Five On Friday -- Link Up With Us!

It's Five on Friday time, pretty ladies! As always, I hope you'll join me along with Darci, Natasha, and Christina ... playing along is simple. Just write a blog about five things on your mind today, anything goes really, post the logo below on your blog, and then enter your post address below in the link-up section.

O N E
Yay, humanity! I experienced such kindness yesterday at Panera. Definitely one of those "life is good" moments. First, they have a security guy directing traffic now at lunchtime (before him, it was a ZOO) and that just makes life easy. When you pull in, he points at an empty spot for you to go directly towards. So good for pedestrian safety, too. I let him know yesterday how much he is appreciated, and he was just so darn friendly.

Then, standing in line, I was behind a really nice lady who was just treating everyone there like they were her family. Right before her pick-up order was ready, the manager came out with a free cookie for her. So nice to see that. Then, once I received my to-go order and was pulling out of the parking lot, I saw her slow down her car to give that cookie to the security guy directing traffic. It was like my head was exploding from all of the love at Panera! I just wanted to go kiss some kittens!

T W O
My new candle is perfection. In Charleston this past weekend, Megan and I visited the farmer's market where we saw some locally-made candles. We spent good time at the table but didn't purchase any. Later that afternoon, during lunch at Butcher & Bee, I got in a conversation with a guy whose wife, an artist, used to rent some studio space from the folks that started these Rewined candles. He spoke so highly of this company and all they do to give back to Charleston, and by golly if I didn't leave there and head right back to the farmer's market to pick one up for myself. I got the new scent, Spiked Cider, and it is incredible. Incredible. PS - they are sold all over the US -- check out their website for retail locations in your area.

source

T H R E E
All I have to say is that these Ciao Bella gelato squares are pure heaven.  Sea salt caramel ... come to mama. Getcha some!

F O U R
For dinner last night, I experimented around with a really autumn-inspired dish. We had roasted butternut squash, apples, and dried cranberries. I based the recipe loosely on this version but added in the cranberries, decreased the amount of honey and butter to 2 tablespoons, and used walnuts instead of pecans. Here it is prior to being roasted and then tossed in the cinnamon honey butter mixture. Yum!

F I V E
This recipe below makes me feel like dancing. I'm going to have to give it a try this season!

Pumpkin Fudge Recipe

Your turn! If it's your first time linking up with us, please leave a comment and let me know so I can be sure to check your post out. XO!

Breakfast In Bed

Yesterday's avocado toast recipe has me on a bit of a breakfast kick, so hang with me! I am curious - do you make big breakfasts? On the weekdays, I'm more of a grab + go girl ... favorites of mine are as follows:

+ Sliced up fruit (apples, oranges, grapefruit, pears)
+ Solo cup with 3/4 cup cereal and almond or soy milk
+ Instant oatmeal jazzed up with chia seeds and Craisins
+ Refrigerator oats (recipe) with chia seeds, flaxseed, cinnamon, and banana pieces

The weekends call for a little bit more fanfare, and I'll totally divulge that I'm spoiled rotten on Saturdays and Sundays -- Ian's the one lacing up the metaphorical apron and frying up our eggs and bacon and toasting the English muffins. I just love it.

I do keep a Pinterest board called Breakfast In Bed where I capture all of my fun breakfast inspiration. You know, for that time if and when I ever decide to grab the apron from Ian in the morning. Here are some of my must-makes!

Berries & Cream Cheese Monkey Bread

Pumpkin French Toast Bake

Banana Bread Bars with Brown Butter Frosting

Crockpot Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Coconut Crusted Stuffed French Toast

Maybe it's time that I give one of these a whirl. If I had to choose one to start with, hmm.... this is a toughie! I'd probably go with the blueberry monkey bread.  I mean, does that look yummy with a cup of coffee or what?!

Which one of these would you want to make first?

PS: Five On Friday tomorrow -- hope you will join us!

Avocado Toast

Some mornings I am just in the mood for a savory breakfast.  I do love my sweets (just yesterday you heard me waxing poetic about this past Sunday's Frosted Flake coated French toast), but if I can sneak in a veggie or two to a breakfast, I love to do so.

