Drive-thru

Saturday morning was a bit leisurely for me and Beau. We felt very spunky so we got on our bicycles and decided to not only get some exercise, but run some errands.

 

We rode our bikes over to the bank to make a deposit. As you can see, we went through the drive-thru. J

 

“Drive-Thru” Homemade Parmesan Potato Chips

Canola oil (pot filled to two inches)

1 large russet potato

¼ tsp kosher salt

2-3 T Parmesan Cheese (grated)

 

Heat oil in medium Dutch oven or other pot over medium heat with thermometer placed inside. Heat until it registers 350.

Thinly slice the potato and in batches, carefully drop slices in hot oil once it’s ready. Cook and stir potatoes until golden brown on each side, about 3-4 minutes per batch. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Season with a pinch of salt and all the Parmesan cheese you want! Best if eaten immediately!

A few more days

Just five days until my wedding! Holy cow! Should I be more nervous than I am? Should I be freaking out right now? I’m not. It’s only Monday. Maybe all of it will culminate Thursday or something. Not sure.

 

Anyway, this weekend we ran some more errands and had a “come to Jesus” with Beau’s clothes-trying to weed through what he really needed/wanted. We had to make room for my clothes!!!! (I have been doing the same by the way.) And we packed him for the honeymoon. Yes, it takes both of us to do this. J

 

This week is a pretty like week for me. I’m working only three days and then Thursday and Friday are going to be spent running errands and visiting family and getting my nails done! I’m so excited about all the festivities and marrying this man!

 

March 5^th could not come soon enough!

 

23 days

It’s 23 days until one of the most wonderful and memorable days of my life! I’m very eager for that day to come as I’ve been dreaming about this day my whole life!

 

In the meantime, we’re still putting finishing touches on the event itself. I have a few more gifts to buy, paper products to purchase, cards to write, a house to pack up and a suitcase to pack for the honeymoon.

 

This weekend I have a jam packed weekend. Dinner at our favorite BBQ joint on Friday.

Saturday we’ve got hair appointments, rental company appointments and a wedding shower thrown by Beau’s side of the family.

 

And Sunday I have my bridal portrait, a bridal shower thrown by my side of the family and a family meeting.

 

It’s going to be a very quick, fun and busy weekend! And so glad my mother, sister and niece are coming into town for it! Now…what to wear to all of these little events.

 

I’m hoping these next few weeks go by quickly…

 

 

36 days

36 days until my wedding! I can’t even handle it! The time has gone by so quickly with the holidays being in the middle of the engagement and all the activities on our social calendar. Just five weeks from tomorrow!

 

We’re finalizing the decoration details and the flowers and programs. The wedding bands and marriage certificate are ready and waiting. Everyone has their attire and knows where to be and when. So, so excited!

 

And on top of a great wedding where I get to marry a wonderful man, I get to take a 10-day vacation to Europe! No work! Things are really looking for March!

My Friday

Can I quickly just say that there are only 65 days until my wedding!!!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love that number. Wish it were smaller, but glad it's not bigger! I'm so excited to be marrying this man! We were talking today about how blessed we both are and how much better our lives are together than apart.

 

I'm at work today. It's my Friday though (no work tomorrow) and I'm thrilled. I'd be happier if I weren't sick. Yes, sick or at least getting there. Don't you always find that you're sick over the weekend or on some holiday or something where you want to be part of something fun and not be sick? And you don't get to use that Sick Leave that you've been earning and can't spend any other way. Ugh!

 

And what a long day this has been! Now I don't want to sound all mopey or whatnot, I'm actually in a very good mood and very content in my life. But today is, well, you know, a sick day. Regardless of the sickness, I'm going to attempt to go for a run with my fiance (with the help of cold medicine) and try and sweat it out like my dad advises. We'll see if that works Dad! And sometime around work and runnng, I'm going to run to Wal-Mart and pick up my cart full of free stuff and then to Target to do the same. And I"ll end up spending some money on some wedding items. But that can't be helped! It's definitely helping out the budget to be buying things gradually rather than all at once. More people should do this.

 

I think I should write a book on how to save money when you purchase things. I'm not an expert of just saving money. I don't like to do that. But I am becoming an expert on how to save money while spending money. Make sense?! :)

 

Well, it appears I've discussed four different topics in this one little post. I'll leave it at that.

 

Actually, one more thing. Beau and I have created a website of our own (not through blogger) and it will be revealed some time in March.

 

Happy New Year!

Cinnamon Rolls change everything

It's a couple days before Christmas and I have to admit that this year doesn't feel as much like Christmas as it has in the past. I am not home today. I'm at work. I currently don't have the vacation available to be home before Christmas. So not being there is kind of squashing my Christmas spirit. Christmas has always been defined for me as time with family. And it's just not the same this year. The time that I do get to spend with them this year will be minimal. And in addition to me working today (Yuck!), I'm planning my wedding, which has superseded almost everything else in my life. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm loving planning my wedding. I mean, I've been waiting to do this my whole life! But, I'm not loving how most everything else is going on the backburner, at least things that are important to me are going on the backburner.

