I Like to Eat, Eat, Eat [apples and bananas]!

Happy Baked Good Tuesday, everyone!

Another crazy, wonderful busy weekend in the recently rainy booming metropolis of Anchorace.  We recently broke a record!  Guess what it's for?
Precipifreakingtation.  Last I checked, I did not live in the Tongass National Forest (a rainforest), nor in Seattle, nor any other place that is supposed to have, get this, 40 days of straight precipitation.  WTF?  I mean, don't get me wrong, I love myself some lush green trees and bushes to look at, but would it kill MamaWeather to give us like, half a day of sunshine?  Maybe?  Like, 3 days out of the week?  Anyway.  despite the recent rainy bits, it was a wonderful weekend.

Saturday was WiggaBrother's last day in town before going off to University of Hawaii, Manoa! Woo! VeggieMama and I are so proud of him.  And in honor of this proudness, and our appetites, we went to FireTap, a fairly new restaurant in Anchorage. I've been here before, with MEH, but was not impressed for two reasons:
   1)  The food was mediocre; I could have made the same thing at home and saved myself 15 plus dollars.
   2)  The busser hit on my husband.  WTF? Really?  Who walks by, shaking their thang, flipping their hair, and making eyes at a man visibly at dinner with another woman with a ring on her finger?   Oooo.  Let's just say, we won't be going there again.

However, VeggieMama loves their baked pretzel appetizer, they serve beer (specifically Moose's Tooth Apple Ale, the holy grail of cider/beer/happiness in my belly), and have the nicest damn bathrooms I've ever been in.  The soap even smelled delightful.  So, onward!  To the appetizers:

Baked Mozzarella.  Clearly, this was eaten by WB and VeggieMama.  The mozz looked quite delicious, and the bread on the size was softly baked pita.  Verdict from WB & Veggie Mama:  DOUBLE YUM!

The Baked Pretzel.  My side is the one with the mustard dip, VeggieMama, in true VeggieMama form, had the cheese.  Verdict:  YUM!

The Apple Ale was enjoyed by WB and I in the nice, tall, iced glasses. No pictures.  But tasty!

And then the main courses came!

From left to right:  Meaty pizza, baked mac & cheese, Firetap fet (basil, sundried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil).
Everyone wanted their food to be featured. Yay!

Verdict on the Food:

            WB said his pizza was the best he'd ever eaten.  Awesome crust, great flavors. 

            VeggieMama:  The "baked mac & cheese" is actually Kraft mac ith Ruffle chips sprinkled on top.  What a rip?!  It was flavorless and cheap, though the price wouldn't indicate so.  Big thumbs down from VeggieMama.

            HappyAly:  I could have made better at home.  The pasta wasn't flavorful, and while the basil was great, the pasta didn't retain any of the flavors of what was in it, making me think that everything was cooked separate and then just added together.  For 16 bucks a plate, I could have made some bangin' pasta at home and called it a night.  Big thumbs down for me.

Yet, it was wonderful spending the evening with my loved ones.  You can't beat good company, and when the food is less than great, they make for even more entertainment!

One of the pooches also took me for a run up Flat Top. I also took one of the pooches for a run up Flat Top that morning.  Me oh my, talk about a humbling experience!  Down and back in just over an hour! Wow!  She was movin'!  Thankfully, I got her pretty tired on our run down, and my knees are still feeling it. 

Kayderbutt and I kayaking in Cook Inlet!

She's a wonderful hiking buddy.  Super curious, lots of energy, and friendly to everyone! 

I also made lots of food last week and weekend.  Last night I made MEH and I Peanut Stirfy with Udon for dinner. 

My Costco find of the week!  Organic Udon packed in individual servings!

I took baby bak choy, cabbage, & broccoli, chopped them up, added to the sauteing Udon, and let it sit for a few minutes.  Then added some Szechuan stir fry sauce, a tablespoon of crunchy peanut butter, and some garlic.  Sauteed some beef strips for MEH on the side, and then voila!  Dinner served!
 
Verdict: MEH could go without.  It was too spicy for him, and he said "I'm not used to eating lettuce like this."  When I told him it's cabbage, he still had the same feelings about it.  Too spicy, doesn't like the consistency of the Udon, and doesn't like the cabbage.  In other words, he ate 6 bites and made himself a salad.   
           HappyAly:  LOVE!  It took maybe 10 minutes since the Udon are precooked and the veggies I used didn't need/require much cooking.  The spiciness was just right for me, but I know some people, MEH included, don't like the spice.  Oops.  The peanut butter calmed down the spice and thickened things up.  I loved it, and it's lunch today.

Walnuty BrownSugar Choco Oats!  Name says it all - just add hemp milk!

LococCocoaBlue Oats!  Agave, vanilla, blueberries, and cocout oats! Yarm!

In other cooking:  LOTS OF OATS! Oh, and bananas too!

Vegan Blueberry Banana SoftServ!  3 frozen bananas, half a cup of unsweetened hemp milk, and a cup of bananas! WOW! Crazy delish!

Such has been my life.  On the plate this week:
Michelle's wedding! Yay!!!!!!  I love weddings.  I'm a total weenie and a big sap and they make me happy for several reasons:
1) My friends are happy. 
2)  I get to dress up
         2.2 - I get to dress MEH up, which usually only happens once a year.
3)  FOOD!
4) Catching up with old friends, potentially
5) BEER!
6) Dancing (and hopefully coercing MEH into some of it).

I'm a social person.  I enjoy these things, they enjoy me, and always create fun, new memories.

Are you a wedding fan?

Mantra of the Day:  Om Shrim Mahalakshmiyei Swaha. Translation: Om and salutations to that feminine energy (Lakshmi) which bestows all manner of wealth.  This is a mantra for prosperity, made to the Deity Lakshmi.  A popular mantra of Amma, the hugging saint, it's a great mantra when you feel like you need a little bit of good fortune to come your way!

Question of Gratitude:  Who, or what, are you grateful for?  I am grateful for sincerity.  I've found I'm an increasingly sensitive person, one who makes many attempts to be sincere in all I do and aware of how my actions and words effect others.  I appreciate and am thankful for those who do the same, or acknowledge and appreciate it in others.  It's a hard trait to maintain, I feel, especially with the society in which we live today or mass-socialization and the production of "friends" you make online and solely online.