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Honeymoon; Or, 11 Hours With Nothing I Have To Make Sure Happens

October 2, 2009 / posted in Photos, Travel / 2 Comments

I’ve been bad about blogging. Very, very bad. For about the last year. I know, I’m sorry, please come back gentle readers; I plan to post a lot more now. You see, at first I didn’t feel like I had much of anything to say; then my inspiration came back, but it was joined by a new business and, most of all, by being engaged. And, if you want to find an excuse to give up all your hobbies and free time, let me tell you, getting married is it. DJ L’il Bit — now, I guess, Mrs. DJ L’il Bit! — and I spent a quick 18 weeks planning two weddings, and then we got married, and now we’re on our honeymoon, and finally I have time to say something in. So, let me say: ha-ha, I’m in New Zealand and you’re not!
Actually, let me say that we’d love to have all of our friends join us here to have fun together.[1] But, since you can’t actually be here, I’ll tell you all about our travels and maybe even throw in a few photos here[2] so that you can see what we saw.
First of all, there was the flight across the Pacific. Eleven hours with nothing to do but relax — the first time since the engagement, at least. We flew Air New Zealand, which is supposed to be a pretty awesome airline to fly on for long-haul trips. I wouldn’t know, because I pretty much slept the whole way there; Mrs. DJ L’il Bit slept somewhat less and sure seemed to enjoy the on-demand movies and the meals, plus the big bottle of water they let her refill throughout the flight.
Our first stop in New Zealand was Christchurch, a lovely town on the South Island:

View Larger Map
In Christchurch, we stayed in the midst of the city center at the charming “Hotel So”:http://www.hotelso.co.nz. Sure, it offers small rooms, but the amenities — including a great restaurant, a gym, and laundry — are just what we need. Here’s our space:
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/667535601_TrsuT-M.jpg!
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/667537522_GiC8i-M.jpg!
After tucking Mrs. DJ L’il Bit in, I set out to explore town a little bit. There’s a lot to do in Christchurch, but we’re here for only a day (we’ll be back later!). I decided my first stop needed to be the famous Anglican Cathedral for which the city is named — when settled, Christchurch was supposed to be a back-to-the-true-religion new home for Anglican true believers.
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/667541362_nXyMF-M.jpg!
Ahh, there’s always construction in the way, eh? But at least with my friend “Vance’s”:http://vmac.smugmug.com/ generous lend of a “wide-angle 10-22 zoom”:http://www.adorama.com/CA1022AFSU.html it’s easy to get the whole thing in the shot!
Inside, I tried out my brand-new “Sigma 18-50 zoom”:http://www.adorama.com/SG1850NEOS.html. It turned out pretty good:
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/667552978_sygR8-M.jpg!
Now, the Anglican Cathedral was in the center of Christchurch, and in fact the whole city was planned around it. In contrast, the Catholic Cathedral was put at what were, at the city’s founding, the outskirts of town. Nonetheless, I walked the 12 minutes there:
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/668032894_f2m2g-M.jpg!
Along the way, I got to see some great architecture — it’s really a beautiful city:
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/667570153_rqw7T-M.jpg!
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/667568122_htsZK-M.jpg!
Then, after some relaxation in the adorable hotel room, it was down to the restaurant for $10 fish and chips dinners. Even a short wait to get the food — nothing in New Zealand is fast by American standards, so far, and that’s fine — was no problem. And they let us take drinks back up to our rooms!
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/668042269_Afng4-M.jpg!
Tomorrow: our drive up to Kaikoura and the Hapuku Lodge. Meanwhile, see all my photos of Christchurch “here”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/Travel/Honeymoon/Christchurch/.
fn1. Not true. Please leave us alone.
fn2. Also not true. I like taking photos. A lot. The whole point for me is the photos. So, really, I should say “let me show you some photos and I’ll even throw in some text here to keep the photos from touching.”
fn3. Yes, I saw the Start menu.















Clarifying a Photo From The Past

April 29, 2009 / posted in Adult Problems, Otherwise Uncategorized, Photos / 2 Comments

Last year, there was a small confusion about a photo published on this site. In particular, a regular reader thought that “a ring previously displayed on DJ L’il Bit’s hand”:http://juniorbird.com/archive/003690.html was an engagement ring — a reasonable enough thought, since it’s a pretty ring, but I wouldn’t buy her a $35 ring from Overstock.com for that purpose. I thought that was worth clarifying, especially since… well, I’ll let the photo here speak for itself:
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/524717016_PBjos-M.jpg!
Now that is in fact an engagement ring. That is, the sentiment was entirely correct, just the timing was off. For those who prefer to investigate further, here is a close-up:
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/524716286_PugCW-M.jpg!
Another commenter said that we “‘hit the genetic lottery.’”:http://juniorbird.com/archive/003693.html. That’s not the only lottery I hit with DJ L’il Bit! I’m *happy*. I’m a-keepin’ her.
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/524717336_t7JbP-M.jpg!















