Faith and Tate are the best. We are always learning new things from them, like fermenting drinks and new foods and handmade this and that.
And I like to think the information exchange is two ways. After all, otherwise they wouldn’t know as much about Belgian beers!
After a pumpkiny snack this afternoon – classy in my near-empty yogurt container with some Ambrosial muesli – Matt and I walked the 1.5 miles to their house.
Faith had something AMAZING on the stove and I couldn’t put my finger on what it was –
It turned out to be an amazing rendition of Chana Masala made with a spice packet they brought back from Asia last year!
Before we dug into dinner, Matt had prepared a nice Belgian beer tasting – this time a comparison between Weizenbocks.
On the left was his homebrewed version (9% ABV) and on the right was the Aventinus Dunkel-Weizenbock by Schneider-Weiss (8.2% ABV).
They were REALLY close in style. Ultimately I picked up more spice on the left and more sweet cream on the right, so you can guess which one I voted as my favorite. But yum! We’re learning so much in Matt’s Beer Academy.
Dinner was amazing…
We had Faith’s homemade yogurt on the side plus a nice platter of veggies
And brown rice underneath
Faith, ever creative, made some sprouted manna bread and we sampled it for dessert!
And by sampled I mean demolished! It was soooo good. Crunchy and chewy and gooey!
Would you believe that this Wicked Witch Of the West WALKED HOME IN THE RAIN!! Hood on and all. At least it was only drizzling. But still, I am getting braver around unpredictable weather : )
It also helped that our friends walked us home because Faith has by now walked 100 miles in March!!! That’s nearly a marathon a week! I’m hoping when we someday buy a house that we’ll be even closer to downtown and can walk even more than we already do. I love walking!
I also love reading and sleeping. Night!
Allie (Live Laugh Eat) says
Hahaha I always say I’ll melt in the rain :). I had a sample of manna bread at Costco and it was amazing…must make my own!
Ashley @ Feeding Ashley says
That food looks fantastic! I’m glad you had such a great time. I love to walk but hate to walk through gross weather like that.
Emily @ Savory and Savage says
100 miles in a month? that is amazing.
The chana masala looked delish!
missy says
Yay for good friends! Dinner looked delicious.
Abby says
A walkable community is a must for settling somewhere after I graduate!
Parita @ myinnershakti says
Your dinner looked great! I love brown rice with Indian curries and veggies – the perfect combo. 🙂
Angel7 says
Thos veggies looks so good! I really like asparagus!
The sprouted manna bread looked divine as well.
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
Val @ Balancing Val says
I’d be so happy to taste so many beers that frequently.
I gotta get in the habit! 😉
Toni says
100 miles in a month! oh my!
Christine says
Don’t get me wrong, I love my friends, but I need a Faith! Someone to make me do yoga, come up with yummy recipes and go on walks with.
faith says
🙂 🙂
Come on over!
Christine says
Well, physically that would be hard because CA is far, but for your now your guys’ blogs will definitely do 🙂
Courtney @ The Granola Chronicles says
I’ve never had manna bread – though it looks delicious!
Heather @ Health, Happiness, and Hope says
Dinner look fantastic! What a fun way to break up the week with friends. 🙂
I agree… I absolutely love walking. I’ve found that even rainy walks can be refreshing!
Katy (The Singing Runner) says
Looks delicious and fun! 😀
Angela (Oh She Glows) says
What a nice dinner, especially for a rainy evening. That sprouted manna bread looks insanely good!!
Amanda (The Nutritionist Reviews) says
The beer tasting looks like so much fun! It’s great that you and Matt have such great friends.
Kat @ Cupcake Kat says
Looks like a really fun, special, and delicious dinner. That sprouted mana bread sounds so good!!!
Lesley Lifting Life says
Definitely jealous of that chana masala!! Yum!!
Cindy says
100 miles in a month! my goodness
J3nn(Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) says
I love walking, too, and also hope to one day live closer to town.
Dinner looks fabulous. 🙂
B & B says
You really do walk a lot!! Is downtown busier though? – more traffic?
Oh man…I so want to come over one day and break bread. And -who am I kidding? – drink beer!!
How does one make “sprouted” bread – it doesn’t require actual seed sprouting? (sorry if that’s a stupid question as I’m sure it is) 😉
staceyhealthylife says
Faith is very creative and makes a lot of yummy meals. Love the bread.
Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) says
My grandma walked around her neighborhood and downtown area her entire life. She never had a driver’s license and she always said walking kept her young. And it did. She lived til her early 90s. Walking is the best.
Chana Masala looks awesome. I recently made some lentils with ginger, raisins, and garam masala. So tasty!
Faith’s bread looks…beyond delish!
Holly @ The Runny Egg says
I love to walk too — but I don’t do it enough! I too hope to live near a city where I can walk to the grocery store, library, work, etc.
Ciely says
Would it be rude to ask why Faith & Tate didn’t drive you home if it was raining.
Are you all allergic to automobiles. LOL
faith says
A. We already had a plan to walk them home, rain or not.
B. I was determined to get in my 100 miles.
C. Tate offered a ride and they refused (as I knew they would).
🙂
KathEats says
What she said!
Plus, I’m learning a little rain won’t hurt
Heather @ Get Healthy With Heather says
I love walking places too! The rain scares me off sometimes though, like even today it did. The clouds were screaming rain, I could have walked or ran to the bank but I drove 🙁
What a nice dinner! Faith looks so creative in the kitchen. The bread sounds amazing!
