What a great week! Last week our friends, the Richardsons, from California came for a visit. As part of a longer trip on the East Coast, during which they visited various historical sights from Virginia to Boston, they decided they couldn't resist a stop in the Big Apple to visit us - and we're so glad! Before we got married, Susan spent quite a bit of time at the Richardson house and this visit definitely reminded Susan of how much she enjoyed their company. The kids will all be in high school next year and it was amazing to reminisce about going to watch basketball games when the youngest was in 2nd grade! As Preston was quick to remind me - I really am getting old! It was fun talking with the kids about the highlights of this trip and their latest school experiences; helpful talking with Karen about life and tips for household management; and great talking with Kent getting caught up on the latest news regarding the building project at our old church. It was also a huge blessing having the family here as the girls volunteered to help in the kitchen and Kent cleaned out the screen in our bathroom faucet and increased the quality of life for our neighbors buy purchasing and installing felt for the bottom of our kitchen chairs! We're so glad that our apartment is big enough to allow a family of 5 to visit without it being too squished.

On Friday we went to the city so the girls could do some shopping in Manhattan (I think more for bragging rights at school than anything else!) and then to meet up with Ivan and go to dinner. The girls found some great Tees for school and Karen bought flip flops for me and her. Then, we headed to Ivan's office. Our original plan was to walk to a Puerto Rican restaurant about 15 minutes away. However, by the time Ivan came down, it was pouring rain. Now, I've seen some storms in my life, but it has been a very long time since I've been in such a torrential downpour. We were ill-prepared for the weather (Karen had an umbrella, Kent had a jacket with a hood, and Kailey had a poncho) so we quickly changed our plans to only walk 5 minutes to the Olive Garden. Kent bought two more umbrellas on the way, but we were still soaking wet by the time we arrived. The wait was supposedly an hour, so some of us went to the bathroom to try to dry off. Someone had the fabulous idea to change into the new, dry clothes and flip flops that had just been purchased and it made for a much more comfortable evening. We had a great time eating yummy food (those breadsticks are killer!) and by the time we left the rain had stopped and the sunset was beautiful. We got to go back to Ivan's office and get some great views of the city at night from the upper floors.

We all took some photos, but I can't find my cord to download mine from the camera, so maybe I'll get to add some to this post later or they'll pop up as a Facebook album sooner or later.

Labels: Food, NY

Alas, Claire has departed. It was so nice having her here. Now it's time to return to "normal" life, whether we want to or not. We managed to take Claire to the tofu restaurant while she was here and now, as of last night, we've tried another ethnic local favorite: Korean BBQ. We went with some friends from church as they give you a lot of food and it's not exactly cheap. But boy was it delicious! Each table has essentially a BBQ pit built into it. They bring out about a dozen "side" dishes and then they start BBQing deliciously marinated beef right in front of you. I guess it's so expensive because there were literally 6 waiters hovering around us at all times making sure the beef was cooking to perfection and keeping our plates full. Susan brought her camera, but, alas the batteries were dead, so we didn't get any pictures to document the occasion. If you're ever in NY and have $25 per person to spend, consider some amazing Korean BBQ.

On other fronts, Alexei and his girlfriend left a few weeks ago. Andrei came back and left again last week, and now we have our house all to ourselves. The guests were actually a very good thing for us as it forced us to unpack more boxes to make room for everyone to sleep somewhere. So now the floor is clearly visible in Susan's office and the bookshelves are more full than ever!

Last week Susan invited the pastor's daughters over for some girl time and they had fun eating Subway, baking cookies, writing card to some ladies in the church, and just hanging out. The week before that we went over to the associate pastor's house for dinner with Andrei and we all had a great time, enjoying delicious food and friendly company.

Labels: Food, NY

Disclaimer: it's been 4 months since our last update, so we'll post a few updates to sum up our life since February and post them as if they had just happened, including back dating them!

