Thanksgiving for Two

This year Thanksgiving was a little different.  Between crazy travel, school, and work schedules, we weren't able to make it back to Texas.  We saw my family last week, and we'll see Brent's in early December, but for Thanksgiving, it just worked out for us to stay in Durham.  Although we really missed our families, it was nice to spend a relaxing day at home.  We started the day watching the Macy's parade with a few cups of coffee.  Then we took a brisk 3 mile walk on the Wa-Duke trail.  We had a leisurely lunch of just appetizers - that's right - everyone loves appetizers, so we made a meal of them.  We lounged around all afternoon and then ate a late Thanksgiving dinner around 8 pm.  To finish off our night, we watched Home Alone, a holiday tradition.  I am pretty proud that I made a whole Thanksgiving dinner by myself.  It was probably best for this first time to be a "practice run" with just us because if it didn't turn out... oh well!  But it did turn out, and everything was delicious.  I feel confident that I can roast a turkey now (though I just made the breast for us), and now I have some "go to" recipes I could replicate.  We had enough for a great dinner and a few leftover meals.  Here's what I made, just in case you need some inspiration for Christmas!

 

Thanksgiving Lunch:

1:  Roasted Shrimp Cocktail from Ina Garten

2:  Risotto Stuffed Mushrooms (I improvised this recipe - I made the risotto from this post and then stuffed it in baby bella mushroom caps, topped with Parmesan cheese, and roasted in the oven.)

3:  Caramelized Onion, Bacon, & Gruyere Spread on a baguette from Cooking Light

4:  Cold Duck (my family's Thanksgiving tradition)

Thanksgiving Dinner:

1:  Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes from Ina Garten

2:  Sausage and Herb Stuffing from Ina Garten

3:  Perfect Cranberry Sauce from Food Network Kitchens

4:  Herb Roasted Turkey Breast with Pan Gravy from Rachel Ray

5:  Roasted Asparagus from Cooking Light (Not pictured)

Ginger Pumpkin Cheesecake with homemade whipped cream from Cooking Light (A new all-time Brent favorite!  This stuff is crazy-good and made with low fat ingredients!)

We hope you had a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving!  It's officially Christmastime in our house since all of our decorations went up today.  It's the most wonderful time of the year...



Dr. Halterman, I Presume?

My sister is officially a DOCTOR!!  Last week, she defended her dissertation and got her PhD in Pharmacology from UVA.  Just in case you can't read the title of her dissertation, I'll type it here for you, though I can't pronounce it or explain it, mind you:  "NFAT5-Dependent Regulation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotypic Modulation and Atherosclerosis".  YEP.  She's smart.  She defended her dissertation in the Rotunda at the University of Virginia where she's been for the last 5 years.  To celebrate the occasion, the whole fam came to town!  Julia and I now live less than 4 hours away from each other, so we all started out in Durham for the weekend and then drove to Charlottesville to see Julia's presentation on Monday.  We had a GREAT time! 

We started with a tour of the Duke campus and the Fuqua School of Business so the fam could see where Brent spends all of his time.  We were laughing and having a great time, and my mom even requested to see Brent's locker at business school.  ...Kind of like showing your mom your desk at elementary school open house.  Brent, being the wonderful son-in-law he is, obliged.  Julia snapped my pic in front of the "Fuqua Partners" board since that's pretty much my only connection to Fuqua.  Thankfully, the fall leaves held on until my parents visited, and campus was beautiful.  We walked through the Duke Chapel and the Duke Gardens.

       

Back at home, Aunt Julia played with her nephew Blazer, who was SUPER hyped to have everyone here.  Lots of people to play with!  We spent some quality time by the fire pit.  (I like to wear snow boots by the fire pit.) 



On Sunday, we headed to Charlottesville to enjoy a nice evening at Julia's house.  Then Monday was the big day!  Here is Julia with her husband, Darrell, prior to her presentation, a shot of the room she presented in, and a family pic.

I understood about 20 - 30% of Julia's presentation, and that's probably being generous.  Research science is a WHOLE other world from middle school English!  But I was glad to be there and proud of how hard my sister has worked to become a PhD at the age of 27.  I mean... really... who does that??

Congrats, Dr. Halterman!