Garment District

April 8, 2009 / posted in Photos / 2 Comments

LA has a major clothing industry (à la American Apparel) and everyone here dresses snappy-like, so I probably should’ve been to the “Garment District”:http://www.fashiondistrict.org/[1] more than two times since I came out here. There was that one time during college, when I think I expected to get some actual everyday clothes there and was, instead, baffled by the cheap t-shirts and couture. I also went on Saturday, to meet my extremely “talented friend”:http://jasminedelgado.com/ and walk around and shoot for a few hours. Because, you know, photography’s like everything else; the more you do it, the better you are at it.
A good shooting assignment is always followed by some tough editing, but I’ll admit that I love the editing part. Throwing out the chaff — about 50% of the whole — is easy enough, but what’s a real challenge is picking the cream from the milk.[2] I got this shoot down from 160-some to 37, but there were 4 or 5 close-run things, and I might’ve kept too many architecture shots (more typical subject matter for me) and too few people and clothes shop. “You be the judge”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/gallery/7848772_kCuiL.
I was drawn to the people in the garment district as much as I was to the clothes. Maybe it was all the hard work on a Saturday morning? Of course, the bad part about photographing people on the street is that you don’t tend to realize what you just saw walking buy until they’re past you; that makes for a lot of photos of peoples’ backs. Occasionally they work out.
“!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/508688069_RHm6p-M.jpg!”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/gallery/7848772_kCuiL/1/#508688069_RHm6p-A-LB
“!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/508689070_aj6fF-M.jpg!”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/gallery/7848772_kCuiL/1/#508689070_aj6fF-A-LB
Of course, the clothes were something to look at too! By and large they ranged from tasteless to awful, but with such flair and confidence in style that, well, they were fun. The Russians didn’t want me shooting any of the fancy get-ups they had on their mannequins, even the ones out on the sidewalk, but I never got a single complaint from a Latino vendor. Anyway, there’s just so much panache below that I really want the one with the sunglasses.
“!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/508687873_LsTsu-M.jpg!”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/gallery/7848772_kCuiL/1/#508687873_LsTsu-A-LB
“!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/508692303_w3iiW-M.jpg!”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/gallery/7848772_kCuiL/1/#508692303_w3iiW-A-LB
Almost as good as the people is the stunning local means of conveyance, brightly-painted three-wheeled electric carts. Incredible-smelling electric carts they are too; who doesn’t want bacon-wrapped sausages with grilled onions and peppers? It was torture from breakfast until I left for a much lower-fat lunch on the Westside.
“!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/508690470_H8Dwp-M.jpg!”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/gallery/7848772_kCuiL/1/#508690470_H8Dwp-A-LB
While the photo of the shop that sold nothing but tiaras didn’t come out well, accessories are well-represented downtown too. It’s hard to figure out how to shoot a lot of these things; either they’re behind glass and you’re fighting reflections, or they’re not fancily-merchandised and there’s no obvious shot. I suppose that means that I need to learn some composition. Anyway, I’m sorry that the photo of the gas mask bong didn’t come out.
“!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/508693903_n8g74-M.jpg!”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/gallery/7848772_kCuiL/1/#508693903_n8g74-A-LB
“!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/508694990_DBc8k-M.jpg!”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/508694990_DBc8k-M.jpg
Of course, for me, the lure of shooting architecture was irresistible. The Garment District is in the old-fashioned Downtown heart of LA, and we just don’t get enough good, classic, East Coast-style buildings on the Westside here. You know, the kind that were built with care by actual craftsmen, rather than just being the cheapest thing you can make with plywood and sheetrock. Sometimes makes me wish I lived Downtown.
“!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/508691805_LXb9j-M.jpg!”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/gallery/7848772_kCuiL/1/#508691805_LXb9j-A-LB
“!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/508688861_yGryv-M.jpg!”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/gallery/7848772_kCuiL/1/#508688861_yGryv-A-LB
But, then, if I lived Downtown, there’d be the issue with the sausages. It’s like when I decided not to go to “Penn”:http://www.upenn.edu/ because I knew I’d get fat off the cheese steaks.
Darn it, now I’m hungry again!
fn1. Formerly: Garment District. Now: Fashion District. Not sure it’s all that Women’s Wear Daily-ready…
fn2. Consider that metaphor mixed!















