Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cake

What kind of desserts did you have for Thanksgiving? I bet they weren't as good as this!

Chocolate cake is not normally one of my faves, but this isn't just a chocolate cake. It's a Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cake.

I gave you a preview after Thanksgiving last week. And I wasn't lying when I said this cake was the star of the day. My family was raving about it the entire weekend like I have never heard before. I have already been told I must make it again when I get home for Christmas. 

The "double chocolate"-ness comes about because it is obviously a chocolate cake, but what you can't see are the mini chocolate chips mixed in. The chocolate chips took the cake to the next level...at least that's what I'm contributing part of the deliciousness to. 

The pumpkin flavor on the other hand was a bit lost in the chocolate. I think the pumpkin helped with the overall texture and moisture of the cake, but did not play a large role in the flavor. 

I actually found that I liked this best by pairing it with a slice of pumpkin pie. Sometimes I would alternate bites and other times I just ate the two at once. Mmm, mmm, mmmmmmm!

I followed the recipe for the cake exactly as shown by Jenny from the Picky Palate. Instead of using her recipe for the Pumpkin Spice Buttercream, I used store-bought cream cheese frosting and stirred in about a teaspoon or two of cinnamon (per Jenny's recommendation...thanks Jenny!) Check out her blog for this and a million other amazingly creative and delicious recipes!

Repurposing Leftovers

What do you do after eating the same foods over, and over, and over and OVER again? You start feeling sick, that's what you do. But with a fridge full of leftovers, I hate to waste any of it. Instead of throwing it away, I had to great creative.

I admit, we really didn't end up with too many Thanksgiving dinner leftovers. Probably the least amount compared to any other Thanksgiving in my memory. I tried to plan it this way and not go overboard with the side dishes. After splitting the leftovers with my family who took some back home with them, we mostly had some turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing. 

I love lean protein like turkey, but it can definitely get old. So, for yet another lunch filled with leftovers, I put a spin on the dish that made it taste completely different. The tastes of Thanksgiving were nowhere to be found.

This BBQ pulled turkey slider saved me from the point of Thanksgiving leftover insanity. Just when I thought I couldn't eat leftovers for another meal, the sandwich turned things around. 

Need a way to use up the mashed potatoes? Potato pancakes! I didn't get a picture after making them for dinner last night, but just imagine thick, brown and crispy potato cakes topped with cheese. It really doesn't get much simpler. I topped mine with ketchup too. 

One last thing before I go: Our Christmas tree!!! I cannot tell you how excited I am about my first ever REAL tree. I am so in love with it!

Have you started decorating for the holidays yet?

BBQ Pulled Turkey Sliders

Makes 1-2 servings

Ingredients:

4 small rolls

1 cup turkey, cooked and shredded

1/4-1/3 cup barbecue sauce

Directions:

1. If not already done, slice rolls in half. Quickly heat in microwave for about 5-10 seconds.

2. Heat turkey in a microwave-safe bowl for 20-30 seconds.

3. In a medium bowl, add shredded turkey and barbecue sauce. Mix with fork or spoon until well combined.

4. Place about 1/4 cup shredded turkey mixture on bottom half of each roll. Top with other half and lightly press down. 

5. Enjoy!

Glazed and Amazed.

I have been dyingggg to try a new gourmet doughnut shop downtown since it opened a month or so ago. Glazed Gourmet Doughnuts didn't need to do much to convince me to pay a visit.

Before cupcakes ever came along, doughnuts were my "thing." My family knows my love for Krispy Kreme Chocolate Iced Kreme Filled doughnuts is not to be messed with. Can anyone else relate to the pure disappointment on those days when you open a box of KK and find it to only be filled with the Original Glazed? That is always such a letdown. Glazed are great and all, but the Kreme Filled is legit to.die.for.

As good as KK is, independent bakeries and shops have that added local-flavor factor that makes the overall experience hard to compete with.

Glazed offers a variety of unique flavors that I have never seen anywhere else.

The menu changes daily, but I was sooo hoping the Sweet Potato would be available. Lucky me (sarcasm, people), they were sold out! That just tells me how good they really must be and I will have to make another stop this week to snag one for myself. 

