recap & recipe

We had a great Thanksgiving break at Lake Gaston with my family (and 5 dogs)! It was our first time there, but it certainly won't be our last. It was too cold to do much of anything so we didn't even bring the boat, but it was still a great vacation. Payton, Scout and I went on Wednesday after work and stayed through Saturday morning. We had Thanksgiving dinner on Friday complete with our first fried turkey! It turned out great and I believe that's how it will be done from here on out! 

Relax Inn - the house we rented for the week

The fry masters

Naila, Scout, Parker and Annie. Not pictured: Jake

We left at the butt crack of dawn on Saturday so we could go to the NC State game with some friends. Well, technically we only stayed in the game for like 12 minutes... but the tailgating part was a blast! I spent the remainder of the weekend decorating for Christmas (yay!) followed by a busy week at work. Payton brought a mountain-fresh tree home on Tuesday since he was in the mountains for work! He had to trim it quite a bit in order for it to fit in our living room, but now it looks absolutely perfect :) Decorating the tree is one of my favorite things to do all year, especially now that I have my own ornaments. My mom has been collecting ornaments for my brother and me since we were born, and she gave my collection to me last year since that was the first year I had my very own tree. Some of them are... definitely from the 90s... but they are all so special! Of course I've added a number of owl and turtle ornaments to the mix, along with some from the places we've traveled in the last few years. Now that we know a 9 foot tree will fit in our living room, I have a lot of space to fill with more fabulously tacky ornaments!

We had so much fun this weekend celebrating our best friends' engagement! They've been engaged for over a year, but this was their first official party to kick off wedding season. I'm lucky enough/honored to be a bridesmaid in Pam's wedding, and this will be my first go at it! I'm so excited to share in the fun without having all the pressure on me ;) I've grown a deep love for weddings over the last year so I love celebrating with them! I also tried oysters for the first time on Sunday (shout out to my main girl Camry for hookin' a sista UP!) and I actually kind of liked them! Never thought I'd say that...

A few of Pam's bridesmaids!

Finally, I wanted to share a recipe that's perfect for these cold, rainy days we've been having. It's the definition of comfort food, and it's plain delicious!

Chicken Broccoli Supreme

1 pound fresh broccoli - break into pieces and steam for about 5 minutes

3 cups cooked chicken breast - break into small pieces*

2 cups grated cheddar cheese, divided

For the sauce:

1/3 cup butter - melted

1/4 cup cornstarch, dissolved in 1/2 cup cold water

1/3 cup chicken broth

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese

For the topping:

2 tubes Ritz crackers**

1 stick melted butter

1 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 350.

In a greased 9x13 pan, layer broccoli and chicken. Set aside.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine melted butter, cornstarch/water mixture, chicken broth, seasonings and milk. Stir well, and continue stirring until sauce is thickened.

Turn heat down to low and add 1 cup of the grated cheddar. Stir until melted.

Pour cheese mixture over the chicken and broccoli.

Top with remaining 1 cup of cheese.

Combine melted butter and poppy seeds in a medium bowl and stir well.

Crush crackers in a large ziplock bag (but not too small). Add cracker crumbs to the melted butter and mix well.

Sprinkle crumbs over the top of the grated cheese.

Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes, or until hot, bubbly and golden brown on top.

*I use store-bought rotissere chicken. Just pull it apart and put it straight in the baking dish. It's perfect!

**Any buttery crackers will do. I used the club crackers in the green box last night and it was great.

I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! And I'm also hoping to share some exciting news with you next time, but for now I'll just let your minds run wild ;)

being thankful

Happy Thanksgiving Eve! Payton, Scout and I are headed to Lake Gaston after work today to join my parents and brother (and 3 dogs) for a fun mini-vacation. Since horses need to eat too, my dear mother has to work tomorrow which means we'll celebrate our Thanksgiving on Friday. Payton is going to DEEP FRY our turkey for the first time! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. We have a cajun spice rub all ready to go and I have a feeling it's going to be the best turkey yet! On Saturday we'll head back to Raleigh bright and early for the NCSU v. Maryland game. I'm sure we'll have fun, but there's not much hope for a Wolfpack win...

