My Baby Is All Grown Up

Subtitled:    I Can't Believe My Blog Is One Year Old!

With additional Subtitles of:     What a Difference a Year Makes; Birthday Weekend in Charleston; Look How Far We've Come and Did I Mention Vita Nostra is Celebrating its First Birthday!

A year ago today I was fumbling around with my suitcase, trying to squeeze two months worth of stuff I didn't need into something sized appropriately for dragging around Europe.    As I waved goodbye to my home and new fiance for the final time, I admit, I shed a few tears.   Anticipation and a little fear of what was to come.   Okay, if I'm honest, a lot of fear.

So I did what I always do when I get a little anxious, I form grand ideas.    I dove in and created my blog that first night as I sat all by my lonesome in my little hotel room sipping from a plastic cup of boxed wine and eating a mini frozen pizza from yet another cardboard box.    Like most of my crazy ideas, I had no idea what I was doing, but I like a good challenge and knew that I would learn along the way.   My primary motivation for starting Vita Nostra was to document my solo journey overseas and capture some memories along the way.    I had no idea I'd love it so much and that I'd still be doing this a year later.

A year has passed and much has changed.   I've grown as a person, my blog has evolved significantly from those early days of rambling thoughts, I've met lots of great new friends, experienced a life changing trip on my own and got married along the way.    It has been a good year.    I appreciate all of you who have read my blog and journeyed with me, commenting and providing support along the way.   It is the reason I continue this.

It is fitting that on this anniversary of my blogs first birthday, I share some more images from my birthday weekend in Charleston.    It was almost a perfect day.   The warnings of rain and corresponding doom and gloom were replaced with bright spring air, sunny skies and fluffy clouds.    After a grand breakfast at the dining table with our fellow guests and innkeepers, John and I grabbed our cameras and set out to explore.  

We spent the morning on a tour of the city, stopping along the way to admire the charming architecture, newly blooming flowers and all the little details that make Charleston so unique.   Like Paris, I found myself wishing I had more time to explore every nook and cranny.    (But I suppose that is what return visits are for!)

The best kind of day, we walked for hours and hours, stopping in little art galleries, breathing in the fresh spring air, tripping over cobblestones and dreaming of a life of constant travel.    Perhaps, some day?

 
Thanks for celebrating with me!  I have an equal sense of anticipation as I delve into year two and can't wait to see what the future holds.   For my fellow bloggers who've been at this for some time, any advice to share for someone entering their second year?

PS - Coming up next, another flavor of birthday celebration!

Interstate Pigs and Bean & Leek Soup with Caramelized Radish

Interstate pigs and bean soup?   This might sound a little crazy, but there's a connection, I promise.

I've been having recurring thoughts about pigs lately, spurred by two totally unrelated signs that began with my trip to Charleston this past weekend.  

Let me explain.

We were driving, as you do on road trips.    Staring aimlessly out the window.    Kind of tuning out.  I saw a truck ahead of us.    Now, you see a lot of trucks when driving, really not that unusual.   But this truck was special.   It had special cargo.  

I spotted little tails poking out the side of the truck as we passed.   Piglet tails.  Sweet, soft, tiny, curled up little pink pig tails.   Awwww.  That's when it dawned on me.   These pigs were going somewhere.   It wasn't just another road trip for them.  

I grew sad as I do when I think about animals that we eat.  It is why I regularly go back and forth between being a vegetarian and not.    The more I read and learn about how animals are 'produced' in this country, I am sickened by the conditions and the fact that this all ends up in our bodies.      Don't get me wrong, I do eat meat occasionally and certainly don't judge anyone else who does.  I've just been thinking more about what I consume, where it comes from and the effect that it has on my health.

Those little pigs heading to their next stop in the production process were nestled in my memory.  I settled back into vacation mode and ordered the pork ribs for dinner that night.   And they were amazing.   And I temporarily forgot all about the little pigs piled up in the back of the truck.

Until yesterday morning.    The pigs reappeared.    Back on the interstate again, except this time in a local news story about five pigs who got loose from a truck and ended up in the middle of morning commute traffic.      And while admittedly, some of the comments in the article are pretty darn hilarious, the whole thing just makes me sad.  
I guess the point of all this is that seeing these pigs triggered something in me that makes me want to re-examine my personal position.     I don't know if this will be fleeting or a more solid commitment, but for the moment I'm going to take a little break from meat while I reconcile my feelings.

Long story short, I made bean and leek soup for dinner last night and instead of flavoring it with bacon, I got creative with my seasonings and CSA box and came up with this version instead.  The spice mixture, containing natural hickory smoke and ginger, replicated the smoky flavor of the pork.  The caramelization of the radish added a little sweetness and a tiny bit of crunch.  A wonderful bacon substitute garnish.  The salted butter also helps to round out the flavor in this soup.

