Kelsey and I had quite the feast tonight! (And of course we shared with Matt 
) We’ve been planning it for weeks now as our end-of-semester celebration, so even though I partied all weekend, I had to continue with one last hurrah.
Kelsey brought over this fantastic $4.99 bottle of sparkling wine from Trader Joe’s. It was probably the best sparkling wine I’ve ever had!! Can’t beat that price
I had a champagne glass plus a splash more –
The meal was taco salads. I know we just had these last week, but this version was slightly different!
The layers:
- Romaine bed
- Topped with a cooked mix of bell pepper, corn, tomato, kidney and black beans spiced with cumin, oregano, garlic powder + chili powder (~2/3 a cup?)
- Some aged white cheddar (the SECRET ingredient. Gosh, it really made the salad. I normally skip cheese on taco salads because it gets lost in the mix, but this was sooo good)
- Kelsey’s corn salsa (recipe coming at Bites + Bowls soon!)
- 5 avocado slices
- Real sour cream leftover from this weekend
- Chopped pickled jalapenos
- Cilantro
- Chips for dipping
The corn salsa –
We watched Slumdog after dinner. I liked it, but it wasn’t my favorite movie. The ending was horrible!! Way to leave us with no resolution…
Kelsey made Margarita Cupcakes for dessert!!! They were doll-sized and a perfect ending. The icing was tart and perfectly whipped. Recipe to come for these too!
Last but not least, Kelsey cracked open a bottle of red. I was handed a tiny pour – just to taste it! The theme of this weekend was taken from Bethenny Frankel’s book “taste everything, eat nothing.” (I owe you guys a review of it.) I didn’t think it was the best book, but she did have a few good points. I often forget how a taste of things is sometimes just as satisfying as a huge portion.
I have a slumber party to return to
{ 53 comments… read them below or add one }
Yum! I just made margarita cupcakes last week and loved them! Enjoy your celebration!
What a great party to celebrate the end of the semester! You two always create the best meals when you’re together. That aged white chedder sounds so good… and the cupcakes look amazing!
Oh my gahhhhhhhhh that looks sooo delicious! Mexican food is my absolute favorite!!!
Bummer about slumdog. But the soundtrack is the best part!!!
sounds like you two are having a blast! that salad looks great
What a fun party! I love your taco salads- they’re always so colorful. Happy Cinco de Mayo. Enjoy the rest of the slumber party
I loved Slumdog! Courtney, I totally agree….the music was amazing
I almost saw bethenny at borders tonight, but I had plans for cinco de drinko, definitely ordered a skinny girl margarita
I think you should put Kelsey’s bra in the freezer. Just for kicks.
That taco salad looks soooooo yummy:) Not to sound corny, but I love how you eat! You never seem to deprive yourself, even when you have indulged over the weekend. You just seem to eat so…NORMALLY! It’s very refreshing:) Do you have any tips on just how to be NORMAL with food? I am all about my scale(trying to be a certain number) and just eating little bits and pieces all day…which never ends well. I think I have posted about this before….been reading this blog forever…and waiting for me to catch on!
Enjoy the slumber party! I want one of those cupcakes!
Perfect Cinco Day Mayo celebration! Mmmm! I just made margarita cupcakes, they are totally delicious!
you gals(and guy) and your slumber parties! I also celebrated the holiday with a taco-ish salad! YUM
the salad looks AMAZING — so fresh and flavorful! Those cupcakes look delish, too!
yumyumyum 
What perfect cinco de mayo eats!
What a fun night! The salads look great…and the bra in the freezer comment is hilarious- brings back memories!
Looks like a great cinco de mayo!
I wasn’t a huge fan of slumdog either… I think I was expecting something more after all the hype.
See you in the morning
How fun! I haven’t a real slumber party…since college?
Mmm I love blue corn tortilla chips…actually I love all tortilla chips, but especially colored ones
I had taco salad too. !!!
I’m VERY interested to hear what you think about Bethenny’s book. I loved it at first until I realized she’s basically a drunkorexic. I have a review on my site if you want to read it
(link is on the review page.) I think Dori reviewed it too (Dori’s shiny blog).
PILLOW FIGHT!!!!!!
I have an Albero rose from Trader Joe’s that I’m waiting to try – glad to hear the sparkling wine was good!
You always give the best teasers – I can’t wait to see the recipe for those scrumptious-looking cupcakes, and I’m really looking forward to read what you have to say about the book!
Mmmm margarita cupcakes sound divine!
how long did you stick them in the oven for?
I love the Trader Joe’s Wine Shop -one of the best places in NYC to get a deal! I will have to try the sparkling wine. The bf and I are on a Prosecco kick right now. Thanks for letting us know about it!
