No te pierdas la clase de Salsa !!! O te arrpentiras !!

I got this recipe online the other day, made it, and loved it! Quite healthy and filling for you as well. I tweaked the recipe only slightly, but the original was just so darn good you really didn’t have to do much to it. Once I was done with the meal, I had leftovers and turned it into just a regular mexican salsa dip. It’d be great with some avocados tossed into it as well.

Time: 30 minutes          Prep: 15 minutes

6 Cups Cooked Brown Rice (about 1cup 1/2 uncooked)

15 oz can black beans (drained, avoid the mushy)

15 oz can corn (drained)’

4 tomatoes (chopped)

1/2 Cup Red Onion (about half of one)

1/2 Cup Cilantro (1 bushel)

1 Jalapeno (seeded and diced) (I leave some seeds in for more of a kick)

2 TB Lime Juice

1 TB Olive Oil

Salt (1/2 tsp)

Pepper (1/2 tsp)

2 dashes hot sauce like Tabasco (I used a bit more)

Sour Cream (optional)

Parsley (optional)

*Adjust spices to your liking

Directions

Cook the brown rice as directed. Dice up and toss in the remaining ingredients in a medium size bowl, set aside. When rice has finished cooking, top with baja mixture. Top with a dab or spoonful size of cream cheese and garnish with parsley for presentation. If you’re just woolfing it down and could care less about the presentation, mix it all together and devour! Also would be good with more sour cream or taco sacue such as Picante. Enjoy!

I really don’t know…

I told my son I’d make a special recipe on Saturday night. First time to make this – we saw it in a magazine. Chicken, dipped in flour, then buttermilk, then rolled in bread crumbs and spices. Cooked in olive oil. Topped it with corn salsa. (I used a can of Rotel, corn, basil, red onion and a bit of olive oil. Not quite homemade, but close enough for me.)

He loved it so we’ll go with a SUCCESS!

Salsa comes in many ways, and many forms. Some folks in the midwest like things extra hot, some folks on the east coast like a crisp fresh taste sensation. Whatever it might be that your taste buds enjoy, use those ingredients, and just follow my basic steps. Here’s what I prefer to use, and again you can get this at your local grocery store.

1. (1) Food Processor
2. (1) Small Serving Bowl
3. (1) 1 Green Bell Pepper (Diced)
4. (1) 1/4 Medium White Onion (Diced)
5. (1) 1 Small Can Tomato Puree (8 oz.)
6. (1) 1/4 Cup of Lime Juice (I prefer A Freshly Squeezed Lime)
7. (1) 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
8. (1) 1 tsp Soy Sauce
9. (1) 1/4 tsp Salt

Take All The Ingridients, and in sequential order add then to the Food processor, one by one, approx. 10 seconds after each other. The ingridients should emulsify after about 3-4 minutes forming a traditional salsa. Once finished, pour your Salsa in your serving bowl and accompany with either tortilla or pita chips. Enjoy this fast and easy Salsa recipe. Happy Eating Folks!

this week. i’ve woken up with food in my bed 3 times.

3 TIMES!

day 1–tostitos (no salsa.)

day 2–popcorn (cheddar, butter, AND caramel!)

day 3–pizza (from artichoke–so good. so all over my bed.)

the pizza was definitely a new low.  thank god i have a purple duvet cover! (gayest sentence ever.)  but seriously guys, it’s time i sought some help.  now, i’m trying a new thing: no food in the bedroom.  no exceptions.  not even drunk munchies.  i know, it’s rash, but drastic situations call for drastic measures.  i hope i can count on all of your support during this tough period in my life.

face to face

food. in. my. bed.

friends forever

I hate sleep. There. I said it.

I also dreamed that I became best friends with a popular blogger (not telling who) and she taught me how to hip-hop dance.

