Cheesy

I really screwed up dinner tonight. We made homemade pizzas with ham, artichoke hearts (on half) and cheese. The cheese, however, was incredibly spicy. Oops! LittleBiscuit spit it out and screamed like a banshee. Yeow! So, wonderful mother that I am, I gave her a plate of ham. Me? I ate a blondie and some leftover chicken pot pie...and another glass of Chianti. MrBiscuit suffered through. What a saint! We played Hiss! for a bit and listened to Christmas music...and I had another glass of Chianti. As usual, we made up our own rules for the game. (We're just like that, okay?) We try to make the biggest snake we can or the shortest. We made one tonight that wouldn't fit onto the kitchen table. Going, going, gone: LittleBiscuit's favorite little guy: MrBiscuit started reading the first Harry Potter book a few days ago so he read us all a chapter while I helped LittleBiscuit into her nightgown. Now, she's snuggled in her bed with about a thousand Pokemon and the little DVD player which is now showing an episode of Kimba. I'm listening to Shirley Rumsey's Music of the Italian Renaissance, thinking of our plans for tomorrow. We'll likely go swimming and take along some bread to feed the pigeons. LittleBiscuit has named one "Gargoyle" and has been searching for him among the pigeons we meet on our walks. I honestly don't know how she tells them all apart.

Ketchup, again

I've been slacking again on blogging. Here are some pics from the last two weeks. LittleBiscuit pretending not to notice the camera: Biscuitmom, looking way too serious, before going out with "the girls:" Biscuitmom with crazy hair, again in urban black, before heading out with MrBiscuit for our date night: We ate dinner at Byblos, our favorite Lebanese restaurant. We always order mezze to share, along with wine and arak for MrBiscuit. Hummus snowbar: Kibbe, the way it's meant to be: Tabbouleh: Sanbousek jibneh: After dinner, we had some time to kill before Children of Men, so I took a few pics of the courtyard behind the cinema. I'm still playing with night photos but these are okay, I suppose. Artery-clogging Sunday brunch of MrBiscuit's pancakes, marjoram scrambled eggs and bacon. Oink! Sort of an eggplant bruschetta over pasta: Simple quiche with brown rice crust, asparagus and red onion. Sliced avocado on the side: I steamed some artichokes for a light lunch Saturday. Here is LittleBiscuit, still in her pajamas, munching out: Not pictured: red dragon pie (Wednesday night dinner) and roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and stuffing (Saturday night dinner). I made a chicken pot pie tonight with the leftover chicken. I should have waited until it had cooled to take the picture because the filling oozed out after I cut out our servings. Movies seen, reviews to come later (always later!): Borat---please forgive the shortening of the title. We've been looking forward to this for a long time. We've seen about half the movie already on youtube but the rest was hilariously unexpected. That naked scene, you know the one, had me cringing yet giggling at the same time. Shudder. Kyua (Cure)---Japanese. Another wonderful piece of work by Kiyoshi Kurosawa and yet another stellar piece of acting by Kôji Yakusho. Much has been written on this film, trying to "figure it out." I say, just go with it. Figure out what you can and let the rest just remain in mystery. It's a beautiful film. Scary and tense but beautiful. Kôrei (Seance)---Japanese. More Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Originally shown on television. A remake of Seance on a Wet Afternoon but much more intense. It's slow and moody and brilliant. Good review here. (Kôji Yakusho's in this one too) It is my prediction that Kurosawa will soon be labelled auteur. Janghwa, Hongryeon (A Tale of Two Sisters)---Korean. I've mentioned Kim Ji-woon's contribution, Memories, to Saam gaang (Three Extremes 2) and the lovely cinematography, excellent use of dark hair (!!!) and silence. He's done it again here. I'm dying to see his Dalkomhan insaeng (A Bittersweet Life)! I also went with a friend to see Casino Royale. Even though Daniel Craig is not my type, I thought he helped usher Bond into a new era by, strangely enough, reminding us of what we liked about the best Bond in the past, Sean Connery. The plot? Yawn. The length? Too damn long! The stunts? Well-done! Bravo! Daniel Craig's ears? Dumbo. All the way. Daniel Craig's body? Rowr! Eva Green? Sexiest and smartest Bond woman since Michelle Yeoh. I love her look. Très sexy, très French, très très. Oh and Judi Dench as M? Inspired. And bravo to whoever chose her clothes for the film. She looked hot!

