A Southern Low Cal Meal

Yummy lettuce, parsley, and green onions from my garden.

Not sure why this photo loaded sideways, but you get the idea....

On my fabulous, tender, organically grown lettuce from my garden, I made homemade spicy ranch dressing.  Low fat of course.  It's really easy, just buy the packet from the grocery store and mix it up but use fat free mayo and 1% milk.  It tastes SO MUCH BETTER than any fat free or low fat ranch you can buy in a bottle at the store. 

The other bowl has crawfish etouffee served over brown rice.  I made an adaptation on Emeril's recipe.  The main changes I made was I only used 2 tablespoons of butter instead of an entire stick and I added an extra tablespoon of flour to thicken it.  And instead of adding water, I added chicken stock and seasoned the whole thing up with Tony Chachere's seasoning.  Darryl said he couldn't even tell the difference with the missing butter.  Added it all up and it only came out to 5 WW points!  WIN!  Also, whenever I make etouffee, something happens to the leftovers in the fridge overnight that makes it so much better the next day.  Can't wait for leftovers tomorrow!

For Everything, a Season

My Spring Garden Inventory

• Cilantro
• Italian Parsley
• Chives
• Sage
• Onions
• Strawberries (I even have my first blossoms!)
• Bush style green beans, tried inoculating them for the first time, we'll see how it goes
• Lettuce
• Carrots
• Broccoli (granted it's so warm, it's bolted and will probably be replaced in the near future with more tomatoes)
• Patio cherry tomatoes
• Romeo and Juliet grape tomatoes
• Early Girl tomato plants
• Celebrity tomato plants

I've also thrown some flower seed packets in there, it's hard to tell what's a flower seedling and what's a weed.  I've also stopped sowing in an orderly fashion.  There's order with some of my plantings, the rest is honestly just thrown in there willy nilly.  It's going to be a lovely spring!

Weekend Recap

Friday
Spent my lunch break with my coworkers delivering for Meals on Wheels.  Afterwards we grabbed a bite at Tam's Deli.  They're known for Vietnamese cuisine and are very affordable.  I had some yummy vegetarian curry, an egg roll, and one of their famous cream puffs for dessert, totally worth the hype.  After lunch my husband called to tell me some good news he'd received at work (what news he got exactly is private, sorry readers, not my news to tell) but I was so happy for him!  Friday night I came home and freshened up my hair and makeup and then headed downtown for a sweet dinner with my husband at Parkside on 6th street.  I've always wanted to try this place and we were meeting some friends at a bar for a birthday party and had intended to just stop for a slice of pizza or something on our way there, but I saw that there was no wait for a table so we went in!  I tried their Tex and the City cocktail, which was a mix of whiskey and jasmine liquor served up.  We shared some lump crab fritters and I had a Cesar salad for dinner and D had a cheeseburger and fries.  I totally recommend this place for happy hour.  Afterwards we headed up to the Treehouse Pub for a fab surprise birthday party for a friend.  We had a blast chatting with everyone and playing Foosball.  But I had to get up early the next morning so we left early.

Saturday
I met some friends at the Natural Gardner for an organic vegetable gardening class.  I learned lots of good information, I've realized how much I do wrong, no wonder my gardens are so "meh" each year.  I shall sally forth fortified with this new knowledge.  If you live in Austin I cannot say enough good things about the Natural Gardner, it's the only nursery I regularly visit and if you get there early on the weekends, the staff is super happy to chat with you about what you have going on in your garden and help you troubleshoot.  Afterwards I came home and worked in my own garden and planted leaf lettuce, carrots, and onions.  I added compost and a mineral mixture I got at NG.  Unfortunately while I was listening to the class (which was outside and surrounded by cedars) dust clouds of pollen were blowing all over me.  I had noticed problems Friday while we were doing MOW, but I was able to shake it off without medicine.  Saturday afternoon I felt so terrible, even after taking medicine, that I had to cancel my evening plans.  The idea of getting off the bed and getting dressed up was too much for me.  I took a shower, did laundry, and just laid in bed.  D had some friends over and made fajitas for dinner, I wasn't that hungry but he makes such good fajitas I couldn't resist having one.  Saturday was lame, I went to sleep super early while all my friends were at a fun birthday party, sad panda.

Sunday
We woke up at 5:30 AM because our power went out and our house alarm gets all angry when that happens.  I had slept through the huge storm, but I was glad that we got so much rain.  New seeds need to be watered 2x a year and rain water is the best water you can provide!  The garden seems to have survived the storm very well.  Now my challenge for the rest of the week is to keep my beds covered with ground covers and to keep the soil temperature above 35 degrees.  Also, I totally want a soil thermometer, I wonder if I could use something else around the house to the same end? 

