Singapore: Part I

This is how I started nearly every morning when Chris was at work; with coffee, soft-boiled eggs, and nonya kaya toast. It was so good. I brought back a jar of it. It is like a coconut jam...yum!

Singapore Zoo

Isn't God humorous? That would be a baboon butt.

We went with our friends, Chern Juan and Chong Ming.

For Hef.

Fort Canning Park

Soursop is a wonderful fruit beverage.

We went to a Christian conference with some Singaporean friends. Saw this chair. Thought it was funny.

Tortuous Journey, But Worth It

i safely arrived at 12:30am this morning and did okay sleeping through the night. the flights were miserably long (22 hours total) and my last hope of getting drugged up with tylenol PM didn't work. i took 3 and it did NOTHING. i'm writing the company. i didn't realize how tough it is on your body to sit for so long. i'm surprised i still have circulation in my lower half. the best part of the flight from chicago to tokyo was my seat in the middle of two very large men. fun times.

it was so great to finally get off the flippin plane and see chris. he's wonderful and makes me laugh. and i successfully smuggled in the delicious clementines that i will enjoy this week for breakfast.

went to the zoo today and saw lots and lots of cool animals and plantlife. very beautiful here and humid. the biggest zoo i've been to. we were there about 5 hours but didn't get to everything. i enjoyed taking as many pictures as possible today of animal bottoms. we laughed a lot about it but had to be secretive from our sing friends who went with us.

going to a christian convention tonight with another sing friend. he came to our house and had dinner with us when he was in the states. he said that the lord's presence is very strong and he was urging us to attend, so we're definitely doing that tonight.

and omygoodness, the best food i've ever had. our hotel is nice and conveniently located smack downtown within walking distance to everything.

watching the japanese news at the tokyo airport, i found it funny how the news anchors bow after they're done reporting and before they go off air. naturally, i bowed back.

Crossing the Ocean

Chris left yesterday for Singapore. He's there again for work. And I'll join him next week! We've saved up his airline miles every time he's gone (this is the fourth time) and it's given me an essentially free ticket! We're paying $56 for me to go, which is awesome. I'll be there a week with him, then we'll head to Bangkok for 5 days before heading home. I've never been to Asia, so I'm pretty pumped about it. While he's at work every day, I'll have the country (all 5 miles of it) to my self to explore. I've already signed up to attend a tea garden walk, cooking classes, and a Chinese symphony. I'll give a full report, with pictures of course, when we return.

Christmas in Colleyville

On the first day of Christmas... left Austin late after I got off work and arrived at 3am.
On the second day of Christmas... attended church with Josh and Laura and ate lunch at Bread Winner's Cafe. Went home and played lots of cards and ate a lot throughout the entire week...too much, in fact.
On the third day of Christmas... we saw two movies in the theater; National Treasure Book of Secrets and Charlie Wilson's War. Neither struck my fancy.
On the fourth day of Christmas... Chris and I celebrated our annual Christmas Eve Morning Date with coffee and donuts, then went to the mall for some last minute shopping.
On the fifth day of Christmas... Marlow got lots of love and attention, lots of walks and trips to the park, and lots of toys. He turned 1 year old on the 26th!
On the sixth day of Christmas... we helped Josh and Laura move from one apartment to another.
On the seventh day of Christmas... I spent a day with my mother in law and sister in law. We got manicures, ate lunch, and went shopping. I found a few bargains at some after-Christmas sales.
On the eighth day of Christmas... we slept in a lot and took naps. I made sure not to cook too much and enjoyed several glasses of wine.
On the ninth day of Christmas... we sat down and made plans to get more serious with my business.
On the tenth day of Christmas... we went to a party and hung out with our great Strange friends.
On the eleventh day of Christmas... I realized that the 3 books I brought to read never got opened.
On the twelfth day of Christmas... we are glad to be home.

Christmas morning mimosas!

Sister Laura

our annual donut date

the clan after xmas eve service

my sweet boys

wilkerson duo

What We've Been Up To

Taste and See Fine Dining has been getting more business during the holiday season, so with cooking for my job and for my own business, I've been quite busy. Chris and I both work from home on Tuesdays. I think he started staying home because he liked the benefits of my leftovers from the day.

We hosted our first Christmas Party and 40-50 people came. I cooked to impress and hopefully it inspired some potential clients for 2008.

We attended a wedding last Saturday and we considered it a milestone since it was the first one we've been invited to from friends here in Austin. We still really love living here. After the reception, we party hopped the rest of the night, hitting up others' Christmas get-togethers.

