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Tarheel Nation: Tailgating for UNC’s First Game

/ foodsweatandbeers / 7 Comments

As I sit here wolfing down an epic salad and watching the season finale of The Secret Life of the American Teenager, in which some of the students graduate, I have to say, I had a blast this weekend reliving my college career.  As I mentioned on Friday, I had a dear friend visiting Chapel Hill for the weekend and I waited for her arrival patiently, watching loads of Degrassi and enjoying a little bit of Vino. Also, watching Youtube videos of Duckies. You know, the usual.

Once we arrived, though, we made a beeline for Top of the Hill, which was apparently THE place to be on Friday night.

Old Well White, just like old times!

I won’t get into too much details on the blog, but the rest of the night involved me acting like I’d never heard of certain UNC basketball players, which resulted in them trying to get the scoop on “that Jordan girl”. Sorry, Tyler, but I’m taken. You missed your chance in 2005.  If you want to hear my brag on end about this story and the giant ego boost that I received, feel free to tweet at me, or email me.

Luckily, I was able to crash relatively early, which made the 9 am gameday wake-up call that much easier.  Though let’s be honest, after a night of drinking Old Well Whites and Riesling like I was a fish (a fish with excellent taste in beer and wine), it really wasn’t that easy. My tummy was feeling wonky and my head was dully roaring. I knew something needed to be done.

I ventured over to Walgreen’s to get some Vitamin Water and Coke Zero (hangover remedy, why not?)  and then whipped up a little hangover cure meal to ready me for the day’s festivities.

Cures what ails ya!

The best part about staying close with your fraternity post-grad is having permanent access to cooking supplies and friends PLUS a place to park ALL THE TIME (parking is at such a premium at UNC that our football team racked up $13K in parking tickets.)

My merry band of brothers and sisters were ready for action with the tiniest grill known to mankind and a well-stocked refrigerator.

It gets the job done.

Game Day essentials

We cooked burgers and kebobs, we cooked corn on some cobs, there were beers in koozies, this tailgate was a doozy. (Sometimes, I have dreams of being Dr. Seuss.)

My eats for the day included (among I’m sure countless other nibbles):

Burger, Cheese, Avocado (and OODLES of ketchup, not yet pictured)

Grilled corn, where have you been my whole life?!

And, later, some chips and dip. I also made a healthy appetizer for everyone (read: cut up a cucumber and served up some dips).

The only healthy thing I put inside my body probably all day

The highlights of the day would have to be dominating at cornhole with Kinsley and her friends (who were all dressed in matching wolf-howling-at-moon t-shirts [sleeves removed, of course]), learning the term “landsharking” (which, according to urbandictionary, is a totally DIFFERENT and disgusting thing than what I thought, yuck), and finding a cellphone left at a bar that had enough graphic sexual texts I’m pretty sure it counted as reading a pornographic novel. Hopefully that either was returned to the owner or burned in a fiery pit of cleaning solution/bleach.  Some things you can never unlearn/un-read.

After watching UNC spank the Dukes in the first half of the game, I decided it was in the bag and enjoyed my typical post-viewing-football nap. What was NOT typical, however, was the duration (read: 4 hours).

Oh, well, there went my Saturday night (and any hopes of falling asleep at a reasonable hour).

Thank goodness for Netflix streaming Mad Men.

Betty Draper and her crazy neuroses are always up late, anyway.

Here’s to many more excellent games (and, of course, tailgates.)

What’s your favorite tailgate food?

I’m always looking to try new things!

What do you watch on Netflix?

Also, always looking for new things.

Big Girl Things

/ foodsweatandbeers / 8 Comments

Hey there y’all! I’ve been MIA the past two days (minus that hilarious ducky video) due to hijinx in Chapel Hill for UNC’s first Football Game!.  We had a FANTASTIC first game, spanking the James Madison Dukes 42-10. I’ve got plenty to say about that in a different post, but today’s topic is much more grown-up than that!!

Maturity. I have it.

All that tasty tailgate food filled me up yesterday, so I decided to take it easy this morning with a delicious breakfast sandwich.

Cinnamon raisin bagel thin, smattering of cheese, Morningstar Sausage patty, and fried egg!

The Morningstar Hot and Spicy Sausage patties are my jam lately. I love the extra kick from the crushed red peppers in the ingredient list, and pairing it with a sweet bagel thin and the savory egg was a perfect way to start my morning.

I needed the fuel because I had some serious tasks to attack this morning (which blended into the afternoon as well).

  • Hang up my Jellyfish tapestry (given to me by my mother!)
  • Clean out my closet/shelves and even the spacing out (no boy in the house = DOUBLE CLOSET SPACE!!) (But truly I miss the heck outta him.)
  • Set up my TV
Each of these were very intimidating tasks that I’ve been putting off but I knew this day would be perfect.
One by one, I knocked them out, starting with the easiest.

Jellyfish: HUNG!

This lovely piece is now hanging proudly above my fireplace thanks to a 59 cent wooden dowel from Michael’s.

Up next, a much scarier project to tackle….  My clothes.

I have way more clothes than I probably need and, because of that, can get away with not doing laundry super often. When I DO get on a laundry kick, though, I do it on a massive scale. Once the clothes are clean, though, it’s the putting away that I tend to put off.  3 loads later, I had piles of clothes all over the floor/couch/chairs. This was a biggie.

