The Culinary Expierence

Happy (early) Valentine’s Day! Y’all should totally celebrate by entering my Valentine’s Day Giveaway! What are you doing on February the fourteenth?

Totally digging s'mores brownies and hot chocolate on a stick for Valentine's Day. 

On Wednesday night a few Gamma Phi Beta girls went to Yogurt Tap, a frozen yogurt place in Decatur. It was a ton of fun! I got the marshmallow and s’mores and chocolate yogurt and chocolate chips, raspberries, and some brownie to go on top. Yum!

Thursday night I went to my friend Alex’s. She has an adorable food blog, Pride and Pastries, and since I love food and photography and she loves to cook and was in the market for a food photographer we figured we’d make the perfect blogging duo!

We made horray risotto (follow the links to the recipes and more pictures) and some delicious meatballs in tomato sauce. Everything was fantastic! The risotto was super rich and perfectly yummy, and the meatballs were the moistest I’ve ever had.

Alex also made sea salt caramel cupcakes the night before, and we had those for dessert. They were heavenly! I’m definitely excited to have more food adventures to share with y’all!

After dinner I went to a new member fraternity mixer for Gamma Phi Beta. It was beach themed, and a lot of fun (even though I had to leave early to write an essay)!

On Friday I went to Decatur with my friends Tori, Kim, Laura, and Tori’s boyfriend Ivan to celebrate Kim’s birthday. We went to the Raging Burrito, which was super good! We got queso dip and chips to share, and I got their vegetarian chili, served with warm tortilla chips. Yum! After dinner we watched Price of Persia (which was laughably bad), and headed over to Zaya, a place on campus, for some cheesecake and red velvet cake. I also ran into my friend Rick and helped him perform some “pledge” tasks for a fraternity, which was hysterical!

Saturday I took The Boy out to celebrate his birthday (doesn't he look spiffy?). We took our bikes and headed to Little Five Points and Freedom Park, where we stopped to sit in the sun and enjoy some snacks (Izzie soda and a sandwich). We explored the area, and rode through the Highlands and the Fourth Ward, where we met an elderly man who drew us a picture!

If you’re ever in Atlanta, I totally recommend riding on the Freedom Park Trail. It goes past the jimmy Carter Museum, and it’s beautiful! On the way back we visited an adorable park off of Lullwater road, with a lovely stream and tiny secluded trails.

( jeans: J. Crew, top: Target, cardigan: J. Crew Outlet, scarf: Gift, boots: Nine West )  

After our bike ride The Boy and I hung out in Starbucks drinking coffee to warm up, watched some 30 Rock, and then headed to Ecco for The Boy’s birthday dinner. For starters we had fried goat cheese with honey and black pepper, and then I got a wood-fired pizza made with San Marzano tomatoes, house-made mozzarella and basil and The Boy got a duck, endive, and pasta dish. Everything was incredible! We didn’t really save room for dessert, but we got it anyway; olive oil, sea salt, and chocolate ice cream and crème brule with almond cookies, which both kind of blew my mind. I swear, I could eat that ice cream every day for forever and never get tired of it. It’s that good.

Listening to:

alt. wav - codeseven

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Happy holidays, everyone! Between feverishly knitting gifts, baking cookies, and enjoying holiday lights I’ve barely had time to think about the fact that Christmas is only a few days away! What are you plans for the twenty-fifth of December?

Make sure to enter my giveaway by Wednesday! The more the merrier! 

Sea salt caramels and s’mores on a stick would make the most perfect gifts or holiday party snacks.

An awesome indie Christmas mix. The Maine, Death Cab, Guster... I think I'm in love. 

Wanna pimp your snowman? Of course you do!

Thursday night was spent decorating gingerbread cookies with family friends, and on Friday we got together to bake some more cookies! Afterward, we drove into Philadelphia and ate lunch at Continental, where I had the most delicious “green submarine” sandwich (avocados, sprouts, soft cheese, cucumbers, and a seven grain roll) with these amazing fries. After that we went to the Comcast Center to see their cute holiday light show, and then we went to Capagiro, which has the best gelato I’ve ever had. I got the dark chocolate and the cinnamon (both of which were amazing), and my mom got this fantastic cranberry flavor.

