Homemade Potstickers.

Last week I must have been on a new recipe kick (again, all fault is due to Foodgawker...) Anyway, I stumbled across this recipe for potstickers. This was actually the first recipe I found that needed red cabbage and which prompted me to look up another and find the one for cilantro-cabbage slaw.

Even with a few changes (didn't use ground turkey and didn't make a sauce to go with it-who needs to when there's Yoshida sauce around?), it was fantastic. And, it made enough for multiple meals (another plus). In fact, I had this for lunch two days in a row and it tasted great until the bitter end. One complaint is that the recipe makes a ton of filling, so much that we had almost double what was needed. If I were to make it again (which I probably will), I would lessen the filling proportions (perhaps even cut them in half, at least the amount of cabbage).

Shrimp tacos with red cabbage-cilantro slaw.

Since the beginning of January, I've turned into a budget monster. I've been menu planning and sale searching and coupon clipping, and so far, it's been working. But, I'm not into that "I'm going to buy 50 cans of beans when they go on sale and eat that until I run out." I need flavor and I need variety. So, I've also been trying really hard to stock up on some things, but also buy a lot of fresh produce that can be versatile for different meals. I've also wasted a ton of time researched new recipes on my new favorite: foodgawker.com. It's great because I can use it to search by a particular item (for example: red cabbage), and it brings up all the recipes that use that.

For this week I found a recipe that used half a head of red cabbage, but I needed another recipe for the other half. (I found out later that my local grocery store sells cabbage in halves, but that's neither here nor there.) So, I went perusing for a red cabbage recipe. And, I found this, Vegan Veggie Tacos with Red Cabbage-Cilantro Slaw. But, I knew that I had frozen shrimp to use, so I decided to just use the slaw part.

Enter Shrimp Tacos with Red Cabbage-Cilantro Slaw.

And, it was tasty!

For the shrimp, I heated up some oil in a pan, then added 2 cloves of minced garlic and about 6 slices (chopped up) of jarred jalapeno. I also seasoned with some cumin and chili powder. Then, I tossed in the shrimp.

The slaw was really easy too. I followed the recipe for the most part, except that I added a little more jalapeno juice for some extra heat and I omitted the onion (simply because we didn't have any).

Assembly was real quick. Three shrimp per taco, a sprinkling of cheese, and a heaping portion of slaw. SO good!

my new favorite.

Food Gawker

be forewarned: you may lose many hours of your life if you click on this link!

5 things I wish people knew about domestic violence.

1. Domestic violence (DV) is not about anger. It isn't about "losing control." In fact, quite the opposite, an abuser is almost always in control, purposefully (perhaps subconsciously, but still purposefully) acting in ways to belittle their victim. DV is about power and control. It is a perverted and twisted understanding of an intimate relationship, one in which an abuser utilizes a repertoire of tactics (not just physical) to achieve this goal.

2. Along those lines, DV is not just physical abuse. In fact, through the use of threats, constant verbal berating, or economic manipulation, physical violence may never be "needed" by an abuser to get what they want (again, they want power and control).

3. 25 % of all women in the U.S. will at some point in their life experience a domestic violence relationship. 1/4th of the female population is affected by this! 1/4th!! And, it affects women everywhere. It is not contained to a specific age, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic group, religion, sexual orientation, or educational background. And something that impacts 25% of all women is a raging epidemic that needs to be stopped.

4. The age old phrase "It takes two to fight" does not apply to abusive relationships. However, many victims are made to feel as though what goes wrong in the relationship is their fault. They are made to feel that if they just tried harder to ____ (be a good wife, stand up for themselves, be understanding, explain themselves better, etc.), the abuse would not happen. There is nothing a victim can do to stop an abuser from being abusive.

5. If you ask the question, "Why doesn't she just leave him?" to a person informed on the dynamics of DV, be prepared to hear the longest answer of your life or be prepared to receive the stink eye, the deepest of sighs, and to be left standing there alone (DV advocates & counselors aren't perfect, people, and if you had to answer this question for the umpteenth time, this would likely be your response too). Now, for an abbreviated version of an answer to this question, I suggest looking here. It's way more concise than I could ever be.

**If you or someone you know is suffering from an abusive relationship, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence can be a great a resource. It is never okay for an intimate partner to harm you (no matter what excuse is given to condone the behavior), and there is help out there.

I don't blog about grad school.

And I'm not sure why this is.

For the past year and a half, I have been back in school. It was odd at first. I felt unproductive (and privileged as anything) as I listened to lectures and had intellectual conversations about how to "fix" the problems infesting our world. I felt overwhelmed by the influx of information that I tried to take in, concerned that I was only actually absorbing a small percentage of what was being tossed at me. I felt sad and I felt angry. I was back in school again and I couldn't process all that was happening.

