Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Winter Prep

But first, it was Veteran's Day today, honoring those who have dedicated their lives to serving their country:


WWI Memorial at Central Park

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I had the strangest thought as I was opening my eyes this morning: maybe I should boil the frankfurter before frying it.

You see, last week I made what I call "white" pasta: olive oil, black pepper, chili flakes, minced garlic, romano cheese, capers...but I had no prosciutto di Parma on hand, so made do with sliced, fried beef franks. It was really delicious too! Who knew?

Hence the thought this morning. It's nearly time to make pasta in a red sauce and I want to use hot dogs again. They are more affordable than prosciutto but also the last time I bought prosciutto, I packed it sideways in my jute shopping bag. Five days later I picked the bag up to go shopping again, noticed it was unusually heavy, and found the prosciutto tucked in the corner! So annoyed I was!

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View from the kitchen window now that the leaves are thinning out

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Winter is coming apace. Granted, we're still above 10C (50F) and properly sunny, but I don't want to be caught short when frozen water starts falling from the sky.

My friend Chris and I met up on Sunday just for the sake of meeting up. I love how my Houston friends are so simple that way; he had called from work a few days before because he realized he hadn't spoken to me in a week and a half (well, I was out of town...). That is a true friend, you don't have to make an appointment to chat on the phone, and you can arrange impromptu visits.

We had some decent cheeseburgers at the Good Burger Co. off Union Square - just the right size and not too tall to wrap my teeth around. I had the works: cheese, onions, crispy fresh pickle, grilled tomato, mayo, and ketchup on an honest, medium-well-done burger patty. The soft bun was extremely unobtrusive, serving merely as a vehicle to get the fillings into your mouth, rather than the usual hindrance.
The fries were apparently baked not fried, but they were so good I didn't notice the difference. Conclusion: The Good Burger Co. makes good burgers.

Since we always fail at catching the movies we want to see, we have given up on that and were going to randomly walk around until Chris said, "Olivia, I need to get some winter boots!" I said, "So do I!" and as we were just across the Square from DSW Shoe warehouse, I dragged him in and taught him how to choose snow boots. Being Texan, he had no idea. And I only know from buying them a few times in Canada during Christmas visits.

Then he helped me to choose mine. I have never gone shoe shopping with anyone other than me, myself or my mother; certainly not a male friend, but it was fun. If I hadn't had the encouragement or the criticism, perhaps I would have walked out with no boots again, just as I did last month. It was funny though, at the first boot I reached for (a wool-lined dark green suede knee length boot by Merrell) Chris emitted a firm, "No", so I withdrew my hand and retorted, "How very dare you!" But then I got used to the input and ended up with a waterproof suede (seems to be the only thing out there these days) by Sporto with warm and fluffy cuffs. The soles are something to be reckoned with, having tread facing forwards and backwards, like tiny rubber ice picks.

I also bought an awesome pair of leather and waterproofed canvas chukka boots by Timberland because the sneakers I bought in summer are not waterproof or windproof, which in colder weather translates into "leaky and drafty"! The Timberlands almost look bomb proof. Chukkas are similar to the boots worn by British forces in the desert during WWII. Don't worry, I did try on a sexy pair of knee-high brown suede 3-inch heeled pointy boots, except they had no price and were sitting in a clearance box with a worryingly high price tag.



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Ooh I didn't tell you, before I went to Canada, my little chest of drawers finally arrived:



Isn't it cute? Target has free shipping, therefore I love Target.

You guys, look at the boots and look at my dresser...!

I seem to be an odd mix of utility and romanticism, tomboy and sophisticate. I guess that is what comes of being an only child, you have to be everything to both parents...Help dad in the garage, help mum in the kitchen. Play with cars and electronics in my pink bedroom. Study science, study art. Nearly get recruited to the Navy at 18, study at Christies at 25, still want to do both at 31.
It is sometimes a balance; always a conflict.
Who am I???????????

15 comments:

Glo said...

I think boiling gets rid of flavour ~ weiners, that is ~ maybe slice in half and broiled would be better?!

Nice view from your kitchen window!

You are all set up for winter now and you've got me thinking of winter boots too! Great choices you have made, but no surprise there :)

Aww...love the chest of drawers. What are its dimensions?

Embrace the wonder of all the parts that make you uniquely you...you have it all covered ~ yin and yang.

Kk said...

nice blog!
like ur potos of paris

Um Naief said...

you are you... and that's what makes you so fabulous. :)

i love the boots. they'll serve you well this winter. i think i would still want the high heeled ones though!! :)

i love the chest from Target. aaahhhh, i miss Target.

i was a tomboy growing up and played w/ barbies... but never wanted to join the navy!

that cheeseburger makes me want one... yum. never tried grilled tomatoes on one... that sounds much better than the non-grilled variety. i was going to make veggie burgers today for lunch w/ these fab fries, but they're super frozen and only have a handful.. so maybe later.

i do the same as you... put things in my purse and will forget about it, then when i pick it up, it's spilled or gone bad.

the sauce sounds all too delicious! i think i'd like to try it. naief loves white sauce.

meimei said...

hey liv, nice boots. We havn't got any snow yet, but I am preped to.

