Library Loot #15

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Alessandra and Eva that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!
I saw EcoChick on the shelf at the library. It might have some neat ideas in it. Yes, Fragile Eternity to complete The Wicked Lovely series. I still have to read Ink Exchange. It's in the pile. And Where Shall We Go For Dinner caught my eye off the shelf too. Another foodie memoir :)
I finished Sarah by Orson Scott Card this week. It was a slow start but I got into it after a while. At the beginning I felt that I read it before and perhaps I did but I don't think I finished it before. I had been looking for another Red Tent. It wasn't quite what I wanted but it wasn't terrible either. If you like biblical fiction, I would recommend it.
What did you get this week?

Weekly Geek #14

This week's task was sent in by Maree of Just Add Books, who's been thinking about those things that we do when we're not reading or blogging. Here's what Maree has to say:

The comments on this post of mine got me thinking about guilty pleasures. Non-reading guilty pleasures.

Mine at the time the post was written was American Idol. Particularly one contestant, as you can see. By now, the show is over, and the results are in, one way or another. But my inappropriate addiction to Idol got me thinking about the things we do that we love but that we don't like to admit to--our guilty pleasures. Mine is reality TV, which scratches that small, dark place that we all have.

So. Weekly Geeks, we're going into the confessional this week.

What's your non-reading guilty pleasure?
Trashy TV?
Trashier movies?
Junk food?

Well Tai would say my guilty pleasure is bad movies. At least bad to him. I love cheesy action flicks (like anything with Jason Statham) and teen movies (my favorite being Can't Hardly Wait). I could watch Bring It On, She's All That, and Mean Girls over and over again. Or an action flick marathon would also keep me happy. Put on the Transporter series and the third Blade movie and I will sit happily in front of the tv for hours!
But I would say my guilt pleasure is junk food. I love candy, carmel corn, ice cream, brownies, cupcakes, and fast food. I'm trying to limit all that but I could eat it all day!
What about you? What your guilty pleasure?

Steamed Shrimp

I had some shrimp and I wasn't sure what to make with them. It's been getting warmer here so I didn't want to make anything too laborous or involving the oven. I decided to try the steamed shrimp recipe on the back of the Old Bay seasoning container.
So yummy. Next time I'll buy more shrimp!

Exploring Ballard

Saturday night the girls and I headed to Ballard to try some Mexican food and cupcakes.I heard good things about La Carta de Oaxaca so we decided to check it out. We were not disappointed. I got the carne asada tacos. So delicious!I also got the chile rellenos. It was yummy. It was not like another chile rellenos I ever had but still really good.
Ashley and Erin got the tamale. I had a little bit of the dough and it was good.
Next we tried Cupcake Royale. Consensus was that Trophy was better. But Tai liked the cupcakes I brought home.
I got the chocolate scorcher, salted carmel, mint chocolate, triple chocolate, pink frosting with chocolate, and The Royale with Cheese (cream cheese frosting).
It was a fun Saturday night and I'm looking forward to the next time.

Drop Biscuits

I confess. I usually don't make bread items from scratch. I've been burned before. Since I don't have a stand mixer, I feel like I don't mix the ingredients well enough or I over mix things. But Sunday morning I wanted biscuits. I didn't have any mix but I figured a simple drop biscuit would be easy. And it was.I used this recipe. I made less than the recipe called for, so I wasted some batter. But pretty good for my first attempt. The outside was all crispy and the inside was warm and doughy. Ok, I think I can make these. Plus they call for shortening and I have a ton of Crisco!

Weekly Geek #13

Again with Memorial Day Weekend here in the U.S. starting traditionally on Friday evening, it also is unofficially the start of summer. You've probably been asked this in other meme groups in which you participate, but do your reading habits change over the summer? Do you choose lighter fare? What do you enjoy to take to the beach, for example? What is the ultimate summer book?

I don't change my reading habits in the summer. I used to do the whole beach read/trashy novel approach. But now I just read whatever is in my pile. But there is something about reading a trashy novel while laying by a pool! I would recommend something like Second Assistant or one of the Shopaholic books. Keep it light and fluffy!