 

So today, I'm sitting at my desk and at the point of tears. And I don't think I'm the only one out there in this spot. There are plenty of other people around the world and even in the city of Charleston that are crying on this day, for many different reasons. And my reasons for crying probably can't even come close to their reasons, for mine are trivial in the whole scheme of things. But nevertheless, today is one of tears. Of not being able to make everyone happy (I'm a people-pleaser), of being over-stressed, of lack of sleep, of being out of a job in a few weeks, etc. I'm sure that tomorrow will be better and maybe this afternoon will be better. And tomorrow I will think this is silly and will probably want  to delete it from my blog. But right now, here it is.

 

Right now I wish I lived in Columbia, SC where there is located the closest Cinnabon in SC and I could get one that is covered in caramel and pecans and I could lay on my couch and eat that cinnamon roll while I watch "It's A Wonderful Life" and I could cry at the end because I'm so happy, while at the same time finally letting go of the tears that have been wanting to come out all day. I could then fall asleep on my couch because I was full and happy and relaxed and sleep through the night. And then tomorrow I would wake up and start over, but with a different outlook on the day, while feeling guilty for the huge cinnamon roll I ate the day before. :)

Wild Olive-Restaurant Review

Okay, so here we go again.

 

Wild Olive is an Italian restaurant located on John's Island, SC. My food friend, Lauren, and I met for dinner Wednesday night to have a laid back night of great food and great conversation.

 

On entrance we were freezing and therefore asked for the warmest table in the restaurant, which was naturally right next to the kitchen. This would normally have been the choice seat, but we were able to enjoy our time there with shivering and it allowed us to keep an eye on our waitor!

 

Lauren and I sat down in comfortable seats at a table for two and handed a wine list. And to my excitement I found the white wine that I had had at Mercato a few weeks prior! Because that wine was heavenly I ordered it again! And while enjoying that Lauren and I munched on our Italian bread with olive oil and the Fried Risotto Balls with a Vodka Tomato Aioli that we ordered as an apptizer. And before I move I should tell you how delicious those risotto balls were! With each bite mozzarella and parmesan cheese came oozing out of it. Yum. The bread, on the other hand, not so great. It was tough and dry. But that would be the only bad thing I had to say about the entire evening.

 

The service the entire evening was right on point. With Paul, our waitor, and another guy double-teaming our table we were never without anything. The food came out promptly after cooking and everything was very professional and nice. They were accomodating to our needs and wants and anything extra we requested.

 

For our Primi we ordered:

Lauren-Penne with Sausage and Chicken in a cream sauce with sun-dried tomatoes

Kathryn-Linguine in a lemon-butter sauce with mussels, calamari, shrimp and scallops (I ate every bite ad soaked up the sauce with the leftover bread)

 

For our Secondi we ordered: (yes we ordered two dishes!)

Lauren-Pork Scallopine with Polenta and Sauteed Escarole

Kathryn-Veal Skirt Steak Marsala with Whipped Mashed Potatoes and Sauteed Spinach with a butter sauce

 

I should mention, for those who don't know, that skirt steak is typically a tough piece of meat and is difficult to keep tender. But I could cut that veal with the side of my fork (I didn't, but I could have). And as a side note: I should tell you that I couldn't eat all of it this night so I ate it Thursday night for dinner, which meant heating it up in the microwave and that veal was just as tender!)

 

The marsala sauce was heavenly. I ate every bite slowly so that I could enjoy it and my goodness, I wish I could have some of that right now!

 

For dessert:

As typical, Lauren and I split dessert.

We ordered: Almond Cake topped with Vanilla Gelato and Sweet Balsamic Strawberries. It was light and sweet, but not too much. And the vanilla gelato was smooth and creamy and wonderful.

 

Wild Olive is one of my new favorite restaurants and one I will return to as soon as I can.

Virginia's On King-Restaurant Review

This past Sunday I headed down to Virginia's on King with Beau, Donna, Mimi and my mother for brunch. I had bought one of the $25 gift certificates from Restaurant.com for only $1 and wanted to take advantage of it. Plus, I had never been there before. The restaurant is located on upper King St. (the part that is still 2-way). I made a reservation earlier in the week and I'm glad I did because Sunday mornings are packed!

 

Before going, I asked around to see what the word on the street was regarding the food and they were mixed. Some people said it was great and some people said it wasn't so great. Of course I'm going to find out on my own so out we went!

 

It's a nice atmosphere downstairs but the bar is right there in the middle of everything and you can't escape it. So if you don't like that, ask to be seated upstairs, which is cozy and it overlooks the city. While you're waiting to order or waiting for your food you can help yourself to breakfast bread (i.e. banana bread, lemon poppyseed bread, chocolate marble bread, etc.) at the end of the bar. And it's a good thing too, because our waitress was not so great. But to her defense I think she was overtasked. She was managing the bar, as well as waitressing a number of tables. Maybe they were down on wait staff that day. Hmm...

