Shan can cook

I actually made something new, so I thought I’d post. I’ve been cooking some lately, but mostly the same old standbys like pots of chana masala and sloppy lentils or tofu stirfry with rice or noodles, like so:



On the recommendation of Melody I picked up a bottle of mango chili vinegar at Trader Joe’s. I tossed a couple tablespoons of the vinegar with a couple tablespoons of melted Earth Balance, salt, pepper, and some whole wheat breadcrumbs I made with odds and ends of bread I had left in my freezer. I coated brussels sprouts (frozen, slightly thawed) and a chopped sweet potato with the mixture and baked at 375 for 50 min. Super yummy, I can’t wait to use this vinegar in more stuff.



Just to give you a taste of what’s been going on here with the weather, here’s a shot I took from my window a couple weekends ago.



That’s some neighbors playing snow football.

I prefer warmer, dryer activities.

Note to winter:

OK, I get it, snow, ice, roads of death. Enough already! I understand that when you move your butt back to Wisconsin this is the norm, but that’s one thing when you live/work/go to school in a 10 block radius and walk or take the bus everywhere and another when you commute 30 some miles to and from work. Look what I did in my car on the way to work yesterday, all because I was silly enough to try and change lanes.











As you can see I miraculously landed on the shoulder, even pointing in the right direction. I was a bit worried I might still be stuck as the ice muck on the shoulder was pretty deep, but I made it. Both the Altima and me are fine. This morning I saw 8 cars in ditches, including a four car accident, and yesterday saw a school bus wedged in a snow bank. Now I have to drive home in this crap again. Screw you mother nature.

Like…all legitimate and stuff (or, a great love story)

Well, there’s no way to just nonchalantly toss this news around, so I just tend to blurt it out. I’m engaged! Yes, to Jason, who else?

Everyone always wants to hear the story, so here goes. Last Friday night we were snowed in with no hope of going anywhere. As we’re passing in the kitchen Jason grabs a hold of me and we started slow dancing. No, there was no music playing, and no, that’s not really unusual for Jason. Then the box comes out and the “will you marry me” and it’s all surreal and after I shake myself back to reality I think I managed a “yes” and there was much hugging and kissing and staring at the pretty sparkly ring. And then I thought, “oh, crap, now I have to plan a wedding”. So there you have it, Jason’s gonna make an honest woman out of me yet. And Dexter will have legitimate parents.

So much more to catch up on posting, but that’s the big news of the day. New job is good, weekend with old exchange student buddies was a blast, and I’m sure lots of other stuff. Maybe I’ll put some pictures up soon. There’s a couple of the ring up on Jason’s blog, but they don't really do it justice. He picked it out all by himself, I’m so proud of him. Oh, and I love him dearly, and not just because he bought me diamonds :)