Another cherry

Last one. I promise! I just keep finding all these great segments. Bug hunt: Part one, Part two

Cherry

Ok. I can't give this up yet. Hard Gay lends a helping hand to those in need. Again. And again. Sunrise, Sunset (may be offensive to some...there is mention of a penis...or two...okay, lots of penises!) Personal assistant to Hiromi Go: Part one, Part two, Part three, and finally, Part four. In these segments, Hard Gay goes out to find kids who don't like a certain food. He creates a recipe with that ingredient and cooks it with them: natto, green peppers, carrots. Treasure hunt near Mt. Fuji: Part one, Part two. Again, I have to add that some people might be offended by this character. Be forewarned. I think he's great but that's just my opinion. You can download his segments and read the translator's notes here.

More noodling

More Hardu Gay! Father's Day! Attempting to solve the trash problem at sakura viewings YaHOOOOOOO! Hard Gay plays Cupid: Part one, Part two, Part Three Hard Gay tries to get on the cover of Television: Part one, Part two Look here for all your Hard Gay needs!

Noodling

Thanks to a tip from our sitter, I have a new youtube obsession: Hard Gay! He's hilarious! Here he is trying to get more customers into a ramen bar: Noodles! Another skit has him gathering names on a petition to have Tomy create a Hard Gay version of their best-selling toy, Kurohige Kiki Ippatsu, or "Pop-up Pirate:" Part one, Part two This comedian is so funny. I think there's some controversy because he isn't gay and some gay/lesbian groups find that offensive, assuming he's making fun of them. I think he's brilliant. Someone so "out there" obviously shakes up a typical Japanese person. This allows Hard Gay to get away with stuff that your average Japanese person would not. And he helps people! Well, sort of. Psst. I really want that Hard Gay version of Pop-up Pirate!

Sauce

Here ya go! I made a quick chocolate sauce with milk, heavy cream, butter, sugar, chocolate (of course) and a splash of Grand Marnier. Hehehe. Close up of the chocolate-y goodness:

Stewed!

Yesterday, our sitter came by for a few hours. We had already done all our errands the day before, so we decided to go to see An Inconvenient Truth. The topic, of course, is thought-provoking and serious. Yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that it was one long campaign video. "Vote for Gore! I'm the smart one!" I also hated all the product placement. I honestly thought I'd see in the credits, "Sponsored by Coke and Apple Computers." I think the cuts to Gore's personal bits were jarring. Only one, the last one, seemed like it was edited properly. Besides editing problems, I wonder if Gore's bitterness, even if we all agree he has a right to be bitter, had it's place in this film. Did we really need to hear about the flawed voting system again? What about the fact that he and Clinton had their time in office to Do Something and we're still "in this mess?" In the beginning half of the film, Gore says, "this isn't a political problem, it's an ethical issue." Yet by the end, he's all politics. I really didn't mean to be so negative because I actually liked the film. I know why they needed to put in Gore's personal journey. It helped me to think of this picture not as a film about global warming but as a film about Al Gore's lectures on global warming. Incidentally, I was shocked by some of the statistics and revelations. I had known about half the information presented but the rest blew me away. I got really depressed about how we have all screwed up the planet. I am a bit of a pessimist and I have my doubts that humankind will last more than 50 to 100 more years on this planet. If you're interested, take a quiz here to see your "ecological footprint." Now that you're all flooded with eco guilt, let's move along, shall we? Dinner last night. Chicken breasts in chili/rosemary sauce. Side dish was orzo with mushrooms and toasted walnuts. Today, LittleBiscuit and I took to the streets in search of new winter shoes for her quickly growing feet. We encountered a lot of rudeness and jostling and line-cutting. She finally announced that people just have no manners. I, sadly, had to agree. I loved smelling dinner cooking tonight! I made a beef stew seasoned with cloves and cinnamon, with couscous salad (raw carrots, red onion, zucchini, green apple and pine nuts) as the side: I made a huge pan of brownies last night. After I finish this post, play a half hour with LittleBisuit trying to level up on Pokemon Colosseum, I plan to whip up some chocolate fudge sauce and serve it over brownie squares and sliced strawberries. Mmmm!

"I'm hungry. Let's go get a taco!"

Not much to report today. We braved the rain to shop for veggies, fruit and cheese. Laden with bags, we made our way to Samurai for lunch. I love watching LittleBiscuit devour sashimi. That kid can put it away! I forgot my camera so I didn't get a chance to capture the moment. Meanwhile, DaddyBiscuit and I dined on gyoza, misoshiro, sake (of course!) and salad. I had tofu steak and he shared sashimi with LittleBiscuit. Later, I went out to pick up some Christmas stuff and try to find some warm pants for the season. LittleBiscuit worked on crafts, I cleaned up the kitchen, we all surfed the web a bit. Then, dinner. Turkey tacos and beans: I'm really sleepy today. I couldn't get to sleep last night until around 3:30am. I have been dragging myself around all day. It's 8:30pm and I feel like crawling into bed. I'm also bummed I didn't check my phone last night. Our babysitter left me an SMS, inviting me to go see Shortbus with her and some friends. Wah! And I think John Cameron Mitchell was going to do a Q&A afterwards, if I'm not mistaken. Double wah! I think I'll go make brownies and eat half the pan.

