South Africa Pt. 2

SAFARI TIME

So picture this: you fly into what appears to be nothing but a hut beside a tarmac, the Hoedspruit airport, in the Limpopo province of South Africa, and the Safari Jeeps are lined up to pick-up their guests.  You are immediately swept away by Roger, your tracker, and Stefan, your guide, to the Kapama Game Reserve and thrown into a bona fide paradise.  All-you-can-eat gourmet food, a pool, spa, etc., all in the middle of the desert.  You are also in a wild game reserve – for those of you who are unfamiliar… this means there are lions, elephants, rhinos, leopards, roaming free with no fences keeping them out of the resort area.

Just picture it.

Then go to South Africa and experience it for yourself.

A typical day in the life of a safari adventure goes a little something like this: wake up 5:30 a.m. Early, you say? Sunrise is one of the best times to see the animals! Coffee and tea are served and at 7:00 sharp, and the Jeeps are off for several hours.

 

You return to the resort for lunch and a rest and potentially a spa treatment or a walking safari, but then round 2 starts promptly at 5:00 p.m.

Then your day of seeing every single dangerous animal you’ve only ever dreamed of (except tigers, there are no tigers in Africa) has come to an end! The fact that I could have reached down and touch a lion is mind boggling. Spending 10 days observing these animals in their natural habitat was truly a life-changing experience and one that I won’t soon forget.

South Africa Pt. 1

As the warmer weather approaches, I’m immediately drawn back to Christmas… Said no one ever, right? Well, my Christmas was spent on the other side of the world.  Cape Point, South Africa, to be exact.  Alexandra, one of Mo and my besties has family in South Africa, so my family joined up with hers to spend 3 weeks there over the holidays.

If the 16 hour flight over there doesn’t absolutely kill you, Cape Town is one of the coolest places you will ever see. Picturesque to the max.  We were fortunate enough to be able to stay in Cape Point on the southwestern-most point of Africa… What?! Surreal.  (However, if you aren’t traveling with Alexandra… I would highly suggest The Vineyard where we stayed for a couple of nights to defeat jet lag.)

Alexandra and I

The View

Don’t even get me started on all the fresh seafood. The best calamari, langoustines, crayfish, fish, shrimp, etc. you-name-it-they’ve-got-it-fresh, I’ve ever had.  And the wine? SO good! They’re known for their Pinotage, a red grape.

Besides lounging on the beach and eating my weight in seafood, Cape Town is incredibly active with surfing, biking, running, hiking, and my favorite, walking around atop Table Mountain or even better shopping around some of their incredible artisan markets.

This is merely a brief snippet of the 10-day extravaganza I experienced in Cape Town… I only regret that we didn’t already have C&C started so that I could share real-time details about a fabulous vacation in an incredible country. Look out for Pt. 2 chronicling our African Safari!

Lunchbox Eats

My grandparents are lifetime suburbanites of Memphis… At least they have been for the last 40 years, so their perspective of downtown Memphis more closely aligns to the rest of Tennessee. They still ascribe to the thought that it is dangerous and barren.  It has been so much fun for me over the past couple of years to show them how untrue that really is!

This past weekend, my dad and I took them to one of the cutest joints just south of the FedEx Forum, Lunchbox Eats, and they had the best time!

The school house theme is too cute! From the decor to the menu items, I felt like I was in the lunchroom at Grizz Prep (minus all the middle school boys) with some DELICIOUS food.  My favorite thing on the menu so far is the Holiday Break Chicken (chicken salad served on cornbread) with the Avocado JoJos.

Class is in session… Go to Lunchbox Eats for a lesson in some good Southern Food with a twist!

 

Workday Snacks

Hope everyone had a great weekend! It was our first weekend here in Massachusetts that really felt like spring, so I spent lots of time outside!

This week, I’m challenging myself to eat a healthy as possible and workout as many days as I can. I’ve been working on establishing healthy habits, and I’m finally starting to get there. One way I’m doing this is by packing snacks to eat throughout the day, so that I’m not chomping on Doritos by 2pm.