Sooo organized (relatively.)

Shirts on the right, dresses on the left, other random stuff scattered about. It’s a work in progress, but a HUGE improvement from the clothing war-zone (complete with shirt shrapnel).

Finally, technology.

Wait, what now? I thought these things were supposed to come built. Or with some tech savvy elf that handles the construction.

Armed only with a screwdriver (my only tool in the entire apartment. Note to self: get on that!) I opened up the four different sets of directions (each more confusing looking than the last). I finally found one that was just pictures, and decided that was right up my alley.

Well, one episode of Mad Men later (viewed on my computer, of course), TA DA!!

Don't act like you're not impressed. And sorry about that glare, but I was in a hurry to post!!

I still need to get a few cables in order to really watch TV BUT baby steps, right?

All sorts of big girl things are going on in my neck of the woods, but I think this is a good start.

Now onto some more “big girl things”. Like shopping and getting froyo.

Baby steps.

Any big things going on in your life? Big decisions? Moves? School? DISH!

Winston-Salem: More like WINNING Salem!

/ foodsweatandbeers / 10 Comments

Good afternoon and happy belated No Pants Wednesday! A day late, I know, but I was out in public yesterday and honestly, I doubt the folks at Shiki Sushi would’ve been too happy if I de-pantsed during the lunch rush.  That’s not the Shiki way….

Today, though, lunch was enjoyed in the comforts of my own home. And that can only mean one thing (well, false, it can mean several things, but today it means one….)

The greenest of all salads

I’ve missed the crunch of the spinach and peppers, the almost sweet taste of the tomatoes, creaminess of the avocadoes, the warm black beans and the HOT CHA CHA of the salsa. I definitely needed this taco salad.

See, the first two days of this week, after hopping off a (delayed) Southwest fight (due, of course, to my Irene experiences), I hopped right into my car and headed to Winston-Salem, NC. Home of the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest, Old Salem Museums and Gardens, and, for two short days, Yours Truly!

Though I was in town for a work training, all work and no play makes Jordy a dull girl. Instead of boring you to death with tales of lesson plans and interactive sessions, I’ll skip straight to the good stuff.

We enjoyed a delicious dinner for the historic Old Salem Tavern.

Oh, you fancy, huh?

This Moravian gem has been around for over 200 years!! And, yes, I’ll admit, at times you were reminded of this. The seats weren’t too comfortable, and the tables were rickety, but if you’re looking for ambience and an authentic experience, look no further.

Stunning outdoor seating!

Though we weren’t able to enjoy the outdoor seating, it was gorgeous. I wish that I could take a certain Philly boy on a date here, if only for the possibility of sitting out here!

We were served a warm basket with two different kinds of bread.

Heavenly, just like your Morvian mama would make!

I went for a roll several of the small pumpkin raisin rolls. Oh sweet mother of Morvians! This was unbelievably good, warm, and so crumbly, accented perfectly with a few swipes of their butter pats.

While the menu was not too long, the options felt endless!

So many options, how will I choose?!

Though I’d checked Yelp for some recommendations, I wasn’t really in the mood for the infamous Moravian Chicken Pie. So I went for something a little different. And after enjoying the heck out of the pumpkin rolls, that may have tainted my choice.

Pumpkin an sunflower seed crusted salmon over wilted spinach and a blood orange vinaigrette

This was hands-down the best choice I could’ve made. The salmon was cooked perfectly for a gal like me, still pink but definitely all the way done. The pumpkin taste wasn’t actually too obvious, but the blood orange vinaigrette stole the show. I wish I could pour this over all future fish endeavors (and then bathe in it myself…. TMI? NEVER!)  The wilted spinach also featured a few onions, and had soaked up the flavors of the blood orange the make it both sweet and tart. The dish was light enough (and I was hungry enough) that I really had no option but to try some of their many tasty looking desserts.

Moravian Gingerbread with Lemon Ice Cream and Key Lime Pie

I promise, these two desserts were not just for me and, in fact, we split them among the three of us.  I will admit, and it should go without saying, that I could’ve eaten every last bite/drop without hesitation. I’m just that kind of human garbage disposal.

My other favorite pie.

Key lime pie is a usual favorite of mine and, though I doubt this was a “traditional Moravian recipe”, the taste was totally on point. It was tart to a slight pucker, but sweet and creamy with a texture that resembled a cheesecake.  The crust was so thin, yet tied the whole pie slice together. And whipped cream…. well that was just icing cream on the cake pie.

It was the gingerbread that stole my heart, though, served warm and paired with a teeth chatteringly cold, tangy lemon ice cream. Not lemon sorbet, not lemon water ice. TRUE lemon ice cream. This is not an easy accomplishment, to make a quality lemon ice cream, but Old Salem Tavern hit it out of the park. The combination of cold and warm left me LITERALLY picking up little crumbs with my fingers and wishing we could order a road-dessert. Alas….

Sweet tunes, sweet outfits, sweetness abounds.

The servers wore authentic old timey outfits, which is always fun and uncomfortable looking, but went nicely with the theme. There was live music, though it definitely was not my cup of tea. Luckily, the average age of the clientele was about 3x my own age (which is 24, IN CASE YOU FORGOT MY BIRTHDAY!!) and thus they enjoyed the “easy listening” as I personally felt that Tracy Chapman would’ve turned over in her grave listening to it.