Library Loot #14

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Alessandra and Eva that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!
Another 2 book week. Both of these are for me. Eva referenced Javatrekker in another review, but it sounded interesting. I love coffee. And I was so excited to see In Defense of Food on the shelf at the library. I will finally be able to read one of his books. I. can. not. wait!
I was able to finish 2 books this past week. First Wicked Lovely. I was intrigued by the reviews of this book during the read-a-thon. Not disappointed at all. I really enjoyed getting lost in the fairy world. It was a fun book and I look forward to completing the series. I did fill the void I felt when I finished Twilight. Other reviews of Wicked Lovely can be found at A Journey Of Books, Jenny Loves To Read, and Paperback Passion.
I also read Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist. I loved this movie so when I heard it was orginally a book, I had to read it. For me it was hard to read the book. I kept hearing Micheal Cera's voice (oddly not Kat Demings). One chapter is Nick and the next Nora. And they go back and forth like that. The writing is very stream of conciousness but the movie was too. The movie closely followed the book so I kept picturing the movie. All this book did for me was want to see the movie again and again. For more reviews, check Stop, Drop, and Read, YAnnabe, and Mixtures: Books...+.
What did you get this week?

How I Spent My Memorial Day

Yesterday, we went to our friend's son's baseball game. We brought a picnic of homemade potato salad with store bought fried chicken. I also roasted some corn but we were full and didn't have any.It was a gorgeous lazy day in the sun. Hope you had a great Memorial Day!

This week's Farmer Market Haul

He did have the sugar snap peas he promised from last week. I bought about 4 lbs. We ate a ton yesterday in our salads. I got 2 bunches of radishes. I didn't get any last week and I missed them. I bought salad lettuce from a different vendor this week. Her salad mix had nasturtium in it. And I do love edible flowers. Plus a whole bunch of herbs. I think I'll buy from her next week too. She also had walnuts too. I bought a half a pound of those. I love fresh nuts! The sugar snap pea guy told me that he'll have English peas in a few weeks, so I can't wait for those. Not a lot of fruit yet, but more good veggies!
Have a great Memorial Day! I don't know what Tai and will get up to, but probably will involve eating!

ABC's Of Me

I stole this from Rachel. It looked like fun.

A - Age: 33
B - Bed size: Queen
C - Chore you hate: cleaning the bathroom, emptying the dishwasher, taking out the trash, vacuuming. I hate all chores except laundry.
D - Dog's name: No puppies at this time.
E - Essential start your day item: Dan-active, my meds and a shower.
F - Favorite color: I’m favoring blue these days, but I like all colors.

G - Gold or Silver or Platinum: Usually silver or platinum
H - Height: 5'8"
I - Instruments you play: None, like Rachel I took piano when I was kid.

J - Job title: Advocate
K - Kid(s): None of those either
L - Living arrangements: One bedroom apartment with hubby

M - Mom's name: Connie
N - Nicknames: Tai has a bunch of random nicknames for me like beautiful baby or shea butter butt.
O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: None
P - Pet Peeve: People who block doors or stand in the middle of the sidewalk.
Q - Quote from a movie: Ex-squeeze me? Baking powder?- From Wayne's World. I still say this.
R - Right handed or left handed: Right
S - Siblings: One older brother
T - Time you wake up: 6:20am
U- Underwear: Like as in do I wear any or what kind do I wear? Bikinis
V - Vegetable you dislike: None. I love all veggies.

W - Ways you run late: slept late, left late, traffic
X - X-rays you've had: dental
Y - Yummy food you make: Curry, spaghetti, pizza
Z - Zoo favorite: I like seeing all the animals. No real favorites.

PW's Ginger Steak Salad

I had starred Ree's Ginger Steak Salad a while ago. Since I bought some thin cut steak over the weekend I figured it was a good time to try it.Definitely pretty easy to make. I added mushrooms, bell peppers, and cucumber to make it more of a meal. We like hearty salads. I followed her recipe pretty closely but I added more olive oil to the dressing, about 4 tbs total to make enough for both of salads. We like a well dressed salad. I also had added a whole jalapeno. Once I mixed the dressing together I realized it was too spicy for me. I strained out the jalapeno before serving the salad and it wasn't as spicy. Just a little spicy. I will definitely make this again. It was delicious and quick!

