Secret Mustard

Today was an exercise in procrastination.  First I woke up and spent more than my fair share of time thumbing through Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook on my iPhone.  It was incredibly relaxing.  When I finally removed myself from my warm sheets, I headed to the gym for some 40-odd minutes on the elliptical.  Felt good to sweat and it worked up my appetite so much so that when I got home I whipped up some French toast.  It has been so long since I had some!

I smeared some almond butter on both slices and then sprinkled on flax seed and chia seeds.  The final touch was maple syrup.  Super brunch, I must say.  You would think it would have set me up for a good day of studying but I just took the opportunity to wash dishes and clean off my couches (the classic spot of magazine drop off and paper dumps).  I got terribly little done before making lunch three and a half hours later.  I did manage to study one whole embryo chapter in that time.  Oh yea, that’s what we call progress.  Haha.

Anyways, late lunch rolled around and I made myself another lemon pepper egg salad sandwich, this time with cheddar cheese.  Sides of sticks: both pretzels and carrot varieties.

I really do love egg salad.  I don’t know what it is but it seems to be a craving lately.  Might as well indulge.  Hello protein!  Not an hour after lunch I was trying to study another embryo chapter but my eyes were not cooperating.  I gave it after trying to fight it for all of ten minutes and laid down for a nap.  I set my alarm for 30 minutes but woke up refreshed in 25.  I continued to study fetal neuroanatomy while horizontal in my bed.  Given my recent shut eye, I actually was able to power through lots of “development of…” flowcharts.  I came up for air around 6:30 to make dinner.  Who’s up for fried rice?

I used some of my leftover brown rice from the other night and sautéed it with sesame oil, onion, canned (read: sad-looking) mixed veggies, and some fried egg.  I used the split pan method to cook the egg after cooking the onions down and adding the veg.

Final step was the seasoning.  Usually, soy sauce is enough but after a trip to a hibachi grill, I learned that the secret was mustard.  Who knew?  Not me but after having a bite, I knew it would go in every single fried rice recipe I made from now on.

If you’ve never tried it, seriously you should.  Use a spicy mustard not the regular yellow stuff.  The point is to give the whole dish a bit of a zing.  Works perfectly.

After dinner I studied a bit more, called and chatter with mom, did some more cleaning, and watched some shows on my DVR.  Think I might keep that plan going and then go to bed.  Before I head that way, I wanted to share a great song with you.  I know it’s not Tune Tuesday but let’s face it, with the way things have been going, I might not be able to post this on the right day.  So why wait?

Questions: Ever made homemade fried rice?
How was your lovely Saturday?

Beer Brunch

Last night was one heck of a bachelorette party.  My friend Kris is getting married in a couple of weeks so the bridesmaids and I went for a night out in our old college town.

We all had beads and bracelets denoting us as “team bride” for all those who were wondering if we indeed were hanging out with the girl in the tiara and light up sash.  Our time consisted of a few places out and about with drinks here and there.  I ended up as the DD, which was fine especially for my wallet and my figure, and drove everyone home at three in the morning.  I ended up staying at another one of the bridesmaid’s houses for all of six hours.  I woke up at 9ish and decided to just get on the road.  No sense in lagging about.  On my way out of town I stopped by the best bakery in town and snagged a maple bacon donut and a chocolate cinnamon roll with peanut butter and chocolate icing.

I downed the first one and enjoyed the sumptuous bacon flavor with the maple goodness.  I loved it!  I then got about three bites into the chocolate cinnamon roll and realized it was a probably a bad idea to eat both so I stopped and brought it home to Jack so he could taste the wonderful flavors too.

When I got home Jack and I hung out for just a bit before he headed home and I went to a four course, five beer brunch at a local restaurant.  I am a member of the Yelp Elite Squad of my city and they put on this meal for free for selected members of the group.  I was only too happy to have made the RSVP list!  When I got dropped off, I found everyone hanging out in the outdoor pagoda area, basking in the sunshine and sipping on the first beer: Batch 19.

I liked this beer.  It complimented the sunshine and playful atmosphere of the initial reception as people mingled and got to know one another.  After 40ish minutes we were ushered inside for sit at long communal, family-style tables for the actual brunch portion.  We were scheduled to have four full courses each of which were paired with a unique beer.  (I’m no stranger to paired courses but this was my first with beer instead of wine!)

First up was a piece of quiche with sausage, fennel, corn, and herbs.  Had a side of greens on the plate too with some sweet and spicy sauce and cheddar crumbles which tasted a lot of like cheese but they had the texture of the crumbs on top on coffee cake.

