Mediterranean Deliciousness as My Lunches This Week (#12)

First note: I have the hardest time spelling Mediterranean. Every single time, I over-think it and add in an extra syllable. One would *think* I'd come up with some mental clues as to how to do it, but thanks to the miracle of spell-check, I guess and red squiggly line it to get the correct spelling. #FirstWorldProblems

<clears throat>

This week's lunch was inspired by last Friday's lunch, which was eaten at one of my fave local joints, Mazah Mediterranean Eatery, with a particularly lovely colleague, Meg. I love Mazah and discovered them via another particularly lovely friend, Angela, in 2010. The restaurant recently moved to a slightly larger location, basically around the corner from where it's been since it opened and just YUM. 

The food is fresh, homemade in so very many cases, service is friendly and I'm not only supporting a local business, but a locally owned family business. Total score. 

I will say, the new & larger location is awesome and the food was delicious, but I will say, I think they are experiencing some growing pains. The new location is easily twice the size, and so the service on this visit was pretty slow and not that attentive. It was also lunch, although a bit later than rush, and still busy - everyone seemed to be really busy and a touch flustered. 

Also, if you have a sensitive nose to smells - the tables were all made for the restaurant by one of the owners and stained recently. They are gorgeous, but still off-gassing, so either wait or try to snag one of their sidewalk tables. 

Ok, so my favorite thing to get at Mazah is their vegetarian grape leaves. They are simply delicious - flavorful, tender and just delicious. I don't ever see myself undertaking making them because I just don't think I'd ever be able to do them justice. Plus, with Mazah not terribly far away from home or work, why would I? 

A few weeks' ago, I stopped into Trader Joe's to pick up the two things we only buy from them (as opposed to the many items I always impulse buy there). I had quickly picked up the bag of shredded parmesan cheese, and was headed to get their green chilies, when a few shelves below, I noticed Trader Joe's had vegetarian grape leaves in a tin. 

First, I find it odd to buy entree-like-items in cans. It smacks of Spam or beef stew. Second, MAZAH! But curiosity got the better of me, especially after reading the label and not finding anything horrible in it. 

I'll be honest, I've looked at the tins in my pantry the last few weeks.....but gone past them, due to nervousness. 

I am a 

Connecting story to my canned vegetarian grape leaves: Last week was our bi-monthly (as in every two months, not twice a month) work gathering for my floor. Work hasn't exactly been *challenging* of late, so with full disclosure to my bosses, I've started a group dedicated to fun in the workplace. It's maybe 6-ish people and I email them my hare-brained ideas, they say yay or nay, and we go about making stuff happen. I have titled us the Renegade Fun Group. 

We meet in the communal area on our floor, everyone brings in whatever they want to share, we stand around, chat, make up a reason to be gathering, and generally have a fun time with our colleagues. Last week was our third gathering, and the first with a theme, which was Healthy Snacks. 

Another colleague, Leslie, made and shared a delicious concoction of Greek yogurt, cucumber, avocado, tomato with dill, salt and pepper and garlic powder. She had taken part of the avocado and smashed it into the yogurt so that it was the pretty green color of the avocado meat, then chunked the rest of the avocado, as well as the chopping the cukes and maters. It was pretty scrumptious. 

Put all of this stuff together and you basically have my Lunches This Week. 

Had a small head of Bibb lettuce and a larger head of romaine. After washing and spinning it dry, chopped it up and put 2 cups of the lettuces into 3 lunch containers. 

Cracked open the delectable veggie grape leaves and put 6 on top of each container with the lettuces. 

Took my Homemade Greek Yogurt, and did what Leslie did, only in lieu of maters (The Chez was out), added thinly sliced carrots (after I peeled them o'course). I also added some lemon juice, as well as some of the marinade that was in the tins with the grape leaves. It was scrumptious!!!!

 

For my lunches, I'm taking a 1/2 cup of the yogurt/avocado/cuke/carrot mixture to plop on top of the salad, essentially so there's no other dressing. The total calorie count is 311 calories. 

So freaking tasty!!!

Just had today's lunch and I'm already lamenting that tomorrow will be the last. We need to pop over to Trader Joe's in the next few weeks, so their Dolmas tins are now added to the regularly shopped items list I keep. 

