Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Just wanted to share with you my lunch today, since I was a bit creative and it was yummy. I made a spinach salad with dried cranberries, walnuts, Gorgonzola cheese and a honey dijon vinegarette. It was salty and sweet, which is a nice diversion from the usual dinner leftovers and sandwiches. Please forgive my poor presentation. You get the point I'm trying to make, right?

And in memory of St. Patrick, here are a few photos of my visit to Dublin, Ireland, two summers ago. As well as a few more London and Paris pictures thrown in there. Enjoy!

Our tour of the Guinness factory in Dublin, Ireland

Typical phonebooth photo.. All crammed in there!

Pouring my own pint of Guinness in the factory

Courtyard at Trinity College in Dublin

London Eye

 

Big Ben.. I know.. where's my fanny pack, right?

Dance party.. totally normal..

In King's Cross Station.. on my way to Hogwart's.. Bahaha.

Eiffel Tower in Paris, France

Louvre Museum in Paris

Adam and I on our first date.. No big deal.. Ha.

Best six weeks of my life.. any who, I hope everyone enjoys the rest of your St. Patty's Day! I'm making tacos for dinner and watching all the great Wednesday night shows on TV. I also will probably start packing for Hampden-Sydney this weekend! Yay!

St. Patty's Weekend in Columbia

I can honestly say that driving a total of 1,000 miles and being in a car for almost 16 hours is well worth a weekend in Columbia, SC. Especially if that weekend happens to be St. Patty's Day in Five Points. Not to mention, I got to spend some time with my fam. It was much needed and much appreciated.

On Friday, we left DC at 8:30 a.m. This was an accomplishment in and of itself. With the Starbucks and conversations flowing, we made it to SC in about eight hours. Not bad at all considering the stops we made and the little amount of rain we encountered. I dropped Christa and MK off in Columbia and headed to L-Town.. what?*

Then, I got to meet this guy. Love at first sight. His name is Cooper and he is one year old. My parents rescued him from the pound and he is a big ball of love. He loved to pose. :)

I could have stolen Cooper and never given him back; I love him so much. He is the sweetest, most adorable puppy ever. He is a Petit Griffon Basset Vendeen, which means small, low to the ground, rough or wire coated and from the area of France called Vendeen. I can't wait to see him again!

After the love fest with Cooper, we went to dinner and then came home to relax. It felt nice just to be in my parent's house, since I hadn't visited since Christmas.

On Saturday, I drove downtown to Samantha's apartment. We had Chick-fil-a bisquits, mimosas and bellinis while everyone finished up getting ready to head out. We went to a few friends' houses before making it down to the actual festival, and we had a blast! I feel like I saw alot of people, but there were still so many friends I would have liked to have spent time with. It's so hard to see everyone in just one day. And, the friends that I did see, I definitely wished I could have visited for longer. Hopefully I will make it down to Columbia again in the next few months. Here are a few photos from the day.

And, here is a little throwback. So glad the weather was better this year!

On Sunday, I woke up pretty early to drive back home. I wanted to spend just a bit more time with my parents and Cooper before heading back to DC. My dad surprised me with a carwash, which was much needed. All the snow we've had this winter has taken it's toll on the cleanliness of my black car. It has been caked in salt from the roads for months now. So, thanks Dad, even though I ruined the surprise!

The drive back was not bad at all. It took about the same amount of time, and was filled with lots of funny stories and moments that are all too ridiculous to mention on my blog. If you know Christa, you know it was an entertaining ride. Just ask poor Keith, who rode back with us. The only guy, riding in a car with three girls, talking about God knows what for hours. You get my point.

On a separate note, I am excited to mention that I have a few friends getting married this summer and fall! A big congratulations to Megan R. and Megan H., whose weddings are in July and Lauren B. whose wedding is in October! I know I'll (hopefully) be able to participate in at least two more of these traditions below.

This is Meredith's wedding to Paul last August. It's a ZTA tradition. Love you Merey!

Y'all have a great day! I'll be posting about homemade pizza later on. A big thanks to Mom for surprising me with my very own pizza stone! Can't wait to try it out!

*Get it? L-Town.. what? OK, you really only get it if you went to LHS. Or ever went to a sporting event associated with the school. Or town, for that matter. Alright, let's move on.

Tomato Mac and Cheese

Oh, Paula. I feel like that's what I say everytime I make and devour one of Paula Deen's recipes. Seriously y'all, they are like heaven, plus a stick of butter. This one is very simple and as I watched her and her son, Jamie, make it on TV, I was immediately excited to get in the kitchen. I have become a firm follower of Crock-Pot Mac and Cheese (as have my family, friends and boyfriend, who all seem to eat copious amounts of the stuff whenever I make it.) But, I figured I would try this one out. Who doesn't love mac and cheese? And, tomatoes on top? Hello?!

Ingredients:

1/2 stick of butter
2 cups uncooked macaroni
1/2 minced onion, less if you don't like a lot of onion
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
3/4 tablespoon dry mustard
1/4 tablespoon paprika
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 ripe tomato, cut into slices
Pepper

Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Boil the macaroni in a large pot over high heat until cooked to package instructions. Drain and pour into the baking dish to cool. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the onion, constantly stirring until softened. Add the flour, salt, dry mustard and paprika and mix well, making sure there are no lumps. Stir in the milk slowly and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add in the Cheddar cheese and  stir until incorporated and melted. Pour the cheese mixture over the macaroni and stir gently to combine. Cover the macaroni with tomato slices and sprinlke with salt and pepper. Bake for 35-45 minutes until bubbly. Serve hot! Once again (I feel like I say this everytime), I dug in before Randan reminded me to take a picture. I apologize, but you get the gist.

Eat and smile, my friends! This one is a keeper.

On another note, this time tomorrow, I will be on my way to the great state of South Carolina with MK and Christa in tow. I'm excited to see my family on Friday night in Lexington, and be in Columbia on Saturday for St. Patty's Day in Five Points! Thank goodness the weather is having mercy on us this year! In the past we have endured freezing temperatures and tornadoes, but this year's forecast has changed from high 50s and rain all day to the newest forecast of 70 and sunny all day! I CAN NOT WAIT! In the meantime, I will be daydreaming of green beer and floppy, glitter-shamrock headbands..

Have a great weekend!