THE DUDE ABIDES

J and I watched The Big Lebowski last night under the stars courtesy of NOLA Drive-In.  We met up with some of J's friends from work.  The movie was screened on the rooftop of a parking garage (848 Carondelet Street) and was $5 per person for entry.  People came on foot, bikes, mopeds, and of course cars.  They had beer and pizza for sale once you reached the top level.  It was SO much fun!! I definitely want to go again!!  The weather was amazing and the skyline view was beautiful.  On the NOLA Drive-In Facebook page, they said they are thinking of doing a horror flick for Halloween.  I'm not a fan of scary movies but I'll go anyway just for the atmosphere of it all.  The only thing that would have made the night more perfect... a White Russian ;)

THE GRADES ARE IN

We completed our NOLA burger challenge a few days ago!  

Company Burger on 09/10/11

Cowbell on 09/14/11

Juicy Lucy's on 09/02/11

Tru Burger on 08/26/11

In all my broken leg hoopla, I had not gotten a chance to write the post.  First, let me share what J and I used to grade our burgers...

One of my amazing friends (love you Lizikins!) created the nifty hamburger grading rubric above.  She's a teacher in Northwest Arkansas.  Don't you totally think that is something a teacher would make?!?  She and her friends are still in the process of tasting their 11 burgers in and around the Fayetteville area.  Her exact words, "we put our quest on hold as we got a little burgered-out, but we hope to pick it up when it is cool enough to eat greasy burgers again."  With only 4 to try, J and I didn't run into that issue.

Okay, time for the grades.  Can I get a drum roll please...

COMPANY BURGER:
K = 15 pts & J = 17 pts

COWBELL:
K = 16 pts & J = 13 pts

JUICY LUCY'S:
 K = 12 pts & J = 18 pts

TRU BURGER:
K = 16 pts & J = 13 pts

Further broken down...

K's TOTALS 

1st - Cowbell / Tru Burger (tied)

3rd - Company Burger 

4th - Juicy Lucy’s 

J's TOTALS

1st - Juicy Lucy’s 

2nd - Company Burger 

4th - Cowbell / Tru Burger (tied)

Hmm, not a clear consensus.  Not to mention we weren't really thrilled with the way our tally turned out. So to determine the winner, we decided to go grab burgers for lunch today. Out of the 4 restaurants, where did we pick to go? What were we craving? Which burger truly stole our hearts? Company Burger! And there you have it folks, according to our expertise, Company Burger is the best new burger joint in NOLA! Stop the presses. Alert the media. Please keep in mind there were certainly no losers out of the bunch. Despite my last place ranking for Juicy Lucy's, I think they had the best onion rings. J ranked Tru Burger last, but they had an amazing peanut butter chocolate milkshake. So chin up to our 4th place contestants.

What will J and I try next? Any suggestions? I'm thinking best charbroiled oysters or perhaps fried shrimp po' boys. I'll let you know once we decide.

FIBULA

I broke my leg yesterday :(

My fibula bone to be exact.  Dr. Peacock (isn't that an awesome name?!?) from East Jefferson After Hours taught me the leg has 2 bones.  A big fat bone called the tibia and a skinny bone called the fibula.  I broke the skinny one which means a much easier recovery.  Thank goodness!

The details?  Well, J and I were jogging around beautiful Bayou St. John with the pups in tow last night.  Trying to get in shape and all.  Most of the path is grass and dirt.  However, there are occasionally small squares of concrete near steps that lead down to the water.  There is a slight difference in elevation, maybe an inch or two.  As I was approaching the concrete slab I tripped and fell.  I immediately heard a *SNAP CRACKLE POP* and started to cry.  I couldn't move my leg, let alone stand up and try to walk home.  We were less than a mile from the house so J took the dogs and ran back to get a car.  He told me Walnut kept stopping to turn around and look for me the whole way home.  Bayou on the other hand... not so much.  He returned with the car and off to Urgent Care we went.  They gave me a temporary splint (as seen in the first photo above) until I could see an orthopedic surgeon this morning.  I was praying the whole way there I wouldn't have to get one of the hard casts made from plaster.  I lucked out and received the big and heavy black boot instead!  I get to wear this beauty for the next 6-8 weeks...

PIGSKINS & BURGERS

We have had some crazy weather in NOLA this past week... marsh fires in Bayou Sauvage and Tropical Storm Lee headed our way from the Gulf. Since my Labor Day weekend plans include watching some Ole Miss and LSU football on the flat screen, a little smoke, wind, and rain won't interfere.  HOTTY TODDY and GEAUX TIGERS!

And now, a quick burger update... 2 down and 2 to go...

Company Burger

Cowbell

Juicy Lucy's on 09/02/11

Tru Burger on 08/26/11

I'll share our personal pics and reviews once the list is complete.