Chirping Copycat

In New York City, the Upper West Side is my neighborhood of choice.  That's where I usually stay and frequent.  Ever since I started going to NYC, I would always see this little place called "Chirping Chicken" on the corner of Amsterdam & 77th.  Their specialty is charcoal broiled chicken amongst other delicious things.   The place is always packed, and there are always about 25 delivery bikes parked outside, ready to whisk off a chicken dinner to the next lucky caller.  For some reason, I waited until last summer to try it.  WOW now I know why people are lined up in there.  That stuff is amazing!!!  I ordered the souvlaki which was a feast consisting of char-grilled chicken, Greek salad, warm pita bread, tzatziki sauce, and french fries.  It was DELICIOUS.  I went back like three more times after that before my time in NYC was up.  Ever since then, I have been CRAVING that chicken, and if they delivered to Durham, I would be willing to pay a hefty delivery charge!  But, since they don't deliver to Durham, I went on a mission to create a meal similar to the one I get there.  I made chicken souvlaki with tzatziki sauce, french fries, and Greek salad.  I would have added warm pita, but I forgot it at the grocery.  Feel free to add pita when you make it!  It was really easy with a lot of store-bought ingredients, and this "chirping copycat" is now one of our weekday faves. 

Chicken Souvlaki (serves 2 - easy doubles for 4)

2 chicken breasts

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 garlic cloves, minced

Pound chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness. Marinate in a Ziploc bag with next 5 ingredients (lemon juice through garlic).  Let marinate for about 30 minutes to an hour - not too much longer because the lemon juice starts to break down the chicken.  Then, "grill" on a grill pan or large skillet (or a grill if you actually have one!!) until crispy on both sides and cooked through.  Remove to cutting board to rest for a few minutes and then slice.

Tzatziki Sauce:  This is an amazing sauce made with Greek yogurt, garlic, and cucumber.  You can make your own, but I did not make my sauce.  The fine people at "Cedars" made my sauce and Whole Foods kindly sold it to me.  

French Fries:  I bought the Ore Ida Shoestring Fries - super easy - and taste like restaurant fries but from the oven!  Halfway through cooking, I took them out of the oven and tossed them with Cajun seasoning before returning to oven.  This made the fries seasoned and delicious!

Greek Salad:  In a bowl, toss together chopped romaine lettuce, halved grape tomatoes, sliced Kalamata olives, sliced baby cucumber, and low fat crumbled feta.  Toss with a balsamic vinaigrette or Greek salad dressing.

Pretty similar to "chirping" without the 7 hour drive!

Everyday Friends

Life is funny sometimes in the sense that sometimes the best things come in places where you least expect them.  When Brent & I moved to Durham, I was worried about making friends.  We did not know one single person here, and it seemed overwhelming.  Also, being here for just two years, I thought it would be difficult to form deep friendships since everyone would be looking ahead and scattering in two years - moving again!  But I was wrong.  God has blessed me more than I could ask or imagine with friends here. 

The kind of friend I desire most is an "everyday friend" - a friend who you want to see everyday - a friend who you can hang out with to go for a walk, go shopping, get your nails done, or have lunch.  To be honest, it was hard to find those kinds of friends in Houston.  I had tons of friends at work. YES Prep is a super fun place!  But we saw each other for 10+ hours every day, and I was so exhausted when I got home, I didn't really want to hang out outside of school.  Also, living way out in the suburbs precluded us from being "everyday friends" with people in our church or people who lived in central Houston.  I just found myself longing for what I had in college - living in the same house with "everyday friends" and never being without a bestie for more than 5 minutes. 

Fast forward to April 2011.  New Duke students and their families descended on campus for "Blue Devil Weekend" - kind of a new student orientation.  While Brent went to sessions for students, I went to sessions for "partners" (wives, husbands, fiancees of students).  In the first session I attended, I sat next to Maggie, a girl who seemed pretty nice!  Oh, I'm so grateful to God that he orchestrated our seating that day and had us meet.  I friended her on Facebook and kept up with her that way last Spring.   When we moved to Durham in July, I asked her if she wanted to have lunch.  I assured her I wasn't a stalker, and I hoped she remembered me from Blue Devil weekend. 

