Try a Little Something New

I’m all about a new adventure, be it food, travel, you name it.  I’m not sceered!  Well, usually not, but even if I am, I usually go for it rather than take a chance on missing out on something wonderful.

Yesterday’s lunch was something wonderful.

A group of ladies in my department go to lunch once a month, drawing from suggestions we have all submitted.  Yesterday we went to a great Japanese restaurant that just hired a new Korean chef. I thought that was odd interesting, but after going, I now see the best of two great worlds colliding.

I have ventured a little into Korean food, but not a lot. Maybe a spicy pork something here, a little squid or octopus there, but not much.

Yesterday I ordered (per the suggestion of my colleague, who is Korean) the Bulgogi (beef) Bibimbap ( think Hanson – mmmbop, similar pronunciation I think). No, I didn’t ask for it, I pointed at it, as my friend gave some specific instructions to our waitress in a string of about 70 words a minute, with gusts up to 90.

Here is the lovely, scrumptious bowl of goodness.

Now, I’m not even going to pretend that I know every ingredient that was in there, but can tell you it was amazing.  It did have thinly sliced spicy beef, rice, thinly sliced carrots, cucumbers, mushrooms  and other vegetables and a bit of squid. Topped with that perfectly cooked egg, it was served in a piping hot stone bowl.  The bowl is so hot that anything that touches it sizzles for a minute.  There is a golden brown, crispy layer of rice in the bottom of the bowl.  Everything is mixed together before eating, and of course I added a little sriracha-like sauce to heat mine up a bit more.

There is a little side dish there with anchovies and squid to add if you like.

All this to say, if you step out of your comfort zone a little on the food-front,  you can be pleasantly surprised.  Try a little something new, try a little something different.

Be adventurous!

I’m now in search of another culinary adventure.  Suggestions?

Some Like it Hot

That would be me. Hot and spicy, the hotter and spicier, the better. I likely burned my taste buds out years ago.

This week I was having a curry craving, so I made one of my quick go-to meals. I thought I’d share, as it’s so easy and so quick.

I got this recipe in some form about 35 years ago from a British lady that made it every Friday night for a business. However, her recipe called for a few different ingredients, the main difference being that I use chicken, and she used…goat. Yep. While I do like a good goat curry, I’ve haven’t, and likely won’t, make it.

So, ingredients for this yummy dish as I make it are as follows:

1 – 2 TBSP Coconut oil (you can use your favorite oil that tolerates med high heat)
2 medium or 3 small chicken breasts
1 small white onion
1 can of diced tomatoes
1/4 cup of water if you need more liquid
Curry as needed
Red pepper flakes taste
Salt to taste

Yes, that’s all.

I cut the chicken into small bites, and combine in a bowl with the onion. I pour a little curry powder in and mix around until it looks like it’s all coated. I keep adding curry powder until it turns this beautiful warm golden color.  And oh, the fragrance.

I then sprinkle red pepper flakes to taste (a lot for me), and a little salt.  Put the oil into a skillet and add the chicken mixture, and heat over medium high heat for about 3 to 5 minutes. This sears the meat and keep the juices in.  Just stir occasionally until chicken begins to brown a bit.  Isn’t that beautiful?

At this point add the diced tomatoes, put a cover on the skillet and go eat a couple of bon bons and sip a mint julep on the back porch for about 15 minutes.  Or in my case, go take the laundry out of the dryer from yesterday, fold and put away and put a new load in and your supper is ready.

Somewhere in there, like before I start the chicken, I make a pot of brown rice and serve the curry chicken over it.

I can’t even tell you how good this is. If you don’t like it hot, omit the red pepper flakes.

Make and enjoy.

Tune in tomorrow and I will share my hot and spicy adventure from today.

Five Friday Faves

1) This is my new discovery for the week and I love it. Bubble Tea. I may be the last person I know to find out about this yummy indulgence, but I am usually the last to discover things so I’m not surprised. It is iced and very refreshing. I actually got the coffee, which was smooth and rich. There are little tapioca beads in the bottom, and they come up through the big straw as you sip. They are similar to unflavored gummy bears in texture. I think people either love it, or are grossed out by it. I love it.

2) I’ve followed Kathie at Homespun Seasonal Living for several years, and there aren’t enough words for how awesome this woman is. I had the privilege of co-writing on a blog creation of hers with her and a few other women a few years ago. She never ceases to inspire and amaze me. I love this post, I’m totally making this. How to Make Oregano Infused Honey.

3) This is my temperature reading in my car this morning. That’s right, 66 and low humidity. No air-conditioning on the way to work. It doesn’t get much more favorite than that on a Friday in the South in late July.

4) These. I love how they grow out over the walkway, softening the hardness of the rock and stone. It makes me think of that English garden that I always fantasized about having. Yes, they do need a little haircut, I’ll admit I dodged some thorns this morning as I went out, but it will be minimal, just enough for us to walk safely through.

