Living a tasteful life

Monday, March 14, 2016

Free Standing Bathtubs


I remember visiting my grandparents as a child and dreading bath time. I think it was a combination of knowing that this meant I was heading down the path to bedtime and also not wanting to stop what I was doing. They had a large free standing, white tub with claw feet. It took forever to fill it up and the warm water didn't seem to stay warm very long sitting stagnant against the cold porcelain. I may not have seen the beauty in it then, but I sure would love to have one of my own. 

Since bathroom renovations aren't in our near future, nor are they really necessary, I will just file away these beautiful photos for inspiration should I need it one day. How beautiful are these bathtubs?!
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Thursday, March 10, 2016

Going Green | St. Patrick's Day Essentials

St. Patrick's Day is just a week away, and in order to avoid the cliche pinching, I'm providing you with a few green options. And on a side note, if you've never been to Savannah, GA for the big event, you should go at least once. From Irish ceremonies, to the famous parade and celebrations on historic River Street, it's definitely an experience. 

Shop my picks below!
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Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Charleston Wine + Food Festival 2016

A weekend full of the most delicious food, fabulous cocktails, and good company, all in the heart of downtown Charleston, I'm talking about the Charleston Wine + Food Festival! There were tons of events that took place during the festival, however my weekend was well spent at the Culinary Village, and I have no complaints. There was an Artisan Market for a one-stop-taste-and-shop, a hands on kitchen, there were earth, air, land, and sea booths with amazing bites from some of the finest chefs around, a rose garden with sophisticated sips accompanied by snacks straight off the grill, a cigar lounge for those who needed a smoke break, and a beer garden satisfying all of your craft beer needs. I spent two days exploring the Culinary Village and I still wasn't able to sample it all. 
I sampled a selection of dry aged delicacies from Volpi. This meat board was just begging to sit alongside a few hunks of cheese and a glass of wine. I returned to this booth multiple times.
Twisted Pretzel Wheat, one of my new favorite special edition beers from Shocktop, and they dipped the rim in chocolate...enough said!
Creamy and sweet on the inside, with a semi-soft outside, and a splash of sprinkles, I wish you could taste this strawberry-pistahio macaron! I will be spending the next few days trying to figure out where and how I can get another one of these sweet treats!
Another one of my favorite samplings from the festival was this Carolina Bison Carpaccio from Chef Duane Fernandes of Isa's Bistro, in Asheville, NC. Packed full of flavor with hints of garlic and seat salt, this carpaccio was seriously one of the best ones I've ever had. 
How adorable are these mini ice cream cones?! They were filled with creamy goodness from Republic Ice Cream. I went with the chocolate, chocolate chip!

 

The grilling situation outside was pretty impressive. 
And for a little peak at what was taking place inside the Artisan Market...
Part of my time was also spent supporting our booth!
After an awesome day embracing all that the Culinary Village had to offer, the gates began to close, and we decided to continue the festivities.  
Until next year! 

Cheers!

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Thursday, March 3, 2016

Shopbop Spring Sale Picks

I told myself that I was going to refrain from making any clothing, shoes and accessory purchases this month. I picked a terrible time to make that decision given the Shopbop Spring Sale is happening now. If I could buy it all, I would! There are three days left to scoop up some new things for your closet, particularly some Spring essentials. Here are a few of my picks!


Shop my favorites below:


Spend $250+ Save 15%
Spend $500+ Save 20%
Spend $1000+ Save 25%
With Code: BIGEVENT16
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Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Life Lately: February | What Happens in Vegas

The month of February began with a quick trip to Vegas, and by quick I mean 15 hours quick. My co-worker and I headed out for a work trip, and our travel experience there was less than ideal, leaving us only a few hours to enjoy sin city. But, we managed to make the most of what little time we had. 
Our trip immediately got better when we were greeted with a limo outside the airport.  Thank you to the Paris Hotel, for the top-notch service.
An amazing dinner was arranged for us at Gordon Ramsay Steak House. We were a bit overwhelmed with the menu and beef selection, but we ended up making excellent choices.  Lemon zest, red onion, capers, white anchovy aïoli, cured egg yolks, and Yukon gold herb chips were the components of one of my favorite dishes that evening, the smoked beef tartare.

The rest of the meal consisted of a rich and delicious Cesar salad, a divine dry aged filet, along with sriracha roasted broccoli, a loaded Baked Potato with smoked gouda béchamel, sour cream, bacon, and chives, and a side of Brussels Sprouts with tasso ham, cider jus, and crispy shallots. No, this wasn't all for me. 

