Not only did I have Second Breakfast today, but I wore an elven cloak and drank beer out of huge mugs! I’m a hobbit!
Our date was a trip to the Olde Mecklenburg Brewery to taste their new Fruh Bock spring beer!
I navigated traffic and met Matt, who was already sipping a mug of the Copper and nibbling on a new invention: Guinness + Gouda bread from work. I had a few bites of the bread – yummy! Could have been stronger on the beer flavor though.
We witnessed the puncturing of the new keg -
And enjoyed a frothy mug! The Fruh (which I believe means “early”) was quite good – malty just how I like ‘em. It opened up a lot as it warmed up and got better and better.
A short ride home later and we were pulling pizza out of the oven.
Guys, I have nagged Matt for MONTHS about getting his whole wheat pizza crust recipe back up on KERF somewhere and he won’t take the time to write it out!! Email him at mamonson at gmail.com and join the nagging so he will!
Our pizza was homemade ww crust with leftover Ragu sauce, grated Organic Valley cheese (still swear this is the best cheese I’ve had!) and some sauteed mushrooms with baby spinach pieces. Mmmmmmm!
I couldn’t decide between 2 and 3 pieces so I had 2.5!
This dinner felt a little imbalanced after all those carbs – liquid and bread form – and no salad. In both my brain and my body! But it sure tasted great and it’s all about the weekly balance after all.
Naturally Nutty Groupshoppers
So sorry for all the confusion about the shipping. Naturally Nutty actually ran out of sunflowers the demand was so high. You will get your nut butter. I apologize for the delay! It will be worth the wait.
***
SO excited to be thinking about bed by 8:15 and since Emily and I are playing tomorrow afternoon, I get to sleep in! I have nothing to do before 7:30 but shower. Breakfast will be at the conference! I’ll be blogging via iPhone. Sorry for all the sub-par photos on the go, but it’s what makes the most sense for me at this time.
Have a good one!
{ 62 comments… read them below or add one }
What a fun date night! My BF would definitely enjoy the beer tasting, as well. I love that green coat, it looks so cozy!
What a big and tempting mug
I can’t believe they ran out of sunflowers! That’s too funny
hahaha oh boy, i cant believe you just subjected matt to what im sure will be an e-mail lynching
What a fun little weekday date!! That pizza looks so good!!
Love the first photo! Matt’s crust looks awesome – whenever I use WW flour in baking it never seems to come out quite the same, I’d love to know how he did it!
Matt needs to put the recipe up! My husband and I made the whole wheat pizza crust last spring and it was THE. BEST. HOMEMADE. PIZZA. EVER. Maybe even best pizza ever. I found out a month later that I can’t digest gluten so that ended that, but I STILL think about that pizza and drool to this day.
For those of ya’ll who can eat carbs to your heart’s content–get the recipe and make the pizza. It’ll be a meal to remember.
What a great date!! I’m excited for this pizza dough recipe, your dinner looked amazing! Have a good sleep in tomorrow
your hubby is so cute!!!
we will all bug him to get the pizza crust recipe posted!
Totally about the weekly balance!
That pizza does look amazing. And after seeing your beer and Caitlyn’s beer I can’t wait for the weekend so I can go and get a pint and not ruin my studying. :p
Come on Matt! Put the recipe up!!!
That pizza looks awesome! I hope he does post the recipe soon
That pizza looks dynamite. And, heehee, you’re too cute in your elven cloak!
pizza looks yum, sounds like a good afternoon!
oh what a fun date! And that pizza looks AWESOME!!!!
No beer mugs were embarrassed in this posting!
What a fun date! I’d love to do something like that!
Whole wheat pizza, yeah. I have to fix some of that this weekend. I’m going to make a plan to go to Great Harvest and see if I can get some dough. Matt definitely needs to post the recipe for his dough. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE
Baahahaha! I love it–in a similar spirit tomorrow is my birthday and I plan to have cake at elevensies!
Aw, you make a cute hobbit!
Love that pizza! Just sayin’, Matt
i love when you reference lord of the rings
Matt, please post the pizza crust recipe? 
y’all have a good night!
Your sub par photos are beautiful, Kath. Dontcha worry. I love that you posted his email address for us to nag him. Poor guy.
I saw that Guinness bread on our local GH website….although I love me some sweet bread as always.
Lookin’ like Mr. Underhill at the Prancing Pony!
That beer looks sooooo good! The pizza, too!
Now, did you have Elevenses as well??
I’m having a GroupShop on my OpenSky shop too… those great EnviTotes!! Check it out!
LOL. No Elevenses!
The pizza looks delicious. I’m deciding on a good night to make some pizza for myself and the hubs. You can never go wrong with pizza, in my opinion!
Wow that eerily resembles my dinner from yesterday. We love random pizza nights. I balanced mine out with some celery and hummus for a snack.
