Spotlight : Charleston, South Carolina

"I'm going back to Charleston, back where I belong."
-Rhett Butler, Gone with the Wind

Charleston: you're going up on the proverbial pedestal today! But you've earned it fair and square. Charleston was recently awarded Reader's Choice #1 City in the U.S. by Conde Nast for the second year in a row. Through this Thursday, vote for Charleston as Southern Living's "The South's Tastiest Town" (Greenville and Austin are also a contenders... rock the vote, family).

I keep saying I predict a Top Chef Charleston because it is a tasty treat for all the senses and producers would have so much to work with-- Sight: mossy trees. Sound: horses clopping on cobblestone. Smell: salty air. Touch: sandy toes. Taste: I could go on for days. Head Judge, Tom Colicchio, is consultant to Kiawah Island Club's Voysey's. This season, Executive Chef of Charleston's Husk and  McCrady's, Sean Brock, was a guest judge on Episode 14 of Top Chef and word is he is getting chummy with Anthony Bourdain. I can feel it, it's coming.

A tip of the hat to you, Mr. Brock.

Everyone loves Charleston. I love it, you love it, we all love it. Charleston satisfies on all ends of the spectrum. Spend the day at the beach, drop 20 bucks beach-side at Taco Boy or Coconut Joe's, crash on a friend's couch and you're good to go. Parents in town (wink face)? Shop King Street, walk along the Battery, then go see Chef Doyle at Poogan's Porch. Parents are less likely to go along with the sleeping arrangements in scenario one, so stay at the Market Pavilion Hotel and invite friends to meet you at their rooftop pool bar for a drink.

Spend a day, spend a week, move there. Charleston has a beach, a restaurant and an experience for everyone. No, no I could never (like... ever) spotlight Charleston in one measly post, but if I had to play favorites...

"Rainbow Row" by Virginia Fouche Bolton,
one of the most iconic scenes of the city.

Poogan's Porch Restaurant.
Order the pimento cheese fritters
as soon as you cross the threshold
and not a moment later.

...and Poogan :)

 

Shopping on King Street.
Boutiques to antiques.


A woman making and selling sweetgrass baskets outside the
City Market. Sweetgrass baskets were first made by Lowcountry
slaves to collect rice and cotton in plantation fields.
Today, they are more a work of art
and can be looked at as a status symbol...


This big boy, 24"W x 36"H, sells for $24,000.
That's 24 with three zero's.

Market Pavilion Hotel's rooftop pool and bar.
This is... how you say... "perfection"?

Coconut Joe's Beach Bar & Grill on Isle of Palms.
I can't understand why their Jamaican wrap is so good.
I suppose it is the pineapple salsa and cilantro mayo.


A performance during the annual Spoleto Festival in the Spring.


One of my favorite views.
No, not the chardonnay (well, maybe the chardonnay...).
View of the United States Custom House
across the marsh from the Fleet Landing Restaurant.

So, Charleston my love, keep on doing what you're doing. You do it so beautifully.

See you soon,

Em

[photo sources: Access Hollywood, Trip Advisor, Charleston CVB, Charleston Sweetgrass, Mrs. WRCIV]

The King's Kitchen

We went to The King's Kitchen when we were in Charlotte for New Year's. My sister, Sadie, and her husband were visiting his family in Winston-Salem, NC, for the holidays because his sister happened to have given birth to the world's most strikingly handsome young man:

....where was I? Oh. Skillet-fried chicken. We met halfway to spend a few days together. When they lived in Winston-Salem a few years ago, she worked for Wildfire (a marketing/design/production kind of place) and they created the website and did marketing for The King's Kitchen, so she suggested we go there for lunch.

[Enter life-changing moment]

The King's Kitchen is a non-profit restaurant that partners with local ministries to provide Charlotte's homeless with employment opportunities. 100% of the proceeds go back into the community and they use fresh, local ingredients for their "New Local Southern Cuisine" menu. Think of a "meat and three" wearing a collared shirt instead of a t-shirt.