Sorry, long-winded, but STORIES!

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday - 2 cups lettuces, 6 vegetarian grape leaves, 1/2 cup of avocado yogurt dip + 1 cup of homemade Greek yogurt and 6 oz organic blueberries. 

Thursday - a section of my freezer friendly quinoa/wild rice/spinach/kale casserole + 1 cup of homemade Greek yogurt and 6 oz. organic blueberries.

Friday - a section of my freezer friendly quinoa/wild rice/spinach/kale casserole + 1 cup of homemade Greek yogurt and some sort of fruit from the freezer (kiwi? peaches? strawberries?). I really need to do an inventory this weekend. 

Have you discovered an unexpected food in a tin/can/container of late? 

Share your favorite find!!

First Quarter Review

March was indeed fairly awesome - especially when compared to January and February. I thought this would be a good juncture to check-in with my 2014 Intentions and see how I'm doing!

The following are updates on my daily fitness goals, which are to have at least 5 flights of steps logged, at least one mile walked/run for exercise, and at least 8 sessions with personal trainer & friends (or at least 8 sessions at the gym). 

January

• 1 day of not reaching goal of 5 flights of steps
• 66.5 miles walked/run for exercise (my unoffical 5k was a walk I took with my friend, Sydney, around Occom Pond in Hanover, NH). 
• 4 sessions with my personal trainer & buddies

February

• 8 days of not reaching goal of 5 flights of steps (but then I also had an ear infection + cold + flu for part of the month)
• 60.5 miles walked/run for exercise
• 2 sessions with my personal trainer & buddies (see excuse for flights of steps missing)
• Spouse & I were signed up for a 5k in February, but I overslept and we literally missed it by minutes. Still got our packets though and walked that day on our own. 

March

• 2 days of not reaching goal of 5 flights of steps
• 78.87 miles walked/run for exercise (19.75 were during the time period for the Luck of the Irish Run)
• 8 sessions with my personal trainer & buddies (although 2 were 30-minute solo sessions)

Below are the intentions I set up for myself at the beginning of 2014, with notes on progress made. I asked Spouse to grade my burrito making so far. 

Could be doing worse, could be doing better. I'll be honest: January and February took the wind outta my sails. I am just starting to feel less meh, and interested to be goal-oriented with these goals. 

I also know I'll be seeing Granny (and a lot of my mom's family) in a few weeks. Also be seeing Spouse's dad's family in June (which wasn't on the original list) + getting to see my NH Lovelies again in June, although this time we are meeting up in NYC (which also means, I'll get to see my groovy friend, Yessica, and possibly some other NYC area friends!!!!). 

It's also a good reflection to be gentle with myself, and realize that it's not complete slacking that's involved, and also to note that I am making progress in areas. Reminder: it was never my intention to say I WILL DO ALL OF THESE THINGS! More of a, here is what I'd like to accomplish....

There's always room for improvement, I always say.

I'll check in again in July and see what progress I may have made since April. Looking forward to it!

Did you set any intentions for 2014? 

Have you taken stock of progress?

Lunches The Last Two Weeks - Oops

Bad Yennifer. I have excellent reasons for my tardiness though, I swear! 

Last week, I had an event (honestly, the very best part of my job), so there was the mad rush to get it all together, then the event, then the mad rush to clean up, thank, collate, etc. 

I'm going to gush a bit about it, so bear with me, I will get to the recipes, etc. I promise! There was a luncheon and then also a panel, in which I partnered with The Office of Military and Veterans Services at my university. The events last week were actually the second time in seven months in which we've partnered with them, so I think part of my enjoyment of the planning portion was, we recreated certain elements from an event in September, and with most of the same people on board, there wasn't a lot of rushing before hand. 

Anyhoo, our special guest speaker is one of the most amazing young women I've ever met (and brag, I've met some really incredible young people in my time in Higher Education....). Captain Jenna Grassbaugh is finishing her Juris Doctorate, and will join JAG after she graduates next month. She is also a Captain in the U.S. Army, and sadly, for being so young, a Gold Star wife. 

