Cooking Club Cookout

Valerie hosted this month's cooking club, and the theme was Cookout food! We got to eat on the back patio of her under-construction new home! How exciting!! Valerie got us started off right with this watermelon tequila cocktail.



Cheers!



I couldn't help but test out this relaxing patio corner! Don't mind if I do!



Summer's zucchini and prosciutto skewers sizzling away! Plus Yumi's little foil-wrapped potatoes. And a Liza cameo!



Skewers! Hot and delicious!



Yumi made a pesto pasta salad!



Nancy's ribs joined Yumi's potatoes on the grill.



Valerie's new puppy Rosy provided the cuteness for the evening.



Awwww!



Hot potatoes!



Valerie made a killer avocado salad!



Mmm, cookout food!



My ribs strategy is to not wipe my face until I'm done eating all the ribs. What would be the point?!?!



Summer caught this sweet picture of Rosy napping under my chair.



Milo was like "AREN'T I CUTE TOO???"



Summer and Rosy.



I couldn't stop snapping pictures of Rosy! Look at how TIRED!!! And with her little BUNNY!



I made strawberry shortcake!



Mmm, strawberries from the market.



Oh, hi!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day! We gathered at Mer and Pete's to celebrate. Here's Dad being Grill Master!



Dennis was his assistant!



Mmm, salsa and Dennis's famous chipotle dip!



I made deviled eggs and a summery pasta salad!






Mom brought cole slaw!



Mer prepared all the burgers that Dad grilled up!



Look at this adorable card that Kate made for me. My first day at my new wrke is tomorrow!!



Kate and her friends were on tattoo patrol.



Ben got a snowman tattoo!



Mer made rhubarb crisp! YUM! Happy Father's Day!

NBIA Farewell

While starting a new job is super exciting, leaving an old job is very sad! My dear friends at NBIA threw me an amazing farewell party. Purple Chopstix catering has been a tradition at NBIA for a long time, and I was happy to hear Ed would be preparing all my favorites!!

I love these little cracker appetizers.



Sushi!



Greek pita pizza!



Veggies! Featuring jumbo asparagus!



A beautiful rainbow salad.



Rice!



SWEET POTATO PEANUT PASTA!



Sesame noodles!



Yellow chicken curry!



All together, now!



Even though Cheryl told Ed that the dessert was taken care of for the evening, he's too sweet and he made chocolate covered strawberries anyway...



... AND the famous Purple Chopstix chocolate raspberry cake that is my FAVORITE!!!! Oh, boy!



It was sweet treat heaven! Cheryl made these adorable cupcakes with flowers on top! She was about in tears when she presented these to me, because she babysat them all day long in the air conditioned office, then made one errand on the way to the party and the pillowy swirls of orange cream frosting melted in the heat of her car. I think they are BEAUTIFUL and they certainly tasted delicious!



And then there was ALSO an ice cream cake from Larry's Dawg House!!!!!!!!!!!



These people must really like me!



Billie and Randy!



As a parting gift, I got this beautiful magical rainbow unicorn pegasus wind chime!



We got to play cornhole!



Aw, Megan got me this OHIO mug! I guess it's official now! Ohio University, here I come!



I hung the magical rainbow unicorn pegasus wind chime outside my kitchen window. It's so beautiful! Now whenever it twinkles in the wind, I can think fondly of the friendships I've made throughout my years at NBIA.