Blackberry Cobbler

If you know me well, you know that for the majority of my life, I have had an aversion to fruit. I know, I'm not a real person. Who doesn't like fruit?! I probably ate it as a very young child when I didn't have a choice, but at some point I decided I did not like fruit. I distinctly remember one summer sitting on our back porch and my mom saying, "Try this melon! It tastes like candy!!!" I reluctantly tried it, because if it tastes like candy, AWESOME! You can imagine my disappointment when it did not taste like actual candy.

BUT y'all, there's hope! I'm happy to say that I'm slowly conquering my fruit fear at age 27. I think it's been a texture thing and now I think it's a mental thing I just need to get over. Because I love smoothies and slowly starting to enjoy pie. Last summer, I willingly chose to eat blueberry pancakes over chocolate chip! So this weekend, I decided to make this blackberry cobbler because blackberry cobbler just sounded summery and delicious. And it WAS. And I ate a ton of it. See what I mean? Progress! There's hope for me after all :)

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Blackberry Cobbler (from Southern Living)

3 containers of blackberries (about 4 cups)

Lemon juice (about half a lemon)

1 egg

1 c sugar

1 c all-purpose flour

6 tbsp melted butter

vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 375. In a lightly greased 8x8 square baking dish, place blackberries. Squeeze lemon juice over blackberries. In a separate bowl, beat the egg and add flour and sugar. Mix until it resembles cornmeal and evenly pour over the blackberries. Drizzle melted butter over the topping. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the top is light brown and blackberries are bubbling. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy! 

Rachel & the Amazing Technicolor Dream Scarf

Whoooo, Tuesday! This is a short week for me because I'm headed to Austin for a bachelorette party starting Thursday!!! I've never been to Austin but I've been told I'll love it. Any musts?!

So last night my friend Ali and I went to a rosé tasting class at Lexington's Wine + Market. It was a really nice way to kick off the week and I know so much more about rosés now! Afterwards we snapped a few photos. Isn't this rainbow scarf fun?! I found it for SEVEN DOLLARS at J.Crew on Sunday. I mean, that's what a Chipotle burrito bowl costs. It's sadly no longer available online, but check your stores - I'm sure it's there. I love it because it's every shade of the rainbow so can go with literally anything. In this particular case, I went with all white, because it's definitely still summer and 95 degrees in Lexington.

 scarf (no longer online, but in J.Crew stores!)   |  ring  |  top  |  jeans  |  heels

I love an all white look and adding a pop of color just makes it so fun! 

Charleston Recap: Where We Ate & Drank

This could be a 5-day post, but whatever, it's a long post and it's one post. Y'all, the food in Charleston, I can't even begin. When I say we ate and drank our way through the city, we truly did. And the crazy thing is, there were about 20 more places we could have gone/were on my list! Guess I'll just have to go back... :)

Sunday

Pearlz Oyster Bar

The Gin Joint

Little Jack's Tavern

We had a great time at Pearlz. Simon wanted oysters, I wanted shrimp, and we ended up there. This sweet old man bought Simon a Pimms Cup, which became his new favorite drink for the week. He returned the favor with some KY bourbon, Basil Hayden of course. The Gin Joint was a fun little spot on East Bay where we met two friends from Nashville. Little Jack's was a complete random spot - we tried to go to Leon's and didn't have the best service experience (aka never got served at the bar after 15 minutes of sitting), so we wound up at Little Jack's down the street and LOVED it. The bartenders were so friendly, the burger was delish, and don't get me started on the potato puree.



Monday

Poe's Tavern

Barbecue from the battleship

We went to Sullivan's Island on the 4th of July. I wouldn't say Poe's Tavern was my favorite. Good, but not a must in my book. Looking back, I probably would have chosen Home Team BBQ. And then we ate on a battleship that night. #America.

Tuesday

Callie's Hot Little Biscuit

Tavern & Table

Prohibition

Husk (bar only)

The Ordinary

Eeeee, a full day of eats and drinks! Callie's Hot Biscuit was a must - I got the trio of blackberry, cheddar and chive, and bacon. Yum yum! We went kayaking that morning and got a quick snack of more shrimp and oysters at Tavern & Table in Mt. Pleasant. We showered and wandered around, playing a game where for every store I stopped in, Simon got a drink at the bar. My faves were Prohibition and Husk. We sat at the bar and had great times at both. Dinner that night was at The Ordinary and I can. not. say enough good things. We shared the ceviche, lobster roll, oyster sliders, and this amazing fish entree. This is 100% a must in my book.