Library Loot #13

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Alessandra and Eva that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!Finally some books for me! I'd kept The Brief Wonderous Life Of Oscar Wao off my tbr pile since I hate reading those popular books just because they are popular. I like it when I hear they are good too. Especially from people I trust. So when Blog Goggles said go pick it up now, I did.
I was pretty excited to see a review of Dark Places on Omnivoracious. I enjoyed Sharp Objects so I hope I enjoy this one too. Although I need to prepare myself apparently, so it's down my list.
I finished Perfect Fifths. I was so excited for the conculsion of Jessica and Marcus' story. I was so engrossed in the story I didn't notice when my bus got into a small accident. No one was hurt. I only noticed when the driver screamed. I was that engrossed! This book was short but it tied up their story nicely. Other reviews can be found at Wondrous Reads,What Was I Reading?, and Steph Su Reads.

Weekly Geek #12

This week, take us on a literary tour of your hometown!

Do you live in a place where a famous author was born? Does your town have any cool literary museums or monuments? Does Stephen King live at the end of your street? Was Twilight set in your hometown?

Share your fun literary facts about the town or area where you live. You can talk about famous (or not so famous) authors who live there, novels that have been set in your area, or any other literary facts that you know about where you live. Feel free to embellish with pictures of places and/or authors, maps of the area, and fun facts about the authors.

As usual, feel free to personalize this. Don’t like your hometown? Pick another! Do you live in a literary wasteland? Feel free to expand and discuss a region. Feel like returning to a place you lived 20 years ago? Go for it!

I can think of books set here in the PNW but I can't think of many authors. Oh, let's turn to the internet for help.
Duh, Dan Savage lives in Seattle. I think of him more as a columnist than an author but he has written a couple of books.
Ann Rule lives in the Seattle area. I've never read her books, but I think she wrote several books about local murders.
Tom Robbins lives in the Seattle area as well. I've never read his books either. Never seen the movie Even Cowgirls Get The Blues.
As for novels that are set around here, I've read Broken For You and Nisei Daughter. The Twilight novels were set in Forks. I know Hotel On the Corner Bitter and Sweet is set in Seattle so it's on my tbr list.
Any of your favorite books set in the Seattle area?

Farmer's Market Haul

Nothing too extraordinary this week. Again not much there in the way of produce and we have some stuff from last week. I got more lettuce, asparagus and onions (green and yellow). Last week I saw a guy selling bread. I didn't really need any then but this week I stopped and picked up a loaf of garlic herb. I think that will go well with the sweet Italian sausage I picked up there too. I've never bought meat at the farmer's market but I was willing to try it. Especially after I heard a couple arguing about how many pounds to buy. It must be good if people are willing to stock up on it.
I heard a rumor that sugar snap peas will be available next week. I love sugar snap peas so let's see how much I'll buy.

Currently....

using
My new toy! I bought the Smartshopper this week. I found a good deal on Buy.com and had to buy it. Tai had fun trying to "stump" it. I can't wait to really use it!

wanting
I cannot wait for Beatles Rock Band to be available! I love Rock Band and we've played a lot of the songs I know. I know almost every song the Beatles wrote so this should be easy and fun!

readingOnce upon a time, I used to read 10+ magazines. But then I met Tai who hates it when I read and watch tv. So I stopped subscribing to tons of magazine because I didn't have time to read them all. But I couldn't stop reading Real Simple. I love this magazine. I always find interesting ideas. I love the recipes!

Book Meme Again

1. Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
Not usually. I tend to read on the bus so no snacking.

2. Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?

I don't write in my books anymore. I haven't felt the need to.

3. How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?

I try to use bookmarks but I have been known to fold down a page.

4. Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?

I like fiction mostly but I will read non-fiction.

5. Hardcopy or audiobooks?

I usually buy paperbacks. I get whatever I can from the library. I don't listen to audiobooks.

6. Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?

Nope, I'm able to put it down when I need to.

7. If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away? Write it down to look it up later? Just try to infer what it means from the rest of the sentence, and keep going?

