Getaway!

Is it really almost Labor Day? 

I've been preparing for a little weekend getaway to Ohio with my lovely husband.  It will be about a 7 hour drive.  I feel like we should plan one more trip this summer to the East coast, just so we can say we crossed the country together.  (And if you were wondering, Trooper is staying with the grandparents.  He's pretty excited.)  We have a few people to visit and I am hoping to get a good taste of the Midwestern summer before it winds down.  We've had some hot and humid weather in Illinois but I know before we know it I'll be complaining that it's too cold.  

Otherwise, I Jim is loving his new job and keeping himself busy with the law.  We have started to research our big move to our own place and hope to have it all figured out by October.  I am looking forward to the fall and some new adventures. 

Until then, I whipped up this Coconut Curried Shrimp for dinner this evening.  It's a pretty easy one and could be made with tofu, chicken, or just veggies.  Don't do anything Laborious this weekend. 

Camarones

Run, Little Amanda!  Move those lil' pale legs!

We had a lovely weekend.  On Saturday, I was a lady who lunched al fresco, which was wonderful.  We also caught up with some friends and watched some kiddo anarchy.    On Sunday morning, I ran in the Graham's Sundae 5k.  It was a beautiful day and beautiful course.  I had the most awesome fan club cheering me on, which included my lovely in-laws, my husband and TWO doggies!  I pushed myself and finished in 26:05.  (My best 5k was 5 years ago at 26:02.)  This run was not microchipped, so I am thinking I actually ran it at just about 26 minutes.  I was the 45th runner to finish (out of 300 and some) and 16th female.  If the age groups had been in five year increments, I would have been second in my group, but since it was a small run, they were in 10 year increments, so I was fourth.  Still pretty good, if I do say so!  Then we headed to Graham's and enjoyed their wonderful coffee.  (I sadly did not get my free ice cream at the end; I felt like I was going to vomit.)  I tutored for a few hours and had a really great dinner cooked for me!  If you love shrimp and spicy and smokey foods, make this Shrimp Diabla!  http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20130813/entlife/708139857/  It was so flavorful.  You could also use the same sauce and add chicken if you wanted.  Thanks, chefs!

Spaghetti Carbonara

The parents are on a date, so it's a Friday evening with Jim and five doggies.  I am making Jim one of his fave meals: Spaghetti Carbonara.  How many times am going to have to tell you to make this meal?  I love making this for other people when I visit.  I made it for my brother and he loved it, my best gal friend and her family and they loved it, and a few other lucky ducks.  Here's the deal: make it with pancetta!  I buy the Trader Joe's cubed pancetta (you can also buy slices at most delis; you could get thick cuts and cube it yourself) and saute that in a little olive oil first.  I then remove it from the pan and saute the asparagus in the oil and pancetta juice.  (I won't call it grease.)  From there I continue the recipe.  And you should NOT omit the fried egg(s)!  This is also a great recipe for anyone who's dairy free.  (Note: a lot of other American carbonaras use creamer.  Go with the egg yolks!)

Fun Run?

Oh my gosh.  This picture both cracks me up and makes me want to crawl in the fetal position.  Almost four months have gone by since this crazy day.  My running buddy took this picture and labeled it #shouldhaveturnedleft.  For reals.  (My big toe nail has still not fully grown back. ) As I posted the other day, I am running in a 5K on Sunday.  I am excited to take part in a run that should take me less than 30 minutes (not five hours.)

There's a new addition to the blogosphere!  I would love to introduce you to my beautiful, smart, funny, stylish  best friend in the world, http://www.thevannydiaries.blogspot.com/.  Follow her as she describes her adventures as mom, wife, lawyer, and all around awesome lady. 

Singapore Noodles

Are you looking for a yummy veggie recipe?  My darling husband found this recipe for Singapore Noodles and I whipped it up last night.  It was really tasty!  The only thing that was a little annoying was the carrots and cabbage.  I shredded them in the food processor which was much more convenient but then requires cleaning out the processor.  I used savoy cabbage but was thinking that you could even buy one of those bags of cabbage and carrots that is meant to be used for cole slaw if you wanted something faster.  Today I have a pot of Emeril's Shrimp Etouffee on the stove and am planning to reheat it when we get home and add the shrimp.  (I did change the shrimp stock to chicken stock.)  Another recipe with a bit of chopping and that wouldn't work well after work, as it has to simmer for 45 minutes, but could be a good Sunday or make ahead meal.  (Can you tell I don't like to chop?  Would you like to be my sous chef?)  Both of these recipes also used tomatoes, and I peeled and deseeded fresh tomatoes from our garden.  (Easy way to peel tomatoes: dunk them in boiling butter than ice water.)
And speaking of food and cooking, I was lucky enough to find Michael Pollan's new book, Cooked, on the new books shelf at the library.  I've just started reading it and am on the section on BBQ, so I'm obviously enjoying it.  If you haven't read any of his books, I highly recommend them.  He's a very easy to read author who will make you think a bit about the food you buy and eat. 
And if you are wondering, my pal JMD had a great first day of work!  I'm so proud of him! 
Okay, all of this food writing has made me hungry.

More Muffins

Today we celebrate my wonderful husband's first day of work!  He just jumped in our new Corolla and headed west.  To help him have a fabulous week, I made him some healthy muffins to take with him.  These muffins are from a great blog, 100 Days of Real Food.  They are completely sugar free (and use honey and juice to sweeten.)  This woman has some great lunch box ideas.  You might use them for your child, but I use them for my 32 year old soon to be lawyer friend.

I can't believe the summer is winding down.  I had a great time tutoring the kiddos this summer and was able to work almost 30 hours some weeks.  They have asked me to help with some sort of ACT middle school program for a few hours a week next month in addition to my regular nights/ weekend hours. 

I have registered for my first 5K since our return to Illinois and since the marathon!  I'll be running in the Graham's Ice Cream (our fave ice cream parlor and site of many romantic dates) next Sunday.  A half hour run with ice cream at the end sounds pretty lovely. 

We are excited for a few weddings (and trips) this fall.  We'll be in Seattle the first weekend of October and Atlanta in the middle of November.  I'm looking forward to enjoying a good old Midwestern Fall, including Pumpkin Fest and apple cider doughnuts.  We've already discussed how beautiful Trooper's coat will look near the autumn leaves.

Bar is DONE

Our favorite soon to be lawyer is done!  He took the Bar exam last week.  He tested for two days and then went out and celebrated with a friend downtown.  Luckily he found his way back home and is alive and well and Barbri free.  He has also accepted a job!  Doing the law!  I won't tell you the name of the firm, as I don't really know.  He'll be commuting an hour each way right now, but he's happy to have a grown up legal job.  He is taking this week to reflect on life (and sleep in) and will start on Monday.  And Jim is actually out buying a new car as I type, as our days of being a one car family need to quickly end.  As Barney Stinson would say, "Hashtag lawyered."