Sigh. If only all these dreams were true…

I have to admit, I’ve been extremely lazy these days, and I’ve been turning to the same stuff over and over, for the main reasons that 1) it’s fast and convenient;  2) it tastes good and is pretty nutritious; 3) I can get most of the ingredients from my school dining hall, which I now frequent daily like a kleptomaniac…

Anyway. Here’s what I’ve had for several days now:

Spicy-PB Vegetable and Cottage Cheese “Mix-it-up” Bowl

Base Ingredients:

• onions, diced
• bell pepper, diced
• mushrooms, diced
• zucchini, chopped
• tomatoes, diced
• bean sprouts
• kidney beans
• spinach
• Soul Food Seasoning (from Biz)

Dressing Ingredients:

• 2 spoonfuls soy sauce
• 2 spoonfuls peanut butter
• 2 spoonfuls Habanero-Lime Salsa (from Christina)
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• pinch crushed red pepper flakes

Topping Ingredients:

• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 4 yukon gold potatoes
• hot sauce

Okay, first the potatoes. I roasted them hasselback-style, by slicing numerous slits down the center of each potato, but not all the way through. And then I sprinkled them with this amazing seasoning:
 Biz, thank you SO much for this. I’m obsessed with this seasoning now. I practically sprinkle them on anything and everything!

And then roast the potatoes in 425 degree oven until cooked through:
Nice and crunchy!

Ladle the cooked ingredients into a dish. Top with cottage cheese and potatoes. Sprinkle with hot sauce. That’s it!
Now wasn’t that the easiest thing you’ve ever heard! Well, next to pouring cereal in a bowl, of course. But this is much better. It looks more impressive!
Everything should be topped with something golden and crunchy…
Wheee! Look at it do a back-bend! Potato doing yoga!
Creamy, crunchy, spicy, peanut buttery…mmmm…
  Now, isn’t this the perfect college student’s meal?

But on to the perfect college student’s snack…

Perfect Foods Bar sent me two of each of the following bars:

• Carob Chip
• Peanut Butter
• Fruits & Nuts
• Cranberry Crunch (Lite)

Here’s what they say about their bars:

“Perfect Foods Bars are made from a delicious creamy blend of organic peanut butter and honey. The organic honey provides quick balanced energy and the added omega-3 “healthy fats” increase endurance. There’s also plenty of easy to digest, alkaline forming protein for immediate tissue repair. Enjoy this innovative approach to consuming over 30 different high nutrient foods not readily available in today’s fast pace society.”

Okay, peanut butter and honey. What’s not to love? Plus they’ve got 30 different high nutrient foods. But what about the taste?

Well, all I can say is: I’m not sure if Perfect Foods Bar is the perfect food, but it is the perfect bar indeed. Oh Em Gi. So. Freaking. Good.
  They just completely melt in your mouth like fudge. I store them in the fridge, so when they enter my mouth it is cold and firm, but then slowly dissolves in my tongue…a delicious blend of pure peanut butter and intense honey…
The only thing is that it isn’t mixed with all the artificial crap, so the taste is pretty strong, bold, and intense…not a bad thing at all, but you just don’t want to finish the whole bar in one sitting, or it does get rather cloying. 
 I think I’ve waxed enough poetry about Perfect Foods Bar. My conclusion is this: Larabar, bye bye. You guys really got to check this stuff out!

Another bar that I’ve really enjoyed was sent by my freaking sweet friend Natalie from Eating to Live Life After ED:
They’re called Spring Hill gourmet bars, and they were amazing. Once again, I chilled them in the fridge first. And they’re incredibly crumbly, buttery, and exactly like a shortbread cookie.

Here’s the Wildberry & Nougat one:
And the Chocolate & Oat one:
And my personal favorite, the Muesli bar:

Sorry, I don’t know where to get them here in the States. Of course. All the good stuff has to be somewhere else! Sigh. Well, we can only dream that they’ll sell them in U.S. stores someday…

NGREDIENTES: 2 Pimientas de Cayena 4 Dientes de ajo  1/4 de vaso de aceite de oliva 1 chorrito de vinagre 1 vaso de agua 1 cucharada de pimentón picante 1 pizca de cominos Sal gorda  Miga de pan ELABORACION:  Ablande la pimienta de cayena, dejándola en agua caliente unos minutos. Agregar el pimentón, los cominos y la pimienta a los ajos en el almirez. Machacar todo bien Añadir el vinagre, el aceite y el agua y remover hasta que todo ligue bien. Puede añadir un poco de miga de pan hasta darle a la salsa la consistencia apetecida, ligandolo todo muy bien.