On our girls trip to New York in March of 2012 (recap here), I first tasted avocado toast and was head over heels.  I recreated this the other morning and it was delicious -- and healthy to boot!

Avocado Toast

One slice bread (I used sourdough)

One half of an avocado

Fresh lemon juice

Red pepper flakes

Kosher salt

In a small bowl, mash together avocado with lemon juice to taste.  I left mine slightly chunky but you could mash into a finer texture if so desired.  Toast bread; top warm toast with avocado-lemon juice mixture.  Sprinkle generously with red pepper flakes and some kosher salt flakes.

If you want to get extra wild and crazy, I think a little sprinkle of feta would be over-the-top fantastic on this toast!  What do you think?

How do you incorporate veggies into your breakfasts?  I'd love to hear some of your go-to ideas.

A Charleston Wedding Weekend

Ohhh, what a marvelous wedding weekend we had in Charleston, SC!  If you have ever had the pleasure of visiting Charleston, you know firsthand how beautiful and charming it is.  We got into town Friday evening and got settled at our hotel, Charleston Place.  This was such a gorgeous place to stay and it was in walking distance of everything we wanted to do.

That evening we had reservations for a group of ten of us at Rue de Jean, but before our reservations we all grabbed a drink at Closed For Business.  Located on King Street, this little place (introduced to me by my brother in law) has become a favorite stop each time we are in the area.

Saturday was so much fun because I finally (finally!) got to meet and hang out with Megan from Fried Green Pickles!  We hit up the farmers market ... which is so much more than a typical farmers market.  It's huge and also has lots of other great vendors besides the typical produce/meat/flower stands -- paintings, photographs, baby gear, jewelry, candles, pet gear, you name it!  I got a bag of scuppernongs, Megan got some scuppernongs and boiled peanuts.  And if you have never had either, time for you to visit Charleston!  ;)

Ian golfed for the day with the guys in the wedding party, and that afternoon I shopped with Ian's friend's wife on King Street.  We made our way all the way down to Butcher & Bee which was totally worth the trek ... our sandwiches were delicious!  We had a great chat at the communal table with a mother and son who sat across from us. I love that type of seating arrangement for that very reason.

After Ian returned from golfing, he and I headed to the hotel pool and laid outside in the sun for a bit.  We refreshed for the evening and then headed to the Vendue Inn rooftop for a drink before our dinner reservations at Mercato. It was a great Italian restaurant with live jazz, and my gnocchi with short ribs was so tasty.

After dinner, the out of town guests all met up at Blind Tiger.  It had been a really long time since I'd been there -- maybe 2004 -- but it was just the same.  They have an awesome courtyard which was really nice.

Sunday morning, Ian and I got up bright and early and had breakfast at Sweetwater Cafe where I had crunchy French toast -- French toast coated in Frosted Flakes, ya'll!  Oh my goodness, delicious.  We then made the drive out to Sullivan's Island for a little beach time. We spent a few hours in the sun and then walked up to Poe's Tavern to wet our whistle before heading back to the hotel.  Lunch that day was at Pearlz, where we watched part of the Panthers game.

While Ian finished up watching the Panthers game, I headed back to King Street for a second dose of shopping.  Although I tried on some good possibilities, I walked away empty-handed! How crazy.

Kinda having regrets about this Shoshanna dress.  It was majorly on sale, too. And see that blue Lilly on the right? I was sick over the fact that it was too big.  I wanted it to work so badly!

This Amanda Uprichard dress was also one I should have considered a bit more.

Sunday evening was the big event ... the wedding!  Held at Boone Hall Plantation (which you may recognize from The Notebook, The Patriot, or Blake Lively & Ryan Reynold's wedding last summer), this wedding truly was a stunner.

Upon entering, they had lemonade and tea for everyone, as well as fans to keep cool and flip-flops for the ladies.

For the five-minute walk to the reception at the Cotton Dock, I slipped out of my heels and put on the much-appreciated flops!

We had such a marvelous time celebrating the newlyweds and cutting a rug out on the dance floor.  Before heading back home Monday, Ian and I stopped at Hominy Grill for breakfast, which was the perfect ending to the long weekend. See you soon, lovely Charleston!

Five On Friday ... Friday the 13th!

