Posts tagged ‘charlotte’

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March 8th, 2013

Five for Friday

by Tiff

Happy Friday!  This week didn’t exactly whiz by for me, but it didn’t drag either.  I suppose a mid-week pizza splurge always helps, eh?  I guess that means it’ll be a healthy night in tonight, but that’s fine by me.  I have to get up early on Saturday anyway, so I’m not looking to get too crazy.

Sharing good things puts me in a good mood, and since I’m already feeling pretty happy-go-lucky, I figure it’s time for a little Friday Five.

1. Gone Girl.  I just started this, and I’m loving it.  Though I love tweets, news articles, and Facebook updates as much as the next gal, there’s special about reading well-written work that wasn’t made to be devoured and spit back out in 30 seconds or less.

book

2. Eggs.  When I discovered I was out of oats yesterday, I was pretty bummed about having to cook up something else, but the eggs were even better than I remembered.  (They always are.)

egg

3. This eyeshadow and this lipstick.  I’m not a big fan of makeup, so the fact that I’m even mentioning these really means something.  Both are by Clinique.

eyeshadow    lipstick

4.  Kitty snuggles.  Nope.  It never gets old.  Leia always tries to find a way around my laptop though, which can be frustrating.  Good thing she’s too adorable to actually annoy me.

kitty

5.  Fun runs. I feel like I haven’t done a race in forever, so a couple friends and I are doing a color run.  The US National Whitewater Center puts on really awesome events, so I’m sure the St. Patty’s party after the race is going to be a pretty good time.

color me green

  • What’s making your Friday?
  • Ever done a color run?  (If so, give me tips!)

Posted in Uncategorized | 16 Comments »

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February 18th, 2013

Food, Snow, & More Food

by Tiff

Heeeeeeyaa!  How was your weekend?  Mine was pretty darn good.  It’s bound to be a good weekend any time there’s snow in Charlotte.  It only happens once a year, so it’s kind of a big deal.

On Friday, I met Jennifer for dinner at Good Food on Montford.  They weren’t kidding.  It’s daaaaaarn good!  I was really excited for both the girl time and the eats, especially after Jen and Laura gave the restaurant their seal of approval.

goodfood               good food

We had everything!  ha  We had truffle fries, falafel, and a macadamia nut pie.  She also got quail lettuce wraps (on the left), and I got lamb cheek pappardelle with roast vegetables.  I’m already hungry for more.

As I mentioned, we got a bit of snow Saturday.  I avoided an outdoor run and hit the gym instead.  After a 67-minute spin class (27.3 miles on the bike), I was ready for lunch!  Of course, snow days call for soup and grilled cheese.  (soul-warming food)

Since there was no food left in the house, Kevin and I went out for Italian that evening.  Snow, baked ziti, and a movie = pure romance.  The night *might* have been a bit more romantic had we not watched Planes, Trains, & Automobiles, but it was really funny.

baked ziti

Sunday was the regular food prep day.  (Side note: I wrote a lil’ meal planning post yesterday you may or may not want to read.)  I also cooked duck with orange sauce, rice pilaf, and asparagus.  Yum!

duck

Okay… this was kind of a long post.  Sorry to be so long-winded, but sometimes girl’s gotta lot to say!  Enjoy your week.

Posted in Food | 20 Comments »

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February 1st, 2013

The Cowfish

by Tiff

Eat-In-Month was going strong… until it wasn’t.  I think Kevin and I will probably eat in tonight, so a little slip up from last night won’t hurt, right?

We were originally supposed to meet 4 other couples for a fellowship dinner as part of our married couples Bible study. Sooooo I did my makeup, curled my hair, and threw on a dress right after work.

Before departing for dinner, Kevin and I met up with his work colleagues for a happy hour at Mortimer’s Pub.  I hadn’t been there before and really enjoyed the atmosphere.  Of course, I also really enjoyed my beer.

beer

Old Mecklenberg’s Dunkel – A Winner!

Not long before leaving, I checked my email on my phone only to see that all the other couples canceled on us.  Ugh, really????

