This & That Friday, v.3 The R&R wedding edition.

Okay, so this one is for Chelsea at Perfect in my Mind. 

She's just so sugary-sweet, I had to indulge her with a wedding post per her request.  :)

Now, I should say that when it comes to all this wedding stuff, I am in WAY over my head.

Here are some of our problems.

A. We want(ed) to have a small intimate wedding.. But I have a HUGE family, that I am rather close with.. So picking favorites isn't really an option. Our (invited) guest list is at about 90 people right now, and I have about 20 singles, who may or may not bring a guest. I am not putting ..and guest  on most of the invitations, but unfortunately, I don't think etiquette was beat into the heads of most of our friends like it was in my family-- so uninvited people are inevitable, and I just need to be gracious about it.. blah.

{You can all know I will actually be scoffing in my head}


B. We don't want to spend more than $4k on this shin-dig-- but we want it to look nice, we want to food and drink to be plentiful & awesome, a good photographer and we want live music. This can be tricky on a small budget. I am confident we can do it-- but not without stress.

If you are going to throw a party, throw a freaking party. 

C. I suck at asking people for help. I am lucky however that some of my aunts & grandmother have both offered to help with some of the details-- even if all they can help with is man-power.

I should also mention, that unlike most Grooms, R has opinions about things. This is helpful & frustrating. Helpful because it is a day that is about the BOTH of us, and frustrating because he doesn't really know how much things cost & doesn't really research his opinions. ;)





SO all that being said... Here are some images that we have found inspiring for our March wedding.

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We're having the ceremony and reception at The Winter Park Farmers Market.

We him-hawed around about the location of the ceremony-- since we really wanted to have it at Blue Springs (where we got engaged & had our first kiss) but, renting chairs, setting up, breaking down, and all that jazz just made things a little too complected, so we decided to do our pictures at Blue Springs BEFORE the wedding, and have our first look at our special place. This way we can still incorporate the place that has been so special to us over the years, without make our day too complected..

Plus the farmers market is in our home town, and we've spent plenty of Saturdays buying veggies there.. so it will be fun.

AND... I know a lot of our family members will want to witness the ceremony.. so now we can include everyone.

As far as decor goes we want to keep it colorful, green and fun. Chalk boards, pictures, cactus, sunflowers, beer & wine (we're going to make some R<3R wine labels), DIY, grey suits for him, teal dresses (I think) for the girls, a whimsical cake that features our love of the shrooms & nature, and I totally LOVE that "memory lane" runner-- If we can find a way to do this inexpensively I am totally doing it. AND instead of having a sit down dinner, I want to make a bunch of really colorful (healthy) & fun appetizers that pair well with our beer and wine selection.

This also means we will be having the wedding between the hours of 3-7, so folks aren't starving.. and still have the option of eating dinner at a reasonable hour, after the wedding. The heavy appetizer & cake thing was the only way we could realistically have all our friends and family attend & still serve beer and wine & still make the event look nice.

I'm sorry but beer and wine are important when you have a really large, dysfunctional family. ;)

AND since we are big fans of music, so are looking to hire this guy to play at the ceremony and reception! :)

Okay, that's all for now.

Have a great & safe weekend,

Namaste!
r

Pad Si Ew How to & dining in

R and I really want to do some traveling this year. We could have easily gone on a really sweet trip last year if we would have spent just HALF of the money we spent eating out on travel. So now instead of going out to eat for our favorite dishes, we're making them at home on the weekends and saving going out for special occasions.

A Thai spicy, Pad Si Ew and a tall hot sake makes me a happy, happy girl so that is what I made last night.

My first experience with Pad Si Ew was in 2007 at Bens Noodles and Rice on Chicago's North side (Bryn Mar & Broadway). It was made with super wide rice noodles, a sweet soy sauce, broccoli and chicken. Simple, yet amazing. 

Through the years I've had more PSE than I can even count, so I was really excited to try my interpretation of the yummy noodle dish. I looked up some of the techniques used in Thai cooking, bought the ingredients and ended up with something really tasty!

