Some of my Favorite Things

Is it weird that I love getting suggestions from people? Whether it be for a place to eat, a product to try, or how to organize everyday life I’m totally up for it. I’m not always the best at trying new things, so I’m always looking for people to say “You should try fill in the blank, it’s really great”! In order to provoke some new suggestions here are some new, and some tried and true, favorites of mine.

Place to Eat – One of my absolute favorite places to have lunch in Columbia is Garden Bistro. I basically try to take people there all the time if we meet for lunch. It’s a tiny, funky place with cools murals on the wall and the owner is fun and sarcastic with all the patrons, which I totally appreciate. Everything is completely fresh and delicious. I’m there at least once every two weeks, usually more, because it’s just a couple blocks from work. If you haven’t been, go now, it’s totally worth it!

One of my favorite lunches of Roasted Red Pepper and Smoked Gouda soup and half a chicken salad sandwich. YUM!

New Product – I’m not much of a make-up girl. I like the stuff and what it’s meant to do, I’m just kind of a spazz at it. I randomly picked up a Wetslicks Amazemint Lipgloss, in Everything’s Rosy, and I love it. It’s not sticky like most lip glosses and you get an added bonus with peppermint oil mixed right in for a fresh ‘breath sensation’.New Gadget – Something that for most of the year will be totally useless but I think will be amazing. I’ve already told Ace it is going on the wedding registry and he just shook his head at me. It’s a pineapple corer and slicer. Pineapple is probably my favorite fruit but I always buy it pre-sliced because I always end up wasting a lot of the fruit by trying to do it myself. Watch the video to see how nifty it is.

Something Random – I’ve started too really like decorative things. I’ve never really decorated an entire home before so I’m having fun filling the Charlotte pad with things we both really like, instead of stuff that we like because it is really cheap like we did in college. We have explored the Charlotte art district of NoDa and we found this painting. My mom bought it for me after I obsessed over it for forever. It’s beautiful and I can’t wait to decorate around it.
New Recipe – This one comes from my hip chick friend Celia, who also has a totally cute blog, who made this for a party one night and I’ve been addicted ever since. I made it for the finace and it was gone in a heartbeat, even though the recipe makes a ton. Then I made it for my brother and it disappeared just as fast. I’m pretty sure it freezes well but both guys ate my test batches so quickly it wasn’t in the freezer for very long. It is so good and flavorful, you have to try it!

{Pic from here}

Tex Mex Taco Soup
Ingredients
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup diced green bell peppers
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Vegetable oil
1 pound chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 (8-ounce) jar salsa
1 (14-ounce) can kernel corn
1 (16-ounce) can ranch style beans
2 (4-ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (14-ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
Saute onions, green bell peppers, and garlic in a small amount of vegetable oil. Add chicken, taco seasoning mix, salsa, vegetables, beans, tomato paste, and chicken broth. Adjust liquid to your liking. (I usually use about a can and a half.) Bring to a slow simmer and simmer for 20 minutes. Place cream cheese in a separate bowl. Using a measuring cup, take some of the hot liquid from the soup and pour over cream cheese to melt and then add back to the soup. Simmer on low for another 10 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips and grated Monterey jack cheese.