Thursday, July 31, 2014

I Feel Beautiful 5 Photo Challenge

Happy Throwback Thursday! My friend over at Tan Lines & Wine challenged me to pick 5 pictures that I feel I look beautiful in and since it's Thursday, I figured today would be the perfect time. I've seen this floating around facebook and I love the idea, but I'm too lazy most of the time to do these "challenges". Since Mrs. Lily called me out specifically, I guess I'm stuck! I ended up choosing mostly recent photos. I think it has to do with the fact that Branden and I actually live together now and I tend to feel more beautiful when I'm around him, but I did make it back to 2012! Here are my 5 pictures:

1. My Brother's Wedding Day
I was feeling particularly beautiful that day not only because my brother was getting married, but also because Branden was there to celebrate with us. This was his first time home in 2 years and I was so grateful that he was able to spend it during such a big occasion. The love surrounding the entire day could not have been greater, and I felt beautiful on the outside as well as the inside.


2. My Wedding Day
Of course I felt the most beautiful on my own wedding day. This has been one of the best days of my life so far (for obvious reasons) and I look back at pictures and still love how I looked. I chose this picture because I love how un-traditional of a photo it is. We are both sitting down and I remember feeling so comfortable at that moment just being in his arms.


3. Ziplining on the Honeymoon
I love this picture because I can see the joy in both of our faces and I feel beautiful because it's an "in the moment" picture. It reminds me of how much fun we had on the entire trip and how much I want to go and explore new places with Branden in the future.

4. Tomas' Birthday in SF
For our good friend, Tomas, we had a birthday party in the city. Branden and I hardly ever go to the city so I decided I had to make the most of it and actually wear makeup and do my hair. I attempted a new way to do my hair and loved how it looked on me. I definitely felt beautiful that entire evening.


5. A Giants Game
The last picture I chose was a recent Giants game we went to. I've never actually successfully braided my hair and was so excited when I did it. Whenever I go to games my hair is usually in a messy pony tail or just down in all it's wild ways. I feel beautiful in this picture because of my successful attempt at braiding and because I was at one of my favorite places in the world!


Now I challenge any of my readers who haven't done this yet to do it too!

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Staying Local: UFC and the Alameda Art and Wine Fair

It's been a few weeks since my last post but that's because Branden and I were living a completely normal and boring life. He was studying for finals and I was busy being lazy and lounging around. It was so nice to have 2 weekends home in a row.

Last weekend, since Branden's summer class was over, we kept ourselves busy. My weekend sort of started on Thursday when I got to go to the Oakland A's game with my department. They got 2 suites for the day and since I LOVE LOVE LOVE baseball I was that much more excited to watch it from a suite (too bad it wasn't the Giants). Here are a few pictures I took while I was there:









On Friday I got to leave work early and we headed down to San Jose to watch the UFC weigh-ins and try and get free tickets again. Going to watch the weigh-ins was a really cool experience! Branden always watches them on the computer and I think he loved being there in person for them. Here are some pictures we took. Sorry for the terrible quality.







 After the weigh-ins we knew we had some time before Dana would tweet out tickets (2 of the fighters didn't make weight and were supposed to get an hour to make weight), so we headed for a bar for some food and drinks. We ended up picking a great location apparently because Matt Hughes walked right by us, followed shortly after by Joe Silva (Branden had to tell me who Silva was).

Right as we finished our food we saw Dana White tweet that he would be giving away tickets soon. Branden quickly finished his beer and we went outside to be ready. We ended up being extremely close to where he gave the tickets away and sprinted to get them. The guy handing the tickets out was nice enough to give us 4!

On Saturday we drove back to San Jose and enjoyed the fights all afternoon. Here are some pictures!











On Sunday the weather was so nice! I've been wanting to ride my bike around the island and knew last weekend would be perfect. Alameda was having it's annual Art and Wine Fair so we decided to ride our bikes to park street and check it out. All the vendors had some really cool stuff and the food was amazing. Not to mention it was really great walking down the street with beers in our hands!










We wrapped up the weekend by grilling some delicious ribs and enjoying the weather from our patio. I love eating outside and I'm so grateful we live in such an amazing place!



Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Greek Pork/Vegetable Kabobs and Lone Star Fish Tacos

After multiple weeks of our usual dinners, I was growing tired of the same old dinners. So this week I was motivated to try several new recipes for dinner, and they were AMAZING!

The first recipe I tried out was Greek Pork and Vegetable Kabobs!

Greek Pork and Vegetable Kabobs

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. plain Greek yogurt
1 tsp. salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1-1/2 lbs. pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares
1 medium onion, cut into 1-inch squares (large outer rings only)
4 to 6 long skewers
1 tbsp. chopped fresh oregano (I used dried because I'm lazy)
Pita bread, halved and lightly grilled
Tzatziki Cucumber and Garlic Dip (I used a store-bought brand)



  


Directions:

Marinate meat for at least 2 hours, but up to 2 days for even more flavor. I marinated the meat for about 10 hours.

1. Place olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, yogurt, salt, garlic and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Squeeze bag gently to mix, then place pork in bag. Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.




2. Thread pork and vegetables onto skewers and discard marinade. Grill over medium-high heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until pork is cooked though, turning occasionally.



3. Remove pork and vegetables from skewers and sprinkle with oregano. Place in pita halves and top with tzatziki.





This recipe was super simple and both Branden and I absolutely loved it. It's definitely being added to our recipe box. If you want to add more color, add some yellow or green bell peppers as well.

The next recipe we tried was a Texas spin on tacos.

Lone Star Fish Tacos

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Stubb's Original Bar-B-Q Sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 tbsp. Stubb's Bar-B-Q Spice Rub, divided (this is a rub of sea salt, paprika, and black pepper in case you can't find it at the store)
12 taco size corn tortillas
2 cups plus 3 tbsp. canola oil, divded
1 cup beer
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 lb. cod fillets, cut into 3-by-1 inch pieces
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 cup shredded lettuce
2 ears corn, silks and husks removed, kernels cut from ear (about 1 cup) (optional)
Cilantro leaves (optional)
Lime wedges (optional)

 

Directions:


1. Combine yogurt, mayonnaise, and barbecue sauce in a small bowl and set aside. Combine Parmesan cheese with 1 tbsp. spice rub in a small bowl; set aside.


2. Heat tortillas one at a time (or if you are good you can do 2 at a time) in a large skillet over medium heat, adding some of the 3 tbsp. oil as needed throughout the process. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with cheese mixture; cover with foil to keep warm.


3. Combine beer, flour, cornstarch and remaining spice rub in a medium bowl. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to thicken.  

4. Heat remaining oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Coat each piece of fish in beer batter and fry for about 5 to 8 minutes, turning if necessary, or until golden brown and cooked through. Drain on paper towels and keep warm. To assemble tacos, place fish in bottom of tortilla and top with cabbage, lettuce, corn kernels and yogurt sauce. Garnish with cilantro leaves and lime wedges, if desired.


The ingredients sound somewhat strange, but trust me when I say they really worked well together! Branden and I didn't include the corn because it saved us time with the cooking. In addition, we just used spinach instead of cabbage and lettuce. We always have spinach on hand and would not have eaten the cabbage other then with this meal. The spinach still tasted great though. 

I highly recommend adding the cilantro and lime as well! They really added that extra flavor. If you want some extra spice, add some hot sauce. Branden added Cholula and he said it was great.