Pass the Pimentos Please

In college, pimento cheese held a special place in my menu quirks. I didn’t dine on it frequently, but I when I did…a nice spread, two slices of bread, and FRITOS! That’s right, I put chips on my sandwich. So delicious that gooey crunchy concoction was. The unfortunate thing, of course, that isn’t especially healthy.

Fast forward a few, or twelve, years and I’ve grown up a bit, and decided to give those eats a makeover. It turned out perfect, not quite as slimy or fatty, but I also didn’t feel guilty enjoying the cheesy goodness!

8 oz sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated

4-6 oz plain Greek yogurt (depending on desired creaminess)

¼ c jarred pimentos (to taste)

2-3 T sweet pickle juice (to taste)

dash of freshly ground black pepper

Mix it all up, chill, serve on melba toasties, crackers, or as a grilled sandwich with lettuce for the crunch (instead of fritos!). 

Mother's Day Meal

Why not try THREE totally new, more complex than normal recipes for a special holiday meal? All three turned out about as perfectly as I could imagine, and I would definitely make them all again (although not obvious with the piddly iPhone photo showing).

First up: Beet, Orange, Rhubarb & Endive Salad inspired by Epicurious
I had three ginormous beets, boiled them for an hour, peeled, sliced and chilled them for another hour. The rhubarb, fresh from Watauga County Farmers Market, was sliced diagonally dropped in warm but not boiling water/sugar mix and left to simmer 2 minutes, followed by chilling. Mix those two together with cut navel orange chunks and endive, plus a dash of feta, and you have a sweet tangy crunchy salad.

Next on tap: Vegetables Wellington Redux from Vegetarian Times
This was actually pretty simple, but required a lot of prep. Chop red pepper, asparagus, onion, and Rowan County chard, then saute for 10 minutes (adding chard at about 6 minutes). Mix in some homemade pesto and set aside. Working with thawed pastry crust sheets laid on parchment paper (essential, do not skip!), line a loaf pan with the pastry like a box. Spread marscapone on the bottom, sprinkle with rosemary and garlic powder and poke holes in the pastry. Add the asparagus mix, sprinkle with parmesan, and fold the top edges around and over to make an enclosed roll. Brush exposed pastry with an egg and chill 20 mins. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 and bake another 45 minutes. Serve with marinara sauce on the side.

And lastly: Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
I combined and modified about 5 recipes into the following.

1 c whole wheat flour
1 c white flour
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/4 t ginger
1 T cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
pinch of salt
1/2 c softened butter
1/2 c packed brown sugar
3/4 c sugar
1 c egg beaters

2 c mashed sweet potato (just nuke 'em for 6-8 mins)
dried cranberries


Combine first eight ingredients and mix well. In separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients, except sweet potato, mix well. Gently fold flour mix into wet ingredients. Do not over mix, and then gently fold in sweet potato (clumps are ok!). Place into greased muffin tins and bake 20-24 minutes until springy.

1 package low fat cream cheese
1/2 c powdered sugar
2 T cinnamon
1 T vanilla extract

Stir cheese to loosen, then gently beat in remaining ingredients until creamy. Frost cupcakes and top with dried cranberries.

7 Ways to Use All Those CSA Greens

If you were lucky enough to sign up for a local community supported agriculture (CSA) program this Spring and Summer, you've probably gotten one or two baskets and noticed a theme with the contents:

GREENS! They are a staple of Spring CSAs and the varieties are endless. They are one of my favorite things about these weekly baskets. They can also be one of the most challenging since the shelf life is pretty short. Here are a few options for making the most of what you get, especially if you have a house of only two eaters like we do!

1. Pesto

• Most people know about making basil pesto, but arugula makes an excellent pesto when paired with garlic, walnuts, and olive oil. You can also make pesto from cilantro, garlic scapes, spinach, mint, collard green & olives  - try different types of nuts, cheeses, and oils to compliment flavors. 

2. Blanch & Freeze

• Chard, spinach, kale, mustard greens (etc) can all be dropped in a large pot of boiling water for 30-45 seconds, cooled in an ice bath, packed in a freezer bag (don't worry about drying, the water prevents freezer burn) and stored to drop in soups, casseroles, and sauces throughout the year. 

