And things

Posted on May 13, 2013

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Tonight I made a version of this dish. I just used kale (no brussels sprouts), and I topped it with some simple grilled salmon. I’ve been feeling fishy lately, but I haven’t felt like cooking fish. Today I stopped at Central Market and picked up some pre-grilled salmon, and it was such a perfect solution. I need to remember this! Make some awesome veggies or salads, pick up some cooked meats. For some reason, cooking meat is still kinda weird to me. It’s been ages since I was a vegetarian, but I guess I never really picked that back up. Anyway.

Also, today I somehow ate kale three times. This dinner, a kale and tamari salad at lunch, and a kale-apple-ginger-lemon juice. Maybe tomorrow will be a carrot day.

In other news, WE HAVE OWLS! Today, I was randomly staring up at the trees in our back courtyard and gasped when I saw two eyes STARING AT ME. So far we have seen two of them – and they seem pretty small, as owls go. Super cute, and sometimes creepy. Just last week, we watched a family of raccoons (mama and four babies) relocate from our neighbor’s windowsill to some dark spot behind their house. And today a bluejay was yelling at Roux for watching him through the screen door. I feel like Snow White.

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Other bits:

  • Tomorrow I’m going to see The Great Gatsby. I’ve been waiting for this day for over a year now, and I’m kind of freaking out about it. It’s one of my favorite books. I have a first edition print of this hanging in my living room. I adore Baz Luhrmann. I can’t WAIT to see it. I might not be able to sleep tonight.
  • I’ve been finding some seriously funny animated re-tellings lately. Like The Matrix retold by one guy’s mom. Or Star Wars retold by some guy’s uninterested friend. Or this joke told by one guy’s drunk wife. Love it.
  • This cute comic.
  • I kinda want to make a gelatin dessert.

I hope everyone has a wonderful May week.♥

Categories: Edibles, Everyday Life

Derby Day!

Posted on May 6, 2013

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Every year, we look forward to Derby Day. We get dolled up in our finest and spend the day at a farm drinking mint juleps and cheering on random horses (whichever has the best name) and generally having a great time. This is all thanks to our wonderful friends David and Joe, who host the city’s best Derby Day party every year. (You can see all of our photos here.)

I also made a weekend video! It’s been a while since I’ve done one, and I’m not sure why. They’re so fun! Here are the basics for this weekend:

Friday
Rachel & Logan came to our casa so that Logan could whip up an amazing sushi dinner. He always goes all out – miso soup, edamame, snapper with cucumber and crab, salmon with avocado and cucumber, inari, chocolate mochi cake with strawberry gelato and tiny jugs of Yakult. He rocks.

Saturday
We hung out at home with coffee and toasted, buttered baguette, and a lunch of hot dogs and mashed potatoes (we’re classy, yo). Then it was Derby Day madness! Rather than my usual dress-and-large-hat combo, I opted for a 40s look, in vintage goodness. Justin was gorgeous as always. There were Dizzy Derby races, juleps, games of corn hole, bocce ball, and all kinds of preppy fun. After Derby Day, a huge group of us cabbed over to Foreign & Domestic and ordered everything on the menu. Literally.

Sunday
We relaxed at home in the morning, and then Kate and Meghan stopped in to produce a photo shoot for a local magazine on our lawn. I got an amazing vintage canning book out of the deal. In the evening, I walked down to Winflo to meet the girls and celebrate Jodi’s big win. On my walk home, I saw my friend Alex at Clark’s, and so of course I met Justin there for bubbly and oysters.

Derby Day 2013 from Crystal Esquivel on Vimeo.

Such a fun (but exhausting) weekend! I’m looking forward to some quiet time tonight. Just me, a kitty cat, and a book. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Categories: Austin, Everyday Life, Food + Drink, Fun stuff, Videos

Jargaritas

Posted on May 2, 2013

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Step 1.
Obtain a lot of cute jars.

Step 2.
Label them with washi tape.

Step 3.
Add to each jar:
• 1 ounce fresh lime juice
• 1/2 ounce orange liqueur (I use Paula’s Texas Orange)
• 2 ounces good tequila (we like Siembra Azul or 7 Leguas)
• 1 barspoon agave nectar

Step 3.
Top the jars with the lids. Carry to the party.

Step 4.
Tell everyone to add ice to a jar, close it back up, shake vigorously for about 10 seconds, and enjoy. (They can strain the ice out, and or pour over fresh ice if they’d like.)

(Definitely shake longer than David here…)

Jargaritas from Crystal Esquivel on Vimeo.

Step 5.
Ask someone else who has a dishwasher to wash all the jars.

P.S. You can also do this with gimlets. And lots of other drinks, I would think.♥

Categories: Edibles

Randoms

Posted on April 27, 2013

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And then time went by, and I didn’t blog, and then I came back, and all was good.

