A Summer's Night Meal

Grilled chicken kabobs with cherry tomato, onions and green peppers with a side of grape tomato, mozzarella and parmesan asparagus salad. I used this Pin's recipe to cook my asparagus and just added the mozzarella and tomatoes. My husband said it was best asparagus he's ever had.

Yes, that's ketchup there on the left. I put ketchup on everything.

And I paired this meal with my favorite summer beer - New Belgium's Rolle Bolle... Mmmm!

Cheers!

Tasty Tuesday - Greek Salsa Chicken

Make this recipe tonight! Do it! It is probably one of the best (not to mention super easy) chicken breast recipes I've ever made, and my husband says this is now in the running for best meal I've ever cooked him. May I present to you...drumroll... Greek salsa chicken breasts! Ta-da!

I found this recipe via Pinterest which led me to Sweet Pea's Kitchen blog where I followed the recipe. I'll repost the recipe here and add in anecdotes from when I cooked it. I'm no expert cook, so when following recipes I always wish the authors would give more details - even if they are obvious - because I'm always second guessing myself...so I hope my side-comments will help you!

Ingredients

For the Salsa:

• 4 oz. crumbled feta cheese
• 1 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes (I used cherry)
• 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives (Publix had these fresh in deli section, next to premade salads, etc.)
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley (used curly parsley - pinched off a bunch, put it in my 'slap chop' chopper and chopped it up)
• 1/4 cup lemon joice (squeezed fresh lemons for juice - took about three lemons to get 1/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano (I already had dried Oregano spice and just used that instead)

For the Chicken:

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (Took a package of three boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cut them in half)
• Pepper to taste
• Kosher salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 lemons, cut into wedges

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450° F
2. In a large bowl, combine feta, tomatoes, olives, parsley, lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil and oregano. Cover and chill in fridge. (I made this about an hour before I started the rest of the recipe. So after combining and stirring the salsa, I covered the bowl with saran wrap and let it chill in the fridge for about an hour and a half and pulled it out when chicken was done)
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large roasting pan over medium-high heat (I used one of my deep Calphalon frying pans that can go in the oven -- make sure your pan can go in the oven, certain ones can and certain ones can't past specific temperatures). Season chicken (both sides) with kosher salt and pepper. Sear chicken (on stove top in frying pan) about 1-2 minutes on each side (I did about 3 min each side - be careful of sizzling olive oil splashes). Remove pan from heat.
4. Squeeze lemon wedges over chicken to coat (I didn't use all of them - I think you can probably just use one lemon cut into wedges for this instead of the recommended two). Place the squeezed lemon wedges around the chicken breasts. Roast until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160°, about 25 - 30 min. (I'm not a cooking expert, so the whole 'roast' thing confused me at first - but I just literally took my Calphalon frying pan and stuck it in the oven to bake. I don't have a meat thermometer, so after the cook time was over, we just cut the middle of the breasts and made sure it was cooked all the way through. Finally, my cook time ended up being about 35 min).
5. Transfer chicken and lemons to a large platter (I just left it in the pan). Top with salsa and serve (we put chicken on our plates first, then scooped salsa on top).

This easily served the two of us with Bradley going back for seconds, leaving a half breast leftover for lunch. I think if you're serving more than two, double this recipe.

The blog author suggested serving this with her oven roasted potatoes and a garden salad. I didn't have time to cook the potatoes too, so I cheated and bought frozen Alexia oven fries with olive oil, rosemary and garlic seasoning. They take about 25 min to cook, so I just popped them in the oven on the bottom shelf at the same time the chicken was cooking. They were soooo good and complimented the chicken perfectly.

Add a side salad with light balsamic vinegerette dressing and this was an easy and super flavorful dinner for two! I will definitely be making this again. Yum!

Weekend Recap

It looks like the new trend in blogger-land is to recap your weekend activities... and so I am jumping on the bandwagon and following suit. Here goes...

Friday night was intended to be a wild ladies' night -- almost all of our guy friends were in Cancun this past weekend for my fiance's Bachelor party. So all of us ladies decided, "While the mens are away, the ladies will play!" and Friday was our designated night to do so.

We started the night off with dinner and drinks at the new Basil in Mt. Pleasant -- and unlike other Charleston area restaurants, eh hem, our expectations were met and exceeded!

