Thank you all for your lovely comments on my last post regarding my international, life-long love of food! I do. I love it. I may not love these five pounds of fun chub my body has come to be best friends with, but if were to come down to a battle between not eating (ahem, not living) and fun chub…
I’ll take the fun chub.
Hands down, with a side of ice cream.
But that’s not to say yours truly isn’t jumping back on the clean eating bandwagon. I am. Because as much as I love food, too much of anything isn’t good for my physical or mental well-being. I admittedly feel sluggish, tired and a bit “off.”
It could also just be my crazy week.
Because in the past seven days, I’ve booty bounced at a barn dance, hung out with butterflies + BFFs, started a big freelance writing project, attended a dinner party + two happy hours, planned + executed a surprise party and managed to shower almost every day. Success.
Tired?
Because I am.
But I can’t complain, because happy hour #2 of the week was with three fabulous ladies. We drank; we ate; we talked about boys; we laughed; and we vowed to do it all over again soon.
Asian Slaw with Sesame Vinaigrette
Seaweed Salad with Onion-Soy Vinaigrette
Tuna Avocado Roll
Black Sugar Kumquat Semifreddo
Goat’s Milk Cheesecake with Candied Ginger
Strawberry Spring Roll with Honey Ginger Ice Cream
And beer.
Multiply this by eight, and you’ve got my brew count for the week.
As I mentioned, I helped my friend Steph throw a surprise birthday party for her boyfriend. This included party planning meetings, errand-running and of course, most importantly, baking a delicious cake…
Smitten Kitchen’s Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting, alongside a maple leaf made of candles for the Canadian birthday boy.
He was surprised.
But the question remains, did he like the Everythingtarian-made carrot cake?
I believe he devoured three pieces.
And I breathed a mega sigh of relief. I mean, when you have a food blog and bring something homemade to a party, there is a lot of pressure for it to be good, ya know? If its not, then you become that girl who has a food blog but probably shouldn’t because she makes crappy food.
Anyways, more fun times with my ladies…
…followed up with lots of this…
Lime seltzer water + a splash of POM juice.
Cocktail of sober champions everywhere and people who are in need of a nap and a giant salad.
That’s obviously me.
So, I’ll drink it…but only if it includes ice cream after.
{ 33 comments }
Goat’s milk cheesecake! Swoon.
You can’t really go wrong with a Smitten Kitchen recipe, can you? Love that lady. Love even more the hidden links in her posts to uber adorable pictures of her baby. Have a great weekend, Holly!
MMMMMMMMMMM….candied ginger! :D
Hope the “off” feeling goes away soon. :) Looks like you’re hangin’ with Britney….girl to the left of you resembles Ms. Spears (only your friend is way purtier) :)
oh wow, the pictures of the dessert look so good! YUM! Sounds like happy hour #2 was a success :)
hey holly! thanks for the comment on my blog. our blog was designed by a guy named Ryan Sullivan at Revive My Blog. and we got the picture for our header taken by this local/young photographer named Chris Giuliano (the link for his page is on our blog). It was a lot of work but I am glad we did it- happy with the results! that carrot cake you made looks great! especially he frosting :-P…I definitely hear you about how there is pressure for your food to be good! everyone always assumes I am a 5 star restaurant chef hahaha doubtful. p.s. goat’s milk cheesecake? yes please.
GOATS MILK CHEESECAKE?
After reading about your week, I feel like a slacker ;) Plus, I agree that the goat’s milk cheesecake has me a bit more excited about something that came out of a goat than I should be.
Looking past the food part of the “fun chub,” could it maybe be the brews that leave you feeling a little off? I know heavy food leaves me feeling sluggish, but sometimes cutting out liquid calories/courage is the easiest change to make ;) Then again, everything in moderation, right?
YUM- the asian slaw and the Goat’s Milk Cheesecake look awesome. Glad the party and your cute cake turned out well. What a good friend you are! Happy weekend
The Asian slaw looks amazing – I want to try to re-create it. And yum, seaweed salad – one of my true loves! You and your ladies look fabulous!
HEY GIRL!!!!!! I read your blog every post- sorry i suck at commenting but you make me laugh out loud all the time, and i look like a fool when im just sitting at my computer laughing. I love it tho! Anyway I LOVE asain slaw!! my mom makes it and it kina look s like that one!
When I first read, “I’ll take the fun chub,” I mistakenly thought you meant “I’ll take the fun club.” In any case, I think the two are interchangeable terms. Looks like you’ve had a busy, fun-willed week Madame! Also, that black sugar kumquat semifreddo looks so good it almost makes me want to cry.
