Pumpkin Update

With the previously mentioned $10 pumpkin, I made the following:

- Pumpkin and bacon soup

- Pumpkin cream cheese (somehow this wound up tasting like watermelon and I have no idea how that happened)

- Pumpkin bread (courtesy of Alton Brown - highly recommend this recipe!)

- Pumpkin biscuits (got a little distracted in the kitchen when I figured out I could clean the microwave by boiling water and vinegar and burned these a bit... Oops!)

- Pumpkin cream cheese dip (served with gingersnaps!)

- Roasted pumpkin seeds (eh, not too delicious)

- Pumpkin and Gruyere pasta bake

The last of which was my favorite.  I used this recipe I found on Pintrest, my obsession. I doubled it, substituted delicious Gruyere for the cheese sauce, and pumpkin for the butternut squash.  I have to say it was pretty awesome.  Stuart didn't even mind that I made it low-fat  =)

Fabulous Fall!

From the time I could speak I always had said that summer was my favorite season.  Vacation plus my birthday plus the fact that I hate being cold makes that a pretty easy statement.  But I must say this is the first year that I've been excited about Fall!  Chalk it up to being in North Carolina for the beginning of the season to see the trees change and taste autumn's bounty of apples and feel the crisp air ... whatever it is it's gotten me excited for the season change!

Of course down here on the coast it's still in the eighties most days, and we have one lone tree at our condos that is half-way changing to a fiery red.  Since the weather isn't cooperating as much as I'd like, we've had to make our own season celebrations.

We started with decor.  Nothing says fall like mums by your front door!  Stuart and I went to a local Fairhope plant store called Old Thyme Feed and picked out a mum that looks like something yellow just exploded.  It's gorgeous!  It's my first mum and I must say I feel quite like a little grown-up Southern wife having it by our front door!

I felt like that alone was a little plain, so inspired by my new favorite website Pinterest, I decided to make a fall wreath.

Grapevine wreaths are messy apparently.  I still have little pieces stuck in the carpet.

I struggle actually saying I 'made it'.  Basically I bought a grapevine wreath, some 50% off florals, and a wooden "S".  I painted the "S" and then wired the flowers into the wreath. It was super simple but I think it looks pretty!

Yay!

Our festive fall door!  Also with the mat!

And as you know well, faithful reader, we always celebrate every occasion we can with food!  Remember when I wrote about the pumpkin we picked out at the Charlotte farmers' market?  It got turned into soup this week!  I can't decide if it's harder to carve a jack-o-lantern or cut, peel, seed and cube a cooking pumpkin.

Our beautiful Cinderella pumpkin

Thanks, Stu for wielding the knife!

Look!  Isn't that gorgeous?!  Yum!  I cleaned and dried the seeds and then roasted them the next day.

Finished product!

This recipe was also inspired by a Pinterest post I saw.  It's basically onion, bacon, and pumpkin with a few spices.  Simple like food should be, nutritious, and delicious!

We also took a long overdue trip to Bed Bath and Beyond to use up our remaining store credit from the wedding.  Stuart and I each got a toy.  For him, a meat grinder with hopes of making our own sausage soon.  For me, a mandolin slicer with hopes of creating perfect OCD slices of whatever produce I choose.  We haven't busted out the grinder yet, but I did use the mandolin to slice up some of our NC apples to make chips!

So ... we're working on eating all that now!  We still have a ton of pumpkin leftover and are trying to find creative ways to use it up.  Any ideas?!

Concert!

Radiology rotation is going to go down in the history books as one of my favorite rotations, simply because I have time to DO STUFF!  Stuart and I capitalized on this last week and went with our friends Smitty and Becky to see a concert downtown.  We started the dinner off with sushi downtown and then walked in the crisp fall air to The Soul Kitchen.  This is a bar/concert venue that Stu and I wanted to mark off our "Things To Do in Mobile" list.

The headliner was Brett Dennen and the opener was a band called Blind Pilot.  I was pretty excited to hear Brett Dennen, but as it turns out, I think I like Blind Pilot better!

Blind Pilot had 6 members and included on the stage were: guitars, accordion, banjo, ukulele, bass, bass guitar, synthesizer, drums, trumpet, and a xylophone.  They had a really awesome sound and put on a really good show!

