Taco Tuesday!

So, my impromptu/unofficial participation in Vegan Mofo! has gotten off to a somewhat rocky start.

I can attribute this to not having an adequately stocked kitchen at the moment, and a SINKFULL of dishes that I have been putting off washing since Sunday, for no good reason (other than the fact that my dishwasher is broken and I am damn sick of doing dished by hand.)

Anywhoo, these two things together have put my usual cooking routine on hiatus, which is pretty annoying timing considering I'm attempting to blog about food every day (or so) for the rest of the month.

Now, I could show you a picture of the Clif bars I have eaten for breakfast today and yesterday due to my lack of smoothie fixings. OR upload a quick shot of my leftover Sunday soup (the last meal I cooked) which has lasted us through several meals Monday, Tuesday into Wednesday as well.
But for some reason, that just seems boring.

So, instead, I will tell you about an impromptu taste-test I encountered last night, after unintentionally going to two local bars which both happened to serve $2 tacos as part of Tacoma's sweeping Taco Tuesday movement.

For the record, I do not usually go out on Tuesdays, especially to two bars. But when a friend who you haven't seen in over a year calls and wants to meet for drinks at the last minute, you do it.
And  then, when another friend invites you out for tacos, and you are already three beers and a taco deep, you do that as well.

Unfortunately, I did not have the foresight to realize that a "Tacoma veggie taco-off" would make a great topic for a MOFO post, so I did not take pictures.

I did, however, whip up a couple "artistic renditions" of each taco plate, in order to give readers a true visual understanding of what I ate last night.

O'Malley's:

So first of all, I had the O'Malley's Taco. I was having beers with the aforementioned old friend, and all of a sudden realized it was "Taco Tuesday."

Once I got over my regret of not ordering the $2 Dos Equis on special instead of my boring old PBR, I realized the special board also listed "veggie" tacos as an option.

My stomach immediately started growling, and I ordered the veggie taco - hold the cheese and sour cream. (Bonus kudos to O'Malley's cook for coming out to the bar and personally asking if I wanted Ranch on my taco, since I guess that's what usually comes on it. I said "no dairy whatsoever please" and thanked him for being thoughtful/considerate enough to ask.)

The O'Malley's veggie taco was actually more like a burrito. Large, flour tortilla wrapped in foil, and stuffed with deliciously spiced grilled peppers and onions, along with the staple shredded iceberg and diced tomatoes. 

It included a surprisingly spicy, fruity (mango perhaps?) salsa, and a side of salty tortilla chips and more salsa for dipping. 

It really hit the spot, was a great amount of food for the low price, and definitely didn't feel like a "random veggie taco" afterthought.

Hell's Kitchen:

Once we decided to venture down to Hell's Kitchen to meet some more friends for tacos, I was excited to make the comparison.
First of all, I was glad to find out that the Kitchen also had veg-tacos on the menu, and were happy to serve them up without any animal products.
Again, the price was $2 for an order of tacos, which actually includes two tacos, with an option for soft or hard shells.
 I ordered soft and was most surprised by the amount of food that came out to my table.  Two large soft taco shells filled with sauteed onions, olives and mushrooms, again topped with iceberg and diced tomatoes.
Considering I was a little full from O'Malley's already, I only ate one of the tacos. And they were pretty good. They lacked a little on the seasoning side, but HK has a wide variety of salsas/sauces to add yourself. Another complaint was that the mushies were on the thick chewy/side, borderline rubbery, which was odd and makes the HK taco loose a few points.
But defintely a good value, and not a bad meal overall.

....anndd the winner for the night goes to O'Malley's for their sweet and spicy sauce, side of chips and close attention to detail for the Ranch follow up!

Maybe next Tuesday I'll round out my taco tour with the rest of Tacoma's taco-Tuesday offerings.
AND maybe I'll actually take pictures...

until then... just suck it up and enjoy my drawrings.

Naked Sunday!

After a brief, one-week hiatus from posting naked photos to the blogosphere, I'm back with a few to share from last night's incredible Swampy Draws performance at the world-famous Swiss Pub!

 Friends, family, fans.

 The man, the myth, the legend: Swampy Draws himself!

 The view from the deck.

Shake it!

Shake it like the devil!

Naked SUNDAYYY!!!

Here's a peep into the first annual Rebel Riot Carshow in Tacoma.

These three ladies took the cake in the vintage pin-up swimsuit contest, alongside close to 100 classic rides, great bands, hosts (including my very own 'Mr. Drawers') and would you believe SUN?

Great day, tons of fun - sure hope it makes its return next year for round 2!

Paddles Up!

A quick look at the annual Tribal Canoe Journey's stop at Owen Beach (in Tacoma)  on their way up to Swinomish (in La Connor).

