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...

Recipe: Sunday Crock Pot Roast

It has been a rainy and dreary Sunday here in Charlotte. What better way to pass the afternoon than with some crock pot/pot roast action? 

This was my first attempt at a pot roast and I deem it a great success. My apartment smelled like a cozy bistro all day, it was relatively inexpensive to whip up, I have leftovers for days AND it was delicious. 

It's just not very photogenic. Don't let that sway you! 

Crock Pot Roast (see what I did there??)

Ingredients:

2 lb chuck roast

1 cup sliced mushrooms

5 large carrots - roughly chopped

2 yellow onions - quartered

2 cups beef stock

1 cup red wine (cheap!)

Rosemary

Thyme

Salt & Pepper

1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Heat olive oil on medium high in a large skillet. Salt and pepper up the roast and then sear both sides in the pan for 3 minutes on each side.

Transfer the roast to the crock pot. Dump in the chopped onions, carrots, shrooms, herbs, stock and wine. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook on high for 4-5 hours.

I served the roast-magic with smashed potatoes and red wine. There is a lot of liquid with this roast and I'm hoping to have it as a stew like thing for dinner tomorrow. Bring on the rain!

Hope you enjoy!

Strikes My Fancy Friday #2

It's Friday! And a Friday of a 3-day weekend, no less! I'm working at the olive oil shop tomorrow and then headed down (farther) south to Atlanta for some Labor Day weekend action! I know I've only been in class for ~2 weeks, but I'm pretty darn excited for a long weekend.

Without futher ado, let's check out some things that have been striking my fancy lately, shall we?

Have you heard?! It's Labor Day weekend! Also known as the last unofficial weekend of summer. While I'm chomping at the bit to welcome allthepumpkin and boots and scarves and crisp air and fall running into my life, I think we should all stop and smell the rose (ahem roses*) one last time this weekend. And if you can get your hands on it, this rose is a stellar choice. Plus, what a cool bottle!

I went to a Saturday run club at Sycamore Brewing last weekend. And by run club I mean yours truly plodding alongside an old man who was breathing so heavily the whole time I thought he might keel over. While the 6-mile loop felt very long *for many reasons*, this watermelon waiting at the brewery at the end made it all worthwhile.

The kitchen space at the back of the olive oil shop is newly occupied by a chocolatier. When a batch comes out with any imperfections... they can't sell them. LUCKY FOR ME, I've befriended the chef and sometimes get the "ugly ducklings." Alongside a cup o' tea it makes my Anatomy & Physiology reading slightly more bearable. 

Oh boy. These were good. I made a stack of Kodiak Pancakes last weekend and sandwiched them with Barney Butter's Cocoa + Coconut Almond Butter. Topped with more coconut, for good measure. 

Last Saturday afternoon, Torsten and I did a little brewery hopping. At some point, nachos were discussed. The craving could not be denied, and thus this cookie sheet of heaven was born. Trader Joe's everything --> corn chips, fresh tomatoes, mashed black beans, salsa, greek yogurt, and reduced guilt guacamole. Delicious and infinitely healthier than what we might have devoured at a restaurant.

I'll leave you with my one non-food related item of the week. I snagged this gorgeous bouquet of flowers from the Charlotte Regional Farmer's Market last weekend for $5. $5! They've cheered my little apartment all week long.

 

Hope you have a delightful long weekend! Wear lots of white and drink lots of rose.

 



WIAW #1: Back to School Edition

Hello there friends!

Yesterday was my first day of classes at Winthrop! It was definitely a bit of a shock getting to campus in the morning and seeing it filled to the brim with undergrads. Campus was so quiet and peaceful during the summer!

Because most of my life revolves around food, I thought I'd share my first day of my 18th year of school (do we count Kindergarten?) via a "What I Ate Wednesday" post. Let's get to it!

First day of school! CHEESE!

7:00am: Alarm is off and buzzing! I head to my apartment's sad, sad gym for a quick 3 mile run on the dreadmill. I signed up for a half-marathon in November (more to come on this, promise!) and this was day 2 of training!

8:45am: After a drive to campus with the company of NPR, I scarfed down my coffee and this amazing Paleo Banana Bread courtesy of Peanut Butter Runner. [Note: I just noticed that I used 3/4 cup coconut flour and NOT the 1/4 cup the recipe calls for because I misread the recipe. But I also used 3 bananas instead of 2 because I had 3 very brown ones. I also substituted olive oil for the coconut oil because I forgot to buy coconut oil. By some miracle it still worked really well and hey, we all make mistakes!].

