Crockpots and Weddings..

Weird title I know.. bear with me.

Yesterday, I did something that I have never done before. I pulled out my crockpot and cooked dinner while I was at work...

Are you stunned? I knew this was possible, but I didn't know what to expect from a large ceramic bowl filled with food that sits on my counter and warms for 10 hours.

Lawsy, I am a changed woman! I came home at 5:30pm to a house FILLED with the smells of a Mexican restaurant - who doesn't love that - and dinner waiting for me to eat it! Adam was just as speechless when he got a taste of the goodness. He asked if we could do this once a week. That's code for: the boy loves it! Yums!

Without further ado, Chicken Taco Chili!

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
1 16-oz can black beans
1 16-oz can kidney beans
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
10 oz package frozen corn kernels
2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies
1 packet taco seasoning
1 tbsp cumin (used less)
1 tbsp chili powder (used less)
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning in a slow cooker. Place chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Try it with cheese and sour cream - actually those are essential. No arguing! :)

OK- I'm glad I got that out of my system first. Onto other things! Last weekend, Adam and I traveled to SC for the wedding of my friend from high school, Zac. We flew into Columbia on Friday night, and I finally got my fingers on some San Jose! Saturday morning, Mom, Adam, Kaley's mom, Mrs. Susan, and I trucked up to Greenville for lunch with Kaley, Lindsay, and their boyfriends, Michael and Michael (ha), and to check in to the hotel. The wedding was actually in Lyman, so we drove out there for the fesitivites. It was a BEAUTIFUL event and it was so great to catch up with so many friends from high school that I haven't see in so long. It's nice to see people and it feels like you never left. It was hot as Hades, though. For reals.

I borrowed some photos (again!) from Mrs. Susan. I promise one day, I will bring my OWN camera to a party and claim my own photographs!

Sunday's travels home did not prove to be as simple as usual. Our 5:30pm flight from Columbia was cancelled because of a broken air conditioner on the plane. After arguing with the ticket lady, we were able to get on an 8:52pm flight from Charlotte, so USAirways put us in a "cab" with two other men and we were off! I use the term "cab" loosely because Applejack Taxi needs to get their junk together. That "cab" was a fifteen-year-old minvan with stains, of God knows what, on every surface, and about 236,000 miles on it. It's a surprise we didn't break down on the way to Charlotte. Worse happened actually. Mid-cab ride, I got an e-mail that our flight was delayed until 11:48pm!!!  When we arrived, it had been delayed AGAIN to 12:30am!! No way. We got a hotel room and ended up taking the 7:30am flight back to DC. Needless to say, work was hard the next day. I think I'm still recovering.

Other than that, nothing exciting is happening this weekend, thank goodness. Maybe a trip to Target (possibly needed) and a major deep clean of our apartment (definitely needed). I need this weekend to relax and do nothing. Next week is jam-packed with stuff, and then next weekend I head to Dewey Beach with my girl-frands! Woop!

Until next time,

Home again

It's always nice to go home. I'm so lucky that I am able to travel back to South Carolina from DC as often as I do. Especially when it's to celebrate special times with some of my oldest friends. Congratulations to Gray and Jessica Yelton (formerly Weeks)! I'm so happy I could be there to share with you such a special day! Here are a few photos. (I stole these from FB, so credit goes to Ms. Susan for the wonderful wedding pictures!)

BFFs since fourth grade. Yup. 15 years.

With Kaley, Bridgette, Lindsay and Lisa. We've started adding little ones to the mix. How presh is Mara Mae? Congrats again, Bridgette!

My dad sent me this little gem the other day, too. Just thought I'd share how adorbs they are. :)

Nothing much is happening this weekend. Hopefully I can convince Adam to go with me to buy a bookcase for our living room. Sounds exciting, right? Oh, and we'll spend lots of time watching Mad Men Season 4. Man, what I would give to be friends with them. :)

Happy Fallidays!

Fall is here! I am head over heels in love with this season and everything that comes along with it. Over the last few weeks, I have been enjoying lots of time with family, friends and all loved ones in my life. It has been such an exciting time! I have a few updates to come in the next few days, but until then, here is what the beginning of fall has offered!

September 19 was Courtney's (one of my best friends and roomies) 24th birthday! We celebrated with dinner and a night on the town the night before, and surprised her with gifts on Sunday! 

Roomies out for Court's birthday 

The Louisiana-shaped cheeseboard I gave her! The heart is on Baton Rouge, her hometown.

Cheeseboard from AHeirloom on Etsy.

