Yelp!

I've discovered  a new hobby: Yelping!

Check out my Yelp profile (reenie716.yelp.com) where I've been posting customer reviews.  It's very empowering to be able to quickly share our experiences with random, anonymous people (especially after having a particularly bad experience!)  But I also love singing high praises for some of my favorite places.  And it gives me a better excuse for taking pictures of my food :-)

Lighter Sesame Noodles

I tried a new recipe tonight that I found on the Martha Stewart website as part of a compilation of vegetarian recipes, just in time for Lent.

The result was very yummy and it will become part of my regular rotation of go-to meals.  Here's a link to Martha's recipe: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/lighter-sesame-noodles

I chopped all the veggies while the water for the whole wheat spaghetti cooked.  Then once I threw the spaghetti in the boiling water I had time to make the peanut butter sauce.  I love that you toss the veggies in to cook with the pasta water.  I've never cooked this way before and it turned out great.

Since I can't leave a recipe alone, I also stir-fried a block of extra firm tofu and tossed it the peanut butter sauce as the end.  I also used the full teaspoon of red pepper flakes.  Here's the final product:

Even Richard liked it.  It makes a ton, so it's certainly worth the time to make.  This would be a great addition for someone needing a hearty vegetarian dish, especially for a Friday during Lent.

Monkey is a Wombat?

When Richard and I were discussing whether or not marsupials live in America (they do, and we see them often!) we decided to look them up on Wikipedia.

We were so startled to discover that Monkey, who we thought all this time was a kitty cat, is in fact a wombat.  What do you think?

Monkey:

Wombat:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wombat_2.JPG

Two Movies: One Great, One Not So Much....

This weekend we checked out two movies that have been on my hold list for a while at the public library.  I'm very impressed with the availability of independent films through the Stark County Public Library system. 

This weekend we checked out Never Let Me Go and Please Give.  We watched Never Let Me Go on Saturday night and I wish I could get my hour and half of my life back.  I think it was well-acted (Keira Knightly and Carey Mulligan) but the story was not for me.  If I found out that I was a clone destined for early death after repeated organ donations, I would think that a rebellion would be in order.  But then again, maybe the British are too refined for that?  Maybe I missed the point...

Tonight we watched Please Give.  I love a movie with well-developed characters with human flaws.   Catherine Keener is one of my favorite actresses who does not get the recognition she deserves, at least from the mainstream critics.  If you can get past the opening scene (if you are squeamish about getting a mammogram, you might was to fast forward past the opening credits) you'll be drawn in immediately.  If you can't get it from the Redbox, put it on hold at the library and wait a bit.  It's worth it!

On my Playlist

Last week I downloaded Adele's new album, 21.  Every song on the album is fantastic.  I usually pick one or two songs from a new album to work into my "Work Playlist" but it looks like I'm going to add the entire album into the list.

A surprising addition, a cover of the Cure's "Lovesong," was such a surprise that I was singing along with the song before I realized why I knew the lyrics.

What a talent...  I highly recommend her second album and am looking forward to dowloading her first album soon.