The run

Well the run went better than the sleep sans the blood. Those stupid socks are going to the German landfill.

Pork knuckles and kolsch

First dinner in Cologne was at a traditional beer house. We were joined by Ralph and after a few "refreshment sticks" or thin 200 ml beers we ordered. We started with boiled blood sausage which was delicious and goulash. Then I had a pork knuckle. I had the choice of pickled and boiled or fried. The southern in me took over and I got it fried. The other guys got bratwurst and other traditional bar foods. It is 6 am and I haven't slept since 430. Going running in 30 and then heading to meet our new partners here. 

Cologne

I travelled to Germany Saturday for business and have been taking in a cool city with some coworkers. Here are a few pictures. The Dom is the centerpiece of the city and is massive. According to wiki it is the most visited German site. They were having mass. We had lunch on the Rhine and tried a traditional dish of Gouda and mustard with bread called halved hahn. Robert and Joe joined in with the cheese and beer. 

Girl's Dinner

THIS was my dinner tonight! Roasted Mahi-Mahi with spinach tossed with walnuts, roasted pears, blue cheese and pomegranate vinaigrette.

It was delicious!

Finished!

Beau and I completed our last final of the semester last night!!!!!!!! Relief! Needless to say, we are thrilled! It was a hard one, I’ve got to be honest. One of the hardest finals we’ve taken to date. The prof was hard, but he was good. We learned a lot. We had to celebrate afterwards, of course. So we headed to Brixx. (There’s only so much celebrating that’s reasonable on a Thursday when you have to get up early for work the next day.) The pizza was super and we were loving it. No thought on what was due next or what we should be doing instead of celebrating. Then my sweet husband took me for YOBE. And as we all know by now, that’s Kathryn’s favorite dessert spot. It didn’t disappoint. Taro and Heath.

 

This is how happy we are!

 

Thankful Thursday - Take 64

1266. One exam finished and one to go!

1267. Seven more weeks of school and we’re done!

1268. PMP review course for free this Saturday!

1269. Argos came out of his surgery okay.

1270. Friends made in class.

 

1271. We’ve decided to stay in our house.

1272. Clean water to drink.

1273. Eating well.

1274. Dancing in the kitchen.

1275. Vulnerability and openness.

 

1276. New opportunities.

1277. Boot camp class that’s kicking my butt!

1278. Girl Scout cookies are still making their appearance in our house.

1279. Festivities to come!

1280. The hubster. He’s really wonderful and I don’t deserve him. I love you more than Hershey’s Nuggets with Almonds and Toffee.

Turkey Hunting

Beau has picked up turkey hunting this year. He really enjoys it, although there are no less turkeys in the world because of him…at least not this year.

 

Here’s what he looks like when he’s all dressed up.

Full Weekend

Friday night Rosa, AB and myself went out to celebrate all of our birthdays. We had three stops, Grill 225, Charleston Grill and O-Ku. We were headed to each to get a favorite drink. We had a super time!

 

Grill 225: Nitrotini (In three different flavors) with their delicious charcuterie board.

 

Charleston Grill: They didn’t have my favorite drink so I order the Beetlejuice (very healthy) and we shared a crab cake.

 

O-Ku: I ordered a sweet and spicy beverage, my favorite combination, and we shared some sushi.

 

It was a very fun night with the girls, talking and laughing and eating and drinking. We talked about doing it regularly, although the wallet won’t allow it to be too regular! J

 

Saturday I had two baby showers to attend. So you guessed it, I found myself driving all over (from Mt Pleasant to John’s Island to Hanahan and back to Mt Pleasant) to attend the showers. Both were fun and I was glad I went.

 

But Saturday night was what I was most looking forward to. Beau and I had a cooking class downtown at Charleston Cooks! The class? Bourbon and Barbecue. (I thought Beau would find this ideal.)

 

The Menu?

 

Pulled Pork in a Bourbon-Apricot sauce

Smoked Quail with a Bourbon Glaze

Baked Beans (with Bourbon) and Crumbled Bacon

Cornbread Stuffing with Bourbon, Butter Beans and Corn

An Old-Fashioned

 

We were instructed on how to make our dish and then we were allowed to go to town. Beau and I decided to try the stove-top smoker. We’d both seen it used on Chopped and thought it would be neat. That thing works great! I nudged to Beau that it would be a nice addition to our kitchen. ;)

 

Then it was time to eat! My favorite was the cornbread stuffing and Beau claimed that the baked beans were the best he’d ever had. But we both agreed that he makes a far better Old Fashioned. J

 

 

Pitiful

Beau and I took Argos into the vet  yesterday for a teeth cleaning. His breath had gotten so bad we figured he was due.

