Gatherings

Cinco, Derby, Q Shack

Posted on May 6, 2012 | 1 comment

Cinco de Mayo was a smashing success! We had a huge downpour right before our party, so all of our guests arrived wet, but after a few margaritas everyone was warm and cozy inside.

I made Cristina’s  quinoa black bean salad as well as sweet potato black bean enchiladas,

and some chocolate dipped strawberries. I also made classic red wine sangria with rum. I was busy drinking my friend Maria’s ‘get naked’ margaritas, but I tried some at the end of the night and thought the sangria turned out pretty well.

Katie made ridiculous jalapeno and bacon wrapped shrimp,

and other friends brought loads of Mexican beer, taco dip,

a huge bowl of fresh guacamole,

homemade southwestern egg rolls,

chocolate pie,

and a wonderful key lime pie that I forgot to photograph. I was really amazed by the spread of food, as everything was really delicious and almost completely gone by the end of the night.

We also enjoyed watching the Derby and Matt actually won the $20 produced from the random drawing that he organized. I felt a little bad that the host got the winnings. Oh well – covered all the beer we bought! All in all, it was such a fun night with friends and I’m so glad we got to see everyone before we leave for the summer. It was so fun though, that I woke up feeling lazy and dehydrated and spent a lot of time today just sitting around. Matt invited me to go to the gym though, and I did a much needed upper body lifting session with him. We also took a stroll and later found ourselves at the Q Shack for some of Durham’s best bbq. We split a platter with brisket, pulled pork, hush puppies, fried okra, baked beans, and sweet potato tots (!). This plate was intense! And probably clogged my arteries for the third time this weekend, but I loved it and I’ll definitely need to make another trip there in the fall.

Did any of you celebrate Cinco de Mayo, the Derby, or just life in general this weekend?

The Recap

Posted on Apr 29, 2012 | 1 comment

Spring weekends in Durham have been splendid. There’s just so much to do!
Friday, we enjoyed a Mexican fiesta at Fuqua Friday, and then watched many talented Fuquans perform on Fuqua Idol. I went to the event expecting to hear some decent singers/musicians and left absolutely blown away! My favorite performer (and the overall winner) sang a fantastic acoustic version of Gaga’s Poker Face. Her voice was beyond amazing. And the Fuqua musical was hilarious.

On Saturday, I joined my parents for the annual Durham Art Walk. There are many talented artists and sculptors around town and they were all showcasing their work for the public. I came across this neat mirror made from a truck spacer and my mom let me get it as a way to remember my time in Durham (hard to believe year one of two is over). If I could only find a way to hang it, I think it would look perfect against our exposed brick walls.

We stopped into the Old Havana Sandwich Shop for lunch, and I got the same pulled pork plater I had the first time we visited. Soooo good. Plantains are my favorite.

The gastronomic highlight of the weekend, though, was a home-cooked Israeli dinner prepared by two of our friends. I can’t even imagine how much time they put into the food prep because all the dishes were bursting with flavor and involved unique ingredients.

I tried everything and couldn’t pick a favorite: cabbage salad, spicy green beans with tomatoes, lentil salad, roasted tomatoes, chicken, lamb, and incredible hummus and yogurt dips.

And dessert, oh dessert! This was a chocolate mousse cake with layers of creme brulee and pistachio. I hear it took hours to create – the shells were made by hand in a mold!

Thanks to Afik and Liron for including Matt and me in this wonderful event!

Sunday was lazy and active at the same time – I took a walk while chatting with a friend, elliptical-ed, and went on a bike ride with Matt. The day ended with a picnic for two at Duke Gardens.

I picked up salads and cider at Whole Foods and we dined on a quiet hill.

What a great way to unwind and enjoy dusk! Gotta do this more often.

Sadly, a lot of my throat, nose, and tiredness symptoms returned and I had a bad headache Saturday morning, so I don’t think antibiotics fixed the problem. I’m starting to get even more frustrated and I’m contemplating doing a more serious elimination diet – at least for common things like dairy, gluten, nuts. I’d really like to find a doctor who could give me some guidance though and I’ve had no luck with any down here. There’s just too much conflicting information on the internet! Has anyone had IgG blood testing for food sensitivities before? Arggggg. Thanks for listening to my complaining through the last couple of weeks (months?).

