Memorial Day

Let's see, where did I leave off? Ah yes, Thursday I had Colin over again for dinner while Jimmy was at class. We had the always economical and tasty pierogies with bacon, sauteed onions and peas from Cooking Light. After dinner Colin went to grab a beer from the refrigerator and it, along with everything else in there, was luke warm. Nothing we did to the temperature dials made a difference - our fridge had bit the dust! Stinks, but at least it's a kind of exciting kitchen appliance, and not a water heater or an AC unit...

 

My dad got into town mid-afternoon on Friday to join in on the family fun. I met up with him and my brother for dinner at The Dive and drinks around town. 

 

 

Saturday it was, of course, a beach day, followed by a surf & turf feast at my mom's - grilled filet mignon and blackened mahi, parmesan roasted potatoes, a big salad and crusty rolls. 

 

 

Ali got into town late Saturday night for another beautiful beach day on Sunday followed by another great meal - homemade fried chicken, my out-of-this-world Lucky Seven mac & cheese, broccoli salad and baked beans. I think I gained ten pounds in 2 days. Must TRX myself to exhaustion this week!

 

Finally, Monday we had the day off work, so it was yet another beach day. My mom had to work at 3pm, so I decided to take Ali and Colin to Dockside for beers and apps on the water. 

 

 

After dinner we went to see Bridesmaids. Seriously one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time. Between Kristen Wig and Maya Rudolph's performance in this movie, and on SNL, and having just finished Tina Fey's Bossypants, I've had a resurgence of admiration for female comedians. To be truly funny, they have to be super smart and dialed in, gutsy, confident and strong - all qualities I shoot to embody myself. Who doesn't love the Mom Jeans SNL skit?

 

 

I can't express how nice it was to have the family together this weekend - probably won't happen again until the holidays :(

Say hello to my little friend...

I am going to be sooooo sore tomorrow.

Tonight's dinner was island pork tenderloin and coconut rice (not so great pic, but it was good).

2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 pork tenderloins (2 1/4 to 2 1/2 pounds total)
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine together salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon in a gallon sized storage bag. Add pork and seal bag. Massage the spices into the pork and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until just beginning to smoke, then brown pork, turning, about 4 minutes total. Transfer pork into preheated oven and roast until thermometer inserted diagonally in center of each tenderloin registers 140°F, about 20 minutes. Let pork stand in skillet at room temperature 10 minutes. (Temperature will rise to about 155°F while standing.)

Coastal Living

Jimmy had a very successful day fishing on Saturday with Capt. Mark Gorges, Jake and friends. I would have been more than happy with just enough fish for dinner on Sunday, but they went above and beyond with these catches - 10 mahi mahi, blackfin tuna, 2 gag groupers, queen hogfish, silver snapper and (not pictured because they're endangered or out of season) a couple black sea bass and American red snapper...

And then Sunday dinner...

Appetizer of blackened black fin tuna & slaw

Coconut milk and soy sauce dredged, panko and almond encrusted mahi mahi with pineapple salsa...

May Showers

This weekend started by taking my sister and brother out on the town. Though I'm getting a little sick of these joints, it was my mom's request that I take them to Satellite for a quick beer and then Indochine.  My mom got off work a little early, so she was able to join us for dinner at about 9:15...

Saturday I went to the beach with the fam while Jimmy went fishing (pics and a recap of his trip to come) and then we went to a Couple's Shower for Jake & Martine. The food spread and company was great...

Here's Jake practicing feeding Martine wedding cake:

Here's the couple playing the "see-how-well-you-know-each-other" game - Who's a better driver?

Jimmy and I after our turn in the game hot seat - showing people how it's done...

So excited for Jake and Martine's wedding in a month and, of course, to see the Lucas Family!!

First of Many...

Very excited to have my brother in town from AZ and my sister here again from Chapel Hill. Colin decided to take 1st semester summer session off, so he's here - in NC - until early June. Woo hoo! He shares my passion for cooking...and eating, so many great meals will be had. First up was mahi mahi tacos last night. Amie introduced me to Emeril's fish batter and crema recipes and I've been using them ever since. I initially had the oil too hot, so the first batch got a little too done (note: the piece of fish in the right hand corner), but the rest of the fish was deliciously fried to golden perfection...

