New Post soon

Sorry for lack of posting! I drove home yesterday and will be here for a week. I have lots of things to post but have not have time! I will soon! :)

Apple Pie

My dessert tonight! Apple pie (from kroger bakery), icecream and blackberries! I had a sweet tooth today... I had frozen yogurt from Yoforia at lunchtime with Cassandra. I'll post about that later. Usually I do not like desserts so much.

Noche

Last Tuesday I ate at Noche in Virginia Highlands with Cassie and Cassandra. I wasn't extremely hungry so I just got one small plate and we shared chips with queso and salsa. I do like their salsa verde a lot. It's one of the best I've had around here. Although I rarely eat Mexican... and this is a Mexican inspired tapas place. For my meal I got the chicken quesadilla. It was very small because as I said..it's a tapas place. I liked how it was arranged on top of salsa and guacamole though. The chicken was good quality and overall I liked it! Sometimes Noche can be hit or miss so I was satisfied. Cassandra got the pulled pork over fried plantains dish that I loved once, but the last time I ordered it it was dry. She said it was good this time so maybe I'll have to give it another chance!**having trouble uploading the quesadilla picture, but I will work on it!

Beef Tips again

I had this meal recently... but I found out I'm sort of anemic so I decided I needed to eat some more meat. So this was my meal yesterday at lunch! Delicious as always. It was the first time I got the sweet potatoes instead of the mashed potatoes (hard choice), but they were really good.

Stuffed Salmon

Last night I tried stuffed salmon from Trader Joes. It was filled with rice and crabmeat. I had it with steamed broccoli, macaroni and cheese, and bread. It was very delicous until near the last bite when I found a dreaded bone in it. If I find a bone in anything ever I will refuse to eat it again (like the new york, new york roll with the eel bone at Sushi Blues). So, good dinner overall, but I won't be buying it again. The broccoli was the best part because I had been craving broccoli for a week.

Pasta

My dinner last night. Pasta - I added mushrooms and olives to the canned sauce, salad, and bread. I tried this new sauce, vodka sauce. I was skeptical but I read that it was cheesier and I don't really like most canned marinara sauces. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. I am having leftovers for lunch today.

Meatloaf

Even though I generally refuse to cook meat and hate frozen foods with meat.... I do occasionally like a Stouffer's meatloaf. And that's what I had for dinner. I didn't realize I had gotten the "large meal" that came with two meatloafs and mashed potatos. As long as I put lots of ketchup on it (as you see I have done), it tastes pretty good.

K'Naan Waving Flag

So this post isn't about food, it's about a song....

Catherine originally sent me this remix of it that she heard in Argentina where she's teaching English. It's a world cup song and I'm pretty sure it's sponsered by Coca-Cola because the chorus is the coke tune. haha.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CFyigM6Tek

I loved it! Then Angela put it on the CD she made for me and sent to Atlanta. Also I read on Cecile's blog yesterday that she heard it in Zambia. I like how my friends can be spread out all over the world but hear the same song....

Kind of cheesy but it made me happy!

Rainbow Cupcakes

I got a craving for cupcakes at work so I decided to make these when I got home. I had seen them before online and they look so cool. They remind me of the pretend food in the movie Hook. I went to the grocery store and got all my ingredients (forgetting eggs so I had to run back). I heard you could use sprite instead of eggs and oil but I didn't have any of that either so I just used the normal box recipe. The gel neon food coloring turned out VERY well. I was surprised at how bright it was.

Annnnnd..... out of the oven!

Success!

Chicken Noodle Soup

I woke up with a sore throat this morning. I hope it isn't anything bad. Right now I have cough drops with me at work, but if it gets any worse I'm going to go to student health. It's just weird because I haven't been having any sinus problems so I hope it isn't strep throat.

Anyways, it's making me really want chicken noodle soup. I don't know how to make it myself and I don't like the chicken pieces in Cambell's or Progresso. Mom made chicken noodle soup recently that was really good (picture). Another soup that I would really like is the Olive Garden pasta fagioli (second picture).

But, what I think I might be able to actually get today is Chickfila Chicken noodle soup. Yum.

Mellow Mushroom

Yesterday I was at the pool when someone brought out Mellow Mushroom pizza. It looked so good that after I left the pool I called and got takeout for myself. I got a small Magical Mystery Tour. It has mushroom and jalepenos and is surprisingly good. I forgot that there was a Mellow Mushroom so nearby so I got a menu. I'm going to order from there more often I think. They have really good salads too.

