I picked up a few slices of Applegate chorizo when I was at the deli counter and it was heavenly in between tomato sauce and mozzarella. And the WF wheat dough has grown on me. Twas sooo satisfying to eat this guy.

So I didn’t really know it was Fat Tuesday until today. I’m just not with it these days. The family I babysit for had a King’s Cake fresh from a bakery and I had a sliver after lunch. Apparently, there were some neat events that went on in Durham, so I wish I had paid more attention. Growing up, I usually gave something up for Lent, and although I haven’t participated in a couple of years, I was actually brainstorming about things that could be eliminated from my life these days. Most of the things that came to mind were actually more mental – procrastinating in the mornings, ignoring my alarm on my days off, dreading post-work work-outs, and leaving the TV on in the background (even if I’m not watching). Like resolutions though, these changes would be pretty difficult to track and enforce. Still, it’s a nice exercise to think about eliminating negative behaviors, things, or mentalities that might make life better.

What would you give up?

This evening, Matt and my dad joined us for dinner at the relatively new Geer St. in Durham. I had a half pint of Left Hand’s Sawtooth ale:

We couldn’t resist the fries with two sauces (+ ketchup).

As soon as I saw it on the menu, I knew I had to have the pimento grilled cheese. As expected, it was huge, cheesy, and delicious. I do wish it had been slightly more pimento-y though.

As I’m sure you know by now, the Younger’s have a cake obsession, so we went to Whole Foods and went straight for the bakery counter. We bought a sharing platter of cake!

The lemon cake in the back was the best. Man, I’m so happy to be stuffed, but might need to have a couple of healthy days in my future. Because more food is coming my way this weekend!

Here comes another work week. See ya

But, let’s back up to Friday – Matt and I grabbed dinner at the Bald Head Island Club bar.

We had Scottish ales, hot crab dip, and shrimp quesadillas!

After dinner, we even made some friends at the Inn who shared their birthday cake with us – my dream nightcap!

Saturday, Matt and I had a leisurely breakfast, took a walk, played a round of Rummikub, and then headed to back to the ferry to pick up Brendan and Jill! Jill has been quite sick lately, so we were glad they could join us, if only for one night:)

We showed them around the island and took a big beach walk. T’was glorious.

My family always celebrates cocktail hour, so we returned home to snack and booze while the sun set. I’ve seen this dip at TJ’s for years and never bought it, but it’s soooo good! It’s relatively healthy and quite tangy too.

I also thought this bock was quite good.

For dinner, we walked down to Mojo’s on the Harbour, a restaurant that has just changed owners and has a new menu. I had a Sweet Josie Brown and the shrimp and grits. The huge shrimp tasted awesome, but I was a little disappointed with the rest. The portion was small and much more tomato-y that I would have liked. And it definitely wasn’t worth $21:(

Today’s lunch however was the perfect meal with which to end the weekend. Given the pouring rain, we pretty much sat around and had breakfast this morning, and then headed to Wilmington for a late lunch. We always eat at the Pilot House (or Elijah’s) on the Cape Fear River with my parents, so we wanted to take Brendan and Jill.

I had a Highland Gaelic ale and there was a huge, warm bread basket with corn muffins and biscuits. Best idea ever.

Matt and I split a cup of seafood bisque, which was flavorful and warming. But the best part of the meal was this crispy cajun catfish over cheese grits with collard greens. I just can’t get enough southern food these days. I was somewhat of a picky eater growing up, and mostly ate cheap campus food in college, so I don’t think I had as much exposure to southern fare as one might think (my parents are northerners). Love.it.all.

And that was my weekend. How was yours??

61 and sunny.

Fat Tire.

Not-your-average-hushpuppies (stuffed with cheese and jalapenos).

Blackened flounder.

Bird songs.

Bf.

The marsh view.

Sunset.

Island escape.

Tomorrow’s adventure means I made dinner using everything but the kitchen sink. Enter fabulous salad made with carrots, corn salsa, blue cheese, avocado, sweet potatoes, and sesame cashews drizzled with honey, lemon juice, and an awesome new balsamic from Williams Sonoma (Thanks Lauren!).

On the side: the end of a bag of sweet potato chips and the end of a jar of salsa.

Oh, and the end of a bottle of kombucha too!

I definitely made a big dent on a lot of stuff that had piled up in the fridge. Now if Matt would only let me finish off his box of Vday chocolates…

I think it’s technically a long weekend for many of you – is anyone else traveling?

In case you were wondering, the beer tasting went well (duh). The Moo Hoo won by a long shot and I’d definitely buy it again. Matt actually picked out a fancy Southern Tier beer for me too (but I’m saving it….). We must know each other well!

I’m back to being overwhelmed at work, so I wasn’t in the greatest of moods this evening. I def. have a love-hate relationship with working part-time. I feel phenomenal having more time to myself, but I’m extra stressed trying fit so much work into so little time. But I did feel a bit better after a good spin session. And then I met Matt at Cameron for a Fuqua bbq before the Duke women’s game. The food wasn’t anything special (well, expect for the three-bean baked beans), but it was nice to have an after work activity. I’ll even admit that I drank a small Bud Light. I mean it’s hard to resist a keg and a man with a pitcher walking around with refills….

