Okay. So I went to check my phone and noticed it's not where I expected it to be. After a small search of my room (really, I am fairly tidy and it couldn't of crawled away to a corner like the lizards are prone to do) I realized I lost it. Misplaced it. Whatever. It's not here, okay? Have you ever lost something, like a phone, and suddenly felt its loss like a ton of weight on your chest? All I started thinking was 'now I'm out of contact with... everyone who isn't currently on Facebook. Which in my circle, is most people, because they work normal hours. Unlike me. I sit here writing this on my day off. So I have a whole day to stress about my phone's whereabouts. I'm just praying it's at June and Chuck's house, or else it's at work... if it wasn't stolen, that is. Why someone would want to steal my phone is a real question, because just the other day I unwittingly tested its mettle against a passing car when I dropped it while crossing the street. The back part that covers the battery was run over good and proper, and came out fitting even better than ever. Weird. The rest of it came out with some tough-looking scratches, making it look... refined. Adventurous. Dropped. So if anyone finds a scarred Samsung Gravity, let me know, okay?
What's worse is today is my date night with Nathan, and I am out of contact with him. Best case scenario, he shows up at my door with my phone in hand, the hero of the hour. Worse case scenario he is grumpy, wondering why I didn't answer his texts/phone calls, because he had things to do tonight and therefore will not show up. That would suck. I would be left twiddling some thumbs, wondering where the heck my phone is. It always goes back to the phone, doesn't it?
Another thing I have misplaced - Nathan's camera cord. So all the pictures I took of my latest baking adventures (actually, I only documented the final product) are stuck in the camera until the cord is found. The worse case scenario in this case is it's in storage. Major bummer if that's the case. All that to say I can't show you what my final product looked like, but it was very nice, and tasted super good - a few people had seconds, even though after dinner they claimed to be full. I can show you the recipe though, and what it looked like when someone else made them. I found them through a blog called Bluebonnets & Brownies and they are called Margarita Bars. I've started following a few blogs recently, and they give me a lot of great advice and tempt me with great recipes and craft ideas. You can find a short list of some of those blogs in my profile!
The bars were great, but I changed em up a bit. I did not put food colouring in them, so they did not look unnaturally green like in the image, but in fact were more the pale colour of a real margarita. I also used organic ingredients as much as possible - only the alcohol, limes and powdered sugar were not, simply because I did not find their organic equivalents (though I didn't search for organic tequila and triple sec - does it even exist? Sounds expensive.) The end result was almost too sugary, so if I make them again, and if you are looking to make your own, I suggest upping the lime juice (and maybe increasing the bake time to account for the extra liquid). June said they were like lemon bars, but I didn't use any lemons at all! I might blame the triple sec for that.
The recipe was added to my recipe box, and I'm looking to make something again soon this week. As I am no longer going to school in the fall (many reasons for that, don't freak out!) I am convinced I have to make up for that loss by trying something new at least once a week to gain confidence and skill through practice practice practice. If you have any recommendations let me know! And if you live in the area, just ask and I will give you some of my finished product. Unless it tastes like gross. Then I donate it to the trash can.
I'm thinking of chocolate in my next recipe. And also thinking about my phone, all alone in the world...
Melody
Monday, July 4, 2011
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Date Night at the beach and other musings
Yesterday I considered to be my 'only' day off this week, as Monday was spent at the company picnic. Nathan texted and then called me up (as I was oblivious to the text) about his company having a small function with a BBQ at the end, and would I like some free food? Of course I like free food. It's the yummiest sort of food. Next to free family food, that is.
So after a long 'how the heck to I get there' session of planning and yes, some whining (I hate taking buses for the first time, I get so disoriented!) I was on my way. The weather was so odd - when I left it was raining (oh darn! I just remembered I left my umbrella in his car last night!!) but when I got there it was very sunny, with blue skies and fluffy white clouds.
This was my first visit to his workplace, and I felt like it was 'meet the parents' all over again, but this time with coworkers sizing up the girlfriend. I had a few moments of wondering if I would make the grade in their eyes before I looked at Nathan and thought, 'who cares what they think? He loves me and that's what matters most.' I don't have to tell you all how it feels to have a confidence booster like him next to me, do I?
I had to live through their company presentation, with the big boss making a speech. I wanted to bolt from that room, screaming incoherently. Am I the only one who gets serious bad vibes from offices? It's the whole closed space, poor unnatural lighting and the 3 hour long meetings to come up with a simple mission statement. And all the gossip of an office! Jeez, it's enough to make my skin crawl. I told Nathan, later on, that if we were sitting at desks like in school, I'd be banging my head on the one in front of me to drown out the chatter. Was it all worth the free food? I haven't decided yet. At least at my company picnic, I was not expected to listen in, as all the speeches were made in Korean and my coworker Yoo-li filled me in on whatever was important.
Nathan's coworkers were interesting, I cannot say too much on the subject save for one reminded me somewhat of my brother Cenrik in appearance and attitude. I am not saying that is a bad thing, merely this was my impression. Nathan showed me around his work area and I could see why he wouldn't want to do this forever. There is monotony in this profession. But I can see myself making fun centerpieces of the fire extinguisher canisters. What can I say, my brain seems to be wired on wedding-type things. I'm in love. So sue me. Don't really sue me though, as I'm too broke to make any money off of.
When all that was said and done we went to the beach. As the day's rain was far behind us it was in the end a great day to spend by the ocean. We laughed and talked and I reminisced about our first visit there. White rock beach was the first place (after IHOP, of course) Nathan took me on my first trip to BC, back when I was still living in Montreal and we were SL avatars cuddling up in cyberspace. I will simply say that these days he is much more the gentleman, who isn't trying to fit in as much 'private time' as possible before I need to fly back. I am not going anywhere so now its all sweet romance which many of you might disagree with me when I say I much prefer it this way. Ladies, make your men treat you like ladies. It feels way more special.
Anyways, enough of that. We sat there on the beach surrounded by stones and made a game of hitting a log in front of us in such a way as to have the stone bounce over it. After I won at that game we started really admiring all the kinds of rocks to be found on the beach, and Nathan mentioned how fun it would be to have a rock tumbler to really shine them up and see their potential. So we zipped over to the mall and found one which Nathan believed was much more expensive than it ought to have been, but we split the cost and brought it home to his parents place, set it up and started it running.
It's really noisy. And it takes up to 4 days just to finish the first round of a total of 4 to have them polished up. We ended up putting it in the laundry room, surrounding it with towels to muffle the noise while we laid on the bed enjoying some peaceful tunes (by Casting Crowns) on his computer. Once it finally decided to load up, that is.
