Gap Creek Gourmet 12 Days of Giveaways

Gap Creek Gourmet 12 Days of Giveaways started Sunday, December 1.  As a little thank you to fans and followers of Gap Creek Gourmet, some of my favorite local restaurants and shops are helping me give away twelve awesome gifts during the first twelve days of December.  You can enter once a day, so check the Gap Creek Gourmet page on Facebook, or click one of these links every day and follow the instructions because the prizes keep getting sweeter and sweeter!  And please, tell your friends. Good luck, and thank you for your support, kindness and love.  Happy Holidays.

Day 1:  $10 Gift Certificate to Kitchen Arts and Pottery at McBee Station in Greenville.  (winner chosen)

Day 2: A tumbler and $10 gift certificate from Upcountry Provisions in Travelers Rest.

Day 3: A pound of coffee from Leopard Forest Coffee Company.  (The lucky winner will be able to order the coffee via their website, so everyone can enter, near and far!)

Day 4: $10 gift certificate to the Flop Shop in Travelers Rest.

Day 5:  $15 Gift Certificate to Poppinton’s Popcorn in downtown Greenville. 

Day 6:  $25 Gift Certificate to Roost at NOMA Square in downtown Greenville. 

Day 7:  $25 worth of fare from Travelers Rest's newest restaurant, Shortfield's.

Day 8: two 375ml bottles to be filled with the oil or vinegar of their choice at Palmetto Olive Oil Co. on Augusta Road in Greenville.

 

Day 9:  Soby's New South Cuisine Cookbook and a $10 gift certificate to Soby's.

Day 10: a pound of  Bacon Bros housemade peachwood smoked bacon and a $20 gift certificate to Bacon Bros Public House on Pelham Road.

Day 11: Admit one to At the Chef's Table Culinary Tour in Greenville.

Day 12: A Tupelo Honey Cookbook and a $25 gift certificate to the Greenville restaurant.

Gap Creek Gourmet Thanksgiving Giveaway

*This Giveaway has ended.  Stay tuned to the Gap Creek Gourmet blog and Facebook page for 12 Days of Giveaways beginning December 1st!

I'm showing my thanks to fans and followers today, November 26, by giving away a $10 gift certificate to one of my favorite foodie stores in the Upstate,  Kitchen Arts and Pottery.  I wrote an article about Liz and her store for eGreenville recently.  You can read the article here. She has an amazing collection of unique cookbooks, ingredients, kitchen utensils and serving ware.  It's not just a place to shop, Liz offers her guests a cup of coffee or tea, and loves to chat about all things food. It's one of my favorite places in the Upstate.  I hope you stop in and I hope you will love it as much as I do.

Enter the giveaway here.  The contest runs noon to 3am (pacific time) 11/26 (today).

And stay tuned for my 12 Days of Giveaways beginning December 1st!

Happy Thanksgiving.

Gap Creek Gourmet Holiday Gift Guide 2013

It is once again time for the Gap Creek Holiday Gift Guide!  This year is even bigger and better than last year, so grab your Christmas shopping list.  It’s about to grow exponentially.

Before I forget, I have a little news to share!  Gap Creek Gourmet is having 12 Days of Giveaways this December!  Starting December 1st, I'm giving away one fantastic gift a day to a lucky fan, so be sure you like Gap Creek Gourmet on Facebook and stay posted!  

Let's get to shopping!

For the foodies:

Greenville recently got its own Tupelo Honey located at the newly redesigned Piazza Bergamo in downtown. The food is amazing! But wait! What did I spot right inside the door?  Cookbooks, glasses, coffee, jams, honey and other Tupelo gear.  OMG, someone please get me their cookbooks! The restaurant also has gift certificates and you can shop online for gifts. Wondering what to get  that foodie on your list?  I think you found your answer. 

I love, love, love specialty salts. We can't keep Applewood Smoked Sea Salt in our spice cabinet.  I go through it like crazy!  If you can't make it to The Spice and Tea Exchange on Main Street Greenville to pick out salts for the cook on your list, you can peruse their selection of over twenty varieties of mineral and hand-harvested gourmet sea salts from around the globe on their website and have it shipped to your door. Varieties include Bacon Salt, Black Truffle Salt, Chardonnay Oak Smoked Sea Salt, Chocolate Sea Salt and Jalepeno Salt and Pinot Noir Sea Salt, and Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt.