Rather than give up on a night out, Kevin offered to take me to one place I’ve been wanting to try for about a year now, The Cowfish. It’s a burger-sushi fusion joint, and yes, that includes burger sushi. The wait is always long, and frankly, we don’t get out much (for dinner, that is).

wine

Get a drink while you browse the menu. The menu is so exhaustive you’ll need to stay hydrated. Side note: the draft beer list is weak, but Thursday is half-price saki night.

sushi

Kevin got the filet sushi, which was delicious.  I got the bento box, complete with one slider and sweet potato fries, part of a rainbow roll and edamame, and a little cucumber salad that I didn’t touch.

bento

Everything was sooooooooo delicious! (Except for the cucumber salad – totally skipped over that) If I had to cheat on my eat-in-month challenge, I’m glad I did it here.  There was so much food that I even took my edamame home to have for snack today.

sushi

  • Any restaurants on your to-try list?

Posted in Food, Out & About | 13 Comments »

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December 13th, 2012

About that beer crawl…

by Tiff

On Monday I briefly and vaguely mentioned a bar crawl that Kevin and I did on Saturday.  Well, to be specific, we attended the The South End Local Light Rail Beer Crawl.

crawl

The crawl, hosted by Mark at the Charlotte Beer Blog, was a ton of fun.  Kevin and I originally had plans to meet up with one of my girlfriends and some of her pals.  Sadly, she flaked, but this gave us the opportunity to meet lots of other crawlers.

ipa   kevin

We first started at Triple C Brewing, a new brewery in Charlotte.  This was my first visit, and I loved it.  The food truck had amazing fries, the tap room had a great atmosphere (total sucker for exposed brick), and most importantly, the beer was great.  They brew a lower alcohol pale ale (4.5% ABV), which was still bursting with flavor.  I may have a new favorite local beer…

holiday 026

pretzels (with nibbled nubs)

Everyone then hopped on the public transit train for the next stop, The Liberty.  I have eaten here before, and I love it.  They have drool-worthy burgers and doughy pretzels.  Old Mecklenburg Brewery was there with their winter seasonal, which they do exceptionally well.  It’s the epitome of dunkel-style beer.

our table

Photo Borrowed from The Charlotte Beer Blog

We then headed to World of Beer and The Common Market, all via the public train.  I have visited WOB twice now, but I was disappointed both times.  WOB doesn’t sell food, so their draw is having lots and lots of beer.  Both times I’ve been, they’re run out of lots and lots of beers.  When I went with my family, I think we ordered a total of 8 beers, and they were out of 3 or 4.  That’s pathetic.  This time, WOB ran out of the Charlotte beers that were supposed to be on special without offering other specials in their place.

holiday 027

The Common Market is always a fun scene.  They offered discounted pints of Four Friends Brewing, but I didn’t think it was anything to write home about.  My buddy’s sweater, on the other hand, is worth mentioning.  He came from a Santa-theme bar crawl to meet up with us, and his sweater got lots of attention.

Wow… longest #LinkUpDrinkUp ever…

  • Ever done a beer/bar/pub crawl?
  • What’s your favorite local beer?

Posted in Brews | 25 Comments »

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October 15th, 2012

The Weekend That Was

by Tiff

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was pretty good, but it could have included a bit more R&R. As soon as I was out of work on Friday, Kevin and I started our slightly belated anniversary celebrations.

We hit up the mall and then Cafe Monte. We only went because I had a Groupon, but I’m so glad we did. The restaurant offered incredible food, a fabulous atmosphere, and friendly service.  I devoured my rich chicken and mushroom crepes, and of course, wine was a nice touch.

dinner    wine

On Saturday, I sanded furniture all.freaking.day.  It’s so exhausting!  Before showering up, I had a little me time in the driveway.

 beer

Clemson didn’t play this weekend, but Kevin and I still managed to plan our Saturday night around football.  We watched the LSU vs USC game to cheer on fellow tigers.  (Try not to judge me on the Shocktop.  It was on special.)

beer

I was just as busy Sunday as I was Saturday.  I primed and painted all the sanded furniture, hit up the grocery store, and cooked this wonderful dinner.  It’s the second time I’ve made this Veracruz-style tilapia, and I still recommend it.

tilapia

I think I need a weekend from my weekend…

  • Did you get to recover over the weekend?
  • What was the best thing you did?

Posted in Out & About | 21 Comments »

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