Monday, December 14, 2009

calm descends



Finally, our cats have grown to tolerate each other.

They even accept each other's quirks, though begrudgingly. Mivi allows Marlo, the kitten, to encroach on her food bowl after Marlo has gulped down her half of the Turkey Souffle Fancy Feast (or whatever froofroo cat food D.'s Mom sent us) in a crazed frenzy (this cat is going to be big!). Marlo grooms Mivi's head patiently, licking as directed by the changing angles Mivi tilts it.

There is still some hissing and apparent jealousy. But, as of now, this seems okay.

the old man and the car

It's Sunday afternoon. I'm walking to a baby shower in Berkeley, up a quiet street lined with lovely houses and trees, and the air is heavy with the scent of rain.

It's also raining. But only sort of. Just a drizzle, but the dark grey sky is threatening to soak.

I've just gotten off BART and I'm a bit disoriented, not sure if I'm heading in the right direction, which is important to know when you're walking in the rain, late for a party, and holding a bag of mini cupcakes.

I notice a man walking nearby and ask him if I am heading in the direction of Telegraph.

"You are," he answers. "This is my car here," he quickly adds. "I'm heading that way right now and happy to give you a ride.'

The man is older, wearing sophisticated glasses and a jaunty hat. He has the air of a history professor, and the address of one, for that matter (in a quaint Berkeley neighborhood). But yet, on instinct, I laugh and shake my head. "No thanks," I say, lightly. "But thank you."

"Well, you're welcome," he says, the emphasis put on 'welcome' -- meaning, I gather, that I am welcome into his car.

But again I shake my head and smile, trudging on. He smiles too, but there is a sadness in it. He gets into his car and drives off.

About 15 minutes later, two blocks from my destination, it begins to pour, and I scamper to the party a wet mess, my hair soaked from brown to black.

I've been thinking about that kind man and his kind offer. Had I accepted, I could have saved ten minutes and an afternoon of moist footwear. But... I can't help but wonder... what if? I'm sorry, I want to tell him, that I can't accept your kindness. And I'm sorry that this world has become a place where I can't comfortably accept it. I think the sadness in his smile was for that, for the fact that a young woman in this day and age can't even trust in the kindness of strangers.

Should I have taken the ride? Have I watched too much "Law and Order" or, let's face it, CNN?

I'm not sure.

another cute calendar


I happen to be in the market for a calendar. I don't think I realized until very recently how much having a calendar right next to my workspace reassures me. There's something about seeing the days stacked in neat, organized rows that helps me wrap my head around the passage of time, and feel like the coming month might actually make some sense.

I felt very threatened today when I saw that my calendar was coming to an end. And apparently we may not be getting new ones. (Can anyone say budget cuts?)

I am told I can make a request for one. But forget that! I want a beautiful one. Something that will fill my bizarre need to see time as boxes, and also add some color to my (still barren, though I've been working there a month) wall.
A calendar like the one above.
I love the way that artist Jen Oaks evokes the different seasons using images of women and buildings; she gets a lot of symbolic mileage (and lovely colors) from a change in outfit or weather.
Lovely, lovely, lovely!
It's available for $26 at her etsy shop:

Or... maybe you'll be lucky and win one at Bright Yellow World. (But hopefully not luckier than me).

Sunday, December 6, 2009

random colorful things

It's hard to believe that I haven't posted on here in so long. Getting used to working full time and having a long commute is tougher than I expected, and a lot of things have fallen by the wayside (still cooking a lot, but baking bread... not so much).

It's a bit of a grey day here, so I'm posting some random colorful things. I'm not looking forward to my morning commute (which includes a half hour of walking) in the rain tomorrow, so I'm looking at some things to cheer me up.



Adorable book with lovely photos. I want to learn how to make macarons!
Cute, colorful organizer



I think this cutting board would make chopping vegetables a more whimsical experience.

Love, love, love this necklace, but it's already been sold. Sigh.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

lovely calendars


I love, love, love these innovative calendars by artist Claire Nereim, depicting California fruits and flowers that are in season each month. They're absolutely gorgeous (love the pops of color!), and they present a really nice way of thinking about the seasons.

I'm in the midst of decorating and I think these will be lovely for my kitchen. Eagerly awaiting my first paycheck!

