Pasta and Saucea

I’m planning on making pasta this weekend and using this sauce which everyone and their protégés have blogged about. But first, I have to find the right pasta recipe for myself – with the perfect egg/flour ratio. In my quest for this I came upon these wonderful food blogs and chose a picture from each to represent them.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being Hungry:


Mmmmmarshmallows! I just found a few weeks ago what gelatin really was. How sad for me.

Also - here are two other sites, but they aren't really heavy on the beautiful photos, sorry!

What’s for dinner tonight?:

Brooklyn Home Companion:

I will try to remember to take pictures of my adventures and post them for you (but really… no promises). I get hungry and forget about everything else. Tonight I’m having curry! But it isn’t homemade – so there is not point to taking pictures. But, if you like quick delicious curry “Curry Simple” sells delicious bases that you can add your own protein/veggies to. My favorite things to add are fried tofu, bell peppers, and potatoes served over basmati rice. Mmmm…. Looking forward to it right now.

The Photodiarist

Some of the photos from The Photodiarist definitely give me the creeps (like the one below), but most of them I find impressive. I love people watching and figuring out people's habits, quirks etc. Right now at the gym it is couples season - where couples have to sweetie this and baby that until they can finally do a lunge correctly. Gross.


Likes: Cool Photos, didn't really read any of the writing... because I read the title of the blog...
Dislikes: I wish there were more in motion pictures.

Also - I have finished Books 2 and 3 of the New Year!

#2: Invisible Monsters by Chuch Palahniuk. Thoughts? It was weird, compelling, predictable (and yet not). All in all a decently entertaining super short book.

#3: I love you, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle. It was a Youth in Revolt wanna be with too many explicit sexual innuendos. I went to high school - and this isn't it.

Sleep Talkin' Man

Sleep talkin man is hilarious. No joke - laugh out loud, repeat to your friends, put as your facebook status funny.

Here are a few lovely excerpts:

"My badger's gonna unleash hell on your ass. Badgertastic!"
(I also love his wife's notes on this: Karen's note: Yeah, I know, "Badgertastic" will have to go on a t-shirt. And no, I cannot explain the recurrence of badgers in Adams sleep-talk. Adam claims he has only seen a badger once in his life,, although we watch LOADS of nature shows.)

"I want to be a cowboy. I don't want to be a panda. Pandas are boring, stupid and boring. Bad panda!"

"Shhhhhhhhh. shhhhhhhhh. I'm telling you: your voice, my ears. A bad combination."

"Legs time! Everybody get your legs!"

"My vision of hell is a lentil casserole."

and finally.

"I can't control the kittens. Too many whiskers! Too many whiskers!"

Pajiba

For your under the radar but hilarious pop-culture blog you can always consult pajiba. Sure, I'm a smart girl who can talk to you about politics, world issues (depending on how recently I've read up on them), literature, and a little bit about philosophy - but I am just well rounded enough to talk to you for hours about movies, celebrities and all other things pop-culture.

It will always be my go-to topic in any awkward social situation - and I suggest that it be yours as well!

TGIFriday

Funny Friday is here again... and I only have one thing to say: Annoying Coworker is hilarious.

Let me show you a few excerpts -

" Dude...you sit like 2 feet away from me and I'm really sick of watching you pick your nose frantically before someone catches you! Just an FYI - I can see you in my peripheral vision ALL the time!! "

" Will you please stop cleaning your ears with the paper clips??? That is so gross!! "

"STOP CHANTING!! It's like sitting next to Rainman. All day long 6, 6, 6....by the way, we all agree that YOU ARE THE DEVIL. Please go somewhere else. "

and let's not forget this one which may have been dedicated to my sister

"You are not a Barbie Girl! Stop singing that ridiculous song!"

Enjoy.

The Treasure Trove

ifoundsometreasure is a somewhat cool site. It is written by Eloise (a name I can always appreciate) who lives in Berlin. She finds (mostly) photography which is beautiful and displays it on her site like these photos:

Like this beautiful one by Paul Villinski.

And this one of a SPA. A beautiful spa that is heated and has underwater soothing music and a round pool… or something.

Likes: It is your basic look in awe blog. I love all the pretty pictures!

Dislikes: I wish that it drew me back for other reasons than to look at pretty photography- add a dimension or two.

On My Desk

I just recently purchased a desk and have been looking for desk chairs to accompany my desk because the wooden dining table chair has proven to be both unstable and uncomfortable. Through my desk chair searching I stumbled upon a blog simply about things onmydesk. Brilliant! Now I can pry into people's personal lives while getting inspiration for what to do with my own at home workspace. I would share a picture of my own… but I literally just got my desk a week ago and nothing much is on it yet.

I tried out a desk chair just like this one at Ikea an

d it was awfully uncomfortable - cheap but not worth the physical therapy bills.

This is more what I would be going for if I had a bit more space/light/time/creativity.



