Monday, March 24, 2014
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Oh, hi March!
So I guess the blog is turning into a monthly update? Didn't expect that nor is it my intention.
Updates:
Work is keeping me super busy. There's always a long list of things to do.
My BFF SB asked me what I had crafted lately - I couldn't remember. Maybe I need to think of (and do) a new craft. There are at least two babies joining the family this year (not mine).
I broke up with the Dukan. It was a fun ride. I lost 10 pounds right before I went to Boston, which was a super fun trip. I got to see family and friends, networked (shocking, since this isn't really my thing). There was all sorts of yummy foods and drinks. Then I made a quick detour to New Orleans to meet up with Laura, who flew in from Dallas. We had a fun time in the French Quarter and even met up with an old friend from college, Josh who now lives in New Orleans. some more yummy foods and drinks were had. By the time I got home, I had renewed my love affair with carbs - bread, pasta, cake, potatoes, pizza, and the scale wasn't my friend. I've cut down but not eliminated carbs since and might give Dukan another chance. Maybe.
In the kitchen, we had amazing results with corned beef last week. We wanted to celebrate St. Patrick's Day (since Tom is a little bit Irish) and I had suggested making corned beef. We picked up a brined beef brisket from Publix and on Friday before I left for work, I put it in the slow cooker and let it cook for 10 hours on low. When I got home, it was fork tender and oh so yummy. We had leftovers all weekend (which was great because I had to work for most of it) and for Monday's meal, I picked up some bakery rye bread, thousand island dressing, and sauerkraut, and we made Reuben sandwiches. These were delicious!
Updates:
Work is keeping me super busy. There's always a long list of things to do.
My BFF SB asked me what I had crafted lately - I couldn't remember. Maybe I need to think of (and do) a new craft. There are at least two babies joining the family this year (not mine).
I broke up with the Dukan. It was a fun ride. I lost 10 pounds right before I went to Boston, which was a super fun trip. I got to see family and friends, networked (shocking, since this isn't really my thing). There was all sorts of yummy foods and drinks. Then I made a quick detour to New Orleans to meet up with Laura, who flew in from Dallas. We had a fun time in the French Quarter and even met up with an old friend from college, Josh who now lives in New Orleans. some more yummy foods and drinks were had. By the time I got home, I had renewed my love affair with carbs - bread, pasta, cake, potatoes, pizza, and the scale wasn't my friend. I've cut down but not eliminated carbs since and might give Dukan another chance. Maybe.
In the kitchen, we had amazing results with corned beef last week. We wanted to celebrate St. Patrick's Day (since Tom is a little bit Irish) and I had suggested making corned beef. We picked up a brined beef brisket from Publix and on Friday before I left for work, I put it in the slow cooker and let it cook for 10 hours on low. When I got home, it was fork tender and oh so yummy. We had leftovers all weekend (which was great because I had to work for most of it) and for Monday's meal, I picked up some bakery rye bread, thousand island dressing, and sauerkraut, and we made Reuben sandwiches. These were delicious!
Friday, February 14, 2014
Happy Valentine's Day!
We received a very cute handmade Valentine's card from BFF Grace.
Then we received an amazing email from Iowa Kelly - a gift certificate to our favorite restaurant, the Fish Market. This was so thoughtful because on the Dukan diet, I can't eat at most restaurants, although I am willing to cheat a little, and while on this diet, I have given up alcohol. I did have a martini during workshop week, a few glasses of wine at this swanky Mountain Brook engagement party that we went to on Saturday and a wonderful concoction during snow day. Tom looked especially hot with dress pants and sports coat.
Then
we received this box from Grace and her hubby. In it, a handmade sign,
with our wedding vows and a painting of us in our wedding outfits under
our big umbrella. There were also two very beautiful crystal martini
glasses. Yes, the reading camping bears were our cake topper.
On a personal note, hubby was super helpful on Wednesday when we both stayed home and I had to work on my book chapter - he took care of things around the house and made supper: a nice hearty beef stew.
While we don't really celebrate Valentine's day, to our friends and family, we may not say or show it enough, we love you and we are so grateful to have you in our lives.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Snow!