Lumberjack man with a tattoo sleeve playing the xylophone.  A tattoo sleeve is the only way you can look manly while playing a xylophone 

Brett Dennan was good, too.  He's ... how do you say ... a strange looking fellow but with good music!  He also has about as many dancing skills as I do, so that's always fun to watch.

I'll leave you with some good tunes!

Charlotte, The Queen City

Last Friday marked the end of my externship in Winston-Salem.  I worked until afternoon, had a meeting with the residency program director (yay!), and then headed out to Charlotte to meet my husband!  Perhaps one day soon I will pontificate about Wake Forest, but for now I'll tell you about Charlotte!

It's a pretty big city.  Much bigger than Mobile but not quite as big as Birmingham or Atlanta.  It's very diverse.  You heard a pretty equal mix of English and Spanish walking along the streets and saw citizens of every color.  Don't get much of that around here.  Probably anything you could ever want to do is here, and there are an endless amount of restaurants.  That's a good thing!

Part of the skyline ... couldn't really get a good angle off the top of a parking deck - ha!

Some sort of tall building.  A bank, likely

Friday night we headed downtown for dinner at an awesome place called The King's Kitchen.  It's a not-for-profit restaurant which hires the "unhireable" (i.e., ex-inmates and at-risk youth) onto their staff and gives all the profits to feed the poor of Charlotte.  They are a Christian organization, and the food is delish just as a bonus!  So glad we went there, and wish there were more restaurants like that around.

Saturday morning we headed out to the Charlotte Regional Farmers' Market.  It was conveniently located right by our hotel.  Farmers from all over North Carolina come there daily to sale their produce.  We got a homemade cinnamon roll for breakfast, and passed by rows and rows of beets, grass fed beef, goat cheese and kale before selecting some heirloom tomatoes, fresh-picked apples, and a cooking pumpkin to take home!

Next on the list was to explore downtown.  A bummer thing about Charlotte is that it is a huge banking city and, because of that, a lot of the shops downtown are only open during banking hours.  Of course Stuart and I didn't know our way around the city too well, but a lot of the coffee shops, etc we found were closed Saturday afternoon.

Once we got hungry we found somewhere that was open, and just so happened to be a local legend:  Price's Chicken Coop.  This is a little hole in the wall in the south of the city.  It's a bit of a cross between Seinfeld's Soup Nazi and The Varsity in Atlanta.  You know you've arrived when you smell fried goodness literally two blocks away.  When you walk in, there's a simple white counter with huge deep friers behind it.  You don't take much time gazing over the simple menu because by that time there are at least 10 people behind you in line.  You tell your order to the cashier who then screams it to the frier-folks.  No worries about your drink - sweet tea is already lined up at the counter and ready to go.  Your order comes up, and then you have to find a place to eat it since there are no seats in the restaurant.  We decided to take ours to the park and figured walking a few blocks would help us burn off the grease.

The Coop

Parked on our park bench

Yes, those are chicken livers.  Stuart is gross.  I smelled one but could not bring myself to try it.  I went with fried fish instead.

After wiping the grease from our faces and finding a place to watch a little football, it was time to head out again.  We decided to go to the arts district, NoDa (North Davidson Street) for dinner and some entertainment.  It was a pretty cool part of town, but instead of wearing our Polos and pearls for me, we might should have considered skinny jeans, funky jewelry, and strange boots to fit in with the crowd.  We ate at a place called the Crepe Cellar which had, obviously, savory crepes for dinner.  We started out with a plate of brie and pesto french fries, and then moved on to our buckwheat crepes stuffed with deliciousness.  Afterward we walked down the street a bit to a venue called The Evening Muse.  This is a bar which holds about 80-100 people, and holds nightly acoustic concerts.  We heard a folksy-countryish band called Mandolin Orange.  They.  Were.  Awesome.  I'm probably going to wind up buying their CD, and you should too!

Go girl!  Play that electric guitar!

Fimally, Sunday was the day to drive the 9 hours home.  Of course, we had to fill our tummies for the ride!  For breakfast we found a place called Terrace which served red velvet waffles for Stu, and bacon belgian waffles for me!  Whoa!