I didn't miss the bacon at all.

White Bean and Leek Soup with Caramelized Radishes

Ingredients

For the Soup
1 pound dried white beans
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salted butter
3 leeks, cleaned, halved and sliced thinly
3 celery heart stacks, diced
48 ounces low sodium chicken broth
1/2 to 1 teaspoon pork chop seasoning (I used Penzey's)
sea salt and pepper to taste

For the Radishes
1 small bunch of radishes, 7 - 10, large dice
2 teaspoons salted butter
sea salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Prepare beans using overnight or quick method as directed on the package.   Rinse thoroughly and set aside.

Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil and 2 teaspoons salted butter on medium low heat in large soup pot.     Add sliced leaks and celery hearts.   Saute vegetables until soft, about 10 to 15 minutes on medium low heat.   Add 1/2 teaspoon pork chop seasoning to vegetables and mix for a minute or two until combined.

Add beans back into soup pot.    Add the chicken broth to bean and vegetable mixture.    Simmer for an hour until flavors are fully combined.  

Meanwhile, prepare radishes to finish prior to serving soup.    Melt 2 teaspoons salted butter in small saute pan on medium heat.     Add diced radishes and saute on medium low for about five minutes.   Increase heat to medium and saute until radishes begin to caramelize and form a dark crust, about another five to ten minutes.   Salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.   (Radishes are best served just out of the pan as they retain a little crunch.)

After about an hour, blend soup with immersion blender or blender until smooth.   Season with salt and pepper, as needed.

Pour soup into serving bowls and top with radish garnish.

Heading back to Charleston next with less deep thoughts and more on our weekend away!

Meanwhile, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic.   Do you think consciously about where your food comes from and how it is produced?  If you do, how does it impact your eating habits?

Walk, Shop, Eat Some More and Sleep

I warned John prior to our trip that in addition to eating in Charleston, the shopping isn't bad either.   Lucky me, I can get away with a little bit of selfish indulgence on birthday weekends.

With time to kill post cooking class and pre check in, we wandered down to the old city market area.   I rarely buy anything, but like to poke around and do a little people watching.   I love the structure of the market with the white post beams and iron lighting.   The seagrass weaving artisans are always fun to watch too.

Apparently that's a blow fish in the photo above.   John says they actually look like that, but I'm not convinced that have that evil smile naturally.  

My favorite stop outside of the market was a gorgeous little spice shop.    I have a slight addiction to spice mixes lately after discovering that Penzey's moved to town.    But that's another story...

Left the market area and headed home to Church Street to check in.    Was feeling pretty icky from the sun and food and looking forward to relaxing a bit on the porch before dinner.

We stayed at 15 Church Street in an extremely charming home down by the waterfront park.    Annelise greeted us at the front door and walked us through front hall to the wrap around porch where she gave us a historical overview of Charleston and their beautiful home.   John and I stayed in the carriage house with our own separate entrance.    After getting ready for dinner we went back out to the porch to meet our fellow guests (and puppy) and enjoy some wine, music and conversation.  

(Truth be told, I was feeling a little anxious at the time as we were about to miss the UNC v. Marquette game.    I went to Marquette and John finished his residency at UNC so it was bound to be an exciting game with a good outcome either way.   (I felt a little better that we missed it when we heard the half time score was something like 40 to 15.  Yikes.   Was expecting a little more of a fight.))

I was super excited about dinner though.   We were dining at Husk, a relatively new restaurant in Charleston with a James Beard award winning chef at the helm.   They are all about the local ingredients.   Yup, I'm a bit of a food nerd.  

Ignore the horrendous pictures above, I wanted to give you an idea because that simple looking pork rib dish in the lower left corner was seriously the best thing I've ever had.    Charred, fatty, smoky, sweet meaty heaven.    I am seriously considering going vegetarian again after that dish because I don't think it will ever get better.

Go to Husk if you are in Charleston.   Reserve in advance as its pretty popular.   Ask for a table in one of the smaller rooms upstairs.    Swing by the bar in the building next door for a drink before or after.   Its very charming.   And the service is some of the best we've ever had.     Love this place.

After dinner, the short walk home through the gas lamp lit streets to our cozy little room.    Life is good.

Charleston Cooks: Cooking Class

I'm a sucker for a good culinary store.    I love gadgets, especially brightly colored ones.   Attach a cooking school to a kitchen shop and I'm in a little bit of heaven.

On my last visit to Charleston with my mom several years ago, we spent time wandering around the Charleston Cooks shop on East Bay, vowing to return and sign up for one of the many classes on our next visit.   We never got around to doing it together, but luckily I have a husband who is a really good sport and actually enjoys cooking.   We signed up for the first class after our arrival in Charleston, with an emphasis on low country cooking.

