Sriracha for days & faux-asian recipes

There are a lot of things I wish I were better at in terms of blogging. Like actually updating my blog, for one. Another vital skill that I lack: photography. Not only am I a less-than-stellar picture-taker, I rarely remember to even attempt to snap a photo, especially when I'm preparing food. There are two reasons for this: my knowledge of my photography handicap and my tendency to leave my phone and ipad out of the kitchen for fear of splattering food particles all over them. I definitely need to work on being neater and steadying my hand.

Onto the point of that spiel. I've actually been in the kitchen a bit more frequently testing out new simple recipes that I've thrown together, largely based on my craving for Srirarcha.

This is me

I made up a large batch of red quinoa this week to experiment with, and ended up making quinoa "fried rice" with all of it because it was so craveable. I even got my mom and sister's boyfriend to try it and enjoy it. Win. Especially since it's the easiest, quickest recipe ever and amounts can easily be adjusted to serve one or several people, as a side or main course for a meal.

Quinoa "Fried Rice"

• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 diced celery
• large handful of sugar snap peas
• 1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 diced red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup - 1 cup cooked red quinoa
• low-sodium soy sauce, to taste
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• black pepper
• Sriracha, to taste (I recommend liberal application)
• 1 - 3 eggs 

Saute garlic, celery, and sugar snap peas in a large non-stick frying pan on high until soft. Reduce to medium heat and add red pepper, quinoa, and seasonings. Reduce heat to medium-low and add eggs one at a time, stirring constantly to incorporate into the quinoa mixture. Top with more sriracha and enjoy!

I actually served this with some baked marinated chicken and a side of balsamic asparagus. Such a good meal.

Another super simple non-recipe that I toyed around with this week was egg drop soup. Guess I'm craving eggs, too, huh? After being sick last weekend, I was really craving soup, but didn't want to make a big batch...voila! Egg drop soup!

Definitely Non-Traditional Egg Drop Soup

• 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 - 3 tsp low-sodium soy sauce (I used Bragg's Liquid Aminos)
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 1 tsp ginger
• cayenne pepper, to taste
• salt & black pepper, to taste
• Sriracha, to taste
• 1/2 diced celery
• 3 medium radishes, sliced thin
• diced scallions
• 3/4 cup sliced white mushrooms
• 2 large handfuls fresh spinach
• 1 egg and 1/4 cup egg whites

Add all ingredients except spinach and eggs to a saucepan and bring to a boil, cooking until celery is soft. Reduce heat to a simmer and add spinach to cook through. Remove the pot from heat. Crack in one egg, stirring the entire time to get those stringy tasty egg bits (yum!). Do the same with the egg whites, or another egg, pour it all into a bowl, and dig in.

Like I said, my photography skills are nil. That lighting is repugnant. The soup, however, was awesome. 

I've also been utilizing my air popper on the reg and toying with some new popcorn toppings. My favorite so far? Sriracha, cayenne & black pepper, and sea salt. 

Have I mentioned that I LOVE Sriracha?

Speaking of sriracha, I stopped by AS220 last night, a non-profit organization in Providence that services troubled youth, hosts small concerts, and has an amazing FOO(d) menu and bar. They regularly infuse their own vodkas with some unique ingredients (cinnamon sweet potato clove, anyone?). To my surprise and delight, they happened to have a pineapple sriracha ginger infused vodka, which I had to sample. The flavor was spot-on sriracha. Kudos to AS220 for the successful infusion!

MIMM: Low-key plans with high entertainment value

Let me preface this post by saying that American Horror Story this week gave me the serious creeps. I can't deal with that butler, or all the blood. Ugh.

Now that that is out of the way, onto more marvelous things. Like the weekend. I'll do my best to keep descriptions brief despite all the amusing and awkward details. Honestly, it's too much to share, and I'd have no idea where to begin. 

Friday night I finally got together with another girl who works for the trivia company after several reschedules. We were going to check out Justine's, but we ended up at The Avery because it was easier to locate. No complaints there. I would have snapped a picture, but it's always super dark in there. We happened to end up seated next to this group of completely insane group of people ranging from what I guess would be late 20s to late 40s. Long story short, they convinced us to go with them to Lili Marlene's on Federal Hill, and we stupidly offered them a ride. Weirdest mile-long drive in my life. It took like 20 minutes to fully get out of the Avery parking lot haha.

