And So It Begins ... Again

It's that time again. It's the night before the return to school after Christmas break. I'm aware that I definitely got a great deal this year considering my vacation was actually over 2 weeks since I don't work Mondays due to being part-time (although from a financial standpoint, it wasn't the greatest since I don't get paid unless I'm at work!). My colleagues had to go back today, and I'm relieved that I had another day to myself especially since I only did work on the last Friday I was at school. Yeah, all my plans to be productive for school purposes during this vacation flew out the window.

It seems to always happen on Christmas break. The first week is filled with activities and plans as we get together with family to celebrate Christmas, so by the time there's a little bit of a break, I need some relaxation days! Going out and about is rather tiring for me especially when my regular schedule is disrupted. My body is so used to my daily ritual that I start to feel sick when it's altered. Of course, I ended up spending a good portion of this vacation feeling under the weather with regard to my stomach. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the different foods that I was eating that wasn't the typical somewhat bland food we eat at home. Suddenly I was eating richer foods or greasier foods, and it took practically a week before I started feeling normal again and getting my appetite back. I'm sure it didn't help that I wasn't waking up at 6 in the morning to take my medicine and eating breakfast at 6:45 every day!

I guess the one good thing about returning to work is that it means being back on schedule, which my body will definitely appreciate. I'm sure part of my body will be very upset when I drag it out of bed when all it will want to do is stay in bed, but I will hopefully make it through.

No, wait. Hold on a second. This past Sunday, the focus of the message was on Psalm 118:17, which says, "I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord." The main point that really stuck with me was the fact that often times we aren't really living so much as surviving. Tonight before dinner, Howard and I prayed that we would face this year with an attitude that we would LIVE through the year instead of just do things that will help us get by to survive. Each day I know I just want to make it through so I can get home and then finally reach the weekend. Then each week, I want to get it over with so I can get to our next day off or week vacation. In reality, that means I'm wasting each day when I could have a much better attitude as I face each minute that God lets me breathe each breath. 

I hope it wasn't just a before dinner prayer but one that will resonate for 2015. Oh, and speaking of dinner, we had pizza. Haha, I know that's a rather strange transition, but I personally enjoy blogs that include pictures so I figured that was a way to fit something in! Dunkin' Donuts has that free iced coffee promotion on Mondays thing again, and my parents were able to get an extra card for me to use since we don't get them in our mail where we are. Hubs went to get it for me when he got back from work and picked up pizza from a local place that I used to frequent during my high school days called Village Maria II. My friends and I would walk there when we were hanging out at one of their houses and then have a slice and then hop over to Carvel if it was a Wednesday to get buy one get one free sundaes! Just recently, I thought that maybe it would be nice to try it again as I wondered whether I just liked it in high school since it was fairly inexpensive. 

These pictures aren't from tonight. They're actually from December 14th, which was the night we went to the live nativity at church, which I'll hopefully write about in another update. I had Howard take a picture of me while sitting in the booth because it brought back memories!

That night we chose 5 slices to split even though we obviously didn't finish them all in one day! The spinach and mushroom one was really good although a little greasy. The eggplant one reminded me of my teenager days. The buffalo chicken slice had quite a kick to it, but I enjoyed it because of the blue cheese (hubs wasn't too big of a fan of that!). Our favorite was definitely the bruschetta square though. Although it's definitely really onion-y, it just seemed tasty because of the crunchiness and freshness. It's not the kind of thing you eat if you don't want bad breath because boy, that onion lasts!

Tonight I decided to go with the spinach slice and the bruschetta one again. Here's hoping that after brushing my teeth tonight and tomorrow morning and eating breakfast, I don't still breathe onion as I go back to teaching during those 7 periods! I'm sure my kids would also wish that I were still on vacation!

Breakfast in Bed

Howard and I rarely bring food in the bedroom. Wait, being that we're in a studio apartment, technically we always do since our bedroom is also our living room, which is also our kitchen, haha. Okay, let me rephrase that. Howard and I rarely eat food in bed because of crumbs and such. When I'm sick, I'll have dry cereal or hubs will make soup for me. Other than that, we're usually in the "living room" portion of our apartment.

A little over a week ago, there was definitely a reason to eat something on the bed! On the last day or our honeymoon in Disney World, we had apple turnovers from Main Street Bakery. This was our first and only visit to the Main Street Bakery before the remodel and the addition of Starbucks. I had wanted an apple turnover for the longest time, so we bought two the night before when we were at Magic Kingdom for Extra Magic Hours. EMH lasted until 3am, so we were too exhausted to get up for a park despite having annual passes, so we relaxed that morning with this delicious treat!

I was also extremely worn out, so a morning in with some episodes of 24 on Netflix just seemed so perfect.

When my mom and I went to Mother Mousse to pick up my grandfather's birthday cake after school one day, I saw that they had apple turnovers and picked one up so that Howard and I could share it for breakfast the next day. It just seemed appropriate that we enjoy an extremely simple breakfast in bed!

