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Archive for September, 2009

Charleston Harbor and Fort Sumter

In Julie, Kiawah Island, Travel on September 30, 2009 at 1:58 pm

Besides eating ourselves silly while in Charleston, we spent much of the afternoon exploring and touring the harbor and Fort Sumter. The weather could not have been better, wonderfully sunny, temperature around 80, with just a slight breeze.

The beautiful old buildings have been kept up and well taken care of. The abundance of Palmetto trees make the streets and parks distinctly Charlestonian.

We happened upon a waterfront park with a great fountain, but as it had a list a mile long of rules for wading, and as a life guard wasn’t on duty, we decided not to risk it.

We drove over to Liberty Square, where the Harbor Cruise and Fort Sumter tour left from. As we waited outside, we watched the sailboats and tour boats tool around the harbor in the sun. The cruise took us along the shore of Charleston for about 20 minutes, and then headed out to Fort Sumter, at the mouth of the harbor where the Atlantic Ocean’s waters converge with the freshwater bay.

We had about an hour to explore the grounds of the Fort, as well as a museum on-site. While the history of the Fort and its role in the Civil War is indeed interesting, the beautiful weather definitely added to this trip, allowing everyone to spread out over the property.

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Day of Food in Charleston

In Food, Julie, Kiawah Island, Travel on September 30, 2009 at 10:04 am

Yesterday (Tuesday) we drove into Charleston (about 35-40 minutes from Kiawah). We had two things on our agenda – to eat and to visit Fort Sumter. The eating part ended up taking over the day. Aunt Maggie, Justin and I decided to take in lunch at Slightly North of Broad (S.N.O.B) on East Bay Street, a highly reviewed restaurant we found online.

We were definitely not disappointed. We started our meal with a cup of red bean soup with freshly baked cornbread.

This soup surprised us a bit, as the consistency and taste was very much like the chili I make at home, only pureed. It was garnished with a spoonful of fresh salsa, which added a bright and fresh dimension. After much contemplation and discussion, we chose three lunch entrees, with an agreement to willingly share amongst ourselves.

Justin ordered the Southern Medley. Grilled chicken rested on grilled eggplant and zucchini, accompianed by goat cheese croquettes and a roasted tomato, with a bright basil pesto. Each of the components were delicious, but a bite that included a bit of each skyrocketed this dish to extraordinary. The result of the combination of textures and flavors was definitely more than the sum of its parts.

Maggie ordered the Southern Shrimp and Grits. Large shrimp and a spicy sausage were smothered in a slightly spicy red tomato sauce, ladled over thick, cheesy stone-ground grits. It was definitely a winner, and impossible to stop eating.

I ordered one of the daily specials, a Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich, with chips. While it may not sound very special, the ham was smoked in-house, the cheese was a beautifully melted Fontina, the bread was a freshly baked sourdough, and the chips were made to order. This sandwich was by far the best ham and cheese I’ve ever eaten. The ham was out-of-this-world good. The chips were perfectly salted, thin and crisp. Yum.

We were officially stuffed and more than satisfied as we walked out of the restaurant. But, lo and behold, we happened to park right next to Baked, a bakeshop that I have read about, and actually already own and love their cookbook. We decided to walk around the streets and waterfront a bit before we shared dessert. The treats at Baked are beautiful to look at, and the selection makes it difficult to choose just one item. Justin chose a Grasshopper Bar that we all had contemplated. Again, there was an agreement to share each of the items. It was chocolately and minty, without being too heavy. Bright and delicious, perfect for after a big meal.

Maggie chose a beautiful Citrus Coconut Cake. The lemon flavor was fresh and strong, folded into a wonderfully light cake. Maggie and Justin appreciated the texture and flavor of the coconut in this cake more than I did, but as coconut is not one of my favorite things, that was already expected.

I chose a slice of Aunt Sassy’s Pistachio Surprise Cake with a Honey Vanilla Buttercream. Oh gosh, was it delicious. Again, the cake was incredibly light and tender, with roughly chopped pistachios distributed throughout. The frosting was wonderfully smooth and light, without being fluffy or too airy. I was halfway through it when I was more than full, but there was no way it wasn’t going to be finished.

A trip back here later in the week may be necessary.

We then passed the afternoon on a harbor cruise and tour of Fort Sumter. The weather was beautiful and the tour was interesting, but I’ll post pictures of that in another post. I’m highlighting the day’s food… focus!

