Author: Smgross1947

Weekend Foodie Warriors – Take 43!

Hello hello, again, Foodie Friends 🙂 Hope you had a great weekend! For this edition of Foodie Adventures, join us at Mac’s Speed Shop for our Friday Night date, a recap of Mother’s Day last weekend with mom, two brand new recipe from our Colombian Puree Project, and making homemade lasagna!

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Upstate, SC – *Outdoor Restaurant Updates*

Hello again, Foodie Friends 🙂 Check out this list for every restaurant offering new outdoor seating options in the Upstate, SC area to #killcovidnotsmallbiz!


Restaurants Opening Outdoor Seating

Upstate South Carolina

With the governor beginning to slowly open up the state again, I wanted to provide you all an update, with the help of GVL Today’s post and comments from fellow Upstate South Carolinians, as to which restaurants are now adding or opening (social distancing friendly – 8 feet apart) outdoor dining to patrons.

*Side note: For all those looking for a great place doing Mother’s Day meals this weekend, see the link from our friend Kristina at Kidding Around Greenville here!

Now, back to our regularly scheduled list 😁
(will be updated here as more are added):

  • Adam’s Bistro – “Although it’s been a bit chilly, our patio has been full and so many have taken advantage of our online, contact-less curbside AND delivery services! So grateful to be here and so thankful to you all for coming out and taking such GREAT care of our amazing staff! Remember, during this time, we are playing it by ear (or business) and are still opening at 11 a.m. but closing at 8 p.m. (instead of 9).”
  • Augusta Grill – “We will be starting patio seating today; in addition to delivery, take-out and curbside pick-up. Open Tuesday-Saturday starting at 5pm 🙌🏼 we are doing 2 reservation only time slots for our patio seating; 5:30pm and 7:30pm Tuesday-Saturday. If you would like to make a reservation, please call (864) 242-0316. Our menu for the day is now online, www.augustagrill.com.
  • Arizona Handcrafted Fare & Drink – “What’s up Simpsonville! We’ve missed you! 💜 It was a hot afternoon but it’s cooled off now and we are full outside! 🍴Tents arriving before end of the week! 🍴Sailcloth arriving by Mother’s Day 🤞🏼 🍴Once the tents are up, more tables moving outside!”
  • Azteca (Butler Rd.) – “We have a tent and music and great service right now, come see us for some great Mexican food!!”
  • Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar – “Their new GM is the best, and they could really use the business! Along with their other locations in Columbia and Summerville, their patios are open daily from 11am to 9pm.”
  • Bimini’s Oyster Bar and Seafood Cafe – “Comfortable weather! Bimini’s has expanded outdoor seating! Last week……Gift Card Match – buy $50, get $100. Wings – $.50 each Mother’s Day – $15/person BIMINI’S LOW COUNTRY BOIL and Complimentary Rose on Sunday!”
  • Blue Daisy Cafe (Travelers Rest) – “We are 11am to 6pm, Wednesday through Saturday, until inside dinning is allowed. Afterwich, we will resume normal hours. You are welcome to tailgate in our beautiful backyard.!”
  • Bobby’s Seasoning & BBQ – “Hey y’all!! We are open the next 3 days (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) and are ready and prepared for all of the social distance outside eating you wanna do! We currently have 8 picnic tables with umbrellas – with 4 more being built! All the space you need to enjoy a much needed meal out with your family!! See y’all soon!! ☀️”
  • Bova Brick Oven – “Our patio is officially open! Everything properly spaced out. Still doing carry-out and delivery. ”
  • Brixx Pizza – “🚨 EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨 It’s a perfect day for pizza and the patio. Thankfully, we’ve been able to reopen our outdoor seating area, effective today, so come enjoy your Brixx fix al fresco!”
  • Chuy’s – “We are opening today, Monday May 4, 2020. Dining will be limited to the outside patio area only, as we follow state guidelines and recommendations. We are opening with our existing limited menu and earlier closing times: Sun – Thurs 11am-8pm and Fri & Sat 11am-9pm. You can still order Chuy’s made-from-scratch favorites for curbside pickup and delivery at order.chuys.com.
  • City Scape Winery – “We are open for outdoor wine tastings starting Thursday! With 12 acres of land, we have lots of extra space for social distancing!” 
  • Country House Cafe – ” Outdoor dinning, curbside or delivery 864-689-1110. Lunch specials 11am to 4pm, Dinner specials 4pm to 9pm.”
  • Crossroads 4 Coffee and Tea – “Fresh strawberries and new breads just delivered! Gallons for $17.50 // Quarts for $7.50. Order online or drive through for curbside service! 🍓🍞🥖 Patio seating is open! Order at the front door‼️”
  • Cucina 100 – “Sunday, May 10th we will open at 11am – 5pm for curb side to-go. First come first serve outside dining. Allow us to help you all enjoy your Mother’s Day. Call in orders 864-601-9606. Order online at www.cucina100.com.”
  • Delaney’s Irish Pub – “Plenty of outdoor space, Irish food, and brews, come see us!”

