is fondue a fon-don’t?

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, yesterday was my dad’s birthday.  In celebration we went out to dinner at The Melting Pot.  I had only been to this fun-due (ha) restaurant once before and had only had dessert there.  Yesterday, we had the full four-course fondue experience.

My parents decided on the Latin American-themed meal and we all dug into to course after course of fondue goodness.  First we had a spicy cheese fondue with bread, apples and tortilla chips to dip.  I loved the apple and cheese combo and devoured most of the apple chunks by myself.

After that was a salad course.  Not too exciting for me.  Have I ever mentioned that I’m not that into vegetables?  If I haven’t, I meant to.

The salads were followed up by the main course which I was felt much more enthusiastic about.  We had two different sauces, Coq au Vin and Mojo.  I was sitting closest to the Coq au Vin sauce but bother were delicious.  We took turns skewering and cooking filet, shrimp, chicken, pork, corn raviolis and veggies in the sauces.  They also provided us with several delicious sauces to top our main course selections with and my favorite was their Gorgonzola Port sauce, it was so good!

Of course, the most exciting part of the meal was dessert.  We chose two chocolate fondues, one with marshmallow and Oreos mixed in and the other with dulce de leche and sea salt.  You can imagine how delicious they were.  We stabbed bits of brownie, strawberries, marshmallows and Rice Krispie treats until we made sure there was no chocolate left in either pot.

I would say that out Melting Pot dinner was a huge success.  Cheers to my dad!

One topic that came up was whether or not this would be a good place for a first date.  I mentioned that it might be awkward since you basically have to eat the same thing and your meat is mingling together in a pot.  But someone made a good point that it would be a great first date spot because it’s interactive so there’s something to focus on other than the typical get-to-know-you rundown.  In the end, I agreed that it would be a good place for a date.  I like having something to do on a date so it doesn’t get awkward.  You could always have a good laugh over losing your meat or a potato in the pot, right?

So, what do you think?  Is fondue a fon-don’t on a date?

Do you prefer interactive dates when you’re getting to know someone?

What’s the most fun, interactive dinner you’ve ever had?

extended family secrets – she’s a sourpuss

After Scott’s graduation and brunch on Saturday we spent the afternoon at Joel and Kim’s house relaxing and enjoying the sun.  I read for awhile then joined Todd, Scott and Todd’s dad in a game of bags.

It was a close game but Todd and I pulled through and won.  Since we didn’t want to gloat we claimed the win for Team Neckers which included all present.

Eventually the afternoon led into the evening and we got hungry again.

Thankfully Kim had run into a meat salesman the day before we arrived and was swindled into buying a fridge-full of meat.  That meant a celebratory barbecue for us!  We had steaks, asparagus, the best (and only) potato salad I’ve ever eaten and caprese salad.

It was a delicious, robust meal.  Of course a great meal should be followed up with a great dessert and this meal was no exception.  Kim introduced us to her grandma’s specialty which she calls Sourpuss.

Sour Puss begins like this…

With a few turns of your spoon the separate piles of blueberries, sour cream and brown sugar turn into a sweet, creamy dessert.

I was skeptical but Kim made me a believer – Sourpuss is delicious!  If you need a quick, easy (and interactive!) dessert, this is a great option.

I did a Google search for “sour puss dessert” and found nothing but when I searched “blueberries, sour cream, brown sugar dessert” and got one result.  Apparently Sourpuss is known to the wide world as “Blueberries with Brown Sugar Cream“.  I say that’s a lame name and I’m sticking with calling it Sourpuss.

A few glasses of wine and rounds of Apples to Apples later we were all ready to crawl into bed.  So much fun can be exhausting!  The next day Todd and I headed back home.  It was a whirlwind trip but well worth the quick turnaround.

What desserts are staples at your family get-togethers?

my bachelorette party in pictures

My bachelorette party was yesterday.

Peach Jell-o shots are my new favorite, awesome contribution Mary!

This amazing spread was there to greet us in Chicago.

Em even made my favorite, pineapple pizza!

She decorated with pictures my friends sent her.  It was such a fun display to look at!

And she made sure everyone had a little gift.  Softlips is the best!

And she ordered empanadas as part of our Argentine feast at Tango Sur.

The food was amazing.  Just as good as the food we always ate in Argentina.  Chicken, ravioli and steak – beyond delicious.

Then we hit the bars.

And danced the night away.

What a great group of girls to say goodbye to singlehood with.

And then this morning…

We brunched.  Another fantastic meal.  Notice the Nutella on my pancake.  Heaven.

Thank you Emily for throwing an amazing bachelorette.  Every single thing was perfect and every detail so well thought out.  It was everything I could have hoped for.  I’m so grateful to my sister and all of my friends who took the time to travel to Chicago and celebrate with me.  I loved every minute.

If this weekend was any indication of how much fun we’re going to have at the wedding, I can hardly wait.  It’s going to be a riot.

What are some of your favorite memories with friends?

surprise potluck

Today at work my co-workers surprised me with a surprise potluck.  I walked into the office and it was decorated with a “Congratulations Kate” banner.

I was so surprised!  I also had to ask to make sure that it was for me and not a royal wedding celebration that I had forgotten about.    On top of that I was quickly informed that we were also having a potluck and a few people even gave me some gifts.  It was so sweet and completely unexpected.  I was really touched, it’s sweet that people wanted to surprise me and have a special day in my honor.

The potluck was fantastic and delicious.  My department really gets food right.  It helps that our department is so international, people always bring in yummy dishes from their native countries.  I really wish I had taken a picture of the whole spread, it was substantial.