Traditionally Pad Si Ew is prepared with a thick flat rice noodle, chicken or pork, and broccoli, but I always order the veggie, so I added some carrot, onion and red pepper to my PSE with the delicious free range, humanely treated, locally raised chicken that our grocery store started selling recently. 

(I had to try it and holy moly, is it the most tender and yummy chicken I've ever had)

Pad Si Ew seems like a tedious list and task, but if you just stay organized it's easy peasy and so yummy!

(Plus all the ingredients you need are staples in Asian cuisine and last a while in the fridge)

Ingredients:

serves 2-4

2 eggs

1 -2 tbs baking soda

Light Soy or Low Sodium Sauce

1/4 c. Dark Sweet soy Sauce*

4 tbs Oyster Sauce

2tbs Rice vinegar

1 package of wide rice noodles (the wider the better)

Vegetable Oil

Sesame seed oil

1/2 to 1 lbs Boneless-skinless organic free range chicken, pork, beef, or tofu(or extra veggies)

1/2 red bell pepper thinly sliced

1-3 carrots thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves minced

1/2 white onion cut in 8ths

2 c. loosely packed Kai-Lan or Broccoli Florets

For spice use Siracha or Chili Paste (red pepper flakes work too)
3 bowls and a wok or extra large non-stick pan.

Other veggies that might be good: Mushrooms, Baby corn, Water Chesnuts, Cabbage

*I could not find Dark Sweet Soy Sauce, so I mixed 1/4 c. of the soy sauce I had on hand with about 2 tbs of Honey.

What to do:

Step one: Prepare

Slice the veggies and chicken thinly (and separately). Mince the garlic and pull out your supplies.
Put your veggies (not the garlic) in a bowl and set aside

Step two: Make some sauces
. In a second bowl start your marinade using soy sauce and a table spoon of baking soda- you will want the soy sauce to cover all of the meat, set aside.

Then make the sauce: Using another bowl whisk together 1/8 to 1/4th c low-sodium soy sauce, 4 tbs oyster sauce, 2 tbs rice vinegar, and 3 minced garlic cloves.

I could not find Dark Sweet Soy Sauce, so I used about 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce with 2 tbs of Honey, mixed it together in a bowl and set aside.. 

Step Three: Noodles, veggies & blanching

Bring water to a boil and cook rice noodles according to directions on package (do not over cook).

While the pasta is cooking, bring up the heat on your wok with enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of the pan.  (I used a large non stick pan). You will want your heat at its highest setting! Once the oil starts to smoke, throw your veggies in the pan; cook the veggies until the broccoli is bright green and tender. 

Don't be afraid of some slight burning.

 

Put your veggies back in the bowl, and now your pasta should be done.

Use tongs to transfer the noodles from the water into a colander. Save the water and put the pot back on the burner to bring water back to a boil. Then blanch the chicken in pasta water (cook it until it is white all over, in this case it will be a brownish/white because of the soy sauce).

Step Four: Pull it together.

While the chicken is cooking, clean and dry the cooking surface of your wok or pan.

Add two tbs of oil to pan and turn up the heat to the highest setting, once the oil starts to smoke, crack two eggs over the oil and scramble in the oil with a wooden spoon, once the eggs are set add in your noodles and a tsp of sesame seed oil. Toss generously for about a minute.

Then add the SWEET SOY SAUCE* to the noodles and continue cooking for another minute, tossing the noodles until they are evenly browned. 

Using the colander, strain the blanched chicken from the boiling water. Then add your veggies and chicken to noodles, continuing to toss ingredients until evenly distributed. Once everything is warm and mixed together add in the sauce (the one with the garlic, oyster sauce and vinegar) toss some more, then serve! 

Then I added some Siracha to mine for some spice :)
I meant to chop up some peanuts, but I was so excited to try it I forgot about that part ; )

 Sorry for the really awesome cell phone pictures, the camera was dead. 

Next time we make Thai I will make Panang curry.