Lately I’ve been hanging around, just generally being allergic to growing things. I’ve been on a fun cocktail of Flonase, Zyrtec, steroids, and sinus rinses, but these allergies are fierce and will not be taken down. I’m starting to forget what it feels like to be able to breathe clearly. Still, this spring has been beautiful, and I suppose this is a small price to pay for that. (This is what I keep telling myself, anyway.)

My mind is a bit empty today, but I felt like being in this space, so here I am, with a few links and things that have caught my attention lately.

The future of dads with gay sons.

Bill Cunningham makes springtime in New York even better.

“Life is hard as it is. Every day it’s just getting out of bed and going to work and trying to do your job. It eats at you. Lunch should be your escape.”

Well, now I must make salsa verde con aguacate. Gracias, Iliana.

I love these quotes.

Kind of in love with Boy.♥

Categories: Everyday Life

Port Aransas

Posted on April 10, 2013

Justin and I spent the weekend in Port Aransas with his family. It was so much fun! I think we were both ready for a computer-free, relaxed vacation, and this was perfect. We walked up and down the beach, tandem biked all around town, swam in the Gulf, and ate lots of great things. We each saved some of our favorite memories – me in iPhone photos and him on video.

Here’s my version of the weekend!

We had to stop in Lockhart for some barbecue! We loaded our plates with goodies at Black’s BBQ – my favorite was the fatty brisket, while Justin loved the jalapeño cheese sausage.

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We got to ride a ferry! This was way too cool – it was really weird to be in our car and on a boat at the same time.

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We walked out on the pier and saw this bird who had a fishing hook caught in his wing, and fishing line tangled around his leg. A couple of guys finally caught it and removed the hook, and the whole pier cheered.

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We had lunch at Beach & Station Street Grill. The patio was lovely, and the fried flounder and fried oyster po boy were amazing.

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Tandem biking was the FUNNEST THING EVER!! We biked all over that little town, and several miles along the beach. Too much fun.

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I do love the ocean.

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We stayed at A Laughing Horse Lodge, which I highly recommend. It is the cutest, kitschiest, loveliest spot.

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These lovely jasmine flowers were right above our patio chairs.

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On Saturday evening, we stopped at a local bar to have a drink and watch some basketball. Then we totally pooped out and went back to our little cabin to rest.

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This is what happens when you tandem bike for the first time. You might bruise/break/hurt your toe. :)

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On our way out, we stopped at Bakery Cafe in Aransas Pass, which happened to be the coolest old diner around. I had an amazing chicken-fried steak with mashed potatoes, green beans, a yeasty roll, and cream of celery soup!

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Here is Justin’s version of the weekend, with music by Best Coast. It’s basically a video of me laughing a lot. :)

Port Aransas Weekend from Crystal Esquivel on Vimeo.

Categories: Fun stuff, Travel

Green stuff, fun stuff, weird stuff

Posted on April 4, 2013

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Lately juice is my thang. Especially green juice. It’s such an easy way to get in veggies I probably would not get around to eating.

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I usually make one for me and one for Justin. Sometimes he’ll add jalapeño to his, because he’s loco like that. Sometimes I’ll add carrot, but then it’s brown juice, which is less appetizing. Sometimes I’ll add beets, but then I have to remember that beets affect your, erm, digestion a bit. (Don’t worry, you’re not hemorrhaging! Love you, L!)

In other news, Justin and I have initiated daily coffee sips. (Seriously, go to that link if you love NPR.) Basically, I’m a spoiled brat and Justin brings me a cup of coffee (with cream and sugar) to bed. He wakes me up, hands me hot coffee, and I sit up and we have coffee sips while we chat about life. When our cups our empty, we start the day. Or, rather, I start the day, because he’s already been up and fed the kitties and washed the dishes and probably scooped the litter. Like I said, I’m a spoiled brat. Anyway, should any of you have a spouse as amazing as mine, I highly recommend you institute coffee sips immediately.

I am completely overwhelmed with things I want to cook and eat. Like buckwheat pancakes. And pupusas. And happy crackers. And strawberry fennel ice cream. And ginger citrus soba. Somehow instead, we’re just eating random cooked vegetables with random pieces of bread or pasta or tortillas.

So I read Hemlock Grove, and it’s creepy and disturbing and fascinating. There are a lot of holes, which I think opens it up for sequels. I’m interested in the show, but I’m keeping my expectations low. However, I suddenly now am interested in the horror genre for the first time in like, EVER. We watched Cabin in the Woods, and I thought it was fantastic, and now I’m watching season one of American Horror Story and can’t stop. (Jessica Lange, I love you!) Very weird. It has given me some great Halloween costume ideas, though.

So yeah, April?! Already. Happy April, everyone.♥

Categories: Everyday Life, Food + Drink