Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Tasty Tuesday
At lab today, I called last night's meal a lazy dinner only to be corrected by my coworkers who thought it wasn't a lazy dinner.
I made a baked Tilapia - very simple, seasoned fish with lemon pepper, topped with lime slices, rosemary, and tabs of butter, baked at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Served with boxed mac and cheese, and thawed (frozen) veggies with a lemon vinaigrette.
An easy dinner option when you had to wake up early to go to the dentist for fillings and can't feel half your face until 2 pm(I had to ask for a fourth injection of lidocaine and septocaine).
I made a baked Tilapia - very simple, seasoned fish with lemon pepper, topped with lime slices, rosemary, and tabs of butter, baked at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Served with boxed mac and cheese, and thawed (frozen) veggies with a lemon vinaigrette.
An easy dinner option when you had to wake up early to go to the dentist for fillings and can't feel half your face until 2 pm(I had to ask for a fourth injection of lidocaine and septocaine).
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Wordless Wednesday
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Tasty Tuesday
I've tried a few new(ish) recipes over the past few weeks.
First, we had fish sandwiches:
Coat fish in flour, then egg wash spiked with spicy mustard, then breadcrumbs. Cook in a pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil. For the bread, we used beer batter bread (recipe from Laurie). Served with steamed asparagus. Inspiration, Sarah Moulton)
We also had a cauliflower broccoli gratin; I made it for Emily's send-off party on Friday night.
Cook the chopped veggies at 375 degrees for 25 mins until tender. Transfer to a baking dish and pour over white sauce (made from a roux). Top with shredded mild cheddar and seasoned breadcrumbs (breadcrumbs with Italian seasoning, grated Parmesan cheese, and olive oil). Inspiration: Jacques Pepin
On Saturday, I followed (somewhat) a recipe from Publix. I will call it creamy baked chicken breast. Top chicken breast with a mixture of mayonnaise, grated sharp cheddar, green tabasco, and chopped green onion (from the garden). Bake chicken at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes, then broil for 2-3 minutes until the top of the chicken is golden. I served it with leftover gratin. Inspiration: Publix
Inspired by a dish that we had at the party on Friday, I attempted my first orzo (rice-shaped pasta) salad. I was very disappointed in Publix, since they only had one brand of orzo (which was expensive) and I couldn't find pine nuts. But the dish was so worth it. Cook the orzo according to package directions. Drain and run under cold water. Make a marinade with lemon juice, olive oil, white vinegar, dijon mustard, garlic, and dried oregano. Toss orzo with marinade and add chopped yellow and red peppers, garlic and herb feta, chopped herbs (cilantro, chives, and green onion from the garden), grape tomatoes cut in half. I substituted slivered almonds for pine nuts. While prepping the peppers, I realized that I didn't like them raw. So I tossed them in the pasta cooking water when the pasta had two minutes left cooking. This dish will become a staple in the house, since it was so easy to make and oh so tasty. Tom thought it was fine as a meal, but next time, I think I will make a poached salmon, lemon pepper white fish, or Greek grilled chicken. Inspiration: Stacy
First, we had fish sandwiches:
Coat fish in flour, then egg wash spiked with spicy mustard, then breadcrumbs. Cook in a pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil. For the bread, we used beer batter bread (recipe from Laurie). Served with steamed asparagus. Inspiration, Sarah Moulton)
We also had a cauliflower broccoli gratin; I made it for Emily's send-off party on Friday night.