I ran over to the Domain and checked out the sweet sale at Sur La Table, if you love cooking of just cooking gadgets, you should run over there and stock up, I came away with all sorts of goodies.  I did my grocery shopping and came home and whipped up some raspberry lemonade popsicles a la Waspy Redhead.  I deviated from her recipe a bit, so I hope they turn out well.  Next I made some dough for these cookies I saw on Smitten Kitchen.  The dough is currently chilling in the fridge, I have to let it chill for 3 hours?  I die.  I'm planning on filling them full of raspberry preserves.  Next I started a pot of beef ragu from this month's issue of Real Simple which I plan on serving for dinner tonight over pappardelle.  It's simmering on the stove in my favorite Le Creuset dutch oven and sipping a beer by the fire (I'm a tiny bit spoiled, no?).  Unfortunately, for the life of me, I cannot get the bowl of my electric mixer off the base.  This is a reoccurring problem and D has to pull it off for me every time after watching me groan and grunt and strain to try and get it to unscrew.  So there it sits still on the stand, full dough residue.  I was hoping to whip up some Parmesan and thyme crackers tonight to serve with some blue cheese butter along side my pappardelle, but alas, that will require me to remove the bowl twice and D is out until dinner time.  Maybe later in the week?  Hope you had a fab weekend!

Dog Days of Summer

(not one of my pups, random interwebs pup, but he's cute!)

To be honest, I feel pretty guilty about writing this post.  I'm a big fan of living in the moment and my favorite time of the year is summer.  But for some reason, I am SO READY FOR THIS SUMMER TO END.  For many reasons, this summer has been a frustrating one.  Our kitchen renovation was a bit stressful/involved combined with minimal free time since we were invited to one million weddings, baby showers, wedding showers, bachelor/bachelorette parties, reunions, etc.  Now, I guess that means that people like us and we're blessed to have all these friends, which I am grateful, but after a while not being the master of your own weekends, well, they just start to feel like another form of WORK.  I was off doing something fun most weekends but after a while, constant social obligations stop feeling fun, which is something I didn't realize until this summer.  I am definitely suffering from social burnout.  I was so concerned with being there for my friends and not wanting to miss any of the fun, that I forgot how much I need down time.

Combine that with a bit of a bumpy patch in my actual work and weather forecasts all next week of up to 104, kind of makes me just want to fast forward through the rest of this month.  So here's what I'm looking forward to in September.

Gardening-I have been out working in the garden beds as often as possible, but it's one million degrees.  I've been prepping the beds for the fall planting and getting my seedlings in the ground so we have good production when it cools off.  Combine that with having to be extra vigilant with the watering schedule so the seedlings don't scorch and shrivel, let's just say I'm looking forward to reaping some of those rewards.  Planted string beans, flowers and will be adding broccoli and cauliflower transplants in Sept.

Getting Back On a Regular Workout Schedule-Summer's social calendar has kept me busy or out of town (or hung over) most weekends.  I have had to double time my home chores in the week/been so drained after work that I have been spending most of my weeknights doing crap around the house.  However, with some recent changes at work and having my weekends back, I'm looking forward to getting my life back in balance.

Some Welcome Pampering-I've recently discovered Groupon and Living Social so I've booked a nice facial and eye treatment as well as planned some lovely meals out for me and the hubs.  Plus I'm looking forward to buying some fall clothes.  With some recent weight fluctuations (see lack of working out above) and financial strain from renovations, I've had to cut shopping and some restaurant dining out of my usual routine.  It'll be nice to buy a couple new pieces for fall.

One More Wedding-Yes, I've been complaining about having too much crap to do on weekends so this may be a contradiction, but C&P's wedding weekend will be fun if I can avoid letting work get in the way.  I'm doing my darnedest to get ahead at work so I can relax and celebrate their nuptials.

Vegas!!!!!!-I'd be lying if I said the promise of this trip isn't what's keeping me from sticking my head in the oven right now (okay, I know, I'm being so dramatic).  We're going at the end of the month with 2 other super fun couples.  The weather in Vegas that time of the year is ideal and I know we're going to have such a good time.  I am a big believer in weekend getaways and Vegas is my favorite spot, can't wait!

