The Well Stocked Kitchen | Baking

Have you ever got a hankering to bake something only to find out you don't have one or two ingredients you need? This happened to me over the weekend. It's one of the things I miss about living at my parents' house. My mom has probably the best stocked kitchen in the world. The only time she didn't have what you needed was if it were some very obscure spice, and even then it's probably there if you search hard enough. I racked my brain thinking about all the things I typically use and came up with a few lists. The first is for baking and desserts, something I absolutely love to do when I'm not swamped with tests or tons of work.

Almost Guacamole Dip

I've never really thought of myself as someone who likes guacamole. I like avocados, but I just wasn't sure about them all mashed up and on a chip. I was happily surprised by a dip a few weeks ago.This recipe was shared by one of my sweet friends so I can't take any credit for it whatsoever. She and I are alike in that most of our "recipes" are more or less throw this and that together and we'll see how it tastes.

Avacados | 3-4 depending on how much dip you want
Ranch seasoning mix
Fresh salsa | Sweet Onion is her favorite
Garlic powder (not pictured below, I used minced garlic)
Sour Cream
Lemon juice (not pictured)

Directions | Cut avocados and scoop out the good stuff. Place them in the mixing bowl and beat on low progressing as the avocados get blended. Add the rest of the ingredients. I used about half of the ranch packet, half of the salsa, and 1/3 of the sour cream. It all really depends on how you prefer it tastes. 

Thanks again to my sweet friend for opening my eyes to this! Oh, did I mention she's simply a fantastic photographer? See for yourself.

Egdar's Grille

Edgar's Grille is a tapas restaurant in Augusta with a "southern flair." Not only is the place delicious, but a portion of every dollar spent at Edgar's goes towards job training and education. It was named after Edgar Helms, the founder of Goodwill industries.

We started dinner with a fantastic She Crab Soup. Jared and I are pretty picky about this soup, but it was surprisingly one of my favorites.

My younger sister ordered the bacon potato leek soup. I personally like my potato soup creamy and without chunks of potatoes. This soup is everything I love in one bowl. I could have been absolutely content with a bowl of it and she crab for dinner. 

After the soups, we ordered something we never have before, rabbit. Fried rabbit that is. These tenders were marinated in buttermilk and served with tasso ham gravy. It was some of the most tender meat I've ever eaten, and boy was it tasty!

For my entree I ordered the rack of lamb. Sadly the best part of this dish was the cumin glazed carrots, turnips, and brussel sprouts. The lamb itself was a little insipid. My brother-in-law enjoyed his though so I may been being picky. The vegetables served with it were very good though, so it was ok. 

It was finally time to move on to my favorite part of any meal, dessert!

It was an easy choice for me, creme brûlée with a hint of orange.

My sister went out on a limb and ordered the balsamic infused frozen mousse. It has the most unique flavor that I find hard to describe as anything short of delectable. I imagined it would be somewhat tangy, like balsamic vinegar, but was surprisingly wrong! All I can say about this is try it! I'm actually craving some right now.

Next time you're in Augusta, head on over to Edgar's for a meal and enjoy some fine cuisine while doing a little good for others. 

Thai-ed up

I've had this post written for a few weeks and just found it again. I figure it will hold you over while i adjust to my new schedule.
I have found a new favorite restaurant in Savannah. After reading about my favorite blogger's trip to Thailand a few weeks ago, the place has been on my mind lately; but being that I'm in school for another year, I'm obviously not getting a chance to head over there any time soon. So when my friends suggested getting Thai for dinner I couldn't turn them down. The fact that I lost my keys had nothing to do with it {except that we had some time to kill as the hubs drove the hour long trek to rescue me with the spare}. We hopped over to a little Thai restaurant near our school called The King and I. I haven't had Thai food in at least 2 years as my husband doesn't usually try new foods. I am so happy my friends introduced me to this amazing place! They both ordered Pad Thai and I tried Panang Curry.

Panang Curry

Pad Thai

It was so much food I had more than enough for lunch and dinner the next day. The price wasn't bad either, less than $15 with tip! Next time you find yourself in Savannah with a hankering for Thai food, check them out. I promise they won't disappoint! I'll surely be heading back there during my next on-campus week.

Scenes from the weekend

My older sister and her husband came to visit this weekend and celebrate their 4th wedding anniversary. Friday night we finally tried a restaurant called Neo in Bluffton. Neo is a farm to table restaurant in which 90% of the food they serve was grown within 90 miles.