Sidenote: Tracy Chapman isn't actually dead. But I think hearing the butchering of her music may have killed her, and then had her turning over in her untimely grave (click for Source)

Luckily, we were seated across the hallway of the cool jams, and so we enjoyed our meal in peace (mostly… thin walls = you can hear pretty much anything. That’s just math.)

When I returned to the hotel, I spent about an hour or so prepping for the next day of training, and going over notes.  And then I crashed into this bed…. HARD.

Is that a cloud? Nope. Just my bed.

But not before engaging in another new Winston-Salem favorite… That’ll just have to wait until the next post, though.

Pants on, back to work.

Have you ever been to one of those “old timey” restaurants where the folks stay in character like it’s their job (oh wait it is their job)? Did you like it?

What’s your favorite kind of pie?

North Carolina Girls’ Pint Out: We’re Busy Bees

/ foodsweatandbeers / 20 Comments

Hey there friends and neighbors! Hope you’re all surviving Irene, that clap-having jezebel who seems to be ruining everyone’s plans. I was supposed to be in Ocean City, NJ prepping for my cousin’s bridal shower. Instead, the whole island was put under a mandatory evacuation, and I spent some time gathering the essentials in the Wilmington, Delaware Total Wine.  Which. Is. Epic.

3 bottles of wine, a handle of rum, pick six, pretzel crisps, AND 40 lbs of ice. We're ready for anything.

And I have a hot date tonight with this little scene:

As I said before, Happy hour is my happy hour.

But even though my spirit of choice is rum and coke with my mom and dad tonight, it wasn’t too long ago that I joined the fine ladies of North Carolina Girls’ Pint Out at Busy Bee Cafe in downtown Raleigh.  Not too long at all…….

(cue hazy cloudy mist that brings us back to August 18th, 2011. Or maybe just imagine Wayne and Garth waving their hands for a flashback….)

Party on Wayne, party on Garth.

After another successful glass night at Rockfish with the folks representing Palm Brewery (a new tasty beer from Belgium!) I bid everyone a fond farewell.

Thanks, for repping it hard, fellers.

I only enjoyed a single brew, but knew that there were some tasty ones in store at Busy Bee.

The Hive gets a little crazy with their beer list!

The options seemed endless.  The two beers I personally featured in my writeup were:

Dogfish Head Namaste, often translated as “The spirit in me respects the spirit in you”, is Dogfish Head’s way to respect your thirst for beer in the hot summertime. This Belgian White is made with dried organic orange slices, fresh cut lemongrass and a bit of coriander, and is perfect to pair with spicy fare, so try to get some kick from Busy Bee’s Pork Burger, featuring sriracha and Bok Choy slaw.

and

St. Louis Gueuze Fond Tradition: (alas, this beer ran out faster than we had the chance to feature it!) Interested in stepping up your beer game? Step outside the bottle and try this sour, traditional Geuze style beer. A tart beer with lemony fruitiness, you can enjoy the crisp, clean mouthfeel that puckers the lips and makes you crave the creaminess of cheeses, such as Busy Bee’s Baked Mac and Cheese.

Here's me screaming my face off as I talk about beer. (photo credit to Ben Woodward, click to hit up the facebook source)

There were some amazing little treats (for free) provided by the glorious host, Busy Bee!!

Tots are ALWAYS part of my happy hour.

Although this was only our second event, we had over 30 craft beer lovin’ ladies (and some especially brave gentlemen!)

Wow. We're popular.

We upped our profession game:

Sign in sheets! You want a shirt? SIGN OUR SHEET!

We also met some local folks who are keeping it real in the craft beer scene!

Ted from Bottle Revolution!

Ted from Bottle Revolution came and handed out some camo koozies (in case we have to drink while undercover… in the forest).  His store’s going to be opening soon with awesome features like A Year of Beer Club and pre-packaged craft beer coolers (LIKE IF YOU NEED THEM FOR FOOTBALL TAILGATING!!)

I may have even met my soulmate in Somer, a fellow blogger in the Triangle who’s interested in reproductive health and advocacy, UNC, craft beer, and my brother! (well, maybe not my brother yet…. but one day.)

True True and we didn't even know it!

I’m so proud of my fellow planners and coordinators, and I hope that they’re all proud of what we put together!!

Just a few of the founding gals. Again, photo credit to Ben Woodward, click for source!

If you’re a lady, and you like craft beer, and you live in/around the Triangle (or LOVE to travel wicked far), and/or you want to be my friend (duh.), follow NCGirlsPintOut on Twitter or check us out on facebook!

Word on the street is we have another excellent event coming in Mid-September…. Stay tuned!

What’s your favorite appetizer to pair with beer?

Healthy Living Summit: Saturday Sessions

/ foodsweatandbeers / 78 Comments

Good evening, and happy my last night as a 23 year old!! Before you know it (less than 3 hours from now!!) EDIT: Post started last night, and published today! Ooops.

