Happy Snaps

Ah the cell phone pics series continues (see 1, 2, and 3 past takes). Check out what's been cell phone pic-worthy recently:

The Crossword - Lunch time entertainer and bane of my existence.



I hit the Express crossword almost every day at lunch. It's easy enough that I usually make pretty good headway but hard enough that I don't think I've ever completed it. Well the other day I came really darn close and I had to document it.

The way I do crosswords has changed since I watched the documentary Wordplay a few years back. In the movie they interview all kinds of people who do crosswords (like Jon Stewart, Ken Burns, and Bob Dole). But one of the people that really stuck with me was Bill Clinton talking about crosswords. He explained that doing crosswords is like solving any tough problem, and said something to the effect of you start with what you know, and work out from there. Well, before that I'd tried to complete crosswords in order (1, 2, 3, 4...), to frustrating results. Now, when I work on them I figure out a word, then fill in the words around it. This is probably obvious to most people, especially avid crossword fans, but it took Bill Clinton for me to do it this way.

Caramelized onion, goat cheese, and spinach quesadillas - I found the recipe for this meal on my friend Becky's Facebook page. Oh Facebook, just when you're driving me nuts you do something to redeem yourself.



Scott and I made this a few weeks back and it was FANTASTIC. As sides we had refried black beans and southwestern rice. Here is the recipe so you can recreate it yourself:

Caramelized onion, goat cheese, and spinach quesadillas

1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced onion
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
9 oz baby spinach
4 oz semisoft goat cheese [We may have used more cheese than that. I love cheese.]
4 8-inch whole wheat tortillas
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over med-high heat
Add onion, sugar, salt, cook stirring occasionally until onion is golden brown
Remove from pan

Add spinach and 1 tbsp water cook 2 minutes or until spinach is just wilted
Remove from skillet and turn off heat

Spread a quarter of the goat cheese on each tortilla then top with tomatoes onion and spinach, fold closed and press lightly
Heat skillet and place two folded quesadillas in it

Cook 2 mins per side or until golden brown and lightly crisp
Repeat.

Espresso and Samoas - Essential for father/daughter bonding.



My dad and I had lunch a few weeks ago (I think I was dropping off his car after borrowing it), and we finished off our meal with espressos and Girl Scout cookies. My mom has all of these wonderful china espresso cups, and they make the coffee taste even better. It was really nice just hanging out on my own with my Dad. We had good chats about the gym, the great Depression, and a recent Vince Vaughn movie he'd watched.

Pink Plastic Adirondack Chair - Harris Teeter is selling these and I WANT.



This is like $18 at Harris Teeter, and I should just get it. I keep thinking I can get a better deal (and I may check out Home Depot), but $18 isn't that bad.

Sushi Feast - One sushi placed closed and a new one took its place.



We tried the new sushi place in the mall last night (which oddly enough took the place of a different sushi place), and it was a mostly positive experience. It was a little pricer than I had expected it would be, but that wasn't balanced out by its convenience and tastiness. I tried a few new things at Scott's suggestion: salmon skin rolls, a special kind of tofu (I forgot the name), and uni. The salmon skin and tofu was great, but I wasn't such a big fan of the uni, which is sea urchin. It has the appearance and texture of a tongue and a strong sea water taste. I think its important to try new things, but totally fair to then decide you don't like said new things.