Charlotte, Baby Haines and Fruit Salsa

Like that for a title?  Well that’s pretty much what consumed my Saturday.  I woke up bright and early on Saturday morning, squeezed in a trip to the gym and then headed to Charlotte.  As much as I need a weekend at home, I can’t turn down a weekend with my parents and my sister plus brother-in-law and baby Haines.  Can I just say, Baby Haines isn’t much of a baby any more.  She’s growing and becoming so stinkin’ smart.

she’s a mess!

I love that little girl so much my heart could explode!  She’s so full of personality and really understands a lot.  She’s also rather vocal.  When she says “yes” or “no” – everyone in the room knows her answer.

Despite the rain on Saturday, we were able to grill.  We also had a cider tasting.  I had a pear cider a few months ago and it was one of the most delicious things ever.  I was determined to find “it” so that my Momma could try it since she’s obsessed with pear jelly belly’s.

three strikes, I’m out.

I bought every pear cider I could get my hands on and none of those are “the one.”  Boo hiss.  Oh well, we had fun tasting.

grill masters

Maggie and Brad were in charge of the grilling.  Momma had brought over some chicken thighs that had marinated in a mojito lime marinade from McCormick.  You could taste notes of mint and lime but it wasn’t overpowering at all!  And it paired perfectly with a fruit salsa that Momma had whipped up.  I don’t think she followed a recipe but I know that there were strawberries, red onion, lime juice, cilantro and a smidge of EVOO in the mix.

my plate

On the side, grilled asparagus and red onion.  Maggie also made some crock-pot mac ‘n cheese that I heard was awesome…it’s her new “go-to” dish as decided by Brad.

Such a great evening with the family!  I can’t wait to see my sweet family again this weekend.

sweet girl

Friday Favorites, Honeymoon Edition.

Oh how I wish there was a “rewind” button on life!  I want to go back and relive our wedding weekend and the honeymoon over and over and over again.  A lot of our time was spent simply laying low by the pool but we did a lot in the 9 days we were there. I promise to give a full recap of where we went for our honeymoon (Scrub Island in the BVIs) but for today I’m going to give you my Honeymoon Favorites!  And to be honest, the best part about these posts is that I get to relive the moments while posting the pictures.

Favorite View:  Waking up to this every.single.morning. was amazing.

Good morning from Scrub!

Favorite Place to Grab a Drink:  While on our honeymoon, we decided to rent a private boat and captain for a day and basically go island hopping.  And by island hopping, I mean, bar hopping.  One of our first stops was Cooper Island.  It’s easily my favorite place for a drink because there were bar tables in the ocean.  Had it been any later in the day, I wouldn’t have wanted to leave…  Wanna know the funny part about this picture?  Big Guy is the one that got the frozen drink!  Pinky’s up.

Cooper Island cocktails

Favorite Adventure:  By far, my favorite adventure of the trip was the island hopping day.  Here are some of my favorite pics capturing our day:

Cooper Island swing

Star fish at Cooper Island

Willy T’s

view from Soggy Dollar

Time to head back to Scrub!

Favorite Sunset:  This picture was taken on the ferry as we were on our way to dinner.

Beautiful sunset.

Favorite Drink at Scrub:  Sandie Split.  Sandie was one of our favorite employees at Scrub Island.  She made me this drink the first night we arrived and I had to have one every time she was behind the bar.  All I know is that there was lots of rum (light and dark) plus some orange juice.  The rest is Sandie’s secret.

Sandie Split

Sandie!

Favorite Dinner:  We ate some pretty amazing food everywhere we were, but my favorite dinner by far was our private dinner on the beach.  It wasn’t the food that made it my favorite but the company and the privacy was pretty hard to beat.  After a long few weeks of wedding preparation and the whirlwind of the wedding, this private dinner was much needed the second night of our honeymoon.

dinner for two

just us and the sounds of the ocean.

Favorite Frozen Drink:  Let’s be honest, we drank a lot of cocktails during our honeymoon.  But they weren’t one after the other – I promise there was lots of water in between each and every drink.  I mean, if you can have a drink at 11:30am on a Wednesday, why not?  The British Smile was one of my favorite frozen drinks – basically it’s a “skinny” bushwacker.

British Smile

British Smile in his hand, but no smile on this face.

