Toggy Tuesday: Halloween Edition

In honor of Halloween, today's Toggy Tuesday will be spooktacular.

1) This set of costumes for your pooches. I have spent more time looking at puppy costumes than I care to admit, but this lineup takes the cake. If I had four dogs, which will never happen (don't worry, Mom!), I would most definitely make them wear this:

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2) These Pumpkin Rice Krispies Treats. Meg made these last week and they are omgsoadorable and I could probably eat two or ten in one sitting.

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3) This sweet potato and turkey chili. It's on the menu for Thursday night's family dinner (along with some Whole Foods cornbread if Brett remembers). The weather here has dropped over 15 degrees in the last four days thanks to Sandy, so I'm all about soups and chilis this week. To top it off, the recipe makes a ton and I am already planning on freezing a few portions for later this winter.

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4) This baby costume. If I had an infant child, s/he would absolutely be this for Halloween. Or Thanksgiving. Weird to dress your child as food? Maybe. But I love food and I will love my child, so it's really one and the same.

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Halloween Weekend

This weekend was wonderful. Friday night, we all headed up to Davidson for dinner with Hilary, Collin, and Collin's mom, Mary, at 131 Main. My mom is obsessed with 131 -- any time she visited me during college, we would go there for dinner and key lime pie. We had really delicious drinks (super dirty martinis with blue cheese olives) and yummy food. Collin's mom is so sweet and our parents had a great time finally meeting each other!

Saturday morning, I woke up and worked out before breakfast. My parents were already back up at Davidson for a lecture, so I made pumpkin pancakes and Rob made toast and eggs. We watched the Davidson football game then headed to the Brickhouse for beers and snacks. Fall at Davidson is so pretty. I forgot how much I love walking around campus during this time of year.

After a great dinner at Cantina 1511, I really wanted to hang out with some friends and celebrate Halloween!! I love dressing up and Rob is such a good sport about it. He insists on doing a couples costume (which earns him a million points in my book) -- last year, we were Fred and Wilma, but this year was a little more last minute so we were Beanie Babies with Meg! Tuck wanted to be a predator so he dressed up like a shark.

Sunday morning, we had brunch with Brett and Joe at Flying Biscuit. My parents love these guys and always have so much fun with them. The rest of the day was spent on the couch watching football and doing some work. We had some super delish Thai food from Deejai last night (Green Curry with Duck and Drunken Noodles) that left me in a food coma. My high school friend Eileen is staying with me for a few days (I haven't seen her in five years!) so I'm sure we'll do something fun tonight!!

To all my friends and loved ones in the Northeast: please be safe these next few days! Thinking about you from down South and hoping that you stay safe, dry, and out of Sandy's way!!

Parents' Weekend

Sorry for the silence this week -- my sweet Mom arrived in Charlotte early Monday morning and this week has been an absolute whirlwind. She's my best friend and I love getting to see her every day. She's spent the last few days shopping and playing with Tucker (basically the two best things in the whole world).

Hawaii 2012

Davidson Graduation, May 2011

On Monday night, Hilary and Collin came over for dinner and we made almond-encrusted tilapia, polenta with pesto, and salad with blackberry-ginger vinegar. The food was good but not pretty, so I have no pictures. The evenings this week were full of shopping (I got some new shoes and new work clothes), but the trade-off was no good dinners, so alas, I have nothing to show you.

My dad arrived yesterday (my parents are here for Davidson's Parents' Weekend) and Rob came down to Charlotte in the afternoon. We met Hilary for dinner up near Davidson at Brixx, an easy pizza place with pretty good food. It was so nice to all be together, and it really didn't matter where or what we ate. 

When we got home, we stayed up late watching Homeland and eating cupcakes -- Rob got a dozen for our 18-month anniversary after I whined and whined that 18-months IS A BIG DEAL and we needed to celebrate. Thanks for putting up with my crazy!

I'm so excited to have my family in town, and am looking forward to a weekend full of this:

I just wish these pretty girls were here with us! Less than a month until Thanksgiving!!