I’ll officially be 24 years old.  On August 24th.  That, right there, is a Golden Birthday, y’all.  I spent the eve of my 24th birthday where I’ve spent the past 4 birthdays (at least at the start): The living room of my fraternity.  I enjoyed my 20th Birthday there hosting a “That’s So Jordan” Birthday Party. Yup, a theme party themed after myself.  When you ask yourself “What Would Jordan Do” like I suggested in last night’s recap post of the HLS Cocktail Party, well, that’s a great answer.

Maybe the most Jordan I've ever been in my life. Four years later and the tiara still hangs to the side.

After the hijinx of the cocktail party (broken umbrellas, tummies full of tacos [in Ali‘s case], bellies full of beers [in my case], and exhaustion), we crashed hard at Chez Ali. I was snuggle buddies with Krissie, but we kept things pretty PG, so don’t think you’re gonna get any of that type of hijinx in this post.

I marveled at the wonders of cereal bars galore as we Healthy Living Summit attendees attacked the foods as if we’d never seen a box of Attune Foods cereal (the sponsors of breakfast!)

Oi vay, all the cereal you could handle.

Though I have cereal nearly every morning at work (mostly that Fiber One 80 calorie goodness that I talked about before), it’s really not my breakfast of choice.  I’d always prefer a warm morning meal with a bit of meat to start things off.  I totally recognize the decision to have the food options they had, but that hard boiled egg and cereal certainly left me wanting some eggs of a more scrambled nature.  The Lehigh Valley Dairy milk was, IMHO, the star of the show, and as a Pennsylvania native, it was glorious to enjoy a tiny carton of real, local milk.

First on the agenda was an Icebreaker, sponsored by Glam Media and Bliss.com.

Hey! I've been skydiving!!

I’ll shoot you straight: I. hate. icebreakers.  This one, while active, didn’t really break too much ice for me. Basically, we all walked around demanding to know who doesn’t eat dairy products, who was over 6′ tall (that one was an easy one to find…. and it was me), and who composted at home.  The funniest part of this event was when someone at my table REALLY broke the ice by telling us the tale of a neighbor who composted their poop. Can you even imagine?  Just considering the idea of visiting a neighbor, seeing them outside washing a giant bucket, and wondering…. did they just poop in there?  Yeah, that resulted in some belly laughs.

Anyway, I didn’t win a Lululemon gift card.  I wasn’t too upset.

No, happy hour is my happy hour.

Once the ice was thoroughly broken, it was time to get to the sessions.  The best part of this whole “conference made up of bloggers” thing was ABSOLUTELY keeping up with things through live tweeting.  As I mentioned to Allison, it was like the most public note passing of all. And it helped keep things light and funny, which can be tough to do sometimes with panels on negativity and how the “numbers game” can drive you crazy.

There have been countless recaps of the sessions.  I’m a little late on the game when it comes to HLS recaps, so I’ll just include a few pictures of my favorite moments from the rest of the day, followed by some major takeaways.

American Gothic: Frito Lay Style

No free food? HA! I laugh at the mere idea!

I will, Pauly. I hope to meet you in Raleigh tomorrow night...

220 women at a conference = ANNEXATION OF THE MEN'S ROOM!

Not to be confused with the Annexation of Puerto Rico.

Shake break. Like a shake weight, with our whole bodies!

And here’s a shot of my accommodations waiting for my ride home:

I'm a bag lady. And proud of it.

Having just filled out my HLS Questionnaire, I have a lot of thoughts about the Summit as a whole.

  • It’s amazing to meet new people, but can be really hard to do that when other folks are less interested in branching out than you are.  Being a newbie (and proud of it), I wanted to soak up EVERYONE! But many people were there to reunite with friends that they’ve known forever and maybe only get to see once a year.  I totally understand that, and this isn’t a pity party by any means because I had a good time. But it almost made me wish that I could only have a conference of folks who’d never met before, just to level the playing field.
  • There are a lot of stereotypical “healthy living blog” cliches that are totally real.  I’ve never seen people go so crazy over cereals and nut butters.  My feelings about both of these: decent. But not life-changing.  And honestly, before this weekend, I don’t think I’ve eaten a nut butter in over 6 months.
  • I was surprised by how many people believed they could be or should be professional bloggers. The presentation given by Katy Widrick on Monetizing Your Blog was so eye opening at what it would take to become a professional blogger. I talked to a few people, at the summit, IRL, and online, who seem to just expect that they’d start writing about their lives and they’d start having companies flock to them for product reviews and sponsorships. If you work long and hard (let’s say…. 2-3 years, and make blogging your fulltime career for some), maybe you’ll get enough readers to make blogging financially support you.  But it’s just  not the norm.
  • I really wish that there had been more guys there.  Now, let me explain this.  I was NOT coming to Philly for a manhunt.  Trust me, I get to date this stud:

    How he puts up with me, I'll never know....

    But I really get the feeling that if there were more males around other than the 4 that I’m aware of (oh, and Mark, one of the DrinkChia sponsor folks, who was just the BEST!) maybe it would’ve felt less like a lady sleepover party and more like a summit of likeminded folks coming together and discussing something they love.  Then again, this is another thing I can’t control because the HLB community ITSELF is dominated by women.  I just couldn’t help but think it.