The happy couple, they've been together for 11 years, and married for 4.

Their drink menu was one of my favorites. They had so many fun names and varieties.

Here we have one of their custom libations. This one tasted like licorice, but sadly I've forgotten the name.

I ordered the Spring Flowers and boy was it a good decision. I'll be recreating this one in the future weeks.

They also had a huge selection of draft beer. I've never acquired the taste for it, but from what I've heard they had several good ones on tap. 

They had a delicious Blue Crab + Corn Chowder Soup. It was so good, I couldn't share. They also had a barbecue nacho appetizer that was to die for. 

These were the Angry Tuna Lettuce Wraps. I didn't try them myself, but judging that she cleaned  the plate I'm betting they were pretty good.

I ordered the BBQ free range salad and it did not disappoint. I'm not really a fan of corn on my salad, but everything else about it was perfect. It's drizzled with a BBQ vinaigrette, I'm dying to find a similar dressing. 

The other dishes ordered were flatbread pizza, shrimp and lobster succotash, and BBQ spareribs. All in all the food was really great.

The rest of the weekend was filled with shopping, relaxation, and food. We headed to a spa in Lady's Island and were pampered with hour long massages.

Sunday afternoon, after our guests left we had a wild hair to work on the yard a bit. I've always been a fan of gardens and had already started mine a few weeks back. We headed to Home Depot to pick up a few things so we could get to work. I've also tested some of the pins I've found on Pinterest and am pleased to say that they really work.

1. Growing celery (or romaine) from what you buy in the store. This one has been soaking on our porch for about 2 weeks in water. I decided it was big enough to plant along with it's two friends.

2. Homemade week killer from vinegar, Dawn, and salt. I pinned a recipe for half a gallon but didn't have a spray bottle that big. I took my tiny little laundry spray bottle and poured some white vinegar, a dash of Dawn, and some salt into it. This worked in 2 days on dandelion weeds, but didn't do much for other ones. 

After working in the yard and on the garden, I've gotten an itch to clean the house top to bottom. Good thing I have a week off from school to accomplish all that needs to be done! I'm thinking of posting a tour of our home when I'm done. What do you think?

Sushi by the Seashore

My husband tends to say that I am very picky about where I eat. I like to think that I like to eat good food. Don't get me wrong, I'll try most anything once. Once I've found a favorite though, it's hard to convince me to change that up. Previously, I had the most amazing sushi restaurant in Augusta, GA. The owner knew my grandparents for thirty years, but sadly they closed leaving me without a go-to sushi restaurant.  Once I moved to the Lowcountry, Jared and I tried various Japanese & Sushi restaurants before finally unearthing this gem: Hana Sushi & Fusion. It is tucked in a shopping and restaurant center just before the bridge to Hilton Head Island. 

Crunch Deluxe

Aloha 

H.H.I.

Next time you land in the Bluffton area, stop by this little spot and try some out.

Tapas at Emily's

This weekend we headed to a lovely tapas restaurant in Beaufort, SC. We've been in love with this place for a while, but we haven't visited this year yet. We rounded up a big group of friends and dined on some delicious plates.

Pate Maison | pate de fois gras served with capers, unions, cornichons, & dijon mustard. 

My favorite combo was with onions and mustard on a crisp wafer.

French Cut Lamb Chops | grilled lamb chops over mint demi glaze

This was by far my most favorite tapas of the evening. We've decided that we're ordering the lamb entree next time because it was so good.

Grilled Quail | European marinated quail over béarnaise sauce

This one used to be one of my favorites and has increasing moved down the list. I'm not sure if my expectations are so high or if it just isn't the same quality as it was before. It was good, but I'll think twice about ordering it next time.

Key Lime Pie | homemade key lime pie with whipped cream

This pie melted in your mouth. I have to confess that it was so good, I did not share with the group. I could eat this any meal of the day and be perfectly content.

Next time you're in Beaufort, check out this little spot. You may want to try to call ahead, they tend to get pretty busy on the weekends!

Chicken Parmesan

I found this pretty Galletti pasta at Target and couldn't resist. I had no idea what I would make with it, but I would definitely make something delicious. When I arrive home, I realized I had some chicken breasts and decided that it would pair perfectly with this pretty pasta. 

