The Friday Five–Birthday Style!

On Saturday I will be turning…older. You can just pick a number.

1. What I’m Reading: My grandparents sent me The Glamour of Grammar for my birthday. I love it!

Brief description: This widely praised practical guide demonstrates everything from the different parts of speech to why effective writers prefer concrete nouns and active verbs. Above all, Clark teaches readers how to master grammar to perfect their use of English, to instill meaning, and to charm through their writing. In a world where we communicate more and more through emails and text messages, how you use language matters--even in 140 characters.

2. What I’m Listening to: I guess this kind of makes sense for my birthday. Okay, not at all. Maybe? Regardless, I love the song.

3. What I’m Eating: Well obviously I’ll be inhaling this Carrot Cake that Kinsey’s making for Saturday. That’s actually her in this pic! : )

4.  Pic I’m Loving: This picture is from 25 years ago. It’s like an ancient artifact!

5. GIFs I’m Loving:

WHEN I REMEMBER THAT MY BIRTHDAY IS APPROACHING:

Related links:

• 27th birthday
• 27th birthday part I
• 27th birthday part II
• 26th birthday
• 25th birthday

The Friday Five 6.22.12

1. What I’m Reading: This book is serious. Serious about food that is.

2. What I’m Listening to:

3. What I’m Eating: These pickles are so good!! I want to eat the entire jar at once. Beware: they are bit spicy.

4. What I’m Bookmarking: Black Bean Veggie Burgers with Corn Salsa

5. GIFs I’m Loving: I may have mentioned before that I don’t like when strangers touch me. After a couple drinks, I don’t mind as much.

MY PHILOSOPHY AFTER SEVERAL DRINKS:

WHEN I GO TO KILL A BUG BUT THEN IT STOPS FLYING:

HAPPY WEEKEND!

CSA Week 10 / Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Stacks

Yesterday was the first official day of Summer! It was also Summer solstice – the longest day of the year. Despite these facts, I’m nearing the end of my Summer CSA. Only 2 more weeks left. Thank goodness for the Fall subscription!

Week 10:

• butternut squash (I could have sworn this was a Fall veggie)
• eggplant
• watermelon (the cutest!)
• cantaloupe
• turnips
• tomatoes
• green peppers
• jalapenos

Remember the mini watermelon from last week’s box? I chopped that up and soaked it in vodka for a boat ride. It made for a deliciously good time. I may or may not be using this week’s melon for the same thing.

I also made the Sweet & Spicy Salsa again. I’ve been putting it on my grilled chicken and even my eggs for breakfast. It’s quite versatile.

So, confession time. I’ve never actually cooked with eggplant…until tonight. Eggplant is surprisingly easy to work with. Here’s a little snack/appetizer I made before dinner.

Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Stacks

Ingredients:

• 1 small eggplant, sliced
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• olive oil, for drizzling
• goat cheese, for topping
• balsamic vinegar, for drizzling

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400*. Place eggplant and tomato slices on a plan lined with a Silpat or foil. Drizzle with olive oil.
2. Roast for 20 minutes, turning once.
3. Place sliced vegetables on a plate, drizzle with balsamic vinegar, and top with crumbled goat cheese. Serve warm.

Voila! It’s too easy not to make. If you crumble the goat cheese atop the stacks right away, it melts just a little and becomes so creamy. Enjoy!

While you’re cooking, listen to this song:

Favorite roasted vegetable?

Did you love the song?

The Friday Five 6.15.12

1. What I’m Reading: Yesterday I called Martha Stewart pretentious. I’ve always loved her and still think she’s superwoman. So today I will redeem myself and call her a genius. This cookbook is awesome!

2. What I’m Listening to: I love this song so much! It gets me going in the morning. You should see how bouncy I am on my ball when this comes on my Spotify. PS: Who uses Spotify? I just purchased the premium package and LOVE it.

3. What I’m Eating: WHERE ARE THESE IN SOUTH CAROLINA? I have called everywhere. You think I’m joking? You’re wrong.

4. What I’m Bookmarking: I want this cake for my birthday!! Please! Please!  Mandarin Orange Cake with Pineapple Whipped Cream Frosting: 

5. GIFs I’m Loving:

WHEN I THINK ABOUT VODKA:

Ok, I’m not addicted to vodka, but I *do* love it almost as much as I love Britney Spears.

SOME GIRLS MY AGE:

ME:

True story. Kids are cute…but not with my last name!

HAPPY WEEKEND!!!

The Friday Five 6.7.12

1. What I’m Reading: I love this cookbook I picked up at the library. There so many good, healthy recipes that I may have to buy this.

2. What I’m Listening to: I cannot stop playing this. I probably listen to it at least 15 times a day.

BUT! The Skrillex remix is better. Some of you may want to plug your ears before pressing play.

3. What I’m Eating: I just found these new Fiber One bars at Publix: Strawberry PB&J and Chocolate. 110 calories and 5g of fiber. They taste really good too!

They also came out with a 90 calorie Chocolate Chip Cookie.