Favorite Day of Relaxation:  I knew from the day we booked our honeymoon that I was going to spend a day at the spa.  Whether Big Guy was going to join me?  That was up in the air.  But he agreed and I’ve never seen that guy so relaxed in my life.  We did the full couples package and it was simply amazing.  Bonus – it was overcast that day, so I didn’t miss any of my sunshine time.

champs and relaxation

private infinity pool

relax.

Favorite Drink:  If I had to name my favorite drink of the whole trip, it would be the Kiwi Caipirinha from a hole-in-the-wall sushi joint we ran across in Tortola while killing time before dinner.  Y’all – this think was out of control.  Fresh kiwi, mint, lime and goodness muddled together.  And isn’t the color gorgeous?

kiwi cocktail

Favorite Picture:  Okay, I can’t really pick a favorite.  But I love this picture.

sandy hands

Favorite Husband:  Thank you, Big Guy, for the most amazing honeymoon I could have ever asked for.  It was the icing on the cake after the most perfect wedding.  I’ve always daydreamed about my honeymoon and my real honeymoon far surpassed anything I could have imagined.  And can I just say, it was even more amazing that Big Guy put up an email message saying he was out of the country and work wasn’t always on his mind (he got about 30 minutes a day to answer important stuff).  Big Guy works so incredibly hard every day and my favorite part of the honeymoon was having him all to myself.

Mr. and Mrs.

my favorite person

love you. (okay, done being lovey, dovey)

Charleston Eats

Wedding week is here!!!  I just don’t know how I’m going to focus on anything else this week.  I was trying to figure out what to blog about (don’t worry, I have some weekend eats (aka SALADS) to share but that can wait) and then I realized I never shared about the dining that went on in Charleston.  I love to read restaurant reviews, especially when I’m about to go to that city, so I want to write a few.  Now these reviews aren’t anything fancy – they’re just my honest opinion on the restaurant, taking into consideration the atmosphere, the staff and the FOOD.

First up, Hominy Grill.  We had scoped out several places to have brunch on Saturday morning but we didn’t make a reservation (most places don’t take ‘em for lunch).  With that being said, we made a decision in the middle of the street to hit up Hominy Grill.  On the phone we were told we were about a 15 minute walk away and there was a table for 8 ready when we were standing in front of Toast (heard great things, bottomless mimosas – for an hour, just decided not to eat there).

Hominy Grill

Well, we walked…and we walked…and we walked…and finally after about 45 minutes we made it.  We were starving.  And thirsty.  There are many things that could have gone wrong at this moment – but things started looking really nice (except to the Buttercream Queen) when we realized we could enjoy cocktails (AKA mimosas) while waiting for our table (that table for 8 had just been sat when we arrived).

beauties…hungry beauties

So we all enjoyed a drink while waiting and took lots of pictures.  We also glared at the table of 8 hoping to encourage them to eat faster (kidding…kind of).

blondies

Finally, the table cleared and we cheered.  Oh, yes we did.  A round of drinks was a must.  Obviously I went for the mimosa but I heard the bloody’s were on point (I enjoyed snacking on their pickled okra).

day drinking is necessary

After glancing over the menu, we were ready to order.  Or so we thought.  We were going to order some appetizers (that’s how famished we were) but come to find out, those are only available during the week.  Major fail.  We did order some fried green tomatoes and they were delicious (I’m going to add – I did eat gluten over the weekend.  And it was totally worth every bite.)

To eat, we all ventured around the menu, but I ultimately went with the Low Country Omelette – Charleston red rice with shrimp gravy & home fries.  Y’all!  An omelette stuffed with dirty rice!!!!  It was awesome!  I cleaned my plate, well except for the biscuit.  That biscuit saved the Buttercream Queen’s life.

Charleston Omelette

A couple of hens ordered the Huevos Rancheros - poached eggs served with black beans, rice, tortilla, fresh salsa & avocado and raved about how incredible they were.  Oh, and their jam is the jam.  Someone, who will remain nameless that was saved by a biscuit wanted to steal the jam.

huuuuevos

If you’re in Charleston, Hominy Grill is a MUST!  I totally recommend this restaurant.  Even after walking 45 minutes, waiting an hour and not being able to order appetizers, I would tell you to go.  The staff was amazingly friendly and sitting on the patio was just what I wanted to kick off the Saturday.

