So this is my dinner: red pepper, cucumber, pickles, bread, brie, rice
Hmm, Stacey's camera is better than my iPhone...
Friday, March 25, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Spring gardening
Today Matt and I went out and bought big planters so we can start this year's vegetable garden. We also picked up some cute little succulents along the way. Spring gardening begins!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
bulgar with toasted almonds, parsley, and lemon
Matt and I tried once again to conquer a falafel recipe tonight, this time with mediocre results (at least it was edible this time). While we probably won't make falafel again anytime soon, we will be making this delicious bulgar wheat side salad again:
Ingredients:
1 c cracked wheat
2 c water
1-2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c chopped parsley
1/4 c toasted sliced almonds
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
zest from 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
Boil the water and add the cracked wheat, stir well and reduce to low heat. Add the shallots and garlic and let the cracked wheat absorb all of the water, about 7-10 mins. Turn off the heat and let sit covered for an additional 10-20 mins, ensuring the wheat will be super fluffy at the end. Meanwhile, lightly toast the sliced almonds in a pan over medium heat. When you are ready to serve, add the almonds, parsley, lemon juice, and zest. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Goes perfectly with Jackie's hummus recipe and warm flatbread. Yummmm.
Ingredients:
1 c cracked wheat
2 c water
1-2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c chopped parsley
1/4 c toasted sliced almonds
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
zest from 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
Boil the water and add the cracked wheat, stir well and reduce to low heat. Add the shallots and garlic and let the cracked wheat absorb all of the water, about 7-10 mins. Turn off the heat and let sit covered for an additional 10-20 mins, ensuring the wheat will be super fluffy at the end. Meanwhile, lightly toast the sliced almonds in a pan over medium heat. When you are ready to serve, add the almonds, parsley, lemon juice, and zest. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Goes perfectly with Jackie's hummus recipe and warm flatbread. Yummmm.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Calistoga!!!!
This weekend, we drove north for a getaway weekend in Calistoga. We rented a little yellow cottage from Aurora Park Cottages, packed our bags, strapped the bikes on the car, and zipped out of town.
One of the best parts of our stay was the yummy pastry brunch that was delivered to our door every morning. We could get used to waking up to this:
In addition to eating delicious pastries, on Saturday we went on a 20 mile bike ride through the heart of Calistoga wine country. While the initial climb over a steep mountainous pass (complete with ferocious bobcats, deadly potholes, and speedy monster trucks) was a little too much for Stacey, the rest of the ride was beautiful and mostly flat, winding through scenic vineyards on back country roads:
On Sunday we stopped by Lavender Hill Spa for some much-needed relaxation time, then we swung by our new favorite restaurant, East West Cafe, in Santa Rosa. Best carrot cake in the world! And the hummus and veggie wraps and macro plate and ginger beer were pretty good too.
One of the best parts of our stay was the yummy pastry brunch that was delivered to our door every morning. We could get used to waking up to this:
In addition to eating delicious pastries, on Saturday we went on a 20 mile bike ride through the heart of Calistoga wine country. While the initial climb over a steep mountainous pass (complete with ferocious bobcats, deadly potholes, and speedy monster trucks) was a little too much for Stacey, the rest of the ride was beautiful and mostly flat, winding through scenic vineyards on back country roads:
On Sunday we stopped by Lavender Hill Spa for some much-needed relaxation time, then we swung by our new favorite restaurant, East West Cafe, in Santa Rosa. Best carrot cake in the world! And the hummus and veggie wraps and macro plate and ginger beer were pretty good too.
Overall, a fun and relaxing weekend. Next time we'll need to drag ourselves out of bed a bit earlier and take a hot air balloon ride through the Napa Valley.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Mt Diablo
Today we hiked in Donner Canyon in Mt Diablo State Park. It was a nice change of scenery from the usual lush redwood forests we've been frequenting in the Santa Cruz mountains, and the recent rainfall made for some excellent waterfalls along the trail. (All pictures from the day can be found here).
There were also lots of awesome wildflowers and mossy bits to study.
Toward the end of the hike, we noticed a lot of large holes in the ground, and it wasn't until we saw a HUGE tarantula crawling into one of them that we figured out who was living there. Who knew there were tarantulas in the East Bay?
And although the trail was pretty steep, there were some great views of the Walnut Creek area and surrounding hills.
Of course, it wouldn't really be a good hike unless we got good and muddy. Matt, in his typical fashion, was barefoot for much of the hike. I was less brave but still managed to get dirty in the end.
There were also lots of awesome wildflowers and mossy bits to study.
Toward the end of the hike, we noticed a lot of large holes in the ground, and it wasn't until we saw a HUGE tarantula crawling into one of them that we figured out who was living there. Who knew there were tarantulas in the East Bay?
And although the trail was pretty steep, there were some great views of the Walnut Creek area and surrounding hills.
Of course, it wouldn't really be a good hike unless we got good and muddy. Matt, in his typical fashion, was barefoot for much of the hike. I was less brave but still managed to get dirty in the end.
In total, the trail was about 5 miles of steep grades up and down for a total elevation of about 1300 ft. The steep climbs made it a nice challenge, and the views of were well worth it. As I type this, Matt is asleep next to me on the couch with the cat snoozing on his lap. So I think it is safe to say it's been a good day.
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