No need to reinvent the wheel and paraphrase...

Vision: “The King’s Kitchen” is a ministry operating as a not for profit restaurant to raise funds to feed the poor and to train and equip those previously unemployable in the restaurant trade.

Mission: “The King’s Kitchen” will operate as a public restaurant, serving local, healthy, Southern cuisine and the profits and proceeds from “The King’s Kitchen” will go toward feeding the poor. In addition, The King’s Kitchen will also operate “The King’s Kitchen Restoration Program” as a five-part training program to employ, train and minister the gospel of Jesus Christ to homeless, the poor, troubled youth, rehab graduates and other members of our community who are in need of employment. The King’s Kitchen will operate in the spirit of excellence by training and equipping the whole person (spirit, soul and body) thereby sending out developed leaders into our community. This will be done by working together with other local ministries, businesses, non-profits and people of faith.

From the front of the house to the back, the employees are professional and friendly... just happened to have been down on their luck at some point. A professional photographer donated his time and outfitted the restaurant with framed images of some of the employees (above photos). I wanted to buy one off of the wall until I found out they were a gift, so I sneaked a pic for my office. Their food was great and the place was packed on a Wednesday lunch.

[Enter quick plug]

Sadie has since moved back to Austin and started her own marketing company, SKC Marketing, doing freelance marketing/design/production kinds of stuff. If you need someone easy to work with to whip you up something creative, use your favorite social media and connect with her (she could probably tweet a business meeting with you if that's what you preferred). When she was 13, her 5-minute doodle was selected as a Curad Bandage design. You can't make this stuff up.

King's Kitchen is located at the corner of Trade and Church Streets in Downtown Charlotte. They're open for lunch Monday-Friday and dinner Monday-Saturday. As they say on the ranch, "If you enjoyed your ride, tip your guide."

[photo sources: Capitol Charlotte, Mrs. WRCIV]

You're never fully dressed without a smile

Love is in the air, pardners! Love for your spouse, significant other, sibling, parent, children, fur children, coworkers... iPhone...

My very first valentine was a smart, funny man in his 30s. He would leave me a rose by my cereal bowl before taking off for work with a note that said, "All my love, dad." Needless to say, he set very high standards, sometimes to the point where I think he was trying to make it impossible for anyone to top him. I count my blessings often.

Some might say this day is National Singles Awareness Day, but as the "glass half-full" type, I think it ought to be National Send-a-Smile Day! It's fun, it's free, and it's universal. Rhett's dad is a physician and growing up when Rhett looked like he was in a bad mood, his dad would say to him, "Smile... it'll fool your brain." Although I would imagine many people would be livid if they made an appointment and were prescribed a smile, but give it a try, especially today! It's uplifting and contagious. Imagine the effects if every single person in the world smiled at one another at the same time? Whoaaa.

"Smile at each other.

Smile at your wife, smile at your husband, 

smile at your children, smile at each other-

it doesn't matter who it is-

and that will help you to grow up in greater love for each other."

-----

Mother Teresa 

Happy Valentine's Day and lots of smiles to the loves of my life...

Happy Valentine's Day to my husband!

Happy Valentine's Day to my daddy!

Happy Valentine's Day to my Murphy!

Happy Valentine's Day to my bloodhound!

"Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are 

something to do, 

something to love, 

and something to hope for."

----- 

Joseph Addison, English Essayist, Poet

Happy Valentine's Day to you!

[image sources: Pinterest, Mrs. WRCIV]

The Crescent Olive : More recipes!

To follow up on my post about The Crescent Olive/Palmetto Olive Oil Co., below are a few more of my favorite ways to use their extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) and aged balsamic vinegars. These are not glitzy and glamorous recipes since I like to cook off the top of my head, but then again, their stuff is so good on its own, they don't need much.