  • Eggs Up Grill (Woodruff Rd.) – “We are happy to announce we can serve you Outside!! We will be setting up some tables outside. We can not wait to see you all!! We have missed everyone so much. Please come out to our “patio”.”
  • El Patron (Fountain Inn) – “The Patio will be open starting tomorrow!!! if ya’ll wanna come and show some love 🙌😁🙌😁🙌😁 You can also order takeout all day! Thank you Fountain Inn, SC for all the love!!!”
  • Farmhouse Tacos – “We’re open in TR! We’re ready for ya!”
  • First Watch (Simpsonville & Greenville) – “We are open every day until 2:30 pm. We’re now open for limited patio seating! We are taking every precaution possible to ensure your safety while dining with us. So come out and enjoy this beautiful weather and some delicious food! Togo is also still available, call 864-383-2300 to place an order today!”
  • Foxcroft Wine Co Greenville – “Will be opening our patio on Friday, May 8, serving wine and a limited food menu (including favorites like truffle fries, burgers and donuts). Hours will be 3-8pm Tuesday-Saturday. Retail wine sales and To-Go food also available. Cheers 🍷🙌🏻”
  • Frank’s House of Pizza (Fountain Inn) – “Now outdoor seating available! Come see us for awesome pizza and wings.”
  • Full House Sportzaria in Simpsonville – “We WILL be opening our patio (and parking lot) at 4:00 today. Please be patient with us as we set up outdoor dinning and adjust to the current guidelines. Curbside, take out and delivery ARE STILL AVAILABLE for those who are not quite ready to venture out. That’s ok!! We thank you for all of your support and business during this time. We love you all!”
  • Garcia’s (Fountain Inn) – Enjoy your lunch from the comfort of our patio today. 😊 Come and enjoy a cold drink on our Patio today while keeping social distance!”
  • Gather GVL – “We will be open for takeout Tuesday and Wednesday then limited dining starting Thursday!”
  • Greenville Roly Poly – “We would love to fix everyone a yummy lunch!!!”
  • Gringos Cantina Greenville – “Our patio will be open Friday 4-midnight, Saturday 11am – midnight and Sunday 11am – 10pm!!”
  • Growler Haus (West Greenville) – “Our patio is open today until 6pm. We will be following all guidelines for cleaning/sanitizing procedures as well as social distancing like we have been. PLEASE stay home if you’re not feeling well and be respectful to the new guidelines! Can’t wait to see everyone! We have a limited menu till Saturday. Come support a small local business and say Hi to all your friends! ”