The beer we had was served in a cute little wine-looking glass.  It was a bit sharper than any beer I’d had before but it went well with the quiche.  The rich eggy-ness was balanced by the bright, clean nature of the beer.

Our second course was rarebit, aka cheese on toast.  However, this wasn’t just any cheesy toast.  This was a hunk of freshly baked homemade bread smothered in an aged, smoked cheddar cheese with lots of cayenne and dry mustard.

This doesn’t look like it would be spicy but it actually was.  By the time I finished it off my mouth was pretty hot.  Thankfully the second beer (a Belgian ale) was good at cooling me off.  It was way more bitter to me than the first and it was tolerable if I sipped it after a bite of toast.

There was a bit of time between the second and third courses but the latter was worth the wait.  On the next plate was a slice of lamb dressed in a veggie masala sauce on a bed of mung bean stew and some roasted eggplant chunks.

Oh, yum.  The stew was thick and hearty, the lamb gamey, and the eggplant sultry.  The sauce managed to pull it all together.  When I got a bit of everything on the fork, I was very pleased.  Even when I didn’t get all the bits together in a single bite I was a happy camper.  The beer paired with this course was an IPA.

The carbonation helped to scrub your tongue in-between bites making each bite taste just as new and fresh as the last.  The greatest thing about this beer though was the incredible aroma.  I stuck my nose in the glass and was met with a beautiful fruity aroma.  The soft citrusy notes of the beer went super well with the spice in the masala sauce.  Finally, the last course was dessert in the form of a raisin waffle with a lemon cream cheese ice cream.

Holy. Smokes.  This was beyond incredible.  I wanted to live in that cream cheese ice cream.  I couldn’t get enough of it.  Honestly, some people left some on their plates (those people were lactose intolerant) and the guests by me and I all were wondering if we could politely steal the leftovers.  It was that good.  I wish you could try it, seriously, you’d die of awesomeness.  Obviously, my portion didn’t last long…

The beer paired with dessert was a dark ale with all sort of smooth and nutty notes.  I was just amazed.  It smelled so rich and full and went down really easy.

Probably the best thing we were told to do was to take a scoop of ice cream and dunk it into the glass of beer.  Oh my goodness, I was blown away.  If I ever was going to do a beer float, it would be this beer and this ice cream.  Too bad it isn’t sold by the pint.  Or maybe that’s a good thing, says my waist…  Now full and happy, I’m about to head off to school to work on patient reports that I’m behind on.  I’m also in the middle of laundry meaning I’m going to be very fashionable on my way over there.

Oh yea, you’re jealous.  I can tell.  Haha.  I’ll try not to stop any traffic with my brightness.  I make no guarantees, my friends.  Catch you on the flipside.

Questions: Do you play catch-up on Sundays or just let things be for the week?
What beer and ice cream would you pair for a float?

Alterations

Why do Mondays always feel so sluggish??

Probably because when you’ve had a stellar, relaxing weekend, work just doesn’t rank high on your list of things to do.  My weekend was just that: super!  My church service was trilingual: English, Portuguese, and Dinka.  We had the bishops and the deans of the churches of Bor and Brazilia with us for a Sunday. They waited for 19 days in Nairobi to get their visas to come.  Now that is dedication.

After the church service, I got real friendly with a nice big plate of croissant French toast with candied pecans.  Oh yea, it was as great as it looks.

I also attended a really sweet wine festival.  It was held in a local arts district and was $15 for unlimited tastes.  Your price of admission got you a beautifully etched glass with which to taste…

…as well as some beautiful weather and live entertainment from Scars on 45.  By the way, I am now totally obsessed with this band.  I loved them and you will too when I give you a taste tomorrow for Tune Tuesday!

I also spent some time this weekend working on my neuro rotation assignment with the help of some Summer Shandy.  It definitely made it more bearable.

There was also a gorgeous sunset to witness too.

To go with the sunset I painted my nails oranges and pinks.  It was nice too since at the wine festival you’re always holding onto a glass.  Your nails need to look pretty, right?

So, you can obviously see why Monday for me was slow.  Work was long and the lab was incredibly warm and then patient prep went well but it was fairly intense.  When I got home I couldn’t even relax.  I had errands to run.  First up, bridesmaid dress fetching.  My friends wedding is in Sept and our dresses finally came in.  I had never tried this cut on before, nor had I seen the color, so it was all one big surprise to me.

Best thing: I LOVE the color.  I’m a sucker for orange.  Worst thing: It is tight as all get out and there is a massive amount of boning in the bodice.  Like when I sit down, which is a feat in and of itself unfortunately, I get poked a bit.  I guess I won’t be slouching at the wedding…not that I slouch normally.

