On Saturday, our friends Amy and Henry invited us out to Woodbury Commons Outlet. The weather was cold and crisp with the sun shining through, making it a perfect day to be walking around with our friends. We carpooled and were anticipating some good pizza on the way which was Amy's soul purpose for going to the outlet. She said she coudl be happy just eating that and not buying anything so we had to try.
We ordered a whole pizza between the four of us, 2 slices each. We sat in the indoors courtyard, and when the pizza was done, the guys came back with our 1/2 sausage and 1/2 mushroom pizza along with italian herbs, crushed peppers, garlic powder, cheese and paper cups in their hands, the cups which they claimed to be "cream soda". They seemed unusually happy over a cup of cream soda so we questioned it... and it was beer!
The pizza was thin crust and we loaded the toppings on our simple pizzas and the verdict? DELICIOUS! We approve Amy. Thank you for taking us! So we went shopping and sure enough, Amy didn't buy anything but she was happy with her pizza. :)
We got some good finds we've been looking for our house. Particularly, we were looking for containers for our flour, sugar and confectioners sugar because the paper bags seem to get a mystery hole often and when we run our hand over the counter after use, there's a thin film of powder on our hands. We were happy to find these containers that come with spoons that set in a groove with strong magnets to hold them onto the container. The best part, they were 50% off! Here they look like angels :)
Another thing we had been looking for is a flask. On our honeymoon, we brought some vanilla beans from Moorea/Tahiti after learning that they have the best vanilla in the world. The process required to grow vanilla beans is quite a tedious process and once knowing how they're made, you'll appreciate them more. Here's the story in short from Wikipedia:
In 1836, botanist Charles François Antoine Morren was drinking coffee on a patio in Papantla (in Veracruz, Mexico) and noticed black bees flying around the vanilla flowers next to his table. He watched their actions closely as they would land and work their way under a flap inside the flower, transferring pollen in the process. Within hours the flowers closed and several days later Morren noticed vanilla pods beginning to form. Morren immediately began experimenting with hand pollination. A few years later in 1841, a simple and efficient artificial hand pollination method was developed by a 12-year-old slave named Edmond Albius on Réunion, a method still used today. Using a beveled sliver of bamboo, an agricultural worker lifts the membrane separating the anther and the stigma, then, using the thumb, transfers the pollen from the anther to the stigma. The flower, self-pollinated, will then produce a fruit. The vanilla flower lasts about one day, sometimes less, and so, growers have to inspect their plantations every day for open flowers, a labor-intensive task.
Pretty amazing, isn't it? To this day, this is the way it's done. Another neat thing we learned is that if you put the vanilla beans into a flask and immerse them in rum for about 3 months, you can make the vanilla extract that you see in the stores. In the stores, it costs roughly $5 a bottle for a 1 oz bottle of vanilla extract (rip off!) which is a pretty penny for the amount and the vanilla beans themselves are quite pricey. My friend Jessica L. told me that you can get a few good quality Tahitian vanilla beans for $15-$20 online. The beans are pricey, but if you make it yourself, you can make a good quantity that'll get you a better bang for your buck. My husband had some good quality rum that he got as a gift a good ways back so we used that as well as the aid of a mini pitcher he bought me along with the flask at Crate and Barrel and made our vanilla extract. It'll be ready in three months, so that means May.
So now that the holiday seasons are well passed, it's time to put all those holiday things away. This year i made some place mats for our table for this holiday season and regretfully, these things will have to be put away. I put my fruit/vegetables on it on the shelf to quiet the Christmas theme but as it gets further away from Christmas, the place mats seem to get louder. Tip: One way to decorate your house naturally is to put bright fruits and vegetables that dont need to be refrigerated out where you can see. That way, you don't have to spend too much money looking for decorations because as you look for 'decorations' in the vegetable and fruit section, naturally the bright colors are prettier to display and we all know that the more concentrated the color on the fruit/vegetable, the more good things it contains. The purpose is two fold! I usually have a nice assortment of green, red, yellow and orange, but the particular fruit display below is to see if my husband notices them on the candle stands...
And last night, our friend Oliva planned a surprise party for her husband Mike which was an occasion for another cake for the Kwaks! "Mmmm Cheesy" is one of those you-had-to-be-there moments within our small group. Inside, is Funfetti cake made dense and the Mmm Cheesy writing is made to look like Cheez Whiz, written by the little can of Cheez Whiz. :)
Bon Appetite!
Foodie Yoodie
