Hungarian Cabbage Noodles

So, Jason and I have been pescetarians since 2007. Aside from the odd craving for ribs (we could pack away some ribs!), we don't miss red meat. I know some of you are gawping in shock thinking of steak or prime rib right now, but we were never big meat eaters to begin with so it wasn't a huge leap to cut it out of our diets. As a result, we've been the recipients of many vegetarian cook books from our loving (but think we're pretty crazy) families.

This is the one I'm digging right now. The recipes are super fast, super easy, and at only 5-ingredients per recipe, I'm not shopping for a bunch of random items I'll use once and then throw away when they've rotted in the fridgidator (no that's not a typo, that's actually what I call it).

I've tagged a bunch of recipes to try out (some of the smoothies have me stupid excited, which feels odd the say about food), so with each grocery trip, I'm trying to include one or two new meals into our usual rotation. Recently we tried this one (we changed this recipe up a little to suit our preferences, and to use what we had on hand; our "changes" will be noted in blue).

Basic Ingredients

2 tablespoons light olive oil

1 large onion, quartered and thinly sliced

1 16-ounce bag shredded cabbage coleslaw (or small head of cabbage)

12-ounces wide egg noodles, preferably yolk free

1 tablespoon poppy seeds, or as needed (we used toasted sesame seeds)

1. Heat the oil in an extra-wide skillet or stir fry pan. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until golden. Add the cabbage and a small amount of water; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is limp and just beginning to brown lightly, 10 to 12 minutes. I also added a splash of soy sauce for a little extra flavor.

2. Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the package directions and drain. Transfer to a large serving container.

3. Add the cabbage mixture and poppy seeds (or sesame seeds) to the noodles and toss gently but thoroughly. Season to taste with salt and lots of pepper, and serve.

The dish may seem a little bland at first, but if you brown your onion to where it's almost caramelized  it adds a very sweet flavor to the noodles. Next time Jason and I want to add other veggies like celery, mushrooms, and maybe even broccoli. A little splash of teriyaki sauce and it gives it even more of a stir-fry feel!

2013: our story so far...

It's March.

Almost April.

It's been a busy year so far. Jason is fully ensconced in his USMC recruiting billet, which includes working nights, weekends, and every hour in between. Seriously, my husband is pulling 16-hour days 6-days a week. It's ridiculous. But like any duty assignment we know it's not permanent and we're just thankful we still get to be in Southern California. As for me, I'm now coming up on 8 months in my new position. Rewarding/exhausting/fulfilling doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about my job. Going from being low-man on the totem pole to being part of a management team has been one of the highlights of my clock-punching history. 

But our lives make for pretty dull conversation. 

"How are things?"

Busy!

"What have you guys been up to?"

Working!

"What do you do on the weekends?"

Nothing!

Snooze-fest! Haha, but there is something to be said about finally having a routine. And although to some it's their idea of a suburban nightmare, to us it's been pure bliss. 

Other noteable happenings:

- We celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary on February 19 (ladies and gentlemen  we've officially reached the seven year itch phase!)

- Tessie has officially been part of the family for 2 years now (March 17, 2011)

- We're coming up on our first anniversary of living in our "chosen" city (not digging the rental scene much anymore, but with 8-years left in Jason's military career, this isn't a time for us to look at buying) 

- I'm obsessed out of my head with currently reevaluating my choices in beauty and household products (for some reason 2013 is the year I became really conscious about what goes on my body and in our living space)

- We've both agreed to start making a better attempt at using all the amazing cookbooks that have been given to us over the years (our current favorite is one with 5-ingredient vegetarian meals)

- We have officially kicked our Starbucks habit (I was a venti-a-day user, so for me this has been very satisfying--not to mention wallet friendly)

I'd say I'm hoping to get back to blogging regularly again, but I feel like that just sets me up for failure. So we'll just keep our fingers crossed on that one, mm'kay?

Painting shoes {a tutorial}

We have done absolutely nothing today, and it's been blissful. Me, Jason, and Tessie have all be snuggled in bed; it has turned into our town. Although I have been spending some quality time with my dear friend Pinterest! Getting hooked on new blogs and new ideas for replenishing and remixing my wardrobe with nothing more than my sewing machine (I'm currently hooked on Merrick's Art, which is making want to re-evaluate every piece of clothing in my closet to find ways to improve them). And it made me wonder, can I paint shoes? If you haven't seen this pin, it's where I got my idea.

Source: hollywouldblvd.com via Amber on Pinterest

I have a pair of ballet flats from Khol's, from their Simply Vera by Vera Wang line. I'd purchased them originally because they reminded me of an expensive pair that my mom had by Sam Edelman (she bought hers at Nordstrom's for upwards up $150). Mine were $30. The only problem was after I got them home, I realized the color wasn't quite as "neutral" as I'd thought they were. So they sat in my closet, unworn, but loving gazed at, and waiting for the right outfit (the pictures make them look like a much lighter shade than they really are--they're almost more of a light brown than a white wash khaki). Today I decided to make them the right color for my outfits.

I started by mixing some acrylic paints I had sitting around the house. I knew I wanted a gray-ish color since I have a lot of blues, blacks, and grays in my wardrobe. Then I mixed it with some fabric medium (the stuff everyone is using to paint furniture fabric these days). You can kind of tell by the picture that these shoes are a faux-leather. I figured fabric medium was my best bet to keep the paint flexible enough to where it won't crack after I wear them for a day.

 

Then (using a tiny make-up brush I never use) I just started painting. I started on the underside and worked my way to the top so that the bottom would be dry enough to set down once I was finished. This was the result after the first shoe was finished (you can see the difference better between the gray and the "khaki").

Since I was pleased with the results, I moved onto the second. I'm so happy with how they turned out (and how easy it was to do). The entire process took maybe 10-minutes for each shoe. Here they are next my inspiration. The Sam Edelman shoes are way more metallic than mine, but now that I know this method (seems) to work, I may try to find a metallic acryllic paint (do those exist?) and give it another go.

In the meantime, I stashed the remaining paint mixture in an empty acryllic paint bottle for any touch ups I might need. Once I've worn them a few times I'll update with how they're holding up! Happy painting!