I read fewer books for the read harder challenge in the second quarter of the year, mostly because I read so many books for the challenge in the first quarter. I'm still glad that I am doing the challenge as it continues to push me to read books that I might not have read otherwise and as a lover of lists, it's fun to track what I've read and what I plan to read for this challenge. Here's a recap of what I read for the challenge in the second quarter of the year!
Tasks Completed in the Second Quarter:
A book by or about someone that identifies as LGBTQ: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan - After
reading and loving The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska, I
don't know if any other John Green books can live up to my expectations.
That said this was a fun read with the typical intellectual high school
kids with insight beyond their years and ridiculous vocabularies. It
wasn't as good as his other books but it was still good.
A book that was originally published in another language: Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl - This book was written by the survivor of several Nazi concentration camps. The first half of the book is about his experiences in the concentration camp as well as his reflections on what it takes to survive and thrive despite horrible circumstances. The second half of the book discussion his approach to therapy, which focuses on patients finding meaning in their life. It was a heavy, difficult read at times but I am glad that I read it. It made me think about my life and how I've handled hardships.
A graphic novel, a graphic memoir or a collection of comics of any kind: French Milk by Lucy Knisley - I bought this book years ago after reading about it on the blog, A Cup of Jo. It's a delightful read about the author's 5 week trip to Paris with her mom. It was fun to see her illustrations of places I had visited in Paris. It was a light, fun, delightful read!
A book that someone else has recommended to you: Nobody's Cuter Than You by Melanie Shankel - This a memoir about friendship that was recommended and gifted to me by my friend Heidi. The author talks about the friendships that have developed over the course of her life and how they have changed. It made me nostalgic for my college years and the friendships I formed during that stage of my life!
A book that takes place in Asia: In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner - This was a heavy book to read as it's set in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge uprising. It was so sad to read about the way the Cambodians were treated by their fellow countrymen. It's based on the author's experiences so is part-memoir, part-fiction.
Tasks completed = 20
Tasks Completed in Prior Quarter:
A book written by someone when they were under the age of 25: Purple Hibiscus by Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie
A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65: Runaway by Alice Munro
A book by a person whose gender is different from your own: The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion
A book by an author from Africa: Americanah by Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie
A YA novel: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
A sci-fi novel: The Martian by Andy Weir
An audiobook: Yes Please by Amy Poehler
A collection of poetry: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
A microhistory: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
A book published this year: Girl on the Train by Paul Hawkins
A book published by an indie press: The Empathy Exam by Leslie Jamison
A book that you would consider a guilty pleasure: Paris Letters by Janice MacLeod
A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
A collection of short stories: Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer Prize winner from the last decade: Redeployment by Phil Klay
Tasks To Be Completed:
A romance novel
A book that is a retelling of a classic story (fairytale, Shakespearian play, classic novel, etc.)
A book published before 1850
A self-improvement book
What is the best book you have read so far this year?
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Monday, July 6, 2015
4th of July at the Lake
Some things just belong together. The 4th of July holiday and being at the lake are two of those things. I am very thankful that I live driving distance away from my parents lake home as the 4th of July is just not the same if I'm not with family at the lake! This year Phil got to experience it, too. Here's how we filled out weekend!
We arrived around lunch time on Friday. Our first drink of the weekend was rhubarb slush. This is my mom's signature drink. It's so good!
Friday was low key day for us. I knew that Saturday would be a little bit crazy as my parents were hosting a get together for my dad's side of the family so it was nice to have a quieter day on Friday. We went kayaking and lazed around that afternoon before going over to my aunt and uncle's house for a family BBQ.
Smoke from the forest fires had moved into our region last week so the sky was kind of hazy but it made for an interesting and unique sunset on Friday night.
On Saturday morning I got up and headed out for a 10 mile run. At the beginning of my run I randomly ran into a guy who was visiting his in-laws who have a cabin just down from my parents. He was also training for the Twin Cities Marathon and wanted to run 10 miles so we ended up running together. I'm so glad I had some company on the run as it made the time go by WAY faster as we chatted the entire time.
