Monday, May 31, 2010

Out & About

On Saturday, Omid's parents celebrated thier 42nd wedding anniversary. On Sunday night, we all went out to dinner to celebrate. We started out at Jake's Grill in Portland.

Personalized menus

The happy couple.
After dinner, we ventured over to 23rd & waited for our table at Papa Haydn.

Omid & the kids found these pigs.
Banana cream pie for Omid.

Chocolate cubes for Nas & Matty.

Panna cotta with raspberries for me. I always order this. Once, I ordered something else & was immdiately disappointed. I hope Papa Haydn never takes this off thier menu. It's worth every calorie!
Raspberry gateau for Fari & Mansour.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Make This!!

Persian-style Pirashki

My Persian Kitchen posted a pirashki tutorial a few weeks ago. Omid and I thought it would be the perfect day to make these delicious treats. Omid tweaked the filling recipe just a bit (similar to what his grandma, Mamani, used to make).

*I bought Greek style yogurt from Trader Joe's which is like concrete, but my dough was on the watery side too (just like My Persian Kitchen). I needed to use 9 cups of flour (I made a double recipe) to get the dough to the correct consistency.

I think you could buy the premade pizza dough from Trader Joe's or even Pillsbury biscuit or croissant dough from the supermarket to save time. It is time consuming (making it & rolling it out). Would I make these again? Absolutely!! Naseem even gave her two thumbs up!
Omid took over the project after I made 11 pirashkis the size of softballs (way too big!).
Omid's pirashkis (a much better size!).

YUM

Matty sprinkled powdered sugar on his. Reminiscent of Moroccan b'stilla. Savory on the inside and sweet on the outside.

Right out of the fryer, these tasted like hot donut.


Here are my softball size monsters.



Finished products. I am so glad we made a double recipe.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Make This!!

Sweet & Sour Bean Salad

1 large can cut green beans (drained!)
1 large can yellow wax beans (drained!)
2 cans kidney beans (drained!)
1 medium onion - chopped fine

Dressing:
1 tsp salt
1.2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup vinegar
1/2 c salad oil

Pour dressing over beans & onion. Place in fridge for several hours before serving.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Thunder!

Remy visited the vet today to get a refill on his tranquilizers. The poor dog is frightened to death of thunder. We've been having lots lately & ran out of his thunder pills. As Remy has gotten older, his anxiety with fireworks & thunder has gotten worse. He has taken on new destructive behaviors whenever he hears a thunder clap. With the latest thunderstorm, Remy ran upstairs to Matty's bedroom, jumped on his bed and proceeded to dig to China. This resulted in shredded sheets & a mattress pad that had all the stuffing removed.
Today, Remy's vet recommended 'thunder therapy.' She said we could do it ourselves or go to a professional. I asked for extra tranquilizers instead.
Remy charming the staff for treats.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Because it's my blog and not yours....

I'm feeling extremely irritable today...I feel like ranting about things that make me cranky.
(*Sarah - I think I stole your blog title. I hope that doesn't make you cranky!).

*Constant rain that lasts through May. I can't take it anymore.

*Individuals who make plans for me (without asking ME at all) & then expecting me to follow through. I have news for you: I make my own schedule (my husband doesn't make it for me). If I am unable to attend your 'get together' - I guess you should have asked ME and not him.

*Mean people.

*Adult bullies.

*People who stop by unannouced. My time may not be important to you, but it is to me. Stop being rude and call first. Don't show up at my door expecting me to be happy to see you.

*Canned peas & carrots.

*Daris on Biggest Loser. Quit crying. You don't have a girlfriend because you are a crybaby. Women like strong men, not blubbering babies. Man up!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

La Jolla Get-a-way!

Omid & his coworker Vince had business this week in San Diego. Knowing their wives desperately needed sunshine, Vince & Omid brought us along for a few days. Vince & Mia
Omid & I

Pool & Patio


I loved these urns filled with impatience.
I plan to research impatience as this variety thrived in the sun. The only kind I have ever found here in WA is the shade loving variety.

Ginormous aloe vera plant.

Loved these palm trees.
I was looking for the "W" but never found it.
Have you ever watched the movie: It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World?