Slumber party – that sounds so fun!
Now I’m jealous of your taco salads 2 weeks in a row! Kelsey finds the best wines- I must search for this one on my next TJ’s run! Enjoy your sleepover!
Taco salads is a MUST for me this week. Yours always looks so good!!
Uggh, I still have two and a half more weeks to go before I finish this semester, lucky you!
I thought Slumdog millionaire ended with the boy winning all the money alongside his gf to boot…which ending did you see?
Oh no, Nabeela, I haven’t seen that movie yet!
Oooo the taco salads look lovely – one of my favorite meals!
T.J.’s has some great inexpensive wines – I’ll have to look for the sparkling wine you had.
The margarita cupcakes look & sound like the ideal ending to your celebratory meal.
I’m looking forward to your review of Bethenny’s book. I agree that sometimes just a taste will curb my craving, but how far does she suggest one goes with the “eat nothing” advice? If she’s telling us to literally eat one or two bites of our meals, of course we’ll be super skinny – we won’t be eating enough calories!
Yum, that taco salad looks awesome!! Hope the slumber party was fun!
fun night! i’m going to look for that sparkling wine…sounds yum!
I love that Mexican salad!!!
What a great way to celebrate! I think the only thing that I did that counts was having a Corona… hahaha.
That salad looks and sounds delicious! I am glad you are having a fabulous time celebrating Cinco de Mayo – you really deserve these celebrations after all of your hard work this semester!
I am also anxious to hear your review of Bethany’s book. I skimmed through it in a bookstore and thought her meal plans looked a little skimpy. Some of her advice about skipping meals and such also made me a bit cautious.
Hope you had a fabulous night!
I am surprised that you did not enjoy Slumdog. I loved it! Also wondering if you saw an alternate ending though….
mmm. taco salads are my favorite!
a tad late but you’ll love Middlesex!!
and Detroit writer at that!
what a fun night! Your salads and kelsey’s salsa looks amazing. I’ve been wanting to watch slumdog but have heard mix reviews.
Sounds like fun! It’s so awesome to celebrate the end of something! You guys must feel great!
Your tacos look amazing!! The sparkling wine sounds really good too and the price is right!
I hope you have a wonderful day!
I’m going to have to try margarita cupcakes soon… the icing sounds fantastic!
Awww, sounds like you guys had a great end of semester celebration! The cupcakes and salad look amazing.
I’m always really impressed with Trader Joe’s value priced wines. TJs produces a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc that is nice and tart and refreshing… it’s $4.99, and my go-to everyday type wine!
I’m just curious as to hear what kind of resolution you were looking for at the end of slumdog–Like something that showed what he’d do with the money etc?
The salads look delicious and I totally prefer blue corn chips over yellow corn now! Hope your morning helps you recover from last night’s festivities
“Taste everything, eat nothing,” huh? Sounds good to me! That seems like a great way to approach nights out. Or in too for that matter!
Kath, can we get a picture of the cinnamon raisin walnut bun even if you don’t eat it? Haha. I need some food porn!
Trader Joes has such an awesome selection, I live in Gastonia but work in Charlotte, so whenever I get a free moment I try to get my grocery shopping done there!
I am in love with TJs dark choc covered nuts!! so delicious
kwaze ,
Thanks! It’s taken me a long time to get back to eating normally – this time with more awareness of portions etc. so I don’t put on 30 pounds like I did last time! I try hard to pay attention to hunger cues and choose the best ingredients so that even if I’m eating something big like a taco salad, I’m light on the cheese, sour cream and chips but I still get to use all of them. It’s also important to realize (and this has helped me a lot) that just because you aren’t obsessing about food doesn’t mean you will gain weight. I think I’ve learned a lot just by watching other people (non-foodies) eat and how they just have a smaller breakfast, bigger lunch and don’t plan everything out. Hope that helps!
Maggie,
drunkorexic….hmmm…I might agree with that!?
Jaime ,
Stick what in the oven?
Re. Slumdog,
I just thought it ended way to abruptly. All that violence in the beginning – he never resolved it. I would have turned those people in!
Kath
Your salad looks delicious! I love taco salad.
I wasn’t impressed with Slumdog – the book is a million times better than the movie! And completely different. In a good way.
Those cupcakes sure are cute … it would be hard to stop at one, but like you said we get so lost in eating that we forget about the taste. I totally agree with that.
That is seriously the BEST taco salad I have ever seen – YUM!
Margarita cupcakes too – what a fun night!
Oh man, I thought that movie was amazing.
Your taco salad = heaven on a plate.
He got back with the girl he wanted at the end of “Slumdog”; what sort of an ending would be better than that?