Cook the chopped veggies at 375 degrees for 25 mins until tender. Transfer to a baking dish and pour over white sauce (made from a roux). Top with shredded mild cheddar and seasoned breadcrumbs (breadcrumbs with Italian seasoning, grated Parmesan cheese, and olive oil). Inspiration: Jacques Pepin
On Saturday, I followed (somewhat) a recipe from Publix. I will call it creamy baked chicken breast. Top chicken breast with a mixture of mayonnaise, grated sharp cheddar, green tabasco, and chopped green onion (from the garden). Bake chicken at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes, then broil for 2-3 minutes until the top of the chicken is golden. I served it with leftover gratin. Inspiration: Publix
Inspired by a dish that we had at the party on Friday, I attempted my first orzo (rice-shaped pasta) salad. I was very disappointed in Publix, since they only had one brand of orzo (which was expensive) and I couldn't find pine nuts. But the dish was so worth it. Cook the orzo according to package directions. Drain and run under cold water. Make a marinade with lemon juice, olive oil, white vinegar, dijon mustard, garlic, and dried oregano. Toss orzo with marinade and add chopped yellow and red peppers, garlic and herb feta, chopped herbs (cilantro, chives, and green onion from the garden), grape tomatoes cut in half. I substituted slivered almonds for pine nuts. While prepping the peppers, I realized that I didn't like them raw. So I tossed them in the pasta cooking water when the pasta had two minutes left cooking. This dish will become a staple in the house, since it was so easy to make and oh so tasty. Tom thought it was fine as a meal, but next time, I think I will make a poached salmon, lemon pepper white fish, or Greek grilled chicken. Inspiration: Stacy
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Sunny Sunday and weekend recap
Saturday started with its usual batch of errands, Costo, Publix, Aldi, and CVS. I was very happy about $7 of produce that will last us for a bit at Aldi. Tom and I haven't given up all of our brand loyalties, which makes it extra special when we get stuff we like (Neutrogena moisturizer) for 25 cents at CVS.
Saturday night, we started at Good People Brewing Company for coffee oatmeal stout and then proceeded to Railroad Park, a park in the middle of downtown Birmingham. This was my first visit and I was very surprised at how awesome it is. The Alabama Symphony Orchestra was doing a free outdoors concert, featuring the music of Wagner, Grieg, Tchaikovsky, and others. Our friends Chantelle and Colm brought their dogs, which made the evening even better.
Crafts: I have started a new scrapbook - one that summarizes all our trips since we started dating in 2009. I'm halfway through 2010.We have a summer wreath for June. I've been playing with centerpieces for the reception. The candle in the conical flask lasted for about an hour - we had the fan going on in the house, but Tom said it was more realistic in case it was windy at the reception.
Garden update: Our plants are doing great. We bought dying plants from Home Depot on Memorial Day weekend and they are now looking very healthy. It was worth the purchase. As long as we remember to water all the plants, we should have a beautiful garden all summer. I can't wait for the peppers and tomatoes to come up.
Saturday night, we started at Good People Brewing Company for coffee oatmeal stout and then proceeded to Railroad Park, a park in the middle of downtown Birmingham. This was my first visit and I was very surprised at how awesome it is. The Alabama Symphony Orchestra was doing a free outdoors concert, featuring the music of Wagner, Grieg, Tchaikovsky, and others. Our friends Chantelle and Colm brought their dogs, which made the evening even better.
 |
| Hazel, Chantelle's dog; Niamh (pronounced Neave), Colm's dog |
Crafts: I have started a new scrapbook - one that summarizes all our trips since we started dating in 2009. I'm halfway through 2010.We have a summer wreath for June. I've been playing with centerpieces for the reception. The candle in the conical flask lasted for about an hour - we had the fan going on in the house, but Tom said it was more realistic in case it was windy at the reception.
Garden update: Our plants are doing great. We bought dying plants from Home Depot on Memorial Day weekend and they are now looking very healthy. It was worth the purchase. As long as we remember to water all the plants, we should have a beautiful garden all summer. I can't wait for the peppers and tomatoes to come up.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Oh June!
For June, I'm
Excited: to see the professional pictures, our garden
Worried: about name change paperwork
Watching: Superhero flicks and the Aliens series (at least that what I'll plan on doing), the rain, summer thunderstorms :)
Reading: The newspaper, magazines, scientific papers
Listening to: NPR's Car Talk, Says You, Lady Antebellum's album, CCR
Creating: wedding crafts and travel scrapbook
Cooking: diet food?
