Happy Birthday Hannah!

February 5, 2013 By 3 Comments

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Hannah, happy birthday to you!

My sweet roommate and best friend is NINETEEN! To an American like me this doesn’t seem like a big deal. It’s kind of a bleh age. Eighteen is pretty significant. And twenty is well twenty…you aren’t a teenager anymore. Then, there is twenty-one. Which is a pretty huge deal here in the States.

But for my Canadian girl, nineteen marks the day that she can legally drink. And she can buy a lottery ticket.  So, just as 21st birthdays in America come with a great celebration…we decided to celebrate her 19th birthday all weekend long. It’s too bad we are in America and she couldn’t actually have a traditional Canadian nineteenth birthday. So, instead of alcohol…we decided to celebrate with lots of yummy food!

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^^I forgot to take pictures of lunch…but here is birthday cake number one!

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^^We shopped around a bit after lunch. And that’s Hannah’s Mum who came down for the birthday weekend!

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^^We headed over to the hotel that Hannah and her mum were staying at for dinner and found this little surprise next to their room

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^^Our view at dinner of the Malibu Pier

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^^Birthday cake number two

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^^Making a wish

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^^The next night we felt like we needed to trade in all the red meat we ate the night before for some yummy pasta (which again I forgot to take a picture of…forgive me?)

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^^Birthday cake number 3, which was gone in about 30 seconds

And despite the fact that Hannah has a midterm on her birthday today, we are not going to let it stand in the way of the continuing celebration!

Hannah Banana, I love you to the moon and back and I hope all of your birthday wishes come true.

Filed Under: Caroline 3 Comments

The Ultimate Sunday Funday

February 4, 2013 By 3 Comments

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY!!  One of my favorite Sundays of the year!  It would have been SO MUCH BETTER if my PATRIOTS were playing, but I guess we can’t always hog the Super Bowl… Sharing IS caring.  Here is a little recap of the night.  The competition was tough.  Lots of drama.  And it was not just a competition between two football teams.  It was…

Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh

Ravens  vs. Niners

Beyonce vs. Sasha Fierce vs. Destiny’s Child 

Power Outage vs. The Momentum

Niners vs. Ravens

Not So Boring Commercials vs. Boring Commercials

A little pre game brotherly love…  Joke!

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The Ravens got off to an amazing start, and it was looking to be another boring SUPER BOWL game.  Before you knew it, it was…

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Kelly, can you handle this?  Michelle, can you handle this? BEYONCE, can you handle this?  I DON’T THINK YOU CAN HANDLE THIS….

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I don’t think I can handle it!  I have to say I loved the performance.  BEYONCE never disappoints.  She was fierce…and by fierce I mean she scared me a little.  Those facial expressions!  She was killin’ it!  Mental note: Don’t ever mess with B.

Oops..The video of the performance was taken down!  Click Beyonce below for a link to the official video…

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There was an intro at the beginning of Beyonce’s performance that was hard to hear…I knew it had to be good, so I looked into it!  It was an inspiring quote by the legendary Vince Lombardi…

“Excellence must be pursued, it must be wooed with all of one’s might and every bit of effort that we have. Each day there’s a new encounter, each week is a new challenge. All of the noise and all of the glamour all of the color, all of the excitement, all of the rings and all of the money. These are the things that linger only in the memory. But the spirit, the will to excel, the will to win, these are the things that endure.” 

I’m lovin’ this quote right now.  Read it again.

A little “Behind The Scenes” look – The Rehearsal

After the Half Time show, there was a POWER OUTAGE.  Some people blame Beyonce, some blame the Illuminati, some blame Jim Harbaugh (typical little brother move), some blame New Orleans, and the NFL blamed an “outside” power surge.  34 minute water break… The momentum swung to the Niners!  They were making a COMEBACK!

And now a word from your local sponsors…  COMMERCIAL BREAK. 

Audi Commercial. Bravery.  It’s what defines us.

I loved this commercial because it was a great reminder to have the courage to go after what you want!  BE BRAVE!

Budweiser. Brotherhood.

This commercial was directed by the son of famous Hollywood director, Ridley Scott.  Jake Scott brought us a touching commercial that reminded us of the power and the bond of family.  No matter what happens… you are always connected.

It’s not a SUPER BOWL PARTAY without yummy food! So, Caroline and I decided to make an easy Super Bowl treat… Football Rice Krispies Treats!  Inspired by Ace Ventura…

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“They’re little footballs.”

So who won?  HARBAUGH!  HARBAUGH WON!!!! (hehe)

THE RAVENS WON.  THE NINERS PUT UP A GOOD FIGHT IN THE END.  SO SORRY TO ALL THE NINER FAITHFULS IN MY FAMILY.  I SURE KNOW HOW IT FEELS… BOOOO GIANTS.  READY FOR NEXT SEASON… HURRY UP, SEPTEMBER!

Filed Under: Allison 3 Comments

A Quest for the Best Breakfast: The Tavern

February 4, 2013 By 7 Comments

Yesterday morning, Allie and I continued our quest for the best breakfast! When my big sister in Kappa heard of our little adventure, she suggested we try a restaurant called the Tavern! And if we were rating on the best atmosphere, this restaurant would have won.

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The Tavern was almost like three restaurants in one! At the front of the restaurant, there was a section dedicated to prepared foods, pastries, to-go sandwiches, cookbooks and other sorts of quick treats.

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Then, the center section of the restaurant had a more formal dining area with a bar.

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And continuing past the center section to the back is another room. A magical room. It had glass ceilings and trees growing through it.  It made you feel just like you were outside, except you didn’t have to be bothered by the bugs or wind. It was so serene and simply exquisite!

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But, Allie and I aren’t searching for the best atmosphere, now, are we? So, let’s get down to business!

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The tavern serves their version of the eggs benedict with prosciutto, gruyere and brioche toast.

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I loved it on the toast and the prosciutto on the benedict instead of the traditional Canadian bacon was to die for! I could have done without the gruyere and with a bit more hollandaise sauce. (The hollandaise sauce lost its power when it had to compete with the prosciutto and brioche) But, overall it was still quite delicious! I still don’t think I have found the best benedict though.

As for the pancakes, the Tavern prepared them with ricotta, blueberry compote and touch of lemon, which was a different twist on the traditional blueberry pancakes. But, it totally works! They were very tasty. The Griddle still wins in my book! To see what the blueberry pancake judge thinks about the blueberry pancakes be sure to check out her blog within the next couple days!

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Stay tuned.

Filed Under: Best Breakfast, Caroline, Sunday Funday 7 Comments