Brandon is Building a Tablet

I don't know quite how else to put it: Brandon is building a tablet computer!

He turned to me one day and told me he wanted a tablet computer, but the options available are abysmal, and he wants something very, very specific that simply doesn't exist yet. You know, because he's Tony Stark. And as such, he decided to just build it himself. ^_^

First, he ordered a touch screen. When it arrived, it was like Christmas.

I took a video of him opening it, but I seem to have lost it. I know he looks super focused in these photos, but trust me, he's geeking out.

Brandon spent some time shopping for used laptops online, but he was having a hard time staying within his budget. Then, a few weeks ago, we helped my friend Christine move in with her boyfriend. While we were helping, he had an old laptop he needed to get rid of. It's not what Brandon wants for his final product, but it made a quick mock-up affordable. He was geeked to be able to throw together a Mark 1 of the design right away. (Special thank-you to Danny!)

Removing the screen from its chassis.  

A working mockup! 

Happy man ^_^

Relatively portable... albeit delicate. 

The original plans for the hinge - he wants to give it a dockable keyboard and charging station. 

There are still some software issues. He has to keep linking it up to his desktop computer and input devices like keyboard and mouse in order to work on the modifications to the touch-screen drivers. 

But he can handle it. Brandon likes a challenge. ^_^

More Pies! (Big Surprise)

I was inspired this week to make spinach pie, but I didn't want to use filo dough, so I made it in a traditional pie crust.

I made two batches of pie crust, and they turned out quite different. The pie shell on the right is just a little too dry; you can tell because it's too dark, and it was stiff when I handled it. It was more prone to cracks, and more difficult to mold into the shape I wanted. The shell on the left had enough water. It was very elastic, easy to handle, and turned out lovely and flakey.

"Yes, but Amanda, how did the filling turn out?"
Deliciously. ^_^

I used half feta and half ricotta. I put yellow onion and green onion, fresh dill and fresh parsley. 

I had so much pie crust left over, I just baked it in an empty shell and decided I would figure out what to do with it later in the week.

I ended up melting chocolate into it, hoping the hardened chocolate shell would keep the crust dry, then piled fresh berries in it, then topped it with from-scratch whipped cream.

So far, Brandon seems to approve ^_^

Mau is Visiting!

Rasika is out of town visiting friends. While she's gone, we're taking care of her kitten Mau. I promised her I'd post photos so she wouldn't get lonely without him. So here are some adorable kitten photos to brighten your day!

A few weeks ago we did a test run to make sure Quorra and Mau wouldn't kill each other. Mau got the bedroom (and Rasika kept him company so he wouldn't be scared) and Quorra stayed in the living room with us. They played with each other under the bedroom door.

Rasika ate her lunch while she kept Mau company.

Mau is very curious about the people on the other side of the door!

Cutie pie. 

Quorra is not very happy that thre's another cat in the house.

And now for some adorable kitten playtime photos! 

I was taking a nap and I reached above my head, and there was a creature there napping with me!!

And this is especially to keep Rasika company while she's out of town ^_^

Happy Saturday everyone!

Cocktail Party

I'm not sure if I've told you this before, but I love entertaining. I know, I know. Big surprise there.

So, I invited some friends over and we decided to make a few fancy snacks. I made crostini with tomatoes tossed in extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar and seasoned with fresh garlic and basil, and also some baked provolone with walnuts and oregano, which we then ate over toasted crostini.

But the star of the party was the bar. I made some simple syrup and infused various flavors, including raspberry, mint, cinnamon and lemon zest.

Everyone experimented making drinks by picking something to muddle in the bottom of the glass, then a simple syrup, a liquor, and loooots of shaved ice. We ended up with some fun combinations. 

Drinks we tried include: blackberry-mint-vodka, mint-lemon-tequila, raspberry-cinnamon-amaretto and rasperry-mint-raspberry flavored vodka. It was kind of hard to mess up, pretty much every combination was delicious.

It was a fun theme for a party, I'll definitely have to try it again some time, and branch out with my simple syrup flavors. Brandon and I are finishing out our evening watching the Olympic opening ceremonies.

Have a lovely weekend!!

Catching Up

I have been absolutely BURIED with schoolwork recently. I had my thesis proposal (it was accepted!) and I was just too stressed to worry about anything else. But now that it's behind me, I'm ready to get back to doing fun stuff on the weekends, taking photos, and telling you all about it! In the meantime, here's what I found on my camera from the last month:

Brandon built a play structure for our cat Quorra. She started climbing on it before he even finished, and now she LOVES it. 

Rewarding good behavior. 

Finishing the top level. 

Teaching her that it's safe. 

You mean... its all for me??

In my state of stress, I splurged on a new outfit. It was a bit pricey by my standards, so I had to make sure it was versatile... 

I was very pleased with the results.

Brandon made some fancy chicken kiev. He chopped the butter into little sticks and stuck it in the freezer with herbs. Then, after pounding the chicken flat, he rolled it up with the butter in the middle, breaded it and fried it in the cast iron skillet. It was delish! I don't normally like chicken, but Brandon always manages to make something really creative with it. 

On the side, we had quinoa and some amazing spinach salad with toasted apples and shallots.

Brandon made some insanely loaded burgers with avocado spread and spring mix, amongst many other things. He felt like a mad genius by the end.....

Drunk with burger power.

My friend Aparna came over and we baked some pies. She loves sweets, but never learned to bake, so I said we could do some baking projects together. Turns out: she's a natural!

That's it for now! Sorry for the hiatus, I'll try and post more regularly now that things have calmed down in lab. Famous last words, right? ;-)