My parents hosted a get together on Saturday with my dad's side of the family and there were A LOT of people there - 43 to be exact, 19 of which were kids that ranged from 17 months to 13 years! Phil definitely got a taste of what it's like to be part of a big family (his family is very small) but he handled it well.
We had a bean bag tournament in the afternoon which was really fun. We were randomly partnered up. Phil ended up getting paired with my aunt Laurie, and I got paired with my brother-in-law Jason. We ended up playing them in the second round and won. Woo hoo!
The day went by really fast and we definitely stayed busy as we kayaked, went for a paddle boat ride, played king of the mountain on my parents' water raft with my older nephews, and went stand-up paddle boarding. We definitely had lots of fun in the sun. And we ate a lot!
On Saturday night, we had our own little fireworks show as my parents had bought a bunch of fireworks (thanks mom and dad). We crashed after that as all the fresh air and activity tired us out.
We headed back to Minneapolis on Sunday morning so that Phil could spend some time with his mom that afternoon. The weekend went by so fast but was so much fun!
How did you spend your weekend? Did you go a 4th of July or Canada Day celebration last week? If so, did you bring anything to share? I brought a corn and black bean salsa which is pretty much my standard contribution to any summer family meal.
We arrived around lunch time on Friday. Our first drink of the weekend was rhubarb slush. This is my mom's signature drink. It's so good!
Friday was low key day for us. I knew that Saturday would be a little bit crazy as my parents were hosting a get together for my dad's side of the family so it was nice to have a quieter day on Friday. We went kayaking and lazed around that afternoon before going over to my aunt and uncle's house for a family BBQ.
Smoke from the forest fires had moved into our region last week so the sky was kind of hazy but it made for an interesting and unique sunset on Friday night.
On Saturday morning I got up and headed out for a 10 mile run. At the beginning of my run I randomly ran into a guy who was visiting his in-laws who have a cabin just down from my parents. He was also training for the Twin Cities Marathon and wanted to run 10 miles so we ended up running together. I'm so glad I had some company on the run as it made the time go by WAY faster as we chatted the entire time.
My parents hosted a get together on Saturday with my dad's side of the family and there were A LOT of people there - 43 to be exact, 19 of which were kids that ranged from 17 months to 13 years! Phil definitely got a taste of what it's like to be part of a big family (his family is very small) but he handled it well.
 |
| My niece Evelyn and I. |
 |
| They were good sports about losing to us. |
 |
| End of the day selfie on Saturday night! |
We headed back to Minneapolis on Sunday morning so that Phil could spend some time with his mom that afternoon. The weekend went by so fast but was so much fun!
How did you spend your weekend? Did you go a 4th of July or Canada Day celebration last week? If so, did you bring anything to share? I brought a corn and black bean salsa which is pretty much my standard contribution to any summer family meal.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Music, Books, Miles and Looks of June
June was such a blur! I thought it would be a quieter, slower month but it totally wasn't. It was a weird month, though. It certainly had some highs but it also had more than its fair share of anxiety and stress (related to work) so I am glad it's behind me!
Music:
*crickets* I have not listened to much music lately as I mostly listen to podcasts when I am in the car (which isn't very often) so I don't have any new songs I'm loving these days!
Books:
I read 4 books in June, so it was kind of a low reading month (for me). All of the books I read were pretty good, but it's been awhile since I've read something that I absolutely LOVED. Similar to previous months, the books I starred are ones I read for the Read Harder Challenge.
Citizens of London by Lynne Olson - 3 stars (book club book)
French Milk by Lucy Knisley - 4 stars
Nobody's Cuter Than You by Melanie Shankle* - 3 stars
In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner* - 4 stars
Miles:
June was not my best month for running as I had some random pain in my ankle/foot that made me take some extra rest days. I got it x-rayed just to be sure it wasn't a stress fracture, and everything looked fine so that was a relief. My total miles for the month were 60, which is my lowest month since February! Oh well - I am sure July will be a higher mileage month since I'm marathon training now. I also biked 56 miles, swam 5 times, and did 5 strength training workouts (lower than I'd like but it's tough to fit everything in these days).
