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Nothing says fall to me like butternut squash. I’m so obsessed that my friend once told me if I had a word cloud for my life, butternut squash would be in big letters (“That’s what she said” would probably be in huge letters too…).

And leeks in soup? Such a delicious way to get a creamy texture without dairy. If you’re my friend, you’ve probably heard me go on and on about potato leek soup.

You could even play around with this soup by adding a potato for an even creamier texture. Or mix up the spices by subbing basil and oregano for the nutmeg.

Or just follow my recipe icon smile Easy Butternut Squash & Leek Soup in the Crockpot

5228197922 c336eac362 Easy Butternut Squash & Leek Soup in the CrockpotPhoto credit

  • 1/2 large butternut squash (peeled, de-seeded, and chopped into bite-sized chunks)
  • 1 1/2 leeks (trimmed, cleaned, and sliced)
  • 1 medium onion (chopped)
  • 1 clove of garlic (diced)
  • 4 chicken bouillon cubes and 4 cups of water or 4 cups of chicken broth or 4 cups of vegetable broth
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Nutmeg

4137937933 85b16b5022 z Easy Butternut Squash & Leek Soup in the CrockpotPhoto credit

Prep vegetables. Combine broth and vegetables in Crockpot. Sprinkle 2-3 dashes each of salt, pepper, and nutmeg on top. Cook on low in Crockpot for 6-7 hours. Allow to cool for several minutes, then blend with an immersion blender (or leave chunky if desired). Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

P.S. Do your hands ever get itchy, red, and start peeling when you handle butternut squash? Mine do and I found out why: butternut squash dermatitis! The best solution is to wear gloves or buy pre-chopped butternut squash.

As we sat at Hollymead on Saturday, we contemplated what to do with our last day. Our top choices included a trip to nearby Blowing Rock or a day at a local vineyard. Since we went to Shelton Vineyards last time, we opted for the hour drive to Blowing Rock, which I had never visited but had heard rave reviews about.

This time it was just me, my sister, and Larry- we managed to have a good time even with Larry there (just kidding- Larry reads my blog and I wanted to poke [more] fun at him!). It was a marvelouuuuus day in an adorable little mountain town. The drive to town through the mountains was beautiful, even though the leaves haven’t fully turned yet. We grabbed lattes at Revive Java, wandered through the shops, snapped a bunch of pictures, saw a couple we know from Raleigh (hi guys!), played a prank on Larry, ate lunch at Storie Street Grill (pot roast with mashed potatoes and green beans for me!), and then got ice cream at Kilwin’s (I got half cashew toffee and half signature turtle).

I would absolutely love to go back to Blowing Rock for a day or overnight. It’s a perfectly picturesque place and the perfect daytime excursion from Hollymead! Thanks for taking us, Larry icon smile A Day Trip to Blowing Rock, North Carolina

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Feeling a little down on this gloomy Monday afternoon? I figured I’d share some cozy images from the past few months!

DSC 0033 1024x558 Cozy Images for a Rainy MondayVeil of Roses and Better Homes & Gardens
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A mug of coffee and a magazine
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Fall leaves (last year)
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Flowers at Duke Gardens
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More flowers at Duke Gardens
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And even more flowers at Duke Gardens!
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Bud Light at the lake mansion
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Shelton Vineyard in Yadkin Valley
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Sister and stepdad at Brightleaf Square in Durham

I’m getting my wisdom teeth out today (ohh, the joys!), so I planned ahead by prepping several different soup varieties to tide me over until I can eat solid foods again.

Here’s what I’ll be eating by the bowlful as I watch Friends, sneak new episodes of Luther, and tweet about my pain (just kidding, I’ll try to abstain from such pointless updates):

(Note: click the soup title for the recipe)

Rainbow chili

 Fall Soup RoundupPhoto credit

Zucchini & yellow squash soup

 Fall Soup RoundupPhoto credit

Sweet potato, kale, & chicken soup

 Fall Soup RoundupPhoto credit

Spiced tomato bean soup

 Fall Soup RoundupPhoto credit

 I made several adjustments for each recipe. For example, I didn’t use flour in the zucchini yellow squash soup and I replaced chickpeas with red kidney beans in the spiced tomato bean soup.

Off to Nashville this evening!

It’s has always been on my radar as a city that I had to visit, but my sister, our friend Colette, and I knew we had to book a trip when we saw $100 round-trip tickets on Southwest’s Fall Fares list.

We are again lucky enough to have someone to stay with in the city, which minimizes travel costs by quite a bit.

Since I’ve never been to Nashville- also known as the Athens of the South- I put up a Facebook status asking for ideas for what to do. Here are some of the suggestions my friends gave me:

  • See the Parthenon replica at Centennial Park

partenon nashville Exploring Music City {Nashville}[Parthenon replica]

hall of fame thumb Exploring Music City {Nashville} [Country Music Hall of Fame]

  • Listen to a show at Blue Bird Café
  • Bar hop on Broadway, especially Tootsies and The Stage

broadway nashville thumb Exploring Music City {Nashville} [Bars on Broadway]

One thing we know we’re doing is meeting up with Sam Davidson, who we met through TEDxRaleigh last year, for an authentic Nashville breakfast.

I’ve got my kicks and I’m ready to rock. You better believe I’ll be listening to Party in the USA- except this definitely is a Nashville party icon smile Exploring Music City {Nashville}

boots Exploring Music City {Nashville}

 Any other suggestions?! I’d love to hear them!

I love fall with a passion. I don’t mind that long summer days are slipping away or that winter is just around the corner. My only focus is absorbing as much fall as possible. Here is my vow to fall.