BURGER JOINT JOURNEY

We are HOME SWEET HOME from our trip to Tennessee.  We got a lot accomplished and it was wonderful seeing J's side of the family.  Hopefully our next trip will be longer so we have more quality hangout time and don't have to feel so rushed to fit in the errands.  J's parents made sure we left with lots of goodies... homemade tomato sauce, jams, smoked sausage and wine.  We can't wait to dig in!  And speaking of food...

My youngest brother, Kyle, thinks I blog about food too much. But how can I not when living in a food mecca like New Orleans?!? So here I go...

Hamburgers come in all shapes and sizes...

cakes

beds

turtles

gummys

hats

motorcycles

And of course the tried and true form, my personal favorite...

"Why all this talk of hamburgers," you ask?  Well, Brett Anderson, the Times Picayune restaurant critic, recently wrote an article titled "5 new burger joints bring New Orleans closer to patty perfection."  He goes on to say "the culinary establishment's warm embrace of the synonymously American dish has given the hamburger something that seemed impossible a decade ago: increased ubiquity. Now, it no longer is necessary to settle for anything less than a hamburger made with quality beef surrounded by ingredients of similar stature. The latest phase of the hamburger revolution has made this true even at the lowest end of the price spectrum, as upper-echelon restaurateurs have seen the value of becoming hamburger specialists."

The 5 NOLA burgers Mr. Anderson recommends...

Company Burger
4600 Freret Street

Cowbell
8801 Oak Street

Juicy Lucy's
133 North Carrollton Avenue

Tru Burger
8115 Oak Street

Five Guys
70415 Louisiana 21

J and I are going to try each and every one!  Actually, we are leaving Five Guys off the "to try" list because we have eaten there before (the Pensacola, Florida & Huntsville, Alabama locations) and the Five Guys Mr. Anderson is referring to is actually in Covington, Louisiana which is 40 miles North of New Orleans.

First up, in no particular order, Tru Burger.  Possibly for date night this Friday?  I'll keep y'all posted as we move through the list.

STEAL OF A DEAL

J and I ran into Sears tonight so he could pick up a Craftsman wire crimper/stripper thingamajig. On our way to the tools department we walked past the Lands' End section. Josh spotted the "additional 70% off already reduced price" sign and his eyes lit up. The man lives for good deals. "Wow! You have to get something," he excitedly told me. I picked out 2 really cute striped cardigans. Originally $49.50... bought them for $8.99 each! Yes ladies and gentlemen, we saved $81.02. That is by far one of the best deals I have ever received so I just had to share. The iPhone photo (below) doesn't really do the colors justice.  The orangey looking sweater is actually bright pink in person.

J and I are off to the Volunteer state tomorrow. It's going to be an exhausting weekend. An 8 hour drive tomorrow with 2 dogs in the car, Saturday will be filled with TCB (holla back Elvis fans), and then an 8 hour drive back home to NOLA on Sunday. Tennessee here we come!

LATELY

I told myself I wouldn't do those “I’m sorry I haven’t posted recently” posts but here I am! I haven’t posted lately! I feel terrible about it. Top 2 reasons I've been a horrible blogger...

#1
As my man Daniel Tosh would say... "Dolla, dolla bills y’all." J and I both have jobs that have required 110% of our time lately. No if ands or buts about it. J's busy season at the accounting firm started so it has been a lot of early mornings and late nights. My busy season at Audubon hasn't been quite so rough, but demanding nonetheless. I've been working an extra 8 hours each week which sounds small but has made a big impact on what I'm able to accomplish academically, socially and choresally***... What's the word I'm looking for there? Not having enough time to cook, clean, do laundry. You get the point.

#2

SCHOOL.  You're not surprised? J and I both did summer semester. J took a class and I had 2. We found this doormat at Walmart that was pretty fitting...

There you have it! 2 reasons I have been an awful blogger of late. But honestly, J and I have been pretty great offline people :)

Proof of our offline greatness...

WED - JULY 21
I chopped all my hair off folks. Well, not alllllllllllllll of it. I didn't go Britney Spears crazy or anything...

Scary! Anyway... I had 6 inches cutoff. Lisa Marquette at Salon M (http://salonmno.com/) is amazing! I highly recommend her if you live in the NOLA area. My thick head of hair feels so much lighter now. Perfect timing for this horrendous humidity we have been experiencing. Raise your hand if you like my new do!



MON - JULY 25
J had his final for his summer semester class. Poor thing came home and wanted to celebrate but I was still in serious study mode. My finals weren't until the following week. He quietly played some Call of Duty and then crashed on the couch until I was ready to go to bed.



WED - JULY 27
Spontaneous date night at Nonna Mia (http://www.nonnamia.net/). J and I do date night every Friday but last week I got 2 date nights! Wednesday and Friday! It was very unexpected and very sweet. We had wine, flat bread, and lobster ravioli. Yum yum.



