Friday Favorites- Sushi With Friends

Now that I'm a full-time working girl I don't get to see my workout buddies as much anymore.  I've resorted to waking up at 5AM to workout with the rest of the half asleep working moms of Mount Pleasant.  The gym isn't nearly as fun without these ladies sweating by my side.  Jean and Ella met me after work for sushi, cocktails and serious chit chat last night and it was so good to play catch up.  Giggling over sushi and drinks with these two ladies is certainly one of my favorites.  And I highly recommend the crunchy roll at Fugi.  It will make you want to go off and be by yourself for a little while.  Happy Friday!

You Can Take The Girl Out Of Malden But...

You can't take the Malden out the girl!  My cousin Sherri came for a week long visit and we had so many laughs and a few cries reminiscing about growing up in Malden, Mass.  Sherri lived down the hall from me in an apartment building filled with my mother's side of the family.  She was there beside me during the most painful time of my life.  After my mom died I moved to Newburyport and although I drifted apart from much of my mother's family, I always remained close with Sherri and adore her like a sister.  

We kicked off her visit with lunch at Red's Icehouse on Shem Creek where we had fresh shrimp and watched the dolphins swim by... so perfect!   

One evening we went downtown for a Girls' Night at Poogan's Porch for some yummy fried green tomatoes and pan-seared jumbo scallops.  Poogan's Porch is famous because it is haunted by a woman named Zoe.  I caught a glimpse of the ghost in the bathroom and snapped this picture of her!  Sherri was so petrified she wouldn't even go to the bathroom alone.  Wuss! 

For 4th of July, we stayed here in the hood for our annual cul-de-sac potluck party.  It was great old fashioned fun... sack races, three-legged races, great food, lots of laughs, cold beer and a firework display. 

The rest of Sherri's visit was spent at the pool, the beach, relaxing at home, working out at the gym and giggling like a crazy person with me!  I loved this visitor and I hope she comes back really soon.

A Night Out With Christopher

Trent's brother-in-law, Christopher, was in Charleston for a conference and snuck away one evening to take Trent and I out for dinner and drinks. We had a fancy and delicious dinner at Red Drum and ended the evening at Richard's, our local biker bar. Always a good time with Christopher!

Trent's Birthday Celebration

We celebrated Trent's 38th birthday last night at Yamato Japenese Steak House with our good friends the Buelks and the Aukamps. The reservation was for 6 adults and 7 kids. We were a little nervous to be out numbered by the little people but all the kids behaved and it was a really fun evening... Sake shots, an entertaining chef, hot tea, delicious food, good company, cupcakes and a Buddha gong! Happy Birthday Trent. We love you.

Kathy Griffin Live Surprise

Last night my husband surprised me with tickets to see Kathy Griffin live in Charleston. We went out to eat with Carrie and Hilde, who were visiting us for the night on their way home from FL to TN. During dinner at Poogan's Porch (I had the Gouda mac & cheese and fell head over heels in love. Seriously, I'm leaving Trent for this mac & cheese!), I kept going on and on about which place we were going to go for coffee and dessert until he finally took the tickets out of his shirt pocket and said, "How about we all go and do this after dinner?" It was a complete surprise and a total crack up, especially her impressions of Oprah and Whitney. I love Kathy Griffin and my husband is pretty awesome too!

IOP Dinner and Drinks

Another Newburyporter was in the Charleston area this week. My friend, Jenny, was staying at the Wild Dunes resort on the Isle of Palms for a conference and we met up one night for dinner and drinks. Jenny works for the Cape Cod Chip Company so she greeted me with a large box of kettle cooked goodies. We had such a great night out together= beers on the beach, years of catching up, an evening without kids, a delicious mahi-mahi dinner and then more beers. Good times.

Date Night Hangover

Trent and I went out on a date last night. We hit Hatchell's American Tapas Tavern for drinks and appetizers (calamari, quesadillas and blackened steak tips- yum!) before seeing The Hangover. I've been dying to see this movie ever since my cousin, Cheryl, said she left the theater with sore cheeks from laughing so hard. It's the last five minutes of the movie that are the funniest. It was totally non-stop laughter. It's a must see!

