The teen's Christmas sweater, that is. The knitting is FINALLY complete, and aside from one glaring mistake that I think I can acceptably fix with some minor weaving, I'm very happy with it. Now, I just have to sew in the sleeves (I'll have to Google how to do it b/c I have a copy of the pattern without the making up instructions) and get the ribbon for the trim. She saw it laying out and loves it. I'll be posting a finished picture soon!
Of course, I didn't do nearly what I wanted to do this weekend. As usual, when teen is grounded, I feel some sort of responsibility for keeping her semi-occupied while she's out of the social scene. So we watched Auntie Mame Friday night (well, I watched and she fell asleep - but then she finished it Sat and loooved it), then I took her running errands Saturday, we all had dinner and hung out Saturday night, and I pinned Bella's doll outfit pattern this morning so she could cut it out. I was exhausted both nights and fell asleep early, and most of my leisure time was taken up with working on the sweater. Now I'm ready to just veg a little - think Brad and I are going to watch a movie. Looking forward to teen being out of town later this week - hoping that next weekend, my days will really be mine.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
if i put it here in writing,
maybe I'll do it, right? Right? Okay, I guess my track record isn't that great, but here's what I want to get started/done this weekend:
- food shopping
- fabric store for felt, fleece
- start on Bella's doll outfit
- start on felt ornaments
- work on more rings from Gram's earrings
- write
- Italian
- Sunday dinner - make pasta?
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
my eyes! my eyes!
I spent a little bit of time tonight trying on spring clothes in preparation for our upcoming trip to the Keys. Can I just say... ick. Late winter bod. Sucks getting older. I eat and drink about the same as I always have, and I still exercise a bunch, but I just can't keep weight off like I could when I was younger. I know I'll lose more this summer when I switch to walking outside, train for the marathon, and get on my bike regularly! But that doesn't help for the trip that's 10 days away. This isn't going to be a bikini year, I'll tell you that much. I'm still looking forward to it, though. I'm more than ready for a week of sun and warmth and NO SNOW.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Friday-Saturday
We're kind of had our normal Friday night on Saturday night this weekend - drinks and dinner at home, most of the evening spent on our laptops, surfing favorite sites while listening to music.
I made what's become a favorite dinner - a rice dish with chorizo, spinach, and chickpeas. We saw a similar recipe once, but we changed things around to make it our own, and Brad's been thinking about it on and off ever since. The teen is a fan of neither chorizo nor chickpeas, so I haven't made it since the first time, but tonight, we knew she wouldn't bet eating dinner with us, so I figured it was time.
Most of the flavor from this dish comes from the chorizo, so make sure you're using one you really like. We frequent two local butchers/markets that make their own, and they're each fantastic in their own way. It's a pretty quick dinner, too - the veggie/chorizo saute is made while the rice is cooking, so you're looking at less than 30 minutes.
Rice with Chorizo, Spinach, and Chickpeas
1 cup jasmine rice
vegetable oil
1 small yellow onion
1 large garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 lb. fresh chorizo (I got mine from Clancey's), removed from casing and crumbled
8 oz fresh spinach, chopped
1 14-16 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Cook jasmine rice according to directions. While rice is cooking, pour about a tablespoon of oil into a large skillet or 3 qt. saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion, and chorizo, and cook, stirring often to break up chorizo pieces, until the onions are soft and the chorizo is browned, about 8 minutes. Lower the heat a bit, and add the spinach, stirring occasionally until the spinach is wilted. Add the chickpeas and stir. Cook until the chickpeas are warmed through. Add salt to taste (how much salt you need will depend on how salty your chorizo is).
Stir in cooked rice, mix well, and check for seasoning. Serve immediately.
I made what's become a favorite dinner - a rice dish with chorizo, spinach, and chickpeas. We saw a similar recipe once, but we changed things around to make it our own, and Brad's been thinking about it on and off ever since. The teen is a fan of neither chorizo nor chickpeas, so I haven't made it since the first time, but tonight, we knew she wouldn't bet eating dinner with us, so I figured it was time.
Most of the flavor from this dish comes from the chorizo, so make sure you're using one you really like. We frequent two local butchers/markets that make their own, and they're each fantastic in their own way. It's a pretty quick dinner, too - the veggie/chorizo saute is made while the rice is cooking, so you're looking at less than 30 minutes.