After eating our "first" lunch at Slightly North of Broad, which is part of the Maverick Kitchens Group that also owns Charleston Cooks, we popped across the street to the shop next door and browsed until it was time to start.

Our class was demonstration style and we were seated in rows in front of the bright and roomy kitchen.   I would have preferred to join in the cooking but we didn't time our visit right for one of the participatory classes they offer.  The chef instructor and her team kept it fun though, very engaging and informative.

We learned about the rice of Charleston, pigs, okra and all kinds of other tidbits about low country cooking.   Since eating is one of my favorite things to do in Charleston, it was interesting to learn more about its history in the region.   Also picked up a great onion cutting technique that I'm looking forward to practicing at home.  

The end result of our roughly two hours was a tasting of the dishes prepared during class.    We had Pecan Encrusted Catfish, Carolina Aromatic Rice and Vegetable Saute and a Chocolate Chess Pie.  All served with a glass of Chardonnay which paired really well with the buttery flavors in the fish and rice.   

My first experience with both catfish and chess pie and loved them both!    As soon as I can get some really fresh corn and okra in my CSA box, the rice dish will also definitely be making an appearance on the blog.    Good stuff.

Highly recommend making a stop here while you are in Charleston (but might skip lunch first!)   A list of classes is located here and you can sign up on line.  

After class we wandered back out to the shop and picked up a few new gadgets with our class discount for our home kitchen.    I love cooking with things I've picked up during my travels.

The sun was back out in full force at this point, so we walked around for awhile, attempting to burn off some calories from our double lunches before stopping back at the B&B to check in and begin the next part of our adventure.

Ever attend a cooking class while traveling?    Did it enhance your travel experience?

Charleston, South Carolina

"We should do this more often.   Get away."

"Long weekends are the best.    Just enough to get us out of the daily routine, but not long enough to exhaust too much vacation time."

"Charleston next?"

"Perfect, I haven't been there in years."

"Let's go for your birthday.   I'll make the plans.  It will be a surprise."

Charleston seems to be my birthday destination.  I haven't been in about five years, but my first visit was on a road trip with a very special friend who just happens to share the same birthday weekend.     We had a great time together, walking around downtown, enjoying the warm spring air, eating lots of good food and celebrating getting older (okay, maybe just celebrating).  

My next visit was with my mom, also my birthday weekend.  I loved Charleston so much I wanted to bring her.  She loved the city too.   Walking around this weekend, I saw all the mother daughter combinations and felt a little nostalgic.      I'm happy I have that memory though!

We arrived in Charleston just in time for lunch.     Too early for check in, we wandered around the park along the water for awhile, just breathing it all in and starting to relax.    

Lunch was at Slightly North of Broad.   I've had this on my list of places to go forever.  John had a grilled reuben with some really yummy (I hate that word, but it works here) chips and I had a duck confit pizza topped with arugula lemon salad.    The pizza was good, light.  I had to pack most of it up though as  we were heading to cooking class after lunch and wanted to save a little room for tasting.  (More on that soon!)

Favorite location for a road trip?    What's next up on your list? 

Road Trip!

Time for a road trip!

Early morning wake up.
Too much caffeine, too early.
Random conversations.
Fighting over who controls the radio.
Crazy directions.  Traffic.   Messy car.  Cramped legs.
Naps.  Magazines.
(sometimes, cheetos :)
(occasionally, singing off tune)
(always, Anticipation!)

Half the fun is getting there.    We're back from a long and truly wonderful weekend 'down south'.    Anyone want to guess where we landed? (no fair cheating if you are a facebook friend!)

What's your take on road trips?   Love 'em?  Hate 'em?   Have a recent favorite to share?

Hindsight Bride - A Wedding Feature

They say that hindsight is 20/20.  

Images from Visio Photography as seen on Hindsight Bride

It's the reason I spent hours (upon hours) researching real life weddings.  I learned so much from other brides while planning my own wedding.  I had the benefit of their experiences to help shape my own.    Advice from past brides was so incredibly helpful.  

I'm honored to have our special day featured in a wonderful wedding blog, Hindsight Bride.   Christie O, a past bride herself, has an eye for selecting gorgeous weddings, many with a mountain style or inspiration.  

If you've been following along with us here on Vita Nostra, you know that our wedding was set in the beautiful mountain setting of Asheville, North Carolina at the Biltmore.   While not your typical mountain setting, the Biltmore brought an added European elegance and a stunning fall backdrop.   It is a magical location, captured by our amazing photography team at Visio Photography.

I wish I had known about Hindsight Bride while I was planning my wedding.    The site is full of great advice from past brides and all kinds of wedding goodness, all with a mountain twist!

I'd love for you to check out the feature... it is full of my personal hindsight advice and lots of great eye candy!  

Past Brides - What is your best advice/lessons learned for anyone who may be currently planning their wedding?