Yoga-nna Love This May 16, 2008

Oh, that was a bad one.

So as I mentioned yesterday, last night Brian had a work dinner so I was on my own… and since my poor husband is thoroughly both sick and tired of my vegan/vegetarian dishes, what better time to pull out my copy of Eat, Drink and Be Vegan? Don’t worry people, my birthday is coming up (Memorial Day- put it on your calendar) and I’ve asked for a few new cookbooks– so the ED&BV obsession may temper a bit.

There’s a recipe for Cashew Ginger Tofu that I’d been wanting to try, mainly because it sounded so darn easy. And I’m all about the easy, wink wink. You just throw a few ingredients into the food processor for the sauce, cut up some tofu, marinate and then bake.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have any cashew butter lying around so I substituted peanut butter instead. My version consisted of PB, ginger, cider vinegar, soy sauce, honey (the recipe called for agave nectar) and water; a pretty standard peanut sauce recipe. It was great- I seriously could have just eaten the sauce with a spoon. But I had yoga class in a few minutes so I decided it was in my best interest to actually follow through with the recipe. And a shot of me slurping up a bowl of peanut sauce is just not blog material.

Yoga class was awesome, by the way. Yesterday was pretty much hellacious and I desperately needed that little moment of zen.

After class I just tossed the tofu and marinade into the oven, boiled up some whole wheat “egg” noodles, and steamed a bag of broccoli. Although I baked the tofu the maximum amount of time called for in the recipe, the sauce just didn’t thicken up. That’s probably my bad and here’s why: I didn’t use a big enough baking dish, so what came out of the oven was more like tofu-peanut soup.

Moral of the story: Don’t be like me… actually follow directions.

Not a huge deal– I just dumped the contents into a skillet, added a bit of cornstarch and heated until it thickened up into a sauce.

I may have used too much cornstarch. Live and learn, folks.

The goal was just to use as few dishes as possible, but that didn’t really happen. At least the final product just used one big bowl. I topped a cup of ww noodles with some chopped broccoli and then the sauce, and then mixed it all together… here’s an extreme close-up for your enjoyment:

Not a bad meal! AND I have leftovers for lunch today.

So that was my night. Chloe and I settled in for a few episodes of Ace of Cakes (oh man, I would give my firstborn- don’t worry Chloe, not you- to work at Charm City Cakes) and then hit the hay.

Happy Friday!

It’s Peanut Butter Jelly Time… May 15, 2008

This week has been hectic! I feel like we haven’t been home at all.  Monday night I went to yoga, Tuesday night was that listening party, and last night I met coworkers for dinner while Bri had some networking happy hour thing and then we headed to the gym. Oh, the life of a social butterfly (*snort*). We haven’t been in bed before 11:30 at all this week, which is insane for me… so I’m kind of a zombie right now.

Needless to say, not much cooking has been going on in our house this week.  Last night I realized that I had NOTHING to post about today. Nothing.  So I decided to play Happy Homemaker and prepare Brian’s lunch for today.  I was going to do something in the bento but realized that although quite the progressive chap, B would absolutely refuse to carry a purple lunchbox to work.

So all prepared to whip up some gourmet goat cheese and roasted red pepper wrap or turkey with brie sandwich, I asked Brian what he wanted.

“Peanut butter and banana.”

Works for me! So that is what he got:

That’s peanut butter (Skippy Extra Chunky. None of that natural PB business for this guy… and not for lack of trying on my part), bananas and honey on Ezekiel Bran Bread.  Alongside is sliced mango, Cascade Fresh Apricot Mango yogurt (hope he likes mango), some granola with sliced almonds, and a few Newman’s Own Fig Newmans.

Not a bad lunch for a five 27-year-old.

I kid, I kid.

Anyway, more cooking tonight- I promise! We have a TON of produce in our fridge that needs to be used (spaghetti squash, red potatoes, kale, portabellas, lettuce…) so I’ll try to whip up something good.  Brian has another work thing tonight and I’m bach(elorette)ing it- so you can expect to see some girly food. Get excited.