I learned a new technique to cook garlic! Simply take a whole garlic clove, wrap it in aluminum foil, and cook it in an oven or toaster oven for a while! (until they’re soft and can easily come out of their shell) I cooked mine for about 25 minutes in a toaster oven at about 250 degrees, popped them out of their shells, mashed them in extra virgin olive oil, added a pinch of garlic salt and made a spread for my rye crackers, so good!

I found out that although Mexicans love avocados and use them in all kinds of dishes, they never use them for desserts. I always get faces of surprise when I tell them of my ABC pudding (4 bananas, 1 avocado, 2 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder) but they seem to really like it. The problem is… we just ran out of cocoa powder! So I’ve got to do some research and find out where I can find some. But speaking of avocados, Robin can’t get over the size of the big ones. He says the flavor is not as intense as the small ones, but they are generally cheaper. We usually end up making guacamole with a big one, a bunch of lime juice and a decent amount of green tomato salsa.

The fruits and veggies and not cheap around here though, especially in Tulum. I can’t wait to go to the open markets of Merida and Chiapas. Until then, I think I’ll be eating a lot of grapefruit. They are so inexpensive. I used to hate them, but now I take the time to take off all the bitter flesh and eat just the little droplets of citrus inside.

Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Richmond is the place to be to pick up what you need for Thanksgiving Dinner! You will find Night Sky Farm there on 25th November to the 23rd December weather permitting. We will have our new Holiday Mini Packs: (4) 2.5 oz buttons, one each of Cranberry & Walnut, Almond Honey, Basil and Naturally Plain for $10.00, available along with our other favorites. See you at the market! Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! Other vendors who will be present are Elis Greens and Jazzbo’s, and of course Frog Bottom Farm

St.Stephen’s Episcopal Church is located at 6000 Grove Ave. in Richmond and held Wednesday evenings from 4 pm to 7 pm.

Night Sky Farm will be attending the Lexington Farmer’s Market on the 25th November 8 am to noon in Lexington, VA. We will be offering the same variety of cheeses and Fall goat milk soaps as at the St. Stephen’s Farmer’s Market. One addition we have for Wednesday are some 1/2 lb bags of the last of the banana peppers. These are not too hot and rainbow colored, perfect for salsas for your Thanksgiving Day football dips. Salsas are easy to make and here’s my recipe:

Fresh Tomato Salsa Recipe
Ingredients

2-3 medium sized fresh tomatoes (from 1 lb to 1 1/2 lb), stems removed, finely diced
1/2 red onion or half red and half sweet onion, finely diced

2 banana peppers chopped
1 jalapeño chili pepper (stems, ribs, seeds removed), finely diced
1 serano chili pepper (stems, ribs, seeds removed), finely diced
Juice of one lime
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Fresh parsley, dill and basil too
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: oregano and or cumin to taste
Method

1 Start with chopping up 2 medium sized fresh tomatoes. Prepare the chilies. Be very careful while handling these hot peppers. If you can, avoid touching them with your hands. Use a fork to cut up the chilies over a small plate, or use a paper towel to protect your hands. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water after handling and avoid touching your eyes for several hours. Set aside some of the seeds from the peppers. If the salsa isn’t hot enough, you can add a few for heat.

2 Combine all of the ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Taste. If the chilies make the salsa too hot, add some more chopped tomato. If not hot enough, carefully add a few of the seeds from the chilies, or add some ground cumin.

Let sit for an hour for the flavors to combine.

Makes approximately 3-4 cups.

Serve with chips, tortillas, tacos, burritos, tostadas, quesadillas, pinto or black beans.

SEE YOU AT THE MARKET! and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I used to think my dance lessons were all about timing, steps, musicality, and technique.   Lately I have come to realize that that there’s more too it than that.  The more I dance, the more I learn about life.  According to my teachers – dance is life. 

