Dinner: We headed over to the nearest Five Guys Burgers and Fries after my friend Braden had tipped us off that they had good burgers there. I had a Bacon Cheeseburger which I thought was actually one of the better burgers in town. The fries were on the good to great side (soft and fluffy with the great one nice and crispy on the outside), but I think I still prefer Mighty Fine's fries and Casino El Camino still makes a superior burger. Of course, the style of burger is different - so comparing against other thin patty burgers, I'd have to say the Five Guys is the best I've had in Austin but, unfortunately, not quite as good as In-N-Out. For me, the bun was a little thick (although wonderfully soft) and presented a little too much sweetness. The beef flavor was not as pronounced as I had hoped (a little more salt on the patty would help) but the choices for toppings makes this a great burger for people who love lots of toppings. We'll be coming back here for sure - it's the closest burger place to where I live that isn't a Whataburger - thank goodness it's pretty good.

Lunch: Liang ban mian one last time. I like this dish, but I think after three days in a row it's going to be a long time before I eat it again.

Lunch: Liang ban mian

Dinner: My mom sauteed some zucchini and also cooked some pork which we ate with white rice.

Lunch: Liang ban mian

Dinner: Daikon buns and soy sauce cooked pork

Dinner: My dad and I grilled chicken that I had marinated in Greek yogurt with garam masala, cumin, cardamom, and cayenne powder.

To go with it, we grilled asparagus.

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What I Ate: July 27, 2010

We have two of these handheld blenders - one for soap making and one for soup making (I still get these two words mixed up sometimes!). I got the first one when I started making soap at home (as a hobby) in the winter of 2007, after I hand whisked a batch of soap mixture for an hour and thought my right arm was going to fall off. The stick blender works wonderfully after many batches of soap. Then we bought a second one when I learned to make dahl soup from an Indian friend, and we've been equally pleased with its performance in the kitchen.

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Things We Like: Cuisinart Smart Stick Handheld Blender

Lunch: Leftovers from Rudy's BBQ

Dinner: Ate another quick dinner at Central Market Cafe before grocery shopping. I had the Char Sui Chicken Salad.

After we moved and settled in, I got one of these laundry sorters with 3 bags and a hanging bar. We used to just throw everything in a laundry basket in one corner of our bedroom, and that was all the space I could afford to allocate to dirty laundry. Now our master closet seems to be as big as our old master bathroom, so I figured why not make laundry easier and be more organized :)? I really like this laundry sorter for several reasons:

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Things We Like: Seville Classics 3-Bag Laundry Sorter with Hanger

Lunch: We took my parents to try Rudy's BBQ. I ordered 1/4 pound lean brisket, 1/2 pound moist brisket, 1 pound St. Louis-style pork ribs, 2 jalapeno sausage links, a medium cole slaw, a medium potato salad, and a small creamed corn. Everything was pretty good but the ribs were a little too salty today. My mom would have preferred the ribs to be a bit sweeter and less salty - which made me realized why I generally like the ribs so much - they aren't sweet. So, if you like your ribs a little sweet, then Rudy's BBQ ribs aren't for you.

Dinner: Tina cooked a diakon and seawood soup.

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What I Ate: July 25, 2010 (Rudy's BBQ)

One cleaning product that we find indispensable in the kitchen is Bar Keeper's Friend. It's a fine white powder that contains no phosphates, bleach, or abrasive substances. It works wonders on getting stainless steel pots and pans sparkling clean, especially after sauteing vegetables or browning meat which often leaves a thin film and slight discoloration on the inside bottom of the pan after normal washing. Regular use of Bar Keeper's Friend also helps to prevent stain buildup.

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Things We Like: Bar Keeper's Friend Multi-Purpose Household Cleanser and Polish

Lunch: I had a quick lunch of liang ban mian which is a cold noodle dish. We ate it with cilantro, shredded beef, and carrots in a sauce of soy sauce, fresh minced garlic, sesame oil, and ample amounts of freshly ground black pepper.

Dinner: We went over to Jack's (from Eating in a Box) house for a sous vide get together where we ate a lot of food. Among the food that was there were the following:

Fresh figs from Ryan's (of Nose To Tail At Home) backyard, freshly cooked green beans with fat back, and salad (to offset the meat coming up).

Pork belly cooked sous vide with two different seasonings


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What I Ate: July 24, 2010 (Sous Vide Get-Together)