Dance With Me May 14, 2008

So last night was one of the most fun Tuesday nights I’ve had in a while As I mentioned a couple days back, my favorite band, the Old 97’s, released their new CD yesterday (it’s called Blame It On Gravity… go buy it, people).  If you’re not familiar with them, they started out more alt-country-rock and have moved into more just rock.  But they do still pull out a few twangy tracks every once in a while. In honor of the release, they held a “listening party” at the Granada Theater here in Dallas.

So of course Lauren, Brian and I headed up there. Here’s a shot of Lauren and I before it started:

*Warning- I’m now realizing that this post is going to be pretty much all photos. So if that bores you, stop reading… now.*

We also met up with my brother, his girlfriend and a friend:

And finally, my oldest (as in “known the longest”, she’s actually younger than me!) friend, Jill:

How cute is her top?? Almost as cute as my greasy bangs, no? It was SO HUMID.

Anyway, the Granada advertised a “Special Performance” which we assumed would be the Old 97’s.  We assumed correctly… which is good, because you know what happens when you assume, right? Ass = U + Me.

Props to Lauren for this pic:

That’s Ken, Rhett, Murry and Philip (with the maracas, behind the ficus).  They played about 4 or 5 songs and were great, as usual! The new CD is excellent- a tad more mellow than the last one. I listened to it on the way to work and was so chilled out that I barely noticed the monsoon going on outside. 

Being the supernice guys that they are, the band graciously signed CD’s and posters afterwards, and posed for like 857 photos.  Only 855 of those were mine.

Lauren and I with Rhett.  Lauren was supposed to ask him to sign something, but she must have wussed out at the last minute… what was it again, Lauren?

And finally, with the whole band:

So yeah, fun night. And now I have an awesome new CD to carry me through work today

Going to Granny’s May 13, 2008

I’m starting with a sweet Chloe story before I launch into what a little terrorist she was this weekend.

If you want to get Chloe really excited, all you have to say is, “Want to go to ____?” It doesn’t matter where it is that you’re going, she just really loves to get out of the house. It usually works in her favor; the 2 places she goes most often are my mom’s house (”Granny’s”) and Braum’s (the ice cream store). Occasionally it will be the vet or the dog-bathing place– but Chloe is a betting pug and the odds are in her favor.

Now, say “Want to go to ____?” and then set out her Sherpa bag and you have one elated puglet. The Sherpa means that she’s going to the lake. She’s in that bag and trying to zip it up with her teeth in t-minus 5 seconds. She hasn’t always been so excited about the bag, though. When we first got the Sherpa, apparently it didn’t fit her exact needs because she decided to add a window. Pimp My Bag, if you will. So here’s Chloe on the way to the lake last weekend:

See that pug-shaped hole where her head is sticking out? That’s not supposed to be there.

On to the terror report.

Chloe is HORRIBLE about being groomed. Brian and I usually drag her to Dirty Dawgz, where we bathe her ourselves in a huge tub meant for a german shepherd or doberman, and then pin her down literally kicking and screaming as the attendant tries to cut her nails. And all of the other owners and (good) dogs present point and laugh at us as we struggle to control the 20 lb pug.

So that’s fun.

A friend told me that Petco was great with her pug, but apparently her dog is not a hellbeast.  We decided to give it a shot and dropped Chloe off on Sunday.  Bathe and clip. No big deal.

Two hours later we get a call that our little princess is ready and we could come pick her up. Hooray! We get to the grooming room and NO ONE comes out to the desk.  We wait 5 minutes. Nothing. This should be our first clue.  Finally, a nervous looking lady peeks out of the back room.

“Are you here for Chloe?”

Yep.

“We had a problem. We can’t cut her nails. Two of us held her. She tried to bite me.”

Poor girl.  She was literally sweating.  Chloe trots out of the back room like she owns the place as groomer girl slowly backs away from the pug.

So we held Chloe down ourselves and the groomer finally managed to clip all of her nails.  It was horribly embarrassing… and now we’re back to square one with the grooming.  Oy.

