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

Where The Heart Is

I took this picture in New Jersey in January, and seeing it made me miss home and my family. I’m sick, and I know my mom would be giving me soup and a hug if she were here. What do you miss most about home and family when you’re away? 

Thursday night Gamma Phi had a date party at Tavern 99 in Buckhead, Atlanta. I brought The Boy, and we went to my fiend Megan’s house beforehand to get ready for the event. The venue was split into a DJ section and a portion with a live band, and it was really fun to go back and forth between the two! I ended up having a blast with everyone, and I even enjoyed the dancing! 

Oh, and isn't The Boy super classy? I'm pretty sure he's perfected the art of the blazer. Just sayin'.

 

( dress: Urban Outfitters, heels: Steve Madden, bracelets: Grandmother's )

Friday night my friend Rachael and I made cookies (and a mini cookie cake) in the sorority lodge. We used readymade oatmeal mix, and added a ton of m&m’s, chocolate chips, and crasins. After eating far too many, and enticing everyone in sight to have one, we settled down to watch Center Stage (one of my favorite chick flicks), which was awesome.  

 

Saturday I woke up super early (7:30 AM!) for my “radical simplicity and environmental sacrifice” class, which had a field trip to Truly Living Well Center Natural Urban Farm at its Wheat Street Garden site. The garden is located in Atlanta on a site where houses used to stand, and the project aims to turn slabs of concrete and lots of open space into raised farm beds, fruit trees, berry bushes, a greenhouse, a compost pile, and a bunch of other ambitious agricultural endeavors.

From 8:30-12:30 my class and some community volunteers helped to clear and compost leaves, shovel, smooth, and prepare the raised beds, chip wood, clear invasive English ivy, and plant garlic. The work was incredibly rewarding, and although it was miserably cold and rainy for the first half of the morning the sun ended up coming out and making the trip wonderful, and I got to meet so many cool people! My professor and one of the students even brought their sons, who had a blast running around finding worms. Afterward I went to my friend Kyle’s house with a few people to decorate sugar cookies and play Scattergories, which was awesome!

Sunday night was a blast; my sorority hosted a small Superbowl party, and we all munched on popcorn, homemade cookies, m&m’s, and chips and dip whole watching the big game. My favorite commercial by far was this one  (yea Star Wars!). Unfortunately, the next morning I woke up with a nasty cough and a major sore throat, and I’ve been out of commission ever since. Gross. Here’s to tea, vitamin C, and sleep!

Oh, and good news! I might have a giveaway in the works! I'll keep y'all posted! 

 Listening To:

the funeral - band of horses

Gamma Phi Beta Girls

I’ve been an awful blogger lately; sorry! Sorority recruitment is finally over, and I’m trying to catch up on homework and life. Eeep! Isn’t this picture awesome? It’s our (hand painted) lodge window for sorority bid day!

Last Friday my friends Kim and Laura went to lunch at Café Antigo, a cute little restaurant at the museum on campus. I got some really tasty cream of tomato soup and a Caesar salad, and the soup was excellent.  It was nice to chat and eat some real (read: non dining hall) food!

( top: gap outlet, jeans: j.crew, scarf: NYC vendor, rain boots: target )

Friday evening was Skit Night, the third night of sorority recruitment. The sorority preformed a skit, which included a version of Katy Perry’s California Girls (“Gamma Phi Beta girls”). It was great to watch the skit, which included dancing, singing, a step performance, rapping, and some corny jokes (including references to The Hangover, Jersey Shore, and The Office). We also had yummy homemade crescent shaped rice crispy treats and everything was adorably decorated in a “road trip/California” theme.

Saturday was Preference Night, and everyone got dolled up in black dresses and conversations are more personal. The lodge was decorated with strands of white lights, black tablecloths, and lots and lots of pink carnations. The potential new members were given cake and Shirley Temples, and participated in a small ceremony with the chapter. That night The Boy and I went on a date to Rosebud, which specializes in seasonal Southern/American food. The atmosphere was awesome, and the food was fantastic. We started off with warm mushroom & country ham bruschetta, and then I got the Chinese Chicken Salad; sesame grilled chicken, local mixed greens, carrots, crispy wontons & teriyaki vinaigrette. It was the perfect mix of spicy and sweet! The Boy got an amazing pork cutlet, which included the most amazing sweet potato gnocchi. Yum!    

