Thursday, April 25, 2013

Homemade Chick Fil A Sauce

Yesterday I posted about these yummy Pigs In A Blanket that we had with homemade Chick Fil A Sauce. The sauce was so good, I just had to share the recipe!



Homemade Chick Fil A Sauce

1/2 cup Mayo
2 tsp prepared mustard
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbs honey
1 tbs smokey BBQ sauce

Whisk all ingredients together, and that's it!

I'm heading out of town tonight for a quick trip to Atlanta with my sister April of A. Liz Adventures.  I'm sure we'll both be posing lots of Instagram pictures a long the way.  If you're not following already, follow us both! @thereedyreview and @alizadventures.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Block House Steeple Chase

Recently T and I joined our friends Joseph and Allie for the Block House Steeple Chase in Tryon, NC.  As you may have seen from my previous Carolina Cup post, T and I can never turn down a horse race.  We arrived Saturday morning with no idea what to expect. The race was much more casual and laid back than The Cup, and the course is surrounded by mountains. 



I made red and white sangria, and served it out of large mason jars.  They were much easier to pack than a pitcher, and who doesn't love to pass around a mason jar after a long day of drinking?


Allie made pigs in a blanket with her rendition of Chick-Fil-A's signature sauce. I'm a big fan of Pigs In A Blanket on their own but when they are dipped into this sauce they are phenomenal.  I'll be sharing her recipe later on this week.  Its definitely a keeper in my book!


There have been so many years at the Carolina Cup where I left the race without seeing a single horse, so I made a point to walk up to the track during a few of the races. Our group had a betting pool going on, and T and I ended up winning THREE of the races!





We had a great time with friends and hope to come back next year!

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

A Saturday in Greenville

Yesterday Caitlin of The Dilworth Darling reached out to me for tips on what to do on her upcoming Greenville trip this weekend. Instead of replying directly to her, I'd like to share what I think are the perfect Saturday afternoon activities in Greenville, SC.

 
Video Courtesy of Greenville CVB

To Do:
  • Rent B-Cycles and hit the Swamp Rabbit Trail- Many other cities have B-Cycles, and Greenville's program just launched last month.  There are several hubs around downtown, and you're just minutes from the 17.5 mile Swamp Rabbit Trail that used to be an old railway.
  • Go to a Greenville Drive Game- Greenville's Single A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.  Tickets are very affordable and the games are a lot of fun.
  • Hunt for the Mice On Main- There are nine bronze mice inconspicuously placed on Main street starting at the Hyatt Hotel and ending and the Westin Poinsett and a scavenger hunt with clues that go along with them.  Its a fun way to work your way down Main.
To Eat:
  • Tapas alfresco at The Lazy Goat- They have the best views of the Reedy River and their Fried Goat Cheese Balls are to die for.
  • Ice cream whipped up your way at Spill The Beans- combinations are endless, and the way they swirl everything together makes the ice cream taste even better.
To Drink:
  • Wine on the rooftop of SIP Tasting Room and Rooftop Lounge- Main Street is beautiful from street level, but breathtaking from one story up.
  • A Shaketail (alcoholic milkshake) from Grill Marks- I like the Moonshine Milkshake made with locally distilled Dark Corner Hot Mama Moonshine.
To Explore: 
  • Walk around Falls Park On The Reedy- Make sure to walk across the Liberty Bridge, the suspension bridge overlooking the park.
  • Hike around Paris Mountain State Park- It's just 10 minutes outside of downtown and the views are spectacular.
To Shop:
  • We Took To The Woods- A great place for antique stemware, candles, and natural home decor.
  • Mast General Store- They have a huge selection of outdoor gear and sell many local brands as well.  You can also pick up your list of clues for the Mice On Main here, and they sell the children's book there as well.


Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Red Fin On Main: The New Kid On The Block

Last night T and I used a Living Social deal that I bought for Red Fin on Main.  We tried this place out several months ago and were very pleased, so I was excited about dining there again.  It was a beautiful night, so we decided to eat at one of their outdoor tables.  This was our view last night as we were eating.  You just can't beat Greenville's Main Street, can you?


T and I keep running lists in our phones of the rolls that we like at different sushi restaurants.  We always get to sushi places and say "remember that really good roll we had in here last time?" and then neither one of us can remember the name of it. So we referenced T's notes from last time we were there and went for the Black Dragon Roll along with two other sushi rolls.


