A beer float.

When the Fervent Foodie visited Greenville a couple of weeks ago, we went on a tour of Thomas Creek Brewery. I HIGHLY recommend you take this tour.  It's really educational.  And they give you beer samples.  

One of the last beers we tried was the Coffee and Oatmeal Stout.  It tasted sort of like a mixture of, well, coffee and beer. 

 I don't drink my coffee black so my first thought (which I said out loud) was that it needed half and half.  People rolled their eyes at me.  And then a light bulb magically appeared above my head.  What this beer needs, I thought, is a really good ice cream.  I'm totally making a float.

And I did.

I ran to Ingles for some Coffee, Coffee Buzz Buzz Buzz Ben and Jerry's.

Popped into Greenville Beer Exchange to grab some Coffee Oatmeal Stout beer.

And made a most excellent float.  

The end. 

Monday Mashup: birthday cake, my new fork, podcasts and wings

I totally just ate birthday cake straight out of the cake box for breakfast.  Coconut is a perfectly acceptable breakfast food, right?  It was my big birthday celebration this past weekend and dearest friends gathered to help me party the night away.  I ordered a giant coconut cake from Brick Street Bakery in Greenville.  We'll be eating on this cake next year. Okay, at the rate I'm diving in, it might be gone tomorrow, but you get the point. It's giant!

My friend, Griet, was leaving yesterday and being that it was cold outside, she wanted to put on her hat.  She had a ponytail and decided to cut a hole in her hat for her hair to stick out instead of having that giant bump on the back of your head.  You know the one.  I think this is pure genius and she could make millions off the idea.

I got a tattoo.  Yes I did!  A fork.  It's forking amazing.  Okay, so it kinda hurt like hell.  Like an angry cat continually scratching you, but it is super cool.  I just poked away at my iPhone in the other hand, took pics, etc and tried to ignore the incredible stinging coming from my other arm while he was working away.  Thank God my phone didn't die or I might have been a big baby about the whole thing.  So I am permanently forked.  And I love it.  J.J. Olinger was this incredible painter in Greenville before he started inking people, as well.  I was a huge fan so when he started doing the whole tattoo thing, I had to have a JJ original.  He gives this t-shirt away to people getting their first tattoo.  My husband was not totally stoked about this bit of the experience.

OMG. Adam Roberts, The Amateur Gourmet, will be in town next week and I get to meet him. (Squealing!)  I'm already jotting down questions so when he's sitting there and I'm thinking "OMG, Adam Roberts is sitting across from me!" I will have some go-to questions to keep me from looking like a totally obsessed fangirl. (Which I might be.  A little bit.  Okay, a lot.)

I'm also catching up on his Clean Plate Club podcasts.  My husband has been listening to podcasts forever, but I am a new fan.  After Christmas music ended, I just wasn't ready to go back to the regular play list, so podcasts have been a nice detour!  The Clean Plate Club is my favorite.  Adam invites one food person and one non-food person to have dinner with him and his partner, Craig, and they talk food, the entertainment industry (because Craig makes indie films), and general LA and New York gossip. LOVE it!  There, quite honestly, are not enough of them!  Get on that Adam!  I'm waiting!  OOOH!  We should do a Clean Plate Club recording over our breakfast next week!!!!! Can we?  (Begging. You can always delete it if I am unworthy.)

Other podcasts to check out: 3 Wine Guys, Go Fork Yourself (Andrew Zimmern and Molly Mogren), Spilled Milk (Molly Wizenberg! from the Orangette blog and Matthew Amster-Burton), and  Wine for Normal People.

I am totally obsessed with the wine app Vivino.  You open the app, snap a picture of a wine label and you have the expected cost, ratings, reviews, and so much more.  I LOVE IT!  My daughter has to pull me out of the wine section of the grocery store.  My friend brought a Worthy Sophia's Cuvee Napa Valley (2008) to my party and I totally Vivino'ed the wine. She picked well.  High ratings and great reviews.  A really awesome cab blend.  I can't wait to get my hands on another bottle! It might be my go to for dinner parties.

