I’ve never been one to class up a picnic. In fact, I had every intention of sharing a few snaps from a little outing we had a few weeks ago. Eaman and I had picked up sandwiches from BFD (Big Front Door) — skip the overpriced sandwiches, go for the cool craft sodas and epic cookies — and headed over to Old Trolley Barn Park on Adams Avenue in University Heights. (It sounds much more “country jamboree” than it really is.) But the fact of the matter is, there wasn’t much to show. A canvas tote? Small sandwiches? Tattered blanket? It got me thinking about how I’d style my own picnic given an expense account and some freedom to go with a melon color palette.
A glance at the weekend that made Thursday feel like Saturday, Friday feel like Monday and Saturday feel like…Tuesday?
I finally, finally baked an American Flag Cake. It consisted of boxed cake mix, Cool Whip and berries, so, sure nothing supremely innovative here. But there is something so wonderful about a junk food cake like this. I thought I’d have had leftovers to give to the neighbors, but that obviously never happened.
You know when they say that a person’s reputation precedes him/her? In the case of Puja and Steve Thomas-Patel, their recipes precede them. I haven’t even met the San Diego husband and wife bloggers in person yet, but their recipes are proof enough that we’ll get along mighty nicely. My first introduction to their food was in May at the San Diego food blogger bake sale, where the couple sold their chai-spiced sticky buns. I was sold. I then checked out their website, Indiaphile, a blog where the couple shares original recipes for Indian food and the occasional musing on Indian culture. Remember my post on baked tandoori wings? That was all Puja and Steve.
Today the culinary pair gives us a look at what day-to-day life looks like for the foodies/techies/dog lovers/beer drinkers. Take a look:
Memorial Day Weekend I wanted to go to the beach with Eaman’s friends who were visiting, then Teddy got diarrhea and I was sequestered at home. In mid-June, Eaman’s family came to visit and I let them have a long day of beachy fun while I took care of the puppy. That’s all fine and well — this is the responsibility I accepted when becoming a puppy owner — but after I got back from my week at home in New Jersey, I basically mandated a beach trip.
So last weekend, we packed up the badminton set, magazines and body board and headed to our favorite beach (so far): Windansea in La Jolla. It’s clean, populated by a nice, non-fratty clientele and there’s a good amount of sand to lay on. On that day, the waves were huge and the surfers were doing all sorts of tricks. It was crazy to watch some young kids get out there, too.
And when it’s a beach day, I can’t not have Mexican food, so we tried out the chain Rigoberto’s. You must order the beef rolled tacos with cheese and guacamole (pictured after the jump). You must not order the chicken anything — very suspect meat.
We ended the day at Bardot, an artisanal ice cream shop that specializes in girly, gourmet bars. (You may remember that this was #12 on my summer checklist!) I had a hard time deciding between flavors: mascarpone and dulce de leche or mint chocolate chip? Raspberry green tea or strawberry cheesecake? We ended up sharing the “Honey I’m Home,” a cookies and cream bar topped with an Oreo covered in edible glitter. The glitter may or may not have been the deciding factor. These bars are expensive ($5-6 each), but legit. Fun fact: Bardot is the first place where I’ve seen alfajores — traditional South American sandwich cookies filled with dulce de leche — since our three-month stint in Argentina.
Click onwards to see what this beach, those rolled tacos and that sparkly Oreo are all about:
I feel as though it’d be wrong to make you guys think that my life is all about beaches, farmer’s market-sourced dinners, parties, friends and domestic bliss with a new puppy. Yes, those things are a part of my life, but there’s also a lot of less fun stuff involved. Actually, some of the stuff is downright frustrating, miserable and boring.
I don’t like to air my dirty laundry here; I like to use this space to focus on the positive. But for argument’s sake — and to prove that no, my life is far from perfect — here’s a random smattering of less than happy moments as of late. I think it’s important to be honest:
I tried a couple new taco spots, swam with Teddy off Coronado Island, enjoyed watching basketball the only way I know how (via food), spent time with Eaman’s family who visited San Diego, played around for a half day in NYC and traveled to Philly for my cousin’s wedding, where you’ll see a glimpse of our cousin-filled Bollywood dance. Here’s a look at June set to my new favorite song. Watch the last few seconds for a glamorous shot of me. Just tryin’ to keep it real, people.
Music: “I Follow Rivers” (The Magician Remix) by Lykke Li
Monday was all about my blip of a trip to New York, and today is all about my cousin’s Indian-Jewish wedding in Philadelphia. For those that don’t know, Indian weddings are epic events that stretch over days. They have a tendency to go overboard, but my cousin, Akhila, and her now-husband, Will, – both doctors – managed to keep it intimate with a wedding that so perfectly captured their personalities. All of the events stayed true to what they’re passionate about: nature, healthy living and the arts.
We kicked things off with a girls’ manicure at Mi Cumbia, a super-cool Colombian-themed nail salon with organic nail polishes, and coffee and dark chocolate on tap before heading over to a mehndi party where Akhila had her hands and feet decked out in henna. The rest of us got a bit of our own, and I’m happy to report that mine is holding up nicely. (It usually doesn’t.)
Saturday was a joint family picnic in Philly followed by a song-and-dance night known as the sangeet held at an industrial-style space with a backyard garden. My cousins and I performed a Bollywood dance that I had choreographed and taught via YouTube, and despite our distances – me in San Diego, one in Hawaii, others in New Jersey and one who practiced at the airport en route to the wedding (!) – it was a hit. Though I must say, the groom’s surprise ukelele rendition of a famous Bollywood song was my favorite act.
And then came the ceremony at an arts center on Sunday. I’m always fascinated to see how people bring together two cultures at a wedding, and this one — mostly Jewish traditions mixed with a few Hindu rituals — was further evidence that there are so many similarities between cultures, a lesson I learned from my 13 months of backpacking. There’s the common act of a cloth separating the bride and groom until the first moment they see each other that day; the bride walks around her groom seven times in the Jewish tradition just as the couple walks around a fire seven times in the Hindu tradition; the ceremonial Jewish cloth the groom wraps around the bride is much like the Hindu ritual of tying the groom’s outfit to the bride’s. It was fun to see how seamlessly these two religions could work together.
We danced, we photo booth-ed, we ate flourless chocolate cake. Take a look:
I’m currently writing to you from New Jersey, after four days of family wedding festivities. There was a mehndi party, song/dance night, and blend of Jewish and Indian traditions — but I’ll get to all that on Wednesday. Today I wanted to share a peek of the half day I spent in New York City before the wedding events began.
I flew in late last Tuesday night, seriously regretting this 8 am bus to Manhattan, but I didn’t know if I’d be back East again this year and figured I’d make the most out of this trip. It was also a good way to tackle the awful 3-hour time difference head-on. In my measly eight hours, I got to see one of my best friends for lunch/ice cream, walked around the West Village on my own and met up with old co-workers, who continue to be the nicest, most caring bunch.
So what was it like to go to my old stomping grounds?
