Looking Forward to Fall

Fall is by far my favorite season. Its the best, and I don't know how you can even argue with that statement. Although I could go on for days about why fall is awesome, here are my top reasons:

1. Weather, obviously. As the leaves start to change and the ridiculous humidity goes away (in NC at least), everything just gets better. Its warm enough that you don't have to wear a heavy coat; even at night a light jacket will suffice. I long for those "crisp October nights" of Chapel Hill that Charles Kuralt spoke of so fondly. When you live somewhere that has so many trees that change to an array of reds, oranges, and yellows like Chapel Hill, its hard not to love the fall.

2. Scents. Okay, I don't know about y'all, but walking outside in the fall and getting a faint scent of bonfire gives me this excited feeling that will literally make me stop in my tracks just to breathe for a few minutes. Its not just the natural smells of the air that I love in the fall, but also the burning candles that smell of cinnamon, apple pie, and pumpkin spice. Not that JMC and I don't burn candles that smell like that year-round just to remind us of how great fall is. Obsession? Maybe.

3. My birthday. Who doesn't love the season their birthday is in? (unless your birthday is in any season but fall... just kidding... but really). Although I have come to terms with the fact that 21 was the last birthday that I will ever REALLY look forward to, everybody loves their birthday.

4. Clothes. Boots, jackets, scarves, UGGs... I'm getting excited just thinking about being able to wear a decent amount of clothing and not feel like I'm burning alive.

5. It's acceptable to be pale. Working full-time has really put a damper on my summer tan. I'm already ridiculously pale (which I'm sure my dermatologist will be happy about), so I am anxiously awaiting the fall when everyone else will be pale and I won't look so ghostly in a group.

6. Christmas is coming. Christmas is AWESOME. Just the anticipation of Christmas is awesome. JMC is basically obsessed with Christmas, so we definitely participated in the Christmas in July specials on TV a couple weeks ago (Elf and Christmas Vacation are totally year-round movies, though. Just saying.). His mom starts decorating on November 1st, and you better believe that JMC will have Christmas radio on POSSIBLY starting at the end of October.

While others may not be as obsessed with fall as I am, I think we can all agree that it is about time for this hot weather to be GONE-ZO. 

The B-friend's Obsession with Beer.

JMC loves everything about beer. He homebrews, reads about it all the time, tries as many different kinds as he can, and has even started a blog about it (BrewNC.blogspot.com). He and his oldest brother (he has 3 older brothers) have sort of fueled each other in their dream to start their own brewery. So naturally, through his obsession, I have become somewhat beer-obsessed as well. Which means I'm totally okay with being a part of this "opening a brewery" idea so I can drink delicious beer for the rest of my life (with the only downside really being the extra calories).

I'm not talking about plain old Bud Light or anything; it had even gotten to a point before we graduated that we brought our own good beer to parties. Sure, some might consider us "beer snobs," but I'm okay with that. It used to be that when someone asked me what my favorite beer was, I would say "Blue Moon." Don't get me wrong, Blue Moon is delicious, but it was just the gateway beer to the ridiculous amounts of amazing craft beers there are surging through America right now.

Whereas for a long time America was scoffed at for our choice of beer, we are emerging with a craft brewing industry with a creativity that, I think, blows many of the European beers out of the water. JMC and I have the privilege of living in North Carolina, where brewing laws are pretty lenient and craft brewing is booming. Asheville has been named "Beer City USA" for three years in a row now, beating out the usual contenders like Denver and Portland. The Chapel Hill/Durham/Raleigh area has some great craft breweries as well, including Carolina Brewery, Fullsteam, Roth, and Aviator.

Last weekend, we toured Roth Brewery in Raleigh and it was awesome. The people there were so nice and willing to talk to us about anything we were interested in. They even told JMC that he could come brew with them sometime! We got to taste all of their beers, and my favorite was definitely the Raleigh Red. It was very drinkable, but unique with great flavors.

Besides Roth, we have been to a number of other breweries in NC as well, including Top of the Hill and Carolina Brewery in Chapel Hill, Olde Mecklenburg Brewery in Charlotte, Fullsteam Brewery in Durham, and Lexington Avenue Brewery in Asheville. If you want more info about our experiences at any of these places, JMC has written posts about most of them on his blog (linked above).

What I'm most looking forward to right now is the Beer, Bourbon, & BBQ festival in Cary this weekend that we bought a Groupon for. The Groupon was for a $35 VIP ticket that includes all the beer, bourbon, and BBQ that you could want. Considering JMC and I basically LIVE for beer and barbeque, this event should prove to be right up our alley. I will definitely give the deets after going on Friday!

Merritt's Store & Grill

If you like BLTs, Merritt's Store & Grill is probably the best place in the world (okay, I don't know about the world, but definitely in the state of North Carolina), to get one.

