the gift of the magi, but nerdier

happy 2008, everyone! I'm sorry about the lapse in entries - it's been a busy week!

my "create post" page loaded neck-in-neck with the latest update on Iowa caucus, so I can't help but mention... OBAMA!!! yessss. And I'm so proud of John Edwards for catching up with Hilary. He's so adorable. Annnd we're going to ignore the other half...

When I came back to Boston from Cooperstown, I'd brought my roommate's christmas present. I had thought about it for a while, and we're both maybe a little nerdy about cooking, and we have a humungous spice cabinet... so I gave her this:
A mortar and pestle for grinding spices! But our schedules were completely different last week, so I didn't see her - I left it on her bed.

I came home from work that night to find a nice little present on my bed, with a card, in my roommate's writing: "Sad or funny? You tell me." I opened the present:
IT'S A SPICE GRINDER.

Clearly, we were meant to be roommates.
Awwwww, Spice Grinder and Mortar&Pestle - bff.

And because I don't want to have a post without food, a review:

Nasoya's Creamy Dill Salad Dressing!

I really like this dressing, which is saying a lot. This is the third Nasoya dressing I've tried. I'm on the fence with Nasoya products in general: their "Nayonaise" is disgusting. Their stir-fry sauces are pretty good. Their tofu is acceptable. Their dressings, thus far, have been "meh." I've had the Sesame Garlic, tasteless, and Garden Herb, also slightly tasteless but does the job when my family makes middle eastern/greek food and we want a yogurt-sauce substitute. But I was in the market (literally! ha) for a new salad dressing and noticed this and the 1000 Island (a long-lost passion of mine... 1000 island dressing has nightshades in it ;_; someone tell me how it is? No, actually, don't, I'll be sad) dressings. And being a dill addict, I decided to give it a shot, even though having "creamy" in the title grosses me out ("cream" is one of my least favorite words).

It's not a complicated flavor. It's salty and dill-y and a little vinegar-y. That's all I need. I actually put it on my salads (unlike the other nasoya dressings), I dip carrot sticks in it, and tonight I made a quick dinner by steaming some tempeh and veggies and mixing them with a generous tablespoonful of this sauce (with some dried dill over top).

mmm. obama, spices, and cupcakes... what's not to love about this post?

"wait, cupcakes?" you say? STAY TUNED FOR TOMORROW, Dear Reader, for I have some pretty baked goods to show off!