July 4th Weekend

Well! I am sorry for my absence! I've been pretty under the weather, and being at the computer has unpleasant to consider. With nothing new going on thanks to feeling poor-ish, I can catch up on some past activities, like our 4th of July weekend! We had a chance to go visit Dad and Debbie before Ed left the country, and to spend time at their beautiful new house. It was a wonderful visit. I'm gonna rely on the pictures here to tell the story mostly and excuse myself from writing too much. Forgive me? :)

We had a really nice drive in, and even stopped to take a couple pictures along the drive...

So on the way in, Ed pointed out this cloud he said 'looked pink.' I agreed and tried to get a good picture of it. It's the part right by the tip of that mountain.

As we got closer, further through the mountains, we realized, it wasn't just a cloud. It was part of a huge chain of smoke clouds coming from this crazy fire on the other side of the valley where D&D live. When we drove through town you could actually see flames, in daylight! Later we found out it was the 'Bison Fire.' (Interesting time lapse of one view of it here)

The cats were super happy to see us of course. D&D have this great backyard the kitties like to roam around in. I imagine them living out safari fantasies. Their home was just fantastic, a much better layout for visitors and hanging out.

Their fantastic herb barrel... I'm ready to steal it!:

That night we went for a walk and you could really see the flames. Forgive how unclear it seems, this was the best I could do with my iPhone at night.

We went for a great hike at the foothills to Tahoe. You could see the Bison fire burning in the distance. That fire was just... nuts. I've never seen anything like it in person, only on the news.

The next day before we started on our journey home, we spent the morning/early afternoon at Lake Tahoe. It was wonderful. The water was slightly less freezing than our previous summer visit. you could actually stay in the water for a little while - once you got past the shock of the initial dive. I love swimming in Tahoe. I'm terrified of dark water, and there, you can see straight down to the bottom so easily - I feel safe! I could float around forever.

Debbie hangin' in the little hutch they brought. It was a godsend for me, you all know I get my 10 mins of sun a day and then I'm put in my little shady hide-y hole. :)

I even got to break out my fancy swimsuit! I bought this for our honeymoon, I'm a sucker for bright red bathing suits. But, it just didn't fit last September. I hadn't lost any weight for the wedding so it was tucked away in the closet. Less than a year later and here it is getting some use finally! I haven't lost any more weight, but I'm still holding onto that 25lbs down. :)

I know what you're thinking. Yes, I did get a little sunburn despite my best efforts with sunscreen and even having Ed turn on his watch timer. 5 minutes on each side. Oh well, it was merely a flesh wound. :) 

All in all, a lovely weekend away! Now, back to my couch and ginger tea...

What I've Been Cookin

Lately, I've been attempting to work in some new recipes. If it were up to me, I'd get real lazy and just have a rotation of chicken/pork cooked on the Foreman grill along with a salad and an option of broccoli or some other green vegetable. Maybe some salmon to spice it up! Boring, I know, but I'm lazy so, simple foods and routine for the win! For instance, we have an almost daily routine of having cucumbers and hummus when Ed gets home from work. We really should invest in Sabra stock...

So I opened up my Pinterest board for cooking and opted to give something a try. First up:

Vegetable Tian

This actually looked freaking delicious to me. It was recommended as a side dish, but honestly? I think it was an alright main dish. If you wanted some protein, you could add in a meat or some quinoa.

Obviously, it's a little labor intensive, in that there is quite a bit of chopping. But once that's done, it's just arrange and bake. When it's done the juices collect at the bottom and it makes for a delicious broth to top everything with. I only had half an onion on hand to action as the base but that didn't make it any less flavorful. I think I'll be making this again, especially with squash and tomato prices being so friendly in the summer!

Next I poked around our cookbooks. I've been enjoying The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook lately and decided it was time to try something new from there. (Also, I highly recommend her blog The Smitten Kitchen)

Corn Risotto Stuffed Poblano Peppers

I've never tried my hand at risotto before. This initial experience was... alright. I didn't get the right kind of rice, so it didn't technically ever turn into risotto... but! I felt much more able to make risotto in the future thanks to just going through all the motions. So, prepare yourself for an improved risotto post to come!

I also did not bother to blister the skins of the peppers which can really help with the bitterness. I imagined little fireballs of poblano peppers if I attempted to blister them with the broiler (v.s. a gas stove top).

