dinner tonight - pork tenderloin stir-fry w/ tangerines and chili sauce

i think that looks about right.

i've made dinner all week and brian has been eating the leftovers. i was inspired by the latest issue of bon appetit and it's "7 ways to be more italian in the kitchen" list. rule #4 - eat the leftovers. but i don't like leftovers so i cooked. that means something right? all week i made delicious italian meals all consisting of cannelini beans. a basic vegetable soup with pasta. a tomato stew with sweet italian sausages, tuna with olive oil and red onions. yum!

the weather is changing...although tomorrow's high is 83' you can still feel the difference in the breeze and the smell in the air. i'm a little nervous to see what will happen to my garden once the rainy season is upon us. i harvested tomatoes from the garden, check them out. they are firm, not too juicy, a tad sweet but really flavorful in a citrus kind of way.

tomatoes and basil from my p-patch

last weekend we were in portland for a visit with dan and vanessa. we had a really great time with those guys...really relaxing and fun. we watched a movie at the theater, went to a minor league baseball game, ate food out and at home, laughed and fell asleep around midnight each night. it was really wonderful. i have to make more trips like that to portland, too many the last few times have been filled with too much drinking and a hangover the next day or eating at delicious eateries around town (but that is really hard not to do).

no plans this weekend but i think it will be a productive one. brian made a list of things we should do it includes a picnic, friend's house party, picking blackberries, watch netflix movies, riding our bikes to ballard, etc.

it's snowing! the weather in seattle has been tumultuous for the past week. snow on saturday, temperatures in the teens, icey roads, and more snow today (about 3-4 inches at our house). our entire building did not have heat from sunday to tuesday. that really sucked. frost on the inside of our windows, it was exhausting. this is the coldest weather i have dealt with but i'm loving it (well as long as the heat is working in the apartment).

i'm so happy the holidays are coming. i can't wait to cozy up, drink good drinks, play dominos, visit north carolina, and relax and knit.

brian's birthday was last night. mister 35. i can't believe it! we had a great dinner at kingfish cafe, then invited a small group of people to the house for holiday birthday treats. i made ambrosia coconut macaroons, dark chocolate pudding pie, eggnog with rum, and mulled wine. the desserts were a hit. the pudding pie was my favorite. i couldn't believe how easy it was to make pudding at home. here is the recipe if you want to give it a try. it was on the cover of bon appetit a few months ago.

well i hope you all have a good holiday. my blogging will probably be intermittent from here on out to the new year. much love!

brian is back. he went on a trip to visit his folks from north carolina. while he was out i watched hella sex and the city and went to the puyallup fair with friends. i saw pygmy goats, pigs, beef cows, dairy cows, peacocks, rabbits, and tons more. i rode only one ride, the swing. it was basically the only ride i knew wouldn't make me ill and it still made me slightly ill, all i could do was scream "oh lord please help me." i seriously thought i was going to vomit in my mouth a little but i didnt and instead i laughed with tears of joy.

i also tried to catch up on reading my bon appetit magazines. i was inspired to cook and make delicious fresh meals for bri so tonight i made the most awesome sandwiches ever (next to the cuban). smoked turkey, blue cheese, with carmelized onions. yum!

the leafy stuff is arugula, which i am not a fan of so i substituted this peppery leaf for pepper turkey. brian said it was the best sandwich he has ever had. yay for me.

tonight, we are hopping on the molly moon train with kitsy and janko. a new flavor has arrived "baracky road" chunks of chocolate, washington hazelnuts, and homemade marshmallows. this evening has been filled with flavor explosions.