review: ilili.

ilili. allylic. a milli a milli.

ilili is the restaurant my aunt & I went to for NYC Restaurant Week Winter 2012. It's turned into a tradition, ever since the first time we went two years ago, for my aunt to take me out for my birthday dinner during Restaurant Week. Two years ago we went to Spice Kitchen, which was absolutely amazing. I loved every single thing I ate there .. and it was a good seven or eight course meal.

We went to ilili this past Friday night for dinner. Say that name out loud .. doesn't it sound like allylic? Writing it reminds me of A Milli, too.

Speaking of Lil Tune, I would recommend against looking up the meaning of rap lyrics. They might simultaneously surprise and disgust you.

Calandra's Bakery German White Cake.

It's kinda hard to type when you just do your nails. Mine are dark burgundy with red flecks. It's perfect for my role as Cleopatra, tonight. Have you ever heard of an any race but your own themed party? Probably not, because my suite can sometimes surpass the boundaries of ridiculous and offensiveness.

And it will definitely be more successful than last night's venture. At around 10pm yesterday, I decided to go to bed, and then one of my dear floormates entered our room, ready to go out. When she asked if we wanted to come, I hesitated. Bad move. She pounced on it, and my two options of the night no longer fluctuated between whether I should sleep at 10 or 11, but between whether I should sleep immediately or go out.

I went out. And what a random night.

toasted coconut butterscotch bars.

Watch out for these. They are dangerously addictive, with the contrast of the crisp edges and top crust with the soft, chewy interior. If you haven't gotten by now, I love when there's a crisp/chewy contrast. The coconut is chewy, but also slightly crunchy and nutty from being toasted. The butterscotch chips are very sweet, and mesh well with the brown sugar dough.

I made them for my brothers, but after tasting them, I am tempted to make another batch to bring back to school with me. If I have time. I need to collect my things & wash my hair & do my nails first. 

I'm excited to work out at Sonny Werbs once I get back, so I can eat more of these .. I want to see you work out for me, work out for me. I don't know if I like the words/idea behind that song, but I definitely like the beat of it.

"lighter" brownie pie.

Inspiration is a funny thing. It hits you when you least expect it, and when you are totally unprepared. But it gives you the motivation to do what you know you need to do.

It's even funnier in that it's difficult to describe. What exactly is inspiration? And how does it affect you? Interesting questions. But yet, you are aware when you are inspired. You realize just what you want to do,  and everything just seems to fall into place. It's a complex feeling that brings such clarity.

Each creature has a place in life. I have a friend who believes that maturity is the realization of one's place in the cycle of life. Regardless, each creature also has one thing to offer to the world - themselves. I just watched the most recent JennaMarbles video, and weird as it sounds, that, along with a couple of other things, happened close enough in proximity to inspire me. To do what? Not sure. But I definitely feel a heightened sense of responsibility, maturity, and direction.

It all hit me after I ate a piece of this brownie pie with some warm milk while chatting with my little brother.

almond cardamom quick bread.

This bread is wonderful. I made it yesterday, and ate two slices within 15 minutes of taking it out of the oven. Two generously sized pieces. Right after a filling lunch of whole wheat penne with steamed veggies & some Thai sauce.

I was so full, but it was worth it! No shame. No regrets.

^Good life motto, actually. That's the motto ** YOLO and we bout it errday errday errday like we sittin on the bench ** we don really play, errday errday ** what anybody say. Huh, I guess it kind of loses its effect when you need to bleep out the expletives so many times.

Yesterday was really good, actually. So was today. I ate oatmeal like I've vowed, and had super healthy lunches and dinners. My workouts are also really satisfying.. the amount of bread I ate motivated me to go for both a hike and run/walk four miles, although the bread is really healthy. I am excited to see progress!

Of course, today my mom would say that from now on, she's making all foods that I like. Tomorrow's dinner is falafel, next day's is chole. Handwo is coming at some point. I love my mom. And her cooking is without a doubt too superior to not eat, so .. I'll try to eat in moderation, still? I'll workout more? ... If nothing else, I'm definitely going to enjoy my last few days at home. Because ain't no shrikhand, date rolls, or aloo papri chaat gun end up in da busch dh.

pumpkin oatmeal + veggie burger.

So the other day I woke up early, by break standards - 7:45 am - and drove about an hour to the greenhouse where The Garden of Eden meets to plant, water, and harvest organically grown lettuce. I ate breakfast around 9 am, as I was driving. We worked at the greenhouse till around 2 pm.

At the end, I was eating the arugula that had been picked because I was hungry and wanted to munch on something, even if that meant eating these really bitter (the flavor was much more pronounced) tiny leaves.

With the knowledge that Thomas Sweet was in close proximity, I proceeded to spend about 15 minutes getting lost on Route 18 and going who knows where to park in a spot that was most likely illegal. But I mean, I wasn't going to be long or anything.

whole wheat pumpkin cinnamon rolls.

What is the difference between cinnamon buns and rolls? I feel like the icing is different for both. Otherwise, they seem to be pretty interchangeable, from what research I've conducted on the good old world wide web. Which is kinda annoying, I feel like there should be a difference but whatever, who am I to start an occupy Cinnabon movement .. speaking of which, I guess they're also called cinnabons at Cinnabon. What the hell man! It's so important it needs three different names?!

Anyway, let's talk about these pastries, oozing with heavenly glaze and exuding cinnamon-y enticement.

avocado hair mask.

Oh look, a beauty post! I made and used this mask this past Friday, December 30, 2011. Last year, to be specific. He he.