What a great surprise we received this week! Well, it was a surprise for Susan, but Ivan was in on it the whole time. Claire came to visit!!! Just out of the blue to cheer us up and keep Susan company while Ivan is at work. She came on Thursday and is staying for a couple of weeks! It's so great that Claire's not working at the moment. The timing couldn't be better.

Today we went to a friend's baby shower. Liisa. A friend from high school who is now married and lives in New Jersey. So Claire and Susan got to go there together. They are expecting a little boy and won't tell us what they plan on naming him. He's due in April.

We had a great time seeing Liisa again, although we didn't really know any of the other people - well, one gal was at the Christmas party that Ivan and Susan went to in December and Liisa's sister, Karin, was there - she knows Ivan from college.

So, what was promising to be a horrible week is not going to be marvelous! Thanks, Claire!

Oh, and of course, since Claire LOVES to cook, she introduced us to a great new way to eat cauliflower:

Just sprinkle on some EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) and Mrs. Dash with a pinch of cayenne pepper, rub it around with your hands to mix it and bake at 350F for 45-60 min. D-Lish!

Labels: Food, NY

Yes, I know. A rash of blog postings! What has gotten into us? Well, don't get used to it. Today Susan was cleaning out her office and came across an empty box. The contents at one time (barely 2 weeks ago, in fact) made up a care package sent to us by Susan's family. The great things about care packages from Susan's family is 1. they are guaranteed to contain yummy food, 2. they are guaranteed to contain a few non-food items to brighten your day, and 3. they are guaranteed to come decorated if Susan's sister is in charge of mailing them!!!

What do I mean by "decorated"?

Well, see for yourself:


So many fun stickers!!

As you can see from the photo on the right, we got all sorts of good stuff in this package: Almonds, Beef Jerkey, Chocolate, a card featuring Mom's new dog, Shortbread Cookies, Coconut Macaroon Cookies, Craisins, Gatorade powder, Chocolate-covered Sunflower Seeds, Dove Special Dark Chocolate, Homemade Jam (made by Susan and Uncle David during her visit in October but which couldn't be smuggled onto the plane), Gummy Bears, Homemade Persimmon Cookies, 17 Bean Soup Mix, Sudoku book, Sabrina movie, and a Latin Music Mix CD. Not pictured are copies of the family portraits which we got taken during our Christmas visit as part of our gift to Susan's dad. So as you can see, lots of good stuff to cheer up anyone's day! In fact, the Sudoku book and Gummy Bears came in handy because the very day that we received this package we decided to hop a plane for CA and Susan was able to keep herself occupied with the Sudoku and gummy candy for the entire plane ride. I would dare say that receiving this package was, in fact, a catalyst for our speedy departure to warmer environs. The thought process went something like: "Wow! That's so sweet! I love my family! What are we doing here? Let's go visit them if we can find cheap tickets!"

We love you guys!!

Labels: Food, NY, Quick Trip

Today was another great day to eat out. Last night when we were deciding where to go (we ended up going to Jane's mom's restaurant) another option was to go to Chuckie's (another friend from church) family's pizzeria (Marinellas Pizzeria and Restaurant). We looked at the pizzeria on the map and found that it wasn't that close to home, so we decided to go there today after church when we would have more time to drive there and back again.

We went to the early service, so when we got out there was plenty of time to spare before the pizzeria opened for lunch. Our original intention was to use our GPS to find a mall near the pizzeria and hang out until the restaurant opened. On the way, the road started to look familiar, so we checked "Daniel" (the name of our GPS) and found that the IKEA wasn't far away. We decided to take a detour to IKEA (we need a bookshelf and had previously picked out the one we wanted, but never actually bought it). When we were near IKEA our GPS battery was dying, so Susan quickly jotted down directions from IKEA to the pizzeria and then we turned Daniel off.

We walked out of IKEA with a bookshelf, two end tables, a service tray, and a picture frame - and still had lots of time to spare - so we went to Macy's and then Target looking for clothes for Ivan (although in the end we didn't buy any). Finally, it was time for lunch and we were starving!