 

In giving a dog a teeth cleaning that said dog must be put under anesthesia. (New to me.)

 

When we picked Argie up the vet said she had to extract three teeth! One in the back which was decaying and infected (why his breath was so bad) and two of his front bottom teeth. Poor guys was out of it from the drugs and the pain we felt bad for him.

 

But on the way home I looked in the backseat and there he is with his tongue hanging out a bit (which it doesn’t normally do) because he doesn’t have the teeth to hold it in. He’s so pitiful.

 

So you’ll see a pic of that, as well as a picture of the before and after of getting his teeth cleaned. It’s hard being a parent…

 

Never again!

Beau and I delivered our very last school presentation last night! Holy cow it’s a wonderful feeling! Of course we realize this is only the beginning to many, many more career presentations, but at least those will be of some value. These were based upon made up companies and projects. Stuff I never want to think of again!

 

We went through the whole class last night, each of us hearing each other’s presentations for the umpteenth time and being very bored with it. I’ve got to be honest in saying that I think the highlight of the evening was my presentation. And before you think I’m some sort of narcissist, know that I brought in cupcakes for the class and that’s the only reason they were thrilled when I presented. It was by no means my presentation skills. Definitely not!

 

Beau and I left there (late mind you) and headed to the Mexican restaurant by our house for a celebratory margarita and chips and queso. Yum!

 

 

Lobsta Killer!

Again, found a great deal on lobster tails. So…I snatched those up as well. I think I find this deal once a year, which results in something spectacular for dinner. Last year we tried Lobster Rolls. Those were delicious. This year? Seared Lobster over a Vegetable Saute. Sounds rudimentary, but oh wow.

 

The buttery flavor on the lobster with the heat and savoriness on the vegetables was excellent. We had some crusty bread with it just to scoop up any excess on the plate.

 

Seared Lobster Tails with a Garden Vegetable Saute

*Serves two

 

* 3 slices bacon (I didn’t use this. Didn’t have any. Still delicious.)
* 2 Tbs. butter
* 1/2 medium onion, diced
* 1 New Mexico chile (or a jalapeno is fine), seeded and minced (leave seeds in for more heat!)
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
* 2 sprigs fresh thyme
* 1 Tbs. chopped scallions
* 2 (8 oz) lobster tails
* 2 tsp all-purpose flour (not needed)
* 2 ears corn, kernels removed
* 1 cup sliced zucchini
* 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
* coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crispy, about 7 minutes. Remove bacon from pan and set aside on paper towels to drain. Crumble once cooled. Drain all but 1 Tbs. bacon fat.

Add 1 Tbs. butter to the skillet and melt. Add the onions and sauté until they start to soften, 3 minutes. Add the garlic, minced pepper, herbs and scallions. Toss in a pinch of salt and pepper. Bloom another 30 seconds.

Add the corn and zucchini to the skillet and sauté until they start to brown, about 6 minutes. Season with a little salt as well. Remove relish from pan and set aside.

Take the lobster tails and slice right down the center, lengthwise. Sprinkle each tail piece with the flour.

Add the remaining butter to the skillet and get it melted. Place the lobster tails, meat side down into the pan. Go ahead and add the tomatoes at this point as well. Toss in a pinch of salt for the tomatoes. Sear the lobster tails until the shells turn bright red, about 5 minutes. Remove tails from pan.

Toss the wilted tomatoes with the rest of the vegetable sauté.

Pull the lobster meat right out of the tails.

Serve lobster tails over a bed of the sautéed garden vegetables. Sprinkle with bacon crumbles and fresh basil slivers if desired.

 

Mussels

I found some mussels on sale this weekend and bought them up! I’ve never cooked mussels before but I know I love to eat them. So cook them I did!

 

I’ve been wanting to try a recipe I’ve had for a long time – Thai Curry Mussels.

 

It was just as delicious as I thought it would be. And Beau surprisingly loved it, as you could tell by the drinking of the leftover broth.

 

So you can see the mussels beforehand covered with the broth and then afterward, empty. We ate them all!