And nowhere was this more apparent than on my recent trip to New Orleans where I managed to squeeze in a two-hour tango lesson with the very elegant, “man in black” – Alberto Paz.   He was gracious and patient, and I immediately felt at ease with him despite the usual stage fright I feel whenever I dance with someone for the fist time. 

“There is no test,” he said. “You’re here to learn.” 

Lesson #1: “Dance is like life. You have to understand that it’s not about pass/fail; it’s about getting the most out of it.” 

Alberto was surprisingly complimentary at what little technique I had managed to pick up in Buenos Aires.  (Ah, me of little faith.)  He liked working with beginners, he explained, because there were few bad habits to correct.    

Doubting myself – as usual – I told him that it was his excellent lead and clear direction that enabled me to dance well 

“Catherine,” he said. “It’s a compliment so take it and just say thank you,” he said. 

 Lesson #2: Dance is like life. You have to give yourself a little credit.” 

I decided that the next time someone paid me a compliment, I would own it. 

I would say: “It’s mine. I worked for it.  I deserve it.” 

As the lesson progressed, the steps started to feel different – they started to feel “right.”  Alberto’s small tweaks were making a big difference to my comfort level.   But just to be certain, I asked, after a particular sequence of moves, “Is this right?”  

He tossed the question back at me, “Does it feel right to you?”  

 “Yes,” I said.  “I can definitely feel a difference.” 

 “Then, it’s right,” he said, then added: “Never ask a man his opinion. He’ll never tell you the truth. If you ask him if something looks good, he will always say yes.” 

As naive as it sounds, it came as such a revelation that I actually asked Alberto if I could write that piece of wisdom down before I forgot it.  

He laughed, put his arm around my shoulders, and gave them an affectionate squeeze . “But you already knew that!” he said. 

Lesson #3: “Dance is like life, It’s about how you feel and not how someone else makes you feel.

 Probably the hardest lesson of all was just learning to slow down.  Tango, more so than any other dance, requires the dancer to be in the moment, wait, and savor each step. However, I sometimes I approach tango as something “to do” rather than something “to dance.”  I want to make sure I do all of the steps whether I enjoy them or not. 

 As Alberto so eloquently put it as I rushed through my steps of our last tango together, “Slow down, you always have time to make a step, but once it is made you can never take it back.”  

Lesson #4: “Dance is like life. Make every step count! 

http://www.planet-tango.com/

In New York I’m immensely rich–millions of images I dreamed and desired–millions of things that appeal to intelligence. My city–the most city of all cities.

- Joaquín Torres-García

(El Museo del Barrio, 11/21/09, 5:15pm.)

a trio of homemade stuffs: hummus, tabouli and salsa

Dips, crackers and chips for lunch. I am lazy. And there’s a big dinner in my very near future, so I figured a small snacky lunch will suffice. Of course, I had to top it with something sweet, so I had a slice of the Amish friendship bread I baked last night. HA! Man.. I wish it was as good as the muffins William made. But.. it’s not so bad with a little butter!

buttery bread and a small coffee in my favourite coffee cup (it’s so small and funky)

Un update dal vecchio post sulla fonduta bourguignonne.

salsa bourguignonne: mettete del burro (non poco, cuciniamo francese) in un pentolino, aggiungete circa 300g di funghi misti freschi e dei porcini secchi (qb, a seconda di quanto sono saporiti..) e fate rosolare pochi minuti. aggiungete un paio di bicchieri colmi di vino rosso e lasciate cuocere per una decina di minuti. il vino si sarà abbastanza ritirato, frullate il tutto e aggiungete timo e alloro. lasciate riposare un pochino e servitela tiepida.

Lieve variazione, appena sperimentata: ho aggiunto una cipolla bianca con i funghi, ho messo l’alloro insieme al vino – così ha insaporito meglio il vino, ho aggiunto un po’ di pepe alla fine e non ho messo il timo.

Il prodotto mi pare migliore.