Omid and I drove to the Las Americas Outlet Center. It was huge. So many stores - it was actually sensory overload for me.
The outlet is at the very first exit on I-5. The next exit is the Mexican border.

Here is the border right next to the parking lot of the outlet mall. You can see the Border Patrol in the left of the photo.

After our shopping trip, we met up with the rest of our group for dinner at a Korean BBQ.
Mickey, Omid, Bunyoong, Me, Mia & Vince.

Cheers!

This restaurant used real charcoal to cook the food instead of gas (like the other Korean BBQ's we've eaten at).

Ribeye - sooooo gooooood!

Honey bombs

One, two, three - Go!
These are dangerous! One honey bomb is more than enough.
I have a look of disgust on my face because I didn't want to drink the Coca Cola at the bottom. I was fine with the Shoju & beer, but Coke in drinks makes me sick.
Omid & Mickey
Lunch at The Beach House in Laguna Beach.


Delicious dinner at The Shores restaurant in La Jolla.

This is what I look like on 3 hours of sleep. Yikes!
Just a few moments before we took this photo, I had an argument with one of the TSA screeners at the airport. My suitcase was flagged and I was taken over to a special spot and told to 'sit there.' The screener confiscated 4 things of mine and gave me a lecture. I was so mad at him and argued with him despite Omid's warnings in sign language to just let it go (think NO FLY LIST). I finally called Omid over to help me and then the TSA guy all of a sudden turned nice. It was interesting because the TSA in PDX never said a thing and let me bring those same things in my carry on. No consistency!
Dear San Diego TSA: I will remain forever PO'd at you for the $25 worth of products you took away from me!!! Do I look like a terrorist to you?!

On the plane, headed for home. Omid making me laugh. I already felt better.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Netflix This!!


Precious.
This movie was sad, heartbreaking, frustrating, depressing and good. This movie is definitely R rated. Every other word was the F word & there are lots of disturbing things that happen to Precious. But...if you can stick with it - this is a wonderful story with a good ending.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Razor Clams!

This past weekend was the last razor clam dig until next fall. We woke the kids up at 4:00 a.m., packed the car & hit the road to Ocean Park, Wa. Long line to the beach. Apparently we weren't the only ones with this great idea.
Still waiting.....

We finally hit the beach and bam! Got 60 clams in 60 minutes (15 for each of us - which was the limit).


Here's one!


Here's three!

Remy helping out.


Remy really liked the clams. He tried to eat them several times.


Let's play!


Remy LOVED running on the beach.


More help from Remy.

Counting our loot.

Great haul!


After we got our limit, we headed to Olympia. Omid made fried clams for an appetizer. Delicious! We also had clam chowder for dinner last night. It was made with whipping cream. It was like eating a bowl of clam ice cream. Super rich & simply scrumptious.

Capital City Half Marathon!

We did it! My sister and I finished our first half marathon yesterday. It was so much fun and I can't wait to do it again next year! My only regret is that I didn't have my camera with me. There were so many things I wanted to take photos of along the way. Next time!

There were 1095 participants registered for the half marathon. 391 males & 704 females. Here are the results for our age group (40-44). Cynthia finished 81/122 participants (pace time of 11:19 per mile) and I finished 96/122 (pace time of 13:11 per mile).


At the starting line.


Before the race. My sister Cynthia & I feeling all piggly-wiggly.


My favorite part of the race = mile 7. That's when I saw my family (& Remy!). Such a good feeling to see people you know cheering you on!


At mile 10, there was one house passing out dixie cups of beer! I grabbed it thinking it was water and spilled most of it on my shirt.

Cheerleaders!!
Cynthia crossing the finish line. She ran the 13.1 in 2:29:22!

While I was still jogging, Cynthia was enjoying her post-race massage.


Jogging up to the finish line. My official time was 2:52:48.

Cynthia crossing the finish line.



Me crossing the finish line. What a great feeling!

After the race, we went back to my parents' house for a bbq. Omid made flank steak & teriyaki chicken. It was delicious!

My biggest cheerleader! Omid made sure I got my mileage in every week. Love you Omidjoon!