Strikes My Fancy Saturday #2

Hello there, beautiful readers!

The sun is shining in Charlotte -  a welcome sight after 24 hours of total gloom and rain and cold. It has been many moons since I shared some of my favorite things with you, so I thought I'd pop in and do just that!

Speaking of weather (because everyone loves talking about the weather), just LOOK at the icon for the weather tomorrow.

I'm not holding my breath for snow [but actually, I am].

Two highlights here! First off, I made another batch of my Baked Honey & Banana Oatmeal this week. I love having breakfast ready for four days of the week and how can you resist that brown sugar banana caramelized goodness?! Secondly, my spoon! I was lucky enough to unwrap this spoon on Christmas morning and it makes every breakfast brighter. It is also entirely accurate. 

In the midst of holiday madness, I *may* have forgotten to cancel my Blue Apron for this week. So (surprise!) one arrived at my doorstep on Wednesday. The first recipe was this Seared Salmon & Salsa Verde and was super easy and delicious and would be a cinch to make at home. PS - I have a few free Blue Apron meals to give to friends - if you're interested leave a comment! 

New year, new planner! I've completely switched over from my iPhone calendar to a good old-fashioned paper calendar and I'm not looking back. I've also upgraded to a jumbo sized planner so I have plenty of room for to-do lists and doodles. I snagged this Sugar Paper planner from Target for $10! 

As I mentioned, the weather last night was truly atrocious. Torsten and I ventured out to Crepe Cellar in NoDa and split Malbec, pesto fries (!), burrata, a savory crepe and an outrageous brownie sundae concoction. It was the coziest.

And I'm leaving you with this picture from a tiny beach in Kauai, just because.

Have a great weekend friends! 

Charlotte: Foxcroft Wine Co. Dilworth

I, myself, am tremendously excited about this weekend. My parents are driving up from Atlanta today and I'll be toeing the line for the Thunder Road Half-Marathon bright and early tomorrow morning! To top it all off, we have reservations at Kindred on Saturday for some much needed post-13.1 and spectating refueling.

Like the good RD-to-be that I am (read: I just really love food), I've been fueling all week for race day. The highlight of all of this fueling came last night when Torsten and I tried the brand spankin new Foxcroft Wine Co. in Dilworth!

While Foxcroft has another location in the South part of Charlotte that I've wanted to try for ages, this location is much more convenient. And good thing, because it's AWESOME.

Spotted: a charming patio with twinkly lights! Will be stellar in the warmer seasons. Not a great photo (hey, I was hungry and thirsty and in a rush to get inside!) but you get the idea.

This window is like the adult version of the windows at FAO Schwartz or a candy store. All the wine!

Foxcroft was lively on a Thursday but we arrived at 6:30 pm (the early setting sun has my whole "wait until a trendy time to eat" thing go down the gutter) and had no wait. There were, however, many people waiting from about 7-8.

You can either order wine off the menu OR you can browse the walls and walls of bottles for a wine to uncork. It's a $10 corking fee *unless* you spend over $30 so naturally we found a Pinot Noir (from my beloved Willamette Valley in Oregon!) for $31.99. 

We honestly could have ordered everything on the menu, but after much deliberation decided on the Ricotta with olive oil and olives and toast (they have a more eloquent name for it that has slipped my mind), the truffle fries (because obviously), an amazing Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, soy sauce and chili dish, and the lamb sliders. All were delicious.

I'm so excited to have a place like this nearby! 

So that was my Thursday evening! Tonight will include some pizza and my traditional pre-half marathon beer (carbs and hydration). Send some speedy vibes my way in the morning! Looks like it's going to be a chilly one...

Charlotte: Your Mom's Donuts

A very dreary Sunday morning called for a foodie adventure. [Side note: Do I sound like a broken record with the dreary thing?]

Your Mom's Donuts has been on my radar for a few months now, but the 20 minute drive had dissuaded me from making the trek. I want to go back in time and give my former, oh so naive, self a big shake. What was I waiting for?! I missed valuable donut eating months of my life!!!

If you haven't already figured it out (catch up!), Your Mom's Donuts is absolutely delectable. This is why the phrase "everything in moderation" was invented - so future RDs like yours truly can indulge in mouth-watering- dense-but-also-light-and-airy donuts without any regrets.

 

The donut shop is buried in a strip mall and very unassuming - be careful not to miss it!

They use all locally-sourced and organic   ingredients. They also serve local Pure Intentions coffee. Swoon.

We ordered a half-dozen of these bad boys but (oh so unfortunately) could only manage 3.75 donuts between the two of us. 

The line-up: Cinnamon Sugar (my #1), Vanilla glazed (TBD), Blackberry with Lemon (So sweet! So tart!), Honey Glaze with Orange, Sugar and graham (TBD), Salted Caramel (literally hot out of the fryer and with flecks of sea salt on top - I MEAN!), and Apple Pie with Apple Cider Glaze (runner-up donut. Caused many groans and exclamations).

We will definitely be back to Your Mom's Donuts. Flavors change every week!

After our donut fest we checked out McAlpine Creek Greenway Park for a nice long walk. Super cool park with tons of trails and lakes. Pairs nicely with the post-donut sugar coma.

What's the best donut you've ever had?!