Ok I need to come visit you for real!!!! U are close right??!!!! FOt Wayne to there?!! I see a road trip! I need to get sushi with you and devour those desserts!! I agree Holly, I love to enjoy icecream , alcohol, and al that kind of stuff, BUT I cant do it everyday, my body feels off and horrible too : p I really enjoy healthy eating 80% of the time, and in moderation my icecream and desserts etc! I love you girl! U rock! xoxo
PUHLEEZ, girl. Ain’t no chub on you at tahhhhl. But I hear you on just feeling a little blehhh after all the celebrating of late. I’m bought seltzer water yesterday for the dinner party I’m having tomorrow night. Okay, they’re bringing wine…but one glass and I’m switching to the cocktail for sober champions everywhere.
Have a good weekend, honey pie!
I love your outlook on the “fun chub”! Life is honestly too short to focus on being perfect all the time, right?
Girl, I hear you on the fun chub. I’ve put on a couple pounds over the past few months but am having more fun than ever. Like, for reals. Aaaand the ice cream consumption has been a bit over the top, but hey – ’tis the season, right?!
This desserts look phenom. And i hear you on the kitchen skillz pressure! It’s hard out there for a (bloggie) pimp!
….yeah, I really just wrote that. Don’t ask.
These are such profound words and ones that I choose to live by myself. I can’t tell you how much better, happier, and healthier I feel embracing life and food and the pleasures that come when you put these two things together. Honestly, I’ve put on a few pounds too, and even though this gain was needed and I still need to gain a little more, I would be lying if I said it’s not hard somedays seeing a different number on the scale. But honestly, I’ve accepted and embraced it and I realize how truly happy I am. I’ve never been this healthy and if eating a few bites of cake is to blame for a pound on the scale, I’ll gladly take it! And the cake! ;)
I could use some carrot cake. It’s always been the only cake I like……..probably because it’s more like sweet bread with icing. Who wouldn’t like that?
so glad he liked the cake! i always feel pressure too when i prep something homemade b/c of the blog. i feel like it’s ok to disappoint everyday, but not on someone’s bday!!!
That’s like the most epic cake I’ve ever heard of
Awwww! I’m also exhausted as I read this. And I also have some fun chub that I’m not happy about (thanks, summer camp!), but that’s life. There is so much to be thankful for; at least we can make good food! Tonight, I made my family Cheetahs, Snackface-style! Rave reviews. I’ll take it ;)
I seriously love your attitude and perspective on life. I think we are all allowed a little “fun chub” (which by the way, from that picture it doesn’t look like you have much so no worries! Keep drinking your beer and making delish carrot cakes!!).
Haha, you described my fear of cooking for other people so perfectly! What if they hate it? I think my food is delicious, but is it just me?! Glad your cake turned out well, I KNOW I would have loved it.
Goat milk cheesecake? HOLY SHITMONKIES! I want to make this. Very, very badly. Awesome eats!
The carrot cake was excellent! Thank you very much Holy!!
Goat milk cheesecake? That sounds very intriguing. My wife LOVES cheesecake.
first, you look so gorgeous in the picture with your friends :) beautiful!
second, this post has the best message ever!! I love that you say you’ll take the ‘fun chub’- i mean honestly, living is SOOO much more worth it then those 5 pounds that noone can notice except yourself! I swear, in your recent pictures you look gorgeous! Your life sounds so much fun lately ! & I hope to see you very soon at whole foods (hope I can make it!!)
That goat milk cheesecake sounds fan-freaking-tastic!
that slaw! that seaweed salad! gah!! love it. ps the bud light bread was epic. post pending…
I love, love, love your dress at the party!! You look so pretty. :D
And carrot cake? I would have indulged in three slices too. That is definitely one of my faves. :D
I’m gonna jump on the goat’s milk cheesecake wagon. ‘Tis my boyfriend’s birthday in ten days, and should I be able to access a kitchen, I’ve got a tub of honey-lavender goat cheese that I think would make for an excellent celebratory confection indeed.
I think I need to adopt the phrase fun chub myself. Sounds so much better then baby buddha belly. Let’s just figure that if the proverbial shit ever hits the fan, said fun chubness will buy us at least an extra week or two before succumbing to cannibalistic tendencies.
I’ll definitely take the fun chub as well. Fo sho. But I know what you mean about the sluggishness. I’ve been feeling it too.
Yay for surprise parties! I bet your cake was fab.
Cake was amazing! As are you, and what chub are you talking about!!!! You look amazing.
Mmm, that is my PERFECT dinner. I love me some Japanese… if it didn’t break the bank I’d have it for dinner nearly every night! Along side a slab of that carrot cake… yum. Way to go on throwing a great surprise party! And I LOVE that hot pink belt.
SO agree that sometimes not eating = not living. This summer has been a total write-off for me. I try, I really do, to make good healthy choices. But at the same time, there are so many foodie things I’ve been able to experience, that the 5lbs of fun chub I’ve also gained seems unavoidable. I just need to keep reminding myself that 1) I am the happiest I’ve been in a long time, 2) I am the most fit I’ve ever been. All that despite not being able to button up shorts from last summer ;)
All that aside, you still look downright fabulous. No, really. Love you Holly!!
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