bits and pieces

Perhaps it’s a bit early to buy a new calendar for next year, but when I saw that Ilee Papergoods had posted their one for 2010, I just had to buy one. And it’s my 4th from them. :)

The whole thing is made of different letterpress and silkscreen designs, and the colors and designs are so lovely. It’s actually nice to see that one month has ended, because then it’s time to flip to the next design, er, month. A bit pricey, but I think it’s worth it.

This vague-sounding recipe comes from a discount cookbook I found at Borders, called The Essential Asian Cookbook. Udon Noodle Soup is pretty simple, with noodles, leeks, pork, and a mixture of dashi, soy sauce, and mirin, plus green onions and spicy Japanese chili powder (ichimi togarashi) for garnish.

It was fairly easy to make, though I’m not sure what halving the recipe did to the broth. It was pretty salty on its own, but combined with the pork, leeks, and everything else, each bite was really nice.

I have another udon recipe to try later this week, and I’ve also ordered some new dishes and silverware to add to my current sets (or partial ones at that). Yay.

I am very tempted to buy this shirt, though maybe I just need a paper bag like the one shown.