Fast forward to today.  I feel like I've known Maggie forever!  She is a true woman of God and a wonderful friend - a true "everyday friend"!  While I would be grateful to just have Maggie as a friend, God has blessed me with SO MANY everyday friends here - I'm so grateful for Kristi, Lindsay, Lindsay, Lindsay (Yes, three Lindsays), Mary Elizabeth, and Patty.  So grateful!

Miss Maggie is having her first baby in January, and I can't wait to meet sweet Campbell.  You can read about Maggie and her family on her cute blog:  Supermom With Southern Charm.  You'll notice her adorable "banner" design.  I was inspired by her blog to create a theme for a baby shower I'm hosting for her.  The theme is going to be "banners", and I won't tell you the details, but I have a ton of fun ideas ready to go for her shower.  I'll do a post on it later!  For now I'll give you a sneak peek of the invitations I made this week.  I can't think of a better way to honor my first "everyday friend" here in Durham.  Love ya Maggie!



The Good Life

Where have you been all my life, Durham??  I LOVE IT HERE.  The last few days have been so good.  I was in Houston all last week, which was exhausting but necessary for my job.  It's always good to see friends and family there, but coming home to Durham is the best.  It's like slipping away to this quiet, cozy little corner of the world where everything is a little bit simpler.  Who would have ever thought I'd be a small town girl?  The weather is beautiful right now, and the trees are breathtaking.  In Texas, the leaves change from green to dead, so this is a new experience for me.  My iPhone camera doesn't do it justice.  There are really no billboards here on the highway - just forests.  So even driving to Target, I see the most breathtaking colors on the trees that I just have to praise God in my car.  I've been praising God a lot lately for simple things - for my house which I love, for my husband who is doing so well in school, for my job which I adore, for my flexible schedule which has literally changed my life, for my friends here in Durham that God has blessed me with so richly, for the scenery, for the smell of fall, for apple cider, for my Bible study, for our church, for my sweet puppy I get to love on all day, and for this awesome town he brought us to.  Even my run today felt good - light and cool.  These are some pictures I snapped as I ran.

Many of you know that in the past I have NOT been an outdoor person.  Give me a Tempurpedic bed and a bubble bath and a glass of wine, and NO outdoors, thankyouverymuch.  However, I must say my position has changed somewhat (slash a lot).  Cool weather, nice scenery, and no mosquitoes sweetens the deal quite a bit!  I haven't worked out in a gym since July, and I find myself finding more opportunities to be outside.  For example, it's been my dream since moving here to get a fire pit.  This weekend, it became a reality!  We hosted a football and chili party on Saturday (sadly, no pictures. oops.)  For the occasion, we splurged for a $50 fire pit from Target.  Best.$50.Ever.  It's not fancy, but it does the job.  I am now obsessed with it.  We put it in the middle of our backyard surrounded by our oh-so-comfy (seriously!) plastic Adirondack chairs from Home Depot.  We throw two self-starting logs in the pit and light 'er up.  It is SO NICE.  That thing is so warm that even if it's in the 40s, you're toasty.  On Sunday, we cracked open a bottle of wine I bought on my Virginia winery trip with my sister.  We enjoyed a bottle of 2008 Cabernet from Pollak Vineyards - so good!  We sat by the fire and talked for like 2 hours.  Simple and wonderful.  Our neighbors came out to chat for a bit and said they thought we were on a date on the Bachelorette!  Mom, dad, and Julia are coming this weekend, and I can hardly wait to show them around.  The fire pit is waiting, y'all!



Paul & Justin's Story

When I was in college at Texas A&M, I attended Breakaway for four years, and it literally changed my life.  Breakaway is a nondenominational, weekly Bible study on Texas A&M's campus.  It started in the '80s with just a few students in an apartment, and now it is held in Reed Arena (Texas A&M's basketball stadium!) where as many as 8,000 students gather every Tuesday to "break away" from college life to worship and meet with the Lord.  Breakaway has incubated a few worship stars - Chris Tomlin himself used to lead worship, and my freshman year we sang along with Shane & Shane.  Crazy!  The founding director of Breakaway, Gregg Matte, is such a faithful man of God who had a clear vision for just what God could do on A&M's campus. 