After ice cream we wandered around Anthropolige and Urban outfitters, and then headed home so I could go see Tron with my friend Jessica. I literally called half of the movie right as it was about to happen (genocide! army! Obi-Wan stunt!), but it was visually impressive, and the soundtrack (by Daft Punk) kind of majorly rocked. After the movie Jess and I drove around looking at Christmas lights and chatting before finally heading off to bed.

( black jeans: J. Crew, boots: Nine West, shirt: Old Navy )

Saturday some of my friends came over and we played Bananagrams and agame called Take 5 and then watched SNL. Sunday my family drove to Pennsylvania to give my grandma her Christmas presents and eat brunch with her. We literally got her rocks for Christmas! For her yard. I swear she asked for them. Also, my present from my Grandma were these wonderful boots! I love them to death. Black leather perfection. 

Forgive the awful outfit shot. It was late! My room at home is due to be painted (gray, I think), and thus stands awfully stark and white at the moment. To make up for it I'm wearing what may be the brightest thing I own... 


Also, in case you missed the lunar eclipse at 2:30 A.M. EST on 12-21-2010, here's a picture I took:

Once again, happy holidays! Enjoy your December of yummy food, family, and fun.

Lots of love and holiday cheer,

Genevieve

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Make sure to enter my very first giveaway! It’s a lovely scarf I handmade as a thank you to all you amazing readers. All you have to do to enter is be a follower!

Matt, of A Different Sort of Fashionista, was sweet enough to answer one of my questions. Check it out here, and take notes on how to rock Converse and knee-highs!

White Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse & Cocoa Nibs Shortbread Cookies (gluten free!) and Pumpkin Rice Pudding? Yes, please.

If you were to watch movies backwards...

Thank you to everyone who posted encouragements about moving! Y’all made me feel a million times better about the whole thing, and I’m actually even a little excited now!

Friday night, after my first final, I grabbed dinner with The Boy I’ve been seeing. I decided to reward myself by eating a massive piece carrot cake for dinner—yum! Aren’t I healthy? Later that night I headed to a sorority family movie night. We watched Angel season one and The Mummy while munching on popcorn, talking, and playing with my big’s adorable dog, Luca.  

( vest: Land’s End, black jeans: J. Crew, boots: Bass Outlet, top: Gap )

Saturday night The Boy invited me over to his house. He actually cooked a meal for the two of us! He made pan seared chicken and onions, a lemon, pepper, and cream sauce, couscous, and a vegetable mix of green beans, corn, and orange peppers. It was utterly, utterly adorable, delicious, and a ton of fun to cook together. After dinner we talked and watched Avatar and Zoolander (which was bizarre and funny), and then I promptly fell asleep and didn’t wake up until the next morning (which isn’t nearly as scandalous as it sounds). The rest of Sunday and all of Monday and Tuesday were spent studying/procrastinating/taking finals my last three finals and packing up to go home and move dorms next semester. Eeep!

Tuesday night, after my last final and saying goodbye to friends, The Boy came over and we watched Fight Club, which is, of course, utterly awesome. Wednesday morning he drove me to the airport super early (read: 6:20 A.M.), and I was in Philadelphia by 11 A.M.! My mom picked me up from the airport and we went to Ikea, the Gap Outlet (I scored four awesome tops for Christmas), and the Italian market in the city before returning home. We also grabbed a quick lunch of tasty chicken potpie at Di Bruno Bros on Chestnut St. That night my whole family (my dad, mother, sister, and I) ate dinner together and, afterward, decorated our Christmas tree and ate chocolate and vanilla cupcakes we got at Di Brunos. Yum!

Guess what? It’s snowing right now! Eeep. I’m so excited that it’s sticking! Boy, is it nice to be home for the holidays.

Where are y’all spending your holidays? Do you have any special traditions you’re excited (or not so excited!) about?

Hello, Goodbye

Between gearing for for final exams, finding out I have to move dorms next semester, and saying goodbye to friends for the holiday it's been a crazy week! How have y'all been doing? Also, I've reached 50 followers! Thank you so much! I'll be hosting a giveaway in the next week! Thank you for all your sweet comments on my last post; I'll try to respond to y'all as soon as possible!

Pistachio - Cocoa Nib Macarons With Bourbon Buttercream and Drunken Pumpkin Bourbon Tart With Mascarpone Cream  ? Yes, please!