I hosted a Cookie Exchange on Monday at my house. It was fun to just talk with friends and swap yummy recipes.

Last night we had dinner with the Hekmans for the last time until next year. We won't see them until we get back from Singapore at the end of January. We had pizza at their place, then walked around Zilker Park for the Trail of Lights.

This week I'm cooking a lot for 3 more parties, then off to Colleyville we go! Chris and I both are really looking forward to vacation where we'll hopefully do a lot of sleeping and just relaxing with his family.He's all ready for Christmas!

Christmas Letter 2007

• Our Top 3 Events of 2007 •

Marlow

In February we drove to China Spring, Texas and picked out a tiny puppy to be part of our family. He’s an English Springer Spaniel and will turn one year old the day after Christmas. He’s now our 50 pound lap dog. Marlow has brought the both of us so much joy and lots of laughter, and I proudly admit that I am smitten with the little guy. He’s got the perfect energy level for us since we’re outdoorsy folks, but he’s also quite the cuddler and loves any attention he can get. I have especially appreciated his company when Chris has had to travel for work. It doesn’t get much better than a little, wiggly body happy to see you every day. We prayed for the personality of our future pet and God gave us our dream puppy.

Chef Carey

I (finally) graduated in July after a year and a half of culinary, enological, and nutritional studies. Upon graduating, I received a promotion to the position of Sous Chef at my job. It has been good to work under someone else’s management and to learn on someone else’s dime; however it has motivated me more so to get out on my own. Together, Chris and I have started our own personal cheffing business, Taste and See Fine Dining. I get to cook for weekly clients, dinner parties, showers, small catering events, and do nutritional consulting. Chris is my business manager, technical support, web advisor, and business accountant. J It has been very rewarding to work in an industry full of creative challenges, but also one in which I am able to use my gifts to bless others.

2606 Gets a Facelift

We have become good friends with the employees at the nearby hardware stores. We see them quite frequently and visit nearly every weekend. Since we became homeowners almost a year and a half ago, we’ve been going non-stop with remodeling. Both bathrooms received a complete makeover, we created a laundry room, and will soon be entering the demolition phase for our kitchen. I am constantly impressed with Chris’s abilities in the remodeling of our house. He has done an amazing job on everything. His dad has made numerous trips to Austin to help with nearly every step of the process. (THANK YOU!) It has been fun making our house into our home.

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a year full of God’s blessings.

Chris and Carey Bonser

Happy Birthday, Lydia

Sunday night was my friend's birthday dinner. I cooked a Kosher meal since we are right around Hanukkah time, even though none of us are Jewish. Scott & Lydia enjoy good food just like us, so it's always fun to eat together. The menu was:

Watercress, Avocado, Smoked Salmon, Pomegranate Seeds with Sherry Vinaigrette
Potato Latkes
Sparkling Rosé

Golden Beet Soup

Roasted Rack of Lamb with Lamb Sausage Crust with Grape Port Sauce
Minted Pea Spaetzle
Tempranillo

White Chocolate Trifle with Spiced Pear & Mascarpone
Coffee

What Is This??

Is anyone out there knowledgeable about entomology? If so, could you tell me what kind of bug this is? I've been finding them on my carpet in our house. They are dead when I find them, and they measure to be about an inch long. Of course my first worry is that it could be harmful to my puppy, but it might be nothing. Regardless, they give me the heeby-jeebies every time I find one.

Tis the Season

The Christmas season seems so go by so quickly here in Texas since the weather isn't very cold and doesn't feel wintery, so I've started early this year to make it seem longer. We've never decorated or put up lights or had a Christmas tree until this year, so it's rather exciting for us. Okay, so it's exciting for me. I think Chris could care less about it all, but I enjoy the holiday season. Here are a few pictures of the Christmas décor we've got going on thus far. I'm really excited about our Christmas party that we're hosting this year. The theme is "Eat, Drink, & Be Merry with the Bonsers." Should be fun. 45 people are planning to come! Chris also invited his co-workers, so our humble 1300 square foot house should be quite cozy that night. Also some pictures of our updated rooms.

Looking at the front door from the front hall.

Our first Xmas tree! It's about 5 feet tall.

Finished living room with the new furniture. I'd still like to put something above the sofa and we need to paint trim along a different wall, but for the most part, it's done.

I love how the TV is hidden when not in use.