I HIGHLY recommend these Stonyfield Grass Fed yogurt cups! I  picked some up at whole foods and they’re absolutely delicious. I packed a little local honey to sweeten it, and it was the perfect afternoon treat.

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I love choosing grass fed dairy when possible – not only do I feel better about my choice, but I firmly believe you can taste a huge difference. What do you guys pack to snack on throughout the day?

Some of my other faves are hard boiled eggs, natural apple sauce, and whole wheat English muffins 😊.

 

Elizabeth’s Bagels – Franklin, MA

My dream job would most definitely be this: Travelling the World in Search of the Greatest Bagel on the Planet. Yep. And my search would start right here in Massachusetts, at Elizabeth’s Bagels.

If you live in the area, you know this place has a huge following for a tiny cafe. One step inside and you can see why – it’s constantly bustling with workers forming and baking fresh bagels and other pastries, and it smells amazing. The bagels are made from scratch, with no preservatives and quality ingredients (like unbleached flour), which I love. You can absolutely taste the difference.

Joe and I have made this a Saturday tradition, and it’s the absolute perfect way to start the weekend off right.

Next on my list is Bagelsaurus in Boston, has anyone been?! I’m dying to try it!

Breakfast + Lunch in Rhode Island

This Sunday was absolutely perfect. It was one of those days I wished I could stop time in its tracks. The weather was perfect (70 and sunny!) and we took advantage, spending every second of it outside.

One of the great parts about living so close to Rhode Island is that the state is so tiny, you can make it anywhere you’d like in under an hour. We decided to start our day in Providence, at a cafe I’ve been dying to try – Bolt Coffee Co.

Bolt is situated within the stylish Dean Hotel (which you might recognize from Amy Stone’s recent trip there). Between the typeface, the neon signs, and the chic tiled floor – Bolt is definitely fun to look at. The coffee is great too – super strong and rich as can be.

Next, we headed further south to Bristol Rhode Island. Bristol is SO much fun to drive through because the houses are all adorable, unique, and have a distinctly New England feel. If you’re in Bristol on a gorgeous day like this, Colt State Park is a beautiful area to explore or stop for a picnic. We were ready for lunch, so we headed to Thames Waterside for lunch and cocktails on the water!

When the sun comes out, I always start craving lunch by the ocean. It’s one of my absolute favorite parts of living in this area. Thames Waterside has a great selection of options – Joe and I tried the Guinness battered fish tacos, and they were delish!

Afterwards, we went out the side door and sat on the dock for a while to enjoy the gorgeous weather. It was an absolutely perfect afternoon that I’d highly recommend replicating! 🙂 

Side note – Hope all our Bostonians enjoyed Marathon Monday! Congratulations to all of the runners – you’re amazing!

Etiquette 101

Formal Thank You Notes: The Lost Art

A brief stint as an etiquette teacher during high school and a lifetime living in the South with my fabulous mother left me with some habits that I would like to share.  I am no expert in the art of etiquette, but I like to think I am.

There comes a time in every child’s life when their parents stop hounding them to write their thank you notes after a holiday or their birthday; they stop emphasizing the value of honoring this timeless tradition.  Expressing gratitude in a heartfelt, handwritten letter on crisp, plain piece of monogrammed or simply decorated stationary has such an effect on its recipient, that I believe this tradition should live on.  However, I have some strong suggestions.

1. Pick a stationary that you LOVE because you will be spending a lot of time looking at it, so it will stave off the impending boredom.
2. Any card bearing the words “Thank You” should immediately be overlooked. Save those for you best friends. Rather, find a plain card decorated simply with your initials, name, or small decoration in order to give emphasis to the words written by YOU that come from YOUR heart.
3. Do not write the same message replacing the thing you’re thankful for in each card. Your hand will cramp and you will be resentful rather than thankful by the end! Add a personal tidbit of information that will make the recipient feel loved.
4. Do. Not. Type.

Here are examples from some of my favorites:

Crane & Co.

Not This

This

Paper Source

This

Not this

Rifle Paper Co.