Oh, and maybe not as exciting as I let on in my previous post, but here's the hutch/mirror combo we salvaged from the storage unit for my mom's living room. The big picture coming later... 

Tonight's dinner is a repeat - for me and Ali - low country shrimp boil. The fam will have a beach day today and I figured it would be a fun post-fun in the sun meal for everyone...

Girls Weekend

Jimmy was away so it was a girls weekend for me. Friday night I watched Blue Valentine (so disturbing as far as this newlywed is concerned) and went to bed fairly early. Saturday I was up and at it early scouring my mom's storage unit for cool pieces we could pull into the living room design. She had two antiques with two parts to each - one a hutch with a glass cabinet on top and one a smaller hutch with a mirror unit on top. I had the brilliant (if I do say so myself) idea to take the bottom, hutch pieces of each to use as a TV stand for the small hutch and storage/focal point for the big hutch. The big hutch became the focal point by adding a beautiful, antique gold mirror she also had tucked away in the storage unit. People pay good money for antique pieces like these, so it was so rewarding to find a place for them in her new beach condo. An armchair and a few more accessories and I'll be ready to post pictures...

Saturday afternoon we hit up a few decorating stores before treating ourselves to a beer at Carolina Ale House, then a glass of wine and cheese platter at The Fortunate Glass and finally chocolate fondue at The Little Dipper. Sunday it was the beach and then dinner with Jimmy at our local Mexican restaurant. Life's tough...

Grandpa

Though a blog post seems a tad awkward, it doesn't feel right to come back from my blogging lapse with a post about anything else. Last week I lost my dear, sweet Grandpa Heintzelman to a swift and ruthless bout of cancer. He was seemingly healthy as a horse at Christmas and here it is only May. I wish I had a copy of my dad's eulogy because he said it best - my Grandpa was the most wonderful, selfless, caring, honorable, honest and humbly intelligent man on this planet. He loved my Grandma he called Peggy without even a moment's waiver for almost 60 years. And he adored his 3 sons, who he aptly started calling big bear, middle bear and little bear near the end of his life, as well as his 5 grandchildren. He was Jimmy's favorite sports fan, my mom and sister's favorite crossword puzzle partner, my dad's favorite political devils advocate, my Grandma's "main squeeze" and the whole families' best source of information and advice.

{Newlyweds, 1954}

I can't put into words how proud I am of my Grandma's strength and courage during my Grandpa's battle with cancer and her first week without him. The same goes for my dad and my uncles - their vigilance, support and courage over the last couple months was truly remarkable.

I know death is a part of life and life goes on, but I think that all who knew him would agree, life was much sweeter when my Grandpa was here...

{William Hale Heintzelman Oct. 1, 1929 - May 6, 2011}

Cinco de Mayo & Halfway

Since we're not having Mexican food or margaritas tonight in celebration of Cinco de Mayo, I thought I'd post a few throwbacks of our trip to Mexico in 2006. Jimmy and I went to San Diego for my Junior year Spring Break. In addition to visiting all the little beach towns, the San Diego Zoo, Gaslamp District and Little Italy, we decided to venture into Mexico. Passing over the border is quite an experience, as is driving by Tijuana. Our destination, Rosarito, was pretty interesting as well.  I know I didn't go anywhere near south enough to see Mexico's beauty (Cozumel, Cabo, etc) and I should give it another chance, but based on my experience, Mexico is just not my favorite place.

Jimmy then went a second time to Mexico in 2007 with CA buddies on a surfing trip, but I don't have picture proof. They also drove and didn't venture too too far south, but they did get to see a more a little more of Mexico's appeal. In this case, undeveloped Pacific coastlines, quaint itty-bitty towns and uncrowded surf.


What better day than the fifth of May for us to also celebrate Jimmy's halfway point in grad school. So glad that he only has 12 months left and so proud of him for all his hard work! 