Such is life with Chloe.

Shop, Cook, Eat, Listen May 12, 2008

Yesterday was surprisingly productive!  I made Oatmeal Pancakes from Kath Eats for brunch (with what time we got up, there’s no way I can call it breakfast), then we dropped Chloe off at Petco (I’ll post on that later… long story), joined our new gym, ran to Sprouts for some groceries, cooked dinner, worked out at new gym :), ate dinner, and then made this morning’s breakfast. Oh, and watched Kingpin.

I pulled out Eat, Drink and Be Vegan last night- pretty much our entire dinner came from that cookbook.  I’ve been dying to try the Polenta Croutons and just happened to have a tube of polenta sitting in the fridge.  They came out… okay. I’m blaming myself for not liking them more; I expected them to be crunchy, but they had more of a chewy texture (more like toasted bread), AND I used the garlic-herb polenta- which didn’t have the best flavor.  Next time I’ll use plain polenta and cook the croutons a bit longer.  Here’s what they looked like just out of the oven:

I also made the Lemon Lentil Chickpea Soup.  Very yummy.  I added more lemon juice than the recipe called for, and also sprinkled in some hot sauce (Tabasco Chipotle was all I had on hand, but Cholula would have been better).  You know what? I need one of those immersion/stick blender things.  My giant food processor is a huge PITA to both drag out and clean. Just sayin.

Finally, I threw together a random salad with red leaf lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, dried snap peas ♥, and the best part of all: little chunks of goat cheese.  I never realized how great goat cheese is on salad- it’s soft and kind of spreads around so you get some on each bite.

Here’s my dinner. Sorry it’s not a great shot- my camera kind of crapped out after 3 pics:

I picked up a can of Hansen’s Diet Tangerine Lime Soda (you can see part of the can up there in the corner).  It was very refreshing, but halfway through I realized that it tasted exactly like Fresca.  Weird.

The dressing is also from EDBV: Basic Balsamic Vinaigrette.  It’s really simple (Basic, if you will): balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, olive oil and mustard.  Brian really liked it- probably because it’s not my usually tsp of olive oil to gallon of vinegar-type dressing… hehe.

We’re out of bananas, so I couldn’t make my favorite oatmeal.  I usually cook 2 servings of it at night and then have breakfast taken care of for the next couple days.  Anyway, the latest issue of Eating Clean magazine had a Quinoa Porridge recipe so I decided to give that a shot instead.  No picture, but it’s quinoa, milk, chopped apple, blackberries (the recipe called for blueberries), cinnamon and sliced almonds.  Not bad- but it’s just not as hearty and creamy as oatmeal.  A better summer breakfast, I suppose.

I know this is turning into the longest post EVER and you’ve probably stopped reading by now ;), but guess what’s soaking on my counter right now??? Wheatberries! I’ve been reading so much about these and can’t wait to try them. Absolutely no clue what I’m going to do with them (any ideas?), but exciting nonetheless.

OH, one more thing.  My favorite band in the entire world (those of you who know me know why), the Old 97’s, are releasing a new CD tomorrow.  I’ve previewed it online and it’s fabulous.  You can listen to some, if not all, of the album on their myspace page.  Definitely worth checking out, IMHO.

Let’s Talk Books May 9, 2008

A constant in our house is my ever-growing stack of books that I just HAD to have after reading a review, hearing a good recommendation from a friend, seeing a pretty picture on the cover, etc.  It’s ridiculous.  So I’m making it my mission this summer to make some kind of dent on that pile.  And here goes:

1. Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster

This book came highly recommended by pretty much every female in my office.  It’s supposedly hilarious (I’ve read the first few chapters and thus far it’s lived up to the hype), and the author is coming to Dallas for a book signing next week.  So my goal is to finish it this weekend! It’s a memoir- she reminds me a little of Laurie Notaro, who I LOOOVE (whom I love?).

