lunch

Harold’s Diner – Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

October 15, 2016 by rachelle 11 Comments

Harold’s Diner – Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

FULL DISCLOSURE: This is NOT a sponsored post. Neither Harold’s Diner or The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort and Spa compensated me for this post. I just love that resort and we discovered Harold’s Diner while vacationing. We loved Harold’s so much we ate there three times in four days. All of my opinions are totally my own, but I absolutely recommend both of these places. 🙂

The door sign says it all.

I want to go back. Again. And again. And again. We found this place on our Labor Day Vacation to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

Let me tell you how we actually found this place. It was a complete accident. As you know, we drove through Hurricane Hermine to get to our beach vacation at The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort and Spa. When we arrived, we checked into the hotel and went in search of booze and food. We missed the turn to the resort and found an intersection with a gas station to turn around and happened upon the closed (for the night) Harold’s Diner. It was looking pretty sketchy and sharing the parking lot with the gas station. We agreed immediately that this is our kind of place and decided to check it out for breakfast.

I’m so glad we did. That’s mine. Corned beef has and gravy biscuits. Done. And done. That’s my idea of breakfast!

Chris got pancakes and eggs. These were seriously the most fluffy pancakes I think I’ve ever had.

The next breakfast Chris got an omelette that was also delicious. I had the gravy biscuits and corned beef hash. Again. Why mess with perfection? I know what I like, right?

It was also totally wallet (if not waistline) friendly.

Now that we’ve established that the food is legit, let’s talk about the place. It’s super small, y’all. I mean, think of the size of a small mobile home or an airstream trailer. No joke. There is a counter, a very small walkway, and a few tables attached to the front wall with the windows. They’re all two-seaters.

Oh! And it’s cash only. See the lady in the white shirt on the right? She didn’t realize that. They were super nice and told her just to go get some cash and come back when she can. I’m not shaming her. We can’t even see her face, so she shall remain the anonymous lady with plastic and no cash.

You grab a menu from the wall on your way in. Or after you sit down. When you realize that’s the deal. Yeah. That was us. But we had cash. 🙂

One side is breakfast and the other is lunch. That’s all they serve. In case you didn’t read the sign on the door.

A reminder.

They have these crazy hilarious bumper sticker type signs all over the place.

You get the idea. It’s a very interactive place. When someone knocked her (not me!) coffee cup off the counter, everyone in the place shamed them with boos and such. When she picked up the pieces and handed them to one of the three guys that man the place, he said, “Are you kidding me?” It was awesome.

Because they’re sign indicated that holidays are optional, we felt it prudent to call ahead on Labor Day to see if the opted to be open. He said something along the lines of “Of course we open! Come on baby, come on! We waiting for you!” We went.

While we were there another call came in. He said, “Yes, of course we open. Our boss is an asshole.”

You can see why we love this place and went back.

We went back again for a burger lunch on our way home.

Mother’s Day Recipe Roundup

May 5, 2016 by rachelle 15 Comments

Mother’s Day Recipe Roundup

It’s Mother’s Day this weekend. I don’t know about y’all, but it kind of surprised me. If you’re in the same boat as me, I’ve got your back with anything and everything that can please Mom this weekend! Let’s do this!

First and Most Important – COCKTAILS!

Preserved Lemon Martini with Spicy Olives – Tasty Ever After (recipe and photo credit)

Strawberry Lime Frozen Margaritas – Beer Girl Cooks

White Chocolate Covered Strawberry Boozy Milkshake – No Spoon Necessary (recipe and photo credit)

Butterscotch Martini with Bailey’s Irish Whipped Cream – Beer Girl Cooks

Jalapeno Margarita – Spiced Blog (recipe and photo credit)

Patio Passion Martini – Beer Girl Cooks

Creme Brulee Stout Ice Cream Float – Beer Girl Cooks

Now that we’ve had sufficient amount of booze to get us started, it’s time for breakfast and brunch recipes!

BREAKFAST AND BRUNCH RECIPES

Candied Ginger and Rhubarb Crumb Coffee Cake – No Spoon Necessary (recipe and photo credit)

Strawberry Banana Muffins – Pumpkin ‘n Spice

Banana Nutella Stuffed Cardamom Maple Toast – My Garlic Ginger Kitchen

Eggs Benedict Crostini with Roasted Asparagus, Bacon, and Easy Hollandaise – Beer Girl Cooks

Goat Cheese Brie Souffle – Tasty Ever After (recipe and photo credit)

Spinach and Tomato Breakfast Flatbread – Hungry Healthy Happy (recipe and photo credit)

Breakfast Casserole – Beer Girl Cooks

Strawberry Chia Jam Recipe – Show Me The Yummy (recipe and photo credit)

DOUGHNUTS V. DONUTS

Let’s be real. No matter how you spell the word, the masterpiece deserves its own category.