Thanks to my new friends at Palmetto Olive Oil Co. on Augusta Road in Greenville, I discovered something new this year that has changed ice cream time at my house.  Balsamic Vinegar on ice cream is freaking amazing!  Especially Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar.  And who doesn't love a little pre-dinner bread nosh dipped in a delicious flavored olive oil.  The cool thing is that many of their varieties of oils and vinegars can be blended together at home to make an even more amazing presentation of flavor!  Another must try? Gourmet White Truffle Infused Olive Oil.  They are happy to make recommendations.  And, once again, you can shop online and have your selections shipped to your door, but if you are in town, you HAVE to go visit. Call first and tell them you want to a tasting!  

Love Bacon Bros Public House? Share the love. They not only have restaurant gift certificates, they sell their bacon by the pack.  What an awesome combo, right?  I think these would make fantastic client gifts!  A pack of their house made Peach Wood Smoked Bacon is $9. (864) 297-6000.

Everyone loves popcorn, right?  Poppington's Gourmet Popcorn kicks it up a notch with flavors like Bacon Cheddar, Jalepeno, Beer, and Coconut Curry.  You can stop in their shop at 30 S. Main Street in downtown Greenville to sample til you find your selection then fill up a tin, or hop online to place your order for Christmas.  The beer is awesome for beer lovers!  (Stack it with the Bacon Cheddar and pair it with a Lethal Weapon DVD. Bam. Perfect male stocking stuffer.)

I love my growing collection of cookbooks. Here are three cookbooks you absolutely must buy someone on your list.  And don't forget to please support your local bookstore during the holiday season! 

The Southerner's Handboook: A Guide to Living the Good Life.

Curated by the editors of Garden and Gun, this book holds the key to Southern charm: how to make biscuits, how to fall off of a horse, how to drink like a Southerner, how to throw a proper party and how to cook a whole pig. It's a goodie, folks, for those on your list who love a good story and a good meal.

Pickles, Pigs and Whiskey: Recipes from My Three Favorite Food Groups by John Currence.

This book is for the serious cook on your list. James Beard Award-winner, John Currence, has made quite the name for himself in the world of Southern fare.  A little bit fancy, a little bit irreverent, Chef shares 130 of his amazing recipes along with stories, musical pairings (SWEET!) and photography that will leave you wishing your cooking could come out that good.  For my husband's birthday, we're totally cooking the brined tenderloin.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays

My cookbook book club will be cooking from the original Pioneer Woman Cooks and her new A Year of Holidays cookbooks during the first quarter of the year. Her recipes are easy, really amazing and the portions are enough to feed an army.  We love her and the home cook on your list will, too. 

A little something for the ladies:

Best new store in Greenville?  Custard at 718 South Main Street, Greenville. I don't know how long they have been open exactly, but I just discovered them and went nuts when I saw their necklaces and bracelets. These state necklaces are a must for all the women on your list.  I'd love to have South Carolina and California necklaces to wear stacked... and tons of colorful bracelets and a scarf and a bird necklace and a heart necklace... Shop online here.

And for the men. Stocking stuffers for men are tough, aren't they?  This year, I have a couple of things that are sure to make them smile. 

Jerky.  Lots and lots of Jerky from Greenville's House of Jerky.  An entire wall of Jerky to stuff that stocking slap full.  You can't order on their website yet, but you can see their crazy large selection and give them a call if you need to place an order. Beef, buffalo, pork, turkey, Alaskan salmon, boar, kangaroo, and venison. That got your attention, didn't it?

Kraken Rum t'shirts. You're running for your credit card, aren't you?  If you know someone who is a Kraken fan, they need this shirt and some South Carolina made Blenheim Ginger Ale so they can stir up a Dark and Stormy.

I have awesome memories of making Shirley Temples with Maraschino cherries at my MaMa Plumblee's house on New Years Eve.  Now it's time for some grown-up cherries.  I found out about Luxardo Maraschino Cherries while digging through my holiday magazine rip and file.  I've seen how they make those red cherries we are all dumping in our drinks.  It's kindof gross. I'm ordering these for my man for Christmas. They are absolutely lovely!

Dapper Ink at 207 Wade Hampton Blvd in Greenville (beside Community Tap) has THE COOLEST t'shirts. They are an amazing custom printer that makes local themed t'shirts.  You may have seen me beating around town in my I LOVE GREENVILLE shirt. I've worn it out! High quality. Beautiful. A must. They also have gorgeous stationary and I know for a fact, they'd love to create something special just for that someone on your list.  But you have to walk through the door or give them a call for the goods. No website orders. 

Attention wine people: Don't you hate it when you pour up a glass of wine and you end up with that ring of red (or white) under your bottle? I'm I the only messy pourer?  My friend and local potter, Greg Patton, has made these cool wine bottle coasters.  No more nasty rings on your counter!  A definite winner for the wine lover on your list. You can order here.