I've always admired the dedication these canoers have, paddling eight hours a day, for days on end, just to clear their minds and tune into their culture, traditions and spirituality.

But it kinda makes my  three-hour paddle down the Wenatchee this weekend pale in comparison...

 

Naked Sundays- Round 13!

So I fully intended to be on time with my Naked Sunday post this week.
I even woke up bright and early Sunday to get the job done.

But (scary!) my laptop seems to be infected by some sort of crazy virus, and won't even let me on the interweb :( 

Which means, I had to wait until I got to work this morning to post, among other things. 
(Any virus gurus out there? I scanned AVG and it said there were no infections. But this weird spammy thing keeps popping up telling me my computer is infected - I think its a virus in disguise. I don't know what to do?!? Guuhumph.)

Anyways, here is my Naked Sunday shot, which I took this Saturday of Julian at the Wright Park sprayground during Hempfest.

(For the record, bringing a toddler to the Tacoma Hempfest isn't what it probably sounds like. This was a completely smoke-free event, family-friendly event, and there were tons of little ones running around getting sun. We played in the water and then watched some bands. Then home for nap time, of course...)

These shots are special to me because Julian was absolutely hilarious running around stomping on and trying to drink all the water spraying up out of the ground.
This was also the first time he wasn't too scared to go get wet.
By the end of the day, it was an all-out-shirts-off-free-for-all, and Big J was holding his own in a water fight with the "big kids."

This shot was taken while he was still "easing" into the whole idea.

Also just wanted to share this gem that Julian's mom Taylor took of us at the park... I love how we are cracking up :)

All in all a fun day in the sun, and a great excuse to get NAKED!

Viva La Summer!

Today is the first day of summer, people! And it's finally acting like it in Tacoma.


Temperature is in the mid-70s, there's not a cloud in the sky, and tomorrow, it's probably going to rain again, so I am going full force with my celebration of the fair-weather solstice, starting with a series of self portraits I took in my backyard this morning before work.

They clearly exhibit my mixed emotions on what is ultimately a bittersweet tease of a day:


a.) Blind happiness in the ability to soak up a few morning rays.

b.) Jaded disgrutntlement that this beautiful weather will undoubteldy expire by this weekend.

c.) Sheer, unadulterated excitement for what I will do after work to maximize the fun-having capabilities of the final hours of daylight on this longest day of the year. Happy hour on a deck somewhere? Bike ride about town? BOTH?!!?! Who knows?!

Weee!

Happy summer, Tacoma!
Enjoy it while it lasts...

I love lunch.

I love lunch. I guess that makes me a "lady who lunches," (whatever that means. I think it's a reference from before my time?)**

And for those of you who know me, you know Wednesdays at the office are no fun for me. 

I'm stuck at the desk, reading content, editing pages, and scrambling to get last minute things together for a 3 p.m. deadline (which we rarely meet, btw.)

However, since deciding to go/becoming vegan, I have a new obsession with consuming as much info as possible from the millions of vegan food and lifestyle blogs on the web, which I manage to squeeze  between editing and all that other stuff, making Wednesdays a tad more enjoyable.

This fact also makes me much more hungry for an uber delicious vegan fix on Wednesdays, which is ironically the least lunch-friendly workday of the week.

I am usually stuck at a desk, unable to take an actual lunch break,  realizing the food I actually brought to eat sucks and totally pales in comparison to all the crazy delicious sounding recipes I've just read. Sometimes I get sad when the clock strikes lunch on Wednesdays. 

(A lot of times, I don't even bother eating lunch on Wednesdays, especially if we are super busy which is CRAY for me as a devout luncher.)

Anyways, I'm sharing my lunch story today because it was awesome. 

It was a mix of homemade, takeout and a quick, much-needed jaunt from the office, coming together in perfect harmony as a totally classic, simple, (vegan) American lunch:

Soup. Sandwich. Cookie.

So I actually brought the sandwich in for lunch yesterday, but never got around to eating it (because a more exciting lunch option came up... aka lunch buffet @ Gateway to India with my office mom, Kim)

and I was a little skeptical how a day old hummus- tomato-cucumber-radish-spinach sandwich would stand up against my mouthwatering, vegan-blog-reading appetite.  

So, I jumped at the chance to go with coworker Jill down the street to Infinite Soups to pick up a bowl of their tasty, made-daily-from-scratch soups (of which they always have at least four vegan options.)

I couldn't decide between the Jamaican Rice and Bean or the Caribbean Red Bean, so I went nuts and  ordered half and half. 

I do not regret that decision.

AND, on top of everything else,  the lovely, also fresh-and-scratch made vegan-friendly Corina Bakery just happens to be right across the street from Infinite Soups. That's where the double pack of peanut butter cookies (vegan and gluten free) come in*.