We had about 4 inches of snow at our house last night, which made for an awesome snow man. I also indulged, with a cup of hot chocolate spiked with Bailey's and a Twix bar as a reward for finishing a major part of my chapter. This morning was peaceful and beautiful, which was perfect for a walk in to work (I didn't get the notice that my morning meeting was cancelled). Oh well, at least the office is quiet for now.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Oh hi February!
Hmm, first post of the year... oops.
What have we been up to? Well we all know about the bad weather that was unusual for us and crippling for the city, two weeks ago. We have another bout of the same stuff this week. Work has also been unusually busy, something that I must get used to as my career hopefully advances.
There was a Tuberculosis conference in Birmingham last month - it was nice to see the familiar faces and work theories that I had met and discussed in graduate school not so long ago. Then we had our own small workshop last week where a small group talked math, programming, data, drugs, all day for three days - intense to say the least, but I got to meet new people who were extremely helpful and nice.
In the kitchen, for new year's day, I finally was able to make a Mauritian dish that tasted very close to my mom's - briyani (or biryani, depending if you're Indian, I'm not so Briyani it is). It has meat that is marinated in yogurt and spices at the bottom, layered with white rice, slightly browned potatoes, peas, and fried onions - a hearty dish to say the least!
I also made a bunch of freeze ready meals, which are mostly gone by now. Wonton wrappers were on sale at Publix, so I got them and then realized that I needed to make something with them. So I made pork wontons (frozen raw) and crab rangoons or crab angels (frozen raw). Wonton soup has been a life safer for when I have tummy issues.
I had some left over wonton wrappers which I used to make these wonton lasagna cupcakes. Tom really liked these and I'm glad because he doesn't like traditional lasagna and this is a good compromise for us (since it's my second most favorite food, and I'm a snob when it comes to lasagna).
Turkey meatballs, baked and frozen - can be quickly added to pasta or soups.
I also had apples from a long time ago, maybe thanksgiving? So I made apple chips. These were addictively good.
Then at some point in January, I embarked on a torturous experience, the Dukan diet.
Helpful free website: http://mydukandiet.com/
True weight calculator: http://www.dukandiet.com/calculate-your-true-weight
(The geek in me took the data from their calculator, plotted in Excel and plot my actual weight measurements to see if I'm on track with my weight loss).
It's a high protein, no carb diet. Good things about this diet, I've lost 7 pounds (10 total but I put on 3 back because of winter apocalypse and workshop, where I had carbs) and I drink at least 60 ounces of water everyday (oh and cheesecake is allowed). Overall, this diet isn't all that bad. The first three days were the hardest because you can eat as much meat/seafood as you want but cannot have veggies or fruits. By day 4, I was glad to get some veggies, I had missed them so much but strangely enough, I wasn't craving my carbs. You have to be creative: zucchini lasagna, eggplant lasagna/moussaka (Tom didn't care for these), burgers with large mushrooms as buns, salads, mashed cauliflower etc...You must also be okay with eating a chunk of meat without anything else, no condiments, no potatoes, etc... I do cheat occasionally - when I get home after a very long day, I will have a teaspoon of peanut butter or craisins (I miss those too a lot). Or when I made my famous buffalo chicken dip and put that in a crescent roll wreath for Shane's Superbowl party (this was gone within minutes, and I only had one bite). Or when Tom made artichoke dip in a breadbowl (I did make zucchini chips to use instead of bread and bagel chips).
There is a good website with plenty of recipes (the oatmeal bran pancakes have been a welcome addition). As far as exercise, you need 30 minutes of brisk walking a day (which I don't always get).
While this diet is on the pricey side, I like what I see on the scale.I was also a bit distraught when I couldn't fit in some of my pants (now I fit in them) but I have about 20 more pounds to go, which had I followed the original plan, I would have attained that goal at some point in April. The goal is to lose 1-2 pounds a week, which is healthy, so maybe I'd be late making that benchmark in April, but as long as I get there.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor, the Dukan diet may not be the right thing for you. Every now and then I do worry about my kidneys and when my index finger starts to hurt (is it gout or carpal tunnel?), what can I say, I am a bit of a hypochondriac.
