Finally a weekend recap + giveaway winner!

Happy February 29th!

This weekend was so much fun! Where to begin?

 Oh yeah, Friday night.

We were just planning on eating dinner and hanging out at the house with Emily and David Friday night but David randomly got tickets to see Corey Smith at the Music Farm...so that's what we did! Left about half way through the concert and met some friends at Mercury (the back patio part...the front part was more of a club and it reaked of BO. gross.) The night ended with a tasty treat from a street vendor. :) It was a random night for sure, but sometimes those are the best ones!

Saturday was full of wedding activities! First, looking for a dress to wear on our big day and later that evening, we celebrated Shelby & Trey on their big day! I would love love love to post pictures of the dresses that I tried on, but believe it or not, Cameron reads my blog. I will say that there is one dress from that store that is currently in the running. I have 2 more appointments on Friday and one on Saturday morning. I'm on a mission!

After playing dress up and grabbing lunch at Five Loaves, I came home, took a quick nap, and got ready for Shelby & Trey's wedding! I've been really excited for this wedding not only because they are such a fun couple, but because I knew they'd have a killer band and it was at one of my favorite Charleston wedding venues, The Legare Waring House.



Shout out to Mo! :)

Sunday we were both surprisingly NOT hungover so we joined Caroline and Andy for brunch at The Early Bird Diner. LOVE that place. After that, we came home and were actually very productive! Cameron cut the grass, I did laundry and we cleaned out our "junk room." You can actually walk in there now! AND I have a dedicated "dress closet" now! Heaven!

So that was our weekend. What did you do??

PS - The Sneakpeeq giveaway winner is Pauline! Congratulations! Your $25 credit will be deposited into your Sneakpeeq account today!

Tasty Tuesday - Cucumber Bites with Garlic Herb Filling

Anything with Boursin cheese on/in it is a winner in my book. Try these super simple appetizers for your next get together!

Cucumber Bites with Garlic Herb Filling

Photo and recipe found on Annie's Eats.

For the filling:
1 (5.2 oz) package garlic herb Boursin cheese
2-3 tbsp. heavy cream

To serve:
1 cucumber, peeled (partially or totally, as desired)

To make the filling, place the boursin in a small bowl. Add in 2 tablespoons of the heavy cream and stir with a fork until lightened and smooth. If needed, stir in an additional tablespoon of cream until the mixture is a good consistency for piping. Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip; set aside.

Slice the cucumber into ½-inch thick slices. Gently scoop out most of the seeds from the center of each slice, leaving a small portion to keep the filling from falling out. Arrange the slices on a serving platter. Pipe a dollop of the filling onto each cucumber slice. Serve chilled. (Note: These can be assembled and refrigerated up to 6 hours in advance of serving.)

PS - I will announce the winner of the Sneakpeeq giveaway tomorrow!



Weekend & Giveaway Reminder!

I love that crazy guy!

Have a great weekend!

Don't forget to enter the Sneakpeeq giveaway! It ends Monday!

Thursday's Thoughts.

Not a whole lot going on in my neck of the woods today. I got to sleep in since I have an event tonight, which was nice. Extra sleep = happy Megan.

Did any of yall give up anything for Lent? I decided to give up beer. Hopefully giving it up will help my get rid of my mini gut I've acquired this Winter. It's definitely going to be a challenge for me though (without sounding like an alcoholic). Sometimes after work, I just want to come home and drink a beer. And on the weekends, I drink beer because it doesn't give me a headache like wine and liquor does. Guess I'll just have to learn that word moderation when it comes to wine and liquor until Easter. :)

Is this considered moderation?



This weekend our friends, Shelby & Trey, are getting married! Trey has been friends with Cameron since high school and they both went on college together at Clemson. Trey and Shelby started dating about 6 months before Cameron and I met so it has been lots of fun hanging out with this sweet and super fun couple over the past 3 years! I know the wedding is going to be a blast and Shelby is going to be b-e-a-u-tiful!

They even color coordinate! haha jk :)

Saturday, before the wedding, I'll be going to my first wedding dress appointment! Joining me will be my mom, my sister, the bff, Cameron's mom and my two grandmothers. I can't wait! But I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little stressed that I'll be too picky or won't find one in my price range. I do have two more appointments set up in March at other stores so I'm going to try not to get too stressed just yet! 