 

Thai Curry Mussels

2 pounds live mussels (about 6 dozen), cleaned and debearded*
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 large (or 2 small) shallot, finely diced
3 tbsp. Thai red curry paste
2 15-oz. cans of coconut milk (lite is ok)
1 cup chicken stock
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro stems
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Set a really big pot** over medium heat. Once it’s hot, melt the butter and saute the shallots for 5 – 7 minutes, or until they begin to turn translucent. Add the curry paste and half the chicken stock. Use a spoon to break dissolve the curry paste into the stock.

Add the rest of the stock, the coconut milk, cilantro stems, sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice and coriander. Bring to a simmer and cover for about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Raise the heat to medium high and add the mussels. Toss the mussels in the broth, then cover and let steam for about 5 minutes, checking to see when they open. Remove each mussel once it’s open to make sure you don’t overcook them. Some may not open and those should be discarded.

When you’ve removed all the mussels, serve them in bowls and add a few generous ladlefuls of broth. Sprinkle with cilantro leaves.

Makes 4 servings.

 

? Dog

Whatever you want to call it, it’s delicious. Last night Beau, Morgan, Donna and myself tried our own version of a Pukadog. That’s what they call these hand-held dinners. It’s a baguette that has had a deep hole drilled into it, but not through it. You squirt it full of your choice of toppings and insert the hot dog. Top it with some more toppings and eat. Yum!

 

Morgan bought the bread corer and hot dog roasted online and then bought the official Pukadog sauces from the company in Hawaii and we ate our hearts our last night.

 

Two choices for mustard: Lilikoi and Guava

Four choices for special sauce: Lemon-Garlic, Chili Pepper, Jalapeno and Habanero

Four choices for relish: Pineapple, Coconut, Banana and Mango

 

We each ate half hot dogs so we could try many different concoctions.

 

My favorite: Coconut, Habanero and Guava

 

My favorite southern concoction: Pimiento Cheese and Cole Slaw

 

Hope we can do this again soon! Thanks for dinner Morgan!

 

Evan's 1st Birthday

Beau and I traveled to NC this weekend to see my family and celebrate Evan’s 1^st Birthday, as well as his daddy’s birthday which is the day before.

 

The theme: dinosaurs!

 

We had cake, played in the balls, sat around and talked. It was a nice weekend just hanging out with the family that we love. Evan won’t remember this at all, but hopefully he’ll look back at pictures one day and see how many people love people and want to celebrate him.

 

Look at him eating that cupcake! That boy can eat!

 

And Beau enjoyed a nice pipe with the fellas. Reminds me of my dad’s dad.

 

Dates the Hubster

Beau and I went up NC to celebrate our nephew, Evan’s, 1^st birthday. It was a great time with my family hanging out and talking and eating and laughing. So glad we went!

 

We came home yesterday to have a little date at home. The hubster loves sandwiches. I man loves them! Never met a man who loved them more. He’s also been begging me to make meatballs. I’m not a fan of meatballs (a ton of silly reasons) so I’ve kind of been avoiding it. But out of pure love for him, I made him a dinner full of some things he loves.

 

French Bread

Cheese

Meatballs

Grapefruit

Butter Lettuce

 

I made a Meatball Sandwich with Pesto Aioli served with a Grapefruit and Avocado Salad.

 

He loved it! The meatball mixture made a ton more than we needed so I froze the leftover ones. I’ll add those to some marinara at some point for a quick dinner.

 

The hubster and I sat on the back porch (which we haven’t done since the fall) and talked while we waited on the sandwich to get hot and the cheese to melt. It was so nice. We even did a little dancing. A great date night at home with the hubster.

 

Meatball Sandwich with Pesto Aioli
adapted from Tartine Bread

Pesto Aioli
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
¼ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
½ cup chopped arugula
¼ cup toasted almonds
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons lemon juice
salt and pepper
¼ – ½ cup mayonnaise

 

*I used my own pesto and just added mayonnaise.

Combine everything except the mayonnaise in a food processor and process until a smooth paste is formed. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.
You could use it on the sandwich as just a pesto spread or, as we did, you could turn it into an aioli by adding some mayonnaise. Start with ¼ cup then taste and adjust if you’d like.
This can be made a few days in advance if well covered and refrigerated.

