IP: what's in your fridge?

Ok, I guess that could read "what's in my fridge?" but whatever.

Why are you posting about what's in your fridge? Well, some of my fabulous bloggie friends have been posting about what's in their purses. My purse is really boring, especially considering the fact that today I'm using a wristlet. Do you know how much stuff fits in a wristlett? Money, keys, iPod. I guess I could put my phone in there too, but I like my phone in my pocket.

Anyway.

Having a boring purse, and really not being very fun and girly in general (aka I don't have lots of fun random stuff in my purse except maybe receipts...), and loving food way more than the contents of my purse, I've decided to post what's in my fridge. Maybe it'll give you some ideas of what to buy at the store next time you go, or maybe you'll just think I'm crazy.

<---my fridge. No, I'm not super tall. My fridge is super tiny. It's the size of a dishwasher! Fits under the counter. Quite a struggle for someone who has a grocery shopping problem. Anyway, this is what my fridge looks like after a trip to Tesco (where I stuck to my list, thank you very much! Well, except for the oranges. And the butternut squash. Those weren't on the list. Stupid impulse buys...)

So here's what I've got. I'll even organise it by shelf for y'all.

Freezer (see the "fragile" tape? It's holding my freezer door shut. This will help explain why the list is the way it is):
*frozen green beans. If you ever come over, I would definitely advise against eating said green beans. They've been thawed and frozen several times, and they smell a little. I use them as my ice pack after running. They haven't been used in a couple months, but back when icing was a twice daily ritual, they were in and out well, twice each day.

Top Shelf:
*fresh sage
*fresh basil
*farm fresh eggs (the best kind. If you like eggs and haven't tried farm fresh (cage-free, of course), you definitely have to find them. If you have a farm nearby, they're even comparable in price to what you'll get in the store)
*brussel sprouts (thanks to Jen, I decided I need to give these babies another chance)
*Arnold's sandwich thins (yes, I brought a pack with me from the States!)

Middle Shelf:
*My favorite red pesto from the olive stall at Borough
*Murcia al vino (drunken goat's cheese), from the Spanish market at Borough
*HP sauce
*yellow bell pepper
*there's also a jar of harissa and a jar of chili sauce in the back

Bottom Shelf:
*the last of last week's Murcia purchase
*sliced mushrooms
*low-fat plain greek yogurt
*loaf of wholemeal bread (I never go through bread fast enough to keep it on the counter)

Drawer:
*white asparagus
*avocados
*heirloom tomato (yes, just one left)
*red bell pepper
*snap peas

Door:
*garlic
*fresh butter
*dijon mustard
*light mayo, for those random BLT and egg salad cravings
*grainy country mustard
*Madras paste
*vinegar
*hot sauce
*skim milk
*mango-passion fruit smoothie
*Frank's red hot

Floor:
*oranges
*potatoes
*butternut squash

This is nowhere near all of my food. My cabinets above the counter are chock full of dry goods. I used to shy away from using dry goods because of the time commitment, but they're cheaper and really not labor-intensive. They just take planning. Sometimes I go a little crazy in the bulk section of Whole Foods. Now that I'm only here for another month, I better get crackin' on eating this stuff!

Speaking of bulk goods, ever since reading the first few chapters of the book Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant, I've been craving beans and rice. Today I finally got around to buying some rice, so guess what I had for lunch? Beans and rice! (That was really difficult, wasn't it?) At the suggestion of the guy who wrote the chapter on beans and rice, I first sauteed garlic and onion in the pan, before adding my black beans (tip: cook a bunch of beans at once if you buy them dry, and store in the fridge for quick meals). I also added a small tomato and some center-cut (read: lean) bacon, since they needed using. Once everything was all hot and cooked, I served on top of brown rice and cut up an avocado to go with. Totally SFT and totally scrumptious! Just in case you were wondering.

Up tonight: Priscilla, Queen of the Desert! That makes 2 shows in one week, with 2 more before I've reached my goal for my list. I ♥ the West End.

the weekend in pictures

A lot happened this weekend. It was a good weekend. Instead of describing it in painstaking detail like I typically do, I decided to give you guys a break and just show you in pictures. With a few captions. Because I love to talk. Let's get started before I give it all away and make the pictures less fun!