Hope everyone is enjoying the BEAUTIFUL weather today!

Emily's Birthday! {Minute To Win It}

Before we get started today, I wanted to ask all of you a serious favor. One of my good friends, Jenny, is married to an amazing guy. Three months before they got married, Tim was diagnosed with colon cancer. He has been kicking it's butt since 2010, with a positive attitude, too, might I add. On Monday, he goes back in to have more tests run to determine what type of surgery he's going to have to have. A big bad one (we don't want that) or a small, not so bad one. So - all I'm asking from you is that you send positive thoughts and prayers their way! Thanks yall! To learn more about Tim you can check out the Brightlife page here and his blog here!

Today is a very special day! It is my BFF's 28th birthday!! We celebrated last Saturday at her and her husband's house and they threw a Minute To Win It party. It was SO much fun!

The supplies.

Putting the finishing touches on the scoreboard.

I'm not sure if I've ever laughed so hard in my life as I did that night!

Hope you have the best birthday ever, Em!

Tasty Tuesday - Chicken Rollatini Stuffed with Zucchini and Mozzarella

I made this for dinner one night last week and it.was.good. It was hard to keep all of the "stuffing" inside of the rolled up chicken, but whatev, it still tasted good. Hope you all enjoy!

Chicken Rollatini Stuffed with Zucchini and Mozzarella

Recipe and photo found on Skinnytaste.

1 tsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 1/2 cups (1 medium) zucchini, shredded

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Romano cheese (or parmesan)

3 oz part skim shredded mozzarella

salt and pepper to taste

8 thin chicken cutlets, 3 oz each

1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

1 lemon, juice of

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and fresh pepper

olive oil non-stick spray

Directions:

 

Wash and dry cutlets, season with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 450°. Lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick spray.

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat. Add oil when hot then saute garlic a minute, or until golden. Add zucchini, 1/4 cup Romano cheese, salt and pepper and saute about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool. When cool, add mozzarella cheese and mix to combine.

Lay chicken cutlets down on a working surface and spread 3 tbsp of zucchini-cheese mixture on each cutlet. Loosely roll each one and keep seam side down.

Combine breadcrumbs and grated cheese in one bowl; in a second bowl combine olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper in another bowl.

Dip chicken in lemon-oil mixture, then in breadcrumbs and place seam side down in a baking dish (no toothpicks needed). Repeat with the remaining chicken. When finished, lightly spraywith oil spray.

Bake 25 - 30 minutes. Serve immediately. Serving size is listed as one, but if you are having this as a low carb meal with a salad, I suggest you have two.

Thursday's Thoughts.

-Valentine's Day was a great day! Cameron surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of stargazer lilies!

Cameron's Valentine's presents from me:

That's a big statement from me. :)

Man bouquet with cigars and mini bottles!

And because my Daddy is so cute, I wanted to show off what he did for my Mom..



-This past Saturday, Emily and I drove to Columbia to celebrate Jen & Joe! They are getting married in April and are one of my favorite couples! It was the first time I've seen this group of friends since getting engaged so that was exciting, too. :)



-Cameron's parents stopped by after church last Sunday and surprised Cameron with getting his diplomas framed! They really tied the office together and look great! He's a smarty and has three. He was also kind enough to tell me that I could hang my diploma in the laundry room since that's "my room." That guy...

-Got my tax return deposited into my account yesterday! Holler! Got my car worked on, bought a pretty dress for one of the many weddings this year that I'll be attending and put some in savings!

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Hope you all have a great Thursday! It's almost the weekend!

Don't forget about my Sneakpeeq giveaway!



Giveaway #1 Winner!

Congratulations to Jessica!

 Her super cute, sweet and hyper puppy Hudson will look great in a Bigpaw Collar! 

PS - I borrowed this from your FB page. :)



And next time you come to Charleston we can wear our matching Naked Jay Vodka t-shirts to the dog park! haha

Wedding Wednesday: A Southern Tradition.

There are a ton of southern traditions when it comes to weddings. Brides these days often add a mixture of traditional and non-traditional elements to their weddings. Traditional such as a moment of prayer with your wedding party and non-traditional such as seeing your groom for your "first look" before the actual ceremony.

This particular tradition was brought to my attention by my friend Savannah, who is getting married in June!

