Picture Yourself Here

Ok and picture it sunny too. Or picture it dark and starry with our cute patio lights on, but here is where you'll be hanging out, al fresco, at the LundeRoy Hotel and Bistro.



P.S. Don't forget to look for the cat, of course.

Weekend Update

The past week was a blur; I had intense written exams on Thursday and Friday so I was studying nonstop up until then (except when distracted by snow). Austin was right with me, racking up the hours at work.

On Friday, my girlfriend (who was also taking exams) and I decided we need to have a night out on the town to celebrate. We had plans to go out for dinner and go to a jazz club. By 5pm, however, we were in pajamas ordering pizza and we were both fast asleep by 9pm. Woot! We were up bright and early and had breakfast at the Austin institution, Kerbey Lane.

Saturday was a perfect day. Austin and I were both well rested and relaxed. We went to Home Depot to ogle ceiling fans and door knobs, yep, the stuff of new homeowners' wildest dreams (oh, to replace those horrible brass door knobs with brushed nickel!). We perused the garden center, reveling in bright blue skies and sunshine, what a change a few days make. We decided to try a new place for lunch and checked out a Thai place near our house- so good. Austin had pad thai and I had curry and it was amazing, a repeat visit will be in our near future.

After lunch, we headed downtown and went to West Elm to look at an area rug we had been eying. We decided to go for it and managed to get the 10' long area rug tucked into the back of the Scion, love that hatchback!

By then it was getting later so we went to Malaga for tapas happy hour. I had been there with friends from school and was looking forward to having Austin check it out too. After our first round, I said "gracias" to the server and Austin said he walked away, stopped, and did a double take. Then he came up to me and said, "You are from e-Spain?" All that from a simple "gracias" but Austin was amused and I was glad my accent doesn't sound like "grassy-ass" after all. We reveled in tapas including some delicious grilled mahi-mahi skewers and crab gratin, among other things. Austin enjoyed a flight of Spanish wines and we talked about dragging our parents there (we have two sets coming in March, yahoo!).

After happy hour, we stopped at Whole Foods to grab some things for the grill, some amazing pink sea salt dark chocolate truffles, and of course a little bit of Spanish wine since we were in the mood. We went home, installed the new rug, watched a movie, and that was the end of our perfect Saturday.

Here is the new rug set up:



Today is the usual errands, laundry, school work but it's so much easier after a day of relaxation.

The Snow and The Skipper

It's snowing in TX. It was 76 and sunny on Sunday and now it's Tuesday and our world is all white. The outlook was for rain and snow starting at 10:00 but it was going strong when we woke up and is still coming down. The yards, roofs, and streets are now covered so it's pretty exciting stuff for these Midwestern expats who only get a few weeks of it at Xmas.

Normally I'd be in class today but I am currently the skipper on the U.S.S. Truancy, sailing toward some big exams at the end of the week for which I absolutely have to continue studying. The snow, however, has made me a little giddy and Austin and I documented it with pics and vid (which, it goes without saying, doesn't do justice to snowflakes but anyway..).

Austin made fun of me narrating my videos but, well, if you're a C-roy, that's how it's done. My parents have stacks of VHS and those old reels containing generations of us rocking the cheesy narration. So here's my* go at it:



Austin, on the other hand, said he preferred that the quiet falling of the snow speak for itself. His efforts:



*I think my voice sounds like Pam from The Office, cool!

Skillet Cooking

The only thing we seem to have lost in our move across the country was our set of cast iron skillets. I am not sure how such a heavy, clunky item could be misplaced but after countless searches of our house and shed (the TX equivalent of a basement), the skillets have been listed as MIA. We resisted buying a new one, after all, that's when you find the old one, but finally we caved.

Since picking up a new skillet, we've been using it all the time. Here are two instances from this weekend. I made carmelized leek risotto and managed to snap a few photos in the process. I love working with leeks- all the shades of green you see and the sweet, oniony smell that isn't overpowering.



Starting to carmelize.



And finally, getting to the creamy risotto stage.



Then this morning, I decided to make that Austin specialty of onion, pepper, tortilla, egg,and cheese: migas. I could go on and on about the dish but you should just read this native Texan's praise of migas and try her recipe.

Sauteing the onion, peppers, and tomatoes.



Finished product!

Plane Crash & Building Fire

This is a picture from my cell phone of the building that was destroyed by a plane today. It is about 2 miles from our old apt and 10-15 minutes from our house. I pass it everyday on my commute. We are fine and, amazingly, only one person is currently unaccounted for. Tragic.

Valentine's Pad Thai

Ah, V-day, I kind of love and hate you. The over-hyping gets annoying but I can't pass up the opportunity to buy some nice flowers and make a meal with Austin. So that's what we did.

Pad Thai was one of the first things we cooked together and it actually didn't turn out so great so we decided to give it another shot, using a recipe from some Foodie Friends and this one from Chez Pim. I was pleased that our local grocery store had all the items I needed (and those flowers to boot!) so it was a one-stop trip.



I took on the role of sous-chef as Austin person-ed the wok. Shallots and tofu, mmm, smelled so good.



I didn't realize I got XL sized noodles which wasn't ideal but didn't hinder things too much.



Almost done!



And... success!



You can see how wide the noodles were; narrower ones would be better for ideal sauce distribution :-) It turned out much better than our first attempt though we are still tweaking it to perfection.

Cooking & Stuff

A little late, here is some of the cooking we did for the Super Bowl. Austin took some notes on his famous chili so he may end up posting an actual recipe.

Simmering Away



The Finished Product



Deviled Eggs

Life With The Lunderoys

It's currently 10:34 p.m. on a Tuesday night and we're both in front of our computers, working.

I know, we're lucky to have jobs and grad school and all that but... just wanted to quick post to make sure the blog doesn't die of starvation. More this weekend.

Chai Tea

While Austin doesn't share my enthusiasm for real, brewed tea, he does love himself a good chai. It turns out my mom found the best do-it-yerself chai mix at her favorite coffee shop in Smallsville, WI. Part of Austin's birthday present was a sampler of a number of David Rio chai mixes and he was thrilled to do a side by side taste test.

Austin's winner was the Tiger Chai for its exotic spiciness and I liked the Tortoise Green Tea Chai for its mellow-sweet qualities. Austin was just so pleased he could try a number of flavors and select his favorite to "order as much as I can until it is discontinued."

The chai test was quickly over, however, as we turned our attentions to making chili, chili-cheese dip, deviled eggs, and cheese cake for the big game. More on that later.