Loving: our garden
Hoping: that just like we had a mild winter, we'll have a mild summer (a girl can dream)
Looking forward to: more live music, including the Alabama Symphony Orchestra
Excited: to see the professional pictures, our garden
Worried: about name change paperwork
Watching: Superhero flicks and the Aliens series (at least that what I'll plan on doing), the rain, summer thunderstorms :)
Reading: The newspaper, magazines, scientific papers
Listening to: NPR's Car Talk, Says You, Lady Antebellum's album, CCR
Creating: wedding crafts and travel scrapbook
Cooking: diet food?
Loving: our garden
Hoping: that just like we had a mild winter, we'll have a mild summer (a girl can dream)
Looking forward to: more live music, including the Alabama Symphony Orchestra
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Long weekend recap
Memorial weekend, so far has been very relaxing.
Friday - we had breakfast for dinner (eggs and some very delicious bacon). We finally opened Kane and Lynch 2 for the PS3. We had purchased the game several months ago and picked it up because it had a multiplayer option. Six hours later, we beat the game.
Saturday - We both slept in, although I woke up three hours earlier than Tom. I took care of some gardening, and then enjoyed a delicious cup of coffee and a banana, while catching up on Real Simple magazines. Garden update: the oak tree that I thought was an oak tree turned out to be a dahlia. The ones I remember were yellow, so I'm going to still think that this was placed by a squirrel.
We had a late lunch, and indulged with eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns with an herbed sour cream.Tom picked up Angry Orchard Apple Cider - very yummy and Kajal approved.
We later met up with my BFF Susie Beth and her husband Jarrod (visiting for the long weekend from Nashville), to watch the Avengers in 3D. Chantelle, my co-worker and friend, also joined us. The movie was awesome, one of the best we have seen yet. If you haven't seen it yet, wait - there are two scenes after the credits.
Tom and I went to the Fish Market for dinner yum! On the way home, we picked up the latest Mission Impossible movie from the Redbox (gotta love $1 movie rentals).
Today - another day of sleeping in. I read the newspapers and more magazines with a cup of yummy tea and cupcakes. I had some rewards points to spend at Officemax and decided that Tom needed a new laptop cooler. Impulsive decision: Lowes. We went in and got several plants from their clearance racks, petunias, begonias, and marigolds. We are hoping that our thumbs are green enough to nurse these plants back to health. We also stopped by Walmart and got some more planters. The balcony garden has been reorganized and the plants watered. I'll take some pictures for a later post.
For dinner tonight, we are using leftovers. We have an uncooked steak in the freezer and tomatoes, asparagus, cucumber, and lettuce in the fridge. We're hoping that the indulging from the past couple of days will be offset by a healthier dinner tonight. We are also watching the National Memorial Day concert on PBS - a mix of music and history.
Tomorrow will be chores, more relaxing, and reading.
I hope that your Memorial weekend is going great.
Friday - we had breakfast for dinner (eggs and some very delicious bacon). We finally opened Kane and Lynch 2 for the PS3. We had purchased the game several months ago and picked it up because it had a multiplayer option. Six hours later, we beat the game.
Saturday - We both slept in, although I woke up three hours earlier than Tom. I took care of some gardening, and then enjoyed a delicious cup of coffee and a banana, while catching up on Real Simple magazines. Garden update: the oak tree that I thought was an oak tree turned out to be a dahlia. The ones I remember were yellow, so I'm going to still think that this was placed by a squirrel.
 |
| My new reading nook |
We later met up with my BFF Susie Beth and her husband Jarrod (visiting for the long weekend from Nashville), to watch the Avengers in 3D. Chantelle, my co-worker and friend, also joined us. The movie was awesome, one of the best we have seen yet. If you haven't seen it yet, wait - there are two scenes after the credits.
Tom and I went to the Fish Market for dinner yum! On the way home, we picked up the latest Mission Impossible movie from the Redbox (gotta love $1 movie rentals).