Key Lime Pie Donuts – The Beach House Kitchen (recipe and photo credit)

Baked Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Donuts – Veganosity (recipe and photo credit)

Brown Sugar and Pecan Baked Cake Donuts with Bourbon Maple Glaze – No Spoon Necessary (recipe and photo credit)

Baked Lemon Doughnuts – Spiced Blog (recipe and photo credit)

Cara Cara Orange and White Chocolate Glazed Baked Doughnuts – Beer Girl Cooks

How about some lunch ideas?

Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Apricots, and Pistachios – Tasty Ever After (recipe and photo credit)

Mediterranean Cucumber Salad – The Beach House Kitchen

Southwestern Orzo Salad – Family Food On The Table

Cesar Salad with Grilled Asparagus and Quail Eggs – Cooking LSL

Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad – Beyond The Chicken Coop

Baja Shrimp Ceviche Tostadas – No Spoon Necessary (recipe and photo credit)

Southside Weiss with Pan Steamed Mussels with Roasted Lemon and Toasted Baguette – Beer Girl Cooks

Salmon Burger with a Creamy Lime and Basil Sauce – Hungry Healthy Happy (recipe and photo credit)

Lamb Burger with Tzatziki Sauce – Beer Girl Cooks

Going fancy pants and need some dinner ideas?

DINNER RECIPES

Garganelli alla Vodka – Ciao Chow Bambaina (recipe and photo credit)

Tender Beef Kebobs with Tangy Barbaque Sauce – Cooking LSL

Thai Yellow Curry Turkey Meatballs – Fashionable Foods

Grilled Coconut Lime Shrimp – Spiced Blog (recipe and photo credit)

Belgian Tripel Beer Marinated Stuffed Pork Loin with Plum Sauce – Beer Girl Cooks

And finally. We started with booze and we’ll finish with some awesome desserts.

DESSERTS RECIPES!

Spumoni Cake – Beer Girl Cooks

Vegan Lime Tarts with Meringue – Veganosity (recipe and photo credit)

Banana Sheet Cake – Cook With Manali

No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Mousse – Baked By An Introvert

Blackberry Ginger Cupcakes – Just About Baked

Mixed Berry Pavlova with Blueberry Sauce – Beer Girl Cooks

Vegan No-Bake Biscoff Tartletts – Whisk and Shout (recipe and photo credit)

I wish all of you a Happy Mother’s Day. Whether you have little people, if you’re empty nesters, have grands, a bun in the oven, have a mom, or your a mom to a fur baby, I truly wish you a wonderful day of food, family, and of course, booze. Cheers!

Panzanella

September 17, 2015 by rachelle 18 Comments

Have you noticed that everything seems different? Does it feel like fall where you are?

I woke up Sunday morning and it just felt different. I mentioned to Chris that it feels like fall and he agreed. I don’t know if it’s this cold front that started moving in or if we reached a turning point. It feels like there is a chill and a crispness in the air. Even the sunlight is different and there are leaves falling in my yard.

But I still have tomatoes! And more are on the way! I don’t think I’m going to give up on summer until October. It’s official. Queen Rachelle has declared summer is extended. Who cares if school started and football kicked off last weekend? I am putting my foot down and stopping this gateway to winter and all things dark and cold and snowy and gloomy. Well, except for Christmas where everything is happy and sparkly and shiny. And I’m not really stopping it – it’s more of a denial and delay, but I’ll take it.

Because I’m lucky enough to live in the south where summer lasts almost until winter.

Panzanella

Ingredients

15 - 20 to matoes of combined variety chopped into bite size pieces
1/2 of a day old baguette sliced and torn into bite size pieces
4 garlic cloves pressed or minced
1 sweet onion thinly sliced
12 or so basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped chives
1/4 cup chopped tarragon leaves
1/4 cup red wine vinegar plus 2-3 tablespoons more for finishing
1/4 cup olive oil plus 2-3 tablespoons more for finishing
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Put the onion slices in a bowl, cover with water and soak for 10-15 minutes
Add tomatoes, garlic, bread, onions, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper to a large bowl. Use hands to toss and combine.
Set aside for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours at room temperature, tossing occasionally
Add the herbs 15-20 minutes before serving
Taste and adjust seasonings, finish with remaining red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper
This salad is best on the same day it's made

Note: The bread should be hard and dry. If it isn’t, you can dry it out in the oven on a baking sheet at 200 degrees for about 10 minutes. You do not want it to be toasted or brown.

Note: This is more of a guideline for panzanella, rather than a recipe. You can use some or all of the herbs or add different ones. The longer the salad sits, the more liquid gets absorbed into the bread, so you will want to taste it and adjust the dressing and seasonings prior to serving. Also, keep kind of a rule of thumb that the bread should be 1/3 ratio to the rest of the salad. Feel free to use up any fruits and vegetables in your fridge, such as cucumbers and bell peppers.

lunch

Panzanella

Ingredients

Instructions

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