The Superbowl is apparently coming up soon.  I am only in it for the food.  Wings,  mostly. Here are 31 freaking awesome wing recipes to choose from. (Thank you Buzzfeed!) I dare you to choose just one. Lime and Maple?  Asian Caramel? Honey Sriracha?  Yes, please!  And I'm totally making these cocktail wieners this year. Pure crack.  And yes, that is a jello shot in the background.  I might have had one or two.  Tasty little boogers!

That's a wrap for Monday's Mashup!  It's time for a coffee refill and a little Today Show to catch up on the entertainment news.

Happy Monday all!  Keep an eye out for my beer float post coming soon.  YUM!

Tuesday Mish Mash: pigs, wine and a crazy new cooking store.

I totally held a pig last weekend.  And I swear it was one of the coolest things I've done in FOREVER.  We were at the Boone Hall Farm Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch and this year, God bless them, they had a petting zoo complete with a llama, a calf, goats, bunnies, a mini donkey, and baby PIGGGSSSS. I already thought they were the bees knees for having a cool corn maze and the biggest pumpkins I've seen in South Carolina, but cuddly animals too?! I went through the petty zoo twice. Well, I can check that off my bucket list.

I am in love with this wine.  Apothic Red is one of our go-to easy wines. It's $9. It appeals to a wide range of tastes. Bam.  But this new Apothic Dark is deeper and richer.  So yum.  I must stock up before it is all gone.

We make Low Country Boil (aka Frogmore Stew) every time we go to Isle of Palms, so last weekend, I decided to mix it up a bit and make Shrimp and Sausage Burritos.  They turned out really well. Shrimp, sausage, onions, peppers, black beans, corn, taco seasoning, guac, sour cream, and my father-in-law's homemade salsa.  Next time, I'm throwing in some fried potatoes, and that will about cover it, don't you think?

I am 100% obsessed with the casting of the Fifty Shades of Gray movie.  Obsessed. Obsessed. Obsessed.  I won't bore you, but feel free to comment.

OMG! I have to tell you about this crazy new cooking store called Southern Season my friend told me about on Mt. Pleasant.  It's like the Fresh Market on crack.  It's a cooking school, a market and a restaurant all in one big strip.  Strangely, the market has no fresh veggies or meat department (really?!) but there is a big deli and a bakery with the craziest selection of iced cookies (one of my favorite things) I've ever seen, a huge candy department, more condiments than I thought existed, tons of gluten free dry goods (cookies, etc and baking mixes), a big house wares section with ridiculous collections of cutlery and candles and aprons... bags... it's a weird place.  But they have wine and beer.  Isn't that all we really care about?

The menus from the Restaurant at Southern Season looked pretty dang cool.  They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and weekend brunch with dishes like the Bourbon BBQ Porterhouse Pork Chop with Bleu Cheese Macaroni and Pickled Peaches. Are you drooling yet? When I get back to the island, I'm totally meeting a friend there for the mini-menu and drinks they serve from 3-5pm.

Here's another pig picture.  Just for kicks and giggles.

I'm so ready for Halloween.  My Halloween houses are out... all lit up and making spooookkky noises. I went to no less than five stores yesterday looking for more Halloween decorations for my house.  (Like I need anymore.) And I am all stocked up on Candy Corn.  I'll save my costume for the after Halloween party pics because I don't want to ruin my husband's big surprise costume.  What's everyone out there planning on being for Halloween?  

That's all I have for now.  Happy Tuesday!

What's up in Summerland?

(a heart by my friend Marlee)

Hi all!  I'm back.  I know it's been awhile. Thank you all for hanging in there. A bad bipolar crash left me reeling and killed my stupendous writing skills, but I'm fighting my way back and ready to share some cool stuff with the class.

I have pretty much taken up residence on Isle of Palms this summer.  Life is a beach, after all, in case you haven't heard. I've been Instagramming up a storm.  Follow me at gapcreekgourmet.