Looks:
My favorite look of the month was the dress that I wore to my cousin's wedding. You can't see much of it in the photo but the best part about it is that it has pockets!! It's also nice that the neckline has jewels sewn into it so I did not have to wear any jewelry with it! I've had this dress for 2 years and this is only the second time I have worn it - I need to pull it out of my closet more often.
How was your month of June? This is my last post before the 4th of July holiday - have a great weekend and for my American readers, have a safe and fun 4th of July! And Happy Canada Day to my Canadian readers!!
Music:
*crickets* I have not listened to much music lately as I mostly listen to podcasts when I am in the car (which isn't very often) so I don't have any new songs I'm loving these days!
Books:
I read 4 books in June, so it was kind of a low reading month (for me). All of the books I read were pretty good, but it's been awhile since I've read something that I absolutely LOVED. Similar to previous months, the books I starred are ones I read for the Read Harder Challenge.
Citizens of London by Lynne Olson - 3 stars (book club book)
French Milk by Lucy Knisley - 4 stars
Nobody's Cuter Than You by Melanie Shankle* - 3 stars
In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner* - 4 stars
Miles:
June was not my best month for running as I had some random pain in my ankle/foot that made me take some extra rest days. I got it x-rayed just to be sure it wasn't a stress fracture, and everything looked fine so that was a relief. My total miles for the month were 60, which is my lowest month since February! Oh well - I am sure July will be a higher mileage month since I'm marathon training now. I also biked 56 miles, swam 5 times, and did 5 strength training workouts (lower than I'd like but it's tough to fit everything in these days).
Looks:
My favorite look of the month was the dress that I wore to my cousin's wedding. You can't see much of it in the photo but the best part about it is that it has pockets!! It's also nice that the neckline has jewels sewn into it so I did not have to wear any jewelry with it! I've had this dress for 2 years and this is only the second time I have worn it - I need to pull it out of my closet more often.
How was your month of June? This is my last post before the 4th of July holiday - have a great weekend and for my American readers, have a safe and fun 4th of July! And Happy Canada Day to my Canadian readers!!
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Triathlon Training: Taking a Swimming Class
Happy Tuesday! A couple of weeks ago I talked about my triathlon training plan so today I thought I'd delve into a class I took to prepare for the swimming portion of the triathlon, which will certainly be my weakest sport of the three.
I took years of swimming lessons as a child and grew up going to the lake so I am very comfortable in the water. However, all of my swimming has been recreational, so I decided to take a class to work on my endurance and swimming technique. I took a triathlon swimming class at my local YWCA which taught us the Total Immersion approach to swimming. I'm still new to it so I can't really succinctly explain what it means, but my take away is that it helps improves your efficiency and form.
Here are some of the main takeaways I got from this class:
1. I learned an efficient stroke technique for the front crawl. Since I took many swim classes as a child, I knew how to do the front crawl, but I can't say I was efficient at it. At this class the instructor gave us a lot of feedback on our stroke and helped us improve our technique. The class was extremely technique centric so the first 3 out of 6 classes were not exactly a "good workout" as we'd focus on one aspect of the stroke for 25 meters, get feedback, focus on another aspect of the stroke for 25 meters, get feedback, etc. She also took videos of us individually at two different classes so we could see what our stroke looked like.
2. More strokes doesn't necessarily = sustainable speed. In my mind I thought that I would get further by taking more strokes, but that is not really the case (at least for me - I am sure that it's different for strong/seasoned swimmers). By taking the class I learned that power/speed comes from using your entire body, especially your core. My goal is to get through the swim and have enough energy for the bike and run so it was helpful to learn that I could slow down my stroke, improve my form, and still finish in a shorter amount of time than I would have if I had just increased my strokes/minute.