What the tradition you ask? Burying a bottle of good ol' bourbon to keep the rain away! I couldn't believe I hadn't heard of it before.

According to many believers, to keep the rain away on your wedding day, you are supposed to bury an unopened bottle of bourbon, upside down, exactly one month before the wedding. Some even say you are supposed to bury it in the exact spot of the ceremony.
Since our wedding will be outside, I definitely want to figure out a way to make this happen!

Have you heard of this tradition before? What is your favorite southern wedding tradition?

Tasty Tuesday - Chocolate Lover's Cheesecake

Happy Valentine's Day!

Chocolate Lover's Cheesecake

Recipe and photo found here.

 For the crust:

1½ cups finely ground chocolate cookie crumbs*

3 tbsp. sugar

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake:

½ cup sour cream

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. espresso powder or instant coffee granules

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

¼ tsp. salt

1¼ cups sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

For the glaze:

3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
6 tbsp. heavy cream
1 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

 

*Most recipes call for Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers but I can never find them. I generally use Oreos and scrape off the cream filling.

 

To make the crust, preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with a round of parchment paper. In a medium bowl combine the cookie crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Stir with a fork until all the crumbs are moistened. Add the crumb mixture to the springform pan and gently press about 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Press the rest of the crumbs into an even layer over the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 300˚ F.

To make the filling, combine the sour cream, vanilla, and espresso powder in a small bowl. Whisk to blend and set aside. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave (in short intervals, stirring frequently) until completely smooth. Set aside and let cool slightly.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, cocoa powder, and salt. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the sugar and continue mixing about 2-3 minutes more, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the cooled chocolate to the bowl and mix on medium-low speed. Beat in the sour cream mixture just until evenly blended. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing each just until incorporated. (Don’t over-beat once the eggs are added or the cheesecake will puff too much.)

Pour the filling into the cooled crust. Bake until the center jiggles very slightly when nudged, about 50-60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 1-2 hours. Then cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 8 hours or overnight. (In my opinion, the greatest disservice you can do your cheesecake is not chilling it long enough. Always let it chill completely through. I promise, it will be worth the wait!)

To make the glaze, place the chopped chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan or in the microwave. Pour over the chocolate and let stand briefly, 1-2 minutes. Whisk just until a smooth ganache has formed. Whisk in the butter until completely incorporated. Pour the glaze in an even layer over the chilled cheesecake. Chill thoroughly.

To serve, carefully unmold the sides of the springform. Run a sharp knife under hot water to warm the blade, and wipe dry with a towel. Slice cleanly, wiping the blade between slices and reheating as necessary. Serve chilled.

Giveaway #2! {Sneakpeeq}

Last week, right as I was starting to rack my brain about what I was going to giveaway to my lovely readers, a Sneakpeeq representative contacted me. Talk about perfect timing! I had already been a member of Sneakpeeq for a short period of time, but wasn't super familiar with the site.



Sneakpeeq is similar to all of the websites that offer great brands at great prices, but this particular website comes with a twist.

"Every day, we put a new set of amazing products from new brands on the site. We then take what we know about you as a sneakpeeq shopper (aka "peeqer") and present you with 3 products that we think you'll like the most. The more you participate on the site the better we can predict your personal style. You can also browse through the other stores and like, love, share, and peeq to help us learn more about you."

"By playing around on the site, and sharing, peeqing, and buying items you can unlock badges. Some badges have the power to lower the prices even further!"

"A peeq is the action of flipping over a price tag. As a new user you have a limited number of peeqs but the more you participate the more you'll earn. Every 24 hours the peeqs are refilled to your account. If you run out of peeqs, don't worry- we will give you opportunities to earn more peeqs. A peeq is worth 5 points toward that particular store's leaderboard, as well as counting towards various badges and teaching sneakpeeq more about what you love to shop for."

They have over 600 brand partners, which includes jewelry, gourmet food, housewares, apparel, & accessories. 

Here is an idea of some items on their website:

Amrita Singh Deep Blue Sea Earrings
Retail $100, Sneakpeeq price $59

Miles of Light Seasons Series Print Set
Retail $120, Sneakpeeq price $74

Christine's Gourmet Toffee Mini Sampler
Retail $25, Sneakpeeq price $17

Big Buddha Cream Croco Wallet
Retail $45, Sneakpeeq price $29

Sneakpeeq is offering the winner a $25 gift certificate to their site! And even if you don't win, they are offering a 20% off code just for entering! It's a win-win!