I topped 2 slices of the miracle baked good with Cocoa Coconut Almond Butter from Barney Butter. It was unreal. I've never baked with almond or coconut flour before and was a little nervous but it turned out great (despite my errors)! Definitely not the most attractive loaf of banana bread ever but it is dense and moist (I hate this word but it is so apt here I had to use it) and the higher (healthy!) fat content of the flours kept me full much longer than a normal bread.

Not an attractive photo. Morning photography = not my strong suit.

11am: My first class (Food Composition) goes from 9:30-10:45am. After some walking around campus I spent some time in the library and had this snack in ninja mode. No food allowed in the library! I found it at Trader Joe's and the ingredients are Apples and Coconut. The End. 

1pm: LUNCH TIME! I posted up at a table outside of the Student Union and ate my whole grain, turkey, pepper jack, avocado, spinach sandwich + a side of raspberries + La Croix.

I putzed around campus for a bit before my 3:30-4:20 class - Intro to Dietetics!

4:45pm: Snack time in the car on my drive back to Charlotte! I hate eating in the car, but desperate times...

7pm: Dinner time! I had leftovers of this awesome salad and topped it with grilled chicken. Along with some "celebratory" wine courtesy of Torsten. Creepy label, no?

This plate x 1.25 to polish off the remaining salad!

Last but certainly not least... First day of school Froyo!

The sign at the froyo place cracked me up... GETCHA SOME!

And there you have it! This was a pretty normal/healthy day of eating for me. And yes, a healthy day of eating includes wine and frozen yogurt! Everything in moderation.

What was the best thing you ate yesterday?!

Strikes My Fancy Friday #1

It's Friday!

And time for a little Strikes My Fancy Friday action. I spent an absurd amount of time trying to come up with a clever alliterative title for this post and, I'm sad to report, this was the best I could do.

This will mostly recap my favorite eats and recipes of the week, but I might also throw in some other goings-on just to keep you on your toes.

 

My self-control didn't stand a chance once the pumpkin beers emerged. I'm saving these four until October (promise!) but I may have had this glass of Southern Tier Warlock (which is 10% ABV!!!) at Good Bottle Co. so I could compare it to Southern Tier Pumpking. They had them both on tap - what's a girl to do?! Verdict: they taste remarkably similar despite their totally different colors/styles. I still think they taste like a Yankee Candle. But I also finished this no problem. 

 

I checked out the Charlotte Regional Farmer's Market for the first time last Sunday and bought a carton of peaches. Because it was almost closing time, the farmer loaded me up with extra peaches. So, of course, I had to make peach pie! This recipe from smitten kitchen was fairly easy and resulted in a super flakey crust! Make it before peach season comes to an end!

 

The Coconut flavored La Croix will always have my heart, but this Apple Berry flavor takes a close second! I've been on the hunt for the new flavors (Kiwi Watermelon! Blackberry Cucumber!) but haven't found any yet. 



 

I found this wine at the Charlotte Total Wine (which is truly a magical place) for the reasonable price of $8.99. Two thumbs up from the Sauvignon Blanc lovin gal.

 

Everyone knows you can order 1/2 and 1/2 toppings from places like Domino's and Papa Johns but it had never occurred to me to do so at a local pizza joint! Until this week, that is. Half greek and half sundried tomato pesto made for one whole delicious pizza at Hawthorne's (do you see what I did there?).

 

Forgive me the somewhat unappetizing photo here because I swear this was the most summery and delicious lunch. Avocado toast, local tomatoes and balsamic vinegar and a handful of almonds for some extra protein. And hey, is that another La Croix I see?

 

This is my new favorite greek yogurt. So tropical!

 

This has been my view for the majority of the week. I start classes next Tuesday so I've been catching up on reading and Bachelor in Paradise (I know, I know). But I'm considering it a "pruning of my brain cells" before I build them up again this semester in class. It's science!

 

Anything striking your fancy this week? Foods? Books? Spill!





Charlotte: A Night at the {Mint} Museum

I'm on a bit of a grown-up summer break right now before I start full-time classes at Winthrop, and I'm trying to get as much exploring and adventuring around Charlotte done while I still have free time.