3. The tempo trainer is my friend. For those unfamiliar with a tempo trainer, this is what it is:
The tempo trainer is basically a metronome that you can put in your swim cap. I HATED practicing piano with a metronome when I was a kid but it turns out that I love swimming with one. It makes me feel so much more calm and in control and it helps me control my breathing as I breath on the beeps. Plus it keeps me from rushing my stroke speed. You are allowed to use these on race day.
I'm so glad that I took this class as I feel much more prepared for the swim portion of the triathlon. And if nothing else, it motivated me to get into the water once a week in the early portion of triathlon training and since swimming is the least convenient of the three sports BY FAR, it helped to have that motivation!
Did you take swim classes as a child? Are you a strong swimmer?
I took years of swimming lessons as a child and grew up going to the lake so I am very comfortable in the water. However, all of my swimming has been recreational, so I decided to take a class to work on my endurance and swimming technique. I took a triathlon swimming class at my local YWCA which taught us the Total Immersion approach to swimming. I'm still new to it so I can't really succinctly explain what it means, but my take away is that it helps improves your efficiency and form.
Here are some of the main takeaways I got from this class:
1. I learned an efficient stroke technique for the front crawl. Since I took many swim classes as a child, I knew how to do the front crawl, but I can't say I was efficient at it. At this class the instructor gave us a lot of feedback on our stroke and helped us improve our technique. The class was extremely technique centric so the first 3 out of 6 classes were not exactly a "good workout" as we'd focus on one aspect of the stroke for 25 meters, get feedback, focus on another aspect of the stroke for 25 meters, get feedback, etc. She also took videos of us individually at two different classes so we could see what our stroke looked like.
2. More strokes doesn't necessarily = sustainable speed. In my mind I thought that I would get further by taking more strokes, but that is not really the case (at least for me - I am sure that it's different for strong/seasoned swimmers). By taking the class I learned that power/speed comes from using your entire body, especially your core. My goal is to get through the swim and have enough energy for the bike and run so it was helpful to learn that I could slow down my stroke, improve my form, and still finish in a shorter amount of time than I would have if I had just increased my strokes/minute.
3. The tempo trainer is my friend. For those unfamiliar with a tempo trainer, this is what it is:
The tempo trainer is basically a metronome that you can put in your swim cap. I HATED practicing piano with a metronome when I was a kid but it turns out that I love swimming with one. It makes me feel so much more calm and in control and it helps me control my breathing as I breath on the beeps. Plus it keeps me from rushing my stroke speed. You are allowed to use these on race day.
I'm so glad that I took this class as I feel much more prepared for the swim portion of the triathlon. And if nothing else, it motivated me to get into the water once a week in the early portion of triathlon training and since swimming is the least convenient of the three sports BY FAR, it helped to have that motivation!
Did you take swim classes as a child? Are you a strong swimmer?
Monday, June 29, 2015
Weekend Recap
This past weekend was one of those perfect summer weekends that made me so thankful to live where I live as the weather was just picture perfect. Phil was gone for the weekend for a golf trip, so I was on my own. I definitely missed him but I was able to keep plenty busy and had a good mix of active time, social time, and down time. Here's how I filled my weekend.
On Friday night I went to happy hour with a couple of coworkers that I used to work with. We hadn't all been together in over a year so it was great to get together and catch up. That night I was in bed by 9 pm reading.
On Saturday morning I was up bright and early for a run with my club. It was the first official long training run for Twin Cities and my 10 mile run went great. I ran with someone new to the club so it was fun to get to know someone on the run. It was a beautiful morning and when we finished the run I said, "Gosh I love Minnesota." That sense of thankfulness for being back in a place I love has not worn off and maybe (hopefully) it never will.
On Saturday afternoon I had some errands to run. I wore the shirt from the Book Riot Store that Amber got me for my birthday in February. It was the perfect birthday present for a book-lover like me!