As I drooled staring at the other choices through the glass, I finally decided on the Apple Fritter. It looked big on display, but when I actually set it down on the table in front of me, I realized just how big it was. About as big as my face. 

Brooke was the happiest girl in the world with her Berry Cobbler doughnut. 

We both made great choices. The fritter was very good, and even I, Miss Sweet Tooth Brittany, couldn't finish it. I brought about a quarter of it home and reheated it for a snack later in the day :)

Like I said though, I am still craving that Sweet Potato doughnut and will return for it (not) soon enough.

Sunday Blessings - Waiting Patiently

Now that Thanksgiving is over, I am completely in the Christmas spirit! I love it. I even told Greg this morning that "I just want it to get cold and stay cold!" That is crazy talk for me. I get cold so easily and stayed here in the south for a reason! But, Christmas isn't Christmas without chilly, jacket-wearing, boot-stomping, see-your-breath-in-the-air weather. And as much as I normally do not like the cold, I am ready for it to come and stay for a while.

While I was sad to see my family go this weekend, I know Thanksgiving is only the beginning of the holiday season and there is so much more to come!

I only wish I could decorate our tiny condo with a tree like this (This is Greg's family tree from a few years ago). We are going shopping later today for a small one. It might be reminiscent of Charlie Brown's tree, but it will be better than nothing!

The sermon at church this morning was all about how today, the start of advent, is our (Christians) period of waiting for Christ to come on Christmas day. We need to be patient during this time, but instead of waiting quietly and idly, we should use this waiting period to serve God by serving others.

While it is easy to get caught up in the shopping, traveling and stressing over the holidays, I need to remember to make this time about the one who gave it all to us in the first place.

This week I am praying for patience through these weeks leading up to Christmas and for God to show me how I can better serve Him during this time.


What are you most looking forward to this holiday season?

It Doesn't Get Much Better

If you had half the Thanksgiving I did, then you had it pretty good. Because mine was awesome! From start to finish, the day really could not have been better.

I know I already talked about the Turkey Day Run on Thursday morning, but that was the perfect way to start a day full of consumption. After the race, we came home to shower and clean up then it was time to party!

GG, my grandma, showed me how to make a great bellini. Since I have recently retired my blender, we had to skip out on grinding up peach slices. Instead we used a peach-mango juice and champagne. It was delish. 

Meanwhile, Brooke and Paw Paw relaxed on the couch...and I snapped a few sneaky pics. 

The bellinis helped pass the time as the turkey cooked, which seemed like forever by the way! Slowly but surely the bird's internal temperature rose. We were counting along as we watched the temp rise and I yelled when it finally hit the magic number...165! Time to eat!

Thom was in charge of the turkey. And we really couldn't have had it any other way. That thing intimidates me and nobody else here was about to take that on. I did baste it a time or two. So I did contribute in some way. 

Besides the turkey, our fancy spread consisted of mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, green bean casserole, corn pudding, stuffing and rolls. 

Like I said: Fancy. Don't you like our plastic cups and paper plates ;) I do. And it was extra easy to clean up, especially with GG's help. Thanks, G!

A quick look at my plate before digging in.....just about a little of everything. My favorite sides were definitely the stuffing and corn pudding. 

Dinner was all and good, but the star of the show was this:

Double-Chocolate Pumpkin Cake from The Picky Palate. 

I will share the recipe another day, but let me just tell you that will now be on my list of favorite desserts. And that's saying a lot considering all of the competition out there for me. It wasn't just me that loved this cake either. My entire family has been raving about it for the past two days. My mom even said, "Oh em gee! This is so good!" Ha ;)

Those are just the highlights, but honestly this was one of the best Thanksgivings I can remember. Unfortunately my brothers and Greg couldn't be here (AND I MISSED ALL MY BOYS SO MUCH!). The brothers were home in Columbus and Greg was in Atlanta with his family. Besides missing them, we had a great day. I can't say enough how thankful I am for my family and their sacrifices to drive hours and hours to come visit me in my new home away from home. 

This morning Brooke and I are going for a walk then heading to the downtown farmers market. Greg will be home this afternoon and we have a day packed full of football and more leftovers! 

Have a great weekend!

Thanksgiving is Here!

