I have returned!

Hey, everybody! Happy New Year! Wow, what a trip! I must say, I was a bit sad to return to Chicago... the weather sucks and the city just isn't accessible in the same way. All the same, it's nice to be home. Meanwhile, I have a LOT to update on, and I just don't think I have the energy to do it tonight. We got home at 6 our time (7) NY time and I'm pretty exhausted.
I came home to find my fall quarter grades... STRAIGHT As, BABY! Needless to say I was pretty thrilled... I tacked them on the refrigerator.
For dinner, my parents had what I suppose is "improved instant ramen"-- Literally takes 10 minutes. I guess it's Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee: the Asian version. Ha, I just cracked myself up... didn't realize she already had an Asian last name!
No, but seriously... It looked delicious, but I really refrain from instant ramen... the ingredients list is just way too hard to decipher. I couldn't resist taking a picture though: into it went basically everything in the fridge that was still edible-- cherry tomatoes, endive, cilantro, and egg.
I defrosted some pumpkin and lentil stew and had some bread and celery with hummus.

Sometimes the simplest food is the best. Tomorrow I'll be investing a good chunk of time in doing highlights of New York (in individual posts)... I might do some picture posts while I'm here, though.
Good night!
Oh, and about New Years resolutions...
I try not to make too many. This year I have:
1) While food is a huge part of my life, and I think I may have discovered my passion, I really need to make room for other interests and hobbies I used to devote more time to, i.e. writing, drawing, reading Russian lit, studying languages, etc. etc.
2) Just spend less time on the computer doing "mindless" stuff... especially browsing through food blogs! Other than checking up on my favorite ones, I really don't want to blow an hour just looking at photos. Spend time away from the computer doing other stuff, like in 1)
3) I kind of slacked off this quarter, despite the straight As. I need to be more organized and STUDY for my APs! The problem is that my "AP" classes are actually the ones where the workload is less, which will be bad for the AP grade in the longrun. I need to devote just 10-15 minutes per class reviewing every day.
I think about my old resolutions from my old middle school journals, which I used to write in religiously.
I don't know if this is interesting for anybody else, but this is certainly weird to find (from 8th grade).
"Lida's Resolutions for 2006
1) I WILL try to get at least 8 hours of sleep on weekdays. This means I have to turn out the lights at 11, so get in bad at 10:30-10:45
2) I WILL do 50 situps every day, rain or shine
3) I WILL try to keep my room clean so I can redecorate it. Ditto the playroom (from my old house) so it can be turned into a place to hang out!
4) I WILL care less what people think of me.
5) I WILL NOT go online while doing homework unless it is to get help on said homework
6) number six is middle school relationship drama... basically, don't obsess waiting for a certain relationship to end and "have fun with other guys". AAA middle school...
7) I WILL make at least 2 more friends that are guys (what was wrong with me? Who actively thinks about "making friends" like that?)
8) I WILL keep writing my novel-- a work in progress
9) I WILL try as hard as possible to go swimming every weekend
10) I WILL BE MORE ORGANIZED"

The funny thing is that when it comes to the sleep, organization, exercise, etc. I haven't changed much at all. But in terms of caring what people think of me and making more friends, I've opened up so much more. I 'm just happier in general, and less stressed out. Just seeing these changes in the kinds of resolutions that I have are setting 2009 off to a good start.

LATKES!!!

Whew, I'm exhausted! I spent a good 4.5 hours just walking without sitting down once! I slept in because I watched Gossip Girl until 1 am.... guilty pleasure guilty pleasure... then I walked into my mom's study to check on her to find her watching the SAME THING (but a few episodes behind me)!!!
Because I slept in so late, I had a relatively light breakfast: cottage cheese with a little yogurt (not Greek, which is rare), 1/2 banana, blackberries, grapenuts, pecans, and sliced almonds.
I needed to get out of the house... this is what happens when I sleep in-- I feel like I've wasted the day! I decided on a whim that Jewish or not, I would be celebrating Christmas this year by buying people presents! I braved the freezing cold weather in my warmest clothes, gloves, a scarf, and a hat, and took the bus downtown. I spent ages gazing at presents I knew I couldn't afford, but eventually I was pretty successful. I left at around 11:45 and I didn't get home until after 4:00. I didn't stop for lunch or anything! I did, however, grab a quick nonfat decaf mocha (not pictured... I didn't sit down, remember?), which warmed me up considerably.
However, when I got home, I was STARVING! I scarfed down the rest of the lentil chestnut soup, graham crackers and peanut butter, and an apple.