Likes: Already stated, pry into what people stare at for hours on end - also, get some neat storage ideas.


Dislikes: Everyone who submits their workspace are just doing it to promote their blogs. I wish we could get some everyday people in here…

My Paper Place

Is it just me or are ALL blogspot blogs - crafty? Is there some trend I just now discovered… I need to look into this more. Quilters, Knitters, and Stamp-Tramps all over the place! Most of thegalblog-blog reminds me of White Oleander - where the daughter creates these art project to represent things…or something. It's been several years since I read that book.

Also a trend- if a blogspot blog has music… it's going to be Christian music.

Speaking of which- just finished Book #1 for 2010 - Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffeneggar. I'd get this one from the library as opposed to owning. A good read, but not a re-read.

Let's get on to the real blog of the day: mypaperpalace. It is a relatively unknown site with nice card ideas. I feel like card making is a hot new trend right now. I don't personally make any cards, but I see a lot of paper/card shops… and that has to mean something, right? Also, she's from Chile originally, very cool.

Likes: She tells you how she makes everything, and what kinds of stamps she uses. Also, lots of cutesy card ideas and other quirky card ideal like this terrifying gem:

Dislikes: Maybe too much cutesy stuff for my taste and occasionally uses LOLs.

Funny Friday

I will try to post a funny site (that you can waste your time on Casual Fridays with). Exciting? I think so.

While I can sort of relate to this because my mom DID join facebook, she is almost computer illiterate and hasn't updated her profile since she joined six months ago. So, myparentsjoinedfacebook is funny, but I can't exactly relate.

Likes: Every one's situation is different - so seeing that other families are dysfunctional brings me both comfort and joy.

Dislikes: The layout and the fact that what is funny about the situation is highlighted… I'm a fairly intelligent/clever person and I think I can grasp what is funny about a situation myself.

And to close - this beautiful image of Diabeetus Cat, which always makes me laugh. This is the Wilford Brimley of cats.

The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Okay, I know - gasp another food blog right in a row! It isn't my fault that I like food and I write when I'm hungry.

Anywho - The Way the Cookie Crumbles, has delicious inventive recipes that I've actually tried (sorry... no photos of the ugly dishes I concocted.) But I do have some yeast in my fridge... and maybe I'll make some of these English Muffins soon. I can't promise that my photos are going to be fantastic... my camera is a pink girly thing not a fancy SLR.

I have legitimately made this Vegetable Curry. It was easy and delicious. I fed off of it for an entire week and made my co-workers a little smellier for it.

Likes: Delicious looking food with step by step photos, which really help when you've never made anything like it before.

Dislikes: I could not for the life of me, figure out how to contact the blogger Bridget to ask her about her blog or photos. I enjoy food... but I like having a little information about the blogger's personal life as well.

Orangette

Orangette - a beautiful blog in a nutshell. Your basic food blog with great writing. I love the pictures and their polaroid likeness. I feel as though I'm not trendy enough to get away with making my photos polaroided. So I will simply have to just put in some of my favorite pictures from Orangette's blog:

Take these tomatoes for example - don't they look beautiful? I don't even like tomatoes that much and I want to eat these. And check out these French Macaroons:

Don't they look divine? I have yet to have a French Macaroon (how lower class of me... yes, I know). I promise to try one soon-ish. I hear they melt in your mouth and I always love sugary things that do that. Like Cotton Candy from a state fair.

Likes: She's a native of Oklahoma City (as am I) and moved elsewhere to make her life (ditto again). She has used her popularity online to make a book, have a column in a popular food magazine... and start a small restaurant. If I ever return to Seattle, I want to try it.

Dislikes: Now that she has her restaurant and is super busy with other important things... she doesn't blog as much.

*Update! I found out she actually uses Polaroids and not just a program to make them Polaroids.

Design*Sponge

Alright, let's start off on a good foot with one of my favorite blogs. When all other things on the internet are boring, uninteresting, or ugly, I can always trust Design*Sponge. Written by a young, hipster Martha Stewart, this blog covers super cute weddings, cards, re-finishing furniture and occasionally foodie things.

Honestly though? I don't check this blog but every few weeks when I can gorge on a 50+ posts at once.

Likes: Her wedding everything. Sample photos*:

Yes, creepy little people on top, but so simple and delicious looking WITHOUT fondant (disgusting stuff).

The entertainment - a banjo? Genius.

Her wedding was so great that she has five posts about it as seen here: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five

Dislikes: Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of posts in a day! And sometimes there is too much crafty stuff. I'm not a crafter, but I can appreciate small doses of it.

*Great photos can be credited to: Bethalee

New Year's Resolutions

Alright, my New Year's Resolutions include:

• Cover at least 100 blogs this year (and hopefully find some new favorites)
• Read at least 50 books... really unattainable goal.
• Try to cook some of the recipes I find through blogs, and attempt to make them look like a food stylist lives with me.
• Be healthy, happy, and laugh a lot.

First blog review coming soon!