Chefs are my rock stars. I full on geek out over meeting, tweeting or trying the recipes of my favorites in the food world. (I’m still giddy that Jose Andres retweeted me, Eric Ripert favorited me and that Husk followed me on Twitter. One of these days David Chang will about our shared love of the Skins but I digress.)
No matter whether it was taco salad or, God forbid, anything with beans, Mexican food on the school lunch menu meant that I’d be brown bagging it. Childhood trips to Bar J’s (RIP) and Don Pablo’s didn’t do much except cement cheese quesadillas as my order for the next decade. You could find cars full of my high school classmates in the Taco Bell drive-thru after school, but not me. I’ve just never been a huge fan of rice, beans or those sugar-sprinkled packing materials that Taco Bell calls cinnamon twists. Continue reading
Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, Chuck E. Cheese pizza and pre-ballpit McDonald’s Happy Meals. Bright red popsicles (that didn’t get on ANY couches, Mom and Dad). Girl Scout cookies. All the after-school snacks and buttery popcorn during many a movies at Potomac Mills. Family meals at Bar J’s. Sesame Place fare in the ’90s.
Fast-forward to six fat fries for $5. Happy hours. Ohhh, the happiest of hours we had. Half-price pitchers of sangria and the alcohol-soaked fruit after. The no-we’re-not-drunk-just-tired Peruvian meal in Philly. Mike’s Hard Lemonade on the Mall on the Fourth. Mike versus Modern Pastry cannolis wrapped up in perfect packages tied together with string. Cupcakes. Lots and lots of cupcakes. Will travel out of state and out of country for cupcakes. Out-of-this-world tapas in Dublin. Pints of Guinness in Ireland and pub food in England. 27 years of birthday cakes. Birthday cocktails and crab claws.
I’ve never shared more meals with a friend as I have with Josalyn. Since we haven’t permanently lived in the same town since we were in middle school, we’ve traveled to see each other often. NM, MA, GA, AL, VA, FL, PA, MD … the list goes on and CO and OR shouldn’t be far behind.
Joss and Jess. The J Girls will do if you’re as confused as our preschool teachers were.
On one visit a year after we graduated from college, I visited Joss during her AmeriCorps time in New Mexico and we played tourist in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. We browsed shops filled with turquoise trinkets, found a piano bar – and may have participated – and even trekked 10,000 feet up (though I physically can’t take any credit. Thank you, tram).
Now that we don’t eat like children (hey, cupcakes are for grownups, too) or college students, we sought out good eats like The Shed. It was here that Joss explained to me that in New Mexico you’ll get asked “red or green?” when ordering food. This question is New Mexico’s state question (No lie), asked to see whether one prefers red or green chile. Well-versed in all things wild wild west, Joss answered confidently while I’m sure I ordered a quesadilla, shying away from chile. Great meal, great trip, period.
Skip ahead to 2015. I didn’t see Joss last year. And I’ve been missing her lately. So I found a recipe for a dish that would transport me from my little kitchen in NC to a table full of strawberry margaritas, the humid heat of Santa Fe and my best friend. This time, my answer was a resounding “green.”
Here goes nothing.
First time cooking with scallions… Check!
The final product.
Adapted from “Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas” from The Chew by Michael Symon.
Sorry, 007–The only Brit I have eyes for is John Oliver. I prefer my Brits sexy WITH a sense of humor.
My crush on John began way back in 2006. A mere two months after I skipped school (shhhh!) to go to a The Daily Show taping senior year (which if you ask me was better than prom only days earlier), he joined the top-notch team. I watched all throughout college and was heartbroken when John and some other TDS people scheduled to come to UNC (as part of the Carolina Comedy Festival) got stuck in a New York City snowstorm. Continue reading
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! As someone with part-Irish blood running through her veins, I’m celebrating the day by thanking God I’m not in middle school and going to get pinched should I forget to wear green today. It’s actually a good excuse to reflect on my two trips to Ireland, one in 2008 and another in 2012. Continue reading
Photo by JS
If I’ve learned anything in my 3+ years of living in Birmingham, it’s that this is a Southern town that, along with barbecue and SEC football, takes its coffee seriously. These are my favorite spots for camping out with a cup of coffee and getting some work done. Continue reading
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