Eventually I had him drive me home, and that was my day, really. I will try to post the final product once the stones are finish tumbling to perfection. Then I will try to decide what to do with them...
Melody
So after a long 'how the heck to I get there' session of planning and yes, some whining (I hate taking buses for the first time, I get so disoriented!) I was on my way. The weather was so odd - when I left it was raining (oh darn! I just remembered I left my umbrella in his car last night!!) but when I got there it was very sunny, with blue skies and fluffy white clouds.
This was my first visit to his workplace, and I felt like it was 'meet the parents' all over again, but this time with coworkers sizing up the girlfriend. I had a few moments of wondering if I would make the grade in their eyes before I looked at Nathan and thought, 'who cares what they think? He loves me and that's what matters most.' I don't have to tell you all how it feels to have a confidence booster like him next to me, do I?
I had to live through their company presentation, with the big boss making a speech. I wanted to bolt from that room, screaming incoherently. Am I the only one who gets serious bad vibes from offices? It's the whole closed space, poor unnatural lighting and the 3 hour long meetings to come up with a simple mission statement. And all the gossip of an office! Jeez, it's enough to make my skin crawl. I told Nathan, later on, that if we were sitting at desks like in school, I'd be banging my head on the one in front of me to drown out the chatter. Was it all worth the free food? I haven't decided yet. At least at my company picnic, I was not expected to listen in, as all the speeches were made in Korean and my coworker Yoo-li filled me in on whatever was important.
Nathan's coworkers were interesting, I cannot say too much on the subject save for one reminded me somewhat of my brother Cenrik in appearance and attitude. I am not saying that is a bad thing, merely this was my impression. Nathan showed me around his work area and I could see why he wouldn't want to do this forever. There is monotony in this profession. But I can see myself making fun centerpieces of the fire extinguisher canisters. What can I say, my brain seems to be wired on wedding-type things. I'm in love. So sue me. Don't really sue me though, as I'm too broke to make any money off of.
When all that was said and done we went to the beach. As the day's rain was far behind us it was in the end a great day to spend by the ocean. We laughed and talked and I reminisced about our first visit there. White rock beach was the first place (after IHOP, of course) Nathan took me on my first trip to BC, back when I was still living in Montreal and we were SL avatars cuddling up in cyberspace. I will simply say that these days he is much more the gentleman, who isn't trying to fit in as much 'private time' as possible before I need to fly back. I am not going anywhere so now its all sweet romance which many of you might disagree with me when I say I much prefer it this way. Ladies, make your men treat you like ladies. It feels way more special.
Anyways, enough of that. We sat there on the beach surrounded by stones and made a game of hitting a log in front of us in such a way as to have the stone bounce over it. After I won at that game we started really admiring all the kinds of rocks to be found on the beach, and Nathan mentioned how fun it would be to have a rock tumbler to really shine them up and see their potential. So we zipped over to the mall and found one which Nathan believed was much more expensive than it ought to have been, but we split the cost and brought it home to his parents place, set it up and started it running.
It's really noisy. And it takes up to 4 days just to finish the first round of a total of 4 to have them polished up. We ended up putting it in the laundry room, surrounding it with towels to muffle the noise while we laid on the bed enjoying some peaceful tunes (by Casting Crowns) on his computer. Once it finally decided to load up, that is.
Eventually I had him drive me home, and that was my day, really. I will try to post the final product once the stones are finish tumbling to perfection. Then I will try to decide what to do with them...
Melody
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Woah a Post!
Well now, it seems like I had enough of a break from this thing. Time to get back to writing. Plus, I am sure my family wouldn't mind hearing a bit about my life and what's going on inside my brain.
I am trying to decide how to go about this, and all that goes through my head are those classic questions - who, what, where and when. Who, that is the biggest question, isn't it?
So who am I? Well, I am a girl (well, maybe more of a woman) who dreams. Have you ever written a bucket list? You've at least heard of the movie by that name. It's about two men who are at the end of their lives (both in the hospital, and it's not looking to great) who decide to embark on this whirlwind adventure around the globe crossing out items from their 'bucket' list - which is essentially everything they want to do before they kick the bucket. As a duo they end up being able to cross everything off their list (and I am freely able to cry my eyeballs out) and become better people for having done so.
We all want our lives to have meaning. If we were to die tomorrow, how much regret would each of us carry with us in the afterlife? (assuming, of course, that you believe in such a thing). A bucket list embodies our dreams, everything we want out of our lives. I really think everyone should write one. Sit your bums down for a few hours and really hash out what you want. And the fun thing about all this? You can achieve it all, if you have the drive for it.
So here's mine SO FAR (because, I've found, the more you go through life, the more your dreams might change or expand) as an example. It is, by the way, in no particular order.
MELODY'S SUPER DUPER BUCKET LIST
-get married
-have 1-2 kids (in this case, this must come after marriage. Just because. So there.)
-adopt a dog
-own my own house with a greenhouse
-run my own small business
-take as many baking classes as I can (this will be ongoing for life)
-learn a ballroom dance (at least one)
-go skydiving
-go hang-gliding
-take a hot air balloon ride (see a pattern?)
-learn to snowboard
-learn to scuba dive and dive in tropical waters
-go on a romantic and adventurous cruise
-travel across Europe
-go cave-diving in giant caverns, such as those in Lebanon
-learn a martial art
-go sailing
-eat jerk chicken off the beach in Jamaica (not literally.. that would be too sandy. yuck.)
-go white water rafting
I used to, as a joke, have in the list 'win the lottery' but really, it's not likely, and not necessary to achieve all these goals. What are your dreams? Do you have a bucket list of your own?
Now, forgetting all those questions at the beginning of this post, I will tell you about my day yesterday, because I would say it was fairly blog-worthy.
As many of you know, I am taking care of Nathans pet lizards - they are female bearded dragons named Rhea (Ray-uh) and Toothless (named after the dragon from 'How to Train Your Dragon'). They often eat crickets, and Nathan brought over a hundred or so for their food - to be fed a few dozen a day or so, to make them last. They were fairly small, and got out of the cricket cage they were being held in and wandered the top floor of the townhouse I live in. Now, I live here because Jennifer, the owner and housemate, is a total sweetheart who needed an extra body in the house to be able to pay the bills, and I've been here less than a month. Daily, she has been finding these insects roaming in her room and it's got her freaked out. I am totally embarrassed, to say the least, and made sure to feed all the remaining crickets to the lizards and yesterday moved all my furniture and vacuumed everywhere to make sure there was none remaining. I cleaned out their cage completely as well, and when I placed everything back, all clean and tidy... out popped a cricket from nowhere. I mean it. There are, in fact, such things as ninja crickets, I am convinced of it now. I nabbed in and hand fed it to Rhea, to make sure it was eliminated. Now, I just pray that NO MORE somehow ninja their way into Jennifer's room and scare the bejeezus out of her. I also plan on baking her something sweet as a "I am so sorry and embarrassed, it won't happen again' apology gift.
