Several months ago, we saw a blog post that made our heads spin with ideas. It was a simple concept—rainbow Jello—but it gave us inspiration on how to expand  the idea to embed Jello shapes into a beautiful jiggling masses of art. We decided to start simple, combining just two flavors and a few “easy” shapes. However, this proved to be more difficult than we had anticipated. Unfortunately, neither of us have made Jello shapes in years and our skills are in need of honing. As you can see above, our “jigglers” were somewhat abstract, and didn’t have quite the crisp edges and artful composition we had imagined. However, we were undeterred and vowed to move forward with the experiment. Read the rest of this entry »

It is well known that sometimes my cravings for “knowledge” are insatiable. I write down words in case studies on slips of paper and store them in my clothes. I geek out so hard that it excites me to discover my poor scrawl digging in my pockets for change. My organic chemistry text made it’s way to Bonnaroo 2006 albeit little studying did commence for this summer course. Needless to say, there are times when I let the official standard of academia render my poor psyche into robot mode. The moments where I truly understand what I am seeing often occur when I stop trying. Two of my favorite ongoing “classes” are spontaneous exploration of the Pennsylvanian woodland and museums of natural history. The photos below are by Meera Sethi and are part of the muse photo set on flickr. Here is a wonderful article on photographing the science museum by Utata (a collaboration set of flickr users).

Autumn is coming and hopefully by then I’ll dust the cobwebs off my photography skills:) -Photographing the Science Museum (via Boing Boing)

As if Nate and I needed any more nerdy kitchen gadgets, I spotted something that my gets my heart pumping. Literally. In our household, coffee is consumed in moderation but does occur on a daily basis. Yes, we just aren’t feeling our perky selves without a good cup of joe. All hail the bean! We already are the proud owners of this handy tool aerolatte. Basically, it gives you the cafe-esque foam that makes a beautiful latte or cappuchino by frothing the milk in seconds! I confess this tool amuses me greatly and whenever I have a few extra minutes I take the time for a nice latte, hot chocolate or any other beverage I think might be delicious with some cloud-like cow juice.

Right now, a latte art prototype is in the works by OnLatte Inc. A printer stencils out a design in a caramel-syrup to make your liquid indulgence a work of art! In fact, this sweet-styling treat is so popular it was featured on SIGGRAPH 2008. (via Apartment Therapy The Kitchn)

P.S. This would make a great present someday Nate x

I feel like I’m still playing catch up after our nyc trip. I need to refuel on zzzzzZZZZZZzzzzz’s in a major way. Highlights of the week included a wonderful spread from Shared Earth farm for our CSA, Nate baking choco-peanut chip chewy cookies and unmentionable monsters.

These crack me up! 100 enthusiasm points for looking like everyone’s favorite master of repressed sexuality domokun!

Alright, enough nerding! I need to get to bed…lots of mousework tomorrow. x melissa

Nate and I began a trip to Jersey City late Thursday evening. The rain began literally 30 seconds after we pulled onto the road.  The following few minutes found us parked on the shoulder of Route 15 avoiding the chaos of a torrential downpour. Delayed yet determined, we pressed onward and had a rainbow guiding our way well over an hour into our journey.

Finally, at dusk, we arrived exhausted at our destination in Jersey City. Side note: I had only agreed to stay at suspicious-looking motor lodge due to Nate’s persistent nudging that this place wasn’t sketch. Needless to say, my doubts about the place were confirmed at 3:17am Friday morning when a person on our floor decided it would be a great idea to start smoking near a detector. I told Nate I saved his life because I heard the deafening bell and had to rouse him out of his deep sleep to head outside. After three firetrucks, a bunch of groggy travelers and the confusion of hearing about 15 different languages jumbled together in the parking lot…we were able to head back inside after the false “smoke” alarm and retire for the evening. Read the rest of this entry »

This week I was dominated by DNA amplification by PCR and analysis by gel electrophoresis. The only day I was free to think of anything else was Tuesday and I found myself mindlessly searching digg for distraction. Somehow along the way I began thinking of molecular gastronomy which eventually led to molecular mixology. But Melissa you say, what the heck is molecular mixology? Well dear reader, continue on and I’ll explain.

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Some positive changes have been occurring on my career front as of late. In order to properly celebrate my new research technician position, Nate surprised me with white peaches, a few varieties of prosecco and a bouquet! I was elated and am eager to develop my laboratory skills in the department of cellular & molecular physiology. Salute! Here’s to the future… Read the rest of this entry »

The first week of our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) came in! We got the opportunity to hand select our fruits, veggies and herbs at the Shared Earth Farm in Mechanicsburg. Among our picks were 2 different types of baby lettuces, spring onions, strawberries, mint and pak choi. The quality of the produce went beyond our expectations. Local, farm-fresh food beats the grocery store every time.  We incorporated our fresh finds into meals throughout the week. However, after a tough day, one of my favorite ways to utilize the mint is in a tasty mojito.  Read the rest of this entry »

Stay tuned for exciting entries this week! Our CSA starts Tuesday, and we picked up many interesting items from Wegman’s this weekend. Everyone knows how delicious their fresh food bars are and I am now addicted to pickled okra. This weekend has been so relaxing that I really do not want to start this week (so far every day is booked after work but Thursday on our “things to do” list). In fact, so many things are happening that I am thinking of making a purchase…this tattoo. I digress, you are probably wondering when I will stop babbling and get to the food part. H’ok. So…Friday night a group of friends joined us at Masala Bistro where i enjoyed devoured chicken tikka. The portions were so hefty that I had a healthy take away for Saturday’s lunch. It’s hard for me to believe that it’s already been 2 years since my time in India. ::sigh:: My method of delicious lunch attack was simple: use tapioca spring roll wrappers, leftover chicken tikka, zesty greens like arugula and recreate raita to use as a sauce to moisten the chicken again. My adaption on the raita recipe was nixing the mint leaves and adding a few splashes of white wine vinegar to give it a little kick. The result was a delicious Asian-fusion dish bursting with flavor and really fun to eat!

We’ve been enjoying the flavors of fresh herbs lately, so the chives in this recipe caught our eye as we were lustfully paging through an issue of Food & Wine magazine. A definite keeper, as we’ve made it twice already (even the in-laws asked for the recipe). Check it out for yourself: Pan-fried Salmon with Citrus Vinaigrette. Read the rest of this entry »