Weekend Good Things.

Morning! Maybe it's the fact that it's slightly warmer today than it has been in a while, but I'm ready to tackle this week! 

Friday after work, Cameron and I had a meeting downtown so we decided to hit up happy hour at Bay Street Biergarten. Their "freaky taters" (tater tots with a demi-glace, smoked cheddar sauce and green onions) called our names and we could not resist.  So bad, yet so very good. 

Came home to my Amazon order waiting for me on the front porch. Why is it that every time you go on Amazon to order one thing (especially Amazon Prime), something additional always winds up in your cart, too? Target is also known for this, maybe even worse. 

Went on for the witch hazel, also left with a cookbook.

Saturday I made it to bikini bootcamp at the gym (definitely needed to after all of those tater tots), made a quick trip to the grocery store, then ran a few errands for my Dad's birthday party that evening. We held it at the "boat club" in Summerville (there are no boats, only a ramp), which is pretty much one of the two places to hold a party in Summerville is. It's perfect for oyster roasts though! My mom had some barbecue and sides catered, we picked up a couple of bushels of oysters, and other than that it was pretty low key. Exactly what my Dad wanted. 

My grandma and her two sons

(Camo was very prevalent that night)

Sunday was spent running more errands with a yummy brunch at Sunrise Bistro in between. I ordered the Mediterranean open faced omelet (no olives or onions, add tomatoes please) with a side of pepper-jack grits. Yum. 

We had some oysters left over from the party the night before, so for dinner, we made oysters rockefeller using Tyler Florence's recipe, served also with a big salad to balance everything out. :) They were SO good!! 

Sunday evening, I made a loaf of this banana bread (I substituted 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup light brown sugar) to enjoy as we watched House of Cards and as a quick breakfast option during the week. So tasty and moist - sorry, I know a lot of people hate that word, but I can't think of a better one. 

So basically, Sunday was based all around food. Just the way I like it. 

First Plated Meal.

Hate meal planning and/or grocery shopping? Want to try new recipes, but don't know where to start? The new wave of meal kit home deliveries may be perfect for you! 

After seeing a few other bloggers try out Plated, I did a little research and decided to give it a try. I always thought these services would be too expensive to try, but when compared to what I normally spend a week on groceries, it actually evens out, if not cheaper! 

I chose to receive my box of 3 meals delivered on Saturday, that way I had everything ready to go for Monday-Wednesday's dinners. The insulated box was full of fresh ingredients, everything chilled with two (still mostly frozen) ice packs. 

The first recipe I tried was the Braised Chicken with Potatoes and Massaman Curry. This was the first time I cooked with curry and coconut milk, and possibly the first time I've tasted either, as well. I loved this recipe, although it was rather spicy! 

All of the ingredients come labeled and proportioned out

The finished product!

I have an order from Blue Apron arriving on Saturday and I plan on comparing the two services, in more detail, in a post! Was also just told about Hello Fresh so I may try that one out also to compare.

If you'd like to receive two free meals from Plated, click this link here to sign up!

Charleston Culinary Tour - Upper King Street.

It's no secret that I love food. And with a new restaurant popping up in Charleston what seems like every week, it's hard to keep up with all of them! So when I was asked if I wanted to participate in a Charleston Culinary Tour in exchange for a review on my blog, I jumped at the opportunity. 

There are 5 different possible tours one can take - Upper King Street (which is the one I chose), Downtown, Chefs' Kitchen, Mixology, and Chef's Showcase at the Farmer's Market. They also offer combination packages where you can add on a walking tour of Charleston or a carriage ride. 

I took Cameron as my plus one (because he likes to eat, too) and we were joined on our two by two couples, a family of 3, and a group of girls who played volleyball together in college. Our tour guide, Charlie, was very personable and knowledgeable, and I liked the fact that she had everyone go around and say where they were from at the beginning of the tour. 

Our first stop on the tour was HoM, which was also the meeting place for everyone. We were served a turkey burger, which had spinach and leeks, as well as brie, green goddess dressing, and green apples. It didn't really do it for me, but Cameron liked it. We also had calimari, but it was not your standard calimari with the marinara sauce. This version came with a sundried tomato and goat cheese sauce. They were pretty good. The winner of this stop was the Dixie Flatbread, which had pimento cheese, pork confit, carmelized onions, and bacon maple arugula. YUM. 