L8s Ang3les at the Annenberg Space for Photography

April 1, 2009 / posted in Photos, Reviews / No Comments

Inspired by my friend “Jasmine”:http://jasminedelgado.com/, I zipped up to Century City to see the “L8s Ang3les”:http://www.annenbergspaceforphotography.org/exhibitions/overview.asp show at the brand-new “Annenberg Space for Photography”:http://www.annenbergspaceforphotography.org/. L8s Ang3les is a show featuring 11 local photographers, especially some from the LA times; the Annenberg Space is a brand-new gallery trying to bring some culture to the antiseptic, wealth-filled skyscraper-land that is Century City.
The show itself was well worth seeing. Eleven photographers gives quite a variety of content and perspectives, which was both a strength and a weakness — there was something for everyone, but at times the focus and coherence of the show was lost. Still, there food for thought at least, with plenty of ideas for subject matter and techniques. So, good fun.
The gallery also featured a number of multimedia installations, in which we could see additional photos and even hear interviews with the artists talking about their work. I particularly enjoyed that latter movie, but, to be honest, the 6 or 7 total movies playing, plus two tables running “Microsoft Surface”:http://www.microsoft.com/SURFACE/Default.aspx, was just too much. That part wasn’t really browseable, more like watching a movie.
“!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/503403787_bGgvU-M.jpg!”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/gallery/7776978_tcjwE/1/503403787_bGgvU
The gallery itself was gorgeous, with a curving wall dividing off the naturally-lighted area from the main multimedia installation:
“!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/503403781_JHdxx-M.jpg!”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/gallery/7776978_tcjwE/1/503403781_JHdxx
Surprisingly enough, in a spacious back room that hosted one of the multimedia exhibits, there was even a kitchen, and bottles of wine:
“!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/503403792_jZoco-M.jpg!”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/gallery/7776978_tcjwE/1/503403792_jZoco
The Annenberg Space is tucked inside a Century City skyscraper complex, at the corner of Avenue of the Stars and Constellation.
“!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/gallery/7776978_tcjwE/1/503403792_jZoco!”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/gallery/7776978_tcjwE/1/503184375_wVCKi
Like all of Century City, this area is a monument to engineering, although a few patches of grass try to make it all seem less sterile.
“!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/503186414_UwKXa-M.jpg!”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/gallery/7776978_tcjwE/1/503186414_UwKXa
“!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/503183636_GRxFr-M.jpg!”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/gallery/7776978_tcjwE/1/#503183636_GRxFr-A-LB
“!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/503183075_X9ALb-M.jpg!”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/gallery/7776978_tcjwE/1/503183075_X9ALb
“!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/503186791_k4NC2-M.jpg!”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/gallery/7776978_tcjwE/1/503186791_k4NC2
“!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/503182801_E9QK4-M.jpg!”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/gallery/7776978_tcjwE/1/503182801_E9QK4
I’m excited to see what shows they have there next — and excited that there’s a photo gallery in such a photographable spot. It’s not as charming as the gallery district of Culver City, and it has the opposite look — engineering splendor vs. urban decay — but the Annenberg Space for Photography has a ton of potential.















More Cruise? Yes Please!

February 28, 2009 / posted in Photos, Travel / No Comments

Sorry I’ve been so bad at posting lately — between a new job and a new project (watch for it to launch in a few weeks to a couple of months!) I haven’t had the time I should to get on the ol’ Juniorbird.com. Which is also my way of saying that I may not post so much for the next few months either. Of course, the corrollary is that, the more you do, the more you do, so you may see more from me here.[1] But I do have something for you, something special from the cruise.
I got a little video camera before the cruise, a “Kodak Zi6″:http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001BO7R00/ref=nosim/wadearmstrong-20. I’m not usually the type to go in for something like that, but the price was right and the reviews online were nice and I thought I might enjoy adding some video to my still photos. So, I took a little footage — 30 seconds here, a minute and a half there — throughout the cruise. I have to say, I love that little Zi6. It was very easy-to-use, the shots came out looking great, and, while the reviews say it’s not good in low light, it certainly did better than I’d expect out of any still camera under $1000. It’s just small enough to be handy to carry around anywhere and the batteries made it through the whole trip on one charge.
When I got home, I put together the video in iMovie ’08, which came on my Mac. That was a little more painful, but, once I learned the keyboard commands, I got through it pretty well. (I’m just saying, a consumer-level Mac program should *not* be that much better if you use the keyboard than if you use the mouse.) I hear iMovie ’09′s better and might consider upgrading, although I do wonder if there’s anything in the market between the $79 iLife bundle and the $199 Final Cut Express.
Anyway, enough palaver; I just figured I owed you all the words. Here, in all its glory, is the cruise! (Make sure to click “watch in high quality” since the Zi6 records 720p.)

fn1. Like when I was blogging almost every week back in b-school.















