Thursday, April 28, 2011

Curry Shrimp -- Blue Mountain curry powder

A previous coworker of mine swore by Blue Mountain curry powder--and for good reason! This is a great way to dress up some veggies and / or seafood. Atlanta has a pretty large Caribbean population, so its easy to find in the grocery stores here but you can also order it online. I simply followed the recipe on the back of the jar for seafood curry, and added in a lone bag of frozen field peas from last fall (and a heavy dash of cayenne). Results were FANTASTIC!

This rice blend was on sale, so I decided to gourmet up our rice habit. Seriously? It was worth it. I loved the different textures and colors--really worked well with the curry. If you are using a rice cooker, I have found its better to increase the water in order to have whole grain or brown rice cook all the way through. I use 1 part rice to 3 parts water, and consistently have success with this ratio.

Curry on fancy rice :)

I have been commuting almost exclusively by bicycle this month, and somehow had two screws fall loose from the crank. A quick trip to our local bike shop, Loose Nuts Cycles, and everything is back up to snuff. Thank you Chris! Check these guys out if you are in Atlanta--its a really great bike shop for newbies and experienced cyclists.


Have a great weekend!

Sunday, April 17, 2011

On Gratuities....

Had an odd but curious moment at Corner Tavern in L5P. Waiter politely confronts (oxymoron) patron of a 3top and asks, in so many words "why won't you leave a tip?" This guy proceeds to make light of the situation: "hey man, we're artists", waiter doesn't take this as answer. Unfortunately got ugly from there. Finally, everyone calms and this guy jokes at first, but in 2 minutes is just enraged with anti-everyone but the people that are at his table. So I move sides to make sure I can see this guy's actions. Finally it got quiet and he smashed the glass against the wall and they split.
The waiters storm out like The Jets vs. (whatever it was in WSS). But the Jets are long gone.
SO!

Who was in the wrong? I think it's impolite and rude and cheap not to tip - but one thing it is not, is illegal. In the end, it is not mandatory. I waited tables on college like most people I knew. Plus this guy called him out not only in front of his friends, but also in front of the entire patio. That's the dicker move. I think this waiter's manager would have a better appreciation for the money the waiter just lost him from the these customers in the future. If the bar isn't open - no one makes money.
Then again, this guy at the table was kind of a racist dick.

Look what Obama makes you sign as:


Other news...this guy is a local that is reporting after that tragic killing last last week in Rio. It's so terribly timed with the release of that new movie. Oddly, I didn't see anything about this when it occured in ATL or american papers. CNN didn't have it before I left and it was no where on AJC's mind. There was something about a killing of 5 in Scotland(?). I digress, he is saying something beautiful about the will of the people, 40 years, etc...but ALL I can focus on is his paint covered face. HOLY SHIT man, why do you have so much paint on your face? Where you painting the ceiling by hand? WTF. There are cameras on, clean yourself buddy.
Anyways it's great for one of those FAIL captions.



G

Friday, April 8, 2011

whoops

I think my day has been riddled by "whoops" today. About 7 accidental mistakes, from telling one to plant kudzu to scaring another about the government shutting down.

But.

Kudzu is pretty, albeit invasive.

And the government might still shut down. Not that I want it to.

At least the sun is out.


Maybe I will think before I speak tomorrow.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

a solo girl's night


Gustavo has been travelling quite often....and I've been eating lentils and rice for the most part. I decided to go out tonight, as it is **almost** friday. I'm going to ride the bike to work and back tomorrow...I have been hesitant to do so because the traffic is thick. As tomorrow is the Braves opener, it will be thicker. Please, if you are driving, be careful for the cyclists out there. (I will be wearing a very sturdy helmet)


Even at a high class wine joint, I'll still order the menu item that mostly resembles pizza ;)


p.s. I'd already drank a healthy portion of that wine glass before the food came, Ziba's offers a fantastic selection of wines all at $7 / glass and $28 / bottle. I had an Argentinian Malbec that was out of this world. Seriously, a good buy.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Dream Jobs

So, obviously, we've been working on ventures other than this blog for the past few months. I am not ready to let it go yet, but man, there has been so much going on!!! One being, my dream job. I'm not going to name names, but I just might have secured a position at a super fantastic university ;)

...and Tavo just might be working in a super fantastic country right now.... (and sampling the goods!)





So, we've been wrapped up in work, both individual pursuits, but coming about at the same time. It's kind of awesome.

Happy spring everyone!

This one is for you, sweets.