Happy Birthday to Me!

at Lombardino's

For my birthday, I went out for Indian at the Taj with Crystal and Jason, had dinner at Lombardino's with Jim and Mike, and had a swanky deluxe pedicare at AniU Salon and Spa (thanks, Laura!). I completely indulged myself at the Taj, and ordered the orechiette with Fraboni's sausage and rapini, and I must say that the pedicure has been the longest lasting one I've ever had.

My pedicure

Laura's pedicure

The Garden's Last Gasp

Before I broke everything down, cleaned, and put the garden to bed for the winter, I wanted to share a few snippets of it with you.

Lavender

Rosemary and thyme

Chiles

The last of the Nyagous that escaped freezing

Same tomatoes transformed into a caprese salad

Curiosity Killed the Greek Cat?

I have a new feline companion, Saffron (named for the daughter in AbFab) or Chickpea or Ceci (Italian for chickpea). On a recent weekend morning, I heard a crash from the kitchen and watched Saffy bolt under my bed. Assured that she hadn't killed herself, I drifted back to sleep.

Milwaukee

Hue Vietnamese

I'd never had spring rolls with grilled pork sausage, so I was a little skeptical; the ones at Hue in Bayview were delicious, so I shall never doubt the wonder of sausage in a spring roll again.

Spring rolls with pork sausage

Go west, young (wo)man!

After a little bit of finagling and jogging, I made my connection in Detroit and landed in Phoenix in the afternoon, as planned. We relaxed a bit and then headed to Crudo for dinner with a few friends. Matt had been before, but for the rest of us, this was our maiden voyage.

Crudo means "raw" in Italian, although only one of us opted for something from the raw portion of the menu. (I figured we'd probably hit up one of Phoenix' marvelous sushi spots at some point in the trip.)

We started with the yummy smoked olives.

Smoked olives

Sona + Aaron over for din-din

Making peanut sauce in mini processor

I couldn't find the original recipe I used for this spicy Thai stir-fry, but here are a few similar ones from Bon Appetit and Food and Wine:

• http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/panang-tofu-curry

• http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/thai-style-tofu-and-vegetables

Broccoli + garlic

As usual, I omitted any sugars (e.g., brown sugar, honey, agave). I also used broccoli and carrots instead of the veggies outlined in the above recipes. I wish I could find the recipe for the peanut sauce. The one I used was made with roasted, salted peanuts instead of peanut butter like the one from Cookie and Kate below. (And if I had used the latter, I would've opted for crunchy.) I also used Sriracha sauce, but I could've thrown in some red pepper flakes.

Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce

• ½ cup creamy peanut butter
• ¼ cup reduced sodium tamari
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey (or agave nectar, to taste)
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons water

The finished product

Spicy Cootie-patootie + Kickass Mold

I'm very proud of installing up this spice rack solo.

And this was a cute outfit.

And this is some kickass mold that I inadvertently grew on some artichokes in my fridge. I'm usually pretty good about avoiding disgusting stuff like this in the fridge, but it was in the far back. I overlooked it until it became impressive. It's actually kinda pretty in a way. ;)

Evensong Spa

Laura and I channeled our inner divas and went to the Evensong Spa in Green Lake a few weeks ago.

At breakfast

Sorry for the wretchedly dark photo. The sunny landscape wasn't doing us any photographic favors, but it, plus the bare trees and the snowy lake, made for a lovely view.

Labyrinth

This time, I didn't walk the labyrinth, but L. did. It seems a little cheesy, but it really is very soothing. And the bank of windows affords a lovely view of the surrounding landscape.

Snowshoeing in Cherokee Marsh

I finally bought a pair of snowshoes. B. was kind enough to help me strap myself in and then join me in an hour-long trek through Cherokee Marsh. It was a gorgeous, sunny day for it, and we definitely logged a workout. (When we were ready to turn around, we were both tired and ready for a snowmobile to pick us up, but we persevered and tromped back. There was a shortcut involved. ;)) My legs and bum hurt days later.

A cute close-up

Easy Veg Pizza

Phyllo dough has been living in my freezer for way too long, so after many defrostings and refreezings, it finally made its inaugural appearance. I found a simple recipe for veggie pizza using phyllo dough, so I thought I'd try my hand at it. The recipe I used as a guideline is from Good Housekeeping. (Don't judge me. ;)) Instead of pizza, tomatoes, red onion, mozzarella, and parmesan, I topped it with black beans, black olives, tuna, artichoke hearts, and parmesan. I also didn't cut it into rectangles, choosing instead to kept the full sheet intact.

Phyllo dough coated with olive oil

First you have to prepare the phyllo dough by stacking layers of it and oiling the layers in between. Most of the time, people use butter, but I picked the healthier olive oil. (Don't get me wrong. Mama loves her butter, but it's generally reserved for topping popcorn.) You need to bake the shell for about five minutes before adding the toppings, and I cooked the entire pizza for longer than the allotted 3-4 minutes.