If They Could See Me Now

February 21, 2009 / posted in Photos, Reviews, Travel / 5 Comments

I like vacations. I’d actually kind of forgotten about that, but I like them. So I’ve tried to “take more lately”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/Travel. Cruises had popped up on our radar a few months ago; prices have been dropping dramatically as cruise lines have desperately tried to keep bookings up. Looking around for things to do for Valentine’s Day, a 4-night Carnival cruise to Catalina and Ensenada was actually so cheap as to be competitive with a nice dinner out. So I bought my honey one.
h3. On the Boat
I wasn’t sure quite what to expect when I got on our cruise ship, the _Carnival Elation_. On the one hand, when I’d seen these ships before they looked enormous; on the other, when I started to learn about everything they claimed to offer on board, I didn’t see how they could fit all that in such a small space. Plus, would I be surrounded by complaining 50-year-olds?
Well, the news is that Kathie Lee doesn’t lie: this cruising thing “sure is fun”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXAlXgodWAM. Our stateroom was great — we got an interior cabin, with no view, and it was as large as many European hotel rooms I’ve had, with a totally sufficient bathroom, and no window meant that we weren’t inspired to stay in our room. And, while the bed may not have been as plush as a Heavenly Bed, there’s something to be said for being rocked to sleep slowly by the waves.
Out of our stateroom, there was plenty to do. Bars had drinks at prices that would be ridiculously low in LA, and sodas and juices were free if you bought a special unlimited drinks card for $18. There was 24-hour dining on the top deck, including a delicious panini station, and the sit-down dinners were quite tasty enough. Plus, the waiters called us by name and remembered what we liked — I ordered mint tea after dinner the first night, the second night they were out of mint tea bags by the time they got to me, but the third night our waitress slipped me a mint tea bag 3/4 of the way through dinner to make sure I’d get my first choice before they ran out.
Entertainment was also plentiful. There was an OK comic and a brilliant hypnotist,[1] some surprisingly good live musicians, and all manner of Now, we got slaughtered at the casino, but the outrageously good hot stone massage in the spa more than outweighed that.
Overall, the Elation was a monument to what even a Vegas casino designer might’ve called “bright colors.” The ship also shared the Vegas casino designer’s preference for a lack of clocks, strange as there were so many scheduled events on-board. Still, it all was nice enough in a “hey! we’re on vacation!” kind of way:
“!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/478136669_JHWEC-M.jpg!”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/gallery/7419589_wBKgH/1/478136669_JHWEC
“!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/478138375_RSsmD-M.jpg!”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/gallery/7419589_wBKgH/1/478138375_RSsmD
“!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/478139668_bbYik-M.jpg!”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/gallery/7419589_wBKgH/1/478139668_bbYik
Our first day out, we ran into some bad weather — in fact, we were supposed to land at Avalon on “Catalina”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Catalina_Island,_California, but 40-knot winds[2] and 10-foot swells made that too treacherous, so, instead, we sailed around all day looking for sun. (The original itinerary was for our third day out to be a day at sea.) While neither I nor the AIG DJ L’il Bit[3] suffered any ill effects from it, I know others did, and the ride was much bumpier than I’d expected in a ship so large.
h3. Catalina & Ensenada
In a lot of ways, our cruise was like a Vegas vacation, except the casino went somewhere. Now, if you’re after the best gaming possible, then Vegas can’t be beat, but I for one always wish there was somewhere to go outside in Vegas. Well, there is on a cruise! We got off the boat on the small island of Catalina, and in the famous Baja California tourist trap of Ensenada.