Bro-union

I had big plans for this weekend. Rob's two best friends would be in town, so I was going to make myself scarce and catch up on some long lost girl time: manicure, long runs, pumpkin pancakes, shopping...alas, none of that happened. The hurricane known as Jon Stella arrived late Thursday night and crushed any hope I had of a peaceful weekend.

The boys cooked an AMAZING dinner on Thursday (spice-rubbed chicken thighs, butternut squash and rosemary risotto, and roasted asparagus) - thanks, guys!! - and then I went to bed early while they stayed up late, chatting about all things manly.

Friday night, we had dinner at a Charlotte gem - Beef and Bottle. This place has ZERO curb appeal (as in, looks like a trailer), but has delicious steaks and lots of character. I got the 6 oz filet mignon and asparagus. I never, ever order steak when I go to restaurants so this was a real treat. The company wasn't too bad, either!

After dinner and a few more drinks, we + Lindsay went out to a bar in uptown Charlotte to show Jon what the south is really all about. I'm not sure it measured up to the crazy clubs in NYC, but we had a really fun time dancing until the wee hours of the morning.

Saturday, we spent most of the early afternoon at Jackalope Jack's, a bar with a great patio, where we brunched on mediocre food, drank many Bloody Mary's, and Jon flirted with three different waitresses (this set the precedent for the rest of the weekend). Suffice it to say, that afternoon ended in naps for most of us, followed by another stellar dinner at The Liberty. I had the salmon but the boys had burgers and short ribs -- mmm, beef. They went out, I stayed in...I needed sleep.

Sunday morning, I woke up feeling great but the rest of the crew was a little...slow. We went to Whiskey Warehouse and sat on the porch for brunch. The weather was amazing, they had a Bloody Mary bar, and Jon gave his number to the sixth waitress of the weekend. It was a blast.

Instead of going out for dinner again on Sunday, we made pizzas and salad and watched football. I made pesto with kale, spinach, mint, and basil for the pizza on top. Jon, the pesto hater and true Italian boy, loved it, so I think that means it was a success!

I am completely exhausted today, but it was another amazing weekend with people I love. Can't complain about that.

Bites Around the World: Korea

On Monday night, 11 of my co-workers and I headed to Cho Won Garden, one of the only Korean restaurants in Charlotte. Paul, an analyst from Korea, claims that this restaurant is pretty authentic (although it doesn't compare to the Korean food you can get in bigger cities like NYC) and took over ordering for the whole table. If I've ever had Korean food before, I was too young to remember what it was like, so this was a first experience for me.  It was a feast.

The waiter first brought out eight dishes for each section of the table. This really reminded me of eating at Arab restaurants in Israel, where the waiters bring our eight or twelve dishes full of vegetables and spreads right when you sit down. From the top right: bean sprouts, radishes in a spicy sauce, mixed vegetable kim chi, "egg pudding" (basically tasted like hard boiled egg white), seaweed with spicy sauce, beans, sweet potatoes in honey and sesame seeds (delish), and kim chi.

The waiter then brought out a big plate of clear, glass-like noodles stir-fried with vegetables and shaved beef. This was one of the best dishes (that's Adam going for seconds or thirds).

Next were the soups: spicy bean paste soup on the left and bean curd and seafood on the right. I loved the bean paste soup - it was salty and spicy and really, really good.

Some kind of spicy octopus and cabbage dish that came out steaming and sizzling like a plate of fajitas.

This is the "pancake" - kind of reminded me of a Chinese scallion pancake, but this had octopus in it. Also very good!

 
 

There's more...the waiter then brought out Korean BBQ (below) and Korean pork. Both were super yummy. Paul told us to make lettuce wraps and add the sauce at the bottom of the picture below:

This was legit SO much food, but we did a pretty good job clearing the plates. I'd definitely like to try Korean again sometime!

NASCAR

Oh, Monday! After the past 48 hours, I really wish that this was a three-day weekend...

Friday night, Rob and I went to dinner with his best bud and roommate Nick and Nick's girlfriend, Jamie. We wanted burgers but somehow ended up at Nolen Kitchen, which is one of our fave spots in CLT and has no corking fee - double win! The four of us split wings and calamari to start, then I had a burger with the Nolen Salad. Burger was...ehhh, but that salad is always so good. I think from now on, I'll just stick to what I love. After dinner, we met up with Nick's friend Cara at a bar near Montford for a couple beers on the patio.

