Valentine's Day & Adventures in Thai Cooking

First of all, it's good to be back.  The blog is back in business and I've got lots to post about.  First of all, Valentine's Day, although very untraditional (yeah, the day started by meeting with our tax preparer) was great.  Noa and I decided to forgo the usual restaurant dash and cook at home.  Last time I was at Barnes and Noble, I picked up a Thai cookbook and we decided to try out some of our favorite dishes.  Considering we eat Thai food every couple of weeks, it seemed like a good plan.  

We started with the classic dish, Pad Thai.  Although it seems simple enough, there was lots of prep work, including soaking noodles for an hour....

....shelling and grinding up peanuts....

...and creating tamarind paste.  I didn't have a kitchen strainer, so I cut a piece of screening from a roll, cleaned it, and used that instead.  It seemed to work okay.

Then we mixed the ingredients (chicken, tofu, garlic, sauces, eggs, noodles, veggies, etc) in a large pan and let it cook.

Here is the final product.  I tried to form a heart with the limes.

After tasting and much discussion, we decided on a couple of things...

- it definitely wasn't as flavorful as we had hoped, although sprinkling more chilis on top helped.

- the noodles were all wrong.  I followed the recipe by purchasing rice noodles.  However, I think I need to look for specific Thai rice noodles.

- we added the roasted peppers on top and we should have cooked it in.

- I'd use less noodles and add more sauce and onions.

We also tried to make green curry with chicken.  This dish, although less complicated, still was a challenge. 

Again, it wasn't as flavorful as we had hoped.  Maybe with some tweeks, we'll be able to perfect the recipe.  Our plan is to compare our original recipe with others and hopefully make a perfect Pad Thai and curry dish to enjoy regularly.

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, we did enjoy a sweet dessert of chocolate covered strawberries and champagne.  Besides, toasting all the lovely-dovey stuff, we toasted to our culinary adventures of the night and those ahead!  Cheers!

Technical Issues

There comes a time in the life of a blog when things must change and things here need to change.  The free space, provided for my photos for the Team Juloa blog is all used up, and I'll need to purchase more space in order to keep blogging photos.  Unfortunately, I've encountered some technical issues in trying to do so.  Grrr.....  

I'm working on trying to resolve this issue.  I deeply apologize for the delay.  Hopefully, the blog will be back to normal soon!

Sleek Shelves

We recieved our Florida shipment (all the rest of our stuff that was in storage for the past 4+ years) recently and as the packers left our home, we realized something right away.  Our home was being taken over by BOOKS!  We had piles and piles of them everywhere.  Initially, we went through the piles and weeded out what we could, but we just couldn't part with most of them.  We were still left with huge piles along the long wall of our living room.  I couldn't live like this.  It's hard enough not having furniture to fill a room, but now we had piles of books lining the walls.  Not cool.  I knew we needed shelves that could hold all of them, but wouldn't break the bank and still be somewhat stylish.  Our solution was to take a drive over to Ikea and snag a couple of these:

Originally we were thinking of getting the larger version of this shelf to place on against a large wall, but then Noa suggested getting two of these smaller versions and putting them along the half-walls in our large (and pretty empty) living room.  This is idea worked perfectly!  They almost look like built-ins.    

As you can see, I'm a big fan of arranging all those books in rainbow order.  I've always loved this trend.  It makes a shelf look so happy.

The other shelf has the books with brown, gray, black, and white spines.  I got to use some of my Okinawa and China treasures on this shelf (well, at least have them decorating a space instead of sitting on the floor).  Please excuse the empty frame and the stuff next to the shelf.  It's a work in progress.  I'm sure I'll be changing the decor over and over again.

I'm happy that all our books now have a place to call home!  And, now our living room finally has a couple of pieces of furniture.  Yeah!

By Popular Demand

Proof that retail therapy is extremely helpful....here's the truck after our shopping day in Denver.  Thankfully I had saved my Christmas money for this very day!

Comfort in Colorado

Our pal, Mike, recently left for a deployment with the US Army.  In order to ease the stress and sadness of him leaving, I traveled to Colorado to spend some time with his wife, Jess.

Although Mike's departure was sad, the trip had many highlights to keep things happy and enjoyable.  Jess got to open her "Spouse's Deployment Kit" full of goodies.  Presents always help keep things happy!

There were spa treatments, including massages, manicures and pedicures.

Plenty of shopping ensued in downtown Denver.

We enjoyed time with friends, like dinner with Rob.

Shopped, ate, and chatted with Jen.

And of course,  hung out with Sargy, who is always a big cutie!

As usual, the trip ended much too soon.  Isn't it great when friends can be there for each other in good times and bad?  

Welcome Wreath

Remember all those wreaths that were left in the house when we bought it?

