Sixty One and Sunny
Boats.
61 and sunny.
Fat Tire.
Not-your-average-hushpuppies (stuffed with cheese and jalapenos).
Blackened flounder.
Bird songs.
Bf.
The marsh view.
Sunset.
Island escape.
Read MoreRivalry
Sometimes simple is best. Bow-ties with feta chicken sausage, arugula, and white cheddar. Hit the spot. Bow ties with shredded cheese always reminds me of one of my friends who would make “homemade mac n cheese” when we were in middle school.
Tonight is the infamous basketball rivalry and I’m looking forward to a beer on a weeknight. I don’t have my hopes up though, because I’ve learned that the outcome is pretty much random. That’s why it’s such a great rivalry – the best team doesn’t always win! Go Duke.
Read MorePhotos from Fernandina
A crystal clear sunset to a dark and stormy drink. Heavenly.
The crab bruschetta and the lobster & escargot with sweet peas, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes over a puff pastry cake in an herb cream sauce. Extraordinary.
A day on the beach. Refreshing.
Games by the fire and a nap in a big arm chair. Relaxing.
A beer with a breathtaking view. Phenomenal.
A break from the real world. Fabulous
Read MoreAmelia
Hi from Amelia Island! Matt said the surprise exceeded expectations! We arrived in a little over 7 hours and found a sunny, 60 degree day in Florida.
We had a little bit of trouble checking into our room and ended up having to wait a while before we were moved to the correct room (the one we were assigned to hadn’t been cleaned yet). However, I was very impressed with the costumer service at the Omni and they even sent up a cheese platter while we were waiting. We also checked out the resort gym and got in a quick workout before finally getting to our room to get ready for the evening.
Matt and I popped open this year-old beer that we picked up on a visit to Newport.
Cake for Dinner, Cake for Dessert
My goodness, I packed a lot of fun into this 48 hour vacation.
Matt and I brought a bottle of wine from home, so yesterday evening we headed to the little gazebo on the marsh to enjoy cocktail hour at dusk.
We’ve been saving this bottle of wine since 2007! I believe the bottle is from my sister’s wedding weekend, so there’s some significance behind this very peppery zin.
Mmmm…it was delish!
Unfortunately, bugs love Matt’s scent, and we had to leave because he couldn’t stand the gnats. Luckily, there are many beautiful scenes to be enjoyed on Bald Head, so we walked over to the harbor to continue the festivities.
Not a bad view, eh?
We couldn’t quite finish the bottle because we had to get to dinner!
We strolled over to the River Pilot Cafe, stopping to admire Old Baldy of course.
The River Pilot is a small restaurant and it’s only open during the summer, so I had never had dinner there before last night. We usually come to Bald Head in the off season or cook – it was nice to try something new.
And, it FAR exceeded expectations!!!!
After drinking red wine, I just could not decide what I was in the mood to drink. I debated a cocktail, more red, I then decided I needed a flavorful thirst quencher. I ordered my first Octoberfest of the year (Sam’s). I thought it would feel too early, but as soon as it hit my lips, I knew I had made the right choice. It was much lighter than I remember and tasted great with my spicy food.
The ball you see above is a crawfish beignet – fried dough stuffed with crawfish meat, corn, and peppers. They were a tiny bit burned on the outsides, but the insides were splendid. We also took down a basket of scrumptious cornbread and biscuits with sweet butter instantly upon sitting down.
But this beauty, this is what MADE by night. I ordered the shrimp and grits and was basically imagining a creamy bowl of seafood risotto. When this enormous ball arrived, I was thrown off.
Upon cutting into the ball though, I found the most delicious grits in cake form. And soaked in a spicy sauce with andouille sausage and shrimp, this was pure heaven. I mean, in the running for entree of the year good. The collards were great too.
Oh, and the portions were HUGE. Matt’s paella was the biggest portion I’ve ever seen outside of the Cheesecake Factory. We started to panic half way through our entrees, because I had my heart set on dessert, and after the cornbread, biscuits, beignets, and entree, I didn’t think it would happen. So I did something I’ve never done before, I stopped eating my entree and had it packed up so that we could order two desserts.
First, peanut butter pie. Again, something I wouldn’t usually order because it always sounds a little generic, but this was far from normal. Thick, creamy, and loaded with pb flavor.
If you know me at all, you know that dough and cake are all my heart desires. Umm, red velvet cake balls with cream cheese icing for dipping? This restaurant is insane.
They were raw in the middle. Need I say more?
—
I slept wonderfully in my little house and headed to the beach club in the AM for a quick workout. Only the elliptical was horrible and I couldn’t bare to stay in the tiny, sweaty room. So, I went to the pool to swim laps! Only sixteen minutes into my swim, this happened:
I spent about an hour reading The Help under the protection of the porch. I was a little sad, but it was actually relaxing to just read and listen to the rain.
And the sun was out again in no time. Matt and I took a quick walk, and then realized it was time to go:(
I had planned on eating lunch at the beach club, but decided it made more sense to eat the leftovers from dinner. To ease the sadness of leaving, we split an Avalanche Ale by Breckenridge. It was mighty tasty and surprisingly summery.
And my leftovers were amazing.
Bye, bye Bald Head.
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Welcome to TBT!
I've created this blog because I'm in a bit of a quarter life crisis. Since graduating from college in 2008 and earning an advanced degree in school psychology in May, I still don't know what career path to follow. All I know is that time is moving way too fast and I find myself living only for the weekends. Bear with me as I attempt to reclaim my twenties by finding pleasure and balance in the work week and incorporating my passions of food, fashion, fitness, and fun into everyday life. 
She said what?