*Cue parting clouds and  heavenly music.

As I near the end of writing this post, and take another bite of peanutbuttercookie-y goodness, I am overwhelmed with joy and happiness at the simple, absolutely delicious local lunch that can now join the blogosphere of vegan food write-ups that I will inevitably continue reading once I get done eating and get back to work...










** before posting I decided to go ahead and Google "ladies who lunch"... here's the Wikipedia definition:

"Ladies who lunch is a phrase to describe slim, well-off, old-money, well-dressed women who meet for lunch socially, normally during the working week. Typically, the women involved are married and non-working. Normally the lunch is in a restaurant, perhaps in a department store during shopping. Sometimes there is the pretext of raising money for charity."

Ok, so apparently I'm not one of these "ladies who lunch." Maybe it would be more appropriate to call me "a lady who loves lunch" or "a lunching lady"? The simple term "lunch lady" also briefly popped into my head, but that phrase doesn't really work for the purpose of this post, either. 


Anywhoo - thanks for reading!

Sincerly,


Your Lunch Loving Lady

HOMIE BREAKDOWN

My BFFLs!

This is a well-educated foreshadowing of what will be happening tomorrow, at approximately 9 a.m. EST. (That's only 6 a.m. back here in the PNW.)

At that time, I will be reconnecting with two of my closest and oldest friends Courtnay (left) and Rianne (center), both of whom I have not seen in over FOUR MONTHS.

This photo was actually taken a little over two years ago, when the three of us took a trip to Las Vegas. 

At that time, Courtnay and I (who have lived in the same city for the majority of our lives) had not seen Rianne (who is a career nomad) for close to a year.

The trip was a kick off to Rianne moving back to Tacoma from Georgia for a few months to finish college. 

Meaning the three of us actually lived in the same city for the first time since...  sophomore year in high school? (That was rad, by the way.)

Now, we all live in different places. Court has taken up a career as a travel nurse, and is wrapping up her first assignment in Virginia. After that, she might take up an assignment in Michigan, Florida, Nebraska, Maine - who knows?

Pretty much the same thing goes for Rianne.

She is currently finishing up an internship in Charleston, SC (where we will be reuniting tomorrow morning).

 After her internship is finished, she too will be relocating again, and my bet is it won't be back in the South Puget Sound (at least for a while.)

That means this extremely happy "reunited-and-it-feels-so-good" image will be created continually over the next few years while we manage to meet up here or there across the nation, until the two of them get enough sense to come back home to Tacoma for good. 

While I miss my friends dearly, seeing them even sporadically makes my life damn near complete (as you can see in my over-the-top giddiness in this photo here).

In conclusion:  I am SO looking forward to this weekend... not only will I get to have some QT with two of my favorite people, I also just might get a tan.
And did I mention, there will be palm trees?! AND SUN?!

...Oh the simple joys for us drab and dreary Northwesterners.

Linking up to Wordless Wednesday (But With Words) because this is one of my wordiest-Wednesdays in a while!

Wapato Walk

This weekend, it was sunny for about 2.3 minutes in Tacoma, which meant it was high time for a good ol' nature walk!

Sean and I joined our friends Drew "The Wheel In The Sky Keeps On Turning" Crowell and his dog Allie "The Tootsie Roll" Terrier for a leisurely walk around the beautiful, yet sadly toxic, Wapato Lake in our South Tacoma neighborhood.

You can look but you can't touch. "Swim with your eyes" at Wapato... 

Can you spot the non-dork in this picture? (Hint: she's brown and furry.)

 Ballet flats are no good for trompin' through the mud. Get yo'self some boots, foo!

Marshland 

 I love the texture of wood grain.


Linking this shot up to Macro Monday at Grace Loves the Beatles (My niece's blog. She is so cool.)

Pussywhat?

Linking up to Sweet Shot Tuesday because I'm posting. And it's a Tuesday.

365 Day Project - Day 364

Antique pipe collection displayed in the semi-secret "Sherlock Holmes" apartment upstairs at NW Costumes on 6th Avenue.

365 Day Project - Day 356

 Sunday Stroll @  Snake Lake

 

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Co-worker lunch date at Happy Teriyaki

Pictured here is the sushi lunch combo - two full rolls of your chioce for $9.95. 
(WAY too much for one person.)
I got the "Mariners Roll" (think a sweet sushi donut or soppapillas or something. The whipped cream is not as weird as you'd think) and a Spicy Mexican crab roll. 
Both were very delish. 
If you like fast, cheap, good and not boring, this is a must-try for lunch.



www.thehappyteriyaki.com - 2223 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma - (253) 272-1544

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365 Day Project - Day 343

It's a pothole bonanza!

Join in on the return-of-the-Pothole-Pig Craze by clicking here.

You wouldn't believe how big this little guy is.

