Gobble! Gobble!

Happy Turkey Day! (well, turkey day weekend). We went to the in-laws for Thanksgiving. Ironically, we didn't have turkey the whole weekend, I didn't miss it. My mother-in-law made some northern Chinese cuisine, like bokchoy, taro and tofu stew. And we went shopping briefly in the Short Hills Mall. It was nice to see his aunts and uncles, whom we rarely visit.

Yesterday, hubby decided to go to Mitsuwa and I bought some groceries to try out some Japanese Homestyle Cooking recipes. I made turnip and pork belly stew, and Chawan Mushi (egg custard). Both were yummy. I wasn't sure I made the dashi stock correctly, but both dishes tasted good. I have been obssessed with steamed eggs lately, and it took me a long time to find a shallow plate, deep enough to hold the custard and small enough to fit inside our bamboo steamer. I found the square plates at Target. The Japanese egg custard recipe creates a smoother texture, than the Chinese recipe. I think the difference is the dashi stock versus chicken stock. I used the turnip leaves for udon today, and they were tender and reminded me of bokchoy.

Chawan Mushi

Pork and Turnips

Working Girl

I started my new job at "Hello Bank," this week. So, my extended summer vacation has ended. No more rolling out of bed to make myself lunch in my PJs, when the only important event was what to make for dinner. Nope, now I'm supposed to be corporate and smart, and on the ball. Strangely enough, the corporate version of me wears a lot of black. If you know me, that's strange, considering I only have 1 black sweater (that was a gift) and 2 black pants; everything else is in fruit colors. Also, the corporate me walks bow legged, since I can't get used to heels, and I have to carry my laptop every day.

There are many, many perks to working at a big corporation, which I never did before. I got to sit in a 1.5 hour orientation, watching bewildering HR videos, trying not to laugh out loud. "Lisa hasn't seen Peggy in years. Peggy is bragging about her job and looking so smart. Lisa is peeved. She is the smart one. And to prove that to Peggy, she starts talking about the product that hasn't launched yet. WAIT! She's violating sharing company secrets... DUN-DUN-DUN!" I also got thrown into the deep end of the work pool and got inundated with projects on my first day! I found myself staying past 7 every day. Bleh! Interestingly enough though, I have been eagerly anticipated (they probably knew I would be a work horse). And some have told me my group is the buzz group of the moment, lucky me! Another bright note, I can finally understand the financial jargon hubby uses. He has always worked at big banks. Now we're just two nerdy bank workers. "Do you need change for that?"

Viva Las Vegas!

So, here is a rather late post on our Vegas trip. I took hubby on a surprise trip to Vegas at the end of October for his birthday. We spent 4 days at the Wynn Hotel. The Wynn had amazing views (floor to ceiling windows), great service, great food (we went to the buffet + Red8), and (according to hubby) great blackjack tables.

We had a nice view of Treasure Island from our room. We could see their show every night.

The buffet area in the Wynn. I felt like we were in a huge eccentric greenhouse. Then again, most Vegas interior decorations were over the top to say the least. I live by the buffet rule: no fillers (salads, pasta), only eat the moneymakers (beef, seafood, desserts). By the end of the trip, I couldn't fit into my jeans anymore.

We went to the Venetian to eat at Bouchon. After our meal at Per Se, hubby had begged me to make reservations there. Bouchon is more a cafe/brasserie type restaurant, compared to Per Se which is refined, jackets only. It was a very relaxing night sitting outside in their rooftop terrace, in 70 degree weather (a far cry from NYC). I ordered a cuttlefish salad and Moules with Frites. Hubby had a rabbit appetizer and a beef special(?). Everything tasted very good.

I thought I would love the Venetian , since it's a lifelong dream for me to go to Venice. But somehow it felt more like a bad caricature of the real Venice, like New York New York was a sad, SCARY version of New York. Anthony Bourdain is right in his Vegas episode of No Reservations, there should be signs for native New Yorkers to stay away from New York New York. It's quite a traumatic experience. I think what also turned me off from the Venetian was that they were blaring Phantom of the Opera music from every crevice of the hotel (but thankfully not at the Bouchon), a promo they were doing. I'm a huge fan of the musical, but a person can only take so much.

So, while hubby was at the blackjack tables, I went shopping inside of the Wynn and the huge mall across the street, the Fashion Show. I also spent some time at the Wynn pool. I regretted not finding the pool earlier, it was gorgeous. Because the pool was very long, they arranged the chairs so it felt very private. One could lounge around in the sun reading a magazine, thinking you were completely alone.


We also did some touristy things: ride the monorail and go to the Stratosphere. The Stratosphere was very old. with corny shops inside, but once on top, the view was breathtaking. We didn't try the amusement rides though. They looked terrifying. Next time, I will not buy a powerpass, save your money, their venue list is very small. But I will stay at the Wynn again, catch a show (Cirque du Soleil's O), watch the Bellagio water show (I can never get enough), lounge by the pool and eat more good food.

Marianne Cardi Done!

The Marianne Short Cardigan (from Rowan 37) is finally done! I was worried about the sleeves, since I turned it into short sleeves instead of mid-sleeves. I did use an existing short sleeve sweater to measure, so it wouldn't be too far off. The torso area is still a little short for my taste, even though I have added at least 10 cm to the pattern. But, my suspicion is the sweater tends to scrunch upwards. The sleeves were set in. Everything was sewn with the back stitch, with tapestry needles. I hate the finishing part, my sewing skills are really not up to par. But all in all, I love it. It's so soft, so comfortable, I can sit in it all day drinking a cup of tea.



I bought the buttons today from Greenberg & Hanmer Inc (24 W 57th Street, Manhattan). They're a dressmaker supply shop, they have a huge selection of buttons and sewing supplies. They were supposedly recommended on Martha Stewart today (I heard this from a shopper there).


I should have waited for hubby to help me take pictures, but I was too excited! Also it is as dark as ink outside (rain), so the lighting is horrid.