During a busy workweek, it’s imperative to get out of the office for an hour or so to grab a bite to eat. This week, I lunched with my favorite work friend, Evie. We ran down the block to El Azteca, a mexican restaurant in midtown Atlanta. Although mexican food gets a bad wrap in Atlanta, the gnarly grub at El Azteca is consistently cheesy, fatty, and filling. It’s by no means great food (and many will argue it’s not even good food), but you do always get free chips and salsa.

I'm free!

the drinks are huge and refilled constantly

Evie got the lunch special: a chicken chimichanga with a guacamole salad (ensalada) and a side of [mexican] rice. (what makes it mexican rice, I have yet to find out.)

I'm the special one today!

The deep fried burrito was satisfying to Evie. Here is her review – “The pico de gallo was fresh, however the sour cream became warm and melty from the hot plate. Oh, and you can see the surplus of sour cream they give out in my empty plate picture below.” (Thanks Evie!)

job well done

In preparation for Thanksgiving weekend, I tried to stay healthy (which is quite a feat at El Azteca):

exceeded expectations

salsa was my dressing (you can see the extra drippings)

As far as El Azteca goes, it’s all about expectations. I had the lowest of the low expectations, and thus, I was pleasantly surprised.

My advice — come here for a quick mid-week meal with an empty stomach and your lowest expectations. Or, don’t eat the Mexican food and create your own salad.

Update: I was just told by a different work friend (Lauren) that her chicken tacos tasted like Campbell’s chicken noodle soup = FAIL. Quote, “it was even liquid-y and gross”

Buckhead
(404) 249-1522
1784 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, Georgia 30309

ok ok I know what yall are thinking but one night in the streets of San Francisco my friends and I passed by this club that was playing this song. I could not believe it because I thought it was corny but I started listening to it and found myself dancing to it with lauren! haha, it was a good night, and I found it! This is the first time that I accually think this is a good mix of an English song with alittle Merengue mix!

Leftovers from last night’s chicken tacos translated perfectly into a lunchtime taco salad.

Taco Salad

I used spinach and shredded iceberg lettuce as the base and topped it with ground chicken, black beans, salsa and a crunched up hard shell taco.

Yummy Lunch

Hooray for Old Bay!

Today I was contacted by Dan from Old Bay who learned through the ol’ blog how much I LOVE Old Bay. It’s a delicious seasoning that I personally adore on any shrimp or seafood dish. Dan informed me of a neat contest where Facebook Fans of Old Bay could win some pretty neat prizes.

From Old Bay:

This year, OLD BAY wants to zest up your holidays and is offering all fans on their Facebook page an opportunity to win the ultimate Holi-Bay gift basket ($140 value) packed with tons of products, a $25 gift card and OLD BAY t-shirts, cups, tattoos and samples for you to share with your family and friends.

Celebrate the Holi-Bays Contest:

• November 19^th through December 25^th, OLD BAY wants to hear from its Facebook fans* on how they use their favorite spice blend during the holidays – it could be whipping up an OLD BAY recipe, sprinkling it on a holiday favorite, using it as a holiday decoration or giving it as a gift.
• To enter the contest, post a photo showing how you zest up your holidays using OLD BAY – (Entries are limited to one photo posting per week).
• Each post will be voted on by the amount of “likes” it receives from fellow Facebook fan members.
• The photo post with the most “likes” will receive an  “Ultimate Holi-Bay Gift Basket” ($140 value) that includes:

o   A $25 gift card, a steamer pot and fryer, tons of OLD BAY products, 5 sample packs of OLD BAY for you to share with friends and family, as well as some items for the ultimate OLD BAY fan – branded t-shirts, cups, temporary tattoos, and an inner tube for sledding (or relaxing in the water for those who live in warm weather all year round)! Please see image below.

• One winner will be announced each week, starting the week of November 30^th.
• We will mail out all gift baskets upon receiving each winner’s address information.

*You must be a Facebook member and fan of OLD BAY’s Facebook page to enter contest

I absolutely love how they’re referring to the holidays as the Holi-Bays. I always appreciate a little creativity from the marketing department!