Thanksgiving is here and just in time. I don't think I could have waited another hour.

Actually, we didn't even wait until Thanksgiving day to cut into the pumpkin pie. Whoops. The family was sitting around my condo last night and decided we were ready to dig in. There is still plenty for today, so yesterday was more of just a preview, or a tastetest. 

This morning Thom, Brooke, my mom and I ran the Turkey Day Run 5K in downtown Charleston. 

Thom and I ran together, while my mom and Brooke stuck together a little behind us. It was a cool morning, but sunny and beautiful. We couldn't have asked for much better weather. There is just one thing to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

What else? 

Well I am so thankful for my health and ability to exercise like I do. I can't imagine not being able to exercise and run. For something I used to DESPISE doing, running has become a must in my life and I am so grateful for the physical ability and mental motivation to do so.

Although I could go on and list a million other things I am thankful for, I will keep it short so we can all get off the computer and spend quality time with our family and friends. That's what the holidays are all about anyway, right? 

So, HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! I am most grateful for my readers and this outlet to be able to share my cooking (and life in general) with all of you.

Now go eat!!

Thanksgiving Spirit with Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Ok, I'm not going to pretend I have been the best source for Thanksgiving Day ideas or recipes lately. Well guess what? I may have not been cooking much Thanksgiving food in preparation for the holiday, but I think if you tried just a bite of one of these cookies you would forgive me. These make up for every non-Thanksgiving food post I have made over the past couple of weeks. 

Here, let me take a bite for you.

Feel better now? I do.

I would bet to say that cookies are not at the top of anyone's T-day dessert list. It's all about the P-I-E! Apple pie, pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, pecan pie. Some of you probably even have pumpkin rolls and cheesecakes. But cookies? Yeahhhh...not so much. 

Well this year you may just want to consider throwing cookies into the mix. These extra soft and chewy cookies are fabulouso. That's Spanish for fabulous. No, not really. I don't think so anyway. 

Of course we all know that eating until you are literally stuffed and cannot eat another bite is just part of what it means to be Thanksgiving Day. No matter how full you are from the seconds, thirds and fourths that you have already eaten from the turkey and side dishes, you HAVE to have dessert. These cookies are a great alternative to large slices of pie. You can still indulge in a sweet pumpkin-y dessert without too much extra stretching of your stomach ;)

...That is to say if you can only just eat one. Because remember Greg, the guy who doesn't find half the pleasure I do in anything sweet? Well, he had FOUR of these in one sitting. Very unlike him. Like, totally and completely unlike him. 

You might be best off just taking a whole plate back to the couch with you after dinner. Make yourself comfortable and enjoy every single fluffy bite. 

I used this recipe from Annie's-Eats. The only thing I changed was with the sugar coating mixture. I eliminated the ginger and allspice (only because I didn't have any), and added about 1/8 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. 

Despite the rainy, cloudy skies today, my family is here and we are going to have a great couple of days! First on the list we need to pick up our race packets for the Turkey Day Run 5K that is tomorrow morning! Eeek! I'm a litte nervous because I want to do well, but since I've never done it, I know it will be a fun experience regardless. Then we need to do some last minute grocery shopping. Hopefully it's not a zoo at the store. 

Have a great Thanksgiving Eve!!

The Calm Before the Storm

Ah! We are two days away from the big day. I just have to get through this one last day of work and then I basically have another weekend. I do have to work Friday, but I'm sure it will be extremely quiet in the office and then after that, I get a whole new weekend again!

With a couple days of cooking madness and overeating in my very near future, I wanted to keep it light and simple last night. The calm before the storm, if you will. Will you? Ok, great!

I picked up a frozen meal from TJ's last week and thought it would be the perfect night to try it out.

I really don't shop at Trader Joe's too much, but I am well aware of the hype. And the items that I have had from there have been pretty good. To be honest though, I have heard plenty of "so-so" reviews as well. But you never know for sure until you try and this looked promising enough.

The Low-Fat Chicken Chow Mein went way above my expectations. It couldn't have been easier (or faster) to make and had a great blend of flavors. I would have liked a little more chicken, but I have seen worse when it comes to frozen meals. 