(Her blog has lots of interesting images too!)

Saturday, November 7, 2009

L@TE night magic


The picture doesn't do the event justice, unfortunately.

Last night, the Berkeley Art Museum held its first in a series of late night events, with pianist Terry Riley performing in the middle of a huge, open gallery space, surrounded by an audience perched on chairs and sprawled on pillows and blankets.

It was fun to watch him play, and even more interesting to watch the people watch him play -- heads poking out of the higher galleries, people cuddled on the floor, some smiling, some with intense frowns...

I don't think my description does it justice either. Well, it was a magical mood, ethereal and exciting.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

gratuitous food photos

I started work! I am officially employed. It's weird to have a set schedule again. I'd gotten used to this feeling of being on a long vacation, making my day up as I go along. Don't have too much energy, but luckily, I have some things to post.

Which are: A few simple, awesome, delicious meals! D. and I have done a bit of cooking in recent days. No exciting recipes to speak of though... just simple stuff thrown together randomly.

#1: Pupusas


Mix Maseca and water to make dough, stuff in some grilled chicken, cheese and onion and form into a flat pouch. Grill until brown.


#2: Garlic Fish with Homemade Salsa Salad:


Super simple. Just put some fish, butter and garlic in a foil pouch and throw it in the toaster oven for awhile. Serve with some salsa (tomato, garlic, cilantro, onion, lime, Tabasco) over lettuce.


#3: Honey Ginger Garlic Chicken with Gnocchi

This one is D.'s recipe, but I can vouch for its fantasticness. In a foil pouch, coat chicken with ginger and garlic (thinly sliced), then douse it in some honey and lemon and toaster oven that sucker. We served it with some Trader Joe's gnocchi. Nice!!!


Last but not least, a completely gratuitous shot of a kitten eating cake.


You're welcome.

Monday, October 26, 2009

moving, a kitten and other things

It's been a crazy week. My life suddenly feels very different in one big burst and I don't know that I've entirely caught up. It's exciting, but also kind of jarring. Even when things are new for the better, they are still new, and that takes a bit of adjustment. I'll get there.


The apartment is fantastic so far. Loving the big windows, taupe walls with white detailing of vintage-y flowers and ladies waggling ribbons. Love the big kitchen and miiiiiles of closets where I can see all my clothing at once (somewhat of a scary proposition -- I think I am in desperate need of a clean out). Though the new neighborhood is somewhat sketchy (the Tenderloin), D. and I have been loving all the cheap, fantastic food. It is unreal how good one can eat around here at a reasonable price. Plus, the gas in our stove is not hooked up yet, so we have an excuse to pad our bellies with Vietnamese sandwiches from various shops within a few blocks' walk (unreal!). The gas is being installed tomorrow, though, so we will soon be excuse-less and haven't even made a dent in local grub. I'm sure we'll come up with a series of new excuses shortly.


Something else to gush about: Marlo, our new kitten. We decided now that we will likely be settled down for awhile in a place with cat-friendly windowsills and enough floor space to accommodate vigorous chases and play fights, it's time to get Mivi a best friend. Mivi, however, was not pleased with this arrangement. Over the past several days, she has relented some, with less vigorous hissing and increasingly half-hearted neck biting. Yesterday, they were both sleeping and we pushed them together for a photo op. It was terribly cute to watch their bellies rise and fall together, Mivi's whiskers twitching in a vigorous dream. Then she woke up and noticed there was an intruder on her midsection and was not amused. Anyway, we're taking baby steps.


Another exciting thing: D. and I painted a mirror. I really like decorating with mirrors and so this one was sort of a test run for a series I hope to do. We found it at a Goodwill store with a rather large chip and a price of $3.49 (arbitrarily decided by the woman at the register who told us that she wanted to give us a good price even though she was sure it was worth a lot more -- won't argue with that!). We sanded down the wood (which was painted in a shiny gold tone), filled in the hole with putty, and gave it two coats of high-gloss green spray paint. I love, love, love how it came out, and it was only about $10 total. Not bad.


That's all for now. Much more to write and much more to do!

Friday, October 16, 2009

moving!





We're moving tomorrow.