Totally loving the idea of making my own snowglobes, and these snowy balloon ornaments are too cute!

Santa, Anthropologie’s Into Midnight Ring just made my wish list! 

Saturday night a group of friends got together to eat tasty food from Top Spice (the tofu curry was divine!) and say goodbye to the seniors who are graduating early. It was a ton of fun, but bittersweet! 

Sunday I spent doing some finals work and watching Mission Impossible with a friend. I’ve never seen it, and I’m not sure what I think, but Tom Cruise was certainly entertaining! That night I went out with some of my sorority family to celebrate my Great-Grand Big’s birthday at Maggiano’s, which is a nice Italian restaurant. I got the most amazing eggplant parmesan, and they gave me an order of ricotta gnocchi in a tomato vodka sauce to take home with me; yum!

Monday was the last day of classes, which was such a relief. Now I just have four finals and a 6,000 word essay all due before next Tuesday. Eeep! 

Tuesday night my whole sorority family went to Copeland’s Cheesecake Factory. I got French onion soup, which was tiny, but pretty good! I’m not sure I’d recommend the restaurant, though. Afterward my big. grand-big, and I went to Café Intermezzo, a European Coffeehouse, where we all got big mugs of hot chocolate. It was amazing! I got a “deluxe” hot cocoa, my big got Nutella hot chocolate, and my grand-big got Mexican hot chocolate. They were all phenomenal, and the place was adorable inside—dark, and full of candles, mirrors, and small tables. Afterward  I gave my big and grand-big Christmas presents and then my grand-big had my big and I try on some of her old clothes that don’t fit anymore (I scored some pretty sweet things!). It was a crazy, awesome night.

On Wednesday my college hosted a Harry Potter Midnight Breakfast, and it was so much fun! The whole dining hall was decorated, and they played Harry Potter music. There was an “HP” ice sculpture, and one of the words was dressed as Hagrid—including stilts and a pink umbrella! There were loads of yummy breakfast foods, and even butterbeer. It was a great way to round out a night of studying!

( shirt: Old Navy, Black Jeans: J.Crew, Boots: Bass Outlet )

There’s going to be a big change to my life (and outfit pictures!) next semester . I signed a housing contract with the sorority, and I got “pulled” out of a lottery to live in the sorority lodge, which means I have to leave my roommate, whom I adore. I was devastated! I tried to fight it, but didn’t feel right putting someone else in the same position. I’m trying to look on the bright side and see this as a huge opportunity. Hopefully it all works out and I love it!

Listening to:

first single - the format

All A-Flurry

What are you looking forward to for December? I just love this time of year! Hot chocolate, chunky scarves, Christmas lights, snow, and family. All the best things ever.

 

( Shirt: Gap, Black Jeans: J. Crew, Boots: Bass Outlet )

If you know anything about Judaism (or even if you don’t) you’ll enjoy this video. I’m not Jewish, but I still loved it! If you celebrate, Happy Hanukkah!

Oh goodness guys; I’m so freakishly excited for Christmas! I’m completely and totally in love with this Christmas in a Bottle idea. Check it out!

Zara is killing me. I’m not usually one to go for animal prints, but I’m in love with their leopard print dress and this super sweet leather sequin dress. This sweet little number also stole my heart; check out the darling pattern!

Thanksgiving was a blast! I woke up to snow flurries, and my Grandmother came to celebrate with my family. For hors d'œuvres we had cheddar from our August trip to Canada, some sharp cheddar from Washington state, brie, and a cheddar and leek dip, along with roasted chestnuts, crackers, and roasted pecans.  

My mom made enough food for an army; green bean casserole, wine infused onions, oven roasted asparagus, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, and, of course, a turkey. For dessert we had Crème Brule, apple strudel, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, and whipped cream. Whew! I ate so much I promptly fell asleep right afterward. How did you spend your Thanksgiving?

Friday and Saturday were spent shopping with my grandma for Christmas and my mom for jeans (I have the worst time finding any!). I was so excited; I found the absolute perfect pair of black leather boots! I can’t wait to unwrap them and act all surprised. Friday night one of my best friends and I went to a Boarders closing sale, and we snagged some awesome Star Wars posters. Afterward we went to our friend’s house with a few other people to chat about college and watch silly YouTube videos (including llamas with hats. Watch it.). Saturday night I went to see Harry Potter 7 again, which was super fun!

