Mary – Page 4 – Fervent Foodie

Girls’ Night at Nolen Kitchen

January 5, 2012 5 Comments

97% of my Friday nights are spent enjoying a fine meal and some fine wine at a local Charlotte restaurant. It’s the ultimate workweek climax. After five days spent on the daily grind, five days of hustle and bustle and busting my butt, Friday night is all about slowing things down, taking a load off, and truly savoring life (and its gluttonous gifts).

A couple of weeks back, my friend Vanessa and I met for dinner at Nolen Kitchen.

Neither of us had dined at Nolen before but their unique menu wooed us to their doors just as Vanessa wooed the mysterious parking lot attendant to let us park our cars in a no-parking zone in the horribly small and awkwardly shaped parking lot. So to recap, there was a whole lot of wooing going on, and we hadn’t even had our first glass of wine yet.

Recipes

Lightened-Up Sausage Lasagna

January 4, 2012 8 Comments

The thought of lasagna makes my lips quiver. I often fantasize of snuggling up in a six-foot long tray of it. I’d lay my head down on a piece of sausage and pull the noodle layer up around my face like a soft blanket. Sure the tomato sauce might make me look like I have a case of full-body rosacea, but I bet the ricotta would do wonders for my complexion. I’m fairly certain the only one who loves lasagna more than me is my fat pants. You know, if it weren’t for all that pasta and all that cheese, lasagna wouldn’t be half bad for you. Ergo my self-proclaimed weekend mission: to create a lightened up lasagna that could satiate my taste buds, no fat pants required.

For the love of lasagna, I wholeheartedly committed to this mission. My healthified version is an adaptation of The World’s Best Lasagna recipe on Allrecipes.com, which I made a year or so ago and LOVED. I made a few swaps here, a few karate chops there, and came up with a lasagna that tastes absolutely delicious and that comes in at under 350 calories a pop.

Now tell me you aren’t thinking about sliding in between those layers and swaddling yourself in a noodle blanket. Don’t worry. I completely understand.

Recipes

Sausage, Egg, & Cheese Breakfast Braid

January 2, 2012 15 Comments

Morning, friends! I hope you all are lucky enough to have the day off of work like me. If not, well then I’ll try not to rub it in too much. I’ve spent a good portion of the new years weekend in the kitchen cooking up a fury. Ancho chicken tacos, sausage lasagna, and balsamic glazed pork loins, just to name a few. This Monday morning (did I mention I have the day off of work???) I wanted to make something special. So I threw together a delicious sausage and egg breakfast braid.

Isn’t it impressive looking?

Ramblings

2012: the do morer year.

January 1, 2012 8 Comments

It’s a new year.

*sigh*

With a new year comes the obligatory reflection on the year past, and looking back I realize just how tumultuous 2011 was. There were ups, and there were downs. Boy, were there downs. And struggles. Like when the BF first moved to Charlotte and the struggle I faced in deciding to move away from home. Then, I struggled to sell my house, struggled to rent my house, and struggled to find a condo to rent. When I couldn’t sell the house, I struggled with becoming a landlord. I struggled with the world’s worst movers. Then, I struggled to plant baby roots in a new city. I started my new job and struggled with the realization that it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. I struggled with the decision to leave that new job for a new-new job. I struggled to be happy. Far too much.

Fitness

My Half Marathon Training Plan

December 28, 2011 11 Comments

Whelp, it’s official.

Once an Excel spreadsheet enters the picture, there’s just no turning back. In my world, transforming an idea, plan, or goal to a glorious (preferably multi-tabbed) spreadsheet is like signing my name in wet cement. It took a lot of thought and research, googling and binging, reading and pondering, but I finally got my half marathon training plan together!

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