Dessert

I've been doing a lot of baking lately. See what happens when the air gets even the slightest bit chillier? I head for the carbs and heavier meals. I found some croissant dough at the nearest Albert's. I love it because I can make a fast, easy dessert in no time. Just cut it up, add some "innards," roll it up and stick it in the oven! This summer, I used some yummy jams and spreads from M & S. But I was craving chocolate so here's what I made: It looks rather like a snail with some black tongue sticking out, doesn't it? But trust me, it was good! For date night this week, Mr. Biscuit and I went to Le Patio. We'd never been upstairs in the proper restaurant before. We usually just grab a quick lunch downstairs in the cafe part of the building. The decor is lovely! I got some pics but they came out grainy and unappealing. Just one picture looked decent. I ordered "Moroccon chicken Tajine with olives and saffron:" Friday, I made a curry vegetable lentil soup for lunch (see the steam?!): For Saturday's dinner, I used the leftover chicken breast, from the braised chicken dish made earlier this week, in a recipe for chicken papadoris. I especially liked the toasted pine nuts in this dish. Today, I served some leftover soup with warmed slices of cheddar/apple/walnut bread. It was delicious! Movies seen recently: The Constant Gardener--a good movie but not quite great. I was disappointed because I liked the subject matter, the plot and the acting. Yet, it didn't quite gel into the masterpiece it was touted to be. I think I expect too much from movies sometimes... Little Miss Sunshine--(seen in cinema) Brilliant! Hilarious! I couldn't stop laughing. Handled even slightly differently, this movie could have easily fallen apart, been weighed down with over-sentimentality and just overall seemed ridiculous. But this film works! I especially loved the bit about the horn. That could have been too much. It could have felt unreal. Yet it all worked. I loved this film. I will definitely be buying this one! The Devil Wears Prada-- (seen in cinema) Saw this at the CineParty and it was okay. It was what I expected. I went in order to see Meryl Streep and the clothes. I covet that gorgeous gray pencil skirt Anne Hathaway's character, Andie, is wearing in the scene with Nigel in the Paris hotel. I want that skirt. Bad. The Emerald Forest--Great film. Understated, not at all heavy-handed. I even didn't mind Powers Booth, who can seem wooden and distant onscreen. Carandiru--Did I mention this movie already? It's about the horrible conditions in a São Paulo prison, as witnessed by a visiting doctor doing AIDS research in the penitentiary's clinic. It isn't a documentary but it feels like it. Still, a documentary would have been a little more brutal in showing just how terrible this place was. The film is almost upbeat in the beginning, giving you the background to a few of the inmates in short flashback vignettes. Don't be fooled by how slow and sometimes humorous the first 3/4 is...it turns ugly and inhuman at the end. The doctor portrayed in the film was instrumental in getting the prison demolished.

Icing

Just because.

Soufflé

Fun day at Casa Biscuit. LittleBiscuit and I slept late because we were up late last night watching Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. Again. I cry my eyes out every time I watch this movie. I often cry simply because Pikachu is so damn cute. Then you add Mew to the mix and I'm done for. This movie has a lot of heart-tugging scenes, like when all of Ash's Pokemon are crying their eyes out because they think Ash is "dead." Christ on a cracker, I can't handle that! I'm tearing up thinking about that scene. I dare you to watch Pikachu blubbering and not get a little misty-eyed. Damn you, Pokemon! After snuggling and talking about our dreams, we got dressed and headed out to lunch. It was uneventful. Not good. Not terrible. Then we went swimming. Yah! We stayed over two hours. LittleBiscuit is such a fish. Speaking of fish, we were down to three fish and one plecostomus, which has grown gargantuan in size. We call it "The Bohemoth." LittleBiscuit has a more simplistic, pragmatic approach to names. She calls it "Cleany."

When we were done swimming, we dropped by the pet shop on the way home in order to pick up some more fish. Here are some pics of our fish friends:

The Bohemoth (taken using the "behind glass" option on my camera, no flash): Glass fish (Terrible picture! I will try to get a better one and replace this): We also got some tetra (of course), an angelfish with a yellow head (whom LittleBiscuit named "Butter") and a couple of some kind of guppy. I couldn't get a picture of them because they are still freaked out and swimming wildly. For dinner, I made braised chicken with mushrooms, which I served over long grain and wild rice with sliced celery. For dessert, I attempted my first soufflé. As you can see from the photo, one turned out beautifully and the other, well...it sort of split in the middle. However, Mr. Biscuit and I report that they were tasty as hell! Definitely making this again! Seen from above: Side shot: LittleBiscuit is, at the moment, rocking out to the closing credit songs to Help, I'm a fish! (Hjaelp, jeg er en fisk). She is such a fun kid. She's been walking around lately talking about irony. She actually grasps the meaning quite well. Why should I be surprised? Now, we're off to read another chapter of Time Cat! Mew!