This was nowhere near as good as the one from Disney World. Even looking at the pictures, you could see that there's a huge difference. But the pastry was good as was the frosting drizzle. The apple part wasn't the best, and there were raisins in it as well, which always throws me off. When there are raisins in things where I don't expect them (like sometimes there are golden raisins in fried rice at Chinese restaurants), I just have to think, "Why can't people leave well enough alone?!"

Despite it being in a completely different class all on its own, it was still just a tiny taste of Disney World that we could have at home.

Stuffed Peppers

On Sundays, Howard and I do some veggie and fruit shopping in Chinatown after church service and Sunday School. Each week, I kept seeing huge peppers and was thinking about stuffed peppers each time! I've enjoyed the Stouffer's stuffed peppers a few times in my life, and those are frozen, so I had very high hopes for making them myself and devouring them!

We chose 4 large red ones since they seem to bother me a lot less than green ones in terms of acidic content and because the yellow ones weren't perfectly sized the way these were. I followed the recipe on Betty Crocker found here. 

Even though the recipe required 1 cup of cooked rice, I accidentally measured it as 1 cup of uncooked rice. I ended up having a lot of the mixture leftover. It actually could have fit in 2 more peppers if I had them. Instead of using salt for seasoning, I used Creole seasoning instead for a bit of a kick. Howard and I have been loving it since we started using it; his sister and her husband bought it for us when they went on a trip to New Orleans before their baby was born. I also had to use 2 cups of pasta sauce for the mixture because it was dry with the extra rice, so that was an entire jar.

When they came out of the oven, they looked so good! Since we didn't have mozzarella, I threw on some Kraft Mexican shredded cheese, which has a combo of different cheeses in it. Of course, once it was sliced in half, I wanted to throw some more cheese on it because, well, CHEESE! We both really enjoyed it, and I will definitely make it again during the school year because it wasn't difficult at all. Plus, making 4 peppers means that we will both have leftovers for lunch the next day. I will, however, boil the peppers a bit longer next time so that they're more tender.

It's Christmas!!!

Yesterday Howard and I went over to his sister's house for a barbecue because more of their relatives were in town to meet Toby. I'll possibly write a bit more about that some other time if I can get pictures from hubs, but for now, here's a picture of some of the BEAUTIFUL tomatoes that we got from my sis-in-law and her husband! It's funny that despite the language barrier between his parents and me, they still know things about like including how much I just love love love homegrown tomatoes.

My mom used to grow tomatoes in the backyard, and I would go outside and pick them for her when we saw some red peering through the green leaves. We put them in salads, but most of them were eaten just off the vine. If the tomato wasn't very flavorful, we would add a pinch of salt to them. Often times I'd eat them as if I were eating an apple! I used to wonder why my mom took the time to garden when it was hot outside, but once I started enjoying them as as snack, it made much more sense.

I hope to one day have room to grow some tomatoes too! They're just so delicious compared to the tomatoes at the supermarket that can sometimes be a little bit watery and bland. I'm so grateful that my in-laws have the room to grow them and are more than willing to share with us! 

Throwback Thursday: Crumbs Bakery

It's kind of sad to think that cupcakes from Crumbs can now be considered a subject for "Throwback Thursday" since they somewhat recently closed all their shops due to bankruptcy! What?! Why now?! Howard surprised me one day when he brought home two cupcakes in celebration of our 2nd anniversary. I was really in the mood for chocolate, so he was a great best friend in that he went to the bakery after work to deliver it to my tummy! 

This is the Blackout. Well, maybe I should say that this was the Blackout. Surprisingly, the descriptions are still available on the website as is the pop-up to sign up for email updates. This one is described as follows: Chocolate cake filled with fudge mixed with vanilla custard, topped with chocolate cream cheese frosting and chocolate crumbs drizzled with chocolate.

It wasn't my favorite one out of the four we've been able to try. I think the one I liked the most was the Devil's Food because it didn't have a custard filling but still was heavy on the chocolate! We probably also aren't great judges of what makes a good cupcake since we split the second one on another day, so it spent some time in the fridge yet we still enjoyed it. But realistically, we are very easily pleased, and being able to get a fancy cupcake like this was a tiny bit like having a taste of Disney World here at home. We shared a chocolate peanut butter cupcake from Starring Rolls during one of our trips with my parents, so in my mind, I associate big treats like this with the most magical place on earth. It probably also reminds me of WDW because of how much Emma enjoys the cupcakes there too!

My Day in Pictures

Before I get into the assortment of pictures I took today, I just have to give a big congratulations to my sister-in-law and her husband! Sharon and Keith had their baby today. Welcome to the world, baby Tobias! I'm so excited to finally meet this 3rd member of their family. We'll hopefully get to see Toby this Saturday. 

Okay, so I decided that I'd snap some random photos from my day because I realized I actually stopped taking and posting pictures on Instagram. Clearly, there is no "need" for social media, but it was a way for me to keep track of the seemingly mundane things of my life. I like going back to the photos I took when I first got my iPhone because it documented a ton of what Howard and I did during our first year of marriage. So even though the following pictures might seem pointless to a reader, it's something I wanted to do for myself!

