Mom Came to Visit!

Two weekends ago my mom came to visit me at college. This has been the first time I had seen anyone from my family since August when Mom moved me in. She arrived on Friday in time to attend a meeting about something I will be doing next semester . . . Going on a research trip to Northern Ireland! How amazing is that!? But more about that when it is actually happening.

After the meeting, Mom and I went to lunch at Nando's to have lunch. I have been wanting to go to Nando's since I arrived here. And it was so good!! I got a chicken thigh with mild sauce and portuguese rice and corn on the cob as sides.

That night Mom and I went to Jaleo for dinner with my roommate's parents and grandmother. As always it was amazing, but I didn't take any photos because I was too busy socializing and having a good time. You can read about my past trip to Jaleo in this post. 

Saturday was a full on mother-daughter day. We started the day with brunch at Founding Farmers. I have heard great things about the restaurant from Ashley and my Mom, so I was excited to be finally going there.

The inside was really neat and home-y looking. And while it seated a lot of people, it had the feel of a small restaurant. 

Since we had reservations (which I totally suggest because it can get really busy), we were seated pretty quickly. Our seats were by a window and the smells from the tables around us made my stomach growl. 

Of course I got English Breakfast tea as my morning drink before consulting the menu to decide (with some difficulty) what I wanted to eat. Chicken & waffles? Pancakes? French toast? Eggs? Too many choices!

I ended up getting the steak & eggs with grilled ciabatta and grits. Not my healthiest meal, but a damn good one!

And Mom got the chicken & waffles with two poached eggs. Oh my god. It looked amazing and it tasted as good as it looked!

Photo Cred to Mom!

All in all, it was a very satisfying meal and I need to go again to try those beignets with a trio of sauces. And I'll probably also need to try the banana foster pancakes!

After brunch we went to Tyson's Corner Mall to do some clothes shopping and then to Target to stock up on food and toiletries. For dinner we went to Olazzo in Bethesda for some really great Italian food. I didn't take any photos because the lighting was not that good. 

The next morning Mom and I had a quick breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien before I headed back to campus and Mom left to drive back to Boston. It was great weekend and now I am impatient to go home and see Dad and Emma!

Until next time! Where I will writing about my own meal of chicken & waffles!

Love,

Kara

Nails, Hair, and Food

Well the last few days have not been exciting enough for daily posts. On Tuesday and Thursday I ran errands to Target and Whole Foods. I have learnt that I should never be allowed in a Whole Foods by myself because I want to buy everything.

On Tuesday Mom and I got our nails done. On my toes I have Big Apple Red because tomorrow I am going to the Big Apple. On my fingers I (think) I have ElePhantastic Pink which is just a nice peachy pink for summer.

Wednesday, I went to an Aveda salon to get my hair colored and cut. I decided to go ombre from dark to light. At first I was a little nervous, but I love it!

Sorry for the silly face!

That night I made Shrimp and Grits using some of the grits that we had bought in Charleston. I used a recipe from Saveur. It was yummy, but not traditional nor my favorite. I love Shrimp and Grits so I have to find another recipe! Anyone have any good ones?

On Thursday I made Piri Piri Chicken, which is the specialty of the British restaurant Nando’s. The recipe is from Sorted Food, which is always fun to watch for the recipes and the guys. I will definitely use more of their recipes in the future for they are always delicious. I served the chicken with some orzo. YUM!

While I was at Target, I found the new Ben and Jerry's line of "core" ice creams. I got the "Hazed and Confused" one with hazelnut and chocolate ice creams with a core of chocolate and hazelnut. It was so delicious! It tasted like Nutella! YUM!

I also started watching Game of Thrones on Thursday and I am on season one episode four. And it is amazing! Why didn’t I watch this sooner? I now need to watch all of it this summer! Right now I am in love with Daenerys Targaryen, Arya Stark and Jon Snow. If you watch Game of Thrones, then who is your favorite character? If you don’t watch it, then you should!!

Thanks for reading and I will be back this tomorrow with Mom and I’s trip to New York City to see family and friends, to eat delicious food, and to see Of Mice and Men.

Bye!