Weekend Wrap-Up

Mr. T and I had a great weekend.   We woke on Saturday morning and it was absolutely beautiful outside.  We decided to walk down the Swamp Rabbit Trail and eat lunch downtown.  We had a great lunch at Groucho's Deli and then went into the Mast General Store to look around.  Unbeknownst to us, they were having a huge sale on outerwear.

I've had the same rainjacket for about eight years, so I've been in dire need of a new one.  I found this jewel on the racks and got it for a steal!

 After lunch and some shopping, we headed back home.  Earlier this week, I bought a Restaurant.com gift certificate for Sushi Koji, a Japanese restaurant downtown.  We'd never been there before, but I figured this would be a great way to try something new.  And boy were we glad we gave it a shot.  It was amazing!

 I started with a Japanese Margarita, made with Shochu instead of Tequila.  Shochu is a Japanese liquor most commonly made with rice, barley, and sweet potatoes.  The drink was very interesting, much more sweet than the margaritas I'm used to.  We also ordered some sake, which was amazing.  For an appetizer, we selected the Beef Tataki.  The beef was great, not too chewey which can sometimes be the case.  It was served with a Ponzu dipping sauce which really added to the flavor of the beef. 

For our entree, we selected three sushi rolls.  We ordered the Crazy Roll (shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, avocado and cukes wrapped in soy paper), Rainbow Roll, and the Spicy Yellowtail and Scallion Roll.

For dessert, we ordered one of my favorites Mochi Ice Cream.  We had the Mocha Mochi Ice Cream which is one flavor I have never seen before.  It was absolutely amazing!

Mochi Ice Cream is a ball of ice cream with a doughy outer layer.  The outside is made from a glutinous rice flour called Mochiko, sugar, and water.  The combination makes a gooey sweet dough that is so good in combination with ice cream.  Overall Mr. T and I were very impressed with the restaurant, and we will definitely be back!  Check out Sushi Koji on Restaurant.com for deals, too! I was able to get a $25 gift card for only $3.00 which helped out tremendously on our bill. 

Sushi Koji

247 North Main Street
Greenville, SC 29601

(864) 631-1145

South Carolina Restaurant Week

January 12-22, 2012 marks the third annual South Carolina Restaurant Week.  Mr. T and I decided to take advantage of the deal last night by going to one of our favorites,  Nose Dive.  Most restaurants offer a $30 deal that includes your choice of an appetizer, entree, and dessert, but Nose Dive's menu is quite different from that.  They offer a list of food items and a list of beverages that are paired with those food items.  Each pairing is $10, and you just get as many as you like.  Mr. T and I were all over this deal, especially because their food selections were some of our favorite regular menu items.

We started with the Poutine, Nose Dive's take on the Canadian version of french fries. The dish consisted of thick-cut braised potatoes cooked in duck fat topped with a duck gravy and cheese curds.  Once our server described the dish in detail, Mr. T claimed "I would eat my foot if it were battered and fried in duck fat", so naturally with that conviction we ordered it.  The pairings we chose for this were the Al Verdi Pinot Grigio and Westbrook IPA.

For our main course I had the Vietnamese Banh Mi (not on the Restaurant Week Menu). This light, sweet, and crisp sandwich is served on a French roll with chari siu pork, pickled vegetables, cilantro, and thinly sliced jalapenos that add just the right amount of heat.

Mr. T had the Fish and Chips. The dish was served with Cole Slaw and topped with a Malt Vinegar Aioli.  The fish was flaky, buttery, and SO good.  It's even offered in a gluten free version for anyone with a gluten allergy.

 

After our entrees we were full, but of course I didn't stop there.  I wanted to get another glass of wine so getting a dessert to pair it with for only $4 more was a no brainer.  We ordered the Dark Chocolate Candied Bacon Brownie, and it was amazing. 

The warm brownie was topped with a house-made American Honey Bourbon Ice Cream that was equally phenomenal.   So we got all of this with wine and beer pairings for about $40, pretty good right? I hope y'all have taken advantage of SC Restaurant Week deals, too!  It's a great way to support local restaurants in their slowest season, and a fabulous deal too!