  • Hans & Franz Biergarten – “We’re opening our Biergarten with outside dining today at 12:00. Dedicated outside, seating with spacious distance. Huge umbrella’s for shade. You can call in to reserve a table, but be on time we keep your reservation open for 15 minutes max. Our biggest table holds 8 people and has a distance of 10 foot from the other tables. The table holds usually 12 – 14 people so enough space there too. The place to enjoy the outside dining!”
  • House Divided Bar & Grill – “WE ARE READY AT HOUSE DIVIDED!!!! HOPE TO SEE YALL TODAY!!! OPEN 12PM-10PM!!!!”
  • Irish Pub – “Open for outside service at 4pm. Kitchen will open at 5. Tables will be available on a first come basis. Please save the eight top tables for groups. Food orders will be taken at the kitchen order window and drinks at the outside bar. Please remember to follow social distancing practices!!! We are excited to be able to open, but we want to keep everyone safe and healthy. “
  • Java Bistro – “Steady business outside today! Beautiful weather! Life is good! Come on out for lunch or breakfast! We can add tables outside as needed! 864-676-9993”
  • Jianna – “HAPPY RE-OPENING DAY!!!! – Today is a big day for Jianna. We are officially seating the patio. We are so excited to seat every reservation tonight- rain or shine. We hope you all Enjoy. Friendly reminder – We have touch less sanitizers all around the restaurant & will be practicing social distancing when needed. “
  • King Tut Grill (Simpsonville) – “We’re open for front porch dining and can’t wait to see you all!”
  • La Fogata – “We just ate outside here and it was amazing. Staff waiting on you, free drink refills, chips and salsa. Oh how we’ve missed it!”
  • Larkin’s – “Stop scrolling! We are so excited to announce that we are finally reopening and we will have our patio dining available starting tomorrow from 11am-8pm, Monday through Sunday!  Open for lunch & dinner! 🙌🏼 Make your reservations online at www.larkinsontheriver.com/ and we absolutely can’t wait to serve you soon!”
  • Liberty Taproom – “Patio seating 12-8 pm everyday as well as curbside pickup!”
  • Limoncello – “We will have our patio dining available starting tomorrow from 11am-8pm, Monday through Sunday! 🙌🏼 Make your reservations online at https://www.larkinsontheriver.com/ and we absolutely can’t wait to serve you soon!”
  • Mac’s Speed Shop – “Mondays don’t have to suck! Especially when our patio is OPEN! With all of our tables moved at least 8 feet apart, of course! First come first serve ‘cause we have extremely limited seating! *We are practicing very strict social distancing and health safety guidelines recommended by the CDC and National Restaurant Association to keep you and our staff safe while getting a little glimpse of normalcy.”
  • Maple Street Biscuit Company (Five Forks) – “Starting May 4, we will have seating available once again on our patio! Come get our Biscuits topped with fried chicken, applewood bacon, cheese, and apple butter 😍”
  • Marble Slab GAC Five Forks – “We have a picnic area outside, too, just diagonal from Smoky Dreams! Come see us for dessert 😃”
  • Mill Town Place (Pelzer) – “We’re open and ready to see you guys! Covered porch seating available!”
  • Moe’s Original BBQ Greenville – “We’re open for limited outdoor patio seating as well as takeout, curbside & bite squad delivery!”
  • Molly and Myles Ice Cream – “Our Cherrydale location has a great big outside patio! Augusta st location opening in a few short weeks!!”
  • Mr. Jalapeño (Woodruff, SC) – “Hey amigos! We’re happy to hear that we can open our patio starting Monday🎉 we’re working on plans to keep you and our team safe✔️ We appreciate your loyalty💯”
  • My Compadres Restaurant – “The cherrydale location is opening for outdoor seating for the time being. 🤗”

  • Napoli – “We are deeply touched by the amazing support of our customers, and will strive to continue to serve you following the guidelines of DHEC and SC regulations as best we can. Thank you for your loyalty and support!!!!”
  • New England Seafood 🦞 – “Some outdoor seating, we will be setting up patio with some seating next…6′ apart of course 🤦‍♂️”
  • Northgate Soda Shop – “We’re open for outdoor seating, to go orders, and curbside service. Thank you!”
  • Olympian Grill (Five Forks) – “We’re serving daily from 3-9 on open patio and outdoor tent. Come see us today!!”
  • Papa’s N’ Beer – “We still want to keep practicing social distancing so this Cinco De Mayo will be a little different. Tables will be 8ft apart outside in our patios & tents. We will allow tailgating for our customers in parking lot.”
  • Pebble Creek Clubhouse Grill – “5-8 pm, outdoor dining will be implemented beginning Friday (May 8th). Check our Facebook post here for more updates!
  • Pomegranate on Main – “We have our outdoor patio open from 11:30am-2:30pm for lunch and 5:30pm-10pm for dinner on weekdays! Saturday’s we are open from 11:30am until 10pm. We are also offering curbside pickup and delivery! @gvltoday ❤️”
  • Portofinos – “Outdoor dining starts tonight! Come join us for some great Italian food!”
  • Quaker Steak and Lube – “Open outside everyday from 11AM-9PM!”
  • Saskatoons – “We are making the most of our event space at this time by adding tables for outdoor seating! Make a reservation for whenever you feel comfortable having dinner with us. Stay safe! https://tables.hostmeapp.com/restaurants/11750/reservations
  • Sassafras Bistro – “We will be opening on Wednesday, May 6th, for Patio dining! Open at 4pm. 🙌”
  • Scändi Tiny Coffee – “Outdoor seating is open. Lots of covered seating!”
  • Sharkeys Pub – “We will open for outdoor seating starting on Thursday!”
  • Shuckin’ Shack GVL – “Will be open for takeout and patio will be open tomorrow for Cinco De Mayo starting at 4. Then patio will open every Wed-Sunday 11:30-9 (8 ft apart of course)!!”
  • Southern Delights and More (Landrum, SC) – “We will have outside tables. Can’t wait to see everyone!”
  • Southern Palate Restaurant – “OUTSIDE DINING IS OPEN!!!!! Greer, SC (864-469-7493), Monday-Friday 11-6 and Sunday 11-3. We also do Curbside Delivery and have Daily Specials too!
    • Family Meals – $19.99
    • Freezer Meals – $5-$15 (depending on dish and size)
    • Desserts
      • Banana Pudding $3.50, Chocolate Pie $2.00, Buttermilk Pie $2.00, Peach Cobbler $3.00, Brownies $1.00, GIANT Cinnamon Roll $5.00″
  • Smoky Dreams BBQ – “We’re open for Front Porch dining here Wed-Sat, 11-7 🙌 … at the corner of Woodruff Rd & Hwy 14! We have the front porch open with picnic tables 8 feet apart. We kindly ask that you’d order food first, then choose a place at a table (if someone has been there already we will ask you to wait until we fully wipe it down). It’s still #southernhospitality on our #frontporch #dining. It just looks a smidge different these days! 😉😃”
  • Stella’s Southern Brasserie – “We’re back to all-day service during the week! Come on in & pick up some groceries, lunch / brunch or dinner! Thanks for your patience as we adjust our hours during this time 😊”
  • Sue’s Wings and Things (Anderson, SC) – “Come see us outside today, open 11-9pm with our full menu. Be sure to bring a jacket, it’s chilly! Or grab it to go, we have two hosts inside ready to get your orders out as well 864-222-3031. WE have limited outside seating, first come, first served!”

