summer eats.

My eating habits change when the weather gets warm, and with temps in Charleston already inching near 100 degrees at times, I'm definitely in summer mode. Gone are the red meats, potatoes, or anything that requires too much time at the stove. Last night I just ate sauteed asparagus and tomato/mozzarella/basil bites for dinner and I was more than satiated. My waistline is happy, too — I've already lost a few pounds.

grilled peaches with ricotta cheese.

 

homemade pizza. 

 
mojito melon salsa.

weekend.

Some highlights:

1. Flowers, tomatoes, peaches, and fresh foccacia at the farmers market.
2. Rapturing with a pitcher of strawberry daquiris at a tacky beachfront bar.
3. Bike rides through the park with the hubs.
4. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the porch.
5. New swimsuits.

How was your weekend?

hampton park.

 

Hampton Park is one of my favorite places in Charleston. When we lived downtown, we walked or biked there several times a week, and it's one of the things I miss most about our old 'hood. There's a pretty little pond with ducks and geese, mossy old live oaks, and endless gardens that always seem to be in bloom. Over the years, it's served as a horse race track, a zoo, and a Civil War prisoner-of-war-camp. Another historic moment came when Todd and I got married under the oaks in November. Yep, it's a special place.

sally king benedict.

 

 

One of my favorite local artists, Sally King Benedict, is showing some of her new works at Stems (another local favorite). If you're in Charleston, you should stop by tonight (May 19) for the opening reception. I hear there will be music and cocktails.

rooftops and water.

When people ask me what they should do when they visit Charleston, my answer is simple: Walk. Park down by the Battery and just walk until your feet can't take any more. And then stop at a bakery, get something sweet to refuel, and keep on walkin'. It's the best way to see the city, and no matter how many times I wander the streets, I always see something new.

i want...

... to buy this print, and then I want to go to there.

pad thai.

I made Pad Thai for dinner last week, and I have to say I was pretty impressed with myself. Todd, on the other hand, came into the kitchen with a greenish look on his face while I was cooking to inform me he would not be eating the food. The fish sauce was a bit too much for him. While he ate PB&J, I devoured my two servings of tasty homemade Thai food.

I used this recipe from Big Girls Small Kitchen and just added in some shrimp and snow peas. It was ridiculously easy — while the rice noodles are soaking up water, just chop up your veggies and throw it all in the pan together with some fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and egg. Just make sure any sensitive friends are out of nose-range.

summer blues.

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think I'll go to boston.

After much back-and-forth, we've finally decided on our post-Spoleto-unwind-summer-vacation-spot: Boston! With side trips to Newport and possibly Cape Cod. I have a little niece up there I've been dying to meet, and I can't wait to explore more of the New England coastline. Do you have any suggestions of where we should go?

savannah smiles.

This weekend I'm headed South for a little weekend road trip with some girlfriends. We've been looking forward to this trip for weeks, and to sweeten the deal, I scored a last-minute deal on a four-star hotel downtown. On the agenda? Lunch at Back in the Day, perfume shopping at Paris Market, a stop at shopSCAD, and drinks at Rocks on the Roof.

For me, it's sort of a last hurrah before life gets crazy stressful with this little thing called Spoleto. It will own my life through mid-June, so you may not want to expect much from the ol' blog during that time.

For now, however, happy weekend! I hope you're having fun wherever you are.

picnic.

via.

Anyone fancy a picnic? I'd like to have a good one soon.

dinner this week.

I'm trying to be better about planning meals for the week. If I don't, we end up eating out too much. If I plan it out, I'm actually excited about cooking at the end of each day. Here's what's on the menu this first week of May.

 

barbecue chicken burgers with caramelized onions. Made this tonight. Success!

pad thai.

chicken francaise with lemon caper sauce.

and for snacks ... cilantro lime white bean hummus.

What are you eating this week?

famous.

 

Look who's in Charleston magazine this month!

magnolia cemetery.

Call me creepy, but I love cemeteries. Even though Todd doesn't share my obsession, he entertains it and we usually make time to visit graveyards wherever we travel — from Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah to a seaside cemetery in Spain to a small Irish churchyard (complete with visible bones under one of the graves!).

So it's no surprise that Magnolia Cemetery is one of my favorite places in Charleston. Situated on the Cooper River marshes surrounded by live oaks and magnolia trees dripping Spanish moss, the cemetery dates back to 1849. The mosquitoes can be killer, but it's the perfect place to ride bikes and wander. Best of all, though a little tragic, no one else seems to know about the place. It's usually empty and perfectly peaceful, although this weekend we did spot a hearse club. Apparently that's a thing.

down under.

I ran across this Sydney shop tour on Decor8, and it's as if the owners are my soul mates. I could spend hours in there, and buy everything. I might have to go to Australia just to visit davidmetnicole. But wait, they're online!