Sunflower Arrangement

Hello! Thanks for stopping by!

At the beginning of this month was my bf's mothers birthday! So I made her a nice arrangement using two different varieties of sunflowers from HEB and magnolia leaves from the tree outside our townhouse. I think it turned out pretty nice and she really loved it!

Alabaster Torchiere

Good Evening! At the end of last month was Tink's birthday and I bought him an alabaster torchiere. The torchiere was designed by Martha Stewart Lighting and manufactured by Murray Feiss. Originally these would have a candle inside of them instead of a lightbulb, but Im glad it has the lightbulb as it is a lot safer and you can control the brightness (though if you took the lightbulb out you could put a candle in there...). It gives off a nice ambient lighting. The alabaster has lots of interesting patterns in is as well.

details of the alabaster

Lunch at Ra

Tink and I went to go see a movie at Movie Studio Grill in Houston's new City Centre but we were there really early so we decided to have lunch instead. We decided to try the new Ra sushi restaurant. It is a very beautiful and modernly designed restaurant. It is a pretty popular night hangout spot. So for lunch I had a bento box and Tink had Unagi (fresh water eel). We wanted to order some sea urchin (because we are now uni addicts) but they didn't get there shipment in yet. So here's lunch:

My bento box. It was very good. The salmon was perfectly done.

Tink's unagi (eel). It was also really good. The presentation was simple but different than many other places that serve the same thing.

My miso soup. I don't know why I don't like miso soup. I like tofu and seaweed a lot, but I can never eat this soup. As you can see, it's starting to separate, which looks pretty cool.

So, right in the middle of us eating our lunch our waiter informed us that they just got there sea urchin in. So we got 2 orders, which is there weeks worth of sea urchin. :P It was nice and fresh. You can tell cause it looks like a dry tongue and doesn't look like it's melting! Some places have really bad sea urchin, so this is an example of good sea urchin:

... I wasn't hungry when I started this post... but now Im starving!!!

Dining at Kaneyama

Last night my friends and I ate at a Japanese restaurant in Houston, TX called Kaneyama. I just wanted to share some pictures of the yummy food we had! Hope your mouth doesn't water too much! ;D

Unagi - fresh water eel, its very good.

One of the rolls we got with soft shelled crayfish, also very tasty.

... another roll with soft-shelled crab.

...this roll has king crab inside.

Black Cod fillet

Salmon sashimi... my favorite

...this is another one of my favorites, Uni or Sea Urchin, it is very soft like custard and melt in your mouth good.

Pinguicula gigantea x moctezumae blooming

Hi! Just wanted to post some pics of my Pinguicula gigantea x moctezumae that is blooming now. I was surprised how long the spur and scape is.

Fruit Cake

Hello! Happy Friday! This week I made cakes for two of my friends. They were both the same just different shapes; one circle and one square. Both were vanilla cakes with whipped cream frosting, almond slices, and various fruits (mandarin oranges, kiwi, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries) and each cake had one layer in the middle with more whipped cream and fruits. Here is a picture of the square cake. It makes me hungry just writing about it... ;D

Vanilla Cupcakes w/ Swiss-Meringue Frosting

Hello! Just wanted to post some pics of the cupcakes I baked! I made vanilla cupcakes, which are always good; but have you ever had swiss-meringue buttercream frosting? It is the best icing! It is more challenging to make than other icings, but this was my first time making it and I think it turned out perfect. I used the recipe and directions from Martha Stewart's Cooking School new cookbook. The icing is so soft, fluffy, and perfectly sweet.

The vanilla cupcakes.

One of the first stages of the icing.

One of the final stages of the icing after the butter is added.

Finished product! Icing tinted with a little bit of blue gel food coloring.

They were yummy! Don't worry I didn't eat them all! The icing matches my china! :D

HK Iced Milk Tea

I wish I had one of these right now...

Hong Kong style Iced Milk Tea! This one is from one of my favorite restaurants, House of Bowls in Houston. It's so delicious and creamy... perfect for this stifling hot weather!

Pinguicula moranensis

My Pinguicula moranensis a.k.a. a Butterwort is blooming! This specimen was bought from California Carnivores and has a nice bright flower. Pinguicula moranensis and other Central American Pinguicula are very easy to grow. This group of carnivorous plants is definitely one that you should try if you cant keep your beloved Venus Flytrap, Dionaea muscipula alive! Its great for a sunny windowsill and you can even go without watering for quite a while... well, I should say when it is dormant. :D

I'm moving!

Hello everyone! Sorry I haven't posted in a while! I am actually about to move! (Where am I moving?) I'm moving just a few miles from the house I live in now to a really pretty townhouse! I can't wait! So check back soon for lots of new updates!! :D Take care!

My Native Plant Growlist

Hello! Happy April! I just wanted to share with you the types of native plants I'm currently growing for my garden in Houston, TX. These plants are all historically native to Harris County (which the city of Houston is in) or other surrounding counties. The range information of these plants was found on the USDA Plants website (plants.usda.gov). It is a very informative website and has helped me make positive identification for many species I was unsure of. I do grow many other plants, such as Zinnia and Cosmos for my cutting garden, but other than that I try to use only native plants.

Aquilegia canadensis
Allium canadense
Ageratina havanensis
Asclepias tuberosa
Conoclinium greggii
Delphinium carolinianum
Echinacea atrorubens
Hibiscus lasiocarpus
Iris virginica shrevii
Liatris pycnostachya
Lupinus texensis
Phlox subulata
Physostegia virginiana
Ratibida columnifera
Rudbeckia hirta
Rudbeckia maxima
Salvia coccinea
Salvia penstemonoides
Sisyrinchium sp.
Tetraneuris scaposa
Viola langloisii

... I think that is it. :) If you'd like to know where to find these plants let me know! I should be posting pics of many of these plants very soon.

Cold & Rainy day...

This past week was cold and rainy. I think for most people it makes them depressed but I love this kind of weather. It makes me feel so relaxed and the city seems much more calm. I took a pic of the Hydrangea that is currently growing on my bathroom windowsill. The blooms, I think, capture the feeling of the weather.

I ordered this Hydrangea from the Martha Stewart 1800flowers collection and it came with the ivory cachepot (which is of very nice quality). I really like this variety with its variegated flowers.