8 Things You Should Try at Trader Joe's

I have to admit when Trader Joe's first opened here in Charleston I wasn't sure what all the hype was all about. A new grocery store? What could be so awesome about a grocery store? Well primarily their prices are amazing. I can grocery shop here for super cheap and the store is filled with all sorts of fun new food items to try. I live about 20 minutes away from the Mt Pleasant store that opened here, yet I find myself making the trek pretty much every other week to stock up. I now see what all the hype was about. I thought I would share with you my staples that I buy every time I shop here. These are tried and true favorites that I love. So, now you dish and tell me what are your favorite things to buy at Traders Joe's!

WILD MUSHROOM AND BLACK TRUFFLE FLATBREAD
This is so good. I am sucker for anything with truffles in it and you can really taste the truffles in the pizza. Side note- I do always add extra cheese to ours before I bake it.

SAVORY THIN MINI EDAMAME CRACKERS
These crackers are my favorite snack. They are tiny, (which makes me think I can eat alot of them), crispy, and salty. Perfect to dip in hummus or enjoy with cheese. I buy two bags every time I go because we eat so many of them!

ARCANCINI BITES
These little rice balls are addictive. Heat them up and dip them in tomato sauce and you have the perfect appetizer or meal served with a salad. Even my little man gobbles these up.

CILANTRO JALAPENO HUMMUS
This is hummus is so good. The jalapeno and fresh cilantro combo works together perfectly. It has a slight bite to it which we love. Try dipping the edamame crackers in this, it is my favorite snack!

PICTON BAY SAUVIGNON BLANC
This wine sells for $7.99 and it is delicious. I am picky about Sauvignon Blancs I do not like it when they are too sweet. This one is not. It is light, crisp and refreshing. I always pick up a bottle or two to have on hand.

RISING SUN FARMS CHEESE TORTAS
For $5.50 a piece these tortas make the perfect quick appetizer to put out when entertaining. They both are delish but the Sundried Tomato and Pesto one is my favorite. It looks beautiful sitting out and tastes just as good.

ROSEMARY RAISIN CRACKERS
I always serve these with the Sundried Tomato/Pesto Cheese Torta. Seems like a weird combination but I promise the flavors work great together. These crackers are tasty alone or paired with plain cheese too.

ORCHIDS
The orchids at Trader Joe's are gorgeous and only $12.99. A real steal. I buy a fresh one for my house every few months. They also make great hostess and birthday gifts for friends. This is my orchid I bought there a few weeks ago on my foyer table, beautiful right?

Carmelized Onion, Mushroom, and Gruyere Tartlets

Let me start by saying these tarts are insanely good. I dare you to try and eat just one, you can't trust me. These would be great to serve at a party but I ended up making them for lunch when I had my friend Katie over. I served the tarts with a Citrus Kale Salad and it was in my humble opinion the perfect lunch- well perhaps a glass of chilled white wine would have made it better.

You can cut the tarts as big or as small as you like. I used my second largest biscuit cutter which is approx 3 inches wide. I thought the tarts were the perfect size not too small or big. I see these tarts being made very often in my future! You could honestly do any toppings but the mushrooms, onions, and Gruyere pair together perfectly. These little tarts are melt in your mouth good!



Caramelized Onion, Mushroom & Gruyere Tartlets
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
16 ounces white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
½ teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste
¼ cup white wine (can substitute chicken or vegetable broth)
2 sheets puff pastry (thawed according to directions on package)
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (can substitute any variety of Swiss cheese)
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese (I like mine cheesy so I added this cheese on top)
1 egg + 1 tablespoon water, beaten together (for the egg wash)
Handful of parsley, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-low heat and add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to caramelize, about 20 minutes.

3. Add the butter to the pan. Once melted, add the mushrooms and saute, stirring occasionally, until they are completely soft and all of the liquid evaporates, about 20 minutes.

4. Add the garlic and the thyme and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Add the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to pull up all of the browned bits, and cook until all of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat.

6. Unfold the thawed sheets of puff pastry and cut out circles from the dough, placing them evenly spaced on the baking sheets. Using a very sharp knife, make four small scores around the perimeter of the dough, about ¼ to ½-inch from the edge.