5) My father used to grow enough tomatoes in summer to feed the county he lived in. One of my favorite memories is walking out to the garden with him and picking a warm, red, juicy tomato, wiping on my shirt and taking a big bite of it. Oh.My.Word. The end of the summer growing season is near, so I’m eating as many of these babies as I can.

Do you have a favorite thing to share today?

Arrr!!

Did I ever tell you about the time when I twirled around in the bathroom of the camper and my iPhone went flying out into the toilet? Right after we had been stranded for 2 hours in the moonlight in the middle of a lake and hubby had to paddle a huge pontoon boat 1½ miles back to shore? Right after I had a vitreous hemorrhage in my right eye? Yeah that was last weekend.

As my 3 year old grandson says, “I didn’t see that coming from”.

So what had happened was, we went on a camping-get-away-from-the-stress weekend. All went well for the first two days, lots of fun boating, hanging out with friends, relaxing. Then it began with the eye. This vitreous material detached, which is a natural occurrence evidently, only usually it happens peacefully and you don’t know it. Mine was an angry detachment, and roughed up my retina. Hopefully there is no retina tear, the retina specialist is still watching it. New iPhone arrived this week, thankfully it was covered by insurance. And the boat needs a filter replaced in the engine. I got great pictures of the moonlight ride, and of the hubby rowing us back in on that beautiful night, but those photos are on my iPhone that is totally fried, because of course I tried to turn it on while it was still wet and I was panicking. Don’t do that.

That was actually two weekends ago, it’s just taken me this long to recover and post. This past weekend was full of activities, including a block party hosted by our church with tons of fun, and a 20th year celebration for our little church on Sunday. Of course I don’t have pics because I didn’t have my new iPhone yet.

I did run over a curb on my one-eyed journey to work this morning. It was in the parking lot and I’m blaming it on lack of coffee, not the fact that I can’t see out of my right eye.

So my life is full, and I am grateful. We have a beautiful grandson, hubby is loving his new business that grew out of his being laid off from NASA after 36 years (and I am really going to do a post on that, really), and I am enjoying my little antique booth venture. I have tons of projects to finish to get it where I want it to be, but I’ll get there.

It’s all about the journey.

“Love is…

 … patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Oh how I love love.  And I love those passages.

We experienced love head-on this past weekend as we celebrated the marriage of our dear friend and pastors son and fiancee.  We traveled to Auburn, Al., which was a lot of fun in itself, and got to see a lot of Alabama Crimson Tide fans on the plains to celebrate the marriage, which was also a beautiful sight :-).  I know it was painful for many, but they managed to get through it. It was particularly lovely because we shared it with some church friends, and the pastor himself performed the ceremony.  It was emotional, fun, sweet, joyful, beautiful and …hot.  It was hot folks.

It was a beautiful outdoor wedding, but let me just say this…it’s HOT in the Loveliest Village on the Plains in July!  I’m talking about serious hot…makeup melting, hair frizzing, babies-running- around-in-underwear-after-the-ceremony-making-me-jealous HOT!

But we made the most of it because we love these people, and it was wonderful.  We even got the men in on the fun.  One of them did say, “Don’t post this on Facebook, and I mean it”.  So I didn’t :-).

 

The girls had fun too.

‘

Just beautiful.

It was a nice little getaway from all the hectic stuff at home, but we soon got back to it after returning on Sunday.  I have discovered that having an antique booth is a lot more work than I counted on, and spent about 4 hours just getting a few things ready and getting them there.  I need so much more in there, like the 4 pieces of furniture that I now have to be restored. Hopefully this week I’ll get around to restoring piece number 1.

The setup, so far:

So an eventful weekend, and now to rest. Except not. Too many projects, not enough time (and sleep)!

Another Holiday Weekend Done

Friends, family, food and fireworks.  That makes for a pretty good 4th of July around here.

We had it all, hot dogs and ribs on the smoker, too much other food, visiting with family and friends. We hosted the 4th at our house.  After dinner, neighbors and friends joined us for fireworks. The weather was iffy, sprinkling and drizzling rain a bit, so most of the watching was done from the porch.

This wasn’t nearly as dangerous as it looks from this picture!  The steps below Little Guy were wet, and that sparkler was really long :-).  He had a great time, and we’re already planning for next year…bigger and better!

In other news…

My antique booth got a name – Memories! After much, much, much…did I say ‘much’? deliberation that’s what we came up with. I did get a few things into the booth, and of course forgot to take pictures, but I’m pretty excited.  I’m also a little anxious now, I really need to get moving and get more in there.  Hopefully this week I will be doing some refinishing of sorts, and will be able to add a few more items.

Hubby’s business is thriving.  I will post this week about all the exciting stuff going on there.

We are crazy busy.  Life is good.

Monday…already

Oh how I love a weekend.  And oh how fast they go by!

This past weekend consisted of the usual house cleaning, farmer’s market shopping, vegetable picking/cooking and yard work.

