crockpot "husband" beef stew

Every time I use my crockpot, I can't believe that I don't use it more often. A serious thought went through my head as I was eating the other night that I should give it a hug. This is while I was home alone by myself though, as a disclaimer. And sometimes when I'm home alone in my apartment things get weird.


Anyways! This stew. You guys. It was roughly adapted from a recipe I found here, and I was super nervous putting it together that all of the little tweaks I had made to it were going to be weird. BUT OH MAN. This stew gets its name because my roommate walks in, eats a bowl and exclaims, "You have to teach me how to make this so I can get a husband." (Jokes on jokes, do you see any husbands in this apartment?)

There is something really magical about beef that gets so happy and tender from being cooked in broth for eight hours straight. There is also something magical about my crockpot's "Keep warm" feature which doesn't keep my longer-than-I-would-like-but-it's-ok-because-I-listen-to-NPR commute from allowing me to enjoy my stew hot even though the timer ended two hours before. But I digress.

Crockpot "Husband" Beef Stew

**Note: Use organic ingredients whenever possible. I used organic beef, tomatoes, beef stock and carrots in this recipe and I am starting to believe that they make a huge difference in flavor!

1.5 lbs stew meat
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
4 medium carrots, chopped
1.5 lbs yellow potatoes, chopped
2 cups beef stock
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
2 bay leaves
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
a generous shaking of Italian seasoning

Combine all ingredients except for beef stock in a gallon-sized zip lock bag. Freeze. When you're ready to make the stew (aka the next morning) take the bag out of the freezer, dump into your crockpot and pour the beef stock over. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. If possible, stir a few times throughout the day to make sure the flavors are distributing evenly, but don't stress if you can't.

Bon appetit! I know that this recipe is going to be amazing this fall! I can't wait!

xoxo. Abby

watermelon mint juice

Sunday night after my parents left and Brandon was prepping for a busy week of med school, I needed a little pick me up. I had a ton of watermelon in my fridge that my mom had helped me cut up, and I had some mint I had bought that afternoon. The result: a beautiful, beautiful, watermelon-y and minty marriage. Can we talk about why watermelon juice isn't a thing just for a second? I'm dumbfounded.

I had been seeing watermelon drinks all over the internet recently (see here for an amazing example) and had had an AMAZING watermelon and gin cocktail on Brandon and I's anniversary. This was just a simple version of those two, it's almost embarrassing to call a recipe. But it is completely delicious and would also be amazing served at a summer party in a cocktail with gin or maybe tequila.

Serves 1

2.5 cups chopped watermelon
1.5 tbsp chopped mint (this is a pretty strong mint flavor. Start with a leaf or two and add more if you desire!)

Blend watermelon & mint together. If you are worried about the foam separating, strain through a very fine mesh strainer to remove. This time, I chose not to, but I would recommend that if you aren't serving immediately.

This drink feels like summer. And savor summer, because fall is so soon here! (And I can't lie, I'm pretty stoked about it)

xoxo.

Abby

that time my parents came to chapel hill.

This weekend my parents and my sister came to visit! My sister is moving back up to school in Tallahassee and my parents thought, "Hey, it's only 8 hours out of the way...". Man. They are awesome. 

It was a really great (and short) weekend that started late Friday night and ended early Sunday morning, with a really fun Saturday in between filled with Indian food, downtown Durham and classic Franklin street walkin' around. They also got to spend some sweet time with the friends that I have made here, and I am so blessed that they got to see a little slice of my life! 

Family time seems sweeter now than ever, and I'm trying to savor it more now that it looks like I'll be sticking around Chapel Hill for at least a few years. It's crazy to really start to realize that this place is my home now. I'll get way less time during the holidays off because of work and so it really is "See you at Thanksgiving" for all my family that lives in Orlando still. This makes me sad sometimes, but it's ok because it also makes me grateful to have a family that I can miss that much. 

Also, this girl's the best. It's probably a good thing that we don't live too close because then both of us would just be so weird, all the time. :)

Big ole blessings,

Abby

3

Thursday was a very special day.

It marked three years of dating, of loving, of doing life with the best person I know.

