Monday Mashup.

Some Mondays are just filled with possibility, don't you think?  It's the beginning of a new week.  A clean slate.  A fresh start on the to-do list.  A new world to explore. Love it.

I am obsessed with this kid:

Got apples?  Every person I think I know has been to Skytop Orchard.  It's the place to go for couples, families with kids, etc for a little pickin' and photo ops. The pictures are taking over my webspace.  I took the lazy way out and chose to purchase my freshly picked Hendersonville apples at Ingles (due to it also having an amazingly convenient and ample selection of wine). Bag of apples? Check.  La Crema? Check.

Apple pie?  Check.  My daughter made these mini apple pies by herself yesterday. No recipe.  Just threw apples, spices and lemon together, cut out some pie crust in circles, put crust in muffin tins, filled them, poked them, brushed them with butter, sprinkled on some sugar and baked them at 425 until they were done.  Ta-da. And they ROCK! My little baker is amazing.  She wants to open a bakery with me one day.

And made this Apple Cheddar Grilled Cheese for lunch today. Like my make-do panini maker? Gotta love cast iron pans.

 

I'm on a mission to find the Apple Pie Dunkin' Donuts coffee. Anyone tried it?  And Candy Corn M&M's are back at Target!!!  Pumpkin Spice M&M's are out also out, but I'm skeptical.

USA Today Article (here)

Charlie Hunnam has taken over my pop culture news. (Mercy.)  August 1st cannot come soon enough. Before the big announcement that he was going to play 50 Shade's Christian Gray, I had no idea who he was.  I am now watching Sons of Anarchy.  Warning: What is seen cannot be unseen. It's rough! Totally worth him taking of his shirt every now and then, though.  I am hopeless.

My DVR is bursting at the seems.  Newsroom wrapped last night (spoiler alert!) with Mac and Will's engagement.  Wow!  That came out of left field.  I was bouncing up and down and squealing.  My husband was afraid I was going to pop a stitch. I'm still giddy.

It's almost time for Walking Dead to kick up again.  AMC just announced a spin-off of the series to hopefully debut in 2015. SuWeeet.

I'll leave you on that note.  Stay tuned to the blog this week for stops at Tupelo Honey Greenville, Bacon Bros Public House and Euphoria is on the horizon.

Cheers, y'all.

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!

Southern Culture, birthday festivities and the Carrie Diaries

For my birthday lunch my bff took me to a new restaurant in town called Southern Culture. We pulled up to our wooden table and I feasted on Country Fried Chicken breast on a warm, fluffy buttermilk biscuit topped with peppery sawmill gravy.

And we had a warm banana pudding for dessert.  If you've ever treasured sampling a warm custard straight from the pot on the stove, then you're going to go nuts over this pudding.  It's creamy, sweet heaven. 

That's how the fare rolls at  Southern Culture, a new locally owned restaurant at Cherrydale Crossings in Greenville. It's the food you grew up with at grandma's Sunday table, but amped up a bit.   Chef Chad Gangwer rolls out Southern comfort in the form of Open Faced Pot Roast, Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf, and Pulled Pork Nachos (piled insanely high). And that's just the lunch menu offerings.  (I have reservations tomorrow night to check out their dinner, too.) 

The festivities continued through dinner and will continue on through the weekend. (Is it possible I'm getting tired of eating?) My mother came over with bubbly and I made my easy gluten-free coconut shrimp for dinner last night.  I coated these little guys in egg, coconut and a gluten-free flour (almond flour in this case) then fried them up golden brown. Mom had strong opinions about me cooking on my own birthday, but after one bite she was placated.

Like my little cake? There are cakes for all occasions, and I've ordered a coconut cake from The Hungry Drover for weekend festivities, but Publix just makes the quintessential birthday cake.  It's sugary and fluffy and everything I remember from my childhood birthday cakes. I was digging into the icing before the last candle was lit.  No self control.  

My husband gave me my very own facejug for my birthday, specifically made for me by our artist friend Greg Patton.  He makes the face mugs for Blue Ridge Brewing Co. in downtown Greenville and you can get his work at The Forest in Travelers Rest. See the little Starbucks to-go cup and little cupcakes? And she's holding a bag with journals on one arm and you can't see it, but there's a little piece of folk art under the other arm.  Greg made a jug for my husband last year and I had to have one of my own.  I think he did a pretty dang good job of capturing me, don't ya think?  I told my husband we could use them for ashes when we die. 

Warning, brain candy to follow: I have to tell you about The Carrie Diaries.  I closed my 37th birthday by watching the first episode and I'm obsessed. The show is the very much anticipated prequel to Sex and the City and follows Carrie Bradshaw as she heads to high school for her Senior year in the wake of her mother's death. For change of pace, her dad helps her get a once-a-week internship in Manhattan and she begins her intense love affair with the big NYC. I was in love with this show in the first couple of minutes. I just can't help myself. 

And the birthday festivities continue...