Post-brunch (about 2pm) we ventured to a bar/restaurant/dive called Fuel.  We obviously didn’t eat anything because we were stuffed but we did order a round of drinks while repeating over and over again how amazing the outside seating area was.  I want to go back and just sit for hours and hours and people watch.  And what do you know – I just realized it was featured on Triple D on the Food Network.  Now it’s even cooler!

Fuel

Following that stop, we ventured around Charleston and after stopping at a few boutiques and bars, we made it back to get ready for dinner.

Dinner in Charleston…so many options!  I had heard of Husk and High Cotton and ultimately we made a reservation at  two places:  High Cotton and Anson.  (I am very disappointed to say that Husk would not make accommodations for a party of 8. )  In the end, we decided to go Anson.  It was a stones-throw away from our hotel and I was impressed with their website.  (Just to note – I’m sure that Husk and High Cotton are fantastic, but I feel that restaurants that get as much publicity as they do don’t have to work as hard to get customers to return…)

hen party

Anson was perfect!  Despite having a few glitches with our reservation (the night before) I was blown away by their service and food.  I stuck with drinking Prosceco (bottles for the table!!!!) but I will be returning for a cocktail (someday, mark my word).  The waiter gave us multiple suggestions and really was honest about dishes, as far as his favorites were.

Instead of ordering a large plate, I went with a salad and small plate.  I think most of the table did the same.

To start, GOLDEN BEETS Feta Cheese, Pecans, Radish, Arugula, Banyuls Vinegar.  

The salad was gorgeous when it arrived.  It was so colorful and so perfectly arranged.  Loved the plating!

Ultimately, I couldn’t turn down the pork belly.  I just can’t.  If it’s on a menu, I’m going to order it.  That’s just how it is.

PORK BELLY Corn And Cheddar Waffle, Hot Pepper Jelly, Sunnyside-Up Farm Egg & Succotash

The pork belly was just as melt-in-you-mouth as I imagined and I loved the hot pepper jelly combined with the egg and succotash.  I must note, the waffle wasn’t my favorite (and wasn’t worth the gluten – the only thing the whole trip).  Marlo also ordered this dish – she’s never had pork belly – and is not a pork belly-iver.

pork belly

Other dishes that were enjoyed by the table:

FRIED OKRA Cornmeal Dusted, Goat Cheese & Chili Oil - to die for.

PAN SEARED SCALLOPS Avocado, Grapefruit, Sweet Onion, Citrus Vinaigrette

 SHE CRAB SOUP Laced With Golden Sherry

SEARED SCALLOPS Ragout Of Field Peas, Okra, House Smoked Pork, Anson’s Grits

The thing I”m most thankful for – everyone loves to share (and taste other people’s plates)!!!!  So I tried it ALL.  Oh, and Peaches got a steak that had the most incredible spice rub on the outside.  I need that spice rub in my life.

And finally, breakfast on Sunday.

Poogan’s Porch.

All I’m going to say about this restaurant, order the Chicken and Waffles.  Don’t even look at anything else.

Crispy fried chicken breasts, waffles, blueberry Texas Pete maple syrup…ummm, the blueberry Texan Pete maple syrup needs to be bottled and sold.  I could not keep my fork off people’s plates.  I wanted to dip everything in that syrup.  Every single bite was better than the one before – and that never happens.  Sweet, savory, breakfast perfection.

chicken ‘n waffles

So those are our eats.

Hominy Grill
Anson
Poogan’s Porch

I’d recommend them all!!!!!!

Charred BLT Salad

I think Spring is finally here!  This weekend was unbelievably gorgeous.  Unfortunately I spent a good part of my Saturday in a mall, frantically searching for a white dress.  However, I found a dress and was able to get home in time to enjoy the 70 degree afternoon with Big Guy on the back deck with a glass of champagne.

this is the life.

Once the sun started to set, I got to work on dinner.  We kept it simple with Charred BLT Salads.  I knew we had to welcome Spring by firing up the grill but I also wanted to keep it light (19 days!  but who’s counting?).  This recipe is so simple and you can play around with the ingredients to make it work for you.

I got to work on the salad toppings while Big Guy got BQ ready to grill romaine.  I crisped some pancetta on the stove and then removed and allowed to drain on a paper towel.  I think cooked grape tomatoes (halved) in the pancetta drippings to make sure the salad was full of flavor.