I did manage to take a shot of the sopa de lenteja that one co-worker brought in.  Lentil soup with fresh pineapple, cheese and cilantro.  I was skeptical but it was delicious.

As if all of the food, decorations and gifts weren’t enough, when I was getting ready to go back to my desk, Todd came walking through the door!  Even he had been in on the surprise for weeks!  Needless to stay, I didn’t go back to my desk right away and sat and chatted with and my co-workers as they filtered in and out.

It was such a wonderful surprise and a great way to end the week.

Have you ever had a surprise party thrown for you?

Do you like surprises or prefer to be in the know?

hip hip hooray!

I’m so happy I got out of bed to watch the royal wedding.  I love the pomp and circumstance, the age old traditions and the respect the royals and public show for them.  I love the millinery and the regalia.

As I saw on a spectators sign, hip hip hooray!  Congratulations, William and Kate – Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.  Thanks for sharing your wedding with us.

Now I just need to find myself a few page boys, a way to book this boys choir and a great milliner and I’ll be all set for my own nuptials next weekend.

Did you watch the royal wedding this morning?

What was your favorite part?

happy administrative professionals day!

This lovely spread of bagels was waiting for my fellow “administrative professionals” and I this morning.

 

Happy Administrative Professionals Day!

I’ve been slacking on the blogging a bit lately because well, I’m getting married next week (whoa!)  but I have a few posts in the works.  Yesterday I planned to post at night but then left my camera at my parents’ house.  Coming soon to PS: Mini Fritattas and a program making party.

Do you celebrate the small holidays?

happy easter!

I have an Easter joke for you.

What do you get when you throw hot water down a rabbit hole?

A hot cross bunny!

A very happy Easter to you and yours.  He is risen!

happy birthday to em and happy saturday to you!

First of all, happy happy happy birthday to my big sister, Emily!  She’s off in LA celebrating her big day and I wish I could be there.  It sounds like she is having so much fun, I think she’s at the beach right now.  Keep celebrating your day sister, I love you!

This morning I didn’t wake up until 8:34.  It was glorious.  I slept for almost exactly 8 hours and it felt great to not have anything to get ready for.  I had a quick bowl of cereal (in bed) and then putzed around until I had to leave for yoga.

Yoga class was hot and sweaty today.  Well, that’s kind of a given.  Today’s class was exceptionally hot and sweaty and it felt so good!  I left feeling stretched out, firm and loose.  I also left feeling pretty disgusting, sweat-wise and not smelling very good.  That didn’t stop me from stopping by the grocery store on the way home.  The big supermarket I like to shop at is a solid 15 minute drive from the house and I didn’t see the point in going home and showering and then making a special trip back when I have to pass it on the way back anyways.

When I got to Meijer it was a madhouse.  I didn’t realize that everyone would be doing their Easter shopping today.  I had to park my cart and wait for people multiple times and was almost run into a bunch of times too.  No big deal though.  I was grocery shopping and I loved it just the same.  Plus, I left the grocery store with a cart full of goodness.

Yes, there are three pints of ice cream in the corner.  After 40 days without ice cream, it was hard for a girl to decide what to start with.  I can’t wait to dig into those tomorrow!

When I got home I was staaaaaarving.  I had a craving for watermelon while I was at the store so I threw together a little fruit salad and ate it with a Think Thin bar.

The fruit was delicious and the bar was…a meal bar.

I’ve come to that conclusion that  I don’t like meal bars in general. They always taste a little chalky.  The flavor of this was okay but I didn’t even finish it because I figured I’d rather eat some chips and hummus or something after I shower.

So that’s where I am right now.  Post-lunch, pre-shower and putting off packing and thank you notes for now.  But only until after I shower, I swear.  Then it’s pack, pack, pack and thank, thank, thank.

Happy Saturday everyone!

Do you know of any really good meal bars?

Do you like grocery shopping or is it a chore for you?

happy half birthday to me!

My dad wrote me an email wishing me a happy half-birthday this afternoon.  I quickly wrote Todd a text reminding him that I’m now 25 – and a half!

Todd brought home a half-birthday surprise to celebrate.

Mini cupcakes seem very fitting for a half-birthday.

Thanks Dad and Todd for helping me celebrate the little things!

lovely saturday

This morning I was the guest of honor at a brunch shower thrown by some of Todd’s mom’s friends.  She has many friends who have been in her life for a long time and it was so sweet of them to throw the shower.  We had a great time getting to know each other over brunch and the brunch was delicious to boot.

Fruit salad, egg casserole, yogurt with fresh berries and granola, scones and baked french toast made for a perfect brunch.

After breakfast we shared some stories and then opened gifts.  Once again, I’m blown away by everyone’s generosity.  It’s really been amazing.

(My mom and I at the shower)

It was a really lovely way to kick off my Saturday.

After the shower, I drove to Portland, MI to meet up with my friend, Jess and have a snack with her and deliver her bridesmaid’s dress.  Jessica lives in Eaton Rapids which is about an hour and a half away so we don’t get to see each other as much as we’d like.  It’s always great to catch up and hear about her life and her sweet son, Owen.  He’s such a cutie!

(Jess and I as bridesmaids at our friend, Sarah’s wedding)

After chatting for awhile we headed back to our respective homes.  She’s attending my Chicago bachelorette party in two weeks and I’m so glad that she (and all of the other girls) are making the trip for it.

This was a very busy week for me, I didn’t make it home before 9:00pm any night and right now, I am sitting.  And relaxing.  I was going to cook dinner but I think I’ll just eat hummus and crackers for dinner, because I can.  All in all, a lovely Saturday.

How are you spending your weekend?