i might hate mondays, but i love monday nights. nick and i don't have activities planned for monday nights and we generally use it to cook and hang out. so tonight i'm going to make rice pilaf and he's going to grill some seafood. i'm hoping for shrimp, but we're going to see what's good at whole foods today. so, since i've never made a rice pilaf, i did some internetting and found one that fits nick and i's taste buds. basically, anything with cumin and garlic will keep us happy.

Almond Rice Pilaf, Nick and Lauren style

2/3 c. Blue Diamond sliced almonds
3 tbsp. butter, divided
1 c. chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 sm. green bell pepper, diced
1 c. long grain rice
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1 3/4 c. chicken broth

Saute almonds in 1 tablespoon butter until golden; reserve. Saute onion and garlic in remaining 2 tablespoons butter until translucent. Add green pepper, rice, raisins, cumin and salt; saute 2 minutes. Add chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, cook 20 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand covered, 5 minutes. Stir in almonds. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

weekend recap:





friday night - the baton rouge alley cat bricklayer race went off without a hitch. dennis and i hung out at north gate because that was our post. when the racers showed up, i made them come up with a haiku before giving them their brick and telling them the next spot. nick won dead fucking last and got the placecard which he was happy about because it was our most favorite out of all the ones i made. we went to chelsea's for some food and beers.



saturday - went canoeing with the third row tailgaters, angie, scott, and bobbi. angie and i were fortunate enough to ride with scott and bobbi because they were sober at 9am. we drove out past franklinton, la and just inside mississippi to canoe along the tangipahoa river, i think. angie and i paired up and it was pretty rocky from the start, but we got the hang of it my the time the 6hour journey was over. we capsized twice on our own and once when travis jumped into our boat and flipped us over. the first time was bad because we hit a tree sideways and it threw us out and i went under the boat. i was under for what felt like a lifetime, but i kept telling myself to remain calm and that i'd find the surface. scott and boo saw us flip and paddled then swam to our aid. we lost some stuff, but my rugby shirt was found and angie's vikings coozie were saved. we got home around 9 and i was pooped out.

sunday - we got to sleep in before heading to nick's parent's house for a mother's day crawfish boil and swim. we finally got molly to jump in the pool and swim, she seemed to really enjoy herself. i think a few more tries and she'll figure out she can jump from the side of the pool and not from the steps. we had coffee and lemon raspberry cheesecake and then headed home. we went out to kickball pick-up/practice and ended up playing an hour of 4on4 soccer for an hour. then we played 4on4 kickball for another hour before heading to sammy's for "family dinner".

it was a nice, fun-filled weekend that has left me sore and sunburnt. i didn't get to work on any art projects though. :(