Friday, as you know, Lauren and I had our afternoon of fun, which involved Korean BBQ:


On top we have appetizers and side dishes. Kimchi, bean sprouts, miso soup and a veggie/seafood pancake. On the right is the glorious bbq. Shrimp, pork belly, spare ribs and mushrooms. There was also a scallion dish which was super yum. I loved this food so much, we're going there on Wednesday again for my BIRTHDAY! Going to a restaurant twice in one week hasn't been seen since.......a few weeks ago when I went to Mussel Bar twice in one week. Now I'm drooling over the thought of vanilla sweet potato fries....*sigh*

<----Elisa, me and Lauren at my happy place, Borough market, for Elisa's birthday! I can't tell you how friggin' thrilled I was when I was told all Elisa wanted to do for her birthday was go to Borough. We spent a lovely 3 hours there. I should be a tour guide for that place. For serious. Elisa wanted to wear the hula skirt for her birthday. So she did. Love this girl.

best.sandwich.ever. They asked what we should eat, what my favorite thing was, and I answered immediately with the mouthwatering lamb kofte sandwich from the little grill place at the back of the market. They have a few other grill choices, but this is the third time I've had this sandwich, it's so good. I haven't repeated any other food at Borough (save the chorizo sandwich which I've had twice). Not that all the food isn't spectacular, but I like to try new things. This thing is pure heaven. Especially with the homemade sauces - harissa, salsa verde and aioli. What more could a girl want?

Unfortunately I have no pictures from Saturday night's spectacle of a meal. But here's the skinny: breads from Whole Foods, meats and cheeses from the Italian stall at Borough, homemade Spanish tortilla and bruschetta made lovingly by Elisa. Quite a fabulous spread, if I do say so myself. We were definitely fat and happy by the end of Saturday, to say the least.

Sunday was boring. It was perfect. We stayed in all day. (Did I mention I lived at Lauren's the entire weekend? I'm allowed to speak of the house as "mine". Even if I'm not, I do it anyway. People definitely think I live there. I help play host when people come over. They're confused when I talk about leaving...)


Finally, Notting Hill Carnival. Definitely an experience worth having once in your life. Crowded, colorful, festive, and slightly (read: unbelievably) dirty. It's like they removed all of the bins in Notting Hill. Seriously. Regardless, it was a good time! We went today (Monday) because there was the main parade to watch. So many colors! I have a bunch more pictures but I thought just a couple would be good for now. This bad boy is 20 miles of closed off streets in the outskirts of London's city centre, and let me tell you, it is packed. In some places it was difficult to breathe, let alone walk. The music was so loud, and the base so strong, I could feel my insides shaking with the beat. Good day. Glad it's over.

And now, some quiet time.

check!

Check another item off my list! That's right folks, I've been busy, having fun!

Actually, it wasn't planned.

Which really, is the best kind of fun!

Ok, maybe part of it was planned.

But still, it was a great time!

Want to hear about it? Ok ok I'll tell you!

So I met up with Lauren today to go shopping. We really love shopping, but try not to shop too much because well, it's London. And not only are we spending lots of $$$, but we're spending £££! Which is more than $$$. But today, we actually had a reason (excuse?), so we trekked over to Oxford St to do a little damage.

Let me tell you something about Oxford St. It's friggin' crowded as heck. I believe I read somewhere it's one of the most (the most?) crowded shopping areas like, ever. Or maybe in Europe. Or in the UK. Clearly I need to recheck my facts. Anyway, it's super busy! Think Black Friday shopping crowds all year long. Yeah. Way fun. Unfortunately, it also has the greatest concentration of fabulous stores. Which I guess is why it's so stinkin' crowded.

So. Lauren needed a birthday present, and I needed shoes. Shoes to go with the pants I bought earlier in the week, which are too long. Unfortunately I bought a pair of shoes that would have been perfect for this purpose (and were in fact bought for this purpose) and left them at home. So of course I needed another pair. Darn. In case you were wondering, I was successful! I bought these.

After the shopping we randomly decided it would be fun to go to a show! This is why I love London. We walked down to Piccadilly and started perusing the streets for shows we might want to see. We came across Hair, and were pretty much sold! So we bought some tickets. No big. While waiting, we went for dinner at a Korean bbq place we had passed on our way there. Neither of us have had Korean before, so we decided to give it a whirl. It was so delicious! We definitely want to go back.

Anyhoo. The point of this post is that I checked another thing off my list! I've seen 1 show now (and have another one coming up on Tuesday!). Yay!

Sorry I don't have any pictures to post. I promise I took some, but my computer's being funky and won't read my camera card so maybe I'll post some pictures randomly with no post or captions or anything because I know you really want to see pictures of the food we ate tonight. Because I already showed you the shoes.

Anyhoo, It's like, 1am. Shouldn't I be sleeping?