Today - another day of sleeping in. I read the newspapers and more magazines with a cup of yummy tea and cupcakes. I had some rewards points to spend at Officemax and decided that Tom needed a new laptop cooler. Impulsive decision: Lowes. We went in and got several plants from their clearance racks, petunias, begonias, and marigolds. We are hoping that our thumbs are green enough to nurse these plants back to health. We also stopped by Walmart and got some more planters. The balcony garden has been reorganized and the plants watered. I'll take some pictures for a later post.
For dinner tonight, we are using leftovers. We have an uncooked steak in the freezer and tomatoes, asparagus, cucumber, and lettuce in the fridge. We're hoping that the indulging from the past couple of days will be offset by a healthier dinner tonight. We are also watching the National Memorial Day concert on PBS - a mix of music and history.
Tomorrow will be chores, more relaxing, and reading.
I hope that your Memorial weekend is going great.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Wine down Wednesday
A few weeks ago, Tom and I went to Aldi - I have fallen for Aldi, I absolutely love their produce, which is the cheapest in town and has decent shelf life. On our trip, we found Winking Owl wine. At $2.69, yes, as in less than three dollars, we decided to try a Merlot and a Cabernet.It was also the perfect time to use our new wine decanter and aerator set (gift from my cousin, thank you!). The verdict, leave the Cabernet on the shelf but the Merlot was really good. It was way sweeter than one would expect a Merlot, but it was very drinkable.
Monday, May 21, 2012
May recap
1. My parents came to visit
They spent about 10 days in Birmingham; we visited Louisiana (Baton Rouge and New Orleans) for 3 days; they spent 3 days in Washington DC, and are currently in New York city for 3 days, before heading to Paris for a week. There were several dinner and lunch parties. We had some good food, and now they can put faces, names, and stories together.
2. Jennifer was awesome at pushing the review paper, which was accepted two weeks ago. That makes it 3 first-authored papers. I hope to have a middle-authored paper by the end of this summer.
3. I participated in commencement.
4. Tom and I got married in a private ceremony. Since international travel is tricky, we decided to get married this year while my parents were here. Tom's parents were also present. The day couldn't have been more perfect. We were joined by our best friends and often thought of our siblings, who couldn't be in attendance. I know that there were some ruffled feathers but at the end of the day, we did what we know is right, with the full support of our parents. We will still have our wedding reception next year as planned. We are figuring out the logistics of a vow renewal and which traditions we will keep. Some of the DIY aspects included the bouquet, the boutonnieres and hairpieces, earrings for the ladies, boxes for the earrings, the garter, and make-up. Tom wore a Green Bay Packer tie and all the men had green and yellow matching ties. Tom's mom and I got our hair done at DnL hair studio - I am a fan! We had a fantastic photographer and I can't wait to see the professional pictures. Until we get these, here are a few, taken by Laura and my dad, sorry that some of them are blurry.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Oh May!
First, happy birthday Grandma Mae.
For May, I'm
Excited: about seeing friends and family soon
Worried: my to-do list before seeing friends and family
Watching: Big Bang Theory re-runs and GCB
Reading: The newspaper, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Listening to: NPR's Car Talk, Says You, and other funny shows
Creating: Wedding crafts
Cooking: Mauritian food (well, I'll be eating that soon) cooking: lots of cupcakes soon
Loving: my parking pass
Hoping: that it will cool down (we're in the high 80s already!)
Looking forward to: May 11-13th celebration weekend
For May, I'm
Excited: about seeing friends and family soon
Worried: my to-do list before seeing friends and family
Watching: Big Bang Theory re-runs and GCB
Reading: The newspaper, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Listening to: NPR's Car Talk, Says You, and other funny shows
Creating: Wedding crafts
Cooking: Mauritian food (well, I'll be eating that soon) cooking: lots of cupcakes soon
Loving: my parking pass
Hoping: that it will cool down (we're in the high 80s already!)
Looking forward to: May 11-13th celebration weekend
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