One of my seriously wicked finds:  Haypenny gourmet Bourbon Praline S'mores kit from The Co-op on Sullivan's Island.  I scarfed every single one of these myself. And I licked the plate when I was done. Every time. (No, I did not share.)  The bag contains round homemade graham crackers, fluffy little handmade marshmallows, and both dark and milk chocolate squares. YUM! I'm getting another bag as soon as I get back to the islands.  Needless to say, Weight Watchers is on hold until school's back in.

Also I've been seriously hitting the wine selection at Piggly Wiggly.  There have been some really cool finds. I so wish we had The Pig in Greenville! If you have a Pig in your neck of the woods, keep an eye on the top shelf wine deals. I snagged this one for $11 off!

Another one of my summer addictions?  The Fosters on ABC Family.  I swear I haven't flipped over a show this much since...okay, so I'm always flipping over a new show, but I swear this one will be at the top of my list for a long time.  I love it more than Carrie Diaries, The Newsroom, True Blood.  More than Banshee. Strike Back?  That would be a tough decision. (Those gun toting guys are just so yummy to watch!)

Okay, since I'm on the topic of tv, I'm about to rock your world. Have you heard of the HeardonTV app for your phone?  My BFF told me about it at the beach and I'm hooked.  Say you are totally addicted to... The Carrie Diaries (duh!).  You download the app.  Click on the show and get to buy, listen to, or watch videos from the songs in your favorite episodes. It is totally the bomb.  And it's a free app.  Even better, right?  The website rocks too.

Speaking of shows, I just couldn't resist sharing this "What Your 90's Crush Says About You" from ThoughtCatalog.com. It was on the How Sweet It Is blog and had me in stitches.  Remember Party of Five?  (Swoon...)

July's Travelers Rest Cookbook Book Club meeting was amazing.  We are cooking out of the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. I made these Popcorn Cookies and they are going to be appearing regularly around my house.  You basically make chocolate chip cookie dough (without the chocolate chips) and add fresh popped, buttered and salted popcorn.  They are addictive. See the easy recipe here.

Here's my favorite song this summer:

And a random amazing pic of one of the sunflowers at the Community Garden by the library on Sullivan's Island.

And before I go...

If you have a friend who struggles with depression, please keep them in your prayers. And when they are down, send them a card, give them a call, shoot them regular emails.  It's very important that they know people are thinking of them and care about them.  Even a quick text goes a long way. Thank you to all the people who took a little time to show me they were out there. It meant more than you know. And that's all I'm going to say about that right now. Maybe more later...

Happy Monday!

Going bananas: 6 things to do with the bananas on your counter

Normally, this would be a post about how nuts I am lately, but I'm good on that front!  Instead, it's a helpful little post on 6 things you can do with those bananas on your counter that are close to their end date. 

I always buy too many bananas.  I buy them with the best intentions of eating one a day, but end up throwing half of them in the woods and the other salvageable half get throw in the freezer and forgotten about.  No more.  I decided to get a handle on my banana problem, and I thought I'd share. 

1) My go-to banana reducer is Banana Bread.  I'm don't have one particular recipe that I use every time I make it, but I found this well written recipe for Julia's Best Banana Bread in the March 2013 Bon Appetit Mag that worked out just fine.  It made a huge, densely crusted loaf that I whopped in half and gave away to some very happy recipients (Dad and Sister).  I added some semi-sweet chocolate chips to the batter before baking, but other than that, a perfect recipe.  

2) Banana Smoothies are my friend in the afternoon. I never can decide on a snack that won't break the calorie bank, but a banana smoothie is a sure fire way to get that energy back and keep me running (and not devouring everything in my path) until dinner.  Simple: 

1 Banana (I keep too-ripe bananas in the freezer for this or you can use just a regular banana)

1-2 tbsp peanut butter

1/2 cup milk, 

1/2 cup water

1 cup of ice, 

splash of vanilla extract

Blend. Enjoy. 

3) Banana Cookies.  I found this amazing little skinny recipe on Pinterest for two-ingredient cookies.  Of course, I had to tamper with it.  So here's a 5 ingredient somewhat skinny cookie recipe.

