Anniversary Weekend: Friday Night Casual Dinner

Happy Sunday!  I hope all of you had a nice relaxing weekend.  Ryan and I really enjoyed our weekend together!  On Thursday, we celebrated our 10th Wedding Anniversary!  We didn’t really get to celebrate much that night because I was teaching Zumba and got home late, but it was ok, because we had fun weekend plans!

My friend Carla works at the Blake Hotel and hooked us up with an amazing deal.  (Thank you, Carla!!!)  We’ve seen it while driving on 277 through Uptown Charlotte and have never stayed there!  I know, you’re probably wondering… why didn’t we go somewhere far away?  Since we are in Charlotte all the time, that is.  Well, with all the fun wedding festivities and all the traveling we have done, we decided now might not be the best time to book a trip (especially since we just went on a cruise a few weeks ago!) so we decided to play tourists in our own backyard.

 

The Blake was a great place to stay.  It was very convenient—there were so many fun places to eat and visit!  Plus it was very nicely decorated and all of the staff was very helpful and friendly! 

Will you check out the view from our room?  Amazing!

(day view)

 

(night view)

We arrived to a little surprise: champagne and cokes from my sister Meredith and brother-in-law David!  So sneaky!  I’m not exactly sure how they managed this! 

We decided to go for a casual dinner on Friday night: Pinky’s Westside Grill.  SO FUN!  It has great atmosphere.  If you are ever in the area and want a great burger—this is the place to go. 

They have all different varieties and other fun surprises—like crab puppies!  These are hush puppies with crabmeat stuffed inside… and OMG—yum. 

 

Burger with everything: cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and chili!

We enjoyed our dinner out.  I also took Ryan to Amelie’s French Bakery nearby.  It’s a great spot for coffee and dessert. 

Stay tuned for more details about our weekend away!  :)  Lots of other good eats to come!

Anniversary Weekend!

Excuse my absence! I am celebrating my 10th wedding anniversary! Back soon with a picture recap!

Photo Shoot and Sushi Night

On Saturday, I had a photo shoot.  You know what I think of when I hear the words “Photo shoot?”  This song:

This song was actually on a list of the top 10 WORST songs of all time.  But I can’t help it.  It’s fun and I like it.

Back to the photo shoot.  The dance fitness company I work for was having a photo shoot on Saturday to shoot new pictures for our web site and promotional materials.  I have to say, from the moment I knew the date for this, I started getting nervous.  I couldn ‘t decide what to wear and how to pose!  These shots were Zumba instructor shots, so it wasn’t like posing for just any old picture.  In fact, I spent a lot of time practicing my poses and even had Ryan take some practice shots of me!  (Go ahead, laugh.  I know, I am a total dork.)

 

The shoot was a lot of fun.  And I think the photographer actually got some pictures of me that don’t look totally ridiculous!  YAY!  Here I am, posing:

 

(Thanks, Jay, for this photo!)

Thank goodness for the “directors” who helped give us ideas!

It was also fun to just SEE all the other instructors.  Often, we don’t see each other because we’re all teaching in  different locations.

(again, thanks Jay!)

Afterwards, we headed out to one of my favorite Sushi spots: Ru San’s.  I am really bad about always ordering the same thing every time I get sushi, so this time I decided to try out 2 new choices.  I ordered the Grinch Roll and the Rising Sun. 

 

(Rising Sun: I think it had tuna, salmon, onion, cream cheese, and more— and then the whole roll had a crispy tempura crust)

Grinch Roll (can’t remember what was in it—but had tempura bits on top, and eel sauce)

Both were delicious, but the Rising Sun was AMAZING!  It had a spicy aioli sauce on the side that was the perfect combination.  The rising sun is a BIG roll, but it’s sooo pretty! 

Do you like sushi?  What’s your favorite thing to order when you go out for sushi?

Hope you all are having a great start to the week!  I just got home from teaching a high-energy, crazy Zumba class!  Now I am about to settle in  with some soup, wine, and a new episode of American Horror Story, if I can get the husband to watch it with me.  Anyone else watching this?  LOVE this show!!!

Southern Christmas Show Demo!

Hello, readers!  I have missed writing this week!  My laptop cord broke, so I haven’t been able to blog in a few days!  But I got a new cord today—Yay!—and now I am back!

I hope you have had a wonderful weekend! 