I picked up the keys today and strolled through the apartment. It smelled like paint and was full of light. The living room has huge windows and the bedroom is round, which is awesome. There's also a drool-worthy amount of closet space, which is far too exciting to me to be completely normal.

I'm really excited about buying furniture and decorating, but we are also most certainly on a strict budget, so making any major purchase is somewhat scary. For the time being, I'm stalking Craigslist.

I'll be updating my decorating decisions as the place progresses!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

favorite videos: little girls making stuff up

Whenever I need a smile, I find myself coming back to these videos; within minutes, I'm cheered right up! These are some creative little ladies.














Tuesday, October 6, 2009

love. this. shirt.


Love this T-shirt from Threadless. Nothing more to say.

Monday, October 5, 2009

cooking ideas: turkey chili


This weekend, chewing was not on the agenda. D. had an infection in his tooth and spent his time alternately moaning and drifting in and out of a Vicodin-induced slumber.

He was also extremely hungry but not able to chew very well.

So, on Saturday, I made goulash (which has been written about in this space before -- and which I will not elaborate on, partly because I ate so much goulash that I can't even think about it at this moment).

On Sunday, D. requested more goulash. I laughed in his face and offered a compromise: turkey chili.

Did you know how awesome turkey chili is? It's so awesome! And I'm fairly certain it's healthy too, which is a bonus. It's also, the way I made it at least, super easy to make.

Here you go:

Turkey Chili

a pound of ground turkey
a big onion
5 cloves of garlic (or less if you are a wimp!)
a can of black beans
a can of kidney beans
a can of stewed tomatoes with diced chiles
a can of corn
a small can of tomato sauce
paprika
pepper
Tabasco sauce

1. Brown the turkey with chopped up onions and garlic.
2. Add the beans, tomatoes, corn and tomato sauce. Sprinkle in paprika, pepper and Tabasco to taste.
3. Simmer for a good hour or so!

This is not unhealthy, right? And for any lazy readers (or those with toothaches), not only is it simple to make, it also requires minimal chewing effort.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

cooking ideas: sad mouth pudding

"Sandwiches?! Why would anyone need -- OUCH!"

D. is flipping through a cookbook, on the verge of asking a question about sandwiches that will never be answered. His head is in his hands and he's gasping in pain.

He has an abscess; his tooth is filled with pus. I know this because I spoke to his dentist on the phone about it (at almost 11 pm on a Saturday night -- nice service, doc!). When the dentist informed me that D. was in such intense pain due to the aforementioned pus putting pressure on his tooth, I acted on instinct, replying, "Eew, that's gross." The dentist paused before continuing to advise me on how to treat his patient (my patient). I felt a smidgen of judgment in his pause, but come on, that *is* pretty gross. There are places that pus is acceptable (just barely), and there are places it should never be. Your mouth is one of those places.

So, D.'s sentences have been punctuated with pain, spite and confusion these past couple of days (the confusion being a side effect of Vicodin, apparently). He is also drowsy and not able to chew effectively.

I'd like to note here that it feels like autumn today, maybe for the first time this year. I think I'd forgotten about California's fall; it's so calm as it creeps in (unlike in New York or Japan where it crashes upon you with rain showers and evenings that get dark absurdly early). The combo of the changing seasons and D.'s near inability to chew means that it has made a lot of sense to spend the weekend preparing and eating stew.

But that's another post.

After consuming stew, D. still appeared forlorn. He clutched his mouth and moaned. I wanted to make something delicious for him.

And I am happy to report, using just three ingredients, I succeeded!


Sad Mouth Pudding

one banana
one individual pack of Kozy Shack Tapioca pudding
two shakes of cinnamon




Mash the banana. Add Kozy Shack and sprinkle on cinnamon in two healthy shakes. Mix thoroughly. Will make a sad mouth slightly happier, if only temporarily.

D.'s root canal is scheduled for Tuesday.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

color love: give it up for grey

I'm going to start posting some favorite items in my favorite colors.

First up is grey, one of my very favorite colors, especially for clothing. Not as harsh as black, easier to match than navy... It's pretty much the perfect neutral.



Lovely light grey mini trench (now on sale!)




Adorable handmade dress




Love the detail on these heels




Cute coat (also on sale!)



This watch is simply fantastic. Love, love, LOVE!




