Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Tasty Tuesday - Herb Baked Eggs & Cameron's Birthday Dinner at Carolina's

For Father's Day, my sister and I decided to cook brunch for my parents at my house (my house and Cameron's..I get looks when I say "mine" apparently). I wanted to do an easy and fairly inexpensive meal that tasted great..and this one hit the nail on the head! I originally saw it on Brooke's blog a while back and wrote it down. This version is from Ina Garten.

Herb Baked Eggs
Serves 2 (but probably 3..two eggs was enough for me)

Ingredients
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan
6 extra-large eggs
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Toasted French bread or brioche, for serving

Directions

Preheat the broiler for 5 minutes and place the oven rack 6 inches below the heat.

Combine the garlic, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and Parmesan and set aside. Carefully crack 3 eggs into each of 2 small bowls or teacups (you won't be baking them in these) without breaking the yolks. (It's very important to have all the eggs ready to go before you start cooking.)

Place 2 individual gratin dishes on a baking sheet. Place 1 tablespoon of cream and 1/2 tablespoon of butter in each dish and place under the broiler for about 3 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

 Quickly, but carefully, pour 3 eggs into each gratin dish and sprinkle evenly with the herb mixture, then sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

Place back under the broiler for 5 to 6 minutes, until the whites of the eggs are almost cooked. (Rotate the baking sheet once if they aren't cooking evenly.)

The eggs will continue to cook after you take them out of the oven.

Allow to set for 60 seconds and serve hot with toasted bread.

Served mine over cheesy grits, with crispy bacon and toast. My eggs are a little on the done side cause that's how my Daddy likes them! :)
Happy Daddy!
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On another note, last night Cameron and I ate at Carolina's for his birthday. It was DELICIOUS!

First, we went straight for a bottle of Esperto Pinot Grigio.

On Monday nights they have a 3 course meal for $30 so we both went for that....and both ordered the same thing.

First Course:

Chickpea & Tomato Soup
Parmesan | Olive Oil

(It was good, but nothing to rave about. My only complaint is that they gave you two choices for the first course and both were soups. I'm sorry, but last I checked it's 100* in Charleston, I don't want a cup of soup. No substitutions for salad, either.)

Cameron also ordered a Casear salad.

Second Course:

Grilled Hanger Steak
Salt Roasted Smashed Fingerling Potatoes | Kurios Farms Black Cherry Tomato
Tatsoi | Wadmalaw Sweets Onions | Bacon Butter Sauce

(This was REALLY good! The steak was cooked perfectly, the potatoes were soo good and the sauce was very light with great flavor. I don't do onions so I'm not sure how those tasted.)

Third Course:

No dessert descriptions on their website so I will do my best.

Peanut brittle cup filled with vanilla ice cream, topped with fresh fruit and drizzled with chocolate syrup.

(I was so stuffed from the entree, but I ate every last bit of this. It was so good!)

Monday, June 20, 2011

Birthday Boy!

Someone turns 27 today! Can you guess who it is?

Some clues...

He loves me. :)
He likes to shake his groove thang.
He'd go fishing everyday if he could.
He loves all things Clemson. (eww)
Sarcasm is just one of his many talents.
He needs meat with every meal.
He needs to be shhh-ed sometimes.
He loves his Bubba.

He loves his sweet nieces. (dannnng he's hot in this pic)


If you guessed Cameron, you're right!

Happy Birthday, Cameron!

 I hope you have an awesome day and enjoy dinner tonight! Oh, and your lawnmower..whenever it comes back in stock. :)

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Friday, June 17, 2011

The Charleston Nine.

I am not a good writer. Especially when it comes to my feelings. Especially when I get tears in my eyes before I even type anything. So I apologize if this is random and jumbled.

I met Louis in middle school. He was dating (and eventually married) my friend Jenna's mom. Jenna and I played soccer and cheered together so we were together quite often. I remember loving going over to their house. Louis was so much fun and always made me laugh. He wasn't exactly bad looking, either. :) He and Jenna's mom later went separate ways but everytime I saw Louis, he was still the same ol' guy.

After college, I was working a full-time job as a sales coordinator for an inn and part-time at Outback Steakhouse (where I had worked all through college). One night, I was working on the patio and was told by the hostess that I was about to have a large party of firefighters. I though, "ooh, this should be fun!!" and I may have put on a little bit of lipgloss before I greeted the table. What? Gotta make those tips! I walked up to the table and was so excited to see Louis sitting there! I caught up on his life, told him what was going on in mine, and I met his new wife, Lauren. I remember thinking that she was absolutely beautiful and I could tell how happy he was with her. That was the last time I saw Louis.

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I didn't even know about the fire until the morning after it happened. My mom sent me a text while I was at work letting me know. Then I got the next text. She had heard that Louis was one of the nine firefighters that got trapped inside the burning building that collapsed. My heart sank. I ran to the employee breakroom to watch the news. It was confirmed. My heart broke. It didn't seem real.

I went to the wake. The line was SO LONG and understandably so! Louis made an impact on everyone he came in contact with, young or old. I saw and spoke to Lauren and she remembered me as "The Outback Girl," which I was surprised she remembered me at all!There was also a memorial service at our high school football field that I went to with my parents. I remember seeing my Dad cry for maybe the third time in my life (which of course only makes me cry harder). It was a very tough day but I remember smiling just thinking about goofy Louis.

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I drive by the site of the fire very often. Before I moved in with Cameron, I lived in the neighborhood behind the site for three years. Everytime I drive by it, I make sure to say hello to Louis and tell him that we miss him. Sometimes outloud, sometimes in my head if there is anyone else in the car with me.

This Saturday will mark the fourth anniversary of the fire. Caroline and I plan on stopping by the site in the morning to remember Louis. We'll probably shed some tears, but there will definitely be some funny stories about him.

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For more information on the Sofa Super Store fire, click here.

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Other than firefighting, coaching basketball and football were Louis' other passions. He treated the players as if they were his own children.

Please watch these videos. I promise you'll be glad you did (you may just want to grab some tissue first).

Part 1.   Part 2.

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We love you and miss you, Louis!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Love.

Pics from Jenny's Bach Party.
No trip to Myrtle Beach is complete without an airbrush t-shirt!
The groom with our friend, Jenny, who couldn't make the trip. She apologized for not having time to shave her chest hair.
Wiggin' Out!
Dinner at Dick's Last Resort. If you ever go to Myrtle Beach and haven't been to Dick's, you need to go. But only if you're prepared to get made fun of and talked sh*t to.
Fried pickles! My fave!


Brady's New Collar.
UncleBarkley

Becca's Baby Shower Gift.
curiousgeorgia
Baby Davis is due to make his appearance next month!
Random Monday Evening Boat Rides.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Anyone want to buy?

Thought I'd offer it to my readers before I posted on Ebay!

White House Black Market
Size 0
Worn maybe 3 times
$35 Shipped or make me an offer!

I absolutely LOVE this dress but it does not fit anymore. :(