This

Not This

Food Truck Thursday

If you haven’t seen the movie Foodtruck, I would recommend it, because it will hurl you head first into a food truck obsession. Downtown Memphis is full of hungry business people, lawyers, etc., looking for quick lunch, and a food truck gathering is just the place.  Thursdays in Court Square is an everchanging food court full of delicious local choices. Several of my favorites have been Sushi Jimmi, The JoyRide, and Say Cheese.

How cute is this truck?!

The Pizza

I would encourage you to find the food truck community near you and follow them on all forms of social media! Half the fun is that you never know where they are going to be.  Sometimes they’re in front of businesses, at private events, or at a food truck gathering that is the equivalent of a foodie’s candy shop. There might just be a delicious surprise waiting for you around the block!

Beautiful days in Court Square

Delicious new truck serving Cubans and empanadas

Foodie Link Roundup #2

Happy hump day y’all! This week has been crazy. I’m already looking forward to the long weekend ahead here in Boston (Marathon Monday is so soon!). Is anyone running in the marathon next week?!

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Rounding up some foodie links for you to enjoy on this sunny Wednesday:

1. A sneak peak into Chip & JoJo’s new bakery…as if I needed another reason to visit Waco? I’m obsessed with Fixer Upper
2. Why Fermented Foods Matter, because #guthealth.
3. Hello Fresh, the recipe/ingredients delivery service, recently teamed up with Jamie Oliver! The food they deliver is always amazing (I recommend their Bi Bim Bap!), but with Jamie Oliver on board – they just got even better.
4. Speaking of Jamie Oliver, my mom & sister are Gluten Free, so I’m always looking for new GF recipes. This Blondies recipe looks incredible.
5. Hal & I love silly quizzes like this one: What Coffee Type Fits Your Personality?
6. Emily Schuman of Cupcakes & Cashmere shared her food diary for a week. I loved reading through it and seeing her nutritionist’s advice!
7. Shay Shull, aka Mix & Match Mama was on the Today Show last week, and she actually made her own version of BLT pasta (I shared my version a few weeks ago)! If you missed her with Kathie Lee and Hoda, check it out here.

6 Must-Have Cookbooks

One of my favorite things to collect are coffee table books. I can’t get enough of how beautiful they are, but the best part to me is finding one that is a reflection of who I am and what I love. Now that I’ll have my own home, I’m hoping to add some cookbooks to the collection as well. I’ve spent my fair share of time flipping through these books in bookstores and finally decided to go ahead and order a few – so I wanted to share my favorites with you!

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Love & Lemons, Jeanine Donofrio – I’ve been following Jeanine for quite some time now, so when her book came out, I had to jump on it. It’s equally as beautiful as it is stocked with delicious recipes!

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Collards & Carbonara, Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman – I was inspired to buy this one after reading Hal’s post yesterday!! I’m so excited to give some of Andrew & Michael’s recipes a shot. Not only does this book remind me of Memphis, but it also takes me back to some of my favorite eats in the city. After all, what could be better than bringing Hog & Hominy or Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen into your own home?!

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Cravings, Chrissy Teigen – Is anyone not following Chrissy Teigen at this point?! Chrissy is hilarious – and her humor is reflected in her recipes. You won’t find any stuffy instructions or methods in this book, but I can promise you’ll be laughing as you cook!

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Everyday SuperFood, Jamie Oliver – Jamie Oliver is just. the. best. His recipes are consistently amazing and he does so much good in the food world. He’ll make you want to cook dinner for yourself every night, because there just aren’t enough days in the week to try all his delicious meals! Also try: His apps. 

Morning Glory’s Farm Food, Gabrielle Redner – If you tried the Morning Glory Zucchini Bread recipe I posted a while back, you know this cookbook is a must have. This one is special for me because it represents one of my favorite places on earth, Martha’s Vineyard. It also takes me back to days of riding bikes over to the farm in the morning to pick up a warm, freshly baked breakfast and enjoying it against the backdrop of the breathtaking Vineyard beaches.

Do you have any cookbooks that bring back memories of your favorite times or places? So excited to continue sharing my favorite cookbooks & coffee table books with you all.