I liked the view from your house

The Moody Minstrel said...

I seem to be an odd mix of utility and romanticism, tomboy and sophisticate. I guess that is what comes of being an only child, you have to be everything to both parents.

And THAT, m'lady, is precisely why you have this odd mix of regular visitors hanging around like members of your court.

My first glance at that chest of drawers said, "Laura Ashley?" But no...TARGET???!? I've only been in one Target in my life, and it was in Australia. How embarrassing...

Timberland! Those are REAL boots! You never cease to amaze me! (Oh, and while we're at it, could you please mail me one of those Good Burger Co. burgers?)

neena maiya (guyana gyal) said...

I think we can be everything and anything we want to be, a mixture, a blend, that's what I like about visiting here, your blog.

I'm shamelessly scruffy at home but I love dressing up to go out...and I like being rugged.

Olivia said...

Glo - broiling would be better, but the frying was convenient and faster I suppose.

The dresser: Height 27.5 in (70cm) x Width 20 in (50cm) x Depth 12 in (30cm).

It's so funny that there you are up there in BC and you haven't got winter boots yet! Get on it, Glo, before the snow. :) (That rhymed.)

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Bobby - welcome! What photos of Paris...?

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Um Naief - thank you for the positive note :)

Gah! I know! I still want heely boots, but not priced more than, say $80 so yay for the DSW sale rack.

I missed Target soooo much when I was in London, as you probably heard me whining before. However, I've been to the Target store here in Bklyn a couple of times and am not too impressed. The physical stores in Texas are much better and I hear they don't compare here so well. However, online is ace it's just that I like to touch things before I buy them, so this ordering this dresser was such a leap of faith for me. I think I considered it for weeks before finally going ahead with it.

The pasta doesn't have an actual sauce, it's a really lazy dish. I suppose you could add all the ingredients to mozzarella and milk in a roux base if you want a sauce...

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Mich - no snow yet in St John's? I am surprised! But I bet it's pretty frigid up there now.

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Minstrel - and I love my regular visitors. I don't know what I would do without you guys!

Hehe! A chest like that from Laura Ashley would probably cost 5 times more but then be of equally high quality.
This little one is good enough for my socks n undies. The drawers are velvet lined and I really like that.

Why do I amaze you with my boots!?!?

I wish I could send you a Good Burger. I suppose you only have the main burger joints out there?

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Guyana Gyal - well, thank you for the compliment.

Everyone is shamelessly scruffy at home, right? That's why it's home, a place where we can hide from the world and be ourselves.

Anonymous said...

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I exciterated today!!! (Nice drawers by the way - ooer missus! LOL) xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Anonymous said...

Like the shoes you have bought for yourself.

Miss Dallas said...

You should be asking, "What am I?" instead, and the answer should always be "Fabulous!"

Your boot choices really surprised me! Honestly, I like skirts and tights in the winter, so I would have gone with the knee boots. I'm jonesing for a pair of flat-soled knee boots, either in a nice green or a broken in brown leather. DSW has no shortage of stunners!

I'm a little dissappointed that there's no burger shot! C'mon! Let's see more food pr0n!

Anonymous said...

Liv, your photo out the kitchen window looks crisp. We have our usual So Cal fall. I can wear sweaters to school now, but its mainly because the air conditioning is too cold :) Your comments about the burger were really too good. Now I want one!!! Nice post. Oh yes, your little cabinet is very cute.

Olivia said...

Diva - every girl needs some pretty drawers, right? *nudge nudge wink wink*

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

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Jo - ok :)

I do have cute boots! Just not high heeled at the moment.
I like skirts and tights in winter too, well, rainy English winter, so from there I brought my pebble leather riding boots, my Courreges-style back-zip knee highs, and my calf-height black suede one inch heeled boots. They are all between one and 3 years old and serving me well, but I didn't have anything heavy duty enough for snow or slush.

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BH - between what you and Jo have said I want that burger again myself! I promise pics next time I eat ANYTHING noteworthy!

CafeMark said...

Am I allowed to say nice boots? If not I'll just say - Nice blog, always a pleasure to pop by. But they are nice boots! :)
Cafecortado

AmitL said...

Hi,Olivia-guess what?I can finally see all the pics on your blog..did you change over from flickr,I wonder??And,what nice pics-the first one from Central Park,then the lovely view from your kitchen window(I'd love to stay in such a green zone),some deadly boots,and,lastly,the intriguing chest of drawers...good going!!And,the last para-well,that's what makes you unique,you know-the mix of utility,romanticism,tomboyish,sophisticate,honest and simple,interesting and always on the lookout for a change!!:)So,let me say'just remain yourself,always!'

Rick Rockhill said...

What a lovely post Olivia. Oh- and nice post about the veterans