Meatballs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup grated Romano cheese
¼ cup red wine
2 cups bread crumbs
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, stems removed and the leaves chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon pepper
pinch red pepper flakes

Tomato Sauce

3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (28 oz) chopped tomatoes

soft ciabatta bread – or any other type you’d like to use
sliced provolone

In a large skillet over medium heat add the oil and the onions and cook until transluscent and just beginning to brown, about 15 minutes. Let the onions cool.
In a large bowl combine the remainder of the ingredients with the cooled onions. Mix everything well using your hands as they are the best tool in the kitchen. The mixture is quite wet.
Shape the mixture into roughly apricot size meatballs.
Heat a large skillet with a bit more oil. Sear the meatballs on all sides working in batches as to not overcrowd the pan. Transfer the seared meatballs to a plate and continue to work in this way until all the meatballs have been seared.
Drain the fat from the skillet then return the pan to the stove over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for two minutes. Add the tomatoes and with a wooden spoon scrape up any dark bits that cling to the bottom of the pan. Bring the tomatoes to a boil then reduce the heat to low. Return the meatballs to the pan and simmer for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350*F. Spread half of the bread with the pesto aioli then place a few meatballs along with a bit of sauce on the other half. Top the meatballs with a slice of provolone. Wrap the sandwich in aluminum then place in the oven for about 15 minutes until the cheese has melted and the bread is crisp. Let stand before eating as the sandwich will be very hot.

Grapefruit and Avocado Salad
adapted from Canal House Cooks Every Day

1 ruby red grapefruit
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pinch chile flakes
1 avocado, peeled and quartered
1 head butter lettuce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Remove the ends of the grapefruit with a sharp paring knife. Follow the curve of the fruit with the knife and slice off the peel and white pith exposing the flesh. Over a bowl, hold the grapefruit in one hand and cut out each segment by running the knife down both sides of the membrane. Let the segments drop into the bowl along with the juice. Add to the bowl the vinegar, chile flakes and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Taste.
On a platter arrange the butter lettuce and avocado. Drizzle the dressing and the grapefruit over the top. Dust the chives over it all. Serve immediately.

 

 

 

 

Things to Come

I’ve been working 9-hour days this week so that Beau and I could get on the road early today to head up to NC for Evan’s first birthday party. We’re having dinner with mom and dad tonight.

 

In addition to that, Beau will be picking me up from work, which means he had to take me to work this morning. I leave the house at 6:45 to get to work and usually the hubster is still cranking out the zzzzzssss. Not this morning. He woke up and drove me.

 

Well, I didn’t sleep well and had actually been up way before my alarm even went off so by the time Beau and I were on our way to work, I was WIDE awake!

 

As we started the drive there was complete silence. [It’s raining out.]

 

That soon stopped. Then we drove over the Don Holt Bridge.

Me:  “What is the actual definition of sequester? We can use it in a sentence when it comes to the government and a jury, but what was the actual definition?”

Hubster: “look it up”.

I looked it up.

 

Then we passed WestVaco.

Me: Why is the steam so low to ground today? It makes it look like there’s so much more than normal? Is it the clouds? The weather? Are they actually putting out more steam today than normal?

Hubster: “Not sure honey.”

 

Then we pass two Budweiser trucks on the side of the road.

 

Me: Do you think that second truck driver is just being nice or is there some corporate policy making him stop to help a colleague?

Hubster: “Not sure honey.”

 

We’re finally pulling up to my work when the hubster says that this drive has given him a glimpse into the future of when we have children. He thinks that our children will be morning people like their mother and they’ll be full of a ton of questions every day, most of which will be asked of him early in the morning when he’s still half asleep. His response? “Write it down and we’ll talk about it later.”

 

I laughed until we parted ways.

 

Welcoming the newbies

Beau and I had a couple from school move into our neighborhood a few weeks ago. We are now no longer the youngest couple in the neighborhood!

So what did I do?! I made them a cake! A Nectarine Upside-Down Cake. My first! That’s right, I’ve never made nor have I eaten an upside-down cake, even the famous pineapple. But because I don’t like to waste food (waste not, want not), I was on a mission to use the leftover sliced up nectarines I had in my fridge.

All of those nectarines in a Tupperware container begging to be eaten. They were just too much! Too much!

I also have another reason for doing. When Beau and I moved into this neighborhood we were looking forward to  meeting our neighbors and having relationships with them and we honestly thought they would come over and welcome us to the neighborhood. You can chalk that up to a silly dream that Beau and I had or that we had experienced it growing up and people would do that with our parents. We thought it would be the same with us. That was not the case…

So after weeks of waiting on the neighbors to come to us, we went to them. I made a few Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pound Cakes and took them to each of our four neighbors (one house was vacant-and we took them a strawberry pound cake when they moved in). They were shocked to see us standing at their doors eagerly awaiting the introduction and the presenting of the cakes. Three of them just said thank you and we left. One couple invited us in and we talked a bit. We have relationships with our neighbors and I can’t say for sure if it was because of the cake or not, but I’m still really glad we did that.