Someone asked me where they get their olives. They come from olive producing countries in both hemispheres which ensures that they have a fresh supply year-round (Italy, Greece, California, Tunisia, Spain, New Zealand, Australia, Chile, Argentina, and Portugal). Their balsamic vinegars hail from Italy and Spain.

In addition to replacing EVOO for oil in the brownie recipe below for flavor, substituting EVOO for butter or margarine on a regular basis may reduce blood pressure, inhibit the growth of certain cancers, benefit people with diabetes, lessen severity of asthma and arthritis, help maintain a lower body weight, and reduce gastrointestinal problems. Sort of makes you want to run home and throw away the butter... after swinging by to pick up another flavor. High-quality olive oil is perishable and should be used within 12 months of purchase.

Butter/Margarine	EVOO
1 teaspoon	¾ teaspoon
1 Tablespoon	2 ¼ teaspoons
¼ cup	3 Tablespoons
1/3 cup	¼ cup
½ cup	¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons
1 cup	¾ cup

               

I did 75% of my Christmas shopping here, but these would also make a great Valentine's Day gift for anyone. They now carry handcrafted dark chocolates enhanced with their oils and vinegars in french vanilla & salted almond, sweet basil & cherry blossom, black cherry lemonade, and blood orange & vanilla bean. Now through February 23, they are giving you your choice of a 60 ml. bottle of dark chocolate, espresso or strawberry dark balsamic with every $30 order. And don't forget to take your clean, empty bottles in for a refill and receive $1.00 off per bottle. End plug.

These recipes can be made with 4 ingredients or less...

Marinated Beef Tenderloin
Beef tenderloin, any size
1-2 T minced garlic
1/4 c EVOO, any savory flavor
1/4 c balsamic, any savory flavor

-Marinate tenderloin in a plastic bag overnight in EVOO and balsamic.
-Place tenderloin in a baking dish, sprinkle with fresh ground pepper and kosher/sea salt, rub garlic on top, and bake at 375* until preferred doneness.
-Slice and serve with spinach mashed potatoes.

Blood Orange Brownies

1 package Ghirardelli triple chocolate brownie mix

1/3 c EVOO with blood orange

1/3 c water

1 egg

-Follow brownie mix directions but substitute Blood Orange EVOO instead of oil.

Orzo Pasta Salad
1 box orzo pasta, cooked
1 pint cherry tomatoes, diced
6 oz. fresh mozzarella, diced
2-3 T EVOO, any savory flavor
2-3 T balsamic, any savory flavor
Salt and pepper to taste

-Mix everything together and refrigerate at least one hour.

Garbanzo Chopped Salad

16 oz. garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 red onion, petite diced

1 bell pepper, petite diced

2 celery stalks, petite diced (optional)

2 T EVOO, any flavor

2 T balsamic, any flavor

Salt and pepper to taste

-Mix everything together and refrigerate at least one hour.

-Serve alone or on a bed of chopped romaine hearts.

Emmie's "Duh" Mixed Greens Salad w/ Italian Bread
Don't overlook the obvious.
Dump some on a bed of mixed greens and use Italian bread to sop up the bottom of the bowl
...they won't need anything else, except maybe a glass of chardonnay.

Here is their link to many more recipes- organized by appetizers, side dishes, condiments/sauces, main courses, desserts, and drinks. Have fun and tell 'em the blonde that came in every other day in December sent ya.

[photo sources: The Crescent Olive, Palmetto Olive Oil Co.]

St. Hubert Hound

Being sick the past few days, lucky me got to snuggle the love out of our dogs in bed for hours. Jack was just so cute, I had to dedicate this week to him.

There is a thing called "bias" and there is a thing called "fact." Fact: bloodhounds are the most scrumptious canine in the animal kingdom (wink). In a recent study I conducted, I asked myself who the cutest dog I've ever seen was and the results were astonishing. The bloodhound was the overwhelming favorite. It's like God created the goofiest, most adorable, squishy little family pup He could think of, and He did a knockout job. Again, not bias, just relaying the facts.