Rice with Chorizo, Spinach, and Chickpeas
1 cup jasmine rice
vegetable oil
1 small yellow onion
1 large garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 lb. fresh chorizo (I got mine from Clancey's), removed from casing and crumbled
8 oz fresh spinach, chopped
1 14-16 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Cook jasmine rice according to directions. While rice is cooking, pour about a tablespoon of oil into a large skillet or 3 qt. saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion, and chorizo, and cook, stirring often to break up chorizo pieces, until the onions are soft and the chorizo is browned, about 8 minutes. Lower the heat a bit, and add the spinach, stirring occasionally until the spinach is wilted. Add the chickpeas and stir. Cook until the chickpeas are warmed through. Add salt to taste (how much salt you need will depend on how salty your chorizo is).
Stir in cooked rice, mix well, and check for seasoning. Serve immediately.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
another fantastic dinner
at the Corner Table. We went last Friday night and loved one of the dishes so much that we had to go back last night to get it again. Of course, as luck would have it, when we arrived and Scott asked what brought us back so soon, we found out that they'd just sold out of the dish we wanted - a deep fried egg over duck confit and microgreens. At first we thought he was teasing us, but sadly, he wasn't.
Not that it mattered that much. We were there with our friend Jay and sat at the bar, where we chatted with staff and pored over the menu, trying to make our decisions. I talked my semi-adventurous husband into trying beef tongue tacos with beans - he liked them, but I loved them. I've always been slightly afraid of beef tongue, but these tiny two-bite tacos were delicious. I had potato/mushroom pierogies that were tasty, and Jay had rabbit sausage that was, frankly, amazing. It was served with braised cabbage that really gave the dish a zing. I liked his starter the best. Scott was doing a tasting dinner at the chef's table in the kitchen, and he sent us out a sample of one of their courses: roasted glazed ribs. A crispy, savory surprise. Then another surprise shortly before our entrees arrived: deep fried eggs! In another iteration, but fantastic nonetheless: crazy, soft-boiled, lightly breaded, and deep fried egg over braised beef with hollandaise and a red wine reduction. We still managed to eat our entrees. Mine was a homemade pasta tossed with smoked trout and capers in a lemon butter sauce. Salty, smoky, bright - I don't think I left anything in the bowl. And a shared pot de creme to finish off the experience.
We could barely walk out of there, and now Brad and I have food hangover in a big way today. I can only imagine what Jay feels like. He's a mostly vegetarian who ate rabbit sausage, ribs, deep fried egg over beef, then a beef burger topped with short ribs - holy meatfest, Batman!!
Thank you, Scott and company, for another memorable meal and for the surprise extras. We really appreciated it!!
Not that it mattered that much. We were there with our friend Jay and sat at the bar, where we chatted with staff and pored over the menu, trying to make our decisions. I talked my semi-adventurous husband into trying beef tongue tacos with beans - he liked them, but I loved them. I've always been slightly afraid of beef tongue, but these tiny two-bite tacos were delicious. I had potato/mushroom pierogies that were tasty, and Jay had rabbit sausage that was, frankly, amazing. It was served with braised cabbage that really gave the dish a zing. I liked his starter the best. Scott was doing a tasting dinner at the chef's table in the kitchen, and he sent us out a sample of one of their courses: roasted glazed ribs. A crispy, savory surprise. Then another surprise shortly before our entrees arrived: deep fried eggs! In another iteration, but fantastic nonetheless: crazy, soft-boiled, lightly breaded, and deep fried egg over braised beef with hollandaise and a red wine reduction. We still managed to eat our entrees. Mine was a homemade pasta tossed with smoked trout and capers in a lemon butter sauce. Salty, smoky, bright - I don't think I left anything in the bowl. And a shared pot de creme to finish off the experience.
We could barely walk out of there, and now Brad and I have food hangover in a big way today. I can only imagine what Jay feels like. He's a mostly vegetarian who ate rabbit sausage, ribs, deep fried egg over beef, then a beef burger topped with short ribs - holy meatfest, Batman!!
Thank you, Scott and company, for another memorable meal and for the surprise extras. We really appreciated it!!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
book in a day....
That's what happened today. Room, by Emma Donoghue. It was on a ton of best of 2010 lists, and I have to say, the praise was well-deserved. The plot was creative, disturbing, arresting. I opened it when I sat down on the bus to work this morning, and I just finished it about 20 minutes ago. It dominated my day, and it was completly worth it.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
one of those nights
Feeling completely non-productive. I'm at the point with the sweater where I have to start sewing, and I'm not in the mood. At all. I want a night of vegging out in front of the tv, but there's nothing on (nothing new), and desperate as I feel, I'm not desperate enough to watch Real Housewives. Maybe it's time to break out the video games and make a big cosmo...
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)