Christine and Abby Come to Houston

Christine and Abby were in Houston in the beginning of June for a wedding so I got to see them again! It was Abby's first trip to Houston and I feel like she fit in quite well. Perhaps she needs to move here...

Randi, Joe, Ryan, And Duck came up from Clear Lake to see Christine and meet Abby

Abby meeting her cousin/brother, Baloo

Finally visiting Eatsie Boys!

So glad I did because it was delicious! Frank the Pretzel:



Da bomb:

They sometimes have homemade ice cream sandwiches, but were out the day we went. They ad libbed some for us anyways! This one is snickerdoodles with pistachio ice cream:

It was super yummy!

Happy to be with these ladies (not pictured: Mary Furg), not so happy to sit on grass

Such a pretty lady!

Boom, curls:

Holy moly, pulling up on everything:

Me and the nugget having some fun in their hotel room:

Ugh, the next time I see them is not soon enough! Thanks for coming to H-town, ladies!

Fried 'Rice'

I loooooove Chinese food, but it does not love me so much. Pretty much enter food coma mode immediately after eating it and have indigestion for about a day after. Good times (and possibly a TMI). So, when I saw this recipe for fried 'rice' quinoa I knew I had to give it a whirl. It is pretty darn delicious, and an actual close match in taste too. I never go into a 'healtified' version of something delicious thinking it will taste the same, I just hope that it will satisfy the craving in some way. This recipe did both! Try it and let me know if you agree.

Recipe:
Fried 'Rice' Quinoa (original recipe from Cooking for Keeps)

1c quinoa
2c low sodium chicken stock
1/4c sweet onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 t ginger
1T olive oil
2 eggs slightly beaten
1/2c frozen peas, thawed
1 1/2T Teriaki sauce
2 1/2T soy sauce
3/4t sesame oil

Thoroughly rinse quinoa. Place quinoa in a large sauce pan with the chicken stock. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower heat to medium and cover. Cook for 10 minutes or until all stock is gone. Remove from heat, fluff quinoa with a fork, and cool.

In a small bowl, combine the Teriaki sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Set aside.

Heat 1/2T olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Add onion and carrot. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add garlic and ginger to the pan. Cook another 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1 1/2T olive oil and the quinoa. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Add sauce and stir-fry until incorporated. Make a well in the center of the pan. Add eggs and scramble. Throw in the peas and stir-fry until everything is incorporated and warm. Enjoy!

*I think next time I may add pork since my favorite fried rice is pork fried rice.

Leopold and His Fiction and Hands at Fitz's

Tom and Duck had seen this "really awesome band" at SXSW and noted that they were at Fitzgerald's in the Heights one weekend and recruited us to come with. Really glad we did because both of these bands were really cool. Check them out if they come near you or if you have the opportunity to catch them at a festival some time.

Leopold and His Fiction

 

Check these guys out if only to see the lead's sweet 'stache

Hands

These guys had so much energy, he could barely stand still long enough to play the keyboard

Susanna scored a tambourine

Some of us at the show

Really enjoying the jams

Susanna and I with Hands after the show

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Time for another dose of quinoa! I actually made this one for Teeners and fam when I was in Seattle and I believe is went over pretty well. Spreading the word about quinoa! This one reminds me of a real Greek salad plus some quinoa.

Recipe:
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

1 1/2c quinoa
1 lb chicken tenderloins, cut in very small pieces
2T Greek salad dressing
1 cucumber, diced
1 container cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4c red onion, diced
1 pkg feta cheese
1/2c olive oil
2T lemon juice
salt
freshly ground pepper

Thoroughly rinse quinoa. Place in sauce pan, add 3c water. Bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for 15 min or until there is no water remaining. Fluff the quinoa with a fork and set aside to cool.

Place the Greek dressing and chicken in a skillet. Saute until thoroughly cooked through.

Combine cucumber, tomatoes, onion, and feta cheese in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Mix the quinoa and chicken into the large bowl. Pour olive oil mixture over the salad and toss to coat. Enjoy!

Seattle Visit

In May I went to Seattle to visit Mat and then Christine, Abby and the Noodle. I hadn't seen Abby since Christmas, which is way too long! She was no longer a baby and more of a little human and in only 5 months, so crazy! Last time I visited, we spent a little time in the city, but not much so I enlisted my friend, Mat, to give me a better look at the city. While I already knew this from my last brief visit, I love Seattle! If it wasn't so cold I would seriously contemplate moving there. Here are the adventures from my travels via pics:

 

Almost there!

First stop: Woodland Park Zoo

Lion cubs!

Playing with their food

It's kinda hard to tell with the glare, but this dude was giving me the eye:

Sleeping Wallaroo, pretty sure Gracie (my parents' dog) is related:

Pretty epic North American exhibit. No zoom on this baby:

Sea otter swimming:

White wolf, King of the North!

Gone fishing:

Baby gorilla sticking his tongue out at me:

Sleeping leopard right against the exhibit.

Stinky flamingos

 

Next stop: neighborhood brewery.

 

Yummy sips

In search of dinner we found this fun mural

Parting ways at the Mulkiteo Ferry, til next time, sir!

Time for some Abby! Look, solid foods- so big!

Mustaches for Daddy

Playing on the ferry to Port Townsend

My Noodle 

He loves my selfies

Saying goodbye to this nugget at the airport

Only thing that makes goodbye ok is that they would be in Houston a week later

Thanks to Mat and Christine for having me in one of my favorite cities. I'll be back soon, get excited!

Quinoa Tex-Mex Salad with Shrimp

Alright people, unless you've been living under a rock you've probably heard of quinoa. It's been the center of a pretty big health craze recently, and for good reason. According to wiki (where we all know everything is true); "Nutritional evaluations of quinoa indicate that it is a source of complete protein. Furthermore, it is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is also a source of calcium." And since the UN has named 2013 the "International Year of Quinoa" I've gone a little crazy with the quinoa recipes. I'll start here with one of my favorites, a sort of Tex-Mex salad with some shrimp thrown in there. I pretty much love this flavor combo. Give it a whirl and hopefully learn how delicious quinoa really is.

Recipe:

Quinoa Tex-Mex Salad with Shrimp (original from the Tasty Kitchen Blog)

Ingredients:

1 1/2c uncooked quinoa

1 14oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 14oz can corn, rinsed and drained
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 jalapeño chili peppers, diced
1/4c chopped fresh cilantro
1/4c chopped sweet onion
1lb peeled deveined shrimp

Dressing:
5T fresh lime juice
1t salt
1 clove garlic, diced
1t cumin
1/4c chopped fresh cilantro
1/3c olive oil
fresh ground pepper

Thoroughly rinse the quinoa to remove the bitterness. Place the quinoa in a sauce pan with 3c water and some salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and cover. Cook for 15min or until the water has completely disappeared. Set aside to cool

In a large bowl, combine the black beans, corn, red bell pepper, jalapeños, cilantro, and onion.

In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour about 1/4c of it into a skillet. Toss the shrimp in the dressing in the skillet. Cook the shrimp until all are opaque. Mix the shrimp in with the other ingredients in the large bowl.

Add the quinoa to the large bowl and toss to mix well. Add the last of the dressing to the large bowl and toss to coat. Enjoy!