They looked like handmade wreaths.  I couldn't justify throwing them away, but I just didn't know how to incorporate them into my decor.  I finally decided how to best utilize them.  One went to Goodwill.  One got mailed off to Jess.  The last one went to my workshop in the garage for a makeover.

I grabbed this.

Sprayed the front...

....and then the back.

After it dried, I popped it on the front door for a little bit of sparkle at our entrance (the picture doesn't really do it justice...it's actually a nice, sparkly silver and pops against the blue of the house and the door).  Now I just need to get some colorful planters and the front is complete!

The Great Couch Debate

Wanna know something sad?

We don't own a couch.  Never have.

We have a giant armchair with an ottoman and then a futon.  Yeah, that's right, a FUTON.  As in boy-isn't-college-great-why-don'-t-you-sleep-over-on-my-futon futon.  Okay, okay, it's not that bad.  It's actually a pretty nice one, compared to others, with a solid wood frame and a high-quality mattress.  We originally bought the futon when we were newlyweds and living in a one-bedroom apartment.  It was a smart choice and has served us well throughout each of our moves. 

But, it's time for us to grow up and invest in a real couch.  For one thing, the futon doesn't work so well in our space.  Even though it's comfortable to sleep on, the futon is not a good substitute for a couch and we prefer sitting in the chair instead since the futon isn't as comfortable.  The new couch will go in exactly this spot in our "den" (not to be confused with the giant furniture-less room, that will now be referred to as the "living room").  

We decided on a few important details right away:

- the couch should be a dark, neutral color so that it will pop against the light color wall and work with different decorating schemes in this house and future homes

- Noa insists on comfort

- I want a stylish couch, not the overstuffed variety that sucks you in and makes it impossible to get out of.

- It needs to be reasonably priced

The hunt began.....first  with some cheaper couches at World Market, like this one, that caught my eye...

....but were extremely uncomfortable.  And, I'm not a big fan of microfiber.  I realize that the material makes cleaning a breeze, but I don't like seeing the "scuff marks" all over.

We checked out a furniture store in Bremerton called Arnolds, which was recommended to us for quality furniture.  They did have some nice pieces and we both loved this couch (I'd cover the large pillows, as those aren't quite my style).

But, the $1300 price tag was a bit steep and the couch is kinda on the small side.  

Another local store called Port Madison Home, on Bainbridge Island, sells some beautiful pieces.  This one was not only styled nicely, but also extremely comfortable.  And, bonus: there were lots of fabric choices to select from.  I especially love the nailhead trim on the bottom.

Sadly, this one is priced around $2,000 on sale.  I think it's a pretty high-quality couch that will last a long time, but I don't think we can afford that right now.....especially with other big items in the budget right now (like a washing machine...sigh.....).  

It's too bad, because I'd like to support the local businesses, but the larger, chain stores seem to have the better prices.  Like Macy's, where there is a sale on pretty much everything right now.  We like this one, especially the clean lines and the great price tag.

But, I think it's too modern for our space.  It'll clash with our fireplace.

Macy's also has this one, which I love in the green, but would most likely order in a gray fabric.  Makes me think of the 1950s!

I love the lines and the vintage, cute look about it.  It's pretty comfortable, although not the most comfortable couch on the market.  The price is right.....but I just can't decide!  I think I'll be visiting these stores a few more times this week before making the final decision.

Winter Wonderland

We are getting a little snow today.  At times it was coming down pretty hard, with big, fluffy snowflakes.

I love it because it reminds me of living in New England.

The dogs love it because it gives them an excuse to spend the day in front of the fire.

I'm hoping we get some accumulation, but so far, it's not looking like we'll get much more than a dusting.  Too bad, because I would love to spend the day in front of the fire too!

Nifty Nightstands

So much of our house is incomplete right now.  The living room has no furniture in it.  The guest bedroom is filled with boxes, and our futon still serves as a "couch" in our den.  But, the master bedroom takes the cake.  In it sits our queen size bed (no headboard), some make-do nighstands, a dog crate, piles of clothes (since we used government-loaned furniture in Okinawa), and office supplies (we'll be housing our home office in our bedroom).  We did just buy a used dresser, but it needs to be repainted, since the current color is not quite right. 

I have big plans for this space, including the following projects:

- upgrade to a king size bed

- new bedding for new bed

- acquire matching nightstands

- purchase ottoman with storage for the foot of the bed

- acquire a desk with lots of storage

- acquire a dresser (or two)

- dress up the windows with some color

- hang art, shelves, etc.