This still didn't really fill me up (moral of the story: bring a snack), but I knew dinner would be relatively soon, so I didn't eat anymore. It's a good thing I didn't, because tonight's dinner was fantastic!!!
I only really need to eat latkes once or twice a year, due to being so rich. Tonight we had latkes with homemade apple/pear sauce and Greek yogurt (full fat because when you just have a dollop it makes all the difference... I wish it had been sour cream, though, for the full Jewish effect).

We also had a beet soup with beet greens, like a faux borscht, which we also ate with a little yogurt.

I had 1 1/2 latkes, and believe me, I was stuffed! These latkes still weren't as greasy as most, though, which is why they're not 100% golden and crispy.
On the side we had an arugula salad with candied walnuts.


My parents thought this was a weird meal because there was no main course, but that didn't even occur to me! To me, it seemed perfectly balanced and filling. I didn't even think of having dessert.
But I did have a tangerine.

MINUS 2 DEGREES?

Yes, that is how cold it was today. So freezing that the wind was blowing chunks of hail in my face. The outside running is postponed once again. My mom and I went to the workout room, but for some reason it was also FREEZING in there... guess the radiator was off? Also, something is seriously wrong with my knee. Probably shouldn't have pushed myself when I knew it was hurting, because now I feel like I have shin splints. I wonder what's wrong...
I only did 25 minutes on the elliptical, then did a faster mile on the treadmill... I don't understand. it seems like I can run a 7 minute mile outside, but when I do that on a treadmill, it feels like I'm full-out sprinting...
(Before I left I had half of a rotting banana)
Breakfast was a pretty small bowl of oatmeal-- strawberries, the other 1/2 of the banana, 1/2 cup skim, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup cottage cheese (cept then I went back and got more because it didn't really fill me up), vanilla, strawberry jam, and peanut butter.

I TOOK MY MOM TO SEE TWILIGHT TODAY! Before the show, we stopped at the most awesome place to open in Hyde Park yet: Zaleski and Horvath Market Cafe.

I knew there was a gourmet foods store opening, but not that it would be so AWESOME! Check out the shelves:
They also have great coffee, sandwiches, soups, salads, and cookbooks.
My mom got a ham sandwich with a bunch of fancy spreads and cheese (She really is eating more meat than usual) and a cappucino.
I ordered a panini on whole wheat with eggplant, red pepper spread, muenster, and greens.
Both sandwiches came with a side sample: my mom got coleslaw and I got veggie slaw, which had chickpeas, raisins, carrots, and all the things i love.
I fell so in love with this place that I APPLIED FOR A SUMMER JOB! I'm not sure what I would do, but that would be amazing if I could work there... put my blog URL on the app...


I rarely eat cheese, but that little bit of cheese in the sandwich kept me full for a good 7 hours! Is this the secret of life?
After Twilight (Which my mom loved, but she kept laughing during all the romantic/suspenseful scenes and I had to keep yelling at her. It would be "hurry! she only has minutes left!" and my mom would start laughing loud enough that everyone could here... I see where I get my cynicism from) we went shopping... I got some amazing Lulemon leggings on sale. It was so unbelievably cold...
While I was cooking, I had an apple.

Happy Hannukah!

For dinner, I made Deborah Madison's lentil-chestnut soup with fennel, which I've made once before. It's perfect for winter, with the chestnuts giving the same starchy sweet flavor that sweet potatoes do (we use Chinese vacuum-packed chestnuts).
We also had brown rice and stir-fried watercress.
It's been ages since I really indulged in some dessert, so tonight I had a big bowl of ice cream: Purely Decadent Cherry Nirvana (nondairy) and nonfat vanilla frozen yogurt (I may or may not have gotten another scoop of this afterwards)... my sweet tooth is now at peace.

Grad student eats!