Preheat oven to 350.  Throw two bananas, a cup of quick oats, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract in the food processor and blend until the bananas are smooth. Put in a bowl and mix in 1/4 cup chocolate chips and 1/4 cup coconut or nuts.  Scoop out cookies (2 tbsp each) onto cookie sheet.  Bake for 18 minutes or starting to turn golden around edges.  These things are solid and really tasty. 

4) Banana mask.  I haven't tried this.  Let's call it homework.  You moosh up a banana and mix it with a tablespoon of honey and then you smooth it over your face, wait for 10 minutes and then wash it off.  It's supposed to make your skin really soft and smooth.  I'll get right on that. 

5) Skinny Ice Cream.  Freeze a few bananas and throw them in the blender or food processor.  Blend until smooth.  Dump out into a little dish and you have some skinny banana ice cream. Wa-la.

6) The winner for the coolest thing to do with bananas, by far, is making Chicken with Banana Curry Sauce.  I wanted to find something savory to do with bananas, so during a little research, I found this recipe from Food and Wine Magazine.  Luckily, I had most of the herbs on hand so it wasn't too expensive, but it took me a couple of trips to different grocery stores to find bone-in chicken breasts. Let me tell you that when it was finished, my house smelled AMAZING! AND, it was even better for leftovers the second day after the chicken had time to sit in the sauce and marinate. 

No more excuses, people!  Eat those bananas.

Chicken and Biscuits

After watching Bravo's Top Chef contestants battle it out for the best fried chicken this week, I was on a mission to try some of my own.  Food shows can be trouble.  They cause cravings.  I hit the internet to find something easy.  Who has a day to soak chicken in buttermilk?  I'm too impatient. Turns out I didn't find a recipe that suited me so as I find myself doing often, I winged it.

I cranked up the old school country music and got to cookin. I seasoned chicken liberally with salt, pepper, garlic powder and Lawry's seasoning salt then soaked it in buttermilk for about an hour. I mixed the same seasonings in the flour too.  I dipped the chicken in the flour and fried it in peanut oil (which I've never used before shockingly) in a skillet. Some of the super thick pieces like breasts and thighs took a good frying and a little while in the oven on 350 to get the internal temp right.  Did I mention with cooking and cleaning this was a four hour undertaking?  Well, the chicken AND the biscuits.

I Googled Southern biscuit recipe as an afterthought while standing in the middle of the grocery store this morning.  I have never made a single scratch made biscuit in my life.  My grandmother used to make little puck sized discs that were hard on the outside and super flaky inside. I'd sit and watch her measure out flour and mix the ingredients with her hands.  It would get all over her rings. I have always thought they looked complicated. But guess what?  They aren't!  Maybe it is the recipe, but I swear to you I whipped out two batches back to back of perfectly tall and flaky biscuits.  I fed a bunch of boys who had been out shooting all morning and they were all smiles chomping into chicken and biscuits with honey.

For the so easy you can't screw this up recipe, go here.  If you want to muck with it a little, which I did on batch 2, you can used salted butter instead of unsalted, and add a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of sugar.  They could not have been more perfect.

Banana Bread with Pecans and Coconut (and some awesome french toast)

We're in the middle of a little ice storm in the valley, and of course the first thing I want to do when there is no way I can go to the store is bake. There are three eggs left in my house and I'm stuck deciding on the one recipe that will satisfy my need for comfort food.   Two over ripe bananas on my counter and a hodge podge of misc leftover baking ingredients decided that for me. I whipped up some Banana Bread with Pecans and Coconut and then decided to make french toast out of it. Healthy, right? See below for the recipe.

Banana Bread with Pecans and Coconut

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

  ¼ teaspoon baking soda

  ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  1/8 teaspoon salt

  1 egg

  2 medium bananas mashed

 ¾ cup sugar

 ¼ cup cooking oil

  1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel

  ½ cup pecans

  ½ cup coconut

Preheat oven to 350°.

Spray loaf pan with nonstick spray. In medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Mix together and set aside.