So, I left school topics off the blog. I didn't talk about the devastation that privatization plans and structural adjustment policies have wrecked across Latin America. I didn't talk about the ineptitude of U.S. drug policies abroad and at home. I didn't talk about family therapy techniques that are often manipulating and condescending and gender stereotyping. I didn't talk about human trafficking and that's it's not just sex trafficking. I didn't talk about the broken refugee system we have and the power imbalance that is apparent based on the sole fact that the U.S. refuses to recognize gender violence as legitimate persecution. I didn't talk about how the local food movement impacts international markets and the foreign growers that have adjusted their product based on what U.S. consumers have demanded. I didn't talk about the trauma of intimate partner violence, the psychological scars that run deep and may not heal over time. I've taken 16 classes so far, I'm in 3 more currently, I'm completing all my clinical hours at an counseling agency, and I haven't talked about any of it.

And, well, that's going to stop.

Grad school and my internship are important pieces of my life right now and I'm not going to leave the hard topics out. So, things might get touchy around here. I'll probably say things that will offend people. But, I fully recognize that I'm a student, which means I'm not an expert. Which means that I don't have all the answers, so I welcome the dialogue.

Disney during the holidays.

(Yes, I know it's January, but I never got around to posting these.)

Over Thanksgiving, I got the chance to go to Disneyland for the second time. Seeing as though I've only ever been during the holidays, I can't compare it to any other time. But, for some reason, I'm under the impression that it's just a little bit more magical with all the lights and decorations and parades and

fake snow.

Mmm...Mickey Mouse beignets.

Of course we rode the much anticipated teacup ride.

It makes me nauseous every time (all 2 times I've been), but I can't turn it down.

The Dumbo ride was also on the agenda,

although you can't really tell that we're riding it here.

And when the sun goes down, it's time for the holiday parade,

which features a number of familiar disney faces.

And, of course, Santa comes at the end!

But if you think the fun is over once Santa's passed by, you'd be sadly mistaken.

Because, after all that, there's still fireworks, the lighting of the castle,

and fake snow to come.

And, if you think that it doesn't get cold in Southern California,

you'd also be mistaken.

You better have hot chocolate or coffee to warm your freezing hands

(just a heads up, both are terrible at Disney).

The Castle looks pretty mysterious all lit up and glowing from the smoke and chemical remains of the fireworks. But, magical all the same.

rewind: a look at 2010.

As expected, here's a look back at this past year. It was a year of learning. A year of challenging my perspectives and expanding my knowledge. It was a year that brought me that much closer to pursuing my masters degree. But, more than that it has been a year of letting go of the past and the future in an attempt (many times unsuccessful) to embrace the present.

January brought into my life a special little kitten. Nora is still as energetic as when we first adopted her. She's just as curious, and just as expressive. She makes coming home to an empty house when Micah's still at work worth it. And, she helps me procrastinate when I don't feel like reading or writing papers. She's 11 pounds of cuteness (except when she's scratching the furniture, she's not cute then).

In February I said good-bye to a woman I wish I had gotten to know more. She held an important role as wife, sister, mother, and grandmother, and was much loved by many. Micah's grandmother is well missed.

Nine months after my wedding, my sister got married in March. It was a beautiful celebration that reflected their personalities and their love for one another.

Arizona had me all riled up in April over their attempt to implement SB 1070, a law that would have effectively legalized racial profiling. My blood boils when individuals assume no responsibility for the current status of our immigration system and propose ridiculous measures that would do nothing to repair the damage.

Much of May was a blur due to school demanding all my time. But, the end of May brought the end of my fourth quarter.

June was a month of traveling. Not only did I get to go back to my favorite city on the planet, I celebrated my one-year anniversary and got to see my cousin get married in Minneapolis. I visited my parents in Alabama, while spending time with my dad on his 3rd round of chemo. And, I went to Chicago, admired the architecture and visited my sister and brother-in-law.

July was the continuation of wedding season. I went to one nearby in CO and one in Seattle. Oh, and I LOVED Seattle. Yes, I understand that I went in the summer and the weather is not always as beautiful. But, it was so lively and fun, a perfect mix of bustling city surrounded by outdoorsy beauty.

I tried to revel in the remainder of my last days of my "schools-out-for-the-summer" summer in August. I enjoyed spending time with Micah's parents and his sister. I tried making the most of free time to experiment with sewing and cooking and making things homemade. Yet, by the end of it, I was more than ready to turn in my stay-at-home wife hat for grad student hat again.

September brought a new quarter of classes, new books and notebooks, new pens and new highlighters. I love the newness factor, probably more than the classes themselves. I also began my internship and a slow and steady journey to understanding the complexities of counseling and advocating for people. And, my dad turned 60 and we had a party. It was a surprise and well worth the traveling, planning, and lying to make it such.

By mid-October it finally started to feel like fall. Leaves fell and all things pumpkin clouded my head. I went to my first iron cinema (like a book group that cooks together, but with movies instead). It was amazing and we made enough food to feed double the 5 people that were there.

I began to feel a little more comfortable at my internship in November. I felt as though I was finding some sort of rhythm, even though I still have much to learn. I started my own caseload and it felt good to be "back in action."

I turned 27 in December; I'm at the end of what I consider my mid-twenties, which makes me feel old. I openly embraced my holiday break. I celebrated Christmas 3 times. Unlike last year, I stayed up late enough to usher in the new year (maybe I'm not too old yet).