Hello, everybody! TGIF, for sure... I don't have big plans for the weekend, but today was busy and fun.

Here are some lake photos for you, taken out the window.
Breakfast: oatmeal with oat milk, homemade applesauce, cinnamon, nutmeg, pecans, and Greek yogurt.
Snack: carrots

Lunch: wrap with tempeh mole and arugula, the pumpkin and lentil stew, and 2 tangerines.
I was afraid I wouldn't have enough time to digest because today I tried something a little different: on Fridays I get out of class at 1:45, so I went running by the lake by myself right after my last class, which was gym, so I was conveniently already in the locker room. I managed to get back 10 or 15 minutes after everybody else got out of class, so I ran for a bit more than an hour.

IT WAS A GREAT RUN! It was longer than yesterday's, so I was going at a slower pace, but that was fine for me. It was also colder, so it was hard to get into it at first, but once I was by the lake, the sun was out and I got into it. The thing is, maybe it was the earlier time, but NOBODY WAS THERE. Not even people walking or biking! It was eerie... if it hadn't been so early I would have been afraid. It was the opposite, though: I felt so relaxed and zen... and I had actually just come from yoga, so it was double the relaxation!
When I finally got to the playground (3 miles or so later), I got on the swings and felt like a kid again. It was great. At the end of my run, just when I was getting tired, I ended up getting sprinting in! this was NOT intentional: here's the story. I was running and I saw a guy walking in front of me... I was thinking, "crap, is that who I think it is?" and they turned around, and it was exactly who I thought-- this senior guy that is so attractive I could die... he is my Edward Cullen, basically. Anyways, the second he turned, I SPRINTED to the left and ran until I was out of sight. I was embarrassed for anyone to see me running, let alone him (I REALLY HOPE HE ISN'T READING THIS), although I know I should be proud for going :) because it was so cold... I did 6 or so miles, which is twice what I usually do on my own! Yay!
After my run I changed and went to Page's house, because I ended up going to the guy's swim meet! I had a banana that I didn't photograph.
The swim meet was annoying at first because we were in the stands with all these girls who were only there to stare at the shirtless guys (of course, there are those benefits, but I also care about the sport!)... they didn't even know what was going on, and we wanted to go time, but the captain was being really annoying and not letting us. FINALLY we got to go down... it was interesting watching the guys swim, because, honestly, it made me realize how hard our practices were in comparison, and how our times really weren't bad at all... not that they suck or anything... they just weren't as astoundingly good as I remembered.
When I got home, there was an art history department party being hosted at our house, with a TON of vegetarian food. I was starving because I didn't have a substantial snack. Highlights:






-Salad of tofu, sugar snap peas, carrots and string beans
-Vegetarian lasagne
-SEITAN pot pie! I couldn't believe it! I usually don't like "fake meat" stuff, but this was amazingly delicious! I mainly ate the filling and ignored the crust, but it had peas, carrots, seitan, potatoes, and a bunch of other vegetables, and even had a kind of smokey taste to it.
-Paella with carrots, string beans, and white fish
-Korean egg zucchini pancake
-Mini quiches
-Insalata Caprese
-Meat (which there was not a lot of): turkey, turkey pie
I got seconds on the seitan pie and paella, which were my favorites.
There was a ton of dessert, but I picked the thing that I REALLY wanted and I loved it so much that we wrapped up leftovers and put them in the fridge.

There were those ridiculously sparkly Xmas cookies, tiramisu and cannoli, lemon tart, cinnamon shortbread, macaroons (the french kind, not the coconut), other miscellaneous cookies, berry pie, berry tart, and the one that I had, some kind of gingerbread with chocolate chips and nuts. I feel like there must have been pumpkin, applesauce, or carrots in it to give it that extra moisture.
Either way, it was INCREDIBLE. I had a bite and decided it needed Greek yogurt to contrast the sweetness. I had a big piece and there are no regrets (I ran 6 miles! I should be okay...).
WE HAVE TOO MANY LEFTOVERS TO DEAL WITH!!!

Sorry guys! BUT I GOT TO MEET ARUN!

