quarter of a century!

Matthew is OFFICIALLY a quarter of a century years old.
I knew he was an old man...
But 25?!
WOW!

I surprised him for his birthday-
And it became the funnest night.
EVAR.

We started off with a fresh dinner:
*Key west grilled chicken skewers
*jicama black bean salad
*homemade (raw) horchata
Check out the recipes at the bottom of my post-
Just in case you are intrigued;)

After dinner,
I surprised him with tickets to the Lakers playoff game 4!
WE HAD A BLAST!

Against all my better judgement, we made funnel cakes when we got home.
Can you believe it?!
Matt has been craving them for over a month
(ever since we went to six flags and I protested against them)
so for his birthday, I said what the heck?
Why not?!
It's his birthday after all!

Aside from him getting a fiery burn from hot oil,
I would say his birthday was a success!
;)

The night ended with us looking at the stars on our big back patio,
where I had set up a bed and candles and incense and...
and I'll save you from the mushy stuff.

Needless to say, it was a great day!
And with a family barbecue and mountain motorcycle ride planned for the following day,
It was a big ol' grand weekend.

...Yay for birthdays!

------------------------------------ ♥ ------------

key west grilled chicken skewers
ingredients
3T. soy sauce
2T. honey
1T olive oil
Juice of a aime
2 garlic cloves, minced
cilantro, to taste
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

directions: this couldn't be easier! in a small bowl, mix all marinade ingredients, mix in chicken breasts, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes prior. Place on skewers and grill till juices run clear. Enjoy!

jicama black bean salad
serves 8
2 large ears of corn, husked
5T. extra-virgin olive oil
2 15oz. cans black beans, rinsed, drained
1c. 1/3-inch dice peeled jicama
1/2c. 1/3-inch dice peeled carrots
1/3c. thinly sliced green onions
1/3c. chopped fresh cilantro
1/4c. (packed) chopped fresh basil

for dressing:
3T. fresh lime juice
2T. orange juice
2.5t. grated lime peel
1/4t. ground cumin

directions: start off by brushing 1T. olive oil onto corn and grilling. Cut off corn kernels and mix with remaining ingredients, leaving out the remaining olive oil. whisk dressing ingredients together + remaining olive oil. mix dressing into salad. season with salt + pepper. serve immediately- or can be made morning before. cover and chill. recipe from epicurious!

homemade {raw} horchata
makes about 7 cups
1c. raw cashews
2/3c. white rice, uncooked (medium or long-grain preferred)
2.5c. water + 3 cups water
one 3-inch cinnamon stick
2/3c. sugar, or to taste*
1t. vanilla extract

directions: In a large blender canister, Vita-Mix canister, or large bowl combine cashews, uncooked rice, 2 1/2 cups warm tap water, cinnamon stick, cover and place in the refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours. Remove canister from the refrigerator, remove the cinnamon stick, and blend the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes on high speed, or until blended as smoothly as possible. Then add sugar (to taste), vanilla extract, 3 cups more water and blend again for 2 more minutes, or until mixture is as smooth as possible. If desired, strain horchata through a sieve or cheesecloth (I did not find it necessary as the cashews blended incredibly smoothly in my Vita-Mix). Serve immediately as is, over ice, or refrigerate and serve chilled, shaking before if mixture has separated. Horchata will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days; use common sense.

Notes: *I used traditional recipes here and here and here as reference for the sugar (and they use more than I did). You may wish to start with 1/3 cup sugar, and increase from there if you prefer something less sweet. You can use another form of sweetener, to taste. All amounts are to taste. If you are serving over ice, it will also water down and become less sweet, something to keep in mind. This is a sweet beverage; it’s not supposed to be “barely sweet”; it’s supposed to be sweet. The Mexicans are not shy with sugar; they pour sweetened condensed milk over sweet potatoes as I witnessed in Mexico City. If you prefer a thinner horchata increase the amount of water, to taste, or strain it. Whatever blender you use, blend, blend, blend. Depending on type of blender used, and taste preferences, strain if desired.

(recipe, directions, and pictures all from "Love Veggies and Yoga"