vegetarian night!

so we're trying something new this year, we're eating at least one meal a week vegetarian.  for a couple of reasons, (1) i keep reading how hard processing meat is on the environment and i feel guilty (2) in general it's healthier (3) in general it's less expensive and (4) we get to try some new things we hadn't before :)

this week we made falafel - a friend of ours gave us the mix and we've had it forever so we finally decided to try it.  we loved it!  if you've never had it, falafel is ground up chick pea with some yummy spices, then fried into patties (okay, so it doesn't quite fall into the healthy category but who's counting?) :)

here's nate frying them up

 

while he was doing that, i made tzatziki (super yummy cucumber/yogurt sauce) i used a recipe i found here.  i should have seeded the cucumbers and drained them a little longer because mine was a bit thinner than it should be, but it was tasty just the same!  i also chopped up a bunch of veggies (what would vegetarian night be without veggies?!)

and then the falafel was all ready to go

 

and then we wrapped it up in a flatbread! i used these (toufayan whole wheat flatbread), i love them.

i think we're going to try stuffed shells next time :)

cleo calendars have been shipped!

every year, i swear off even doing the cleo calendar because..let's face it, the dog only has one facial expression.  but i think this year is my favorite :)  and we already started taking a few photos for next year, so the plan is to do it for at least one more year!

it's not freezing!

well the weather is finally back to normal around here :)  i'm on the porch listening to a thunderstorm and enjoying the breeze :)

exciting things lately?  john, nina, laura, and fletcher are all coming to visit next week!  we're really excited to have them :)  we have big plans for the beach, and eating tacos at taco palenque (if you're local, you MUST go there), drinking copious amounts of orange juice, and plenty of visiting :)  also exciting, we're getting a screen door!  it should really create a nice breeze through the house so we can really take advantage of the weather :)

cleo's been quite the medical case lately - she's had infections and skin issues and eye infections and whatnot.  but she seems to be on the road to recovery :)  the bad part is, she seems to have figured out when we hide medicine in cheese or meat and has been eating around the pills and them spitting them out!  probably because that just results in more cheese :)  she's also been boycotting her meals when we add medicine to them.  little brat!

we tried a delicious indian recipe from pioneer woman's website (http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/06/chicken-tikka-masala-by-pastor-ryan/) it was SO GOOD!  i used two habanero peppers instead of the serranos the recipe calls for and it was ridiculous spicy!  but still really delicious :)  i highly recommend it :)  i usually cheat and buy a premixed jar sauce and add some hot curry paste but this was better :)

off to play some super mario with nate :)

it's freezing!

quite literally and unusually for orlando!  it's a great weekend for curling up on the couch, drinking hot cocoa, red wine, and dark beers :)  we had chili for dinner last night and are working our way through all of the seasons of lost.  it's quite the endeavor!  lucky for us, ryan and sarah like enough to watch many of the episodes twice, so they've been keeping us company while we get up to speed -- we're nearing the end of season 2!

it's been nice to start the new year in a bit of a lazy un-hurried fashion, haven't made a lot of plans or taken any trips so far which has been a nice break from the holidays :)

circa 1992

while looking for a different book, i came across one of nathan's yearbooks.  and i just had to share this picture :)  is that really my husband?  it looks like a picture shot of some extra actors from a lesser known brat pack movie doesn't it?  nate was in a band called 'the ivey league' in high school, and this is them :)

milestones this past decade....

in no particular order  :)
i lived in indiana, louisiana, vermont, virginia and florida.
i graduated college.
i left the country for the first time in my life.
i got a dog.
i became a (joint) house owner.
i got married!
i became an aunt.

i know there are more but that's my list for the time being!

happy new year and welcome 2010!

we had a great new year's eve, we had a fondue night with ryan & sarah -- we've decided it is the perfect meal for new year's eve -- we managed to spread out the three courses from 6 pm until after midnight :)  it was delicious and there was always another course to look forward to :)  we started with a yummy beer cheese (dipped apples, bread, cauliflower and carrots), followed by a yummy seasoned broth which we dipped (and cooked!) steak, chicken, shrimp, scallops, zucchini, mushrooms, and potatoes.  then last we a had a dark chocolate fondue with bananas, apples, sugar wafers and strawberries :)

nate and i went to see the blind side last night and loved it!  i cried a lot.  and then cried some more when we left the movie!  nate was laughing at me but i think he understood :)  it's such an emotional story!  it's also the first time in a long time we've been to a full stadium seating theater (we usually go to our little local west orange 5 that has old style theaters and serves beer!).  we had a little sticker shock at the $9.50 ticket price but i think we just need to get out more ;)  at least to the movies :)

i've posted a bunch of albums on our pics site -- there are updates in november and december from all of the holidays.  i'll be posting our new year's eve pictures soon -- and need to get pictures from our point and shoot - that's what nate uses so those are usually the pictures that i show up in :)

i'm excited and optimistic about the new year :)  not that last year was bad, but i hope we see some (positive!) changes in the economy this year! :)