important updates

1. i had a breakthrough yesterday morning. i used ONLY my brush and hairdryer to do my hair.... no straightening iron... and my hair stayed straight allllll daaaay looong!! for too long i have operated under the assumption that i either have to iron those curls out, or use some scrunchie gel and let my hair air dry. this latest discovery is exactly the combination i was searching for: an efficient use of my time, minus the bum-like hair that air-drying produces.

2. did my third night of jillian michaels' 30 day shred. still on level 1, though its getting easier... a little. 

3. just got back from a delicious vietnamese dinner at pho bihn with friends. it's a little hole-in-the-wall place but it will knock your socks off. the lemongrass tofu is breathtaking. and no, i'm not exaggerating.

ok, time to study.

what can i say, really?

i'm buried in work. and study materials. for the last 3 weeks or so - apart from the hour i set aside every night to cook and eat dinner - i have been living and breathing architecture. 


at work, we are in the home stretch for our renovation project. i work 10-11 hour days- definitely not the norm- and do not get paid overtime or collect comp time. a grande pike place from starbucks each morning is my way of coping. at home, i am studying for the first of my architecture registration exams. there are 7 total. i'm not sure exactly when i will take this first exam, since i am waiting on the TN board to approve my application and give me a testing number. my goal is to finish all exams by the beginning of june 2011. we'll see how that goes.


i'm sorry that all this seems to have a "woe is me" vibe to it... i really am surprisingly quite happy and satisfied with the way things are going lately. one thing i have found is that i am about 150% more productive during the week (and weekends for that matter) than i was with my 40-hour work week. somehow i find time to workout and cook dinner every night. if it weren't for those 2 things i think i would go crazy. oh, and the support of my wonderful bf doesn't hurt either. 


even so, i'll be happy when this deadline has passed and i can have time to style my hair in the mornings.


so that's where i am. i do have delicious recipes to post- i still try to cook something new once a week. soon i will post: portabello burgers. yum :) you will LOVE them.


thanks, friends, for continuing to check in. 
miss you all!!

and 3 months later... i'm back

here's an update on my life this past three months. i'll make it quick because, let's face it, my blogging endurance is not at it's finest...


september: channeling julia child... boeuf bourguignon

october: halloween partaaaaaay

november: seattle and portland

december: the girls' visit & merry christmas

i'll talk to you soon :) i promise.

i literally laugh out loud...

you MUST read this blog: FU, Penguin.
i just bought the book on amazon.com and am counting down the seconds until it arrives on my doorstep.

just like i promised.

a couple of weekends ago, sean and i decided to be tourists in our hometown and visit the ghost river brewery. it's located on south main... like, waaay south main, where it dead ends into crump. they do tours every saturday at 1pm, FOR FREE. you get a tour of the brewery and a sample of each beer that they are currently making.


the brewery makes beer for bosco's restaurant (one of our favs) and its own label. they give you all sorts of information on the history behind the brewing company, as well as the process for making each brew. it's really interesting- i definitely learned a few things. and you can buy it too :) they call them growlers... a 64oz jug of beer for $10. you pay a $3 deposit for the jug, and then can refill it anytime with any of their beers for only $10. i  l o v e  i t. you should go, it's awesome.


http://www.ghostriverbrewing.com/

here are a few more pictures from our afternoon around the south main district:

i wish kitty baths were this easy on harbert ave...

Cat Takes a Bath @ Yahoo! Video

in the works...

i'm telling you about this so i'll commit myself to it and actually follow through. this is stuff i've been meaning to blog about for a little while now, and just haven't gotten it done. now that you know about it, hold me accountable.

future blog topics (in the NEAR future, i promise) will be:

1. the cheesecake corner

2. ghost river brewery

3. sean's birthday dinner (julia!!)

4. shopping report

5. november painting show

thanks for listening, we'll talk soon. :)

EDO

between sean's call nights, i thought it appropriate to treat him to dinner. he suggested a new sushi place, edo, that a friend told him about. it's on summer ave. near mendenhall- it looks like hole-in-the-wall place. and it kind of is. but the quality of food is consistent with hole-in-the-wall places- AMAZING.


it's small inside, when we got there we were sharing the restaurant with 3 or 4 other tables. as dinner progressed, though, it became clear that people definitely knew about this place, and that they loved it. by the time we left, every booth in that little restaurant was full. 


they use plastic (but decorative) cups and plates, my placemat was paper, and i didn't get to eat my miso soup with one of those fancy spoons. (and i LOVE those fancy spoons.) but in this case, i think that's why this place is so good. the sushi is the most important part of their business. it was so fresh i swear it has to be flown in daily. the flavors were so full and that was some of the best miso i ever had. just as i judge mexican restaurants by their rice and beans, i judge sushi places by their miso soup. edo passed with flying colors. and everyone i saw who worked there was 100% japanese, so you know it's legit (in my opinion that's one of the first signs of a good restaurant).


and then comes the BEST BEST BEST part. the  p r i c e ... sean and i each had miso soup and we split 4 sushi rolls, one of which "expensive" (at $6!?) and our bill was just shy of $25!!! what!? for amazing sushi!!!!


and then we capped off the night with cupcakes from muddy's. life doesn't get any better.


I LOVE IT. WE'RE GOING BACK. END OF STORY.

hearty minestrone

had a fabulous run tonight!! i did 3.4 miles in 31:30, which is great for me!! PLUS i went running even through i really didn't feel like it. it takes a lot to overcome your mind saying "nah, no running tonight.... wouldn't it just feel good to cook dinner and sit on the couch?" yes. yes, it would. but i won the argument with myself, so combined with the great time i did i count tonight as a double victory. 

and here's dinner for tonight. it's been a while since i posted a recipe and since this was fairly easy, very delicious, and a hit with the boys tonight so i figured i'd share!!

HEARTY MINESTRONE
from the South Beach Diet Cookbook
(i couldn't find good picture of this soup, so you'll just have to trust me- it's delicious!!)


1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 leeks, white and green parts, white halved lengthwise, rinsed and thinly sliced, green parts chopped
2 ribs celery with leaves, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp dried oregano, crushed
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp salt
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups swiss chard, chopped (couldn't find this so i didn't use it...)
1 cup green beans, cut into 1" pieces
1/4 cup whole wheat ditalini or small shell pasta
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped italian parsley
1/2 cup sliced zucchini
4 tsp grated parmesan cheese
4 sprigs oregano, for garnish


heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. add the leeks, celery, minced garlic, dried oregano, pepper, and salt. cook, stirring frequently, for 4 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften.
add the broth, swiss chard, green beans, and pasta. bring to a boil over high heat. reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 8 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the pasta is al dente.
meanwhile, in a cup, combine the chopped garlic with the parsley. stir into the soup along with the zucchini. cover and cook for 5 minutes or until heated through.
ladle the soup into 4 bowls and top each with 1 tsp of the cheese. garnish with the oregano sprigs.


enjoy!!


makes 4 servings. 


and for those of you that care... per serving: 138 calories, 6 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 5 g protein, 17 g carbohydrate, 3 g dietary fiber, 1 mg cholesterol, 988 mg sodium.


(and if you're doing the south beach diet, this is a phase 2 recipe... if you leave out the pasta it's phase 1.)