In another bowl mash the bananas, add the egg, sugar, cooking oil, lemon peel, pecans, and coconut. Mix well.  Add to dry mixture.  Mix together until blended.  Will be lumpy. Pour into loaf pan(s). I chose two small loaf pans instead of one big one.

Baking time varies based on size of loaf pan.  For 8x4x2-inch loaf pan bake for 50-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.  Remove loaf from pan. Cool on rack.

*altered from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook Banana Bread recipe

For French Toast

   2 eggs beaten

  ½ cup milk

  ½ teaspoon cinnamon

  6 slices banana bread

    Maple syrup or whipped cream

 

Beat egg, milk and cinnamon together in a shallow bowl.  Slice banana bread in 1 inch pieces.  Dip in egg mixture to coat.  Spray skillet with cooking oil and cook bread on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until browned.  Serve with maple syrup or whipped cream.

a bit of Euphoria 2012 news and the monthly rip and file (aka catching up on august mags)

One of my favorite local Chefs asked me to share a little bit of Euphoria news with my peeps: Stella’s Bistro in Simpsonville, is offering one hell of a Euphoric deal!  They are giving away $40 gift cards (one per couple) to anyone that purchases two tickets to their Euphoria Wine Dinner featuring Iron Chef winner Edward Lee of 610 Magnolia in Louisville, Kentucky and Paul Fehribach of Big Jones in Chicago.  Go here for more info!

Now back to the regular programming: 

To switch things up a bit, I decided to paste the stuff I ripped out mags this month into one of these cool Smash notebooks that my brother gave me.  While I'm waiting on two Apple Crisps and roasted Butternut Squash (for this recipe) to finish doing their thing in the oven, I thought I'd share .

The Movies:

I so can't wait to see To Rome With Love. Another Woody Allen film.  Yea!  

And Emma Watson's next big project, The Perks of Being a Wall Flower.  I can honestly say I didn't see a single Harry Potter film so there's no chance of having post traumatic Harry syndrome during this one. 

What's destined for my Tivo:

FOX's new sitcom, Ben and Kate.  I am CRAZY for We Bought a Zoo so the fact that little Maggie Jones    ("We bought a ZOOO!!!!") is supposed to be cat's pj's  in this one... I'm totally there. 

The L.A. Complex. I just love a good "trying to make it in L.A. story" and am a really horrible, horrible person probably for finding some sort of enjoyment out of CW television...

I need another book to read like I need a hole in my shoe:

BUT I can't wait to get my hands on Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussman and Everyday by David Levithan.  

Oh the places I will go:

I have not stepped foot into Shinola at 19 Mohawk Drive in Greenville yet, but based on the very cool junk exploding out their doors, I am going to be a regular.  I gotta get there soon... and should probably stop into Community Tap too to restock the vino.  (This one's gonna be a blog post folks!)

There is apparently a bar called Speakeasy in Charleston... a hidden little place that involves a secret walkway and a tiny staircase. There is no sign.  It all sounds shady to me, but does anyone remember the cool little saiki bar on Main Street where you had to walk through another place to get there and it only seated like 12?  THAT is the reason I totally have to go find the little bar of which I speak. 

In the kitchen:

Big hugs to Chef John Malik for sharing his Molasses-Brined Pork Tenderloin recipe with Edible Upcountry readers.  It's now on my to-cook list. 

Uncorked:

Oregon Wines to try: Ponzi Vineyards and Thistle.  Noted. 

I've been watching Bottleshock over and over again.  Tis the season.  And I am so longing to do nothing but sit in my back yard in a good chair sipping on a beautiful golden chardonnay.  Something from Boomtown, Tranche, StoneCap and Waterbrook are on my list... never tried those vineyards, you?

Smells like the Butternut Squash is almost finished.  The crisps are a smashing success! And you have some links to peruse now, don't ya?

Happy Sunday evening!  If this beautiful weather follows us through the week, it's gonna be a fantastic one folks!

Stalking my pets, apples, and Indie Craft Parade 2012

It's amazing what a little whipped cream and cinnamon can do for a cloudy morning!  Can I get an amen?