We met up with John and Sarah for dinner at another restaurant we found online, 5 Loaves Cafe. Specializing in locally grown and homemade ingredients, we found this little spot to be comfortable, and the food generous and comforting. I choose a rich Garden Risotto, which was about 8 times too much food for my appetite. The creamy risotto was loaded with fresh vegetables, including zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, red onions and peppers, and arugula. It was delicious, but I didn’t stand a chance of finishing it.

Justin ordered a Potato Gnocchi with Shrimp and Golden Raisins in a creamy Parmesan sauce. This was amazing. I admit, one of the reasons I couldn’t come close to finishing my dish was because I kept reaching over to Justin’s. The gnocchi were tender and light, and the cream sauce was irresistible.

And to finish off the day, a block or two down the road from 5 Loaves was a little bakeshop, called Sugar. This shop is exactly what I have in mind for A Dash of Delicious.

On display are a few glass cookie jars holding small batches of freshly baked cookies, and glass cake domes with freshly baked and beautifully decorated cupcakes. They also make cakes and pies for special orders. The owners even live right behind the shop in the same building! It was fun to talk to one of the owners, to hear their experience renovating the space into a kitchen and shop. We walked away with a Butterscotch cookie and a White Chocolate Macademia Nut cookie. Both were very tasty.

I woke up this morning still full. And ready to walk down to the beach!

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Golf in fall

In Justin, Kiawah Island, Travel on September 29, 2009 at 8:09 pm

Yesterday my dad and I went golfing here in South Carolina. The weather was perfect for golf.

We played at the “Crooked Oaks” course on Seabrook Island, which is a private island next to the private island we are at (Kiawah). It took awhile to find, and they gave me a hard time for not tucking my shirt in, but it was fun nonetheless (I untucked my shirt after we were away from the clubhouse – it’s a dumb restriction).

We had no one in front of us and were able to get done in 3 hours. Then it was back to the house where Maggie made spaghetti and we enjoyed a night of “The IT Crowd” on the XBox.

Action shot!

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Road Trip

In Julie, Kiawah Island, Travel on September 27, 2009 at 9:55 pm

Saturday morning we left our home early early early (for us) and started driving toward Kiawah Island, South Carolina, our destination for the week ahead. We made a point to take photographs while on the road as we went through each new state. Right away we noticed heavier-than-usual traffic, especially as we neared Madison. It turns out the Badgers were playing Michigan in a football game that morning. We stopped at a rest stop north of Madison, and we were definitely the only people in or around the area not wearing red and white, or had some sort of Bucky Badger paraphernalia attached to our car.

Wisconsin Pride - with decals.

Illinois and Indiana tend to blend together in our minds and on our odometer. We took I-39 south through Central Illinois to Bloomington, then turned East toward Indianapolis. The giant wind turbines north of La Salle and the dam just before Indianapolis help set these states apart for me. Those points help break up the mostly-flat fields of corn.

Wind Turbines of Central IL.

Dam minutes West of Indianapolis

Next we drove into Kentucky by way of Louisville. I always love seeing Louisville, especially though at night. As it was around 4:30 in the afternoon as we passed it, nothing was really lit up and sparkling, but it is still a unique and interesting skyline.

Late Afternoon Louisville

Justin was also bound and determined to get a picture of a horse. Right as he about gave up hope, we crested a hill and spotted this stately group right near the road. With a whoop of joy, he had achieved his goal of getting the requisite Kentucky horse shot.

Work it, Horses!

After a good night’s rest in Knoxville, Tennessee, we hit the road again bright and early. While the skies were primarily plagued with clouds, the sun kept breaking through now and then. The foothills and Great Smokey Mountains were definitely a beautiful sight, one that is hard to portray adequately with a photograph from inside the car. But we were able to get a few pretty nice ones.

A Mix of Sun and Clouds

A Blue Mountains vista.

North Carolina passed by quickly, with many curves and steep grades through the mountains. Plus a few tunnels.

Easier than going up 'n over!

Then, finally, we made it into South Carolina. The sun succeeded in burning off the hazy clouds and shone brightly all the way to the Island. Our favorite shots were taken as we got closer to the coast, of the marshes and roads outside of Charleston.

Marsh South of Charleston

Bohicket Road is the only stretch of road with access to Kiawah Island. It is lined by grand old oaks with Spanish Moss hanging down from its limbs. It is such a beautiful and memorable entrance to the Island.