Lili Marlene's was not what I expected from a bar on Federal Hill. It isn't exactly easy to find unless you know you're looking for it. I actually wasn't even sure it was open when I looked from the street. Upon walking in, all I could think of was a speakeasy. Again, too dark to take a picture. I loved the vibe of this place, and definitely want to go back. My grapefruit martini was amazing and for only $7.50 for a drink on The Hill, I have no real excuse not to. Our experience at Lili Marlene's was filled with just as much surreal and random interactions, even after our drunk/crazy "guides" were cut off (no surpise) and left.

Saturday is better explained in pictures, I'll leave the details up to your imagination:

Marilyn Monroe themed bathroom at The Scurvy Dog in Providence.

The usual yoga on Saturday and Sunday mornings left me feeling a little better about all the alcohol I consumed. All in all, a solid weekend that deserved the entirely unproductive Sunday I had. I'm also a little bitter that I have to work today despite it being a holiday. At least I won't hit much traffic.

Linking up to Katie's Marvelous in My Monday!

Who doesn't love a free party?

Let me start off by saying how much I love not being at work during the middle of the week. I'm sitting on my couch in my pajamas at 11am with no agenda until tonight and it's awesome. And I return to only two days of work until the weekend, woo hoo! But I digress...

WRIK Entertainment, the company that hired me as a trivia host, is also Arpeggio Wedding Entertainment, a DJing and lighting company for weddings, corporate events, private parties, etc. At the end of this year's wedding season, I was asked to assist with DJing a wedding and a 16th birthday party following that, so I guess I'm now an assistant DJ in addition to a trivia host. I wear many hats, apparently.

Basically this warranted an invite to an annual holiday party for Southern New England Weddings at the Biltmore Hotel in Providence.

The event was absolutely gorgeous, from the lobby decor to the decorations and table centerpieces. There was a photo booth set up with a table of props, which we took full advantage of. Mustache sunglasses and elf hats were donned.

The food was also incredible. Spinach stuffed chicken breast, mashed sweet potatoes, grilled shrimp skewers, lamb (yes, I tried lamb and enjoyed it), fresh fruit, and a variety of pickled vegetables, breads, and cheeses. Wine and beer was also free. Win. We ate, networked, and danced to the live band until about 8:15pm, then headed to Trinity Brewhouse for wings and beer. I was all set on both, I had a glass of wine and was so stuffed from the party, so I just hung out. Definitely a fun night overall.

Tuesday morning I was able to go to yoga since I took the day off work. Daytime classes are nice because they're usually smaller and I can work on whatever I want. This particular day was basically a private lesson with Paula, although we spent most of the time talking and laughing than actually working out. The second class was a little more productive since another person showed up. Paula also snapped a picture of me doing this pose that I have been obsessed with recently. Don't ask why, I just find it really fun in its awkwardness.

So now I'm home wasting time until Trans Siberian Orchestra with my godfather tonight. No complaints here! :)

MIMM: A Long Weekend Well-Spent

Happy Monday! And a very happy short work week! Needless to say, this Monday is extra marvelous: I'm embracing the opportunity to sit around in my pajamas, sip coffee, and watch an America's Next Top Model marathon on Oxygen just because I can. Since weekend mornings typically have me (gladly) rushing off to yoga right after I get out of bed, this morning laziness is a rarity.

Just a few marvelous weekend highlights:

Saturday night I spent a lazy night in to free up some space on my DVR. Nothing exciting there, other than staring into Jonny Lee Miller's gorgeous eyes throughout last week's episode of Elementary.

Usually on the weekends I make a crockpot meal, but it just didn't happen this week. I gladly enjoyed a roasted acorn squash as part of my Saturday dinner. Hooray for winter squash being on sale for $0.89/lb at Stop and Shop the past few weeks!

Olive oil, sea salt, cracked black pepper, roasted at 450F until desired crispiness.
Always enjoyed with the skin intact, my favorite part!

Sunday was unusually busy this week. I started my day off with two hours of yoga, then headed home to grab a quick meal before heading to a Providence Bruins game with my mom, Kris, and her friend, who was so nice to get us free tickets!

Didn't mean to catch Kris with her eyes closed. Oops!

Providence Bruins definitely like to put on a show. There was a fight within the first 3 minutes of the game ending in blood shed.

Not sure what caused a fight this early, but it was entertaining. 

In the 3rd period, every player on the ice was involved in an all-out gloves-off brawl. It was nuts. Bruins ended up dominating the game, shutting out the Hartford Wolf Pack 6-0. 

After the game, I rushed home to eat a quick dinner, then headed to Hose Company for trivia. It's much harder to play than it is to host, that's for sure! We ended in last place, but had fun nonetheless. 

