Fall has fallen

Autumn is here, and I love it. The colors, the bite in the air, the cozy feeling of hibernating, sweaters, soups/stews/winter food; I even find myself enjoying the rain and gray skies. Maybe because it's my second autumn in Seattle, my brain is saying "oh this, I remember this...this is familiar and comforting." I'm even excited for it to snow.

Here's my latest cooking endeavor (that turned out well):

It's a recipe Amie sent me for quinoa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa). It is a magical food that is both delicious and great for you. I've noticed that on my 12 hour days, eating quinoa at lunch leaves me satisfied longer and usually prevents a post-lunch 'crash.' So, I got a 4 lb bag of it at Costco awhile back and am constantly hunting for new recipes. This is a good one:

Quinoa with Black Beans and Cilantro
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups chopped white onions
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup quinoa, rinsed, drained
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
11/2 cups water
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed, drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
Crumbled Cotija cheese or feta cheese (optional)

Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and red pepper; sauté until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in next 4 ingredients. Add water; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until quinoa is almost tender, about 14 minutes. Add beans and 1/4 cup cilantro; cook uncovered until heated through and liquid is fully absorbed, about 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with 1/4 cup cilantro and cheese, if desired.

I also added cayenne pepper to give it some kick.

(Recipe from epicurious.com)

So my friend Kara's sister and her family came to visit last week, and I went with them last Saturday for a 70 minute train ride on an ole-timey train. Enjoying the ride with us was a group of old people. The old people swarmed into the 'comfortable' car of the train, so we had the pleasure of riding in the drafty car with wooden benches. In spite of counting down each of the 70 minutes, it was fun being with good people :)

After the train ride, we drove up to the lodge/lookout over Snoqualmie Falls.

Kara's fam. I only spent 2 hours with them, but they seem pretty great.

Kara's nephew was not feeling well. He fell asleep on the train ride, and did this when we went to the lookout :)

In other news, I have a four day weekend coming up, and am flying to Saint Louis for a visit. It's been almost a year since I was there (last Thanksgiving), so it will be fun to be back.

Also, I have purchased a pair of skinny jeans. I recognize that skinny jeans are primarily designed to be worn by skinny people (which I am definitely not), but I have several pairs of very cute boots that are going unseen under my bootcut jeans and it makes me sad. So, for the greater good (of cute boots), I swallowed my pride. And surprisingly, the jeans look alright when worn with boots and a long-ish top. When worn with anything else, however, it is truly a terrifying sight. I do take comfort in the fact that I live in a city where anything goes, fashion-wise. Who wants a utilikilt for Christmas?

Lame cable companies and other news...

Comcast sucks. Our year is up, and our 'starter package' ended, and the price of our cable/phone/internet skyrocketed. So my roommate and I decided to downgrade to basic cable and internet only. It's kind of liberating. You tried to woo us with your many channels and then trap us under your oppressive thumb, Comcast! But you failed! Anyway, with the existence of hulu and netflix it's not really necessary to have a television in order to enjoy the shows you love.

In other news:

I enjoyed my first massage EVER a couple of weeks ago. My friend Kara is a massage therapist who works at a very nice spa downtown, and the experience is best summed up by what I said to her after the massage (which took place in the living room of her apartment)... "it's like you have a superpower that I never knew about." Seriously, amazing. And then I went home and had the best night sleep that I can remember in recent history.

My dad gave me a Runner's magazine when he was here (even though I haven't run in months), and there was a recipe inside for something called Cassoulet with Lots of Vegetables.

Here's the recipe:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound Italian sausage, bone-in pork chops, duck breasts, or chicken legs, or 1 pound of a combination of meats

1 tablespoon garlic, chopped

2 leeks or onions, washed and sliced

2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch lengths

3 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 medium zucchinis, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 cups canned tomatoes (and juice), chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped

2 bay leaves

4 cups canned white beans, drained and liquid reserved in case needed

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add meat and cook, turning until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and drain off all but two tablespoons of fat. Turn heat to medium, add garlic, leeks or onions, carrots, celery, and zucchini; season with salt and pepper. Cook five minutes, or until softened. Add tomatoes and juice, meat, and herbs. Bring to a boil. Add beans and boil again, stirring occasionally; reduce heat so mixture bubbles gently. Cook for 20 minutes, adding stock or bean liquid when mixture gets thick. Fish out meat; remove bones and skin and chop into chunks. Return to pot and add cayenne. Warm through. Serves four.

