Search

Kath Eats Real Food logo

Search
You are here: Home / Charlottesville / Happenings

Happenings

What’s happpppening?! (Quote from E.T., if you didn’t realize!)

Foodblog-3329

^^ That’s what I had for breakfast. Reheated oatmeal with milk and a big glob of Barney Butter from the bottom of the jar. Yeah!

-I’m in the middle of Survivor Season 18. I’ve watched 10-18 now and love it more every day. So far my favorite season has been one of the recent ones – Season 26 – and I promise it has nothing to do with the number!!! The “Three Horsemen” alliance was my favorite – when they pulled that big move. Trying not to spoil it for any fans! I decided that I am DEFINITELY going to apply and if I get picked I have to go. But the chances that they pick me are super slim, so there’s my default.

It will be nothing like this:

IMG_3770

-I mentioned in an earlier post that we converted Mazen’s crib to a toddler bed. So far we’ve had great success! He loves getting in and out, and he still understands that it’s where he sleeps. The absolute cutest thing about it is he now wants to sleep with his head on a pillow and REAL COVERS! For the longest time he hated any kind of blanket on him, but realizing this is a Big Boy Bed he wants covers like big boys do. It’s so sweet to see him on the monitor looking all grown up sleeping instead of bunched in a ball like a baby.

–Stitch Fix has been killing it lately! I just love the comfortable, casual but slightly-more-stylish-than-anything-I’d-pick-out-for-myself pieces they have been sending. That jacket on the top right has been my favorite piece yet! I love all of the pockets.

StitchFixFavorites

-Matt and I were invited to the South Street Brewery soft opening recently. South Street was bought out by Blue Mountain (one of our favorites!) so we were excited to see what they had done with the space. Check out the new website to match –> South Street Brewery.

Foodblog-3143

The inside is much brighter and fresh and new feeling.

South Street Brewery

And the menu is too! Lots of local ingredients were featured.

Foodblog-3153

Of course we started with a beer flight to taste them all. My favorites were the Satan’s Pony, an amber ale, and the Absolution, an old ale. I believe both were on the old South Street’s menu, but according to Matt, they have been “cleaned up a lot.”

Foodblog-3155

Our dinner was on the house and started with the most amazing heirloom yellow flint popcorn drizzled in local honey with bacon, jalapeno and smoked salt. I want to replicate this at home!!

Foodblog-3151

Our meal was great too – we tried:

1. Beer-battered Wisconsin White Cheddar Cheese Curds with a sriracha dipping sauce

2. The House Salad with greens, sugar snaps, cuc, radish, honey, and a molasses-malt dressing

3. The BLT Mac and Cheese which was made with Mona Lisa Pasta and was AMAZING!

4. The Vegetarian Lasagna with artichokes, mushrooms, corn, greens, and house-made marinara and a parsley-sage pesto. So fresh!!

South Street

Can’t wait to go back!

-Have you seen this company called Eat Healthy Designs? The cutest cards and pencils – oh KALE yeah!

image

-I created a Slow Cooker Board on Pinterest and need some suggestions on what to add to it. Share your favorites please!

Follow KathEats’s board Slow Cooker Recipes on Pinterest.

-And finally…another foodie adventure! We were invited to Bold Rock Hard Cider for a special press dinner to celebrate the opening of the brand new “Apple Chapel” that houses a tasting room and the Bold Rock production facility. And to kick off the 3rd Annual Virginia Cider Week!

Foodblog-3547

The new tasting room, where you can also order local farm-fresh food, makes Bold Rock a great destination on the Virginia beer + wine trail through Nelson County.

Foodblog-3551

They even have a big patio out back with views of the Rockfish River that is perfect for outdoor concerts.

Foodblog-3559

The inside is gorgeous – vaulted ceilings and cozy fireplaces

Foodblog-3553

And only glass separates the public from the production area

Foodblog-3557

It was mesmerizing to watch the bottles on their journey!

Foodblog-3556

We enjoyed lots of cider tastes (the Vintage Dry was my favorite!) We also heard a talk from the VA Secretary of Agriculture, Todd Haymore. Sales have been booming in the last few years, and cider is on the rise and more popular than ever.

Foodblog-3548

Plus a delicious BBQ and oyster dinner! Those grilled oysters – so good!

Foodblog-3565

What for dessert other than apple cobbler!

