On the Road

We're so exciting this morning because after work today we're heading out of town for 2 weeks. First stop is Boone to see my family, including Colin, in from Arizona, and my grandparents, in from Ohio! Whether is actually snows on Christmas day is questionable, but there is no doubt that we'll see snow at some point over the next week! Boone has been in the midst of a near blizzard!

Then it's off to MD the day after Christmas to see Jimmy's family! We didn't make it up there for Thanksgiving, so this is a long awaited visit with everyone. Jimmy's Aunt Aileen and family are coming in from Chicago. Jimmy's mom and her boyfriend just bought a beautiful home near Annapolis. Fun will be had by all!

Can't wait to see everyone!

Sad Day Turned Happy

Today began on a grim note as we had a funeral to attend for our CFO, Tim Brennan, who lost his awful battle with cancer late last week. We joined colleagues and Tim's family and friends for a mass, burial service and reception in his honor today. Everything was gut-wrenching as far as I was concerned with bagpipes, Ava Maria, Bugle Taps and very touching speeches, including one from his super brave son, Connor.

With nowhere to go but up, moods lightened at the reception. Jimmy and I actually ended up having a nice time with everyone and even took a few minutes to take in beautiful Southport, NC, stopping in a few cute shops before heading home via the ferry. We've since been relaxing at home and counting our blessings. Tim's family is certainly not the only one missing a loved one around the holidays this year.

Feeling very fortunate to end out this day with imminent family visits ahead. Love you everyone!

Mom's Visit and My Little Cuddler

My mom came into town Wednesday night for a long weekend in Wilmington. We stayed up way too late chatting Wednesday. Thursday we met for lunch and my mom ran around town. Thursday night we had a great dinner of these mussels, crusty bread and a big salad with warm goat cheese. Yummy!

Friday I worked again and my mom actually had an interview with a local mental health agency in town. Friday night was the Castle Branch Christmas Party in Wrightsville Beach. It was fun to have my mom meet Jimmy and I's colleagues! We were both eager to get home early though as Jimmy was flying in from a business trip later that night.

Saturday we went out for breakfast and then I ran around with my mom looking at property in Carolina Beach. My mom actually decided to head home early because Boone was forecasted to have a horrible snow/ice storm Saturday night/Sunday morning.

Good thing is we only have 5 days left until our Christmas vacation. Just wrapped presents. Have brownies in the oven. Feeling very much in the spirit...

In other news, I've never known another dog to love being burrowed in blankets/towels so much. Here is Malloy caught relishing in the moment...

One Third

Jimmy just took his last final for this semester which means...he's a third of the way through the program and no more school until 2011!! I thought he'd feel like the XBox 360 kid on Christmas morning, but in reality, the excitement naturally builds gradually when you've been working so hard for so long. I'm very, very proud of him. Can't wait for our break away from it all starting Dec. 17th!

{via mashable.com}

Weekend Happenings

Not a whole lot... Jimmy had class on Saturday and hours and hours of studying to do for his finals on Monday and Tuesday. Despite it being frigid for Carolina Beach, we attempted to ride our bikes to watch the holiday flotilla on Saturday night. I got all bundled up - felt like a sausage - come to find out it was raining, so the flotilla was canceled. Oh well - Malloy didn't want us to go anyways...

Jimmy's done with school until January on Tuesday. Woo hoo! He heads out to a trade show in D.C for work on Wednesday. My mom is coming Wednesday evening for the weekend to check out some job prospects in Wilmington and explore the town. My mom is going to be my date for our company Christmas party on Friday night and our December Dinner Club on Saturday. Should be a good time...

Now this is Christmas...

Check out this holiday spirited town. Sure beats the lit up boats and palm trees around these parts. I can't wait to get to Boone and then Maryland for a real deal Christmas scene...

{via Bing.com}

COOKIES

Has anyone else been following the Pioneer Woman's cookie quest? My mouth is watering for this one...

{Chocolate Caramel Cookies with Sea Salt - www.thepioneerwoman.com}

In other news, my computer from freshman year of college has finally kicked the bucket. Not sure if Jimmy and his computer can handle me and my "bookmarking" habit. Speaking of bookmarks, I've sadly lost all the recipes and design pics I've saved over the last couple years. What is a girl to do?

