#10 - Knit a Scarf!

So... today I went shopping on my lunch break (surprise, surprise) to get knitting supplies (real surprise!). I picked out a nice dark grey yarn and some needles and some other weird tool that I have no idea how to use. Anyways, while there I picked out a pattern for a simple scarf... And these are the instructions:

Is this a joke? What frickin language is this? Oh boy, this is going to be fun- I can tell already... I think my neck is going to be cold this winter!

# 7 - Mexican Feast, Olé!

It's official... #7 can be scratched off the list! Cook an ethnic meal from scratch (oooh, that felt good) I am so proud of our meal and every bit of it was so good. And for future reference, I will now only answer to the Flan Queen. Not Lise. Not Clarice. Just Flan Queen, OK?

Were Vanessa and I the only people that didn't know that coriander and cilantro are the same thing? Ya, so we scrapped it out at Loblaw's with the produce kid who actually ended up going into the back and bringing out a box of cilantro/coriander to prove both his point and the fact that we're idiots. Awesome feeling let me tell you.

So, as planned, we started off with some Fierce Mexican Mojitos. I honestly have no idea how many of those we ended up drinking, but let me tell you, they were Mmm Mmm Good. We had a whole Mojito station going and had the process down to a science.  

These Mexican mojitos were serious business (Tequila is what makes them Mexican by the way), and that's all I have to sat about that.

Next to tackle was the main dish, Fish Tacos. Three words for you... Oh my God. I'd never had a fish taco before, but now I think I'm in love. Cod battered to perfection, fresh Pico de Gallo, the spiciest chipotle sauce, and warm tacos/tortillas.



My own Chipotle, Jalapeno, Adobo creation...

Fresh Pico de Gallo

Beer Battered Cod

The Finished Product Part 1

The Finished Product Part 2

Dinner for Two


And then came dessert. I had no idea that these hands of mine could actually make something so devine. I think maybe I invented flan in a past life or something, because this was the most perfect flan ever, and I really really really didn't have a clue what I was doing. So this goes back to why I will only respond to "Flan Queen" from here on out.



It make not look so pretty, but it was the BEST FLAN EVER!!


I've really hoped that as I make my way through the list that I learn something new, that I make memories that will last and that I live life intentionally. So, what am I taking away from this experience, this Mexican Feast? Several things:

1. Cilantro and coriander are the same thing.
2. Just because the recipe says so, doesn't mean it is so.
3. If it's that spicy going in, it's going to be that spicy going out. : )
4. A raw avocado does NOT ripen if you put it in the toaster oven.
5. If you actually clean while you cook (as opposed to just saying you will), the kitchen doesn't look like a disaster zone for the next 3 days.
6. I truly have the best best-friend in the whole world. One who supports me, who trusts me and is trust-worthy, who laughs at all my jokes, and with who I can have an awesome time just talking, cooking and drinking the night away. I love her to bits and pieces.

Super-cute Vanessa gettin down with fish

Kind of suprisingly, it was an all-around successful night, no casualties and the kitchen didn't burn down. The food was amazing, the company was perfect, the drinks were flowing, what more could we have asked for?

# 7 - Cook an ethnic meal from scratch

As you may have now guessed, the plan is... Mexico. I'm aware that doesn't sound so complicated, but I'm 100% sure I'll attempt #7 several times this year, so you will certainly get something more exotic next time. I'm easing into things here... I'm also 100% sure that the process of making this meal with my best friend will serve for hours of entertainment (both ours and yours) - keep in mind, I'm doing this with the same girl that fell in the fountain at Louvre this summer, and the same girl with whom I blew out the rear window of a BMW X5 with a beer keg of all things 2 weeks ago*. Trust me, my follow-up post of the meal and how we got to it will surely keep your attention.

Menu:

Fierce Mexican Mojitos (a different twist on the traditional Cuban fare)

Fish Tacos w/ Pico de Gallo & Chipotle Dressing

Flan

If all goes as planned, the table should look something like...

Appetizer, Side Dish and Dessert - Mojito

Main Dish - Fish Taco's

Taco Topping - Pico de Gallo



Dessert - Flan



But then again, if I've learned anything thus far, it's that nothing ever goes according to plan... Will keep you posted. Wish me luck!

* I've come to the conclusion that God made her and I friends for a reason... he was bored with the mundane happenings and interactions on earth and thought it would serve a lifetime of joy and entertainment to watch the shenanigans her and I would come up with. For pure recreational purposes and to really show you what I mean, I'm including a photo of our Saturday morning 2 weeks ago when 1 of our beer kegs blew out the rear window.

