Date Night

Yesterday, David and I had a date night, which we haven't done in ages. I actually can't remember the last time we did. We both got dressed up. I put on the dark jeans, heels and a cute top and David a nice sweater. We headed over to Ooka, our favorite sushi place. David's brother Noah, gave us a gift certificate for there and movie tickets for Christmas. Thank You! Lately, we have been going to Oishi instead, as they have been having a holiday special on all their rolls. Now they has awesome prices, its a little more relaxed, cute decor, and they have very tasty rolls. I was reminded last night though, that the quality of rolls at Ooka is a lot better. We are still going to go Oishi as it is a lot cheaper, but I think for more special occasions, we will go to Ooka instead. Anyways, we got several rolls and filled our bellies to the max. We left very happy.

After a great dinner, we had planned to go see the movie Juno, but we had some time to spare. We walked through the rain over to Borders to kill some time. I hit up the new section and saw "The Tea Rose", by Jennifer Donnelly. Somewhere, I had read that this was a book, so I picked it up and was immediately drawn in after reading the back. We browsed a little bit more and then headed over to the movie. I have heard so many people talking about how they really liked Juno, so I was excited to go. I was glad to see that Juno decides to put her baby up for adoption instead of having an abortion. Also, I loved the witty banter in the film. It really reminded me of the TV show Gilmore Girls. Occasionally it was a little to much and sometimes I thought to myself, "A 16 year old wouldn't say that", but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The sound track was also very good so I might look into downloading it from Itunes.

Overall, it was a great way for David and I to do something just the two of us and enjoy each others company. Afterwards, we said to each each other that we need to do that more often. I think I might propose that we make it goal to have at least one date night each month.

"He is the cheese to my macaroni." Juno

Spicy Black Eyed Peas

I have never made black eyed peas before so when David requested them I was a little surprised. I learned today that in the south it is a tradition to have black eyed peas on New Years day, as it is supposed to bring you good luck in the next year. David found this recipe on the foodnetwork. I figured you couldn't go wrong with a Paula Dean recipe and she didn't let me down. They were amazing. If you want to read up some more about the tradition of black eyed peas take a read here.

Spicy Black Eyed Peas
Source: Paula Deans, Paula's Home Cooking, Foodnetwork
Servings: 8
Weight Watchers: 11 points per serving

4 slices of bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (16-ounce) package of dried black-eyed peas, washed
1 (12-ounce) can of diced tomatoes and green chiles
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of chili powder
1/2 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
3 cups of water

In a large saucepan, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon, crumble, and set aside to use as a topping after the peas have cooked. Cook the onion in the bacon drippings until tender. Add the peas, diced tomatoes and green chiles, salt, chili powder, pepper and water. Cover and cook over medium heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the peas are tender. Add additional water, if necessary. Serve garnished with crumbled bacon.

Changes that I made: I added a ham hock to the pot and left it in the entire length of time that it was cooking. Also, I found I had to cook the peas longer that stated in the recipe, probably for about an hour and 15 min. Also, I needed to add more water.

Served with freshly baked corn bread.

Yummy Gucamole

I found this recipe awhile ago and have made it many times. This is a great recipe and I get many requests for it! I just realized today though, that I have never blogged about it before, so here you go!

Guacamole
Source: Alton Brown, Good Eats on the Foodnetwork

Ingredients:
3 avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
1 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp of kosher salt
1/2 tsp of ground cumin
1/2 tsp of cayenne
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 Tbsp of chopped cilantro
1 clove of garlic, minced

Directions:
In a medium bowl, toss the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a fork to mash the avocados till smooth. Add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mix. Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 Tbsp of the reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.

White Bean Dip

I found this recipe on Good Things Catered. We had David's family over to watch the USC game and celebrate the new year. I really liked how this came out. It was really good on crackers. Since there were only a couple of us, I would probably half it as I have quite a bit left over. Other wise, I didn't make any adjustments and I would definitely make it again.


White Bean Dip
Source: Good Things Catered

Ingredients:
2 (14oz.) cans of white beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp of butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/4 tsp of salt
2 garlic cloves minced
1 1/2 Tbsp of chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp of thyme
1/2 tsp of freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup of water
1 1/2 Tbsp. of fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Then add salt and onion and cook the onion until it is lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, parsley, thyme, and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Deglaze pan with water and lemon juice, scraping up all browned bits.

In the food processor, add onion mixture and half of the white beans and pulse, until starting to smooth. Turn food processor to on and add the olive oil slowly while blending until smooth. Pour the bean mixture into a medium bowl and fold in remaining whole beans. Add more salt and pepper if needed.

Serve with toasted slices of bread or crackers.