Enjoy & Namaste!

R

Freshly Squeezed

Our mornings have been extra sweet with some freshly squeezed Tangelo-Grapefruit juice. 

Making OJ is our new favorite thing. We've been making our own for about a month now, and it still feels like such a treat. Plus, there is nothing left over other than biodegradable rinds, so our recycling has decreased.. and we've been saving a lot of money since we are buying the oranges through a local market. 

Just one of the many perks of living in FL! ;)

You know you want some.

{I also made a really yummy screwdriver last night with some Fresh OJ & Belvedere Vodka-- I'm not a big liquor drinker, but this was pretty tasty and a fine substitution for my nightly vino.}

xo.

r

Chipotle B.B. Orzo

I try to keep it simple & inexpensive in the kitchen; as much as I like to cook, I also like to not have to work that hard to eat something yummy and moderately healthy.

One of my faves is Chipotle Bleack Bean Orzo.

Alright... We have:

1. Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

2. black beans

3. tomatoes

and 4. Orzo pasta (yum).

You guessed it; you cook the pasta per instructions on the package, drain the black beans and chop the tomatoes & chipotle peppers (their spicy so watch out). Once the pasta is cooked, add your beans, tomatoes & pepper, add a spoonful of the adobo sauce for a little extra spice... and BAM! 

You got yourself a yummy meal. :)

For about 3-4 lunch servings; I use 1 can of black beans, 2 chipotle peppers, 1 large tomato, about 1-2 tbs of adobo sauce and about 1.5 cup of orzo. I like it hot though, so cut down on the peppers and sauce if you aren't into spicy. I also throw a little garlic salt on there for seasoning. :)

Happy eating. 

xo, r

Tortilla De Patatas!

One of my favorite dishes to share with friends. 

Tortilla de Patatas

digital photography by RAS - All rights reserved.

6 potatoes peeled, cut in half long ways, then in 1/8" slices - 1 large spanish onion - 1/2 red bell pepper finely chopped(optional) - couple cloves of garlic sliced (also optional) - 7 eggs, scrambled - Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes - 2-3 cups of olive oil

Note: This is the first time I have made it with red bell pepper, and its pretty tastey-- but not necessary.

Tip: Don't do what I did and use a cheap olive oil, I recommend buy a Spanish olive oil- If you go in the Ethnic section of your grocery store, they are a lot less expensive than the "Italian" brands. Goya makes a decent one.

digital photography by RAS - All rights reserved.

 Beat eggs, with s&p, and red pepper flakes-- set aside.

digital photography by RAS - All rights reserved.

Heat up about 2 cups of oil on med-high heat, add potatoes, onions, red bell pepper and garlic, then lower heat to medium-- fry for about 10 mins.

digital photography by RAS - All rights reserved.

Once the potatoes are soft, you can take them off the heat. Let the it stop boiling before you strain it, otherwise you might end of with some hot oil on your skin. My favorite method is to just use a colander on top of a sauce pan-- that way you can save the oil if you plan on frying again anytime soon.

digital photography by RAS - All rights reserved.

 Stir your eggs and potato mixture together.

digital photography by RAS - All rights reserved.

Put it all in an 8" oiled fry pan on medium heat, you will need to use a spatula to make sure the ingredients are packed down.

Allow the tortilla to cook on medium (medium-low if your burners are hotter than usual). Once the consistency is fairly firm you will be ready to flip your tortilla.. 

Here's is a nice video showing you how: 

She's good!

Let it the tortilla continue cooking on the other side for an additional 5 minutes or so. 

Then put it on a plate and it should look something like this!

digital photography by RAS - All rights reserved.

Tip: It's better to cook it on a lower heat for a little longer than to cook it on a higher heat and burn it. In all honestly, the first 3-4 tortillas you make will not be perfect looking, but they will surely taste great. Practice makes perfect with this one..

You can serve it as an entree by cutting it into "pie" slices, or as an appetizer by cutting it in cubes!

Enjoy!

Ryan