I came home to end the night with Once Upon a Time. How sexy is Captain Hook?

Marry me, please.

Not sure what lies ahead for today, other than vinyasa yoga and hot yoga from 6-8pm. I expect today will be marvelously relaxing :)

On a not-so-marvelous note, Tuesday's weather forecast is bleak:

I'm not ready for snow and cold :(

The bane of my New England-based existence.

Linking up to Katie's MIMM: 

Pre-weekend Happenings: The Grange and a Smart TV

I love when spontaneity acts in my favor.

Case in point, Thursday night. I had made plans with a co-worker to hang after work at our usual spot, the Thirsty Beaver, but when she went home with a migraine, I texted a friend and suggested we go out that night. I'm usually really bad at coming up with new places to check out, even though there are a million places I want to try (I really should start keeping a list), but I suggested we grab drinks at The Grange in Providence. 

Fast forward to 8:30pm. We park in front of this:

Weirdest store front display I've ever encountered. Napoleon Dynamite status.

We waited for a seat at the bar and asked the bartender what he suggested off of their drink menu. We were a little indecisive, but decided on some drinks...somehow he managed to make us both the wrong drinks. Go figure. But it was a pleasant mistake, I'd say. I ended up with the Holy Smokes (left), a mezcal-based cocktail with basil and a smoky aftertaste. It was mind-blowing. My friend got the Adonis, made with bourbon, Pama pomegranate liqueur, and a slew of other alcohols. It was really strong, but had a good flavor. The best part? The drinks were mixed in a beaker, it was like watching a mad scientist work.

The place was adorable. There were swings by the windows and a little lounge area, a dining area for the restaurant, the bar, and it looked like there was a bakery section with a display case to the right of the bar that might be open during the day. I loved the vibe.

My friend ordered the quinoa dish with butternut squash, avocado, and lettuce. Delicious. The Grange is owned by the same people who run the Garden Grille so we expected nothing less. 

We opted to stay for a second round of drinks, something I don't typically do since I'm a lightweight, but we just weren't ready to leave and I'm trying to embrace my 20s. I had a tequila-based cocktail with various citrus notes and orange oil; Kristen ordered an apple cider cocktail served with a dried apple chip. Again, both were amazing. 

Gotta give The Grange a solid 9/10. A little pricy but so worth it for the experience. I'll definitely be back!

Sancho Panza (left) and Helen of Troy

Good thinking on having a hearty breakfast-for-dinner before I consumed all of that alcohol: Bob's Red Mill Scottish Oatmeal with 1/2 scoop of Designer Whey Sustained Energy vanilla protein powder and 1T dry butterscotch sugar-free Jello Pudding mix.

+ 

I love the texture of Scottish oatmeal, especially when you add in the pudding mix. Dessert without the sugar.

Time felt like it was standing still throughout my entire workday on Friday. This long weekend is going to feel so good. I already started it off on a good foot last night when I made out like a bandit at JC Penney. Colored tights on clearance for under $3 a pair! Plus two unpictured fitness tops for $5 each and an adorable pair of workout capris. I rang up at $34 for it all, but the cashier gave me a random $10 off. Steals.

We ended up buying a new "Smart" TV for the basement with built-in wifi and all that jazz, so I spent the rest of the night with my sisters assembling the TV stand and setting up the TV while my mom watched, glass of wine in hand. She claims she helped. Whatever helps you sleep at night, Mom ;)

My snack before said TV assembly. Weird, but so good.

Pictured above is a typical snack when I know I need to take in a little more fat and protein at the end of the day and when I'm blessed to have a near-empty jar of peanut butter. I was especially fortunate this time to have Peanut Butter & Co White Chocolate Wonderful <3. 

Basically I use 1/2 cup of egg whites and 1.5 T dark chocolate cocoa powder with a little chocolate stevia to taste. Mix it all up in a large microwave safe bowl until it's combined and microwave on high for 90-120 seconds. Then I break up my little chocolate egg white puff and scoop it into the nut butter jar, seal it up, give it a shake to melt all the peanut butter into the egg whites and enjoy straight from the jar with a spoon. Damn right I make sure to scrape every last bit of peanut butter out of that jar.

We took advantage of the WiFi to watch this hilarious Jimmy Kimmel segment where celebrities read mean tweets about themselves, then segwayed into Zach Galifinakis' Between Two Ferns videos. I also enjoyed a glass of Redvolution red wine. Don't hate on BotaBox.

I'll leave you with some LOLs, courtesy of Jimmy Kimmel:

P.S. Apologies for the long-winded post, but it's been an eventful past few days!