Later on in the day was the company picnic. I work for a Korean grocery store as a cashier. It's not a glamorous job by any means, but they are amazing people to work for and I feel blessed to be there. And seriously, I am. I am the ONLY non-Asian employee. Of all the branches. At least, I was the only one to go to the picnic.
The food, as always, was delicious. But it was the games that we came for. First up was volleyball, and the guys played amazingly well. Most of the employees at my branch are older, and in some ways this puts them at a disadvantage. But they excelled, and came in 2nd behind the catering company, who were younger and obviously better players. Even so, it was a close game and really fun to watch. I led a few cheers, teaching the other cashiers a few simple English ones (Let's go Langley let's go! woo woo!!)
Then came dodgeball. I used to be fairly good at this game but jeez the field we played on was tiny and you had no room to maneuver. We totally smoked the downtown branch, which is mainly comprised of young girls who squealed when the ball came their way and were seriously easy targets but when it came to playing against the warehouse crew, we fought valiantly but eventually were defeated. So once more we were 2nd place.
Then came *groans* the relay race. Remember when I said we were an older group? I will also add that all the men are avid smokers. Yeah, we didn't have a chance. I was pegged to be last in the relay to run for our team - they thought that since I've been biking to work on sunny days I must be somehow a great runner. Umm yeah, sure. I would like to point out that I am very short, and have only just started using my bike this month. But I didn't really have to worry, because we had already lost by the time the baton was passed to me. I just had to run against a girl for 5th place (of 6) and tried hard to a)not trip her up as she was running into me and b)not sprain my ankle as we were running on rough terrain, and not a track. Oh, and I don't have running shoes. Maybe I ought to add 'own a pair of running shoes' to my bucket list.
Finally was the XO game. It's trivia statements that you had to determine was either true or false. Doesn't sound too complicated, right? Well, it's all in Korean. One of my co-workers, Yooli, helped me by translating, and everything she couldn't translate I simply went with the majority. I ended up winning third place. Out of EVERYONE. I was stunned. My co-workers were thrilled!
I won a 1TB portable storage device for a PC. For those who do not know what a TB is, its 1000 gigabytes. I looked up the model and it sells for about 120$. Not too shabby. Only thing though? I own a Mac. So I am deciding now what to do with this thing. My boyfriend has been needing one for quite awhile, so maybe I might trade it to him for something?
I am trying to decide how to go about this, and all that goes through my head are those classic questions - who, what, where and when. Who, that is the biggest question, isn't it?
So who am I? Well, I am a girl (well, maybe more of a woman) who dreams. Have you ever written a bucket list? You've at least heard of the movie by that name. It's about two men who are at the end of their lives (both in the hospital, and it's not looking to great) who decide to embark on this whirlwind adventure around the globe crossing out items from their 'bucket' list - which is essentially everything they want to do before they kick the bucket. As a duo they end up being able to cross everything off their list (and I am freely able to cry my eyeballs out) and become better people for having done so.
We all want our lives to have meaning. If we were to die tomorrow, how much regret would each of us carry with us in the afterlife? (assuming, of course, that you believe in such a thing). A bucket list embodies our dreams, everything we want out of our lives. I really think everyone should write one. Sit your bums down for a few hours and really hash out what you want. And the fun thing about all this? You can achieve it all, if you have the drive for it.
So here's mine SO FAR (because, I've found, the more you go through life, the more your dreams might change or expand) as an example. It is, by the way, in no particular order.
MELODY'S SUPER DUPER BUCKET LIST
-get married
-have 1-2 kids (in this case, this must come after marriage. Just because. So there.)
-adopt a dog
-own my own house with a greenhouse
-run my own small business
-take as many baking classes as I can (this will be ongoing for life)
-learn a ballroom dance (at least one)
-go skydiving
-go hang-gliding
-take a hot air balloon ride (see a pattern?)
-learn to snowboard
-learn to scuba dive and dive in tropical waters
-go on a romantic and adventurous cruise
-travel across Europe
-go cave-diving in giant caverns, such as those in Lebanon
-learn a martial art
-go sailing
-eat jerk chicken off the beach in Jamaica (not literally.. that would be too sandy. yuck.)
-go white water rafting
I used to, as a joke, have in the list 'win the lottery' but really, it's not likely, and not necessary to achieve all these goals. What are your dreams? Do you have a bucket list of your own?
Now, forgetting all those questions at the beginning of this post, I will tell you about my day yesterday, because I would say it was fairly blog-worthy.
As many of you know, I am taking care of Nathans pet lizards - they are female bearded dragons named Rhea (Ray-uh) and Toothless (named after the dragon from 'How to Train Your Dragon'). They often eat crickets, and Nathan brought over a hundred or so for their food - to be fed a few dozen a day or so, to make them last. They were fairly small, and got out of the cricket cage they were being held in and wandered the top floor of the townhouse I live in. Now, I live here because Jennifer, the owner and housemate, is a total sweetheart who needed an extra body in the house to be able to pay the bills, and I've been here less than a month. Daily, she has been finding these insects roaming in her room and it's got her freaked out. I am totally embarrassed, to say the least, and made sure to feed all the remaining crickets to the lizards and yesterday moved all my furniture and vacuumed everywhere to make sure there was none remaining. I cleaned out their cage completely as well, and when I placed everything back, all clean and tidy... out popped a cricket from nowhere. I mean it. There are, in fact, such things as ninja crickets, I am convinced of it now. I nabbed in and hand fed it to Rhea, to make sure it was eliminated. Now, I just pray that NO MORE somehow ninja their way into Jennifer's room and scare the bejeezus out of her. I also plan on baking her something sweet as a "I am so sorry and embarrassed, it won't happen again' apology gift.
Later on in the day was the company picnic. I work for a Korean grocery store as a cashier. It's not a glamorous job by any means, but they are amazing people to work for and I feel blessed to be there. And seriously, I am. I am the ONLY non-Asian employee. Of all the branches. At least, I was the only one to go to the picnic.
The food, as always, was delicious. But it was the games that we came for. First up was volleyball, and the guys played amazingly well. Most of the employees at my branch are older, and in some ways this puts them at a disadvantage. But they excelled, and came in 2nd behind the catering company, who were younger and obviously better players. Even so, it was a close game and really fun to watch. I led a few cheers, teaching the other cashiers a few simple English ones (Let's go Langley let's go! woo woo!!)