Later that week, I made a dish that I found, once again, from one of my favorite blogs The Pioneer Woman. This recipe, Penne alla Betsy, was named after Ree's sister and is so rich and decadent I couldn't pass it up. Sometimes you've gotta indulge, ya know?

Penne alla Betsy

Ingredients:

¾ pounds Penne Pasta
1 pound Shrimp, tail-on
3 Tablespoons Butter
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 whole Onion (small)
2 cloves Garlic
½ cups White Wine
1 can Tomato Sauce (8 Oz)
1 cup Heavy Cream
Fresh Basil - To Taste
Salt To Taste
Pepper To Taste

Note: I used thin spaghetti because I was out of penne. It's the same effect, and it's still yum.

Recipe:

Cook the penne pasta until tender-firm, also known as al dente. Heat about 1 tbsp. butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple minutes until just opaque. Do not overcook them. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Now, put the cooked shrimp on the cutting board and pull off the tails. Chop the shrimp into bite –sized pieces and set aside. Finely dice one small onion. Mince two cloves of garlic. In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit add your white wine. Let the wine evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Now add an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce. Stir well until combined. Then add 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue stirring. Turn heat down to low and let simmer. Now chop your basil, or if you’re feeling very proper, chiffonaded. Now add your chopped shrimp back into the tomato cream sauce. Give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Finally add your cooked penne pasta and give it a good stir. Serve with parmesan cheese and basil on top.

The next weekend Heather and Lauren hosted all of our friends at their new home in Glover Park for September's Supper Club. It was Southern themed, so everyone brought a favorite side dish while the hosts made the most DELICIOUS shrimp and grits EVER! I decided on Baked Macaroni and Cheese, minus the tomatoes and plus LOTS more cheese, and.. 

Peach Cobbler

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, melted
4 cups fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup milk

Note: I divided this recipe in half (except for the amount of peaches) because I don't have a 9 x 13 inch pan. I used a pie dish.

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour butter in to the bottom of a large casserole or 9 x 13 inch pan. In the prepared dish, toss together the peaches and 2 tablespoons sugar. In a mixing bowl, combine the 1 cup sugar, salt, baking powder, flour, cinnamon, and milk. Spoon batter over the peaches. Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until top is golden brown.

This past weekend, I hopped on a plane (yes, I know, it feels like I'm in an airport every other week... oh wait, I am..) to sweet South Carolina to celebrate the nuptials of my dear friend and sorority sister, Lauren and her fiance Chris. It was a gorgeous wedding in Sumter and I am so happy that I was able to attend. Congrats Lauren and Chris! I hope you are having a blast on your honeymoon in Mexico and enjoy married life to the fullest! 

 The happy couple! I totally caught Chris off-guard by my yelling from the top of a rather large bench.. but, it's still adorbs. :)

And finally, dinner last night..

Orange Chicken

Ingredients:

1 bag of broccoli, the kind you can microwave in the bag.. judge if you must..
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 whole Chicken Breasts Boneless And Skinless
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Coat
1 bag of Uncle Ben's white or jasmine rice

Sauce:

1-½ cup Water Plus 2 Tablespoons Divided
2 Tablespoons Orange Juice
¼ cups Fresh Lemon Juice
⅓ cups Rice Vinegar
2-½ Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Grated Orange Zest
¾ cups Brown Sugar, Packed
1/4 teaspoons ground Ginger
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
¼ teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes
½ teaspoons Freshly Ground Black Pepper
3 Tablespoons Cornstarch

Note: This dish is SPICY. So, if you don't like that kinda stuff, go easy on the red pepper flakes or don't add 'em.

Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine all the ingredients for the sauce except for the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Once the sauce has started boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally. Generously sprinkle kosher salt and pepper over both sides of the chicken breasts.  Put the chicken on an aluminum foil covered baking sheet, and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes or until cooked through. Once cooked through, allow to cool enough to handle, approximately 5 minutes. Slice into bite-size pieces and set aside.
Turn the heat on the sauce to medium. In a small mixing bowl, mix the reserved cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water in order to combine and avoid lumps. Add the cornstarch mixture to the rest of the sauce and stir to combine. You will notice the sauce begin to thicken quickly. Stir for a minute or two until well thickened. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, gently toss together the broccoli, chicken and sauce. Serve with (or over) rice.
 

And here's just a little something I'm proud of.. call me Martha Stewart, if you'd like. :) (Actually, you can call me Martha because I saw this idea in Martha Stewart Living this month.) 

Candle is from Pier One and smells like fall heaven. Taper candles and holders are from Williams-Sonoma circa 2009. 

