A Pretty Sweet Little Saturday

James and I slept in this morning and then awoke to venture to the All Local Farmer's Market--one of my favorite Saturday activities. The market was especially busy this morning, which is a good thing!

We headed straight for the Wil-Moore Farms table to snag a dozen eggs before they ran out, and we also got a 7-year aged white cheddar there, from Happy Cow Creamery, (a part of the Wil-Moore Farms network of farms). Right next door, James bought a container of Bacon and Cheese Soup from Spotted Salamander Catering. The only other items they had left at that point were Beef Lasagna and Cheese and Corn Chowder, both of which also sounded awesome.

We moved on to purchase some herbed soft cheese, (an ancient Roman recipe), from a vendor that I cannot remember the name of, nor find it anywhere...(if you know, please let me know)! And then I picked out some beautiful flowers from Floral & Hardy. The Mills, the husband and wife couple who run the Floral & Hardy farm, are so nice--Donna even threw in some extra Anemones in my bunch when she heard I was taking pictures to post on my blog. As I mentioned before, they have amazing blooms that last forever! Last time I bought cut flowers from them, they lasted almost 2 weeks. Also, if you frequent Earthfare, help out the Mills and mention to them that you'd like them to carry Floral & Hardy flowers.

Floral & Hardy Anemones

Tulips- (bulb still attached!)

My beautiful Anemones back at home

As we left the market, I caught sight of one of the best signs I could ever see on a Saturday morning:
I am a sucker for a good garage sale--always have been--so we walked across the street to see what treasures we could pick.

I got a few awesome vintage serving pieces and James found a really cool old 1963 dictionary. The woman who sold us the dictionary said it was one that you bought in sections at the grocery store and assembled over time. Cool.

Amazing green glass chip and dip server- my favorite find!

Adorable vintage child's plate (for my nephew to use when he's at my house)

Small glass bowl with gold details, pear-shaped wooden plate, and salt and pepper grinder

Better shot of the pear plate- so cute!

Horrible picture, (sorry!), of a metal serving tray with wooden handles and a stand

And finally, our 1963 add-as-you-go Webster's Dictionary in it's new home, on our blue bookshelf.

I can't wait to use the serving pieces at my next gathering. And we spent a whopping $15 on all of these items!

Also, for those of you who have told me recently that you're reading and enjoying this blog, thank you very much. You have no idea what it means to know that others are benefiting from this endeavor--very flattering.

Coming soon: my foray into making French onion soup from scratch, (my plan for Saturday evening).

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Greens & Eggs

I started my chilly and wet morning at the All-Local Farmer's Market with two of my favorite people, my husband and our friend Jason who is in town from Afghanistan.

Keeping up with my 31 Things to do in my 31st year, I purchased some amazing fresh flowers from Floral & Hardy of Lexington, SC. (Love the clever name!) The owners mentioned to me that they are trying to get their flowers picked up for sale by Earthfare, (the store claims to be open to carrying local brands and products, but so far no luck). So, next time you're in Earthfare, do Floral & Hardy a favor and mention to an employee that you would love to see some of their beautiful flowers for sale there.

Beautiful stems from Floral & Hardy. Doesn't the bottom one's petals look like little slivers of pickled ginger? So gorgeous.

I then moved on to purchase Sunflower Sprouts from City Roots and Butter Bibb Lettuce (I think) from Freshly Grown Farms--these are the 2 local farms that are featured in this week's Free Times article Columbia's New Farmers:Urban Entrants Changing Face of Agriculture. Gorgeous, fresh-as-you-can-get lettuces!


I also bought a dozen free-range, antibiotic and hormone-free eggs from Wil-Moore Farms, and then a piece of vanilla pound cake from Tasty Treats Bakery out of Leesville, SC. (I am presently dieting in full-force for the Biggest Loser Challenge, so I can't eat the pound cake, but somehow, just purchasing a piece gives me some of the satisfaction I might get from actually eating it. Then, later I can also live vicariously through whoever ends up eating it).

After the market we headed to Gotham Bagel Cafe for brunch. None of us had ever eaten there, and it was a very nice experience. I love the open, urban, warehousey-feel of the building where Gotham is located, and it's also a plus that it's a part of the revitalized Columbia Main Street. The staff was very friendly and we had very quick service.

Cool architectural details inside Gotham.

Gratuitous shot of the sweets case--just 'cause I can't eat them right now.

Jason ordered a Philly Cheese steak with curly fries, James had a special sandwich called The Legend with potato salad, and I had a 3-egg Cheese Omelet with feta and mozzarella. The Cheese Steak was doused in an authentic-like cheese sauce, and James said the potato salad was very tasty. My omelet was perfect--the cheese to egg ratio was just right and it was nicely seasoned with salt and pepper.

Philly Cheese Steak

The Legend- roasted turkey, swiss, feta, sun-dried tomatoes, and red peppers.

Overall, it was a great easy-like-Saturday morning. How did you spend your Saturday?

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