Paul's Boutique and Potatoes, With My Sister

This is literally footage of a watched pot that isn't boiling yet. The entertainment value is close to nil, but the filming experience was AWESOME! Two Meagher sisters reveling in some Beastie Boys, cooking a big dinner.

But still. For the sheer narcissism required to put this video on the internet, and then dedicate a blog post to it... I'm sorry.

 

Matt's Quinoa Salad

Way better than what I make:

He seasoned the quinoa with olive oil, fresh-cracked pepper, and garlic while it was cooking. Topped it with fresh, crisp bacon. Tossed it with avocado, cilantro, tomato, cucumber, celery, and scallions.

The culinary talent is not the ONLY reason why I married him, but it is certainly a very compelling facet of the attraction. Aww, yeah.

Low-Carb Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Okay, okay, okay. This is so asinine of me that I'm really proud of myself. It got an expletive AND an eye-roll out of my husband, who is busy preparing garlic pepper quinoa salad.

For my "blood sugar got low" after-work snack right now, I present to you, my low-carb grilled cheese sandwich. It is a dish of cheese that I microwaved.

Gorgonzola and "Apple Pears," on a Hoagie

This sandwich was a good idea, even if the phone photo I took is a bit unromantic.

Being Adorably Lazy and Rude at The Matador

So, last night the spouse and I opted for Happy Hour Dinner because we were both too tired to cook. I work the evening shift, so Happy Hour Dinner is our primary alternative to ordering pizza.

In the Eastside Seattle area, one of the greatest happy hour menus in the history of the (local) universe is available at The Matador in Redmond.

For the uninitiated, this restaurant/tequila bar is gorgeous. The brick building is decorated with obviously expensive metalwork and oodles of Día de los Muertos-style skeletons.

The only complaint I can muster about The Matador's Happy Hour is that they do not serve horchata. What kind of restaurant will serve tacos without serving horchata? It's otherwise a grand choice for upscale Tex-Mex in the Eastside, but I have no idea what's up with that. But otherwise, the place is essentially flawless.

So last night, over a glorious $5 mountain of greasy, awesome, complex chorizo nachos, my weary spouse and I shot the breeze. We debated mini-skirts.

My husband took the position that scant clothing in cold weather is too impractical to be sexy, and "looks stupid." Being dressed warmly, I was able to do the mental gymnastics needed to take this as a compliment.

Still, I defended our people-watching subjects. I countered that the "How to Be Attractive to Men" articles in lady-mags, and their devoted readers, do apply social pressure.

But I had to agree that this pressure doesn't reflect the actual male aesthetic sensibilities that I am most familiar with. The bottom line seems to be more about selling fashionable clothing than boosting sexual attraction. I felt smug in the assumption that fostering sexual attraction, generally speaking, has more to do with showing social compatibility, than with showing a culture-obedient wardrobe. (Generally speaking.)

And together, we old lovers shared greasy, heavily loaded chips and mutually enjoyed my lack of food shame or "date clothes" at the moment. I felt defiant, and comfortable in seasonably-appropriate layers.

PS: Please do not associate The Matador with smug couples being total dickweeds about fashion, while people-watching through the windows. The Matador is better than that.

PSS: I do still love keeping an eye on fashion, and occasionally "updating my look," even though I know that doing so doesn't necessarily make me any sexier. I do it for myself, and I have no illusions about that. I may even wear a mini skirt in cold weather someday, just to rebel against this blog post.

Whole wheat pasta & sautéed vegetables

I've just built and begun to eat a food experiment that turned out better than I expected it to.

I chopped one medium tomato and one medium zucchini, tossed them with a handful (2/3 c?) of frozen corn and sautéed the mix in olive oil over medium heat until hot. Once done, I tossed it with an approximately equal portion of whole wheat pasta, and added salt and fresh-cracked pepper to taste.

The corn makes the dish sweeter than more savory-oriented palates will like, the density of whole-wheat pasta won't please everyone, and the absence of true sauce on the pasta may meet with some open disapproval. But as a fan of simple pasta dishes, whole wheat pastas, and sautéed corn, I'm very happy with it. I will definitely do this again.

Remember This Soda: Mr. Q. Cumber

A road trip discovery, this soda tastes like fresh cucumber and cane sugar. We're halfway through the bottle and the flavor is still surprising. Very alive.