A picturesque welcome to Kiawah

After unpacking our things at the house, we walked the few blocks along a path to the oceanfront. Along the way Justin spotted a gigantic disgusting beautiful spider and her web. I cannot underestimate how big this arachnid was. This close-up shot was the scariest thing I’ve done in awhile.

Terrifying Beautiful

These vibrant purple berries further down the path were definitely more enjoyable to photograph. I didn’t edit this photo at all, the colors are just that bright. Gorgeous.

Pops of Purple!

And finally the ocean. I never tire of this site.

Today's Favorite Moment.

Living near about as far from an ocean as you can get in Wisconsin makes me appreciate the sand and water of the Atlantic like nothing else. After a couple days on the road, I’m looking forward to walking down to the beach as many times as humanly possible in the week ahead. Preferably with a beach chair and a book in hand.

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Mini soda taste test

In Food, Justin on September 25, 2009 at 10:53 pm

Julie and I were in the Appleton area picking up some doors for our apartment we are renovating, and we stopped for lunch at Atlanta Bread Company (one of our favorites). World Market just happens to share a parking lot with the restaurant, so we stopped in to have a look around. I ended up picking up some specialty sodas for a taste test.

The first was “Nu-Grape”. This is a grape soda, with a really intense flavor. It’s kind of a cross between Crush grape soda and sparkling grape juice. This one will turn your mouth a nice deep purple color. Highly recommended.

Nu-Grape

Next up was “Pig Iron Cola”. I’ve had this before and was looking forward to having it again. This is a great cola with a nice flavor. Nothing bad to say about this one.

Pig Iron Cola - best of the bunch

For lunch today I had “Zuberfizz Key Lime Cream Soda”. This was kind of a bland soda – it really didn’t have much of a flavor other than “sweet”. It also wasn’t as fizzy as I would like. Not terrible, but not great either.

Key Lime Cream

Tonight I was going to do some XBox gaming with Trav, and I decided to crack open my last one – “Coco Fizz Chocolate Soda”. This one sounded interesting, but I had one sip and just about started gagging. It was like a really thin, fizzy chocolate milk, but the chocolate flavor was really intense, and not in a good way. Julie had a sip and almost started crying. Stay away from this one, unless buying it as a gag for someone.

Choco, fizzy, nasty!

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Bringing out the Crazy at Polito’s

In Food, Friends, Julie on September 24, 2009 at 8:03 pm

Our favorite pizza place here in Stevens Point is, hands down, Polito’s Pizza, right on Main Street. I guess their pizza would be close to a New York style pizza, with giant slices with a thin, but not crunchy-thin, crust.

They have a startling array of options for toppings, ranging from classic cheese or pepperoni to a Macaroni & Cheese or Loaded Potato Skin pizza. They always have a variety of pizzas available to grab a single slice, but our favorite is to order a freshly made, piping-hot-out-of-the-oven pizza. This evening we got our pizza fix and our fun fix by heading over to Polito’s with Jim, Jenn, Maureen, and Madie.

Though I think Justin and the girls may have had just a tad too much caffeine in their soda. There were silly vending machines with toys in them in the back of the shop, and Justin, Madie, and Maureen each got 50¢ to spend. Justin spent his wisely, and in honor of his brother Trav (shout out!), by getting two sweet party mustaches. He immediately affixed the hamster-colored ‘stache to his lip, and talked Madie into putting on the gray one. While not originally thrilled with this plan, she went along with it and joined the silliness.

Crazy fun friends and crazy good pizza definitely make for a fun evening!

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Brewers game

In Justin on September 22, 2009 at 2:11 pm

Outside of Miller Park

Julie and I went to a Brewers game last night. We got there plenty early, since I hadn’t been to Miller Park before and wanted a chance to walk around.

Nice and empty, before the game

Running with sausages

Traffic wasn’t bad, even though they were playing the Cubs. The game got underway and within the first 10 minutes, it was pretty clear we didn’t have a chance. The Cubs scored 4 runs in the first inning and 3 in the second. That leads to a fun game to watch though, since there is lots of action. We also got waffle fries covered in nacho cheese, served in a mini helmet. Overall a fun way to spend the afternoon, and we made it home by midnight.

Right before the game started.