The bag indicated it makes three servings, and with a nice healthy serving of sauteed asparagus on the side, the entire package was the perfect amount to fill up both Greg and me. Another plus: Only 210 calories per serving. Obviously if you do the math, Greg+me=2, not 3. But even splitting the "third serving" among the two of us puts it at just over 300 cals each. Not bad. 

For about $2 per person, this frozen entree is a deal. I will buy this again and again.

Think my family will mind if I sub the mashed potatoes and green bean casserole for some Chicken Chow Mein on Thursday? Yeah, I didn't think so either ;)

CBR Quesadillas

CBR= Chicken.Bacon.Ranch.

Only one of the best flavor combinations out there. Am I right or am I right?

While I would love to provide you all with some ideas for Thanksgiving dishes, I honestly don't have many to share. I have contributed to making food for Thanksgiving before, but don't really have much documentation of that. So, until the end of the week when I really start getting my T-Day cooking going, quesadillas it is. Besides, I am sure you are seeing plenty of other festive recipes to keep you busy. So this is a little something different. 

Quesadillas are great, because they are so simple and can be made with just about any ingredients you want. (Have you figured out yet that this is a common theme with my favorite meals?)

I made these for more of an appetizer rather than an entire meal, but they could go either way. If you need an easy weeknight meal, this is it. If you need a quick appetizer to throw together for a gathering, this is also it! 

Chicken-Bacon-Ranch Quesadillas

Makes 4 quesadillas

Ingredients:

4 10-inch flour tortillas

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 1/4 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese

2 whole chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or diced

8 slices bacon, cooked and chopped

1/2 cup ranch dressing'

Directions:

1. Heat medium-large skillet over medium heat. Spread about 1/2 tablespoon butter on one side of each tortilla.

2. When skillet is hot, add one tortilla, butter-side down. Fill half of the tortilla with a couple tablespoons of shredded cheese, some of the chicken and bacon, and finally another couple tablespoons of cheese (putting cheese on both bottom and top layers help to hold it together). Fold other half of tortilla on top of the layered ingredients and lightly press down with spatula. 

3. Let cook 2-3 minutes then flip. Let cook about 1 minute on the other side and remove from heat. Tortilla should be golden brown on both sides.

4. Repeat steps 2-3 with remaining tortillas.

5. Serve with ranch dressing for dipping.

Sunday Blessings - Drinks for the Holidays

Hey there! I know everyone else is getting just as anxious as I am for Thanksgiving this week. The food always gets the most attention, but I am really just excited to see my family. My mom, step dad Thom, Brooke and grandparents will be coming to have Thanksgiving with me in Charleston.

This Bible verse makes me happy too:

"So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad."

-Ecclesiastes 8:15

As I always say, moderation is key to just about everything in life. While sometimes I do feel like eating and drinking (and my occasional obsessiveness about what I'm eating and drinking) can get in the way of my relationship with God, I think this verse helps put it in perspective. I don't want to ever seem like I worship food, although I admit I do give it a little too much love at times. But when it comes down to it, God wants us to enjoy life. And eating and drinking really can be so enjoyable. Remember this? What about these? And THIS!?

The important thing is to make sure we take the time to thank Him for the food that he has put in front of us that we indulge ourselves in. It is easy to remember this during the holidays, but I am challenging myself to take more time out of each day to tell Him thank you. I know I can definitely afford to spend a little more time on my relationship with God than my relationship with food.

So before I tell you about how "glad" I am because of certain food and drinks, I just want to say I am so thankful and blessed to have a God to provide me with these things.

Now, have you heard of this?

I have heard of it, but I haven't actually tried it yet. I bought this handle yesterday and can't wait to try it. The cashier told me it is great in orange juice and tastes like a creamsicle! Yes please. I also have seen all kinds of recipes using it in hot chocolate, root beer/root beer floats and fruit-flavored soda. I will be taste-testing later today and coming up with a great drink to show off to my family during Thanksgiving this week! If you have any suggestions, send them my way please :)

Another fun purchase I made yesterday was this Skinny Peppermint Mocha from no other than Starbucks. Or "S-bucks" as we like to call it around here. Ok, Greg actually bought it for me, but he needed me to order one becauseeee.....