  • Tacos & Mas – “Opening outdoor seating with Great margaritas, great tacos, no corona. What more do you want 🤷🏼‍♂️”
  • Taco La Barra (Woodruff Rd.) – “Weather is going to be beautiful, & we’re looking forward to serving YOU! Patio is the perfect place to spend the day with friends & loved ones!”
  • Taccozini – “Everyone, feast your eyes on our new spacious & beautiful 𝔹𝕚𝕖𝕣 𝔾𝕒𝕣𝕕𝕖𝕟 that we’ve created! It’s time to rid yourself of cabin fever—so come eat, drink & enjoy being outside at your favorite spot. 😎”
    • *From a fan – “Tacozinni is great restaurant that goes above and beyond your typical restaurant. The owner, Amy Rinkowski, is actively involved in the community whether it’s donating food or teaming up with local businesses to give back. We need more what @tacozzini does.”
  • Tasting Room (Travelers Rest) – “We’re open for outdoor enjoyment of wine & beer!”
  • Tequilas Mexican Restaurant – “Hello!! To our loyal Customers, Due to the situation right now will be closed for Dine-in , but will be gladly offering carry out and delivery by DOORDASH AND BITESQUAD. Please call the restaurant or check our website for updates. SEE U 👋 TOMORROW, TEQUILAS MEXICAN RESTAURANT 😉”
  • The Bohemian Cafe – “We’re opening outdoor seating starting today! 11-9:30pm while still offering curbside pickup and free delivery! Pictures of our new outside sidewalk bar and extended patio are on our IG feed! Thank You for all you’re doing @gvltoday 💜💚🧡”
  • The Coliseum Bar (Haywood Rd.) – “Now open daily 11am- 1am. We have amazing food and a great setup. Very friendly staff and patrons. Come visit us if you can. We will Open for outdoor dining Monday May 4th!! As always we still have to-go orders and delivery options available. Looking forward to seeing all our friends again soon! 🍻”
  • The Lost Cajun (Downtown GVL) – “We’re open for outdoor dining downtown! Who’s going to come join me?”
  • The Mountain House Restaurant @ Caesar’s Head – “We have a temporary to go menu, Ice cream and Homemade Fudge!!!!we have a few picnic tables outside to accommodate!! We will be open 12-5/6 Saturday & Sunday this weekend!!! You know you want to get out of the house!!!!”
  • The Spot on the Alley (Seneca, SC) – “We are open for business!! Yay!! Check out our extended outdoor seating!! More tents are on the way! (I think 🤔)”
  • The Station – “We’re back in business my friends! Outside and patio dining available daily starting at 12 pm. We have added tables to the parking lot for more availability! We also have cornhole set up outside for anyone interested! Come see us for cold beverages, phillys, wings and all your other favorites! We’ve missed you!”
  • Thomas Creek Brewery – “Patio is open today! Come and Enjoy with a killer selection of Wings and Thomas Creek Beers!!! Case specials are still in place…$25 Trifecta cases, $20 Dockside Pilsner and Amber cases, and don’t forget about Growler Fill Specials…See you soon!!!”
  • Tipsy Taco – “Starting Monday, May 4th we’re able to open for outside dining! This still comes with some restrictions which we will have posted at all locations. 🌮New hours starting Monday, May 4th: Sunday-Saturday 11am-9pm. 🌮Starting Monday we will no longer offer delivery, however you can always use a third party such as Bitesquad!
  • Trio A Brick Oven Cafe – “We are excited to announce, we will have limited outdoor seating beginning May 4th🙌🙌🙌🙌 Catch us outside, how about that?!?!”
  • Tropical Grille – “We have you covered (tents, tables, and all!) at our Woodruff Road location, Join us for a sit down meal and a little sense of normalcy.”
  • Typsy Tavern Bar & Grill (Anderson, SC) – “We are OPEN and ready for you. Come see Chasity and Brittany on the patio today…and bring a jacket! ☀️ 2 Bud Light Aluminums ALL DAY! 🍻 See y’all at Typsy! 🙃”
  • Uncle Berto’s Burritos – “🎉 🌮 HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO 🌯🎉 Celebrate by bringing the fiesta home with you! 🌮🌶 Taco Tuesday 👧👦 $1.99 Kids meals ☀️ ☂ Outdoor seating available
  • Urban Wren Winery – “We’re open for courtyard dining beginning this Friday, May 8th!”
  • White Duck Taco GVL – “Who is looking forward to tacos, cold beer, and margaritas in your living room with your kids? No one? Thought so. We are opening our outdoor dining tomorrow for people like just like you. As luck would have it, it’s Cinco de Mayo, Taco Tuesday and the 1st week out of quarantine. We’ll be celebrating with $3 draft beer specials all day. Can’t wait to see you! will be! 😊❤️”
  • Willy Taco Feed and Seed – “Yo, yo, yo … catch me on the pa-ti-o! We’ve always been about that al fresco, son. TUESDAY @ 11am we open our outside dining area. Looking forward to serving you passionately, responsibly, safely. Curbside pick-up and online ordering will continue, for your convenience.”
  • Woodside Bistro – “We’re opening Monday on the patio! 🥰”