The next morning, Rob and I were up early to drop Tucker off at doggy daycare and pick up bagels and sandwiches for later. At 11, we met up with Lindsay and headed to our friend Andrew's house to take the party bus to NASCAR. This was my first race and I wasn't exactly sure what to expect...

Let's just say it was a very, very long day. I had an absolute blast, but I definitely slept well on Saturday night.

Sunday morning, I tried to undo some of the damage from the day before by starting off the day with another juice (Day 6: Kale, carrots, apple, mint, ginger) and rye toast with avocado and cream cheese. Yeah, yeah, cream cheese isn't exactly a "clean eat" but it was delicious. 

We pretty much spent the rest of the day on the couch watching football. I worked on some grad school apps and Rob did a little accounting, but it was a very lazy day. I did a one-pot roast chicken for dinner since it was easy and comforting after such an exhausting weekend #whitegirlproblems

Another weekend bites the dust!

Spicy Spicy!

The best part of the work week is Family Dinner night. I love living by myself and not worrying about being a good roommate to anyone except Tucker, but that makes Family Dinner night so much more special. When I lived with Brett, we had dinner together every now and then but usually without any formality. Cooking for him, Joe, and the "Guest of Honor" every week is the perfect time to catch up on each other's lives. Last night, Rob came down from Winston Salem since he has no class on Fridays and no tests this week (yipppeeeee!). Meg also stopped by, but was more interested in snuggling with Tuck than socializing with humans:

For dinner, I wanted to make something easy and cozy given that the weather has been chilly this week. I decided on Cuban Black Bean Soup made in the crock pot and baked chicken taquitos.

I used Smitten Kitchen's recipe for the soup, but instead of chipotle chiles, I accidentally got chipotle chiles in adobo. This soup turned out crazy spicy. I love spicy foods and douse everything I eat in Cholula/Sriracha/Texas Pete, but man oh man this was like a deep, fiery, burning heat. We obviously ate it anyway (I mixed lime juice, cilantro, and cheese into mine) and it was delicious. The baked chicken taquitos were absurdly easy and really yummy. I also made an avocado crema (just avocado, Greek yogurt, and lime mixed together until smooth) in lieu of guacamole for something a little more sophisticated because we're such a classy bunch.

The orange tablecloth really brought the Mexican theme home, right?

As far as juicing goes, I had one every morning this week and there's no turning back.
Day 4: Kale, cucumber, mint, carrots, ginger, squeeze of lemon (this had no fruit, tasted the "greenest," but was still amazing)
Day 5: Romaine, cucumber, apple, ginger, squeeze of lime (I loved the lime juice - it tasted kind of like a margarita!)

I'm really looking forward to this weekend because...we're going to a NASCAR race! I've lived in North Carolina for five and a half years (what?!) and have never been. So excited to put on my camo and jorts.

In honor of Friday...thanks to Emily, the best big sis ever, for finding the GIF that truly embodies who I am:

WHEN I SEE THE WAITER WALKING WITH A TRAY OF FOOD & IT TURNS OUT TO BE MINE

Juicing

I know, I know - I've been slacking. No Toggy Tuesday post probably left you wondering what, if anything, I'm filling my time with these days. The answer, in a word, is juice. My brand new Breville juicer has found its new home on my kitchen counter, and even though it's only been three days, I already know it's love.

Day 1: Romaine, apple, spinach, grapes
Day 2: Kale, apple, carrot, mint, grapes, lemon squeeze at the end
Day 3: Kale, mint, carrot, cucumber, lemon squeeze at the end

I love starting my days with something so fresh. This morning's was a little intense without any fruit, but the mint and the lemon juice make it really tasty (and carrots are pretty sweet!). I'm excited to try juice with beets, celery, and oranges.

ANYWAY, last night, Meg came over (as usual) and we made some delicious hummus chicken. You just top the chicken breasts with a good amount of hummus (we used red pepper hummus), lemon, rosemary, and a dash of balsamic. Bake at 450 for 30 minutes and voila, dinner. Meg brought over asparagus and we roasted that with a tomato and parmesan. This was incredibly easy and very delicious. If we hadn't eaten half a loaf of pumpkin-chocolate chip bread beforehand  I were making this meal for Rob and me, I'd add some rice or garlic bread to make it a little heartier.