Here's the kicker: Jenna took the insurance money she received from her husband's death, and started an endowment fund, which provides legal assistance to veterans. They don't have to be affiliated with my university in any way to receive the assistance and/or don't have to be combat veterans - simply have served their country in any possible way, and need help. And the law school here is working to match her original endowment amount. 

WOW. Talk about impact. Talk about a perspective moment.
And holy flarking follow-up: she enjoyed it enough to write about it herself. I.am.speechless.

Lá Fhéile Pádraig and Sláinte.

Oh, St. Patrick's Day. What a split personality you have! I'm old enough now that I do not remember it being such a drunk fest, keg & eggs, kind of culture when I was younger. It was a day to wear all the green you had, go to Mass, eat funny foods, and be thankful that there are no snakes in Ireland. 

Green stone and Trinity knot earrings - present from Bratty Sister;
Crochet flower pin, by Edel MacBride, purchased in Oct, 2013 at Mourne Antiques in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal;
Celtic Cross necklace, a confirmation present (I only wear it on St. Patrick's Day for my Grandma Nash).

My family has a strange relationship with the day as well, which is that my dad's parents passed away on days very close to (or in the case of my grandma, ON) St. Patrick's Day. So for me, it's a bit melancholy. More so this year, than in recent years past.

So far, I give 2014 a solid D+.

I don't really like to make generalizations or be negative but. Yeah. So. 2014. Can basically suck it at this point. 

Putting a Personal Swing into the Holidays.

When Spouse and I were married, the favors we gave to our guests was a 2-CD set: one was a mix of romantic/mushy songs and the other was a mix of holiday tunes.

Since that year, I've carried on the tradition of just a CD mix of holiday tunes, and gift it to family and friends. While the CDs for our wedding were a mix of his music and mine, my general rule for the holiday mix I do annually, is I can only use "my" holiday music. I've relaxed that a bit, but 92% of the tracks are guaranteed to be just mine....I may whork a little bit (he's got some really choice tunes). 

(The CD is really a present from both of us, as I receive at least 6 "new"* holiday CDs every year from Spouse, so while it may be classified as "mine", he had a hand in a lot of what I have, and use.)

The CD comes in really handy. 

The Doctor *is* always right.

I have met an incredible number of dedicated, passionate students studying medicine in the last 7 years. One of my absolute favorites from The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Dr. HB, also had a master's degree in nutrition, so in addition to being an incredible doctor, she is also an amazing cook and baker. 

I remember the time she gifted me with homemade marshmallows. 

To this child of the 70's and 80's, marshmallows were the puffy, uber white creations you got in a plastic bag - more often than not for either hot cocoa (in the winter) or s'mores (in the summer). I naturally assumed there were 86 ingredients, 3 hours of time and a legion of baking utensils and such needed, and said so to Dr. HB at the time - marveling that she went to all that trouble. She said very matter-of-factly, is my recollection, that no, they were not really hard to make, and I should try it sometime. 

That was 2008, possible 2009. 

This being the year of 95% home-made & heart-felt gifts, I started pondering handmade prezzies, mainly for the aunts, uncles, and cousins on Spouse's side, as we'll see most everyone during the end of December. The ladies are not difficult, but as a fairly girlie girl, what could I make for the uncles to enjoy? Homemade marshmallows, because who doesn't love marshmallows? NOBODY, that's who.

A Little Holiday Music.

One thing I've learned over my time with Spouse is that there is a $hit-ton of holiday music out there. He loves this area of music more than is possible to relate to you using human language. 

With songs ranging from the sacred to the profane, from the morose to absurd, from traditional to extreme - not to mention every single genre you can think of - between the two of us, we have at least a little bit of all types. It's pretty amazing what you can find, when you start looking. 

When people ask what my favorite holiday tune is, I have to request a genre, because I have favorites in every area. 

Novelty tune: "I Want A Hippopatamus for Christmas". I love this song so much, that one year, Spouse found a concrete hippo and bought it for me for the holiday. I named her Gayla Peevey after the young lady that sings the original song. 

This is my Gayla Peevey. 

Thank you, Nelson Mandela.

My freshman year of college was remarkable, not just for the obvious reasons of being my first year "on my own", away from my family. I started college in August, 1989, and had no idea of the amazing events that would take place that (academic) year. 