Foodblog-3566

Cheers to apples!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Linda @ TheFitty says

    I can’t wait to see pictures of your town once it’s covered in snow!(Do you guys even get snow?). I like the look of Southern Staff; it looks like a cottage/inn-styled restaurant which is very original and homey.

    Reply

        • Veronica says

          I hate to say that I had an AWFUL experience at the new South Street a couple of Saturdays ago. As in, waited 1.5 hours from placing order to receiving food, and then the food was cold and poorly cooked. I will say that the beer is way, way better than it used to be. Maybe I need to try again when they’ve been open for longer. I know they don’t have a head chef yet, just a crew of the same cooks from out at Blue Mountain.

          Reply

  7. Tonya says

    Um, when I see “What’s happening!” THIS is the first thing I think of:

    What’s Happenin!

    LOL! (Hope I entered the link correctly)

    I like that gray vest you’re wearing at the Apple Chapel. Also, the food at South Street looks really good. I like making my own fancy popcorn at home. Usually some sort of sweet n spicy flavor combination.

    Reply

  8. Sally says

    South Street was definitely in need of an overhaul, but I’m not sure I like the more modern decor. It was always such a cozy place, and doesn’t seem to have that vibe anymore. The new menu looks fantastic, though!

    Reply

  10. Katie @ Peace Love & Oats says

    Oh my gosh, you should apply for Survivor!!! I was going to apply for the Bachelor because I love the guy who is the next Bachelor but I chickened out… Mostly there was no way I was going to be in a bikini on national television… No thank you.

    Reply

  12. Jane says

    After reading about Stitch Fix on your site I finally tried it. I received my first box last week and loved all of the items they sent. Everything fit perfectly! Thanks for the tip!

    Reply

  13. Marisol says

    Hi Kath! Is that a Timbuk2 bag you’re sporting? I haven’t had a true everyday bag since my son was born and since I only carry the diaper bag on the weekends and while out, I’ve been trying to decide what to carry during the week. I like Timbuk2 but I’m torn in wanting something more feminine. Anyway…if it’s not Timbuk2, what do you carry? Thanks!

    Reply

    • KathEats says

      I wonder when that happens if there’s a discrepancy between what you think your style is and what you actually like and wear? I was very clear that I wanted comfortable, casual mom clothes plus dresses. Of course nothing they have is “momish” so I get stylish clothes that are casual. Try it again! Ask for Layla 🙂

      Reply

  17. JennieM says

    You wrote: “Of course we started with a beer flight to taste them all”, but I read FIGHT not flight! My first thought was – Geesh, I wonder who won! You totally had me laughing today!

    Reply

  19. Erin @ Her Heartland Soul says

    I am a huge cider fan! I’m glad it’s becoming a big trend because I don’t like the taste of regular beer and I can finally now find ciders at bars and stores so I have something to enjoy when we go out.

    All your Stitch Fix picks are great! I love finding cute clothes.

    And I have a love/hate relationship with the idea of going on a reality TV show. I’m not very brave, but I hope you get to!

    Reply

  22. jen says

    My husband and I have always dreamed of applying to be on the Amazing Race, but never dared. We’re a great team, but don’t really have a great selling tagline ya know? We’re not newlyweds or prof poker players or anything special, just joe and jill average. Oh well!

    As to the slow cooker, I’ll be interested to hear if you actually find any super recipes. I finally bought one now that I have 2 little ones, and I just can’t love it. Tried 4 recipes so far, 2 were epic fails, 2 just okay. I refuse to brown anything ahead, because then I might just as well brown it in the dutch oven and pop it in the oven for a few hours. The slow cooker us now in the basement gathering dust. Love the idea though.

    Reply

    • jill says

      I have a couple of favourite slow-cooker recipes that we eat a few times a month. One is pulled pork (which is actually still somewhat labour intensive because of the homemade flour tortillas which accompany it) and the other is chicken tortilla soup (which, um, I like best with freshly fried tortilla strips, so again, not so much with the time-saving. Delicious, though. And no browning of the meat required.

      Reply

      • jen says

        Those are 2 of our family favorite meals as well. We do the pork overnight in the oven then freeze leftovers for quick and easy meals later – it thaws beautifully. And I love quick and easy tortilla soup – as long as I have cooked chicken in the fridge or freezer (which I usually do, for recipes like this) – then the soup can be on the table in 15 minutes but tastes more labor intensive. Love it!

