i heart UK, part three: hanging with brits

CHEERS, MATES ~ pics of me and V hanging out with Lucy and her chums.












[Yup, those are all mine! British food is definitely, um, an "acquired" taste... As V would say, "Good thing, alcohol translates."]

i heart UK, part two: london city sights

i heart UK, part one: mind the gap

Just got back late last night from a five-day jaunt in the U.K. - my first visit. Have a ton of pics to post later but here are a few cheeky (and inflammatory) photos, including signs and adverts. Cheers, mates!

happy valentine's day

"Love doesn't make the world go 'round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile." ~~Franklin P. Jones, author

a river-sicle

Took this pic of the Hudson River this morning...

The weather's warmed up a bit to a high of 33 degrees, low of 17 degrees today. However, imagine the surprise of seeing this frozen mass!

That's New Jersey across the way.

push past limits

"Identify your personal limits and then push past them. Then set new barriers, and repeat the process, again and again and again." --Nicole Haislett, swimmer, Olympic gold medalist

oompa lumpia

My Croatian best friend IM'd me today to tell me that she's noshing on some lumpia shanghai (a Filipino version of egg rolls) while sitting in her office at an Indian food manufacturing company... First thing, YUM. Second, there's something wrong here. It's been a long while since I've had them, and I'm flippin' Filipino for crying out loud. Anyhow, since I am a highly suggestible being (marketers love me), here's the recipe for one of my favorite dishes -- a childhood treat!

Lumpia Shanghai
courtesy of The Food Network

1 lb lean ground pork
3 green onions, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
20 lumpia wrappers, square ****egg roll wrappers will do****

Mix pork, green onions, eggs and soy sauce in bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Lay out one lumpia wrapper on clean surface. Spread 1-2 tablespoons of mixture in a thin line against the edge of wrapper. Roll tightly, very long and thin, leaving the edges open. Seal opposite end with water.

Deep fry at 350 degrees until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Before serving, cut them in half. Serve with sweet sour or vinegar and garlic dipping sauce.

Vinegar Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup white vinegar
3 garlic cloves, crushed
Salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Mix together all ingredients.

Sweet and Sour Sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp sugar
salt to taste
1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp water

In a small pan combine vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, water, sugar and salt, and boil for 2 minutes. Thicken with cornstarch mixture.

hands holding a void

the piece that got us talking at MoMA...

little white wedding chapel...

Wow, it’s my parents’ 35th wedding anniversary today.

Actually, this is the first of two wedding anniversaries. The crazy kids eloped in a very non-Britney/Nicky Hilton-like way while they were on a weekend road trip to Vegas long ago, and they ended up having a traditional Catholic ceremony a couple of months later (which was quite a relief to me when I found out, considering I was born nine months after that!). My dad likes to joke that my mom forced him to do it. Hard to believe, especially since my mom tends to be the quiet and conservative half of the couple, but I actually think it’s a bit romantic. They had only been dating for a few months, my dad just bought a new car, and they wanted to take it out for a spin. Little did they know…?

It’s amazing to me that stuff like that happens even to this day (again, not referring to the celebrity tabloid unions). It definitely was a different time way back when, values were, well, valued and held in high regard, people tended to commit more easily, and although it’s been quite a tumultuous marriage for them, I respect the friendship, love, strength, patience, tolerance, sacrifices and humor that my folks exert on a day-to-day basis to make our family work as best as it can…. a ton of work and I’m sure I don’t even know the half of it!

Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad.

brrrrrrr

After being spoiled with mild weather the past few months, snow made its appearance (albeit brief) this week. Here are some pics from the neighborhood which I took during my morning walk to the train.