(Emory University Zeta Tau chapter of Gamma Phi Beta, 2011)

Sunday morning The Boy and I went to Little Five Points to eat at The Vortex with his sister, her boyfriend, and their friend. It was a ton of fun to meet everyone, and the food was super good. I finally tried a fried pickle, and I got their amazing Caesar salad, spicy turkey chili, and jalapeño corn bread.

Sunday afternoon was the best day of recruitment; bid day (where all these pictures were taken)! The new members were given their bids, and all of the current members got dressed up in cute half-zips to go greet the pledges (who are all adorable!) at the dining hall. We took pictures as a sorority and as pledge classes, and then headed back to the sorority lodge to eat dinner (sandwiches and salad), and then headed to Q-Zar to play laser tag together! It was a ton of fun!

I’m also super psyched, because my roomie from last semester, Emily, joined Gamma Phi Beta (she’s the one on the left in the picture above)! We were already like sisters, and now it's official! It made me so happy that she gave Greek Life a shot, even though she never thought she’d join a sorority (neither did I!).

Listening to:

bellicose - my dad vs. yours

Turning Twenty

Today is my twentieth birthday! Eeep, I feel ancient. What is your favorite way to celebrate getting older? I plan on eating Thai food with friends and watching a movie tonight!

 

On Sunday night I flew back into Atlanta, only to arrive in a blizzard! Atlanta never gets snow, and as such they have no idea what to do with it. The highway had been shut down, so I grabbed the train and then The Boy came and got me at the station. The roads were completely covered in snow and totally deserted, and we ended up picking up some stranded people trying to get to Emory Hospital. We got almost halfway to campus when The Boy’s car got stuck on an icy hill, and we pushed the car up a few hundred feet but ended up having to abandon it. Luckily The Boy’s roommate (with four wheel drive!) came and picked us up. We did some donuts in a parking lot and then headed to their house, where I spent the night catching up and watching Being John Malkovich.

The next morning, around noon, The Boy and I were finally able to leave his house and get to campus. That night we had gotten frozen rain, so all the trees and roads were coated in ice, which is totally beautiful and totally dangerous. I spent the day in Recruitment School (where we learn what we need to do for sorority rush, coming up next week) and unpacking my new room in the sorority lodge. I also caught up with my roommate, Emily, and we played Kinect on her Xbox. It was awesome!

Tuesday we had another Recruitment School, and my grandbig and I made dinner together (yummy velveeta macaroni and cheese with broccoli). Wednesday classes were canceled, so The Boy met me on campus for a fun, snowy walk through Lullwater Park, where I took some of these pictures. We then headed back to my dorm to watch 30 Rock and Serenity, and then we headed out for dinner. Everything was closed early because of the icy roads, so we ended up going to Steak n’ Shake, where I got tasty chicken fingers and fries (which I literally coated in hamburger seasoning).

Thursday and Friday classes were both canceled (cheaaa!), so I spent Thursday being thoroughly unproductive and hanging out with my Big Megan and friend, Emily. On Friday my friends Hayley and Maria (who both have January birthdays, too) and I all went to Decatur, a suburb of Atlanta, to wander around and eat yummy food. We visited an awesome record store and a used book shop, and went food hopping! At Farmburger I had this amazing sweet potato soup with cinnamon cream, while my friends had burgers. Later we went to Taqueria Del Sol for some of their truly amazing cheese dip and corn tortilla chips. Yum! We got back to campus and hung out watching TV for a while, and then headed off to bed.

( rain boots: target, black jeans: j.crew, top: old navy, scarf: unknown

bag: urban outfitters, jacket: jason kole )

On Saturday the boy picked me up so we could spend the day together for my birthday. We spent the day watching the fifth season of 30 Rock and then that night he took me to Nava restaurant, which was super fancy and super tasty. We had Sonoma jack cheese fritters (toasted pecans, red chili jelly, and herbed goat cheese) for an appetizer, and for dinner I had amazing grilled key-lime chicken (with black bean rice, guacamole, and Arbol chili vinegar). Finally, for dessert we shared a yummy banana and cream thing, which they brought out with a birthday candle. Afterward we went ice skating at The Rink, which was a ton of fun! 

 Listening To:

bullets - augustana