Fortune Befriends the Bold

"Fortune befriends the bold." -Emily Dickinson

Caleb and I both love to cook. I wouldn't say we're good at it. We love to cook because we love experimenting. Give us a recipe, and if we don't have everything on that list...well...then we get a little creative and improvise. We're not going to go out to the store just to get one ingredient. (It really depends on the ingredient, but we usually choose a recipe where we have most of the things.) It hasn't been a success story every time, but we have discovered some delectable gems we've become proud of. I'd like to share with you our Ma Po Tofu Dish:

Doesn't that look so good? I mean, let's just assume you like tofu and spicy food. This dish turned out amazing for us, and I didn't have everything on the list. The main ingredient was bean paste; I had no idea what kind, but I had this Korean red bean pepper paste and thought, "well, it's the only thing I have that's closest to it, might as well give it a try." Before this recipe, I had failed miserably at using this paste, so I was already skeptical. This dish not only tasted amazing, but also the presentation made me look like a top notch Asian cuisine chef. I was pretty proud of myself. Caleb loved it. I just think it's ironic I used a Korean paste for a Chinese tofu dish. These two cultures really should get together more often.

Recipe Link: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Ma-Po-Tofu-103565

She Walks in Beauty

Hello Everyone! We are very excited to announce the creation of our new blog: daysingoodness.blogspot.com. The primary purpose of this blog is to clue you in on what's been happening with our little family of two. We hope you become avid readers.

We do not wish to make daily or even lengthy posts, but we will most certainly strive to always include photos, since we both love photography. And who doesn't love to look at pictures anyway?

However, we would like to begin with a poem:

"She Walks in Beauty" By George Gordon Byron

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!

This is one of Caleb's favorite poems. He even memorized it so that one day he could say it to his future wife. moi. I am so blessed to be that person. The title of our blog comes from this romantic poem. If you don't know already, Caleb is a huge romantic, and honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. So our plan is to "tell of days in goodness spent" because no matter what happens, everyday is filled with goodness. You just need to look for it.