Then came dodgeball. I used to be fairly good at this game but jeez the field we played on was tiny and you had no room to maneuver. We totally smoked the downtown branch, which is mainly comprised of young girls who squealed when the ball came their way and were seriously easy targets but when it came to playing against the warehouse crew, we fought valiantly but eventually were defeated. So once more we were 2nd place.
Then came *groans* the relay race. Remember when I said we were an older group? I will also add that all the men are avid smokers. Yeah, we didn't have a chance. I was pegged to be last in the relay to run for our team - they thought that since I've been biking to work on sunny days I must be somehow a great runner. Umm yeah, sure. I would like to point out that I am very short, and have only just started using my bike this month. But I didn't really have to worry, because we had already lost by the time the baton was passed to me. I just had to run against a girl for 5th place (of 6) and tried hard to a)not trip her up as she was running into me and b)not sprain my ankle as we were running on rough terrain, and not a track. Oh, and I don't have running shoes. Maybe I ought to add 'own a pair of running shoes' to my bucket list.
Finally was the XO game. It's trivia statements that you had to determine was either true or false. Doesn't sound too complicated, right? Well, it's all in Korean. One of my co-workers, Yooli, helped me by translating, and everything she couldn't translate I simply went with the majority. I ended up winning third place. Out of EVERYONE. I was stunned. My co-workers were thrilled!
I won a 1TB portable storage device for a PC. For those who do not know what a TB is, its 1000 gigabytes. I looked up the model and it sells for about 120$. Not too shabby. Only thing though? I own a Mac. So I am deciding now what to do with this thing. My boyfriend has been needing one for quite awhile, so maybe I might trade it to him for something?
Monday, April 26, 2010
*heh..*
Ok.. so.. I am posting, I suppose.
It has been awhile, hasn't it? And many things have happened, though most of you know about it, because regardless of how often I update this thing (i.e. NEVER), I still try to keep in touch with as many people as possible. Plus, I was in Montreal for a few weeks, so that certainly helped me to catch up with all the old friends.
First off - Francine Jones, MISSY, why you not brag about your pregnancy? And WHEN are you due?? I wish I could send you something.. maybe knit something for the babe? Girl or boy?? I wanna know!!! I had to find out through a friend about this, and you are constantly on FB, so why not update with a hearty *ughhh, baby making me feel nauseous!* or something like that. I know I would. The entire world would find out in a New York minute if ever I was pregnant (so stop asking, mom, honestly, you'll be the first to know.)
Second off, I have to say that it's my old high school friend (one of the few true ones I had) that's got me posting again. Yeah, Alessia, it's you. You and your fantastic figure and your plans for a summertime blog that are just flooring me. http://radical-health.blogspot.com/
I am going to follow you, often. I don't think I can ever really implement your dietary movement in my apartment - Nathan, my bf, is way too much of a carnivore. Though I am going to try, maybe at least some baby steps.. In the meantime, these blog plans made me recall this ol' blog I had up, which apparently wasn't updated since before Halloween! Gosh! Well, don't expect me to put you all up to speed.. that would take too long.. and I am not much of a typist.
I have gotten back into drawing, though! Nathan's sister, Lora, gave me a great art kit for Christmas, and it got me in the mood to put pencil to paper. You can see the results of this on Deviant Art here: http://adelleristas.deviantart.com/
And if you are wondering, why Adelle Ristas? That was the name I made for an alter-ego of mine, for a game I used to play in College. I do so enjoy a certain anonymity at times.. And please, if so moved, rate my pictures. I am a fan of criticism *grins*
So, what am I up to these days? Well, not much, YET.
I am between jobs, but constantly looking for work - I am no slouch!
I do have a goal - I want to go into baking and pastry making at a community college here in Vancouver, which would start in October - which means saving up my $$ (and/or looking into loans). The classes look really interesting (except for that weird English class.. seems more relevant for foreigners, but whatever, would be an easy 8 credits for me) and I am looking forward to actually LOVING going to school again! I haven't felt that way since my art classes at Vanier College... I miss that, that drive to succeed.
I am still living with Nathan, which has gotten into a very "comfortable" place in our relationship. We enjoy each other's company, and less and less do I feel homesick for Montreal... BC is starting to feel more like home (if only my family lived here though, that would SOO be ideal).
That is it for now, I think.. If you are still interested in my reading habits, check out the Visual Bookshelf application on Facebook, I update all my reading there, and absolutely love it. It's really handy for the average bibliophile.. Otherwise, if you have a topic you want me to rant about, send me a note :P Til then, toodles
Melody
It has been awhile, hasn't it? And many things have happened, though most of you know about it, because regardless of how often I update this thing (i.e. NEVER), I still try to keep in touch with as many people as possible. Plus, I was in Montreal for a few weeks, so that certainly helped me to catch up with all the old friends.
First off - Francine Jones, MISSY, why you not brag about your pregnancy? And WHEN are you due?? I wish I could send you something.. maybe knit something for the babe? Girl or boy?? I wanna know!!! I had to find out through a friend about this, and you are constantly on FB, so why not update with a hearty *ughhh, baby making me feel nauseous!* or something like that. I know I would. The entire world would find out in a New York minute if ever I was pregnant (so stop asking, mom, honestly, you'll be the first to know.)
Second off, I have to say that it's my old high school friend (one of the few true ones I had) that's got me posting again. Yeah, Alessia, it's you. You and your fantastic figure and your plans for a summertime blog that are just flooring me. http://radical-health.blogspot.com/
I am going to follow you, often. I don't think I can ever really implement your dietary movement in my apartment - Nathan, my bf, is way too much of a carnivore. Though I am going to try, maybe at least some baby steps.. In the meantime, these blog plans made me recall this ol' blog I had up, which apparently wasn't updated since before Halloween! Gosh! Well, don't expect me to put you all up to speed.. that would take too long.. and I am not much of a typist.
I have gotten back into drawing, though! Nathan's sister, Lora, gave me a great art kit for Christmas, and it got me in the mood to put pencil to paper. You can see the results of this on Deviant Art here: http://adelleristas.deviantart.com/
And if you are wondering, why Adelle Ristas? That was the name I made for an alter-ego of mine, for a game I used to play in College. I do so enjoy a certain anonymity at times.. And please, if so moved, rate my pictures. I am a fan of criticism *grins*
So, what am I up to these days? Well, not much, YET.
I am between jobs, but constantly looking for work - I am no slouch!