To grill the romaine, simple dress with EVOO, salt and pepper and throw on the grill until it begins to wilt and earns it’s grill marks.  I would suggest cutting the romaine in half (lengthwise) before grilling – I step that I didn’t do until after cooked.

To complete the salad, top the romaine with the crisped pancetta (or bacon or prosciutto), tomatoes, blue cheese crumbles and green onions.

BLT-inspired

How did  you welcome Spring this past weekend?

Friday Favorites

The excitement is starting to set in!  One week and I’ll be getting ready for an epic “hen party” with 8 of my favorite ladies.  And in three weeks I’ll be getting ready for a bridesmaid luncheon and a weekend full of wedding bliss.  I honestly can’t focus on many things without my mind wandering to something wedding-related. But can you blame me?  It seems like yesterday we were 6 months away..

Here are some of my [random] favorites of the week!

Favorite DYI project:  Like I said, I have my upcoming girl’s weekend on my mind.  How awesome is this glittered champagne bottle?  I’ve gotta find a reason to do this.

pop the bubbly

Favorite non-Big Guy dinner:  Big Guy might not like salmon but I adore it.  I’ve seen this salmon recipe in my Self magazine, on Pinterest and a friend posted it on Instagram.  Basically, I gotta try Salmon with Sriracha Sauce and Lime.

Salmon with Sriracha Sauce and Lime

Favorite Stripes:  This dress is summer perfection.

s-t-r-i-p-e-s

Favorite Grilled Cheese:  In case you aren’t aware, it’s National Grilled Cheese month.  The thought of a grilled goat cheese sandwich with honey-roasted grapes and walnuts makes my mouth water.

grilled cheese, please!

Favorite Wear to Work:  I’m loving these red pants and stripes.  And that gold chunky necklace?  Amazingly perfect.

red + stripes + gold

Favorite Date-Night Idea:  Create a food passport!  Write down all the restaurants you want to visit  in a small notebook.  Throughout the year, when you can’t decide what to do, visit one of the restaurants and write down the date you went.

food passport

Favorite Honeymoon Essential:  I’ve pretty much bought/gotten everything I need for our honeymoon.  But how gorgeous is this bathing suit?

bathing beauty

Favorite Cocktails:  Every edition of “Friday Favorites” needs a cocktail…How about Pear & Bubbles?

pear&bubbles

Favorite Bedtime Ritual:  These face wipes are the best!  Not only do they take off all my makeup but their affordable (cheap) and easy to find!  Oh, and they smell amazing.

essential

Favorite Salad:  So light, so refreshing, so…avocados are involved!

Grilled Shrimp Avocado Fennel and Orange Salad

Happy Friday!  I hope the weather is warming up wherever you are so that you can enjoy the weekend outside!  I’ll be on the hunt for a LWD all day Saturday…wish me luck!

Detox Smoothie

Wedding Month is here!  And there’s no April Fool’s about that.   I hope everyone had a lovely Easter weekend.  I got to spend lots of time with Baby Haines and I savored every moment!  That little  monster bunny has such a personality these days.  I can’t wait to (hopefully) see her in two weeks!

In addition to kissing Haines to death, we went to our favorite bar for a drink before dinner on Saturday.

It’s 5 o’clock somewhere!

This cocktail had me dreaming of our honeymoon!

After dinner on Saturday, we dyed Easter eggs.  A tradition that will never stop!

Easter eggs!

We also came home to discover that our asparagus had grown.

Spring asparagus

And I can’t think of any better end to an Easter weekend (other than Monday off work) than a mini bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs.  My absolute favorite Easter candy!

Easter favorite

This morning, I woke up ready to tackle the week (thanks to a 8:15pm bedtime)!  After my morning trip to the gym, I knew that a green smoothie was just what I needed.

This detox smoothie recipe came from the latest issue of Self magazine.

green breakfast

In the blender: 1 cup almond milk (instead of skim milk), 1/2 banana (frozen), 1/2 pear (chopped), 2 handfuls spinach (instead of kale), 2 tablespoons pistachios, sprinkle of ground ginger and 1 tablespoon flax seed.  Blend until creamy!

 

Fiesta!