3. Quiche

• Dark leafy greens are an excellent addition to quiches, which freeze fantastically. Prepare as usual, let cool, wrap in foil and place in a freezer bag. Be sure to write the contents on the bag!

4. Marinara Sauce

• I almost always add frozen spinach when I make homemade sauce. Why not add the fresh right in and freeze or can it for Fall. 

5. Soup

• If you haven't noticed, the freezer is your friend for keeping greens. Thick soups like potato freeze well and adding a little kale tastes delicious. You can also add just about any dark leafy green to thinner, broth-based soups. 

6. Smoothies

• Have you had a green smoothie? Don't write it off until you try it! This is a healthy way to use up any of those greens, especially kale and lettuce. Plus, you can make a double batch and freeze it for later!

7. Unwiches

• I think lettuce is the hardest of the CSA greens to use up. Sammiches are summer staples, but instead of just putting a few leaves in between your bread, ditch the bread altogether and use large outer leaves to wrap the guts up Jimmy John's style!

Still Pretty in Pink

With a little downtime on a rainy weekend recently, I flipped through the Prime movies and landed on the 1986 classic Pretty in Pink. Not one of my most favorite 80s flicks, but I couldn't help but notice a few familiarities in Andie, Duckie, Iona, and Blane's fashion decisions 

Today: courtesy of Neiman Marcus. 

I wear your granddad's clothes. I look incredible. 

Denim never dies. 

Today: c/o WarbyParkey

The Original.

Today: Get your very own at Banana Republic 

Doubt Wayfarers will ever go out of style. 

And of course, the pink dress

a la BCBG

North Carolina To-Do List

Ten things you must do in each part of NC (in no particular order despite the order listed below).

MOUNTAINS

 

1. Drive Blue Ridge Parkway - Linn Cove Viaduct in Fall
2. Ride Great Smoky Mountain Railroad
3. Hike Stone Mountain State Park and taste at RagApple Lassie, Raffaldini or Shelton Vineyards
4. Breakfast at Early Girl, Lunch at Laughing Seed/Salsas, Dinner at Tupelo Honey
5. Go Tubing on the New and July 4th at Tweetsie Railroad
6. Walk the Grandfather Mountain Swinging Bridge in Spring
7. Hike in Linville Gorge area and Wilson Creek area
8. Camp at Price Park and walk Price Lake or Cone Manor
9. Tour Biltmore House Christmas and Grove Park Inn Gingerbread Houses
10. Visit Blowing Rock in the Fall and Woodlands BBQ

   

PIEDMONT

 

1.  Experience Merlefest
2. Watch (and tailgate) NASCAR Bank of America 500
3. See Franklin Street during a home game and Mama Dips
4. Visit Southern Season at Thanksgiving and overnight at The Umstead
5. Stroll NC Zoo
6. Lunch at (the original) Village Tavern and tour Reynolda House and Old Salem
7. Pick Strawberries and Tour a Farm
8. Enjoy the NC State Fair
9. Catch a game at Durham Bulls
10. Ride Thunder Road and have a Cheerwine

      

COAST 

 

1. See Jockey's Ridge State Park, Wright Brothers Memorial, Hatteras Lighthouse
2. Visit Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium and Fort Macon
3. Spend a day in Southport with a meal in Calabash 
4. Watch The Lost Colony
5. Kayak at Pea Island
6. Experience Azalea Festival
7. Go Day Boat Fishing Charter
8. Camp at Hammocks Beach
9. Stroll the Beaufort Boardwalk
10. View the Shackelford Banks Ponies

Pin Peeves | 7 Tips for Pinterest

Not a typo!

I've been on Pinterest since early 2011...not exactly an innovator, but a little ahead of the curve. In that time, I've racked up a lot of pins, and scrolled through even more. With the quick success and wide adoption of the social image-sharing platform, has come a lot of, well, junk. In my quest to share technology and cheer, here are a few pet peeves tips to keep in mind.

1. Check the original source.
There's nothing more disappointing than finding *exactlywhatyou'relookingfor* only to have the link not work. Or work but take you to spam. 