Wednesday

The Daily

Cru Cafe

The Americano

The Darling Oyster Bar

Indaco

Another full day of eating! I got breakfast with Annie at The Daily (avo toast, of course). Simon and I wandered around that afternoon and went to Cru Cafe on a family friend's recommendation. I had the special - a brisket sandwich and it was delicious and filling! Fuel for lots and lots of walking :) That afternoon we went back to the beach and on the way back, stopped at The Americano in Mt. Pleasant. Tacos were on happy hour, so naturally I had a shrimp taco. That night, we went to The Darling Oyster Bar across from our hotel, where Simon ate more oysters. I was a little seafooded out, so we then had ANOTHER dinner at Indaco and I'm so glad we went. We sat at the bar (a trend for us), and the bartender was incredible. We drank well, shared the ricotta and corn pizza, black pepper tagliatelle pasta, and left with happy bellies and hearts.

Currently

I hate being a debbie downer, but Nice, France and the state of our world is heavy on my mind and heart this morning. Another week, another reminder to hug your loved ones close and say many, many prayers for the safety of our country and strong leadership to guide us and unite us. Seems like we are needing it more and more every day. 

I hope you all have a great and safe weekend. We are taking it easy in Lexington with some golf tonight (ha, I haven't played for about 8 years!), pool time, grilling, and lots of relaxing. I'm really looking forward to it. 

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shopping  |   Like every other blogger, I'm shopping the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. I'm not going to lie, I feel like last year's selection was a little bit stronger, but I'm of course struggling on what to purchase. In consideration: this Barbour jacket (to splurge or not to splurge?!), this coat, this cardigan (loved it on Liz), these booties, and this watch. So many choices, so little money. If I could afford/justify it, I'd buy this Tory Burch cape in 2 seconds.

listening  |   Who else grew up on MmmBop!?! We were obsessssed with it when we were younger. Hanson's acoustic version is pretty bomb and a nice update from 1997.

reading  |   Many of you have probably seen Jennifer Aniston's letter to the media on body shaming, but I thought it was just so well written that it's worth sharing again. If you haven't read it yet, take the time to. You go Jen!

cooking  |   I finally tried zoodles for the first time in this baked ziti zoodle recipe and LOVED it! So delicious and fulfilling. Have y'all gotten on the zoodle craze yet? My basil plant is doing SO WELL (!!!!) so this weekend I'm planning on making pesto for my next zoodle recipe! Look for something soon on the blog!

traveling  |   Another week, another trip. It's been a busy summer! I'm headed to Austin, TX next Thursday for a friend's bachelorette party and so excited. I have never been to Austin but have obviously heard all the great things about it. Can't wait to explore and eat my weight in tacos! Anywhere I should go?!

Summer Salad

Before we left for vacation, I really wanted to have a week of healthy eating, knowing that we would be eating out for every meal. I whipped up this salad at the beginning of the week and oh man, was I happy to eat it every single day after for lunch. It was so fresh, delicious, and fulfilling. That's my biggest thing with salads - I'll eat them but afterwards, be craving something else. This one did not do that. You can't see it in the picture, but there's also barbecue grilled chicken that goes along with it. I think the chicken was possibly still cooking at the time of the picture :)

Possibly my favorite part about this salad is that it's easily adaptable for any of you! If you want to use cherry tomatoes instead of regular, do it! If you want to add black beans, go for it! Dried cranberries? Yum! You can really make it yours.

Summer Salad

1 lb boneless chicken breasts

Barbecue sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's)

2 avocados

2 ears of corn, grilled

1 diced bell pepper

1 large chopped tomato

Red leaf lettuce

Goat cheese

Marinade chicken in barbecue sauce, and grill for about 15 minutes, depending on size of the chicken. Prep all remaining ingredients by cutting and dicing, and throw together in a bowl. Top with sliced chicken and goat cheese. Drizzle with a light salad dressing - I use a sweet vidalia onion dressing from Kroger that I love, but any light dressing would work! 