Give the people what they want! (#s 46 & 10)

Well, despite the fact that I only have 9 "official" followers on this blog, a lot of people have been asking me to post more regularly. So, I figure... give the people what they want! My original intention was to only blog about the actual process of completing my list and so I didn't want to bombard anyone with my mundane thoughts, but the truth is... nothing about me or my thinking is mundane ; )

So today we'll start right back where I left off. #46 - Paint a painting. Yup, good ol' #46, which I now know also includes buying out the art supply store, turning my office into a studio, ruining 2 t-shirts, 2 tank tops, 2 pairs of leggings, 1 towel and a pair of shorts. Why I don't just keep wearing the same thing whenever I paint? I don't know.

Anyways, I did start to paint something... and I can't believe I actually have to post it, it's so embarassing; but it is part of the process and part of this wacky commitment I made, so here it goes. Just keep in mind, that it's not finished. IT'S A WORK IN PROGRESS. I don't know how to paint eyeballs. In fact I've TRIED to paint her eyeballs like 4 times, and have to keep painting over it in white and trying again. So, for now I'm putting the eyeballs on hold until I can get them right. Have you noticed I'm stalling? Babbling on and on and on when all you want to do is see the damn picture... Lol... don't judge me because I'm a terrible painter, love me because I tried.

I can't really explain the subject of the picture, to be honest. It's just what came to mind when I was sketching, so it's what I painted. I'm going to keep plugging away at her eyeballs (and hopefully she won't look so f-ing scary). I'll keep you posted!

Tonight you get 2 (count 'em 2) posts in 1.

My next # to tackle is #10 - Knit a Scarf... You know, it's starting to get brisk outside, and soon it'll be a necessity in my wardrobe. Now, in an ideal world, I'll be able to do something really cool. I'm thinking something a la Marc Jacobs...





Marc by Marc Jacobs Valley Sweater Scarf

But that looks long and may take too much time, so it'll probably be more like this...



Courtesy of millionlooks.com



But then again, I've never knitted, and truly have no idea what I'm doing, so it'll probably look more like this...

Guess what everyone's getting for Christmas? Lol...

# 46 - Paint a Painting

Ha! Well, talk about taking it too far... I impress myself sometimes with my ability to take a little seed of nothing and blow completely out of proportion. So #46 - Paint a Painting... I figured, it'll get my creative juices flowing, it sounded like a relatively easy thing to accomplish on the list, it's something I've always said I would like to do... So last week I decide it's my next project on the list. I call up my mom and ask her to put together some paint for me from the factory (it's part of the family business)... I get the paint and then obviously realize I need to get canvases to paint on. Get those and then realize I obviously need brushes... and who paints without an easel? Need one of those too! Oh! And I want one of those fancy-shmancy paint palettes! Anyways, as you can see, one thing EASILY leads to another and before you know it my office now looks like I think I'm Van Gogh or something... Don't forget, I've never painted outside of my high school art class 13 years ago. All I wanted to do was "paint a painting"!

Lol... it's OK, you can laugh. Anyways, so it took me almost 3 hours to set up "Chez Lise" paint-shop... First of all, that shelf was in the laundry room, being very useful where it was. But no, I needed it in the office because it matched the easel I just purchased. It took FORTY-FIVE minutes to get it out of the laundry room - it was like a university-level math/geometry exam question. I practically needed a PhD to get it out of there! I had the measuring tape out, the level, I even almost unhinged the door with the power tools I bought because of my last great idea. Ahhhh.... so I finally get the shelf out, and now I have to put the easel together. First of all, the instructions only tell you about 4 pieces of wood and 15 screws/nuts/whatever, when in reality, there are 12 pieces of wood and 20 screws/nuts/whatever... What did I expect from an easel made in China... the tagline didn't even make sense! I had to take a picture (below) and see if anybody out there a) thinks it's proper english and can explain it to me or b) understands how the Chinese got the french tagline right after butchering the english one. In case the font is too small in the picture, it says "Made of Fir wood, natural look of nuts give is beauty to this easel"... Really?

Another hour or so later that was taken care of. Then of course, everything had to be placed just so on the shelf, then re-placed so it was more convenient, then re-placed a last time so that it combined convenience and aesthetic appeal...

Then came the painting... 2 hours, and what did I do? Crap. So, I did the smartest thing I could think of and painted over it in white. But at least the canvas now has great texture! (Actually laughing out loud at myself now).

Oh well, I'm going to try to create a masterpiece tonight... The physical part of painting is actually very relaxing, the mental part not so much when you have no idea what you're trying to paint.

Anyways, that's it for #46 for now. Clearly, cannot check it off my list. Hopefully I'll have something better to show for it soon. In the meantime, I'll leave you with the art of Irene Morgis. My beloved grandmother who was a beautifully talented artist (and one heck of a woman, grandmother, fighter- you name it). This was a college project. She called it... "Screaming Vagina"... and yes, this is what you're staring at when you're eating at my dining room table ; )