Have Food, Will Travel

Jun 13, 2011

My best friends wedding is this Saturday and, as her Maid of Honor, I threw a bachelorette party this past weekend. We stayed at a hotel in downtown Dallas, learned a chair dance from ‘Spicy Denise’, played tons of bridal-themed games, went out on the town and managed to get into a VIP room at the House of Blues. My favorite game was making Christie, the bride, pop a balloon when someone said the word “wedding”. On the inside of the balloon was a dare such as, “run to the center of the lobby and scream ‘I’m getting married’!!!”….It was HILARIOUS to see the reaction on the receptionist’s face. She almost dropped the phone she was holding! It was a night we will never forget.

I baked rum cake and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. I also made a couscous salad (similar to this quinoa salad) and a black bean salad on Friday morning to go with the smorgasbord of veggies, hummus, fruit, chips, pretzels and cheese. I loaded the food into my new car and made the four-hour trip to Dallas.

I really want to share the black bean salad recipe with you because it turned out so well. Inspiration for this recipe came from a salad I purchased at a Whole Foods on my California trip.

I decided to wing the measurements based on the ingredient list. This makes a HUGE salad with intense flavor. It works well for a summer party because it was easy to travel with, quick to make and could be served cold. Opt to half the recipe if you are only making this for a few people.

Black Bean and Corn Salad
Yield: 12 servings

3 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 bags of frozen corn, defrosted
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
3 scallions, finely chopped
1 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup rice wine vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 t. oregano
S&P

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Sprinkle with S&P to taste.
2. Refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to combine.

I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

Have you recently celebrated a wedding? If so, what was your favorite part?

Related Posts

Tags

Share This

When Life Gives You Lemons…

Jun 8, 2011


Big decisions are hard.

Buying a car is a HUGE decision.

I will be moving to Atlanta in the fall for work and need a reliable car. My old Honda Accord has 250,000 miles, peeling paint and no AC. Not to mention that, by the grace of another cars bumper in a parking lot, the Honda is totaled. I will no longer be able to call my dad if my starter fails or my clutch goes out. He will be in Texas and I will be in Georgia.

Yes, I’ve known I would need a new car for a while and started test-driving cars two weeks ago. Test-driving was tons of fun. Talking to car salesmen was interesting. Negotiating was slightly intimidating, but physically spending a chunk of my own, hard earned money was nerve-racking.

A million thoughts ran through my head. Is the salesman screwing me over? Do I need to read another book on Negotiating 101? Am I doing what is best for me? How long should I extend my loan term? If I purchase this car and get hit by a bus tomorrow, will I have enough money to buy an artificial titanium leg with a biocompatible ball-and-socket joint?

The unknown is scary. But that’s life right?

The situation wasn’t all “lemons”…

But when you have a bowl of lemons at home…

Quick Lemonade
my fast, sugar-free version

1 tall glass of water
juice of 2 large lemons
1/2 packet of stevia, plus more to taste
ice

1. Chill glass of water in the fridge

2. Add lemon juice, stevia and ice to water. Stir and enjoy.

*****

So how does my story end…

I purchased a car. A 2011 Nissan Altima Coupe to be exact. The biggest purchase of my life to-date. I signed my name on 15 forms. I stopped being afraid of the unknown and I made lemonade. Nothing is perfect, but life is wonderful.

*****

You probably also noticed that I redesigned the blog. Another nerve-racking decision….can I actually host a website? Can I learn CSS coding? Can I design a blog….Yes, Yes and Yes!

I recently read this article about small habits that can help you step out of your comfort zone. I thought it was applicable at this point in my life:

1. Develop a habit of mixing things up

2. Develop a habit of doing things in small steps

3. Develop a habit of letting other people help you by keeping you accountable

 

“Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.”
Brian Tracy

 

Related Posts

Tags

Share This