Red velvet with a side of fruit for good measure

Of course, on the way home I had to hit up the local Trader Joe's to stock up on cheap organic goodness that we can't get down here on the coast, and then we found a Chipotle to satisfy Stuart for lunch in Atlanta.  We had a great drive back and obviously some good conversation during our 9 hours in the car together!  I think we were both a bit nervous we would have to "adjust" to each other again after a month apart, but there was no such thing!  In fact, on the way back we were laughing so hard Stuart spewed his Doctor Pepper all over his shorts (and my car).  Good times!

This happened when I asked Stu why Snoop Dogg carries an umbrella.  Fo' Drizzle!

It's good to be back and for our lives to be "normal" again!  Now it looks like I need to do laundry ...

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church, and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever, amen!

Stuart and I have claimed this verse countless times through our dating life and now during our marriage.  God has given us more than we could have ever imagined in a spouse, and has blessed us beyond what we have asked in our marriage – and it is all for His glory!

I have had this verse on my mind all day as I’ve reflected back on this month-long rotation as it comes to a close.  Honestly, as I drove up here to Winston-Salem, I was afraid.  I was afraid of being in a new place, staying with people I didn't know, afraid of missing my husband, and afraid of not being able to "cut it" at a bigger university hospital.  In summary, I wasn't trusting God.  I forgot that he has always gone above and beyond what I needed to take care of me in the past.

Some of my fears were relieved when I arrived and met James and Kathryn, two of the kindest people I have ever met.  They immediately welcomed me into their home and as a part of their family.  They helped with the transition so much and kept me company, and kept me from missing Stuart too much. 

Then, the first day of work I was obviously nervous, lost, and confused.  However, the people I worked with were awesome - they did everything from calling IT when my computer access wouldn't work, to leading me around the hospital so I wouldn't accidentally wind up in the basement somewhere.  And it turns out, they were really enjoyable people to work with and be around, too!  

And, today.  Today brought more good news than I've had in a while!  As soon as I walked into work today, I found an interview invitation from Wake Forest sitting in my email inbox!  Of 13 places I've applied to, I now have received 10 interview offers.  This was immediately followed by an email telling me my score on the board exam I took right before I came here.  I had prayed for concentration and a clear head going into that exam, and mentioned a number I might like to have in that prayer, too.  Well today I found out not only did I pass, but I passed with 25 more points than I had hoped for!  And all this was followed by an email from the residency program director saying he wanted to meet with me this Friday!  

I am truly blessed.  And if all those things aren't good enough, I get to see my wonderful husband on Friday.  Thank you, God, for doing more than I could ever hope or imagine!  

As you may know, Winston-Salem was made famous by the RJ Reynolds cigarette company which created both Winston and Salem cigarette brands, among others.  Perhaps to improve their name in the city, the company donated a substantial amount of money to create Reynolda Gardens and village for the city, as well as a museum.  Fortunately they also provided a great deal of money for those that they made sick with their product by creating a hospice home and a cancer center.  But I digress ... We drove out to the village and gardens after church on Sunday to enjoy the beautiful fall day.  Here are some pictures!

Look at this little guy we found in the mini pepper plant!  Cute!

We were glad to walk a bit since right before this outing we pigged out at a local restaurant called Sweet Potatoes Well Shut My Mouth.  It's run by two friends ... one who greets in the front and the other who cooks in the back.  It's a really charming place with really delicious (read: fattening) entrees.  I had the "hamsome" ... thinly shaved ham on a sweet potato biscuit with melted brie and a Dijon mustard sauce.  Not something I would normally eat, but I thought that was all the more reason to try it!

I'll have to do some extra walking around the hospital to burn that one off!

A girl just can't pass up an opportunity to go to the fair!  So when I heard a rumor that the Dixie Classic Fair was coming to town, I knew my Winston-Salem visit would not be complete without attending!  James, Kathryn, Spencer and I met up with some of their friends at the fair last week.  I think most fairs are about the same ... you go and eat really unhealthy and delicious food and people-watch most of the time.  Here are some pictures for your enjoyment ...

The Evans Family - Spencer got distracted by someone with a mullet I think

This is always a good sign!

Oh yes.  Deep fried deliciousness.

It was just too much fun!

My treat for the night was chocolate covered bacon.  Not as crispy as I would have desired, but salty and sweet together is always good!

And ... we'll end with an 18 pound rabbit.

The weather was just perfect for it and we had a great time!  The Mobile Fair is soon and I'll be glad to experience the fried foods with my husband!

Greenville, SC!