My mom and I visited the antique mall that we’ll be renting a booth in beginning mid-week, and spent Sunday afternoon admiring the goodies we have to start the booth up, pricing items, etc.  Add church into that, and that is a full weekend.

We are very excited about opening our little antique booth. We’ll be here, at this awesome place, Generations, on a busy stretch of road in Tennessee about 30 minutes from my house.  I love, love, love it.  It’s a mixture of old and new; wonderfully worn and used antiques, crafty projects, something for everyone. My daughter is quite artistic and crafty, so I expect some really cool contributions from her.

I have a few furniture items that I’ll be putting in the booth, but a bit of work has to happen on some of them first. Like this antique waterfall dresser.  I fell in love at first sight, because it reminded me of one that my grandmother had, but this little guy isn’t in such great shape.  I negotiated from $75 to $35 on it, so I think that was a good deal for the condition it’s in, and I do have big plans for it, but it will take a bit of work.

This one is ready to go.  This isn’t the best picture, but it’s a large wardrobe, with a built in computer desk that can be removed.  We built it and placed it inside without damaging the wardrobe, so the wardrobe can be used with it, or without.

 

My favorite piece is this antique hutch.  I’m going to clean it up, and possibly refinish it.  The photo isn’t the best, it has great glass doors on the top, and little hooks inside the top. It belonged to the great grandmother of the lady I bought it from, and I could tell she was a little sentimental about it.  I want to really freshen it up and make it something that someone will love and enjoy as much as she did. And hopefully I can make myself part with it.

I have another dresser that I don’t have a photo of, that will also get cleaned up and go in, and most other things for now are smaller things.  Hopefully we’ll get set up this week, and have photos by the end of the week.

Add all that in to the normal daily craziness in our lives, and it will be a busy week for sure.

Have a wonderful Monday, enjoy to the fullest wherever you are!

So…it’s been how long?

Oh how I’ve missed this little blog.  I know, it’s been three years, and life has overtaken me.  I’ve thought so much about this and how I miss it, but have been struggling with how to resurrect it.  Our lives have evolved SO much, there are so many different aspects to it now, that I just haven’t been sure how to go about this, how to focus and direct it.

That said, I’m going to take a stab at it.  Even if I’m the only one reading this, I so love it.  I get to relive wonderful moments, and I’m so aware of my life when I’m documenting it, if that makes any sense.  It makes me realize my blessings, my failings and my dreams so much more vividly.

Where are we today? We still love country living. We now have a 3 year old grandson.  Hubby lost his job with NASA after 36 years, and has started a new career doing something he’s always had a passion for, and I hope to be able to join him in that venture within the next two  years.  I’m still working toward fit and healthy, working with a coach.  I am opening an antique booth in the next month. I haven’t been biking this year, but want to start back.  We lost our beloved Ozzie dog, so now we are a one dog family.  We have added camping and boating to our list of things we enjoy, and try to fit in as we can.  And I’m sure there’s more that I’m forgetting, which is why I love writing…I will capture it all and relive it thoroughly.

The picture of the day is from a trip to the beach last week.  I’m missing it already!

Reflections

Wow, what a year 2012 was! My own life changed immensely.

A look back.

I fall in love.

 

I take up a new hobby

 

There were cookouts and picnics,

 

Trip to Jackson Hole, WY…the Tetons are incredible.

 

Biking in Wyoming!

 

My sweet daddy turns 80!

 

Halloween 2012
A little Halloween Monkey

 

Family trip to North Carolina

 

Some little Peanut turns 1! My how time flies!

 

Merry Christmas!

 

I can’t wait to see what 2013 holds. I wish you and yours a wonderfully blessed New Year!

Weekend in Review

We had a great Father’s Day weekend in the country. Dad came to spend the day, as well as my sister, her daughter and two boys, one of my brothers, my daughter and the Peanut. We ate, played outside on the porch, ate, played some more, and ate.

And I discovered you CAN wipe out a lot of weight loss progress in a two day weekend. Oh yeah. The weekend started with a potluck lunch at work on Friday and kind of went downhill food-wise from there. But you know what, I got up this morning and got right back to it. I’m NOT about beating myself up over this, sometimes you just have to eat Grandpa’s famous macaroni salad, made with real mayo, and have second or third helpings. You never want to hurt your dad’s feelings on Father’s Day! Seriously, I figure if I do great for 5 or 6 days a week, then go a little astray for a couple of meals, I will just deal with it, and get back on track. That’s life.

I wish I had taken pictures, but I was too busy eating and playing.

I did make a good little treat using those little waffle cone bowls. I filled them up about 2/3 of the way with Cheesecake flavored pudding, and topped them with mixed berries. They were a big hit, and I was thinking that there are a lot of possibilities there, using lowfat ingredients as well.

It was a fun, hot day, and I think we got the ultimate compliment, when my 7 and 10 year old great nephews didn’t want to leave when it was time to go home :-).

Peanut had a great time being outside.

Happy Monday!