Thursday, February 28, 2013
Caffeinated America
This morning I awoke to an email from the Zagat Blog. I have no idea how I got on that email list and normally I just delete the emails but this one captured me the very moment I read "50 Must-Try Coffee Shops". One per state plus one in DC. I think it's getting added to my bucket list to see a majority of these. Check it out and take a trip to see the one in your state! I know I am!
Monday, February 25, 2013
Poking Polka Dots
You know that outfit you see all over Pinterest right now with the LBD and jean jacket and animal print scarf? Well I did my take on that this past Sunday without the animal print scarf because I've been looking all over for them and cannot get my hands on one. Here is my spin - polka dot scarf!
Janie Besner oversized scarve
nordstrom.com
Lately I'm obsessed with all things polka dot. They bring a vintage hip feel to any outfit!
nordstrom.com
Lately I'm obsessed with all things polka dot. They bring a vintage hip feel to any outfit!
Of course don't wear it all at once like this but these are just items I love!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Caffeinated Calendar
I just have to gush about the calendar I received from my former boss who is well aware of my coffee admiration. She just sent me this calendar
Here is January
And the month of LOVE-February
Isn't that the coolest?!?
And the month of LOVE-February
I'm going to use this calendar to document the meals we have each day so I can plan grocery shopping accordingly. I'm so in love with this calendar!
And the coffee in my cup is both French and Italian roast. I mixed them to see what it would taste like but there isn't much difference between it and just French roast.
The parentals are coming in Friday and that means family time, coffee shops, and thrift stores. But tonight...it means cleaning everything!
Happy Valentines Day tomorrow - kiss someone you love!
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Good Eatin
After being down here for over a month I think it's time to post about some restaurants that I've fallen in love with. These are not necessarily native to North Carolina but this is the place I've found them for myself for the first time.
One:
This restaurant has held my taste buds since first experiencing it last Summer. It's hard to make it here when I want (which is at least once a week) because of all the other places to eat here but I wish I could. It is our go-to restaurant when company comes to town!
Two: 
I had frozen yogurt once before coming to NC and boy did I love it. So to find out this place was only 5 minutes away - I was thrilled! We've gone here every date night so far but my husband still has not become a fan of it. Next date night we'll switch it up and get ice cream. But I did get a "points" card to this place because I will eventually spend $50 here just to get a $5 gift card!
Three:
Speaking of ice cream this place is the best of both worlds - ice cream AND coffee! I will report back on their ice cream when we try it but I do have to say they make a mean caramel latte!
Four:
Looking for more home-cooking type food? The Kettle Diner is fabulous! We went there for a recent date night and had burgers and fries. Prices are great and atmosphere is friendly!
Five:
The Marina Cafe
The Marina Cafe
Of course when your on the coast it's important to find a good seafood joint - this by far is the place! When going here I must echo all reviews and say "ignore the outside, just go in and eat". This place from the outside looks less then attractive. It's faded teal paint and tin roof make it look run down but honestly just. go. in. We went here for dinner last summer and ate on the back patio looking out at the water and marina. Their crab melt sandwich is pure heaven on bread. Their chocolate cheesecake is a chocolate induced sugar rush. You cannot beat the atmosphere - it's a mix between sports bar and family cook out. Seriously - go here when the weather is nice and you will see it's amazing!
It's safe to say it's impossible to starve down here. I look forward to trying out the following restaurants and reporting back!
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Night time Reflections
It's here at 9:26 pm. My husband is fast asleep and I sit on the couch wondering what to do next. The first time he's fallen asleep without me by his side but he went to be at 8:30 pm. I'm not a grandma yet - so I didn't go to bed. But now my kitchen is clean and the living room is picked up. There is no laundry to wash and the bathrooms I cleaned earlier today so now I sit here wondering what I can do until I'm tired enough for bed. Some may say reading is a good way to calm your mind and fall asleep but I read ten chapters in my latest book today and quite frankly I'm all "read" out.
So I guess the only thing left to reflect on is how horrible dinner went. I never dreamed that something I love to do so much could cause such strife. I ventured out to make this meal - Overnight French Toast Casserole. Since this was the first time I would make something like this I scoured Pinterest and Google and all my cookbooks to find a simple recipe to follow and this was the simplest one I could find. I had all the ingredients besides the whole milk - we drink 2% in our home and from other cooking times when I've used 2% instead of whole I knew it would work out fine. And from watching plenty of cooking shows I know that whole milk simply increases calories and taste.
I started out with half of a french baguette. Mind you we don't buy french baguettes ever so my husband looked at me funny when I put it in the cart. All I could tell him was I was planning a special meal with it - I was so excited because I had been planning this meal for a week!
So the recipe calls to make a large portion which we would never finish so I halved it. We aren't big eaters so I usually halve all my recipes - I am very comfortable with it. For the recipe I followed the directions one by one - here is how each one went down:
1 In a small bowl combine brown sugar and melted butter and pour on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. I forgot to halve this but even if I didn't it made a thick paste and definitely not something "pourable". I figured it would just melt up into the bread and make it super yummy - no worries here
2 Arrange slices of bread in the baking dish overlapping if necessary. I cut the french loaf in 1 1/2 inch slices (yes I used a measuring tape) and I put them in a bread pan - it took 6 slices.
