First Weekend of April!

I love where I live... seriously. There is always so much to do and the weather is amazing almost year round and pretty much whenever I say that I live in Charleston people exclaim how they either love visiting, want to visit, or even wish that they lived here themselves. I am a pretty lucky girl.

The first weekend in April is always a big one for our City as this is the weekend of the annual Cooper River Bridge Run. And hell no I don't participate! I can run the bridge any day I want and don't have to deal with that crowd you see below! Like 50,000 people run/ walk/ ride this thing and I spend most of my Saturday usually steering clear of this area of town. :)

If you want to avoid exercising but still enjoy crowds, check out the Summerville Flowertown Festival. It is a great time if you enjoy crafts and food, and I love both. I am starting the day with a pancake breakfast followed by ducking and weaving to see, and perhaps buy, some pretty talented handiwork of local artists. I can't wait!

Happy Birthday Mies Van Der Rohe!

Father of "less is more", Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe was born on March 27, 1886 and was a famous German Architect. He used simple forms and modern materials and is one of my favorite inspirations in the architectural world.

He designed such famous houses such as the Farnsworth House (my Lego experience here):

and the Barcelona Pavilion, which I was blessed to visit in 2004 on a world tour that included most of Spain:

But I think the coolest thing I've seen in a while on the Google page was the tribute to Mies today for his birthday:

So, happy 126th birthday, old man!

Beyonce, the giant metal chicken, strikes again!

OK, for those that don't read the Bloggess, please read this post [here]. You can read more if you want, but this particular post of hers was one of the funnier ones I have seen in a long time. That and the one where she takes a taxidermied mouse around with her.

And now, if you will, imagine me walking through my local HomeGoods store and seeing the exact same (or maybe a close cousin?) giant metal chicken. It was a cool $200 or it might have ended up in my car. Unfortunately for me, there is a price tag on practical joking. :)

So, if you are looking for a giant metal chicken to play ding-dong-door-ditch with, you can find her in the HomeGoods in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina!

Easy Breakfast Casserole

This is a delicious recipe that I found on the internet, but then adjusted for my own taste. It is so good that it is a hit with adults and children too!

First, grease up a 13x9" pan.

Then you cube up about 8 slices of bread (crust too!) to cover the bottom of the pan in an even layer.

Next, sprinkle anything you want on top. I use a package of hot sausage (pre-cooked), bacon bits, a lot of cheese, diced onions, and feel free to use leftovers! One time I added some extra ham deli meat cuts and some cut up left-over seasoned french fries from the night before. It was delicious! Sort of a hash brown effect with the fries. :)

Finally, beat 12 eggs, 2 cups of milk, with salt and pepper (or season to taste, I like garlic salt) and pour over the top. Let sit as long as you can, at least 15 minutes or even refrigerate it overnight, and bake at 325 degrees for about 60 minutes. If you refrigerate it, let it sit for about 10-15 minutes to come back up to room temperature.

Start checking it at 45 minutes and when it looks golden brown and stops jiggling, it is done.

Enjoy!

The Hunger Games!

Grade: A
Date: March 23, 2012 - Opening Day
Location: Regal Cinemas
Notes: Read the book! Then see the movie. :)

I have a hard time deciphering between a book I've really loved and then watching the movie that goes along with it afterwards. I have done this with several series including Twilight Series and The Help, but never the other way around (movie first).

That being said, I feel like I should tell you that I don't know if the movie was really as good as I thought it was because I knew everything that the main character, Katniss Everdeen, was thinking and feeling emotionally. My husband came with me and he thought the movie was just so-so... but his favorite movies are usually a little more graphic and action packed.

The main difference I felt between the book and the movie is that I thought that Peeta's character was unfairly cast as Josh Hutcherson when Gale was cast as the gorgeous Liam Hemsworth. I liked both the Peeta and Gale characters for the Katniss' love interest in the book, but upon seeing them physically in the movie, I was team Gale from the moment I laid eyes on him!

