Hey you
guys? Do you realize its September? When did that happen?
Wow. This
summer went by so quickly. I hope you all had a great time with plenty of
relaxation and time outdoors. I'm a huge fan of summer (I live in Florida, land
of eternal Summer) but this year I didn't get as much time to relax as I
usually do. As you know, I'm a Ph.D. student in a psychology program, so
"rest" and "relaxation" don't really work well in graduate
programs. Rest and relaxation are often combined with guilt and feelings of
inadequacy. "Oh, you want to go to the beach this weekend? Make sure you
print out two or three articles to read. No pleasure reading for you!"
Thankfully,
my husband and I were able to schedule a beach vacation in Naples/Ft.
Myers/Sanibel Island just after I turned in papers that completed my comprehensive
exam process. This timing allowed me the perfect opportunity to go away on
vacation with almost no guilt (6 months of torture was enough) and I really had
a chance to disconnect from work (NO EMAIL FOR 9 DAYS!).
The great
thing about living in Florida, other than no snow, is that beautiful vacation
spots are always nearby. We wanted to spend a week on the beach, and we looked
into international travel, but the flights were all too expensive. We chose to
spend a few days in Naples, Ft. Myers, Sanibel Island, Florida (Naples is only
1.5 hours from where we live). We quickly fell in love with Naples and enjoyed
our entire vacation. We ate great food, lounged on beautiful beach, swam in
clear warm water, and collected tons of shells. I would recommend a trip to
Naples to anyone looking for a relaxed beach vacation without of the crazy
touristy feel of most beach town. Beach access is everywhere, parking isn't
expensive, and we found a nice inexpensive hotel just a few minutes from the
ocean. Here are just a few photos of what we did/saw.
But alas, it's
back to the grind. The semester just began and I'm back to making dinner every
night. I recently discovered an amazing recipe for Mongolian Beef (I hear it
tastes just like PF Chang's, but I've never eaten there… I prefer local Chinese
food places) that is a quick hearty weeknight meal.
Mongolian Beef (30 minutes or less!)
1 large
steak (about 1-2lbs…I use London broil, I can find it on sale for $3.99/lb, but
flank steak would work as well)
½ C
cornstarch
1 C oil
2 tbsp
ginger (grated/diced)
2 tbsp
garlic
1 C soy
sauce
1 C packed brown
sugar (you can go a little light on this if you want)
Assorted
veg: steamed broccoli, cabbage, bok choy, chopped green onions, mushrooms, edamame, carrots, etc
Cooked
rice/quinoa (I like 2/3 basmati rice and 1/3 cup quinoa), or noodles
Directions
 |
| Beef cooking up |
Slice up the beef really thin, about a ¼ inch (it helps if it’s a little
frozen, about 30 minutes in the freezer) and toss it with the cornstarch. Let
the cornstarch sit on the beef for a few minutes while you prep the sauce. Mix
the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and brown sugar together in a bowl. Heat up the
oil in a skillet or wok. Once good and hot, add the beef and cook until just
cooked through (meanwhile prep and steam your veggies). Once the beef is
cooked, remove it from the pan and let it drain onto a plate lined with a paper
towel. Add the sauce to the hot skillet and cook until it bubbles and thickens.
Add the beef and veggies back into the skillet and toss to coat. Serve hot over
rice/quinoa. Dig in!
Fun story: I found an oyster mushroom on a free at my apartment complex, and I added it to my stir-fry (disclaimer, I do not support you randomly finding and eating wild mushrooms unless you really know what you're doing).
Finished Product: Yum!
Do you have any great Chinese food take-out recipes? I love me some good healthy take-out swaps!