I had a simple breakfast of plain toasted cinnamon bread. These were on sale for buy one get one free at Stop & Shop as you can see by the sticker. Plus, there was a $1 coupon on two. It's a quick morning bite for both of us. The raisin cinnamon one is for Howard. A lot of the times, I'm not in a mood for raisins, so I got both varieties. These swirl breads remind me of my mom though because it was on the rare occasion that we'd have these because they're, of course, more expensive than regular toasted bread with some peanut butter on it!

Since we don't have a dishwasher (haha, when I'm at my parents' house where they have a dishwasher, I always have to be all Upton Sinclair-ish and state, "Oh, how the other half lives~"), we have to air dry our dishes. Yes, we could just use a towel, but we'd still need a place to put them all once they're washed. Before we got married, I imagined that one of us would wash dishes and hand it off to the other who would dry them. Um, yeah. I didn't realize just how unrealistic that picture in my head was. Haha, to think that we'd just purposely carve time out of whatever we're doing so that we're both free to do the dishes is kind of entertaining to me right now. Why take the time to do that when the air can do it for us? The dish drying rack is from IKEA. It's expandable, so it can be made smaller or larger based on the size of your dishes. It was probably one of the best purchases we made as simple as it is! We didn't need an entire drying rack that people have that drains next to the sink; we just needed one for plates and bowls. Anyway, I also have a need to line up all the things by size order, which means if we have bowls, they're always in the front. This picture also makes me happy because I remember how Howard and I initially were going to buy patterned Corelle dishes but then switched to plain white because the Amateur Gourmet said it makes food pictures look better, haha!

Instead of having my usual cup of tea this morning, I had a Nescafe Memento in Caramel Latte. I first tried Memento via free samples. They hooked me into loving this stuff as an occasional treat! That's why I think it's awesome how companies are so willing to give free samples and there are so many free sample sites and programs. This definitely worked on me because otherwise I never would have tried it. I like it because it gives me something different to enjoy. Thankfully, I'm not affected by any potential caffeine in here. When I have regular Tetley tea, I want to jump out of my skin. Even so, I have it in the morning just in case. I just bought two new boxes from Christmas Tree Shop because they were 2 for $3. I remember when I bought a bunch of boxes at CVS when I did all my couponing hauls there. Haha, that picture is on Instagram from a LONG time ago! The other thing I like about this picture is that it showcases my large Pooh cup! I bought this one for myself and the Eeyore one for my mom when I was still living at home. My mom never drinks that much at once though, so I think my dad actually took over "ownership" of the cup!

I wasn't as productive with getting things cleaned and organized in the apartment today as I was yesterday. Instead, I was wanting to craft because my stomach was a little off, and I didn't want to move around too much. My Cricut mats weren't as sticky anymore though, so I opened my new tub of baby wipes from Rite Aid. I bought two of them maybe two years or so, and the first box already dried up. Haha, guess people don't buy wipes that far in advance or leave them open for that long! I still use them, but I wet them a bit. I couldn't find the open box today (it's totally under the paper I have stacked on the couch or something), so I opened the new one, which was scented. It made my hands and my mat have that baby powder scent. I was wondering if it would make the cuts smell like it too, haha. With some quick yet vigorous scrubbing, my two mats were sticky once again. 

I'm back to using my candles! I stopped for a while because the weather wasn't really the right fit in my mind. But candles really made the apartment seem more inviting even when there aren't any strange odors coming in from the hallway outside. I am so glad I am well stocked on candle scents that are appropriate throughout the year because I have read some more rumors that Bath & Body Works might try raising the sale price to 2 for $25 once again. Today I enjoyed the Mahalo Maui candle, which is light and a tiny bit citrus-y without being too sharp. The throw isn't that strong compared to other candles, but since I usually have it lit right next to me, I enjoy the scent a lot.

For the most part, I've never had problems with the wicks as long as I'm good about trimming the mushrooms before I use it again the next time. I took a few pictures of the wicks, and this was the best one to show what is meant by "mushrooms." You can see it fairly clearly in the wick on the right.

Howard went to the hospital after work to visit his sister and see if he could visit baby Toby and take some family pictures for them. When he got back, I was really hungry because I'm so used to eating early. I had gotten the broccoli ready to roast, and then I started the Bubba burgers on the stove. These things are so yummy! We've had the store brand patties before that clearly had cartilage in them. These don't have that, and they taste good too! I like the sweet onion one. Anyway, my in-laws gave us some tomatoes from their garden this past Sunday, and I sliced one up into thick pieces. I love how the tomato is not that much smaller than the burger patty itself!  

Those are all the pictures for today. Hope everyone had a pleasant Tuesday!

Snack Time in Chinatown

After morning service at church, Howard and I usually pick up something to eat during the beginning of Sunday School. It's something the majority of us do considering our church is in Chinatown, and we're surrounded by good eats that most of us can't get on a daily basis. Lately, we've been getting "pai-gwut cheung," which I can't quite translate exactly. Haha, it's basically little pieces of steamed spare rib with noodles. It's kind of an appetizer size, but it is much more filling than a "bou" or bread/pastry/bakery item.  

