Hushpuppy Love

For a few weeks now I've been craving some serious hushpuppy action. I'm shocked (SHOCKED I TELL YOU!) to see the lack of hushpuppy on menus in seafood restaraunts around town. All I can say is we must have a bunch of northern chefs up in this town because no southern soul knows seafood without hushpuppy. I've been mourning the loss of Charleston's best down home seafood spot for a few years now.


RIP Anchor Line



I can remember going to Anchor Line as a little Laura. The only drink options: sweet tea and pink lemonade. Every seafood plate=2 hushpuppies. I think I'm starting to cry.

Now, I've been over to The Wreck and while yummy, there is no comparison.

Ok, so back to my craving. I've been annoying K I'm sure with my latest fried seafood rants, but I put my foot down and we are heading to Fleet Landing this weekend. Fleet Landing has some damn good seafood, and on the menu "Stuffed Hushpuppies". Honestly, I just need my hushpuppy stuffed with cornmeal, but at this point I'll take what I can get!


As you can probably tell, I'm one of these girls who likes to pick what I'll be eating before I even get to the restaraunt. I leave the drink list as the mystery. I just get so excited about food!



1. What's your favorite seafood spot in Charleston?

2. Do you like to pick out you order before even getting there?

Gloomy Wednesday Wishes

It's nasty outside y'all. And I just want to stay in bed.

I also want:



The Pet Hair Fantasic. This is an attachment tool for the vacuum that you use to brush your doggy and it sucks up hair as you brush! Currently Alfie and the vacuum are enemies but I think this could be the treaty to bring them together.



Vivienne Westwood shoes. I think that I want to wear these as my "Something Blue" at my future wedding.



What's on your wishlist?

& How do you fight the rainy day blues?

Saturday Recap

This past Saturday was a great day, from start to finish.
I woke up to K carrying in a plate of homemade Eggs Benedict and orange-mango juice for breakfast in bed! Except I took it to the table as hollandaise sauce can be a little messy, for me at least. I eat like it's my first birthday party.

After my yummy breakfast I hopped back in bed for a snooze. Now, I should probably have prefaced my Saturday story with my Friday night story, as it became somewhat of a blur for me. Let me explain. Things started out mild enough, went for dinner at Opal, a new restaurant in Mt. P. K got the Flounder and I the Duck Ragu. Good food. Things took a turn when I ordered "Death in the Afternoon" at Club Havana for my night cap. This was a $12 drink and I was lit up like a lightbulb after forcing it down. I had to chase each sip with a swig of beer, that's how strong it was. My buzz led me downstairs into the Tinder Box where I bought a pack of Lucky Strikes and pretended to be in the trenches of World War I for the remainder of the night. Ok, so back to my Saturday snooze, yes I was a bit hungover.

Once I got up I made Pistachio Cake for a birthday dinner that night, and K and I headed over to the pool for about an hour (too hot), and then it was time to head to dinner.

K grilled yummy pork marinated in teriyaki and rosemary, and we had asparagus and scalloped potatoes, pistachio cake for dessert. After dinner we went to Blockbuster (aka ghost town) and rented The River Runs Through It. Ok, this is starting to ramble on...

All I want to say is how much I love my boyfriend and that I can't explain how special I felt when he gave me this, late Saturday night, for no occasion at all:

This was his grandmother's ring and it's the most wonderful gift I've ever recieved. It's dainty and beautiful and it makes me think of K everytime I look at it. I'm so in love.
Gag, I know.

So what's the best gift you've ever been given??

Kaleidoscope Eyes

The magazines I subscribe to:

Self- I like Self because, while it promotes fitness and healthy living, it is not solely devoted to flat abs and tofu meat.

Esquire- This is the hands down wittiest, funniest, chock-full of quips and information magazine I've found. The only complaint is that the men's fashion spreads don't do much for me.

Garden & Gun- I get my mom's Southern Living once she's finished with it, so I decided to subscribe to this. My favorite part of both of these Southern magazines are the fact that they contain interesting places that can be visited in day trips. Next up, Pearl Fryar's topiary in Bishopville!

And this is just a pic I snapped from inside my kaleidoscope. Pretty!

Happy Monday to all!

Friends with Benefits

I've got some great friends y'all. And it's occurred to me that I have yet to mention these lovely ladies who have had such a hand in making me who I am. Allow me to introduce you to the girls in my life.


Kristina, Chelsea, and I at Trio last winter.
Highschool friends are the best!


Abby, my brother, and I jumping around at a show...


And chillin with Alfie.


Brittany and I at dinner before seeing Gaga (oooh lala) in Charlotte last September!