 

So the food. The brunch menu is full of appetizer options, omelettes, sandwiches and breakfast plates, with omelette and quiche specials changing everyday. After the women ordered their coffee and the gentleman ordered his Diet Coke we set out for the entree ordering.

 

Beau-Bull's Eye-Two eggs griddle fried in Texas Toast w/ macaroni and cheese and bacon

Kathryn (me) - Crab and Asparagus Omelette w/ Hollandaise, stone ground grits and a biscuit

Donna-same as me, exactly

Karen-appetizer of Fried Green Tomatoes, Biscuit, Sausage Gravy and stone ground grits (yes, she ordered everything a la carte to fit what she wanted to the tee!)

Mimi-Local Shrimp sauteed with smoked sausage and bell peppers, served over creamy stone-ground grits, topped with tasso ham gravy

 

So the verdict? Good. Yeah, not great, but good.

My mom loved her little a la carte thing and Beau loved his whole plate.

My grits were delicious! Heavy cream and initial salting makes all the difference when cooking grits. So good. My omelette was okay, but I could tell they used some sort of filler in the eggs. It was like they used Bisquick or something in them, they were extremely fluffy and solid yellow. Real eggs (with nothing added) aren't like that. I like real eggs.

 

I would probably return. Who knows.

 

 

Disney World Wine & Dine Festival-restaurant(s) review

Beau and I headed down to Florida on Friday primarily for him to run the Inaugural Wine & Dine 1/2 Marathon. And before I go on I should say that he did amazing! He set a personal record and that was after walking all over Disney World all day. Oh, did I mention the race started at 10:00pm Saturday night? Yes, a night race. WOW! I was really impressed and really proud of him. But as a bonus to the race, we were able to attend the 15th annual Wine & Dine Festival, which will become annual for us as well. So much fun!

 

Friday night Beau and I went to a restaurant in Downtown Disney called Portobello's. The reviews weren't great (we researched prior to going), but this place has an appetizer that is Beau's favorite so we went anyway. And I have to say, I was thrilled with the whole evening. We were able to be seated immediately and although our waiter was MIA for a while, when we did find him, he was fabulous. Stephen was his name and he initiated an evening of singing everything to us that I gladly reciprocated with singing back. So fun and so not Kathryn. But hey, I was in Disney World. It's a magical place right?! Beau and I ordered cocktails- Beau having a Long Island Iced Tea and me a Orangcello Martini that tasted like dessert! That app that Beau loved is a whole head of garlic that has been roasted to pure sweetness and then drizzled in more olive oil and topped with cracked pepper. You're given some really nice Italian bread to do the dipping and spreading and presto! deliciousness!

 

Beau ordered Shrimp in a what was more or less primavera. He needed something light since he was running the next day. I ordered Clams and Linguine and yes, that was a first timer for me and will not be a last timer. It was wonderful! I couldn't eat it all, but man did I want to! I wish I could have some right now!

 

Saturday started the wining and dining in EPCOT for the festival and Beau and I took advantage of that festival before and after the race. Here is what we had:

 

HOPS AND BARLEY:

Boston-style Crab Cake with Cabbage Slaw and Remoulade

New England Lobster Rolls

 

MOROCCO:

Kefta Pocket (Ground Seasoned Beef in a PIta Pocket)

Sangria

Tangerine Mimosa Royale

 

BELGIUM:

Freshly Baked Waffles with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream

Godiva Chocolate Iced Coffee

 

SPAIN:

Taste of Spain (Serrano Ham, Chorizo, Manchego, Olives and Tomato Bread)

 

FRANCE:

Escargots Persillade en Brioche

Creme Brulee au Chocolat au Lait

Sparkling Pomegranate Kir

Parisian Cosmo Slush

 

IRELAND:

Lobster and Scallop Fisherman's Pie

Bunratty Meade Honey Wine

 

CHARCUTERIE AND CHEESE:

Nueske's Charcuterie Plate (Applewood Smoked Beef, Duck and Ham)

 

I would have to say that my least favorite thing was the Creme Brulee which is a huge shock because that's my favorite dessert. But it had the consistency of Jello Pudding and not real custard. And my favorite would have to be the Escargots in Brioche. I had never had escargots, but wow. And well Brioche...enough said. But everything was really amazing! We'll be going back for sure and I recommend  you look into going next year. It's worth it!

FREE cookie

Did you know that the month of October is National Cookie Month AND National Book Month?! To celebrate both books and cookies (2 of my favorite things ), the 2010 National Book Drive kicks off on October 1st with a FREE Original Chocolate Chip Cookie giveaway from 10AM-2PM. Just visit a participating Great American Cookie store during this time for your FREE chocolate chip cookie (no donation is required on October 1st).

Throughout the entire month of October, you can receive a FREE cookie of your choice by donating a new or gently read book at your local Great American Cookie stores (Limit one cookie per person, per day at participating locations through October 31st). All books collected at each store will be offered as a donation to a local branch of the public library or a local charity. Click here for more information.