Nah teman dangdut Salsa (salam siapa saja) hadir kembali malam ini Jumat, 20 November 2009, ada yang beda malam ini, selain bacain atensi yang udah masuk dan siap dibacain, ada ramalan bintangnya untuk minggu ini, mau tau gimana kabr anda menurut zodiac minggu ini???

CAPRICORN (21 Desember – 19 Januari)

Jika hasil belum didapat, jangan patah semangat. Situasinya memang sedang tidak begitu bagus. Namun di pertengahan minggu ada harapan memperoleh keuntungan.

Keuangan: mulai ada perubahan.

Kesehatan: waspadai sakit pinggang.

Asmara: jangan dibuat main-main.

Hari baik: Selasa.

AQUARIUS (20 Januari – 18 Februari)

Yakinlah dengan keputusan kamu. Jangan tunda lagi apa yang menurut kamu baik.

Keuangan: jangan boros dalam minggu ini.

Kesehatan: jaga makanan.

Asmara: hati-hati dengan godaan.

Hari baik: Ahad.

PISCES (19 Februari – 20 Maret)

Kamu harus bisa lebih sabar menghadapi situasi yang tak menentu ini. Minggu ini jangan melakukan spekulasi yang tidak jelas. Jangan membuat keputusan yang akan disesali nanti.

Kesehatan: baik.

Keuangan: harus dijaga.

Asmara: jangan dibiarkan mengambang terus.

Hari baik: Rabu.

ARIES (21 Maret – 20 April)

Kadang kenyataan tak selalu sama dengan harapan. Jika itu terjadi, jangan emosi. Kesabaran kamu sedang diuji saat ini. Usaha mulai ada tanda-tanda membaik.

Keuangan: banyak pengeluaran tak terduga.

Kesehatan: cukup baik.

Asmara: hindari gosip.

Hari baik: Kamis.

TAURUS  (21 April – 20 Mei)

Kalau tekad sudah bulat, jangan kemudian balik 180 derajat. Kalau ada tantangan, itu biasa.

Keuangan: pengeluaran nampaknya masih banyak minggu ini, hindari membeli yang tidak perlu. Kesehatan: kurang begitu baik, waspadai saluran kemih.

Asmara: jangan hanya menunggu saja.

Hari baik: Selasa.

GEMINI (21 Mei – 20 Juni)

Situasi sedang tenang. Jangan buat masalah dengan orang lain. Usaha minggu ini agak santai namun ada hasil lumayan.

Keuangan: bisa ada pemasukan yang lumayan, kalau ada lebih sebaiknya disimpan.

Kesehatan: cukup baik.

Asmara: jangan bersikap acuh tak acuh padanya.

Hari baik: Sabtu.

CANCER (21 Juni- 20 Juli)

Situasi minggu ini masih sama seperti minggu lalu, namun dalam hal karir akan ada sedikit gangguan di akhir minggu.

Keuangan: secara umum masih stabil.

Kesehatan: mudah capek, banyak istirahat.

Asmara: kalau sudah mantap, apa lagi yang ditunggu?

Hari baik: Selasa.

LEO (21 juli-21 Agustus)

Minggu ini kamu kalau bisa luangkan waktu untuk santai atau rekreasi. Wujudkan ide lama kamu untuk mengembangkan usaha

Keuangan: belum banyak pemasukan namun jangan mengeluh.

Kesehatan: waspadai sakit kepala.

Asmara: bangun kepercayaan, jangan ungkit masa lalu.

Hari baik: Sabtu.

VIRGO (22 Agustus – 22 September)

Bisa ada kabar yang kurang baik datang dari keluarga jauh. Lakukan apa yang bisa kamu perbuat untuk memperbaiki suasana.

Kesehatan: tidak ada gangguan serius, jaga makanan saja.

Keuangan: sebaiknya hati-hati karena akan ada pengeluaran yang cukup besar.

Asmara: tenang-tenang saja.

Hari baik: Selasa.