I made probably the dumbest move you can make as a dog owner and got our bloodhound, Jackson, having done no research. I saw a picture of the four most perfect looking little faces, all scrunched up it was hard to tell what skin belonged to which pup, and we were in the car heading to North, South Carolina. The breeder opened the gate and I chose the first one that ran up to me and let me hold him. Fortunately, bloodhounds do make amazing family pets for their loyalty and "gentle giant" nature. And those bloodhound eyes? My goodness...

At times, I feel like the biggest dog lover this side of the Mississippi. Every now and then, I catch myself getting lost in YouTube videos of bloodhound puppies or singing my dogs a lullaby. Since I've started blogging to channel my aloof creative energy, I thought I would write down a few words about the St. Hubert Hound AKA the bloodhound.

Before I rattle off some interesting facts, here is some basic, background information. The bloodhound traces its ancestry from Belgium/France/England/Scotland and is a large scent hound originally bred for hunting and tracking. The term "blood" has nothing to do with its ability to track blood (although it can), but rather a "hound of pure or noble blood." They snore and slobber and love their humans until their faces start to fall off. Adult males weigh anywhere from 100-120 pounds and adult females 80-100. Jack fluctuates between 101-105, probably because he's missing a little meat on his front, left paw (frown face).

Drum roll please...

I present:

TOP TEN MOST FASCINATING FACTS: BLOODHOUND EDITION!

Bloodhounds are the world's most handsome mammal.

Okay, okay. Scientifically proven facts...

--The bloodhound was the first dog whose sniffing evidence was admissible in a court of law
--A scent dragged a bloodhound 135 miles across the state of Kansas successfully tracking a scent
--Bloodhounds in the lime light: Disney's "Pluto," "Duke" from the Beverly Hillbillies, "Cooper" in The Fox and The Hound, McGruff the Crime Dog, "Hubert" in Best in Show, "Trusty" from Lady and the Tramp
--Bloodhounds can sniff a trail over 300 hours old (12 days)
--Under the best conditions, a bloodhound can detect as few as one or two skin cells
--Bloodhounds do not like to be left alone, would never dream of attacking, and are one of the most patient and kindest dogs in the dog world (I'm not making this up!!)
--If a human's olfactory sensor is the size of a postage stamp, the bloodhound's is the size of a hankerchief
--Their ears act as sweepers and stir up the scent from the ground to help identify smells
--When a bloodhound's nose is to the ground, the skin around the eyes falls forward acting as blinders to keep the dog focused
--The world's longest ears belonged to a bloodhound, about 13 inches

And because a mom needs to brag every once and awhile, here are some of Jack's greatest hits...

The week we got him. Chillin' like a boss with a big, jolly grin.

It took us 4 days to learn that a bloodhound will do anything to follow its nose...

...as in follow a scent out of the window of a moving car.
Lesson learned.

He was the big man on campus in his early days.

More often than not, I had to leave the party and go pick him up and bring him over.

At the time, I could carry him on my hip... the grandest, most manly entrance of course.

Picnik... before instagram was cool.
It took years of wrapping his paw before the wound (caused by his damaged nerves) healed.
Our vet, N-Dubs (the amazing Dr. Nori Warren) said he was a medical mystery
and was shocked we never had to amputate his leg.


With his big brother and best friend, Murphy


Party pooped on his 42nd birthday

I've always said, "I really hope I love my children as much as I love my dogs." If this turns out to be the case, I worry my heart will explode. Figuratively speaking, I guess that's not such a bad thing. And before it seems as if I'm playing favorites, I couldn't write a post about Murphy if I tried. You see, he is a lab mix of half lab, half love. I've never met anyone who claims to have a lab-love mix, so until further notice, he is one of a kind.

[photo source: oodle, Momma WRCIV]