During the game

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Watermelon Sorbet

In Food, Julie on September 19, 2009 at 9:17 pm

Last week Justin picked out a small yellow watermelon from the Farmer’s Market (a.k.a. a Packer melon). We promptly ate half of it for lunch, and then he searched for ideas of what to do with the other half. He found a recipe online (sorry – he didn’t source it) for a fresh watermelon sorbet. Thankfully, our freezer bucket for the ice cream maker was already in the freezer, nice and solid, and he got busy making the sugar syrup and mix.

He carefully seeded the remaining watermelon, combined it with a cooled sugar syrup, and then poured that into the ice cream maker. Forty-five minutes later we had a lovely lemon-colored but watermelon-flavored slush. Sweet and delicious. We poured it into a freezer-safe bowl and let it harden completely. Tonight we enjoyed the resulting sorbet. It really turned out great. The pale yellow color is really quite deceiving. You fully expect a tart lemon flavor on your tongue, and instead you get summer sweet watermelon.

Plus a little Packers pride. DUM DUM da da da dum GO! PACK! GO!

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Building Update

In Building, Julie on September 16, 2009 at 7:34 pm

For the past few weeks we have been trying trying trying to set up meetings, get estimates, and somehow convince people to return phone calls. Not an easy task. So in the mean time we’ve been watching sales at home improvement stores like hawks, and picking up things as we find them. We got a killer deal on a new stove and dishwasher and had those delivered to the building (they’ll eventually go in the kitchen in the apartment). The price of a laminate flooring we had looked at several times dropped by a third over Labor Day weekend, and we snapped 800+ square feet of that up. Justin found a ridiculously low price on some high quality underlayment (to go under the laminate floor) online and had that delivered this past week. Even though it doesn’t look like much, it is nice to have some decisions made and out of the way, as well as have saved some money. We FINALLY got all the contractors lined up and the application for a construction permit turned in today. We will start having professionals in next week to take care of electrical upgrades, have a new furnace installed, and have some plumbing work done to get our washer and dryer hooked up and new water heater installed. The work will be spread out over the next month and a half, but it still feels like we are being productive having a lot scheduled!

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Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

In Baking, Julie on September 13, 2009 at 12:50 pm

Goodness. Gracious. The second I saw this post by Deb at Smitten Kitchen, it engraved itself into my mind. I tried to fight it for a couple of hours. But then all of a sudden there was cream cheese out on the counter softening… and eggs coming to room temperature… and chocolate being weighed… then melted with butter… and before I even knew what was happening, several squares had disappeared into our bellies. And let me tell you, having one of these at 10 o’clock at night will lead to some crazy dreams. Justin’s involved getting my name tattooed on his arm… in binary code. And mine involved going to church with Emily and Katie, in my pajamas, with a massive flock of pigeons. Yep. Worship with a hundred pigeons flying overhead is messy. Six pm is definitely the cut-off point for consuming one of these.

But they are so. dang. good. The cheesecake is creamy and tangy, while the brownie is moist and extra chocolate-y. And the combination is just-try-to-keep-from-eating-two delicious. I went the extra yard and added some milk chocolate chips into the brownie batter, sprinkled the top with mini chocolate chips, rather than larger ones, and added a pinch of salt to the cheesecake filling.

They came out perfectly lovely. Definitely worth going to church in your pajamas for.

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On the Market!

In Julie, Miscellaneous on September 10, 2009 at 9:13 pm

After several weeks of furious cleaning, our house is officially FOR SALE. The For Sale sign is out front in the yard, the website is up and running, and an ad will start running in the paper this weekend. An Open House and Garage Sale is planned for next weekend (the 19th: 8 am – 1 pm, and the 20th: 12 pm – 4 pm). Spread the word! This is a great 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath home on a large lot, located centrally near UWSP, an elementary school, Belt’s Soft Serve, and downtown Stevens Point. We are selling it with the complete home theater system upstairs.

Check out the website Justin put together for a ton of photos of the inside and out, the layout of the first and second floors, and the location. Feel fee to contact us if you’d like to see it!

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Good-bye, faithful little car.