Brandon and I met through a friend at school, and I can still remember the very beginnings of our relationship like they happened yesterday. The first time I ever saw him, he was performing at the first ever Melodores concert. The first time we met, I still remember the table in Rand I was sitting at eating tortellini, and what shirt he was wearing that day. We have been reminiscing on a few of those early moments and how sweet they were, which is such a wonderful blessing to think about how much our feelings have deepened since that time.

I try really hard not to glorify our relationship too much. We are both sinners and even now we are still learning new things about each other, and new ways to love each other better. But I think that this is a lifelong process we're walking into and the fights we've had, the transitions we've survived, the time apart and the sweet time together I see as a testament to God's grace that he has allowed us to show each other. No one makes me laugh like this guy does.

He sent me flowers at work and took me out to the most wonderful restaurant in Chapel Hill, Lantern, to celebrate. And for us, it was perfect.

19/52 (because he's my other half)

I know God has some pretty amazing stuff lined up ahead for us. And I'm so excited to share it with this man along the way.

Lots of love from this corner of Chapel Hill,

Abby

gettin' it back. (the new normal)

How is it Sunday night already? Wasn't it Saturday morning about two seconds ago?

Weekends seem to go really fast when Monday morning comes so early, that's for sure. But you will never hear me complain about my job. I am eternally grateful for it and cherish the people there more than I thought I would after just two weeks of working.

SO MANY things have been going on lately! First, let me apologize for the abismal amount of posting I have been doing recently. It's a long story but my apartment still is internet-less and so every time I want to use the internet I have to go to Starbucks or Brandon's apartment. So please don't think to yourself, "Oh Abby, now that she's working full-time she is forgetting us." False. I miss this little space on the internet and plan to blog as much as I did when I was unemployed (if not more, because now my life is actually interesting). Things have just been a little crazy.

As a snapshot, in the past two weeks I moved into my new apartment, bought a car, traveled out of state for a wedding, and spent all of my work days training to take over my position at work from the girl who has left the position. There have been very very stressful moments in there, and I am so glad to be moving forward. Getting settled. Gettin' back into the groove of a new normal.

Here are some snapshots of my life the past two weeks!

boxes on boxes on boxes

garage sale finds! love this funky journal.

the messy bun is so awesome for weekends when I no longer care about polished hair (18/52)

And finally, some bare bones shots of the apartment! Soooo much decorating will be done soon. My awesome roommate's mom just so happens to work at an antique store so we are going to have all the goodies!

It's hard to tell, but my room is going to be cozy and very dark, so I have a feeling that my drafting table corner is going to be one of my favorite spots in the apartment. 

Here's to settling in and bed in half an hour. :)

xoxo. Abby

the first week!

Oh man, you guys.

So I finished my first week of work this week. And generally right now, life is a little bit more than INSANE. I find myself getting stressed about it a LOT, and I so look forward to the days that I can come home to an apartment complex where they actually give their residents the actual keys to their apartment (no jokes, this happened to me Friday night at 11 PM when I was trying to move all my stuff in), drive a car to work with a decent gas mileage, and I am actually competent enough at my job to be able to fill out alllllll the paperwork. And answer the phone correctly. This skill is harder than you think.

In the meantime though, here's a list of things I'm learning these days:

Apple Maps is not my favorite navigation map of all time. I had to use it a bunch this week to get to different contract sites and I got lost no less than three times. Google Maps is in the testing queue on my phone.

There is a big difference between leaving at 7 AM and leaving at 7:20 AM for the traffic on I-40. As in, leaving twenty minutes later may actually make your commute take 40 more minutes. If you choose the second, there is a real good chance you will be late.

9:30 PM is now an acceptable bedtime (hellooooooo being old).

Brandon is very good in a crisis/when I am way too tired to cook food post-work training. Meaning he is very good at ordering pizza. I will keep him around.

I love my friends.

If you ever need an I-9 form filled out for your future place of employment or need a reference for the tax exemption you should file on your W-2's, I am officially your girl.

If I could have everything in Zooey Deschanel's closet I would have the most wonderful and office appropriate wardrobe ever. I also may be taking fashion tips from the secretaries on Mad Men (Jon Hamm what WHAT).

There are SO many fun things to do in this area and I am so excited to have the sanity to plan trips to do them all.

Jesus is good. I'm learning that a little more every day.


Hope you are having a wonderful weekend, friends.

Love,

Your very sleepy/happy/dopey/grumpy wow why am I a herd of dwarves blogger.

currently...

