Weekend Things

Things I wanted to do this weekend but didn’t: attend the Women’s March, go to yoga, see a movie, visit my sister’s new apartment.

So, I guess you could call this weekend uneventful, but in the best way possible because sometimes you just need one of those laid back, relaxing, unplanned sort of weekends to help you feel rested and restored.

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Aside from that part where you have to sit in downtown Denver traffic, I decided a trip to the library to pick up a new book is the best way to start the weekend.  I got Exit West and after reading the description (again), I’m really excited to start it.  We made a quick pit stop at Whole Foods for dinner supplies then, back at home, a bomber to share and fish foil packs with lots o’ butter.  We love this meal and I really liked that beer!

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Had a super slow and blissfully lazy Saturday morning at home before hitting up the gym then cleaning ourselves up for lunch.  I’ve been lusting over pictures of bánh mì sandwiches from Vinh Xuong Bakery for weeks and felt like I might die if I didn’t go there on Saturday (never dramatic!) so we made it our #1 priority.  The good news is the staff is quick and friendly, the prices are crazy cheap (especially considering they make everything in house) and their Vietnamese iced coffee is DELICIOUS but neither of us were blown away by the actual sandwiches.  C’est la vie!

Ran some errands afterwards and now Joey has new slippers, I have new sunglasses and our fridge is stocked with groceries.

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When we got back home, I started on some HOT PINK burger sliders (are beets the best natural food coloring or what?!) then used the hands-off dough rising time to read, so that was basically the best.  Oh and we made this roasted squash and grains with tahini-honey meal for dinner and all I can say is OH MY GOSH TAHINI-HONEY.  So so good!  We also watched Mr. Roosevelt and it wasn’t bad, per se, it just wasn’t good.  We made it through all of SNL afterwards and not going to lie, I thought Jessica Chastain was a great host.  She really went for it and I laughed A LOT.

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If you wake up on Sunday and it looks like this outside, you must do the following: cancel all your plans (sorry movie matinee and little sister, but I’m not leaving the house), make waffles, watch a billion hours of TV, read a billion pages of your book and food prep without feeling like there are so many other things you’d rather be doing.  I literally did not step foot outside the house and the day felt like SO LONG but maybe in a good way because I felt like I had hour upon hour to lounge but also be semi-productive.

Ended the longest day ever with the SAG Awards, Shameless and the feeling that the weekend was a good one.

Recently Consumed

A list of things consumed by my head, heart, eyes, ears and stomach lately.

Guys, can we talk about how I sometimes have a very pretty food picture but then don’t post it on Instagram because it’ll be my 5th food photo in a row?  Life is just a series of carefully curated social media posts, that aim to make us look perfect or, at the very least, not crazy.  I don’t know the consequences yet, but we’re all in on this social experiment.  Anyway, point being, I’m just posting all those pictures here now.  You know what you’re getting into when you come to this space: MOSTLY FOOD.

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Jalapeño Ranch

On Monday, I posted this picture of our lunch salad, featuring Joey and I’s Food Obsession of the Moment: Jalapeño Ranch (!!!) but last week, we made these Summer Bliss Bowls with Sweet Potato Falafel and that’s really when we fell in love with this incredible dressing.  That and those falafels were addictingly GOOD.  We pan-fried em and I think I ate like 14 of the 17 we made…

Also just realized I actually DID post this picture on Instagram, but here, take a second look because this bowl deserves one.  

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Dusk in Denver

The walk back to my car after yoga is one of the brightest moments of my entire week.  Not only do I have that post-yoga euphoria going on, but I stroll past Little Man and all those people out enjoying ice cream with their loved ones just makes me so happy.  Not to mention that cotton candy sky!  WOWZA.

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Citrus Mistress IPA

Guys, I thought I’d never say this, but… TOO HOPPY.  And of course, I purchased a whole pint without knowing if I’d like it or not.  I didn’t.  Lucky for me, Joey is a human garbage can (which sounds mean, but I love this about him) so he finished it for me and Film on the Rocks is a dream experience regardless of whether your beer is good or not.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

I finished this book a couple of weeks ago and really liked it!  Picked it mainly because it fit my “Read a book published between 1900 and 1950” task, but it also had a very high Goodreads rating and it’s always a good sign when a novel can stand the test of time.  I read a lot of more recent/popular stuff for book club so reading something from an earlier time period is always refreshing.  I read for a variety of reasons, but being transported to a time or place that I don’t know firsthand and feels fantastical is probably one of the biggest.  This book had that going for it, plus the plot was just eerie enough to keep me enticed without totally freaking me out (which is alarmingly easy…).

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Homemade Pizza

A few months back, Cooking Light had a little pizza segment and I think I bookmarked every single recipe.  We’ve made two in the past couple of weeks and HOW GOOD IS PIZZA?  If I had to choose between pizza and tacos, I’d probably die of old age before I could make a decision, but I feel like I do a way better job with homemade pizza than I do with homemade tacos.  I’ve got Tomato-Ricotta on the brain for our next pizza party at home.

Obvious Child

Do you know Jenny Slate?  She did a too-brief stint on SNL and she played Tally Schifrin on Girls, oh and she’s the voice of Marcel the Shell!  I really love her and think she’s underrated in this world.  Her movie Landline just came out, but while I was watching the trailer I noticed a trailer for another movie she’s in called Obvious Child so we watched it and laughed and loved it.  It’s a little short but it ends before it has a chance to ruin anything it’s accomplished in its 83 minutes.

Homegrown radishes!

How gorgeous is that purple radish, though?!  They’re maybe a little softer and less spicy than the radishes we buy at the grocery, but food you grew yourself just tastes better.  Just know Joey accidentally spilled a bunch of the seeds in our garden and now we have a cluster of weird-shaped radishes growing.  Too funny!

Hey, this list actually included a few non-food things.  Round of applause for me!