Yea, this is a random post. Really random. But hey, gotta keep life interesting.
By greens, I mean plants/trees. Yes. I want (and I’m actually interested in) a plant and a tree. Last week I had the pleasure of attending a workshop for work that took place at the NC Botanical Gardens in Chapel Hill. I’ve been to the gardens before for meetings but I had never taken the time to slow down and take a look at all the gorgeousness that I was surrounded with. On Friday of last week I actually took a walking tour of the grounds and got to see so many beautiful plants and trees. Two of them stood out to me and now I’m begging Big Guy to plant these lovely greens.
Pitcher Plant
This plant is so cool. And yes, I just referred to a plant as being “cool.” The pitcher plant is a carnivorous plant. Basically, it eats bugs. And I hate bugs. Well, I hate when they bug me. No pun intended. (yes it was.) They’re best grown in containers and they love sun. Perfect for my back deck.
I’m also semi-obsessed with the Big Leaf Magnolias. Magnolias are totally a Southern thing. And well, I love all things Southern so this is my perfect tree.
Big Leaf Magnolia
Now to the “Single-Girl” dinner that Big Guy ate.
On Sunday we ate at McAlister’s before we headed home from Pirate country (Greenville). And it was there that I started thinking about baked potatoes (theirs are ginormous and delicious). I really needed a salad in my body so I skipped the tator and went for the greens. But I knew that potatoes would be on the menu. Seeing as it was a week night, I kept it healthy. I left out bacon and I used chickpeas instead of chicken (hello, Meatless Monday). But it was still fantastic! And the best part, Big Guy loved it. ”Single-girl” dinner win.
Hands down the best potato skin ever. I washed the sweet potatoes, stabbed them with a fork a few times so they didn’t explode and placed them in a baking dish. Gave them a good rub with olive oil and salt and baked at 350 degrees for about an hour (they were big ones).
Once baked, they got a spoonful of caramelized red onion (ugh, I could eat a bowl of just those onions!), a spoonful of chickpeas that had been tossed in BBQ sauce, and some white cheddar on top. Big Guy put blue cheese on his.
Incredible. So filling and hearty and comforting.
I love potatoes.