So looking forward to going out to eat again! Sound out in the comments below and let me know your suggestions of places we may have missed or should visit next. As always, feel free to like, comment, & share 🤗

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Weekend Foodie Warriors – Take 42!

Hello hello, again, Foodie Friends 🙂 Hope you had a great weekend! For this edition of Foodie Adventures, join us for Friday Night Pizza at Brooklyn’s Pizza & Wings, a brand new Colombian Puree Project, and making homemade Rosemary, Roasted Garlic, & Olive Oil bread!


Friday Night Pizza

Greenville, SC

www.facebook.com/BrooklynPizzaSc/

Friday was a great day for pizza, and the one thing I miss about living in the South is great New York style pizza. Huge slices, a little sweeter tomato sauce, and thin crust – but still thick enough to dunk into things – and not make you feel like there’s a bread stick attached to the back of the pizza.

I remembered finding this place when I was doing research for my Restaurant Updates/takeout food blog (see that link here). I’ve tried some New York style pizza places in the Upstate and I haven’t found one I’ve really liked yet – until this one!!

It was located right near where Pelham Rd. started and met up with East North Street in Greenville.

There were a ton of pizzas to choose from, which all sounded awesome, and Jamie and I narrowed it down to either the Brooklyn Bridge (Italian sausage, pepparoni, ham, sliced meatballs, green peppers, onions, mushrooms, and black olives) or the Manhattan (Chicken, sundried tomato, pesto, roasted red peppers, and parmesean). We ended up going with the former and saving the latter for another visit!

It was absolutely delish! The perfect sauce, savory but still slightly sweet, the crust was awesome, and there were definitely no leftovers in sight. We are big fans!!😋🍕

It was the perfect thing to go along with us watching the Parks and Rec Quarantine Reunion Special, which ended up raising over $2.8 million for Feeding America’s COVID-19 relief fund. If you would like to help give to this worthy cause, please visit the link here!