Fun Filled Weekend with Uncle PJ and Eliza

Uncle PJ and his girlfriend Eliza arrived late Thursday evening for a quick weekend visit. We stayed up late Thursday night talking and laughing and didn't go to bed until every beer in the house was gone!

Friday we nursed our hangovers at the pool all day and then rushed home to prepare for Currier's 3rd birthday party at the Mount Pleasant Fire Station that evening (we celebrated 2 weeks early because the fire station was booked for his actual birthday).

It was great to have PJ and Eliza here for the party. They were a big help—Eliza with holding Rya during the entire party and PJ with catering. The menu included Cajun Crab Stuffed Peppers, Green Bean Shrimp and Feta Salad, Chick-Fil-A Chicken Nuggets, Boursin Cheese Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes, and a Fruit, Cheese and Cracker Tray. Pretty fancy fare for a 3-year-old's birthday party!

The kids had a great time. They crawled all over the fire truck and squirted the fire hose. The Mount Pleasant Firemen have the patience of saints and were wonderful with the kids. Currier said that it was the best day of his life—Aawww.

On Saturday we headed downtown Charleston for some shopping, sightseeing and lunch at the Charleston Crab House where we ate fried green tomatoes, crab cakes, raw oysters and crab legs.

Saturday evening we ordered pizza from Mellow Mushroom and lounged on the couch with the dogs and watched Madagascar 2.

On Sunday I woke to a huge Mother's Day breakfast cooked by PJ and fresh squeezed orange juice made by Currier. After a leisurely breakfast we packed up the car with a picnic lunch and headed to the Isle of Palms for the day. About 30 minutes into our day at the beach a huge thunderstorm rolled in so we packed everything up and made a mad dash to the car.

After a long Mother's Day thunderstorm nap (the best kind of nap!), PJ cooked a fantastic gourmet dinner that I can't stop thinking about! PJ and Eliza left early Monday morning and we miss them already.

Date Night at The Charleston Grill

On Friday evening, Trent and I went on a date night at the Charleston Grill. Omigod, this place was so friggin fancy! The waitstaff referred to us as Mr. and Mrs. Balent to which I giggled every time we were addressed so. We started by sharing a pricey bottle of wine and for appetizers I had the Chilled Maine Lobster (Avocado, Heirloom Tomatoes, Fennel, Lime Chervil) and Trent had the Nantucket Bay Scallops (Ceviche Yuzu, Vanilla, Apple Mint, Thai Basil). For entrees, I had the Diver Scallops and Wild American Shrimp (White Asparagus, Shrimp Jus, White Wine Lemon Basil Gnocchi) and Trent had the Dry Aged Colorado Lamb Chops (Wild Mushroom Risotto, Black Trumpet Jus). Can you say yum!? Everything sparkled with yumminess. We ended our evening listening to jazz while eating dessert (Chocolate Trio for me and Creme Brulee for Trent). Trent almost choked when he got the bill and declared that the next twenty date nights will be at Chick-Fil-A! But was it worth it? Hell YES!

Rebby & Hunter's Visit

My dear friend Rebby and her son Hunter came to visit us for a week to escape the New England winter and meet baby Rya. I've known Rebecca since the 5th grade. She lived two streets over from me in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Rebecca and I share the same warped sense of humor and most of my memories of Rebby involve uncontrollable fits of laughter. In our early twenties, we moved to Orlando, Florida together and shared an apartment for a couple of years—fun, wild and crazy years!

We kicked off their visit with a little Mexican fiesta—fajitas, cervezas, Rebby's famous pico de gallo and of course sombreros, ponchos and maracas!

With the different ages (Hunter is 9, Currier is 2 and Rya is 3 months), it was difficult to coordinate nap schedules and find activities for the kids to enjoy together (+ Hunter and Currier bickered like brothers something fierce!) so Rebby and Hunter went off and did their own thing while Currier, Rya and I stuck to our little routine. Rebecca and Hunter packed in a lot of mother/son time doing some touristy stuff—the Aquarium, the USS Yorktown, the Military Museum and shopping at the Charleston Market.