So, that's it, folks. I hope that fall is making you as elated as I am feeling. Have a fantastic weekend! I have four of my best friends from high school (L-town, what?), Mallory, Heather, Rachel and Ashley H., coming to visit me in DC this weekend, and I could not be more excited to show them my home! Also, let's all say a prayer to the football gods that my precious Gamecocks can walk away with a win after meeting Alabama in Willy B on Saturday. GO COCKS!

Until next time..

July - The Quick and Dirty

Oh, hello there! Missed me? Clearly, I have become a S-L-A-C-K-E-R with my blog. Poor little thing.. Welp, I am back! And here is the basic summary of half my summer. Yikes.. that sounds worse than it is. 


Fourth of July! What an amazing weekend! A crazy four days filled with more hours in the airports than in South Carolina, floating in our pool with my family in Lexington, driving across the state twice, Mexican food and margaritas on the patio of Taco Boy, raiding Harris Teeter's beer section at 8am, floating for hours on a boat around Morris Island in Charleston, learning that 50 SPF really won't keep you anymore protected than 30 SPF and spending as much time as possible with my very best friends. 


Here's a look..

Pretty sunset from the plane on the way to South Carolina

Jewell, Samantha and I in front of LaFonda. 

Floating in the ocean!

The next weekend I once again hopped a plane to South Carolina to celebrate my dear friend Megan and her fiance Bryan's wedding in Greenville! It was so nice to spend two weekends in a row with friends from college and then high school. Megan's wedding was truly beautiful. All the details were so special and it could not have been more fun. I am so happy for her and I wish her and Bryan a lifetime of happiness! Congrats Meggy Weggy!

Jessica, Kaley and I with the beautiful bride Megan!

Beautiful Lexington girls!

Jessica, Kaley and me

Me and Merey!

Shelley, Jessica and me

Pretty girls one last time!

This past weekend, Mom and my cousin Kathy came to visit me in DC! It was such a packed weekend, but we had a great time. Mom and Kathy were able to take advantage of Friday and yesterday to site-see almost every major landmark in DC: the Natural History museum, Sculpture Garden, the National Mall, Arlington Cemetery and the Capitol. 

On Saturday morning we woke up super early and made it to Eastern Market before the crowds. It was my first trip and I was so happy to find so many eclectic pieces of jewelry, vintage purses and bags and all kinds of fresh market fruits and veggies. It was nothing like I had expected and it was such a nice morning to stroll through and enjoy it all. 

After Eastern Market, we traveled to Old Town Alexandria and toured another neat museum called the Stabler-Leadbetter Apothecary. It was so neat and historic and right in the middle  of Old Town. After browsing some shops, including my personal favorite, The Christmas Attic, we made our way to The Light Horse restaurant for dinner. It was delish! Here are a few photos of dinner.

Our appetizer of hummus, roasted tomatoes, balsamic reduction sauce and baby arugula with toasted flatbread. Incredible.

Kathy's roasted chicken, red-skinned mashed potatoes and corn salsa.

Butchers "Secret Steak," red-skinned mashed potatoes, homemade steak sauce and roasted asparagus. Adam, Mom and I ALL got this. Yum-o. 

So, after a few more glasses of wine, we ordered a piece of chocolate cake that was absolutely DEVINE.* Good Lord, I love chocolate, but this was to die for. Please, please go to The Light Horse for dinner if you are ever in Old Town Alexandria. I promise you won't regret it! 

Sunday morning, we woke up and went to the International Spy Museum. It was COOL. I mean, I am a serious child-at-heart, but this was a neat museum for all ages. I recommend.

I have to say, I was a bit wary of doing all of the touristy things while they visited, but it was really fun to be a tourist in your own town. I appreciate living in DC even more now that I have experienced the neat attractions off the beaten path. And, I am glad I got to show my mom and cousin around my new home. :) I miss you guys!

So, other than that, the rest of July has consisted of watching Lost as much as possible, and I have to say I can not stop. It is out of hand, but I have to finish. I just started Season Four last night, and I catch myself thinking about what may happen to Kate, Sawyer and Jack at random times of my day. I really hope my withdrawals from this show after I finish the final episode won't be as severe as my withdrawals from Sex and the City were. I'm nervous. 

Until next post..

*I mean, I am 98% sure it was DEVINE.. like I said, it was after a few glasses of wine... ahem.


PS: Mary-Kate Rasa, Jessica Weeks, Meredith DuRant and Bridgette Grice: I hope y'all don't mind that I borrowed your photos for this post :) I am clearly a lazy bum and didn't take my own. Love you all!

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.

Best. Weekend. Ever.

