County Fair

The Fair.
Corn dogs, funnel cakes, cows, award winning jam, rides, carnies.
The Hickory fair had all those things and more! Scott and I have been talking about the fair for quite some time and somehow it snuck up on us without us noticing!

The fair grounds aren't to far from our house, and that's where the flea market that I love so much (seen here) takes place.  We happened to be talking to friends who casually mentioned the fair and we knew we had to go before it was to late!

Friday night we headed to town for a night of fried foods, bright lights and lots and lots of people. First stop was the animals. I LOVE farm animals and wish we had a cow. They had an area to feed them and of course I jumped at the opportunity! We also watched a demonstration of how they used to cut wood using the power from old tractors, which was pretty cool. Next up, the blue ribbon showing! Did you know people really do enter big tomatoes, or homemade biscuits to see who's is the best in the county?! I thought those days were long gone, so I made Scott look at everything that had been entered with me. Who knows, maybe next year I'll enter something!

After spotting a hunting buddy of Scott's and eating some of the delicious BBQ he was serving up in order to raise money for a local school, we met up with John and Mary (who went to the hunting house with us) for a stroll and some tasty treats!

Now I don't remember ever having a funnel cake, elephant ears - of course- but never a funnel cake so that was the mission of the night. We all settled in and got a different tasty fried thing and boy oh boy was everything good! Between the 4 of us we got a fennel cake with cinnamon & sugar, red velvet funnel cake, fried Oreos and a corn dog.  Yummm!!

We also watched a man being shot out of a cannon. It was pretty intense and not a job that I would want, and piglet racing.

It was a perfect way to spend a warm summer night.

Goodwill Outlet

Scott took some time to go to the Hunting Club (remember when I went with him here?) to prepare the land & house for the summer so I decided to go into town for some Pho and shopping.

The Pho place wasn't the best in the world, man so I miss Pho Oregon, so I thought I would try my hand at the Goodwill. Unbeknownst to me it was a Goodwill Outlet where nothing is sorted and you pay by the pound.

Chaos!

It was crazy! People had shopping carts (known as buggies here) overflowing with stuff! I was a little overwhelmed, but I had taken a trip all the way into town so I wasn't going to waste it by not looking around.

Most of the stuff was junk. I think you really have to be in the mood for thrift shopping, or at least I do. But I did find some treasures like this NKOTB book with the original stickers inside!

 

I left that fun find for someone else. I did however walk away with a few kids books that were in great condition - Sideways Stories From Wayside School anyone!?

Flea Market

One of my new favorite things to do is go to the Thursday Flea Market in town. They have everything your heart desires and then some! I roped Scott into going with me much to his dismay, he even carried my watermelon (anyone?!)!

Scott packed his angry eyes. He is such a good sport! 

This week everyone and their dog came out to find some hidden treasures. I am not sure if it was because it was the first day the sun showed it's face in awhile or what but it was crazy busy!

Don't these people have jobs?!

I've been going for weeks and have never seen this many people! The market is on the fair grounds and Scott said that it isn't even this crowded when the fair is going on.

Toys, antiques, jeans, chickens, gloves & bathroom essentials. 

Each time I go there are more vendors and this week I happened upon a Mexican pastry booth just down the isle from the horchata & fish booth!!

All of my favorite things!

I can't wait to see what new treasures are to be found next week!

Shrimp Truck

When I used to go to Hawaii, one of the things I looked forward to the most (aside from the beach) was all of the yummy food. One thing in particular stuck out above the rest.

The Shrimp Truck.

#1 The Shrimp is bomb.

#2 You smelled like garlic for days. 

#3 Krystal hated it. 

My sister sent me a recipe she had found the other day (original recipe can be found here). I just knew I had to try this!

Cooking away. 

Shrimp Truck

1/4 c olive oil

1 T butter

Juice of one lemon

2 T chicken broth

8-10 cloves of garlic, minced (next time I will double or triple this)

1 T paprika

a dozen large shrimp (the truck uses devained, shell on)

salt & pepper to taste

lemon wedges if desired

Saute everything but the shrimp over medium low heat until the garlic is golden brown. Increase the  heat to medium high and add the shrimp. Stir together until the shrimp is cooked through. Serve immediately over rice making sure to spoon oil and garlic over the top. 

Yummy Goodness!!