KP and Adam

On Saturday night we celebrated those two love birds!  In June, they’ll tie the know in Cincinnati and we (four couples total hosted this shin-dig) wanted to make sure they had a proper NC celebration.  Fiesta style!  There were margaritas, tacos, tequila shots, laughs and most importantly, amazing friends!  Here are a few photos (I took over 110 – let’s just say, we had a good time):

Taco Bar

margarita bar

Margarita Cupcakes and Sombrero Cookies

tequila bar

Me and KP – OLE!

The Bride-to-Be!

tequila time

amigas

pinata!

 

Small Bites

Like I mentioned Wednesday, this past weekend I had the most perfect bridal shower I could ever imagine.  But today, let’s focus on the food.  The food was incredible (and all gluten-free!).

the spread

The hostesses totally out-did themselves.  I wanted to share the small bites because most of them come together in no time at all and I think they’d be perfect for any Spring gathering (it is officially Spring now…despite this cold weather).

apricot and brie bites

Daphne was responsible for these addicting nuggets.  From what I can tell, dried apricots (TJs has some fantastic ones) were cut in half and stuffed with brie, an almond and a sprig of thyme.  Quite the perfect bite.

skewers

Maggie was in charge of these pretty skewers.  On the left, there are skewers with pepperoni, olives and mozzarella.  On the right, skewers of grape tomatoes, mozzarella and basil.  Super easy and delicious.

avocado salsa

Daphne made this dish, too.  I know for a fact that it has avocados, tomatoes, feta and cilantro.  Whatever it is, it’s divine.  Daphne – can you share a link or exact ingredients in the comment section?  I think she originally found the recipe off Pinterest and it’s amazing.

There was also a platter of fresh fruit kabobs,  a cheese plate and some gluten free spinach ball with marinara sauce (from Pinterest) that were awesome.  Like I said, all the food was delicious.

Now go enjoy appy hour!

mimosa bar

Wedding Wednesday, My Kitchen Shower

38 days now

I cannot even begin to explain how much fun I had on Saturday.  Daphne (my aunt), Maggie (my sister and MOH), Momma Bell and Rachel (my cousin) outdid themselves!

kitchen cake

How amazing is that cake that my Momma put together?  I swear she’s Superwoman.

Yummy cupcakes!

Bride and MOH

How awesome are those wine glass markers?

lovely ladies

It was such a treat to have so many special ladies in my life under the same roof.  We laughed, played games and just enjoyed each others company.

me and Daphne, the gorgeous hostess

 

spice game!

the Bell women

I am so lucky to have such a wonderful Momma and sister.

future MIL

It was such a special day and I’ll never forget it.  A HUGE thank you to everyone that drove many miles to be there and who really went out of their way to make it amazing and memorable !

Friday Favorites, Spring Edition.

I am so ready for Spring I can’t stand it.  I’m over these cold mornings and wind that slices through you like a knife.  Be gone!  I heard crickets the other evening and it made me smile.  Since Spring will officially be here next week, what better way to welcome it than a Spring Edition of Friday Favorites.  No more cords, no more Frye boots.  I want my sundresses and Jack Rogers.

Favorite Cover-Up:  Is this not fantastic?  Such a classic look but totally not boring.  I could see myself wearing this on the honeymoon (not to rub it in) while grabbing lunch poolside.

Favorite Use of Hard Boiled Eggs:  I still dye Easter eggs.  Big Guy dyes them now, too.  It’s a tradition.  But what to do with all the leftover eggs.  I usually make egg salad but this year, I think I’m making this twist on the deviled egg.

Favorite Cocktail:  This reminds me of my favorite sangria at Cantina 18 in Raleigh.  I want a pitcher of this Sour Apple and Pear Sangria on my back deck on the first day of 80 degree weather.

Favorite Sandal:  I love this strappy sandal.  You could pair it with white jeans (ohhhh, white jeans!) or a fun dress for date night.  Adore.

Favorite Spring Bag:  This sunny striped Michael Kors bag screams spring.  I would rock it all season long.

Favorite Side Item:  I love Spring time because that means I don’t have to cook inside on the weekends.  You can take it outside.  (I must note, we grill year round, but in the Spring it’s more fun because I can annoy Big Guy and sit on the deck with a cocktail while he’s grilling.)  Take your veggies outside and throw them on the grill!

Favorite Workout:  Walking in around those strappy sandals above means you gotta keep those legs lookin’ lean.  I plan on trying out this leg strengthening workout Saturday AM.

Favorite Thing (no matter the season):  Champs!!!!

Happy, happy weekend!!!!!