  • The sessions were all good, but I especially liked the ones that felt like they were truly from the heart. The one regarding Rising Above Negativity illustrated issues that each of the panel members had experienced, and something that everyone experiences in their lifetimes. I was also touched hearing Lisa‘s story in the numbers game presentation because you could feel her emotions in her words.  Even Katy’s post on Monetizing Your Blog felt like she was so passionate about wanting everyone to make bank that it resonated.  I didn’t feel like that with all the presentations.   Action Mantras, while effective, can feel contrived and hokey. The Flexitarian Diet…  I just don’t think it’s for me, but that’s neither here nor there.  It’s just definitely not HERE (meaning on my blog).
  • For me, the point of attending HLS was as an adventure. I wanted to challenge myself to meet new people, to step out of my comfort zone, to do something I’ve never done before.  I came, I talked about myself, I talked to strangers, I walked around Philly (well, actually, I have done that). And I actually did get a rush, like a lighter version of my skydiving trip.

    THIS IS EXACTLY LIKE A CONFERENCE!

  • But I still felt out of place. And I couldn’t help but read all the tweets from the Beer Blogger’s Conference in Portland and miss those folks who enjoy the carbonated suds I love so much.  Too much of a good thing can be quickly become a bad thing.  And I felt like this nonexistent  “formula for a healthy living blogger” was followed to a T by some folks who were trying so hard to present themselves in this light that I missed out on getting to know the true them. The point of meeting bloggers IRL is to see what maybe you don’t get to see on their blog.  To go deeper than the internet’s surface.  And while there were definitely a few folks there who did this well, there were enough folks that looked like they were trying so hard not to mess up that I never really felt like we even approached that level.

I’m so glad I went. I had fun, I met folks, it felt like blogging became real to me, and not just this random online Xanga or something.  I don’t know if I’d go again… if it were as convenient as this year, definitely. There’s much to be learned, there’s much to be shared, and maybe I’d find some sort of friend group to bond with.  It wasn’t what I expected, though I’m not sure what I DID expect, and I have LOVED reading the recaps from others.  But I’m very glad that I was “me” the entire time (even though a few times, the moment I mentioned beers, peoples eyes glazed over as their interest immediately waned.)

I just can't quit you, beer.

I’m not ending with any type of action mantra or any wise closing words.  I guess I’m ending vaguely, which is sort of how I feel like I left HLS.  Like a vague, hazy daze where I wasn’t entirely sure what happened.  But regardless, it was a great early birthday present to myself, and I can’t wait to fly right back to PHL in 2 days for another crack at the Northeast.

Healthy Living Summit Weekend: The Eats

/ foodsweatandbeers / 8 Comments

As well received as my Healthy Living Summit Cocktail Party recap was, I decided to hold off on a recap of day two until I have time to fully devote myself to a complete writeup of the Saturday sessions.  However, that doesn’t mean you should miss out on everything.  And who doesn’t like food posts?

Before my trip, I wanted to enjoy a tasty little treat, so I whipped up my traditional pre-flight beer and snack!!

Weyerbacher Hops Infusion? Don't mind if I do.

Turkey and Cheese and Lettuce on a sandwich thin! Beer! Carrots! The best.

I also did my best to eat the rest of the spinach before I left.

I felt like a straight bunny, nibbling on leaves. But it got the job done.

At the home of Ali, we whipped out all the stops (aka the baked goods):

I promise, we didn't eat all of this. Some. Most. but not all.

Let’s just say that it was a bit of a smorgasbord.

Wawa: The stuff my dreams are made of...

For dinner:

  • Wawa Shorti with Roast beef, cheddar cheese, light on the mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion, salt, pepper, oregano. I always get this when I go to Wawa. It is like a second nature, entering it on the touchpad.
  • Wawa Diet Raspberry Iced Tea

Can someone PLEASE explain to me why there is no raspberry iced tea, diet or otherwise, to be found in North Carolina? I can’t even get the Snapple kind…. If you know where to get some, PLEAES email, call, text, or tweet me. ASAP. This is not a joking kind of request. This is so heartfelt I feel it deep in my heart.

The highlights of the cocktail party food were already shown, minus one: Philly Cheesesteak Empanadas. I didn’t take pictures of these, because I was shoving them down my gullet. Imagine a philly cheesesteak. then fry it.

You get the idea.

Breakfast in the morning was sponsored by Attune Foods, and featured mostly a wide array of their cereals, fresh fruit, hardboiled eggs, and yogurt.

Pineapple. Cereal. I forgot how delicious real milk was, especially from Lehigh Valley.

Oh. A pluot. I had no idea what this was until I bit it.

I could’ve eaten the lunch for days.

Roasted veggie sammy, caprese salad sammy, cous cous and chickpeas, and Perrier. Oh, you fancy.

GIANT ups to Great Harvest bread. Which filled my belly totally and heartily.  The mozzarella was so creamy, and the onions in the cous cous…. ooh, girl.

Snacktime was not really my favorite, but I partook because who don’t want no free foods?

Cinnamon raisin nut butter = the poo. So take a big whiff. The hummus was a little watery for my liking... oh well.

To be honest, though, there was a much more important meal waiting for me at home, after the summit. Something I’d been seeking out since I arrived in Philly.  The holy grail of Philly cuisine.

We belong together.

I went a little off the beaten path with the Buffalo Chicken Cheesesteak and was rewarded handsomely with spicy, cheese, chickeny goodness.  Something about the rolls up North, they just know how to do it right.  And, even though it wasn’t in empanada format, it was at least as (if not much, much more) delicious.