3 Combine milk, eggs, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a bowl and pour evenly over bread slices. Did all of this besides the ginger because it turns my stomach. I mixed it and poured it over and in between the layers of bread. This really smelled amazing and I was already hungry for it/
4 Sprinkle chopped pecans over bread slices. The husband doesn't like pecans so I skipped this step - instead I sprinkled a cinnamon/sugar mix on top and dotted it with butter. Yay calories!
5 Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 4-12 hours. Yep did this but since we were having it for dinner it was refrigerated from 9am to 5:30pm. Ample enough time for it to soak up all the goodness
6 In the morning, take the casserole out of the fridge for at least 10 minutes while you are preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Took it out at 5:30pm and let it warm up as the oven preheated
7 Bake casserole for 30-35 minutes. If top starts browning too quickly place a foil loosely over the top of the casserole for the last 10 minutes or so. You want it to cook long enough to make sure the bottom part is cooked but don't dry it out completely. I took heed to this warning and put the tin foil on top in the beginning so I could brown the top at the end. 10 minutes with the foil on top then 10 minutes with it off. I cooked it longer then half of the time recommended because I had a feeling it needed it..and boy did it.
8 Remove casserole from oven and let it cool slightly before serving. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar and a drizzle of maple syrup. I removed it from the oven, set it on the table, called the husband to eat. We prayed and he began to dig into the delicious looking and smelling french toast dish. He pulled the first slice up and what is dripping from it?? RAW egg. I about cried. The saint that he is said it would eat it anyway but I shot down that idea fast. Instead I put my thinking cap on and took the slices out and laid them flat in a bigger baking dish. They definitely soaked up the egg and milk bath but there was still a lot left in the pan. I then baked side A at 350, then a low broil then 375 for a total of 10 minutes. Then I turned the pieces over and baked the same way. After this I figured any egg that was left in the pan or on the bread was fully cooked so it would be safe to eat. And despite being a step away from bread pudding we ate it anyway. I made a raspberry sauce which definitely made it taste better!
So I guess the only thing left to reflect on is how horrible dinner went. I never dreamed that something I love to do so much could cause such strife. I ventured out to make this meal - Overnight French Toast Casserole. Since this was the first time I would make something like this I scoured Pinterest and Google and all my cookbooks to find a simple recipe to follow and this was the simplest one I could find. I had all the ingredients besides the whole milk - we drink 2% in our home and from other cooking times when I've used 2% instead of whole I knew it would work out fine. And from watching plenty of cooking shows I know that whole milk simply increases calories and taste.
I started out with half of a french baguette. Mind you we don't buy french baguettes ever so my husband looked at me funny when I put it in the cart. All I could tell him was I was planning a special meal with it - I was so excited because I had been planning this meal for a week!
So the recipe calls to make a large portion which we would never finish so I halved it. We aren't big eaters so I usually halve all my recipes - I am very comfortable with it. For the recipe I followed the directions one by one - here is how each one went down:
1 In a small bowl combine brown sugar and melted butter and pour on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. I forgot to halve this but even if I didn't it made a thick paste and definitely not something "pourable". I figured it would just melt up into the bread and make it super yummy - no worries here
2 Arrange slices of bread in the baking dish overlapping if necessary. I cut the french loaf in 1 1/2 inch slices (yes I used a measuring tape) and I put them in a bread pan - it took 6 slices.
3 Combine milk, eggs, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a bowl and pour evenly over bread slices. Did all of this besides the ginger because it turns my stomach. I mixed it and poured it over and in between the layers of bread. This really smelled amazing and I was already hungry for it/
4 Sprinkle chopped pecans over bread slices. The husband doesn't like pecans so I skipped this step - instead I sprinkled a cinnamon/sugar mix on top and dotted it with butter. Yay calories!
5 Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 4-12 hours. Yep did this but since we were having it for dinner it was refrigerated from 9am to 5:30pm. Ample enough time for it to soak up all the goodness
6 In the morning, take the casserole out of the fridge for at least 10 minutes while you are preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Took it out at 5:30pm and let it warm up as the oven preheated
7 Bake casserole for 30-35 minutes. If top starts browning too quickly place a foil loosely over the top of the casserole for the last 10 minutes or so. You want it to cook long enough to make sure the bottom part is cooked but don't dry it out completely. I took heed to this warning and put the tin foil on top in the beginning so I could brown the top at the end. 10 minutes with the foil on top then 10 minutes with it off. I cooked it longer then half of the time recommended because I had a feeling it needed it..and boy did it.