J also did laundry for me last week. He cooks dinner and I do the laundry. That was our agreement when we got married. J loves to cook and has a real talent for it. He prepares really amazing meals. I don't love to wash and dry clothes, but it was the lesser of 2 evils in my mind. So yeah, he gave me a break last week and did the laundry. But that wasn't the best part. He correctly put all the clean clothes away according to my color coded system (obsessive compulsive much)! When I noticed I got the biggest smile on my face :)



WED - AUGUST 3
I had worked 8:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. Half the day was spent at the zoo and the rest of my time at the aquarium for our member party, Sealebration! My feet were throbbing by the time J picked me up from downtown. I hopped in the car and to my surprise; Bayou and Walnut were there to greet me too! When your husband and puppies are overly excited to see you after a long day, it’s easy to forget how tired, sweaty and gross you are.



THUR - AUGUST 4
J and I babysat beautiful baby Jude last night so her Mommy & Daddy (Megan & Chase) could get out of the house for a bit and grab dinner. She was born June 17th so she's a little more than a month old now. She was a little bit fussy in the beginning (must have missed the parentals) but was smiley and happy the rest of the evening. J wouldn't let me photograph it, but he and Jude looked adorable in the baby wrap/baby carrier thing. "Feels just like a book bag," he remarked.



So there you have it. When we aren't rocking online it's because we're rocking offline. Have a great weekend y'all.


*** Domestically was the word I was looking for.  Thanks Dan Day! :)  08/18/11 ***

POP THE CHAMPAGNE

Chris & Jacqueline are engaged!

This past Sunday Mr. Chris Tingle proposed to Ms. Jacqueline Sullivan, J's little sister!  The two lovebirds went hiking in Nashville's Percy Warner Park and during their romantic stroll through the woods Chris asked Jacqueline to be his wife.  After the hike, Chris had prearranged an Italian dinner in one of the park pavilions where a small group of friends and J and Jacqueline's parents were waiting.  I wish we could have been there to celebrate the happy news.  J and I could not be more delighted for the future Mr. & Mrs. Tingle!  Sending lots of love, cheers and congratulations your way, Chris & Jacqueline!

7/10/11 - the park where Chris proposed

7/10/11 - rose petals, flowers & candles to decorate the dinner table

7/10/11 - they're engaged!

7/12/11 - check out that bling... puppy dog Maize is pretty awesome too

HAPPY 4TH

Happy 4th of July from NOLA!

Thank you to the Second Continental Congress for declaring independence in 1776!  How did J and I celebrate America's freedom from Great Britain?  We had a wonderful low-key weekend filled with studying, visits to the dog park, hitting golfballs at the driving range, beer, burgers, strawberry shortcake, and sleeping past 7am.  Hope y'all had a great holiday weekend, too!

YOU ARE ENTERING A NO STUDY ZONE

J and I stayed busy this weekend, although not with school work. There were more fun activities on the agenda! We had brunch at Elizabeth’s on Saturday with our old friend Bernard J. Lanier (aka BJ, Beejer Weejer, BJers) and his lovely wife Samantha. BJ is actually the one who introduced J and I during that eventful Mardi Gras so many years ago. Guess that makes him our matchmaker, our cupid, our shadchan. BJ and Samantha live in Washington, D.C. but happened to be in NOLA for a wedding. It was wonderful catching up and remembering the good old college days over some praline bacon (yum!) and Eggs Elizabeth (grilled french bread topped with ham, poached eggs and hollandaise). I forgot to take pictures but pulled a few off the internet so you can see how great the food was. After brunch J and I hit golf balls at the City Park driving range. I am predicting that J will be ready to join the PGA tour any day now. Then we took Bayou and our newest addition to the family, Walnut, to City Bark. J and I are dog sitting Walnut for 3 or so months until my parents move into their new place in Chicago. I wouldn’t say Bayou and Walnut are friends yet, but I'm sure they’ll be buddies soon enough. Next up was dinner at Parkway Bakery & Tavern with friends. You will not find a better roast beef po’boy in the city, state, world! Yes, it is incredibly messy but so worth it! After devouring some delicious po'boys it was off to the Howlin' Wolf to see my friend Tim's band Birdfinger (http://www.myspace.com/birdfingerband) play. Tim is the lead singer/guitar player. And let me just say that I was impressed. Tim is so quiet and reserved but on stage... pure rock star! So yeah, J and I had a blast this past weekend and surely kept busy. Next weekend's agenda will consist of the library, coffee and tons of textbooks.

Time for the photo roundup...

6/18/11 - praline bacon (http://www.elizabeths-restaurant.com/)

6/18/11 - Egg's Elizabeth (http://www.elizabeths-restaurant.com/)

6/18/11 - Walnut & Billie Lu Bayou at City Bark

(http://www.nolacitybark.org/)

6/18/11 - roast beef po'boy from Parkway Bakery & Tavern

(http://www.parkwaybakeryandtavernnola.com/)

6/18/11 - take #1 and take #2... who knew this would be so difficult?

6/18/11 - 3rd time's a charm... Michelle, me, Zach, J, Kristina, Sarah

6/18/11 - Michelle, J, me, Sarah @ the Howlin' Wolf

(http://www.thehowlinwolf.com/)