Anna and I at Toucan Reef back in college, drunk and lovey.
Does anyone else remember Toucan Reef?!?!





Beth and I (and Brittany) at IBG karaoke.
Beth is getting married next spring in St. Thomas!!





With my best friend! (Father K and Ariel on Halloween.)
Haha, doesn't he look so happy?!


High Five! Love you Chuck-e


TGIF Everyone!

Has anyone else seen this tiny house?

K lives downtown and everytime I leave his house I ride by what I have dubbed the tiny house. After doing some research I found that this house was built in 1991 to represent the "house of the future"... Overpopulation yes? It was featured as a visual exhibit in Spoleto years ago. Anyway, each time I see it I'm struck with a tiny chuckle, a little laugh for the little house.

I keep waiting to see a tiny little man walk out the front door, lock it up, and crank up his little mini coup.

Has anyone else seen this??

Happy Thursday!

Foooood

Please excuse my lack of post yesterday! I was off-site at United Way Campaign training (my favorite part of my job). Today I am sharing a couple yummy thoughts.
This weekend I caved and bought the sweet cereal. I have a weakness for cinnamon toast crunch, what can I say? It's really good. This is a rare indulgence because 1.) I normally just have yogurt for breakfast and 2.) If I do buy cereal it's normally shredded wheat or cheerios.

So, I just added blueberries to make it healthy :)

Also, a recipe for you:
I love a spicy meal y'all. Cajun spice is a regular in my dishes.
Here is one of my favorite easy pasta sauce recipes. Now, I make this different every time and follow no recipe, just as an FYI. But here's the gist.

Laura's Cajun Cream Pasta
First I saute some shrimp in garlic and butter. I like to add chicken sausage as well.

Once this is nice and cooked I'll set it aside and make my sauce. The sauce is a mixture of milk, cajun spice, parmesan cheese, and lemon juice. I'll also add a dash or two of flour if it needs thickening. Last I'll throw the sausage and shrimp back in and simmer for a few.
Yum Yum Yum.
Meanwhile I'm boiling my water for the pasta. Once the pasta is just about done, I'll throw in my frozen green peas to cook for about 4 minutes.

Strain the water out of this and top with sauce!
This meal is very delicious and easy to make with just a few ingredients on hand.

Wait, It's Monday?

Hi! This weekend flew by and I'm left in the dust. I went to the cinema on Friday for my teen flick escape only to discover that every movie theatre in Charleston had been taken over by Potter Mania. K and I did make it over to the Terrace after dinner at Mondo's on Saturday to see "The Tree of Life". This is not a great movie. It's not even good. But we stuck it out even though I was ready to leave after the dinosaur scene.

Saturday was spent car shopping as it's about time for K to get a new whip. While checking out some Acura's I spotted this beauty over in a side lot.


Ah! I love old volvos, especially white ones with tan leather. They are so chic! Too bad I'm not in the car market right now...knock on wood (knock knock).



Also, a beer reccomendation. K and I bought the Sam Adams Summer Styles 12 pack and this is my fave:

You like IPA's? Give this one a try!

Hi Weekend!

Thursday is my Friday again this week. Wahoo!

Last night Mom and I decided to grab dinner. We were over in West Ash so after the meal we decided to swing by Citadel Mall. Now, Citadel Mall is a ghost town these days but I still like to see if Belk, Dillards, and the Limited have anything to offer occasionally.

The Limited is my go-to if I'm having a hard time finding something elsewhere, or if I'm in a real hurry and can't afford to run all over. They always have a great selection of appropriate, classy clothes. So this is why I was absolutely thrilled with the extra 50% off sale last night.

I picked up two dresses for $30. What the hell! That's 2, originally priced $100 dresses, for $15 a piece.

And the cherry on top is that I've been eyeing this one for months, waiting for it to go on sale:


This beauty was hidden among the size fours but I'm stealth and checked the tag= cha ching!
I also snatched up this one hanging out on a random rack in the dressing room. $15 dolla holla!


I was a very happy shopper last night. I would really encourage anyone who likes the Limited to go by this week to check out the sale.

Also, K has to work tomorrow so I will be taking the afternoon to indulge in girly pleasures. I plan to get my nails done. Has anyone had a gel nail polish manicure in Charleston? I'm not sure where I will go yet! Then I plan to go to a matinee solo, I haven't had the luxury of doing this since college and it was one of my favorite escapes. I'm going to see Monte Carlo. Laugh if you want! But these kind of movies make me feel young again :)

What would you do with a whole afternoon to yourself? No errands allowed!

