Mafiaoza's

Dan and I spent too much money eating out at boring places like Moe's and Panera, so we've resolved to cook more at home and instead indulge a few times a month at local eateries we haven't been to before.  Recently, we were planning to go try the burgers at  M.L. Rose, but it was jam-packed (and had a weird seat yourself policy) and had NO seats.  So we headed to 12 South for pizza at Mafiaoza's, since a friend at work recommended it to me.

We started with the Fried Cheese Ravioli Sticks as an appetizer, which was delicious!  They looked like breadsticks at first, but they had the great chewiness of pasta and melted delicious cheese inside.  Let's just say I knew to pop a couple of Lactaids before this meal because I couldn't go to Mafiaoza's and not indulge in cheese.

For our pizza, we selected The Fall Guy, which is a meatball and italian sausage pie.  We added some mushrooms too.  It did not disappoint!  For us, a good pizza has to have good dough.  Soft but chewy, with a good crust.  Then it has to have a good sauce and cheese to tie everything together.  This brick oven pizza met all the requirements, and the leftovers we took home didn't last 24 hours in the fridge.

I would not hesitate to come back to Mafiaoza's for another pizza pie.  12 South is such a fun area to visit, so we'll be back for sure.

Bits and Pieces

Just some bits and pieces of what I've been up to lately, other than shopping and eating.  Well, some of this involves eating.  Apparently I love pictures of food.

I went home to my parents' for the holidays, and got to see a lot of friends too.  I saw 47 Ronin with my family (Dad's request, better than I expected given I had zero expectations... Keanu Reeves after all).  I met up with friends at local bars and eateries.  I met up with friends at a friends' house to indulge in amazing Chinese hot pot (like spicy Chinese soup fondue).  I made casseroles and celebrated with my extended family.  All in all, it was awesome, and I watched a lot of HGTV since my parents get cable and I don't.  I also spent the New Year with Dan and saw American Hustle (great acting and hair!).  Fun.  So yeah, here's a little peek into my winter ways!

Bear as my copilot

Mom's Christmas Monkey Bread

Local bar with friends 

Chinese Hot Pot

Casseroles,  pre-baking

Some of the desserts at the family potluck... Aunt D's family red velvet cake is the BOMB

Christmas Family Photo

My Life in GIFs, Vol. 3

Happy New Year!  It's time for another round of My Life in GIFs!  Belated holiday/party edition, in honor of all the exhausting celebrating we've done over the past couple of months.

For the record, Dan and I spent New Year's Eve at the movies watching American Hustle (amazing acting, movie was kind of meh) and came home to Bar Rescue on Hulu.  It was divine.

How I usually feel about my outfit/hair before parties:

How I act at parties:

...but in my head I'm like:

How I wish I was at parties:

How I spend too much of my time at parties:

How I feel waking up the day after parties:

Mostly all of these are because I'm an old fuddy-duddy who likes to go to bed at 9:30pm.