Friday on Wednesday
Matt is officially finished with his first year of business school! So, the last Fuqua Friday of the year was held this evening. The food was decent – black bean burgers, spicy sausage, corn on the cob, salad, roasted potatoes, and fruit. I went back for some vanilla ice cream that was fabulous. I must buy the lowfat/froyo versions too often, because this ice cream tasted like pure cream. It was heavenly.
Not many people were there tonight, but all of our friends were, so it was fun to see people before we all go our separate ways for the summer. It’s sad!
The Recap
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.
Read MoreHighlights
Hey, hey. Hows it goin?
The weekend is over, but for once I’m a bit relieved. The event I’ve been putting together took place over the weekend and I’m happy to say that everything went pretty smoothly! The other co-chairs and I have been working for a few months to plan the programming for the partners of students who have been admitted to Fuqua. I really believe in the support that the partners organization provides and was excited to be involved in such an important event for the partners of admitted students. It felt great to be able to interact with the incoming partners and calm their nerves about the transition. And I didn’t even mind having to work on a Saturday.
Other highlights of the weekend included a margarita enjoyed with friends by the warmth of the fire pit at Alivia’s
And amazing tacos at Nana Taco on Saturday during our lunch break: I got broiled fish, pork butt, and garlic beef and loved them all.
When Matt and I got home from Duke on Saturday evening (he volunteered for the admitted students weekend too), we decided to relax and unwind with a bottle of wine outside on our deck. We always talk about doing this and rarely do. The bottle was a gift from my dad and was just right for a sunny-n-seventy Saturday.
Excited to have a Saturday night with no plans, Matt and I walked over to Rue Cler (a french restaurant) for dinner with a soon-to-expire Groupon. We were able to get a table right away and the service was great. Matt had the beef gnocchi to start and stared bites with me. Perfect pillows and fabulous flavor!
I had a mahi-mahi with lemon and some sort of white sauce. It was served over lentils, picked beets, and cabbage I think? This was tangy and very light and summery!
For dessert, we shared the thin-mint ice cream and a crepe stuffed with strawberries and fresh whipped cream. OMG, the ice cream was amazing! There were huge chunks of thin mint cookies and the consistency was so thick and chocolatey.
The crepe was just ok. It was really thin and didn’t have much flavor, so this dessert was basically just strawberries with whipped cream. While I like that combo, it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.
Our waiter confused our order and actually brought us a creme brulee, so we ate that too:) It was a pretty standard creme brulee and tasted good with bites of the crepe.
And that’s my weekend. Short, but oh so sweet.
Read MoreOn a Stick
That was the theme of tonight’s beer and food pairing! Fuqua has both a beer and a culinary club and the two joined forces tonight for a fun event. I wasn’t sure what to expect, since Matt mentioned this at the last minute, but it was tons of fun!
A Mediterranean “salad” with Mother Earth Pale Ale. I’m not a huge fan of olives or onions, but I loooved the feta and the pale ale was a nice, light compliment.
Chicken marinated in Indian Spices. I thought the Stone IPA was a bit too strong for this flavorful taste, but obviously enjoyed both on their own!
Tofu, lemon, onion, and mushrooms with a spicy tomato sauce. This was probably my favorite of the beers and I actually liked tofu for once. The sauce was great.
Middle Eastern beef with tzatziki and hot sauce and a Belgian style ale. This was my favorite of the savory bites and the beer was a close second to the Bells.
And lastly, white chocolate dipped oreo balls with the Yeti Imperial stout. My favorite course overall! You never know with dessert on a stick, but this was phenomenal.
Dinner Date
A rainy weekend made for extra relaxation and lots of couch time. Especially after I had an incredibly productive day on Friday, cleaning like crazy. Due to two weeks of spring break, I hadn’t seen Fuqua friends in quite some time, so we had a fun evening on Friday watching basketball, drinking beer, and eating pizza.
Saturday, Matt and I celebrated new friends with a fantastic dinner! I met Anne when Kath was in town for a frosting feast and we set a dinner date at Guglhuph. After reading her blog for almost a year now (and making her black bean burgers many times!), it was fun to chat and meet her Matt.
We made it to Guglhuph just in time for a massive thunder storm and downpour. Despite the rain, it was a hot night and I wanted nothing more than a cold German riesling – this was a perfect white, not too dry and not too sweet!
Matt and I weren’t planning to split a meal, but when we found out that we had picked the same entree, I changed my order to the scallops and we agreed to share both picks. The scallops were great – they were pan seared and served with a local kohlrabi puree, sautéed local swiss chard, and oyster mushrooms all in an herb beurre blanc. I especially loved the kohlrabi because it tasted just like mashed potatoes.
But the other entree stole the show! The market fish was a NC trout that had been pan fried with bacon butter and served with smashed potatoes. I really don’t think you can go wrong with anything having to do with bacon butter. Delish.
I wasn’t planning on ordering dessert, but our waiter automatically brought the menu and then I remembered that Guglhuph’s claim to fame is their bakery. Matt and I shared the banana napoleon, which was two sheets of puff pastry with seared bananas, chocolate sauce, nuts, and some sort of heavenly cream.
It was also served with a shot of chocolate mouse!
The flavor was fabulous and this dessert was surprisingly light.
What a nice evening! It’s too bad Anne + Matt are moving – they are lots of fun!
But I guess we are basically moving too:( Did I tell you that Matt chose the company in Atlanta for the summer? Another adventure begins in June. [edited to add: Matt's MBA internship is just for 10 weeks in the summer; then we'll be back]
I’m working an extra day this week to make-up some time missed because of spring break (part-time employees don’t get paid vacation). I’m actually glad because I have so much on my plate that I’ll be able to knock out quite a bit of work with an extra seven hours. Plus, it means no work next week. Woo hoo. Anyway, I’m off to make dinner and possibly indulge in a glass of wine to savor the last minutes of the weekend. See ya.
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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?