Favorite Moments

Favorite Concerts of 2012

After attending 70 concerts 2012, including #100 of my lifetime, it's hard to pick a specific favorite so here are a few that I couldn't imagine not seeing in the past year.

January 13, 2012 - The Bright Light Social Hour @ North Star Bar, PA

Source via The Swollen Fox

Hands down my favorite music discovery in 2012, The Bright Light Social Hour knows how to rock the house and literally brought me to a state of euphoria throughout their set. I hand learned of the band only hours before the concert and became an avid fan by the end of it!

March 30, 2012 - Delta Spirit @ TLA, PA

Source via The Swollen Fox

After over a year of listening and obsessing over Delta Spirit I finally got to seem them live in 2012. It ended up being the first of four times seeing them in the year but it was certainly worth the wait. Rocking out to a live version of "Bushwick Blues" was definitely one of my favorite music moments of the year.

July 20-22, 2012 - XPoNential Music Festival @ Wiggins Park, NJ

This might be slightly cheating since it was a festival but XPoNential's lineup was exceptional this year! Including performances from Wilco, The Avett Brothers, Dr. Dog, Dawes, The Lumineers, Delta Spirit, Kaki King, Kathleen Edwards, Delta Rae, JC Brooks and The Uptown Sound, and J.D. McPherson...See! I wasn't kidding when I said their line-up was stacked.

August 17, 2012 - My Morning Jacket @ The Mann Center, PA

Source via The Swollen Fox

Can anything top hearing My Morning Jacket cover "Rocket Man" as the skies open up to an epic downpour? I don't think so. This was my third time seeing MMJ and they once again did not disappoint.

Favorite Trips 

2012 was full of big and small trips in and out of the country. Here's a look back at some of my favorite frolicking adventures. 

After realizing there isn't much to do in Cleveland besides the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame Museum we headed to Pittsburgh to explore a much more exciting city. Fries on their sandwiches, Cathedrals that could be mistaken for Hogwarts, a jokester named Andy Warhol, gorgeous skylines, and fun ice cream games I must say this city is pretty awesome. 

Bonnaroo is more than a music festival, it is truly an all around experience. From the 14 hour drive down to Tennessee to the camping, endless music, silent disco dance parties, and the epic stories that come out of the four day festival exceed your expectations every year. 

My epic two week adventure with my twinnie Elizabeth was unforgettable but I  have to say Portugal is my favorite place we visited. Portugal it's the hidden treasure of Europe; A rich history, beautiful culture, and some of the most hospitable locals I've ever encountered, it's impossible not to instantly fall in love with the country. 

Tanning, Swimming, Kayaking, Music and of course craft-brews it was a great way to spend one of the last weekends of Summer. 

Favorite Festive Recipes

Vegetarian Chilli

Spaghetti Squash

Vegan Ice Cream

Black Bean Burgers [recipe forthcoming]

Favorite Random Moments 

2013 Adventures Coming Soon!

2012

Source: Tea Time for Sylvie-Lou!

2012 was certainly a year full of adventures. Some planned and enjoyed to the fullest. Others eye-opening and difficult to swallow. Yet all of them were unforgettable learning experiences, allowing me to realize so much about myself and where I want to be in 2013.

Due to a hectic end of the year (weren't you preparing for the end of the world too?!) I have a bunch of festive-recipes to catch up on AND my first adventure in 2013 is not only planned but it's next weekend!

That's right folks, in a few days I'll be heading south to visit my best-friend in Miami. I haven't been down to visit her in too long to count so let's just say I'm beyond excited to get away from the bitter-cold weather of Philadelphia and reunite with my soul-mate for FOUR whole days in the sunshine state.

Keep an eye out for epic frolicking adventures and of course lots of yummy recipes!

So here's to a fabulous 2013 for all of us jokestaaaaas ツ

Source: Tea Time for Sylvie-Lou! 

Black Bean Tortilla Soup

Perhaps it's the cold weather or maybe I have an unrealized obsession with soups (I do find myself eating soup even on the hottest days of summer), but I noticed I have been pinning a lot of soup recipes on pinterest lately. In an effort to actually make the things I pinned, Kevin and I decided to try out a Black Bean Tortilla Soup recipe--though it turned out to be more of a Spicy Black Bean Soup! 

Needed: 
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion
1 avocado (for garnis)
1 green bell pepper
2 cuban peppers
3 jalapeño peppers
3 cups veggie stock
3 cans black beans

 Seasonings: Cumin, Salt/Pepper, and Hot Sauce (if you like it spicy)

Finely chop onion and peppers, mix together in a large pot with 3-4 tablespoons olive oil and season with cumin and salt/pepper.

Add some hot sauce for some additional spice.

Drain/Rise black beans and add to onion/pepper saute with 3 cups vegetable-stock.

 Stir contents frequently and continue to cook until comes to a simmer.

 Cut avocado and serve on top of finished soup.

I absolutely loved this recipe! Even though it doesn't look exactly like the original and it was probably a little pepper heavy, I thoroughly enjoyed the extra spice. Kevin did not have the same opinion so I think we will have to make some alternations for our next attempt, i.e. limiting the number of peppers and possibly rice for more depth. One of my favorite Festive-Friday recipes so far!

Spaghetti Squash

Since the recent acceptance of my gluten-allergy I have been attempting to eat gluten-free (beer doesn't count right?), though it can be extremely challenging at times. My Madre has been amazing and is constantly making me gluten-free versions of my favorite foods (because she knows I'm too stubborn to do it myself). Long story short, pasta used to be one of my favorite foods so my Madre bought me a squash to try out spaghetti squash--a recipe I had been dying to try.

It's probably the most simple recipe I've ever tried, with cutting the squash in half being the most difficult part, ha!

Once you chop that bad boy in half preheat the oven for 375-400 degrees (different recipes gave varying temperatures), place the squash on a baking sheet and let it bake for about an hour.

I didn't really have the time or resources to make my own spaghetti sauce from scratch so a store-bought jar would have to do. I did however throw some chopped zucchini and carrots into the mix to make it my own.

 After about an hour in the oven you should be ready to go.

Scrap the insides of the squash with a fork--it will begin to take the shape of regular spaghetti.

 It's like magic!

 Throw some sauce on those "noodles" and you are good to go.

I'm so happy I finally gave this recipe a try. It was easy, delicious and best of all I didn't have to deal with any gluten-reactions. Win-win-win my friends!

Black Bean and Potato Soup

Being gluten-free can be extremely tough at times, especially when you are craving a substantial carb to fill you up. It's when I get these cravings that I turn to potatoes--the perfectly filling gluten-free carb. And so black bean and potato soup became our next festive friday challenge.

Needed:

1 red onion
1 green bell pepper
6 cloves garlic, minced

3 cans cooked black beans

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
Seasonings: Salt/Pepper, Cumin, Oregano

Sauté chopped onion, bell peppers, and garlic in pan with 1 cup water over medium heat 2-3 minutes, or until vegetables soften.

Place half of vegetables in blender and purée until smooth. Add 3 cups beans and 6 to 7 cups water; puree until mixture is consistency of thick soup.

I think we may have blended our vegetables/beans a little too much, so I would suggest watching the consistency very closely.

Place the vegetable/beans puree and the remaining beans and sauteed vegetables to a large pot with chopped potatoes, cumin, oregano, and salt/pepper. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 20 minutes covered or until potatoes are soft.

The soup was good but slightly bland so perhaps our next attempt will include some cilantro or other powerful seasoning to spice things up a bit.