        Reply

  29. Amanda @ Life to Table says

    I visited South Street two weekends ago. I thought it was great! My favorite was the absolution. I ordered the popcorn as well, a bit too spicy for my wimpy spice tolerant self hehe. Apple Chapel look like something to check out! I recently went to Albermarle Cider works, it was difficult for me to taste the difference between the ciders. I guess just means I have to try harder next time ha!

    Reply

  30. Meghan says

    Hey Kath,

    I love those boots you were wearing in the cider pics. I’ve been looking for a pair, can you share where you got them?

    Thanks
    Meghan

    Reply

  31. Lisa @bitesforbabies says

    I never thought that the crib to toddler bed transition would have been so eventful (for me). I sometimes get sad when I look at my son in his big boy and at other times I’m amazed at how much he has grown!!! Out of curiosity, how did you transition him? We were SO worried about the transition….we put the bed in his room for months so he could get used to it.We would play on it, read books on it, etc. One day we decided it was “time” and although we were anxious, everything went really smoothly!!
    http://www.bitesforbabies.com/blog/bye-bye-crib-hello-toddler-bed/
    http://www.bitesforbabies.com/blog/toddler-beds-so-overrated/
    http://www.bitesforbabies.com/blog/toddler-bed-triumph/

    Reply

    • KathEats says

      Mazen just asked to sleep in it and I think since it was his idea it wasn’t hard. I would have been fine for him staying in the crib another year : ) He hasn’t rolled out or anything (I put a pouf next to the bed just in case), but he does get cold because he doesn’t really know to keep the covers on so I have to go in and fix them pretty much every night.

      Reply

      • Lisa @bitesforbabies says

        That’s great! My daughter is 2 and still in her crib and I intend on waiting a little longer with her. We moved our son when he was 20 months old (because we needed the crib for my daughter!!!!!). As for the covers, I have that problem! I go into the rooms every night and fix the covers (knowing they’ll just kick them off!).

        Reply

        • KathEats says

          M was happily wearing a sleep sack in his crib, but he doesn’t want it in the big bed (understandably). I wish he would just wear it!

          Reply

  32. Katie says

    Gosh, I love Survivor so much and hope it’s never ever cancelled! I’m so glad it’s Wednesday because that means it starts in 3 minutes!!!! Loved this post today — lots of fun and good energy, which is exactly what I needed today. Thanks Kath ????

    Reply

  37. Sam says

    I love your vest!! Is that a StitchFix find or something else? I tried StitchFix a couple of times a couple of years ago and it was very hit or miss for me, but it seems like they’re getting much better at what they do. When money’s not so tight, I’ll have to try it again and use your suggestion for comfortable, casual mom clothes. 🙂

    Reply

  38. Sam says

    Also, I have a random unrelated question and I’m not sure how to ask it coherently, so here goes: you seem extremely intentional with how you plan out your days/weeks/future. Let’s say you need to update your personal estate documents, plan a party like a baby shower, teach yourself something new for your blog business, and you want to figure out some crafts or educational things to do with Mazen at home. How do you get everything done/structure your days/weeks, yet still have time to reply to all of your comments and emails, do things for pleasure, and get enough sleep? Please don’t read this with a tone of judgment because I’m not judging AT ALL–I aspire to do all of that, too! I feel like a decently well-planned person, but I still scramble a lot, feel frazzled, and don’t get enough sleep. I do have two toddler boys who do not go to school yet, so that definitely adds to the mix, but I would love to understand how you do it and hopefully emulate you a bit. I’m assuming you are very focused and efficient when you work and you probably don’t waffle much with decisions. And yes, I’ve read all of your organizational posts and have gotten a lot of tips from them. 🙂 Thanks so much! 🙂

    Reply

    • KathEats says

      Hi Sam,

      I am focused and efficient, but I assure you I’m not nearly as organized as I could be : ) But thanks for your kind words. I think the key to organization is having good systems in place – Where do you put incoming mail? Are your bills all automated? Do you have a spreadsheet for this and that? Do you manage a good calendar with reminders so you can forget about upcoming things until they arrive? Do you have a working to-do list? Those are all things that I am always working on to keep me as organized as I can be. When I am organized, I am productive and don’t have to spend time shuffling things around when I sit down at my computer. I hope that answers your question!

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Everything kerf delivered to you