What’d you eat this weekend that was delicious? 

Do you have any favorite foods/drinks from growing up that you can’t get now wherever you live (due to a move or [gasp!!] someone stopped producing them?)

Football. Football. FOOTBALL! (oh, and Friday.)

/ foodsweatandbeers / 11 Comments

TGIF! (I know I said that about T[hursday] too, but really, I’m thankful for both days.)

Today, since I woke up, I couldn’t get my mind off of the lunch from Wednesday.  The creaminess of the melted provolone, the crunch of the Roma tomatoes, I wanted it all in my belly.

Well, Jojo gets what she wants:

Sandwich of Dreams

I knew this was going to be tasty from experience, but honestly… it exceeded my dreams.  Eggy, spinachy, crunch, and soft it was perfect all around.

On the side was a little bag of veggies that I should’ve included in my What’s I’m Loving post from yesterday.

Bird's Eye Steamfresh Asian Medley

It’s got a great amount of seasoning on the veggies without overpowering their natural flavor. AND it’s got BABY CORN!  You know… like regular corn, but smaller.  Can’t beat it.

For dessert, a Vita Top with some PB:

Whoah, PB is saltier than I remember

Unlike some most of the bloggers I read, I’m not a huge nut butter fan, so whenever I do indulge in a little Peanut/almond/cashew/whatever butter, I’m surprised by how salty it is.  This sweet and salty treat, sort of like a Reese’s Cup, hit the spot, regardless.

But honestly, that’s just a puff piece about my lunch.  What I want to talk about, and what I’ve been thinking about a LOT lately is….

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON!!

I’ll admit, I may not always love to watch sports.  In fact, more often than not, sports on TV just bore me to tears (my apologies to the beau, and any future sons I may have.)  But college football isn’t just about sitting in front of a tv and yelling and throwing remotes and scrambling to try and find the batteries because the remote hit the wall and muted when you threw it.

College football, to me, is a romance.

It’s not about stats, it’s not about touchdowns (well, for some folks it is), and it’s not about whether or not your football players get 395 parking tickets (woops, UNC).

This is college football:

A sea of Carolina blue (photo credit to my buddy, Shog.)

It’s tailgating, partying, and cheering your team on with thousands of your closest friends total strangers who bleed the Carolina blue (or Ole Miss red and blue… or Penn State blue and white…. or anything like that) that runs through your veins a little bit faster on game days.

Paint up or SHUT UP!

While UNC is definitely a basketball school, football will always hold a special place in my heart.  My first year of college was spent on the UNC Varsity Fencing Team (yeah, I thirsted for the bloodsport) so football games translated to a chance to scoop frozen lemonade out and sell it to drunk fans who made jokes about how cold our chests got (wish I had my fencing weapons to fleche their knickers off) (bonus points for fencing terms.) It wasn’t really until my junior year that I was able to partake in the joy that is…. college football season.

A dream come true

At my fraternity house, we’d sell out the parking lot, grill meat (and veggie burgers…. we had a disproportionate amount of vegetarians in my fraternity… then again, we were also called the “hippy frat” so maybe not), and day drink.

MIMO TIME!!

And, by dating a fellow that went to one of the most fun football schools in the nation, I also got to see how they do it down in the deep south at Ole Miss:

”]I can not even patiently wait for football season, in the hopes to maybe even go to a game (haha, you’ll notice that through this post, I didn’t really talk too much about that. Now you see where my priorities lie.)

But really, going to a game, shaking your pom poms [literal ones, not chest, you pervs] in the face of an opponent obnoxiously, and cheering in unison with the entirety of your fan base…. there’s nothing like it.

Though I graduated from UNC in 2009, during football weekends, I feel like I’m a student again, right there with all the other tailgaters, rabble rousers, and Tar Heels.

I can’t wait for the foods, the shouting, the 6am wake-up calls for the noon games, the hooplah, the tiny Tar Heel face tattoos, the smell of grilled meat, the shenanigans I’ll get in with my fellow brothers and sisters, young and old…. I just can’t wait.

Oh yeah. And the beer.

 Are you stoked for college football season?  And who’s your team of choice?

August is the New October

/ foodsweatandbeers / 4 Comments

Good evening y’all!!  as I said before in my tweet, tonight I had both:

  • So many beers and
  • So much fun.

The theme of tonight was…. well, it was awesome. I hosted a top notch meetup for Tri-Beer (The Triangle Beer Meetup featured in this month’s All About Beer magazine!!).  The featured beer was Sam Adams Octoberfest and, because we drank that bad boy, we all got a freebie glass (only the PERFECT pint glass.)

That one, pictured here three times.

This glass, known as the Perfect Pint glass, was designed by MIT students. You might be wondering what it was so “perfect”.  Well, according to the Sam Adams website, this is why!

It’s got a narrow top to retain the hop aroma & sustain the head, a rounded shape to collect aroma, thinner walls to maintain the proper temperature longer, and laser etching on the bottom to createe bubbles for constant aroma release.

The featured beer of the night was the Sam Adams Octoberfest (as I mentioned moments ago), and here’s what the brewery has to say about it:

Brewed with five varieties of malted barley for a big, rich flavor.