Beau and I are of the belief that 1) You treat others as you would want to be treated, also meaning doing for them for what you would love for them to do for you 2) Be the change you want to see in the world and 3) Don’t always wait for others or you’ll be waiting for everyone. There have been many good things that have been missed because of waiting for others.

So back to these classmates. They’re new to the neighborhood and because we wanted to and we vowed we would be “that” couple, we took them that cake on Monday night.

They invited us in, we talked a few minutes and then excused ourselves to go home and relax on the couch after our day. J

Here’s to hopefully making people feel special and loved!

*Please excuse the photo. My camera phone is not so great.

Thankful Thursday - Take 63

1232. Beau and I tried a new Sunday school class on Sunday and we really enjoyed it. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. We’ll be going back this Sunday!

1233. Everyone’s kindness during this hard time for Beau and his family. Thank you to everyone!

1234. Two years of marital bliss with the love of my life!

1235. Argos’ new pillows on his bed. He looks so happy…and spoiled. It’s my own fault really.

 

1236. Knowing that God has spoken the same thing to me and Beau, helping us to feel confident in our decisions.

1237. Goodies from co-workers.

1238. Wall Street Journal recipes that expand our horizons.

1239. My parents and Donna. They’re wonderful to me and Beau. They love us so much and we have a complete ball with all of them!

1240. My brother, Chris. He calls me for the most random things and I love it! Keep calling Chris!

 

1241. Beau has been able to spend some good time with his friends apart from me. I know he loves and I know it’s important for him to do. I’m thankful time has allowed for these opportunities.

1242. Clarity

1243. Clean water to drink.

1244. Choices.

1245. New opportunities and experiences through work

 

1246. A very fun and childlike vacation in Disney last weekend

1247. Coffee in the mornings

1248. Discipline

1249. A wonderful husband that joins with me on things that are important to me. He’s wonderful.

1250. A great husband who is a true partner and teammate in life. I couldn’t do it without him.

 

1251. For a wonderful pusher and encourager I’ve found in the hubster.

1252. Spoleto is coming. We bought our tickets yesterday.

1253. Desire for a healthy life.

1254. A new desk that allows me spread out, not wear my coat all day and take my shoes off! Yes!

1255. My dearest is 34 years old!

 

1256. Conversations that bring resolution and deeper understanding.

1257. Tears that heal.

1258. The health benefits of green tea.

1259. Finally starting to make a dent in the freezer. (We’re trying to clean it out.) It’s hard with only two people eating from it.

1260. Good time with family this past weekend.

 

1261. Milestones completed with school projects.

1262. 12 more weeks of this thing called school.

1263. Blogs that inspire. www.notwithoutsalt.com

1264. Creativity in the kitchen.

1265. Frozen berries I still have in my freezer from when Beau and I picked strawberries, blueberries and blackberries with Meme. Reminds me of her each time I use them.

 

[Change Up]

You know, it’s funny how items that are important you can remind of important things/people when you use them. I guess because food and cooking is such a love to me and so important to me, I remember picking those berries with Meme. Each time I use my cheesecake pan I think of Pop-Pop because they were his favorite and I think of Julia who gave me that pan. When I use my pots and pans, I remember who gave me each and every one and I think of them.

 

At the family dinner on Saturday night, Abbey and I were sitting across from one another at our dining room table. I have a runner that lays across it (see photo). Abbey mentioned how much she liked it and I told her that her mother had given me that when I got married. I think of Aunt Becky every time I look at it.

 

I’m happy I remember these things. Those gifts were not just “things” to me. They remind me that people care for me and are a part of my life. They bring memories to mind.

 

12 weeks

That’s how many more weeks Beau and I have of school until we’re COMPLETELY FINISHED! Can you tell that I’m excited?!?! So yes, I’m counting down the weeks for now and eventually those days will be counted as well. I could not be more thrilled! We finish up this semester in four short weeks with a celebratory graduation, graduation dinner and party. What a weekend that will be! WOW! I can’t believe the end is finally drawing near. Praise the Lord!