You know, the further we get into the month of November, the more excited I am about the upcoming holidays!  I absolutely love the Thanksgiving-to-Christmas stretch.  In fact, I’ve already been listening to some Christmas music!  ;)  Earlier in the week, i had an opportunity to help with a demo at the Southern Christmas Show.  The dance-fitness company I teach with likes to go out and do demos at differemt events, just to show what a regular Zumba class or DanceOut class is really like.  I always love attending the SCS, so I was excited to help with this demo. 

 

Here I am with 2 other fellow instructors:

Jenny, Kyle, and Me!  We were also joined by about 10-12 other participants.

If you want to get in the holiday “mood,” then this is the perfect place.  I had never been on “Preview Night” before.  One bonus—free parking!  And as a demo participant, I got to attend the show FREE! 

Our demo was lots of fun and we had lots of people interested in taking classes with us.  Afterwards, it was time to explore and shop! 

When I attended the SCS last year (click to view), I got hooked on  Duplin Wine.  Most of their varieties are too sweet for me, but I love their Burgundy.  I made sure to stop by their area and got a little care package for myself. 

I didn’t spend too much—just got a few gifts, and some Darby Creek Soups.  I always want soup during fall and winter, and I like these soup mixes.  They are really easy to make for a weeknight dinner and you can add in extra fresh ingredients to make it “sorta-homemade.”  I chose three varieties: Tortilla Soup, Navy Bean Soup, and Split Pea Soup.  I can’t wait to try them out! 

Actually, tonight I am making a different sorta-homemade soup: Broccoli Cheddar.  I can’t wait!  I’ve been thinking about it all day!

Happy Sunday! 

I have a favor to ask you...

Hello to all of you!  Normally I wouldn't use this blog to post a request like this, but I think this is important.

I have a small favor to ask of you and it honestly won't take more than 1 minute of your time. 

My school district is in the running for a grant which would allow us to put lights on a sports field behind one of our schools.  York, SC, is a small town, and if we are able to get this grant, this will open lots of opportunities for our children.  The field will be able to be used by the community and the school district!

What's wrong with this picture???



Help us fix this problem!!!

It's so easy to help.  Just send a text to this number: 44144  For the message, type Clorox4676

That's all you have to do! 

You can also vote for us online by going to this link:

http://www.powerabrightfuture.com/gallery/detail/?nid=1198

The first time you visit, you do need to register, but it's free and easy. 

Thanks in advance for helping us out!

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats

You know, I am a mom of a three-year-old, and sometimes it’s challenging to get the “good things” in her.  I honestly think my child could exist solely on peanut butter, Pop Tarts, popsicles, and cereal. 

Enter Spaghetti Squash. 

There are several things that I like about SS. 

• First, you can roast the seeds just like pumpkin seeds. 
• Second, it’s just cool how the squash comes out stringy like noodles.  I can even call it a magic trick and my child believes me.
• Third, my child will eat it and she doesn’t even know she is eating veggies.
• Fourth, I will eat it and later be proud that I ate extra veggies.

Side note:  I so used to laugh at those moms on commercials who would say their kids were so picky, and that’s why their kids drank PediaSure.  I used to say, “My child will NOT be like that.”  Famous last words.  I’m pretty sure God laughs about that a lot.

A few weeks ago, I was reading Kohler Created, and Jessica had made Veggie-Stuffed Squash Boats.  I loved the idea of serving the spaghetti squash in the shell.  Why had I never thought of this before?

Now, spaghetti squash has a little bit of a different texture than noodles.  So I like to make it into a lasagna-type meal. 

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats (serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 2 small spaghetti squash (you could also use one really large one—but then you wouldn’t have the cute boats.)
• olive oil (just enough to drizzle)
• salt and pepper
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 lb. ground beef, turkey, or sausage
• 1 jar of spaghetti sauce of your choice (I used a chunky garden variety)
• Light mozzarella and parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Slice squash in half lengthwise.  Scoop out seeds and “guts”.  Rub a little EVOO on the squash (insides) and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place the squash on a baking sheet (cut side down).  Roast at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the skins are soft enough for you to pierce them easily with a fork.  Set aside. 

While the squash bakes, heat about a tsp. of EVOO in a saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add diced onion.  Sauté 3-4 minutes.  Add garlic.  Cook garlic 1 minute.  Add meat.  Cook until well-browned.  (I use extra lean meat so it doesn’t need to be drained.)  Add spaghetti sauce.  Bring to a boil, then simmer until squash is fully cooked.