I swung by Phil's before running errands to check on Oscar. I could tell he was pretty lonely after spending his first night alone, so I played with him lots. It's tough to get him to stay in one spot long enough to take a non-blurry photo but I captured a couple to send to Phil.
After running several errands, I took advantage of the beautiful day and read on my balcony while snacking on watermelon.
I went to church that evening and then my friend Amanda picked me up and we headed to the musical Once. I wore a dress that I hadn't worn since our trip to Jamaica!
Once was amazing! If you have the chance to see it, I highly recommend it. The cast is incredibly talented and the show was about 2.5 hours long, including the intermission, which is the perfect length of a show in my opinion (I think some broadway shows get a bit long).
On Sunday morning I woke up early without an alarm and enjoyed breakfast on my patio.
Then I was off to my first open water swim! The lake I swam at is 6 miles away so I biked over there so that it would sort of be a brick workout. I got to try out my new triathlon outfit that I had purchased the day before.
The open water swim went pretty well, aside from a little snafu with leaking goggles that resulted in me *almost* losing one of my contacts... I guess it's time for me to buy some new ones. I swam about 0.75 miles and was definitely glad to be done at the end!
Sunday afternoon and evening were very low key. I did a lot of reading on my balcony. I can't remember the last time I sat and read for several hours so that was nice and very needed. In the evening I tried a new recipe that I had printed out a long time ago.
I am glad I liked it as it yielded quite a bit - although I am sure Phil would not turn down some leftovers. I was going to try to reduce/eliminate my dairy intake this month but the last two recipes I've made were cheesy ones so that's been a bit of #fail. Maybe next month I'll do better!
How was your weekend? Was the weather beautiful where you are?
On Friday night I went to happy hour with a couple of coworkers that I used to work with. We hadn't all been together in over a year so it was great to get together and catch up. That night I was in bed by 9 pm reading.
On Saturday morning I was up bright and early for a run with my club. It was the first official long training run for Twin Cities and my 10 mile run went great. I ran with someone new to the club so it was fun to get to know someone on the run. It was a beautiful morning and when we finished the run I said, "Gosh I love Minnesota." That sense of thankfulness for being back in a place I love has not worn off and maybe (hopefully) it never will.
 |
| Our 10 mile route took us through my neighborhood which is one of the prettiest areas of Minneapolis in my biased opinion. |
I swung by Phil's before running errands to check on Oscar. I could tell he was pretty lonely after spending his first night alone, so I played with him lots. It's tough to get him to stay in one spot long enough to take a non-blurry photo but I captured a couple to send to Phil.
After running several errands, I took advantage of the beautiful day and read on my balcony while snacking on watermelon.
 |
| A cool drink + watermelon + a good book + a view = perfection |
 |
| I still heart stripes! |
On Sunday morning I woke up early without an alarm and enjoyed breakfast on my patio.
Then I was off to my first open water swim! The lake I swam at is 6 miles away so I biked over there so that it would sort of be a brick workout. I got to try out my new triathlon outfit that I had purchased the day before.
The open water swim went pretty well, aside from a little snafu with leaking goggles that resulted in me *almost* losing one of my contacts... I guess it's time for me to buy some new ones. I swam about 0.75 miles and was definitely glad to be done at the end!
Sunday afternoon and evening were very low key. I did a lot of reading on my balcony. I can't remember the last time I sat and read for several hours so that was nice and very needed. In the evening I tried a new recipe that I had printed out a long time ago.
I am glad I liked it as it yielded quite a bit - although I am sure Phil would not turn down some leftovers. I was going to try to reduce/eliminate my dairy intake this month but the last two recipes I've made were cheesy ones so that's been a bit of #fail. Maybe next month I'll do better!
How was your weekend? Was the weather beautiful where you are?
Friday, June 26, 2015
TGIF!
Oh Friday, I'm so happy to see you! Here's a little TGIF recap of my week.