Catalina was beautiful, relaxing, and fun. DJ L’il Bit rented us a golf cart — the locals don’t drive cars, they drive carts — and took us for an hour-long spin around the island to check out the views. We also got to walk around the small town of Avalon that passes for Catalina’s population center.
“!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/478169697_PL9iv-M.jpg!”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/gallery/7419644_YB9DT/1/478169697_PL9iv
Ensenada was a different trip for me — usually I like to walk around a city I visit, using my camera to within an inch of its life, and that’s what we planned to do. But we had some party fun time friends on the cruise, so we promised to meet them at “Papas and Beer”:http://www.ensenada.papasandbeer.com/2008/index.php briefly, just to be polite. Somehow a few minutes and a drink turned into all afternoon, probably because of the college students of all genders[4] doing tequila body shots off of each other.[5] I know I missed out on the real Ensenada… but man it was fun!
“!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/478141047_ki4rz-M.jpg!”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/gallery/7419646_cmzCM/1/478141047_ki4rz
h3. Cruise Advice
So the great thing about the idea of this cruise was that, at a bit over $200 per person for 4 nights including all meals, it was cheap enough that we didn’t have to like it. If we did it once and didn’t much care for it, well, little was lost at the end of the day. But we loved it! It was as corny and fun as a Vegas vacation at a quarter or less of the cost.[6] Everything was easy and taken care of. They made enchanting little beings out of the towels in our stateroom.
“!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/478150151_M4bTF-M.jpg!”:http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/gallery/7419589_wBKgH/1/478150151_M4bTF
Overall, it was great fun. If you decide to book a cruise yourself, here’s a few things I would recommend:
* Book as late as you can stand. Our friends who booked a week later than us — well less than a month before the cruise — saved $20 over even the low price we paid, and it seems like those who booked months earlier paid much more than we did, for the same or worse cabin.
* Buy the free soda and juice cards, they’re a great value.
* Buy a cheap bottle of wine with a screw top. Drink the wine. Fill the bottle with the liquor of your choice. Smuggle on board (you’re allowed to bring a bottle of wine.) Mix with said free sodas and juices.
* Cheap out on the cabin and just don’t spend much time there! Plus, the lower in the boat you are the less worry of seasickness.
* Bring a power strip since the cabin only has one outlet for all your camera, phone, etc. chargers.
* Go to the sit-down dinners — they matched us with great table mates, and our friends did even better.
* Explore the ship on the first day, there’s plenty of time if you show up a bit early to board (boarding’s quick and painless).
* Take your time debarking, the line is long and you may as well enjoy your last free meal!
I got to go on a fun ship, holy cow! And I already miss it. I will be going again! Now someone just needs to help me figure out if my next vacation is to Panama or Colombia.
fn1. Yes, I did get up on stage and get hypnotized. I might blog about it, I might not.
fn2. !!!!
fn3. The AIG is hereby being renamed to DJ L’il Bit, which is already her rapper name. It’s been brought to my attention that the name “Actual Irish Girlfriend” compares her to past girlfriends whereas she is, in fact, incomparable. Thus the renaming.
fn4. “All genders” sounds better than “both genders” and also has the bonus that I don’t have to figure out if there are actually genders numbering greater than 2 of which I should make myself aware.
fn5. Yes, I do have video. HD.
fn6. Unless you’re prepared to drive there and back and either forego the hotel room entirely or fit 8 people into one room, both of which were fun at 22 but maybe not so much now.