Yesterday I ventured out for a Trader Joe's and Publix run.  They've rearranged my Publix next to Furman University! I HATE it when that happens.  I decided it was a soup kind of day while I was there and ended up with a a bag full of butternut squash, sweet potatos, apple sauce and chicken broth and stock.  Oh, man!  That means I have to cook soup.

Cloudy weather makes me want to stuff face and sleep.  It also makes me what to cook things.  Like this apple cake.  Which is half gone after three days.  I DID share a little bit with friends and family, but not much. For the Gap Creek Gourmet Facebook fans who were begging for the recipe: I left the icing off, because I knew I would eat almost the entire thing myself and wanted to save the calories.  And I subbed 1/2 brown sugar for white and added 1/2 c. of Walnuts.  I have problems following a recipe...and directions for that matter.  It's a personality thing.

Am I the only person in America chomping at the bit for the political blah, blah to be over with so the good shows will come on television already?  We have CNN and HLN and Fox News and talk radio to cover that stuff... I'm not allowed (day job) to comment politically, so staying away from it so I don't get riled up is my best plan of action!  Bring on the good tv folks!  I CAN NOT WAIT for Homeland!

Moment of stupidity.  I have these often, but thought I'd share this one.  So I got ALL excited about a show previewing on TLC called Big Sexy.  So stoked.  It's about these big, bodacious women who work in the fashion industry and live in NYC. It honestly gave me something to get out of bed for on Tuesday. (One of those days.) I checked the listings. Nothing.  Checked on the computer. Nothing.  Had the husband check on the computer.  "Uh, hon, that show previewed in September 2011!" Duh.  And it was canceled after like two shows.  (My little world crumbles.)  Sigh.  And back to my normal programming...

 

In my momentary cooking frenzy on Tuesday, I also made this quinoa with the rest of my already skinned and chopped apples, some carrots and cinnamon, salt, and pepper.  Yum.   I'm a new fan of quinoa.  I used to think it looked like little bugs and popped like the tobiko on sushi.  I got over it. I think I'm going to put cinnamon in everything 'til Fall actually gets here.

I've been entertaining myself this week by taking pics of my dogs. (Can you tell he loves me, or what?! Look at that face! It just screams 'I love you mamma!')

...cats (she's not so in love with me at the moment cause she's getting shoo'ed off of my suitcase which has yet to be removed from the kitchen since I walked in from a work trip on Monday. I did at least unpack it...)

So the big plan for today is to FINALLY check out the ASADA Greeville food truck! Yea!!! The clouds in my brain seem to be clearing, and I'm on a mission!

This weekend's big adventure:  Indie Craft Parade 2012.  (That's me and my buddy acting up in last year's photo booth.  Love those!)  I look forward to this awesome art event every year.  I can't wait to see some of my favorite artists like Jimmie Lynn from Wingo Designs (who made my cupcake necklace and my little square bird necklace that I wear every. single. day.), Betsy Carr from Found*Ling (love her new Ocean Earrings!),  Teri Goddard Handweaving (I could LIVE in her soft scarves) and to FINALLY meet Johnnie from Sweeteeth!  He's a total rock star in my culinary world.

And for the rest of the weekend?  I'm making Ma Ma Plumblee's Homemade Ketchup.  It's not really ketchup... more like a relish, but that's what we called it and we used to dump spoonfuls of the chunky tomatoey goodness on top of the beans she made for Sunday lunch.  No one in the family has had any for years so they are salivating impatiently.  Thankfully, my Aunt Marlene reminded me to get my junk together and make some before the last tomatoes went bye-bye.  So we're on it!

What do you have planned for this weekend?  If you're in the Upstate, it better be inside or involve an umbrella! 50% chance of rain on Saturday.  Great day for cooking.  Not so good for being outside!

Sunday Morning: Gigi's Cupcakes, Sweet Tea Ice Cream and Limoncello!

A little background music to get you going on this Sunday morning.  I LOVE Something's Gotta Give.  I could watch it over and over and over again.  Do I get an amen?  I'd watch Diane Keaton read the phone book honestly.  I just love her. Anyway, here's the video.  Enjoy the music while you read!