7. Top the rounds of puff pastry with a small spoonful of the onion and mushroom mixture, trying to keep the filling within the score marks. Top with the shredded Gruyere cheese. Brush the edges of the dough rounds with the egg wash.

8. Bake until the pastry is golden brown, about 15 to 25 minutes. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

Recipe and top photo adapted from The Brown Eyed Baker

Obsessions

KENNETH JAY LANE TURQUOISE STICK NECKLACE
I love this necklace in a major way. I picture pairing it with this bright orange dress I have or a black maxi dress. I think it would be so versatile and turquoise never goes out of style!

FIDDLE FIG TREE
I don't have alot of greenery in our house. I will be the first to admit I am bad about keeping plants alive indoors, but a tree seems like it would be easier maintenance. I love the look of a Fiddle Fig Tree and the way the greenery brightens up a room.

JOIE MADERA SCRATCH DOT BLOUSE
I need this blouse, really thinking about biting the bullet and ordering it. It would look great with any pair of colored jeans or shorts. The black and white dot print would go with everything! A classic blouse I feel like I would never tire of!

CONFETTI SPRINKLED LINEN COCKTAIL NAPKINS
How awesome are these cocktail napkins? Perfect for an Outdoor Dinner Party. Best part is these are homemade made with linen napkins and gold paint. Design Mom sewed her own napkins but I would totally buy a pack of pre-made napkins (because I am lazy like that) and then go to town painting. You can check out how to make your own napkins HERE on Design Mom.

CONTEMPO PROSECCO
This is my latest addiction. It is light refreshing and affordable- $8.99 a bottle currently on special, normally retails for $11.99. Now that the weather is warm there is nothing I like more than a chilled glass of bubbly. I originally was drawn to this Prosecco because of the bottle/label (I do indeed judge wines by their covers) it had a simple, clean and modern look. I bought one bottle to try and loved it so much I went back and pretty much cleaned my grocery store out. I served it at Easter Playgroup last week and it was a hit. They also make a line of wines but I have yet to try them.

Scenes From Our Easter Weekend

I hope everyone had a great Easter Weekend!! Ours was excellent, super relaxing filled with lots of quality family time!

I tried out the stripes and brights trend.

You won't believe this but I found these jeans at Target. They are only $22 and I swear the fit is as good as expensive jeans. They have stretch in them which I love and they were long enough for me (I am almost 5"10 so finding long jeans is always an issue). My Target was pretty much sold out of all colors and sizes but I did manage to snag my size in the Lemon Yellow. I looked online when I got home and they have red, purple, green, blue, pink, really any color you could want (HERE). I will say order up a size from what you normally wear, these jeans run on the small side (I could not even get the 7 up over my hips and had to get a size 9).
Mossimo Juniors Colored Jeans

On Saturday we enjoyed some quality family time.

We painted some Easter Eggs. I figured Sterling was still a little young to paint actual eggs so we did paper ones. I swear my little man is going to be an artist, he's got some major talent.

Later that afternoon Matt whipped up a batch of mojitos made with fresh mint from our garden. They were so good, I gulped down three (quickly)!

Our sweet next door neighbor steamed us the most amazing crab legs. Pure heaven and yes, we ate every last one of them

On Sunday we headed to church. But first little man got a peak at what the Easter Bunny brought him. He loved all the chocolate and his bunny ears.


My Easter Sunday Dress: Tibi Dress (from about 3 years ago).

I tried to snap a picture post church but it is next to impossible to get this little guy to stay still for a second!

Later I finally got him to pose for a solo picture!

Happy Monday! Hope your week is off to a great start!

Thoughts For Friday!

Happy Easter to everyone. I am looking forward to this weekend with my two boys. We always stay in Charleston and celebrate just the three of us. It is a holiday I hold special because it is just us!

First of all I am so excited to share with you with you something I have been working on for awhile. Charleston Magazine has asked me to be a contributor to their new blog "Charleston Grit" and it is officially live! The peeps at Charleston magazine have worked so hard getting this blog ready to go live and it's awesome! It has already become a daily obsession for me. It is filled with so many topics from home decor and food to local happenings. Please check it out, there are some amazing bloggers on there!