2. Skip the long mega-images.
Those pins with the images that take up the whole scroll, you know the ones I mean? They're the annoying jabbermouth in your 7th grade homeroom who demands 'all me, all the time.' 

3. 500 characters is still too much.
What makes Pinterest such a great tool is the visual bookmark function. Key word being bookmark. You want to credit the source, not rip off their image by posting the entire recipe/workout/tutorial so the next person doesn't have to click. It may seem convenient, but it's rude. 

4. Use your secret boards.
Everything you pin is public knowledge unless you put it in one of your three secret boards. Shouldn't need to elaborate on that, except to remind you I don't need to know you're interested in '15 Tips to Save Your Marriage' or 'Foods to Cure IBS'. They're there for a reason, thanks Pinterest gods. 

5. If you re-pin something with a hashtag (#) or account tag (@), consider if you really want to include that info.
Chances are, you don't know the person who originally pinned the @ tag, and therefor do not know the person tagged. And, since this isn't Twitter, I doubt you'll really use that hashtag. See, doesn't make sense does it? The takeaway from this point is really...edit your text before pinning so it makes sense to you. 

6. Do not include 'pin now read later' or 'another pinner says' in the description
Right up there with 'RT if you love...' or 'Like this post if...' Pinterest isn't the boss of me, so please don't tell me what to do, it just makes you sound dumb for falling for someone's marketing trick. 

7. Set your board cover images
On your board page, hover over the top image, click change cover. Make it pretty. While you're at it, you can drag and drop the board to order them. 

Chick Pea & Butternut Fritters with Kale Salad

This, as most "fancy" meals these days do, started off in Pinterest. Using this post from Eating Appalachia as inspiration, I, as I mostly do now, Green Kitchened it (simplified!).

I miss food photos with my DSLR (so lazy slash busy!)

1. Pre-heat oven to 425. Wash and microwave butternut for 3-4 minutes to soften before cutting. Set aside and let it cool.

2. Meanwhile, prep kale by throughly washing and tearing leafy parts into bite size pieces, about 4-6 cups total. Wash red cabbage and slide into strips, 2-3 cups. Wash, peel, and slice carrots into matchsticks, 1-2 cups. Chop the white and light green part of 2 spring onions.

3. Peel butternut and slice into very small cubes (I just used the top part without seeds, so 3-4 cups total). Combine in a large bowl with one can of rinsed and drained chick peas and 3-4 minced garlic cloves. Coat with 1T olive oil, cumin, turmeric, fresh ground black pepper, and a dash of garlic salt. Spread on a greased, foil-lined cookie sheet. Bake 20-25 minutes until tender. (smells AMAZING!)

4. In a a small bowl, mash an avocado. Add 1/4 c soy milk, 1/4 c rice vinegar, 2T chopped fresh cilantro, fresh ground black pepper, and mix well. If texture is still too thick to pour, add water until slightly runny (but still think enough to taste...sort of like mustard consistency). In a microwave safe bowl, combine kale, cabbage, carrots, and onions, and toss. Add 1/2 the avocado mix and stir, coating ingredients. Place entire mix in microwave for 20-30 seconds depending on desired wiltiness.

5. Remove butternut and chick peas and return to bowl, mash well. Form into patties.  (NOTE: the original recipe said to let it chill in the fridge before cooking, this would be well advised, as it was nearly impossible to hold together still warm and I burned my fingertips and hand twice trying to do so.). Coat each patty in panko breadcrumbs.

6. Heat olive oil in a fry pan and cook until both sides are golden. Serve hot over kale salad with dollup on remaining avocado mix.

I did not watch one second

of the Oscars or the red carpet. But YJDKIY sure does like to look at pretty dresses!

