I love free drinks
And I just can’t say no to them.
Matt’s end of year bash for his new company was this evening. And it was a blast! We ventured to the Beyu Cafe in Durham – a restaurant/venue I had not yet visited. There was an open bar, and I just couldn’t resist the fresh cocktail menu! So I ordered the 10$ drinks I always dream of ordering…
I had the Kentucky 57 – Maker’s, simple syrup, and champagne. So delish!
My second drink was an Cactus flower – an mix of a flowery liqueur, cucumber, and basil. SOOO good. (I requested the tall glass bc martini glasses are too easy to spill). There may have been a phenomenal margarita after this…
I expected dinner to be a mix of fried appetizers, but it was awesome! They had amazing chicken, salmon with rice and asparagus, steak kabobs, and salad with optional toppings (so happy they left off the onions!)
There was a pretty decent band, but we spent so much time talking that there wasn’t much dancing. Matt had to come home to work on a paper, but if it had been a Friday, this would have been a good dancin’ band!
I’m pumped that I don’t have to go to work tomorrow, although I’m gonna have to hunker down and do some report writing:( But then I’ll be free for the weeeekend!!!
Read MoreThe Lucky One
Brrr…I’ve just returned from the movie theater and I’m happy to be under the covers.
My day was filled with more babysitting and in the tiny span of time between that and going to the movies, I threw together some bean tostadas. I used the lime refried beans I love so much along with jalapenos, peach salsa, and corn relish all in the oven on two corn tortillas. And my first corn on the cob of the year (wow, that’s a lot of corn)
A few years ago, I would have never thought a vegan, gluten free, vegetarian dinner thrown together in 10 minutes could taste so good!
Take A Hike
Despite some looming showers, my mom, dad, and I made it on a hike today. We did a damp three mile loop at Umstead Park and emerged from the woods to sunny skies! It was nice to be out in nature and there sure weren’t many other people out hiking on a chilly Thursday morning.
We were hungry for Mexican food afterwards, so we went to Dos Perros in Durham for lunch. I’ve only been once before, but I loved it! ‘Upscale’ Mexican food is one of my favorites.
My mom and shared a Pacifico (on draft!).
And the table shared the sweet potato empanadas with fig jam. I had this last time and enjoy the combination of sweet jam and cilantro. My dad is one of those ‘cilantro tastes like soap’ people…glad I didn’t inherit that because I love it.
I wanted to order a salad with a taco on the side, but the waitress informed me that they actually ran out of taco shells! I was disappointed, but just asked her to throw the taco on the salad. Taco salad was born. This was braised beef over spinach with roasted peppers, queso fresco, and pumpkin seeds, in a roasted tomato and serrano vinaigrette. I didn’t like that the beef made the spinach warm (my fault), but the flavors were great. The chips at Dos Perros also come with a really thick and flavorful salsa verde which I ended up drizzling over my salad.
After lunch, I went on a mad cleaning spree because I recently got a new vacuum. Once I started cleaning, I couldn’t stop until every room was clutter free. It looks soooo much better. Then I got an email from Matt suggesting we go out for a bite to eat!! Yay. We walked to Bull City Burger in the cold night air. I can’t believe I was ever able to walk in 30 degree temperatures. I’m such a wimp now.
Enter the beer sampler with stout, brown ale, and a golden ale.
And a juicy burger topped with green chiles. I wish this didn’t go down so fast:( Guess I’ll have to go back sooner rather than later.
Tomorrow marks the end of this nice break in work, but I have an exciting Easter weekend to look forward to. Is anyone expecting a visit from the bunny?
Read MoreTime for Tacos
Monday and I got along just fine today. I’ve got that feeling that something exciting is about to happen because Christmas break is right around the corner. I’m so pumped for some time off! I’m also dreaming of good food, and my brain is full of so many ridiculous recipe ideas for holiday treats. How will I ever narrow it down?
In the meantime, I’m eating chickpea tacos. Easy. I don’t think I’ve had the hard shells since I was in high school. My mom always used them for taco night.
I topped these babies with TJ’s corn relish, cheese, and avocado. I would have really liked a margarita too. Or maybe a view of the Pacific. Christmas in Cabo? Some day.
You guys are quiet out there. The calm before the holiday storm?
Read More
Off the Beaten Path
Going back to work after a vacation or tiring travel day is one of my least favorite things. But today, work was special. I got to tag along on The Duke Basketball Experience with a bunch of our students. As pretty much a die-hard fan, I enjoyed hearing all the facts and soaked up all the memorabilia – like this old team photo from my childhood years. Number 44 was my favorite player and I used to refer to 52 and 55 as the bald twins, even though they weren’t bald. That was kind of mean of me, but I was too little to know any better:)
One thing I didn’t know is that on most school days, these basketballs are lined up and the whole team has to sign them before going to class or practice. The balls are then donated to various charities or auctioned off for a good cause.
We took the secret player tunnel from the practice gym to the back of Cameron. Who knew so many people worked in the basement down here?
Isn’t she a beauty?
We headed over to the Emily Krzyzewski center, where our students participated in various team-building drills.
Chris Carrawell coached the students! And Zoubek talked about persevering despite multiple injuries and winning the national title!! What a fabulous Monday morning treat!
Welcome to TBT!
I've created this blog because I'm in a bit of a quarter life crisis. Since graduating from college in 2008 and earning an advanced degree in school psychology in May, I still don't know what career path to follow. All I know is that time is moving way too fast and I find myself living only for the weekends. Bear with me as I attempt to reclaim my twenties by finding pleasure and balance in the work week and incorporating my passions of food, fashion, fitness, and fun into everyday life. 
She said what?