Thanksgiving

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We certainly did, though we greatly missed seeing Colin and the O'Connor's this year. Can't wait for Christmas when we get to see siblings, moms, dads, grandparents and all. So here goes the marathon post. We got to Boone mid-afternoon on Wednesday and met my dad downtown to see his "new" law office and then we walked to a Boone classic for lunch - the old Boone Drug Store where there's still a soda shop counter just like the old days. We then drove to my mom's where we hung out and awaited Ali's arrival from Chapel Hill. A little Thanksgiving prep, a takeout pizza, lots of catching up and it was time to call it a night.

Thursday was, of course, lots of kitchen time and a wonderful Thanksgiving meal. Here's the girls taking a break from slaving away to look beautiful...

Friday consisted of some good Black Friday outlet shopping. I, not surprisingly, lasted way longer than Ali and Jimmy, so I had to meet them later at our next engagement - dinner and recuperating at my dad's. Lazy boy...

Saturday we went on a great hike where we scaled a good portion of Grandfather Mountain. It was about 20 something degrees with 20 mph winds, but we bundled up and climbing such intense elevation definitely helped keep us warm as well...

Saturday night, mom joined us for yummy lasagna and Cranium at dad's...

It was seriously such a great Thanksgiving. Riding in the back of an old pick-up truck is so much cooler than the boring ol' Accord. When can we go back to Boone?

 

In other news, Happy Birthday to the one and only, Martha, Momma O'C, O'Connor! 

Jimmy Welcomes Jake to the Club

That's right, folks. Last night Martine hosted the reception for Jake's initiation into the 30 club!!

Jake knew his parents were in town and Martine's sister and boyfriend were joining them for dinner, but he did not know that Jimmy and I and his friend and professional mentor, Paul, and Paul's wife would be there. The location was a great Thai restaurant called Indochine. There was lots of good food, really good cake and drinks. After dinner we went to a new, to Jimmy and I, bar called Satellite for a beer or two. All in all a very fun evening. Happy Birthday Jake!

Jake and Jimmy were separated at birth, no?

Classic Twists

Below are two recipes I made this week that I thought I'd share!

Who, besides a vegetarian, doesn't love a BLT? I got the idea from this recipe, but otherwise did my own thing for Jimmy and I's lunches this week. Roasted a head of garlic, mixed the garlic with an 8 oz cream cheese, slathered it on good, toasted wheat bread with salt and peppered tomatoes, bacon and greens dressed in balsamic vinaigrette. Yummy!

{thelonelybean.com}

Grits are a classic and a staple in the South. We had Pioneer Woman's rendition, creamy cheese grits with chiles, on Tuesday night and they were delicious. Such a nice starch alternative to potatoes, rice, quinoa, etc.

{thepioneerwoman.com/cooking}

 Happy little Friday!

Weekend Updates

Saturday Jimmy and Jake got some really good surf at Masonboro Island. As a side note, I never know how to blog about surfing. It was epic? No, that sounds lame coming from my mouth. Anyways, Saturday was just grocery shopping and laundry for me. BORING ;)

{Masonboro Island 11/13/10 from CarolinaBeachSUP.blogspot.com}

Saturday night we met Matt Atkinson, his mom and mom's family, along with Jake and Martine, for a great dinner at a local seafood/oyster bar. Matt and his family were in town to cheer on Matt's 57-year old Uncle Barry in the Beach2Battleship Ironman triathalon. At the time we were eating dinner, Barry was running miles 13-16 approximately. He'd been at it since 7am. This picture below, courtesy of Matt's mom, is Barry's daughter crossing the finish line with her dad. She met up with him to run the last 6.5 miles - a HUGE motivation I'm sure. Anyways, I don't know these people except indirectly through Matt. I just think it's a nice story. I need to set a goal for myself like a half marathon or something. Or maybe I could just try to run over 5 miles which I think is impossible for me at this point. Amie, remember when we were going to do the triathalon relay? How long before we backed out?

Over dinner I did a lot of talking with Martine who's a new kindergarten teacher in Wilmington. She told me her students LOVE when people come to visit and she can always use volunteers and people who want to come play with them. The first thing I thought and said aloud... Can I come the week of Thanksgiving and help the students make those painted handprint turkeys that their parents then hang on the refrigerator and I'll bring cupcakes with turkeys on them.  What about the papersack fringe Indian vests? Can I read them a story? Do they like to hug? I think I'm a kindergarten teacher at heart...

Sunday Jimmy went fishing with Mike and came home with some yummy trout that we'll be cooking up early this week. I went to Dinner Club. The theme was vegetarian. The turnout was spotty with it being November and people having other things going on. I brought this Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Quinoa recipe and it was a huge hit!