The high of my week was lots of things, such as getting to know/playing with Phil's cat, going to an Ingrid Michaelson concert with Amber and a friend from work, and seeing a bunch of former coworkers, including my former boss, at an event hosted by my previous employer (I left on good terms so it was great to see everyone).
The low of my week was feeling extremely frustrated and impatient about something related to work.
A book I am reading is In the Shadow of the Banyan. It's a book my mom recommended to me that is set in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge regime. I'm counting it toward the "books set in Asia" category of the Read Harder Challenge.
A recipe I made was One-Pan Italian Sausage and Peppers Pasta. It called for marinara so I used this easy recipe to make the marinara using basil and oregano from my herb garden! I know it looks like it has a lot of cheese but that's actually just four thin slices of provolone. It was delicious and so easy to make! Phil does the dishes when I cook so he was very happy that there was only one pan to wash. :)
For my workouts, I completed fewer workouts than I'd like due to lots of evening commitments that kept me up too late to get up before work to workout... I ran on Monday and Thursday, and also went to a swim class on Thursday. Today will be a rest day, tomorrow I will do my long run with my club, and on Sunday I'm planning to bike to a local lake to do my first open water swim!
The best money I spent was on dinner at a Greek place that we went to before the concert. The food was so good and inexpensive!
My plans this weekend include going to a happy hour tonight and going to Once the musical tomorrow night (which I'm so excited about!!!). Phil has a guy's golf weekend so I'll also be cat sitting! The past week has been a busy one so I am really glad that I don't have much planned for the weekend!
What was the high of your week? What was the best money you spent?
The high of my week was lots of things, such as getting to know/playing with Phil's cat, going to an Ingrid Michaelson concert with Amber and a friend from work, and seeing a bunch of former coworkers, including my former boss, at an event hosted by my previous employer (I left on good terms so it was great to see everyone).
The low of my week was feeling extremely frustrated and impatient about something related to work.
A book I am reading is In the Shadow of the Banyan. It's a book my mom recommended to me that is set in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge regime. I'm counting it toward the "books set in Asia" category of the Read Harder Challenge.
A recipe I made was One-Pan Italian Sausage and Peppers Pasta. It called for marinara so I used this easy recipe to make the marinara using basil and oregano from my herb garden! I know it looks like it has a lot of cheese but that's actually just four thin slices of provolone. It was delicious and so easy to make! Phil does the dishes when I cook so he was very happy that there was only one pan to wash. :)
For my workouts, I completed fewer workouts than I'd like due to lots of evening commitments that kept me up too late to get up before work to workout... I ran on Monday and Thursday, and also went to a swim class on Thursday. Today will be a rest day, tomorrow I will do my long run with my club, and on Sunday I'm planning to bike to a local lake to do my first open water swim!
The best money I spent was on dinner at a Greek place that we went to before the concert. The food was so good and inexpensive!
My plans this weekend include going to a happy hour tonight and going to Once the musical tomorrow night (which I'm so excited about!!!). Phil has a guy's golf weekend so I'll also be cat sitting! The past week has been a busy one so I am really glad that I don't have much planned for the weekend!
What was the high of your week? What was the best money you spent?
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
From Terrace To Table
After several years of high rise condo living and trial and error,
I've learned what grows well on my balcony and what doesn't. I've tried
and failed to grow tomatoes, green peppers, and flowers, but have
figured out that I'm really good at growing herbs!
Last year I just grew basil as I wanted to see how herbs would do on my patio, which gets limited sun exposure. Since it grew so well last year, this year I decided to expand my herb garden and I planted basil, oregano, cilantro, flat-leaf Italian parsley, and rosemary. I "cheated" a bit and bought the herbs in plant-form versus growing them from seeds as I got a bit of a late start due to my move in May. Everything has been thriving and I got to harvest my first herbs in early June!
I would love to grow my own vegetables as I grew up eating home-grown veggies but you just have to know your strengths, and patio vegetable gardening is not mine. But it's still really fulfilling to make meals that utilize herbs I have grown myself! I've already made a couple of things so I thought I'd share some photos as well as links to the recipe. As Phil said, these meals are "Terrace to Table!"
