Time flies...

 even if you are not having fun. :) 

That comment was slightly cynical. All has been well, just busy, like stupid busy. Between microbiology and this film I have hardly been able to get in my afternoon, the-heat-has-beat-me-to-a-pulp, nap in. No nap just means more coffee, and I am okay with that. :) 

The local food film is going great, and I am getting a bit obsessed with it. We have started taping interviews and seeing it all come together is cool. There is still plenty left to do though. 

Other things that have happened in the past month:

• My super, awesome, wonderful brother, Tom, graduated from SCAD and won a few awards in the senior film festival (can we say outstanding artistic achievement?!?!). I felt kind of old during the whole thing, since I remember pretending our hockey sticks were light sabers and battling out in the lawn when we were younger. And, my pansy-ass may have gotten a bit teary, too. So proud of him, and I hope he is able to grace me with his presence in July before he moves out to LA to make the big bucks. :) 
• Our vegetable/herb garden is growing at a disgusting rate. I swear everyday I look outside they have grown INCHES overnight. It's sick. The herbs have been yummy in plenty of dishes and dressings, and I can't wait until we get our first veggie from the garden! 
• Adam drank, slept, and DJ'd his way through the month of may. I'm happy he gets a break. 
• The bass pumping duo (Ashley, Adam and myself) went to Starscape in Baltimore, MD. Craziness ensued. 
• Lilly and Cliff slept. A lot. 
• Duh, I cooked. 

Here are the pictures:

Tom getting his award. 

Starscape. 

More Starscape. 

Hard groovin'.

 No joke: I walked out of the bathroom to these two hard loafers.

Lilly's new morning routine. Yep, thats the top of the kitchen cabinets.

Cliff's new hangout. I WILL be investing in a padded kitty helmet for him. 

Last night was a MAJOR cooking extravaganza. Here's what was made:

• Sushi because that was the bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb. 

Corn, Tomato, and Cucumber Salad

• 6 ears of corn ($2 for 3 ears at Weaver Street!), cut off the cob, raw
• 6 tomatoes, sliced
• 1 cucumber, sliced
• Olive oil, to taste
• Garlic, to taste
• About 10 basil leaves, chopped 

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. To my surprise, the raw corn was AMAZING. It tasted cooked, even though it wasn't. Score! 

Raw Kale Confetti Salad

• 1 giant head of kale, ripped into bite size peices
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and grated
• lemon juice, lime juice, and salt, to taste

Put kale in a mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil, ginger, and salt. Massage oil and salt into leaves and let it sit for 15 minutes. Add onion, pepper, carrot and toss. Drizzle lemon and lime juice over salad and mix. 

Sweet Brown Rice with Leeks (or in my case, green onions), Ginger, and Garlic

• 1 1/4 cups brown rice
• 2 1/2 cups low sodium veggie sock or water
• 1 1/4 pounds chicken breast
• 1 large leek (or 1 green onion bulb), chopped
• 3 tbsp ginger, grated
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp mirin (in the asian aisle at the grocery)

Place rice in pot with water (stock) and bring to boil. Reduce heat and cover, cook until liquid is absorbed. In a large skillet, saute leeks, ginger and garlic in oil for 3 minutes. Add mirin and continue sauteing until leek is soft. Add chicken (and I added some extra veggie stock) and cover. Cook until chicken is no longer pink. Toss with rice. This has very good flavor, considering there is not a lot of ingredients. :) 

Seared Tempeh with Dried Cherries and Pine Nuts over Arugula 

• 8 oz tempeh
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 4 cups arugula (since that is not in season, I am mixing chard and kale instead) 
• 1/2 cup pine nuts 

Vinaigrette:

• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• orange zest
• salt and pepper

Slice tempeh in 1/4" strips and steam for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Whisk vinaigrette ingredients together and set aside. In a skillet, saute onion in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add cherries, mirin, and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Put tempeh in skillet and saute for 2 minutes. Drizzle 1 tbsp vinaigrette over tempeh and saute 2 more minutes. Flip tempeh and saute 2 minutes. Then drizzle with vinaigrette. Remove from heat and set aside. Put arugula in a bowl and top with tempeh mixture and pine nuts. :)

Daikon Carrot Salad with Cilantro and Peanuts

• 2 cups of julienned daikon
• 2 cups of julienned carrots
• 2 cups sliced napa cabbage (local at Weaver St :) )
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and julienned
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3/4 cup dry roasted nuts 

Dressing:

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp grapeseed oil (I didn't have this, so I used more sesame instead) 
• 2 tsp brown rice syrup
• 1 tbsp ume plum vinegar
• 1 tsp lime juice
• sea salt 

Add salad ingredients into a bowl and toss to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk dressing ingredients. Add over salad and toss to coat. 

Seared Lemon Pepper Tofu

• 1 pound of tofu, cut into 1/2" fillets
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp mirin
• black pepper
• lemon zest
• crushed red pepper flakes 

Wrap tofu in towel and press out extra liquid. Heat skillet and saute garlic in oil for 2 minutes. Add 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp mirin and black pepper (to taste). Stir to combine and put tofu in skillet. Saute for 4 minutes, flip, add another tbsp of lemon juice and black pepper (to taste). Saute 4 minutes, flip, add tbsp lemon juice and 1 tbsp mirin. Saute 4 minutes. Flip, add left over lemon juice, lemon zest, and crushed red pepper. Saute 4 more minutes or until evenly browned. Serve. Pretty okay in the corn/tomato salad or the daiko/carrot salad. :) 

Cliff just brought me his bracelet to play fetch and is meowing/bitching at me to throw it...So, adios!