I do have a goal - I want to go into baking and pastry making at a community college here in Vancouver, which would start in October - which means saving up my $$ (and/or looking into loans). The classes look really interesting (except for that weird English class.. seems more relevant for foreigners, but whatever, would be an easy 8 credits for me) and I am looking forward to actually LOVING going to school again! I haven't felt that way since my art classes at Vanier College... I miss that, that drive to succeed.
I am still living with Nathan, which has gotten into a very "comfortable" place in our relationship. We enjoy each other's company, and less and less do I feel homesick for Montreal... BC is starting to feel more like home (if only my family lived here though, that would SOO be ideal).
That is it for now, I think.. If you are still interested in my reading habits, check out the Visual Bookshelf application on Facebook, I update all my reading there, and absolutely love it. It's really handy for the average bibliophile.. Otherwise, if you have a topic you want me to rant about, send me a note :P Til then, toodles
Melody
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
October News
*throws the idea of a weekly blog to the winds*
*sighs*
Well, I am back to it! And what a month it has been!
I mysteriously caught mononucleosis, aka the kissing virus. And I know I didn't get this from Nathan. Mono is the kind of virus that can get you repeatedly, not just once and then you are immune like the chicken pox. And Nathan was as healthy as can be. So...? Who did it? I don't recall kissing or sharing a drink with anyone, and it's not like I know anyone here in BC, really... so... dun dun dunnn!!
I found out something mighty interesting when I went to the doctor's office too - Quebec's medical insurance card (Medicare Card) is not valid anywhere except Quebec (*NOTE* it took me about 2 months to get the BC Carecard, and by November 1st, I will finally be covered!). So... with my funds dwindling I had to pay to see a doctor, then pay to get tests done as well. Luckily there isn't really any medicine you can take for mono, although I took penicillin for the resulting sore throat/tonsillitis and breathed a sigh of relief when it cost very little (and tastes like bananas!). In the end, the mono lasted no time at all, and that was strange. I suppose my body saw how I was in such denial of being THAT sick that it agreed with me and killed off the virus in record time. That and I was tired of not being able to kiss my boyfriend darn it! *laughs*
I had two calls for job openings! Huzzah! The first was for La Senza, which if you do not know is a lingerie store owned by Victoria's Secret. Pretty posh. I was so nervous when I went for the interview, but I did (in my opinion) very well in it. They never called me back though. Tough cookies for them, they lost out. The second was for Chapters, an amazing bookstore! Right up my alley! Though I got sick right when I was supposed to go in for interviews. No matter, though, I decided to tough it out, and go in anyways, do my interview with a sore throat and all. And obviously, I did well, since I am now working for them!! It is only a seasonal job, the contract I signed with them expires in January, but I have a chance to (perhaps) continue to work for them afterwards, if sales are good, they continue to need the staff and like me enough to keep me on. Here's to hoping, but in the meantime, I GOT A JOB WOOT WOOT!!
I became a bit homesick during Thanksgiving, but I quickly got over it as I was kept mostly busy. I called up dad and got his recipe for stuffing, and made it for the dinner we had at Nathan's sister's house, slightly altered, as it wasn't in fact going to stuff anything (except my tummy mmmmm). Nathan put up a bit of a fight, as it wasn't his parent's recipe for stuffing, but as he did not have theirs on hand, and his parents were busy in Banff for a family wedding, we used my dad's recipe instead neener neener!
Now I get to fret about xmas... what to get everyone??? Some help, please?? And your postal addresses, since I have decided I am going to send out xmas cards this year. That would be awesome, thanks! Nathan and I are going to get a lil plastic tree, and an ornament, and maybe I will really get in the mood and decorate a bit around the apartment - I love xmas!
I am settling down now, finally getting comfortable in this world. I have a job, a good place to live, and an amazing boyfriend! I am truly a lucky girl!
Hopefully the next blog won't take so long to come to fruition!
Melody
*sighs*
Well, I am back to it! And what a month it has been!
I mysteriously caught mononucleosis, aka the kissing virus. And I know I didn't get this from Nathan. Mono is the kind of virus that can get you repeatedly, not just once and then you are immune like the chicken pox. And Nathan was as healthy as can be. So...? Who did it? I don't recall kissing or sharing a drink with anyone, and it's not like I know anyone here in BC, really... so... dun dun dunnn!!
I found out something mighty interesting when I went to the doctor's office too - Quebec's medical insurance card (Medicare Card) is not valid anywhere except Quebec (*NOTE* it took me about 2 months to get the BC Carecard, and by November 1st, I will finally be covered!). So... with my funds dwindling I had to pay to see a doctor, then pay to get tests done as well. Luckily there isn't really any medicine you can take for mono, although I took penicillin for the resulting sore throat/tonsillitis and breathed a sigh of relief when it cost very little (and tastes like bananas!). In the end, the mono lasted no time at all, and that was strange. I suppose my body saw how I was in such denial of being THAT sick that it agreed with me and killed off the virus in record time. That and I was tired of not being able to kiss my boyfriend darn it! *laughs*
I had two calls for job openings! Huzzah! The first was for La Senza, which if you do not know is a lingerie store owned by Victoria's Secret. Pretty posh. I was so nervous when I went for the interview, but I did (in my opinion) very well in it. They never called me back though. Tough cookies for them, they lost out. The second was for Chapters, an amazing bookstore! Right up my alley! Though I got sick right when I was supposed to go in for interviews. No matter, though, I decided to tough it out, and go in anyways, do my interview with a sore throat and all. And obviously, I did well, since I am now working for them!! It is only a seasonal job, the contract I signed with them expires in January, but I have a chance to (perhaps) continue to work for them afterwards, if sales are good, they continue to need the staff and like me enough to keep me on. Here's to hoping, but in the meantime, I GOT A JOB WOOT WOOT!!
I became a bit homesick during Thanksgiving, but I quickly got over it as I was kept mostly busy. I called up dad and got his recipe for stuffing, and made it for the dinner we had at Nathan's sister's house, slightly altered, as it wasn't in fact going to stuff anything (except my tummy mmmmm). Nathan put up a bit of a fight, as it wasn't his parent's recipe for stuffing, but as he did not have theirs on hand, and his parents were busy in Banff for a family wedding, we used my dad's recipe instead neener neener!
Now I get to fret about xmas... what to get everyone??? Some help, please?? And your postal addresses, since I have decided I am going to send out xmas cards this year. That would be awesome, thanks! Nathan and I are going to get a lil plastic tree, and an ornament, and maybe I will really get in the mood and decorate a bit around the apartment - I love xmas!
I am settling down now, finally getting comfortable in this world. I have a job, a good place to live, and an amazing boyfriend! I am truly a lucky girl!
Hopefully the next blog won't take so long to come to fruition!