That sounds like a lot of fun!!!!
And your pizza… yummy!!!
I came up to Charlotte today and stopped by Great Harvest – I got some delicious Dakota Bread (my favorite), Irish Soda Bread, and Cappuccino Chocolate Chip Muffin. It’s all incredible!!!
Oh yum!! Was Matt there?
Nope
Or if he was, I didn’t seem him. It was around 2:30 or so. But the staff that was there was SUPER nice!! I had just eaten lunch but their sandwiches sounded amazing!!!!! That’s another thing that sets that Great Harvest above my local one. I hope you are planning on doing that when you guys open yours!
Mmmm yummy pizza
I’ve been a reader for officially a week now [I found your blog via Caitliin's blog] and I just wanted to let you know that I L-O-V-E your blog! especially since I’m a charlotte girl and really appreciate reading about your visits to local spots and restaurants, since I’m still kind of a newbie to the city.
Also, your tribute to oatmeal? GENIUS. I grew up on oatmeal and I have learned SO MUCH about incorporating different tastes and textures to oatmeal thanks to your posts.
Thanks!! We should be friends
pizza looks fantastic! HE BETTER POST THAT RECIPE!
Haha, you look so cozy and cute! That pizza looks AMAZING!
The brewery looked like fun. We love trying new breweries and tasting a few sips of course. I think 2.5 slices is perfect!
Kath, I copied the recipe from Brew & Bake down for personal use a while ago, and I e-mailed it to you!
omg, guinness & gouda bread sounds DIVINE! I’ll have to try making some of my own since we don’t have Great Harvests in Pittsburgh!
Aww, how fun! and that pizza looks amazzzzzing! I need to start making actual pizza and not just the tortilla version
I need to find some good melty cheese and that looks perfect! If I keep this up, I’ll be driving 75 miles to a Whole foods every other week! So worth it, though. In the meantime, I’ll bug the local grocery store to try some new products.
I want the wheat crust recipe!! My summer vacation from school is going to be all about bread baking and I definitely need a wheat crust.
oh you make pizza look so healthy. not sure about the beer though….
a bientot
i’m seeing pizza night in my future…
Piiiiiizzzzzzzzzzzzzzaaaaaaaaa! That looks divine.
Jenn
I think you can be forgiven for your “on the go” photos, hehe. It’s awesome that you’re still posting during the day!! Aaand the photos are still great! I am ravenous right now from swimming…you’re killin me w/the pizza + beer.
Gawsh I wish I lived with someone who could make me freshly baked pizza! I’m finally starting to come round to the whole pizza thing!!
Glad you had fun
I love second breakfast. I’m just about to have mine now – PB&J on wholewheat!
I also love elevenses!
Your pizza always looks sooo yummy!
What a great night…beer, pizza, and relaxin’ at home. Love it!
yummmm the pizza looks delish, does he not want to share his recipe genius!?! come on Matt!
Haha! “What about SECOND breakfast??”
Glad you had fun at the brewery!
I love that you see balance as being a long-term thinbg – It’s no good getting caught up in perfecting every single meal! Plus, sometimes 2.5 slices of pizza is juuuuust right
Oh I do hope to get that recipe!
i love evenings like the one you just had. Beer and pizza and great times with people you care about!
Wow! that pizza looks delicious! =]
When I was growing up in Australia, we had an official “Elevenses” at my high school. It’s a real, proper British thing – morning tea time is called elevenses! I loved it – I’d go to the canteen and get a chocolate chip muffin. (Probably why I got a little chubby during those years!)
Some meals just taste great even if they are not entirely balanced. And you’re right…it’s the overall balance that matters- not the every single moment I can’t stray away from balance.
I still have to remind myself of that daily sometimes!
I want the ww pizza crust recipe!!! I think I am going to email nag Matt right now…
Hi Kath, just a piece of information on Frueh Bock from the land of beers: Germany
Frueh Bock indeed means early beer. It is a very nutritious beer that was originally brewed to get the monks trough lent. At least in Germany it also contains quite a bit more alcohol than regular beer. Thank you very much for reminding me that the Frueh Bock season is on, I definitely have to get one this weekend 
Ha! I love that you’re getting some support in nagging Matt. That pizza looks divine, so well you should!
Hey Kath! Did Matt like the OMB Copper beer? My fiancee and some friends got it at Mac’s on South Blvd a few weeks ago and none of us liked it (I had a taste). We thought it literally tasted like copper pennies. But I wondered if everyone just got a bad batch. (?)
We had the copper and loved it. It might just be extra hoppy?
That homemade pizza looks like perfection! Does the whole wheat crust taste really hearty and healthy? I’ve never had whole wheat pizza crust, but I love whole grains.
Seems to be fun in the brewery
…and your right, “früh” means “early”
Greetings from germany =)