Weekend Off

This is what I woke up to this morning:

The first snow fall of the year ... and I think it is here to stay.

I am not too sad about it, especially because it came at the end of a fabulous weekend.

There is a lull in my semester, and I shockingly had no homework that I had to do this weekend.  I decided to take the weekend off and enjoy myself.

On Friday night I went for dinner with my best friend Shauna.  

We ate at the Lil'Belizean Cookshack. The food and conversation were both just what I needed.  We started with samosas, which the cook/waitress/owner hand makes from scratch.  They take about an hour to come out, but are well worth the wait.

My main course was curried chicken roti with coleslaw.  I barely put a dent in this flavourful entree, because I was full of samosas.  

Yesterday the hubby and I ate at a busy little noodle house called Ngoc Van, for the first time.

We shared a pork steamed bun and fresh rolls, and really liked both.

I didn't order well, and ended up with an entree that I didn't like.  The broth was good, but the "beef" balls were not what I was expecting, and were not good.  I also hated the texture of the "sweet potato noodles".  They were very worm like, and had a bizarre texture and bite to them.

 

The hubby really liked his entree, and other dishes around us looked great, so we will definitely be back to try something else on the menu.

How was your weekend?  What was the highlight?

Not San Fransisco

I did not get on a plane today and head to San Fransisco for the Foodbuzz Festival.  Although I had been planning to, and enjoyed myself so much last year, it just didn't work out this year.  I wasn't willing to pay $1800 for two days in San Fransisco, and couldn't seem to find a hotel/flight deal that was reasonable. I was willing to spend about $1200, and since I also had to lose a days pay at work, I figured that I should give myself a limit on what I would spend for this trip.  Usually I would just spend the extra, but I see no need to be frivolous ... Also, I am actually not too sad to miss out, because two of my best bloggy friends that I hung out with last year are not going to be there either.  Perhaps I will see them there next year :-)

The hubby told me he wanted to take me out for a fabulous dinner tonight to make up for the good festival food I have to miss out on this weekend.

We went to one of the nicest restaurants in the city - The Creek Bistro.

We had some wine and 2 appetizers.  

One of the appetizers was a cheddar chili cheesecake with local black lentil "caviar".  We also had escargot stuffed mushrooms, prawns, and a polenta caprese salad bite.

My main course was a strip loin with scallops and a chipotle butter with seasonal vegetables and frites.

After dinner we got lattes at Starbucks and wandered around Chapters.  

It was nice to take a homework break and enjoy a nice evening out with the hubby - especially on a day when I thought I would be heading to San Fransisco.  

How much would you be willing to spend for a weekend away? (2 days, 2-3 nights)

The hubby and I went to Vegas in September for the weekend and paid only about $1200 for the two of us (for flight and hotel).  I thought that was a fantastic deal!

Taking a Break ... Now and Then.

The last couple weeks have been pretty crazy.  I have read over 100 articles just this week, and have had very little time to cook and clean, let alone have fun.  I basically come home from work, do research, eat, and then do more research.  

I have been fueling up on veggies to get a bunch of vitamins and help keep me from getting run down.  My latest favourite snack has been a giant bowl of brussels sprouts.  I have also been juicing:

On Thursday I took 1/2 hour to make risotto to go with the turkey sausage that the hubby made:

 

Also, I was very thankful that the generous people at One Earth sent me some Quinoa Crunch Chocolate Square Mix, that allowed me to bake something in 5 minutes.   

All I needed to add was eggs, butter and oil. 

 

I went out last night for the first time in a couple weeks.  After a long day of a thesis seminar, and making notes, I needed a break.  We decided at the last minute to dress up and head to our friends' Halloween party for a couple hours.  We only went out from about 8:30-11:00, but it was nice to step away from papers and my computer for a while.

I dressed up as Minnie :-)  

Did you go out this weekend to celebrate Halloween?

Are you handing out candy on Halloween, taking someone trick or treating, dressing up, going out, or none of the above?

Enjoy your Sunday peeps!  

I will be writing all day, and praying that it goes smoothly.

Ridiculously Easy Beer Bread

This recipe literally took me 2 minutes to throw together yesterday after work.  My friend over at Simply Life made it with pumpkin beer, but I didn't have that, so I worked with what I had.  It turned out beautifully, and is so moist.  I made a sandwich with it today.

Easy Beer Bread

Adapted from: Simply Life

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup white flour

1 T sugar

1 tsp sea salt

1 T baking powder

14 oz beer (I used Kilkenny)

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix everything except beer into a bowl.  Add beer.  Stir.

Spray a loaf pan and pour in batter.

Bake 45 minutes.

Before:

After:

Have you ever made your own bread?  

What is the easiest, most delicious bread you make?

Feel free to leave links!

Another super easy, amazing bread that I love to make is this one.

Dinner Party and Thesis Research

Last night our friends Emma and Dalton had us over for a dinner party to celebrate Dalton's birthday.  We started with some delicious edamame beans with olive salt, lemon, and olive oil.  We also had 2 delicious salads and fresh bread. My favourite salad was this one:

 

The main course was a cheesy, delicious manicotti.  

I loved every bite, and went back for seconds:

We had a huge selection of desserts.  I brought burnt grapes, and some of Angela's pumpkin pie brownie 'cupcakes':

They were the first thing that I baked this fall, and it felt good to get back in the kitchen, if only for a short time.  

Today I have a date with this stack of articles:

Dear Thesis Research,

You suck.

    

How was your weekend?  

What was the highlight? 

Eating from the Freezer

I had class on Wednesday night, and had to do homework before heading to class.  The hubby took some bolognese sauce from the freezer (I made a bunch before the semester started), and we had dinner together in no time.  

A few weeks ago he baked 4 loaves of my favourite bread, so that mornings could be quick and easy as well.  Yesterday I toasted two slices of homemade bread, to enjoy with my perfect scrambled eggs.

 

Another quick meal ... 

Hot dogs.

I just can't let go of summer. 

Happy Friday! What do you have planned for your weekend?

Missing the Kitchen

Thank you for all the wonderful birthday wishes!  I had a great time celebrating, and was able to enjoy one of my favourite meals ...

Bee Bim Bop

I also ate more kimchi than everyone in Korea combined on Saturday.

It was nice to get our for dinner, as I haven't had a lot of time to go out lately.  I also haven't had much time to cook, and I am really missing it.  I feel like I haven't done any cooking in the past two months, and truthfully it has not been a lot.  I have a major itch to get in the kitchen and try some new recipes.  

I haven't even made anything with pumpkin yet!

The hubby has been awesome, as he has been making supper most evenings while I research or write.  He has also been on his own for house cleaning, grocery shopping, etc..  I am excited to have more time to help out in about 6 weeks when I am done all my classes for the degree I am working on.

Last night he made some chicken with Indian spices and brown rice.

What are you missing right now?