Emma’s Fantabulous Blog

Guess who’s parent’s got Fifi a stroller of her very own, which also doubles as a yard wagon/wheelbarrow.

We’re totally going to tow Fifi around on walks through the neighborhood this summer!

ME: Baby, which of your guns is best for killing zombies?
DEVON: hm it depends. the rifle is best for killing them from a distance
DEVON: the beretta holds 16 rounds, which is nice, but the .45 has more zombie stopping power
ME: hmm… well i have an axe for close distance stuff, as well as chopping down stairs..
DEVON: er, you do?
ME: but i dunno if i want a long distance gun or a hand gun…
ME: haha.
ME: i’m choosing my top 5 items to have when zombies attack…
ME: so far I have an axe, hardcore – yet sexy – body armor, vodka and a mountain bike.
ME: but i need a gun.
ME:for stopping power.
DEVON: I’d go with a Beretta CX4 Storm, in .45.

So how about you? What are your 5 preferred items to have on hand in case of zombie attack?

Katy Perry – Hot ‘n’ Cold (Cover by Los Colorados)

This is so awesome.

I feel like I had a productive and enjoyable spring day. I ordered a bunch of stuff online, that we’ve been desperately needing. Bamboo shades to block the sun in our bedroom in the AM, a new comforter (our current one outdates D & I’s relationship), a big wagon to hall yard junk in addition to Fifi, etc…. I went to the dry cleaners, and did the bi-weekly grocery store trip. I hung out with Fifi on the deck and read a great book as Fifi soaked up the sun’s rays. I planted 4 rows of sugar snap peas in my garden, and I made little hangers for my garden tools in the shed. And I’m currently in the process of making greek-spiced baked shrimp with feta for dinner. Yeah, domestic goddess!

"Emma" gardening

First off, I love using photo shop poorly. Next. It’s spring time and I’ve always wanted to have a small garden to grow things to eat. I’ve experimented in previous rental houses with herbs, collards and flowers… I’ve also planted a blueberry bush that I harvested about 6 ripe blueberries off of last year, and we had a patch of wild stawberries that the squirrels harvested the night before each one was ripe.

Now that we have a huge yard, I’ve decided that I will actually have a real garden. We’ve decided to go with a raised bed version, so its not as permanent, if we decide to move its location. Also, hopefully it will make it a bit easier to keep kritters out… Ok, they can share, but they can not eat everything! hehe. My garden staff, aka. Devon, will build/help build a pretty simple one, that will be about 4 ft. by 8 ft, and it should be big enough to hold the few things that I plan on trying to grow this year.

They are: Collard greens, yellow summer squash, carrots, sugar snap peas, nasturtiums and possibly zucchini. I’m also thinking about doing some herbs like basil, cilantro and parsley in some containers. We also have a big apple tree in our back yard. We moved into the house too late last year to see if they were yummy or not. But yeah. I’m feeling a smidge domestic… Although, we’ll see. Devon and I still have to build the raised bed tonight…. and then I have to plant things… Oh yeah.. and then weed, and weed, and weed, and weed. Good times.

Is anyone else trying to growing anything this year?

You can not fool me. I know having an e-mail subject with something like “itunes invoice #687″ may fool some people, but I’ve got your number, people. My email address is not associated with the itunes account that I use, so there is no way that I should be receiving anything related to that….
In addition, you might want to change your “handle”. Receiving a “itunes invoice” from a sender called “VIAGRA. Official Site” is a dead give away.

I just finished writing a long e-mail to my friend about my favorite things to do and see in San Francisco. I thought it would also make a good blog post. These are my top 5 things (that I can think of right now) to do in San Francisco, and the surrounding areas.

So…Other than the uber touristy requirements of eating chocolate at Ghirardelli, going on a tour of Alcatraz and getting a sourdough bread bowl with chowder at Fisherman’s Wharf, and then going to check out the Sea Lions…… (all those things I recommend, btw)

Samovar – A Tea House.
They have 3 locations, but I fell in love with the location in Yerba Buena Gardens. Its a great place to just sit and drink some tea. For a light lunch or a little snack, I highly suggest their cheese and fruit platter. Its little and light and perfect for a little zen moment. Some fruit, cheese, nice bread and some honey in the comb. Absolutely delish.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art – AHhhht.
Practically across the street from Samovar. They have a pretty wide range of modern art, so even if you find alot of the stuff horribly shocking that it’s called art (i did), you’ll also definitely come across some stuff that you really love. Not a huge museum, and do-able in maybe 3 hours? I enjoyed spending an afternoon there, and their gift shop was fun to poke around in.

Chinatown and Dim Sum!
Yeah, Chinatown is pretty touristy, but its fun to poke around shops and getting dim sum is a MUST on a saturday or sunday morning! I can’t remember where I ate, but I started my walk at the big gate on Grant Ave at Bush Street, and I walked north on Grant. I think most restaurants on Grant are often marked up and more touristy, so look down the side streets until you find a place that looks interesting. That’s what D and I did, and we ended up in a totally packed place where we were the only gringos, and the waitresses didn’t speak any english. Luckily with dim sum you just point to what you want off their carts.

Asia SF – Dinner and drinks with talented dancers of the transgendered variety
I think I’ve gone here every time I’ve been in San Francisco, starting with a girl’s weekend trip with my Mom. Reservations are a good idea. It is awesome!!!! Dinner is good, but can be pricey. I think they have a prix fixe type menu thingie. The bartenders have always been great with helping me make a mixed drink decision, in addition to their sake and wine menus.  And don’t even get me started on the lady dancers of AsiaSF!!!! Most real women can’t even stand in 6 inch stripper shoes and here these ladies are, dancing in them on top of the bar to the latest Britney Spears songs. It’s a truly an awesome sight to behold.

Wine Country - Sonoma and Napa Valleys
Do it. I recommending having either a designated driver, or doing using a tour company. I’ve done both, and prefer having a DD, but the tour was pretty nice as well. We got to go to places that weren’t open to the public, and there weren’t a ton of annoying super tourists… I just don’t recommend doing the drinking & driving route. The pourers can have heavy hands.   Wineries I recommend: Domaine Chandon (great champagne, and beautiful landscaping) and Mumm (also great champagne). If you’re driving, I suggest driving up the main drag in Sonoma Valley, Rt.12, i think? and then crossing over at the top and going back down through Napa Valley on rt. 29. And just stop into whatever wineries strike your fancy.

This is a new recipe I came across from Food & Wine, that I altered a bit. It was absolutely delish, winning approval from D and my mom. It tasted just as good, if not better, than a curry from my favorite Thai restaurant. It’s pretty easy to make, relatively healthy, very satisfying and it looks beautiful when it’s plated.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup  canola oil
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 anaheim chile(green chile pepper), seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper—cored, seeded and cut into thin strips
• 1 tablespoon curry powder (I used half 9 spice curry from Thailand, half McCormick Brand)
• A little over 1 pound tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1/3 cup Greek-style plain low-fat yogurt
• 1/2 cup water
• Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions

1. In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and lightly dust with flour, tapping off the excess. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook over high heat, turning once, until lightly browned, 6 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
2. Add the ginger, garlic, chile and bell pepper to the skillet and cook over high heat until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, corn, yogurt and water; stir until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over very low heat until the chicken is tender and the juices are slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the chicken with cilantro.
4. Serve with steamed rice.