In the spirit of the season, I realize that being thankful sometimes isn't as easy as it should be. People tend to focus on the lows and imperfections that come with the territory of this thing we call life, leaving it difficult to see the positives. This year I'm not only thankful for my biggest blessings in life (my patient husband, my supportive family, my loving friends, my sweet pets, my job, my warm home, etc...), but I've also made a point to pay attention to the little things and be thankful for those, too. On this November 27th, I'll leave you with 27 things that I'm thankful for this year, in no particular order:

1. Spray butter. How did people butter their broccoli before spray butter?
2. Electric salt and pepper mills. Hand grinding salt and pepper is SO last year.
3. Gap slacks. It's like wearing sweat pants to work everyday, without looking like a bum.
4. Colgate toothpaste. The only toothpaste that's allowed in our house.
5. My t-shirt quilt. The warmest, most comfortable blanket I own. And bonus, it is filled with great memories!
6. DVR. Ain't nobody got time for commercials anymore.
7. Nantucket Blend k-cups. I look forward to waking up so I can drink this delicious coffee.
8. My Shark Rocket vacuum. Vacuuming is enjoyable, thanks to you.
9. Chapstick. Although it would be nice if Payton would carry his own so he wouldn't complain about the kind I carry in my purse. But that's for another day...
10. Online shopping. It might get me into trouble at times, but it saves me many-a-headahe during the holidays.
11. Emergency vets. Scout is becoming a regular there because of his famous Sick Sundays. I don't know what we'd do without them!
12. Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt Caramel bars. No comment needed.
13. Coupons. Who doesn't love a discount?
14. The Walking Dead. One of the only TV shows that I can stay awake through.
15. Harris Teeter donuts. Well, I love all donuts. but the Teet knows what's up.
16. Snowball's whinny. It's music to my ears, even after 12 years. 
17. My Erin Condren planner. I can't really use it until December 26th, but I still look at it everyday.
18. Minced garlic. I hate chopping garlic because I can still smell it on my hands 3 days later after 4 showers.
19. Payton's corny jokes. He laughs at himself before he can even finish saying what he wants to say, but that just makes me smile.
20. Pyrex. I don't know why, but I have a serious love affair with Pyrex!
21. Dishwashers. Washing dishes is my least favorite chore, so I wouldn't be happy if I had to do it even more than I do now!
22. Scout's "prairie dog" pose. It puts a smile on my face no matter what. I love that dog.
23. Pictures. Memories can be shared and will never be forgotten if you take pictures. This year, I'll be doing more of that.
24. Lotion. I HATE the feeling of dry skin.
25. GPS. Seriously... I wouldn't be able to go anywhere without it. What are maps?
26. Will Ferrell. I could watch his movies everyday for the rest of my life and they would never get old. 
27. Holidays. For whatever reason, holidays make us realize what's important in life. Maybe it's the break from work, maybe it's being with family and people you love... I don't know, but I'm grateful for the reality check it brings.

There you go. Proof that it's not so hard to find things to be thankful for! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with great food, good company and lots of love!

