Oh, what a weekend

Since everyone was off on Monday for the holiday weekend, we had a party at a friend's house on Sunday. James came in from Austin, and brought some vegan tamales from Mr. Natural- tofu sunflower, and pinto bean. Similar to the tofu tamales from the local company Banyan foods, and a welcome change from the mild or spicy tofu selection. We also had refried black beans, spanish rice, and chips and salsa.

Later on, I tried my hand at making Chickpea fries, which I got the recipe for from T'afia. I baked them instead of frying them, and although they didn't look pretty, or really taste anything like T'afia's, they must have been good because they were gone before they got a chance to cool off.


Since the party was alcohol themed, I made a batch of Rum Raisin cupcakes from VCTOTW. These were super moist, super rummy, and super delicious. Instead of using dark rum, I used coconut rum, which gave them even more of a kick. You could make these, and enjoy all of the sweet, raisiny, rummy goodness. Or, alternately, you could pour some rum into cupcake liners and drink it with a straw. Either way, you are sure to have a good time.

We also had our wonderfully fabulous mixologist who experimented with various flavors of martinis.

This is the version called "Red Panties". It consisted of something red, like cranberry juice, and various alcoholic things, such as vodka, and raspberry liqour. It was topped off with some raspberry flavoring, soyatoo whip, and a maraschino cherry. My favorite was the Purple Haze (not pictured)- cranberry juice, cranberry vodka, and curacoa. (Warning: some of the ingredients may not be accurate, as my memory of these drinks is a bit blurred).

After a wild night of fun, James and I came back to Houston in all it's rainy dreariness. We decided to expand tastebuds and tried Ethiopian food at Blue Nile. We shared the Vegetarian Platter, and also ordered another small dish. It all came on one huge platter, atop injera- an ethiopian bread made of 100% Teff. There were various different things, like barbequed lentils, split yellow and green peas, a salad, curried cabbage, potatoes, and carrots, and some collard greens. The other dish we ordered, which is in the middle, is a mixture of tomatoes, bell peppers, and spices mixed with bits of injera, served cold. It was all so delicious, and the atmosphere was nice. The decor and all of the artwork was from Ethiopia. It was also a fun experience, since I got to eat with my fingers and not get looked at like a weirdo. But I'm pretty used to that by now.


I recommend trying Ethiopian food if you have a place in your area. I plan to give it a try in my own kitchen one day. I would love to know how to make injera. I took some extra home with me and had it for breakfast with peanut butter, raisins and banana slices with agave. It was sweet and sour, and a little different, but I am always up for adventure.