The Sweatshop of Lovers Blog

Shrimp Stir Fry with Brown Rice

The cold rain was a nice motivator for PT and I to stay in last night.

(Another untimely Tigers loss and Twins win made it seem like we were both home alone. The Central is still up for grabs. If the Tigers win and Twins lose today the Tigers will win the Central for the first time since 1987. But if the Tigers lose I have to be pissed all day and they have to win tomorrow.)

We made some teriyaki shrimp stir fry with red pepper, broccoli, pineapple, shrimp, and onion, with brown rice. It was so good! I love just throwing things together with some teriyaki stir fry sauce and getting a meal like this.

Cute Packaging!

Note, Pin, and YARN!

I mentioned earlier this week that I won a skein of Kitchen Sink Dyeworks yarn, and it came in yesterday while I was watching The Office!

It was wrapped really cute, came with a handwritten note and a KSD button! It was so sweet, like getting a present from a friend. I will be buying yarn from Kitchen Sink Dyeworks in the future. See what little special touches do?!

And I’m blown away by how beautiful this yarn is! I can’t wait to dive into it.

Any suggestions? I’ve only got 390 yards. I’m thinking lacy shawl? Help!

Workout Fuel

Today was the Michigan/Michigan State game and the Minnesota/Wisconsin game. These are big games; Michigan and Michigan State hate the crap out of each other, and PT was telling me that it’s the same kind of thing with Minnesota and Wisconsin. Neither games were being broadcast on regular TV so we planned to go to the gym to watch them. We made broccoli and onion omelets with pepper jack cheese and a piece of PB&J pumpernickel toast to fuel our workout!

Burritos and Fresh Guacamole

We ran/walked for about two hours while watching Michigan AND Minnesota lose. It was a painful bike ride home! We were tired, sore, and deflated by two close losses. So we made burritos with red pepper, pinto beans, onion, fresh guacamole, black bean and corn salsa, and cabbage.

Girl Friday Started (!)

And I did a bad thing. The Tigers were getting blown out last night, I was sad, it was 8-0, it was rainy and I was cold and baseball sucks and before I knew it I had Girl Friday cast on. Yes, I should be working on presents! But I couldn’t help it.

I figure it’s better to indulge in knitting than, like, a pan of brownies.

And it’s providence because Girl Friday (my Ravelry page) is a Kitchen Sink Dyeworks pattern!

That counts as full circle, right?

I cast on for both front panels and the back, though. I hate knitting a lot of separate pieces. I’m using Lion Brand Fishermen’s Wool, the same yarn I used for the Vogue Cropped Jacket, but in natural.

I checked the gauge at it was so on I creeped myself out. It was exactly exactly exactly on with size 8s. I have never seen a gauge so perfect, even when I used the exact yarn and needles a pattern called for. I can’t wait to start the lace pattern!

… right now!

Hyde Park OHMYGOD!OHMYGOD!

I love Harry Potter. I have ever since the 5th book came out and my friend Jeff lost his shit about it, lining up at Barnes and Noble to pick his copy up at midnight, then reading the whole thing by 6pm the next day.

I kept saying that there was no way Harry Potter was that good. Jeff told me to shut up and just read the first book, it was short, and if I didn’t like it then he would still love me, though he doubted it was possible.

So I read it in two shifts at the valet parking booth I worked at the Gerald R Ford International Airport; yet another job where I was employed to do nothing. I loved it despite myself. Jeff lent me the next four and I read them in about two weeks. Then I went through the movies, only two were made at the time, and it was over. It WAS as good as everyone said it was!

PT has not read the books and before dating me hadn’t seen any of the movies, so needless to say I was a little surprised when he said he bought tickets to THE HARRY POTTER EXIBIT AT THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY OHMYGODOHMYGOD!

Ron's Car OHMYGOD!

We trekked down to Hyde Park (one train, one bus) Saturday for our 5pm tour. Upon entering the museum we were met by Ron’s flying car! It was so tiny! It would be really easy to parallel park, so I’m going to keep the Ford Anglia on my list of cars to steal someday.

Baby Chickens OHMYGODOHMYGOD!