With dress in hand (and my wallet $160 lighter) I ran to the post office to mail some books and then to Sam’s Club for some well priced apples and yummy orange grape tomatoes.  Then it was off to Walmart for a whole bunch of random things like apple chips, peanut butter, balsamic vinegar, and yogurt.  Finally, I hit up TJ’s for two blocks of tempeh and two kinds of goat cheese (creamy and crumbled).

By the time I got home it was well past what I was expecting.  I suppose I can’t expect to leave my house around 5p, get stuck in rush hour traffic, and do all my errands only to get home at a decent time.  Nope, I got home at 8p roughly and I was pretty hungry by that point.  I also didn’t want to do anything though so I scraped the idea of sautéing zucchini and mushrooms and warmed up chili instead.  I topped it with goat cheese and had a bagel with butter and garlic powder on the side.

Simple and quick and very minimal effort.  Just what I needed.  Now I need to go and work more on my neuro assignment.  Blah.  Plus I need to go and fight the urge to eat dessert.  Now that I know if I gain a single ounce that nice orange dress won’t fit, froyo and cake seem all the more appealing and all the more off limits.  Seriously having a Bride Wars moment.  First 30 seconds say it all.

Ugh.  Good night group!  Sleep well and have a lovely Tuesday.  Come back for some music that will ring in your ears, in the best way possible.

Question: Have you ever “altered yourself” for a piece of clothing?

Birthday Weekend Festivities

 

I have beautifully NORMAL chromosomes!!!!

Anyways, now that I have that great piece of news out of my system, sorry I’ve been away for so long!  I’ve been busy with patients and birthday celebrations.  Jack and I started off with a nice Friday dinner of a homemade pizza with veggies, TVP, and Hispanic blend cheese.  The dough was straight from the freezer thanks to a double batch from The Joy Of Cooking which I portioned and saved for later.

Deliciousness in my tummy.  Next up we dug into the wonderful cheesecake brownie birthday “cake” that Jack made me for my special day (on Monday so hey, we were a few days early).  We thought it needed some ice cream so we walked ourselves down to the local Marsh and got some cappuccino chip.  I can’t even explain how delicious it was.  Sooooooo good.

The yogurt blend ice cream put it over the top really.  I must say though, I am incredibly proud of Jack.  His effort made it all the tastier, I’m sure.  As much as I wanted another piece, I forewent one because we headed out with our dancing shoes on.

It had been probably a few months since we last danced so we were well overdue.  Sadly, it wasn’t the best night at our normal spot: too many over-zealous high schoolers and not enough of our typical swing-dancer friends.  We stuck it out for a while and had some nice lindy numbers but then we bailed in favor of a party one of my co-workers was throwing.  Ending the night that way was the best thing we could have done.  Saved the night.

The next morning, after Insanity kicked out collective butts, we made vanilla protein pancakes to refuel.  I topped mine with strawberries, blueberries, chia, flax, and syrup.  Perfection on a plate.

After some closet digging, some napping, some reading, and some more closet digging I headed to a wedding reception for one of the full-time techs in my lab.  They got married close to a month and a half ago in Jamaica and wanted to have a state-side party for those who couldn’t be there on the island to celebrate the actual day.  I was starving by the time I arrived (and I was late because my GPS decided to be awful at directions) so I sampled a bite or two of all their choices: bbq meatballs, chicken spring rolls, tortelloni salad, caprese skewer, fruit skewer, and shrimp with cocktail sauce.

Everything was tasty and predominantly homemade.  Sadly, because I was late getting there I literally had to skip out after having my nibbles.  Despite being able to only stay a short time, I was pleased to get to make an appearance, show my support, and be part of the celebration.  On my way back through my hometown I picked up Jack and we headed to our birthday party at Dave & Busters!

Jack had never been and since we have birthdays so close together we thought a fun night of food, drinks, and games would be the best way to celebrate.  We arrived and got drinks at the bar while we waited for everyone to arrive.  I tried the Shizzle made with vanilla vodka and two kinds of pineapple juice.  It was on special so I figured why not?

Wasn’t too bad and it kept me occupied until we sat down for dinner with everybody.  Jack and I started off with pretzel bites accompanied by Dijon mustard, honey mustard, and cheese sauce.  Mmmm, just what I wanted and not over salted or under seasoned.

I could have eaten the whole basket myself and honestly, I probably had the majority of the bites.  They were to good to keep my fingers off them!  Shortly after we finished the first course, dinner was served.  I had opened the menu and saw the macaroni and cheese with chicken and bacon and I was done lookin’.