Speaking of movies.... Tom and Katie.  For real?  I wonder how much he'll pay her so she won't tell the world what a stark raving mad freak he is?  Notice the other two wives didn't speak up after signing the divorce papers.  We can now tell our daughters that the young man on the poster in their room that they dream about and pine over may turn out to be more of a psychotic toad than a prince charming, just go ask Katie.  On to cupcakes.

Gigi's Cupcakes are in the house!  Okay, not my house, but Haywood Mall.  When the cupcake chain  posted the news that it was going to be the opening day for their mall kiosk and we were coincidentally heading to Haywood Mall that day, I threw my hands up and praised God.  Seriously.  I've been wanting one of their cupcakes FOREVER!  I'm subscribed to their Facebook updates and they regularly post cupcake pics which I drool over and pass around so others can drool as if they were indeed real cupcakes.

Well, on this day, I had my first sample.  I let my daughter choose and she picked out a Princess Cupcake with Strawberry Cake and Buttercream icing, sprinkles and a fondant little crown. We sat down a few feet away, opened the cute little box and dug in with two forks. Sweet goodness.  Please go spend the $3.25ish so you can at least say once in your life you had a darn close to perfect cupcake. I don't get to the mall often, but I can not wait to get back to Gigi's little cupcake kiosk.

Sweet Tea Ice Cream.  Okay, admit it.  You'd be tempted to try, too, wouldn't you?  We were in Ingles last night and I was perusing the ice cream isle for unique brands to try when I saw Front Porch Carolina Churned Ice Cream.  I covertly put a pint of Sweetie Tea and a Nana's Pudding pint in the buggy as to not draw the attention of the hubs. My child blew my cover.  Any rate, we busted into them with spoons as soon as we got home.  I love the melty tops of just-back-from-the-grocery-store ice cream.  They were both creamy, but so not what I expected.  You could tell there was a little sweet tea flavor to one and the other sort of tasted like it was artificially flavored.  We won't be raving about either here, but I thought I'd share in case you are stricken with the same compulsion to snag one.  Spend your money on Ben and Jerry's.

And on leaving you on a happy note: the limoncello I started in late May/early June is ready!  After zest from 20 lemons soaked in 2 750ml bottles of top brand vodka for 6 weeks, we added a simple syrup, let it sit for a week, filtered and then stuck it in the freezer to enjoy on the 4th.  So worth the wait.  I'm making more for Christmas gifts.  Here's the recipe we used for Homemade Limoncello.  Cheers!

TomAto. TomOto. and a few other things

Tomatoes are awesome. Yep, I'm a fan.  I'm actually attempting to grow some in my little raised box gardens this year (if I don't kill them) and it looks like I might have at least a dozen heirlooms in the coming weeks! So exciting.  I digress.  Last night I made my first tomato pie.  And it too was AWESOME!  The Fiction Addiction Cookbook Book Club girls agreed. Recipe here.

We're cooking from the Back To Basics, Y'all cookbook and it is a bitch.  It's like the old school Martha Stewart magazines where she had these ridiculous recipes with ingredients that involved a plane ride.  Seriously.  I have the entire late 1990's collection of mags to prove it.  (I'm a pre-jail Martha Stewart connoisseur - something else you probably didn't know about me.) 

Last night's book club fare: caramel cake, amazing roast, jambalaya, and a really tall chocolate cake

I'll be so happy when we switch to the Southern Living Farmer's Market Cookbook next meeting.  ANYWAY! I picked the easiest thing I could find in the veggie section of the cookbook for last night's meeting and cheated my pants off.  No homemade crust.  No homemade mayonnaise, though I'll admit I was willing to try to make the mayo, but I didn't have the lemon or particular mustard needed to whip it up.  I did use basil, parsley and thyme from the garden. Yea me! Even though I thoroughly skimped on the effort, it was rockin' good. I'm making another when my tomatoes come in.

I know, I'm a complete nerd, but SOMEBODY get me some Lisa Loeb Cake and Pie glasses!  I am obsessed.  LOVE! THEM!  Anyone know Mrs. Loeb? I'm waiting...