I need an early bedtime tonight to get the energy for a long day of report writing tomorrow. And so I can stay chipper through the rainy day. Adios.

I usually claim that I’m neutral about Valentine’s Day – I don’t love it or hate it. But I think I just say that as a defense mechanism, because my feelings about the holiday used to depend on if the man did anything to acknowledge it or not (selfish, I know). The year I got roses in high school, I loved it, and the year my boyfriend didn’t mention it at all, I hated it. Luckily, I have Matt now, and since he appears to be neutral as well, I generally enjoy the holiday. Nowadays, we just use it as an excuse to take a night off from our computers and do a little something together. Since we both like chocolate, and we both are obsessed with beer, I decided a chocolate stout tasting would be appropriate. I chose only beers that were specifically chocolate stouts (I was tempted by the cocoa porters and mocha stouts, but decided they all had to be the exact same style) and only beers that I had never tried before (I think Southern Tier’s Chocolat stole my heart long ago).

Now I just need Matt to come home, so I can drink these (and hopefully eat chocolate with as well!)

Sending my love to all you guys too! Have a lovely evening.

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I made lasagna for my valentine, since he has class tomorrow night. I need to make this more often – it’s so easy and so good. I assembled it earlier in the day and just popped it in the oven this evening. However, I forgot that it takes an hour and it was torture smelling it when I was hungry and waiting for it to cook!

This was kind of a last-minute decision, so I used shredded carrots, arugula, and spinach instead of the more hearty vegetables (that I didn’t have on hand). It was still good, just not as thick as usual.

It was a really neat operation, and very efficient. Organizations should do this more often! I spotted some of my co-workers (even though I no longer work with them, I still think of them as co-workers), and was able to jump onto their team to relieve someone else. I was at the weigh station to ensure that the bags were filled appropriately.

After we finished, I made myself a plate and chatted with friends.

Saturday was fabulous because Matt & I were able to attend the Duke – Maryland game (he used to be a Maryland fan before going to Duke). Duke didn’t play too well, but it’s always fun to watch them live. We debated dinner plans after the game, and since it was soo chilly, we decided beer was the only way to warm up. I finally got to try Foothills’ Sexual Chocolate imperial stout!! I was so worried I wouldn’t get to try it because I’d heard rumors that most of the kegs in Durham had already run out. It was just as good as I imagined, with a deep, sweet, chocolate taste and a hint of coffee. And it was 10% ABV – whew!

By the time I finished my beer, I was soo ready for a huge dinner. I have a slight obsession with Indian and knew it was just what I wanted. I bought a restaurant.com certificate to Dale’s in Durham, so Matt and I managed to get a feast for a reasonable price.

I really like drinking wine with spicy food and this $5 cabernet was the perfect complement.

We went all-out with the special dinner for two, which included: samosas and veggie fritters, chicken curry, vegetable curry, chicken sag, chicken tikka, rice, naan, and rice pudding.

Oh man, this was a lot of food. But it was actually some of the best Indian food I’ve had – very flavorful and fresh-tasting. I had two plates, and was surprised that my sensitive stomach actually felt great after this meal.

Matt and I always talk of going to brunch, but we never do – too expensive and indulgent, especially since we like to dine out on Saturday nights. But, we had a Living Social deal for the Nasher Museum Cafe that was about to expire, so we had no choice! I’ve heard great things, and the food exceeded expectations.

Torn between sweet and savory (what’s new), I shared the huevos rancheros and orange and cinnamon french toast casserole with Matt.

Both were truly heavenly! The casserole was definitely up there for best brunch entree, especially when I got a bite covered in the cinnamon butter that was on top.

No weekend is complete without awesome eats.

I’m getting some work done this evening and then watching the Grammy’s with leftovers and a beer. So sad to hear about Whitney:(

That’s all folks. I hope yall have a productive week!

I’m also pleased, because Kat introduced me to a fabulous recipe that I made tonight and loved! Loaded with flavor and veggies and very satisfying. We haven’t been cooking with much meat lately, so it was nice to get a big hunk of chicken:)

My sweet tooth was still craving a snack after dinner though. I’ve been on a popcorn kick since I finished off a bag of chocolate drizzled popcorn left over from Christmas. I stopped by Trader Joe’s today, and luckily, found a bag of caramel popcorn to satisfy my urge. I was seriously having withdrawal without an after-dinner bowl. I think its the texture that I love so much.

I can’t believe another week as gone by. I like my new schedule because the work weeks are much quicker, but that means time is moving faster, which is a bad thing. I’m really loving it though, and couldn’t be happier with my decision to switch jobs. I can’t believe the difference in my energy levels.

I’ve got a low-key weekend on the agenda that I’m going to kick off with a trip to Target with my Mom.

How will you kick off the weekend?