We made it to the pizzeria without our GPS and got there just when Chuckie was starting his shift. Ivan decided to get a grilled vegetable salad (lettuce topped with grilled eggplant, peppers, portabellos, etc with a balsamic dressing) while Susan opted for the considerably less healthy sausage, peppers, onion roll (like a calzone, minus the tomato-based sauce - see photo at right from Marinella's website - we forgot to take our camera with us again - grrr!). We also ordered an appetizer of Mozzarella Sticks (which we enjoyed tremendously). The food was fabulous and filling. After we were done the lunch crowd slowed down and we had a chance to visit with Chuckie for awhile. We also got to chat with Chuckie's dad, Anthony Sr., for awhile and he made some fabulous canoli (which Ivan washed down with espresso, which reminded me of the macchiato from Milan). Italian food at it's best (albeit a bit Americanized).

Yet another meal out that left us both completely satisfied, bordering on stuft (or is that stuffed?). We came home and put together the bookshelf that we bought (beware if you've never shopped at IKEA before: you get pretty cheap furniture that you have to put together yourself. If I was McGyver, we could have put it together with a paper clip and some chewing gum, but instead it required two screw drivers and a hammer).

Then, we had to rearrange our living room only to decide in the end that the bookshelf would be better off in our bedroom (which is huge and hardly has any furniture in it). But, Susan always enjoys spicing things up by rearranging the furniture, so now we have a new layout in the living room to make her happy.

Labels: Food, NY

Happy Valentine's Day! It's so nice for Valentine's Day to be on a Saturday - all day to hang out with your honey without needing to go to work or church. Today started out great for us. We slept in without worrying about the alarm clock. Last night we had thought about getting up early to beat the crowd to the IHOP for breakfast (basically the only franchise around here, apart from KFC). But then we decided - it's a Saturday! Let's sleep in and fight the crowd at the IHOP.

First, we exchanged our gifts for each other and then by the time we got to IHOP it was packed! The wait was only estimated to be 15-25 minutes - I think that's the default time they say regardless of how long it will actually take. We decided to go across the street to take care of some banking and got that done with plenty of time to spare. It was still crowded when we returned, but it was only about a 10 minute wait from when we returned to get seated. We enjoyed our pancakes and eggs, coffee and hot chocolate (the whipped cream is the best part of the hot cocoa and the waitress put a TON of the cream on it - it was great!)

We walked home (well, Susan basically waddled, because she was so full) but it was a nice clear day and not too chilly (of course, we were wearing our thick jackets and long johns - thanks, Simsons!).

We spent a nice leisurely afternoon at home. We called Susan's mom to wish her a happy birthday (yep, she's a love baby - born on Valentine's Day), Ivan called his family (one of his Saturday rituals), and we hung out.

We decided to be adventuresome for dinner and went to a Korean restaurant we've been threatening to go to for awhile. It's owned by the mother of a gal in our church, but in general Susan is scared of ethnic food, so every time Ivan suggests we go there Susan manages to come up with an excuse not to. Today we decided that if Susan absolutely hated what she ordered then we would go across the street to KFC (something we never eat because it's so greasy). Well, the backup plan was completely unnecessary. We both loved it. It's called Book Chang Dong Soft Tofu. It was a bit intimidating walking in as we were the only non-Asians in the restaurant. When we were seated they gave us this strange drink that at first one might expect to be tea (like in a Chinese restaurant) but instead it's cold and tastes like barley. We finally decided to order two different kinds of soup: Chicken Soft Tofu Soup and Vegetable Soft Tofu Soup. All of the food comes in one of four spicy levels: Very Mild, Mild, Spicy, and Very Spicy. We opted for the Chicken Soup (which Susan was primarily going to eat) to be Very Mild and the Vegetable Soup (for Ivan) to be Mild. Once we ordered the awkwardness only got worse when they brought out 7 little bowls of food that we didn't order (see picture). Ivan had been to a Korean restaurant before and said that these "side dishes" were for mixing into the soup once it came. However, we saw people eating their side dishes with chop sticks - not putting them into their soup, so we got a bit nervous - like Gringos in a Mexico. Also, why did they bring out these side dishes so quickly if they were supposed to go into the soup? In the end, we waited to put them in the soup and it was a good choice.