Starbucks is running a promotion through today for their holiday drinks. From 2-5pm their holiday drinks are buy one, get one free! The menu is limited to Peppermint Mocha, Caramel Brulee and Eggnog lattes. I am always a freak when it comes to checking calories of these drinks before I order, because I know some of them are reee-diculous. I was happy I could get the Peppermint Mocha in "skinny" mode to make it only 130 cals in a grande! Now go get yourself a holiday treat before this deal is over!

Skipping ahead to this morning: We went to church then picked up some groceries for lunch.

I made myself a turkey sandwich on Italian bread with lettuce, banana peppers and some red pepper hummus. No day is complete for me without an apple, so I sliced one to have on the side. 

I will be spending my Day of Rest putting finishing touches on our Thanksgiving menu planning! I have some exciting things in store :)

Have a good one!

Return of the MAC! And a Fruit Crumble

This past week felt so long to me. Did anyone else feel that way? Needless to say, I am more than ready for the weekend!

Greg and I started off by finally heading back to the home of Charleston's best mac and cheese!

Coleman Public House.

If you're wondering if that is a fact then, yes. I have complete authority to declare the mac and cheese at CPH to be the best in town. And it is.

Ok, obviously I don't actually have that authority. And I have to admit I can't really think of too many other places around that I have had mac and cheese. But this place has it down. If anyone can make it better, I would love to taste it. (Seriously, please? Can I try? I'll be the best taste tester you've ever had.)

We started with an order of the Garlic French Fries to split, again another winner from last time.

After trying a couple bites of Greg's mac and cheese side dish last time we went, I knew that I needed to order a plate skillet of mac for my main entree this time. To fancy it up a bit, I asked to have grilled chicken added on top. At first the waitress thought it was a strange request, but when she brought it out to me, she said, "This actually looks really good! Good idea!" 

Yes. I know. Thank you.

Greg ordered exactly what he got last time: The Southern Burger and mac on the side. 

We both agreed the food was all around as good as we remembered. Adding the chicken to my pasta was genius. The seasonings were delish. I can't wait to have my leftovers for lunch today. Too bad it's only a few bites. 

After dinner, we didn't really know what to do. I had originally suggested going to a movie. We haven't been to the theater in foreverrrr. But there was nothing showing that we really cared to see. Sooo we opted to do something really cool and go look at books at Barnes and Noble. What a Friday night, huh? 

The bookstore was filled with middle school kids running wild, but besides that I enjoyed checking out the books. Especially cookbooks. Duh.

We got home and I made myself a makeshift fruit crumble. 

Microwave a little oatmeal, mix in some fruit (apples or blueberries are my favorites for this) and cinnamon, and top with a BIG scoop of vanilla ice cream (not shown here....I was too excited to eat it). Whipped cream works too.

I just finished a semi-long run and am looking forward to relaxing and watching football the rest of the day...which may or may not be relaxing depending on how our teams play. Then I have a dinner date with a girl friend tonight! We haven't decided where we are going yet though so I'll have to think of something good. 

Have a great day!! Gooooo BUCKS!

Dragon Palace and Sudden Changes

Last night Greg and I went to dinner at Dragon Palace right by our condo on Daniel Island.

We had a Groupon, so a mid-week date night was perfectly justified.

Our waiter brought us some crispy tortilla-like chips with some sort of sweet and sour sauce (maybe duck sauce??) before we even ordered.

This was a pleasant little surprise to start the meal, but the chips were not anything special at all. Very bland.

We ordered the Crispy Vegetable Spring Rolls for an appetizer.

These were good and the fried-ness factor was a nice little splurge for me, because I chose an extra healthy entree.

The Cashew Chicken and Sesame Chicken dishes definitely caught my eye, but I had surprisingly more self-control than I normally do when it comes to Asian food. With my (somewhat) recent commitment to keep a more balanced diet, I went with a meal I knew I wouldn't regret. 

Buddha's Feast is a plateful of mixed vegetables including broccoli, carrots, green beans, water chestnuts, mushrooms, baby corn and snap peas, cooked in soy sauce...I think that's what it was anyway. This plate comes with your choice of white, brown, or fried rice. I had the brown rice. The vegetables were cooked perfectly and the amount of variety made it more than satisfying.