Weekend Recap

Friday
Came home from work and gleefully packed my new gym bag, procured from the Vera Bradley's website half off sale.  Normally I think that stuff is grossly overpriced but I have a purse from there that I use to travel and I find the use of pockets and washability of them makes up for the fact that they look like my grandma's quilt.  Plus the whole 50% off thing putt them right at the price point that I think they should be to begin with.

So I opened the box and before stuffing it full of my gym goodies, I did what every normal pet owner does, stuffed Ginger in it and walked around the house with her.

Petey was not chosen for this mission because A) he's been known to pee himself ALL THE TIME for no good reason and B) he usually has poop stuck to his butt and we hadn't done a "clingon" inspection that day.  Ginger somehow manages to keep her pooper pristine, so in the bag she went.  Now I don't know where I'd go with either dog in a bag, but I'm sleeping easier knowing that I now have that option, however, for now, the bag is occupied by my swimming gear.

So Friday night we went to dinner with a coworker and his wife and then they came back to the house to see our fabulous new kitchen and have a few drinks. 

Saturday
The next morning I had an 8:30 hair appointment, which was lovely and relaxing.  I got to sit and sip my coffee while reading Such A Pretty Fat (Jen Lancaster is my new literary obsession, but that's for another post) while my hair processed.  Then I ran up to the jeweler to get my ring inspected and cleaned followed by a brief jaunt to a nearby farmers market.  It's so hot, there's not a lot interesting going on in the way of produce, but I was more interested in the meat.  I came away with a couple of steaks, some snapper fillets, and some vegan mushroom tamales which I ate for lunch.  After some chores around the house and a trip to the gym we headed to a friends housewarming party. 

Sunday
We slept in until 11, which is uncharacteristic for us, but felt so good because we've had to get up early most recent weekends.  I cooked us up some lunch and we went to Home Depot to grab a couple things for the house and get some gardening supplies.  We filled our afternoon with me turning over one of my garden beds (1 down, 2 to go) and planting it full of flower seeds.  I planted cornflowers, cosmos, zinnias, and baby's breath.  I'm hoping for a nice fall cutting garden.  I also ordered some stock and snapdragon seeds due to come in next week that I'll add to the mix.   I absolutely love having the ability to cut my own flowers and make my own bouquets just from things I have growing in my own back yard. 

Afterwards I helped Darryl groom Petey.  We decided to attempt to groom our dog ourselves.  Cairns are a tricky breed and while we may have saved ourselves $50, it was time consuming and he looks pretty stupid.  Especially since I cut one side of his face shorter than the other, now he looks like a goofy Picasso painting with a crooked face or something.  And to make matters worse, we nicked his ear, though I think I was more traumatized than him from the whole experience, plus we still have to pay someone to trim his nails.  I draw the line at cutting nails.  Anyways, I'm sure we'd get better with more practice and his fur grows out extremely fast, but I don't think we'll do that again.  Plus coming in soaked in sweat from working in the garden to grooming a dog was a recipe for dog fur stuck all over my sweaty legs. 

Sunday night I made a batch of my turkey artichoke stuffed shells with spicy marinara sauce and put them in the freezer to have on hand for nights where I didn't feel like cooking or hadn't been to the grocery store.  For dinner we grilled one of the steaks that I bought at the farmers market, it was a great steak, I highly recommend 6J ranch.

Weekend Recap, Winter Alelympics Edition

Friday

Had a lovely date night downtown at El Mercado followed by Alice in Wonderland in IMAX 3D.  I actually enjoyed it in that is was not the story of Alice in Wonderland, but more of a work inspired as a sequel with elements of Through The Looking Glass incorporated.  It was a pleasant surprise because I hate the story of Alice in Wonderland and I really enjoyed the story line in this movie.

Saturday

Got up early, ran the 3 mile loop at Town Lake, then took the dogs to obedience training.  Then we came home and got suited up for the 2010 Winter Alelympics!  Notice our awesome ski gear.  We were Team America.

We bobbed for habaneros in a pool of ice water....

We risked the dangers of brain freeze in the popsicle binge eating competition...

We ran a triathalon...in pink flippers.....

We jousted on snowboards...I tried to get inside Christine's opponent's head by telling him she was pregnant (she's not, obvs) right before they started and then kept yelling to "not hit her in the baby".  She was the only girl in this competition, we had to use every advantage we could get.