Last but not least: I'm in love with this bolero. You will be mine!

Friday, October 2, 2009

i heart etsy

Some things I'm loving right now at Etsy:



Cute-as-a-button necklace




Sumptuous but adorable purse




Whimsically punkish ring




Fabulous chair




Bright green skirt that makes me smile


Tuesday, September 29, 2009

cooking ideas: sesame green beans

This one is super easy to make and whenever I eat it, I think, "Wow, I should be eating this more often!" And then I proceed to forget all about it until the next time I suddenly have an impromptu green bean flash (which usually happens in Chinatown when I spot a bag of beans for an absurdly low price).

I don't know the technical term for this dish, but I know it's popular in Japan and pops up in bentos all the time. It's also very easy to make, although I can't be completely sure I'm making it correctly. Although, I guess "correct" doesn't really matter in cooking as long as it tastes good.


Sesame Green Beans

Green beans
Sesame seeds
Mirin
Soy sauce
Sugar

1. Snap the ends off the beans and put them in some boiling water for about 5 minutes.

2. Saute some sesame seeds in hot oil until they are brown. If you have a mortar and pestle, smash them. If you do not, bash them uselessly with a spoon until they seem mashed or you lose patience.

3. Mix the mashed seeds with equal parts mirin, soy sauce and sugar (altered as you wish, to taste, usually with a bit more soy sauce). Add the green beans and mix thoroughly.

4. After they cool down enough, put them in the refrigerator. If you can resist, wait a day before eating.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

cooking ideas: goulash

I must begin this post with a disclaimer. This recipe is not mine. D. is the goulash captain; I was merely a sous chef who swept in with a wooden spoon and some paprika when things got hectic. I know what I saw and what I felt as the goulash process took place, but, alas, cannot claim responsibility for the deliciousness that ensued.

(Satisfied, D.?)

Okay, here's the scoop:

Chicken and Beef Goulash

Ingredients:
cabbage
onion
zucchini
garlic
a can of tomato sauce
vinegar
paprika
salt
pepper
chicken drumsticks
beef, cut into bite size chunks ("meat for stewing" -- I don't know specifics)
milk / cream
egg noodles

1. Pan fry chicken, beef, onion and garlic. Transfer into a pot and add water to the pot and boil it for awhile to create a soup stock.
2. Lightly pan fry cabbage, zucchini and more onions. Add them to the pot with the stewing meat.
3. Add a can of tomato sauce and some vinegar, to taste. Add a bunch of paprika, salt and pepper to taste. Add some milk or cream to taste. Let this stew for as long as you can wait until the scent drives you mad with hunger.
4. Boil egg noodles. Serve goulash on top of egg noodles.

This is a truly fantastic meal. The chicken falls off the bone, the cabbage is delightfully sour and the soup is tomatoey, creamy and warm with paprika. Love it!

jealousy



Sometimes, I think my cat has the best possible life.

Actually, most of the time.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

birthday weekend gluttony



I baked a cake for D's birthday using this recipe. I frosted it with store-bought frosting (chocolate) and layered it with slices of strawberry. However, it came out lumpy! Not totally sure why, but I think it has to do with my lack of an electric mixer (which was also the reason for buying, not making, the frosting). We've been slowly working away at it despite the lumps, though at two layers and probably about 7 pounds, it's not a task for the faint of heart (or those who cower at lumps). Wish I could send some to my Mom, whose birthday was today!

Cake is not our only indulgence, not by far! We ate Dim Sum yesterday at Gold Mountain (the best place we've found for it here, though it doesn't hold a candle to Jade Asian in Flushing... sigh...). And for dinner? Crab! I bought two crabs from a stand at Fisherman's Wharf and we proceeded to terrorize their lifeless limbs with gusto that would have been inappropriate in public (hence, the decision to eat at home).

And... just now I had another little indulgence, pictured below.



These are peaches soaked in a fruity, sweet white wine, an inspiration from Orangette.

One word: Wow.

Another two words: Make this.

I want to eat and drink this every day, and dream about it when I am asleep.

Hope everyone had as succulent a weekend as we did, and hope 24 Hour Fitness is ready for me!

