I Love the Weekend.

I really, really love weekends. Sometimes I sleep in and putter around the house all day, and I love it. Other times I wake up early and go to the barn and get caught up on life, and I love that too. The weekends are wonderful because I can choose to have any kind of weekend I want. Two whole days to plan with fun things, or to do nothing.

This weekend we spent a lot of time with friends, played some board games, watched a movie, went to the barn, went grocery shopping, read, and cooked. Cooking makes me feel better- even if I'm overwhelmed it settles me down to cook a meal, and I usually end up cleaning simultaneously so by the time I'm done I have delicious food and a clean house. Pure bliss. Josh's favorite meal is breakfast, and the weekend is the only time that I can make real breakfast food.

Here's what we've had recently for breakfast:
Coconut Milk and Berry Smoothie
Oatmeal with various toppings (fruit one day, peanut butter and Nutella another day)
Crepes, sweet (Nutella or lemon juice and powdered sugar) and savory (browned honey ham, Tillamook cheddar, and mustard)
Italian Breakfast Casserole




YUM. We're hosting a potluck this week, and I think the theme is going to be breakfast foods. Or maybe cereal. To me, cereal is the ultimate comfort food and I can never have enough. Hmmmmmm...... I think I'm going to go eat some cereal now. Bye!

Asian Vacation, part 6

On the way to Tokyo from Shimonoseki I got off the train in Osaka and took the loop line to Osaka castle. Josh had the camera at this point so I don't have any pictures from Osaka. BUT, if you go to Japan, go to Osaka and spend a day in the park and at the castle. And yes, the $5 entrance fee to go inside the castle is worth it.

Tokyo! From our hotel room I could see the Sony, Mitsubishi, Siemens, Microsoft, and Canon towers. There were tons more buildings out there, but I don't know what they are. It was great to go downstairs to the atrium and eat breakfast together then head out on my own. Exploring Tokyo on my own while Josh was at work was such a refreshing and relaxing way to end our trip. I love being alone and definitely felt energized.

Lonely Planet says that it would take several lifetimes to really see all of Tokyo, and that even the locals get lost on a regular basis. I totally agree. When I thought I was lost, I wasn't. And when I thought I knew where I was, I didn't. Confusing!

I started by walking to the train station and hopping on the Yamanote line which circles some of the city. Shibuya was my first stop. Shibuya is Tokyo how I imagined it- throngs of people, dozens of huge screens playing movies, music videos, and advertisements, tons of huge department stores and little hole in the wall shops, and mazes that made up streets, crosswalks, overhead walkways, alleys, bus routes, and train tracks. Whew!

The next stop I made was Harajuku. OMG. I could have seriously dropped thousands of dollars here so fast! I'm not even into fashion, but Harajuku was incredible! It made me want to be cool. Anyway, I took a break from window shopping at the Godiva store where I ordered a delicious hot chocolate. Yum.

Our last full day in Tokyo happened to be a holiday so Josh didn't have to work. We spent the day cramming in as much sight seeing as we could- free elevator ride in a TALL sky scraper, Sapporo brewing company, cheese fondue lunch, and a freaking awesome parasite museum (if you like disturbing and sick things).

We wanted to do something interesting for our last night in Japan so we headed over to Tokyo Dome City. This place is so fun! There were tons of Christmas lights, a roller coaster, lots of shops and restaurants, beautiful walk ways, and a huge spa! We spent about four hours at the spa. It's this really cool combination of hot spring pools, restaurants, spa services, and lots of other amenities. It's separated into mens and womens areas so it was very peaceful and relaxing.

Tokyo is such a huge city, but I really enjoyed it. I felt safe even by myself, there were plenty of small neighborhoods, and the train system was super easy.

This Weekend's Recipes!