First Fall Weekend

Friday night was perfect. I got home from work, took Tuck for a walk, worked out with Robert, then we headed to the Dean & Deluca Wine Bar for dinner. This place was dank. We got two wine flights; a charcuterie plate with proscuitto, grilled veggies, salami, and capicola; an amazing arugula salad with pears, figs, and blue cheese; and the most incredible short rib with polenta. I looked up at Rob in between bites and said, "I can't believe I didn't eat meat for 2 years." Seriously, it was that good. After dinna, we saw Pitch Perfect -- I know, I'm super lucky to have a man who is not only willing to see that movie, but actually wanted to see it. 

On Saturday, Rob and I headed up to Davidson and spent the afternoon (which was gorgeous; 82 degrees and not a cloud in the sky) at the football game before stopping by Phi Delt to support their Phis for GI's fundraiser. I obviously had to sneak into Connor for old time's sake. I also wanted to grab a beer, but opened the fridge to find this jackpot instead:

My dear Connor girls, never leave 15 bottles of Andre in a fridge when there are alums on campus. That is a total rookie mistake and you're all better than that. Two mimosas later, we headed to The Brickhouse for dinner with Hilary and Collin. The Brickhouse is a Davidson staple with really good food and a fun vibe. Rob and I split wings, a spinach salad, and the mushroom pizza. Lots of food but we hadn't eaten lunch at were starving by dinner time. Hil was a good sport even though they didn't have many gluten-free options...next time, I promise we'll go somewhere better, Hil!

Sunday morning, I went to church with Rob all bundled up. Despite the amazing weather the day before, Sunday was totally dreary, cold, and rainy...my perfect fall day. Decked out in leggings, boots, and my Barbour is not the worst way to welcome October. After church, we stopped by the Teeter for grilled cheese ingredients. I mean, cold rainy days = grilled cheese and tomato soup, right? Mine was rye bread with chipotle gouda and basil. Secret tip: put a thin layer of mayo on the outside of the bread before grilling and you'll get a super crispy outside (I hate mayo, but this is genius).

Rob left shortly after lunch to get back to Wake for some dumb group meeting, so the rest of my afternoon was spent on the couch reading and watching football. I know I should have worked out, but we did Insanity on Friday afternoon and my legs are STILL sore. Yikes. To make up for the fattiness of the weekend, I had butternut squash quinoa with spinach, tomatoes, rosemary, and basil. This was perfect fall food and gave me a belly full of nutrients to battle the toxins from Saturday. Nom.

Dinner Parties and Proscuitto

On Thursday night, Brett, Joe, Stephen, and Meg came over for weekly family dinner. I've loved having people over for a meal once a week and it has been extra special to introduce friends from different places to one another. Brett was running a little late so I put out a cheese board of sorts - Rosemary Olive Oil bread with Blackberry Ginger balsamic; honey goat cheese; and olives from the Med bar at Harris Teeter.

For dinner, I decided to recreate the meal that Meg and I made for Rob and his roomies last weekend in Winston-Salem: balsamic-marinated chicken with rosemary...but this time, we wrapped the chicken breasts in proscuitto and let it get crispy and delicious in the oven before serving. Meg brought over tomatoes which we baked in the oven with parmesan cheese and then placed on top of arugula. For some more carby-goodness, I roasted red potatoes, carrots, and onions with a rosemary-dijon dressing to connect all the elements.

Golly this chicken was good - it stays moist and the flavor is just amazing. I bought fresh chicken breasts and then cut them in half so they were thinner pieces of meat. I marinated them in balsamic, salt, pepper, and rosemary for about 30 minutes before pan-searing and then baking. This will definitely become a weekly staple (probably without the proscuitto, though).

Meg made a really fun Cool-Whip Oreo pie for dessert. Joe loves Oreos, so let's just say he approved.

I'm already excited for this week's family dinner -- it will be extra special because it will be Rob's first one!