I found last year that the only way to motivate myself is to make studying an attractive prospect: nice atmosphere, good cup of tea, maybe a study buddy along for some parallel play.

With school having started and mountains of reading piling up, my trusty old cafés have already gone stale.

The solution: a café tour of Boston.

Target #1: Sherman Cafe, Somerville, MA.

Overall rating: 7 out of 10 -I am quite satisfied

Despite being in the less-than-picturesque Union Square, the cafe’s large windows create a refreshingly bright atmosphere even on this overcast day.

The tea selection is good, but the food is really awesome -light and veggie filled yet filling with many vegetarian options.

I got the “Green Gazpacho” which was excellent, and exactly what I needed :avocado, tomato, cucumber, lime juice and red onion -creamy yet refreshing and light.

The only major drawback that I can see is that you have to pay for the wireless (groan) the plus side of which is that you can stay for as long as you like and not feel guilty.

That being said, I will probably go back; they wooed me with hand-knit coffee cup cozies.

But beware, Faré flings his nose up in the air and snoots “It feels like Cambridge just with less class” -the snob.

Anyway… this invariably leads to a cupboard that spills out into strategically placed large plastic bins in the kitchen filled with stuff that I don’t care to cook on a daily basis – mostly for lack of know-how.

So, after making a vow to myself to not buy any more non-fresh food in any grocery store until the cupboard is manageable again, I began the colossal task of cooking the bizarre. The following is a list of what worked and what didn’t. Let me know if you have any questions.

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NO-NO’s: (a.k.a. the graveyard)

- Mung bean in anything that is not desserty- especially lentil stew.

- Celery in the Chả giò – on principle more than anything else; I have Trân (a Vietnamese friend) to thank for educating me.

- Nutmeg (in almost anything) but especially not in Azuki beans.

- Cheap pressure cookers that explode all over the kitchen.

- Congee – in any pre-packaged form. It’s the oats that really make me ralph.

- Frozen dumplings or Bánh bao especially if you can’t read the ingredients.

- MSG – granulated. (I bought some just for the novelty of the can!)

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Delicious accidents:

- Well-spiced leftovers in gỏi cuốn.

- green tea agar agar: like make-your-own-flavor Jello!

- Tapioca flour in crêpes – delightfully chewy!

- Lychee syrup and vodka. Not to mention the deliciousness of the tinned lychees themselves.

- Chestnuts – pre-cooked, preservative free – in a sealed plastic – yummm without any preparations.

- Cheap fresh produce including various kinds of greens for sautéing and avocado. In general, the fact that everything is inexpensive is the chinese shop’s ultimate virtue.

Not having any photos of these culinary wonders, I’ve decided to post a photo of some basil in an effort to express my love for autumnal light and the universal sentiment that basil is marvelous in just about anything.

This is one such project: I wanted to say that It came to me in a dream, but I think I should rather say that it came to me instead of a dream- Let’s call it a slumber-kissed delirium.

In total, it is an ode to Amy.

As my youngest sister, she is entitled to a birthday present as cool as she is – which is the reason for my extreme contemplation.

Being inspired by this book in all of it’s Scandinavian wonder, I bought all of the fabrics in a one-time sugar-induced sew-low frenzy months ago, only to find that no project from the book satisfied me as a present for my sister.

Accordingly, this bag was improvised from bits of ideas that were floating around on the shoulders of various well-accessorised Bostonians.

I hope she likes it.

One of my favorite things about traveling to Europe is the Pastry… and cool shower heads. After returning from Poland, I wondered what was stopping me from getting one of my own…. nothing!

Let me inspire you to follow your impulses…roll around in the grass, and happy bathing

The world of crochet has opened itself up to me, and I have accepted it with arms flung wide in abandon.

I knew that simple “single crochet” scarves were quick and easy, but I was not aware of how addicting more complex patterns can be. I started yesterday; already a whole skein has flown by – whoosh. It’s like crack. I just can’t stop – so rhythmic and satisfying. This is very dangerous: the elann.com August update of yarns on sale has just come out, and I fear I can not say no to Peruvian Pure Alpaca Fina.

I should have started crochet years ago, but this book was not in my life then. I highly recommend it. The descriptions are clear, and the patterns are easy to understand. I have modified the “Textured throw” pattern to make this scarf in a lovely plum wine colored yarn. I hope that once the edging is done, it will look more polished.

Can anyone say matching hat and mittens? I am wondering who will get it for Christmas.

Because of space constraints, it isn’t possible for all of the furniture to match. Instead, I’ve decided to go the next best route and have everything be complimentary. The idea is to make things match just enough to please the eye, but not so much as to sacrifice visual interest and texture. This is obviously more difficult than matching because it is harder to avoid making the space look cluttered and requires creativity. I have always really liked collage which employs the same sort of principle; it is interesting to see how this technique is both similar and different in three dimensions.

This cabinet previously had small white ceramic drawer pulls, which added to the feeling that it did not belong in the room – all the other furniture has a blond wood finish. The creme colored flowers serve to soften the white and to make the color palette blend better. This is of course not to mention the fact that they are awesomely cute!

As for the food, the fried crab appetizer was ok though a bit of a waste because the flavor of the crab didn’t come out, and it was slightly overdone lending to my suspicions about the freshness of the meat.  It tasted like anything would taste fried.  To redeem the dish, there was an accompaniment of a coleslaw of sorts.  The dressing had lime juice in it which went really well with large shreds of carrot which were mixed in with the cabbage.

By contrast, my entree, the roast duck, was very good.  It was served with a gravy of stewed French black lentils and mashed potatoes with fresh rosemary.  The lentils were well spiced and had some wild cremini mushrooms mixed in.  I am coming to realize how much wild mushrooms affect my opinion of a dish – I love them and should use them more in my own cooking especially with tender meats (duck, lamb, veal etc.).

I think there is something to be said for uniformity with the color of bedding.  Most of my things sort of matched, but the contrasts were too strong (bright red, stark white and a deep purple). The textures were also different, and some things have trims while others don’t.  The mismatched feeling really gave me a sense of disorganization and chaos.   By dyeing everything a subtle shade of blue, i think it will really bring a sense of uniformity and calm to my very small apartment.  We’ll see how it goes.

In general, I’ve been really into blue lately.

I woke up fresh this morning determined to have a good time.  I was wonderfully surprised by François with many of my favorite things: cherries, apricots, pastry, etc., and… a basil plant!

Incidentally, all of my pictures (including ones not in this post) can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/lbranch/ if you are interested.  I went swimming with Ashley at the municipal pool which was a great break from the heat.

Plans for this evening: moonlight sailing (oooooooooooo)