I didn't have rice so we had it over fresh pasta and it was still delicious! I recommend this to any garlic lover. In my book, you really can't beat it! 

Sunny Days

My sunnies are on,

My hair is curled, 

With the wind in my face,

I'll take on the world. 

Loving the days we get sun and its not to muggy to enjoy it! 

After a long day in the yard and some pretty major sunburns, Scott and I decided to enjoy a night out with someone else cooking & cleaning. Just before I took this picture Scott and I were on a wild turkey chase, literally. We (well Scott) saw a huge wild turkey and I missed it so he turned the truck around and we went back to find it again hoping to capture a picture. Every time we pass an animal (cow, horse, goat, ground hog, hawk) I squeal. Scott makes fun, but I know he loves it.

 Its the little things in life folks :)

Scottie's Bar-B-Que

Sometimes small town living is really an advantage. Although we are 27 minutes (yes I timed it, gah) from the nearest Target, and hour from Costco, we can however go to the bait shop where everyone knows your name or get a cheese burger and fries for $4.44 at the local watering hole.

We checked out Scottie's Bar-B-Que in Maiden before I headed to get my $10 haircut in a place that reminded me of Steel Magnolias. It was pretty tasty! No Killer Burger that is for sure, but good enough to go back to! I had a cheese burger that was perfectly cooked with a fresh tomato and crisp lettuce and Scott had a hot dog topped with chili and slaw in true Carolina . They also feature a BBQ sauce that is made in house that I really enjoyed.

I also chatted up a waitress who's husband was in Portland for 3 months for work. It goes to show how small our world really is.

I look forward to finding other little gems like this around town!

Mock Amalfie's Pizza

There are a few places from home that I miss more than others. Killer Burger, Wong's King, Tuk Tuk - Mmmmm. I've been wanting good pizza for a long while and finally decided that I would make my own. I had fully intended on just making like a Bisquick crust but after a few minutes looking at recipes I knew I had to try my hand at Amalfie's  style pizza. Luckily I had everything I needed on hand and decided to devote my day to making delicious pizza for dinner.

The original dough recipe can be found here on Group Recipes. I followed it pretty closely however I have never been great at measuring.

My 3 beautiful dough balls.

Just the right thickness. 

Ingredients

---

• 1 package active dry or fresh yeast
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 cup warm water, 105 to 115 degrees F
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for brushing
• A large cookie sheet
• A small and big bowl
• A fork

How to make it

---

• In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4 cup warm water.
• Large bowl, combine the flour and the salt. Add the oil, the yeast mixture, and the remaining 3/4 cup of water.
• Mix until the entire mixture forms a ball.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
• Knead by hand 2 or 3 minutes. The dough should be smooth and firm.
• Cover the dough with a clean, damp towel and let it rise in a cool spot for about 2 hours. (When ready, the dough will stretch as it is lightly pulled).
• Divide the dough into 2 balls. *Alternatively you could divide into 4 balls to make into 4 pizzas, about 6 ounces each, to make 8 inch pizzas.
• Work each ball by pulling down the sides and tucking under the bottom of the ball. Repeat 4 or 5 times. Then on a smooth, unfloured surface, roll the ball under the palm of your hand until the top of the dough is smooth and firm, about 1 minutes. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let rest 1 hour. *At this point, the balls can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.
• Preheat oven to 500 F or highest temp. Lightly oil cookie sheet with extra-virgin olive oil. Roll out dough ball, on a lightly floured surface, to the shape of your cookie sheet. Carefully transfer dough to cookie sheet, lightly press and stretch out to the edges of sheet.
• Add sauce (not too much) and toppings. Start with sauce, then cheese, veggies and meat.
• Cook for 10 - 12 minutes, more depending on the thickness of crust due to size of pan you used.

The crust was perfect! It was thin enough to have a crunch but not so thin it was like eating crackers. The best part? I had enough dough to make 3 different kinds of pizza!

Cast of characters!

BBQ Chicken (BBQ sauce, chicken, red & green onion, cheese)

Sausage, Onion & Olive 

Chicken Ranch (Ranch dressing -homemade of course! - Chicken, Bacon, Tomato, Cheese)

The 3 pizzas pre cheese. 

They all turned out so well. Scott loved the Sausage while I thought the Chicken Ranch was great. This won't be something I do all the time because the crust takes a few hours to make, but this will be a special treat every now and then. I am already thinking up the next round of combinations we'd like to try!