I ended up making the Baked Hummus and Spinach Dip I blogged about last week. It was so good. You must make it next time you entertain. It is only 3 ingredients, hummus, spinach, and cheese!

Last year Sterling was too young to actually understand an egg hunt but this year he loved it. I hosted one at our weekly playgroup and he went crazy! His favorite part was scarfing down all the chocolate I hid inside the eggs.

I hit up Target for stuff for Sterling's Easter Basket and found this adorable Maxi Dress. Why I can't I ever just stick to my shopping list there?? It is only $27, such a steal girls. I live in cotton dresses during the summer and I love finding cute inexpensive ones. It also came in a really cute navy color. if your store doesn't carry it, it is online HERE.

Call me lame but I am a sucker for a Nicholas Sparks movie. I think it is the previews paired with the awesome music and pretty boys. Matt asked if the only reason I wanted to see this movie was because they played Adele and had Zac Efron in the movie. Who cares about the story line I just want to look at Zac's pretty face.

I am in love with Rachel Zoe's new Spring/Summer Collection. Girl can do no wrong! I have my eye on this dress and think I am going to use my birthday gift card to buy it. Stripes + a shift dress = the perfect little summer dress. I am thinking it will look great with my hot pink necklace from the Bauble Bar!
Rachel Zoe Madison Colorblock Shift Dress


Your quote for the weekend, so true my friends. Something important for us all to remember.

Have a lovely Easter Friends!

Let's Talk About Porches

I have a dirty little secret. We have a screened in porch and it is probably the most neglected area of our house. As of lately I have gotten the itch to redecorate it because it is a great little area we should use more often. I am going to share some pictures because we are all friends here but please don't judge this sad little area of our house.

Let's start with some pretty pictures before we get to my sad porch. These two photos are my inspiration for sprucing things up. I like the pops of color with the clean and fresh back drop. Plus I really dig the light fixtures in both.

Here is our neglected porch. Currently it serves as a storage porch for Sterling's toys and our recycling bins. Don't be jealous of the sweet horse my parents cleaned out of their attic and brought to us.

A few thoughts. I plan to paint the rocking chairs a glossy white. And add some bright cushions. I love Trina Turk's Outdoor Fabric choices. I just can't decide if I want a pattern or solid color.

I am pretty sure I am going to paint the floors this dark charcoal color: Downpipe by Farrow and Ball- Thanks to WayWay for introducing me to this fab color. I like the idea of glossy white furniture with dark charcoal floors.

I am also thinking about painting my Bamboo pots a glossy white and will use them as small tables or put some cool green plants in them.

Sterling loves hanging out on the porch so it needs to be kid friendly. What are your thoughts? Any other ideas?

Oh and our neighbors found this beauty in their backyard yesterday, Lord help us. You know I am going to be dreaming about snakes tonight. Snakes are my numero uno fear (well besides sharks and flying), so I am freaking out!

Summer Squash Gratin

This dish is a tried and true family favorite. My grandmother and mom made it all the time for us growing up and now it is a favorite for my boys (well Matt at least, Sterling has turned into quite the picky eater these days.) It is so super easy to whip together and deliciously tasty. Mt grandmother would totally call this a casserole but Gratin sounds much fancier, right?? You all know I love a casserole because it can be made ahead of time and just popped in the oven at dinner. I usually serve this with grilled chicken or fish and add another veggie and you have a well rounded meal!

SUMMER SQUASH GRATIN-2 LBS SQUASH AND ZUCCHINI CHOPPED
-1 SMALL ONION CHOPPED
-1 CUP MAYO
-2 TABLESPOONS SOUR CREAM
-1 CUP GRUYERE CHEESE
- 1/2 CUP PARMESAN CHEESE
-2 EGGS BEATEN
-1/2 TSP SALT
-1/4 TSP PEPPER

TOPPING:
-1 CUP PLAIN BREAD CRUMBS, PANKO OR RITZ CRACKERS CRUSHED
-2 TABLESPOON BUTTER

MIX ALL INGREDIENTS TOGETHER AND POUR INTO GREASED CASSEROLE DISH. MIX BREAD CRUMBS AND MELTED BUTTER AND POUR OVER THE CASSEROLE. BAKE AT 350 DEGREES 35-45 MINS UNTIL TOP BROWNS.