The soup came in super hot cast iron bowls and it was literally still rapidly bowling when they put it on the table. One of the side dishes contained two eggs which we promptly cracked and put into the boiling soup to make sure they got all the way cooked. The soup was still way too hot to eat. Thankfully, the side dishes were cold so as we added them to the soup it helped cool it down a little bit (although we still burned our mouths several times in attempting to eat the soup). The side dishes included (we think): eggs, some sort of meat, cucumber, bean sprouts, potatoes, Kimchi, and tofu. We both put a bit of everything into our soup and it was quite a feast. In addition, they brought out a large cast iron bowl full of rice. The rice was just enough to fill up two bowls (one for each of us), but when they were done dishing out the rice there was a layer of it stuck to the bowl. Instead of removing the mostly empty bowl, they filled it up with water and left it on the table. We saw other people scrape out the bowl and eat the rice and then drink the water from the bowl, but we weren't feeling that ambitious, so when we left, the bowl of rice water was still full on the edge of our table.

All things considered it was a very delicious, healthy, filling meal and wasn't too expensive ($10 per person). We had a great time (when we weren't feeling awkward about what we were supposed to do with things) and we definitely expect to go back. It was a great Valentine's Day experience!

Labels: Food, NY

My (Susan's) friend and former Next Door Neighbor, Amy, gave me the idea for this post. Here are the rules: If you want to play, e-mail me (since you can't leave a comment on this post) letting me know and I'll assign you a letter (if you don't know my e-mail address, find it on my Facebook profile). You write about ten things you love that begin with your assigned letter, and post it on your blog. When people comment on your list, you give them a letter, and the chain will continue. I have been given the Terrific letter "T". As a disclaimer, rather that think of my favorite "T" words, my approach at the beginning was more one of finding ways to express my most favorite things using the letter "T".

So, here are 10 of my favorite things expressed with the letter "T":

1. First of all, what's a T list without Tigger. T-I-Double"Guh"-ERRRRRR! That's right. Tigger was always my favorite character on Pooh Corner. Piglet is cute, Roo is adorable, and Eeyore is so pitiable, but none of the characters can compete with Tigger. "Tiggers are wonderful things!... They're bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy, Fun! Fun! Fun! Fun! Fun!"

2. Now, for a creative way to work my favorite food onto this list: Tomatoes on a Toasted Turkey Sub from Subway (okay, really the pickles are the best part - not the tomatoes, and I rarely actually order them Toasted, but lately I have been getting the Turkey - it has the fewest calories) If you read this, then you probably know me somewhat well and if the fact that Subway is the bestest and most tastiest restaurant in the whole wide world is a shocker to you then we need to hang out more, because obviously you barely know me at all!

3. Another of my favorite things is Time with The Husband. Really nothing beats a relaxing afternoon with Ivan - whether it's at home or away (especially if we decide to get Subway). God certainly knew what He was doing when he created life-long companionship between a husband and wife. (Well, He always knows what He's doing, but you know what I mean.)

4. Torrential Rain - I like to sit inside - nice and cozy at home - and listen to the rhythm of the falling rain (thankfully, it's not telling me what a fool I've been - if it were, then it probably wouldn't be one of my favorite things).

5. Thanksgiving - I basically enjoy all holidays, but Thanksgiving is a pretty good representative holiday - and it starts with a "T". It's great to be with family and reflect on God's goodness and provision. This year has already been one that has taught me a lot about the breadth of God's love and I have a lot to be thankful for - no need to wait until November to give thanks.