365 Day Project - 339

SAVE FOSS!

Tacoma School board has proposed shutting down Foss High School as a way to save a dismal budget. 

Me and more than 1,000 passionate supporters at tonight school board meeting say "DON'T DO IT!"

I sure hope the board listens...

365 Day Project - Day 327

Rocking for Locking

In celebration of Neil Harris' birthday and Jason Locking's release from the hospital/stabilized health,  a good ol' fashioned rock show was in order.

The New Frontier was literally packed to capacity, and  The Wheelies, Gold Teeth and The Fucking Eagles rocked the house, taking up whatever breathing room was left with

the all out beer-can-chucking, bass-pinata-smashing, ass-off-dancing that ensued.

Happy Birthday Neil, and welcome back Jason! 

Tacoma loves you both, so take care of yourselves in your old age and frail health, dammit!

xo

365 Day Project - Day 325

LOBSTA!

Tonight, my Mom and Jim took me out to a delicious $19.95 lobster tail dinner at Anthony's.
We had the Seafood Macaroni and Cheese as an appetizer.
 In our defense, we didn't get dessert...
(full disclosure: I didn't get a box.)

Yep. Mowed down to the max on seafoody-decadence.

Thanks Jimmy-Jammers!
 



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T-Town Lowdown - Get Happy in 2011

365 Day Project - Day 322

A recent gift from Sean to "replenish my coffee cup supply" now that the last of the roommates are gone. I brought it to work as inspiration. And sipped out of this while I finished up my fifth installment of my "Tacoma Culture" column, "T-Town Lowdown."

The last couple of rounds of the "Lowdown" I haven't been completely happy with, so I thought I'd share this one I actually like! And if you are from Tacoma, it should also be on the useful side, so more reason to check it out :)

T-Town Lowdown | Tacoma Weekly

365 Day Project - Day 320

WHEEL! OF! BARGAAAINS!!!!

Here's me** spinning the Wheel of Bargains! at South Tacoma Grocery Outlet's "Grand Opening!"

 I won a pen! 

I also entered to win a butt load of other awesome prizes (including free groceries for a year!) but I'm guessing I didn't win since I haven't gotten a phone call saying "You Won!" yet.

Still, entering was exciting.
As were the balloons (which you can't see in either of these shots. Sorry!)

 

And did I mention the deals?!

That's right. 8 oz of brie for $1.49.

One dollar fourty-nine.

**please note how amusing I am to the "Wheel of Bargains" operator. Little does he know that to me, bargains are NO JOKE.

365 Day Project - Day 317

The last time I attempted to bake my one of my favorite cookie recipes (Cayenne Spiced "Mexican Hot Chocolate  Snickerdoodles") it was in celebration of my oven finally being fixed.

I made the dough, rolled the spicy chocolate balls in the sugar and cinnamon topping, placed them lovingly on the cookie sheet, in the oven and shut the door.

Minutes went by and I noticed there was no "freshly baked cookie" smell wafting from my kitchen.

I checked on my beloved cookies only to find that they were not baking because my oven was, in fact, not fixed.  

My cookie dreams had been shattered.
I was defeated.
I never knew when I would be able to bake another cookie  in the comfort of my own home again.

So trust me people, today was a big day.

After months of a cookie-less existence, the stars finally aligned, and it was time. 

Time to bake cookies.

Here's all that played into the long-awaited bake session today:

1) I ate a Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookie at Corina Bakery a couple weeks ago, and haven't been able to stop thinking about it since.

2) My sister recently sold me her old Kitchen Aid mixer (pictured above). She generously gave it to me for 50 bucks. 

 HELLS YEA!!!

3) Fred Meyer finally stocked its bulk section so I was able to purchase the needed quinoa to make the cookies I had been obsessing over.
4) OH yea, and I recently acquired a functioning baking device.

Here's the finished product:

 

And here's the link to the recipe I Googled (which is also included above, with various other links that make this story complete).

(Also, I was out of chocolate chips, so had to use the random bag of my roommate's peanut butter chips instead, which explains the lack of the rich, chocolatey hue in this shot).

365 Day Project - Day 315

PARTY AT THE TOP

Top of Tacoma shut its doors today for a private party especially for all its awesome employees, and die-hard supporters.

My Friend Chris let me use his crazy expensive wide angle lens, which didn't really match with my tiny stock flash (I'm getting a new one soon). So I used the night-time setting on most of these, which add to the blurry, tungsten look of them all.

(Although, the blurriness might have something to do with the fact that the photographer was drinking from an open bar...?) 

Anywhoo, here are a few of my favorite shots of the night...

"The Bar"

 "Buford"

"Addie and Justin + Addie's Ghost" 

"My dad actually keeping his eyes open for once"

"Le Pool Table"