LIBRA (23 September – 22 Oktober)

Ada harapan bagus di tempat kerja. Sebaiknya bertahan dulu di tempat sekarang. Usahakan tidak menolak jika dapat tanggung jawab yang lebih besar.

Kesehatan: menurun, hindari jangan sampai stres.

Keuangan: kondisinya masih stabil.

Asmara: jangan bersikap pasif.

Hari baik: Senin.

SCORPIO (23 Oktober – 22 November)

Bisa ada rezeki tak terduga yang datang dalam minggu ini. Namun, kamu jangan sampai melewatkan peluang emas yang datang di pertengahan minggu.

Keuangan: cukup baik.

Kesehatan: agak menurun, jangan kepanasan.

Asmara: kalau kamu yakin, semakin hari akan semakin baik.

Hari baik: Rabu.

SAGITARIUS (23 November – 20 Desember)

Kemajuan usaha lumayan terasa, akan tetap bisa ada gangguan di akhir minggu. Antisipasi keadaan agar jangan sampai memburuk.

Keuangan: belum bisa terlalu

diharap banyak.

Kesehatan: kurang begitu baik,

jaga kondisi.

Asmara: jangan bikin dia

bingung dengan sikap kamu.

Hari baik: Kamis.

(rheyno)

When Salsa found its way into namma Bengalooru and India a few years ago, it captured the enthusiasm of the dance enthusiasts right away and ballroom dancing no longer remained something practiced at tight-upperlipped gatherings of an elite few. The liberating spirit of salsa found its way into our lives and IT city opened its arms to the sensual sway right away!
I still remember those couple of months some years ago, when salsa found its way into my own office gym and a few of us would steal moments from our hectic schedules to shake a leg. We would practice the swings and the sweeps and spins and shimmies and what not, during our lunch beaks, with aplomb! We got to meet different folks from the company, people we had never seen before. One hour of salsa, cha cha & jive and I could solve all the challenges thrown out at me back at work with the same enthusiasm.

We hope to capture these fun moments back at NaVaRaSa with Vivin’s Dance Academy, especially in preparation for the new year’s eve! Imagine….you can be from Bannerghatta or Bilaspur and still approach that guy or girl on the dance floor confidently for a dance!

The Beginner’s level salsa batch is open for couples as well as singles and scheduled to start on Dec 5th. The classes are on saturdays and sundays from 12.30 to 1.30pm. At the end of the beginner’s level is a surprise awaiting you all to show off your newly attained skills:-)
The beginner’s level is priced at Rs. 1200 per head for a month….Special discounts available for couples!  Enroll now to be a part of this batch since we have limited capacity only!

We also plan to conduct salsa workshops for batches from companies located around Koramangala 1st block at special prices during weekdays.

Contact 9741290592 or mail navarasa.mail@gmail.com for more details.

Even though I had a good afternoon at work I was really happy to go home. Traffic was light so I was home in no time!

I walked in the door to find my Mom sitting at my computer. She was working on her resume. Ick. Resume building and cover letter writing are some of the worst tasks to have to work on. But she is my Mom and I had to help her out. We made a few minor changes to her resume by trying to make it less wordy.  Also, I totally rewrote her cover letter. I think she is good to go. She liked it and we went ahead and submitted them to the job post she was interested in, which closes tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed for her.

We munched on chips and salsa while we worked.

After the resume writing was dine we decided to head to Hancock. My Mom is working on a quilt for my niece or nephew-to-be and she is trying to decide on the fabric. Finding stuff that is gender neutral is harder than you think!

We also made  quick stop by the grocery store to pick up a few snack items for me to have at work for the next few work days. I gotta have my hummus and Laughing Cow.

For dinner we did leftovers since I am trying to clean out the fridge. Also we will be out and about a lot this weekend. Tomorrow night we are going to The Melting Pot and then we have the Give Thanks Walk on Saturday morning.

Brian got the leftover chicken, rice and brussel sprouts from last night; and Mom and I started out with bell pepper with hummus and Laughing Cow.

We broke out the crackers once we ran out of bell pepper.

These have a great toasty flavor.

Next we broke out leftover minestrone-wannabe soup from earlier this week.