a new tradition

Now that we're fancy and married, we have decided to implement Operation: Monthly Date Night! That sounds silly now that I'm reading it, but Payton and I rarely eat out. We grab lunch on the weekends when we're running errands and we'll meet for lunch occasionally during the week, but for us to actually go out to dinner is a treat. We both love to cook and agree that eating out is expensive, so it's just never been an issue. As nice as it is to cook in my PJs, I do think it's important for our marriage to make a little effort to do something special every now and then! Plus, we just LOVE food. We were both extremely picky eaters growing up and we've started to embrace our newfound food courage. I always read about the awesome restaurants right here in Raleigh, but I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't been to very many. That's about to change! 
We kicked off Monthly Date Night at The Rockford thanks to a friend's recommendation, and HOLY COW were we impressed! We checked out the menu before going and decided that we would split an appetizer (Grilled Pork Dumplings) and order different sandwiches, since we almost always want the same thing. I got the A.B.C.- their signature sandwich- and Payton got the Prosciutto Chicken Melt. The pork dumplings (basically pot stickers) were to.die.for and the dipping sauce had the perfect amount of spice to it. However, the A.B.C. stole the show. Even the bread of the sandwich was glorious! It has slices of granny smith apples, bacon, sharp cheddar cheese and is just slathered in sesame honey dressing. WHAT?! Oh, and did I mention that the bread was actually GRILLED FRENCH TOAST complete with POWDERED SUGAR on top?! I can't. I just can't. Payton's sandwich was really delicious also, but it just didn't stand a chance next to mine. Another neat thing the Rockford does is they have different sides everyday. We got the smashed red potatoes and collards - both great! We each got a Highland Brewery beer to compliment our meals and left with full stomachs, smiles on our faces, and a new tradition in the books! So, the question is... what shall we try next?

Also, I just have to share a recipe with y'all! I openly admit that I'm a pasta addict, so it shouldn't be a surprise that this is a pasta dish. It's quick, easy and delicious- just the way I like it.

Baked Penne (or whatever pasta you have in the pantry)

3 cups pasta (I like rigatoni because it holds up well against the sauce)

1/2 lb. sausage or ground beef (2 words: Hot Neese's. There's just no other option here in the South)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 24 oz. jar traditional pasta sauce

1 container Philadelphia Italian Heb cooking creme, divided (Find this with the cream cheese in the grocery store)

1 cup shredded mozzarella, divided

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook pasta according to package instructions.

Brown sausage and onion in a large, sided, non-stick skillet.

Stir in spaghetti sauce, 3/4 cup cooking creme and 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella. Continue to cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes.

Combine sauce and pasta; mix lightly.

Pour into a 2 quart casserole dish and top with remaining cooking creme and shredded mozzarella.

Cover, and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

That's it! Roast some asparagus or steam some broccoli and you've got a great weeknight dinner, and leftovers for lunch the next day!

Jamaica, mon.

Today is the perfect day for me to write the honeymoon blog because my heart is aching to be back in that paradise. Threat of snow in Raleigh, and it isn't even mid-November yet?! Blasphemy!

We had two simple requests for our honeymoon: it had to be in a tropical location, and it had to be all inclusive. A Sandals Resort seemed like the obvious choice, so that's where we started. We decided to go through a travel agent (Bob Gani at Travel Experts of Cary - highly recommended!) and I'm so glad we did! We chose the glorious Sandals Whitehouse in Jamaica. It has a private beach, more than 7 restaurants, 3 pools, and oh-so-much-more. We couldn't have chosen a better fit for us! It was quiet and well kept, fun and relaxing. The perfect honeymoon!

We left on Monday so we could have Sunday to wind-down after the wedding. I still think that was the best choice we could have made, because we were so wiped out. We had to leave the house way too early to catch our first flight, but luckily the whole travel day went so smoothly! Well, except for the bus ride to the resort... It's an hour and a half drive from the airport to the resort and, to put it lightly, it is not a pleasant drive. Whitehouse is on the opposite side of the mountain. The very steep mountain. The very steep mountain that has what appears to be one pothole-covered one-lane road, surrounded by straight cliffs and lush jungle. I have to give the drivers credit because they handle it very well, but HOLY CRAP. They speed through school yards and neighborhoods, and the people on the roads don't even flinch. There are cows and goats and dogs (oh my!) everywhere, and they don't seem too bothered either. At one point, we had to pass a truck pulling a BULLDOZER. I don't think I took a single breath for at least 5 minutes after that.