{via}

Parking wasn't fun though because Basil doesn't really have their own parking lot (something they probably should have figured out maybe?) so you have to park in the limited parking along the street OR in the Piggly Wiggly parking lot about a block away - which is where I parked and it really wasn't a bad walk. Basil should work something out with Piggly Wiggly and offer valet parking - I think that would be awesome.

A few of us got there early and headed upstairs to the bar area that has a nice wrap around porch with couches, tables and flat screen tv's. This is going to be an awesome happy hour location come cooler weather. As soon as I sat down a waitress was out there to take my order and promptly brought me my glass of house Chardonnay - which was delish.

When most of us had arrived, I was sent down to let the hostesses know our party was there -- we had a reservation at 8pm, but we let them know about ten minutes prior we were there, just in case we'd have to wait. We actually expected to have to wait even with a reservation because they were packed! However, when I let the lady know we were all accounted for and ready when they were, she said, "Oh! Your table has been ready - come on down!" So I scurried back upstairs, grabbed the rest of the ladies, and we were quickly seated at a nice long table.

The food was delish! I have never had Thai, so I was pleasantly surprised. We started with bottles of wine (of course) and several apps -- we had a coconut soup that was pretty good... but it tasted like a warm pina colada to me, and I think you can only have a few spoonfuls, not a whole bowl. My description of a warm pina colada actually kept a few girls from trying it, lol. Oops.

We also had the stuffed shrimp which was SO good. It came with a sweet and sour sauce that was pretty good too.

And we ordered a few Fresh Basil Rolls -- which are wrapped in rice paper, which I noted made the rolls look like a certain male body part... but despite the appearance, lol, they were very good... but I avoided the house sauce that came with it because several girls were gulping down their water after tasting it, telling me to not go near it because it was so spicy.

I am not a spicy food connoisseur. I order mild salsa at Mexican restaurants (which, I don't even like Mexican food because most of it is spicy) because the salsa they put on your table is too spicy for me. I know... everyone says I'm crazy, but for some reason I just can't handle spicy food. So when I ordered my Pad Thai at Basil, I was pleasantly surprised that I could order it with no spice at all.

I didn't get a picture of it, but it was very, very good! I haven't had Pad Thai ever before and it tastes to me like pasta with peanut butter mixed in... lol... but it was good! And the portion size was great -- I ate half and was full with half to take home (that may or may not have gotten eaten late night later in the night).

So I definitely recommend Basil (in Mt. P!) if you get the chance to go - but a reservation is a must!

After dinner, several of the girls went home (lame!), two headed off downtown (we should have followed),  and the remaining five of us tried to rally for a girls' night out. And then there were five....

We just couldn't get motivated to go downtown and two girls actually said they'd probably go home if we went downtown... so we decided to pick a place in Mt. P to just have a beer, let our food settle and then decide on the best place to go out. For some reason we picked Hatchell's Tapas bar in Towne Center. Ugg..why did we pick there? The whole place smelled like a bathroom...for real. It was so gross. And there were three people working there: two girls on their phones texting, standing around, and one guy bartender who was awful.... I ordered a beer, handed him a $10 and watched as he held onto my money and had conversations with patrons instead of giving me my change. Finally got my change. We quickly finished our beers and were trying to get the heck out of there because the smell was so bad, so one of my friends asks the bartender to close her tab. We then proceed to watch the bartender fix other people's drinks, talk, etc. while we just sit there staring at him... he finally heard us saying, "Uh... any day now please?" and finally came over with her tab. Geez! Needless to say we won't be going back there any time soon.

One of the girls then left us to go to the Windjammer to meet up with some other folks to see a concert (she didn't get to bed until 3am, we should have followed)... And then there were four.

We. must. move. on. We tried to rally...we really tried...

The last fun night we had in Mt. P. started with a quick stop at Art's Bar for shots...so we decided to try and recreate that momentum by going to Art's on Coleman Blvd. Art's is fun and random. It's either dead or it's packed. It was pretty dead when were were there, but the live band (forget the name) was really good. We had a few beers, took that shot, sat outside and talked... and next thing we know it's almost 1am. For some reason we just couldn't get motivated to go anywhere else -- so we all agreed that while we tried to make a valiant effort, wild girls' night just wasn't in the cards for us. So we all agreed to call it a night.

Can't remember what it was - something cherry lifesaver maybe?

Fell in love with my friend's Michael Kors purse and wanted to steal it - it matches my outfit! I want it!!

We did take some fun pictures at Art's though...including our own makeshift photo booth. Turn your camera timer on, balance on top of Bud Light bottle placed on top of the bar, lean back and pose. Ha!