I made reservations at Husk.  I'm about to bust at the seams with excitement.  So anxious to be Charleston bound. I have a Charleston board on Pinterest. If ya wanna check it out go here. I can't wait to try Diggity Doughnuts, swing by Roti Rolls, check out Heirloom Book Company (cookbook store), pop in and say hi at Sweeteeth Chocolate's new digs, and hit the Mount Pleasant Farmer's Market.  You can see what kind of vacation this is going to be.   Don't worry.  I'll share (photos).

I'm also newly obsessed with The Zac Brown Band. And I like putting videos on the blog. And I wish I were at the beach.  So enjoy.  

I gotta go eat the omelet my daughter made me. (She actually went outside and picked the herbs, grated the Gruyere cheese and made it 100% herself... and better than I could!) She's now making cinnamon toast. Happy Tuesday.

Weekend Roundup.

 I finally started my first attempt at Limoncello on Friday (to be ready July 4th weekend).  I added the zest of 10 organic (and very expensive!!!) lemons and 750 ml Vodka to two 1/2 gallon jars.  It has to sit for almost 6 weeks and then you make a simple syrup, dump in some water or something and you're done.  I'll keep you posted.  We used the remaining carnage from the organic lemons to make the worlds most expensive lemonade which neither of us have drank any of.  I'm tempted to freeze it, but how? Baggies? Please advise.  There is a gallon of it!

My daughter and I watched the Disney movie Geek Charming and chilled on Saturday night.  Well, she watched and I didn't watch so much as play online. It was a total throwback to Can't Buy Me Love. Remember that flick?  Patrick Dempsey?  Anyone?

I have a new toy for my iPhone. The Hipstamatic App. I had to research how to work the thing.  It's like having a camera bag of all different kinds of old school films and lenses at your disposal for each pic.  It's freaky that a cell phone camera can do the same things we did in darkrooms (remember those?) in college. There's actually a darkroom app now too where you can mix your own virtual chemicals.  Seriously. It's called Swankolab.

I'm going through a semi-vegetarian phase again.  Sunday for dinner we had my Barley's Veggie Wrap (Sort of) Knockoff - minus the pesto... and without large pitas, it actually is a pizza... that you eat with a knife and fork. I can't believe I forgot the pesto!  I knew something was missing! Directions to follow:

1/2 an onion chopped, 1 zucchini sliced thin, 1/2 container of mushrooms sliced. Sauteed together in pan with EVOO, salt, pepper and garlic powder (or 1 clove chopped).  Place 2 whole wheat pita's topped with spaghetti sauce on baking pan..  Divide veggies between 2 pitas. Put handful of shredded motzerella on each pita and cook in oven on broil until the cheese is melted.  Wa-la. Healthy.  Easy. 

 

A bird just swooped down in my yard, picked up a caterpillar (or worm) and flew off again.  Must be lunchtime for him, too.  I just drank my lunch.  A smoothie with: 1 banana, two handfuls of spinach, a 1/2 c. of milk, a cup of ice, a cup of water, 1/4 cup of oats, 1 tbsp of peanut butter, 1 tbsp of honey. Blend. Straw. 

I have a jacked up hip and knee.... and right thumb.  I feel 80.  Bursitis sucks.  I have big plans for hiking, traveling and paddle boarding this summer.  I'm starting an all out war to get this thing gone, and thus making some doctors very wealthy in the coming weeks.  That'll teach bursitis to mess with me!!! 

I've been obsessed with the idea of paddleboarding at the beach since I tried stand up paddleboarding last summer for an article assignment. I'm gonna put my fear of sharks aside (or at least take a few shots to dull the terror) and paddle dad gum it! I'm gonna! 

Congrats to Martha Vaughn for snagging the first Gap Creek Gourmet Snag that Swag Euphoria gift bag.  I'm posting another giveaway late this week or early next, so stay tuned!  And if you haven't signed up to have my blog come to your email box, do that, so you won't miss the announcement!  

That's all I got today. Off to the chiropractor. 

Happy Monday all!