Rebby and I went downtown Charleston for a little Girls' Night Out. My wonderful husband stayed home with the kids and had chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese while Rebby and I went to FIG, one of Charleston's finest restaurants. We started with a glass of prosecco, shared a citrus salad and onion tart for appetizers, oohed and ahhed over our pork shoulder and trigger fish entrees, and finished with vino and molten chocolate cake with homemade mint ice cream. It was one of the best meals EVER! We were both shocked at how well we behaved ourselves. We giggled at the thought that perhaps we've finally grown up?

For their final night in Charleston, Rebby, Hunter and I went on the Charleston Ghost and Graveyard tour. We had a good time listening to the ghost stories and trying to spook each other in the graveyard—Boo! It was a fun week with lots of laughs, loving on sweet baby Rya, insane bickering (causing me to flip out and scream "shut up" to the kids—not one of my proudest moments!), fantastic food, flowing wine and beer, hilarious Chris Farley impersonations, good conversation and lots of reminiscing.

A Weekend With the Rohes

Trent's sister, Kathy, and her family came and spent the long holiday weekend with us. They arrived late Friday evening but not too late for a little happy hour. Currier was already sound asleep by the time they arrived but Rya waited up to meet her aunt, uncle and cousins.

Valentine's Day began with screams of joy as Currier discovered his cousins, Jonathan and Austin, had slept over. The shouting continued when the boys found a table full of Valentine's Day goodies. While the boys snacked on Valentine's Day candy and played with their new toys, the adults sipped coffee, chatted and admitted that maybe happy hour shouldn't have lasted until 1AM.

Later that afternoon Currier had a birthday party to attend at the aquarium so the rest of the gang tagged along to check out the sea creatures. After a few hours at the aquarium, we headed home for a candlelit steak dinner that Trent prepared for Valentine's Day.

On Sunday we had a lazy day. We lounged around the house, did a little shopping at Target, ordered pizza, lit off some fireworks, watched a movie and fell asleep in front of the TV.

On Monday before the Rohes hit the road back to Florida, we went downtown and checked out the American Military Museum (per Jonathan's request) and then had lunch at The Harbor Grille. It was a fun weekend full of laughs, love, a few fights* and some good eating.

*The Rohes brought their dog, Sandy. I predicted that Sandy and Paolo would fall in love over Valentine's Day weekend but my predicition was WAY off. Sandy did not like Paolo's advances at all. Maybe Sandy was playing hard to get?!

Rya's First Babysitters

Our neighbors, Gary and Lisa, offered to babysit the kids so Trent and I could have a date night. Not being ones to turn down a few hours of peace and quiet, we gratefully took them up on the offer! Last night was our first night out since Rya was born so we celebrated with dinner downtown Charleston. We went to Wasabi for sushi, sake and Japanese beer. It was strange to have a whole meal and conversation without any outbursts or interruptions—absolute bliss! Currier and Rya had a good time too. They made pizza, played trains, watched movies and snuggled on the couch. Thank you Gary and Lisa!

*Note to self- DO NOT GIVE A TWO-YEAR-OLD CHAPSTICK!

Visita di Meagan

A few weeks ago I emailed my friend in Sicily and asked if she could possibly send me some of my favorite Italian balsamic vinegar and she responded, "How about I deliver it in person?" Meagan came to the USA to visit family in Virginia Beach and managed to squeeze in a side trip to Charleston to see us and indeed hand deliver balsamic vinegar from Modena—because she rocks! Yesterday we went downtown Charleston to the Aquarium. We spent the morning viewing turtles, sharks, alligators and to Currier's amazement- a scuba diver! We finished our morning with take out soup and sandwiches from the Atlanta Bread Company, ate lunch at home and took a long afternoon nap—a ritual for Currier and his pregnant Mama. Last night Trent and Currier stayed home and let Meagan and I go downtown Charleston to enjoy a quiet dinner. We strolled around downtown for a few minutes before deciding on the East Bay Crab Shack. It was just like old times (minus a beer in my hand!)—we chatted, giggled and gossiped. Meagan left early this morning to head back to Virginia and we miss her already.

Museum, Pasta & Gelato

On Friday, Currier and I hit the Children's Museum of the Lowcountry downtown Charleston. We're members now and Currier knows his way around the museum very well. He raced right to the water room and spent most of his time racing the boats down the currents. After he was sufficiently soaked, we spent a good part of the morning in the Charleston Market "shopping" and ramming the mini shopping cart into the heels of other consumers. Insert evil laugh!