“For every dollar donated to Feeding America through this form, State Farm, Subaru of America, NBC Universal and the “Parks and Recreation” writers/producers/cast will collectively give $1 up to a maximum matching donation of $500,000 through May 21, 2020.” 

Copyright © 2020 Feeding America

Colombia Purée Project!

Bogata, Columbia,
South America

https://wislla.com/

I was contacted a couple months ago on Instagram by a sweet lady named Ximena from a company called Wislla Distribution out of Bogata, Columbia. She loved my blogs about baking, and offered to send me some samples of their exotic fruit purées to try (for free 😁) in exchange for reviewing them on the blog!

I was quite surprised when the box I grabbed from our package locker was 16 pounds! 😂😍

The below flavors are what we recieved in the mail:

  • Mango
  • Naranjilla (see right picture below for detailed description of that fruit)
  • Peach
  • Strawberry
  • Tangerine
  • Guava
  • And Orange!

These are pure fruit purées, with only natural ascorbic acid (also known as Vitamin C) added to help preserve them, and can be stored at room temperature for up to six months.

This was a lot of purées, even for me, so I ended up tagging in my good friend, fellow food writer, and neighbor Madison to help in our procured purée preparations! 🙌👩🏻‍🍳👩🏻‍🍳

Our initial recipe ideas we came up with are below, so get excited for a lot of new recipes in the near future for this Purée Project! If you have any other ones you could send us for suggestions, message us or leave a comment below:

  • Fruit bars & use the purée as filling instead of jam
  • Mixed fruit jam/fruit curd
  • Dipping sauces or marinades
    • Sweet and sour sauce (over Pork meatballs)
    • Orange sesame sauce for chicken
  • Smoothies
  • Cookies
  • Danishes
  • Breads
  • Icing
  • Cake
  • Pies
  • Cheesecake
  • Cobbler
  • Candies/Jellied candy
  • Fruit roll ups
  • Cocktails

Rosemary, Roasted Garlic, & Olive Oil Bread

Greenville, SC

Recipe from House of Nash Eats Food Blog!

To pivot a little, if any of you asked me what my favorite Italian chain restaurant is, I’d probably tell you Macaroni Grill. It holds a special place in my heart for a few reasons.

My first two years of college in Maryland, I lived about 30 minutes from home, and just about once a month, my dad would meet me in the middle to come visit and take me out for lunch. The place? Macaroni Grill, of course! My favorite part (besides hanging out with Dad, obviously)? THE BREAD.

Macaroni Grill is known for their famous Rosemary Olive Oil bread, a crispy outside and soft inside, perfect for dipping in that seasoned olive oil mixture. Since I started baking more sweet breads in my bread maker, I wanted to try something a little more savory, and this was the first flavor that popped into my head.

I found this amazing recipe from a fellow food blogger, Amy over at House of Nash Eats, and I had to try it out! You start by roasting a whole head of garlic in the oven – I swear if they made candles that smelled like roasted garlic, I’d be such a happy camper. My whole kitchen smelled amazing!

After snagging some fresh rosemary from Madison’s patio, I chopped that finely and added that to the bread dough, letting it proof overnight. It was so cool to watch the bread slowly rise as time went on!

I’m soo happy with the way this turned out!! It tastes amazing and the fresh rosemary and roasted garlic made all the difference. This is also the first time I’ve cooked with my dutch oven (bought it at Lidl, those things sold like hot cakes!), and it was so fun to use.

I would absolutely make this recipe again, but possibly double it next time and maybe cook it for slightly longer. As I took it out of the oven to cool, it deflated almost, so I’ll have to practice with this more to get the hang of it.


So how was your weekend Foodie Friends? Do you have any recipe ideas for our new purée project? Sound out in the comments below to let us know your suggestions of what dishes to make or places we should visit next. As always, feel free to like, comment, & share 🤗

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Weekend Foodie Warriors – Take 40!

Hello hello, again, Foodie Friends 🙂 Hope you had a great Easter weekend! For this holiday edition of Foodie Adventures, join us for our Good Friday Fun, Easter Dinner, and Birthday Cake making!


Good Friday Fun

We have a lot of friends and neighbors who have been working tirelessly on the front lines of this virus for the last few months, including doctors, nurses, and grocery store workers.

