yo! well, it seems to be warming up..not the 70 or 80 degree weather that i would hope for, but at least it's not snow. it's supposed to be pretty nice on saturday, which is perfect since we're grilling out for dinner. i'm thoroughly enjoying a break from school, sleeping in past 9 (unheard of!) on the days i don't work.

on wednesday we had quinoa cakes with zucchini-tomato ragu (i changed it a little after reading the reviews, the original recipe was quinoa cakes with eggplant-tomato ragu and smoked mozzarella). they were pretty good! of course, they turned out to be more like crumbles of quinoa with ragu, as they did not hold together very well while flipping them. i also made a salad with spinach and other mixed greens, artichoke, black olives, cucumbers, and tomatoes.







last night was curried beef pot pie...twas a hit! oliver couldn't get enough of it! ;) so the original recipe called for a frozen puff pastry...and for the pie to be made in a casserole dish with the pastry on top. clearly i changed it. made my own crush (DUH!) and made them like regular pies in dishes (why would i put crust just on top when you can have it on the bottom too??). however, i forgot to add my mango chutney to the filling before assembling the pies, so we just had it on the side. (that recipe i used more as a guide--i only needed a quarter cup so i just decided how much mango i wanted to use and then added the rest of the ingredients relative to that amount). i made two pies, one with our flour-full crust one one with dad's gluten-free flour. it was a nice spin on your traditional pot pie.

today, the quest to clean, organize, and declutter my room continues. maybe i can finally start getting clothes into my closets and begin to remember why my floor looks like.


what's cooking tonight: pork chops with wild mushrooms and caramelized onions, steamed green beans, and mashed potatoes. i plan on it not sucking. :P