The rest of the weekend was pretty lazy....Saturday was quality beach time on Sullivan's Island, followed by a matinee viewing of The Help -- it was great! Totally met expectations, did the book justice, and would definitely see it again!

{via}

After the movie we went to Los Arcos for dinner where I had my mild salsa and a chicken quesadilla, the only Mexican menu item I will eat. Since my fiance and his friends were living it up in Cancun and posting pictures to Facebook, we decided to post one of our own... hey, if he's partying with Mexican girls, I can party with Mexican boys, right? Lol... these waiters were good sports.

To go box says, "She misses you Bradley". Friend posted to Facebook and tagged my fiance. :)

After dinner I was excited to head home, put on my PJ's, and snuggle up on the couch with my Willow dog. Sunday was a day of cleaning out closets, trying to get organized and cleaning -- trying to get ready for all of the company coming in town next weekend.

This week is officially the last week I will be a 20-something... ahhh!! My 30th birthday is Sunday. This coming weekend brings family and friends in town for an Alice in Wonderland themed girls' shower for me (YAY!) and then my big birthday bash at Local's in Mt. Pleasant Saturday night -- if you're a 'Local', consider yourself invited. The theme is "Saying Goodbye to the Roaring 20's" and we're all dressing up as Flappers and Gangsters. :) I can't wait!

I hope you all had wonderful weekends as well... time for me to get back to work. I will try to be better about commenting on your posts today... Cheers!

Guilty Pleasure

Somehow this found its way into my shopping basket while I was waiting in line at Publix to check out...

...and without anyone to stop me...

...it was gone in no time along with a glass of wine.

Oops.

S'mores Pops

Two weeks ago I saw this delicious looking post from a fellow Charleston blogger, Keller Creative, on how to create S'more Pops. What attracted me most to this recipe was that it looked SUPER EASY!

So since it only required about five ingredients and would take little time to make, I decided to try them for a work event last week. Everyone kept coming up to me and raving about them and asking for the recipe... it was great because they really only took me like 20 minutes to make!

What you need:

• Marshmallows
• Wooden Skewers (I am grocery store challenged and after spending 10 min. looking for them in Publix, I gave up and got colorful straws in the Birthday supplies isle - they worked out just as well)
• Nestle semi-sweet chocolate morsels
• Graham Cracker crumbs
• Sprinkles! Lots and lots of sprinkles! (I went through about three small bottles of sprinkles - really depends on how many you want to use.)

How to make:
Pour some graham cracker crumbs in a small bowl.

Cut slices in each marshmallow - not going all the way through it - and roll the marshmallow in the graham cracker crumbs (the inside of the marshmallow will be sticky). Then stick the skewer (or in my case, straw) into the marshmallow and set aside. Repeat this process until you have as many done as you want to make.

 

Take bowl with remaining graham cracker crumbs and pour in sprinkles (I started with half the sprinkles, and added more as needed through next steps). Using a fork, spoon the mixture until it's evenly mixed.

Pull out a cookie sheet pan and cover with wax paper or (in my case since I didn't have any wax paper), cover with Ziplock bags....worked for me!

Pour about 2 to 3 cups of the chocolate morsels into a separate bowl - microwave on high for 30 seconds. Take out and stir with a spoon (should be semi-melted at this point). Put bowl back in microwave and zap it for another 20 to 30 seconds. Take out bowl and stir until you have creamy, melted chocolate.

Take each marshmallow stick and coat each marshmallow in a layer of melted chocolate -- I used a spoon to help me 'paint' the marshmallows.

Then take the chocolate covered  marshmallow and roll it in the graham cracker crumb and sprinkle mix, coating the entire marshmallow. Then place on the cookie sheet.

Continue this process with each marshmallow until you're done -- refilling the chocolate, graham cracker crumbs, and sprinkles as needed throughout the process.

When finished creating each pop, stick the pan in the fridge to set overnight..... On Keller Creative's blog, she suggests sticking them in the freezer. I think this works if you plan to eat them soon after ward, say an hour... but since I didn't need mine until the next day, the fridge worked better so they weren't hard as a rock, but still squishy to eat.

These are really, really good considering they take no time to make. My fiance LOVES them. One co-worker told me that they taste as good as s'mores, but aren't overwhelming in taste like s'mores (with too much chocolate, etc.) can be - she said it was a perfect light dessert.

