Foodie Adventures.

As I previously wrote about, I have been cooking fantastic meals for myself lately. Food seems to be one of my greatest creative outlets. When I’m creating a dish, I am filled with so many ideas. Bringing a dish to life, however, is the greatest reward of cooking… but the ability to share that meal with friends and family you love is priceless.

Last semester got really hectic and I didn't take the time to cook for myself at the end. As soon as finals were over I broke my month-long hiatus from cooking a full-blown meal... Seared salmon on a bed of rosemary balsamic roasted sweet potatoes, lemon asparagus, and an artichoke vinaigrette salad. The only thing I didn't make was the bread!

I’m so passionate about food and creating food because it is one of the greatest elements of our social lives. We gather around food and drinks to talk about anything and everything. Setting aside time to enjoy a meal with another person is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves.

Over the past month, I’ve gotten to go to several new restaurants. My birthday dinner at Chino Latino involved delicious short ribs and lamb. Arguably my Blue Hawaiian drink was my favorite part of the meal!

My roommate Kristin and I are both from the New Ulm area and we get homesick sometimes. We decided to have a food adventure to Black Forest Inn on eat street in Uptown. We were not at all disappointed either. I got my fill of sauerkraut, sausage, and German potato salad…my mouth is salivating all over again just thinking about this meal. The restaurant and bar are adorably decorated. It feels like being in a quaint little German restaurant back home. To top off our meal, we had warm cider wine. Kristin and I were both tempted to steal the cute little pitcher it came in. What a wonderful experience.

Nikki (my roommate last year) and I decided to explore a new restaurant and treat ourselves to a fancy date night. We went to Lucia’s Restaurant and drank sparkling Prosecco. Our meals started off with a mixed greens salad and a perfectly creamy tomato basil soup. Our main courses blew us away. I had an out-of-this-world beef entree. We topped off dessert with a blood orange mousse. I didn’t need to eat for another 20 hours. No lie.

The most exquisite eating experience I’ve had so far this year was over at my friend Michael’s house. For Valentine’s Day, us singles decided to celebrate our singledom together. We made fools out of the people who made reservations at a restaurant and waited in traffic for an hour. Our menu consisted of a mixed greens salad with roasted garlic vinaigrette, tomatoes, and merlot cheese. Sautéed mushrooms and shallots accompanied our bacon-wrapped sirloin steaks with a red wine reduction, lemon-buttered asparagus, and a butternut squash puree with a healthy slab of Texas toast on the side. The savory-meets-sweet combination was enough to send my taste buds to heaven. It was THAT good. With a glass of red wine in each of our hands, we toasted to our friendship and incredible team work for pulling off this 5-star meal.

I stumbled upon the best Minneapolis bakery this week. It’s called A Baker’s Wife’s Pastry Shop. The portions are huge and cheap. It’s a hole-in-the-wall gem! Go! The goodies are excellent! Here’s a shot of my carrot muffin with cream cheese frosting.

I truly have the best friends in my life... I’m unbelievably blessed. Tuesday night I had a date with my ex-roommate’s boyfriend. The foodie adventure happened at Lake & Irving and it was delicious. Nathan and I both had sandwiches…and no complaints! Taylor and Nathan have been dating well over a year and I still don’t know him that well, so we decided to hang out. It was worth it. What a great guy, Taylor! After that I headed to Mystic Lake with Casey to meet up with my parents and play bingo. Nobody won anything, but it was still fun…not my average Tuesday night!

This morning I got out of class early…early enough for breakfast! So I went to my favorite diner The Bad Waitress and ordered the best eggs benny in all of Minneapolis. Rosemary in the hollandaise sauce is key. It’s so good I almost didn’t want to waste the time taking a picture of it before devouring…but I did, just for you. Hate me now? Why not join me instead! J

Dating Myself.

Sorry it's been a while, Blogger. Life has been busy... I'm currently sitting in my kitchen listening to Hall & Oates's You Make My Dreams and smelling a pan of bars that just got out of the oven... okay, life is pretty good after all!

So...I’ve realized that I get frustrated when I can’t direct my love onto anyone. This probably doesn’t make any sense, but I can’t help but want to share my life with those around me. I get frustrated when I feel like I am not noticed. In order to solve this, I’ve been trying to date myself and pay myself that extra attention I seem to be lacking. I know, dating myself probably sounds a little immature or weird, but it has actually been quite delightful. I’m the only person that can read my mind. I know everything that will make me happy…so why not spend the money on myself?

For my birthday I woke up and made breakfast bagel sandwiches for myself and my roommates. This was wonderful because I got to help myself and others all at the same time. I also purchased a bouquet of my favorite flowers, peach roses, to make myself feel extra special.

My birthday turned out fantastic. I had a small group of friends and family that came to celebrate with me. They brought me gifts and truly made me feel loved with their presence. These are my beautiful roommates and me.