Step into my office

For the past several months I've had an office of my own at work. It's been a beautiful break from Cubicle World! Our building is undergoing some serious renovations so for now I've been transferred into a vacant office and I can't hide that I'm loving every minute of it. This is not to say that Cubicle World doesn't suit me, it's just amazing how much privacy I have now!



I've been thinking I may start wearing skirt suits and carrying a briefcase.

Hot Hot Hot

Today's post is dedicated to the heat index.

A couple of things:
Last night I made chicken parm, one of my favorites. I really just dip a boneless, skinless breast in egg whites and then into a mix of panko and parm, for a light crunch on the outside. Then bake at 375' for around 25 min, until golden brown. I like to put a slice of mozzarella and some marinara on top of the breasts about 3-5 minutes before I take them out of the oven. I'll put this over pasta with marinara. Most often I pair this with a side salad, but I've also put chopped spinach in my marinara which is a great way to bring in something green. I'm a sucker for carbs of all kinds so I did make myself a single slice of garlic bread. It was worth it.
The most exciting part of the meal was that I used wagon wheel pasta! So cute :)

Oh and lastly, remember that ring I've been lusting over? Well I haven't bought it. BUT I did find a cute ring with both silver and gold metal this weekend with a smaller pricetag. What do you think??

I'm wearing one of my favorite summer work dresses today. Anyone remember when Isaac Mizrahi was head designer at Liz Claiborne?? My wardrobe does! I think I alone kept the line in business here in Charleston! Unfortunately I wasn't enough and now JCPenney has taken Liz into the ground.
Anyway, Happy Tuesday!

If you like it then you shoulda put a ribbon on it

Friday night K and I headed downtown to Wasabi so he could get his sushi fix.
I wore one of my favorite dresses that I've actually had since the 8th grade (wierd). Anyway I wanted to share an accessory tip with y'all that I use from time to time for that extra touch on an outfit.
When I'm wearing tank tops or strappy dresses I sometimes like to tie a contrasting ribbon on one strap. See photo:

I keep a lot of ribbons around because I love using them to wrap gifts, sometimes I wear them in my hair, and also for this very purpose of accessorizing an outfit.
Here are a couple more shots, cobblestone photo-op.

Did anyone do anything more exciting this weekend than tie a ribbon on their sleeve?
Tell me about it!

Dedication: Bagel Nation

A weekend is not complete without a trip to the James Island Bagel Nation.
I know, it's just a bagel shop. But it blows my mind. And now, a poem:

Everything Bagel with bacon, egg, and cheese,
a side of hashbrowns and a coffee, please.
There's no better way to start the day
than to wake up the Bagel Nation way.

Ok, I'm done. Please go. Fast. So I can say I told ya so.

Humpity Hump

Happy Wednesday everyone!
Yesterday, on the treadmill, I was reading about how to make a decorative statement in a room for under $50. To some this may seem a challenge, but to me it's just what I do.
When I first bought my place I knew that I wanted to switch out light fixtures and hardware on a dime. I focused on the light over the dining room table. I visited lighting stores and fell in love with thousand dollar chandeliers. I spent an entire month at Lowe's and Home Depot trying to find unique lighting, but it all just looked the same.
Finally, one day in World Market, I found the prettiest paper lanterns at less that $10 each. I bought a couple with hopes they would work with the hanging bulb we already had. And they did. These lanterns create the prettiest soft glow of light. And the prices are unbeatable. You can actually change them on a whim, literal mood lighting!
I found this Lilly Pulitzer lantern in Floaters for under $10. It's perfect for the bright months of summer!


Okay guys, Let me hear your budget decorating tips!!

Red, White, and Blueberry Crisp!

Phew, what a weekend! I could have used another 3 hours of sleep last night, that's for sure.

Yesterday K and I cooked hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill before heading out on the boat to cruise around Hobcaw (perfect) and to watch the fireworks in the harbor in front of the Yorktown (choppy). It was a wonderful/exhausting day.

Well, what's a Fourth of July cookout without a tasty dessert?? I chose Blueberry Crisp, from my Gracious Goodness (B.E.) cookbook.
It really does not get any easier than this:


What you need:
2 cans blueberry pie filling
1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick butter (melted)
1 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans!)

What you do:
Preheat oven to 375'.
Put blueberry mixture in the bottom of your dish.
Combine melted butter and cake mix.
Crumble this on top of blueberries.
Top with chopped pecans.
Bake for 45 minutes.

Now, I topped this with vanilla bean ice cream and fresh strawberries (red, white, and blue holla!).
If it weren't the Fourth I would have gone with a simple whipped cream (home-made of course). Wishlist item:

iSi Gourmet Whipped Cream Maker- 1 Quart

Tell me about your Fourth!