6. Tractors - okay, this one might take you by surprise, but tractors hold many happy memories for me. I grew up in North California and at one point we lived on 12 acres of land, so, naturally, my dad bought a tractor. It was not only useful in moving dirt, digging ditches, etc, but also for moving us kids :) During the winter, Dad would tie the sleds to the back of the tractor and drive wildly through the snow in our back yard. During the spring and fall, Dad would put us in the bucket and drive around while raising and lowering the bucket like a wonderful ride at the fair. During the summer, he would take those bucket rides a step further and at the end dump us into the pool for a swim. Such fun you can have with a tractor!

7. Telephone - we live far away from friends and family, so basically the telephone is the best way to keep in touch with people. Also, several times a day while Ivan is at work we talk on the telephone and it helps the day go by faster.

8. Tropics - I love the heat. My ideal vacation would be a trip somewhere beachy and hot. Maybe a cruise to the tropics - or the Caribbean. In general, I'm always cold. When we lived in Sacramento during the summers when it would be around 100F outside, I would enjoy sitting in the car with the windows rolled up soaking in the dry, hot, wonderful heat inside the car. I rarely sweated. I just soaked it up. My mom called me a lizard. I love the heat.

9. Time for another random one: Mr. T - Okay, I didn't watch much of the A-Team growing up, just a few re-runs here and there, but he's right up there with Knight Rider - I mean, come one, Kit is one awesome car.... "The jibba jabba stops here... Take it from me, Mr. T... I pity the foo'." To quote his fan site, he's "a man with a heart of gold and plenty around his neck." Classic!

10. A final random favorite thing: Tailgate Parties. Well, football isn't really my favorite sport and I've never actually been to a tailgate party, but if you ask me, the best part about watching sports is eating the yummy food that is always served at those sorts of gatherings. So, in honor of all the yummy, unhealthy snack foods out there, I'll finish off the list with Tailgate Parties. Some of my favorites at the moment are: Cheez-Its, Triscuits and Cheese, Chips and Salsa, Pretzels and Jalapeno Cheese Dip, 7-layer dip, Nachos, Teriyaki Chicken Wings, Deviled Eggs, Jalapeno Poppers, and Pizza - pretty much anything with cheese - I don't really go for the sweets as much as the salty stuff.

So there's my list of favorite things using the letter "T". If you want to take a stab at it, e-mail me and I'll send you a letter for you to blog about :)

Labels: Food, Random

Back in October, Susan took a trip out to California. You may have read a quick summary about it a few posts ago, but one thing Susan didn't tell you about was her layover. The best layover ever! "What?! How can a layover actually be a GOOD thing??" That might be what you're wondering, but it's true. And if you look at the following photo, you might see why.

Have you ever had a layover in Memphis? This was Susan's first time and she sincerely hopes it's not her last. The minute you step out of the jet way into the airport your senses are accosted by one of the most delicious smells in the entire world. BBQ. Not just any BBQ, but FANTASTIC BBQ. She asked one of the locals which restaurant in the airport had the best BBQ and it seems there are two competing restaurants (fast food chains, really). The "best" (according to one local) didn't have a restaurant in our terminal, so Susan settled for "2nd best": Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ. As far as we're concerned, it IS the best. Well, truly, Deb and Gavin took Susan to a BBQ place somewhere on the road to the Omaha airport and that was probably better. And there's the Bodacious BBQ place in Ventura that was also really good, but hey, when it comes to airport food it doesn't get any better than Memphis BBQ.

Look out Memphis, we'll be back!

Labels: Food, Quick Trip

On Monday night we had some friends from church over for dinner. Susan cooked a modified version of Quick Chicken Divan and our guests, Chris and Christina, brought an amazing Italian Fruit Salad Cake. Chris is Italian and he used to work at the bakery that makes this fabulous cake. Generally we don't eat very much dessert, but we each enjoyed TWO slices of this fabulous cake!