Josh (left) and Liam (right)

I have only read the first book and am halfway through the second of the series of three. I now realize that Gale really is Katniss' true love and Peeta is a good second, but she needs to make everyone believe in her love for Peeta for their safety. So, without giving away any more to the story, I highly recommend you take a few days to read the book (easy read) and give the movie a shot if you loved it as much as I did.

By the way, Miley Cyrus dates Liam Hensworth in real life... Good work Miley!!!

Is Courtney Robertson Haunting Me?

Exactly one week after Courtney Robertson won the heart of The Bachelor Ben Flajnik, I receive THIS coupon in the mail. I would be willing to bet money that is "model" Courtney Robertson herself featured on this mailer!

What really convinced me that this was actually her is the partial uni-brow she sports so often and her front teeth are a little out of the ordinary - not super straight "braces teeth."

I know a lot of people didn't like her, but honestly I will say that I didn't care who won this season because Ben is a glorified farmer with bad hair. Let's face it, she is way hotter than him and the show, without her, would have been a snooze.

Here is her profile pic from The Bachelor, so, am I right?

Plus, I will really try to use this coupon so I appreciate her work with Stein Mart!

Peyton Manning Picks Denver Broncos

I will always cheer for a Manning! Good luck Peyton.

Bell's Hopslam Ale

If you haven't been able to tell, I may or may not have a drinking problem. I say "not" because I have a great career, an amazing marriage, and wonderful friends and family, so I guess you COULD say that I am just "really fun." ;)

It seemed like in just one week that 3 different people (unrelated friends) posted pictures of 6 packs of Hopslam Ale on Facebook saying it was "the best time of year again" "can't wait to crack one open" "the best 20 dollars they ever spent" [20 f*^%ing dollars?!?]. Naturally, I needed to know what this luxury beer tasted like but first I looked it up.

99 points rating on Beer Advocate! Holy crap.

It's made in Michigan! Less than 2 hours from my hometown.

Add these couple things to the fact that it is rare, hard-to-find, and there is a one pack per person limit when they almost never have it in stock and suddenly I was on a mission...

While at Total Wine one night with my husby and mom, we just happened to ask if they had any Hopslam and they did! It was behind the counter and we couldn't believe our luck. The gods obviously wanted us to have a taste.

The Total Wine boy looked at us and nervously said, "There is a one pack limit."

I said, "Yeah, per person, not per household, so we will take two."

But then my mom jumped in and said " Make it three." [Love you mom.]

So, 60 dollars later (they weren't kidding about the price)...

And I can tell you, with all the assurance in the world, that it is worth that $3.33 a bottle, because it starts out like other hoppy beers, pretty strong, but has the smoothest finish - not bitter in the slightest. Absolutely perfect with some pizza or just to sip on. Plus, I look at it as an investment... one beer and I am finished! (10% alcohol)

Green Fin : Trader Joe's [Not So] Best Kept Secret

I asked around our office to see which of the cheaply priced wines at Trader Joe's was impressing some of my foodie friends. Two people immediately said "Green Fin." "Greenwin?" "No, Green Fffffin, Jo."

Got it.

I was headed to my girlfriend's house later that night with some other friends and stopped by the Joe's on the way. I had my reusable wine bag [six slots for bottles!] so at the $3.99 price tag I had to fill up all the spaces or that would just be wasteful, right? Right.

I thought I would get all six, take a few inside to my friend's house, and Steven and I would be able to have a few bottles at home.

Note to self: Do not underestimate the drinking power of said friends. ;)

Oops.

Needless to say, the wine was pretty delicious! It wasn't super complex or anything, but it was a very drinkable [too obvious?] and had a nice easy taste - not too alcoholy or bland - with a nice finish. It doesn't need any special gourmet food or anything, and although we already had dinner, I bet it would have been hella good with some pizza!