Chicken

1 cup Panko crumbs

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese {Mama Francesca is my favorite}

about 1/3 package of Ranch seasoning

a bit of extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 300F. Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir together. Lightly spread some EVOO on the chicken breasts and toss in the dry mix until coated well. Once the chicken is coated, bake in the oven for 35 minutes. Once the chicken is cooked well, I broiled it for about 3 minutes to crisp the tops. 

Sauce

1 can of tomato sauce

1-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Italian seasoning

Minced garlic

Basil

Oregano

Salt & pepper 

Diced onions

EVOO

Sautee garlic, EVOO, and onions on medium heat until onions turn clear. Add the can of tomato sauce and reduce heat to low. Mix in the remaining seasonings until the desired taste is achieved {so scientific, I know. I just add a dash here and there until it tastes good}. Allow the sauce to simmer while  boiling the pasta. The longer it simmers, the better the sauce will be. Drain the pasta and toss with 1 tbs of EVOO or butter. Voila! It's ready to serve!

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Easy Spaghetti & Meatballs

My husband loves pasta. He could eat it every meal. I like it, but there are a lot of other foods I would rather eat. What I do love about it is the ease of preparing pasta on a busy weeknight. I grew up eating sauce that had beef mixed in, but Hubs loves italian sausage meatballs. I have since learned some easy ways to make these happen without too much effort. 

Meatballs

Links of italian sausage {I also use seasoned chicken sausage} 

Important note: it's easier if it's in the casing

Since the meat we use is already seasoned, all I do to prepare them is divide the link of sausage in thirds with my hand and twist the meat out of the case. This leaves you with the perfect portion for a meatball and you don't have to do much rolling to get it round. This will literally take me a minute to make 15 meatballs. It doesn't get easier.

Sauce

1 16oz. can of tomato sauce 

1 yellow onion chopped

2 tbs minced garlic

Optional mushrooms

Optional peppers

a spot of EVOO

Basil*

Oregano*

salt & pepper*

1 tsp Cocoa powder

*I'm terrible at measuring, just toss it in until it tastes good

Combine the garlic, EVOO, onions and peppers in a pan on low/medium. Sauté until the onions are slightly clear. I usually throw in the meatballs and some Basil and Oregano and allow it to simmer for 5-10 minutes. Once the meatballs are greyed and cooked on the outside, add the tomato sauce and allow the sauce to simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. I love using my grease splatter cover to keep the popping sauce from covering the stovetop. I also taste the sauce often and add more oregano, basil or salt and pepper as I feel needed. Once the sauce has simmered for a bit, add 1 tsp cocoa powder. It seems counterproductive, but it gives the sauce more depth. Trust me. I usually turn the sauce on low after 30 minutes or so and start cooking the noodles. Simmering for longer periods of time marries the spices and really brings the dish an amazing flavor.

 All in all, this usually takes 45 minutes form start to finish. I don't consider that a bad deal for such a yummy meal. Oh and if you haven't tried them, the Giada Fusilli col Buco pasta is the funnest pasta I've ever had. Adding food coloring to the boiling water before adding pasta gives it a fun color for special occasions. I added pink for our Valentine's Day dinner as shown above. 

SEWE recap

We had a wonderful time in Charleston, as always. We stayed at the gorgeous Charleston Place in the center of downtown. We arrived around 4:30 Saturday night because I had a scrub class at the hospital in Savannah that morning. 

This is one of the views from the hotel.

Saturday evening we had the pleasure of browsing through the fine art exhibit after it was technically closed. It was such a different experience seeing the art without the noise and crowd. 

I decided that I really needed this painting, if only it were a little more affordable.

I never tire of the Charleston skyline, steeples everywhere.

We explored a little downtown on Sunday morning before it got really busy.

We also had brunch at a restaurant on Market Street. It's definitely one of those tourist places, but they took reservations and we didn't have time to wait. 

French toast: A big winner. 

Pancakes: perfectly crisp with a gooey center.

After brunch we headed to Marion Square for the Expo exhibits. Thankfully the weather cooperated and it was sunny and dry. After we putted around the different venues, we headed home to pick up our fur babies. Overall we had a great weekend, even if it was a little short. 

Top {Fenn Wright Mason TJMaxx} Jeans {Factory J.Crew} Boots {Corso Como via Nordstrom}

On another note, my new camera arrives today! I can't wait to start learning how to use it and getting much better pictures in the future. Happy Monday!