tomatoe soup

Remember all those tomatoes I had from my mama's garden? Well how do you make them into a flavorful meal without many spices because they're still on the sea shipment coming from Switzerland and you're too cheap to buy expensive spices in America?

You roast everything to bring out the flavor.

Peppers and later roast the garlic.

Mix in fresh basil and oregano and blend.

Serve with potato/rosemary bread from TJ's and broil with bit of olive oil, basil and top with Jarlsburg cheese.

Invite someone to dinner.

Sprinkle some cilantro on it.

Made-up recipe:
roast-
tomatoes
peppers (after roasting put them in a paper bag to steam and then peel once the skins have loosened)
garlic

add in some vegetable stock
a bit of cream
salt/pepper
1/8 C cream
a bit of paprika (to liking)
fresh basil
fresh oregano
blend in cuisinart or blender


simmer for about an hour to let all the flavors mix fuse together.

Heather came to town!

My best friend Heather was in town last week and I got to see her:)!!!!:):):):)

Cooking this week

Jared and I really love plain yogurt. Well, what's even better is homemade frozen yogurt!

Urban Dare

Saturday Jared and I hopped on BART (so much slower, louder and not as smooth as Swiss trains) and headed to S.F. to do Urban Dare. It's a series of trivia questions that lead you around the city to either a Dare or a place where you have to take a photo to prove you were there. I had the perfect teammate.

This guy was there also. Dean Karnazes. He's the guy who did 50 marathons in 50 states. He was doing this with his son. If we hadn't stopped for pizza at Blondies then we would have beat him. (We weren't really trying too hard to win.)

Here is Jared doing one of the dares. It was pretty easy.

Setting off to our next stop.

For one of the dares I had to find bubble gum in a pile of whipped cream and chew it and blow a bubble.

It's harder than it looks. You try it.

Overall we walked/ran about 6 miles. We ran into one of Jared's old buddies from Google and we joined their team. We were pretty lackadaisical about finishing. At the end we had to do a puzzle in a pub. WE were pretty disappointed that the dares weren't more challenging but it was a fun activity and we got some great exercise and got to see most of the city.

Cooler than a fanny pack

This morning as I was walking the Stanford Dish with my friend Liz we were talking about her upcoming trip to Paris. I mentioned how I wish fannie packs were cooler to wear. They are comfortable and handy, especially when traveling. When Jared and I would travel around my shoulder would start hurting a ton from my purse (especially since Jared would load it up with snacks, water and things he bought, we soon started making him carry the backpack.)

Anyhow, today I found a much better solution for your money and knick knacks.

Johnny really likes Star Wars

Hudson is cute

Hudson is a happy boy

I really need this

I am the queen of the snooze button. This would help me get up in the morning.

Johnny sings Star Wars

Hudson the Grasshopper

Hudson is showing us how to be a grasshopper in Tahoe this summer. "Alice can you jump super duper high like me?" - Hudson

Sun Jar

A couple of Christmas's ago Jared gave me this glow brick. I love it. Well, I remember around the same time I was trying to figure out how to make this sun jar. And you can on instructables. That's how I found out about the throwies and we made a while back. (We should make some more:) Anyhow, they now have this sunjar available at Urban Outfitters. I really need to get a job.

Cute hat

I think this hat it so cute. I was returning something to Urban Outfitters the other day and tried it on. I couldn't bring myself to buy it because I don't have a job yet but my friend agreed that I look pretty good in it:)

Good ol' fashioned toilet brush

I have been on the look-out for a normal toilet brush. One shaped like below. I need to do some cleaning and have looked high and low for one. Target and the local hardware store were big time disappointments.

This is all anyone had. I don't want one shaped like this, I really don't think they clean well. Plus I don't like to keep the grimy disgusting toilet brush sitting in a stand in my bathroom. I think it's tacky and hideous.

