It's Been Awhile~

I have been absent- I know... It was never my intention. I have been active on the blogs even though I have not been active on my own. I think they call that "lurking"? haha! I love my habit of lunch time reads. There is so many ladies that I feel like are my long lost twins regarding food, adventure, life, and growing awareness. It is a pretty awesome community.

While I have been gone my passion for... welll... everything... has not decreased. I have tried countless restaurants, wines, areas of Seattle, and new things. My favorite adventure in the last month has been an excursion to the ID of Seattle to try Dim Sum. I had previously avoided it not knowing the details. I was blown away with the tastes, smells, and whole experience. Through this adventure I found a really cool blog of guys who review their lunches in the ID. Their trek to every place they can find is aspiring. Check them out at www.msg150.com. If you are interested you can find my review of the wonderful Jade Garden here. Other places highly recommended and tried in Seattle were- Alligator Soul, Lunchbox Laboratory, and Barolo.

To wrap up this self introduction back in to writing I will leave you with my commitments-
I plan to...
* post the recipes that I invent and modify from other- also- the successful one's I make that sourced with links- for others to try as well! :)
* post my restaurant excursions
* post my wine club findings and delights
* post my fitness and health thoughts, attempts, conclusions, and habits
* post ME*

To follow up with my proclamation I will leave you with this fun recipe that I pulled from another great blog called Yummy Bites... I modified it but the idea is the same.

Simple Crab Onion Mushroom Bake

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients-
8 oz. mushrooms
1/2 onion
1/2 pound crab
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 T. Mixed herbs
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Olive oil

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8 x8 pan and set aside. Chop mushrooms and onions to desired size. Sauté the mushrooms on medium high heat until the mushrooms release their juices. Add chopped onions to the mushrooms and sauté until they start to turn clear. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Transfer mushroom mixture with juices to a bowl. In a separate bowl mix together crab, herbs, salt, & pepper. Once combined mix in the dairy. Combine the crab mixture with the onion mixture and mix. Place the mixture in the greased pan and cover with foil. Cook the crab onion mushroom bake for 20 minutes covered. Uncover and sprinkle the dish with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Cook 10 more minutes or until the liquids have disappeared and the chesses are melted. Let the dish 5 minutes before serving.

Tip- I used fresh parsley, chives, and sage in the dish for my herbs

PS! Be on the lookout for my Crush review- I have a reservation next week and I delighted to finally be making it to Madison to try this touted gem.

Reflections of a Year~

I know this will look a lot like my previous post, but it is a little more in depth and made me think more. I stole this from Trying to Heal because I really liked it- I believe that she found it on another blog as well :)

It took me a while to come up with answers and for some categories that really made me sad/frightened/confused? I've had a good year. I am not trying to get doom and gloom on you- It just has been a challenging one- and I am still growing from and through it*

4 favorite memories from 2008:
1. Going to VEIL and Matt’s in the Market for my first solo meals
2. Going to Dave Matthew’s concert and having worries magically slip away to the music
3. Working at Nordstrom
4. Having two of my favorite boys home for Thanksgiving

4 favorite movies (that i saw) in 2008:
1. Juno
2. The House Bunny
3. Nick & Nora
4. Pineapple Express

4 favorite foods in 2008:
1. Tofu
2. Greek Yogurt
3. LARA Bars
4. Brussels Sprouts

4 places i loved in 2008:
1. Chelan, WA
2. Fremont (Seattle), WA
3. The waterfront anywhere or parks in WA
4. Seattle, WA

4 events i loved in 2008:
1. Searched for and accepted a job in the business world
2. Moved into a amazing apartment
3. Seattle Yelp.com events and Warren Report free movie screenings
4. Not letting the fact that I am alone stop me from doing anything

4 things i liked in 2008:
1. Became consistent about the gym and workouts
2. Added weightlifting back into the workout schedule
3. Discovered blogging and blogs
4. Went to a real concert (Kings of Leon!) and ate at restaurants on my to do list

4 things i am looking forward to in 2009:
1. Paying down debt
2. Running more 5k’s and the Seattle ½ Marathon
3. Trying new restaurants
4. Moving? to another country?