crab cake

im on a search

for the best crab cake

on a budget

because i love crab cakes

but i dont want to spend 25 dollars

i want to spend under 20!

exhibit a

pecan crab cakes

from mr. friendlys

in columbia, sc

they come with a sherry-cayenne mayo, green tomato chow-chow,

low country grilled green tomatoes, falls mill stone-ground creamy grits 

and are only 19 buckaroos

and they are SO tasty

exhibit b

the cazbah

in greenville, sc

prosciutto crab cakes
lump crab meat with prosciutto and roasted red peppers

lightly pan seared and served with the chefs super duper secret sauce

and yes, the cazbah serves tapas dishes

so no sides with the cakes, but
they are only 8.95!

delish

exhibit c

i dont have a picture of

but they are at smoke on the water

in greenville, sc

you can get a mixed green salad

with tender young greens with vinaigrette dressing 

garnished with homemade croutons

roma tomatoes and sliced red onion

i get it without the red onion

and add the crab cakes

for around 11 dollars!

crab cakes are crispy pillows of heaven

food secrets

i will tell you a secret

do you want to know where i got this 

fresh pasta primavera?

for real

barleys

who knew?

so next time your husband wants to go get a 

ommegang hennepin

and you dont feel like eating pizza

dont fear!

you can eat yummy pasta with fresh spring veggies

i love greenville

home

home

we bought this home less than a year ago

right after all of the flowers died

so we never knew that the house had any

but guess what

flowers have been popping up left and right

who knew this beauty was hiding under the winter soil

just a little vine growing on the back fence

and the best of all

this bush will soon burst into gardenias!

i can not wait

all of the spring time plants

got me excited

so i planted myself some herbs

above is the cilantro for the guac and salsa

and some rosemary for the chicken and pork

i love home

and spring

the best thing i ever ate - guilty pleasures

the best thing i ever ate

guilty pleasures

i dont really like cheesecake

i dont really like dessert

but for my husbands birthday

i got him this cheesecake

that mikey the pastry chef made 

from sobys on the side

in greenville, sc

and it was heavenly

so creamy 

yet light

and airy

and cheesecakey

and it had a thick oreo crust

and a mound of fresh fruit on top

oh my gosh

thank you mikey for being born

you are the best cheesecake maker i know

best thing i ever ate - salty goodness

i love salt

give me a salty meal over a chocolatey dessert any day

for real

i recently indulged in a very salty meal that i will remember forever

pain au jambon

otherwise known as a ham and cheese croissant

from tartine

in san francisco, california

salty ham

salty cheese

melted together 

inside of a crispy flakey buttery perfect croissant

wash it down with a citrusy fresh oj

and there is no better way to start the day

thank you courtney for showing this beautiful breakfast to me

the best thing i ever ate

this is the name of a tv show

on the food network

and i think its the best idea

because all of these celebrity chefs tell the world of tv

the best things that they ever ate

and where they ate it

so that we can go too

now your probably thinking

well, self, if they tell the best thing they ever ate

in one show 

then the season would be over

but what they do is genius

they have categories

for instance

the best thing i ever ate "hot and spicy"

or

the best thing i ever ate "wake up call"

genius

im going to steal it

and do this on here

because we dont all live in new york and cali and chicago

where all of their favorites are

we live in the southeast!

food tour of georgia

roswell, ga

home of my parents 

and home of wonderful food

i highly recommend "the salt factory"

formerly know as red salt

but they got into some copyright issue

unfortunate though

red salt is much cooler

oh well

it is in the cute downtown part of roswell

across the street from ceviche

go to ceviche too

its a taqueria

which is delish as well

allison got the london broil

which was skirt steak marinated in a chimichurri sauce and 

served with cheddar mashed potatoes and onion rings

this is probably the best thing on the menu

it melts in your mouth

and i got the blue burger

with fiery caramelized onions and blue cheese

and i asked for a jalapeno sauce to dip the fries in

sauces for fries are the best

just as my dad

he gets 4-5 sauces for every side of fries

he taught me well

it was all extremely tasty

then we went to land of a thousand hills for coffee

its cozy and warm on a rainy day

and they have live music on the weekend

and my friend drew used to work there

which makes it cooler

some latte art

a leaf maybe?

go try a latte here

i slurped it down to the last drop

and it was sugar and fat free

and still slurpable

then my sister and her boyfriend took me to dinner at rice

and my sister paid!

she is younger than me!

oh how times change

she's growing up

tear

we got some basil rolls

they are not the best here

the best are at annies thai castle in atlanta

a shrimp salad

and panang curry chicken!!

this is the 4th best panang in the country

according to me

so now you know

where to eat!

big dog small dog

once again, this is our dog calvin

he weighs 5.6 pounds

this past weekend, calvin got to meet his new girlfriend, luna

luna is a great dane puppy

she is the same age as calvin

6 months

so cute

my friend allison took these pictures

i feel like i should pay her

for the cuteness

the best salsa

its true

i found the best salsa recipe to date

its perfect

and its from the pioneer woman

i know ive posted about wanting to make this before

but now i have made it

and i can vouch

that it really is the best!

here is her recipe:

• 1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
• 2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
• ¼ cups Chopped Onion
• 1 clove Garlic, Minced
• 1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
• ¼ teaspoons Sugar
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• ¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin
• ½ cups Cilantro (more To Taste!)
• ½ whole Lime Juice

then food process it all up until there are NO chunks

delish

we love this pup

this is calvin

he is a yorkie/maltese mix

called a "morkie"

and we just think he is the best furry thing we know of

all 5.6 pounds of him

all day long he sits on your lap and cuddles and sleeps

and then when 5pm comes around he drinks some hidden cup of coffee

and spazes out til 10

and we love it

food tour of san fran

this past weekend i took a girls trip to san francisco 

to visit our friend courtney

it was amazing

i love that city, 

especially its food

and the tour begins

breakfast day 1: tartine

amazing pastries

and a ham and cheese croissant 

that is to die for

especially when paired with fresh squeezed oj

and if you have a sweet tooth

get the banana bread pudding

coffee day 1: philz

vegan doughnuts

whatever that means

cute little pastries

and the best darn iced coffee ever

rumor has it that heavy whipping cream and brown suger are involved

oh my goodness

and it is topped off with fresh mint

coffee 2 day 1: ritual

we went to a coffee cupping

where they sniff and taste coffee

like it is wine

some if them smelled like meat

so cool

lunch day 1: the plant

open face crab face sandwich

with roasted red pepper and an amazing sauce

and a veggie burger made out of beets!

dinner day 1: little star

incredible pizza with a cornmeal crust

maybe the best pizza ive ever had

put this on your san fran list

brunch day 2: roses cafe at the ferry building market

a bacon egg and fontina cheese sandwich on sourdough

with roasted potatoes

and the best meal

which is now my new favorite food

dinner day 2: mandalay

this is burmese food

never had it? 

find it

for an appetizer

get the tea leaf salad

it has fried garlic chips, tomatoes, barley, soy nuts, jalapenos, peanuts lemon and tea leaf paste

and then they mix it all together

and its amazing

then they have a sweet bread that is similar to naan but thicker with a delish curry dipping sauce

and coconut rice

and fried green beans

and mandalay chicken

and mongolian beef

and ginger lemonade with real ginger and basil flecks!

dessert day 2: bi rite creamery

they have flavors like earl grey, salted caramel, and mexican chocolate with olive oil and rock salt!!

of all the cities ive been to in this country
san fran wins
for food
a plus