However, that means that once Sunday School is over and we're ready to pick up lunch, we're not always hungry to eat what we get. Other times we just bring it home because of time or because it's better for me to eat it with a hot cup of tea. 

Since we've been visiting my grandma at the rehab center (praise God she's out of the hospital and looks better each time we see her!) right after church, I knew I wouldn't necessarily last until we got home to eat our food. While we were picking up some fruits and veggies at the Hong Kong Supermarket, Howard and I each chose a snack item to munch on once we got to the car. I've actually never had Yan Yan before. It's the same concept as like, Dunkaroos or the Nutella snacks nowadays in that there are biscuit sticks in the container along with a separate section for the frosting/cream to dip. I chose the chocolate on the left, and Howard chose the hazelnut one on the right.

It was a rather yummy treat! I mentioned to Howard that these would make great road trip snacks. I like that they don't get your fingers all gooey the way chocolate Pocky does sometimes. The only minor flaw was that I probably could have used a little bit more chocolate! For $0.89 a package, I think this might be something I'll want to get again in the future as a special treat.

A Slightly Disneyfied Burger

I remember how there weren't as many fast food locations when I was growing up. Or maybe it was because my parents didn't really take us to eat fast food except on the rarest of occasions and when we were driving down to Florida. We would stop at a Wendy's, but the only thing I was willing to eat was the baked potato because I didn't like burgers yet, and they didn't have chicken nuggets on their menu yet!

As I got older, I enjoyed going a bit more often, but then once I got to the age where I could technically get it whenever I wanted, the excitement was gone. Haha, I guess it's just the thrill of the occasion that used to entice me more often. Even so, there are times that fast food restaurants are a good place to stop for a quick bite to eat. A few days ago, stopping at Wendy's with my mom was one of the highlights since we were actually both starving because we hadn't yet eaten lunch!

We normally only get the value menu items, but this time we splurged on the Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger. The burgers on the regular menu are always better than the value menu ones in the first place, but this one was even tastier because of the thick-cut bacon, the cheese sauce (could have used more though!), and the pretzel bun. This is not a good picture of it at all since mine was a little lopsided, but it was just a quick snapshot to document it before I devoured it. It does remind me a tiny bit of Disney World since I love getting the cheese sauce at Cosmic Ray's, Pecos Bill, or Casey's Corner. Plus, the pretzel bun reminded me of the pretzel breadsticks at Le Cellier. I'd definitely get this again!

Comforting Congee

There's something so comforting in a bowl of congee even if it is the middle of summer! On Sunday, Howard and I ate lunch with his family after church because his Aunt Grace is in town. I enjoyed some sliced fish congee, which I rarely get nowadays because it tastes better when it's eaten right away as opposed to when we bring it home.

Despite the extensive menus in all the restaurants, hubs and I are rather satisfied having the same things over and over again. Guess we just like what we like!

Potbelly in my Belly

I haven't had much of an appetite since Sunday night for some reason. Even though my stomach feels empty and I force myself to eat, I haven't been looking forward to it, which is odd since typically it's so exciting to me, haha. Well, today in the early afternoon, I started feeling a craving for a specific item. I asked Howard if he could bring it home for me, and being the wonderful husband that he is, he went to after work to pick up food from Potbelly Sandwich Shop!

A few months ago, he had brought back the Mediterranean sandwich for me, which is listed on the website as follows: Zippy Hummus, Feta, Artichoke Hearts, Crispy Cukes and Roasted Red Peppers. I really wanted that one particular sandwich today. Here it is with lettuce, tomato, and onion as well. It has a nice kick to it without being really spicy.

As I browsed the menu, I also saw that they had potato salad. I have had a strange hankering for deli-style potato salad as well even though my mom's mayo-based potato salad and my Aunt Kathryn's German potato salad are much better. But this was something I just really wanted, and it was definitely much better than the kind you get at a local deli. The sandwich was quite filling, so I took a bite of it and then put it in the fridge to eat about two hours later.

Thanks, hubs, for the yummy food! I posted on my Facebook status that even though I had a craving, it was just a regular ol' craving. It's the same kind regular ol' people get on a regular ol' day! So no, I'm not pregnant. I just really wanted a good veggie sandwich!

A Kid Again with Mini Pizzas

A few weeks ago, I decided to introduce Howard to something that most kids have had as part of their childhood: mini English muffin pizzas! I happened to have one more jar of Classico pizza sauce in the pantry. This time it was the Traditional version as opposed to the Fire Roasted version that we didn't like as much. I also had gotten a free bag of Stop & Shop cheese because I purchased other items, so I chose the pizza blend that had mozzarella and cheddar in it. I think that worked out SO much better than just having all mozzarella. I sliced up some white mushrooms I had in the fridge to put on top. You can tell that the ones at the bottom of the picture are mine and the ones for Howard are on top based on the amount of mushroom!

Of course, all the ingredients must be placed on Thomas's English muffins! There are some things where you do really need the brand name. I tried the store brand once, and they were thick and chewy without the nooks and crannies. It also just didn't get the same amount of crispiness. I followed the baking directions on the website, and after a quick 10 minutes, our simple Saturday lunch was ready. It definitely brought back so many memories of being a kid and my mom making them for my older brother and me. 