I usually infer, but I'll look it up later.

8. What are you currently reading?

Perfect Fifths

9. What is the last book(s) you bought?

I haven't bought a book in a while. I can't remember now.

10. Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can read more than one at a time?

I usually only read one.

11. Do you like re-reading books?

Nope. I usually don't. I have too many books to read!

Asparagus with Garlic, Ginger, and Sesame

Tai had a lemon garlic asparagus years ago. He asked me to attempt to recreate it. Again, he didn't know what was in this magical dish. I did some searching and found this recipe.
So delicious. It's not the magical asparagus dish Tai was looking for but he did enjoy this one. I leave out the chives and the sesame seeds. If you leave the asparagus in the sauce while you get the rest of dinner ready, a few minutes, it gets better!

Weekly Geek #11

For this week's edition of Weekly Geeks, I'd like to focus on one of the most useful tools for a bibliophile: Bookmarks.

Do you use bookmarks or just grab whatever is handy to mark your page? Do you collect lots of different bookmarks or do you have a favorite one that you use exclusively? If you're not someone who uses bookmarks on a regular basis, have you ever used anything odd to mark your place?

If you make your own bookmarks or have a bookmark collection, please feel free to share some pictures with the rest of us.

I used to have a collection of bookmarks as a child but I've lost most of them. When I go to Dad's I'll have to see if any are left.
I have 2 bookmarks I keep in my bag.
As you can see they are well used! I was just thinking the other day I need to get some more. I tend to lose them so I don't like to spend money on them. I've also been known to use plane ticket stubs and magazine subscription cards.
Tai got this one as a wedding gift. It's his and I never use it. I don't want to lose it. I'm glad he got a proper bookmark though. He used tissues before that!
Perhaps I should order some of these from ChicBoutiqueJewelry. I like how simple but colorful!
What about you? Do you use bookmarks? Or do you just fold the corner down (which I have done before)?

Library Loot #12

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Alessandra and Eva that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!Another one book library loot this week. My list of books has not diminished but they just have long queues at the library. Hopefully I can catch up a little.
I mentioned discovering the books about biblical women last month. I sadly had to take back Rebekah back before I could read it. Hopefully I'll be able to read Sarah before it's due back.
Last week I read The Sharper The Knife, The Less You Cry. I actually enjoyed it. I've always harbored the idea that I would go to culinary school for fun like she did. But this book cured me of that idea. I have no intention of being a chef so going through the pain of being yelled at doesn't sound appealing. I think cooking classes might be more up my alley. Delicious sounding recipes though. Also made me want to go to Paris but that seems pretty easy. Food related memoir are quickly becoming my favorite type of non-fiction. Other reviews can be found at Book Nut, Deborah On The Go, and Reading for Sanity.
Get anything good this week?

Cabbage Mint Salad

Tai had this salad in Los Angeles years ago. He asked me to recreate it from his memory. It's a great salad for a potluck. It's easy to make. It can be made a head of time. It's refreshing on a warm day.The "recipe"
green cabbage
mint (dried is ok, fresh is better)
lemon juice (preferably fresh squeezed but bottled is ok)
olive oil
salt

Combine to your taste. This time I used a whole cabbage, but the above photo is probably half a cabbage. I used 4 tbs of lemon juice, 8 leaves of mint, 2tbs of olive oil, and 2 tsp of salt. You want every bite to have a little bit of each. Serve chilled.

Farmer's Market Haul

I made it to the farmer's market this weekend. There wasn't a whole lot there yet. A lot of plants and crafts, but here's what I got:Fingerling potatoes, radishes, lettuce, salad onions, asparagus, and sunchokes. Tai had never had sunchokes before. He really didn't know what to make of them. If you've never had them they are crunchy like jicama with less flavor. I like them in salads or just to snack on. Not a bad haul. I can't wait til there's more fruit!