Goodbye Fabian

Our friend Fabian who we knew in Zürich and was at Berkeley for a bit working on his PhD has now gone back to Switzerland. Thus we shall meet again because he's decided to do a postdoc in San Diego:) We had a humungous goodbye party for him at my parents house (that's where he was staying for a bit.) He made so many friends in the 3 months that he was here.

Jared and Bubblegum in Croatia

Saw this on a friend's blog and am trying it out:)

Jared runs!

It was a beautiful evening in San Francisco for the annual JP Morgan Corporate 5k challenge. Jared had run it in the past with Google who usually win it every year since they've entered (of course.) However Jared coerced some of this new co-workers at Kaching to run it. Since the company has only 8 employees, there were 3 of them.

Alcatraz. We've swam from there a couple of times:)

I dropped off the guys and then went to go park. Only to later find that I was looking for a needle in a haystack (Jared=needle, sea of over 5,000 people=haystack.)

When I heard that they were lining up for the race by pace I immediately went to the front of the line where all the sub-6 min pace milers would be. Yup, that's where I found Jared.

Here he is waiting to take off.

There were a few corporate characters there.

And they're off!

Here is Jared finishing in the top 50 out of over 5,000. I only had to wait around for 19:52 mins. His first mile was 5:05. CRAZINESS. And that's with a bum knee and without training too much. He's 30 and still near his HS pace. I barely got a shot he was running so fast!

That's my man! Wearing one of the t-shirts Jared drew in the car on the way up with his company logos. (At Google you get nice dry-fit shirts.) I guess you do with what you can when working for a start-up.

Two Jews and a Mormon. One from Israel and the other from Switzerland. So great!

Here's Jared's trophy for running such a great race...me and brownies:)

Blue Eyed Freckle

My friend Katie from college is one of the most creative people I know. She can made something fabulous out of nothing. Check out her etsy shop.

Prep bowls

I WANT THESE.

Gaggenau Steamer

I would love to have one of these someday. Such a healthy way for cooking. You can also re-heat food in it instead of zapping it in the microwave. I'll wait until we have a house because there's no room now. I also need to win the lottery...or that writing contest I entered a few weeks ago.

Tomatoes GALORE!

Every summer my mother's garden produces an abundance of tomatoes. Oh they're so yummy. I love the contrast of the complimentary colors of blue and orange.

A sink full.

Everything in it's right place

For the first time in about 7 years I am completely unpacked!

Reminds me of the Radiohead song "Everything in it's right place."

Couple dating

When you get married. You still go on dates...just with other couples:)

Here we are in Tahoe enjoing live music on the beach in August.
My sister Emma and her husband who we don't get to see too often.

My cousin Amy and her husband George who are always super fun to hang out with.

And on Friday night we went out with Chris and Becky to eat Vietnemese food and then go salsa dancing. Kind of an international night. Becky and I have been trying to hang out for 6 years. Her husband was roommates with my bro-in-law and I met her before they were married. Now, I'm married, back in the states and live just a few blocks away that it makes it easier:)

Yum look at all that food for just $5.

I like to ride my BICYCLE!!!!

Visa Versa

So, I went grocery shopping today.  I bought 6 bags of groceries...(I brought my own thank you very much.)  This is probably a months worth.  Why did I do it?  Because I CAN!  Just check out our GINORMOUS fridge.  Lately I've bene a bit overwhelmed by American grocery stores and have been feeling weird when I go a week without entering one.  Just the choices of the different varieties of mustards have just blown my mind, and the shopping carts are HUMUNGOUS! 

Anyhow, our fridge was so empty, and the cupboards were bare, I decided it was time to take the plunge.  I made a list and was just going to do 5 days worth.  I planned out the meals, well the first stop was Trader Joes.  I got carried away.  I just loaded up the cart until it was full.  I bought 4 containers of plain yogurt because Jared loves it and I know it won't go bad so fast.  (things in Europe don't have as many preservatives, thus they go bad pretty fast, I couldn't believe we got through an entire thing of lettuce before it went bad.)  Plus, the store isn't just down the street anymore. (well there is one but it's heavily overpriced) I decided, what the heck, I'll just take the plunge.