 My Vow to Fall

I vow to drink as many Pumpkin Spice Lattes as possible

I vow to wear every different colored pashmina in my closet

I vow to play as much tennis outdoors as possible

I vow to cook with butternut squash as much as possible

I vow to sit on my balcony with a cup of tea and a blanket on cool evenings

I vow to burn my pumpkin candle whenever possible

DSC 00012 1024x918 My Vow to Fall(I think I have an addiction)

I vow to try new fall soup recipes

I vow to have a fall leaf photo shoot

I vow to visit a pumpkin patch and corn maze

I vow to sit around a bonfire with friends while someone strums guitar

I vow to go apple picking

I vow to attend a harvest festival

I vow to appreciate every day of fall

 My Vow to Fall

What’s on your fall bucket list? 

Last weekend, I stayed in a beautiful lake mansion with some friends. The following pictures make everything look very serene and calm. What you don’t see: the 200 Solo cups scattered around, the bar covered in handles, the ping pong balls all over the floor, the people napping on couches, the mess of a kitchen, and the dining room table covered in groceries. Oh the joys of young adulthood.

DSC 0009 1024x682 A Frat House by the Lake Fire pit
DSC 0007 1024x682 A Frat House by the Lake Back of the house
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Our dock
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Playing around with my camera’s aperture
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Lake!
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More pictures to come!

Transitioning back to the workweek after a family staycation and a fun birthday weekend is a challenge- as Nutritionella pointed out, ever feel like you need a vacation to recover from vacation?

I thought it would help to remind myself of the fun trips I have on the horizon for the rest of summer and the beginning of fall.

 On the Horizon: Upcoming Trips

Back to Hollymead

 On the Horizon: Upcoming Trips

Work & fun trip to DC

 On the Horizon: Upcoming Trips

Bachelorette party at undisclosed location

 On the Horizon: Upcoming Trips

First time in Nashville

 On the Horizon: Upcoming Trips

First time in San Francisco

Thank goodness I have generous family, friends, family friends, and friend’s family in cool places! We’ll be driving to most of these places, so the gas split between multiple people won’t be too expensive. For the other places, I/we have managed to find great deals by browsing Southwest’s fall sales and planning trips around the cheapest dates {hooray for workplace flexibility!}.

Where are you headed this summer/fall? What tips do you have for affordable travel? 

P.S. For more travel inspiration, check out Linnie’s Summer Travel Series!

fall leaves im backkkk

Peppy, enthusiastic, inspired Cristina is back! I had one of those weeks, but now I am just itching to get back to blogging. I have a growing list of blog entries I need to post, which includes several recipes.

During my hiatus, I asked my sister to write a guest post so you all wouldn’t feel too neglected, so she’ll still be doing that. We just came up with the perfect topic- the post is tentatively called “How I Decided To Love Winter.” It is her guide to changing her negative perspective on winter by participating in festive holiday activities!

In the meantime, here is my weekend recap:

  • Both Friday and Saturday were spent at the animal hospital with Fatty Bratty Maddie, who got into the trash and ate chocolate. What a troublemaker
  • Sushi at Mirage with my LivingSocial deal- I liked my rolls, but my sister wasn’t crazy about hers
  • Lunch at Jibarra- sat on the patio and had delicious steak tacos
  • Beer tasting at Tasty Beverage Co- realized I was correct in thinking pale ales are my favorite. We had so much fun and met some great people here. We said we almost felt like tourists exploring the city
  • Dinner at Five Star- crispy sesame beef!
  • Finished a great book
Despite the chaos of spending two nights at the animal hospital (we were there until 3am on Saturday), it was a great weekend- relaxing, beautiful weather, and fun new places!

This week will be a busy one, as usual!

  • Wednesday night casual networking event with Triangle Entrepreneurship Week
  • Babylon with the blog girls!
  • Getting back into tennis + Pilates
  • Friday night food & drinks with FreshBooks at the Forum
  • Visit from my DC besties on Friday!! They haven’t seen Maddie or my finished apartment yet!
P.S. Thank you to Sara (not my sister this time!) for her super sweet comment about our bloggers group!
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This Day Last Year: My post was entitled “Doin’ Alright,” which funny enough, is still in the #1 spot on my current playlist. It’s so crazy for me to think back to where I was in terms of job searching last fall and where I am now. Suffice it to say, I never would have thought last November that I would be the co-owner of a coworking space in downtown Raleigh now!

After some thought, I’ve decided to take an intentional blogging hiatus of unknown time.

I blogged awhile back about how my inspiration comes in waves. And how sometimes I’m wildly uninspired. Not unhappy by any means, but just not in my usual place: of feeling like I’m bursting with things to share- so much so that I have to schedule my blog posts so that they don’t all tumble out in a back-to-back  mess (that would really clog my Twitter feed!).

Maybe all my inspiration was sucked up planning and executing a rap music video?!

Right now, I need to carry this kind of notebook, not this kind of notebook. I want to spend time cuddling with Fatty Maddie. Fit yoga or Pilates into my schedule. Snap pictures of the amazing fall leaves. Try recipes like this Pumpkin Black Bean Soup or Korean Pickled Cucmbers just for the heck of it. Maybe even work on the 56 blog drafts I have on WordPress (yikes!). And definitely take some of my new-found blog friendships off-line.

I hope you’ll be waiting for me when my hiatus ends. Feel free to dig through the archives and subscribe using the button on the right sidebar. And maybe even share with me some things that you find inspirational?

pixel a{n intentional} hiatus
+Cristina Roman