Breakaway has a huge team of volunteers that work through the campus and community on different projects.  As a student, I worked in the Breakaway office and volunteered on several teams.  Breakaway is one of the biggest things I miss about college, and I try to live vicariously through the newsletters and email updates I still get about the ministry.  Whenever I'm in College Station on a Tuesday night for recruiting or some other random reason, I always to to Breakaway, and I'm always overwhelmed with gratitude and excitement and praise for God's glory and the way he has moved so mightily on that campus to the degree that you can FEEL his presence when you arrive there. 

I finally live in a college town again, and I'm so excited to be here in a place where I have the opportunity to interact with college students and feel a bit of that old spark.  Last week, I got an email update about Breakaway, and it contained a link to this video:  Paul & Justin's Story.  I don't know if I was especially missing College Station or just needing some encouragement about how the Lord uses small acts for big purposes, but this video spoke directly to my heart.  I felt inspired and so grateful for the Lord's faithfulness in answering us when we desire to be used for his glory.  It's not a sad video, don't worry!  I was smiling and had tears rolling down my face at the same time.  But that's typical of me.

If you have 3 minutes and 54 seconds to spare, it's worth a watch.  It will do you good.  ...and if you're an Aggie and have a sudden urge to hop in the car and drive as fast as you can to Texas A&M, well - you can't blame me!!

City of Contradictions

This weekend, I got the chance to spend time in one of my favorite cities - New York City.  Brent was in the city for 5 days visiting companies on his Duke Fall Break.  He was leading the General Management Club's trip and coordinating visits for other students.  They had Saturday & Sunday off, so I was able to visit and just hang out. 

For me, New York is such a city of contradictions.  I just am not sure how I feel about it, even after all these years.  Just when you think you know something about the city or you have mastered it in some way, you find out that you really don't know anything.  I've been to New York at least ten times that I can remember, but I'm still not really an insider.  Back in college, I naively sent my resume to Kate Spade, thinking I would go live in the city and live a glamorous life working in marketing.  Do I even need to tell you how that turned out?  Not-so-shockingly, Ms. Spade did not acknowledge my inquiry, and it was just as well... the city would have eaten me alive.  So although I didn't end up with a high fashion career, I smile and praise God when I think of how many times he has brought me back to the city that so fascinated me even then.  Brent and I got engaged in New York City.  My teaching life changed forever when I began attending institutes at Teachers College in NYC.  Right now, I'm living my lifelong dream of getting my masters from Columbia, and Brent is exploring job opportunities there.  I just love how God has worked it all out for good and has been so kind to us by entwining our lives with NYC.

In the last 7 years, God has both softened my heart to the city, making me love it even more AND opened my eyes to the stark reality that is living there.  Right now Brent is exploring internship opportunities and the sky is the limit.  We could be, well..... anywhere!!  Obviously there are lots of opportunities in NYC for him now and in the future, and we're trying to decide:  Could we do it?  Is this where the Lord would have us?  It certainly would be fun and adventurous and after all we've been through with the city it would seem fitting that God would bring us full circle.  But can we do it... really?  Can we forget our big, luxurious, cheap housing in Texas?  Can we someday lug a stroller onto the subway?  Can we survive the winter?  It kind of makes me shudder to think of it.  See what I mean?  There's a contradiction around every corner. 

Here's a few:

• There is always something to explore, but you can NEVER, ever own the city or see it all. 
• I love eating out and the restaurants are so fantastic, but how can anyone afford to live here and eat out?  And how can regular people cook dinner in tiny little kitchens with daily stops to the grocery store?  I'm spoiled by my big kitchen and SUV.
• I feel safer every time I'm in the city, but there is always a moment where I feel like an outsider sticking out like a sore thumb and everyone knows it and someone is going to mug me if I don't look like I know what I'm doing.
• There are so many people around that it can feel exhilarating, yet isolating at the same time.  Full of life, yet impersonal.
• The subway can be charming, but I've been in there in the dead of summer.  NOT FUN.
• I love walking.  I really do.  But my ankles, feet, and legs ache after a few days. This summer I would just eat whatever I had in my fridge to avoid walking to get something else.

So maybe I have a love/hate relationship with NYC, and that is just the way it is!  I do know that I had a blast there this weekend, but (of course) I was kind of ready to come home to Durham.  Man I love Durham.  Have I said that yet?  Here's a recap of my NYC weekend even though my camera died right in the middle of it. (sorry)

On Saturday, we walked the park and visited the Met (which I've done, but Brent has not).   We stuck to the Egyptian collection and the European painters.  Fun fact:  Did you know that I've been obsessed with Monet ever since I was 6 when I read the book "Linea in Monet's Garden"?  Yep, I have.  Now you know.