Simple greenery on the mantel. Eventually we'll sand down and paint the backdoor white. And the kitchen color will be a brick red color that will continue into this room and touch the fire place. It's the wall above the backdoor.

We installed a cabinet in the guest bathroom for extra storage. And once it was in, I switched the shower curtain back to the old one because there was too much white going on with the other curtain.

The master bathroom. Again, just some finishing touches like painting trim until it's completed.

View from the front door.

Thanksgiving in Indiana

I got to spend a lot of quality time with my friends last week. We were in Anderson for 7 days and I packed in the schedule with visiting people. It was nice to spend time with family, too, and see everyone on Thanksgiving. Chris got to go to Purdue one day and hang out with his crowd. We are very thankful for our Indiana people. We've missed them since moving here.

Andy & Mandy

Carrie, Abby, Carey

BFF: Jenny

Jen & her new beau

All 7 of us, minus Marley Poo

"The Girls;" me, Jen, Susan, Steph, Michelle

Thanksgiving Kisses!

I love my siblings.

And Chris Bonser.

update on the important stuff

my two new favorite songs: "no one" by alicia keys, and "bubbly" by colbie caillat.

Tarry

tar·ry ¹ (tr)

v. tar·ried, tar·ry·ing, tar·ries

v.intr.

1. To delay or be late in going, coming, or doing. See Synonyms at stay¹.

2. To wait.

3. To remain or stay temporarily, as in a place; sojourn.

v.tr. Archaic

To wait for; await.

n.

A temporary stay; a sojourn.


God has been reminding me lately the importance of taking a Sabbath. My favorite days with Him are when I escape for a hike with Marlow. When I seek out that time of solitude, I always hear Him speak. Thinking of this, I am reminded of the hymn, "In the Garden." (Except for me it would be called, "In the Greenbelt.") What great words it speaks. The chorus goes: "And He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own. And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known." And humming it to myself, I get stuck on the word tarry. That's not a word I often use, but I love it. Isn't that exactly what God wants for us when taking our Sabbath?

My Belly is Happy

This was another restaurant on my list of places to eat and last night we did just that. It was impressive, and neat to see the chef and pastry chef are both women. They had an extensive wine list and a nice selection of entrees, all highlighting seasonal ingredients.
We ordered:

Appetizer: Crispy Oysters on Yucca Root Chip with spicy aioli and brunnoised tomatoes. I'd read several great critiques about this particular appetizer and it was excellent.

Entrees: Duck & Shrimp with Strozzapreti and Brandy & Quince Glaze and Green Peppercorn Ahi Tuna with Baby Artichoke Ragu & Fingerling Potatoes

Desserts: Pear, Huckleberry & Brie Pie with Pear Sorbet & Rosemary Anglaise and a medley of Peanut Butter, Cappuccino, and Vanilla Ice Creams with delectable cookies for each.

You'll Want More of This Stuff

I am cooking from home today for a few clients and I made a dish that I must say is pretty darn good. I was so excited about it that I thought I'd post it here for you to try. It's not anything amazing, but the flavor profiles of it blend so well together that is just melts in your mouth and makes you want more. This is great especially during the colder months.

Sable with Creamy Leeks--about 4 servings

Combine 1/2 c. sour cream (I used fat-free and it turned out great!) and a pinch of flour in a small bowl. Set aside.

Season with salt and white pepper (or black if that's what you have) 4 servings of sable (or another firm to delicate white fish...like cod or pollock), about 6 oz. each. Set aside.

Prep your leeks by thinly slicing them.

Sauté leeks in butter (about 2 T.) until they become almost translucent and light in color. Season with S & P. Add 2/3 c. water to pan and stir with leeks, simmering. Add sour cream and stir. Cook 3-5 min. Add fillets of fish to pan. Cover with lid and continue cooking about 5 minutes or until fish is opaque and begins to fall apart. (You don't want to cook too long or you'll lose the integrity of the fish texture.) Remove from heat. Spoon into bowl. Sprinkle with a little bit of chopped dill. (Not too much or you'll overwhelm it.) Eat with a nice, soft dinner roll and a glass of a buttery, oaky Chardonnay. Yum!

Halloween Grill-Out

We grilled out last night with several of our neighbors and passed out candy as kids stopped by. I overbought on candy again this year, so Chris took the rest of it to work this morning so that it wouldn't be home alone with me.

I work long days today and tomorrow, but I've got Saturday and Sunday off, which is really nice. It's been quite awhile since I've had a weekend off, and it's just getting busier with the holiday season coming up.