Hanging out...in Brandon's apartment, contemplating what to do with my last week of freedom while he is at work. It's really crazy/overwhelming/wonderful to think about all the ways that my life has changed in the past ten days, and how much it will change in the next ten!

Listening to...old school Ingrid Michaelson. That girl never gets old and always puts me in a good mood.

Thinking about...the baked catfish (see above) that I made for dinner a few nights ago. It came out so crispy, and went perfect with the black bean and tomato quinoa salad I made the other night. Recipe planning has all of a sudden become really fun :)

Grateful for...the way that things are coming together at just the right time. I closed on an apartment with my new roommate on Saturday morning, and everything about it is wonderful. It's a good price, a good location, a good size for two girls. Later that afternoon at Target I was looking at the Paula Deen discounted cookware (too soon?) when I came across this whole line of knives that came in the most beautiful, bright colors! Of course I scooped them up right away and Brandon even bought me a santoku knife to round it out (and it is now my new favorite knife of all time).

Looking forward to...continuing to do some work for ABAN, dreaming and Craigslisting for my new apartment constantly, and going out for Indian food tonight!

Happy Monday! xoxo. Abby

THE WORLD BETTER WATCH OUT CAUSE...

Oh man, guys. It has been quite the journey getting here. There were some days that I lost all hope that I was going to be able to write this post. But because God is good and bigger than I ever give Him credit for, here we are. I'm employed. At a full-time, salaried-with-benefits-legit-kind-of job. And it is something I'm interested in. And interested in growing in. And it is in the same place that my love goes to school.

I am so happy.

More details on this exciting news later, right now I have to go pack! :)

lotsandlots of love from this girl who will only be in Orlando for a little while longer,

Abby

15/52

15/52

(My typical reaction to Florida humidity.) 

My room at home is on the side of our house that faces our back porch, so there are no windows, but an entire wall is the sliding glass door that accesses it. When I wake up in the morning and the blinds are closed, it is pretty much a cave, and I blame it for the very late wake ups I've been having the past few weeks. In that dark, sleepy cave, I often wake up and think "It's summer! I should go for a swim! I should ride my bike outside! Maybe I'll run to the Y, do some strength training and run home! Six miles is nothing!" Obviously, I am delusional in more than one sense, because as soon as I step out on that back porch...

WHAM. HUMIDITY.

And then I go and sit in my pajamas and watch Breaking Bad on Netflix for three hours. 

Welcome to my life. 

xoxo. Abby

**P.S.- If you've been counting, you probably realize we are more than 15 weeks into 2013, which means I'm about 9 weeks behind on these posts. I promise to try to not bombard you with a million selfies all at once but I just bought a new tripod so hopefully they will be a little more regular. Thanks for following along with me!

DEALING WITH SUMMER HAIR

I don't know about you guys, but my hair really likes to freak out during the summer. During my more awkward days (haha like I'm not awkward now) in high school the parking lot for underclassmen was legit about a ten minute walk from the school, and once you finally made it on campus, was a lot of outside hallways and walking paths anyways. Most of the time in August and September I wouldn't even try because I knew that my hair would literally be a hot mess before I even got to first period. Self esteem = 0. Now that I'm older, have lived in Tennessee and have learned a lot about my hair, I try to tame the mane during the summertime, and am trying some new tricks this year thanks to some inspiration from Kate from The Small Things Blog.

Since I haven't actually tried most of these products and I'm trying to stay on a budget, I bought most of them in travel size to start. My picks are:

1. Pureology Hydrate/Hydrate Light Shampoo and Conditioner. An everyday hydrating system, vegan and sulfate-free! 

2. Redken Extreme Conditioner. My hair is pretty fine, and being outside a lot in the summertime seems to encourage it to break and become dried out. I'm hoping that this and Redken Extreme Cat will help guard against some of that breakage. 

3. Kenra Volume 25. Hairspray for all day hold through the heat and humidity.

Updates later on how they work!

What are some of your summer beauty savers? 

xoxo. Abby

14/52

14/52

Sometimes it's good to be reminded that there are bigger things going on in your life than things that revolve around you. A good walk in the park will do that for you, especially the way trees grow around here. 

