The Weekend in my Phone

These are the most exciting and eventful few weeks of my entire year.  My entire year, I tell you!!!  Pat and I celebrated two years together this past Friday, my birthday is this coming Thursday, I start a new job Feb 1, and Valentine's day is but a mere two weeks off!  Hooray for the most wonderful time of the year!

This past weekend I thought I would end up a pathetic studying hermit, but in actuality I managed to power through, and have some spare time left for celebrations.  As usual, my iPhone bore witness to it all.

Absolutely beautiful roses Pat surprised me with for our anniversary!

I surprised him with Bruins tickets (we won!)

A little shopping in an early birthday present I bought for myself!

(It's vintage!! I didn't kill anything I swear!)

Some friends and I went out dancing to celebrate my birthday!

Even in the worst of weather Boston is so beautiful!

Spicy Tomato Bisque and Grilled Cheese

My best friend Jess and I have a relationship that borders on unhealthy.  We met as dorm next door neighbors our sophmore year of college, and by the end of our senior year we were literally spending 72 hours at a time together.  I'm talking sleeping over at each other's houses like 4 year olds, eating lunch together, going shopping together, joined-at-the-hip-weirdo friends.  Of course since college we've been forced to cut the umbilical cord a little bit (I'm sure neither her nor my boyfriend would be thrilled with exclusively double dates), but we still try to get together as much as possible.  This weekend we had the rare opportunity to spend more than 24 hours together again and it. was. glorious. All of Sunday was essentially devoted to a law and order SVU marathon, coupled with the creation of epically delicious comfort food.  I headed up the soup project, Jess took control of the grilled cheese, and then we ate everything in sight.  This soup is pretty spicy (cut back on the red pepper flakes for less burn), but paired perfectly with our more mild grilled cheese.  Jess made the grilled cheese on a caramelized onion focaccia, and used both sharp cheddar and mozzarella to get the perfect degree of ooey-gooey-goodness.  Seriously so good.

(recipes and more photos after the jump)

Breathe. Take a walk. Get a coffee.

In my short professional career I’ve worked at exactly one place.  I started as an intern way back in 2009, and I haven’t budged from my lab bench since.  I love my boss, I’ve created incredible friendships with some of my coworkers, and I’ve become a published scientist.  In short, I love my job.  This is why it’s so bittersweet for me to leave.  A few weeks ago a friend offered me a job at a new company that could not be a more perfect fit.  I am SO excited to start there this February, but it breaks my heart to leave this lab behind.

Beyond all of this, was the realization that I have exactly three and a half weeks to wrap up three and a half years of work.  I have people to train, notebooks to index, boxes to catalog, people to meet with, and a to-do list that seems infinitely long.  Who knew quitting was so stressful??  When I feel overwhelmed, the only thing that saves my sanity is a mantra I’ve adopted from my mentor at the lab:

“Breathe. Take a walk.  Get a coffee.”


Sometimes the best way to finish a to-do list is to forget about it for a few minutes and get a coffee. Do absolutely nothing while you wait for the drink to cool, completely relax, and come back to work a few minutes later more focused.

Thank you, coffee, for existing.  I love you, I love you, I love you.

Bye Bye, Facebook

When I graduated from high school to head out into the big world you were soooo cooooool.  You promised me I could stay in touch with my high school friends, make new friends in college, and document my life all along the way.  We evolved together.  You watched me grow up and go to graduate school, and I watched you become a publicly traded company.  I'm happy for you, facebook, really I am, but it's time for us to part ways.  I waste so much time hanging out with you that it's easy to forget to nurture my friendships in real life.  You use my photos, interests, and "likes" for profit, but I never wanted them to be for sale.  It's been real, facebook. Thanks for the good times.  My pictures and thoughts belong to me now. 

Adios.

Holiday Gift Guide

Gift giving is a tricky business.  You want to get something fun, you want to get something useful, and most of all you want to get something that won't break the bank.  Well I'm here to help!! Here are my favorite gifts, all under $50, for whatever food enthusiasts you may have on your list:

#5) Measuring Hedgies $36.00

 

You could tell me these aren't the absolute cutest measuring cups you've ever seen....but you would be lying.

Buy them here

#4) Colorful Mixing Bowls $29.95

I have an earlier version of this set and they are perfect.  Every single one is a useful size, they're so colorful they do double duty as kitchen decorations, and (best of all) they're dishwasher safe!

Buy them here

#3) Vinturi Wine Aerator $29.96

It has the magical power to make three buck chuck taste like a ten buck chuck, and ten buck chuck taste like fifteen. And it's pretty.

Buy it here

#2) Knife Sharpener $35.99

If you don't have one of these suckers you do not know what you're missing!  I've said it once I'll say it again, the value of a sharp knife cannot be over estimated.  Many people think the steel that typically accompanies a knife set can sharpen the knives, but this unfortunately is not true.  The steel is there to straighten the blade.  This little guy right here will actually sharpen it.  

Buy it here

#1) Easy to Clean Garlic Press $39.95

I cannot possibly say enough good things about this garlic press.  It is 100%, hands down, hitting the ball out of the park, the absolute BEST garlic press on the entire planet.  Not only does it do it's job perfectly, but it is insanely easy to clean!  The whole gizmo flips open if you invert the handles, which leaves the grate the garlic presses through essentially just a flat surface you can brush all the excess garlic chunks off of.  Was that confusing? Probably.  Just trust me...this is a work of genius.

Buy it here

Papagayo

I first came to Papagayo for drinks with the littlest of my sorority littles a few years ago.  Her father was once a tequila importer, so when she told me they serve some of the best hard to find tequilas in Boston, I believed her.  As usual, she was correct.  My watermelon chili margarita was unlike anything I'd had before, but my obsession only truly appeared after I tried their guacamole.  

I LOVE table side guacamole and up until that fateful day I had no idea where to get it in Boston. If you've never had it, it will change your life.  The waiter pulls up a little cart with all the guacamole fixings you could dream of, and mashes it all right in front of you.  You don't know what you like in your guac? That's ok they have a stock recipe.  However, if you're like me, you have the power to dictate exactly what does (and does not) go in, and how chunky you'd like it to be.

I officially nominate Papagayo as the best place for after work drinks and apps.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving!! I hope you all are having a wonderful day filled with delicious food.  Just remember, never cook with wine you wouldn't drink....so make sure to try a glass before you throw it in the stuffing ;-)

 My dad wants you to take note of the classy granite counter top

(it's Scottish meadow in case you're interested.  If not, you can ignore the previous sentence)