Rewined Candles

Once upon a time I sold jewelry at the Lowcountry Artist Market and there was a lovely gentleman there selling candles he had made out of the bottoms of wine bottles. A few months later he was looking for a bookkeeper and I put him in touch with a friend. Fast forward a few years, and Rewined Candles has taken off in a big way. Luckily my friend is still their bookkeeper and she hooks me up with awesome new samples, like this radish Produce candle!

Zucchini Noodles

I was super skeptical about this one, but zucchini curls are a pretty decent substitute for pasta. The trick is getting them just barely cooked (too cooked and they get soggy). We have a cook new kitchen gadget that makes the curls but you could also use a peeler. Once everything is prepped, warm up the pesto (or whatever sauce, I thinned it out with water) then warm up your ingredients (tomatoes and white beans). Microwave the zucchini for about one minute (it should start softening, just a touch). Finally add in your zucchini and feta and stir until just warmed. That's it!

Spring Risotto

Not the prettiest picture, but my friend Kristin made this for a dinner party and I wanted to remember the recipe. First saute a shallot in olive oil, then melt in some butter and cook an entire yellow squash, an entire zucchini, and about a cup of peas until nearly done (but still firm). Add in cooked brown rice, and stir in stock in small quantities until it is absorbed (a few cups) while seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in a full container of shredded Parmesan (or other hard cheese) and chopped herbs (we used chives). Top with more chives and serve warm.

Greek Cauliflower Pizza

More cauliflower crust pizza! This time I shaped the crust a little more and let it cook longer. Topped it off with sliced tomatoes, kalmata olives, artichokes, spinach, caramelized onions, and feta. Yummy in my tummy.

Folly Beach

I love living 20 minutes from the beach, and this is the best way to get away from the pollen (and the daily grind), before the summer crowds set in. Few things are more centering.

Pollo Loko

One plus side to my daily commute is that my office is near some pretty good hole-in-the-wall restaurants. One of them being Pollo Loko Peruvian Cuisine, where they have some of the best fish I've ever had. I get it with a side of pico for some extra spice but it's straight up delicious.

Quidditch World Cup

File this under 'You Can't Make This Stuff Up.' Last weekend some friends and I went to Myrtle Beach to check out the College Intramural Quidditch World Cup match (and get our Fuddruckers fix). It was wild and very good people watching. There were big schools there, like UCLA, UT, University of Michigan, and the University of Maryland. As fans of the book it was kind of surreal seeing people play it for real, though there were obvious logistical differences (no flying brooms, the snitch was a person instead of a magical object). YOLO, right?