JUST KEEP SWIMMING

That's my motto these days. Just keep swimming. Here are some things in my life that are keeping me swimming this week:

Jordan came to visit! It was so good to see her and to catch up. I've only technically been away from Vandy for a month but it seems much longer. We walked around Winter Park a lot, I took her to Rifle Paper Co. and to the rose garden on Park Ave. She was only here for a day but it was so great!

Summer is definitely in full swing down here - today's heat index was 106 degrees! That's ok though, because that just means more excuses for ice cream and catching up on TV shows inside. :) I was also super blessed today by my amazing sister-in-law who took me for some impromptu shopping and distract me for an afternoon.

This sure is a beautiful state.

xoxo. Abby

THERE IS NO "NORMAL"

This week, as you guys may know, I have been in Chapel Hill with Brandon, continuing the job hunt and figuring out some logistical things that are still really up in the air. It's been really sweet time, and a pretty great visit in terms of time we've gotten to spend together. As I was writing an email to someone on Monday, I found myself writing "there is no such thing as 'normal' for me nowadays". And it is so true. And it is so exhausting. But it is also ok. Maybe this post is just a way of convincing myself of that fact, but it is. Because I got to do some pretty awesome stuff this week.

I did some freehand stitching! So far in my embroidery adventures I've only used patterns, but I loved how this one turned out, and I loved this little reminder.

I made a friend.

I played with a sweet (and much better trained!) Maggie when Brandon and I went home to Charlotte for his brother's 14th birthday party. I also realized how rusty my Spanish is when I met his abuela and little cousin from Puerto Rico. Note to self: work on that. 

I made kale chips! This had been on my list of things to try for at least a semester and I finally did it! Full reviews and notes on the recipe in a later post. 

Brandon bought me a new cookbook! This weekend we agreed that we really wanted to start eating healthier, so this was a great first step. It's Rocco Dispirito's Now Eat This! cookbook, and the shrimp tomatillo tostadas we made on Monday night were DELICIOUS. 

If you follow me on Instagram, you may know that Brandon started working at a very fancy French restaurant in Chapel Hill this summer called One. It's been really fun to learn lots of new things from how they prepare their food and last night we used his employee discount (woop woop!) to meet up with a friend and try it for ourselves. 

First course: Smoked Oyster Bisque with Pork Belly

Second course: Grilled Hudson Valley Duck Breast with Foie Gras and Orange

Third course: Milk Chocolate and Chili Mousse Tart

I could not describe these dishes with justice if I tried, so I'll just refer you to their menu to see for yourself what an amazing meal it was. And of course, any night with this guy is going to be awesome, that's pretty much guaranteed. :)

Tomorrow I fly back home and on Monday I get to see one of my best friends from school. Even though right now there is no such thing as "normal", it is definitely ok. 

Lots of love on my last night in Durham (for a little bit),

Abby

THE FIRST WEEK IN JUNE

June so far is so fun! I've been in Chapel Hill this week since Tuesday after saying goodbye to my mom and sister for the summer (sniff sniff) as they venture out towards Colorado! Besides the aggressive monsooning, it has been wonderful here. Here are just a few photos from my week and what I've been up to.

1/2) I have become a little bit obsessed with embroidery floss. I'll share some of the projects I've been working on soon but for now let's just say OMG COLORS. Speaking of projects, remember how I told you guys I was going to be a part of that Summer Stitching Club? Well my first mini-embroidery is done! And I am so excited to see what else Mollie rolls out for us this summer.

3) I have found the most wonderful lip gloss of all time. And it is Philosophy Pink Frosted Animal Cracker. Get it here.

4) Sweet cherries. Summertime. Yes.

5) Spending time with this one at Straw Valley workin' on ABAN projects and memorizing menus is one of my favorite things.