Let squash rest about 5 minutes after you remove it from the oven.  Then, using a fork, rake the insides.  They will come out in stringy pieces, sort of like pasta.  Rake all 4 halves.  And don’t toss out the shells—remember these are going to be your serving bowls!

Now, it’s time to make the boats, lasagna style.  Each of the 4 boats should have these layers: squash, sauce, tsp. mozzarella, tsp. parmesan.  Repeat with another layer of each.  Then serve!

This is great comfort food: hot, ooey-gooey, and melty.  Yummmmm.  What a delicious way to eat your veggies.

Brunch Bridal Shower

After a wonderful sister dinner on Friday night celebrating Meredith, it was time to celebrate my youngest sister, Adrienne, on Saturday!

If you’ve been reading for a while, then you know that Adrienne is getting married soon (in just 6 weeks!!!) to Paul.  We’re so excited and happy for them, and we wanted to do something to help them get started on their journey together!  Meredith and I, along with Paul’s sister, sister-in-law, and a friend hosted a brunch shower on Saturday!

Do you know what is great about hosting a brunch shower?

Mimosas…

and Bloody Marys!

We had a Bloody Mary bar with 2 types of vodkas: regular and pepper-flavored.  The pepper-flavored vodka was so great—added a bit of a kick to the drinks!  We had toppings like olives, celery, and pickled okra to top them off.  I opted for all three in mine!  I love a Bloody Mary with a whole salad on top.  :)

On to the food…

Pumpkin muffins made by Meredith…

fruit skewers made by Emily…

 

mini quiches… not homemade… but delicious.  (Why reinvent the wheel?)

My contribution: grits!

I had never made grits before this week.  Well, unless you count the individual instant grits packets with cheddar and other flavors.  I don’t count those.  I really wanted to make real grits (i.e. NOT instant).  I had mix-ins on the side: green onions, bacon, and a mix of sharp cheddar and monterrey jack cheeses.  I thought that the grits turned out great!  (I’m not just saying that… I actually did hear some compliments on the grits!)  My secret to making the grits really creamy was adding in cream cheese right as they were getting close to being ready. 

I have to be honest… I was pretty nervous about making these grits.  I did a practice run on Thursday night to make sure they tasted good!  Yes, I had grits for dinner on Thursday night! 

My (Amateur) Grits Directions:

I used a ratio of 5 cups of water to 1 cup of grits.  First, boil the water.  As the water comes to a boil, add salt.  I added a heaping 1/2 tsp. of salt for every dry cup of grits.  (It was probably closer to 3/4 tsp.)  I talked to several people (and consulted Paula Deen) and the word is, if you don’t salt the water well, you’ll never get the grits salty enough later.  And they need the salt for flavor.  After the water comes to a boil, add the grits slowly.  I found that a whisk was really helpful to keep the grits from sticking together.  As soon as the grits are in water, you can reduce the heat down and let the grits simmer.  You really need to stir them every couple of minutes, to keep them from clumping and to keep them from sticking to the pot.  As they are close to being done (they’ll be thick), add in butter and cream cheese.  You can also add a splash of skim milk or half and half.  I made about 24 servings, so I used a whole stick of butter.  But for just one cup of dry grits, probably 1/4 stick would do if you’re going to add in other ingredients later.  I added about 1/4 block of cream cheese for every cup of dry grits.  Once the butter and cream cheese are melted and the grits are creamy and smooth, you are ready to serve them.  You can add in all sorts of toppings to make them delicious, including cheese, bacon, extra butter, green onions, sausage, shrimp, gravy, chopped tomatoes, diced ham, and more!  Everyone in the South likes their grits in a different way, so no matter what you put on them, you can’t go wrong!

Reader Question:  Do you like grits?  How do you cook them?

It was a fun shower and Adrienne (and Paul) got so many nice things for their kitchen and their house.  How fun! 

Adrienne, Me, and Meredith

The hostesses and the Bride: Meredith, Rebecca, Adrienne, Emily, and Me (not pictured: Kate)

 

Adrienne, Mom, Me, Meredith

By the way, if you are wondering what Sadie did during the party…

she enjoyed a bunch of fruit skewers…

and then…

She just curled up on the coach and passed out.  She slept through almost everything!

Did you know Ryan and I are celebrating our 10-year anniversary in just two weeks?  It’s fun to think back to this time ten years ago.  We were busy preparing for our wedding.  I’m excited for my sister as she and Paul start their journey together!