Every forkful was scrumptious and it fueled my gaming sufficiently.  Jack and I split a card with 170 some odd credits (the average game runs about 5 credits) and we tackled all sorts of games.  Christina and I played a game that was a bit like Whack-A-Mole but upright, way bigger, and all sorts of epileptic.

I won but just barely.  I think I heard the beeping for the next 15 minutes though, haha.  The boys played air hockey a bunch and I probably played it three or seven times.  It was simple but oddly satisfying.

Some four-player Pac Man was also played along with Deal or No Deal.  Pretty sure we tried a million strategies to pick out our cases and such but none seemed to hold a whole heck of a lot of water.

Toward the end Christina had to head out so she used up her tickets and got me a sudoku rubix cube.

And then Matt and Ashley headed out because they’re “old people” by their own admission and bed was calling.  They’re nesting in their new house right now so I don’t blame them!

As we drew later into the night, the big winner of the night, Ian, cashed out and got me a pink monster thing as a birthday gift.  Too cute.  Now I just need to figure out what to name her…

(Sorry for the blurry picture!)  Finally, once we had pretty much spent all our credits, we headed to a bar for some late night drinks and craziness.  I sipped a dark beer while Jack had a margarita.  The funniest part, however, was toward the very end of the night when Jack’s friends bought him two Patron shots and they urged him to do the salt lick off my neck.  I don’t think I have giggled so hard in a long time.  All in all though, we had a great time from beginning to end.

This morning we woke up nice and late because we didn’t get to bed until two in the morning.  By the time we opened our eyes it was lunch time.  I made up some quick tuna salad for wraps and we had greens on the side.

With food in our bellies, and the knowledge that today was a rest day from Insanity thank Heavens, we decided to spend the day out shopping.  The first stop was the mall to get my beautiful Bulova watch fitted.  Jack got it for me for my birthday (in addition to a sweet heart rate monitor so I can track my burn during my workouts!) but it was wayyyyy too big for my wrist.  Thankfully, with the removal of SEVEN links the beauty fit like a charm.

It’s my first big girl watch and I love it.  Afterwards, we meandered around the mall hitting up the Lego store for kicks.  What a place that was.  We also ended up buying some new shoes for Jack so he doesn’t have just sneakers as an option.  He bought some dark gray Vans and I fell in love with some cute boots that were just a smidgen too small for me so I didn’t go home with them.  Maybe I’ll find them somewhere else…

We also crashed our senses of smell in the Yankee Candle store.  My off-the-wall favorite?  Man-Town!  Believe it or not, it is a “man candle”.  The other scents were things like freshly cut grass and first down dirt but this one, whew, it smelled like the greatest cologne ever.  If you burned that in your apartment, it would be like having the most well groomed boy living with you.

Second favorite?  Carrot cake.  Nomnom.  Sadly, I’m sure burning this would make me gain weight just by smelling it.

When we finally got back to the apartment after having a lovely consignment shop run post leaving the mall, we were pretty hungry.  BRU, our favorite, came to mind and we walked a few blocks down the street and sat on the patio.  To our delight, they had changed their menu, or rather refined it and added some new dishes.  I was instantly sold on my dinner before I even began to think about appetizers.  But, to go in order, we had the chili cheese fries to start.

Seriously, I need the recipe to this chili.  Pretty sure I said that the first time and I STILL MEAN IT!  Unreal flavor.  We took our time and eventually finished off the whole plate, I swear I didn’t lick it, before our burgers arrived.  I tried the brand new one on their menu and boy it didn’t disappoint.

Holy smokes.  Yes, please, more, thank you.  Wow!  Now, I know what you’re thinking.  Why do you have one onion ring??  Because they’re made to order and the rest followed shortly.  I didn’t mind.  That meant they were hot and extremely fresh.  Nomnom.  As we enjoyed our food and the late afternoon, early evening, sunshine I sipped a pear cosmo (because last time’s was perfect) and then I tried a “dark and stormy” which was basically ginger beer and rum with a lime.

I really liked it and it was a great way to close out the meal.  Jack finished his locally brewed beer and we walked back to the apartment.  He prompted passed out for a nap and I perused Pinterest.  I was pleasantly surprised to find an adorably perfect pin:

Talk about speaking straight to the heart of me.  Seriously, the girls in my lab and myself really have been so taken with the Fifty Shades trilogy that this is totally 100% us.  Emotional trauma for sure but in the best, most delicious, most intriguing, most addicting way.  Speaking of, don’t hate me, but I’m going to go and read more.  I’m all set to finish the second book tonight.  Yay!!!

 

P.S. Tomorrow is my birthday!!

Questions: What is your favorite kind of birthday cake?
Ever experienced “emotional trauma” thanks to a paperback?