My mom and I have always been good at sewing (must be in the genes), and spent a lot of my childhood home-making clothing, quilts, baby bibs, and embroidering blankets for our family, friends, and those around us. Every time one of our family members gets married or has a baby, they get a one-of-a-kind quilt made just for them to help commemorate the special occasion.

We knew that putting our sewing skills to work now more than ever would be helpful, as face masks were in short supply and the ones online were so astronomically priced. So we began making and giving them away to whoever needed them! See the slideshow below for some of our fabrics we used and in-action shots.

And these are pictures of the finished products! 100% cotton on the back and Batik fabric on the front, which is one of the tightest, thickly woven fabrics that the CDC reccomends when making homemade masks. The kid sized masks had elastic straps for ease and convenience for both the kiddos and parents and the adult ones had adjustable cloth tie straps.

So far we’ve made about 110 masks since the week before Easter!


Easter Dinner

For Easter this year it was pretty quiet, with only my immediate family, Jamie, and I, making sure to keep our distance and not going near my grandma as much as we could just in case (she’ll be 95 next month!).

Of course we started the day with a special drink, cranberry pineapple mimosas! We took no pictures of those though, but let me tell you, they were delish. 😋🍹

Couldn’t have drinks without some appetizers to tide us over, here was our spread!

A variety of crackers (both regular and GF!), goat cheese, havarti, and some smoked gouda rounded out the plate.

For dinner, or supper rather, since we ate around 1-2 pm, we had both turkey and ham (Grandma’s favorite), along with tons of yummy sides! We made Roasted french onion potatoes, Brussel sprouts with bacon and onions, Balsamic brown sugar glazed carrots, and of course, both Mashed and Sweet potatoes.

We always try to eat at the dining room table during holidays, and this year was no exception! We have these gorgeous hand painted glasses we got from a yard sale a couple years ago and they remind us of spring, so we ended up using those and our pretty blue flowered plates to match.

For dessert, we each got a dark chocolate bunny and ate the last of our three pies from Buttermilk Sky Pie Shop, this one was their seasonal Lemon Icebox flavor, super delish!! I think this one and the Chocolate creme flavors were our two favorites.


Birthday Cake Making!

So if you follow us on Instagram (c’mon, y’all are professionals, I know you have 😏, if not, click the link above 🔼), you would’ve seen us mid-icing these birthday cakes on our story, but here’s a brief overview of what went on!

Jamie’s coworkers are awesome and he’s started a trend of making them each a small cake (the flavors are always surprises) for their special day. The first cake we ever made is below for a March birthday, a Hershey’s chocolate cake with extra chocolate chips, a fresh strawberry compote filling made with local strawberry jam, and a bitter-sweet chocolate buttercream. Needless to say – this cake was a massive hit! 🎂

There were two April birthdays back-to-back this month, so we made two seperate flavors. One was the same Hershey’s chocolate cake from above (which hapened to sink in the middle this go around, I think we opened the oven accidentally too many times 🤦‍♀️) with the mocha frosting recipe from the right hand picture below as the frosting and filling.

The other was a lemon cake recipe from Alex Guarnaschelli (one of my favorite Food Network Chefs ever), using the lemon frosting from the recipe above, and then the filling from the same Good Housekeeping cookbook below (which made almost a lemon curd-like filling). I’ve had this cookbook since I graduated college, and it’s the same book my mom had to teach her how to cook when she was growing up, and she got me a similar copy as a present. This is the best book to not only find basic recipes in but also teach yourself how to make sauces, work with different cuts of meat, and identify herbs and spices.

With the extra cake filling for both of these, we also made filled cupcakes, which was super fun too! 🧁 This lemon one was absolutely a winner, and while neither of these recipes are non-dairy, I’m working on creating the non-dairy substitutions this week that will be added to the blog! Stay tuned for those!! 🙌😁


So how was your weekend Foodie Friends? What’s been your favorite place to get take-out or carry out over the last week? Was the Easter Bunny good to you this year? Sound out in the comments below to let us know your suggestions of what dishes to make or places we should visit next. As always, feel free to like, comment, & share 🤗

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Weekend Foodie Warriors – Take 35!

Hello hello, again, Foodie Friends 🙂 Hope you had a fantastic weekend! We have a shorter edition of Foodie Adventures, with a review of the new Neat Bourbon Bar, making eggplant parm with mom, and a girls brunch out at Stella’s Southern Brassiere!

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