Grilled Chicken Salad with Feta, Fresh Corn & Blueberries

Recipe from The Pioneer Woman for lunch tomorrow... I snuck a taste and it's delicious! Desperately needed the red onion (instead of yellow) for a prettier presentation...

• 4 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• Olive Oil, For Drizzling
• 3 stalks Celery (inner Light Green Stalks), Finely Diced
• 2 ears Fresh Corn
• ¼ whole Medium Red Onion, Finely Diced
• 1-½ cup Blueberries
• 3 Tablespoons Fresh Dill, Minced
• 4 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
• 4 Tablespoons Sour Cream
• ¼ cups Half-and-half
• 1 whole Lemon
• 1 teaspoon Sugar (more To Taste)
• Salt And Pepper (additional) To Taste
• ¾ cups Crumbled Feta

Place chicken breasts into large plastic storage bag. Pound with a mallet or rolling pin to flatten to 1/4 inch uniform thickness. Season chicken with salt and pepper. 
Heat grill and drizzle chicken with olive oil. Grill chicken on both sides until done, about 7 minutes per side. (Rotate halfway during grilling each side to ensure pretty grill marks.) Remove from pan. Allow to cool.
With a very sharp knife, shave kernels off each corn cob. Combine with the onion and celery. Set aside.
Mix together mayonnaise, sour cream, feta, and half-and-half. Stir in sugar, squeeze in lemon juice, and add salt and pepper. Stir, then taste. Add more salt if necessary; do not undersalt!
Slice chicken on the bias to create flat, randomly shaped pieces. Throw into a bowl with celery, onion, and corn. Stir to combine. Pour half the dressing over the ingredients and toss gently. Add more as desired, but don’t overcoat the salad; should be light!
At the end, toss in the blueberries to lightly coat them in the dressing. Serve, then sprinkle individual helpings with feta.

 

Shrimp Boil & Nights on the Town

Monday night I went over to my mom's place to hang with my sister and friends while Jimmy took a final exam. I did a shrimp boil with new potatoes, corn, and kielbasa. The girls also made sauteed scallops and steamed oysters. It was quite a seafood feast!

I then begrudgingly (happily) agreed to go out for a nightcap. So fun hanging out with recently graduated, but not professionally employed yet young ladies...

Tuesday, Jimmy had to study, so it was me and the girls again! I took them to Satellite on the edge of downtown and then we had dinner at Indochine. Ali, if you're reading, I had so much fun with you. Hurry back soon!

Note

Because the title of my post from yesterday will come back to bite me in a couple years if I don't say something now - I don't think there is anything wrong with a baby in bar. I'm sure our children will see the inside of a few bars, just not smoky, rowdy pool halls or crazy night clubs, and not around last call. So there! Here's to having children and still having some semblance of a social life!

You have a baby...in a bar?

Not hardly. It was a smoke-free restaurant and the baby I speak of spent the evening snoozing away in his little car seat at his daddy's side. I just always liked that line from the movie "Sweet Home Alabama". Anyways, Friday night I met Shiva, Shiva's boyfriend, Brian, Catherine, Lindsey, Nick and baby Henry at Top of the Hill in Chapel Hill for dinner. It was such fun to have the roomies back together and to have the addition of a little one there. You can tell where my focus was though considering this is the only picture I have of dinner.

Friday night, we, minus mom, dad and the baby, went out to a few places in Chapel Hill.  I'm happy to say, we've still got it! My sister was bartending at La Rez, but was able to get off early to hang out with us too, but not before I got a behind-the-bar photo op...

Saturday I spent the entire day at Lindsey's snuggling with Henry and watching the Royal Wedding coverage I missed on Friday. Lindsey and Nick graciously let me coddle Henry and hold him as he napped. I was in 7th heaven. He's seriously such a sweet baby and Nick and Lindsey are such wonderful new parents!

Saturday night I took it easy back in Wilmington and then it was a beach day and delicious "summer" feast with Ali, Jimmy, my mom and Ali's friends on Sunday. Ovenfried chicken, potato salad, baked beans and deviled eggs. I was too hungry to pause for a picture, but trust me it was delicious!