I had heard about Merritt's from a number of articles, most of them with a title to the effect of "Best 100 Restaurants in NC." So, naturally, I had always been meaning to go there, especially when I realized that it was a couple blocks from my office. Never in my four years at Carolina did I make it over there, though, which was a HUGE mistake.

It turned out to be the perfect opportunity to go for the first time last week when one of my good friends who is in dental school picked me up to have lunch and suggested we go there. And then I went again on Monday for lunch because it was that good. JMC is upset with me for going twice without him since he has never been before either, so I promised we would go on Saturday when his mom and grandma are in town to visit. So that will be three times for me in 8 days. Obsession.

Merritt's is a perfect Chapel Hill restaurant for a few reasons:
1. Their food is delicious (duh). Their ingredients are always fresh and the quality of their food takes precedence over everything else. And you can get a single, double, or triple BLT on a wide variety of breads. Perfection.
2. They are proud of their history and have kept things the way they were since they opened during the Great Depression. Except for they added a credit/debit card machine (which is awesome).
3. They have a parking lot. Even though it's small, its one of the biggest in Chapel Hill. If you know anything about parking in Chapel Hill, you know that it's the biggest pain in the you-know-what. If you don't know anything about parking in Chapel Hill, don't come here and try to park somewhere if you're not sure you're allowed to. You WILL get towed.
4. The people are ridiculously nice. Everyone is happy to be there and is always willing to give you a warm welcome when you walk in the door.

If you're ever in Chapel Hill, Merritt's is a place you shouldn't pass up. In fact, now I'm craving one of those BLTs... could I make it four times in eight days?

'whichburger

I had the most epic burger for dinner last night.

First of all, Sandwhich is a pretty well-established restaurant in Chapel Hill. For those of you who know the area, it used to be located in The Courtyard behind Penang, but it somewhat recently relocated to the small building right next to McDonalds on Franklin Street. Their gourmet sandwich selection is to die for!

Its funny, because usually when I go to Sandwhich, I get the Outrageous BLT (roasted jalapenos, avocado, bacon, L, T, etc), and I didn't actually know that the restaurant had burgers. I guess I should have paid more attention to the neon sign that says "hamburgers" in the window?

Boy was I missing out. Last night, I ordered Sandwhich to be delivered to my house by Tar Heel Takeout. I never ordered from Tar Heel Takeout ONCE when I was in college (mostly because there is a $5 delivery fee), but as I sat here on my couch watching Bones and not wanting to leave until I found out who at Dr. Brennan's class reunion murdered two girls from their graduating class, I finally decided that I was lazy busy enough to pay someone extra money to bring my food to me.

So I was looking at the menu and I didn't want to order the same old thing that I usually do... and then I saw they had burgers. AND THEN I saw they had an Outrageous Burger... AKA my favorite sandwich in BURGER form. I can only imagine the geniuses in their kitchen conspiring: "How can we make this delicious sandwich even better?" and the only logical answer was "add hand-formed, all-natural hormone & antibiotic free beef, cooked medium." On top of all that deliciousness, they add this stuff they call 'whichsauce... which I cannot even begin to describe (maybe because I ate the burger too fast).

Long story short, you should totally get a burger at Sandwhich. Even if you don't like jalapenos and avocado and all that stuff, they have other burgers too that have to be just as delicious.

Starting Off

I've been a huge fan of reading blogs for a while and have finally gotten around to starting one myself. Currently, I'm living and working in Chapel Hill after graduating from UNC in May. Much like many recent alums, I'm sure, I still have not quite figured out what I want to do with my life, so for right now I'm just trying to explore the things I really enjoy. In a basic sense, I want this blog to follow the adventures of my early-twenties while I explore "being a real person."

I plan on writing on many different subjects, mostly including two of my favorite things: shopping and food. Every once in a while I may throw in something out of the ordinary, it just depends on where life is taking me at that moment!

I like to think of myself as a pretty savvy shopper (although the b-friend will tell you differently, I'm sure). I don't particularly like to buy things that aren't on sale, unless they are staple items that aren't discounted very often (Jack Rogers are my weakness... I have 8 pairs of Navaho sandals). But anyway, there's not much I love more than a good sale, so I'll be sure to post when I find something worthwhile.

I love to cook and try out new recipes as much as possible. I'm currently working through a couple of cookbooks:


The New American Heart Association Cookbook, 7th Edition 








  


Cook Yourself Thin: Skinny Meals You Can Make in Minutes 






 
 
  

The Big Book of Potluck 








When I'm too lazy or tired to go to the grocery store/throw something together, my boyfriend (from here on referred to as JMC) and I like to explore restaurants in the Chapel Hill/Durham/Raleigh area. We try to go to new places as much as possible (although a lot of the time we end up at the same few places... we're creatures of habit). I'll be sure to post recipes and meals that stand out.

Stay tuned for a few posts that are already in progress!