This past weekend marked the half-way point for my externship.  Stuart and I celebrated by meeting half-way (kind of) in Greenville, SC.  It was a short flight for him and a 3 hour drive for me, so not too bad!  I was so excited to see this handsome face greeting me!

And yes, if you're wondering what that fuzzy thing is on his upper lip, my husband has taken the challenge/dare from several of his co-workers to grow out a "bachelor 'stache".  This mustache will be growing for the next two weeks until I make it back home.  I'm not terribly excited about it, but he thinks it's funny so I guess it's alright with me!

We spent two full days in Greenville, and it turns out to be a pretty awesome town!  I'd say it's a little smaller than the size of Mobile, but with much more to do.  On the duration of two separate walks downtown we ran into a: concert on Main Street, a huge farmers' market, and a local artists' exhibit.  Apparently, as we were told by some of the locals, these fun types of activities go on all the time.

The center of downtown is actually built around a "river" ... I'd prefer to call it a creek.  But it's really pretty nonetheless, and it even has a little waterfall!  The area immediately surrounding the creek is a huge park called Falls Park where it seems that people come to stroll, take high school portraits, and get married.  And if you take the right trail, this park connects to several other parks in the town.  So you can really make a whole day of beautiful strolls if you like!

Of course downtown has a lot of shops too.  We discovered an old general store that was pretty fun and random, and even found a Christmas ornament there to commemorate the trip!  There were a lot of cutesy boutiques, and of course our favorite place was a kitchen store.  They had gas ranges with grill tops I had only seen in my dreams!

Main Street.  Just a sidewalk view.  It's lined with those trees, so nice and shady.

The farmers' market we accidentally waltzed into.  Everything from fresh breakfast pastries to homemade jams!

The Reedy "River" and surrounding Falls Park.  Excuse the poor lighting.

Waterfall ... again with the lighting.

This suspension bridge in the park is apparently an engineering marvel.  Stuart tried to explain and I did not understand.

Pretty!

Can I please sit here and read a Steinbeck novel all day?

And of course, any time Stuart and I visit a new town, our favorite part is discovering the local chow!  Our first stop Friday night was a local brewery.  I had my first Buffalo burger and of course we had a sample of their locally made beer.  I am not nearly as knowledgeable about beer as wine and wound up picking a glass that gave me a bit of a "bitter beer face" ... but the burger was delish!  Saturday we enjoyed our free Hampton Inn breakfast (amongst about 50 kiddos playing in a baseball tournament that day.  Needless to say -they monopolized the make-your-own waffle line)  and then headed to a local coffee shop for some drinkable warmth!  After walking around downtown and working up our appetites, we stopped at a restaurant called High Cotton which overlooked the river.  For a very reasonable price, Stuart enjoyed peach-habenero BBQ chicken with pimiento cheese grits, and I had the delectable sandwich pictured below.

Chicken BLT.  The "T" was a fried green tomato.  And it was topped with pimiento cheese.  Oh.  My.  Goodness.

Not only was the food great, but we also had a super sweet waitress who was patient enough to answer all our random questions about Greenville!

After lunch we actually headed back to our hotel to watch the Miss St game, followed by the AU game.  Unfortunately Stuart was bummed out, but I was super happy about the Tigers winning!  Stuart was also bummed out to find that my expert SEC game picks have (somehow) launched me to first place in our pick 'em group!  I have no idea how that happened, but I'll enjoy the glory while it lasts.

For dinner we headed out to downtown again to a place called Soby's, where the chef grows most of the produce used in the restaurant.  We enjoyed a nice romantic dinner there paired with a half bottle of wine that we actually tasted back during our Napa trip!  And after dinner ... dessert!!

We discovered a gelato cafe close to Sobys and, although it was freezing, couldn't help but to stop!  I've only had gelato once before.  It apparently has less fat than ice cream and is a thicker consistency.  That makes it able to take on those peak shapes in the first picture.  Stuart had birthday cake and chocolate gelato, while I enjoyed hazelnut and caramel.  So good!  And then we walked out into the South Carolina breezy fall weather and almost froze to death!

It was a really great trip - obviously because we got to see each other after two weeks - but it was also fun to explore a new town.  I don't know a lot about the residency program so far, but as far as the town is concerned I don't think we'd mind living there!

Stay tuned for the Charlotte, NC edition in 1.5 weeks!