Wayne and Rebecca Madsen

There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun.

-Pablo Picasso

Yesterday was lovely weather. Wayne thought it was Hot, but I thought it was just about perfect in the 80s. So when Wayne got home from helping someone in the ward "move" (and helping paint their house for them because they weren't packed when people showed up to help), he told me he wanted to go swimming as soon as I got back from the primary activity.  read more »

Hot Sour Soup
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3/4 pound shoulder pork, thinly sliced

For Pork:
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce (I recommend Kikkoman)
2 teaspoons dried ginger powder
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1 teaspoon cilantro, chopped finely
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons peanut oil  read more »

We are in the process of compiling our own travel guides for places we have lived: hopefully an insider's glimpse into these locations. This list is a directory of the best restaurants in the places we have been. These are the sorts of restaurants where you cry when the place shuts down (or even if the chef leaves and it no longer tastes the same); the sorts of places our friend jokes would be "best if you could just burn down the place afterwards so you never forget how great that food was." A bit morbid, but you get the jist - good food. The sort of place you should make a cross-country trip to eat there.
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We love good food. While there are many restaurants we have tried and liked and we have many good recommendations for different types of food, these are the select few restaurants which you can not pass through the area without trying.

• St. John's - best burgers, Wednesday and Saturday is half price
  
• El Taco de Oro - best burritos/taco truck
  
• Sonoma Chicken Coup - fancy food at cheap prices
  
• Chicago Pizza - deep dish pizza in Santa Clara
  
• Cafe Baklava - Mediterranean in Mountain View
• Stan's Donut Shop - best donuts we have ever had
• Wrap This - the only place to get a real gyro

I like Terry Pratchett. I like his Discworld series a great deal. So far.  read more »

Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel from coast to coast without seeing anything.

Last time we left off, we were up in the Santa Cruz mountains at camp Lehi, getting lips punctured, 25 foot flames and dropping off logs that weighed 500 pounds plus. We were sore Sunday and tried to catch up on that trip while preparing for this weekend's trip.

It was Rebecca's birthday, but thanks to my graduate studies, I only actually saw her for a few hours on her birthday. So, we celebrated mostly on Tuesday by going to a mediocre (not our fault!) mexican restaurant and then on Wednesday, Rebecca celebrated alone with a pizza while I was at a lecture. Rebecca got a lot of ecards, phone calls and birthday wishes and she was happy for that [thanks for all the cards and birthday wishes! -beck].  read more »

Neil Gaiman (apparently pronounced Gaym'n, not GUY-man - like someone told me) has to be my favorite author right now, and by far one of the most refreshing authors I've come across in a long time. His tales don't "feel" the same as any other authors but I'm not sure why that is. Some have speculated that a familiar Gaiman theme of characters whose nature works against their perceived roles is common in his books/graphic novels.  read more »

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
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2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 14-inch, spring form pan with parchment paper and grease the parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Add the eggs, beating well after the addition of each.  read more »