Sorry about the delayed post. Even though swim season is over and this lack of torturous exercise is making me feel incomplete, I don't actually have much time to talk about this, since I also have to blog today. So, yesterday:
Breakfast-- felt like cold cereal for a change. This bowl was OVERFLOWING:
Combination of Puffins, GoLean Crunch, grapenuts, and Mighty Bites (don't really love these, although the shape is awesome... trying to get rid of them).
1 banana, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries
soy milk
wheat germ
sprinkle of almonds
On the side: applesauce with a little Greek yogurt.
This was probably a little overkill: all the fiber was pretty much sitting in my stomach. We were supposed to leave for Arun's Michigan house at around 11:30, but I figured it would take us a while to get there and I didn't know how long it would be till I ate. I figured I was safer with a snack:
A sliced pear, a few walnuts and some cottage cheese.
I WAS SO EXCITED TO MEET ARUN! It also felt great to get out of the city, although being in the car gave me a killer sinus ache. We ended up being later than expected, but I still got lots of buffet photos. Arun was really friendly-- in his 60's, wearing a kind of Asian-looking silk jacket, and he shook my hand and kept addressing me by name and everything! It would have seemed like almost a family gathering (lots of Chicago's Thai community) if it weren't for the camera people from the CANADIAN FOOD NETWORK circling around us with those tubular microphones. It was actually pretty funny, because a ton of people started gambling in the other room, and the TV people said, "we won't film that."
There were people there working for the mayor (there was a big Thai Fest in 2005 to fundraise for the tsunami, and my neighbor Marion wrote the book). There was free Thai massage, and there were photographers and the like. Basically, it felt like a really friendly gathering, except, once again, for the cameras.
As for the food, it was excellent! Not exactly "home cooking style," and judging by the size of the kitchen in this vacation house, I'm guessing they brought it over from the restaurant. But still, it was delicious. Of course, as Marion put it, "this is only a picnic for him." Can't wait to see what his restaurant is like! Oh! Forgot to mention that there were framed restaurant reviews all over the walls, including the JAMES BEARD AWARD.









That roasted pig reminded me of Lord of the Flies... other than that, there were great coconut noodles with shrimp, tofu and peanut sauce, vegetarian rolls, fish cakes, pickled eggplant, stir-fried cabbage, eggs boiled in soy sauce, and many more delicacies.
And dessert: Asian cookies and cakes, which I didn't have. I did have this amazing tapioca soup-ish dish... I don't know how to describe it except that it's one of those extremely sweet, condensed milk Asian desserts that I'm usually not a fan of. This, on the other hand, was probably the best thing I ate there! It was called "floating" something (not floating island), but I don't remember. Either way, the "soup" had coconut, taro, and was really sweet, and the tapioca balls floating in it were lichee, taro, and KABOCHA SQUASH. Sold.
Actually, it was Marion's birthday on the 6th (wish she'd told me), and because she's basically Arun's best friend, about 4 or 5 different cakes were brought out! But I was stuffed and stuck to the Thai stuff.
Anything else of note? Just as I suspected, Arun didn't really eat anything, but I did catch him nibbling on a piece of honeydew that somebody else had left out. Poor chefs!
The photographer there told me I should be a model! Not even kidding! I was kind of shocked. She asked if I was part Asian and I said yes. She said she was looking for more Asian models, and that she doesn't have any upcoming projects, but she took down my contact info and said she would let me know. And if that weren't strange enough, the two masseuses also came up to me and said I should be a model! They said "you have a certain grace to your posture. You hold yourself very well and you have an interesting look." I don't think I've ever felt so flattered!!
I had a headache after all the food, so we walked around the house, where there was a beautiful stream. It even started snowing a little! Sadly, we had to drive back.
ARUN HUGGED ME!
By the time I got home, it was almost dinnertime, and I didn't even want to think about food! But eventually, I did start getting a little hungry, and I basically had a "lunch for dinner" kind of thing:
A whole wheat bagel with a Laughing Cow and 2 kinds of smoked salmon (one was gravlax) and pickles
Some leftover pumpkin lentil stew
and later, an apple.
I brought my parents Arun's food.
I am so excited for Friday... Arun's Arun's Arun's...
By the way, the show that they were filming, which I don't think is usually aired on the American Food Network is called "At the Table With," if anyone's heard of it.