We got WAY too enthusiastic about the games, I tore off my clothes into this outfit and declared to the crowd that I was going to "Michel Phelps this shit".  Note that A) I forgot to take off my bikini bottoms so I'm essentially wearing 1.5 swimsuits in this photo, B) I was wearing my running tights under my Speedo that is 2 sizes too large, C) I managed to put my Speedo on inside out, D) I had been drinking while I was trying to get dressed in this outfit, thus the debacle.  E) My "speed suit" did not perform well in the trial runs, so we eventually had to lose the tights...and turn it right side out while we were at it.....

We operated a bouncy house slip n slide without a trained operator on duty....

Here I am, clawing my way to victory, this thing takes a lot out of your abs, mine were KILLING me on Sunday.

If I do not chug this beer, then the terrorists win.  It was not light beer either making this extra challenging.

We brought it all home with a beer pong tournament, a cookout, and a concert from Do It Live.  I could not have thought of a better way to spend a Saturday.  Good friends, lots of beer, and lots of running around doing crazy things.  Darryl mentioned a friend's name who we should have invited but then said, "she's probably too healthy to do this," I looked at him and said, "I never want to be that healthy."  Life is too short to take yourself seriously, sometimes the healthiest thing you can do for yourself is to enjoy your youth, put on some crazy outfits, do silly things while drinking a couple beers, and live life to the fullest with both old friends and new ones.  That is what really matters in life. 

Sunday

Took a very hung over husband out to brunch.  Darryl doesn't get to go wild too often, so it was really fun to see him go all out, but he was in rough shape in the morning.  After brunch I convinced him to help me in my garden.  I'll post more about that later, with a full garden update.  Enjoy your week darlings!

 

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Above, my crazy diagramming of my garden plans.  Drawn to scale, more or less.

Darryl replacing the 30+ year old garden timbers in the yard, he did ALL of them.  We have garden timbers like whoah.

And today I braved the 1:15 hour drive through Austin traffic to the Natural Gardner to pick up cottonseed meal, Early Girl and Celebrity tomatoes, cherry tomoatoes, basil, and sweet bell pepper plants.  Of course, I couldn't find most of the herbs I was looking for and I forgot my seaweed spray, but I can always go back and get that stuff at a later date.  Now I just have to wait for the corn and flower seeds I ordered from Burpee.  This year I want to focus on mastering tomatoes and corn.  Tomorrow we turn over the soil after work!

Engagement Party

Dinner in the backyard

c

The hubs hard at work in the kitchen

This weekend Darryl and I had the pleasure of throwing an engagement party for our friends Parker and Christine. I'm beginning to realize how lousy I am at taking pictures, I have no photos of myself or the happy couple, so here are a few random shots.

The menu included:
-champagne sangria, wine, and beer
-stuffed mushrooms
-cream cheese with jalapeno jelly on crackers
-chips and spinach queso

The dinner was Darryl's family's recipe for chicken tetrazini, salad, and garlic bread. Dessert was a chocolate stout cake which was first introduced to me by my friend Elizabeth at my bridal shower, homemade dulce de leche and cookies and cream ice creams, all homemade by the hubs. The MOH, Christine's sister also provided some yummy cupcakes and all the table decor (when in doubt, rent your linens).
Christine
Digging into dessert Enjoying dessert and champagne

Not in Kansas Anymore

Survived Tornadogate 2009 unscathed. We were supposed to babysit for a friend tonight, but they cancelled. Good thing because we would have been hunkered in an interior closet with the baby, because I'm from West Texas and that's how we do it. Instead the dogs and I just chilled out and listened for the freight train. We did lose power for 3 freaking hours (note that the houses across the street had power, I assume just to taunt me). Luckily I had about 45 pink honeysuckle scented votives left from the wedding that I used to light the house and several boxes of 4 ft sparklers which I contemplated lighting up on the porch, but then decided against it.

The dogs were freaking out, someone definitely tinkled in the living room. The hail looked pretty small, so I'm hoping my garden wasn't decimated, fingers crossed. So many beautiful little green tomatoes, noooooo. Anyways, I lit up the house, put on my headlamp, did some chores, and read a magazine. By the time the power came back the temperature was up to 80 degrees. Thank you air conditioning, I would be hot and sticky without you.

Also, FYI, never ever get out of your car and seek shelter under an overpass, the way the wind whips under those things, you're in a lot more danger. Get out of your car, lie in a ditch and cover your head. We were discussing this at work one day and I asked, "so if you can't hide under an overpass, what do you do?" My coworker responded, "find a pipe sticking out of the ground and tie you and your ex-husband to it with a strap, then ride through the tornado unharmed." Yeah, that's the ending of the movie Twister. Love that someone else remembers that.