Melody
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Cuz You Had A Bad Day...
Alright, so I am tossing the idea of a daily blog to the winds. It takes too much time, and sometimes I am really not in the mood to write. So let's try for a weekly blog, okie dokie?
Yesterday! Oh yesterday...
Let's start from the beginning: last week, due to my hormones being unbalanced (maybe.. but I will blame it on that anyways, makes me feel somewhat better to have an excuse for it) I started to get really really sad. Like break out in tears for no reason sad. Nathan was flustered, he kept trying to soothe me, make me laugh, just change my mood for one a bit happier.
This week, it seems now I have a reason. I am homesick. Really homesick. I will admit to really wanting my mommy right now. I am thinking what I really need is a big hug from her, breathe in her mommy scent, and know that everything is a-ok. If I could somehow get (at the very least) a monthly dose of mommy, I would feel so much better. It's the little things. Nathan told me what they do here to celebrate Christmas, and I realized I won't be celebrating with my family. I received a truly amazing cookbook in the mail from my mom with one of her typically lovely notes written inside, which makes me cry everytime I attempt to read it. Or I simply imagine my family home, hanging out with my little brother, cuddling with my mom.. ughh. I cry a lot, to put it plainly.
And what should I do about this? I also miss having a group of friends to go out with, bowl with, argue movies with. I will admit I am making a few friends here, but distant, at best. I get these lonely periods everyday. I realize I don't really open my mouth until more than half the day is gone. Nathan is my anchor, the one who keeps me here. I love him more than I have ever loved someone, and I love him more and more everyday. He tries so hard to make me smile. And more often than not, it works. But it doesn't make up for the half a day everyday that I am alone with my thoughts. And I think too hard. It's a gift of mine. I look too far into things, question everything, think up scenarios in my head. Just think of me as Winnie the Pooh on his thinking log, hard at work, thinking thoughts. It is why I am so creative. I think too hard!
So yesterday, I received that amazing cookbook from my mom. Right after I have finished reading what she had inscribed in the cover she gives me a call. So naturally I swallow my tears, pinch myself, bite my lip, anything to slow the tears as I talk to her. Strangely she had just received my card in the mail. So we talk. I think she knew, I was sad. She is a mother, after all. It's instinct. But I kept my cool, and patted my back for doing so. Then I started madly knitting my scarf (yes, I am back to knitting, and it's doing me some good) to try to take my mind off of everything. Just fall into the rythm. Knit two, purl two. Knit two, purl two...
Nathan arrived to find me with red eyes and a nearly finished scarf (and yes, you will all get to see the finished product, and ask for your own, if you want one.) and decided we were going out to the movies, and then dinner.
The theater was nearly empty, but we were happy to find that they had a special deal on Tuesdays - you get a regular drink and popcorn along with your seat ticket, for the price of admission. Awesome! So I go to use my card... and... not approved. Huh? I tried again... still not approved. What?!? I started to panic, obviously. Nathan tried to calm me, and bought everything that night, promising to remind me to check my banking when we got home. Really what I needed on my mind. More stress. Let's see how much straw Melody's back can take before it breaks..
The movie was excellent, and really helped me escape from reality for a few hours. It was Inglorious Basterds. Although really violent, the story was really well written, the characters enjoyable, and the action fun to watch, if not overly destructive.
We ate at a really nice lounge. I felt spoiled... though we talked some more about my feelings. In the end, I told him I just need some more time to settle into life here. I still feel out of my element, restless. I need some sort of stability here. I think perhaps with a job, I will achieve that. It will keep me busy, get me out, keep me talking, and maybe I will make friends too.. One could hope.
After talking to three representatives on the phone in regards to my card, it turns out that sometime within the last two weeks someone cloned my card and got all my info and went on a short shopping spree, spending 500 dollars before the bank decided that the actions being taken were erratic and froze the card and my money. I now have to get my butt over to a bank today to set up a new card with a new password, and wait a few days before the money is returned to me. Joy.
Let us hope that today shall be a better day. My thanks to Nathan, though, for making yesterday way better than it could have been!
Miss you all, and now you have a better idea of how much I do...
Melody
Yesterday! Oh yesterday...
Let's start from the beginning: last week, due to my hormones being unbalanced (maybe.. but I will blame it on that anyways, makes me feel somewhat better to have an excuse for it) I started to get really really sad. Like break out in tears for no reason sad. Nathan was flustered, he kept trying to soothe me, make me laugh, just change my mood for one a bit happier.
This week, it seems now I have a reason. I am homesick. Really homesick. I will admit to really wanting my mommy right now. I am thinking what I really need is a big hug from her, breathe in her mommy scent, and know that everything is a-ok. If I could somehow get (at the very least) a monthly dose of mommy, I would feel so much better. It's the little things. Nathan told me what they do here to celebrate Christmas, and I realized I won't be celebrating with my family. I received a truly amazing cookbook in the mail from my mom with one of her typically lovely notes written inside, which makes me cry everytime I attempt to read it. Or I simply imagine my family home, hanging out with my little brother, cuddling with my mom.. ughh. I cry a lot, to put it plainly.
And what should I do about this? I also miss having a group of friends to go out with, bowl with, argue movies with. I will admit I am making a few friends here, but distant, at best. I get these lonely periods everyday. I realize I don't really open my mouth until more than half the day is gone. Nathan is my anchor, the one who keeps me here. I love him more than I have ever loved someone, and I love him more and more everyday. He tries so hard to make me smile. And more often than not, it works. But it doesn't make up for the half a day everyday that I am alone with my thoughts. And I think too hard. It's a gift of mine. I look too far into things, question everything, think up scenarios in my head. Just think of me as Winnie the Pooh on his thinking log, hard at work, thinking thoughts. It is why I am so creative. I think too hard!
So yesterday, I received that amazing cookbook from my mom. Right after I have finished reading what she had inscribed in the cover she gives me a call. So naturally I swallow my tears, pinch myself, bite my lip, anything to slow the tears as I talk to her. Strangely she had just received my card in the mail. So we talk. I think she knew, I was sad. She is a mother, after all. It's instinct. But I kept my cool, and patted my back for doing so. Then I started madly knitting my scarf (yes, I am back to knitting, and it's doing me some good) to try to take my mind off of everything. Just fall into the rythm. Knit two, purl two. Knit two, purl two...
Nathan arrived to find me with red eyes and a nearly finished scarf (and yes, you will all get to see the finished product, and ask for your own, if you want one.) and decided we were going out to the movies, and then dinner.