2. The Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain

I read Kitchen Confidential a couple months ago and then immediately ran out and bought this.  To be honest, I started reading it… the first chapter detailed the consumption of a raw baby seal carcass. When they got to the part about eating the eyeball, I put it down.  But because Anthony Bourdain is my not-so-secret celebrity crush and just all around badass, I will push through.

3. The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner

This one was an impulse buy.  It just sounded interesting- this NPR correspondent has traveled all over the world examining the “happiness levels” in various countries, trying pinpoint what variables affect contentment.  Sounds like a more scientific Eat, Pray, Love…

4. A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs

Augusten Burroughs could scribble a grocery list on a napkin and I would stand in line to read it.  He has a gift for making very serious situations (mental illness, alcoholism, divorce) very, VERY funny- if you don’t believe me, go read Running with Scissors or Dry. I’ve glanced over a few reviews and this book is supposedly a sharp deviation from that… but in a good way.

5. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

Okay, I started The Omnivores Dilemma.  I pushed through the corn section and into beef.  It was interesting, but I found my eyes glazing over at times.  I really do need to go back and finish that. And then after I do, I’ll read this one too. I will, I will, I will. This is one of those books that almost every blog I read touts as “life-changing” and “a must read“. So of course I must read it.

Okay, that’s enough of my book nerdery for a while.  But first- remember how I was reading that Jhumpa Lahiri book, Unaccustomed Earth? It was good, but not as good as The Interpreter of Maladies.  So if you’re new to her stuff, read that one first.

Off to work.  We’re headed to the lake tonight to celebrate an early Mother’s Day, so I’ll try to snap some frolicking-Chloe pics!

Scene of the Crime May 8, 2008

Last night I had plans to meet my friend Jill for dinner, so Brian was on his own in terms of foraging for food.  He opted to bring home a pizza from our local place, Picasso’s.  I got home from work and was getting ready to meet Jill when Brian came in from mowing the lawn.

Brian: “Why’d you put my pizza in the fridge?”

Heather: “What are you talking about? I just walked in the door.”

B: “It was right there, in the box, on the coffee table. There were like 4 slices left.”

Both turn to look at the coffee table.

What we should have seen (This particular photo has been recreated for the sake of storytelling. The rest are real, unfortunately.):

What we saw:

Any ideas? Here’s a hint: What’s small and deceptive and hanging out in the bottom left corner of the photo?

So we look all around the room. No pizza.  Check the fridge in case Brian has lost his mind and actually did put it away. Nope. Bedrooms, bathrooms, laundry room? Noooo.

Me: “Well there’s no way she ate the box, right?”

So being the genius that he is (1550 on the SAT, people… that’s why I married him), Brian moves the couch.

Luckily she didn’t actually get any of the pizza, but it sure wasn’t for lack of trying.  We tried to get a shot of the little pug fang marks on the box.  This is the best we could do.  The best part is the tiny face peeking around behind the box. Don’t even try to look innocent, pug.

Ciao, Bella May 7, 2008

Although I don’t eat red meat, the one thing I miss every once in a while is a big hamburger.  Usually I’ll just have a turkey burger instead– but if I’m feeling really healthy and virtuous, I’ll grill a portabella burger.  Portabella caps are a great substitute because they’re meaty, absorb any marinade, and easy to cook.  The downside is that they are MESSY.  Soggy buns are never a good thing.

We bought a few portabella caps at Sam’s this weekend and were planning on grilling them, but then I ran across this recipe on cookinglight.com for Open-Faced Mushroom, Tomato and Goat Cheese Sandwiches.

I altered the recipe a little:

Sauteed Portabella Burgers (Serves 3-4)

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 portabella caps, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar (I LOVE vinegar.  This may be too strong for some people)
• 1 Tbs capers
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 tube goat cheese (the soft kind- can’t remember how many ounces, but the pkg said 4 servings)
• 1 tomato, sliced (optional)
• Whole wheat hamburger buns

Heat olive oil in large skillet over med to med-hi. Add onions and peppers and sauté for 5 minutes (until soft).  Add sliced portabellas.  Cook another 5 minutes or so until mushrooms are soft.  Remove from heat and add vinegar, capers and salt/pepper to taste.