4. Recipes I’m Bookmarking:  Chickpea Kale Salad Flavored with Lemon and Garlic

5. GIFs I’m Loving:

WHEN I SEE A HOT GUY IN BROOKS BROTHERS:

WHEN I PRIORITIZE MY DAY

HAPPY WEEKEND!

The Friday Five–5/17/12

1. What I’m Eating: Okay. So we all know that I love Chick-fil-A. But here’s something I’ve never shared. My absolute favorite part of the IceDream is the last bite of the cone. Here’s the thing: you HAVE to make sure that enough ice cream has melted into the bottom of the cone before you eat it. Who knows what I’m talking about?

This last bite is more exciting than the cone itself. I cannot even express how much joy I get out of it.

2. What I’ m Laughing at: My cousin! At lunch the other day, his quesadilla arrived with a garnish on the plate. He scowled at it and asked me if I wanted his “salad.”

3. What I’m Sipping: This wine!

I picked up a bottle at Trader Joe’s because it was a staff favorite. While in line, the cashier mentioned that it was his favorite, so I quickly grabbed another bottle. We finished off both bottles at book club tonight. It is GOOD!

4. What I’m Bookmarking: This shrimp & zucchini curry recipe looks absolutely delicious.

5. What I’m Listening to: After listening to the entire cd multiple times, I’ve decided that my favorite song on Born to Die is Diet Mt. Dew.

Are you a Lana del Rey fan? Yes, she’s awkward. But she’s pretty and she has a beautiful voice! Which song is your favorite?

Have a great weekend!

The Friday Five

1. What I’ m Reading: Though I’m in the middle of Fifty Shades Freed, I really needed a break. I loved the second book of the trilogy, but now it’s just so repetitive of…well, you know what. I switched it up to something more serious.

Those Who Save Us book description:  For fifty years, Anna Schlemmer has refused to talk about her life in Germany during World War II. Her daughter, Trudy, was only three when she and her mother were liberated by an American soldier and went to live with him in Minnesota. Trudy's sole evidence of the past is an old photograph: a family portrait showing Anna, Trudy, and a Nazi officer, the Obersturmfuhrer of Buchenwald.
Driven by the guilt of her heritage, Trudy, now a professor of German history, begins investigating the past and finally unearths the dramatic and heartbreaking truth of her mother's life.
Combining a passionate, doomed love story, a vivid evocation of life during the war, and a poignant mother/daughter drama, Those Who Save Us is a profound exploration of what we endure to survive and the legacy of shame.

2. What I’ m Listening to: This song is fun!

3. What I’ m Wearing: My Grammy from Massachusetts arrived Wednesday. I’m so excited to spend time with her over the next 6 weeks. She even brought me an early, early birthday present: a Cape Cod Screwball bracelet.

I’ve been wanting one for a while to match the necklace that I got for my 21st birthday.

4. What I’ m Eating: I lose all self control when a bag of these are in front of me:

I like to eat 1/2 of a Mr. Goodbar and 1/2 of a Krackel at the same time. Weird, I know

5. What I’ m Doing This Weekend: Bring on wedding season!

• Friday rehearsal dinner for a wedding I’m going to with my friend Andrew and his sister, Katie, who is my blend!!
• Saturday wedding  and reception at the Charleston Yacht Club
• Beach time for Mother’s Day with Grammy and Auntie Kelly
• Hopefully a pedicure somewhere in there!

The Friday Five

1. What I’m Reading: I finished Fifty Shades Darker last weekend and immediately purchased the third book of the trilogy:

I’m trying to read this one slowly for two reasons: 1)It’s the last one – I’m kind of sad, and 2) I read the first two so fast that I missed a lot of details, and this one seems the most serious of them all. Anyone finished with the trilogy? Which book was your favorite?

2. What I’m Listening to:  After shamelessly posting Justin Bieber last Friday, I figured I share something a little less, uh, teeny-bopper. This is my favorite song off of Nicki Minaj’s latest album, Roman Reloaded:

Tell me you’re not dancing in your chair right now. [PS: Thank you, Carolyn, for making me listen to that song first. xo ]

3. Memes I’m Loving: 

WHEN I GET TO THE MOVIE THEATER EARLY AND GET A GOOD SEAT

And because I love love love Betty White, this one cracked me up.

WHEN SOMEONE ASKS WHAT I’M INTERESTED IN

4. Foods I’m in Search of: Remember when I made those disgusting pickle popsicles last Summer? Yes, that was gross. The other day, my friend Brandy tagged me in this picture:

Apparently they can be purchased at Wal-Mart. Yikes. Btw, I’m pretty sure that 25% of my tagged facebook photos are actually of food. 90% of said food photos are pickles/frickles.

I also read about this bar in Fitness Magazine and now I need it! Dear Corazonas, please send this hungry girl some snacks.

5. What I’m Bookmarking:

Thanks, Rick, for this one. Too bad I am actually the nazi and not the hugger.

HAPPY FRIDAY!