Lucky for me, living in a new city makes it pretty easy to explore. Also lucky for me, I have a very willing co-explorer (Hi Torsten!). Unlucky for me, a student budget isn't the most conducive to fancy restaurants, weekend getaways or shopping trips.

That's why I was super excited to see that the Mint Museum Uptown in Charlotte has free admission to their permanent collections from 5-9 pm every Wednesday. And BIG BONUS, they also have buy-one-get-one free wine glasses in the gift shop! Sold.

Torsten and I ventured over to the Mint Museum around 6:30pm and promptly found the BOGO wine. Priorities. There were also free snacks! Be still my heart.

This was my first time to the Mint Museum in Uptown and I loved it! It's mostly contemporary art with some craft/design thrown in and some intriguing looking special exhibits (there is one on Body Art right now).

Me: "Torsten, take my picture with these ones! We match!"
Everyone else in the gallery: "What a dweeb..."

Here were some of my favorites from the collection, if you'd like to see!

I think this would make a good studying desk, don't you? 

This installation is one of 10 commissioned by the Mint Museum in 2010. Trippy!

The night ended as all of my favorite summer evenings do - with this ohsoyummy rose from the Winestore.

Cooking in my Blue Apron

Hey there - it's Friday!

I hope you'll forgive me -- instead of a cookbook this week, I changed things up a bit and had my first ever Blue Apron delivery! I gifted my mom (Hi mom!) a subscription to Blue Apron for Mother's Day and she had a free week of meals to bestow upon one lucky recipient as a result.

This worked out quite well for me as she picked me for the week of free meals! This Thursday I got my first box - my first HEAVY box.

It's worth noting for all of you out there who might try Blue Apron that the Blue Apron boxes are unbelievably well insulated. There was a *snafu* with my apartment's package system and I was unaware that the Blue Apron box had actually been delivered on Wednesday afternoon. By the time I realized this, the front office was closed. I was apoplectic! And I don't use that word lightly. I truly was that excited for my three Blue Apron meals. But low and behold, on Thursday morning at 9am (after I stood eagerly awaiting the opening of the front office to acquire my package and immediately tore it open) everything inside was still chilly and fresh! Hallelujah!

So after a rocky start... The first supper of Blue Apron occurred on Thursday evening!

The packaging for all of the ingredients was so detailed and neat. Organization!

First up... Summer Corn & Vegetable Chowder.

There was quite a bit of chopping involved, but nothing that a glass of vino (Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc - the best) and a lil Pandora (Carolina Beach music station!) couldn't handle.

Cheers!

 

There were 9 radishes in the bed and the little one said ROLL OVER, ROLL OVER!

Vegetables, CHOPPED.

 

After some sautéing and some simmering, voila! Dinner is served.



 

The chowder was delicious and healthy (and also hearty) and so much fun to make! I'm already excited for meals two and three this weekend.

 



 Have you ever tried Blue Apron? Plated? Hello Fresh? Any favorites? Spill!

Cookbook a week: A Homemade Life

Very exciting things happening over here -- I've officially made it to TWO WHOLE WEEKS of this cookbook challenge! Going strong!

I was pretty excited about this week's cookbook: A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg. While *technically* a memoir, her book has drool-worthy recipes at the end of each chapter.

This book is one of my favorites of all time (read it!) and I've made her recipe for Banana Bread with Chocolate and Crystallized Ginger twice (do it!) and it was so very good.

I'm cooking for one this week and rather than fall prey to Microwave Cooking for One, I opened up Molly's book and picked an approachable recipe to kick-off the week.

Photo Source

The winner? Bread salad with arugula, cherries and goat cheese. 

The recipe was a cinch - toast some white bread (Trader Joe's baguette) in the oven with olive oil, salt and pepper and then toss with garlic. 

Ugly photo alert - ripped baguettes just don't photograph well.

Add in semi-crushed cherries, balsamic vinegar, arugula and goat cheese and voila! A most delicious dinner.

+ Picton Bay Sauvignon Blanc and Bachelorette Men Tell All = Swooon.

Molly Wizenberg also happens to be the woman behind Orangette - a blog with so much food and writing goodness - and Spilled Milk - my go-to podcast lately.

So essentially, Molly is to me like Beyonce is to most people. And she certainly didn't disappoint with this salad. This recipe is a keeper!