I have a feeling I'll be making more of these in the future! Thanks to Keller Creative for sharing the recipe!

Celebrating love with food...

My fiance and I celebrated our Valentine's Day a little early on Saturday night - he took me to an Italian (my fave!) dinner at a restaurant in Mt. Pleasant called Bacco... it was pretty good. We sipped on wine and stuffed ourselves with yummy pasta.

Valentine's Day by CharlestonGirlBlog

After dinner we headed downtown to Kaminsky's - a dessert cafe that offers a selection of amazing cakes, pies, cookies... even in the off season, there was still a long line out the door to get in.

I ordered a slice of the Heath Bar cake and my fiance ordered a slice of the triple chocolate cake. So yummy... and paired with caramel lattes. If you ever visit Charleston, Kaminsky's is a must do.

Happy Valentine's Day... how did you or how will you be celebrating?

Mac & Cheese is my Middle Name

One of my friends sent out a message today on Facebook to our whole crew of friends about a Macaroni & Cheese cook off that's happening Friday night in downtown Charleston.


WHAT?!?! How did I not hear about this until today?!?

The gist is that 12 different restaurants are cooking up a ton of their best Mac & Cheese recipes and then the public samples the different selections and votes on their favorite.

It's downtown Charleston at the Visitor Center Bus Shed (big, covered outdoor area used for events like Oyster Roasts, etc.) this Friday night, 7pm to 11pm. Tickets are only $5 in advance and then you purchase a $1 ticket for each Mac & Cheese sample you want to try. A portion of the proceeds will go to charity.

There's going to be live music and drinks...plus all the Mac & Cheese you could eat! What's not to love?!?!

EAT

Italian dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Charleston, Capriccio - White wine and pasta...delicious! This Anthro dress of mine was perfect - comfortable and forgiving for my pasta filled belly.

Not sure I can duplicate the Pray and the Love sections - but I've got the Eat part covered for sure. :)

Pasta Pretty by CharlestonGirlBlog featuring Anthropologie dresses

A Charleston Birthday

Saturday is my birthday and I'm celebrating with a boat cruise around the Charleston harbor, followed by a delicious meal at the Boat House at Beach Inlet, and ending with drinks and {attempts at} shagging to beach music at dive bar Buddy Roe's. Happy Birthday to Me!

A Charleston Birthday by CharlestonGirlBlog featuring Anthropologie dresses

E.P.L.

I was wary of reading this after hearing from multiple people that it was difficult to get through, that the author was whiney, etc.

I. Loved. It.

I want to drop everything and travel the world!

I actually listened to the audiobook instead of reading - and I think that made all the difference. It was narrated by the author herself. I would put in my headphones and listen while unpacking my condo, or listen in my car on the way to work - so I was able to finish it in about a week and a half. I actually looked forward to getting in my car and sitting in traffic just to listen to the book.

Italy was my favorite - I wanted her to stay there...probably because I LOVE Italian food. But I like Bali as well. India was kind of... meh. I think because I'm not into the whole 'spiritual' yoga and chanting. Although I would love to learn to meditate to help me not get so stressed at times and to keep focused.

I am so excited for the movie too - I have this thing where I love to read a book and then go see the movie. My girlfriends and I are going next Tuesday - dinner first at a local sushi restaurant Bambu and then the movie!

Seven questions on a Sunday night...

I've been packing and moving all day with my BF and we're pretty much done for the day until the movers come in the morning. So I'm showered, back in my PJ's, on the couch and watching a marathon of Whale Wars on Animal Planet.

One of my favorite bloggettes, Julie from Brown Eyed Belle, tagged me in a cute little blog questionnaire...my very first! You answer some questions and then tag other bloggers to do the same on their blog. So excited...and it's perfect timing since I'm only about 10 posts into my new blog venture - so this will give my newbie readers some more insight into my blog's protagonist...me!

Question 1: Favorite Color?

My favorite color is green - any shade. But I really love green and blue together - I think that's why I'm such a fan of peacocks. Imagine my excitement when Target's Liberty of London collection included a peacock pattern. Yes, I bought up about everything they offered in it..


photo i took at friend's wedding - i love peacocks! This one did not love me.
Question 2: Favorite Restaurant?
My BF and I are so in love with a small Italian restaurant in Mt. Pleasant called Cappricio. Italian food is my fave, and Cappricio by far has the best Italian I've ever had. You get a huge basket of Italian bread and you dip it in olive oil and grated parmesan cheese. We always order an extra basket!