What I'm Loving: My One Line A Day Book

One of my favorite Christmas presents from this year was this One Line A Day book given to me by one of my sisters. The One Line A Day book is a five year journal.  Each page has space to write a little blurb about each day for five years.  I love the fact that you can look back at what you've written on that day in years past.  It's been so much fun thinking about what to write for each day's entry. I love carefully selecting the most interesting details of each day to record.

I've never been a great record keeper, but I think this journal will help me write more and record more moments in the next five years.  So far I've been the only one writing in it but I can see that Mr. T is curious too.  I think we may start writing in it together which could be quite fun!

Our Engagement Photos!

Mr.  T and and I just got our engagement pictures back! I'm so excited, so I want to share them with y'all.  Our pictures were done by Courtney Dox of Courtney Dox Photography in Columbia.  She's AWESOME!  We decided to do our engagement session in Clemson, SC where we met. Here are some of our favorites:

Rubbing Howard's Rock

On The Football Field

With Walter Thompson Cox, Jr.

In the Horseshoe

In Front of My Freshman Dorm, Where We Had Our First Kiss

Red Barn on Campus

Red Barn on Campus

Fall Leaves

Our Favorite College Bar

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On the Walker Golf Course

Sunset on the Walker Golf Course

So Far So Good!

Well, so far so good on my resolutions. Mr. T and I walked down to the Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery this weekend and picked up some fresh local produce. Here's what I got:

Head of Butter Lettuce

$2.99

 

Bunch of Beets 

$2.50

Mr. T was a little bit scared of the beets, he wasn't sure what exactly what we could do with them.  I combined a few recipes that I found online and it was a success!

Roasted Beets
1 bunch fresh beets  (reserve the greens because you can use them in other recipes and salads)
EVOO
Salt and Pepper
3T. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 t. Sugar

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a baking sheet with foil.  Scrub the beets to remove any excess dirt.  Place on the baking sheet and toss with EVOO and vinegar.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and sugar.  Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the beets.  When beets are tender, remove from oven and let cool slightly.  Peel the skins off when they are cool enough to handle.  If they are fully cooked the skins should just peel right off.  Bon Appetit!

Here's what they looked like, aren't they beautiful?

A New Year and Some Resolutions

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had a great time ringing in 2012!  I typically never make New Year's resolutions because I have a hard time following them. This year, I've decided to make a few and post them on my blog hoping that I'll be better about sticking to them if I've got others to hold me accountable.  So without further ado, here they are:

1. Start Blogging Again
Over the past three months I've completely given up on blogging, and it's something that I really miss.  I loved the creative outlet it gave me.  I've been really busy with work recently and I've let that be my excuse, but NO MORE.  My goal is to take time out once a week to make a post.

2. Feel Comfortable Shooting A Handgun
I'm still trying to figure out where I stand on guns, but to make an educated decision I need to feel comfortable shooting one.  Right now I'm absolutely terrified of them.  The thought that something so little and easy to shoot can end a life scares the dickens out of me.  But, I'm going to face my fears and attempt to learn proper gun etiquette, safe shooting measures, and hopefully develop a sure-shot while I'm at it.

3. Become More Active
It's completely unrealistic for me to even attempt to go to the gym on a weekly basis.  I hate working out, and I'm probably never going to love it.  Rather than set a goal for myself that is completely out of the realm of possibility,  I'm setting a guideline that is much more realistic for my lifestyle.  I want to take the stairs whenever possible, park further away from stores so I can get a few more steps in, and make any other little moves I can to be more active.  One major thing I want to start doing is walking downtown with Mr. T.  We live right on the Swamp Rabbit Trail, and it's about a 30-minute walk to some of our favorite restaurants and bars downtown. We love going out for afternoon beers and I'd love to start walking there.  

4. Eat Healthier, Fresher, and More Local Foods
Like I said above, I live right on the Swamp Rabbit Trail, and just a hop skip and jump away from the Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery.  The Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery is a locally owned store that offers grocery items and tasty baked goods. They have a great produce section and offer lots of local dairy products and meats. Their goal is to source at least half of their goods from within 150 miles of Greenville.  Prices are very reasonable and it's a great feeling knowing your money is staying local.  Frequenting this store is an easy way to attain this goal. 

So there you have it.  Those are my resolutions for the year.  I'll be posting throughout the year to update you on my progress, and hopefully I'll have some great moments to share while I've been working on my goals!  Did you make any New Year's resolutions this year?