Cellar 56

Tonight was an amazing girls night out. We went to dinner at Cellar 56 in Buckhead. It's a tapas and wine bar. http://www.cellar56.com/. I had the sautee of wild mushrooms with locatelli polenta, crock of mussels with grilled ciabatta, and jumbo lump crabmeat with avocado and grapefruit mojo. I had read that the portions could be small even for tapas, but was pleasantly surprised with the sizes of what I ordered, especially the mussels. The ciabatta with the sauce that the mussels came in was delicious and so were the sauteed mushrooms. My favorite would have to be the crabmeat with avocado. It was served cold with tortilla strips and was surprisingly refreshing and I loved the fruit flavor from the grapefruit even though I don't like grapefruit.

Most surprising was that the tapas were incredibly delicous but not overpriced. They ranged from $4.50 to $6.50 with most people ordering between 2 and 5 dishes. I ordered 3 myself and was very full.

I will be uploading pictures from dinner tomorrow if they did not turn out too dark. The lighting was very dim in the restaurant. I read a review the other day that stated that a lack of flash on the type of phone I have was an "unfortunate omission" and I agree.

(Update 7/1: I forgot that I hadn't posted the pictures yet and deleted them from my phone! Oh no! This gives me an excuse to go eat there again hehehe.)

After our wonderful dinner experience, Ana, Whitney, Cassandra and I headed to the St. Regis in Buckhead and hung out at their bar for an hour or so. It was a rather swanky experience. It definitely made me eager to finish grad school and get a job so I can do things like this more often! It was not the lifestyle of a graduate student for sure. I would love to stay at the St. Regis sometime. Just being there made me so happy. It was magnificent. I'm going to add some pictures so you can imagine how nice it was.

This is where I wish I was staying instead of my apartment right now!

I just love all the white in the lobby. Everything was pristine and beautiful.

St. Regis Atlanta

McDonalds Egg and Cheese Biscuit

I got a breakfast craving this morning for bacon and eggs. I'm all out of breakfast bars so when I drove past McDonalds I could not resist!

Seasons 52 Review

Although the food was as good as I hoped at Seasons 52, the management left something to be desired. Even though Cassandra made us reservations, we still had to wait for 20 minutes and the staff did not seem concerned at all even when we complained. Our server also told us all about how the Buckhead location of the restaurant has been in the red since they opened (and he had worked there 2 years!). This was in response to us asking why instead of having his personal business card, he had to cross out another name and write in his own.

Apart from those issues, we had a great dinner. (http://www.seasons52.com) We started out by sharing the flatbread with steak, mushrooms, and bleu cheese. It was delicious and I think we all wished we could have had more of it. I don't even really like bleu cheese, but it was melted and that made the taste not as strong.

For dinner I had the Atlantic Salmon with carrots, asparagus, and roasted potatos. I definitely believe that it was under 475 calories because the flavors were simple and it came with a lemon if you wanted more flavoring. The fish was delicious and I liked it just as it was. I used my lemon mainly on the potatos.

For dessert our server brought out a tray of all the different dessert shots and we got to choose directly from the tray. I went with one that tasted like banana pudding, but cakier. It was very good and I didn't mind that I only got a few bites.
I had a great dinner out with Cassie and Cassandra. It's definitely something I'd like to do again. I would have to add that although the prices are not steep at the restaurant, it adds up quickly when you order dessert and an appetizer so keep in mind if you are on a budget.

Seasons 52 - Teaser

Turkey Skewer

Okay so I haven't actually been there yet, I'm going tonight. But I am getting sooooo excited just by looking at the menu on the website. I think it's going to be so good! And healthy! How could it get any better. Just look at these pictures from the website (http://www.seasons52.com/). It's a chain so there could be one near you! Also they say they were the first restaurant to have the little desserts in shot glasses. So.... that means before Applebees and the rest of those places did. That makes me feel better because I think of boring family restaurants when I think of desserts in shot glasses.

Tomato Stack Salad

Spinach Salad

Grilled Grouper

Chicken Flatbread

Seasonal Vegetable Plate

Scallops

Desserts

Beef Tips

know you may be surprised. But yes I ate beef tips and rice last night from the southern place on the corner of Briarcliff and Clifton Rd. I usually get the veggie plate, but when I went to order I decided to go out on a limb and get a regular platter. I was extra hungry so I splurged and got okra too. All this for only $7.50, drink included! I was in a bad mood because my dance class didn't go well so I wanted comfort food. This definitely fit the bill. Don't worry, I didn't eat all of it. I have half leftover or my lunch today. Oh and I was surprised at how much MORE they give you if you get a meat rather than just the veggie plate. A crazy amount more!