Simple Dinner Dates

Though Howard and I very rarely actually go out on a date and eat at a restaurant anymore, I still get really excited when he comes home from work and we  can have our at home dinner date every night instead! It's much cheaper that way. Plus, when we eat food from restaurants, we find that we have to drink water all night long because of the amount of salt that's used because we aren't used to it. 

Tonight's dinner was really simple. I had defrosted chicken breast and needed to use it tonight, so I just cut it up into pieces and cooked it with a little bit of olive oil. I'm not Italian in the slightest, so I don't mind using sauce from a jar, haha. This was the Emeril vodka sauce. I also had to use two different sized pennes (one was Market Pantry and the other was Barilla) because I had a little bit in each box left from other recipes where I needed to measure the amount of pasta. For the veggie side, I roasted green beans.

It's definitely nothing fancy, but it was rather satisfying! Even the simple, inexpensive dinners with my best friend are still memorable in my eyes.

Errands and Such

I had to run errands today since I haven't gone grocery shopping in two weeks. Since I've been using Swagbucks, I try to get things at Target if possible since I'll have gift cards that will cover the cost, but I still hit Pathmark and Stop & Shop for other items. I was super happy with today's purchases because I was able to fill the fridge with fresh vegetables. Plus, I got some treats for us as well in the form of Luigi's ice! Since we don't eat ice cream, we like ice once it gets warm out because our apartment gets kind of stuffy due to the fact that we only have one window. I also made a quick stop at Bed Bath & Beyond to pick up a wedding gift for this upcoming Saturday as well. 

Since I was busy with my "homework" in the morning (as in, clipping coupons and finalizing my shopping list) and then I was out for a bit in the early afternoon, I didn't really have anything planned for tonight's blog post. Once I got the message that I was needed to sub tomorrow, I started working on a simple craft project for the kids IF they behave, so that took up the rest of my time along with cooking a quick dinner. 

With that being said, I'm just going to post a picture of my really tasty lunch from this past Sunday at church! I had been craving "mapo tofu" for a while. It's a Szechuan dish that mixes tofu and meat in a somewhat spicy sauce. Isn't this a beautiful sight?

I actually think I might want it again this upcoming Sunday! Mmm ...

Oven Quesadillas for Dinner

One of the easiest dinners that I make is quesadillas! It seemed like the perfect thing for tonight's dinner considering I had done a lot of organizing and cleaning in the closet so that I could put stuff away because things were getting a little cluttered in the apartment. I remember when I first started making quesadillas after we got married. It took a little longer because I did it on the stove and flipped the quesadillas and had to make each one separately. After doing that for a few meals, I looked up an easier way to make them in the oven and have been doing it this way since.

We buy family pack of chicken breast because it's the best deal, of course. I'll usually make something with one or two of them within a day of purchasing it, but I'll wash the rest of them at the same time and separate them into plastic bags for the freezer. All I have to do for quesadillas is pull out a bag of one large chicken breast and stick it in some cold water to defrost. Then I cut it into strips and cook it on the stove with a little bit of olive oil. In the past, I used to use the Perdue Short Cuts because it would eliminate the step of having to defrost, cut, and cook the chicken, but it's really silly not to just do it myself to save money. Plus, it tastes better when I cook the chicken myself. In the past, I've also cooked chicken breast with just a little bit of water in the crockpot for 4 hours on high. When that's done, the chicken can be shredded and then frozen although that sometimes gets a little bit of the freezer taste to it when used in salads (though if you heat it up in a pan with a bit of Frank's Hot Sauce for a buffalo chicken salad, it's fine!). That's an easy way to have cooked chicken on hand ready for recipes.

Once that's done, I lay out two tortillas on our largest baking sheet. We still have 2 packs of the flour tortillas in the freezer from the last time I stocked up and bought 8 packs when there was a sale and a great coupon. I'm glad I did that because I haven't had to buy them in months, and I know they're fine in the freezer. I've read that some people put wax paper in between them, but I haven't had any issues separating them even when frozen. 

I divide the chicken and lay it out on the two tortillas and then sprinkle the shredded cheese on top. I still have tons of bags of cheese too from the last great sale! I don't like getting it for more than $1.50, and recently I got the Kraft bags for $0.17 or so because of a sale and coupon too. They last a while in the fridge when not open, but they can also be stored in the freezer as well. That's why quesadillas really are a great meal because I typically have all the fixings in the fridge/freezer! The only thing I didn't have that would make this better was an onion. I don't cook the onion all the way down because we like the extra crunch in there, but I didn't have any to use today.

I put the other tortillas on top and just press them down a tiny bit so that the chicken and cheese are kind of the same thickness all around. I pop it into the oven that has been preheating at 400 degrees for just 10 minutes. I like the bottom to be crispy, but Howard usually likes it a little less crispy. It can go for a little less than 10 minutes since the only thing that really needs to be done is melt the cheese and warm up the tortilla, which doesn't take long. This was a full 10 minutes in the oven though because I knew there was more chicken. You can see in the picture below that the bottom gets nice and crispy without any oil that would have been required if doing this in a frying pan on the stove!