To enter:

-You must be a follower of Fried Green Pickles.

-Follow this link, sign up & enter the giveaway!

Entries left as a comment on the blog will not be counted towards the giveaway. You must go through the link!

Only new Sneakpeeq users can enter the giveaway (sorry current peeqers).

Giveaway is limited to US residents only.

Winner will be announced Monday, February 27th!

Good luck!!

As Promised - Giveaway {Part One}

I think I had a few lurkers reading my blog because right when I needed 6 more followers to make it to 400, BAM!, I had 404 of them! Thank you to those 10 people who officially became FGP followers! :)

For Part One of the giveaway, I wanted to highlight two things that I personally enjoy and wanted to share them with you!

First up - A Naked Jay vodka t-shirt. I know, I know, it's not the actual vodka. Believe me, I asked for the vodka, but they have rules, people. So this was the next best thing! And everytime you wear it, you will think of me! :)

Next - a gift for your furry friend! The super generous Kathy at Bigpaw Collars is offering the winner a $50 gift certificate to use towards her store! Brady got one of these collars for Christmas and he loved it! :)


To enter:
-You must be a follower.
-Visit Bigpaw Collars and let me know which collar is your favorite!
{Same entry}


Extra entries:

-Follow Naked Jay Vodka on Twitter.
-Go to Naked Jay's website and let me know which drink recipe you're most interested to try!
-Like Bigpaw Collars on Facebook.
{Separate entries}

I will announce the giveaway winner on Wednesday, February 15th!

Wedding Wednesday: Bridesmaid Dresses.

Welcome to my first installment of Wedding Wednesday!

I'm going to try my best to not bore you with wedding details every day and keep the wedding talk to a mimum of once a week within the next 13 months. But let's be serious, what girl doesn't like to look at wedding pictures and talk about weddings? And let's be serious again, I've been waiting for my big day for 28 years so I'm most likely going to be talking about it more than once a week. Sorry I'm not sorry.

First up - bridesmaid dresses! And it's going to be a lengthy one.

 

 

As I previously mentioned, last Saturday I met up wit
h some of my bmaids and my mom and we went to a bridal shop in West Ashley to see if any bmaid dresses caught our eye. I was very pleased in the selection of dresses that Condon's had available for us to try on!

There were 3 that I liked, but one in particular really stood out to all of us.

Obviously the color is hideous, resembling clay mud, but I liked the style. Ultimately, it was "too bridesmaid-y" for me.

A close runner-up.

The winner! We loved that it looked great on the "blessed with a chest" ladies and the "not so blessed with a chest" ladies, that it's not your standard bridesmaid dress and that it was comfortable! It also comes in a WIDE selection of colors..

Which brings me to my next topic..the COLOR!

Since I've started planning the wedding (ok way before we even got engaged), I've always envisioned a soft color palette. Ivory, soft coral/pink, gold, and soft greens.

Something like this..

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That brings me to my dilemma. What color bridesmaid dresses do they wear??

This photo I saw on Pinterest REALLY has me leaning towards champagne / nude color, but I'm worried that with the wedding being in late March, and although I'm sure a lot of them will get spray tan's, they will look washed out.

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As I mentioned above (if you are still reading - thank you!), there are a WIDE variety of colors to choose from.

Here are the top contenders: (Sorry they are so small & blurry)

Palomino

Cameo

Rose

Amethyst

Celadon (least favorite)

Obviously the colors are different in person than on the website, but the teeny tiny swatches that they show you in the store don't help either. Jean's in Mt. Pleasant also carries this line of dresses, so when we go there on the 25th for me to try on dresses (!!!), I'm hoping I can see some of these colors in real life. Otherwise, I'll have to order swatches from the website.

And finally, on to my last question..how do you feel about similar mixed colors vs. all one color bridesmaid dresses?

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Sorry so long winded today! Can you tell I'm having a hard time making decisions already??

I really appreciate all of your thoughts / advice!

(Only 4 more followers to go before the giveaway!)

Oh yeah, the bridesmaid dress is by Dessy - found here. :)