Greg had General Tso's Chicken that came with broccoli, peppers and pineapple! Mmmm! He got fried rice served with this. 

Both meals were more than enough for us, as expected when it comes to Asian restaurants. 

After wrapping up our leftovers to take home, our waiter surprised us AGAIN with small cups of tea and fortune cookies for dessert! 

How cute! Right?

I remember learning about this in my tourism and marketing classes in school - how giving the customer something extra and unexpected adds satisfaction to the overall experience. Dragon Palace gets this concept spot on. Well, almost. Vamping up the chip recipe wouldn't hurt ;)

My fortune told me to expect a sudden change in plans that will bring happiness. I don't like it when my plans change too much, so I really hope the happiness thing is true. I'll let you know if any big changes come my way!

Have a great Thursday! ONE WEEK UNTIL THANKSGIVING!!!! Who's excited?!

Boyfriend-Approved Sauteed Brussel Sprouts

Do you like vegetables? I like vegetables. As much as I love my cupcakes and dessert in general, I can definitely appreciate a plateful of sauteed or roasted veggies any day of the week. As long as it's not too big of a plate ;) 

Sometimes I think I could be a vegetarian. But then I realize that is just crazy. What am I thinking? Especially with Thanksgiving coming up. I need that turkey in my belly! And honey-glazed ham. Any chicken is one of my favorite things to cook. But seriously, there are plenty of vegetarian meals that are just as satisfying as meat-filled meals. Veggies, beans, eggs and potatoes can make great dishes. Something like this without the chicken would still be delicious. But I think it's only natural, and healthy, that humans eat meat. And I'm not going to mess with nature. 

The other night I had to skip the meat and stick with the veggies. I did have chicken in the freezer, but for some reason I despise thawing meat. I don't know what bothers me so much about it, but I really hate that task. With fresh brussel sprouts in the fridge and a sweet potato calling my name, I came up with a great meal.

After getting the potato in the oven to bake, I got to work with the brussel sprouts. I love the texture of brussel sprouts. When cooked, they are crunchy, yet tender and dense (I think that accurately describes them??). 

They say vegetables are best in their raw state. Who is "they" anyway? Health experts, I guess. That might be true, but I like to think that by adding a healthy amount of olive oil, onions and garlic, my brussel sprouts are even healthier! Who would eat a raw brussel sprout anyway? This is one vegetable that I would not want to eat raw.

The sprouts went perfectly with my baked sweet potato. Greg originally gave me a look of disgust when he saw me cooking the veggies, but after forcing him to try a bite, he actually approved! Since he hadn't trusted me to begin with, he made himself something else for dinner. But I think in the future he will be joining me here.

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 medium yellow onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 

2. When hot, add onion and garlic. Stir and cook for about one minute. Add brussel sprouts and stir to evenly mix with onions and garlic. Let cook 3-4 minutes without stirring. 

3. As sprouts being to brown, add salt and pepper and stir frequently for another 5-6 minutes for even cooking.

4. Remove from heat and serve hot. 

Finding Love at the Lost Dog

Yesterday I mentioned how my family and I went to our favorite breakfast spot in all of Charleston before they headed home.

Today I get to tell you about just how amazing it was (IS!).

My mom and Brooke discovered Lost Dog Cafe on Folly Beach during one of their many trips down here, and instantly shared the gem with the rest of the family. Now, we eat there just about every time anyone in my family visits. They only serve breakfast and lunch. I have never tried their lunch, but I'm sure it is just as delicious as their breakfast. It would be awfully hard to tear me away from their breakfast dishes though.

In the past, I have loved their Vegetable Quiche, which always seems to be on the list of daily specials. The quiche comes with a side of fruit and grits. This dish is obviously a little healthier than some of their other options including pancakes, french toast, pastries and cinnamon rolls.

Yesterday I was more than willing to splurge on something a little less healthy the very second I saw Sweet Potato Pancakes on the specials menu. Not that plain sweet potato pancakes wouldn't be delicious, but these were made extra heavenly with candied walnuts baked inside and topped with bananas and whipped cream. OH MY GOSHH!!!