Sidenote: T and I had a laugh at the misspellings in the list.  I think someone had had a little too much sake when they made this!

Black Dragon Roll

Spider Roll

Cucumber Eel Roll

To be honest, we weren't won over with the quality of the food.  Our rolls weren't wrapped tightly, and they seemed to fall apart as soon as we picked them up.  The flavor wasn't bad, but it also didn't wow us.  Red Fin is nestled in between two other great sushi restaurants Takosushi and Murasaki.  I think they've got some improvements to make to stand a fighting chance with the two other great restaurants on their block.


Red Fin on Main on Urbanspoon

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Sunday Night Pizza Party

Happy Tuesday everyone!  Sunday night I posted this picture of our homemade pizza.  I had a lot of people ask for the recipe, so I thought I'd share it.  I've made my own pizza dough several times, but it is just so much work, and never ends up rising like it should.  Enter Publix pizza dough, the perfect solution.  So since I didn't make my own dough, is this still considered homemade?  I'm telling myself it still is...

 

Garlic Basil Shrimp Pizza

Ingredients: 
1 ball of Publix premade pizza dough
6 cloves of garlic
1/4 C. plus 1 tsp. EVOO
1 handfull of basil, chiffonade
About 24 medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2- 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella

Directions: 
Let your dough sit out for 30 minutes to an hour to get to room temperature. Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease a round cookie sheet or pizza stone.  Roll out your dough with a rolling pin to cover the entire pizza stone.  If the dough is sticking, lightly coat the rolling pin with flour. Mince the garlic and spread evenly over the crust.   Pour the EVOO on top and spread it around the dough using the back end of the spoon.  Meanwhile saute the shrimp with salt and pepper and a teaspoon of EVOO over medium high heat until just opaque.  Place them evenly over the pizza, top with basil, feta, and mozzarella.  Bake for 18-20 minutes on the bottom rack of the oven. 

Monday, April 15, 2013

SIP

Earlier this week T and I tried out Greenville's newest rooftop bar, SIP Tasting Room and Rooftop Lounge. SIP is owned by the same people who brought Greenville The Green Room and Fords Oyster House and Cajun Kitchen. SIP offers a large selection of wine by the bottle, and they also have a Wine Emotion machine. It's kind of like a vending machine for wines.  You can choose from a 1.5 oz tasting up to an 8 oz pour, and the machine even provides tasting notes about each wine.


SIP has done a great job with gaining hype about their restaurant.  It seems like everyone has been talking about it recently. The 6000 square foot space will surely be a hit this summer. They've got great seating space; some covered and some uncovered. They also have an area for live entertainment outside.


SIP offers wine and a small menu of accompaniments including hummus, cheeses, and cured meats. They'll be introducing flatbreads in the next month or so, but for now they are keeping it simple. Their cured meats are great; I can never resist prosciutto.

Prosciutto Wrapped Cantaloupe

Overall T and I were very pleased with SIP.  I think they are really smart by keeping the menu simple at first, and introducing new things as they get more comfortable with it.  We'll be back for sure!



Sip Tasting Room and Rooftop Lounge on Urbanspoon

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Queen City Queens


This weekend I was in Charlotte for the bachelorette party of of one of my dear friends, Sallie. We rented a historic house in Charlotte's South End. The South End has such a cool vibe.  Its trendy, yet still historic.  There are cute mom and pop restaurants, art galleries, and vintage trolley cars lining the streets.  We all arrived Friday evening and made our way to a Food Truck Rally that they hold on Friday nights for dinner. They have a great selection of food, you just bring your own beer and a chair. 

Our House
The Lovely Bachelorette
 
I tried the Schnitzel Sandwich from the Herban Legends food truck and of course got the Parmesan Truffle fries to accompany it.  If you read my previous post, you know that I had food truck food for lunch that day, too.  A true Food Truck Friday!

 
We threw a lingerie shower for Sallie Friday night at the house and spent the rest of the night catching up on lost time with each other.  Saturday afternoon we made our way to Uptown (Charlotte's downtown) for lunch at Vapiano.  Vapiano is great for large groups because you all pay separately.  There's nothing I hate more than the look on a poor waiter's face when we ask him to split a check 18 ways...






Lunch was great, and we decided to keep the party going.  We drove to Elizabeth, a neighborhood of Charlotte, to Jackalope Jacks for day drinking outside and some cornhole. 



Once it started getting dark, we made our way back to the house to get ready for the night.  We spent Saturday night at the Epicentre, a perfect place for a bachelorette weekend. There are several bars, so its easy to hop from one to the next.  






