We got there a little early so we had a chance to take a quick gander around the museum. I made a beeline to the chickens, my favorite part of the museum. I love chickens. We had chickens growing up and I even love them when they are big and smelly and pooping on everything and making eggs. Our chickens would beat the hell out of  Batly, my mom’s chihuahua! They would peck him right on the forehead until he ran away and left them alone.

PT Being an 8 Year Old

PT got excited whenever he saw a toy with a steering wheel.

Unfortunately you couldn’t take pictures in the exhibit, but it was pretty amazing. TONS of costumes and set pieces from the movies! The costumes were breathtakingly detailed. I have never seen anything like it. From Dolores Umbridge’s little pink suite to the fur lined cape Lucius Malfoy is wearing the first time you see him, it was all perfect. There were complete sets as backdrops for the costumes full of props, like the time turner Hermione uses in The Prizoner of Azkaban.

Ok, I geeked myself out a little there. Harry Potter exhibit? Cool. Promise.

Long Awaited Coconut Shrimp

Since neither PT or I ever go down to Hyde Park, we thought we would make an afternoon of it and find a place around the museum to eat. We had a restaurant all picked out! The Nile, a Middle Eastern restaurant recommended to us. Alas, The Nile was closed for the holiday, but right next door was Thai 55, which just happens to be the first restaurant PT ever went to in Chicago! He had actually been talking about the coconut shrimp there just this week, and we magically end up going on complete accident.

I was still full from Pieapalooza!, but I sucked it up like a champ and prepared myself for yet another holiday weekend stuff-fest. I was trying to add up all the miles I would have to run this week to make up for the pie and the Thai when in came the coconut shrimp.

PT was pumped. And for good reason! Anything deep fried and served in a glass is cool with me.

Pad Thai and Yellow Curry

I ordered the sea food Pad Thai, which was amazing! I usually don’t order Pad Thai because I don’t like when it is too peanuty, but this seafood version spoke to me from the menu. I’m so glad it did! It was full of shrimp and scallops and the whole thing tasted really fresh.

PT ordered yellow curry which was excellent, too. SO rich, though, I got full as soon as I started eating it. But I took a break, drank some water, and went back to my Pad Thai before I fooled around some more with the curry.

PT and I waddled back to the bus, then waddled from the bus to the train, then waddled from the train back home.

My tummy needs a break from the eating! And I need to get to the gym.

Summer came to Chicago this weekend and everyone was out celebrating!

Veggie Burger

PT and I started the celebration Friday by making these veggie burgers! They were the best veggie burgers I’ve ever eaten, much less made myself. I get the Self Magazine Recipe of the Week emails, and this was the first recipe I’ve ever tried. If this is any indication, I’ll be trying many more from now on!

PT Was Hungry!

PT loves meat and, as you can see, loved these burgers. He ate two, along with some more brussel sprouts and carrot fries! He was hungry. It was so warm we enjoyed our burgers on the porch, where we were pretty much all weekend.

A couple weeks ago we went to Letizia’s, sat outside, and ate delicious muffins and cups of tea. It cost like $9. We decided that we could replicate that same experience ourselves for a fraction of the price, so I went to Target, bought a huge muffin tin, and we have been making muffins for the weekends ever since. We call it Muffin Club.

Raspberry Muffins at Muffin Club

This week’s muffin? Raspberry, and it was delicious. We take our cups and our muffins and we walk around the neighborhood. It is glorious, especially on a weekend like this one.

Toe Up Sock Number 2

The nice weather and all the partying didn’t allow for much knitting time, however, so I didn’t get too far on my second sock.

My Porch

I didn’t need socks, though! Sitting on the porch this weekend, reading and listening to the tigers win was lovely. I’m sad it is over! Most of my life is a weekend these days, so this is the first Sunday night in a long time I’m sad to see this one go.

We sent it out with a bang, though:

Shrimp Stir Fry Over Brown Rice

PT is thinking about buying a condo, so while out looking around the neighborhood this afternoon we stumbled on a grocery store that had shrimp on sale for $3.99 a pound! So we got some and threw together this amazing shrimp stir fry with broccoli, green onion, green pepper, and carrots with teriyaki stir fry sauce and ginger, served over brown rice. It was out of control.

If the storms hold off tomorrow we will be running down to US Cellular for half price tickets! I’ll be bringing the sock. I want to get a couple pairs done before Sweater Club starts up again on May 28th! Even though I don’t plan on wearing socks again for a long time.