FYI, I intentionally made that picture enormous just so you could appreciate it even more. At least I hope you do. 

I am in love with these pancakes. Ldlsfjoriuojg!!!! No, that wasn't English. But I am speechless over these things. Really, I have nothing more to say. Ok, one more thing. They were SOOO good!!! Did I say that already? Oh. Well, maybe you get the point now. 

These might even be better than my own homemade pumpkin pancakes. And that's saying a lot. In fact, I will say that they ARE better than my pumpkin cakes. I loved how the walnuts weren't just sprinkled on top, but mixed in the batter. Ok, I'll stop talking about them now. Just go try them for yourself. Promise?

Greg had the Biscuits and Homemade Sausage Gravy, just like he did at DIG last weekend when we went for brunch. I think Lost Dog is the winner in the sausage gravy category. Of course I snagged a bite of this dish and gave it two thumbs up.

I love everything about the Lost Dog. Obviously the food is the main reason, but they also have great coffee and lattes, and the atmosphere is fun and relaxing. The walls are covered in pictures of dogs and you can even bring your pet if you want. 

I highly recommend this place to anyone living in or visiting the Charleston area. 

What is your favorite breakfast dish? 

Sunday Blessings - Back to Blogging, Farmers Market and Cupcakes

I'm back!! You might not have even noticed I was gone, but for the past two days my internet connection at home has not been very friendly, preventing me from doing any blogging whatsoever. It's been rough, but I think I may have fixed the problem. At least temporarily. So if I can get this post up before the internet goes out on me again, then I will just be the happiest girl.

This has been a great weekend so far, because I had some family in town! I loved having them here, especially Brooke for quality sister time. I miss my family so much and am so thankful they (well, some of them) were able to make it for a few days. We fit in a lot...food included, obviously.

Friday night we went to Daniel Island Grille for dinner for my dad's FAVORITE burger: The Hammering Hank, topped with bacon, cheese and a fried egg. Yes, Greg and I were just there for brunch less than a week before, but it's the best place on the island. It's hard to get too much of DIG! And my dad has been talking about it for weeks so there was no way we could pass it up.

I chose the Ladder #1. It's on their burger menu, but you can swap grilled chicken for the beef on any of their burgers. I LOVE this. The Ladder #1 is a spicy sandwich with jalapenos, salsa, cheese and an avocado ranch dressing. It was extra spicy, more than I remember, but ohhhh so good. Unfortunately I was too hungry and forgot to get pictures of all of this :(

Saturday we went downtown for the Farmers' Market in Marion Square. This is one of my favorite things about Charleston.

I'm not really sure what that guy is doing on all-fours, but this definitely wasn't the weirdest thing about the day. We saw quite the interesting group protesting through the park. I don't like politics and don't have too strong of opinions with political issues, but seriously people, get a life. I hope I'm not offending anyone, but I just don't see the point. 

That's enough of that though. The food is where we need to focus here. We started off with some not-so-local fair from Starbucks. 

It was pretty cool outside when we left our house for downtown. Brooke and I had nonfat Chai Lattes to warm up. Turns out, we didn't need a hot drink to do that, because the sun was shining and heated the day up quickly. 

We got a late breakfast from Charleston Crepe Company. 

I know this isn't the prettiest thing, but don't worry. The crepe wasn't burnt, it was just filled with black beans. And cheese, and egg. The menu said it included salsa as well, but I think they forgot to give me that part. 

My dad picked up some sweet potato fries sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, but I was too full from my crepe to enjoy them. They sure looked good though!

We spent the rest of the day on a carriage ride around the city and watching (disappointing) football games. 

Oh yeah, and Brooke and I ate cupcakes. 

Cupcake is currently featuring a cotton candy cupcake for a fundraiser, so we grabbed one of those and one red velvet. 

They were just as good as they look. The cotton candy frosting was amazing, but the red velvet cake was so moist. I don't know which I liked more. Some hot chocolate with marshmallows on the side made it quite the exciting night. 

We finished our weekend together this morning at our go-to breakfast place on Folly Beach. I'll save that for tomorrow :)

Have a great Sunday! I'll be lounging around and watching more football today. And taking advantage of this internet connection that has been so rare recently.