life lately

I know I have been cruddy at updating. a lot has been going on. I would say that I will be better about it, but I honestly don't know if I will! so for now, here is a short life update:

I have been exploring the city a lot,

and eating macarons. so, so many macarons,

occasionally some "real" food,

and consequently doing yoga several times a week,

and of course, doing my nails and getting away on the weekends,

and going on lots of dates. with myself,

oh and maybe with Brett Dennen as well,

we're an item now, it's no big deal.

I have been a bit of a social media freak lately. instagram has always been a favorite, so feel free to check it out if you haven't already! my username is sofia_maria.

I can't promise that I will post more often, but I can promise that I will try. I hope my few readers enjoy my efforts on this extremely photo-heavy post! ♥

I don't give a fig

about a year ago, I won a wonderful book from a blog called Veggie Kids. then, everything we owned went into storage for 8 months. then, I began unpacking, found this lovely book, and promptly whipped up one of its recipes.

the book is Ripe by Cheryl Sternman Rule. the recipe is Fig and Wheat Berry Salad with Blue Cheese. except I hadn't the slightest idea where to get wheat berries, so I toasted up some pine nuts and threw those in. it was to die for.

if you ever have a moment to take a peek at this book, do it. it's organized by color, and it's just too cool. here's the Vine version for your viewing pleasure:

thank you, gr

I miss Grand Rapids already. it's not that our apartment was the greatest (it wasn't), or the cleanest (it wasn't), or the most updated and modern (it certainly wasn't), but I knew just how to perfectly toast a bagel in our old-school broiler because the rarely fit in our janky little toaster. well, so long as I didn't walk away and scorch the little sucker under the open flame.

no matter what I had a craving for, whether it was Indian food, Chinese, a burger, calamari, Mediterranean, pizza, a latte, fresh produce, vegetarian, pub food, a great martini, or something vegan, I always knew exactly where to go to find it and more than 90% of the time, I could walk a mile or less to get there.

so, thank you, HopCat, for providing the best brews in town. not to mention the best bartenders (hi Jake!) and some tasty, tasty grub to boot.

many a tulip of IPA enjoyed bellied up to this bar

thank you, Stella's, for wowing us with the most delicious burgers we've ever had. and for selling them for cheap on Sundays. ditto, O'Toole's.
thank you, Bartertown Diner, for introducing to Grand Rapids the tastiest vegetarian and vegan dishes, made with local ingredients. if I could eat there every day, I wouldn't miss meat one bit.

vegan burrito so good I might have cried a little...also it was REALLY HOT

thank you, Graydon's Crossing, for always being accommodating when we were craving something different (which we often were). Indian nachos are worth the 2-hour drive back to Grand Rapids. and Mojo Rising on nitro, of course.

beer flight,

and Indian nachos via Graydon's

thank you, XO Asian, for the most cost-effective and delicious lunch specials in town. $7 for a giant bowl of red curry, rice, AND two sides? yes, please!
thank you Rockwell's and Tavern on the Square for mixing the best dirty martini I've ever laid my lips on. bleu cheese stuffed olives FTW!!!
thank you, One Trick Pony for booking some awesome live music and serving up some dynamite calamari. my go-to place when the craving hits!
thank you, Wolfgang's, for rocking breakfast food how it's never been rocked before. guac in an omelet never tasted so good.

do yourself a favor, and order the richard app

 thank you, Martha's Vineyard, for your fantastic, booze and cheese selection. and keep making those peanut butter bars. and Nantucket, I could chow on that awesome bread allllll day.

breakfast with Nantucket bread, mmm

always, always raspberry lambic from Martha's

thank you, Sushi Yama, for the best sushi in town. eel and crispy snapper are the best!
thank you, Fulton Street Farmers' Market, for all the lovely fresh produce West Michigan has to offer. but mostly for heirloom tomatoes. and loads of fresh herbs.

farmers' market fare

thank you, One Stop Coney Shop, for creatively concocting the most delicious hot dogs ever, and turning me back on to the one food I once considered unequivocally unhealthy. sooo worth it.

tell me that's not worth a lost IQ point or two...

all in all, I'll sorely miss Grand Rapids. I'd gotten to know the city well over two years, and I'm not ready to leave. I've also come to know and love the school districts in the area well, especially GRPS. it's just such a bummer that I got to know so many teachers and I think that would have helped me find a job, but there are prospects in Ann Arbor too.

I grew up in the Ann Arbor area, so I'm familiar at least, but I really found my home in Grand Rapids. I've felt most like myself here. and so many good things are happening in Grand Rapids, especially considering this crappy, crappy economy. ah, well, c'est la vie. hopefully I'll find myself residing there again someday. for now, aloha, Ann Arbor. please be fun. and please have apartments available that I like close to the city.

adventures in cooking

I love taking photos of food. I don't know what it is. maybe it's to remind me what I ate. maybe it's because it was so darn good-looking that I just couldn't help myself. anyway, here are a few memorable photos :)

I made up a batch of chick pea burgers last week - I usually eat them in a pita, but I decided to go for a whole wheat tortilla this time. a bit more difficult to eat, but so good! most recently, I decided to go bread-free and wrapped my burgers in a couple lettuce leaves, and it was a-m-a-zing.

there's no better way to use up leftover chickpeas from my burger. chick peas are one of my favorite salad additions, right next to avocado and olives. onions and soy sesame ginger vinaigrette make this salad SOGOOD.

I've been on a bit of an Indian food kick lately. I wouldn't consider myself a good cook, so this is some store-bought curry simmer sauce. I fried up some tofu, cooked chicken, and added veggies before simmering it all together. over brown rice. SOGOOD. leave a comment and share any favorite recipes you have! I'm always willing to try new things :)