I decided to have adventures on my own. Exploring, living, and feeling. I took myself to see The Invisible Woman, a film about the secret love affair of Charles Dickens. I was one of about 4 people in the Uptown Theater. I cuddled into my faux leather seat and let my head get lost in the fantasy. It hit home for me because it explored the love lives of artists. For some reason, I seem to only be attracted to men that create for a living. This is both good and bad. My conclusions are that it is impossible to have a serious relationship with an artist.

Later that weekend, I explored the frozen Minnehaha Falls with myself. It was an incredible sight to see. I just went again two days ago and climbed up behind the falls with my DSLR. I have been itching to take my camera for an adventure and the view was breathtaking...here's a sneak peek from my phone's camera.

I started taking yoga classes to help me find peace and energy throughout the day. I need to start going more often again, though. Life has just been so busy. No excuses, though!!

To attack my goals I set forth earlier this year, I am raising money for Children's Grief Connection. It is a camp that helps children and families that have had a death occur in their family or a close friend. I've had a chance to volunteer at this camp (as a giant bear, mind you!) and I am now going to JUMP IN A FROZEN LAKE because I feel so strongly about supporting this cause. Click here to donate to my jump!! This camp is 100% free for families and truly changes their lives and helps them carry on. Camps are expensive to run, so please contribute, even if it is only a small amount! The person who donates the most gets to CHOOSE WHAT I WEAR!!!

Lastly, I’ve been buying myself fantastic food like salmon, scallops (picture below), and steaks to treat myself. Focusing on me has allowed me to focus on others in a healthy way, too. I’ve gone on several dates with friends to try out fantastic new restaurants and foods, but more on that in my next post! Have I convinced you to start dating yourself more often, too?!

Consume the world or get swallowed by it.

Consume the world or get swallowed by it.

I come from a generation of instant gratification. If I need food, I can have it at my door in less than ten minutes or pick it up in my car in less than 5. If I need a friend, they are a quick text or call away. If I need entertainment, it’s in the palm of my hand 24/7…unless my battery dies, in which case I can find an outlet in less than 5 minutes to charge it as well.  The last time I read a book (for fun) was pulled up on my phone because I didn’t want to go out and buy it. We never have to leave our houses for anything material if we do not wish.

There are so many stores and they are bustling at this time of year. Why do we choose to go out and consume from the world even when we do not have to? Why do we feel the need to give our loved ones discount junk we found on black Friday just because it was a ‘fantastic deal’ on Christmas? Why can’t we just simply be present with the friends and family around us? The greatest gift any of my friends and family can give me this year is their time, their friendship.

Christmas can be one of the loneliest times of the year. And the new year rings in memories of the past. We evaluate ourselves and often look at what we did and who we are. Do we like what we see? What do we need to change?

I am halfway through my senior year of college… and I am freaking out. I don’t have quite the life I want internally, but cosmetically, I do. I don’t fully love, know, and trust myself yet, so how am I supposed to know what to do with my life? Society pressures us to go to college and we’ll just figure everything out there, right?! Wrong. I’ll be leaving college with more questions than answers. I’ll be leaving college with more doubts and worries. I’ll be leaving college still not knowing what it is I want in life. Isn’t that the purpose of an education, though? To make a person think?! Maybe it’s okay to not have my ducks in a row. Maybe the point of my college education was to make me evaluate entirely what I want in life…

STEP 1: Let it go.

My past has been haunting me. Did I make all the right choices? No, certainly not. But the mistakes I made have made me. I’m 20 and I get to graduate soon. I need to use this opportunity to wipe my slate clean.

STEP 2: Envision a new future.

I acknowledge where I come from, but I do not want it to define me. It’s so easy to get caught up in hometown drama and never branch out. The truth is, I’m sick of high school lovebirds staying together because it's convenient and never exploring new joys that life can bring. It takes so much courage to leave a comfortable relationship and mediocre life to try something risky. I have years before I need to bog down my life with commitment. No risk, no reward. I need to focus on having a future that makes me happy. This includes the hobbies, animals, and people that I love. I need to create a list of goals. What do I want to accomplish in the next month? Next year? And in the next 5 years?

STEP 3: Embrace the present.

I need to start today with a positive mindset. Every day is another day to learn. There are new adventures waiting for me to find them. They will not come find me. Life is what you make it. And it all starts by appreciating and enjoying every moment. One can sit at home and be bored, wallowing in self-pity and exist in a bubble. Or one can go out and enjoy the world for all it is worth.

STEP 4: Never stop learning.

It’s so easy to leave college, join a mundane career, and have a boring daily routine. The only thing hindering me from exploring is me. I need to remember that all of the adventures I want are possible only if I make them happen. I should never stop taking a class in something or reading books.

I used to be cold and not feel anything. And then I decided to open up to the possibilities of the world and the beauty and joys life has as well as the pain and hurts life offers as teachable moments. I’m trying to find the balance between these extremes. Forgive me. I don’t have life figured out, but I’m not going to stop learning. I think curiosity and exploring are wonderful. I’m determined to consume the world and not let the things of this world consume me. This is my journey.