The first thing you notice when pouring a glass of this seasonal beer is the color. Samuel Adams® Octoberfest has a rich, deep reddish amber hue which itself is reflective of the season. Samuel Adams Octoberfest masterfully blends together five roasts of malt to create a delicious harmony of sweet flavors including caramel and toffee. The malt is complimented by the elegant bitterness imparted by the Bavarian Noble hops. Samuel Adams Octoberfest provides a wonderful transition from the lighter beers of summer to the heartier brews of winter.

October comes early.

What I have to say:

It poured a beautiful copper orange color, and it poured many a time (lots of folks came out for this beer night!)

The smell resembled a creamy caramel or butterscotch (and I promise that’s not just because I watched the flick, Cedar Rapids, last night), and was a nice, malty, and sweet.

The taste was so smooth and a pleasant surprise, as what I recall about last year, this beer was nothing to write home about.  The tastes of this beer remind me of college football, of bonfires, and of spending time with some warm rising bread dough.

The best part about this beer…. was that I got to try different ones shortly after.

Sorry this is the only photo I have, and it's from online. I was busier drinking than I was photographing.

The Steelhead Scotch Porter from Mad River Brewing Company was as dark in color as it is by name….  It smelled like a rich scotch, and it poured a deep brown color with a nice beige head. Someone mentioned this tasted like molasses, and I can TOTALLY see that.  And by see, I mean taste.  The coffee taste wasn’t as strong as previous dark beers (like the coffee infused Sweet Josie Brown from Lonerider Brewery!! which was off the chain on every account).  However, I tasted chocolate, and I tasted smooth.  It also, without question, tasted boozy.

I was pleasantly surprised with both these beers, and felt obliged to share with the class.  Seriously, if you’re unsure about trying porters or dark beers, try something like this Scotch Porter, or a coffee infused porter.  It’s a nice way to ease you into the beer of the night, and it gives you a chance to try something you might never try otherwise!

How was your Thursday evening?  Was it as thirsty as my own?

PS this was my dinner:

Egg flatout with turkey, cheese, and spinach

Tasty, but nothing fancy.

Can’t wait for the weekend!

Any big plans?

What I’m Loving This Thursday

/ foodsweatandbeers / 11 Comments

Hey there everyone!

I’m so glad you all got a kick out of my trip down memory lane yesterday.  I’m a big fan of hopping down that particular lane now and then, so thanks for obliging my guilty pleasure.

In a not so guilty manner, I made today’s lunch knowing that tonight I’d be enjoying a few beers and maybe an appetizer (or two) at the Sam Adams Octoberfest Meetup tonight at Rockfish!

Beastly salad or salad beast, now you don't have to choose!

In today’s delicious lunch was:

  • Spinach
  • Red pepper
  • Green pepper
  • Lowfat mexican blend cheese
  • Reduced Sodium Bush’s Black Beans (my very favorite of all beans)
  • Half a small avocado
  • Some crumbled chips (but more on them soon)
  • Salsa!

A virtual fiesta in the mouth.

As I was making this little jewel, I looked around my kitchen and noticed a few new products that I’m a big fan of and wanted to share with the WORLD (or the several of you that read what I’m writing!!)

First up, something I’ve talked about before:

Actually the perfect pinch

I use this McCormick Perfect Pinch Cajun Seasoning on just about everything lately (including my reduced sodium beans… kind of defeats the purpose of the reduced sodium, I know.)  I threw it on my blackened cod the other night and it just rocked my face off.  Ryan likes it because it’s spicy too.  And really, it’s very versatile.  Use it instead of salt and pepper, or instead of taco seasoning.

Trader Joes, you did me right again!

After my picture, I crumbled a few of these Spicy Soy & Flaxseed Tortilla Chips on top of my salad.  They aren’t actually very spicy, they just crumble deliciously in my mouth, and it’s nearly impossible to not eat 100 in one sitting.  That could be good or bad for you, depending on what you’re looking for in a chip.  For me, it’s a little of both.  I love the little flax seeds in it, and the texture of the chips is great. Also, the ingredient list is totally natural normal everyday stuff.  Wins, all around.

Spinach artichoke HUMMUS?!

I’ve discussed my love for Sabra hummus many times (and tweeted too.  I’m like a Sabra groupie.)  But until yesterday, I’d never seen this particular flavor in a store before!  Well, the moment I saw it, I grabbed it and clutched it to my bosom like a mother who’d saved her child from a burning house (read: Death grip.) I have only tried it with the aforementioned spicy chips, so the jury’s still out (too much flavor from the vehicle).  I’m hoping to get something plainer this weekend and give it a real focused taste.  Stay tuned.

Lime popcorn? It's a crazy hybrid like that coronarita I had!!

This popcorn totally reminds me of those Hint of Lime Tostitos.  Only better.  I love popcorn, I love lime and citrus flavors, and LOOK they even rimmed everything in salt!!  Great treat for watching a movie, and each mini bag has only 190 calories.  Better than popping that MOVIE THEATER BLAST O’ BUTTER that I used to like, and with much more flavors.

Finally, the coup de gras:

Fiber One 80 Calorie Cereal!