In Friends, Julie on September 10, 2009 at 8:55 pm

Today was at the same time momentous and inconsequential. Last night we put our 1988 Honda Civic up on Craig’s List, and not 18 hours later, we had cash in hand, and our “little car” had a pair of new owners. This little Civic has been with us for a long time. My step-dad bought it back in 1989 or 90, when it was just about new. I learned how to drive with this car. Left the lights on for the first time and needed a jump with this car. I bought this car from my parents my junior year of college when it had a measly 40,000 miles on it. This little car made the trip back and forth between Wausau and Winona, and Winona and La Crosse more times than I can count. It made the trip out to Seattle – three times! Quite a feat, considering it doesn’t have cruise control, air conditioning, or even a right side mirror. It has survived having 4 of its 6 windows bashed in and the radio stolen (two windows broken by a thief, one by a deer, and one by a softball). It has never left us stranded on the side of the road, never ran out of gas, never had a flat tire. It has converted us into loyal Honda fans. Justin even wanted to get Collector Plates for this little car when it turned 20. The fact that our other car is a 2003 Honda Civic, and in the same color, has everything to do with this little car.

Thanks, little car. It’s been a great run.

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First Fruits

In Garden, Julie on September 8, 2009 at 9:22 pm

So this year I tried something I’ve never done before – actually attempt to grow vegetables and herbs and such to actually eat. I was inspired by Joy back in April with her One Pot Spring Garden. Now, mind you, she is lucky enough to have actually been able to start her mini garden in April, given her California home, but I printed out the directions and saved them until Memorial Day weekend to put together. If I was going to put time and energy into growing something, I wasn’t about to take the chance of killing everything off with a late frost! I faithfully watered that pot, set on our front porch for maximum sunnage. Okay. I’ll revise that. I faithfully watered it after I noticed it drooping every few days. And was very thankful for the days it rained to make up for my unintentional neglect. The herbs took right off, and we’ve been enjoying snipping off sprigs of parsley, basil, and marjoram here and there as recipes and dinner plans call for them. And a few weeks ago, after months of watching the little green tomato babies grow, and much later than Joy was able to enjoy her first tomatoes, we plucked off the first, beautiful, red, bug-free tomato. And that afternoon, I sliced it up, sprinkled it with a little kosher salt, and polished off the whole thing. And reveled in the deliciousness that is a true vine-ripened, home-grown tomato. It was lovely. And I’m really glad that I didn’t kill any of the plants in the pot.

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Oshkosh for burgers

In Food, Justin on September 8, 2009 at 12:12 am

Laura and Julie. Laura had a little too much Cherry Coke

On Sunday, Julie and I were picked up by her aunt Ruth and uncle Greg for a trip to Oshkosh to celebrate her aunt Jean’s birthday. Jean picked up Joseph from Marquette and drove up from Milwaukee, and Julie’s cousin Laura joined us. We met up at Red Robin for wonderful burgers and then went to Laura’s apartment to check out her new digs for the upcoming school year, and to eat carrot cake pops. Julie surprised Jean with a giant cake ball / pop with a candle in it.

Joseph and Jean

The Seubert clan - Greg, Ruth, and Laura

Jean, blowing out the candle on her *giant* cake ball / pop

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Amber and Nick’s Wedding

In Baking, Julie on September 6, 2009 at 4:27 pm

The final wedding on our calendar has come and gone this weekend, and it was quite a busy one for myself. Not only did I work as their wedding liaison, but I also had the opportunity to bake their cake! Amber and Nick were a lot of fun to work with, from finding musicians to tasting cake flavors, as they are very easy going and laid back. I loved that one of their main concerns for their whole wedding day was that everyone would have enough cake. They ended up choosing three flavors of cake: Spiced Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (made into sheet cakes), Root Beer Float Cake (Chocolate Root Beer Cake with Chocolate Root Beer Frosting with little scoops of Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, also made into sheet cakes),

and White Peppermint with Peppermint Frosting (made into the three-tiered cake).

Congratulations, Nick & Amber!

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Vegas (cupcakes), Baby!

In Baking, Julie on September 2, 2009 at 7:47 pm

I actually forgot these photos were even on the camera – that is how long it has sat neglected on my desk, waiting to be plugged in! I made these cupcakes for a client, who happened to call the afternoon before we left for Minneapolis. Thankfully, I had everything I needed to easily whip up a batch of Chocolate Mint Cupcakes with Peppermint Buttercream Frosting. The decorations are plastic buttons I found at the last minute at Michael’s. I had hoped to find some fun sprinkles, but alas, it was not to be. I like these though. While not edible, they do add a lot of color, and even, shall we say, some PIZAZZ to these cupcakes for a birthday gal who just arrived back from Las Vegas.