Hey girlfriends, we made it to the weekend, and you know what that means ... the most fun link-up day ever! As always, I hope you'll join me along with Darci, Natasha, and Christina.  Playing along is simple. Just write a blog about five things on your mind today, anything goes really, post the logo below on your blog, link back to one or all of our blogs, and then enter your post address below in the link-up section below. Easy peasy. So here we go!

O N E

Helloooooo, paradise of the South!  Shortly I will be Charleston-bound and I just can't wait. We are staying at a fabby-fab hotel and the grand finale of the weekend will be a very pretty wedding.  I still have to figure out what to wear, but I'm just thrilled for the weekend to begin! 

T W O

Girlfriend dinners.  Monday night I happened to be in the same city as one of my besties!  We met at Lucky 32 in Greensboro for dinner and had the best time just chatting, giggling, catching up, sharing stories. My dinner was awesome - cornmeal crusted catfish, pintos with chow-chow, deviled eggs, and green beans. I think you call that kind of dinner a SUPPER.  Tell me that isn't mouthwatering!

T H R E E

Going organic (mostly).  I have been making a big effort to go organic on fruits and veggies recently. This week I was out of town three nights for work, so I chopped up peaches and stored them in Tupperwares to bring to the hotel since I knew there was a fridge in the room. So much better than relying on hotel food and restaurant food the entire time.  And while organic produce is more expensive, I feel so good about this choice.  An investment into my future.  :)

F O U R
This week I received an email asking for my permission for one of my recipes to be pinned to the Betty Crocker Pinterest page.  Ummm, please, be my guest! The exact pin (found here) is on their Recipes Betty Loves board. What an honor!

F I V E
Today is Friday the 13th which I sort of love ... am I alone in this one? Maybe I'm a little strange in that regard! Tell me -- are you superstitious? I don't have any qualms about seeing a black cat, but I don't walk under ladders, I leave out of the same door I entered from, and I knock on wood like it's my job.

Now, your turn!  I can't wait to see your Five On Friday!

PS: I had some questions about the 

cute bakery in Greenville I mentioned 

last week with the amazing 

rosemary shortbread. It is called 

the Bakery Off Augusta.  :)

When I'm Back In The Kitchen

When my travel slows down and I'm blissfully back in the kitchen (seriously - can't wait), I will be making this:

CREAMY ASPARAGUS AND AGED CHEDDAR BAKE

recipe and photo found here

I mean ... really.  Does that look incredible or what?!

I'm on my fourth day of travel this week and will be driving home this afternoon.  You'll know if you pass me because I'll be the girl with the huge smile on her face the whole way from Greensboro to Charlotte!  Happy to be home with my boys.

And then comes the fun part ... meal planning for next week, when I'm only out one night! XOXOX

Fall Brights

 

I may have moved on from the bright summer pastels already, but all I've really done is redirect my attention to fall brights!

Just because Labor Day has passed doesn't mean that we need to move to a neutral, autumn-hued color spectrum.  Ehh - that's just not really my preferred color swatch.  But this is the perfect time to pull out saturated, colorful hues that really pack a punch!

+ I was turned on to the Maybelline Vivids line by my favorite beauty YouTuber, Jaclyn Hill.  I love the Shocking Coral color ($6 here), either worn alone or layered over a darker color for a pop!

+ The Old Navy green Rockstar jeans in Imperial Jade ($18 here ... and enter ONEXTRA15 for 15% off, today only) is such a cute cut and color.  The Rockstar cords are also a favorite of mine.  I sized up 2-3 sizes for the cords, just FYI.

+ The royal blue top is ASOS (black on major sale for $22 here) and I just love a deep v-neck.  So feminine.

+ J. Crew cardigans are a favorite of mine -- I have quite a few.  This mustard version is so lovely (persimmon available for $69 here).  Bright but not "summer bright."

+ Splurge?  Okay.  These deep purple flats feature Swarovski crystals, and dadgummit if I'm not a complete sucker for flats with a crystal detail at the toe.  I warned you, though -- they are $430 here.

+ Tortoise cuff, be mine.  I just love Fornash jewelry.  Aaaannnd -- it's $30 here.  Deal.


What's your go-to outfit in the fall?  Are you a fall brights lover like I am?