After the museum, I was feeling brave and decided to try a lunch date with my two-year-old son. We choose the first restaurant we saw which was Joe Pasta. Currier was so well behaved in the museum I thought he might be well behaved for lunch. I thought wrong! From the second we sat in our cozy little booth, he turned into someone else's child. I even said loud enough for the table next to us to hear, "Wait until I tell your mother how you're acting!"

The aggravating memories of our pasta lunch from hell were quickly overshadowed when we stopped at Paolo's to finally try some Italian gelato in Charleston. I was surprised to see that they had my favorite flavor from Sicily, Zuppa Inglese. Currier, who was now acting like an angel, and I shared a small cup and quietly declared it was delizioso but still no comparison to the gelato in Sicily.

A Weekend Visit From Cheryl & Sue

My cousin Cheryl and her friend Sue flew in from Massachusetts late Thursday evening for a long weekend visit. As we do with all of our guests, we treated them like VIPs and put them up in the most plush quarters.

On Friday morning, we woke to grey skies with bursts of sprinkles so we ditched any hopes of tanning by the pool or ocean and just took a ride to the Isle of Palms. It stopped raining long enough for us to dip our toes in the warm Atlantic and for Currier to jump in fully dressed.

Friday evening, we had reservations at Fleet Landing, a seafood restaurant with an exceptional view of the Charleston harbor. While we waited for our table, we sat at the bar where Cheryl and Sue tried Mint Juleps for the first time. Although they had to choke back every sip, they still managed to polish off their refreshments like good Southern Belles. For dinner we shared several appetizers, one of which was lobster and shrimp stuffed hush puppies—yum! After dinner we took a leisurely walk along the waterfront before picking up Currier from his pizza party at My Gym.

On Saturday we took a boat tour to Fort Sumter which is best known as the site where the first shots of the American Civil War were fired on April 12, 1861.

On Sunday morning Cheryl woke feeling mucho sicko. Apparently she caught the malicious bug that invaded my body a few days prior to her arrival and Trent's body the day of her arrival. The bug, we dubbed the "South Carolina gut rot", caused severe vomiting and diarrhea and made you feel like you were on the brink of death. Thankfully my OBGYN prescribed some good drugs to help suppress the vomiting which I was nice enough to share with Cheryl so her illness wasn't as violent and didn't last too long.

By Sunday afternoon, Cheryl was feeling well enough to take a dip in the pool and spend a few hours in the sun. It was refreshing until she upchucked a 1/2 gallon of Gatorade in the parking lot—poor Cheryleeski.

On Monday, Currier and I dropped the girls off downtown Charleston so they could take a horse carriage tour, eat lunch and shop. Later that afternoon, we dropped them off at the airport where Currier caused a scene with his mournful goodbye. Cheryl and Sue were so sweet to Currier. He was crushed to see them go.

Celebrating

Chad finished his Navy career in Virginia Beach and stopped by Charleston on his way to his new civilian life in Texas. We started off the evening by dropping Currier off at My Gym for parents night out and then headed downtown Charleston. We went to TBonz Gill and Grill for dinner and Tropical Toast at Diana's for dessert. The boys celebrated with Irish car bombs, beers, Jager shots and rum & cokes. As you can imagine, the rest of Chad's weekend visit was spent on the couch nursing a hangover and watching Thomas the Tank Engine with Currier.

Date Night At Poogan's Porch

My Gym hosted a parent’s night out on Friday so for our first date in Charleston, Trent and I dined at Poogan’s Porch. Named after a dog that wandered from porch to porch begging for scraps, Poogan’s Porch is one of Charleston’s oldest and most famous restaurants. It’s known for its upscale Lowcountry cuisine but moreover it was voted “third haunted place in America”. Legend has it that the ghost of Zoe St. Amand, a woman who once lived in the house, appears in a long black dress and has been known to knock over pots and pans and slam doors. There have also been claims that the fur of Poogan, who is buried in the front yard, can be felt against bare legs as his ghost searches for scraps under the tables.

