Callin' Baton Rouge (Part 2)

So...after we went to the playground, we chilled for a while, then prepared for our progressive dinner, entitled "The Cajun Crawl." We couldn't decide which restaurant to go to, so we went to several and had a dish at each. It was so fun!

First, we went to Louisiana Lagniappe and had the best crab cakes I have EVER tasted, served with an amazingly delicious remoulade sauce:

Then, we headed to Boutin's Restaurant, where we had alligator bites:
Sadly, the "Guide to Romance" machine told me I was Blah:

But that's okay! We were going to head to one more seafood restaurant for boiled crawfish, but we were all filling up too quickly. We decided to go get fresh gelato before we were too full. I couldn't decide on a flavor, so I got almond joy with a small scoop of pineapple:

As if we hadn't had enough food, we swung by Taco Bell for fourth meal later that night :)


What a fantastic trip full of amazing memories with our wonderful friends. We can't wait to go back!! Next time, we're doing a swamp tour :)

Callin' Baton Rouge (Part 1)

We just got back from what was one of the most fun weekends EVER! We went to Baton Rouge to visit our amazing friends, Brandon and Ashley, and had a weekend full of adventure. We ate more food than could possibly be imagined, and I took pictures of everything. Here's the weekend in pictures:

We got up REALLY early Saturday morning and went to Breaux Bridge, LA where Cafe Des Amis is located. It's in this adorable town and it's famous for its Cajun breakfast menu. There was a Zydeco band and about 100 people waiting in line (no joke). Here, Jonathan tried his first cup of coffee! Cafe au lait...so delicious!!

We ate boudin-stuffed beignets:
And crawfish omelettes:
We danced to the Zydeco band. Here's Brandon and Ashley gettin' down:
We went to a wild rabbit cook-off (how Cajun of us!):

We browsed a bunch of adorable antique shops, and then we played on a playground:
The adventure had just begun! This post is to be continued...

Piña Colada Fudge

What a wonderful, relaxing weekend! I was off school on Friday due to a school-wide faculty meeting, so I have enjoyed a nice 3-day weekend. Today, I made my momma's famous piña colada fudge. My mom won a cooking contest with this recipe. It is oh-so-rich but oh-so-good. You can only eat a small piece, but it will satisfy your craving for sweets like no other. Here's a picture of the delectable treat:

I took some to small group tonight, and everyone loved it. I'm going to take some for my classmates tomorrow. We can't keep sweets around this house or we'll eat them all :)

Here's the recipe:

1 (12-oz.) pkg. (2 cups) white vanilla chips

1 (3.25-oz.) jar macadamia nuts, chopped, toasted*

1 (16-oz.) can Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Vanilla Frosting (use this exact brand!)

1/2 cup chopped dried pineapple

1/2 cup coconut, toasted*

1 teaspoon rum extract

1 teaspoon coconut extract

To toast the macadamia nuts and coconut, preheat oven to 350. Spread nuts and coconut in a thin layer on a cookie sheet, and bake for 5-8 minutes, or until light brown, stirring occasionally. Line an 8" or 9" square pan with foil, leaving the foil hanging over the edges. Place chips in a bowl and microwave for 90 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds.

Reserve 1/4 cup toasted macadamia nuts for topping. Mix remaining nuts into melted chip mixture, and add all other ingredients; mix well. Spread in foil-lined pan; sprinkle with reserved nuts. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until firm.

Remove fudge from pan by lifting foil. Remove foil and cut into small squares.

I passed!!

So, you know that board exam I was talking about a couple of weeks ago...I passed!!! Yay! God is soooo good :) Thanks for all the encouragement, y'all.

Marriage Conference

This weekend, our church had a marriage conference that Jonathan and I went to. We met up with several couples from our small group and just had the greatest weekend worshiping Jesus and learning how to have a better marriage. We just LOVE our church!! Here's a funny picture from that:

I cooked some dijon chicken with green beans tonight. This recipe for green beans is the BEST! It is so much better than the canned variety, and it's a yummy, quick way to snazzy up some fresh green beans. Here's a picture of the beans ready to be put into the saucepan (don't you just love that bright green?! It reminds me of summer.)

Here's the recipe (adapted from allrecipes.com)

1 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped cooked ham (don't leave this out...it's where the flavor comes from)
3 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup water (or chicken broth)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

In a saucepan, combine all ingredients. Cover and simmer 25-30 minutes or until beans are tender.

Here's the finished product:

Dunkin' Donuts!!!

Today, I had my first Dunkin' Donut EVER! They opened one right down the street from the dental school, and my rotation partner and good friend, Vaishali, and I walked over there this morning. Now, you must understand that I normally do NOT like donuts. But, I had never had a cake donut. I know, I know, true southerners should prefer Krispy Kreme, but let me tell you, that cinnamon cake donut was to die for. I washed it down with a cup of their famous coffee, and my tummy was satisfied :) Here's a picture to celebrate the occasion.

I Survived!!!

I made it! I took the first part of my licensing exam yesterday, and I made it out alive :) I was at the school from 6:30 am to 5:00 pm, drilling my heart out. I've never been so exhausted. The day before, I had assisted a senior with part 2 of this same exam (I'll be taking that part next year), so this weekend has been crazy! I'm so happy I made it, though, and I feel really good about my performance. I should find out in about 2 weeks if I passed. Eek...I'm nervous!

Hopefully, I'll be able to post some recipes soon. I've been so swamped that when I do cook, there's no time to post about it. Bye for now!