Mooncakes

Errand day in Biscuitland. We went to have lunch at an old favorite, Thrakia. We fully expected yummy Bulgarian food and "bear's blood" wine. Alas, this was not to be. The menu was completely changed. There were a few "Balkan specialities" but mostly just your average Czech food. Don't get me wrong. I like Czech food as well but I was expecting gyuvetch. Afterwards, we headed to Potten & Pannen to buy two ramekins for my mini chocolate soufflés, which I intend to make tomorrow night as a treat for Mr. Biscuit and myself. I could go nuts in that store. Honestly. It's a cooking addict's crackhouse. Mr. Biscuit had to go to the post office (again) in order to fight for our package. Sigh. This is getting old, people. Guess what came in this package? Two cases of Annie's Shells & Cheese! We go through periods where we miss certain foods from the States. This is our latest obsession. Dinner! Shells and cheese, ham, and steamed broccoli: Also in the package were matching stocking caps from Grandma for LittleBiscuit and SisterBiscuit (please forgive the "red eye." I swear I chose the No Red Eye option on the camera...): After dinner, LittleBiscuit and I wanted to make some cream scones. However, when mixing the cream in, I noted it was thinner than I expected. The dough was more like a batter. It wouldn't roll up into a ball so we could roll it out on our pastry mat. I decided to cook them anyway. They turned out fine! Just...different. So we called them "mooncakes" rather than "scones." We ate them with strawberry jam and orange marmalade. I tried the milk pudding jam I got in Paris...it was gross. Like mucous. Fair warning!

Stuffing

Yes, I know. I've been a slacker. I admit this freely. So this will be a sort of speed posting. Stuffing. Filler. All the things that have happened since I last updated, only snipped down and squished into this post. First, the food. Ratatouille with eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, onions, fresh basil and thyme: Tabbouleh: Kibbeh, which did not turn out as well as I had hoped: Samosas (with peas, carrots, onion and cauliflower filling) and leftover tabbouleh and kibbeh: I also made a roast chicken with homemade stuffing (spicy sausage, apples and walnuts), gravy (which was too lumpy but no one complained), mashed potatoes and salad. Alas, I forgot to take photos. You'll just have to imagine! Here's a lasagna with sausagemeat and mushrooms: For one of our dates, Mr. Biscuit and I went to a new Japanese restaurant in Vinohrady, Samurai. It was so clean and quiet. First, they presented us with complimentary salad: Sake! Gyoza, which had more ginger than usual but were superb: Salad with pickled sprouts and cucumber: Miso shiro: Tori no karaage (fried chicken balls with ginger): Pineapple fried rice: Ray's dish of rice, pork cutlet, peas and leeks with egg on top (I forgot the name and can't find it on the online menu): Dessert of green tea ice cream with red beans and sesame cracker: Our Halloween table with ghost gifts for LittleBiscuit and SisterBiscuit (this is actually from a few nights before Halloween): Halloween dinner. LittleBiscuit made up silly names for all the food. These are "pumpkin pops," rather than carrot sticks. "Mummy ribs:" "Caterpillar skin with blood:" All together now (altogethernow): I also made graveyard brownies but forgot to take a picture before the chocolate thieves stole into the kitchen and devoured them. Brownies don't last long in our home! Now, onto other stuff. On the way to the Japanese restaurant, Mr. Biscuit and I walked around Vinohrady because we're thinking of moving there next year. Hilarious yet scary carpets seen in a shop window: LittleBiscuit and I went to a pottery class last Saturday. She made lots of stuff with clay and also two beetles made from walnut shells: Our harvest table: Today, LittleBiscuit and I went to TGIF for lunch. We haven't been since the spring because the food always gives me a stomachache. Still does. LittleBiscuit didn't even finish her food. Not as good as you remembered, huh? Coloring: Sneaky smile: Before I sign off, I have to relay this hilarious story. For some background info, Mr.Biscuit makes weird noises in his sleep, sometimes like he's eating. LittleBiscuit and I were snuggling in bed on Halloween, watching a movie, while Mr.Biscuit snored and slept beside us. He started making eating noises. LittleBiscuit thought he was dreaming of the delicious ribs I made for dinner. She leaned over him and whispered, "Daddy, I see some ribs over there. Go get the ribs, Daddy!" as if he were a dog. We laughed so hard that the bed was shaking. I thought we'd wake him up for sure. But of course, he slept soundly, snoring away. And eating ribs.