Hope all is well. See ya.

I love free drinks

Posted on Apr 26, 2012 | 3 comments

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!!!

Funtastic

Posted on Apr 22, 2012 | 4 comments

This weekend was so.much,fun. I know I say that every weekend, but really, this one was just one of those go-with-the-flow, eat, see friends, and relax in between kind of weekends.

Not many people showed up to Fuqua Friday, so we ended up going out to dinner. Sometimes Fuqua Friday can be overwhelming because there’s soo many people to talk to, so it was nice to just eat dinner while chatting with two of our good friends. We tried the new G2B Gastropub and enjoyed the contemporary, but funky vibe. They had an awesome beer and wine list on tablets and colored lighting (thus, the weird pictures).

We split this bottle of wine with our friends – a recommendation from the bartender after I described my taste in wine. Oh my goodness, this was one of the best reds I’ve had in a loong time. It was so full with a smooth, velvety finish. Tons of flavor, but not too peppery.

I had a grilled salmon filet with sunchoke puree, sauteed spinach, and chili oil. The fish itself was one of the best filets I’ve had in a while, as it was perfectly cooked (medium instead of well) and practically falling apart. The flavor was great too, although there could have bit a bit more bulk to the dish.

On Saturday, we joined friends at Fullsteam Brewery for a birthday party.

Though I’ve been to Fullsteam before, this was the first time I’ve gone and just spent the afternoon hanging out at their picnic tables. I probably spent about four hours there and it’s such a great place to go with a group (or babies or dogs!)

The girls! Thanks to Rachel for the picture.

We all drank way too much and ended up at the Federal for a late dinner. Though we scored a perfect table on the patio, we had to run inside just as our entrees arrived due to a thunderstorm. I got the veggie sliders again and they are still fabulous. We also shared some of the fresh cut fries among the table and I’m still thinking about them.

We rounded out the weekend with lunch with my family in Hillsborough, as my sister is in town for a wedding.

My mom made a great spread of food and we sat around the kitchen chatting. It was a nice way to fill this cold and rainy Sunday, as I don’t feel like doing much except sitting around.

I did manage to put some laundry into the washing machine. Though it’s only at the end of the hall, I struggle with the task every single week. If that’s the worst of my complaints right now, I’d say the weekend was a giant success.

PS: I’ve been feeling a zillion times better since taking those antibiotics, so I’m thinking something was up. It felt amazing to feel normal these past few days.

Potluck: Triangle Bloggers

Posted on Apr 19, 2012 | 6 comments

Mojitos,

French and British cheeses,

dill and curry tuna salad,

Mexican quinoa,

chicken salad with golden raisins,

cake!

I made Angela’s banana split bites! Sadly, I made these yesterday, thinking they would be ok in the freezer, but when they thawed, they got gooey and brown. It’s a great recipe though, because they tasted fantastic at last night’s potluck!

I looved meeting all these girls! Everyone was so different, yet we all have blogging in common.

Hope to see them again in the future:) Night.

Potluck: Davidson

Posted on Apr 18, 2012 | 1 comment

When I think of potluck, I think of the gooey crack brownies and the sinful buffalo chicken dip that would appear at my church dinners growing up. But tonight’s spread was all fresh homemade food and included a ton of fresh vegetables. There was this marinated squash that was just to-die-for!

I’ve never had it before, but I’m in love with this almond champagne!. Apparently, you can find it at Trader Joe’s, although supplies are running low. I must get some!

I’m kind of a newbie to this Davidson group, as most people graduated quite a few years ahead of me (Matt’s year and older), but the conversation was as interesting as ever and I always enjoy meeting new people.

I emerged to find a rainy night, although I feel like we already need the rain. There’s a House Hunters set in Key West that I just can’t keep my eyes off of and then I’m getting in bed. Sleeping is so fun these days. See ya.