Steak, Tacos & Ice Cream on Capitol Hill

The other night Ashley, Marta and I went to Capitol Hill to try Tin Table. I was interested after Marta got a recommendation from a coworker. Tin Table is in the same building as the Century Ballroom where Marta, Ashley and I used to take swing dancing lessons. I knew what I was ordering before we got there. I wanted to try to the cheese plate and I always can count on Ashley to share cheese plates with me.The triple cream in the middle was divine. I like drunken goat on the top of the plate so that was a winner. So was the pecorino.
Marta got the baked olives and almonds which turned out to be a real treat.I'd never had baked olives before. They were delicious.We all tried the same entree-the Steak Frites. If it on the menu I have to have it. This one had a blue cheese butter on top. The sauce it was sitting in was better though. We all liked it.
Marta ordered the Spicy Molten Chocolate Cake. The Chantilly cream on top was delicious.
After Tin Table we headed over to Rancho Bravo Tacos. I heard about the famous taco truck opening their own store on Nancy Leson's blog, All You Can Eat.
Ashley was pretty excited since she'd eaten at their Wallingford outpost. I was not disappointed.
I only had room for one taco! I tried the pork carnitas taco topped just the way I like it. I'll be making trips to Capitol Hill for these tacos. Cheap too! Just $2 each.
And lastly the reason we were so excited to head to Tin Table. It's in the same building as the new Molly Moon location.
Almost no line on this rainy May day. Full, we got our ice cream to go and headed home. This is now my favorite block in Seattle!

Library Loot #11

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Alessandra and Eva that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!
This week's library loot is all for Tai.
Tai's reading Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. This is the next one. It's one large book.
I read about The Umbrella Academy on Omnivoracious last week. I was intrigued since the author also worked on Buffy and Hellboy comics.
Nothing for me since I'm knee deep in books! I raced through Lark and Termite in order to get it back to the library on time. I was very impressed by Jayne Anne Phillips' writing style. It was like reading a movie. I could see all the action. I also liked how she bounced from character to character especially Robert's time in Korea. It related to the main story and about Lark and her brother, Termite, so well. But each character had it's own voice, so articulated from each other. If you like a well told story, then put this on your list! Other more eloquent reviews can be found at Clarion Friends, The Mooske and the Gripes, and Book Reviews.

Happy Cinco De Mayo

I love Cinco De Mayo. I wish it was a weekend so I could enjoy a few tequilas!We'll probably have a quick taco salad like the one above. But if you need a little inspiration, here are some recipes I've been wanting to try. Let me know if you try one.

Smoky Spicy Tamale Pie-I'm still wanting to try this one.
Simple Perfect Enchiladas-PW you can't go wrong!
Tex-Mex Breakfast-I should have tried this one when I had Jimmy Dean sausage. Although I think it would be yummy with chorizo.
Tacos Al Pastor-One of my favorites! I especially like how he tops them in the picture-with cilantro and onion.

Whatever you make today, have a great Cinco De Mayo!

Faith 21

I forgot that Forever 21 opened their plus size store, Faith 21, on Friday. Sadly the clothes aren't available in my local store, just online for me. About a dozen stores have the line in store. The line looks small, about 30 items or so. Hopefully they add more cause I like what I see.I'm really digging these ruffles. I can see this tunic over some skinny jeans. So sexy. I love showing off the cleavage!
A sweet little summer dress. Perfect for casual dinners.

Currently....

eatingI love these Pixie Tangerines. I found them at Whole Foods. They are juicy and sweet.

usingI adore this stain remover from Melaluca. It's been taking out all the stains so far-a little blood, a little dirt. I'm tempted to make a big mess so I see if it takes all stains out.

watching

Yes, this show has been on for a while. We've seen a few episodes here and there but now we're going to watch the seasons from the beginning.

Beef Stroganoff Meatloaf

A couple of weeks I was contacted by the nice folks at County Bob's about their sauce. They were very sweet to send me 2 bottles and some recipes for me to try. After looking at their website I decided to make beef stroganoff meatloaf. I love meatloaf and Tai loves beef stroganoff. Yummy. The sauce makes the whole dish! But the meatloaf itself is perfect. Excellent comfort food. I meant to make mashed potatoes and peas to go with it but Tai was called out on massage duty. The problem of having a husband that gives awesome massages! So we had a quick dinner before hitting the road to help a friend with a back problem. I'll make this again and do it up right!