visions of clarity...do as infinity

Monday, May 19, 2008

Springing in Spring!

Hello!

^_^ I finished my first exam of this semester today so I'm in a good mood.=D [This does not, in any way, reflect upon what I will get for the exam. That sort of information is totally irrelevant in this context.] I'm baking brownies! Yay!

Anyway, today is another BEAUTIFUL day. A bit windy and cold but nevertheless, beautiful!!! ^_^

I took these pictures on another sunny day that was slightly warmer than today.=P But still, they SORT OF recreate what today is like!!! ^_^ I love spring when it isn't raining.=)

The Clock Tower by the MLB and Hill Auditorium!

The Diag when everyone comes out to enjoy the sun!

An afternoon nap under the shady trees.=)

Beautiful tulips are blooming everywhere right now.=) Along with a whole host of other gorgeous spring flowers!

Besides the gorgeous beauty of Ann Arbor's university campus, here are some shots at the absolutely amazing Lake Michigan beach in Holland, Michigan.=)

The pier, at the end are tons of fishermen and people just walking around and enjoying the scenery.=)

Fishermen out in their boat on the lake in the sunset.=) It's almost 9pm by the way, hence the setting sun.

A wide view of the pier.^_^ The sand at the beach is amazingly soft and smooth by the way.. I definitely should go visit Rachel again and play at the beach! ^_^

I'm afraid I'm not doing the scenery much justice with my terribly amateurish shots.. =X I picked the best ones I had already and I still feel that they don't capture the ... awe-inspiring scenes we saw in real life..

Besides scenery in Michigan, we've been cooking for ourselves and have already had several larger gatherings.=D It's fun to cook for a larger number of people [max 6-8 is the best] but the preparation work is tough too.xP Still, I love cooking and despite all the trials and tribulations, have had a few successes! ^_^ Of course, this couldn't be done without the help of my friends and friendly kitchen co-workers! Hehe.

Steamed Minced Pork on top of Fish Tofu.^_^ The minced pork was leftover from our wanton making. Delicious!

Due to requests, custard puffs made with chouquette dough! ^_^ It's basically the same thing but I like my custard puff to be a bit softer than chouquettes.=P I must learn to make the Beard Papa/Zettai Kareshi versions!!! [ie: The crackly-top Japanese version that is huge and filled with the most gorgeously smooth and rich vanilla bean pastry cream.]

Courtesy of Ted, these are just some of the pineapple tarts we made as a thank-you gift to Rachel's family for letting us invade their home once again.^_^ They were delicious by the way, John Yap's family's recipe is fabulous!!! Now, if only I could remember my own family's recipe.. Ahem ahem.

With all this cooking, I am determined to learn all the Cantonese dishes I can remember [or write down] once I get home! ^_^ Especially how to make soup. *coughs* It'll be useful in winter.;) Of course, I also want to learn to make all the Nonya dishes from daiguma! =D =D =D Ahh!! I LOVE COOKING. And eating of course. But nothing can beat the process of creation when a lump of something can turn into something beautiful that will make somebody happy.^_^

Ahh.. The warmth and richness of the chocolate is drifting over here, the smell leaking out of the oven.^_^ The texture of the brownie batter was rather different today from the usual but.. Let's see how it turns out.=)

Anyway, all this spring weather calls for a new template which I will work on.. erm.. soon! ^_^ When I'm not cooking, doing my work or updating the food blog, I will work on it.;)

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : Tsubomi Kobukuro]
[mood : ^_^]
[food : GRANOLA!]

Jiamin: Bish! I don't have time to wax lyrical about everything as I usually do.=( So sad!!! O well. Is this post better? =D

Labels: Ann Arbor, baking, cooking, edibles, flora, Holland Michigan, Michigan, umich

Welcome

visions of clarity...do as infinity
by witchstone

My Emotible!
starry-eyed: filled with such youthful hope and optimism that one's eyes twinkle even when it's dark

Wish List

ie: motivation to save money!
- clothes
- shoes [heels! boots!]
- the perfect tote
- coats/outerwear! [Soïa & Kyo, Burberry...]
- Gackt - nine*nine
- Gackt Photobooks:
1 The Gift The Sixth Day & Seventh Night Tour Document (2004)
2 Crescent Photobook (out of print)
- Cookbooks!
1 Thomas Keller The French Laundry Cookbook
2 The Nobu Cookbook
3 Emily Luchetti A Passion for Desserts
4 Alice Medrich Pure Dessert
- Anime/Manga
1 Rurouni Kenshin
2 xxxHOLiC
3 Tsubasa -RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE-
- Proficiency at Japanese!
- Learn French for Food!

Links

My Flickr Page
spoonerisms*inc a food blog (by wendy & I)
my translation blog

witchstone...

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Checklist: EAT!

The Common Grill, Chelsea
The Black Pearl, Ann Arbor
Good Girls Go To Paris Crepes, Detroit
Bella Ciao, Ann Arbor
Craft, NYC
Momofuku, NYC
Alinea, Chicago
The French Laundry, California
Goto, Singapore

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