My rug died.
Or, rather: Archie killed my rug.
It's OK, I obviously expected it; potty training has not historically been my forte with either canines or humans. Very fortunately, the particular rug that Archie killed was a simple jute rug that I didn't expect to last very long, and that had pretty much been beaten to death already. But this room really needs a rug; it just looks so ungrounded without one.
These beef-and-veggie bowls are the evolution of a bulgogi bowl recipe I found online forever ago, and incorporate quick-pickled vegetables and soy sauce sweetened with brown sugar and ginger - it's a CRAZY flavorful dish - and so incredibly quick to make - and we've had this one in the rotation all summer long. *Important note before I continue: This is not an authentic Korean bulgogi recipe; it's simply a beef-and-veggie bowl spruced up with flavors inspired by the real thing.*
Curious about Korean food? This site run by a Korean mom has fantastic recipes to try at home.
Before we get to the recipe, here's a little hack I've been using, especially now that we're back to school: I keep a constant stockpile of assorted types of VeeTee rice on hand and use it to stretch out chicken, fish and beef dishes for lunch or dinner the next day. My kids are legit obsessed with VeeTee because 1) it's rice, and rice = always good, and 2) they can make it themselves in the microwave in just two minutes with zero fuss and mess. For this recipe I used Veetee Thai Jasmine rice, but I also usually have a whole bunch of Basmati and Wholegrain & Quinoa in my cabinets.
My daughter likes candy. Like, a LOT.
Here, as an example, is a photograph of her trick-or-treating at 2 years old. That's what you call "laser focus."
K and I have been each taking one kid a night each week for "special time." Which means the photo above is of my son and I spending a full night together, cooking and watching Thor Ragnarok and reading. It's lovely.
I am craving Thai food in a big, big way these days. Pad See Ew, specifically - it's one of my favorite dishes on the planet. But there's only one Thai restaurant nearby(ish) to me, and nearby(ish) means a 15 minute drive each way, and I do not have that kind of time (or, frankly, the funds for the volume of Pad See Ew that I would really like to eat; my kids consume SO MUCH FOOD that every time I get takeout the bill hovers around $60, nope nope nope).
But! I have discovered that this particular dish is quite replicate-able at home, thanks to my lovely friend Skyler Bouchard of Dining With Skyler, whose recipes are some of my all-time Internet favorites (besides the fact that she's adorable and just so much fun to follow on IG).
I've gotten pretty handy over the years, mostly thanks to the presence in my life of a few Superwomen who have taught me how to do things like lay tile, resurface brick, and even demolish concrete (not the best idea for the old neck muscles, but surprisingly fun). And lord, do I wish those women lived near me still, because the house that I'm currently renting has alllllllll the project opportunities (yes, I fix up houses that I rent - you can read my rationale here).
In the course of my efforts to fix up certain elements of this house that I wasn't into, I've had some wins - painting my daughter's room, securing some maybe-going-to-fall-down ceiling panels, retiling my entryway step, suffocating weeds and replacing them with lavender and blueberry bushes, that sort of thing. But I've also had oh my god, some misses - like, for example, the linoleum kitchen floor that I covered (poorly) in stick-on tile that is MUCH better-suited to small spaces and apparently turns grey with any wear whatsoever.
Another fail: I used that same tile to cover a gross wall in the bathroom. I discovered that its stick-on powers did not extend to use on bathroom walls (or at least not somewhat uneven ones) around 2AM later that night, when I was awoken by the huge "bang" made by twenty tiles all falling off the wall and into my bathtub simultaneously. But was I to be deterred?!
