Leftovers: September 2014 Edition

Ah, October. The leaves are changing, I’ve broken out my plaid shirts, and there is a distinct rustling in the air. As hard as it was to let go of summer, I’m embracing fall with open arms now. But I can’t let September slip away without giving you some leftovers! Here’s what’s been happening in our neck of the city.

A few weekends ago, we made it down to Hocking Hills for a weekend camping trip with my college roomie and her husband. Honestly, I won the roommate lottery with this girl. We were paired together freshman year, and we stayed roomies all four years. It was so great to spend some time with her and her hubby and soak in the gorgeous scenery.

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Oh, and also eat campfire food. Hel-LO pie iron pizzas, hobo breakfasts, and smookies!

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P.S. If you want the “recipe” for smookies, I have an official one here, but any chocolate chip cookie sandwiching a roasted marshmallow will do just fine!

The past two months were also wedding months for us. We had a total of three weddings in five weeks! I was beginning to think we should just sleep in our dress up clothes.

In August, my best friend got married. We are cousins, so we’ve literally known each other our entire lives. She’s the kind of friend you can hang out with in zero makeup, sweatpants, and unbrushed teeth. Luckily, none of those were the case on her big day.

Best Friends wedding

Oh, and then I also made a banana bread cake for a wedding. I promise more details are coming on this one. I’ve needed a couple weeks to detox from all the sugar and cream cheese. I ended up being really happy with the way the cake turned out. This baby survived a 6 hour car ride and the outdoor elements!

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This guy is back on the ice. I’m simultaneously proud and terrified!

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I told you last month I was in the middle of The Secret Keeper and it was dragggging. I was intrigued by the story and definitely wanted the mystery to be solved, but it just felt like it was taking way too long to get there. As it turns out, the ending was worth the wait. There was a great twist that made the rest of the book worth it. So I guess I do recommend it, but be prepared to slog along for a bit in the middle.

September reads

Me Before You– I love/hated this book. It’s about an arrogant, handsome 30 year old man who becomes a quadriplegic and is forced to rely on the care of his parents, nurses, and young companion. But really, this is a story about life and what makes it worth living. This book is somehow uplifting and terribly depressing all at once. It will make you feel ALL THE FEELS. My guess is you’ll love/hate it too.

I finally tackled The Maze Runner Series this month, and I’m kinda just “meh” about them. The first and third books were both good. The second one was a little too wacky for me. I know it’s not fair to compare the books to Hunger Games, but I’m going to anyway. They just didn’t have the same pull that Hunger Games did. Thomas isn’t as likeable as Katniss, and I found it tough to really feel for the characters. Whereas when Rue died I was a crying fool, when characters die in The Maze Runner I was like, welp, there goes another one. And yes, that probably does make me a terrible person. Don’t get me wrong. The books are good. I read all three in about a week, so they kept me entertained, but I just wasn’t overwhelmed.

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We rented Belle this month, and it was so good. The movie tells the story of an illegitimate mixed-race child raised by her wealthy white British uncle in 18th century England. It’s based on a true story, and has all of the things I crave in a movie–a love story, suffering, a fight for justice, and a happy ending. What more can you ask for?

Alright, on to some link love!

I absolutely L-O-V-E the idea of starting a weekly gathering like this Friday Night Meatballs. This is what NeighborFood is all about!

These Apple Fritter Waffle Doughnuts from Completely Delicious are enough of a reason to love fall.

What could be better than Pizza and Burgers? How about getting them both in one dish?? Bacon Blue Cheese Burger Pizza from Country Cleaver.

This Roasted Broccoli Cauliflower Soup from Simply Scratch is happening…and soon.

I have all kinds of things I’d like to say about the situation with Ray Rice and the NFL’s disgraceful handling of the situation. But I’ll let other speak for me instead. Check out Confessions of a Cookbook Queen’s post, The NFL, Assault Charges, and Public Reaction: What I Want You to Know.

September Grieves- This is one of the best pieces on grief I’ve read in awhile, capturing the strange in-betweenness we experience during times of crisis. Of being healed and yet still raw. Of rebuilding faith in the clutches of cynicism and discovering beauty in the ashes of loss.

I don’t know why exactly, but these pictures of Mr. Bean’s face digitally painted onto historical paintings made me laugh out loud.

This picture of OSU’s strength coach taking out a drunken fan who tried to rush the field pretty much made my entire week. This is why you should never listen to your drunk friends.

Osu fan tackled

My most popular post this month was this delish Panko Crusted Chicken Piccata. Some of my oldies but goodies are making a comeback for fall too. Check out my Slow Cooker Apple Sauce and Autumn Sangria!

Want more bits and pieces of life at NeighborFood? Follow me on Instagram!

What were you loving/doing/eating/reading this September? Let me know in the comments!

Note: This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking a link, a small percentage will come back to support the ongoing costs of NeighborFood. Thanks for your support!

5 Comments

  1. Girl, I’m going to echo Erin and say that I love your leftover posts too! The photos are all fabulous (you and Will are the cutest couple ever) and I’m so impressed by the wedding cake! It’s gorgeous. I love books but if it’s a total slog getting to the good parts, I’d probably give up. Work has been a b*tch lately which is why I’ve been a bad friend and neglected reading your blog lately. I’m going to blitz through everything I’ve missed in the next few days so expect a lot more comments from me ๐Ÿ™‚

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