Wine charms! I placed a giant order of these awesome personalized wire wine charms by TAlyse for people for Christmas.  (I might have ordered one for myself, too...) She made me and my daughter name bracelets too! I love her stuff.  She has an  etsy site and can be contacted about special orders.

Another super awesome personalized gift:  these  jars from The Flop Shop in Travelers Rest.  I LOVE a good device to get drink to my beak,  and these things are really cool.  Yes, I'll admit it.  I have a cup problem.  I have cabinets full of drinkware.  I can't help myself.

So I found these beauties, too, at Kitchen Arts and Pottery. They would be absolutely lovely for drinking my new favorite adult happy hour beverage, Whisper Creek Tennessee Sipping Cream.   I think I shall obtain them if no one buys them for me for Christmas.

Oh!  And the collection of cookbooks at this place are amazing. It's not expansive, but if you have a cookbook collector or chef on your list, go dig through her shelves and you're sure to find a goodie! I found this one and so wanted to take it home.

I'll leave you with that.  I may add a thing or two over the holiday season, so keep me bookmarked and check back now and then.   

Happy Holidays!  Here's my favorite Christmas Song to send you off. 

5 things you should know about Tupelo Honey Greenville

1. At Tupelo Honey Cafe Greenville, guests are welcomed with hot biscuits, blueberry jam and honey. That's quite a handshake! Split that piping hot, buttery, flaky biscuit in half and drench one side in honey and slather the other with jam. (How do you eat your Tupelo biscuit?)

When I was laid up a few weeks ago, my bff swiped me a biscuit when she went there for lunch. Yesterday, I shared the love by getting a biscuit to go for a dear friend in the hospital. Nothing says "I love you" like the gift of good food! Can I get an amen?

2.The Tupelo Honey Cafe decor is so cute, you'll want to live there.  

Seriously.  It's so Etsy-esk. I love the way they display their Tupelo Honey merchandise for sale! (You can also get it online. Their cookbook makes a GREAT gift.) I want one of those glasses and a t'shirt. (Present, someone?) And if only those bird pillows would fit in my purse...

3. Their sweet mint iced tea is a little sip of heaven.

After two glasses, I asked for a cup to go.  I just didn't want the moment to end. Give me a gallon jug and a straw...

4. Breakfast all day.  

Tupelo Honey is famous for their plate covering sweet potato pancake topped with peach butter and spiced pecans. It's like fall on a fork. Want a little crunch?  Add Grandma's Maple Granola. 

5. There is so much on their expansive menu, one visit just won't do.  

It took me a good ten minutes to settle on the Charleston Chicken Sandwich, a marinated and grilled piece of moist, natural, hormone-free chicken breast on their exclusive sourdough wheat bread with melted havarti, seasonal lettuce and cranberry mayo. I ordered their sweet potato fries on the side.  They are the best on the planet, but you can pick from other sides including benne coated asparagus, cheesy smashed cauliflower, goat cheese grits, fried green tomatoes, fried okra and scratch mac-n-cheese.

Nina ordered Misse's Asheville Veggie Melt, lured by the promise that it came topped with fried green tomatoes!  The sandwich was an absolutely beautiful plate of caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, roasted red peppers, spinach and lemon aioli with melted havarti cheese served open faced style on their sourdough wheat bread.

Are you gluten free?  No problem!  There's a gluten-free menu.  (My mom is going to be so excited.)

Insider Tips: The popular new restaurant doesn't take reservations, so if you are going to try them out on a weekend, don't go during peak hours and be prepared to wait in line. For an up close and personal experience, sit at the bar facing into the open kitchen and chat it up with the chef.

Tupelo Honey Greenville is located at 1 North Main Street Suite-T (Get it?  Sweet Tea?!  Hahahaha!) in downtown Greenville, SC. 

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 9am-10pm; Friday 9am-11pm; Saturday 8am-11pm; and Sunday 8am-9pm.

Happy Eating!

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...

My dream spatula, meal sharing, and spreading holiday cheer

I bought Sweeteeth chocolate for a friend for Christmas.  It is staring at me.  Is it wrong to eat someone's present?  

I am so in love with this Gir Spatula.  I want to shout from the rooftops how happy I am that someone finally made a spatula without a seam for food and crud to get stuck in! It's probably too late to tell Santa, but it's definitely on the birthday list.