2007 In A Recap

The year 2007 is on the verge of ending and boy was it a busy and amazing year! So many great things happened this year that I am not sure that 2008 can top it! The Lord had blessed us so much. David and I started out the year in the middle of all our wedding planning. It was crunch time to get everything done. All the final details were coming together. We did our engagement pictures, then the bridal shower and bachelor/bachlorette parties. After a year of planning, on April 21st we got married and what a beautiful day it was. All of my family came out from Indiana and from England. I saw my grandma who I hadn't seen in probably 6 years. I saw my aunt and uncle who I hadn't seen since I was 2. I didn't even remember them. The day was so much better than I could have ever anticipated!

After the wedding, we promptly hopped on a plane and went on our honeymoon to Kauai, Hi for 5 days and then 3 days in Honolulu. It is one of the most beautiful places that I have been to on this earth! It was relaxing, fun, adventurous and we had some amazing food as well! We enjoyed it so much that we are planning on going back in July with some friends of ours.



The summer was a blur with me moving into David's apartment and unpacking. We got our precious kitty Cali in May. With all of the adjustments and settling in the summer went by so quickly. We ended the summer with David's birthday. He turned 27 this year and is getting closer and closer to 30.

We ended the year on a great note. Melissa & Troy had their baby Jackson, in November. He is our first nephew and boy is he cute and so adorable especially when he smiles. It's so hard not to spoil him with clothes and other gifts. It was our first Christmas being married and we were busy with parties and other Christmas events.

Looking back the year went by so quickly. I am sure that 2008 will be go by just as fast and be memorable as well. We are going to Miami and then celebrating our first anniversary a couple of months later. We are planning a short trip to Santa Barbara for the weekend to celebrate. We aren't doing anything extravagant, so we can save our vacation hours for our trip to Hawaii in July. We are also thinking about spending next Christmas with my family in England. My parents gave us a gift certificate for American Airlines for Christmas. I am thinking they gave it to us as we initially had told them we didn't think we would be able to go due to how expensive it is. After getting the gift card, we have talked it over and I think we are going ahead and go for it! Right now is the perfect timing, as we don't have any kids and both of us are making good money. My grandma is doing ok health wise except for the flu she has right now. We really don't know how much longer she is going to be with us. Hopefully many years, but you really never know. So, it looks like we will be spending next Christmas in England!

I am definitely looking forward to 2008! Well we will soon be off to our friends the A's place to ring in the new year. Goodbye 2007! Hello 2008!

Bring On The Warmth!

Lately, it has been really cold for Southern California. The other day when I got up for work it was about 31 degrees! Too cold!
We got our electricity bill the other day and we were shocked at how much it was. It was around $130.00, which is what we normally pay during peak summer months, while running the air conditioning all day long. I started keeping track of how often the heat comes on and it is about once every hour! Our apartments were built in the mid 70's and I really think they weren't built very well. We are loosing a lot of heat through our windows and the huge sliding glass door in our bedroom. I really dislike the sliding glass door because I can feel the cold coming through the window while laying in bed. Since it has been even colder, I have been sleeping with the down comforter we have along with 3 other blankets on my side! Now you would think that because I grew up in the Midwest that I would be able to handle the cold weather but no! Its amazing how quickly you become climatized and I am always cold! When I go outside, I wear my thick pea coat, gloves and my scarf. I am dressed as if I was really in the windy city of Chicago!

I keep trying to think of ways we can keep it warmer in our apartment. I know this is tacky but the other night, we put a sheet in between the blinds and sliding glass door! Sad thing is that it only helps a little bit. I think I might just have to suck it up and be cold for awhile or cough up the moula to run the heat more. I think I am leaning towards the warmer idea. Now if I can only convince David!

On a side note, we only have a week and half till we get to go on vacation! I am starting to get excited about going to Miami. I think it is finally starting to sink in that we are going. With some of the Christmas cash I got as presents, we bought myself a new camera for the trip. It's nothing too special, just something small that I can fit in my purse and take snapshots of people. I think I am most excited about the size because my old camera is a monster compared to the new one! Another thing I am excited about for our trip, is that I checked the weather forecast and for next Wednesday when we fly in, it is supposed to be 78 degrees! Wohoo! I'll get to defrost in Miami!

Charlie the Coyote

I have been reading about Charlie for awhile now as he has been growing up. I found out about Charlie from another blog that I read called: Brood and was hooked the first second I saw it. Everyday, I look froward to my daily dose of Charlie. Well today, when I saw the picture of him, I was amazed by his cuteness. I knew I had to tell everyone about him. So, take a look and I am sure he will capture your attention as well!

Click here for: The Daily Coyote