Curried Vegetable + Chickpea Stew

Another soup? Yes, I am an inveterate soup eater, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I've even been known to eat soup in the heat of summer. You can ask my friends. But especially during the winter months, I crave the comfort of warm soup. The Kitchn (adapted from Cooking Light) is responsible for this crockpot recipe for curried vegetable and chickpea soup, and I absolutely love it. (Thanks to the Daleys again for giving me their old crockpot. It's well-used and well-loved.)

I've been eating this all week, and I'm still not sick of it. I left out the coconut milk and substituted kale for spinach because I have a ginormous bag of it in the freezer from Costco. What else? I didn't have any fresh ginger on hand, but if I had, I definitely would've added it.

Takumi with Ms. Laura

After a failed attempt to hit JCPenney's optical center, Laura and I decided to indulge in Takumi. I've blogged about this place before, but I still can't get over how great the food is and how affordable the prices. Don't be deterred by the fact that it's plunked in a strip mall out by the mall. Inside, it's tastefully decorated, and you'll feel right at home.

Who are those gorgeous grrrrls?

Laura started with fried tofu, and I started with a warming miso soup. We both had cups of their green tea, which is so unusual. It's unlike any green tea I've had before in that it has a sort of toasted barley taste to it. It's a wonderful addition. Next time, I'll ask the waitress or waiter about it.

Seaweed salad

I really need to learn how to make seaweed salad. Do you need fresh seaweed? And what type? Must do some research. It seems rather simple once you have the right ingredients, but perhaps it's deceptively complex. Dunno.

Spicy tuna roll

 My spicy tuna roll has a marvelous slight crispness to the tuna that was marvelous.

Dragon roll

Sichuan Carrot Soup

Ever since I had it at the now defunct Sunroom spin-off (the one formerly on Odana), I've been wanting to attempt a Sichuan carrot soup. And now I've done it! ;) This version from The Art of Doing Stuff is a pretty decent version. I included the directions for making it on the stove top, but I did it in the crockpot. Let's see. I left out the sugar, as per usual, and I at least doubled, if not tripled, the red pepper flakes. It is afterall Sichuan, so it should be on the the kick-your-ass end of the spicy spectrum. I may not have added the milk at all, and if I did, it would've been plain almond milk. I also threw in some leftover roasted chicken. I pureed it with a stick blender, but I kept a few of the carrot chunks since I'm not a huge fan of completely pureed soups.

Aromatic Shower Disks

Vicks made these shower disks (from Frugal by Choice, Cheap by Necessity) for a short while, and I was enamored with the soothing sensation they evoked. I don't think they make them anymore. After hearing that that they're v. easy to make, I had to give it a whirl. I desperately miss the eucalyptus steam room from the gym, so I needed a little something to make up for it.

You can use whatever essential oils you like, but I highly recommend eucalyptus, tea tree oil, and/or rosemary. Even if you're not sick, they are refreshing and rejuvenating. Just plunk them in the shower, and they'll melt away down the drain. You could probably also use them in the bathtub. And since they're made with baking soda, water, and essential oils, you don't have to worry about sending toxic pollutants into the water system.

Egg Bakes

This winter, I've been a wee-bit obsessed with egg bakes in the crockpot. I tried a feta and mushroom one. I don't have any photos of that one, and I found it a bit bland.

Next, I tried a sort of Mexican one with black beans, chicken, salsa, garlic, tomatoes, and spices. I didn't really use a recipe, but it was delicious. I'll finish off the last of it tomorrow morning.

Baked Falafel with Cucumber-Pita Salad

I hadn't made falafel since K. and I attempted a batch in my minuscule kitchen in London. Since it had been more than a decade, it was time to try again. In an attempt to imitate the wondrous falafel we had from street vendors, I'm pretty sure we fried ours. This time, I was hoping for a somewhat healthier version, so I baked them. (Plus, I hate frying stuff in my apartment. The joint inevitably smells greasy for days afterward.)

This recipe from Instructables turned out alright. They didn't hold together as well as I'd hoped, and they weren't as crunchy on the outside as I like. The spice level was great, mainly because I amped up the cayenne and garlic and added other Indian spices (e.g., turmeric) that weren't called for. Turmeric has many health benefits, so I like to throw it into lots of stuff.

Whole Roasted Tandoori Cauliflower

Tandoori spice blend

I'm always trying new cauliflower recipes because I mostly find it a bit underwhelming. That's what tempted me to try whole roasted Tandoori cauliflower from My New Roots. It had great potential, but I wasn't impressed with the end product. Perhaps I used too much of the marinade, but the cauliflower was too spicy to eat, and the interior was just steamed cauliflower. Perhaps the mint chutney would've helped, but I'm dubious.

Garlic

Not wanting to chuck an entire head of cauliflower into the trash, I attempted to transform it into a soup, adding more yogurt and Neufchatel (my attempts to insert a circumflex over the A were futile) cheese. It's still fairly spicy, and I ended up with a gigantor batch of it, so some of it's still living in my freezer. After I finish the soup, I'm going to try Going Cave Woman's recipe for crunchy cauliflower. It caught my eye on Pinterest, and I'm intrigued. It's even supposed to be low in calories.