Phew - An AMAZING weekend

Good news everyone! I have good news!

This weekend was, beyond a doubt, amazing. And you all should know.

Friday night: not so awesome. J and I were wiped out in a MAJOR way from our weeks, and decided that changes needed to be made. In the short-term, however, we needed to eat. A short trip to the local Moosehead bar turned our spirits around completely: Hopslam was available and good food was to be had. +1

Saturday: after sleeping in as long as we possibly could, we set off in pursuit of our day. Errands, naps, and general merriment with our pups during the afternoon lead into a hilarious dinner at Boudreaux's that included Category 2, 4, and 5 hurricanes and a veggie burger that was as big as my face. I have the picture to prove it. I do need to confess something to you: I'm not sure how we weren't kicked out of there.... There was too much laughter and happiness going on there. We moved the party across the street for Mike Garrigan & Mark Kano playing at the Muse. If you were at our wedding: they were the entertainment. We love them, they love us, good times. Our evening wrapped up with some Chappelle Show. +8

Et par-dessus le marché, Sunday was perfect. Coffee and giggles in the AM, cleaning and doggie time in the afternoon, Super Bowl in the evening. There was, for the first time ever, just enough food. Usually there's too much or not enough - but last night was perfect. The game was fun and a great showing of two teams that deserved to be there. +5

So - I'm happy to report some happiness in our neck of the woods. Expect more to come with the impending Spring and planting season!

I have done it... I really have...

I have become that girl that I never could understand.
I have, legitimately, forgotten to eat.

Now, I do realize that it is around 2pm, so I can still eat "lunch"... but go with me on this:

Noon: Hey, look, Noon! I should eat. Yay Eating! Lemme just finish this one thing...
1: Woah, where did that hour go. I should go make my soup.
1:30: Glad that report is finished! Okay, going to the microwave.
1:31: What? That's a cool new feature of my product! I should look into this!
1:45: Mmm, my tummy hurts, I wonder wh-- DOH!
1:47: Timer goes off on the microwave, my lunch is ready! But, I don't hear it - drafting an email about said cool new feature.
2:04: Finally pull my soup out of the microwave and eat lunch, while telling you all about it.

Now, why on earth is it important for me to relay this information to you?
Because I don't forget to eat. I don't get so distracted that I'm not thinking about food. I just don't. And when people say: "ahh, I forgot to eat breakfast/lunch/dinner today," I DON'T understand! I mean, I sometimes just don't have a chance to eat, or don't have food nearby - but I think this is the first time that I have actually been mind-blocked enough to Forget that I was thinking about food.

I'm changing. I don't even know me anymore.

What is this?

Two posts within 5 days?!?!?! What the deuce?

I can't handle all the excitement that's been happening recently - so I decided to write about it.

First: my grandma is taking a slow and graceful bow out of this world right now. I don't know if it'll be tomorrow, or next week, or 7 months from now... but they've official begun to "make her comfortable." While it is a relief (she's been sick for 9+ months now), it is still sad.
Then, J started having issues with his back recently. They're work related, so we'll see what happens with that.

Here's some good news:
Before all the sad happened, I was able to get some major work on my office done. I know, I know - you don't believe me. But Daddy came over and helped me hang shelves - so the "office" portion of the room is done! Seriously! Everything's on the shelves and organized! I'm pleased. We also hung the shelves for the "craft" portion of the room. I'll tackle that when I dern well please.

More good news: The Jets and Vikings did not advance to the SuperBowl, but the Saints did. Why am I happy about the Saints? To start, they represent the NFC South and are not the Falcons (I have a horrible dislike for ATL). Second, they haven't been to the Big Dance before. They've been around since 1967... so this is severely overdue. Third, Drew Brees is the Bacchus Parade King this year. I think it is quite fitting that he also bring the team to the SB. And Last, but not Least: Cajun Food. Why would this be included? I tend to cook meals based on the teams playing. For example, if the Panthers are playing the Buffalo Bills: I make Wings. Once the Colts won the AFC title, I was begging for the Saints to win. There really isn't a food highly associated with Indi, and I didn't want to make Brats for the Vikings. Thus, thank goodness the Saints won because now I know what to cook.

And the final piece of good news!
I have received my Peaceful Valley seed catalog and I'm gearing up for the planting season. I just wish I had more land... We'll see how this year goes!

See, I'm trying to be happy and optimistic! :D

To everything...

My kitchen smells like Roasted Garlic.
and I LOVE the smell of Roasted Garlic.

My bosses came to dinner last night. J invited them to celebrate their engagement. Good times! I now have a HUGE lasagna for leftovers. One thing I love about dinner parties: all the leftovers. I'll separate it out tonight into containers. That should last us a little while for lunches :)

There really isn't anything new and different going on here. J's working an insane number of hours, but he's happy. I'm getting stuff done around the house, so I'm happy... I finished painting the walls in my office! I still have the floor boards to to finish, and then install shelves and move everything back in. This weekend was supposed to be THE weekend to finish, but a head cold knocked me out for all of Saturday. Literally, I did Nothing on Saturday. I slept and ate, and that was it. Of course, I needed it - but I don't really Like those days. I like being productive and feeling like I've done something. J and I did finish rearranging the basement this weekend. We bought a few posters from the local beer store (AMAZING PLACE), and we didn't have a good spot to hang them. So, we tweaked the bar area of the basement and voila! Poster space! Don't worry though - we did class them up a bit with frames, so the basement doesn't look like a frat house... hahaha!