{Closet Cooking}

Don't Laugh

My mom and dad gave me a haircut today. I'm going through an awkward stage. I need my curls back. In other news, it should be a fun weekend.

Love,
Malloy

Reagan Georgia

Yesterday Jimmy's cousin, Ryan, and his girlfriend Jessica welcomed their third adorable gift to this world - Reagan Georgia. Here's the 9-lb bundle of joy with her mommy, daddy and siblings, Caden and Macie. Congratulations Ryan and Jess!

{Pics from a very proud Mimi, Jimmy's Aunt Debi}

Happy Friday!

It's going to be a crisp, cool weekend - for coastal NC that is - so I think I might make this pumpkin chocolate chip bread...

{www.feveravenue.com}

I (heart) Boone Weather

Forty-percent chance of snow on Friday...

Happy Halloween!

Hope everyone is having a great Halloween! Like I said on Friday, we didn't have much on tap for the weekend. We went for a run this morning and then watched the Redskins sadly lose to the Lions. It was otherwise such a pretty day, so we decided to spend the afternoon at the beach. Not too shabby for November eve. Such a relaxing and wonderful weekend...

Wine & Tapas Dinner Club

Today was a great start to a fun weekend! First off, a couple work friends and I went out to a local Mexican joint for Brittany's birthday lunch. Jenny and Katie got there a little early and alerted the staff of the celebration, so we had a little sombrero, feliz cumpleanos action before we got our checks. It was pretty hilarious...

Next up was dinner club at Jenny's house. The theme this month was Wine and Tapas, so there was a great selection of wines and then olive tapenade, hummus and pita points, sundried tomato and swiss cheese fondue, shrimp, tortilla espanola, bruschetta, tomato & goat cheese on a puff pastry and then last but not least, I made Giada's baked artichokes with gorgonzola and herbs. Man, I'm stuffed. Here's a few pics from the evening...

Jimmy and I don't have much on tap for the holiday weekend besides class (for Jimmy) and a little relaxation. Hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween!

Baked Ziti!

Just wanted to share the recipe for the baked ziti I made tonight. I have to borrow Lets Dish's photo because we put a gaping hole in our casserole of baked ziti before I could snap a picture. Too hungry. This makes A LOT, so plan to eat it for lunch leftovers for at least one day, but maybe two. Cottage cheese in baked ziti? Trust me, it's good.

Ingredients
1 (16 oz.) container cottage cheese
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound ziti or other short, tubular pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 medium garlic cloves , minced
1 (28 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk cottage cheese, eggs, and 1 cup Parmesan together in medium bowl; set aside. Prepare pasta according to package directions, cooking only until pasta begins to soften but is not yet cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain pasta and leave in colander.

Meanwhile, heat oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until garlic is fragrant but not brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, oregano and basil.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.  In a medium saucepan, whisk cornstarch into heavy cream. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pot from heat and add cottage cheese to thickened cream.  Stir cottage cheese/cream mixture into tomato mixture and mix well.  Add half of the cubed mozzarella and the pasta and stir until pasta is thoroughly coated with sauce.

Transfer pasta mixture to a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cubed mozzarella and remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to cook until cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes longer. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Best Belated Wedding Present Ever

On Saturday, our friend and fellow Tarheel and Wilmingtonian stopped by to give Jimmy and I a truly unique and special wedding gift. Julian is a photographer, fisherman and surfer. He produces some seriously amazing work through his business Kehaya Photo. The gift - an amazing picture of a wave at Masonboro Island, a place Jimmy has surfed many times, mounted with stretched canvas. We seriously couldn't be more thankful. And our little get-together spawned conversations about camping on Masonboro with Julian, his girlfriend, Jake, Martine and all the crazy pups. Looking forward to it...

Rewind to Friday night... Jimmy and I got home from work and decided we were too tired to whip something up for dinner, so we headed out to our local Mexican restaurant for a quick bite. I decided to take on a beer the size of my head and lived to regret it on Saturday :(

Other than our quick visit with Julian, Saturday was spent doing things around the house and being lazy (for me) and a meager 12 hours of studying for Jimmy. Yay! Not. Poor guy. By late Saturday evening Jimmy needed this fuel. So proud of myself for manning the oven, stovetop and grill in the backyard all at the same time...

On Sunday, Jimmy continued the studying marathon while Malloy and I went for a run. Come 1pm it was Redskins time! So glad we won. Week 7 was a bad Fantasy week for me - nearly all my good players had a bye week. Good thing I'm otherwise kicking butt!