Sunday, August 30, 2009

cooking ideas: pizza


I've been baking a lot of pizza lately and it's led me to swear off delivery pizza forever. I doubt this decision will stick (delivery pizza, after all, is pretty much unbeatable on some occasions). But that's how good homemade pizza is. It's so much better and less oily than pizza that someone would bring to your door, and there's the benefit of getting to customize exactly what you want on it and in what amount. So, if at all possible, pizza I consume from here on out will be made by my hands.

My plan is to keep some pizza dough frozen at all times and stewed tomatoes stocked in the cupboard. If those two items are on hand, then it's just silly not to make a pizza.

Here's the basic idea:

Pizza dough (from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything)

3 cups flour
2 teaspoons yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 to 1 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Combine the yeast, flour, and salt, then add 1 cup of water and oil.
2. Mix, adding more water until the mixture forms a ball and is slightly sticky.
3. Form into a smooth round ball. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise until it doubles in size (1-2 hours). At this point, I divide the dough into two pieces (one piece is enough for a medium pizza) and freeze them or bake one and freeze one as needed. If you freeze it, wrap it up tightly in plastic wrap.
4. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Oil a circular pan and spread the dough out. Spread more oil thinly on top of the dough.
5. Add tomato sauce (see below), toppings and cheese.
6. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes (or until the bottom of the crust is nice and brown).


Casual tomato sauce

1 can of stewed tomatoes
1 small onion
3 or 4 cloves of garlic
oregano, salt, pepper to taste
a spoonful of sugar
a bit of red wine (if available)
Tabasco sauce to taste (if available and enjoyable to you)
fresh basil (if available)
ground beef, browned in a separate skillet (if desired)

1. Sautee diced onion and garlic for a few minutes, then add other ingredients.
2. Simmer on stove -- the longer the better!

The pizza pictured above has meat sauce and four (that's right, four!) types of cheese that just happened to be on hand: ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan and queso fresco. It was fantastic. And since all I had to do was defrost the dough, chop some veggies, boil the sauce and then throw the whole thing together, it took next to no time.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

cooking ideas: cranberry nut bread



I made cranberry nut bread using this recipe yesterday. I added about a teaspoon of vanilla extract and maybe a quarter cup of honey. It was good, but not quite as moist as I had hoped. Hmm...

Next, I'm going to hunt down a recipe for olive and cheese bread, as per D.'s request.

mystery cat





Our cat caught her first mouse, and since then, she's changed.

She has a new demeanor. A sense of power and pride, of authority. I think this is some type of ritual every cat must experience, part of the change from kitten to cat. Our baby has grown up.

In other news, we have mice.

They live in our oven. Or under our oven. Somewhere near the oven where we can hear them squeaking and rummaging and (disgusting revelation alert) we can smell them when we bake. Yes, I use the oven. I will not let the mice win. But when I bake up my yummy breads (cranberry orange nut loaf yesterday, for example), the alluring smell of baking dough is tinged with the not too alluring smell of urine-infused mouse death. Not quite the odor I'm going for with this whole baking thing.

Our cat has started a nightly stakeout in front of the oven. If you sneak up on her and abruptly turn the lights on, sometimes you can catch her snoozing on the job, and she'll open up her eyes really big and look at you as if to say, "Me? Not sleeping! I'm hunting mice!" I've gotten so used to it that a few nights ago, I got kind of upset with her for slacking off when I woke up to find the kitchen tiles speckled with tiny brown pods of mouse poop. I approached her and accused of her of shirking her duties when D. admitted he'd locked her in the bedroom overnight (I think he misses her sleeping next to him). I felt bad that I had chastised the cat for not doing her job. Then I felt weird that I thought my cat had a job.

Well.

And, so, yes! She caught one. It was tiny and not entirely dead when D. found the cat sitting near it, watching it expectantly. Because I am a girl, I made him dispose of it. It was sad. The mouse was cute. It made me wonder why one four-legged furry creature is my precious angel (although, apparently, only when gainfully employed) and another one is a disgusting intruder that must be annihilated. The answer, of course, is that mice are gross. But I'm not entirely sure why.

D. disposed of the mouse but was pretty broken up about it. He returned dejected from the trash area downstairs where he laid the beast to rest in a spaghetti box.