Calories per serving: 580, Carbs: 82 g, Protein: 40 g, Fat: 11 g

I used spicy Italian sausage for meat, and this is what my finished product looked like:

It did thicken a little more after I took this picture and ended up looking more like the picture in the magazine. More importantly, it was delicious. I invited Kara, Jon, Amy, and Heather over for dinner, and served this with fresh bread from my bread maker. I can't remember who, but someone said, "anytime you want to try out a new recipe, we will come for dinner." That increased my cooking confidence a lot. So thank you to my dad, Runner's magazine, and my friends who were willing to be guinea pigs :)

Walking and eating and walking and eating...in Seattle

So, a couple of weeks ago, my parents, and Jeff and Amie and Xavi came to visit me for my 25th birthday! The title says the rest :)

A quick summary of the trip:

Thursday - felt like an eternity waiting for them to arrive! When they did, we relaxed and had lunch in my apartment. Then we walked through Ballard to the government locks. The weather was gorgeous, and the fish ladder was full of salmon swimming for all they were worth. Everyone was pretty wiped out when we got back to my place, so we headed to the hotel (about a 10 minute drive away) and had Dick's burgers for dinner.

Here we are on my rooftop deck, ready to conquer Ballard.

Friday - my dad generously offered to come pick me up in the morning, and then we met everyone else back at the hotel for downtown Seattle fun. We walked to Pike Place Market (or what my brother Jon refers to as 'hell'), and enjoyed the vendors and food and tourists. My mom supported some local street artists (who were admittedly, very good), and we all enjoyed some delicious fresh fruit. Because we had a lunch reservation at the Space Needle restaurant to get to, we took the monorail from the shopping district to the city center. I'd heard mixed reviews of the restaurant, but was pleasantly surprised at the quality of everything. Also, it's kind of worth it for the view alone...as long as the weather's nice...and it was another perfect day :)

After lunch, the boys went back to the hotel to rest, and the girls did some more shopping. We all headed back to my place for dinner, stopping on the way to pick up thai food from my favorite restaurant. No one really liked their dinner as much as I did, but I appreciated that they tried. We watched the sunset from my rooftop deck, then the fam went back to the hotel.

Xavi at breakfast. After only one day of hanging out with Auntie Rachel, he was already smiling upon seeing my face :) Okay, it's a hesitant smile, but it still counts!

Jeff and I waiting in line at Piroshki, Piroshki for a delicious pastry pouch full of meat and cheese. Yum.

My mom and I waiting for the monorail. Who wouldn't be excited for a ride on a monorail?

Jeff, Amie, and I on the observation deck of the Space Needle. It was cooler than I thought. I saw some moutaintops that I've never seen before (Mount Baker and Mount Hood).

Amie and Xavi on a giant slug. I've decided that if I'm ever filthy rich, my estate will be littered with life-size and/or giant animal statues like this one (and the hippo and gorilla at the STL zoo, for those who have been there).

Once Xavi awoke from his coma-like nap, he was very excited to eat some bread at the SkyCity restaurant.

Lounging on the deck. Xavi was using Jeff as his personal jungle gym...cute.

Saturday - we loaded up the minivan nice and early and headed north. Took a ferry to Whidbey Island, and spent several lovely hours exploring the town of Langley. Ate a delicious lunch, and stuck our toes in the frigid water of Puget Sound. Another day with blue skies and sunshine :)

After Whidbey Island, we headed even further north to Tulalip (the #1 place on earth!) for some shopping at the Premium Outlet mall. Fun but exhausting day.

Xavi's first ride on a ferry!

Cute little family :)

Didu and Gigi at whatever lovely winebar/cafe we had lunch at (can't remember the name...something Bistro maybe?).

Me and Amie...enjoying the sunshine and ambience.

Waiting to get on the ferry to go back to the mainland.

Captain Carlos...supported the local economy by purchasing this hat from a very grateful shop owner. Langley (like everything else) has been hit by the recession, and several places I remembered from last year have since gone out of business.

First mate Xavs.

Sunday - we headed to my church, then to the Fremont Farmer's Market afterward. More lovely weather, more walking, more delicious food. I did have to express to my dear loved ones that I am not used to being with people day-in and day-out for many days in a row, and that I was feeling a little grumpy and to please let me be grumpy until I got over it. And I did get over it. We had a relaxing evening at my apartment, and ordered pizza for dinner.

Monday - the one day of less-than-perfect weather. I met my family downtown under the drizzly gray sky. We did more shopping, and went back to Pike Place Market, and made our way to the Ipanema Grill for lunch. It's a Brazilian restaurant that I've been wanting to try for a while now, with rodizio style dining (a.k.a. all you can eat meat smorgasbord). My friends Amy, Kara, and Jon met us there for lunch...and a great time was had by all. I was spoiled (as usual) with many awesome (and unexpected) birthday presents.

After lunch we took a 2 1/2 hour cruise on the harbor, through the locks, and into Lake Union. It's the same cruise I took with my roommate earlier this year. It was fun to be out on the water and learn fun facts about Seattle, and by the end of the cruise, the sun had come out.

That night we hung out at the hotel, and my dad's childhood friend from Brazil stopped by to visit. It was so much fun to talk to him, and hear their stories.

Tuesday morning I met my family at the hotel, and we went to Pike Place Market one last time for breakfast (at a delicious French bakery). At the market, just before bidding farewell to my loved ones, I started to see flashing lights in one eye, and worried that I might be having a stroke or something...but then a half-hour later the debilitating light-sensitive headache hit and I realized that the flashing lights were an aura (some people get them right before they get a migraine). So I spent the rest of the day in bed in the dark.