In all other things in life I am not, but for some reason when it comes to cooking (utensils,pots,pans, etc.) I am a minimalist. It's like I'm stuck in my college years dicing onions with a steak knife.  (Yep, I still do that.) I just haven't acquired the nicer things most cooks treasure.  I make do. As I melted chocolate in the microwave in a Tupperware bowl this evening (chefs everywhere are cringing), it dawned on me how absurd it is that I don't own a good set of glass bowls.  How did I make it this long without glass bowls?! New Years Resolution #1: update kitchen ware. 

I love this blog post by Kate Connor about a stereotypical writing day.   If you ever wonder what it's like to be a writer, this will answer your question. At least for me. The last line is priceless: And that is why writers are fat.  Amen sister. 

There is a new website you'll be interested in.  It's MealSharing.org, a social networking site that allows you to share home cooked meals with people around the world.  Say you're traveling across the US or to another county.  The site hooks you up with a home cook!  You can sign up to share a meal in someone's kitchen or sign up to host travelers in your home or meet up with people to share a meal. Super interesting, right? 

I've spent the entire day in my kitchen baking for the holidays.  I've made mocha cookies, oatmeal butterscotch cookies, coconut cookies, fudge and pretzel peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate. Tomorrow is another day of the same.  It's hard work spreading holiday cheer!

 

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!

mission big nasty, robot candy...crabs

Hey yall!  Well, I'm back from the last Isle of Palms beach jaunt of the summer (booo!), but have tons of stuff to share with you.  After getting over the last of my ikks a couple of days into the trip, I was crazy excited to get out and see what I could get into.

The Big Nasty

The hubs has been ambling to go to Hominy Grill in downtown Chucktown to try out The Big Nasty -a piece of fried boneless chicken breast on a biscuit covered in gravy with some cheese. They had him at gravy. So he finally got his Big Nasty and it was amazing. (That just sounds wrong.)

We ordered an insane amount of food. This is normal for us when we hit one of the restaurants on our wish list.  Hominy seriously knocked our socks off.  Seriously.  It's like a meat and three on crack.  The food is like your grandma went to culinary school.  The mac and cheese was the best I've ever put in my face and the tomato pudding gets props as the best new food I never knew existed.

It's tomatoes, sugar, and cornbread all mooshed up and cooked.  Holy S.  It was magnificent. I immediately decided to box up half my food so I could one, enjoy it for lunch the next day and two, order dessert without dying right there at the table.

We ordered Hummingbird Cake and Chocolate Chess Pie and Creamcicle Ice cream. Again: yum.  I had been craving cake all week. Heaven.

I was on a mission to find some Mr. Weed's cold press coffee while I was in the city. I saw it in June's Charleston Mag and put it on my list.  It took me a while, but I located some in Queen Street Grocery.  $5.  I thought, this better be some dang good coffee. Nope.  I'll stick to my Starbucks in a jar thank you very much.  Sorry dude.  I wanted to give you rave reviews, but spent more than $5 in gas hunting your product down and once I found it, it didn't knock my socks off.  I had such high hopes...

(I did discover a really cool little grocery store on Sullivan's Island while hunting down the coffee.  The Co-op on Sullivan's Island made sandwiches to order, carried lots of local products and fresh produce and had a nice selection of wine and ice cream.  Score.  And the owner was super nice and was just as excited about Mr. Weed's Cold Press Coffee as I was when I told her about it. She got on the computer immediately for some research and pointed me in the direction of Queens St.)

While we were in downtown Charleston, we hit Caviar and Bananas.  It's a HIGH end grocery/deli right in the heart of College of Charleston land.  They carry Sweeteeth Chocolate. Props! But seriously folks, should groceries cost that much?  I was in awe at the bulk salt selection and the yummy deli salads, but we were still full from Hominy,  thus just swung through for some site seeing.

And then I spotted Robot Candy Company.  My  husband was like a kid in a candy store. (hehehe)  There was an ENTIRE wall of gummy candy... his absolute favorite candy in the world.  He loaded up a bag of gummy sharks and gummy coke bottles and peach rings. And I made a mental note of a few very cool things to purchase for stocking stuffers. This place ROCKED and made me happy in general.  I can't wait to go back.

Since I was sick FOREVER am so far behind at my day job it isn't even funny.  While we were at the beach I decided to check out crabbing so I could write about it.  We did.  It was fun!  We caught three, took their picture and put them back because quite frankly I didn't want to cook the little boogers... well because you throw them in while they're alive AND they remind me of spiders and I seriously don't want that in my kitchen.

The hubs now has a cold. (I'm popping vitamin C like it's candy.) So I'm off to the store to grab a chicken to make this soup (or a variation of it). I'm already gearing up to post tomorrow so, well, stay posted. Have a good Sunday!