To my disappointment, I had no encounters with Zoe or Poogan. I did, however, slip and almost fall on my ass in the middle of the dining room. It was one of those slow motion cartoon things where I made eye contact with everyone in the restaurant while waving my arms in a fast circular motion. I pinched a freaking nerve in my lower back trying not to fall. I swear Zoe pushed me because she was jealous of my new strappy shoes from Target. How dare she make me look foolish! I'm going to keep going back there until she shows herself just so I can tell her off and since I have to keep going back there, I might as well eat my way through the menu. We had a wonderful dining experience. I got the Shrimp and Grits and Trent got the Pan Seared Jumbo Scallops. Both dishes were delicious but we agreed that the fist sized scallops sparkled with yumminess and will keep us coming back to this charming place again and again so watch your back Zoe!

ChErYlEEsKi Visits Charleston

"Marn" is my cousin Cheryl’s made up word for "dork", so when we picked Cheryl up at the airport last week for her 6 day Charleston adventure, Currier enthusiastically greeted her!

After a few beers at the apartment we hit the Sullivan's Island oyster roast. We’re now experienced enough to know that you don’t show up to these sort of things sober! Although Cheryl doesn’t like seafood, she does like firemen and since this was a fire department fundraiser it was the first stop on our week long adventure. Cheryl was forced to try at least one oyster by a friendly local. Thankfully she had two beers handy to wash it down. We had such a good time; we stayed until the kegs went dry and the last oyster was shucked.

The following morning we drove to the Isle of Palms to check out the incredible waterfront mansions on Ocean Boulevard. It was fun to collect the property information on the ones for sale—all of them priced over 5 million. I’m sure we looked like serious investors driving around in our Chevy Malibu rental drinking Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffees. I bet if we had that fancy Starbucks coffee, we would have been more believable. After choosing which houses we would buy if we ever won the lottery, we took advantage of the gorgeous weather and walked along the beach, dipped our toes in the freezing ocean and played in the sand.

On Monday, Cheryl, Currier and I went to John’s Island to see the Angel Oak tree. Over 1500 years old, the Angel Oak tree is the oldest living thing east of the Mississippi River. We determined that the second oldest is our Papa. He turns 90 on March 2nd.

On Tuesday, we went to one of America's oldest working, living plantations—Boone Hall Plantation. Unfortunately Currier wasn’t up to sitting still or being quiet so Cheryl took the house tour on her own while Currier and I walked around and took a nap in the car.

After touring the plantation, we headed across the street to Boone Hall Market because we misunderstood and thought this is where we could buy some of that delicious, fancy flavored wine—Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill. It turned out to be a farmer’s market filled with fresh produce and other products produced on the plantation so we bought sandwiches for lunch instead.

Oprah made us do it... Later that evening, we went to Jestine’s Kitchen for some good ole Southern cooking—fried chicken, fried green tomatoes, meatloaf, fried okra, shrimp Creole, fried oyster po' boys, country cream corn, black-eyed peas, and blueberry cobbler. Many of the dishes on the menu are recipes of Jestine Mathews. Jestine, who lived for 112 years, was the housekeeper for the owner of the restaurant. Celebrities such as Oprah and Rachel Ray rave about the place and so do we!

After dinner, we went on the Charleston Ghost and Graveyard Walking Tour. The tour guide was thrilled to have Currier on the tour. He said that children and animals see the things that our brainwashed adult minds can’t. He told our group to keep an eye on the baby for his reactions to the ghosts. Unfortunately, I think Currier was a let down to our group because the graveyard night watchman was there with his two dogs and Currier kept chasing the dogs around and couldn’t be bothered by the ghosts. However, even with my brainwashed mind, I see a man on a horse on the walkway in the photo above. Do you see it?

The next day, we decided to work off some of the Southern cooking and walk across the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, also known as the Cooper River Bridge. It is the bridge that connects Charleston to Mount Pleasant. The length of the bridge is 2.5 miles. We made it half way and then turned around because we are lazy it was so windy.

For Cheryl's final day, we went to The Spa at Charleston for a little pampering. I got a massage and a facial and Cheryl got a facial and a mani/pedi. We sipped tea, we relaxed and we giggled. It was the perfect way to end her visit. We miss you already Cheryl!