Hungry Times Two

The Hungry Times Two crew celebrated an eighth wedding anniversary this past Tuesday. Eight years since I rode up to the wedding site in a pimped-out golf cart (how they roll in coastal South Carolina). Eight years since Scott and I made some vows to honor, cherish and always share our shrimp & grits (but never dessert, right hon?). And eight years since the debut of THE CHEESE CASTLE.

Ever had good friends move away? I bet you have.  Ever helped good friends move away -- and then received all the condiments in their fridge?  I'm not so sure that's a thing. But I'll tell you -- It's a mixed blessing. 

Today's Charlotte Observer feature on grits calls the Southern staple a "warm hug from a bowl." Grits have a thermonuclear nature, taking forever to cool down and often burning the sin off your tongue even when you think they're safe to eat. But there's something about a nice creamy bowl of grits. (Random shout out to Little Milton for singing about them.) I grew up on grits, with my Grandmother Carrie keeping the yellow kind -- preferred to white -- in a canister on her kitchen counter. They were usually served along with country ham, biscuits or on their own with a little butter, salt and pepper. For those of you born outside the South: grape jelly is never an acceptable add-in for grits. They're not oatmeal or Cream of Wheat, y'all. Leave the sweet stuff out.

Are you aware it 'tis this season to be jolly? Are your jingle bells sufficiently ringing or are they shakin' a little lacklusterly (I just invented that word) so far this December?  I'm not quite prepared in the sense that gifts are so low on my radar this year, and Scott and I decided to skip the Xmas tree purchasing and use the $40-ish dollars on our mountain trip this weekend. It feels a little weird to not have a tree in the house, with all the ornaments that bring back so much nostalgia and cheer. On the other hand, I heard weird rustling noises above my home office ceiling the other day. I'll be damned if I have to climb up our rickety fold-down attic stairs from 1951 and do battle with some mystery critter. No thanks, we'll just settle for the holly branches I foraged in the backyard, red candles on the mantle, last year's Amaryllis that could make a comeback if I can keep from overwatering it, and this Santa art from Scott's family that I just love...

Brushing off the old blog here... pardon the dust bunnies. It's a rainy gross day here in Charlotte and I have the day off. I started thinking about what I do when I'm not working like a Doozer. (Sidebar: I tried to find the Fraggle Rock " Work Your Cares Away" song to link to but I nearly fell down a YouTube rabbit hole. If you're a proper child of the '80s you shouldn't need the link anyway.) I miss writing but I think I've shied away from it due to an aversion to more time looking at a glowing screen. I get plenty of that in my daily schedule and with these smartphones we're all addicted to now. I thought about maybe going old school and writing with pen and paper. But I remembered this blog, and the other I started with very nice intentions a few years ago, and so here I am. It wasn't until I cancelled my subscription to Bon Appetit and started getting annoyed by all the food photos in my Facebook and Twitter feed that I realized my ...

Prepping for Amtrak food: Root Down in the Highlands neighborhood. Amazing house Bloody Mary mix, Colorado lamb burger with Harissa. Phone home - this place is amazing!!

We planted three cherry tomato plants earlier in the season and being novices, we had no idea what that would yield. We also had no idea that our compost in our abandoned raised beds would spawn six or seven cherry tomato plants. Surprise, us! We now have what could be quantified as a shit-ton (a technical term, I hear) of these little delights. Today I took five seconds to pop a few cups of them in the broiler. Five minutes later -- a tasty something to toss into pasta or, as I am doing now, topping a taco in place of salsa. One of my fave things to do with broiled tomatoes - blend with cold butter. Easy, delicious and did I mention it's easy and delicious?  Hope you are enjoying tomatoes this summer!