Salmon with Asian Pesto

November 23, 2008 / posted in Food, Photos / No Comments

With all the “basil from the housewarming party”:http://juniorbird.com/archive/003702.html, I could hardly resist making all manner of pesto. The Thai basil basically dared me to make an Asian-flavored pesto, and, once made, the perfect match was clearly a simple grilled salmon.
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/397861957_imaaF-M.jpg!
The pesto was fun to make — I replaced the olive oil with a mix of canola oil, toasted sesame oil, and fish sauce, and added little ginger. Delicious! Serve just as a sauce, or dip in!
(In the above photo, the sides are just some sauteed squash and onions, and mashed cauliflower.)
(Also, note how few photos there are here — this is what happens when I’m in charge of taking the pics, when the AIG is taking them or directing me, she makes sure I get “coverage” like the good TV producer she is!)















Peanutty Tofu & Cabbage Asian Salad

November 9, 2008 / posted in Food, Photos / 4 Comments

The summer just won’t quit here in Southern California, which means summery dishes even as the night comes sooner. A good Asian salad is a great weekend lunch or light weeknight dinner, and this recipe is pretty low-fat and responsible.
Cut a head of cabbage into ribbons — we just got a mandolin, and that’s the perfect tool.
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/413373058_JYxck-M.jpg!
Do the same for a couple of peppers and an onion:
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/413372652_83hpm-M.jpg!
Now make the sauce. Combine rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, a bunch of peanut butter (I like chunky), garlic crushed in a press, ginger crushed in a garlic press, and a touch of toasted sesame oil to really bring out the nutty flavor. Mix together, and then thin with water until the consistency of salad dressing.
Drain a block of tofu and cut it into good-sized thin strips. Press and drain these a little more; you’ll get a great texture this way. Heat a little oil in a wok and quickly pan-fry the tofu, then remove it and put it aside:
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/413373738_4ndYV-M.jpg!
Add a little more oil and put in the peppers and onion, and stir-fry until a little soft. Crush a garlic clove over it, stir, and add the cabbage. Stir until the cabbage is just a little soft, then turn off the heat and add the sauce, tossing well. Mmmm!
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/413374439_5exW4-M.jpg!















Homemade Margaritas

November 9, 2008 / posted in Drink of the Month, Food, Photos / 2 Comments

One of the benefits of living in California is the year-round summer. That means every day is a great day for a Margarita, and, with a lemon tree in our backyard, that means homemade sour mix for those Margaritas!
First step is to make the sour mix. You can use lemons, limes, or a mix of both, although limes alone are often too sweet. Since we’ve got that tree, lemons were the obvious choice. Mix an equal quantity, in cups, of lemon juice and sugar, then heat that over a flame, delicately, so that the sugar dissolves in the lemon juice. Stir periodically and you’ll get a nice, clear, and remarkably yellow-green liquid. Leave that to cool in the fridge overnight.
Get your sour, a good tequila — not really a sipping tequila, but, please, something better than your stock Cuervo — and some triple sec or other orange liqueur of your choice. Pour a tiny bit of the sour mix onto a plate and a coarse salt, such as kosher, onto another.
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/352086971_dGeA4-M.jpg!
Dip the rim of your glass into the sour mix, then into the salt — get a nice rim.
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/352087564_v6Y67-M.jpg!
Fill that glass with ice — it’ll make it seem more like what you get in a bar or restaurant, and they don’t just do it because ice = profit; the coldness makes the drink taste good and, as the ice melts, the bruising helps you finish it. Then pour in a good two ounces of tequila, and fill almost to the top with your sour. Try it — with your smooth, delicious homemade sour, and a slightly higher-quality tequila, you might not need the triple sec, which really just serves to smooth out the harsh edges.[1] Make another for later, and then another for a friend!
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/352087827_Z75jW-M.jpg!
fn1. It does this for any drink, so try it!















Grilled Pesto Flatbread

November 9, 2008 / posted in Food, Photos / 2 Comments

Pizza’s great, and with all the great basil we got for our “housewarming”:http://juniorbird.com/archive/003702.html, a pizza with pesto replacing the marinara seemed obvious. The AIG also has this great, old, well-seasoned grill pan that we use for just about everything, so grilling the pizza sure sounded fun. Thus, super-adult, super-fun, grilled pesto flatbread!
It was almost sad to see the basil chopped into a fine paste by the Cuisinart — almost. Really, there’s nothing like a fresh pesto made with just olive oil, basil, pine nuts, garlic, and some pecorino or parmesan; but we wanted to get a little crazy with it. More specifically, we wanted to make it low-fat, so we halved the pine nuts and replaced them (useful for their emulsifying action) and most of the oil with roasted garlic. Try it by throwing in a head of roasted garlic before you drizzle in the olive oil for your next pesto! (Keep the raw garlic for the flavor, too.)
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/335817235_2eguT-M.jpg!
Thanks to our “local Farmer’s Market”:http://marvistafarmersmarket.org/, we had a bounty of lovely tomatoes to go with our basil.
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/335823237_xgtps-M.jpg!
We halved some fresh cherry tomatoes, sauteed up some red onions, and grilled some frozen artichoke hearts for toppings.
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/335820482_jQ3R4-M.jpg!
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/335819916_QrBur-M.jpg!
Then: flour out a board, and roll out your pizza dough. My choice: pre-made from Trader Joe’s.
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/335818225_Mqcus-M.jpg!
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/335818799_Pk5Z9-M.jpg!
Brush your dough with olive oil and put it that side down on the grill. Brush the other with the oil and turn the dough over when it’s started to get a little golden on the bottom. Spread on the pesto, and distribute the toppings (don’t count on melted cheese with this cooking method, so do like we did and crumble some feta or something like that).
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/335821594_87UeY-M.jpg!
The result: Delicious!
!http://juniorbird.smugmug.com/photos/335822204_KuD9n-M.jpg!















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