I'm sure it'd be better if they were in the oven for 5 minutes and then flipped for the remaining 5 minutes because then it'd be even on both sides, but Howard and I really aren't picky about it. Why complicate things? I'm sure that if I were making this for other people, I'd be good about flipping it, but when it's just us, it doesn't really matter. As long as one side is crispy, it'll hold up to the salsa that we put on top (and sour cream for me if we happen to have it!). 

I like having simple dinner "recipes" like this for the nights when neither of us want to spend much time cooking or we didn't prepare for a more complicated meal. It can be made somewhat last minute since the defrosting is really the only thing that must be done ahead of time. The best thing is that it's also cheap and somewhat "healthy" in comparison to any meal from a chain restaurant like Chili's or Outback, which is where we used to get dinner when we were dating. I anticipate making chicken quesadillas for dinner when we have little ones too!

Sweet Treat with My Mom

After work today, my mom and I stopped by Carvel to pick up the free junior cone! She had gotten the little ad about it with a Carvel coupon booklet, and I had seen it on Instagram. Though I typically stay away from lactose things, I knew that I'd be okay with just a small amount of ice cream. Plus, if I felt sick, I was almost on my way home! The store wasn't crowded when we went in, but we saw a ton of people get out of their cars in the parking lot and they ended up in line behind us. It wasn't a big deal at all though since the employees just asked, "Chocolate or vanilla?" and quickly filled the cones.

Of course ,I chose chocolate! Once we stepped outside, my ice cream started to melt a little bit it seemed. Or maybe it just wasn't as cold because I don't think my mom's vanilla melted the way mine did. The little plastic carrier was the best thing as I didn't have to worry about catching all the drips and avoiding sticky hands. 

We sat in the car for a few minutes and enjoyed our soft serve, which was such a great treat on what turned out to be a beautiful afternoon since the rain had stopped earlier in the morning. 

We talk all the way home from work, but it was definitely still a special occasion to purposely make a stop to just sit and chat.

I Really Do Love Sushi!

This past Saturday, we celebrated my Grandaunt Doris's 85th birthday. My dad already had plans for that night, so Howard drive the rest of us and my aunt to Queens to have dinner at The Buffet.

Any type of buffet usually makes me really nervous because I'm afraid I won't be worth the cost. That's why the only ones we have tried in Disney World are 'Ohana and Boma because we really wanted to experience the food. Sometimes I read trip reports on DISboards and think about how the person didn't eat his or her money's worth, but I also understand that most people go to some of them for character interaction too.

However, The Buffet is not one I worry about too much because they offer sushi! Sure, it's not the greatest sushi in the world, but it's actually pretty tasty, in my opinion. They don't overload the rolls with a ton of rice and they also offer sashimi too if you don't want to fill your stomach with carbs. It's no surprise that my plates always have at least two or three (haha, though usually more) pieces on it.

My first plate always seems like the most enticing because there's a variety of colors and tastes. However, the reality is that there's a lot of tasting going on and mental notes of which ones I want to have again. Though the family and friends at my table get an assortment of items, Howard and I always get a sushi-only first plate.

When we went up for the second plate, I knew I would focus on more sashimi so as not to get full on too much rice. The rolls I got were the ones with spicy salmon or spicy tuna because I like having the strong flavors and a little bit of heat in between sashimi since I don't use wasabi. I also for some seaweed salad too because it's probably one of my favorite appetizers at a Japanese restaurant despite how basic it seems.

I did choose to be a little daring with my food adventures though. Howard had gotten pig ears, and I was curious about it because Guy Fieri has had it on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives. Of course, he had a big 'ol floppy ear whole placed between two pieces of bread, so this was a lot easier to stomach. It didn't really taste like much. When I chewed it, I felt that I was just chomping on some cartilage, which is something I don't really like anyway. Well, at least I can mark it off as something I tried!

For my last plate, I told myself I'd get some hot items, but as you can see, some sushi ended up on it anyway. The shrimp was still slightly crispy despite being in the mayo sauce and on a buffet line. The veggies were listed as kale, but it clearly was Chinese broccoli. This was actually quite refreshing too with its very strong vegetable flavor. If I had known, I would have gotten some ok each plate. Howard and I also stood on the line for some Peking duck. Last time, we got two each because that's the maximum listed on the sign. This time we knew one was plenty! I had the piece of meat from the drumstick, so it was very meaty instead of fatty, which made me happy. There's a piece of "duck" in front of the rolls, but it was actually part of fried taro (similar to the fried taro ball you can get from dim sum). I wish I had gotten another piece! Lastly, You can see a spring roll on the plate because I have a weakness for those as well. It might be the remnants of my childhood when I used to enjoy fried food. I actually left a bite of that on my plate because it wasn't spectacular. It was the only thing on all my plates that I did not finish.