First, in the late fall, the Berlin Wall fell. The symbol of The Cold War, and the ideals that came with it, gone. I remember watching on my 13" tv, in my dorm room, as people came together with sledge hammers and power tools to make it happen, and seeing East Berliners & West Berliners shaking hands and hugging, without guards in-between. It was so amazing to me. 

It's beginning to look a lot like Thanksgivukkah.

Thanksgiving in one of my favorite holidays. The food is delightful, the concept simple yet elegant, and there's no major decorations/presents/buying crap pressure. 

This year we get the special addition of the first night of Hanukkah, so that November 28 becomes the Super Holiday of Thanksgivukkah. 

You had me at latkes, thanks.

Add in the rest of the winter holidays: Saturnalia, Solstice, Christmas, Festivus (you know for the rest of us), Kwanzaa, Hogmanay/New Year's Eve, New Year's and with all of them falling within 35 days of each other, and it is the express lane of holidays. Pretty interesting.  

Here's some little brownies for your soul.

Bratty Sister was the first of us to get hitched, and due to hilarious connections with her hubby's family <back story to come>, and the fact that our family was also small, we have spent many a holiday co-celebrating with them. 

While every single one of their respective members are super lovely and delightful people, my sister's father-in-law is/was one of my favorite people. He was in a rock band with his buddies, called NOS (Not Otherwise Specified), loved The Big Lebowski so much his grand-kids call(ed) him Grandpa Dude, and was one of the most loving, authentic, alive people I've ever met. 

Unfortunately, cancer got him. Effin' cancer. 

Holy Epic Weekend, Batman.

Geezy pete: I need a weekend to recover from my weekend. 

Here are the highlights:
1. Friday night: Columbus Blue Jackets game with our BFFs. Our boys lost but in a shootout so we'll kindly take the one point, thankyouverymuch.
2. Saturday afternoon: Craftin' Outlaws at Vet's Memorial and post-shopping nosh at Dirty Frank's. 
3. Saturday night: Dinner at Martini's Modern Italian and Justin Timberlake concert at Nationwide Arena. 
4. Sunday morning: Brunch at Starliner Diner. 
5. Sunday late afternoon: 40th birthday party for Bratty Sister at Casa Nueva, in Athens, OH.

Add in house-guests! And baking! And driving through the horrendous storms Sunday night that swept through the Middle West! (Man, did we luck out around here, comparatively speaking!)

SO.MUCH.FUN. Yet. OY. 

Where I discover I am a baking genius.

Last week, in my workplace, something like 26 people moved to new cubes/office - including me. In the last six months, most of the building has moved, basically - at least three whole departments + one department moving to a different building and one department being blown up <ugh>. 

Today, we're having a little event called "The People in Your Neighborhood" so we can roam about, and figure out where everyone is living now. We were asked to bring in a dessert or dip to share. 

This weekend also happens to be the official 40th birthday party for Bratty Sister and I am making the desserts. Her brother-in-law (her Spouse's brother) is vegan + I know a number of people attending are gluten-free + I had some canned pumpkin that I thought would make a tasty dessert. Enter my gluten-free, vegan punkin' cookies. And where I discover I am a baking genius. <not really>

Side note: how in the heel <deliberate typo> am I old enough for Bratty Baby Sister to be 40? Egads. 

Us, circa 1977-ish

A very Special Adventure, The Wrap Up: Part Trois

PHOTOS!!!!
I *only* took 1,000-ish photos but instead of being that boring person who posts every . single . frame ., I'll choose my faves by location. 

Big note: we didn't have time in Cobh, Belfast or Dublin to tour any of the Titanic museums, but they are on the list for next trip. 

Photo nerd note: only a few photos are filtered (the totally square ones, like Guinness Gravity Bar shot below. The rest have not been edited in any way). The landscape is really just that gorgeous!!

Never Allow My Sister To Be Unsupervised Near A Label Maker.

My sister, her spouse and some friends crashed at Chez Nash Humphrey one night while we were on The Very Special Adventure. All was completely well, but there was a small carton of whipping cream left in the frig upon our return (which is no big deal). I noticed though that she had added this small label to the carton, since I'd left my label maker on the end of the island counter, i.e. completely accessible. I am wondering where else in my house I may come upon labels on things......she's a mite predictable, that one.

