Tag: food

The Food of Hot Springs

· Leave a comment ·

Last month, I talked about our trip to Hot Springs, NC. I wanted to mention the food we ate in a separate post because I felt it needed its own space.

As I mentioned in the above post, our trip to the campground was a little rocky. Once we were settled and before we hit the mineral springs hot tub, we stopped at Vinyl Pies. The brick oven pizzas at Vinyl Pies were absolutely delicious. The atmosphere was welcoming and relaxing and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit. At this first stop, we shared a Some Like it Hot Album – Spicy chili peppers, hot sausage,
black olives, ricotta cheese, red sauce.

We decided to stop at Vinyl Pies again on Saturday after our super-long hike to Lover’s Leap and around town. At this stop, I ordered the Pizzalad – the Salad of the day piled on top of a 10″ mozzarella and pesto pizza pie. Matthew ordered a Buffalo Soldier 45 – Mozzarella, chicken, caramelized onion, bacon
swirled with buffalo sauce, and blue cheese.

Salad on a pizza? Yes, please! It was amazing. Matt said his was great, too. He especially liked their in house made pizza dust.

On Friday night we decided to take in the live music at Big Pillow Brewing. Inside (well actually, you order from the outside of the building) Big Pillow is The Grey Eagle Taqueria. They sell everything you would imagine a Taqueria would sell. We had carnitas and smoked brisket tacos. These tacos were loaded down with filling and so very flavorful. If we knew we were getting as much food as we were, we probably wouldn’t have ordered the chips with Verda sauce but when on vacation…

The atmosphere at Big Pillow was relaxing and welcoming. We met a few furry friends and people watched for a couple hours. This is definitely a spot you should add to your list if you are traveling to or through Hot Springs, NC.

Looking forward

· Leave a comment ·

December was crazy!!! Well, let’s be honest 2020 was a hot mess.

But specifically speaking, December was a little much. I honestly didn’t know if I was coming or going half the time. Our little businesses picked up toward the middle of the month and online sales were nuts.
And… I thought it was a good idea to take a full time substitute job the last two months of the year! What the heck was I thinking?!!

Don’t get me wrong, I am beyond happy and recognize how truly blessed we are. I know there are a lot of people going through very hard times right now. But we worked hard for the little bit of success we had. We put in 16 hour days from black Friday all the way to Christmas Eve.


It all paid off though, despite being in a global pandemic both of my little businesses had record breaking years. And I plan to keep this momentum going.


As 2021 begins, one of my goals is to make meal prepping a priority. Tonights dinner was supposed to be shrimp & gouda grits topped with shaved brussel sprouts and bacon but the Walmart was all out of brussels when I made my order yesterday so we compromised. I had half of a leftover spicy tofu wrap from my lunch date with my bestie and some super greens, so they made it to my plate.

The guys enjoyed a huge helping of grits and shrimp with leftover cornbread. Everyone left the table completely full and satisfied. I have meals planned for the rest of the week and I’m determined to keep the momentum. I don’t set resolutions, per se, but I do start the year with a couple of “focuses”.

So far, I have a few “focuses” I’ll be talking about in upcoming posts. Stay tuned.

Happy New Year.

Food Freaks and A Trophy Wife…

· Leave a comment ·

The Beard and I get two nights per month  completely to ourselves (if we’re lucky). The last couple months we’ve been hunting down food trucks and enjoying local breweries. Tonight was no exception. 


Unfortunately I forgot to snap a photo of our food but I’m not exaggerating when I say it was phenominal. Food Freaks serve amazing 1/4 and 1/2 pound burgers and handcut fries. I got their House Burger – bacon jam and cheddar cheese served with a BBQ aioli. 😋

The Beard got The Mel – bacon jam, fresh jalapeño and pimento cheese served with Sriracha chili mayo. 🌶😵🤤 He seemed to enjoy it. 

This food truck travels all over the Triad and tonight we found them at Juggheads Growlers and Pints where they have 32 craft beers on tap, all from North Carolina. It was our first trip and we were happy with the cozy atmosphere. It was mild enough to enjoy our drinks outside, under the covered “porch”. 


I had Trophy Wife and 3rd Rock Jetty Session IPA. I’m no beer critic but I enjoyed the 3rd Rock IPA more, I liked the friuit kick (if that makes sense). The Beard really liked what he tried, the Fiddlin Fish Camel City Session IPA, a new brewery in Winston Salem that opened this week. I see a trip there in our future. 🍻

We were home and relaxing in bed by 9. We are so adventurous!! 😂

But since he wakes up around 3:30 am, for work, on Saturdays it isn’t hard to understand why. 

If you guys enjoyed my little review of these places let me know. And if you recommend any food trucks or breweries in the triad or Charlotte area please let me know. 

Night guys, I hope your weekend is relaxing and fun. I’m loving this cooler weather. 

Birthdays

Today is The Beard’s birthday

🎂 🎉🎈🎉

To say he isn’t big on birthdays is an understatement.

He doesn’t like to celebrate, he doesn’t eat cake, he doesn’t want presents…

Who is this man? And why does he not want presents?

I’ve accepted this flaw trait, but that doesn’t stop me from going a little overboard.

Now, it needs to be noted that for my birthday he took me and the boys to the beach for the weekend and we enjoyed a bluegrass festival, food truck food, a boat ride to an island, swimming in the ocean, grilling out, and great seafood.