I was really satisfied at that point. One more bite probably would have made me feel really full. I would have liked to grab one more piece of sashimi as my "dessert" since I don't like the sweets they have to offer and wasn't really feeling a sweet tooth at that time anyway. I was good though and said no to anymore food because I knew we still had a drive ahead of us with potential stops and waits from traffic.

On the way out, I took two quick pictures of the assortment of rolls and sushi.

When we celebrate birthdays and holidays with my mom's family, I know our stomachs will be happy, but I also know it'll be a great time spent with family and friends. I was especially excited to see my aunt and cousin who we haven't seen in a really long time. We all said our goodbyes and headed home after the meal because most of us would be up early the next morning to see each other at church!

Up Next? Butternut Squash!

Zucchini, asparagus, baby carrots, and green beans ... what was next on the list to be roasted? Butternut squash! 

I cheated with this in that I bought a bag of already cubed butternut squash from Target using a veggie coupon. I like that the Target mobile coupons make it so that I can try new items because I don't know that I would've wanted to pay full price for this veggie when I was trying it for the first time. All I did was toss it with some olive oil, salt, and pepper and then stuck it in the oven for about 25 minutes at 400 degrees. I think it could have actually used a little bit more salt since it does have a sweet taste to it, but there wasn't a need for it. I'm not like the Top Chef judges who are totally against underseasoned food. If the food tastes like the food it is, I think, "Well, that is how God made it!" Haha. Though I didn't like it as much as I like zucchini and Brussels sprouts, it was definitely a tasty alternative to the other vegetables we've had in the past.

Welcome to the World, Baby Simon

This past Friday night, Howard and I went out to dinner in Chinatown to celebrate 100-days for his cousin Felix's new baby, Simon. I have to admit I wasn't very excited about it mainly because I'm so limited in what I can and can't eat when in a Chinese restaurant because I very easily get sick from the greasiness, the high fat content, and the MSG. Part of it, I think, is related to not having a gallbladder, but I'm sure it has to do with the rest of my less than stellar GI system. I remember when I was a kid, I could eat the MSG-laden dim sum items without any issues. I loved anything fried and eagerly devoured anything I wanted without a problem. As I got older, I knew I had to drink hot tea with the food so prevent feeling any ickiness. Then a few years later, even the tea wasn't a cure all. Since then, I try to be careful about what I eat at Chinese restaurants because 98% of the time, I will pay for it for the next day or two. There have even been times when it affected how I felt for the following work week because my body was just thrown off. 

With that being said, although the food really wasn't something to look forward to, the highlight was definitely seeing the baby. All the "I-can't-wait-to-have-my-own-baby" feelings came back, but don't worry because the "we-should-go-to-Disney-without-kids-at-LEAST-one-more-time" took over once we left the restaurant that night, haha. Plus, if my sister-in-law is having a baby, we can enjoy him for the next few years!

Howard snapped pictures of just a few of the dishes because they were presented in this grand masterpiece kind of way. The first course was actually hardboiled eggs that were dyed orange red, which is just one of the traditions for Chinese babies. I didn't eat mine so my hubs and father-in-law split it. I absolutely love eggs, but I must be in a mood for them to enjoy it. Otherwise it reminds me of the many times I was sick and the smell of eggs made me feel worse. 

The next dish was this crab deal. The little spoons held a weird combination of strange tasting, salty ingredients. Howard and I weren't fans of this although it did remind us of Top Chef and how they sometimes make the "cheftestants" create an amuse bouche. I don't know if I'd rather eat this again or Michael Midgeley's Cheeto/Snickers vending machine one, haha. I passed on the crab too because I'm slightly allergic and can get hives with crab and its shell. I did, unfortunately, get a few hives that night, but they passed quickly.

This is the typical "appetizer" plate during Chinese banquets. I'd equate it to the antipasto in an Italian meal as the majority of it is slices of meat. The dish isn't hot, so it feels light and refreshing although it's full of fat in the same way the Italian cured meats have a lot of fat in it too. I had some jellyfish and a few other pieces of meat. Howard and I joked about the cucumber slices though because we had recently watched videos on YouTube on cutting all these veggie garnishes.

One of the other courses was shark fin soup. I have such a fear of choking on shark fin, so I'm always in deep concentration when it's in soup. Of course, the server came around and asked who wanted more to finish up the huge bowl as you can see in the picture below, and I choked a little when I told him no. By the way, banquet soup in a Chinese restaurant is essentially MSG. It can very easily make me sick, but because it's usually one of the first few courses served, I'm usually somewhat okay at that point of the meal.

Howard skipped taking pictures of the other dishes because neither of us were really into it at that point. We were exhausted! He worked an extra long day and was actually extremely busy all week because his boss's wife just had a baby and was at home. I also felt tired from grading at school earlier in the day. He did get one of the abalone, sea cucumber, and "dou miao" (apparently that's how it's spelled in English, but I would've written "dow miew," haha). That's basically pea shoots or pea tips. I absolutely love snap peas and other pea goodness, but this is the best part of the plant. My mom loves it too although I remember how she hated having to prepare it because it is extremely time-consuming when you actually peel off all the little "string" parts. The portion I was served was rather large (maybe about twice Howard's portion in the picture below), so I enjoyed the vegetables even though it too was drenched in the sauce that wasn't really good for me. I gave Howard my sea cucumber because I'm not a fan, but he really enjoys it so win-win. By the way, I thought it was funny how a lot of people around the table put down their chopsticks and picked up the knife and fork to cut the abalone to eat in pieces while I just bit into it and chomped away since I was using a fork all along. I'm an ABC; what can I say?