1. Two Tablespoon Veggie Stir Fry (you can add meat or tofu, of course)
Heat 2 T oil in a skillet or wok, then add 2 T minced garlic and 2 T minced ginger. While that's cooking chop up any veggies you have in your refrigerator and toss them in the wok (I used broccoli, green onions, carrots, and bell pepper). When the veggies start to soften add 1/2 can coconut milk (I used light, unsweetened), 2 T soy sauce, and a pinch of salt. Let it cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.

photo from here

2. Coconut Milk Smoothie (this is a great way to use the other half a can of coconut milk that's left over from the stir fry!)
2 bananas
1/2 can coconut milk
1 C frozen berries
2 T honey
1/2 C plain non-fat yogurt

3. Broccoli Chicken Bake
2 chicken breasts
2 stocks broccoli florets
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 box dry stuffing mix
Cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cook chicken in olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and chili pepper flakes. Meanwhile, steam broccoli until crisp but tender.
In a small bowl mix together the soup, stuffing mix, and milk. In a 9x13 inch baking dish layer the chicken, broccoli, soup mixture, and sprinkle cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

photo from here

4. Shrimp Pasta
1/4 package angel hair pasta
1 cup shrimp or prawns
2 tomatoes (quartered, optional)
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
fresh basil
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon butter

Boil pasta. Cook shrimp in butter and garlic until heated through. Toss pasta with shrimp, tomatoes, basil and Parmesan. Salt and pepper to taste.

photo from here

Asian Vacation, part 5

Our adventures in Shimonoseki and Yamaguchi are somewhat out of order chronologically because we spent time there both before and after Kyoto.

So, our first time arriving in Shimonoseki consisted of waking up on the overnight train from Tokyo and transferring about 500 times until we finally made it on to the right train, going the right direction and speed! A friend of Matt's boss met us at the train station. Her name was Keshi and she greeted us with hugs, a huge smile, and great English- all of which were welcome by this stage of our journey. Keshi drove us to Beth's school and toured us around the gorgeous campus, then dropped us off at Matt and Beth's apartment where we promptly showered and slept slept slept.

Matt and Beth got home from work and the four of us went to an incredible traditional Japanese dinner in downtown Shimonoseki. The restaurant is owned by parents of a friend, and they seated us in a private room with tatami mats. Matt and Beth ordered (in Japanese) sashimi, fried chicken (really big in Japan), beer, fried octopus, and a couple other local specialties. YUM! Even though I was still sick at this point the food tasted amazing.

The next day we decided I needed to go see a doctor. A few phone calls later we were headed to the doctor's office with one translator, and another on the way. Going to the doctor in Japan is the best. They asked a couple questions, didn't touch me at all, and wrote three prescriptions. Then we walked next door, picked up the prescriptions and were on our way!

From the doctor's office we walked across the street to get to the bust stop and went down to the pier and fish market. We wandered around the vendors' stalls and ate some sushi on the boardwalk. Very Seattle, actually. After lunch Keshi picked us up again and drove us to her home in Chofu, a town that neighbors Shimonoseki. She had baked us an apple cake and served it with ice cream, coffee, and tea. More yum. After cake she drove us to a Samurai house in Chofu. Chofu is a really cute little town with lots of traditional houses and cobblestone streets. The Samurai house also had a beautiful garden out back, and Keshi showed us a little bit of how to participate in a tea ceremony. The following day we left for Kyoto.

My second time in Shimonoseki was after Kyoto, and when Josh had gone north to Tokyo to work. I trained down to Fukuoka to meet Beth and Matt, and walked out of the train station into a mall and huge, covered plaza with Christmas lights, a Christmas tree, and a band playing. Pretty awesome. We walked through a shopping area and found a restaurant that looked good, and although they spoke exactly no English, Matt was a great translator and we got the food we wanted. After dinner we decided it was time for bubble tea; I got hot chocolate with "bubbles" in it (now I'm craving it, so delicious).

Matt and Beth had to work the next day so I went grocery shopping- so fun and much easier than expected. That afternoon Matt met me at the apartment, we went to his school across the street, and I got to participate in the English club he leads! The topic of conversation was holiday traditions and travel, and Matt and I ended up trying to explain egg nog to the students.... "It's like yellow milk, but made out of eggs". EW! If only they could just taste some I'm sure their opinions would change...

The next couple days Beth and Matt had to go to Yamaguchi for a JET conference so I tagged along one of the days. I listened to Matt's presentation, went to lunch with some other teachers and ate super good ramen, then hopped on the local train to explore Yamaguchi City for the afternoon. Beth recommended a nice, quiet plaza with a coffee shop so I got a table outside for a couple hours to people watch and read a book. It was quite lovely. After some more meandering I got back on the train, met up with Beth and Matt, and we headed back to their apartment to watch the Last Samurai (what else?).