Again, I must apologize for being so slack with this blog. I started out so excited about everything, but with all the busy-ness that has been going on in my life, I barely have time to eat. Literally. I haven't cooked a meal in about a week before last night. I have been relying on my stocked cabinet of Cornflakes, Nutrigrain bars and rice. Ha. The life of a recent college grad.*

So this past weekend, I went to what I think was one of the most fun weddings of all time. I flew down (thank goodness!) to South Carolina on Friday and had Mom come pick me up and she brought back to good ol' Lexington for the night. Then on Saturday, I met Christa and John in Columbia and we set out for our whirlwind trip to Charleston for Meredith and Paul's wedding.

We got into Charleston at just around 2 p.m. and went straight to meet all my friends that I was staying with at the hotel in Mount Pleasant. It was SO great to reunite. It was a short-lived reunion because I had to go get ready and be at the church early to greet the guests at the program table.

Let me tell you something. There are some people who go over the top with weddings. And everyone has individual ideas on how to spend money on different parts of the wedding. But I will say, Mere and Paul did a great job at balancing everything to make their special day enjoyable for not only themselves, but their guests as well. It was BEAUTIFUL! The ceremony was short and definitely sweet ( I may have teared up a bit.) And the reception was even better. The 3 F's were in full-force: Food, Friends and Fun!**

To start, the reception location was awesome, to say the least. Middleton Place is a wonderful place to have a reception. It was large enough for everyone to fit and cozy enough to not feel like you were in a giant empty room. There were even peacocks roaming around the pavillion we were in! The band and drinks made it more than fun. And the food.. my friends.. let me tell you something, those were the best shrimp and grits I have ever tasted. They were in a cream sauce that made the shrimp to die for. And the grits were PERFECT. Nothing could have been any more perfect, in fact. Except for Meredith: she was lovely. I am so happy to have been able to share that special day with her and all of my closest friends. It was a night I won't forget. 

So, on my plane ride home, I kept thinking about those shrimp and grits. I would kill to have the recipe, but I doubt Duvall's catering in Charleston would give it up to a novice cook like myself. So I settled for the next best thing, shrimp scampi. It's not exactly what I wanted, but I figured it would satisfy my need for more shrimp.

Yesterday, I went to HT and got the supplies. I made the yummy dish for Randan and myself. We accompanied it with an iceberg wedge with parm cheese and ranch dressing. Pretty standard. And of course, the go-to side: Texas Toast with cheesy crust. Best ever. Yum. I also bought one of the last cases of Honey Moon beer. It's the Blue Moon summer ale, and I am going to miss it over this winter. It's very sweet and yummy. Goes great with seafood. 

Disclaimer : This happens when you steal my camera when I'm not around. Ha! Love you!

And in closing, I have a packed Labor Day weekend. It's going to be so fun and I can not wait for it.

Firstly, the University of South Carolina Gamecocks have their first football game this Thursday, September 3. We are joining the DC Alumni chapter at Crystal City Sports Pub for the game-watching party and I am so excited. Time to bust out the face tats and garnet and black colored dresses! Woo hoo! Go Cocks!

Then after work on Friday, I am driving three hours to Hampden-Sydney College to stay with Adam for the weekend. I have been waiting for this moment since I left H-SC last spring. I can honestly say that H-SC is one of the most fun schools I have ever visited. Not only is it in the middle of nowhere (Farmville, VA), but the entire school is filled with only one thing : boys. (Sorry, Adam, you know what I mean..) It is a completely different atmosphere than an SEC school or any other school for that matter. My weekends there have consisted of awesome parties, fun concerts and even better fraternity functions. Plus, there is a restaurant in town called Macadoo's and they serve awesome onion rings and sandwiches. Adam and I frequent it often when I visit (hint, hint). Annnnd, even though I am a college grad, my boyfriend's sweet school will give me the opportunity to relive some of my college days minus the classes.

I love it. Period. So, I am going to visit Labor Day weekend. Can't wait!

Stay tuned because this week, my cooking is back in full-force. Tonight, I am making Smothered Chicken with brown rice. Yum.

Oh, and Happy September. It's almost Fall!! Stick around for my crazy fall rants in the weeks to come! It's my absolute favorite time of year!

* Don't feel bad. I really do love Cornflakes. My grandfather used to eat them, and I think that's part of the reason why I love them so much. I remember eating them at their house when I was little and loading the sugar on to make them sweeter. I haven't changed that part. I may put Splenda in my coffee, but you can't make me part with the real thing for my Cornflakes.

**Ran-- don't you love my alliteration. Just a little English grammar for 'ya.