This Fiber One 80 Calorie cereal is AH-MAZING! It tastes like honey and crunch and awesome, AND has 40% of my daily fiber! I even added strawberries, like the picture suggested, it was perfect. Sweet, crunch, filling.  I used to eat the Fiber One original literally EVERY DAY when I first started Weight Watchers.  That was 60 calories but tasted like sticks and twigs.

Morning Delight

This has at LEAST 400 calories more worth of flavor, but only 20 more actual real live calories.  I plan on buying 100 boxes as they’re currently on sale at Harris Teeter (and you can get a coupon for Fiber One Here!)
Ok, so those are my most recent tasty MVPs….

How about you?  Any new products you’re digging?

Can I See Some ID, Ma’am?

/ foodsweatandbeers / 17 Comments

Hey there y’all, and happy Hump Day!

Hope you’re enjoying this lovely Wednesday. The weather in Durham is a cool, breezy 90 degrees (note the sarcasm) and I’ve been spending it in an almost Arctic office.  We call it the frozen tundra.  After yesterday’s in-office lunch ordeal, I decided it’d be wise to come back home and eat on my little perch.

I'm basically the cleanest lady around.

I have been taking to typing and eating and chopping up here, this little counter might be my favorite aspect of my tiny little apartment. It’s bar height, and it’s perfect for a giant like myself.  Lunch was FANTASTIC, just what I was craving:

Piping hot!

On the menu:

  • Steamed veggies (the same as I had with last night’s tasty fish! Total mood booster)
  • Coke Zero
  • Sandwich Thin featuring:
  • Turkey
  • Provolone cheese
  • tomato
  • spinach
  • one fried egg!

Perfect and delish.  I also nibbled on a few chips from Trader Joes while cooking and watching Pretty Little Liars (my Wednesday lunch show of choice!)

Now let’s get onto the good stuff.

Last time I was home, I rifled around in my old bedroom, as I always do when I return home.  And I found some REAL gems…. That’s right, various IDs since like… 7th grade.  Now, I present to you:

The Evolution of Jordan

Braces and some sweet single strand bangs

This shot’s from 7th grade, and I’m pretty sure the fiercest of the bunch.  Clearly, I was Sm-eyes-ing. And presenting quality posture.  Did everyone at your school do those single-strand bangs that we all were into, pulled tight to your head?

Yeah, no, me either, this was def a fluke.

Grade: 10 Shirt: Volcom Attitude: Pure Jordan

Up next, we have a snapshot from 10th grade (we’ll call 8th and 9th my “black” period during which I refused to take photos…. or I couldn’t find those ones.)  I think this was when I started standing up straighter, and truly coming into myself.  I was on the varsity basketball and volleyball teams, playing lotsa sports, and finally feeling like I had a place in the world/school. I also shopped almost exclusively at PacSun and owned more tshirts with little characters or logos on the front than I own VS underwear now (hint… well over 30… and 40).  It was a pretty good time.

This might be my favorite ID outfit of all time. Also, sorry for the crumbs in front of the ID.... maybe those TJ chips I was talking about.

In 11th grade, my mom finally started demanding a modicum of fashion sense from her eldest child.  I thank her for this every day of my life.  At this point, I was thinking almost exclusively about colleges to go to, Junior proms, and being the captain of my sports.  Oh, and boys.  But let’s be honest, even though I had my first real kiss at 16, stuff didn’t start getting really interesting until my senior year.

Yeah, that's me. Winking obnoxiously. In my senior ID.

Don’t worry, this wasn’t in the yearbook or anything (at least I’m pretty sure…)  Since we had fancy shmancy senior portraits taken, these were just IDs used for lunch and to get discounts at the movie theater.  And I figured, it was my last year at this joint, I was already accepted to UNC (GO TARHEELS!! LOVE OF MY LIFE!!), go hard or go home.  As the photographer counted back from three (3… 2…. 1!) I hammed it up REAL big at the ONE and got this beaut to have and hold for the rest of my life.  That year, I was voted Most School Spirit, Most Likely to Change the World, and (shocker) Best Sense of Humor. I wish they’d just used this picture for the yearbook superlative shot, it would’ve summed it all up….  (PS So as not to hurt anyone’s feelings, I chose Best Sense of Humor since we weren’t supposed to hoard the superlatives.  BUT THE TRUTH’S OUT NOW, GARNET VALLEY ALUM! Sorry for spilling the beans. But not that sorry.)

Buzz's girlfriend... woof.

I hated my first one card with a fiery passion. My eyebrows are huge, I’m cracked out from having spent the past 2.5 days at Orientation (not sleeping and sneaking out to Durham to play beer ping pong with friends), and my hair looks like a horse’s tail.

Well, wouldn’t you know that got stolen (though, not for good) in 2007, so I had to get this bad boy:

Faded glory

My most used ID of my school years, you can really see the weight on my face in this one.  So I guess my junior year was when the poundage started going on. Something to do with moving into the fraternity house and having constant access to my bean-cheese-hot sauce dip at all hours of the night…. really did a number on me.

And now, here we are!

Glamour Shot!

Hope you enjoyed this little trip down memory lane… Because that was a blast to write.

Can’t wait to get a new ID, maybe I’ll post that one to see how things have changed.

Do you keep your old IDs like a secret hoarder (or like me)?

What’s your favorite ID picture of you? (mine’s the senior year one, hands down.)