Next stop Safeway.  For basics like flour and baking powder (darn forgot to get butter.)   Well, I'm making spaghetti sauce, (double darn I forgot to get tomatoe sauce, ARGH!) and I wanted to get some saffron.  In Swiss Francs I could buy several strands for about 5 francs.  HERE IT WAS $15.  I shipped all my spices home because they were on average 1-2 Sfr (Sfr~ equal to USD)  Here spices are ~ $5-6 dollars for a teeny tiny jar.  Oh I wish our air shipment would get here sooner.  Why are spices so much here?  Because they have to travel far?  Or is there just not a high demand for them in Switzerland and that's why most of the food tasted so bland? 

I usually don't write this much in one post.

My shaving cream costs ~5 Sfr in Suisse.  Here it's $1.67 at Target.  Why not use soap you ask?  Would a man use soap to shave his face?  Well, I have the most sensitive skin on the planet and know what works for me.

On another note, the seatbelt signal kept beeping at me on the way home from the store because my groceries were in the front seat.  Do I need tot buckle them in?  Apparently.

The bed is made

I was probably the only child who's parents never had to tell to make their bed.  I had this weird obsession with making my bed.  I thought that if I died that day I wouldn't want people thinking I was a "non-bed-maker."  I thought I forgot to make my bed one day that would be the day I died.  Besides it only takes 2 seconds.  Whenever I move into a new place (which has been the case about 15 times in the past 8 years) I always make the bed first.  It just helps me feel more at home.

Make-shift Vase

Remember how in Switzerland Jared would get me flowers and I didn't have a vase.  Well before all our stuff that had been in storage for a year arrived Jared got me flowers after work...I resorted to using a nalgene bottle.

After storage arrived I found a better suited container.

Electric Car Rally

Jared and I went to an electric car rally yesterday. He posted about it here.

Donuts that make your stomach not so happy.

The other night after picking up some furniture we found of craigslist Jared and I decided to make a stop at Happy Donuts. It's opened 24 hours and contributes to America's obesity problem. Well, we joined in since I am now not against 24 hour markets because I really missed them while being in Switzerland. I love that I can go to the supermarket at 11pm on a Saturday night to shop for last minute items. However, I still am against 24 hr fast food joints.

Anyhow, we got some donuts and did the crossword puzzle.

OOooOOoooOoohhh I was so happy at "Happy Donuts."

I offered Jared a bite of my chocolate donut and he proceeded to eat the top off just like my nephew would when he was 3 yrs old.

About 30 mins after eating there I vowed not to have another donut again. My stomach was not so happyy. It could be due to the fact that Jared and I haven't been eating that much sugar lately and donuts= big time sugar overload.

Camping out at home

Jared and I have been sleeping in our new apartment with no furniture, lights or internet (I know, how did we survive without internet?) Anyhow, my mom loaned us an air mattress which turns into a water bed in the middle of the night due to the slow leak. How is it a water bed you ask? Well, since half the air leaks out every time someone moves, the other person goes up and down mimicking the effect of a water bed.

Are you wondering about the beach towels? I forgot to get blankets from my mom and it was chilly one night, we did with what we had:)

Music and Movement

My friend Emily hosted some bands on her patio the other evening. It's always fun to see live music for free.

The best part was listening to my friend Adam (from freshman year of college) and his wife Darcie (another super awesome rad girl) play. You can find them on iTunes under Adam and Darcie album title "The Valley Where I'm From."

Another cool thing about Darcie is that she plays the accordion AND banjo AND has a baby.

Adam playing his sweet tunes.

Darcie singing her sweet, tender and melodic tunes. She probably has one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard. Together she and Adam create delicious harmonies that leave you with a good feeling like music should:)

The next morning I got to meet their little cutie-pie and go to breakfast. Awe, good times.

Birthing and Beauty

My cousin Emily had a baby and she looks more beautiful than ever:)

Japanese with Casey and Amanda