Eat Your Veggies!

Can you tell we’ve been watching Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution????

But seriously, if you haven’t been watching this show (SEASON FINALE TONIGHT), you need to visit ABC’s website and watch all (six) episodes for free (with limited commercial interruptions). Sure it’s got some Extreme Home Make Over, heart-string pulling moments, but the message is great and it’s done really well. And how can you not like anything done with a British (faux Cockney) accent???

If you have been watching, I’m sure you’ve noticed Jamie is a BIG FAN of (lovely) stir fries! Soooooo, a few nights ago, the LOML and I were inspired to do the same. This was my first time cooking with bok choy and I was impressed. I probably would have tossed out the greens, but a quick search on the handy iPhone revealed you can eat those too.

Nothing too precise here. Just bok choy, onion, green bell pepper and zucchini, with beef marinated it in a combination of Teriyaki sauce, Rice wine vinegar, Hoisin Sauce, Fish Sauce, Sesame Oil. Oh yeah, and we served this on a bed of cellophane noodles . . . Tasty.

Yesterday was also the first day of our CSA through SNOW’S BEND FARM!!!! Check out the first week’s bounty!!!

Mustard Greens
Salad Mix
Baby Turnips
Radishes
Arugula
Carrots

We’re such TREE HUGGERS!!!!

We might be Vanilla

Happy April 15th, American Taxpayer . . .

Boom. Roasted.

Have fun at your Tea Parties!! Look out for Sarah Palin (‘s brother and father??)

Who is Sergey Chilikov??

A few years ago, I was really drinking the p4k kool-aid on this new band, Beruit. “They” were the brainchild of 19 year old Zach Condon, who recorded Gulag Orkestar in the bedroom of his parents' New Mexico house. How he recreated the sounds of 19th Century Eastern Europe on a MacBook, I’ll never know, but I was really digging it and streamed their MySpace tracks while prepping tax returns in the Spring of 2006. I ended up buying that first record, but when I played it for the LOML, she thought it was kinda scary and all the chantings/old-world music* reminded her of Muslim Jihadists (I’ll admit that not all of their songs are as cheery/pop-friendly as “Postcards from Italy”).

Well, this weekend, the LOML and I took our little one to the 12th Annual Lebanese Food & Cultural Festival at St. Elias Maronite Church! A friend of mine at work is a HUGE FAN and I was really bummed we missed it last year. My wife is such a good sport, that we didn’t make the same mistake twice.

I ordered the BEIRUT CLASSIC (Deluxe Baked Kibbee Plate) which included baked kibbee, grape leaves, spinach pie, rice, green beans (Ioobia), Lebanese Salad, and pita bread. The LOML had DJAJ MISHWI (Grilled Chicken Plate) which had half a grilled lemon chicken, rice, green beans (Ioobia), Lebanese Salad, and pita bread.

To me, there seems to be a lot of similarities between Greek and Lebanese food. I’ve ordered Kibbee (which kinda reminds me of Lebanese Meatloaf) at the Olive Branch in Cahaba Heights before, but I think my favorite dish was the green beans. They were in a tomato based sauce and had CINNAMON, which was kinda funky, but still tasty.

Apparently, there are a ton of Lebanese food fans in BHM, because St. Elias was packed. Even though the meals were a little pricey ($15 for the BEIRUT CLASSIC) I had enough leftovers for dinner last night. PLUS it’s all for a good cause. I’m glad to see so many folks supporting local events like this, and I really want to keep taking our sweet little baby to stuff like this as she gets older.

After lunch, we took a quick tour of their sanctuary which featured some impressive stained glass. You’ve probably driven past St. Elias hundreds of times and didn’t know it. It’s located right off I-65 in Southside and you can see the steeple from the interstate.

* BTW, I saw Hawk and a Hacksaw open for WILCO last spring. They were gimmicky/redundant. Not sure I’d go see Beruit play live . . .

All Sewn Up

When I was in college, I really wanted to get a Tennessee state flag tattoo on my bicep. This was at the height of my Lucero-listening, alt.country DJ-ing, whisky-drinking, untucked, shaggy-haired days (my wife is cringing right now). Well, BIG SHOCKER, this over-analytical, accounting major never went through with it, but I can’t say NOT getting that tattoo was a HUGE REGRET (I’m actually pretty neutral on the idea now).

Fast forward to today when I was reading the Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants Tuesday bulletin (NERD ALERT!!). I saw the ASCPA has a new blog, and what did they have a link to, but . . . ACCOUNTING-THEMED GIFTS & APPAREL!

So I start scrolling through the pages when my past and present hit me like a train a comin', that’s rollin' 'round the bend:

Who in their right mind would combine accounting with the classic tattoo stylings of Sailor Jerry??

Should I get this for my office??

If people saw this, would they know I was being ironic??