After dinner we rushed over to the MGM Grand to pick up our tickets to see David Copperfield. Unfortunately, there were no photos allowed.
The show was cheesy at times, but overall pretty good. He left the audience scratching their heads a few times and contemplating their belief in magic. 

Although we were completely exhausted from traveling and the time difference, we couldn't go back to our hotel without stopping to see the famous fountain performance outside of the Bellagio. I've been to Vegas three times now, and this was the first time I was able to catch it at the right time. The combination of the water, lights and Broadway music was quite mesmerizing. 
 
After the fountain show, we called it a night. And just like that, we were in a limo and on the way back to the airport for more adventures on the airplane.  
Until next time, Vegas!

The Charleston Blog Society hosted a fun event with a Valentine's Day Styled Shoot at The Gadsden House. Ladies, if you're looking for a venue for your wedding festivities, this place is stunning. Here are a few photos from the event. 
Shoot Photography + Styling:Gillian Ellis Photography|Venue:The Gadsden House|Rentals: Event Haus | Desserts:Swank Desserts| Paper Goods:The Silver Starfish|

The Mr. and I went to a friend's wedding in Murrells Inlet. 
How stunning is this bow tie from Wadmalaw Wild Ties that my husband wore?
We had a delicious Sunday brunch at Bisqit with some friends. There were so many things on the menu that I wanted to order. I decided to go with this mac daddy of a biscuit. 
Some friends and I hosted a baby shower for our best friend. Here is a photo of a few of the laides. More to come...
We celebrated Leap Year at the office with a few sweet treats from Swank Desserts. If you haven't had their Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookie Sandwiches, you're really missing out!
Whit and I went to my parents house for a quick afternoon trip. It was so great to spend some quality time with my family and one of my childhood best friends. Oh, and I may or may not have gone on my first quail hunt. 

Here's to a new month full of sunshine, family, friends and food!




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Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Brussels Sprouts, Apple and Cheddar Pizza

If you know me at all, or have been following along for a while, you should be well aware by now that I have a deep love for pizza. Fortunately for me, my husband does too. There was a time where we would order pizza almost every Sunday. We have since then cut back a little on our pizza consumption, but still treat ourselves from time to time. 

We decided to make our own pizzas a few weekends ago and they turned out great. Whit kept with a traditional pepperoni and mozzarella. Mine was inspired by one that I always order from one of my favorite restaurants here in Charleston. If you live in Charleston and haven't had pizza from Indaco, you're missing out. They seriously have some of the best pizza in town, particularly their seasonal brussels sprout pizza. I decided to attempt it myself, and while it wasn't exactly the same, it was still pretty darn good. 

We considered making our own dough, but I wanted to ensure that we had an edible dinner, so we opted to buy it from the grocery store instead. We each bought our own bag of dough and chose our own individual toppings. 


The dough was easier to work with than I thought it would be. I used the whole bag because I like a thicker crust. You could definitely make two pizzas out of it though. I brushed it with a garlic and olive oil mixture and topped it with several yummy toppings. 

 Here is Whit's traditional pizza, which turned out great as well. 

This Indaco inspired pizza was exactly what I was going for. Salty pancetta, accompanied by the slight sweetness from the apples, and garlicky goodness in the fluffy crust, along with a few other ingredients, created pure pizza perfection. 

Brussels Sprout, Apple and White Cheddar Pizza
Ingredients
1 ball of fresh pizza dough
½ cup of Brussels sprouts
1 packaged of diced pancetta
1 gala apple
½ cup of grated aged white cheddar cheese
1/3 cup of parmesan
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
Honey
Olive Oil

 Instructions
1.       Pre-heat the oven to 400 °F.
2.      Warm a skillet over medium heat and fry the pancetta until crispy. Remove from the pan and place on a paper towel to soak up some of the grease.
3.       Prepare the Brussels sprouts by removing the ends and discarding. Using the same pan, saute the Brussels sprouts until soft.
4.      Slice the apple into a few very thin slices.
5.      Roll the pizza dough out onto a pizza pan.
6.      In a small bowl, add a few 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic and mix well.
7.      Spread the olive oil mixture all over the dough.
8.      Sprinkle a layer of Parmesan cheese.
9.      Top with Brussels sprouts, pancetta and apple slices.
10.   Grate the sharp cheddar cheese all over the top.
11.    Bake until the crust is golden.
12.   Remove from the oven and drizzle with honey and add some extra cheese. 


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