a last glimpse of montreal

goodbye roommates!

some photos.

I came to the horrific realization recently that I haven't had to charge my camera battery in what feels like more than two months.   The sad conclusion I drew was that I hardly take photos anymore; something I surely hope to change in the coming summer months!  However, something I do enjoy doing (especially when at times like this when it seems impossible to fall asleep) is going through old photos. I did some mass-editing of some photos that I feel are a good representation of this past year: various room rearrangements, too much studying at mcintyre medical building, lots of dirty dishes, almost as much cooking, my roommate, my other roommate, a spoon apparently, a brief obsession with chai tea, brief attempts at being organized and using my planner, zach-newburgh scandals, my first student protest (lolz), far too much time spent on campus. 

exam season.

Again I find myself with a convoluted internal clock due to the lifestyle that is my sleep deprived self during finals!  I realize the subject of this blog however, is not my poor sleeping habits but rather - my food habits! I have been eating a steady supply of kraft dinner, instant noodles and - what's that? - yes, sadly, grilled cheese for breakfast.  I couldn't remember the last time I had consumed any real vegetables of any sort due to the fact that I've been living in the library or a coffee shop (neither of which supply a wealth of leafy greens) but I did settle for some salad earlier tonight.  I guess I'm writing this with the assumption that you will somehow find my recent dietary habits fascinating!  However, I did whip up some linguine last week before I started living strictly off packaged carbs.   The weather has recently gotten extremely beautiful and I think pasta can be a very summery dish depending on what you decide to put in it - or rather, what you don't decide to put in it!  This linguine was actually quite tasty without any tomato sauce! 

On another unrelated note, there is nothing to get you through the misery of exams like the consoling voice of Sufjan Stevens!   I recently stumbled across this gem of a song that I had forgotten about for a while; it was a song he had written (presumably, 'for' sofia copolla) many years ago during his time in college. 

here's to cliche posts & cliche inspirations: tim walker.

Although I'll admit to being less than familiar with the plethora of big-name photographers out in the world, what I do regularly do is drool over the work of Tim Walker whenever I happen to stumble upon it, which is pretty often.  I realize most people are quite familiar with his photographs, but I just can't help but have a post devoted to a few of his photos because they have a very distinct character - stunning and other worldly.   I think the best photographs are enjoyed simply because no words can be put to describe why they're so beautiful - or maybe I'm just lacking a way with words.

miniature tomato quiches.

Last night, I came across a recipe for Ina Garten's tomato/goat cheese tarts, thought to myself: "these look incredibly tasty!", pointed excitedly at my laptop screen to show my roommate, but realized I was missing a lot of ingredients.  Being in my tomato-obsessed phase, I went to bed thinking about tomatoes, and these tarts (life is pretty thrilling!) When I woke up this morning (or afternoon, rather...eek), I instantly felt the need to make something similar to those delicious looking tarts.  Being someone who is generally too lazy to follow recipes by the book anyway, I searched through my fridge in an attempt to create something remotely similar.  I remembered I still had a pie crust left over from the last time my roommates and I had attempted to make a quiche (with great success, unless you consider the fire that occurred in our oven which could have been more than dangerous) - and decided to make miniature quiches instead.   I had no idea how I'd end up making them, but surprisingly, it turned out to be a pretty simple process, and they turned out looking like somewhat normal. 

Here's a rough idea of what I ended up doing: 

Ingredients:

• 1 egg, beaten, with a pinch of salt added, and a tablespoon or so of milk 
• 1 store bought pie crust
• 2 tomatoes, sliced.
• goat cheese

Using a cup or some other container with a cylindrical shape, flip the cup upside down and use it as a cookie-cutter to cut the pie dough into small circles.

Spray a muffin pan with Pam, or butter/grease it.  Press the small pieces of dough into each (and here is where my lack of food-related expertise comes in. I have no idea what these things are called) muffin hole (?).   I think I made about ten using one pie crust.

Add a bit of the beaten egg mixture into each miniature pie crust.

Add a slice of tomato on top of the egg mixture.

Sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees Farenheit (give or take 50 degrees... our oven is a bit unreliable. so is my memory) for about 10 - 15 minutes. (Again, horrible memory).

breakfast.

Yesterday's breakfast consisted of three things I currently seem to be addicted to - avocado, eggs (sunny side up!) and most importantly - tomato.  For some unplaced reason, I can't stop eating them!  Everything I consume, be it meal or snack must contain some element of tomato.  Another lesson learned this past week: ciabatta bread is best enjoyed without being toasted, unless you want to severely scar the insides of your mouth with extremely sharp crust.