- paint lamps or acquire new ones

My goal is to create a retreat that is pleasing to the eye and functional, especially with our home office here.  I also have to fix up the master bath, but that's a whole different story (and blog entry).  Back to the bedroom: I can finally cross off an item on my bedroom to-do, but first, here is a "before" shot of one side of our sad looking master:

Oh yeah, you gotta love the box of clothes on the floor.  Classy, no?  Seriously, though, I'm working on it.  The first thing to do was to get some matching nightstands.  Since our funds are limited, I knew I had to get creative.  I scoured Craigslist, visited thrift stores, and spent much time online looking for something that didn't scream "college dorm" but was also inexpensive.  I found this post (which also pictures the bed I hope to have someday) and decided to tackle the same Ikea hack on two Ikea Rast chests.  In case you aren't familiar with the term "Ikea hack,"  it basically just means that you take a piece of Ikea furniture and change it.  More Ikea hacks can be found here.

This is what the Ikea Rast chest looks like when fully assembled. 

The directions for the hack were pretty simple from my online source.  All I did was build the frame and stain it.  Then I assembled the drawers and painted the fronts.  I then polyurethaned the entire piece.  Finally, I added different hardware than what was included with the chests.  It was my first time working with furniture, so I learned a few things along the way, such as:

- Frog tape is awesome.  Period.

-Staining furniture can get terribly messy.  I got stain splatters all over the garage floors and walls somehow.  Whoops.

- Mineral spirits do an excellent job cleaning up stain.  :)

- Just because the polyurethane says that it's clear, doesn't mean it won't make your bright white look a little dull.  Time to find a better one for next time. 

- Finding good looking, affordable hardware can be a challenge.  Ours came from a store in Cape Cod!  I found it online since stores in my area didn't have what I was looking for.

- Ikea furniture is not made to last. More on that in a little bit.

And now for the big reveal of the final project...ta da!!

What do you think?  I'm pretty pleased with the end result (now I just have to change those lamps!).  Here's a closer shot with some better lighting.  The stain is a dark walnut, the paint is a generic white that originated with the builder of our home (Chaffey white), and the hardware has an antique silver finish.

 I mentioned earlier that Ikea furniture doesn't last and I realize that these will not last the test of time.  They may only be around as long as we're here in Washington.  But, they were very affordable, will function nicely in our space, and allowed me to learn about and practice staining and painting furniture.  Now that these are complete, it's time to get back to that to-do list!

Seahawks Concessions

We had a unique opportunity come up recently.  For a hospital/Oakleaf (spouse's club) fundraiser, we volunteered our time to work at a concessions stand at Qwest Field, where the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Sounders play.  The hospital runs a food stand on the club level and a portion of the profits are then used towards hospital events, charities, etc.  The food stand is run mainly by volunteers from the hospital, although the chefs are employees.  Here are the newest recruits: us!

Our stand's specialty was Chinese-style dishes, such as kung-pao chicken and ginger beef, but we also had typical stadium food such as hot dogs, pretzels, and ice cream.  I (Julie) was given the job of running one of the registers, while Noa was a runner (a go-between for the chefs and cashiers).  The job got to be pretty intense and fast-paced, considering that the crowds stayed steady throughout the night and then swarmed the stand before the game and during half-time.  Thankfully we had a lot of help from the regulars, who volunteer at the stand for every game.

Pictured above (L - R): Burns (a regular volunteer, me, Sharon (spouse), Julie (spouse), and "Shreck" (another regular volunteer - he goes by his last name).

Probably one of my favorite events of the night was learning how to pour beer from a tap.  This might sound silly, but I was terrible at it.  Seriously, there would be more head in the cup than beer!  It was pretty pathetic.  Thankfully, Burns and Shreck were determined to teach me how to get it right and after spilling beer everywhere by the end of the night, I was pouring like a pro!

Initially we expected to be released from our volunteer duties after half time, but we were so busy that we only got to catch the very end of the game.  Still, the end of the 4th quarter was pretty exciting, considering that the Seahawks not only defeated the Rams in a 16-6 victory, but also clinched a playoff spot!  The fans were crazy happy! 

On the way out of the stadium, there was much revelry and cheering from all the fans.  There was a marching band outside and SEA-HAWKS cheers coming from all directions (even on the ferry ride home).  Unfortunately, it's predicted that the Seahawks won't get too far in the playoffs (they are playing the New Orleans Saints next week, who are 11-5 this season, which is way more impressive than the Hawks 7-9 record).

The atmosphere was extremely fun and energetic and I'm so glad we got to be a part of it.  Also, our work was part of something that contributes to a good cause.  Bonus: I'm thrilled that I can pour beer like a pro. So all around, I'd say it was a good night and a great game.

Go Hawks!*



*Oh, and in case you're wondering, yes, we are still Boston fans at heart and we will always cheer on our New England Patriots, who are 14-2 this season and are also in the playoffs.  I guess you could say the Seahawks are now another team to cheer for and second in our book.  :)