8 Remove casserole from oven and let it cool slightly before serving. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar and a drizzle of maple syrup. I removed it from the oven, set it on the table, called the husband to eat. We prayed and he began to dig into the delicious looking and smelling french toast dish. He pulled the first slice up and what is dripping from it?? RAW egg. I about cried. The saint that he is said it would eat it anyway but I shot down that idea fast. Instead I put my thinking cap on and took the slices out and laid them flat in a bigger baking dish. They definitely soaked up the egg and milk bath but there was still a lot left in the pan. I then baked side A at 350, then a low broil then 375 for a total of 10 minutes. Then I turned the pieces over and baked the same way. After this I figured any egg that was left in the pan or on the bread was fully cooked so it would be safe to eat. And despite being a step away from bread pudding we ate it anyway. I made a raspberry sauce which definitely made it taste better!
All in all I still have no idea what went wrong but I did find a way to fix it. Next time I make a french toast bake/casserole I will be chopping the bread up in pieces and using much less milk/egg bath then it calls for - just to be safe. I would rather have dry bread then soggy raw egg bread.
Such is life. Looks like I'm about tired enough to go join my husband in a silent slumber.
P.S. The coffee in my mug is french roast and will be french roast for a while yet. I received a 5lb bag as a bridal shower gift and I'm working my way through!
P.S. The coffee in my mug is french roast and will be french roast for a while yet. I received a 5lb bag as a bridal shower gift and I'm working my way through!
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Slacker is back
I don't even remember when I posted last but I know that when I did I was not married and I was still in Ohio. Well I can finally say that has ALL changed! Here is a run down of my life.
December 29, 2012 - married the man of my dreams!
The day of the wedding it snowed almost all day! We finished setting up in the morning, headed to our hair appointments at noon - which is when I officially got nervous. Such nervousness that my lower abdomen - ok my lady parts if you must know hurt so bad I thought I would be sick. But my dearest bridesmaid Leah was such a gem to me all day said to me in the salon, "you haven't eaten since breakfast? what do you want- I will go get you food". Oddly the only thing that sounded good was some greasy chicken fingers and fries and that is what she got me. It worked wonders.
The wedding was beautiful and simple and short and sweet. Here is a known fact - receiving lines are exhausting!! About halfway through I was SO tired of saying "thank you, thank you so much, thanks for coming, aw thank you" upon hearing "congratulations, you look beautiful, what a wonderful wedding, thank you for inviting us" etc or any mix of those. I was exhausted after the receiving line but I had my husband next to me saying how gorgeous I looked and that just made me float!
After the wedding we headed off to our two day, yes two DAY honeymoon. Seeing as we had limited time to be away before packing up our belongings to move to NC we could only spare two days to get away and relax. So we headed to Cleveland (on roads covered in ice) to the J. Palen House and stayed in the Miller Suite - it was incredible and I highly recommend it to anyone!
After our two day stay we came home and packed our lives away. Surrounded by cardboard boxes, tape, stuff, and sharpie markers we worked our butts off to pack everything and throw other things out.
Fast forward to a few days later at the beginning of January when we left Ohio at 7am with two cars packed with all the important and fragile items. We stopped in VA to visit our youth pastor friend for two nights and then headed down to NC.
After staying in a hotel for three days and living off of take out food we were finally blessed to find a townhouse. 2 bedrooms, 2 and a half baths, wood flooring in the living room it's gorgeous and we couldn't be happier!
Now married life is beginning to flow smoothly. Jonathan goes to work every day and our weekends are filled with miscellaneous tasks such as grocery shopping, car shopping, thrift store runs, or playing COD with his brother. We are trying to find a church and I'm trying to find a job as well.
All in all it's proving to be a great journey that we've only scratched the surface of and I can't wait to see what the future holds!
December 29, 2012 - married the man of my dreams!
The wedding was beautiful and simple and short and sweet. Here is a known fact - receiving lines are exhausting!! About halfway through I was SO tired of saying "thank you, thank you so much, thanks for coming, aw thank you" upon hearing "congratulations, you look beautiful, what a wonderful wedding, thank you for inviting us" etc or any mix of those. I was exhausted after the receiving line but I had my husband next to me saying how gorgeous I looked and that just made me float!
After the wedding we headed off to our two day, yes two DAY honeymoon. Seeing as we had limited time to be away before packing up our belongings to move to NC we could only spare two days to get away and relax. So we headed to Cleveland (on roads covered in ice) to the J. Palen House and stayed in the Miller Suite - it was incredible and I highly recommend it to anyone!
After our two day stay we came home and packed our lives away. Surrounded by cardboard boxes, tape, stuff, and sharpie markers we worked our butts off to pack everything and throw other things out.
Fast forward to a few days later at the beginning of January when we left Ohio at 7am with two cars packed with all the important and fragile items. We stopped in VA to visit our youth pastor friend for two nights and then headed down to NC.
After staying in a hotel for three days and living off of take out food we were finally blessed to find a townhouse. 2 bedrooms, 2 and a half baths, wood flooring in the living room it's gorgeous and we couldn't be happier!
Now married life is beginning to flow smoothly. Jonathan goes to work every day and our weekends are filled with miscellaneous tasks such as grocery shopping, car shopping, thrift store runs, or playing COD with his brother. We are trying to find a church and I'm trying to find a job as well.
All in all it's proving to be a great journey that we've only scratched the surface of and I can't wait to see what the future holds!
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