The theater was nearly empty, but we were happy to find that they had a special deal on Tuesdays - you get a regular drink and popcorn along with your seat ticket, for the price of admission. Awesome! So I go to use my card... and... not approved. Huh? I tried again... still not approved. What?!? I started to panic, obviously. Nathan tried to calm me, and bought everything that night, promising to remind me to check my banking when we got home. Really what I needed on my mind. More stress. Let's see how much straw Melody's back can take before it breaks..
The movie was excellent, and really helped me escape from reality for a few hours. It was Inglorious Basterds. Although really violent, the story was really well written, the characters enjoyable, and the action fun to watch, if not overly destructive.
We ate at a really nice lounge. I felt spoiled... though we talked some more about my feelings. In the end, I told him I just need some more time to settle into life here. I still feel out of my element, restless. I need some sort of stability here. I think perhaps with a job, I will achieve that. It will keep me busy, get me out, keep me talking, and maybe I will make friends too.. One could hope.
After talking to three representatives on the phone in regards to my card, it turns out that sometime within the last two weeks someone cloned my card and got all my info and went on a short shopping spree, spending 500 dollars before the bank decided that the actions being taken were erratic and froze the card and my money. I now have to get my butt over to a bank today to set up a new card with a new password, and wait a few days before the money is returned to me. Joy.
Let us hope that today shall be a better day. My thanks to Nathan, though, for making yesterday way better than it could have been!
Miss you all, and now you have a better idea of how much I do...
Melody
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Playing Catch-Up
Okay, okay! So it's harder to maintain a daily blog than I thought. But here I am! I am still alive! And better yet, still writing.
Alright, so since last I wrote in this, my adventure was what passed as Greek food. The next day, my big adventures for the day was discovering the park near our house and making a dish following a recipe! Not that I haven't ever followed a recipe before, mind you, but it was a slow, lazy day.
The park is HUGE and very beautiful. It has a play park and water park for the kids, a public pool, a sports area where a kids football game was going on at the time (with a horribly slow and monotone announcer that would put me to sleep if I was watching the game) a mini-put area, train ride for kids and a gorgeous garden. My love and I explored the garden thoroughly, and my appreciation for the city really sky-rocketed right then. This place beats the parks we have in Montreal by a landslide! It's the little things like this that make me melt for him and this province..
The meal we ended up making was 'Jambon et pommes de terre au gratin', aka 'Ham and Potatoes au gratin' My love and I prepared it together, and he swore it would taste excellent because it was made with LOVE! With this knowledge we placed it in the oven and waited for the magic. Meanwhile, we vegetated on the couch and watched old movies and re-runs... I told you it was a slow, lazy day!
Well the meal came out great, though it stuck to the casserole dish a bit more than I liked (would PAM solve that? Someone with more experience please get back to me on that) and here is the recipe, if you want to live through my adventure for yourself:
4 cups peeled and thinly sliced potatoes
3 cups cooked and cubed ham (omit this for the vegetarian version of adventure)
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 cup of chopped onions
2 tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp sage
1 tsp salt
pinch of pepper
In a large casserole dish, combine potatoes and ham. In saucepan, melt butter, then add the onions and cook, stirring for about 2 min. Then stir in flour. Next, add the milk, sage, salt and pepper. Continue cooking and stirring for about 4 min. or until sauce comes to a boil and thickens. Stir in the cheese, then when well mixed pour this yummy mixture all over the potatoes and ham, stirring it in. Cover and bake in 375 degree oven for 1 and a half hours. It 'should' make 4 servings..
bon appetit!
On Sunday we went to the PNE, the Pacific National Exhibition... for you Montrealers reading, think cultural fair and La Ronde combined. They had musical acts (though that day it was a country star, and I am honestly not interested in that genre too much, though my Love is such a cowboy!) exhibits such as a sandcastle competition (which I thought was really wicked cool, I love seeing people's creativity shine!), logging competitions (in which they all cheated so much, was fun to watch) 'super dogs', petting zoos and motocross to name a few.
I also met Filiz that day, a friend of my Love. She was very sweet and it was nice to get the kiss on two cheeks, it reminded me a bit of back home. She was a riot on the rides, always screaming and clutching at the safety bars for dear life. We even did an old fashioned photo together!
The rides themselves were okay, but I felt a little bit taken. The price was pretty high, and they only had two roller-coasters, and only the wooden one was really worth it. They did have a lot of fun little thrill rides, but roller-coasters are my favorite! Ack I miss the Goliath back in Montreal, that was so much fun!
We got home and my Love realized how exhausted he was, so I made dinner. It turned out great... except I hate peppers, and it was mostly peppers... *grumbles*
Warm Feta Salad.. how I wish you had no peppers in thee!! Here's how to make it:
Block of feta, cut into 4
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsp dried rosemary or 5 tbsp of the fresh stuff (I used dried)
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1/2 large red onion, diced
1 package of fresh basil or cilantro, chopped (I cheated and used some dried..)
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 lettuce mix
Mix together the rosemary, oil and garlic and pour over the feta and let marinade for at least an hour, or overnight. Heat onion in saucepan for 5 minutes until lightly browned, then add the rest of the ingredients (except the lettuce) and let simmer for half an hour. Arrange lettuce on the plates, then place the feta on the top and coat with the sauce. Makes 4 servings.
For all those who enjoy peppers, bon appetit!
Yesterday (Tuesday) was a lot of fun! I spent the morning with June, my Love's mom! We went to a place called De Dutch for breakfast, and got to know each other better. June is an amazing person and gives really excellent hugs! I told her about my biggest dilemma in the house - no toaster! She seems to like me (which works well, since I like her too) and also enjoys reading this blog! She told me I should go into writing.. I would, but writing is by no means a lucrative career, so I will continue writing for the joy of it and for the joy of your responces.
We had my Love's brother and sister-in-law over for dinner, and so I planned a feast! Soup and salad to start with pasta as the main course. It went over very well, they seemed to like it and left fairly full. His brother amused me by bringing a huge loaf of bread, when we had asked them to bring a nice bread to compliment the dinner. His mother, June made me nearly fall over laughing when she had him bring a toaster over as a gift for me! So thoughtful! I feel so loved!
The pasta sauce I made was from a website online claiming it was the best sauce, though after my Love tasted it he felt it was missing something so started tossing in spices left and right, so I won't copy it here simply because I haven't clue what went in. The soup, though, was something I had picked out of my Food Network Cookbook I brought with me! It was really yummy. Sorry, no vegetarian alternative to this one.. at least not in my head.