I was going to go grocery shopping yesterday, but due to bad mood and a storm I did not. Probably won't be going today either because Cassie, Cassandra, and I (and maybe Whitney?) are going to Seasons 52 tonight. It's supposedly really good and everything is under 475 calories and not too overpriced. I'm excited. Just have to get through the work day! I have to use another girl's computer to do what I need to get done today because the program isn't on my computer, so I'm currently waiting to be able to do that.

Cupcakes (from April)

I was just talking to Meredith and realized in all the rush I was in back in April, I never posted ANYTHING about the bridal shower I threw for her at home. So I'm 89% sure I haven't posted this picture and I like it- so here it is. I'm on a roll today with posting. I frosted everything myself!

Bojangles

This is an old picture from while I was home on vacation. We stopped to eat at Bojangles in Jacksonville, NC on the way back from Emerald Isle. Anyways, I am CRAVING it right now. Yes I usually order weird things, like an egg and cheese biscuit with mashed potatoes and usually dirty rice too. It's so good. I looked up where the nearest Bojangles was and there is only ONE in all of Atlanta. It's in Southwest Atlanta and that's not always the best area so I'm not going to be venturing out to Bojangles. But I still want it.

Bachelorette & Sushi

I never watch the Bachelor or Bachelorette alone but unfortunately I had to last night. It was just not the same. Even though I got some texts from Angela about the crazy singing guy. I can't believe he got a tattoo for Allie that also represents the 11 final guys left in the show. Haha! I can't wait until she finds out about it and kicks him off the show.

Sushi from Thaicoon was also especially fresh last night. Maybe Monday is a good day to get sushi from there. It's sometimes hit or miss with their rolls. I finally got my paycheck so hopefully I'll get the time to go grocery shopping within the next few days! Otherwise I'm going to end up getting way too much take out.

I also realized I am wearing a shirt with British flags on it....this has nothing to do with my World Cup soccer affiliation. I didn't even think about that. hehe.

For lunch today I tried a new Healthy Choice complete meal. It was shrimp with pasta, veggies, and a berry dessert. I put the berries on top of the greek yogurt I brought to work and that was pretty good. The pasta was bland and so was the broccoli with carrots. I guess my pepsi wasn't a "Healthy Choice", but I can only do so much.

Oh and after I finished I spilled the sauce all over my pants.

Broccoli and Cheese Pasta

I know many of you think that I go out to dinner too much, which may be true. But this post will prove that I can also be thrifty. This dinner cost me exactly $1.09 and was decently tasty. Now PLEASE let me get my internship paycheck in the mail within the next two days so I can return to eating in style.

Farm Burger

Yesterday afternoon Ana and I went to Farm Burger. http://www.farmburger.net/. It's a burger place that just recently opened in Decatur. We tried to go once before but the line was so long that we ended up at Sushi Avenue instead.

I had the #1 Farm Burger with fries and a root beer float. The fries would have been so much better if they had the mayonnaise dipping sauce like at Leon's Full Service. As it was, they were a good texture but I didn't really like them with plain ketchup. The burger had some sort of mayonnaisey sauce that was amazing, caramelized onions and cheese. I asked for mine well done and it was delicious. However- it was deceivingly filling and I felt kind of bad for the rest of the afternoon. That could have also been because I sucked down my root beer float in about 2 seconds. So amazing. Next time I think I would try a side salad because Ana's looked really good with great dressing too.

One last downside that I wanted to point out was that I don't enjoy eating burgers while looking at pictures of farm animals on the wall. Grossed me out. I chose a seat where I could look out the window instead. They also need to get a control on the fly situation in that place or they are going to lose their 100% A sanatation grade! I don't want to be too much of a downer because it really was an amazing burger. I'd consider getting take out for lunch because I don't work too far away in Decatur.

Icecream

Here are the pictures from the student panel that I went to the other night in the penthouse on Clairmont campus! The view was amazing from where we were and Hillary brought some awesome toppings for the icecream. I had vanilla and cookies and cream ice cream with cookie dough (!) sprinkles, chocolate chips, cherries, and caramel icing! (So much for me posting about healthier things).