We also finally went to Chelsea Market, home of the Food Network.  I know.... isn't it crazy that I've never been there?!  Well you can't really take a tour of the Food Network, but you better believe I kept my eyes open for Bobby Flay.  We loved looking in all of the specialty food shops and had an amazing lunch of a fresh lobster roll.

Then we walked the Chelsea Pier, which was super beautiful and fun.  Finally we walked the High Line Park, a relatively new park that spans many, many blocks.  Basically they took an old raised railroad line and made it into a long walking path suspended over the street.  It's very lush with greenery and beautifully planned with modern sculpture and art everywhere.  It was packed on a Sunday afternoon, but we really enjoyed walking the trail.  If you've ever been to the Katy Trail in Dallas, it's like that but, um, cooler.  :-)

We stayed in our favorite neighborhood - Upper West Side - and ate at our favorite UWS restaurants - La Vela, La Boite en Bois, and Arte Cafe.  It felt comforting and new all at the same time, which is kind of fitting.  We love you, NYC, and you have been good to us.  So who knows what might come of our growing relationship!

The Nest Has a New Look!!!

When I started blogging, it was mostly becuase all the cool kids were doing it, and I was pretty sure I would keep it up for a few months and then quit.  But here I am... more than three years later... loving it and still going strong.  I'm so thankful for my faithful friends and readers.  That you would want to read my random thoughts or try my recipes or see pictures of my family humbles me.  Although I absolutely ADORED my last blog look and never got tired of it for three years, I felt it was time for an update.  Perhaps a reward for keeping this little blog going waaaaay longer than I ever thought I would.  I've published exactly 200 posts - a nice round number for a new look, don't ya think?  Here's to the next 200!

Many thanks to Lauren over at Designer Blogs who made my vision come to life and added her amazing designer touch.  She's completely awesome if your blog needs a little spicing up! 

So, what do you think?!

Guiltless Mini-Quiches

I don't know what my deal is with mini things lately - mini apple pies and now mini quiches!  I saw this recipe a while ago in Cooking Light, but it was for a whole quiche made in a pie pan.  I got the idea this week to make mini-quiches in a muffin pan.  The muffin pan was a bit hard to scrub afterwards, but other than that, they turned out AWESOME.  I love these quiches because they are made will all veggies and low-fat ingredients, and they do not have a pastry crust, so they are 100% healthy.  They are so tiny and cute you can even have two and not feel guilty.  They would be great for a brunch or shower, but I love them just for a regular weekday breakfast since you can make them ahead.  They keep in the fridge for at least 2 or 3 days, so you can just heat up what you want to eat each morning. The eggs are filling and full of protein, so they will definitely keep you full until lunch.  I've been enjoying mine with a slice or two of cranberry walnut bread and a handful of fruit.  Delicious!

Broccoli Cheese Crust-less Quiche (Adapted from Cooking Light)
olive oil
cooking spray
1/2 c. vertically sliced yellow onion
1 chopped garlic clove
3-4 cups chopped broccoli florets (don't chop too tiny, though)
1 1/4 c. skim milk
1 c. reduced fat shredded Swiss cheese (I can never find this shredded, so I just chopped up reduced fat deli sliced Swiss)
2 T. chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
2 t. Dijon mustard
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
2 T. Parmesan cheese
4 eggs
2 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until soft.

Add broccoli florets and saute another 4 minutes.  Broccoli will not be completely cooked.  It will continue to cook in the oven.

Spray 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.  Place onion, garlic, and broccoli mixture in the bottoms of 12 muffin cups. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, parsley, salt, pepper, nutmeg, mustard, Parmesan, Swiss, and eggs.

Using a ladle, add some egg mixture on top of the veggies in each muffin cup.  My Swiss cheese stayed on top of each cup making for a lovely cheesy crust.  You can sprinkle the tops with additional Parmesan if you'd like.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes, until tops are golden and a knife or toothpick comes out clean.  Let stand 5 minutes, then serve warm or let cool and refrigerate for tomorrow's breakfast!