One of the final dishes was noodles with dumplings. There were more than enough dumplings in the big bowl, so the waiter dished it out and said in Chinese to decide whether we wanted one "gow" (dumpling) or two "gow" and take accordingly. I said to Howard in Chinese, "No 'gow'" for me, and we laughed for quite a bit about it. That's why Howard took the pic this way because it shows how I had none in front of me.

All these pictures of food and no picture of the baby?! Well, here you go! Felix and his wife Miho walked around to each table with baby Simon. We didn't hear him cry at all throughout dinner although when we went to give them the gift and say goodbye at the end of the party, Felix did say he was crying. Maybe it just wasn't audible in the loudness of a typical Chinese restaurant.

At the end of the meal, we were served fruit and sweet soup. The only "dessert" soup I ever REALLY liked in a Chinese restaurant was the one that tasted like peanut butter. There were times I also enjoyed the red bean soup too, but it has to be super hot and not too runny to be tasty, in my opinion. I was done eating many courses before because I was already feeling sick, so I didn't have this either. Unfortunately, I skip out on the fresh fruit as well because of the acid content. Yes, I'm a fun girl to be around, aren't I? When Howard and I have fruit, it's more often before dinner so that I don't feel the acid in my esophagus and stomach at night. 

Last pictures of the night were of this balloon! It was attached to my sister-in-law's chair who was sitting right next to me, so we couldn't see the top of the balloon when it was floating, so I thought it just said "Boy To Love & Hug," which I found rather entertaining thinking it wanted to almost be an Engrish balloon, but as you can see, we just couldn't see the beginning of the phrase.

 

Though it was definitely tiring, I can still enjoy these moments with the hubs because we can find fun almost anywhere. Even so, we were very ecstatic to be back home so that we could go to sleep and let our stomachs recover the next day!

The Non-Instagram Photos of the Week (Part I)

Here are a few of the random photos I took this week. Normally, I use a series of photos in blog posts, but these are the "strays" that didn't really have a place or weren't as "worthy" to be on Instagram. 

This past winter, I finally bought boots! I have a few to choose from when I need to wear one on a cold day. It's funny because even when it was freezing out or raining, I have worn flats without socks when going to work or church. It's just something I was used to doing. The cold finally got to me so I picked up great boots from Payless, which I wore this week as I went to work to help with the proctoring. On the last day, however, I was getting a little tired of the boots so I risked it and wore flats and hoped my feet wouldn't get too cold, which would then make it difficult for the rest of me to be warm for the rest of day. I snapped a picture to send to Howard when I told him I chose to wear flats that day. I do very much love them though! They're from Kohl's, and looking back on it now, I really should have purchased at least another pair because once I find something I like, I pretty much like it for good. Oh well!

Ok, so I lied about the non-Instagram thing with this next picture, but I wanted to post it here too! As many of you know, Howard and I love trading Vinylmation! I make sure that we have some in the glove compartment of the car so that if we just happen to be going to the mall, they're there to pop in my bag. During my last trip, I traded for Emile from Ratatouille even though we already have a few of them. There's a clear trading box in Magic Kingdom's Frontier Trading Post that is Pixar only, so knowing that they have some boxes with strict rules, we don't mind getting extra Emiles to use for this purpose. I ended up leaving him in my bag to bring into the apartment instead of putting him in the glove compartment, but I forgot to take him out. When I was searching in my bag for lotion, I saw a little face peeking out at me and had to take a picture!

Yesterday mom and I didn't have lunch to bring to work, so we made plans to stop by Panera on the way to school to pick up some sandwiches. Mom insisted on treating me, so I I ordered the Bacon Turkey Bravo sandwich, which is the one with gouda cheese in it. When I opened it up, I took a few bites and realized they gave me the Roasted Turkey & Avocado BLT! Haha, that's not a problem for me because the avocado was excellent! It was just huge pieces of it. It wasn't slivers or chunks, but like, almost full avocado halves! It made the sandwich kind of messy because it wasn't flat, but it was really tasty. The avocado made me a happy camper before moving on to finish the rest of the day with elementary school lunch duty following my lunch break. Thanks, Mom!

For the past couple of weeks, I have been searching for baby clothes since we had to go to Howard's cousin's baby's 100-day celebration tonight. I kind of vowed not to buy onesies for any babies since I know they will grow out of them so quickly, but this one below was super cute and on clearance at Target. I wanted to get it for my sister-in-law, but I decided not to because I know I can get something more worthwhile with the money. I did snap a picture of it to send to Howard though! Looks super simple. Maybe I really should figure out how to do something like this on my Silhouette!

That's all for tonight. I know Howard and I will be sleeping in late tomorrow after this work week and the dinner. Have a wonderful weekend!