Thanks for stopping by!
What have we been up to? Well we all know about the bad weather that was unusual for us and crippling for the city, two weeks ago. We have another bout of the same stuff this week. Work has also been unusually busy, something that I must get used to as my career hopefully advances.
There was a Tuberculosis conference in Birmingham last month - it was nice to see the familiar faces and work theories that I had met and discussed in graduate school not so long ago. Then we had our own small workshop last week where a small group talked math, programming, data, drugs, all day for three days - intense to say the least, but I got to meet new people who were extremely helpful and nice.
In the kitchen, for new year's day, I finally was able to make a Mauritian dish that tasted very close to my mom's - briyani (or biryani, depending if you're Indian, I'm not so Briyani it is). It has meat that is marinated in yogurt and spices at the bottom, layered with white rice, slightly browned potatoes, peas, and fried onions - a hearty dish to say the least!
I also made a bunch of freeze ready meals, which are mostly gone by now. Wonton wrappers were on sale at Publix, so I got them and then realized that I needed to make something with them. So I made pork wontons (frozen raw) and crab rangoons or crab angels (frozen raw). Wonton soup has been a life safer for when I have tummy issues.
Turkey meatballs, baked and frozen - can be quickly added to pasta or soups.
I also put our dehydrator from the wedding to good use. I had parsley left over from making briyani, and now I have dried parsley that will last for a long time. I hate when I buy herbs at the store and they go bad, such a waste.
I also had apples from a long time ago, maybe thanksgiving? So I made apple chips. These were addictively good.
Helpful free website: http://mydukandiet.com/
True weight calculator: http://www.dukandiet.com/calculate-your-true-weight
(The geek in me took the data from their calculator, plotted in Excel and plot my actual weight measurements to see if I'm on track with my weight loss).
It's a high protein, no carb diet. Good things about this diet, I've lost 7 pounds (10 total but I put on 3 back because of winter apocalypse and workshop, where I had carbs) and I drink at least 60 ounces of water everyday (oh and cheesecake is allowed). Overall, this diet isn't all that bad. The first three days were the hardest because you can eat as much meat/seafood as you want but cannot have veggies or fruits. By day 4, I was glad to get some veggies, I had missed them so much but strangely enough, I wasn't craving my carbs. You have to be creative: zucchini lasagna, eggplant lasagna/moussaka (Tom didn't care for these), burgers with large mushrooms as buns, salads, mashed cauliflower etc...You must also be okay with eating a chunk of meat without anything else, no condiments, no potatoes, etc... I do cheat occasionally - when I get home after a very long day, I will have a teaspoon of peanut butter or craisins (I miss those too a lot). Or when I made my famous buffalo chicken dip and put that in a crescent roll wreath for Shane's Superbowl party (this was gone within minutes, and I only had one bite). Or when Tom made artichoke dip in a breadbowl (I did make zucchini chips to use instead of bread and bagel chips).
There is a good website with plenty of recipes (the oatmeal bran pancakes have been a welcome addition). As far as exercise, you need 30 minutes of brisk walking a day (which I don't always get).
 |
| Eggplant moussaka or lasagna |
 |
| Bunless burger |
While this diet is on the pricey side, I like what I see on the scale.I was also a bit distraught when I couldn't fit in some of my pants (now I fit in them) but I have about 20 more pounds to go, which had I followed the original plan, I would have attained that goal at some point in April. The goal is to lose 1-2 pounds a week, which is healthy, so maybe I'd be late making that benchmark in April, but as long as I get there.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor, the Dukan diet may not be the right thing for you. Every now and then I do worry about my kidneys and when my index finger starts to hurt (is it gout or carpal tunnel?), what can I say, I am a bit of a hypochondriac.
Thanks for stopping by!
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
End of Year Happies, Part Deux
Another year comes to an end. The past 10 days have gone by so fast, probably because time flies when you're having fun. Our first low-key Christmas was amazing and saw the start of new traditions. I insist on making our own traditions as we move on as a family.