Our cat still performs her daily vigils, sitting a little taller since her kill, more of a lion in her. There is a small hole in the woodwork near the oven that leads somewhere into the wall, behind the oven perhaps, or inside it. I don't know, but I know that it's a portal to the world of the mice. It's a tight squeeze for her, but she somehow manages to slink her way in and out, her hindquarters showing a bit of resistance as she shimmies them through.

She emerges with a gleam in her eye, her tail arched into a question mark. I don't ask what happens down in that hole, and she, being a cat, does not say.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

cooking ideas: banana bread



I've always liked baking and cooking, but these days I've had an even greater appreciation for it. There is a very specific feeling of accomplishment when you make something with your hands, taking a diverse group of random things (powdery white dust, a few sticky yellow and white blobs, a puff of brown powder) and, in an hour or so, ending up with a very tangible, very delicious product that was not there before. Instant gratification (well, nearly).

This time I made banana bread. I used a recipe from Orangette (which was tough because she seems to have an infinite number of banana bread recipes and they all sound dazzling) and added walnuts. It's moist and nutty and perfect.

Even the cat liked it.


Saturday, August 1, 2009

article: U.S.-Japan relations and the Japanese election

Here's a link to an article I wrote for the Nichi Bei Times:

http://www.nichibeitimes.com/?p=5092


Both Sen. Inouye and Amb. Fujisaki expressed concerns about the future of the relationship between Japan and the U.S. after the Japanese election later this month...

Something to watch!

Monday, July 27, 2009

cooking ideas: loco moco


Tonight I attempted a dish I've long loved: Loco Moco!

It's a Hawaiian dish (apparently), but I've only ever eaten it in Japan. I googled a recipe, but then went with my gut instinct, skipping the gravy, since I'm not a huge fan.

My LM consisted of a layer of rice, sprinkled with pieces of scallions and avocado, then layered with a hamburger and topped with a sunny-side up egg. I fluffed the outsides with tufts of salad leaves, and then swirled some mayonnaise (Kewpie, of course) and ketchup on top.

I tend to mash it all together when I eat it making an unattractive but extraordinarily tasty (and colorful!) mush that goes down like any yummy comfort food. D., a first time LM eater, approached the dish in what he described as a "more gentlemanly" way, but seemed to enjoy it just as much, so I guess there is something to be said for refinement.

I served pumpkin salad on the side, which is made by mashing potato and kabocha, adding onions, scallions, salt, pepper, soy sauce and a good amount of my dear friend Mr. Kewpie. This stuff is so yummy it makes my brain hurt.

cooking ideas: fish tacos



I've been using my days of unemployment to try and learn new things, reading books I've been intrigued by but haven't gotten around to picking up, watching countless Hayao Miyazaki films, taking long strolls, teaching myself HTML code... and, most awesome of all, doing more cooking.

I've always enjoyed cooking, but have, in recent days, been testing new recipes and flavor combinations, with quite pleasant results. Marinating beef in pineapple juice and soy sauce? It works. Substituting miso broth for chicken stock in risotto? Yum!

My favorite recent meal has been salmon soft tacos with homemade salsa. I'm not a stickler for following recipes, but here is my attempt to note the things that I randomly mixed together.

Salsa:
two tomatoes
an onion
the juice of two limes
garlic to taste (a lot, in my case)
scallions
cilantro to taste (again, a lot)
little Thai peppers cut up very small (not small enough sometimes, oops)
Tabasco to taste (some like it hot!)

Mix it all in a bowl and let this chill. Eat it after a couple of hours and wonder why you've not been doing so every day for your entire life.

Tacos:
Salmon
Cheddar cheese
Flour tortillas, soft taco size
Scallions
Avocado (yesss!)
Non-fat sour cream

Get some salmon, put a little salt and pepper on it, and grill it with the lid on. (I am not an expert at this and mine was too raw.) Put a couple of tortillas in your toaster oven until warm. Layer salmon wedges with avocado wedges and sprinkle with cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Add as much salsa as you can fit on top of all that without bursting it.

This is such a simple, healthy meal with so many lovely colors and flavors. You feel like you are being decadent without actually being too bad, which is a bonus.

This salsa is so fabulously delicious that I'm making it again tonight, only four days later. (And not only because I still have all the ingredients remaining and need to use them up!)

My next challenge will be homemade bread.