Despite not actually being a risotto, this recipe turned out pretty delicious and I look forward to doing it justice in the future.

Also, I bought some new spices, so I've been testing those out. For another Smitten Kitchen recipe, aleppo peppers were listed so I've been throwing them into a bunch of go to meals, like curried cauliflower. Curry makes everything more interesting. If I have no idea what I want to do with a vegetable you can bet it's going to be bombed with curry and peppers.

I'll be poking around to see what else catches my eye to try this summer. We're almost out of strawberry jam again so that needs to be put on the to do list. I've been stalling because you may or may not have heard on the news, it's hot as Hades here. And someone needs to come visit us. Preferably someone who likes cherries more than Ed does so I can make them mini cherry freakin' cobblers. And plums have been delicious lately too... so maybe I'll try my hand at this interesting recipe for Plum and Earl Grey tea ice cream! Fingers crossed I keep on keepin' on with the new things.

What I see when I cook:

This is probably Mom and Ken, although Carolyne and Uncle Tom are frequent visitors to my face time screen!

What I see after I cook:

My favorite sight :)

Summertime Running & Reading

Happy Fourth!

Running in summertime... always a challenge. On the bright side, literally, the sun is up and at 'em at 5am here. Seriously, it's so bright it's unreal. It also stays light until 9pm.

It's a surreal thing. But on the bright side, it makes for some super productive days. I can start reading at 6am and my 3pm lull can be shoved aside by a quick walk outside. Of course, that walk might be a 80 degree walk which I certainly don't do well with, but that's alright. Don't think I don't hear you Marylanders saying, well here it would be a 90 degree or higher walk with 90% humidity! Yes, yes, I remember. And I don't miss it one bit. And unfortunately, it's been more like 90 degree walks here lately... what is that about?

I stumbled upon a blog that poked fun at women who wear workout capris even in the hottest weather. I certainly fall in that category - note my extra sexy capri leg tan line. To them I say, you must not know the pain of chafing. But, in light of their argument that it must make you unbearably hot, I have started looking for some shorts. Like these Lucy Endurance Long Run Shorts - but they seem to be out of stock, or only stocked in x-small. Curses! I'm waiting on a pair of Under Armour long shorts, but their definition of long is 7 inches so... we'll see. Anyone have any recommendations for long-ish fitted running shorts?

Running otherwise is in a bit of a lull. I seem to have hit a plateau in my motivation. I have enough to continue running, but not enough to push through to improve my runs. It'll come around, I know, but for now it's a bit of a battle to get a simple 2 to 3 miles every other day. Despite the lack of motivation to push through my runs, I'm still doing other exercises so, there's that. According to RunKeeper, I'm at the very start of my training for the next half marathon so, I'm not too worried.


Now, as for reading in the summertime, that is no challenge at all! I've got a couple recommendations up my sleeve actually.

First, Jagannath. 

This collection of short stories from Swedish writer Karin Tidbeck is just magical. It's no secret I've a great affinity for all things Scandinavian, so I was easily pulled in, but for those of you that never got down with the land of lingonberries and IKEA, think of this collection like a modern day Grimm's tales. I can't assure you that all the stories are set in 'modern' time because some of the stories lack time, sometimes figuratively and sometimes literally. They are encapsulated in their own little universe. Each story is so peculiar, you find yourself transported and in some cases mystified. Not everything wraps up neatly, nor is anything really pleasant, but it is so refreshing to dive in here and take a break from every expectation you have of the world. I would describe or explain more but honestly, there just aren't words for her creativity.


Second, The Dude and the Zen Master by Jeff Bridges and Bernie Glassman.

I struggle with Zen thought. I don't understand philosophy. It gives me a massive headache. I can appreciate it, and I admire those who can wrap their head around thought experiments, but I have never felt as dumb as I did in my Intro to Philosophy class at UMD. But - I badly wish I did understand. And so, here I am with this book. I've never seen The Big Lebowski so take heart that it's not vital you've seen the movie to glean something from this work. As one (negative) reviewer on GoodReads put it, 'it's basically two guys sitting around bullshitting.' I would amend that to say it's two very intelligent, thoughtful, experienced guys sitting around bullshitting. Bridges cites personal experience and films he's worked on, while Glassman often brings in the deeper zen meaning.For me, comparing zen thought to casual experience and to movies makes it blessedly accessible. This may not be the path to enlightenment for everyone, but if you're like me and struggle with bending your mind around 'abiding no where is abiding everywhere,' this may be the book for you. Hell, they have a couple pages devoted to the zen in 'Row Row Row Your Boat.' Now that's on my level.