On Christmas Eve, we had a traditional dinner with Larson recipes: standing rib roast, cucumber salad, broccoli salad. Also on the menu: Red Lobster biscuit mix, and sauteed yellow squash and zucchini. We used our wedding china, flatware, and wine glasses.
We then proceeded to make a gingerbread house [new tradition]. My first and our first one as a couple. It was so much fun to make and still sits on our coffee table. Martha Stewart's recipe with her template on the Swedish house worked for us. Christmas tree colors this year were red, gold, and green. By the time we were done, we were covered in powdered sugar and icing and it was 11:30 pm. We made the executive decision to skip midnight mass and watched mass on TV including the Pope's mass.
Wednesday morning was spent opening presents, calling family, being lazy, and watching Bruce Willis movies. Thursday, we met up with Melanie and Justin to watch the Hobbit (tradition: watch a movie at the theater during Christmas break). We then met with Kelly for dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings. Earlier that day, I went shopping and scored a great sale on coat that I adore. I can't wait to wear it.
CRAFT corner:
Friday, I looked for more deals and got a few groceries, but was overall lazy. I found a good deal on fabric to make curtains for the master bedroom (check that off the resolution list for this year). Could I have bought curtains, sure. But I couldn't find something I liked that would work with the room for the price that I wanted. So I channeled my inner Martha Stewart, my Mauritian aunts and grandma (who are seamstresses), and Olivia and Emily, and spent a whole day making these.Tom installed the curtain rods, built the small shelf, and de-cluttered his stuff. He also cleaned the floors and dusted. I couldn't convince Tom that the Big Lebowsky poster doesn't belong in the bedroom. Oh well, you pick your battles but the room looks definitely more grown up than dorm room.
I also wanted to deal with our wedding china (finally). We had bought a china protector set from Bed Bath and Beyond this summer, and we disappointed by how flimsy it was and the teacup holder even ripped. We had seen one for cheap at the Christmas Tree Shop but when I went back for it, it was gone. While we were picking up something at Hobby Lobby, Tom pointed out Christmas storage boxes that could be re-purposed as china protector. They were 50% off. I wanted to make sure that I had all the right dimensions, so when I went back to the store on Friday ruler in hand, they were actually 66% off. Add a few labels, and we're done. Yes, they look like Christmas boxes, but they're for storage and are pretty sturdy. Eventually will be stored in a closet or china cabinet in future house.
For Christmas, as a present to ourselves, we turned on the heat for the first time since we've been at the house. It's a nice 60 degrees as we speak. But to do this, we needed to somewhat insulate the house. Tom got to work and put window wraps in the living room and the master bedroom. One will go up on the bathroom window as well. The curtains also help with insulation but also to hide the plastic wrap. We were very surprised to realize how drafty the house was. The plastic wrap actually bubbles in, especially in the master bedroom. Tom also said that we needed one draft guard or as I call it, door snake, for the balcony door. So I made one. Yes, these are super cheap (<$5 sometimes) but ours was free since I had all the materials. Plus it looks pretty nice, doesn't it?
We save our wine corks and our receptacle (supersized Brandy cup) was getting full. So I made a letter. Currently Christmas decor but will find a place either in the living room or on the bar.
Other crafts: I added monograms to my lunch bag (gift from Tom for my birthday) and lengthened the necklace Tom gave me for our anniversary (it was too much of a choker but a few silver rings from Hobby Lobby fixed that).
On Sunday, we watched football and Tom wanted gumbo, which I obliged. I need to annotate the recipe to say that it takes 3 hours to make. I tend to forget that. We had a late supper, say around 10 pm but I think it was the best gumbo I made. It had shrimp, crab meat, and andouille sausage.
Another update from the kitchen, I made slow cooker ribs last Monday (recipe from America's Test Kitchen cookbook, a wedding gift from Zak and Megan) using a BBQ sauce that Mary and Dan got us last Christmas from the Mustard Museum. I almost forgot to take a picture. This one is after Tom had started digging in. It was very yummy and is definitely something that will go on rotation in the house.
The next big kitchen undertaking, is making a Mauritian dish. Since it was a Larson Christmas, it will be a Buck New Year. I will be attempting a beef briyani (Mauritian spelling for biryani) on New Year's day. It's a flavored rice dish with meat (recipe: http://confessionsofafoodaholic017.blogspot.com/2013/04/mauritian-beef-biryani.html). I will post pictures.
Other Mauritian traditions, we keep one present to open on New Year's day and we wear new clothes. We forgot to save a gift from the tree. And I think we have new clothes to wear (Tom definitely has them after Santa's visit).
Then I started to obsess about another Mauritian tradition: the house has to be super clean for the new year. So yesterday was spend cleaning. Think of it as spring cleaning in the winter. This also inspired me to finally create a chores chart, inspired by the girls from book club and yours truly, Pinterest.
Oh, and if somehow you didn't get our e-card, Happy Holidays!!
On Christmas Eve, we had a traditional dinner with Larson recipes: standing rib roast, cucumber salad, broccoli salad. Also on the menu: Red Lobster biscuit mix, and sauteed yellow squash and zucchini. We used our wedding china, flatware, and wine glasses.
We then proceeded to make a gingerbread house [new tradition]. My first and our first one as a couple. It was so much fun to make and still sits on our coffee table. Martha Stewart's recipe with her template on the Swedish house worked for us. Christmas tree colors this year were red, gold, and green. By the time we were done, we were covered in powdered sugar and icing and it was 11:30 pm. We made the executive decision to skip midnight mass and watched mass on TV including the Pope's mass.
Wednesday morning was spent opening presents, calling family, being lazy, and watching Bruce Willis movies. Thursday, we met up with Melanie and Justin to watch the Hobbit (tradition: watch a movie at the theater during Christmas break). We then met with Kelly for dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings. Earlier that day, I went shopping and scored a great sale on coat that I adore. I can't wait to wear it.
CRAFT corner:
Friday, I looked for more deals and got a few groceries, but was overall lazy. I found a good deal on fabric to make curtains for the master bedroom (check that off the resolution list for this year). Could I have bought curtains, sure. But I couldn't find something I liked that would work with the room for the price that I wanted. So I channeled my inner Martha Stewart, my Mauritian aunts and grandma (who are seamstresses), and Olivia and Emily, and spent a whole day making these.Tom installed the curtain rods, built the small shelf, and de-cluttered his stuff. He also cleaned the floors and dusted. I couldn't convince Tom that the Big Lebowsky poster doesn't belong in the bedroom. Oh well, you pick your battles but the room looks definitely more grown up than dorm room.
I also wanted to deal with our wedding china (finally). We had bought a china protector set from Bed Bath and Beyond this summer, and we disappointed by how flimsy it was and the teacup holder even ripped. We had seen one for cheap at the Christmas Tree Shop but when I went back for it, it was gone. While we were picking up something at Hobby Lobby, Tom pointed out Christmas storage boxes that could be re-purposed as china protector. They were 50% off. I wanted to make sure that I had all the right dimensions, so when I went back to the store on Friday ruler in hand, they were actually 66% off. Add a few labels, and we're done. Yes, they look like Christmas boxes, but they're for storage and are pretty sturdy. Eventually will be stored in a closet or china cabinet in future house.
Other crafts: I added monograms to my lunch bag (gift from Tom for my birthday) and lengthened the necklace Tom gave me for our anniversary (it was too much of a choker but a few silver rings from Hobby Lobby fixed that).
On Sunday, we watched football and Tom wanted gumbo, which I obliged. I need to annotate the recipe to say that it takes 3 hours to make. I tend to forget that. We had a late supper, say around 10 pm but I think it was the best gumbo I made. It had shrimp, crab meat, and andouille sausage.
Another update from the kitchen, I made slow cooker ribs last Monday (recipe from America's Test Kitchen cookbook, a wedding gift from Zak and Megan) using a BBQ sauce that Mary and Dan got us last Christmas from the Mustard Museum. I almost forgot to take a picture. This one is after Tom had started digging in. It was very yummy and is definitely something that will go on rotation in the house.
The next big kitchen undertaking, is making a Mauritian dish. Since it was a Larson Christmas, it will be a Buck New Year. I will be attempting a beef briyani (Mauritian spelling for biryani) on New Year's day. It's a flavored rice dish with meat (recipe: http://confessionsofafoodaholic017.blogspot.com/2013/04/mauritian-beef-biryani.html). I will post pictures.
Other Mauritian traditions, we keep one present to open on New Year's day and we wear new clothes. We forgot to save a gift from the tree. And I think we have new clothes to wear (Tom definitely has them after Santa's visit).
Then I started to obsess about another Mauritian tradition: the house has to be super clean for the new year. So yesterday was spend cleaning. Think of it as spring cleaning in the winter. This also inspired me to finally create a chores chart, inspired by the girls from book club and yours truly, Pinterest.
Oh, and if somehow you didn't get our e-card, Happy Holidays!!
Sunday, December 22, 2013
End of year happies
We had a little get-together at the lab to close out the year (yes, my boss is awesome and has closed the lab until next year, although I can and will work for home during some of this time). I brought Christmas cookies and a modification of my Oreo cheesecake cupcakes. I added a bit of green food coloring to top the cupcakes and used strawberry pie filling as the red topper. We had coffee and apple cider. There was also fruit (not shown), a nut cake (it was so yummy) and a crescent roll pizza kind of dish. One of my co-worker surprised herself when she was able to make a meat and cheese Christmas tree.
Happy Holidays!
Happy Holidays!
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Holiday mood
Our tree is up and this year, we have lights on our balcony. Almost all of our packages and cards have gone out. Two out of my three batches of pralines turned out okay. I made a holiday craft inspired by Pinterest:
And we may have a problem:
Earlier this year, we decided that every year that we can afford it, we will participate in a Toy for Tots program. Last week, we set out to the store to pick up one item and came home with five.We hope that the stuffed animals will find a happy home and be a lifelong friend for a child in need.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Week in review
One day last week, I was asked how things were going by Dr. Kelly, to which I responded, swamped, overwhelmed, and exhausted but otherwise okay.
Things have been hectic to say the least around here - deadlines and teaching were taking up whole chunks of my time, plus we had a lab crisis, which got fixed. But I digress. So on Friday, after deadlines were met and teaching was done, Kellet picked me up and we hit the road to Mentone, Alabama for a girls getaway weekend. We were met by other members of book club and had a fabulous time. We cooked, drank, watched football, shopped, crafted and otherwise relaxed. As Kelly said, this was just what the doctor ordered. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures but Kelly did. Here's the link to her blog: http://hawkeyegirl.blogspot.com/
Kellet and I left early Sunday morning, and that night I made my mom-in-law's hashbrown casserole, which was divine.
Some things of note:
Happy Birthday to Stacy (Monday) and my former mentor, Bill (today).
Although I have published as KBL before, my latest paper as KBL now shows up in Pubmed.
My family's dog of 11 years, Kiara, passed away this week. She was such a sweet dog and will be missed. I was glad to see her in August. Her brother Keno wasn't immediately affected, but I have yet to talk to my parents.
My dad and mom have been married for 34 years, although I don't think they celebrated since that was the day Kiara "left us for the farm".
So far, I've visited two new places, Mentone and Summerville Georgia. Two out of three new places for the year should be good (I've traveled quite a bit this year but not to new places).
Today was my last day of lecture for the year, although I have 2 more contact hours left for this week, which will bring me up to 19 contact hours this year.
It was a cold and rainy weekend here, which might explain the return of sinus congestion, headaches, and general tiredness.
Things have yet to wind down, especially with crafts to be made and work but I'm looking forward to Christmas, which will be the first time in several years that it will be spent in Birmingham and/or without family.
Things have been hectic to say the least around here - deadlines and teaching were taking up whole chunks of my time, plus we had a lab crisis, which got fixed. But I digress. So on Friday, after deadlines were met and teaching was done, Kellet picked me up and we hit the road to Mentone, Alabama for a girls getaway weekend. We were met by other members of book club and had a fabulous time. We cooked, drank, watched football, shopped, crafted and otherwise relaxed. As Kelly said, this was just what the doctor ordered. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures but Kelly did. Here's the link to her blog: http://hawkeyegirl.blogspot.com/
Kellet and I left early Sunday morning, and that night I made my mom-in-law's hashbrown casserole, which was divine.
Some things of note:
Happy Birthday to Stacy (Monday) and my former mentor, Bill (today).
Although I have published as KBL before, my latest paper as KBL now shows up in Pubmed.
My family's dog of 11 years, Kiara, passed away this week. She was such a sweet dog and will be missed. I was glad to see her in August. Her brother Keno wasn't immediately affected, but I have yet to talk to my parents.
My dad and mom have been married for 34 years, although I don't think they celebrated since that was the day Kiara "left us for the farm".
So far, I've visited two new places, Mentone and Summerville Georgia. Two out of three new places for the year should be good (I've traveled quite a bit this year but not to new places).
Today was my last day of lecture for the year, although I have 2 more contact hours left for this week, which will bring me up to 19 contact hours this year.
It was a cold and rainy weekend here, which might explain the return of sinus congestion, headaches, and general tiredness.
Things have yet to wind down, especially with crafts to be made and work but I'm looking forward to Christmas, which will be the first time in several years that it will be spent in Birmingham and/or without family.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Tasty Tuesday
In this edition of Tasty Tuesday, I also recap our Thanksgiving getaway.
We were fortunate to be able to go to Gulf Shores with our friend Colm for Thanksgiving, keeping up with the tradition of spending this holiday with friends. The three of us made it to the beach on Wednesday and we couldn't be happier with the condo rental. We had a great view of the beach right from the wrap around balcony. We had three flat screen TVs which meant that I could watch my girly shows while the men watched their shows. But I also made my first roasted turkey and Tom said it was delicious (Colm is vegetarian). We had way too much food but that mean we didn't have to cook for a few days. Days, which were filled with relaxing, eating walking on the beach, watching sunsets, and going to local favorites. We also managed a few snaps for a cute email Christmas card (now if I can only find time to put it together)On the drive home (which took us way longer than it should, oh holiday traffic), we stopped in the outlet mall in Foley and managed to get a a lot of our Christmas shopping done. We will miss you beach, but we will be back!
Here are some pictures:
Left to right (going clockwise), green bean with tomatoes, apple and craisins stuffing, cranberry sauce, broccoli gratin, roasted Brussels sprouts, wild rice salad, artichoke in bread bowl dip; in the oven: roasted potatoes, mushroom, gouda, and broccoli quiche, apple pie, pumpkin pie.
Snowy, the sandman
Sunset
Pool
We were fortunate to be able to go to Gulf Shores with our friend Colm for Thanksgiving, keeping up with the tradition of spending this holiday with friends. The three of us made it to the beach on Wednesday and we couldn't be happier with the condo rental. We had a great view of the beach right from the wrap around balcony. We had three flat screen TVs which meant that I could watch my girly shows while the men watched their shows. But I also made my first roasted turkey and Tom said it was delicious (Colm is vegetarian). We had way too much food but that mean we didn't have to cook for a few days. Days, which were filled with relaxing, eating walking on the beach, watching sunsets, and going to local favorites. We also managed a few snaps for a cute email Christmas card (now if I can only find time to put it together)On the drive home (which took us way longer than it should, oh holiday traffic), we stopped in the outlet mall in Foley and managed to get a a lot of our Christmas shopping done. We will miss you beach, but we will be back!
Here are some pictures:
Left to right (going clockwise), green bean with tomatoes, apple and craisins stuffing, cranberry sauce, broccoli gratin, roasted Brussels sprouts, wild rice salad, artichoke in bread bowl dip; in the oven: roasted potatoes, mushroom, gouda, and broccoli quiche, apple pie, pumpkin pie.
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