So, when my mom messaged me last week wanting to have a dinner for her husband’s birthday (August 1) on The Beard’s actual birthday (today), I wasn’t sure I wanted to do that. But ultimately, it turned into a double birthday celebration and it was a way to have a party that didn’t put The Beard in the spotlight (too much). And he was OK with it – A Bonus!

It turned out to be a great day, despite the fact that I’m suffering from a sprained neck (no idea how it happened but it freakin sucks). My aunt and uncle came out and  my brother (Red), his girlfriend, and her son were there too. And Red’s lady made this amazingly beautiful and equally delicious cake for our step-dad.


Isn’t she talented?!

This was probably the most moist and tastiest cake I’ve ever had.

The Beard has taken care of me all day but he did enjoy his gifts.


Our kids pitched in and picked out a bag full of snacks and candy, which he would much rather have than a stinking cake (his words not mine).

And I found him a hammock we can take camping and paddles for his kayak.

I’m looking forward this weekend, we’re going camping without the kids and taking the kayaks for a weekend in the water.

But for now, I’m off to rest this neck of mine. Goodnight friends.

Quote · · Leave a comment ·

Margaritas and the Mundane

· Leave a comment ·

Last week I mentioned the possibility of going to a show with another new match. Last Friday the new match phoned to tell me he would be working Saturday and wouldn’t be able to take me to the comedy show but invited me to dinner that night. I agreed and planned to meet him after dropping my boys off at their dads. 


It was poring rain when I finally made it back into town and this new match was waiting for me inside the restaurant. He didn’t see me walking up because he jumped up to open the door for an elderly woman with a walker and her family. I stood back and watched this sweet gesture. 

He was dressed in a pair of khakis and a button down with a pair of nice boots. He looked good, confident. His hair was longer than I expected but it was neatly combed back and he had the perfect amount of facial hair. 

We sat down and immediately the conversation flowed at a comfortable pace. After two margaritas we were still talking but he informed me he had to get home to his children. Surprisingly, I don’t remember having the knowledge that he had children, so we talked about them for a few more moments. 

At the end of the date he mentioned going out again Saturday night if he finished work early enough. I was up for that and suggested he text the next day to see his progress. He walked me to my car and leaned in for a hug. He didn’t try to kiss me. I would’ve kissed him if he tried, but he didn’t and I wasn’t going for it, so a hug was sufficient. 

Saturday brought Hurricane Matthew and lots of rain and my power was out for a few hours. I slept a lot and went out for a late lunch with Red and his girl. It was nice to be among adults. New Match texted a few times Saturday and again mentioned taking me out after work but in the end, he didn’t show and I haven’t heard from him either. 

The lack of communication is probably partly my fought. I’ve had another depressing week. And to top it off, it’s mid term week and I’m not close to being ready. Saturday was supposed to be devoted to school but with all the sleeping I did and not having power, I was far from productive. 

On a brighter note, this week has also given me the time to continue to text with Electric Guy. He’s off call next weekend and were planning on getting together. I like him. He’s sweet, kind, a hard worker, values his career, has goals, and so much more. I’m looking forward to finally seeing him in person. The more we talk, the more excited I get. I’ll keep you guys in the loop, I promise 

My Uberly Exciting Weekend

· Leave a comment ·

This post is about a week late, its been a crazy week but lets focus on last weekend.

My weekend began with getting my boys up on Saturday and enjoying a meal together after running a few errands. I then dropped them off at my mom’s for some swimming and a sleepover.

While my boys were splashing in the pool, I took off to a bridal shower for one of my closest friends. I absolutely love celebrating with fun and amazing people, it’s so refreshing. The atmosphere was comfortable, the spread was beautiful and delicious, and the company was top notch.

Doesn’t this look beautiful?

I left the shower a little early to prepare for a date with Sparky, who is briefly introduced here.

I was looking forward to this night all week. I picked up a new dress just for the occasion, painted my toe nails a bright pink, and did the necessary grooming and primping.

Our plan was to have a few drinks at my house, call Uber for a ride to the movies, walk to a local pub and then call Uber for a ride home. Neither of us had used Uber before, this would be a new adventure for both of us and he took care of downloading the app and signing up before our date (a gentleman move).

He arrived right on time with a 12 pack of Corona and a couple limes. We sat on my couch, enjoyed our beer, listened to music, and just talked. It was nice and comfortable. After about three drinks I was feeling great. I may have definitely swayed my hips a little in the kitchen and sung along to the music I had playing.

The rest of the night continued on this same comfortable, laid back path. Our Uber ride to the movies was great, the driver was nice and very talkative. She mentioned her daughter’s school and since Sparky and I both have school age children there was no lull in conversation. The movie was not so great, or at least I didn’t care for it. I mention it in passing here. We finished the night at Hickory Tavern for more drinks and conversation. I will say, he was on his phone a little more than I would normally be comfortable with but I let him slide and he did apologize.

The Uber ride back to my house was probably one of the most exciting parts of the night. Not only was Sparky trying to get a little frisky with me in the back seat but the driver missed a turn and decided to take us a little sideways to get back on track and ended up in the same lane as an oncoming car. I’m pretty sure I squeezed his thigh a little harder than necessary.

Our date ended with me making breakfast Sunday morning. Everything in the middle was fantastic and THE most exciting part of the night. I hope to have a repeat of those events soon, very soon.

Sunday I drove up to Tanglewood with the boys and a friend. We did some hiking, visited the stables, and walked through the gardens.


We had a great time until the rain came. We will make another trip soon, maybe when it’s not so hot.