Olena says
Wow, I have the identical chana masala spice pack in my pantry. Picked it up last week at the local grocery store. Good to know it’s yummy.
anon 2.0 says
Just so you guys know, you can get that spice packet and ones by Shan masala (in a yellow box) in any Indian or Pakistani grocery store.
Morgan @ moments of mmm says
This is the EXACT same snack I had today..Eerie
Nearly empty Oikos with a spoonful of pumpkin puree mixed in with cinnamon, bananas and granola. Crazy!
Namaste Gurl says
Ohhh, looks fun, wish I had friends like that! Maybe you should sell Faith’s mana bread in your open sky 🙂
Hannah says
Oh gosh I can get that exact box of spice mix at my local Indian store! Squee!
stace says
Faith is so creative, as are you. So cool you live so close together. I dont know if I could get use to the rain though especially when it is cold too.
Laughter-Loving Stacy says
Oh yum (to everything)! Ahh my boyfriend loves beer, and really hopes to be able to brew his own one day!!! I don’t know if I’ve said this before, but maybe Matt should do a guest post on beer making? That would be kinda cool! 🙂
KathEats says
That’s something we’ve talked about for ages but have yet to do…
Stephanie @cookinfanatic says
They sell that Chana Masala mix at our Indian market in Richmond. I actually even bought it but didn’t get to use it before it expired! Maybe I need to go back and get more if it’s that good…
Justeen @ Blissful Baking says
Sounds like you had a great evening! The food looks delicious, as always 🙂
Christine (The Raw Project) says
Gorgeous food, looks like a great time!
Kayla @ Fitter Than Choc says
This looks like a really enjoyable evening. Nothing beats good food and good company. I can’t believe Faith has walked 100 miles in March. That is the distance that I run in a month. This is certainly impressive. Kudos to all of you!
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
We Indians use MDH masala’s (spices mix) all the time! It’s so tasty 🙂 You can get it from any local Indian grocery stores across US. Don’t have to track all the way to Asia.
Kate (What Kate is Cooking) says
I hate walking in the rain- good for you for doing it! I wish I could walk more places. Although my city is pedestrian friendly, it’s not convenient at all!
Michelle (The Runner's Plate) says
Yum! I love chana masala!
My husband and I have had a hard time meeting other couples since we’ve moved, so you are lucky to have good friends!
lynn @ the actor's diet says
lovely to have foodie friends to learn from!!!
Brittany says
I work at a wokery in a local grocery store and that’s the same spice we use in our food. So strange to see it on here! Dinner looks so delicious 🙂
Ashley says
I’m SO excited we’re closer to our downtown now!!! Looks like an awesome night with lovely food, per usual!
Karolien says
I’m from Belgium and I love your blog!
So nice to read that you like our Belgian beers!
Stacey (The Home-Cooked Vegan) says
Okay, I think I need some beer in my life. I actually felt my mouth water a little bit when you said “sweet cream” lol 🙂 That dinner looks so delicious! Cooking Indian food is one of my favorites, because all of the spices fill up my house with yummy smells!
Go you for getting braver! I don’t mind drizzle, but any sign of thunder or lightening and I would have been running like a mad woman 😀
Happy Reading!
Lauren at Keep It Sweet says
What a fun night! I don’t love beer but your posts make me want some!
Christine @ Burning It Off says
Oh wow, that looks delicious. I loooooove Indian food and have recently started trying some of their vegetarian options. My favourite is palak paneer but I’d like to try chana masala sometime based on how yummy your pictures look 😛
Simply Life says
wow! what a fun dinner!
kaila @ healthy helper! says
Anyway you could get that manna bread recipe!?! I love that bread so much and would love to make my own! That dinner looked really good as well….I love Channa Masala!
KathEats says
I’m sure she’ll be posting it on her blog soon
Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin says
Wow, congrats to Faith on all that walking! It’s always nice to take exercise out of the gym and actually enjoy the outdoors.
Allison @ Happy Tales says
Wow, that is super impressive about all of Faith’s walking!! Good for her.. a marathon a week!? Sheesh! Sounds like y’all had a pleasant and fun-filled evening 🙂
Angie @ Musings of a Violet Monkey says
Hooray for Faith reaching her goal. I knew she was close!
I think *everyone* needs a friend like Faith. I wish I lived closer!
I’ve used that spice packet! Yum. It all looks dee-licious.
I work on my meal plan for the next week, today… sounds like there will be some Indian food in my future. It’s been too long (aka – a couple of weeks!). 🙂
~
Kristi @ KristiAteIt says
It’s SO nice that you have friends like them nearby! I wouldn’t mind walking in the rain for a meal and some company like that 🙂
faith says
Our friendship is total an information exchange. 🙂
Kristina says
That looks delicious! I have some spice packets left from when I was in India last spring… I’ve been saving them for something special but now after reading this I want to use them ALL! 🙂
Katherine: Unemployed says
I need beer 101 before I’m even at academy level
Destini says
OH wow that looks like an amazing good time!! I think those are the type of friends I want!!!
Kate says
So strange…I had that same beer (The Schneider Weiss Dunkel) the same day as you…except in Germany at their restaurant! So weird how the world works sometimes!
Kate says
oh and as a follow-up, those Dunkels and Weisenbocks are GERMAN style beers, not Belgian!