We ended the night at Howl At The Moon, a dueling piano bar.  This was our favorite stop.  The piano players were awesome and we scored a table right up front. 











We had such a great time celebrating with Sallie.  Charlotte has so many great things to offer, and I love that its so close to Greenville. 

Friday, April 5, 2013

Food Truck Friday

This afternoon I went with a work friend to the grand opening of Certus Bank on the corner of Augusta and Church.  Usually a bank grand opening wouldn't get me too excited, but they had the Neue Southern (Pronounced "Noy-a") and Chocolate Moose Bakery food trucks out in the parking lot.  Oh how I love a food truck Friday.



We started at the Neue Food Truck and ordered the Banh Mi Xiu Mai (Vietnamese sandwich with pork meatballs and pickled veggies), fingerling potatoes, and the Lamb Pita. And we washed our sandwiches down will Cheer Wine in glass bottles because Friday afternoons call for full-calorie drinks.

Banh Mi Xiu Mai

Fingerlings

Lamb Pita

Chocolate Moose Bakery's food truck was there giving away free cupcakes.  Usually I'd cut myself off after the banh mi and frites, but that free cupcake was just calling my name.  I chose a Chocolate Tuxedo cupcake.  Chocolate cake with white chocolate chips, cream cheese icing, dipped in chocolate ganache.  I took it back to the office with me and devoured it as soon as my fullness from Neue wore off.


 Cheers to the weekend!  I hope everybody has a great one.


Thursday, April 4, 2013

Overdue Weekend Recap: The Carolina Cup

Last weekend T and I went to the Carolina Cup with my family.  The Cup has been an important event for the two of us, T actually met my family for the first time there back in 2007.  Here's a great picture of us 6 years ago. Back when I still thought the tanning bed wasn't bad for you, and less was more when it came to clothing.  Oh what it was like to be a freshman in college...


We've gone every year since then, and 2013 was no exception. This year we came prepared with lots of $1's in hand for betting.


We started out the day with mimosas and bloody marys.  Mom made deviled eggs and we picked up fried chicken on the way there- two Cup staples. 


Dad brewed a Bavarian lager that was quite a hit that day, especially out of that hilarious glass!


We even saw a few races, too. Most Carolina Cup patrons joke about going to the race and never even seeing a horse, but we made a point to walk up to the track when it was race time.


 Later on in the day we  ventured into College Park, and ran into some guys that were in T's fraternity at Clemson.  One of T's fraternity brothers (and my little bro in the fraternity), Neal, started the company Good Ole Boys, and we made sure to take a picture with his flag.

 Good Ole Boys is a clothing and hat line that has recently received a lot of local attention and press.  Neal started the line from a simple design on one of this grandfather's hats.  In the last several years, the company has exploded.  They now make men's polos, t shirts, women's shirts, and of course they still make those classic hats.  Good Ole Boys clothing is sold at Monkee's of the Westend, Rush Wilson, and Smith & James in Greenville.

We're already looking forward to Cup 2014! 

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Sully's Steamers

Earlier this week a friend and I tried out Sully's Steamers for lunch.  After my recent trip to New York, I've become somewhat of a bagel snob, and the Pepperidge Farm ones I usually get just aren't cutting it anymore.  Sully's is still in their soft opening stage, and they probably need to remain that way for a few more weeks.  It's not a quick lunch place; we ordered two bagel sandwiches and it took about 20 minutes to get them. 


As we approached the restaurant I got really excited because they have the words "World Famous" written on the outside of one of their windows.   But after talking to the guy at the register about the restaurant, I learned that this is the only location, and they haven't even had their grand opening yet.  How could they be world famous?  Seems like a lofty assumption to me...


As for the food, service and atmosphere, I'd give it a B.  I don't think they make the bagels there, which means they probably have them shipped in frozen from somewhere. Their menu is quite intimidating.  With over 80 sandwich options, I felt quite overwhelmed when I got up to the register to order.   I tried the Smokin' Joe on an everything bagel.  Bacon, colby, smoked cheddar, lettuce, tomato, and sprouts. I expected with those ingredients it would be packed with flavor, but it actually tasted a bit bland.

I'll definitely give it another shot in a few weeks.  I don't think it's fair to judge a restaurant when they are still in their soft opening phase, but for now these are my thoughts. 


Sully's Steamers on Urbanspoon
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