What a whirlwind!

Wow! The last two weeks have flown by! I have so much to share -- so let's start at the beginning!!

Firstly, I must say that I had a FANTASTIC time at our dinner party at Katie and Heather's apartment. It was so fun to meet with friends and sit around and talk and eat. I mean, those are pretty much my favorite activities to do with friends.. preferably while holding a glass of wine. Anywho.. let's get back to the food.. because it was awesome! Everyone was instructed to bring a side dish or dessert as Heather and Katie shared the duty of hosts and made the main dish (with the help of Katye): Bruschetta Chicken. Yum. That's about how you sum it up. It was covered in tomatoes and veggies and was just delish. We also shared parmesan risotto, cornbread casserole and lots of yummy appetizers of homemade hummus, Caprese salad, veggies with dip, and a homemade Southwestern cheese ball! Lastly, we finished off dinner with my homemade pumpkin pie and Mary-Kate C.'s ice cream sandwich casserole! Y'all it was so much fun and man oh man was I stuffed! I am so excited to do it again in December! Randan and I have volunteered to host next month's dinner party at our apartment! It's going to coincide with LOTS of birthdays, so it wil definitely be a blast! Plus our new roommate Courtney will be all moved in and ready to celebrate! Wahoo!

Here is a picture of my pumpkin pie! Sorry, I forgot to take a picture before it was half-eaten. :)

And here is the recipe!* Trust me, it is soooo good. But beware, it packs some serious calories.. not that I care because I love pie and I love the holidays for which we bake them!

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, plus 2 yolks, slightly beaten
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 stick butter, melted then cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 piece pre-made pie dough (I just go to the freezer section of the grocery store and get one that's ready to bake, although I am going to try to make my own.. I just need a rolling pin.)**
Whipped cream for topping

Recipe:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. Add the sugar and salt and beat until combined. Add the eggs mixed with the yolks, half-and-half and melted, cooled butter and beat until combined. Finally add the cinnamon, ginger and vanilla and beat until incorporated.

Pour the mixture into the pie crust and bake for 50 minutes or until the center is set. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream on top!

So aside from the wonderful dinner party on Veteran's Day, my birthday was this past Monday! I am now officially 23! And I am so happy to have been surrounded by so many wonderful friends all weekend! We started the celebration on Saturday by going to dinner at Liberty Tavern in Clarendon. We also went to happy hour at Kelly's Irish Times on Monday and had fun as well, but let's not skip the best part and get back to talkin' about Saturday's meal!
That dinner was A-M-AAAAAA-ZING!! It was such a great atmosphere and was definitely moderately priced! I had the filet with this extremely yummy raspberry and red wine sauce on top with fingerling potatoes and braised oxtail stuffed cabbage. Oh my Lord! Y'all it was to-die-for. I ate the whole thing. Not kidding. Definitely one of my most fave meals I have ever had! It rivals my most favorite meal at Hennessey's in Columbia.. and that's hard to beat!*** I think everyone had a great meal as well. Randan had the rabbit confit with egg noodles, which I tasted and loved! Adam had a delish Italian fennel sausage pizza, and a few others the hand-made Gnocchi! I was so thankful to get to have a great meal in DC and spend time with great friends!

Here are some pictures from the fun that was had that night:

Not to mention that I also got flowers sent me at work from sweet Adam on Monday :)


Overall it was a great birthday weekend! I got lots of fun gifts and have many memories that I will always remember! And hey, 23 isn't so bad!
Y'all have a good rest of your week!
PS: I want to give a shout-out to the Hampden-Sydney Tigers football team for a perfect 10-0 season and congratulations on making it to NCAA Division III playoffs! I'll be at the first round home game on Saturday cheering you on!! Wahoo!!
PSS: If only the USC Gamecocks would win on Thanksgiving weekend against Clemson, I would be a happy camper for sure!
*I did borrow this recipe from Paula Deen. How could you not? Her pies are to die-for. For reals.
**Yeah, that was a shameless plug for "if you wanna get me a gift, a rolling pin would be perfect."
***Y'all if you have never heard of Hennessey's on Main Street in Columbia, SC, get there now. The food and the atmosphere are terrific and the ingredients are all local. Can't beat that!

Happy November!

It's finally my favorite month of all! I can just taste Thanksgiving! But, there are so many things to look forward to in the days leading up to that wonderful holiday! The next three weeks are packed with fun festive get-togethers -- starting next Wednesday when all of my girlfriends and I hold our first Supper Club! We are gathering at Katie and Heather's apartment in Ballston to celebrate fall with a dinner prepared by our lovely hosts. Everyone invited will have to bring a side dish or dessert, and I am so excited about mine! Homemade pumpkin pie ya'll!! I'll share a picture and recipe once it's made!

My birthday is just around the corner as well.. which all of you know is only 12 days away. I know, I know, aren't I too old for birthday countdowns? Well, no actually. I love birthdays. I think it is a great day to celebrate your life and how much you are thankful for all the people who surround you and love you. So, yes, unfortunately, I will continue to countdown for my birthday.. until I hit a year that I am embarrassed to admit. But for now, bring it on 23! Wahoo!

Then.. just to add a little bit more excitement to November.. NEW MOON comes out in theaters on the 20th! Oh Lordy.. I can't wait! I have read all the Twilight books and love them! I highly recommend them to you, dear reader. For a few of my friends, who shall remain nameless, the books are a bit of a younger read, but if you want some action and entertainment surrounded by a love story, then you will LOVE these books. Not to mention, Edward Cullen (played by Robert Pattinson) is beautiful.* Just sayin'. Be sure to read the article about Robert and Kristen Stewart (who plays Bella Swann in the movie) in the new edition of Harper's Bazaar - on stands November 19.

Anyways, a little update on Halloweekend! We had a BLAST! We decided to go to a party at Front Page in Ballston to hear Gonzo's Nose (an 80s and 90s cover band). It was really great and there were alot of funny costumes! Adam and I dressed up as Santa and Mrs. Claus and it was hilarious!**

On another note, we did decide to cook dinner this past weekend! I promise I haven't forgotten how to cook! We ended up making a really great, super-easy chicken dish with mustard-cream sauce that packs a TON of flavor! I have made this dish quite a few times, so I have adjusted the spices a bit. We made it with a side of corn, but you can choose whatever side dish you like. The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup cream
1/4 cup chicken stock or white wine (whatever you have on hand)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon tarragon (I use a small palm-full, as tarragon has a strong licorice scent)
Olive oil

Recipe:

Cook chicken breasts in a pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil until white all the way through about 8-10 minutes. A great tip that I have learned recently is to use frozen chicken breasts. If you can find them in the grocery store, they cook for 15 minutes on each side, and come out perfect. You can put them in the pan FROZEN and leave them alone! It's great!

Meanwhile, combine all liquid ingredients in a saucepan and heat through on medium heat. After it reduces a bit, add the tarragon. After the chicken is finished cooking, pour the sauce over them and serve. It is a tangy sauce that works well with any side dish. I recommend corn, asparagus or green beans! Here is a picture of the finished product.

Well it's Hump Day, so that means it's half way to the weekend! Hopefully it will be a relaxing one with lots of cooking and football. The Carolina Gamecocks need to keep up those wins, so let's kick some Arkansas Razorback butt! Y'all have a good rest of your day!

*No worries, I'm not cheating on Harry Potter. He is still my favorite.

**Would you expect anything less from a Christmas fanatic like me? No? Didn't think so.

PS: Here's a little picture of my new office!