Anyways, we finally made it to the resort and checked into our lovely room in the French Village. There are 2 other Villages, Dutch and Italian, but I think ours was the best! It is the farthest from the main restaurants, but it was right next to a yummy lunch spot on the beach and the pool had the volleyball net and it's own swim-up bar. We were set for the week right there! Each morning we walked to the breakfast buffet first thing and then went straight to the pool. It was really too hot to just sit in the sun, so we spent the majority of the day either sitting at the pool bar chatting with new friends and hilarious bartenders, or floating in the pool with just our arms and heads out of the water. This might be why our tans were a bit off! We snacked on "meat pockets" as Payton called them and DELICIOUS jerk pork or chicken almost everyday. We were so impressed with the food. Our favorite foods were at the Asian restaurant, Jasmine's, and the jerk chicken at the Jerk Pit. They also have an Italian place (hand made brick oven pizza - we might have taken a few to-go for a midnight snack) called Giuseppe's, a Mediterranean seafood place called Neptune's, a French cafe (fresh crepes. enough said.) called Cafe de Paris, and a few other fancy restaurants, including a martini bar called Casablanca. We got to have a private four-course dinner on the beach on Wednesday, courtesy of my wonderful parents! It was so beautiful and so delicious and I still think about it daily. I would have taken more pictures of the food, but I ate it too quickly. Typical.

French Village

Where we had our private dinner

So, like I said, we really did spend most of our time in the pool. We went snorkeling but the jellyfish were everywhere, so I jumped in and swam right back around to the boat. Payton was a bit more brave and stayed out a little longer, but I've been stung before and I did not want that to happen again. The absolute best thing we did all week was the Pelican Bar catamaran cruise excursion on Friday. We had been spending a lot of time with our "neighbors" and we agreed that it would be a blast if we all did it together. Turns out, we weren't the only couples in the French Village that had that idea! We ended up on the boat with like 5 other couples that we had been hanging out with all week. It was more fun that I can even describe. It was basically a party cruise with a DJ, bar and food. We rode for about an hour and a half until we got to the Pelican Bar - a shack made out of sticks that is on a sand bar smack in the middle of the ocean. Literally. We had to take a dingy from our catamaran to the shack because of how small it is. There is a man there that cooks fresh lobster and fish right in this hut and serves Heineken (the Heineken was such a pleasant surprise because in Jamaica "beer" means Red Stripe). The shack is adorned with license plates and flags from different states and countries and if you give him a little tip he will carve your name in the floor. We ate our fresh lobster with our feet hanging off the dock and I literally started crying tears of joy. I've never felt that happy in my entire life. The trip back was when things started to get REALLY fun. I won't go into detail, but let's just say the open bar started to catch up to us. We had a large dance party and the phrase "MEET AT THE FRENCH VILLAGE POOL" was shouted many, many times because we didn't want the party to end! All of us tried to make a plan for after dinner, but I don't even think anyone made it to dinner. Catching up with the other cruisers the next morning was so funny! I will never, ever forget that day and we would LOVE to go back to the Pelican Bar to see visit our name one day!

Pelican Bar!

Our named carved in the floor of the Pelican Bar

Our new friends - Illinois, Iowa and Ohio!

The week flew by and before we knew it it was time to risk our lives and get back on that bus to take us to the airport. We had another smooth travel day and we got home to a full fridge! Have I ever mentioned how wonderful and thoughtful my mother is? She really is the best. And, she watched our Scoutie for the whole week! What a lucky dog he is.

So, that's that. The best honeymoon we could ever dream of! I would visit Jamaica again any day.

I'm back!

It's been nearly 3 months since my last blog post. No one told me how stressful and crazy the last few months leading up to the wedding would be! I couldn't think about anything else. It was overwhelming and completely consuming, but I enjoyed every single moment. I didn't, however, even think about blogging! So much has happened in these last 3 months, so I think I'll just start where I left off...