And my brother is in town for a few days! He's relocating to Cali, so he had a few days of leave and opted to come hang out with his family! Of course, his girlfriend is graduating from school this week - so it helps that she's within driving distance of here... Still - its nice to get to see him for a little while.

Oh!?!?! And can we chat for a minute about the Panthers? I mean - What in the WORLD is going on? I'll admit - I am now willing to have a losing season if it gets us Cower. I'm very frustrated that we traded our 1st round draft pick to San Fran in 2010. Especially since they need a QB almost as much as we do. But I'm glad our OL and DL are strengthening up. I do believe 70% of the issue is coaching. And letting our OL Coach go to Denver!??!?! REALLY!?!?!
Sorry, I'm done. I get very frustrated.

The leaves are changing in Charlotte now... I love rainy summers because the fall leaves have such rich colors after. There is tree outside in our court that has blood red leaves right now - and it sits within the line of sight of a tree with canary yellow leaves. I literally smile every morning when I'm getting into my car because of those trees. I definitely see God in the changing of the seasons.
And in food.
Especially in Roasted Garlic.

Awesomeness Ensues

I love Meatball subs. Unfortunately, I can't find a really phenomenal one in Charlotte. Pizza Peel comes insanely close - highlighted with amazing chips. But I found one that's a little closer to me at work, and all around the country: Firehouse Subs. Wow. I know I'm late to the game - but I'm a happy girl.

On a completely unrelated note, I love this flowchart: (hotlinked, source: getrichslowly.org/blog)

It's a Celebration!

Wow. This week has been MIGHTY eventful.
Well, it at least feels like it was mighty eventful. Olde Meck debuted a new brew on Wednesday night: the Mecktoberfest. It is awesome. Seriously. If you're in the area, stop by the brewery and try it out. Mmmm... However, that phenomenal beer caused J to have a 15 hour day. Now, that's normal for some people, but it was rough for him: heavy lifting, non-stop running around, cleaning out the laudertun... I mean, that's rough.
I was also pretty busy on Wednesday. It was the first night of High School Bible Study, and my first night co-leading it. It was also my grandma's birthday. I tried calling a couple times. The one time she answered, she had no idea who I was. This has been the case for 6-7 years now, so I wasn't terribly surprised, but it did sting. I think she had a good birthday though. They treat her well where she is.

Last night was actually pretty incredible. After a regular day at the office, J and I went to experience a Chef's Table at our favorite restaurant. We earned a shed-load of points from dining there so often (yay Happy Hour) and finally cashed in our points for a delicious meal. I will now dirty-up this blog with food porn. Hide your children, grab a napkin, and please forgive me.

The Chef is from Morocco - and was the executive chef at the US/Morocco embassy. So, he knows what he's doing. The only problem: It is SO hard to understand what he's saying. We didn't let that stop us from enjoying ourselves.

The first course was a jumbo shrimp stuffed in calamari, sitting on some endive and radishes. There was a light citrus and spice something happening there and it was heaven. Yeah.

The second course was awe-inspiring. Seriously. I was inspired and in awe of this chef's talent. It was a pan seared Scallop (about 2 oz or so... imagine a small filet mignon medallion) and a roasted Fig, both covered in a sweet plum confit. Our favorite bartender brought the figs from the tree at his home. I have to tell you all - it was good enough to be an appetizer, main course, and dessert all in one.

The Third Course is a strong tie to the second: A Lobster tail and claw, poached in champagne and truffle oil. This was served covered with sauteed onions, and on top of some snow peas. I thought the claw was perfect and tender until I got to the Lobster Tail. It peeled easily out of the shell, and had absolutely no toughness to it. The onions were stand-alone amazing, but they accented the delicate lobster flavor in a way that I couldn't have imagined.

Our final fish course, the fourth course, was a salmon filet with steamed spinach, apples, and pine nuts. It was good - but we all agree, it was forgettable. It is very important that you read this: The Salmon was amazing. But, when you compare it with the other courses that we were served, it paled in comparison.

Our Fifth course was a real Filet Mignon. By this point, we were starting to feel a little full, so I was nervous that I wouldn't be able to finish. Luckily, I found some room in my belly. The filet was cooked Med. Rare (perfect), and served with goat cheese potatoes au gratin, asparagus spears, and cauliflower. The delicate sauces is really where it was at... so forgive me that I can't remember which was which. Just know that it was scrumptious.

And Finally - dessert arrived. A chocolate/coconut mousse served in a chocolate bowl, with fresh fruit and jello. Moment of criticism... Jello? Really? I mean, I get that it was homemade, and the presentation was pretty cool... but Jello? I could've done without that. That said: mmmmm - the mousse was light and creamy and so so so good. The mango, starfruit, and etc were perfectly tart to match the sweetness of the chocolate bowl.

Let me know if you have any questions... I'll be back at the restaurant soon, so I'll be able to ask for you.

Okay, back to the hectic week....
Today, we return back to work, dreaming about that plum confit. I miss it already. Mom and I are catching a plane in a few hours to head up to Rochester. There's a family wedding - so I'll be throwing my dancing shoes on for a few hours, and then coming home early Sunday morning. Don't worry - I'll get Panther updates regularly...

So! Crazy week! Next week should be calm, but maybe not. We're celebrating our 2nd anniversary (yay!) and working on our Fantasy Football Drafts. It'll be my first year doing any live drafts, so I'm pretty nervous about it. I realize its a game though, and am really in it to have fun - but I don't want to look like a doofus in the process! hahaha

I hope you all have rockin' weekends!