Third, Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.

This book was an easy, pleasant read. It's long, the hardcover being 369 pages, but I finished it in a day. This book is for those romantics who enjoy the whole Pride & Prejudice/Pygmalion dynamic. As I read it I kept thinking - I wonder if at any point she stopped to worry that she was writing the same story line that has been written a million times before? (A thought that plagues my writing daily) But despite that, this book has wonderful characters and the family dynamics will be painfully familiar to many. The ending certainly doesn't drag on, with the meat of the book lasting about 350 pages, devoting very little time to wrapping it up. All that being said, I crushed this book in a day because I sincerely didn't want to put it down. It had been on my to-read list for ages, and now that I've finally consumed it, I encourage you to take it on vacation with you. Great summer material.

I'm reading a two other books currently that I'm really enjoying but those will have to wait for next week!

Food and Other Ways To Pass the Time

Now that our travels have lulled for a little while, I have felt a little bit like this cat. Not interested in doing much. Not running very far. Not trying very hard to be... anything. And that's alright, everyone needs a break every now and then. So I thought I would go through and see what activities we've done in the past couple months that I've forgotten to talk about here!

Ed is busy working away on his wine production line. We're starting to tease out which fruits and juices make the best wines and which taste like... well. Not great. And sometimes we get a little hyper activity going on our pantry. When I can smell the wine in the living room, that's usually a heads up for me to check on the situation:

When things in the pantry are quieted, sometimes I'll go meet Ed for lunch. This particular restaurant, Orenchi Ramen, has been a pain to try to get into. We're talking slammed 10 mins before it opens. We got there 30 mins early, signed up on a list that already had 10 parties ahead of us, and finally got into this place.

Orenchi Ramen (Tonkotsu Base) - egg, pork, green onion, bamboo shoot, mushroom, sesame, nori seaweed

I was super impressed and I'm glad we didn't order anything else - I was freakin' stuffed. If you like ramen, we'll definitely take you here.

Sometimes we'll get together with coworkers. Ryan was leaving the company and had heard I liked to sing so he thought going out for karaoke and dinner would be fun. And it really was.

I'd never done the karaoke where you're in a little room with your friends and can order food and drinks...

The computer was difficult to use because English wasn't the default setting and well, if you didn't know the languages, you were bound to struggle. This was our playlist at one point:

Ed's coworkers would add songs for anyone to sing (anyone being namely me), so I was pretty hoarse by the end of the time. :) It was a lot of fun, Ed's lucky to have some really nice coworkers. After karaoke we went to this Burmese restaurant and it was... delicious. Actually, it was previously a really terrible kabob place we took Austin, Michelle and Brian when the Ethiopian place was closed next door. Oops! Come back guys, it's much more delicious now!

And of course what else do we do with our time? Eat donuts! Well. Maybe not all the time but it's hard to resist the crazy things they come up with at Psycho Donuts. Ed knows I don't like banana anything so if you see one with bananas, that's all his. Mine was a Mom-osa for Mother's Day (orange icing with champagne flavored filling).

These two donuts below are the Sticky Monkey and the Apricotology. So massive. Amazingly, we were unable to finish them. :)

We also found a kick ass fish tacos restaurant about a mile from our place... I'm fairly certain we'll be returning there with great frequency.

And ya'll know, I love me some Potbelly's. Well, by us they have place called Mr. Pickles. Let me just say, these sandwiches were delicious and MASSIVE. We easily made two lunches from the two sandwiches.

I'm still cookin up a storm, trying new things as often as the budget allows. This was my attempt at Medeira cake from Nigella Lawson's How to be a Domestic Goddess cookbook. It was pretty delicious. A little too crispy on the edges but great soft center. Side note - who ever got this loaf pan for me, THANK YOU. Shame on me for forgetting, but it is a miracle worker. Nothing ever sticks to it, it cooks so evenly, and it makes the most beautiful crusts.

I'm practicing with the camera my Uncle Tom gave me...

Can you be a photographer that specializes in produce, donuts and cat pictures? Cause that's pretty much what I'm workin' with here.

And that folks, is how you recap several months of completely random activities. Here's to a more coherent post next time.