I liked the top of this, and then the middle, and then the bottom. All together though? D

JLaw is about as neutral as she could be, aside from looking like a wedding dress! B

I think Amanda Seyfried forgot she wasn't on the Big Love set anymore.
C

Everyone raved about this dress but I dont love it. Not very Washingtony! C

Impersonating the Oscar behind her? Love the hair and jewelry, but that color is well, not one, and that neck line  is, well, too much of one. Looks like a hybrid high school prom slash bridesmaid gown.
C-

I usually adore Amy Adams, but if your dress doesn't fit in the frame of a photo, there is a problem. C+

It's like the Disney Goth Princess version of the first dress, but somehow, someway it is working for her. B

Love the color, love the cut, love the jewelry.  Classy. Ben won more than just best picture! A+

Another one that people raved about and I hate. Solid Gold anyone?
F

You are Sally Field so I must refrain from saying anything because I can't say anything nice. Maybe you should come sit by me. 

Reese Witherspoon looks terribly uncomfortable and I don't really get the color choice, but sure, B+. 

Rachel is looking a little dated. Haven't we seen this dress on someone and WHY do they insist on wearing red with that carpet! Plus I think she is looking a little botoxy. Combined with a lack of effort in the hair, her ratio of possibility to actuality results in C. 

Conch Republic

A little delayed, but as YJDKIY thought back on some fantastic travels over the blog years, I realized this one shouldn't be slighted! When looking back at Boston, Charleston, Cape Cod, and Emerald Isle it's hard to rank them, but our recent long weekend in Key West and Islamorada, FL is way up there.

Another fun fact, this trip is sort of brought to you by the power of social media! It started last spring with a little Pinterest contest: So you want to be a become a Jetsetter Curator? I can rock this in 10 minutes. And then, this fun pinboard was born!

While bopping around the free wi-fi at Bucuti in Aruba, I noticed by Twitter feed had some familiar handles.

I've never won anything like this, so I was a little skeptical at first, but it turned out to be totally true and totally fun! It was posted on Pinterest and I got added to collaborate on a board with Jetsetter and Huffington Post.

After lots of searching, I decided to use my credit for a mid-January stay in sunny Florida at Cheeca Lodge & Spa. I knew it was somewhere we wouldn't likely travel without a little motivation.

After booking everything, I discovered a little problem with the flight from ATL to EYW. With only a 40 minute connection in the worst airport ever, not having assigned seats on a clearly overbooked flight spelled disaster. I tried to email Delta's customer service for assistance with no avail. Then, their system wouldn't let me check in online the day before unless I volunteered (for no more than $125, half the price of the ticket) to be bumped. NOT cool, and naturally I took to social media, this time Twitter to sort it out.

I was quite surprised and impressed with both the time and level of assistance Delta's Twitter customer service provided. Not only did they get me checked in, they assigned my seats (even together!). I have no idea if this was luck or normal but that one little tweet made the entire trip happen. Who knew?Having seats already assigned turned out to be quite fortunate, since our first flight from CLT to ATL was delayed over 40 mins and we were still in the air well past the original boarding time. Once again, Delta responded in seconds (seconds that we were running through the airport like cartoon characters).

From there, it was smooth sailing. Flying into Key West was a really cool sight. The water was so clear you could see the plane's reflection on the bottom of the bay, next to the fishes and plants. The pilot warned of the short runway which requires an abrupt spot, but I didn't really notice a difference. Hello 1957.

Definitely the tiniest and most laid back airport I've flown into. From there, we jumped in a rental car and headed into Old Town Key West for a little weekday sightseeing (which turned out to be an excellent choice, since by Saturday, there were two cruise ships bleeding crowds into the streets).

I was nervous about parking, but we found an easy public lot close to everything and headed to our first tropical lunch at Bagatelle. The service was odd and slow, but the view on Duval Street was nice and the spring mix and fish tacos were tasty!

From there, we drove over (and parked!) at the obligatory photo op. The line wasn't long, but we bypassed the money shot.

And then a 1.5 hour, windows-down full sun ahead drive up Highway 1, the Overseas Highway, to Islamorada.

Bud & Mary's!

As soon as we checked in and saw the room, I loved it!

They have carved out a nice little beach with a pier, reef, watersports, pools, lush grounds and bike paths.

We borrowed two from the hotel and rode down to some local spots.

We enjoyed outdoor dining at Lorelei and Islamorada Fish Company. 

 

And headed back down to Key West to spend some time walking! Through Old Town, and the cemetery, and on to the 8th Annual Florida Keys Seafood Festival!

A perfect way to end the trip, no tweets required!