Second stop was a few doors down at Prohibition. Not only was the food amazing, but the atmosphere was definitely my favorite. I've only been to Prohibition once before at night for drinks. We were served shrimp & grits and the duck quesadilla. We also ordered two of their cocktails, but those are not included in the tour. Seen in the picture is the "Itty Bitty," which according to our tour guide, is voted on the of top drinks in Charleston. The duck quesadilla was easily one of my favorites on the tour. This is definitely a restaurant I want to go back to to try more of their food. 

Next we made our way to Rue de Jean, which we have been to a handful of times before. It's a tried and true place and if nothing else, they win the award for best smelling restaurant. We were served mussels, ratatouille, french fries, and warm crusty bread to dip in the leftover broth of the mussels (obviously the best part).  Looking at the menu just reminded me that I need to make truffled potato soup ASAP. 

We ended the tour with gelato at Paolo's. I chose the chocolate flavor, but wish I had chosen Nutella because it was much creamier. I never realized until we were in Paolo's that gelato has 1/3 of the fat that regular ice cream does. Good excuse to eat more gelato, right?

All in all we really enjoyed the tour and I am very interested in trying some of the other ones. If I could offer any constructive criticism it would be to change their menu offerings up a little bit. We were served pretty much the exact same things that Shelby was served on her tour the weekend before and same goes for Amy on her tour a few weeks ago. Looking at their posts, Prohibition seems to be the only placed that changed up their offerings. Even a girl on the tour with us who had participated in the same tour a year ago said she was served the same thing on her previous tour. That would be my only minor complaint!

Thanks again to Charleston Culinary Tours for providing us this opportunity! Can't wait to try another one!

Friday Five!

Hello, Happy Friday, and Happy Halloween!

It's been a while, but let's catch up on five fun things that have been going on since you last heard from me. 

{one}

Did you know gorgeous flowers grew in volcanoes? Call me naive, but I did not know that. Until The Bouqs Company contacted me wanted to send me fresh flowers! Now I don't know any girl (other than one with horrible allergies) that would turn that offer down. 

Bouqs is an online company that ships beautiful fresh flowers straight from a volcano in South America or the coast of California straight to your home - for FREE! The shipping is free, that is, not the flowers. The bouquets from South America come in 3 different sizes, as well, ranging in price from $40 - $70. 

I ordered the Desperado bouquet and was so excited to open them when I arrived to work. I opened the package and followed the instructions on the box, which told me how to get the maximum life out of my bouquet. Ones you may or may not already know - cut the stems at an angle, discard any leaves lower than the water level as well as any "guard" petals, and keep in clean water, out of direct sunlight. 

Very, very impressed with this company and will definitely be using them again. 

Want to try Bouqs? Register on their site and you'll receive a 15% discount for your first order along with their already free shipping! 

I was so impressed my flowers and this company that I sent a bouquet of pink ranunculus to my friend, Jenny, for her 30th birthday! She received them on the 17th and she texted me last night saying that they were still blooming! 

{two}

Do you have an extra second to help my stinky dog? 

I entered him in a costume contest through his vet's Facebook page and he desperately needs your votes! The winning pup gets a day at the spa and just trust me when I say, he needs it. 

You don't have to "like" the FB page or even register to be able to vote, you just literally click this link and then click the box next to his picture! So easy and he needs all of the help he can get because he's losing by like 30 votes! Thanks, friends! 

{three}

Last week, Cameron had to go to Charlotte for a business meeting. Luckily my new job is super flexible so I was able to join him! We left a little after lunch time on Wednesday and came back Thursday after lunch. 

Wednesday night, we ate at Cowfish, which we had never been to before. It is a burger-sushi fusion restaurant, with a humongous menu. We started with the ahi tuna nachos, which were flavorul, light and very satisfying. Cameron ordered a "side" spinach salad, which was HUGE, and also ordered a roll off of the "Burgushi" menu. The Doug's Filet Roll which is basically a standard sushi roll filled with avocado, crab, and cream cheese, and is then topped with thinly sliced filet mignon. Yum! I ordered one of the bento boxes, which lets you try a little of everything. It came with a mini burger of the day (jalepeno cream cheese and fried jalepeno slices), 4 pieces of sushi, Thai cucumbers, edamame, and french fries. Needless to say, we were stuffed and said no thank you to dessert. 

