. I've always been fine with a bit of clutter (shoes, clothes, books more strewn than they should be), but my solo apartment of summer '06 was dirty. Not just messy, but actually unclean. Gross.

Lately, though I usually catch up with dirty dishes at the end of the night instead of as they come, I've been extra-clean. My mother's neuroses have crept into my daily life (hi mom!), particularly handwashing. I'm able to pinpoint the last thing I touched whenever I'm about to eat, and then I have to wash my hands because ew. I saw a child touching the ground and then putting food in her mouth with the same hand and I wanted to smack her. I will be a good mother. I'm partial to wiping down all the surfaces in my kitchen every day or two, even though I infrequently use them. I give myself two weeks before I'm doing the same in the laundry and bathroom.

A big change in habits is that I'm rarely watching TV. There are two or three shows on TV each week that I want to tune in to, and otherwise I don't even think to turn on the tube. This is even a change from 2 weeks ago. The thing is, I discovered podcasts. So I've been listening to some L.A. radio via iTunes, as well as subscriptions to The Economist, This American Life, and a zillion history/science/nutrition/environment podcasts. So, yes, I have media streaming at me at all times, so that's no change, but this is the future and I live and breathe with the internet as I do with blood and oxygen, so what are ya gonna do? My enjoyment of TAL is a surprise to me, as I generally think NPR is increeeeedibly annoying and pretentious. And Ira Glass' voice certainly is. I can hear him smirking the whole time. But the stories are quite entertaining, so I think it's great radio. And of course, I buy the latest episode of Gossip Girl every week and watch ANTM on YouTube. This is still considerably ratcheted down from the 1,000 channels and TiVo HD I watch at home.

But some things never change...I still sing in the shower. Lately, it's been the Spice Girls even though I don't remember most of the words. Yeah, I'm pretty cool, you guys.

update

Just a heads up that I added a couple of my own photos to the post about the Sydney marathon from the other week.

The Run That's Fun For Everyone!

Golly!

I can't believe I've been here for over a month now! It feels like a pretty short time, but the prospect of three more months here seems like a long stretch in front of me. I'm sure I'll feel differently as the time goes on. A few things to share:

I made a large tote bag! It's intended use is for groceries, but it stretches so much with heavy things in it that it may be best as a beach bag or something. It's made of 100% cotton and has a piece of cardboard in the bottom. I took quite a few pictures so you can see how big it is. (For any crafters out there, here's a super rough tute with larger photos.)


Today I had a lovely day of pampering (thank you again, Mom and Dad!). I got a spa massage and facial, and then I went to the nail salon above the supermarket to get a pedicure (it was $40 cheaper than the one they wanted to sell me at the day spa!). I had an awkward language-barrier moment at the nail salon when nobody told me I was free to leave. So I sat in the massage chair with dry toenails watching music videos for about 15 minutes before realizing they were done with me.

Then when I got home, feeling relaxed and with pretty purple little piggies, I decided my bangs needed a trim. I have trimmed my own hair countless times. I have trimmed other people's hair. It's not that hard. Of course, I wasn't paying too much attention and cut them waaaay too short. So I brushed it out and restyled it, and I think I have a new 'do for the next few weeks until my bangs are an acceptable enough length to be sideswept as I want them. In the future I'll blow out and iron the ends better so that it looks like a real mod bob, and less like a rug. So, for those of you who've requested photos of my new longer hair, a camera-whore pic (with no makeup! shock horror!):

There were a couple more of me doing model poses to show off my new dress, but this ain't MySpace. My glasses look huge.

Finally, I've made my second disappointing foray into Australian Mexican food. The last few days I've been trying to sabotage my body by a) skipping workouts for no reason and b) eating just the most horrible food. I went to Tomatillo in the middle of Kings Cross, but I didn't want to commit to a burrito in case it was horrible. This turned out to be a good plan. However, they didn't have fish even though their sign advertised fish tacos. I was disappointed because it's nearly impossible to screw up a fish taco. Tortilla + fish + cabbage + sauce. Instead, I got a barbacoa taco. Horrible. Cold, flabby tortilla, chunks of beef just swimming in a sort of tangy sauce, about a pound of lettuce, and a clump of...I don't know, mozzarella? I ate about three bites before deciding it wasn't worth it. Also the proprietor was really creepy. I mean, my accent is a great conversation starter with Aussies and expats from other countries, but this is the first random Yank I've met (refuse to use new slang "seppo" as it is offensive) out of the blue who was like "Heh heh you know what barbacoa is..." I think I'm going to buy my own tortillas and cabbage, and then buy fried fish from a fish 'n chips shop and just breed the two. It's basically the same.