We had crackers with this too. Mmm, mmmmmm.

I am hungry again though so I may have to munch on something else so I don’t go to bed with my tummy rumbling. Because I have got to get some sleep tonight. I do not want to keep feeling like a zombie.

Tub time! Night!

Today could have been a total write-off. In fact until about 4pm it was.

Today, as you can tell from earlier posts, I have been feeling really despondent about the future. Although some things about the future are exciting, others terrify me. I wasn’t (and still am not, if I’m honest) dealing with that lack of control over what will happen in 2010.

Last week A told me about a free salsa class that was running in a favourite bar of ours in Glasgow. When she told me, I said I’d definitely be up for it, but today my mood combined with the weather convinced me that I’d be better off going home. I told her I wasn’t feeling up to it and got a reaction I didn’t expect: she was honest with me.

A said that she wouldn’t pretend not to be disappointed but that she understood. Once she said that I realised that I didn’t need to be all sunshine-and-lollipops to keep arrangements, so I backtracked and said ok, I’d still go.

I had my doubts, but A has been a real friend to me lately so I felt awful for letting her down. I was determined to try and be a good friend to her.

Around 5:40pm I took myself out into the drowned streets with my brolly (which was fairly useless, clearly it wasn’t a Scottish brolly) and marched up to Starbucks where I treated myself to a cupcake and a gingerbread latte, listened to some Mendelssohn and read a chapter of my book on the history of economics. (Btw, yes I do know how pretentious that makes me sound, but I can’t help being a geek.)

I sat and watched people running up and down the street, some with umbrellas, some with waterproofs, some in just a jumper. I felt myself relax a bit. Nobody in the cafe cared that I was a grumpy cow, they were too busy with their own lives, or watching the weather, or paying attention to their Blackberries and other addictive gadgets.

When A arrived I instantly felt better about staying. She’d had one of *those* days and I thought that me cancelling on her would have been the icing on the cake for her. We chatted about our crap days, about our friends and frenemies, then went for sushi and had a glass of wine and discussed the weather, the point of pickled ginger, how to stop your mouth burning when you have too much wasabi and finally the randomness of Glasgow (there was a gang dressed like Ghostbusters walking down the street outside the sushi bar).

After that we decided I’d stalled enough and off to salsa we went where I downed a quick beer for confidence. Thankfully A pretended to be a beginner at first to keep me company. But she got rumbled, which incidentally worked out for me because I ended up dancing with one of the teachers who taught me lots.

I actually had brilliant fun. I’m rubbish at salsa. Really, truly shocking. A said that I picked up the steps quite well so I was proud of that. It gave me some additional confidence and when a random guy asked me to dance after the class I gave it a good attempt.

I was also proud of the fact that my evening was salvaged, which not only saved me a night of being grumpy on the couch, but saved my good friend from missing an opportunity for a good laugh after a rubbish day.

And all it took was a reality check from a friend who I trusted and who, even if she didn’t like it, made the effort to understand me.

Why can’t it always be that simple?

My way:

Put 4 chicken breast in skillet with scout 1/4 c water and I used 1 tomato/chicken boulion cube (found in Mexican aisle) cover cook on medium until done. Shred.
Season with salt & pepper to taste and about 1/2 tsp cumin
Add three dollops sour cream and 1/2 cup salsa

Heat corn tortillas
Now this is what makes them quesa-taco-dillas: put shredded cheese on one tort. Place another tort on top, Now the chicken.

Eat like a taco. Enjoy!

This is how you do it:

Cook 8 oz pasta I like this with bow tie
Cook and drain 1/2 lb ground beef

To beef add:
1 can rinsed drained pinto beans
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
15 oz can chopped tomatoes with juice
1 can corn drained, or 1 cup frozen corn
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 – 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c sliced green onion
1 cup sour cream
1/2 c salsa

Heat. Serve. Enjoy!

Cateva momente si stiluri de dans diferite:D

Tango:

Vals:

Dans tiganesc:

Salsa:

R&B:

Paso Doble:

Rumba: