Weekend recap

No pictures today.
We had an eventful weekend - on Saturday morning, I received my first massage at Massage Envy. It was so worth it and I can't wait to go back. I managed a quick nap before hurrying to noon commencement at the Alys Stephens Center to see the doctoral hooding of our friend Colm.
Tom and I decided to celebrate (one-day early) the first anniversary of our second wedding with a late lunch at J. Clyde. Then we met up with Colm at Rojo to hang out with his parents and friends. We got home just in time to check the Brewer's score (yes, Kelly, we won this series against your Cubs) before we headed out to TCBY (cravings + I had never been) and to the movies - Captain America was great. We both really enjoyed it.
Sunday morning saw my usual ritual of talking to my parents on Skype. I managed to get myself to the mall before the bad weather came in. By the time I was done there, the visibility was horrible and decided to stop my errands and come home. When the rain stopped, I went to Publix to get ingredients for the week (yay for meal planning). I took care of chores at home and made kale chips in our dehydrator. They were so good. This is for us, the best way to make them. Tom ate almost the entire batch (the equivalent of ~ 1 lb of fresh leaves). I think this is a winner and I'll have to make it.
So happy 1st 2nd anniversary. Now for the real anniversary in May, the 2nd 1st anniversary. I think they say it's cotton - I'll have to come up with a good idea.
But first, we better buckle down for the rough night ahead with the storms. Hope everyone stays safe. 

Happy happy birthday

My mom and sister share a birthday; It gets harder every year to not be able to celebrate with them but last year we did, right before the second wedding.Wishing you both a very happy birthday!

found at http://smalldailymotivationquotes.blogspot.com/2013/08/found-this-on-inspirational-blog-with.html

Easter weekend recap

To continue with my previous post of being inspired in the kitchen, I made fish tacos last week - simple but delicious and somewhat healthy.

The week before Easter I made Easter yarn eggs for my lab and Tom's lab.

Onto Easter weekend.
Saturday was book club night, I was so proud of myself for reading the book. To be fair, I didn't have a valid excuse not to: my friend Kellet was kind enough to drop off her book at my place, and it was a very quick read (The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman). Next month's book is Poisonous Science by HJ Forman, which I started yesterday and is just wonderful. Science, grants, and 'humorous mystery", a sure combination to get me to finish this one too.
Sunday was a relaxing day, spent at home. I had made a new flower arrangement (yes, I am now enjoying having <$10 bouquets on holidays) and of course, Easter candy. We had a lovely brunch: Tom had picked out ham steaks, I made morel mushroom cheesy scrambled eggs and we finally open our gigantic bottle of champagne. I had saved it for hair and makeup appointments for the day of the second wedding but we didn't use it then. The garden also yielded some delicious mint, which I used to make champagne mojitos.

We watched Brewer baseball and I spend some time sitting outside on the balcony. Got to enjoy these days before it gets to be scorching.

Photo dump recap

Weekend of March 30th - Tom's birthday weekend was a blast, at least I think so.
On Friday night we went to Satterfield in Cahaba Heights and were able to sit at the Chef's counter. You get to see all the chefs and sous-chefs working, and it's truly a magical scene. Think of it as dinner and entertainment. Tom looked really handsome. I had the beef tip and Tom had the New York strips. Tom told me to put down the camera and take mental pictures, so I obliged the birthday boy.

 On Saturday, I had a very bad experience driving in the rain but no one was hurt even though I ended up 90 degrees to the direction of traffic. I still managed to run my errands and meet up with Kelly for lunch. She has been very supportive and helpful of my crochet ideas. I will post pictures of the completed project later.
That weekend, I visited about a dozen stores.
What do I have to show for it? A clean, somewhat on a smaller scale, balcony garden.

I wanted to plant more but with the threat of freezing temps, I haven't started my seeds yet.

I have been rather inspired in the kitchen lately, probably because I'm surrounded by great cookbooks. I have been meal planning on the weekend and getting all the ingredients I need. I made Crock-pot BBQ chicken (improvised recipe of chicken thighs covered with BBQ sauce in the Crock-pot for 8 hours) and two recipes from Anne and Brian's wedding gift, Bon Appetit: Thai beef curry with asparagus and chicken smothered with mushroom gravy. Tom also got rhubarb crumble, his favorite dessert for his birthday.

 Last night I made some surf and turf, with creamed spinach and roasted garlic couscous. Tom was working late (again), so it was dinner for one. I haven't been drinking much lately but last night, I indulged in a glass or two of this very decent red.

This past weekend, we were able to get away for a short while. We left the house on Saturday morning and made it to the trail head (Sipsey, in Bankhead National Forest) by noon. We hiked a good three miles with our gear before we found a perfect camping spot with our own private beach. We saw some alien looking flowers and also the damage that wild boars are doing to the forest. The next morning we hiked back out and made it back to town. It was nice to enjoy the peace and quiet of nature.

Tom enjoying one of his favorite wedding gifts, the hammock; now you see him

...now you don't

of course we had a fire

Recap via pictures

Snowmageddon part 2, where we had about 4 inches at our house

Great ACDC cover band concert at Iron City

From this weekend, finally displaying wedding pictures and light decorating for Easter

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!

Happy Valentine's Day!

This week we are feeling especially loved.
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. 

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.

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 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.

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).

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!

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!!