What have y'all been up to this week?

xox. Abby

#SHEREADSTRUTH

About six months ago, I got introduced to a little community called #SheReadsTruth. The idea was simple: women reading the Bible together, learning together, growing together. Today, #SheReadsTruth celebrates its one-year anniversary, and I am so excited to celebrate with them today. While I would love to do a video, our home is a little crazy today after a 5k and preparing our house for a church intern to come and live with us for the summer, so instead, I'll just say this:

#SheReadsTruth has really challenged me spiritually in a spiritually challenging year. (Does that make sense?) There were a lot of times this past year where I began to doubt God's goodness and his sovereignty in orchestrating different circumstances in my life, from the job search to being in a long-distance relationship with a very busy first year med student, to figuring out what I really wanted out of life after my last year of college was over. I am thankful for the women of #SheReadsTruth sharing their struggles and their life right alongside mine (even when I didn't feel like sharing) and for getting me out of my comfort zone in studying the Old Testament! Let's just say there's a very slim chance that I would have studied Nehemiah on my own this spring. (Note: it's actually pretty boss and you should check it out for yourself)

So THANK YOU to Raechel and all of the women who decided to make #SheReadsTruth a place to come and meet with God this year. Can't wait to see what is in store for this awesome community and if you want to check it out for yourself, click here and see what this community has been for so many other women as well.

Happy June!

Abby

ENJOYING THE PROCESS

13/52

This week, I've been trying to learn to appreciate the process of what it is taking to get my life where it needs to be. It is, after all, what this blog is all about. Doing small things, detail things, process-y things, with great love, and great intention. Writing letters, editing on Photoshop, cleaning my room. It's these little things that are making up the important parts of my life right now, and I want to pay attention to them.

ALSO making another trip to Chapel Hill this upcoming week and hoping it will be my last until I am moved up there permanently! Lots of things still need to be figured out, but I am grateful, and hopeful. 

Wishing you a great weekend!

Abby 

MEMORIAL WEEKEND (IN IPHONE PHOTOS)

Hey frandz.

You ever have those moments in your life where a lot of stuff seems to be going wrong? And there seem to be a lot of unanswered prayers in your life, but in the midst of all of those, God is just blessing the snot out of you?

Well that's what happened to me this weekend. Tough week ---> stinkin' blessed.

While I'm not sure I'd ever want to live in Orlando permanently again, this city has its cool places to go (besides the theme parks, duh). One of my frequent haunts in high school was Park Ave CD's. Thursday night, I wasn't really feeling like doing much but my sister dragged me over there to go to a live in-store performance of a band she had heard open for Two Door Cinema Club a while back. And when the band started playing, I was really glad that I got out of the house and went. It was really fun and reminded me of how much I used to be obsessed with indie music (and let's be honest, I still am a little bit). I also scored the new She & Him album while I was there! Yes! As if I couldn't love Zooey Deschanel any more. It sounds like summer in the 1950's, and I love it.

On Saturday when the weather was good, my mom and I went and got Slurpees down the street! I haven't had a Slurpee in for-ever and lemme say, they are more delicious than I remembered. We also stumbled upon a yard sale on the way home and I snagged a boho-inspired skirt and slouchy backpack for -wait for it- $5. Yes folks. I am currently saving for an apartment. And I am winning at it. Saturday was also great because it included some fresh guacamole and snuggles with this munchkin. (Those paws!) 

Sunday was jam-packed and wonderful, thanks to my mom who is really good at keeping my mind off sad things. We woke up ridiculously early and ran a 5k out by New Smyrna Beach. We all wore matching outfits, because we're girls, and the weather was so sunny and beautiful and not too hot. After the race, we packed up and hit the beach! (See above, cute new backpack). And rounded out the afternoon with a tour of the Stetson Mansion. True story, Thomas Edison installed the electricity there in the 1880s. So that's pretty legit. (Also see above, boho skirt.) 

Today the blessings just kept on coming with a mom date to the new Star Trek movie and some lets-actually-dress-like-you're-a-professional shopping and major sales at Loft. Whew. Too good. The little things are really being a place of happiness and of big blessing recently and I could not be more thankful about it. 

Lots of things are still in the works, and I could not be happier to say that I also have accepted a part-time internship with A Ban Against Neglect for the summer! I'll be working mostly from Orlando with some trips to Chapel Hill mixed in, but I have known and loved about this organization since they partnered with Thistle Farms for one of their projects (seen here) and so to be a part of their team is just too cool for words. 

Also also, if you live in Nashville and you have not gotten a chance to go to the brand new Thistle Stop Cafe, you should probably drop everything and go right now (if it's before 2 PM). Then text me about it and make me really jealous, please. 

That was a lot, but I'd love to know how you all spent your Memorial Weekends! And of course, thanks to the men and women who make our country free, and continue to do so every day. 

lovelovelove,

Abby