some bliu ways to commence spring break:

gratifyingly greasy chinese eats.

last night, was so so so so so famished i could hardly function. anyone who's ever seen me in a starving state... well, i'm sorry. :) i get terribly irritated and short and one-track-minded on some sort of ingestible. it was a long evening of finishing up stuff for ars and dealing with an international faxing and social coordination. finally got out of lab and i had my sights set on chewy stirfry noodles at king fung garden. this place is perfect for those meals that are quirky, homey, and satisfying. kind of like a truckstop diner, chinese-style. the tiny tiny space houses about five faded-red vinyl booths and one friendly waitress for the whole place. i went with niknak and sam, and we snagged the last booth, with 10 minutes left before kitchen closing, sharing the restaurant with a gesticulating boi drama-dishing with fag hag, a row of cantonese regulars in the back, and about ten aryan pretty boys steadily cruising through cases of byoBeer. no matter. with blurred vision i hastily scanned the menu. i wanted anything, everything. between the three of us we got a plate of dumplings, two orders of scallion pancakes (sooo crispy and scalliony, some of the best around!), beef chow mein (chewy *thick* wheat noodles are my fav), chicken with hot peppers, and hong shao (red-stewed) lamb. yum. all i can say is that if you go, you must order either/all of scallion pancakes, any variation on chow mein (warning: fantastically greasy), and peking duck (their specialty). i was hoping to take photographs, but i was not wasting any time between myself and the chopsticks. it was a moment of desperation, so hope you understand.

we followed up the evening with bubble tea at the food court JUICE BAR. taro with pearl for me, please! with matching purple straw. went home so happy and SO FULL. ah.

from-scratch baking

woke up, um, pretty late. however, nothing to deter a girl from makin' muffins!



cinnamon streusel muffins, recipe from the betters homes + gardens cookbook that emerges from the cupboards ever once in a while.

mix 1 3/4 cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt. make a well in the middle. in a separate bowl mix 1 beaten egg, 3/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup oil. pour liquid mix all at once in the dry mix and stir until just altogether moistened (lumpy). put into 12 muffin liners. i put the streusel on top: mix 3 Tbsp flour, 3 Tbsp brown sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon together, and cut in 2 Tbsp butter. sprinkle on top. bake 400 degrees for 18-20 min.

these are super tidy muffins. a good mix of savory and sweet, so a good base for a pat of butter or clotted cream.

arrival of secret pal package

from my nashville-based sp7!



- 2 skeins charcoal lion brand wool-ease thick + quick
- hello kitty plush puppet
- hello kitty heart-shaped tin box
- 3 green votive candles and holder
- green apple candies (in knitting-girl casing)

thank you! the yarn will be great for last minute gifts o' warmth, and i can never get enough chartreuse in my day... :)

the day is still young, and the christine is still on-task. over and out, enjoy the weekend!