What I've Been Doing

So.  I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to say here.  I realize that I have pretty much neglected the blog for an entire semester.  Even worse is that my last post was a birthday celebration for the damn blog itself. Months ago. Awk-ward.

I admit that there is no excuse for this neglect. I have been formulating this very "I'm Sorry" post in my mind for ages now.  Repeatedly, I have been shocked upon being asked, "So, whatever happened with the blog?" or, "Are you okay? I haven't noticed any posts in a while." It's gotta be a feeling akin to leaving a box of puppies on the side of the road somewhere. Except that I would never do that.

I've been somehow justifying my silence in repeating to myself what an ancient piece of crap the computer I've been working on is, and how I Just Don't Have Time to wait around for photos to upload and whatnot. Which is certainly true. Ultimately, though, I'm kidding myself. I've simply allowed myself to get caught up. I finally made the switch to back-of-house at work, have kept super-busy with school, and most importantly (and least tangibly), I've been enjoying the company of my amazing circle (family) of friends that I've become so amazingly close with along the way.

~

So, as a peace offering, here are some photos that recap my life the past few months:

Of course, there are my boys <3

 Nick, Cam, Kristen and Andrew

 I thought it was badass when they broke down the turkeys for Thanksgiving:

Ben, Brendan, Abbott, and Pat

 

More badass still was when they broke down the 800 pound local steer we got in:

Um, yeah, he took up the whole walk-in.

Andrew and Kristen got married on November 13th, 2010.  They were cute enough to bring the whole wedding party to Moe's.

Before Face ditched the bottle for a pitcher. Wish I had a photo of Kristen, too. She was gorgeous.

  Cam turned 21. We ate at SNOB before, of course, heading to Moe's:

 Cam and Ben

Korey and me

Let's not forget the beautiful ladies in my life:

Amanda and Cindy (Sunday Funday?)

 

me, Blake, and Kristine (same day)

 Caroline and I the night of the eclipse

Don't let me fool you, I actually did do a little cooking the past few months:

Final Presentation for my A la Carte I class:

Crab Cakes with Sauteed Squash & Zucchini, Creole Remoulade, and Fried Preserved Meyer Lemons

 Christmas was a blast. Blake and I hosted a feast for the boys:

big, fat, 15 pound standing rib roast.

Tim, Seth, Cam, Ben, Brian, John, John

final plate: rib roast with shaved Sriracha Brussels sprouts, roasted winter veggies, and horseradish cream

I finally got to HUSK with Brady:

amazing.

 Managed to see my best friend's kids the few moments I spent in Morganton:

Gracie, me, Henry

A couple times.

 Love you, Brenna.

Lastly, I finally bought a new computer. My first Mac.

No more excuses.

Biding Time

Sooo, again, I'm apologizing for not posting in a while.  I'm kinda in the middle of a housing crisis - my apartment flooded with sewage on Friday, along with 7 others on the bottom floor of my unit. Right now, I'm staying in a hotel down the road while all this stuff gets taken care of.  Needless to say, I'm not doing much cooking because my place is in shambles, and I don't have daily access to a computer. So, bear with me, hopefully this will all be resolved in a few days. <3<3<3

Fun Photos for a Rainy Day

Since today is rainy and nasty, I thought I'd write a not-all-food-related post about recent things in my life that might make you smile.

Here is the most bizarre:

double - yolked egg.

For some strange reason, the carton of eggs that is currently in my refrigerator has so far produced 3 out of 8 double-yolked eggs.  I cracked the first one the other day and was really surprised and kind of excited because I have never seen one before.  Then, when I cracked another one a few minutes later, I got kind of weirded out.  I mean, I spend more on the organic, cage-free eggs, but does this mean they're all genetically mutated and stuff?

So, I looked up a ton of stuff online about it, and apparently, these eggs happen on a fairly regular basis, especially with young layers.  Since they weigh a little more than single yolk eggs, they tend to get grouped together by the machines.  So, if you find one in a carton, you have a good chance of finding a few more.   I will keep you posted on how many more end up being double-yolkers.  Weird stuff.

*Update: 6 out of 12 eggs ended up being double-yolkers.  I was on the fence about it, but I've decided that this definitely weirds me out.  I'm going back to the local Celeste Albers eggs - don't know why I ever veered away from them to begin with! They're worth the extra small effort!  If you live in Charleston, you can find them at The Glass Onion when the Marion Square Farmers Market is closed for the winter season.

~

  "Party like it's 1989" employee party

This is a special one of Brandon and I at our employee party this past weekend.  The theme was 80's inspired, so we got all decked out.  What you can't see is that he sported 2 earrings all day and had his pants all rolled up. Yes, that is a white windbreaker that he wore around his waist all day long.   I'm definitely rockin' the side pony and leggings, although you can't really tell from the photo.

~

Dad and Chloe.

My mom sent me this one last week and I had to share it.  This is my dad with Chloe, one of two recent additions to their household.  Chloe and her two sisters Joey and Muffin (who my sister is now taking care of) showed up on my parents doorstep about 6 months ago, tiny, sick, and starving.  Seems like they've adjusted fairly well.