Bitter Melon!

Mitch has been raving about how good bitter melon is since I've known him. Apparently they only have it in very few Chinese food restaurants, although we recently found out that even if it's not on the menu and you just ask they'll make it for you. Those liars. I tried it for the first time on Easter and OMG they are so bitter. Combine the bitterness from kale, broccoli rabe, and Guinness and you'll get a fraction of the bitterness. I am determined to try new things multiple times though, so while we were in China town yesterday we got some bitter melons and Mitch taught me how to make them.

First you buy the bitter melon.

Then you cut off the ends, cut it in half and end up with this loveliness in the middle, which you should promptly scoop out with a spoon and end up with this.


You then cut those pieces in half so they'll fit in the pot and boil for 5 minutes. Afterward rinse them off in cold water ALOT so you can actually touch them.

Then you slice them and put them into a frying pan for 8 minutes. You also add about half a cup of water which should evaporate by the time they're all done.

Then you're done! Just add whatever sauce you like and whatever meat you like. Beef is the best, we just had it plain with black bean sauce (I think). I recommend eating it with beer since it takes the bitterness away a bit. Enjoy! And you have to try it at least three times!

Quillow Number 2!

I decided to make another quillow as an Easter present, but with no clear idea of who it would be for. By the time I finished it was clear that it was for my Nanny. Definitely the right decision because she Loved it and put it right in the middle of her couch where everyone can see it.


I also managed with this one to quilt straight lines!

The Christmas Tree Shop is Amazing!

I was at the Christmas Tree Shop again with Mitch so he could get another Batman headboard. While we were there he found a candle thing for a table that was $1 and I bet him that I could find something better. And I found this:

A completely adorable dog with a bouncy head named Rufus. Unfortunately for the bet he was $1.99 so he couldn't win it for me. But something special about Rufus made it impossible for me to not get him.

Yes, he only has one ear. I fell prey to what I call "ugly beanie baby syndrome". Back when beanie babies were popular and there were always carts of them at the mall, I would look at one that was just hideous, mention that it was hideous and wonder why anyone would ever buy it and go to walk away. Then I though why WOULD anyone ever buy it? It's just going to sit out on this cart wasting away, unwanted. And I would end up buying it. This is how I acquired about 20 of the ugliest beanie babies ever made. And how I got Rufus. But seriously, how could I resist?

Awesome Stuff I Got From Cleaning Out An Apartment - Etiquette

During the clean out my cousin was tasked with cleaning out the bookshelf. I heard my aunt tell her to just throw everything away because no one could possibly want it. As soon as I heard that I ran into the room to see what there was. And I found some hilarious old books. My favorite is this etiquette book from 1950.

It's the New Etiquette by Margery Wilson. Here's some of the table of contents:



My favorite chapter is the one on doors, especially this passage:
Yet the mere touch of the doorknob seems to remind the leaver of all he meant to say while he was comfortably seated in the living room. So he clings to the knob for support, as though fearing he might drown if he let go and plunged out into the world. Such a person should practice letting go of a doorknob in the privacy of his bedroom until it no longer seems so impossible of accomplishment.
It's good to know that other people have this problem and that someone has come up with a solution!
I've only actually skimmed the book so far, but it's amazing.

Awesome Stuff I Got From Cleaning Out An Apartment - Pirates!

Last weekend I helped my aunt clean out one of her friends apartment who had moved into a nursing home and get it ready for an apartment sale. So basically anything that I liked was up for grabs. And I found the best stuff!
My absolute favorite were the pirate glasses. I saw one on the counter and exclaimed that it was the most amazing glass I'd ever seen and then was told there was a set of 8!


Close up pictures of the pirates!

People are crazy - Easter

I was at the Christmas Tree Shop the other day because Mitch wanted stuff to decorate his apartment with and they have the most random stuff. I got the most amazing metal turkey thing there and a glass banana. So as we were walking around we saw this. I didn't really believe that anyone would ever put that on their car, especially since unless it was a really small car it wouldn't even look like a bunny. But no, people are that strange. We then went to Jordans Furniture to see a movie and saw this car.

Also, bonus picture of my dad taking pictures of the lake.

Dry Bones Quillo!

So awhile ago I wanted to start making quilts, and figured that it would be best to start with a mini-quilt. I had an idea to make a mini quilt of Dry Bones!
Turns out that making a million 1" squares took about the same amount of work that an actual regular sized quilt would have. But the quilting was a lot easier. In the end it was a strange size so I decided to make it into a quillo (quilt + pillow)! It was a great idea and now I sleep with it everynight since it's super comfy!