Serves 3 people, depending on how hungry you are!

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale + Wishlist

I know, I know. It's not even halfway through July and we still have MONTHS of heat ahead of us. And a couple weeks ago I was sharing my favorite summer clothes. This can't be happening yet! But you know what it's almost time for? The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.

I think this is the sale that every blogger goes insane for. If you're not familiar, the Anniversary Sale happens every July/August and it's when brand NEW FALL items are way, way marked down. So if you're like me, it's a dream come true because you don't have to wait until the end of the season or Black Friday for deals - you can get your fall wants and needs NOW and have them when the weather comes calling.

I actually think it's a little bit smart to start a fall wishlist in the dead of summer. I'm still loving my summer clothes and fall clothing hasn't hit shelves yet, so I don't get as disillusioned by what I really want and need when I see a million things I love. Here's what I'll be on the hunt for:

everyday purse

fall coat

brown & black leather booties

fall dresses

cozy sweaters

camel wrap

The sale runs officially from July 22 - August 8, but if you sign up for a Nordstrom credit or debit card, you get early access on the 14th. I signed up for the debit card - it's so awesome because I get rewards from purchases I'd be making anyways, and it's linked to my checking account, so the money comes out right away. That way I can't go too crazy! 

Have y'all started thinking about your fall wishlist yet? If you have, what's on it?!

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Charleston Trip: The Homes

I cannot believe it's already been a week since we were really just beginning our time in Charleston! We arrived to the Holy City Sunday afternoon and immediately began exploring the city. I'm going to do a full post on where we ate and drank (because we did a ton of that), but to kick things off for our trip recap, I thought I'd share some of the beautiful homes we saw while walking around the city. It seemed like everywhere I looked, there was a house cuter than the one previous. We explored a little bit north of Broad on Sunday and Tuesday afternoon, but Wednesday was our big day walking around the south of Broad area. I think we had to have walked 6 miles that day - our feet were killing us!  

While I think most people who live in Charleston have cars, if you are there for vacation and not planning to go anywhere else besides the city, you really don't need one. There's so much to look at that I was happy as a clam walking around until I couldn't feel my feet! 

I love all the brightly colored homes in Charleston. You can't help but feel happy! 

I'm such a sucker for a good porch and pretty much every Charleston home seemed to have one! The above style was particularly common, with the "main door" actually going to the first level porch. 

The further south of Broad we got, them more grand the homes became. I mean, absolutely gorgeous. 

See what I mean? Just beautiful. 

Have a happy Monday! 

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Hallelujah it's Friday! And this is an extra special Friday for two reasons: 1. long weekend/the 4th of July is Monday! and 2. I'M GOING ON VACATION TOMORROW!!!!!!!

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Excuse the all caps, but I'm just so freaking excited. Like Kristen Wiig on Saturday Night Live. We are headed to Asheville tomorrow morning and spending the night there, then onto Charleston Sunday. So much fun in store!!! I'm going to attempt to get outfit photos while I'm in Asheville and Charleston. Simon will be my photographer, but he doesn't know it yet (hehe). So that should be interesting!

It was a good week here, full of kickball and being outdoors and watching LOTS of Olympic Trials, specifically swimming. I swam competitively growing up and through high school, so naturally swimming is one of my favorite, favorite events in the Olympics. But I get sucked into just about everything when it comes to the Summer Olympics, even archery. Tonight I'll be taking it easy, watching trials, doing last minute laundry and packing before leaving at 6 am tomorrow.

Have a safe and fun-filled, America loving weekend, loves!

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shopping  |   Loft has 50% off the entire store. I picked up these shorts for vacation and just love them. This romper and this lightweight dress are super cute for hot summer days. I'm also thinking I need to finally snag this top from J.Crew since I've had my eye on it and it's 40% off. 

blogging  |   Love these tips for finding blog inspiration. I pinned this one, for sure. 

reading  |   I'm not planning a wedding or honeymoon yet, but many friends are. Would you postpone your honeymoon? This article gives some pretty good rationale for why you should wait a year.

watching  |   Everything about this video. Truth: I do not know how to change my tire or sew on a button. But I could probably sew the button if I tried.

eating  |   In the most important news of the week, Chipotle is FINALLY offering a rewards program for this summer. Done and done.