Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving was fast. Nathan and I had to work on Friday so we went up to my parents after I got off work on Wednesday and came back Thursday afternoon. There was too much food (as usual) and all the family was there except the eldest brother Logan.

The spread consisted of:
green beans
black eyed peas
chicken & dumplings
turkey
ham
squash casserole
salad
bread

I made a cranberry cherry pie and a chocolate pudding pie. Both were delicious. You can find the recipe for the pudding pie on Smitten Kitchen.

Rarely are all or most of us children at home at the same time so we had to get a family picture.

Black Bean Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw

The wonderful thing about this dish besides it being delicious is that it cost lest than $5! I came across the recipe on Smitten Kitchen. It's really easy, really cheap and really yummy.

Serves 2 - 4

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained
1 teaspoon ground cumin
5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons (or more) fresh lime juice
2 cups coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 white or yellow corn tortillas
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
Hot sauce

Place beans and cumin in small bowl; partially mash. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix 2 teaspoons olive oil and lime juice in medium bowl; add coleslaw, green onions, and cilantro and toss to coat. Season slaw to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add tortillas in single layer. Spoon 1/4 of bean mixture onto half of each tortilla; cook 1 minute. Fold tacos in half. Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Fill tacos with feta and slaw.

2 Crazy Wild Years

• 2 years
• 3 states
• 6 jobs
  
• 6 cars
  
• 1 real winter
• 2 moving trucks
• 3 churches
  
• a lot of amazing friends
• a lot of boxes

It's has been two crazy and amazing years. There is no way I could have dreamed up what God had planned for our first two years of marriage. I am so very thankful for a wonderful husband you keeps me pointed to Christ. It's been a wild ride and I can't wait to see what's next. I love you babe!

A Wedding, Bithday Party, Car Show & Job Interview

The last weekend in October we spent in Charlotte NC. The main reason we went up was for Jefferey and Amanda's wedding on Saturday. It was a beautiful wedding with crisp fall air and tons of fall colors. We were able to see some of our friends that have also moved away from Charlotte and a some that are still there.

Nathan and Chris (we really missed seeing his wife Amy)

The cake was really cute and delicious!

After the wedding we went by Trader Joe's. I love this store and I really, really miss it.

Sunday just happened to Stephanie's birthday and they had a big party for her Saturday night. Ben and Stephanie were also our hosts for the weekend. It was great to catch up since we haven't seen them in a year.

Sunday after church we went to the GoodGuys car show. Someone just happened to have tickets at the party Saturday and wasn't going to use them.

The search for the perfect wagon continues...

...or bus
Sunday night we went to our favorite restaurant The Crepe Cellar. It was just as amazing as last time.

My crepe was filled with salmon, leeks, tomatoes and Gruyere cheese.

Nathan's pesto and brie fries...

...along with his wild mushroom, spinach and goat cheese crepe.
After dinner we stopped by our favorite french bakery Amelie's. We split a little cake with vanilla chifon layers that were soaked in Grand Marnier and then covered with (real) vanilla buttercream and almonds.

It was a busy weekend but a blast...we'd love to get back to NC one day. Oh and Nathan did have an interview at one of the race shops on Monday. We're still waiting to hear back.