Date Night

Every now and then a night out on the town is just what the doctor orders! In our case it was fancy dress, dinner and a movie. Scott planed out dinner and let me pick the movie :)

I put on my little black dress and heals and we headed to Kobe Japanese House of Steak , one of the nicer places in town, and stuffed out faces with sushi and Hibachi Steak. I had never been to a Habachi style restaurant where the chef cooks the food right at your table (but I have been to the ones where you grill it yourself). We ha a lot of fun and met a nice couple who shared our table. The food was delish and the atmosphere was fun.

After a quick change in the car, we set off to see Safe Haven (my choice). I love Nicholas Sparks books and get more excited then I would like to admit when one is turned into a movie. We got there a little early so we played a round of air hockey. Well, Scott played while I attempted, unsuccessfully, to block his shots :) They were also promoting the new Monsters Inc. movie so of course we had to take advantage of the photo op.

What a wonderful night we had. I love being able to try new places and see new things - I am so blessed to have a partner who enjoys life as much as I do!

Southern Living

Sometimes the South just sneaks up on you... 

I usually don't drink much other than water but every now and then some sweet tea really hits the spot. In my opinion, the sweeter the better! If I keep it in the house, I know I'll drink it all so I treat myself on special occasions. The occasion here? The sun was out :)

Moo-Moo Mini Golf

Always looking for something new to do, Scott suggested a round of mini golf and ice cream. Of course I wasn't going to object! So we headed to a new part of town to get out putting on. 

It was a cute indoor course with cow/movie star theme attached to an ice cream parlor. The course was actually pretty challenging, well as challenging as a course could be I guess, with lots of little twists and turns. Maybe we were just a little out of practice :)

After Scott beat me, just barley, we treated ourselves to a sweet treat. They had ton's of flavors to chose from and they are all made just down the road at their creamery and although I wanted to try them all, we stuck with some fun sundaes Some of us had trouble keeping the ice cream in our mouths...

We had a blast. Sometimes it is nice to break from the normal grown up chores and try something new.

I can't wait for our next date!

Sweet Treats

There are a few places I have fallen in love with since moving to Charlotte. Amelie's French bakery definitely takes the cake! See what I did there? Tee hee.

I have been almost as many times I've been to Prices Chicken Coop and will gladly go again! My mission is to try everything in the cooling cases, and after this last trip I would say I am getting pretty close. Rachel, Luba and I went for a little birthday treat and bought out the store, well almost. We did however spend a fortune (thanks ladies!) and decided to split everything into thirds when we got home.

Our treasures! 

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My favorites included the twice baked almond croissants and chocolate raspberry torte. And the elcairs. Macaroons. Key lime tart. Cream Puff. I loved them all... Whatever you fancy they have it and you won't be disappointed!

JJ's Red Hots

Rachel was over when she suddenly said "Do you want to try that hot dog place you've been talking about?" Umm yeah! I've driven by JJ's so many times, and I always tell myself to stop by sometime. Well tonight was the night. We pulled up and got a parking spot right away (bonus!) but that should have been a sign of what was to come. We were there at what should have been prime dinner hour, and there was only one other couple in the place - Hmm. 

After looking over the menu and asking about popular dogs with the woman behind the counter (you order at the counter and find your own seats), I settled for The Char Heel - Chili, Slaw, Diced Onions, Mustard with onion rings and Rachel got the Chili "Cheese Cony" with a chocolate shake. They also had a pickle bar which I hit up on the way to our booth. 

Pickled red onion, jalapenos, ginger carrots & cauliflower and carrot

Char Heel with onion rings & Chili "Cheese Cony"

Char Heel with onion rings

First Bite.

The pickles bar was by far the best part of the meal - and that makes me a little sad to say. I had such high hopes for this place! The dogs were good, just not great. Rachel's was burnt to a crisp (you can see in the picture above with our two dogs). I couldn't even tell mine had chili on it, and the slaw was flavorless. I think that was the most disappointing thing, the lack of flavor. The onion rings were good. A bit greasy, but at least they were seasoned and Rachel liked her shake. So not a total loss for the evening, but not a total success either. 

Honestly I was a little underwhelmed. I am not saying I wouldn't ever go back, however I wouldn't make it a first choice option either. Next time I have a craving for a dog, I'll go to Costco.