EDITED TO ADD:
I meant to posit something: I found out today that the supermarket sells kangaroo meat. Steaks, sausages, and mince. I've eaten kangaroo once or twice as a teenager, for the novelty factor. I remember it being quite gamey. Emu, on the other hand, was succulent and delicious. So my question is: should I cook some kangaroo meat before I leave? I mean, just to say that I cooked and ate a kangaroo steak/hamburger/hot dog? I'm known to be a fairweather eco-terrorist, and have failed at many attempts at vegetarianism in the past (because humans are omnivores and I think it is natural to eat meat). However, once I decided at age 8 to never eat lamb because they are just too cute, I never looked back. Deer and cows are cute too, but I've eaten them plenty. I could easily quit eating venison though. I would lump kangaroos into the category of so-cute-I'd-not-seek-them-out-to-eat. But should I, just this once?

Let's get one thing straight.

Whatever you had for dinner tonight, or even yesterday night, it was nowhere as good as the dinner I made tonight (NOTE: This is a blog I prepared last week before I had my camera cord). But I'm going to backtrack to yesterday because I made a kickass dinner then, too. I've seen all these commercials for Jalna pot-set yogurt, and it looked delicious so I bought some, forgetting that I prefer vanilla to plain. So I had all this yogurt I didn't want to eat and needed a recipe to use it in. Last night I made fried zucchini & feta fritters with tzatziki sauce. The fritters recipe I found at this site. It made 4 fritters, and I'm going to buy another zucchini to remake this recipe in a couple of days since I have wayyyy too much tzatziki sauce.

FRIED ZUCCHINI & FETA FRITTERS (serves 2)
Ingredients:
1 small zucchini (grated)
1/4 cup feta (crumbled)
1/2 cup flour
1 egg
1 green onion (chopped)
1 handful dill (chopped)
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons oil

Directions:
1. Mix the zucchini, feta, flour, egg, green onions, dill, salt and pepper in a bowl.
2. Heat the oil in a pan.
3. Spoon the zucchini mixture into the pan and cook until golden brown on both sides.

It's a very simple recipe, except that I don't have a grater so I was using a carrot peeler to grate the zucchini, and that took forever. They were so tasty! Like marginally healthier latkes. As for the tzatziki sauce, I got the recipe from the Jalna website, but you could subsitute any low/no fat plain yogurt, or greek yogurt of course. Below is 1/2 of the recipe that I made, because I think what's below will yield enough sauce for 8 fritters.

TZATZIKI SAUCE
Ingredients:
1/2 of a medium continental cucumber
3/4 cup plain yogurt (fat free)
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 of a large clove of garlic, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 tbsp dill

Directions:
1. Peel the cucumber, chop in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Chop very finely or grate/shread.
2. Combine ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Serve cold.


Then tonight I cooked a recipe which my dad had given me a couple of days ago. I was complaining about my boring eating routine, and he suggested I make fried Italian meatballs. They were INCREDIBLE. Here's the basic recipe, and you can make a ton of substitutions (turkey, spices, type of bread):

FRIED ITALIAN MEATBALLS (serves 4)
Ingredients:
1/2 kg ground beef
1 egg
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 slices bread
handful chopped parsley
salt, pepper, basil, oregano to taste
olive oil


Directions:
1. Moisten the bread and then tear it into teensy pieces.
2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and knead until well mixed.
3. Roll into 8 balls.
4. Pan fry until crispy brown on all sides.


The meatballs were pretty big, each about the size of a kiwifruit, and I could only eat 2, with side dishes. That's why I figure the recipe serves 4 if you serve up the appropriate side dishes. I baked some garlic bread slices from the refrigerated section of the supermarket (I think homemade would have tasted better - sliced french bread, margarine, garlic, salt) and made a simple caprese salad (mozzarella bocconcini, cherry tomatoes, basil leaves). I served the meatballs on a scoop of hot pureed tomato.


Now I have six of these left and I think I will make a meatball sub tomorrow. Or just toss 'em in some pasta! They were super easy to make except that my parsley/bread/onions were pretty roughly chopped, so that the meatballs wanted to crumble until I got them fried a little. They were very fun to make. I can't remember the last time I worked with raw meat, and it is pretty satisfying to eat the finished product. Kneading food is just fun - maybe I'll do something with dough in a little whilte.