It was a great visit, and I'm really thankful that they all made the trip, and that the weather was so nice. I look forward to many more visits in the future...but hopefully I will have a bigger place someday so that people can stay with me instead of in a hotel.

Guess what?

My family is coming to visit in five days! And I can't wait!

Catching Up

So, you know how when you need to do something, but you keep putting it off, and then it just grows more and more daunting as time goes by? That sort of happened to this blog. And apparently also the blogs of everyone I know. Anyway, let's catch up.

I have been thoroughly enjoying the time I've been spending here:

Great energy, fun times...I'm willing to look past the fact that in the 3 games I've watched the Sounders play in person, they have yet to score a single goal. Also trying to convince myself that I am not a bad luck fan. Only annoying Qwest Field thing: they serve Jones Soda Company products. No Pepsi, no Coke = :(

This picture was taken at the Chelsea game, that's why the top section was open. For the MLS games, only the bottom section is.

Have seen beautiful soccer (Sounders v Barcelona), desperate and sloppy soccer (Sounders v Chelsea), and dirty, cutthroat soccer (Sounders v Fire). It's been a blast. Here's an article that was in The Stranger last week that captures the whole experience pretty well: http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/american-football/Content?oid=1973424

Work has been good. Obviously, it's a job, and has some challenges, but overall I'm still incredibly thankful to have it and enjoying the things I'm learning. The biggest hurdle is trying to overcome my perfectionist tendencies. I really beat myself up sometimes when I feel that my job performance wasn't good enough. Like I should really know everything and always do it well. Since this is pretty much impossible...well you can see why it's my biggest challenge. I realize that this problem is deeply rooted in my brain/psyche, and that it's not going to be resolved easily. I'm still a work in progress :)

We had a week of sweltering misery recently. It stayed above 90 degrees well into the night (maybe started cooling down around midnight) which resulted in not a lot of sleep for anyone. I kept all my blinds shut and and even put blankets over my bedroom windows (which get a lot of afternoon sun) to try and keep out the heat. It was pretty much constantly above 85 degrees in my apartment. At least my pool was open and provided a little relief. I also enjoyed taking ice-cold showers right before bed. I'm looking forward to the weather of paradise that happens in September.

The big decision I'm trying to make right now is whether or not I want to get a Wii. I can see myself getting a lot of enjoyment out of it. I can also see myself never leaving my apartment again. Thoughts? Suggestions? Personal anecdotes?

Maybe someday

I have realized that I could never be a critic or reviewer of any kind. (Okay, really, there are lots of things I could never be...). I have an almost total inability to communicate in a 'big picture' kind of way, and am constantly getting tangled up in details. Any time I try to describe what it is about a book or movie that I love to another human, I fail pretty miserably. I love details too much.

That said, I do think that someday I would like to try and write something and send it out into the world. Since finishing school and getting a little more comfortable at work, my brain has been demanding an outlet. Recently I've started carrying around a little notebook (not a moleskin, for readers of Stuff White People Like), and find myself writing sentences/paragraphs/passages as they come to me. Nothing very interesting or worth reading, but experiences and observations and stories. It's sort of becoming something that I must do when the urge strikes, much like having no choice when your bladder signals that it's full :)

Maybe in the next 10 years I will develop enough discipline to write something worthwhile.

But sometimes I forget...

I've been feeling oddly nostalgic lately. Whatever it is about a time and place that carves a spot for itself inside your heart...and then tugs at susceptible moments (Like, for instance, during 'crazy week' which you only understand if you're a woman... or happen to live with a woman...or have ever met a woman). Anyway, things I have recently found myself longing for include: St. George Island (and the people who vacation there), Jeremy and Shannon's former house in Memphis (and the people who reside there), random places in the Lou like my favorite Thai restaurant in the loop, the Barnes & Noble that I used to work at in Chesterfield, and the lake across the street from my parent's house where I took Tessa for walks. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm still glad that I'm here, and have no desire whatsoever to move back to St Louis. Just, like I said, feeling nostalgic. 

I have a print hanging on my wall that I found in an art boutique down the street. This is what it looks like:

This is what the words say: 

"The heart aches for One Great Love. Life does not seem as wonderful as we dreamed it would be. Happiness is not as complete as we thought it would be. The heart is not full. Missing something. How can we miss something that we have not yet lost, nor ever really had? Are our spirits so connected? Why do we dream of something more? Poignant, piercing feelings as we stand in that crowded room. Alone. Unbearable desires. Passion looks for an opening. An open window. But we stay in our shells, our boxes, our houses. We get up. We go to work. We eat. We sleep. We smile, but our eyes have no light, no life. Open, but we are closed. But the heart aches for One Great Love. Just open the door. Open the door, and go forward. Outward. Toward. Courage gives us the power to move the heart. Opening the windows of the soul."

Something about it resonates with me, and it's also pretty to look at :)

What are the times/places that you find yourself missing for no apparent reason?