We had another day in Shimonoseki before it was time for me to go to Tokyo so we rented Love Actually, walked around the city, went to the mall, went to the beautifully designed library, went to an opening party at some restaurants including a wine and cheese bar, and ate more sushi. I had a great time in Shimonoseki- the city was really pretty, I got to spend a lot of time with Beth and Matt, and we had plenty of time to just hang out together.

Next up, Tokyo!

Time for a Smoothie Recipe

Hello dear readers,

I've been experimenting with different flavors and ingredients for making smoothies since we got a Magic Bullet blender a couple months ago, and this one's a favorite.


PB&J Smoothie

1 banana (optional)
1/2 cup frozen berries (or use ice and no sugar added jelly)
1/2 cup milk
1 heaping tablespoon smooth peanut butter
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract (optional)

Blend until smooth. YUM!


photo found here

More Shit the Girls Say

"I'm going to name my dog after you so I can tell it no as much as you tell me no."

"GIVE ME ANOTHER PANCAKE SAUSAGE ON A STICK! I AM SOOOOOOO HUNGRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Did you know that babies are born out of your butt?"

"Don't quote me, Jen, I ain't said shit." (from that lovely Boyz N Da Hood song)

"What would you do if I was pregnant? I'm pregnant! Just kidding, I'm not. No really, I am. Ha! Just kidding!" etc. and on and on

So.Stressful. But I love them =).

Asian Vacation, part 4

Kyoto, beyatch! I have been putting off this post because Kyoto was my favorite city we visited, and I can't do it justice here. But, here are lots of pictures and hopefully a glimpse into this amazing place.

Josh, Beth, Matt, and I traveled to Kyoto via train from Shimonoseki (we landed in Tokyo, overnight trained to Shiminoseki, spent a couple days there, then headed out to Kyoto- more on Shimonoseki later). Side note, my Japan Rail pass kicked serious ass. I used it almost daily (and often more than once a day) for the entirety of our time in Japan, and the last time I swiped it was at 11:58pm on the day it expired! This was a really special trip because Beth and I haven't traveled together since we went to Spain six years ago (!), and the four of us have wanted to travel together for a while.

Anyway, on the way to Kyoto we stopped off at Hiroshima. Hiroshima is a difficult experience to put in to words. It was very sobering. The atomic bomb basically flattened the city, and burned it to the ground. We went to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, and it was so gruesome (burned clothing, pictures of people who had lived and died after the bomb, witness accounts, etc). The museum is surrounded by a park and there are many international events held there each year.

On a brighter note we ate okonomiyaki for the first time in Hiroshima on the way back to the train station. So dericious! Okonomiyaki is a type of layered meal with a crepe-ish base, cabbage and other veggies, super sweet bbq sauce, hot sauce, and an egg and/or meat and seafood stirred in. Yum!





We arrived in Kyoto in the early evening and walked to our hostel, which had opened just a couple weeks prior to our arrival. The hostel is near a huge shopping center that we walked through and ate at a few times. The cool thing about this shopping place is that it covers a few acres and has been a shopping street/area in Kyoto for hundreds of years. A highlight was a tea shop called Lupicia- the store had many teas to sample and smell, and they even gave us a lesson on how to make macha! The store was run by a man from France who had lived in Japan for a few years. The best part of our whole trip would have been Matt breaking out his French to talk to this dude, but that didn't happen.

Kyoto is a big, modern city with tons of history. This means you can hop on a bus and see beautiful buildings and architecture, then walk through centuries old temples and castles and parks and neighborhoods. Pretty sweet. Beth was a fantastic tour guide; she navigated us around and read from Lonely Planet at each site.









After a couple days Beth and Matt headed home to Shimonoseki and Josh and I trained south to Nara. Nara was the first permanent capital of Japan and also has a lot of historical sites. In Nara we fed and petted the rampant deer population (they run that town because they have been there forever and used to be believed to be messengers from God). We also saw the world's oldest wooden building which houses the world's largest Buddha.







From Nara I headed back to Shimonoseki and Josh went the other direction to Tokyo.