Sunday was spent packing, lazing around, and figuring out college friend’s Christmas presents. I got brunch with my friend Missy at a popular diner in town, and it was so nice to catch up. On Monday I left home to go back to Atlanta and my last full week of class! Tuesday night after sorority chapter my big and I ate dinner together and caught up. Wednesday I had dinner at Saba, where I had the most tasty pumpkin ravioli! It might have been a date. Maybe. He paid! To wrap up the week, on Thursday I went to the Gamma Phi Beta holiday party, complete with a Secret Snowflake giveaway (I got a sweet mug and candy!) and gingerbread house making! Yum.

listening to:

another year has gone by – celine dion  

Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! May you enjoy lots of good food today and better leftovers for the next week.

( image by Terry Eggers via Corbis )

I’m thankful for my friends, for my wonderful family, and for the opportunities with which I have been blessed. I’m also quite thankful for all of the pounds I’m going to gain today. So totally worth it. What are you thankful for?

For the holiday; roasted pumpkin salad, pumpkin cinnamon rolls, and sparkling cranberries. Yum! Also, if you’re vegan you’ll enjoy these holiday recipes.

Wax dipped leaves are the perfect decoration. This adorable, functional DIY bag makes me really wish I could sew.

A crochet covered Smart Car? How adorable!

Last Thursday my sorority and I went to see Harry Potter at midnight!! Oh my gosh. You gave no idea how excited I was! A few girls dressed up (Luscious and Bellatrix were memorable), and we all headed over to the theater together. We ended up being in the same theater as my friend Charlotte and her girlfriend, and I saw a bunch of other people I knew. The movie was beyond amazing, and really lived up to my expectations. I was really disappointed with the sixth movie (sorry if you liked it!), but I loved how much more grownup this one was, and I felt like the production quality and cameraman-ship really improved.

How many of y’all saw it at midnight or later last week? What did y’all think? And if you haven’t seen it yet: whyever not?

( jeans – j. crew / shirt – gap / cardigan – old navy / belt – vintage / flats – unknown )

By far the dorkiest picture ever: reading glasses AND a wand.

Friday night some friends and I had a potluck at someone’s off campus house. The food was so good! My one friend made two pies, and there was couscous, mashed potatoes, brochette, chips and dip, and some other yummy things. I was lame and brought goldfish, but they ended up being a good choice for snacking later on. We had a blast chatting and watching Family Guy.

Saturday morning I woke up super early to go to Novemberfest, which is basically a warm up rush event for freshman to learn about the different sororities. Beforehand the sorority provided breakfast from Chick-Fil-A (my first southern chicken biscuit!), and we did some silly jazzercise to get pumped for the event. Then, for four hours, we talked to loads and loads of freshman one on one about where they’re from and what they’re interested in. It was totally exhausting, but it was nice to meet some people, and afterward we got to eat these adorable cookies decorated like limes that they handed out on drinks to the freshman, so it was all better. After that I took a nap and then headed with a friend to a play that Emory’s theater department was putting on called “You Can’t Take It With You”. The show was fantastic!

Sunday morning my field hockey team got up early to make the three hour trip to Limestone College in South Carolina for two games. The drive over was a blast, until we got pulled over for speeding on the highway (80 in a 60 zone isn’t that bad…), but it worked out okay. Parts of the campus were super pretty and the town the college is in was adorable, with loads of old brick houses and tree lined avenues. The team was a bit intimidating, (they’re a DII varsity team and we’re only a club team) but we didn’t do too badly! The first game was 4-0 them, but the second game was only 1-0, so we improved a lot. Afterward we grabbed Subway sandwiches and headed back to Atlanta. Phew!

On Tuesday night, after turning in a whopping four papers, I headed home to New Jersey to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family and Grandmother. Wednesday was spent running around looking for shoes, getting allergy shots (ew),  hair cuts, visiting my favorite teachers at my old high school, and spending the night playing Pictionary with my best friends. What fun! Quote of the night: "that cereal is glutton free!" (gluten free!).

I hope y’all have the most amazing Thanksgivings ever! What are you doing? Who is visiting? What are you most excited to eat?

Listening to:

closer – anberlin