Thursday morning, Cameron went to his meeting and I went browsing around the Southpark Mall (first time there!). I only had two hours to look around, and I didn't even put a dent in going to some of the stores that I wanted to. And actually the only thing that I bought for myself was a make-up brush...which I'm returning because I wound up not liking it. I did get some Christmas shopping done though!  

Once Cameron was done with his meeting, we met up with Beth and April for lunch at Bricktops. Another amazing restaurant! I ordered a salad with seared tuna on it, as I am on an obvious tuna kick. It's always so great to see these girls!

{four}

Two weekends ago, Cameron and I co-hosted a floating engagement party for our friends, Jenny and Justin, who are getting married in June! The weather was absolutely perfect that evening. We kept it simple with wings, turkey wraps, crab dip, and a cheese platter, along with beer and wine. Good times were had by all...and some more than others. :)

{five}

Last Saturday we celebrated my Aunt Cindy's 50th birthday at her and my uncle's house. We celebrated with her three favorite things: Carolina football (even though we lost), étouffée, and family/friends. 

Can't wait to see everyone's Halloween costumes!

PS - This post contains affiliate links, but all opinions are my own. 

Labor Day Weekend {Football, Food, and More Food}

Whew, I can't remember the last time I go to fully enjoy a long holiday weekend like I did this past weekend. My last day at the Sandcastle was Friday, so that meant I had 3 days to enjoy before I started my new job. 

But before we get to the weekend, let's start with Thursday, shall we?

My mom and I - before the sweating kicked in.

Gamecock walk

I made these mini corndogs for tailgate. Super easy, and they were a hit!

 Thompson, Lattimore, Clowney

We won't even talk about the game....

Saturday morning we just lounged around the house before grabbing a bite to eat at Boxcar Betty's. This was Cameron's first time, and we both agree that while the sandwich was pretty darn tasty, Chick-Fil-A is still #1. 

Saturday night, we went over to a friend's house to watch the Clemson vs. Georgia game. I had enough fun for both Cameron and I, and paid for it ALL day Sunday. Guess I was making up for lost time working all of those weekends. 

Brady had fun, too.

Sunday I was slow to roll out of bed, but I did eventually to go on a short boat ride with Cameron's parents to get lunch. Felt a tad better once I ate a kids cheeseburger. Later that night, we went to my parents house for the epitome of a summertime meal. My dad smoked ribs that fell off the bone, my mom grilled sliced pineapple and made baked beans, and I brought a panzanella salad. SO good.

And Monday, while Cameron pressure washed the house, I caught up on laundry, dishes, etc. I did manage to sneak away for an hour to get lunch with Frankie at White Duck Taco, which you people who have been to Asheville are familiar with. My tacos were SO good and I cannot wait to go back! 

Lamb gyro on the left, buffalo chicken on the right

Alright, off to my first day at my new job! Couldn't sleep last night because I was so excited!

Supper Club, needtobreathe, and Mother's Day Brunch Menu.

Friday night we had Supper Club at Emily & David's house. All of the food was so tasty and my chocolate brownie trifle was a hit! The bowl was pretty much licked clean by the end of the night!

Saturday we spent all day cleaning the house and getting it ready for Sunday. Drove to Folly Beach to celebrate Cameron's grandma's husband's 90th birthday, then went to La Hacienda for some pre-concert drinks with Justin and Jenny.



 

After the nastiest margaritas I've ever tasted and a refreshing beer, we headed to the Performing Arts Center. It was our first time seeing a show at the PAC and we both thought it was awesome! Intimate and amazing acoustics. We had great seats, right in the middle, but being in the middle, it was a longgg walk through people to go to the bathroom. Needless to say, we did not drink that much.

 

The opening band, Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors, were AWESOME! Think Lumineers sound. In between bands, Jenny and I stood in line to meet Drew and get his autograph so we can say we met him before he made it big. Because they will. 
Please excuse my double jointed thumb.

 

 A few pics from the needtobreathe concert:

 

On Sunday, we invited our parents, my sister, and our grandmother's over for a brunch! I was so excited to pull out all of our new plates, platters, etc!

 

Here's what I served:

 

French Toast Casserole

 

Breakfast Casserole

(or Egg Bake, as Cameron's family calls it)

 

Pimento Cheese Grits

(All thanks to Natalie for telling her readers about the ones that she ordered at a restaurant last weekend!)

 

Fresh Fruit Salad

I received so many compliments so I'd say it was a success! I'll never make grits without pimento cheese again!

 

Hope all of you blog (and fur) mamas had a wonderful Mother's Day!