Chicken, Spinach and Gnocchi Soup
Kosher salt
2 cups prepared gnocchi
4 cups chicken broth, low sodium, canned
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
2 tbsp unsalted butter
pinch of sugar
3 cups cleaned baby spinach leaves
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used the leftovers of a rotisserie chicken I had bought)
Freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese
Bring a medium saucepan of cold water to boil over high heat, then salt it generously. Add the gnocchi and cook, stirring occasionally, until they rise to the top. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, put 1/4 cup of the broth, garlic, butter and sugar in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, bring it to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, until the garlic is tender, about 1 minute. Add the spinach and let it wilt for about 30 seconds. Add the remaining broth and chicken and bring it to a simmer.. Stir in gnocchi and bring to full boil. Taste and season with with and generous amounts of pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and shower with cheese.
Bon appetit!
My Love's brother and sister-in-law are going to have us over on Friday! I wonder what they will serve up? Until then, I am a bit tired of all the typing, so... toodles!
Melody
Alright, so since last I wrote in this, my adventure was what passed as Greek food. The next day, my big adventures for the day was discovering the park near our house and making a dish following a recipe! Not that I haven't ever followed a recipe before, mind you, but it was a slow, lazy day.
The park is HUGE and very beautiful. It has a play park and water park for the kids, a public pool, a sports area where a kids football game was going on at the time (with a horribly slow and monotone announcer that would put me to sleep if I was watching the game) a mini-put area, train ride for kids and a gorgeous garden. My love and I explored the garden thoroughly, and my appreciation for the city really sky-rocketed right then. This place beats the parks we have in Montreal by a landslide! It's the little things like this that make me melt for him and this province..
The meal we ended up making was 'Jambon et pommes de terre au gratin', aka 'Ham and Potatoes au gratin' My love and I prepared it together, and he swore it would taste excellent because it was made with LOVE! With this knowledge we placed it in the oven and waited for the magic. Meanwhile, we vegetated on the couch and watched old movies and re-runs... I told you it was a slow, lazy day!
Well the meal came out great, though it stuck to the casserole dish a bit more than I liked (would PAM solve that? Someone with more experience please get back to me on that) and here is the recipe, if you want to live through my adventure for yourself:
4 cups peeled and thinly sliced potatoes
3 cups cooked and cubed ham (omit this for the vegetarian version of adventure)
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 cup of chopped onions
2 tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp sage
1 tsp salt
pinch of pepper
In a large casserole dish, combine potatoes and ham. In saucepan, melt butter, then add the onions and cook, stirring for about 2 min. Then stir in flour. Next, add the milk, sage, salt and pepper. Continue cooking and stirring for about 4 min. or until sauce comes to a boil and thickens. Stir in the cheese, then when well mixed pour this yummy mixture all over the potatoes and ham, stirring it in. Cover and bake in 375 degree oven for 1 and a half hours. It 'should' make 4 servings..
bon appetit!
On Sunday we went to the PNE, the Pacific National Exhibition... for you Montrealers reading, think cultural fair and La Ronde combined. They had musical acts (though that day it was a country star, and I am honestly not interested in that genre too much, though my Love is such a cowboy!) exhibits such as a sandcastle competition (which I thought was really wicked cool, I love seeing people's creativity shine!), logging competitions (in which they all cheated so much, was fun to watch) 'super dogs', petting zoos and motocross to name a few.
I also met Filiz that day, a friend of my Love. She was very sweet and it was nice to get the kiss on two cheeks, it reminded me a bit of back home. She was a riot on the rides, always screaming and clutching at the safety bars for dear life. We even did an old fashioned photo together!
The rides themselves were okay, but I felt a little bit taken. The price was pretty high, and they only had two roller-coasters, and only the wooden one was really worth it. They did have a lot of fun little thrill rides, but roller-coasters are my favorite! Ack I miss the Goliath back in Montreal, that was so much fun!
We got home and my Love realized how exhausted he was, so I made dinner. It turned out great... except I hate peppers, and it was mostly peppers... *grumbles*
Warm Feta Salad.. how I wish you had no peppers in thee!! Here's how to make it:
Block of feta, cut into 4
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsp dried rosemary or 5 tbsp of the fresh stuff (I used dried)
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1/2 large red onion, diced
1 package of fresh basil or cilantro, chopped (I cheated and used some dried..)
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 lettuce mix
Mix together the rosemary, oil and garlic and pour over the feta and let marinade for at least an hour, or overnight. Heat onion in saucepan for 5 minutes until lightly browned, then add the rest of the ingredients (except the lettuce) and let simmer for half an hour. Arrange lettuce on the plates, then place the feta on the top and coat with the sauce. Makes 4 servings.
For all those who enjoy peppers, bon appetit!
Yesterday (Tuesday) was a lot of fun! I spent the morning with June, my Love's mom! We went to a place called De Dutch for breakfast, and got to know each other better. June is an amazing person and gives really excellent hugs! I told her about my biggest dilemma in the house - no toaster! She seems to like me (which works well, since I like her too) and also enjoys reading this blog! She told me I should go into writing.. I would, but writing is by no means a lucrative career, so I will continue writing for the joy of it and for the joy of your responces.
We had my Love's brother and sister-in-law over for dinner, and so I planned a feast! Soup and salad to start with pasta as the main course. It went over very well, they seemed to like it and left fairly full. His brother amused me by bringing a huge loaf of bread, when we had asked them to bring a nice bread to compliment the dinner. His mother, June made me nearly fall over laughing when she had him bring a toaster over as a gift for me! So thoughtful! I feel so loved!
The pasta sauce I made was from a website online claiming it was the best sauce, though after my Love tasted it he felt it was missing something so started tossing in spices left and right, so I won't copy it here simply because I haven't clue what went in. The soup, though, was something I had picked out of my Food Network Cookbook I brought with me! It was really yummy. Sorry, no vegetarian alternative to this one.. at least not in my head.
Chicken, Spinach and Gnocchi Soup
Kosher salt
2 cups prepared gnocchi
4 cups chicken broth, low sodium, canned
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
2 tbsp unsalted butter
pinch of sugar
3 cups cleaned baby spinach leaves
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used the leftovers of a rotisserie chicken I had bought)
Freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese
Bring a medium saucepan of cold water to boil over high heat, then salt it generously. Add the gnocchi and cook, stirring occasionally, until they rise to the top. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, put 1/4 cup of the broth, garlic, butter and sugar in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, bring it to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, until the garlic is tender, about 1 minute. Add the spinach and let it wilt for about 30 seconds. Add the remaining broth and chicken and bring it to a simmer.. Stir in gnocchi and bring to full boil. Taste and season with with and generous amounts of pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and shower with cheese.
Bon appetit!
My Love's brother and sister-in-law are going to have us over on Friday! I wonder what they will serve up? Until then, I am a bit tired of all the typing, so... toodles!
Melody
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