I finally did it!

I actually got it right last night with tofu! See, I've been trying to incorporate tofu into our meals more often to up our vegetarian options and just keep it interesting. I've had one or two successes and a whole lot of failures. Until now!! So here's how it went down:

1 extra firm block of tofu. I put it on a dinner plate with a cutting board on top of it. Then I put a heavy sauce pan on top of the cutting board (a book would do as well) for about 20 min. This worked to gently press the excess water out without drying it out too much...which I've done.

Then I cubed the tofu and gently tossed it in a cornstarch (its gluten free, if you're so inclined) and Italian seasoning mix. I'm betting this would work just the same way with flour and spice of your choice or bread crumbs. Next time, I'm going to try panko bread crumbs. They are DELISH!

The next step was to fry tofu cubes in hot EVOO until they were brown and crispy on the outside. Without removing them from the pan, throw in some tamari (gluten free soy sauce) or just regular old soy sauce. Coat the cubes and remove from pan.

That is it! It was sooo good. I also served Trader Joes green curry infused rice and sauted string beans. This meal was easy, cheap, delicious...and today, I'm eating leftovers for lunch!

Today I'm so the culinary version of Charlie Sheen. Winning.

Expanding My Horizons

This has easily been the year of the wedding for Dr. F and I, something I'm pretty sure I've mentioned already. However, just to recap:

Oct. 2010: wedding in Princeton, NJ

March 2011: wedding in Vermont*

May 2011: wedding in Maine*

June 2011: weddings in Virginia and New York

July 2011: wedding in DC

Sept. 2011: weddings in Delaware, Virginia, and Pennsylvania

*weddings we didn't actually go to, but still sent gifts*

This list does not include 3 baby showers (one of which I hosted) or the 3 weddings we went to in spring 2010, the July 2012 Philly wedding and Sept. 2012 Fort Lauderdale wedding (which Dr. F is officiating so we have to go)...

Needless to say, it has been a busy and expensive year(s), but wonderful to celebrate so many happy moments for our friends. It has also been super interesting to see the different ways in which people celebrate their weddings. We have been attended everything from a low-key back yard bbq wedding to a Long Island Jewish wedding, to this past weekend's Indian wedding in DC. I feel like I've been on a tour de wedding cultures which totally appeals to my anthropology background. Plus, I really treasure the moment couples say their vows and Dr. F grabs my hand and squeezes it because listening to those promises, its impossible not to reflect on your own wedding vows. It is like a mini-vow renewal each time.

This weekend was also the most different wedding I have attended. It was lavish and colorful and boy, am I glad it wasn't my wedding! There were almost 600 guests at a convention center in DC. The groom rode in on a white horse, there were saris in every color of the rainbow and fireworks over the Potomac River. I mean, the kind of fireworks that get lit from a barge and require permits, not the sparkler kind... The couple had a DJ and an MC (yes, a master of ceremony!) who was totally obnoxious, annnd they played 1 slow song. all. night. BOO :( Dr. F and I were seated at table 44, if that gives you any perspective. This was a shiny, glossy, production and in the end, it didn't feel like the day was celebrating the love of our friends, it was all about the show and left me feeling blah, but that could have just been the Indian food (they didnt serve a single non-Indian morsel despite only half the guests being Indian...a major faux pas in my opinion). Finally, I want to know whose dumb ass idea it was to have a wedding outside, in the middle of July, in DC, at 5:00 pm. One of the guests actually passed out. Oh, and they started 30 min late, so it was really 5:30. UGHH. Anway, enough of my critique... check out some pictures :)

Dr. F doing the "bowling" dance move

Serious business with a pink parasol and watermelon juice

Right before we started to sweat profusely. What a waste of a great hair day...

Ahhh finally inside for the cocktail 2 hr.

beautiful view from the 18th floor of the convention center

the bride, whose handmade sari was STUNNING

The dancers leading the groom's procession

annd he's up!

the bridal party getting down leading the guests to the ceremony

I have a problem...

I have been buying lots of maternity clothes. I am not pregnant. Yet. I just won an action on ebay. For maternity jeans.

Is it bad luck to starting beefing up my wardrobe? I sure hope not...plus this time around I'll be wearing business clothes, not my beloved layered Old Navy tank tops. Oh, and I'll be preggers (fingers crossed) in a completely different set of seasons than last time. I'm justified, right? Just smile and nod...

1 2 3

There are a ton of things I've planned to write about recently, but I've been slammed and a bullet point/picture post will have to do.

1. (and this is a big one!) I got my lab results back last week and the itty bit of my thyroid that remains is functioning perfectly normally and I don't have to be on meds! This essentially means I'm healed :) I have one more round of lab work in August to verify it wasn't a fluke and I can get on with my life. My Dr. was very surprised that I a. had enough thyroid to actually function and b. that it turned back on in only 4 weeks, usually it takes at least 6 weeks for any results... TBTG!  also... I honestly havent felt so like myself in oh, 3 years... hooray! *now I need to get busy getting knocked up!*

2. We had a lovely 4th of July at home with some sparkler. LM wasn't totally sure what to make of them, but overall he was pleased (they were safety sparklers and he was heavily supervised):

3. Fanny-packs are NEVER ok. Just because Gucci makes, doesn't make it right.