The cake has a base of angel food cake (about one inch thick) topped with banana pudding with loads of fresh fruit on top (strawberries, bananas, and peaches). The fresh fruit is what makes up the majority of the height of the cake (and it's weight - this is one heavy cake!) and it's all iced with a heavy cream-based "frosting". The fruit certainly makes it healthier, so we only felt a little guilty when going for seconds. The angel food cake is so light and fluffy that it doesn't seem too unhealthy. Only the rich cream topping makes you think you're really eating dessert. So, we're officially big fans of this cake and Susan is wondering if there's a way she can make a healthy version of it that we could eat more regularly.

Labels: Food, NY

Another Monday. Another snowy day. Thankfully, another day for Susan to stay inside where it's warm and cozy :) As we were driving to church yesterday (it was snowing) we commented on how less peaceful the snow looks in person than on the postcards. What was worse, was that by the time we got home from church it had stopped snowing and, instead of a beautiful white blanket covering the ground, the roads and sidewalks had all gotten mucky from people travelling on them. Yuck. We don't really get that much snow at once - maybe an inch - but since it's snowing pretty much every night (and sometimes during the day, too) it's staying fairly white outside.

Our landlord and most of the neighbors do a very good job keeping the sidewalks in front of their houses shoveled. Our immediate next door neighbor doesn't, however, so it seems quite out of place - walking down the sidewalk keeping your feet relatively dry on freshly swept (yes, if it hasn't iced over, they use a broom to clean the sidewalks rather than a shovel) and then you get to our neighbor's sidewalk where there's a couple inches of snow to trudge through until you get to the next clear spot on the driveway. "Pictures?" You say? "Pictures!" Man, I just can't win with you guys. First, you bug us about updating our website ("It's not October anymore...") and now you want pictures? Okay. I'm a push over, what can I say? I found my camera and all the cables necessary, but, alas, both batteries have been drained. So I'm charging a battery now. Although I really don't know what's so exciting about seeing a photo of our lazy neighbor's sidewalk :) [Update: Now you can see the photo of our lazy neighbor's sidewalk] Once the battery is charged maybe I'll even get around to posting some photos from our Europe trip (yeah, it was in July/August and we *still* haven't posted photos). But it's likely that most of the photos will be posted on Facebook, rather than on this website, so if you aren't on Facebook - too bad. Well, I might post a link that is at least temporarily available to non-Facebook users.

So, that's our Monday. Not very exciting, eh? Now do you wonder why you were so eager for us to start posting about our lives again? Yeah - I wonder too.

Okay, you want a bone of something that is really interesting? Enchiladas. Oh yes, you heard/read me correctly. Enchiladas. "What's so interesting about enchiladas?" you wonder. Well, I'll tell you. Susan *loves* Mexican food (granted, she has wimpy tastebuds and can't stand spicy food, but she loves tacos, burritos, fajita, and, yes, even enchiladas. We're having a Bible Study meet at our house after church on Sundays and so we prepare some cheap, easy lunch for the group. Last week, as we were driving home from church we passed the Taco Bell. Usually we don't pay attention to it, but last week it caught Susan's attention and she had a sudden craving for Mexican food. Ivan, like the good husband he is, offered that we stop there on the way home and buy something for Susan, but we had Crock Pot Chicken (the recipe that Jessica and Jane made for us when we got home from our honeymoon - also quite yummy, but not very Mexican-y) waiting for us at home, so we decided not to stop. However, that set the menu for the following week (ie, yesterday): Enchiladas, Corn, and Black Beans. Yum. It's not as common out here as it is in California. A classic illustration of that was when we served it we announced that they were chicken enchiladas and one member of the group, after tasting it commented on how much her husband would enjoy it and asked "What do you call these again?" How many Californias do you know who, when presented with enchiladas, wouldn't know what they are? Clearly we need more Mexican food out here.

They were really good - with all the fixings: lettuce, olives, sour cream, salsa, extra cheese (beans and corn, I already mentioned). Not that Susan makes the best enchiladas in the world by any means, but she sure does enjoy Mexican food. Can you tell she's looking forward to having left overs for lunch today? Oh, yum. Speaking of which... I think it's lunch time :)

Labels: Food, NY