Breaking Down the Wall
Contractors came in today to break down the wall and put up french doors to connect our two offices. It was really loud and noisy at times and i even saw sparks flying at certain points! The door is up now, just have to get a photo of it once its all finished with framing. They guys are laughing in the photo, saying it better not end up on YouTube. Apparently, they dont know anything about YouTube as this a photo not a video! So no worries guys, you aren’t on YouTube. Just my lonely blog.
Henrietta Sleeps
Lara pointed out that Henry is actually a girl… so may i present to you… Henrietta. Her usual routine is to come visit us in the morning then be on her way, but today she hung around all day. At around 2 in the afternoon she took a really long nap and i had to wake her up and kick her out of the office to lock up! She found Lara’s chair to be exceptionally comfy.
Patti Visits
Patti came and visited us today! She lives, and has been living, down in San Diego for over a year now with her husband Chris. She comes back up here every month for her Army Reserve work. She made the time to see us even though her visit was short. Shout out to Patti! She reads our blog. Though… does not comment… err… We still love you. =)
Taking the Last Bite
Tried something new for dinner tonight — portobello mushrooms with balsamic vinegar. On the side, mashed potatoes with loads of butter and green beans and bacon! What a treat. Usually when Jeff and i sit down to eat a meal, Jeff eats twice as fast as me — when he is done with his meal, i am half way done. But tonight for whatever reason, when i checked how far along he was while we were eating, i noticed we both had exactly the same amount of bites left. Two green beans, a piece of mushroom and a dollop of potatoes. A rare moment! I know, exciting stuff.
Pan-Seared Portobello Mushrooms
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup of beef broth or water
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp sherry
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried chives
1/2 tsp dried basil (or handful fresh leaves, chopped)
2 portobello mushrooms, bottoms removed
a little sea salt (sprinkle on the mushrooms)
Directions:
1. You’ll need a skillet that can hold both mushrooms side-by-side
2. Line your fryer with a thin layer of the broth
3. Saute shallot and onion for 2 minutes, high heat
4. Once boiling, add vinegar, sherry and spices; reduce to medium
5. Add another 1/4 cup of broth and bring to a boil
6. Add mushrooms, cover and cook 5 minutes
7. Flip mushrooms over, add more broth if needed, cook 5 more minutes
8. Repeat if necessary; cook until mushrooms are soft/tender
9. Remove mushrooms from skillet (plate them)
10. Add remaining brother and boil
11. Use liquid as a glaze/gravy; pour overtop mushrooms
A messy stove when we cook! The end product look pretty gross but tastes super savory!
PB & J Toast
I’ve recently migrated from a daily bowl of high-fiber cereal and soymilk to a peanut butter and jelly toast for breakfast ever since winter came and blueberries were hard to come by. I just couldn’t enjoy eating a bowl of cereal without the yummy tart berries swimming amongst the clusters of grain. Also, i’ve been waking up a lot later than normal and eating a piece of toast in the car is a lot easier than slurping cereal from a bowl when i am making my morning commute to San Juan Bautista. I use whole wheat bread toppped with reduced fat Jif peanut butter and Safeway’s Organic Raspberry jam.
Orzo Lunch
Made and packed some Orzo-Radicchio Pasta for lunches for the rest of the week. Mmmm, good. Though kinda leaves your breath stinky. Has raw garlic in it!
Butters and the Chip Bag
Butters like to eat chips, just like his owner. Though he has to go to farther lengths to get some. Risks include being forever trapped inside an empty chip bag.
Junk Mail Fun
Junk mail sux. Yes, i let my subscription to “Real Simple” expire. No, I don’t need a bajillion notices to renew.
Somehow this seems like an empty threat… i am sure you WILL notify me again sometime.
Lawnmower Monday
We have a regular lawnmower guy come every couple weeks to mow our lawn since we 1) don’t have a lawn mowing machine and 2) are lazy to do it ourselves. Usually we never see the guy because we’re working during the day but every so often on those Mondays off we get to see him. Guess he works holidays! But he doesn’t get paid time and a half. Jose gets a monthly stipend of $55 from us… in case you were wondering. The lady who owned this house previously used him and we just continued on with the service.
Valentine’s Day 2010
Jeff and I didn’t make any real plans for Valentine’s Day… briefly talked about going out of town for the long weekend but ultimely decided to chill out at home. We’re both home-bodies anyway so we didn’t mind. We agreed not to get each other anything, but i did want to do something special for him.
I made him a scavenger hunt with bunches of Sweetarts hidden amongst the house. The first clue started by his clock with a homemade card. Each clue led to the next one, and each clue had one letter on it highlighted. Each letter was part of a word jumble that spelt out his present at the final location. It was PRETZELS! I got him a little package of chocolate-covered pretzels. Jeff liked it a lot and was sad he didn’t get me anything but he did pick me some flowers from the garden and used our new vases that we got from his Aunt Jacqueline for a housewarming gift.
After hanging out a bit, we made homemade pesto chicken sandwiches. They were so yummy and simple to make. Wrapped them up in foil and took them to the beach.
The sunset at Marina State Beach was beautiful. I miss being able to take a short jog there - which is what i used to do when i lived in an apartment not far from there. The waves were rockin’ but didn’t see any surfers. Jeff and I had a great relaxing day and it feels so good to know we didnt have to go to work the next day!
