Red Velvet
I had a very very merry Christmas (and I hope you did too!) Matt and I helped cook Christmas brunch – pancakes and a huge frittata – and then relaxed and opened presents. I asked for mostly consumables and got some awesome gift-cards! Can’t wait to spend them in the new year.
Weekend of Eating & Drinking, Part XXXII
Last winter, I had one sip of Southern Tier’s Choklat stout and nearly died. Aside from Pumking (also a Southern Tier beer), this is one of the greatest substances on the planet. Both beers taste just like cake!!! What you see below is actually the Choklat stout mixed with Southern Tier’s Jahva imperial coffee stout. Surprisingly, this is a spring release and my sister gifted it to Matt over the summer.
We’ve been waiting for the temperature to drop to drink it. Matt and I were totally in awe over this beer and we sipped in silence for the first five minutes. Love.
After The Experience, we make the trek to Chapel Hill to use a Living Social deal at Queen of Sheeba. I’ve had positive experiences with Ethiopian food in Boston, so I was pretty excited to try a new place. We only wish our Boston friends could have joined us this time around:( I had hoped to try an Ethiopian beer, but they didn’t have any, so I ordered a South African Cab.
The Injera (sponge bread) at Queen of Sheeba was a lot darker than the others I’ve had – perhaps it was wheat?
I was quite excited to see local, pasture raised grass fed beef on the menu – seems rare for an ethnic restaurant. We got the beef in a sauce similar to bbq and tilapia in a curry-like sauce. The sides were mixed vegetables in two different sauces. I was a little disappointed that we couldn’t choose the sides, but they were still really good. The portions were much smaller than our Boston place, but the flavor of the main dishes was outstanding!!! The beef nearly melted in my mouth and the fish was perfectly seasoned. I was very impressed.
We obviously cleaned the platter.
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This morning, I finally got around to making some pumcakes. T’was exciting to kick off the Autumn season.
With peanut butter and hazelnut butter!
I would like to say I sat around all day and enjoyed the fall sunshine, but I had to work. It wasn’t too bad though and I earned some comp time, so I’m happy. I’m in bed and ready for the week. Night.
Read MoreCelebrating Matt
Yesterday was about celebration and relaxation. We slept in till 9 and then I made the birthday boy pancakes. It’s only been about three weeks since we’ve had pancakes and the first bite made me realize that I’ve missed our Thursday pancake ritual so.much.
We did some more unpacking and furniture assembly and fit in a quick couples workout in my apartment’s gym:) Then we headed to the lake!
We’re already obsessed with the sandwiches and salads at The Mad Hatter, so we stopped and grabbed lunch on the way. I got a thai peanut wrap, which was good, but really salty. I only ate half.
The lake was a bit crowded, but the water felt great and it was nice to just sit!
I snuck a delicious can of beer into the state park. I found this at Whole Foods and it was a really nice summer beer – not too thin and watery, but light enough for a 90 degree day.
I almost forgot that I have to drive to get around here! Good thing I only bought one:)
We showered and headed out on foot for a before-dinner cocktail.
It was hot!!! But fun to walk.
We stopped into Vin Rouge for a little bourbon at the bar. We ended up meeting the executive chef for another Durham restaurant at the bar, so we put his restaurant on the top of our list.
Another short walk later and we arrived at Parizade for dinner. I remember loving this restaurant the last time I went (in high school), and since Matt and I like Mediterranean food, I figured it would be an ideal birthday spot. I was right!
When I found the ‘Petite Petit’ Petite Syrah that I had back at Sonsie in Boston, I knew I must order it!! Especially because the glass was like $5 less than the same glass in Boston. It was scrumptious.
We ordered the mezze platter to start. Everything was awesome, especially the carrots with golden raisins and the tzatziki. And, surprisingly, I really liked the beets!
As usual, picking an entree was hard for me. Enough though I’m not a huge tuna fan, I went with it because of how it was prepared – crusted in mint and spices and served over tomato orzo with golden raisins.
WOW.
This was soo wonderful and unlike anything I’ve ever had. The sweetness of the raisins and the tomato paired with the mint were so unique and I loved the texture of the orzo.
Matt was pretty content with his huge portion of seafood paella too.
Oh, and there was cake.
An ice cream cake with a layer of caramel blast, pound cake, and cookies and cream.
Matt is a huge fan of ice cream cakes, and although he likes buttercream cakes too, he has always requested an ice cream cake for his special day.
We’ve tried Coldstone, Carvel, and now Ben and Jerry’s cakes and this one was probably second best. The ice cream was top-notch, but it was definitely less cake-like than Coldstone. Loved the caramel blasts on the top layer!
T’was a spendid way to celebrate Matt.
Read MoreBanana Cakes
Happy happy Friday friends. How often do you wake up to your house guests making pancakes!? Kanz was a-cookin Kodiak cakes bright and early this morning.
He added lots of fun toppings to the batter: choc chips, bananas, flax seeds, and shredded coconut :
Deck the Street
We’re almost out of pumpkin:(
So I had one pumpkin pancake and one regular, and the regular tasted blahhhh in comparison. I never want pumpkin season to end!
My weekly dose of food inspired by our friends south of the border:
One day I’ll eat dinner with Matt again and one day I’ll get around to folding the piles of laundry that now sit next to me on the couch. I’m hoping that day is tomorrow. Until then, my friends, I’ll be sleeping, hoping I don’t wake up with the pounding headache I acquired after work.
Adios.
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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?