First up, I used my oregano to make Greek Feta-Zucchini Turkey Burgers. These tasted great but I'll be the first to admit that they did not grill well. I think I should have added more GF bread crumbs as they were a bit too moist and did not hold together well Or maybe I should have pre-baked them? Further experimentation is needed. They tasted great but they are obviously not very "presentable." But in an attempt to "keep it real," I'm still going to share the photo because it's the taste, not the look, that counts... right? I served the burgers "naked" because the 2 grocery stores I went to did not have GF burger buns. Such is the life of a gluten free girl... The burgers went great with the Greek salad I served them with!
The next night, I used a whole lot of basil to make some lentil meatballs and marinara sauce. I forgot to take a photo of the lentil meatballs before adding them to the sauce so you'll just have to take my word that they are in fact in there! I made this dish last year as a vegetarian option at a party I hosted so decided to give them a whirl again. Last time I made them, people ate them on buns as a sandwich filler but this time around we had them on top of GF spaghetti.
Not pictured is the cilantro that I used to make a southwestern black bean salad - which we actually ate as a dip with tortilla chips. I'm currently drying the remaining oregano and the rosemary for future use and I'm still trying to figure out a use for the Italian parsley...
It's going to be a fun summer of cooking as I intend to find recipes that will utilize my herbs, which are growing like weeds thanks to the rain and warm weather we've had lately!
Do you have a garden? Have you ever grown herbs? What is your favorite fresh herb to use when cooking? Mine is a tie between basil and cilantro.
Last year I just grew basil as I wanted to see how herbs would do on my patio, which gets limited sun exposure. Since it grew so well last year, this year I decided to expand my herb garden and I planted basil, oregano, cilantro, flat-leaf Italian parsley, and rosemary. I "cheated" a bit and bought the herbs in plant-form versus growing them from seeds as I got a bit of a late start due to my move in May. Everything has been thriving and I got to harvest my first herbs in early June!
 |
| Parsley and basil |
 |
| Rosemary, a bit more basil, and oregano |
I would love to grow my own vegetables as I grew up eating home-grown veggies but you just have to know your strengths, and patio vegetable gardening is not mine. But it's still really fulfilling to make meals that utilize herbs I have grown myself! I've already made a couple of things so I thought I'd share some photos as well as links to the recipe. As Phil said, these meals are "Terrace to Table!"
First up, I used my oregano to make Greek Feta-Zucchini Turkey Burgers. These tasted great but I'll be the first to admit that they did not grill well. I think I should have added more GF bread crumbs as they were a bit too moist and did not hold together well Or maybe I should have pre-baked them? Further experimentation is needed. They tasted great but they are obviously not very "presentable." But in an attempt to "keep it real," I'm still going to share the photo because it's the taste, not the look, that counts... right? I served the burgers "naked" because the 2 grocery stores I went to did not have GF burger buns. Such is the life of a gluten free girl... The burgers went great with the Greek salad I served them with!
The next night, I used a whole lot of basil to make some lentil meatballs and marinara sauce. I forgot to take a photo of the lentil meatballs before adding them to the sauce so you'll just have to take my word that they are in fact in there! I made this dish last year as a vegetarian option at a party I hosted so decided to give them a whirl again. Last time I made them, people ate them on buns as a sandwich filler but this time around we had them on top of GF spaghetti.
 |
| Different night, same salad. We love salad! |
Not pictured is the cilantro that I used to make a southwestern black bean salad - which we actually ate as a dip with tortilla chips. I'm currently drying the remaining oregano and the rosemary for future use and I'm still trying to figure out a use for the Italian parsley...
It's going to be a fun summer of cooking as I intend to find recipes that will utilize my herbs, which are growing like weeds thanks to the rain and warm weather we've had lately!
Do you have a garden? Have you ever grown herbs? What is your favorite fresh herb to use when cooking? Mine is a tie between basil and cilantro.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)