In late August I had an absolutely wonderful bridal shower at my favorite restaurant in my old neighborhood. My bridesmaids, their moms, and my mommy helped host the shower and we invited all of my oldest and dearest "horse friends" to help us celebrate. Those friendships are so special, and it's all thanks to our four-legged friends :) If you didn't know that we were friends because of horses, the game we played sure would have given it away! The hosts had each guest write down how they knew me in a few words, and I had to guess who wrote it. The words horse, Snowball, and MacNair's were repeated many, many times! It made it quite challenging for me, but it was really fun. Those ladies spoiled me rotten and I'm so grateful for their love and support. I cried happy tears many, many times that day- but you won't find me apologizing for it!

My maids!

When I was little, my mom used to sing me "You are my Sunshine" every night. She wrote it in my card and got me this pillow - hence the tears from both of us! So special!

September was the busiest month of all. It started with my bridal portrait session with Renee. We went to the art museum and had a blast! There was a threat of rain all day, but we were lucky enough to just get beautiful after-storm skies from it. Sure, it was hot, but my mom is a seasoned horse show mom and brought her trusty hand-held fan along! Genius, I tell you! The pictures are SO amazing. It took us forever to choose THE bridal portrait, and we even ordered like 15 other pictures because we loved them all so much. I really could never find the words to explain how wonderful Renee was/is as a photographer. She is the best decision we made in this whole process, hands down! This was the portrait we chose, courtesy of Renee Sprink Photography (visit reneesprink.com, or "like" her on Facebook, too!):

Moving on... We also had our final 2 weddings in September! The first was for our dear friends, Aimee and Adam Rich! This was a destination wedding (how fun!) in Atlantic Beach. We took advantage of this opportunity and turned it into a mini-vacation. We got to bring Scout and spend the weekend with great friends. And to top it off, Aimee and Adam had the most stunningly beautiful, fabulously fun beach wedding! We danced our hearts out and had the best time celebrating such a lovely couple! To finish off the month, we celebrated 2 more wonderful friends, Morgan and Trevor Nienke! Morgan and I were fast friends at Meredith, and we even lived together Sophomore year. And Trevor is Payton's big brother in their fraternity, so we are all strangely connected (which is typical of Meredith girls and FH boys). They got married at a beautiful farm and they also had perfect weather. Morgan was breathtakingly beautiful, too! Another wonderful wedding!

MCGs at the Nienke Wedding!

Rich Wedding!

So, then it was our turn - the grande finale of 2013 wedding season, as I like to call it! I had the hardest time wrapping my head around the fact that 11 months of planning and waiting was about to be over. It is impossible to explain the feelings I had in the week leading up to our wedding. I took all of Friday and even half of  Thursday off so we could pick up Payton's sister and her husband from the airport and spend some time with them since they flew in all the way from Utah! We ate at The Pit (I drool every time I think about it), and went bowling. I needed the distractions. Friday was full of fun- from the bridesmaids lunch and manicures to the rehearsal dinner! Yummy food, great company... the perfect day! To make it even better, nearly my entire family came into town early, which was the icing on the cake. I got to catch up with them - some of whom I hadn't seen in over a decade - and I'm so thankful for that because there is no way I could have done that on Saturday. I barely slept on Friday night. So many things were running through my head! Saturday was such a blur, I can barely remember how it all went. I'm so looking forward to seeing pictures so I can re-live it! Overall, the wedding was everything I could have dreamed of. My favorite parts were the photobooth, the band, and having my grandfather sing at the ceremony. I want to do it all again! Oh, and my bouquet... O-M-G it smelled so good! I'm so happy with all the choices we made and I just hope everyone had as good of a time as we did. But, I must say, the best part of all was the honeymoon! I'll save that for its own blog :)

My groom and my MOH, courtesy of NCFotobooth!