Her friend, Amber, is not, in fact, a goober.

There was just enough whipping cream for me to put it to good use with further experimentation with Toffee Saltines. So thanks to our houseguests for the whipping cream - it was used!

We're back. #HappyDays

NOTE: Still a wee bit jet-lagged, so if a sentence doesn't make sense or there are spelling errors, I did edit my work. I'll be back to regular brain power soon. 

To say that Spouse and I had a grand time is an understatement. We were so lucky with all details and arrangements, and no more so than in the folks who comprised our tour guides and fellow adventurers. It's pretty cool to come home and realize you've added friends from Australia, South Africa/Qatar, Canada, Thailand and of course, Ireland into your life. 

I'll write more, in detail, about what we did, saw, drank (first Irish Car Bomb - thanks, Avril!), etc. Thought I'd kick off the recaps with updates on various things I promised I'd report on, upon our return. 

I.Love.Autumn.

I adore autumn. Between it and Spring is nano-points. Between it and winter is 10 points. Between it and summer is 50 points, unless the summer turns out to *not* be hazy, hot and hellish, then we'll say, just 20 points. 

Autumn features my favorite color palette: burnished reds, deep oranges, blazing golds, flashes of bright green (generally when and where you least expect it) and all fading into rusted reds, deep browns and golds that make you want to drown in them. 

Autumn is also the season when I married Spouse, first moved to The 'Shire, and have met many of my oldest and dearest friends. 

Autumn is also my favorite FOOD season. Being that apples seem to come to the height of crispness, gourds of all varieties are everywhere (PUMPKIN, WHAT?), and soups are in vogue yet again (I've never mastered being able to eat soup in summer. It's just not right.). 

It seems odd to me, since I've been writing so infrequently of late, to skip the latter portion of summer [one more beer fest, garden updates, etc.] but today I made butternut squash soup. It rained. Football dominated my television viewing. It was just really autumn......

Oh and Spouse & I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary yesterday but y'know, minor details. [It was awesome].

Blergh. Yikes. Whoah.

It's just been one of those months. I came to the intersection of work craziness and personal life craziness and blergh. Yikes. Whoah. My brain stopped being creative or something.

Ain't no creativity happenin' 'round these here parts. 

So just a fast, lame post to say: Hi. I'm still around. I have things to write about. New recipes. Garden updates. All sorts of good things. 

Hope you have had a great month so far and are looking forward to fall. Which I believe officially started today or starts tomorrow.....I always have to consult an official guide, like Google or Wikipedia for exact date & time. Damn. Adds a little more blergh, yikes and whoah. Fall. 

I hope to return to regular posting next week. But for now, a cocktail because dayum, it.has.been.a.crazy.week. 

<whew>

Quiet is good.

My friend, John and I have a yearly conversation on the switch from summer to fall. We met as awkward, doe-eyed freshman, lo many decades ago, and still find that we have a physical connection to the moment when the weather, circadian rhythms and/or consciousness changes from summer to fall. It's a connection to our friendship and those young, fairly stupid, wide-eyed kids we were. 

"Remember when we'd sit by the pond outside Harshman for hours?" 
"Remember running around the mall to try and outsmart that stupid mall machine?"
"Remember how I always managed to wear a white t-shirt on spaghetti day in the caf?"

I'm not altogether certain it has happened, but I feel it coming. Schools are in session. I've noticed a few trees are already losing their leaves. Pumpkin flavored beer is available at your local dispensaries of spirits. So it's pending....

And maybe because it's the Labor Day Weekend, with three whole days off. <sigh> Fall is coming. 

Ohio Adventures: the Dublin Irish Festival.

I know you'll find this implausible but it is legitimate: Dublin, Ohio (a suburb of Columbus) holds the title of second largest Celtic festival IN THE WORLD. Yes, the world. We are second only to Milwaukee, WI. 

The Dublin Irish Festival (a.k.a. DIF) is particularly special to me because I went for the first time in 1999, on my third date with he who is now known as my Spouse. I bought my first item with a trinity knot (more on its importance to come). Afterward, in the parking lot of Coffman High School, my now-husband kissed me for the first time. To quote Tom from "Four Weddings and a Funeral", thunder bolt city.