Living the good life

A friend of mine said to me today, “Have you been up to anything fun? I know you go to a lot of meet ups and cooking related activities.” I was so happy I was able to respond, “Yep! I hiked around at Pearson-Arastradero yesterday, and I’m taking a class on Mediterranean cooking this evening.” I’d been through some rough stuff a week or two ago, so it really felt good to realize that yes, I’m back to firing on all cylinders. And I’m always up for a hike or a cooking class! I’m glad that I’ve surrounded myself with people that I can do those sorts of things with. And of course being able to take my dog on the hike was a big bonus too :). He’s such a great little companion.

The class was so informative. We made aioli, polenta, scallops, carrots, and couscous, and all of it was incredibly delicious. It was largely influenced by Moroccan cuisine, held at a nearby Sur La Table. We learned an exquisite marinade for the scallops — and the chef leading the class said I could do it with tofu if I wanted (my sister is vegan). Of course I’ll probably try to make it with scallops again too, as they are one of my mom’s favorite foods. We also learned the proper way to roast pine nuts, which he said extends to most kinds of nuts (turn the heat off as soon as you start seeing some browning happen, and let the residual heat in the pan toast them the rest of the way; also keep tossing them throughout, to make them roast more evenly). We also learned about harissa — it went into the glaze that we brushed over the carrots; it’s this super spicy tasty paste made out of roasted red peppers and some other herbs and spices. Anyway, all around a really fun way to spend a couple hours in the evening.

I’ve also posted my Books Read 2019 list! Not my best year for sure, but hopefully this year is going to be better. I think I’m off to a good start. And I know I’ve been saying it for a while, but I’m going to post those knitting patterns soon. Also along the lines of books, I think I’m going to do a Top Ten of 2019, like I did for 2017. Stay tuned for that.

Professionally I’ve also earned a new certification, the Python-based PCAP. I am hoping to earn the CEPP eventually (Certified Expert in Python Programming), but it turns out the program is new enough that the last two exams in the sequence aren’t even offered yet. So that’s a bit frustrating. But the first of the two is supposed to come out later this month or sometime in February. Ah, well. Just gives me more time to study I suppose.

Anyway, that’s all for now! I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Dinner — even more scrumptious when you’ve made it yourself