i can't do it!

read the kjv, that is.

i've basically given up :( it's cumbersome, it puts me to sleep, i pay attention to everything else that is going on around me when i'm reading the book EXCEPT the book itself. to really illustrate how difficult this book has been for me to read, and really show why i've given up--i shamefully admit that i have only finished genesis and exodus.

yes folks, that is only the first two books of the bible. oh, and i've been reading it for about a month and a half now.

i did, however, finish madame bovary and it was lovely. so while attempting to read the holiest book in christendom, i finished and loved a book filled with amorality, lust and lies. :) i recommend it!

pumpkins

i like carving pumpkins. on my birthday, lee and i drove by this great market and picked up some pumpkins for just this occasion. he got a littler white one that they called a cinderella pumpkin. they carved up nicely!

10.10.10

my birthday is on october 10. this year, that meant it was on 10.10.10. i did not implode, explode, become enlightened, gain superpowers or anything on this day. i am disappointed.

but i did eat eritrean food at a place called asmara in central square. it was good and they make traditional teff injera, so i can eat it. lee made me a delicious lemon poppy sead cake with lemon frosting.

and then i went to funspot, the world's largest video game arcade, located in weir's beach, new hampshire and home of many great, fun, old time arcade games, including but not limited to:

ms. pac man
centipede
tron
space invaders
indy 500
pong
super off road
duck hunt
donkey kong
after burner
frogger

and many more. also including, skee ball, plenty of pin ball, whack-a-mole, and so much more. it was heaven on earth!

so my parents were league bowlers when i was a kid. every friday night, we ate hamburgers for dinner (well, my parents and sister ate that. i had some kind of chef boyardee), then we got in the car and drove a half hour to get to the bowling alley. when we got there, my sister and i each got a roll of quarters and we hung out in the arcade. i played this cyclone pinball a lot, but i'm not so good at pinball anymore... they had a lot of fantastic pinball machines, too!

i also played this game a lot, but i still had it in me! lee played with me, but then ended up watching, and watching and watching. so he took some pictures.

just check this place out! and this is just part of one floor. it's three floors, and even has a full bowling alley, a bar and a small cafeteria.

here's lee playing tron. lee didn't really play video games as a kid and wasn't familiar with a lot of the games. but he had a good time and was a good sport :)

and here i am with my prize :) i didn't play too many ticket games, but my high score on skee ball was 290. i'm pretty proud of that. but lee and i combined our tickets for a grand total of 250. that got me this sweet fairies note pad. i had an awesome birthday!

pierogies

if you know me, you know that i love anything that can be made into a dumpling. so even though hungarian cuisine doesn't have something like the pierogie, because it is a dumpling i am in love with this beautiful polish food. going gluten free made this a sad thing for me. but i found a great pierogie recipe--so great, i made them twice in the same week! mine are with a bit of a hungarian twist :) served covered in saurkraut and sweet paprika! best thing, this recipe is soooo simple to make. thanks to daring cooks!


gluten free pierogies (makes about 15)

1/3 c tapioca starch
1/3 c sweet rice flour (called mochiko)
2 tbsp potato starch
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp xanthan gum
2 eggs
1 tbsp olive oil

1. combine flours, salt and xanthan gum in a bowl.
2. whisk eggs in a separate small bowl. then whisk in oil.
3. pour wet ingredients into dry. mix together, then you'll be able to knead this dough.
4. grab small portions of the dough and roll out on parchment paper. roll out to about 1/8" thick and cut into rounds.

FULL DISCLOSURE: i rolled out all the dough at once and i do not use a biscuit cutter or anything fancy. i just cut into squares. then i thought about it--next time, i will use my ravioli maker! roll out, place on top of ravioli maker (which is kind of like a little ice cube tray), fill, cut. voila!

5. fill. moisten edges of dough with wet fingers and press edges together. then use a fork to completely stick together and make fluted edges.
6. boil until the dumpling floats to the surface and stops looking "doughy."
7. drain pierogies and place in a hot, non-stick frying pan with butter. coat with butter and fry until lightly browned.
8. eat hot!

i filled mine with a mixture of potato, sage and mild cheddar. so i mashed a boiled potato with a bit of butter and salt and pepper. then added some dried sage to taste. i put about a teaspoon of filling into each dumpling and a pinch of cheese. then sealed. they were divine!