Toast buns in toaster or under broiler.  Spread each bun with about an oz of goat cheese.  Top with tomatoes and portabella mixture (use a slotted spoon and make sure the mushroom “juice” drains out before topping).  EAT.

Here’s a shot of the sandwich:

Roasted red peppers would be really good in this too.

We had kale chips and Alexia potato wedges on the side.  So far I’ve tried a couple of the Alexia breads, the potato wedges and 2 of the fries (crinkle and the regular sea salt variety) and I’m a HUGE fan.  They’re definitely the best frozen fries out there AND they’re not bad for you- low fat, high(ish) fiber, fairly low cal.  With the sea salt fries, you get a fairly big pile per serving too.

This go-round we topped the kale chips with Old Bay, olive oil and liquid aminos.  The Old Bay was a great addition, IMO.  Oh, and for the record, I burned my finger trying to retrieve an AWOL kale chip from the bottom of the oven.  I’ll spare you the photo this time.

Here’s the whole plate:

And yes, I did eat that entire gallon of ketchup on my 8 little potato wedges

I’ve Been Reprimanded May 6, 2008

Remember those cheapy Target shoes I got so excited about last week? The brown espadrilles? Well, apparently Chloe reads the blog.

On Saturday afternoon I was in dire need of a nap (given the late night bake fest on Friday), so I headed to the guest room. We have my bed from college in that room, and it is the most gloriously comfortable bed you could ever hope to sleep on. I have no idea why- but I take any excuse possible to grab a few winks in there.

I brought Chloe in there with me, as the one thing she truly excels in is the art of napping. Unfortunately for me, all she wanted to do was lick the comforter, lick herself, lick the sheets… So I threw her out.

She scratched at the door for a couple minutes, barked a few times, and then ran off. This was exciting. “How great that she’s finally learned to entertain herself!” I thought as I dozed off.

OH… how right I was!

Here’s what I found when I came out of the guest room:

And closer:

So I guess that’s my punishment for: 1. Not obeying the pug, and 2. Leaving my shoes on the floor.

I did confront Chloe about the situation. She pleads the 5th. But don’t you think she looks guilty here?

Baaaaaaad Pug! Bad!

If April Showers Bring May Flowers… May 5, 2008

Then what do May flowers bring?

Wait for it…

Pilgrims!

Moving on, this weekend my mom and I hosted a bridal shower for my lovely BFF Lauren.  We have known each other since we were 3 (although I recall that she was kind of a pre-school B back in Miss Linda’s class, so we didn’t really start hanging out until high school), and she’s getting married this summer to a hilarious fellow named Robert.

Remember how I said I’ll look for any excuse to bake? Well, what better reason to make cute cupcakes than a shower? So I was up until 1am Saturday morning putting together these bad boys:

For the cake, I pulled the vanilla cake recipe from my beloved Magnolia Bakery cookbook. The frosting came from that cookbook too- vanilla buttercream. I made the frosting a day ahead of time, stuck it in the fridge and then re-whipped just before icing the cupcakes.  I guess the buttercream got too warm because it started to melt down the sides… but it worked out okay because that just left the cupcakes with a smooth finish.  The flower is fondant that I rolled out and punched with a cookie cutter, and the yellow blob in the middle is yellow icing (store bought) that I piped on with a pastry bag.

Since these were intended as favors, I found cute little boxes to put them in.  To be fair: Brian stayed up until 2am folding these:

Not bad, eh? Less exciting, though equally delicious, were the turkey sausage casserole and garlic cheese grits (Paula Deen’s recipe- Oh WOW, these were unbelievable! And easy! But do yourself a favor and don’t even think about the calories). 

Here’s the set-up:

Very cute and girly… champagne punch, petit fours, pink EVERYTHING. And finally, here’s a shot of Lauren-the-bride-to-be, mom/Gina and me:

Look quick- I’m pretty sure that as soon as Gina sees that she’s on the internets, she’s going to make me take this down…