The food isn't the only thing that makes this place one of the best in Charleston - it's also very cozy and quaint with wooden tables covered (inside) with hanging large umbrellas. The wine is delish and you eat by candlelight. The staff is awesome and the owner (who is French!) and his wife always visits your table to make sure everything meets your expectations.

Mmmm...I'm craving it now.

Question 3: Hobbies?

I have so many - sometimes I think too many! Ballet (and other dance styles) is probably one of my biggest hobbies. I've been doing ballet since I was four - I was very serious in high school and danced six days a week and did all sorts of performances. I kept up with it through college and still, in my late twenties, take classes at the Robert Ivey ballet here in Charleston. I'm not nearly as good as I used to be as my body gets older and won't move like it used to, but it's an amazing work out. Plus, it makes me feel good that I can still 'hang' in the advanced classes despite being almost 10 years older than the other girls and boys in the class. :)

me as Mary Poppins
me as Cinderella (front left) w/ Fairy Godmother & season fairies
Other hobbies: tennis, blogging, bike riding, bowling (yes, bowling..but remember I was raised in Alabama, I have my own ball and shoes!), painting...and shopping, that's a hobby, right?

Question 4: What does your room look like?

Well, right now it's all packed up in about twenty boxes since I'm moving. But to give you a general idea, it's greens and yellows and blues. I have a dark brown bedroom set from JC Penny, and my bedding is from Bed, Bath & Beyond...I love it. It's more green in person.

And since moving gives me an excuse to buy new decorative things, I bought two of these gorgeous window panels from Anthropologie to compliment my room decor.
Question 5: If you could have dinner with two people, dead or alive, who would they be?

I'm going to have to agree with Julie and say my grandparents - both sets (so I need dinner with 4 people) who are no longer here. I kick myself every day thinking about how many summers I could have spent with them while in high school or college, but how I stupidly stayed home to hang out with friends or do other so-not-important summer stuff. Now as I get older, I have so many questions for them. I want to know about my family's history and my ancestors. I wish I had spent more time with them...I miss them.

my dad's parents with my older sister; this is the grandmother I look a lot like

Question 5: What is your next big splurge?

I'm definitely making a few of those with my move, including paying double rent this month (ouch). But if "big" is really big, then probably a house in Charleston. I already own a house in Columbia that I rent out now to a tenant...but before I moved down here I lived in it for almost four years and put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into it.

And despite the hardships of being a home owner (yard work, repairs, etc.), it is totally worth it. Knowing that the money you're paying each month is an investment you'll eventually get back (hopefully) someday is a great feeling. And all of the repairs and hard work feel great afterwards... knowing that you're bettering something you own. I hate paying rent..I'm doing it again for another year out of necessity, but fingers crossed next time I move will be into something I own.

in my dreams
Question 6: What is your favorite joke, quote, or saying?

My fave quote is a Winston Churchill quote - I love it because I'm really big on standing up for myself, for my friends, and for what I believe in -- even if it makes people like me less...at least I know I'm always true to myself. I am never fake..I'm a very "what you see is what you get" type of girl.

Question 7: Anything else you would like known (a random fact)?

This is somewhat random...but my dream is to design clothes for women. I know that's probably a lot of people's dreams, but if I could go back and redo things, I would have gone to school for fashion design.

I went to Clemson and got a BS in Computer Engineering...a very math heavy and very, very difficult major. After that I continued at Clemson and got my MBA in E-commerce. I am happy with my career path, after all I'm a computer nerd at heart - but corporate America and the politics of it is wearing on me. I like being creative, and I rarely get to use my creativity in my current occupation.

I love fashion and clothes - but what I really want to do is design clothes for real women. Every time I try on something and it has weird pleats or funny seams...or the top is bigger than the bottom, etc., I want to 're-engineer' the design so it actually flatters normal bodies. I don't want to be a popular, famous designer...I would just be content designing beautiful dresses and selling them in my own boutique by the beach.

I've actually bought some fashion business books and have started trying to find sewing classes in Charleston - but with all of my other hobbies (see question 3), I barely have time to even think about it.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Now it's my turn to tag some lovely bloggesses to answer this fun blog questionnaire. Tag you're it!

Lacey in the City

las lowcountry

Buckhead Belle

Observations of a Token Yankee

Holly Sails

Bumpkin on a Swing

**Thx again to Julie from Brown Eyed Belle for tagging me - this was too fun!