Coolest Present Ever...

image via here

I just purchased a Snoopy Snow Cone Maker for my nephew, Ben. His 3rd birthday is in a month and I had been contemplating the perfect gift...not something too commercial or predictable, and something that inspires creativity. I think he's going to love it!

I was reading one of my favorite blogs today, Oh Joy! Eats, when this post caught my eye, and it mentioned the Snoopy Snow Cone Maker. I was thrilled to realize that they still made these gems and quickly snatched one up on-line for Ben--at a very reasonable price, I might add. I just love the little snowman and Snoopy flavor-bottles!

My sister and I had one of these toys, and it provided hours of entertainment in the summer when we were little...the excitement and anticipation as the incessant churning of the ice produced little crystals in a bathroom-sized paper cup. And oh, to taste all 2-bites of the fake-fruit-flavored ice concoction...so gratifying!

Did you have a Snoopy Snow Cone Maker?

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Thursday's Thinking of Food

Today's Thinking of Food post has 2 parts...Part I will be the typical post, with food news I've read and heard in the past week, and Part II will be a review of the Great American Grill restaurant in Columbia.

Part I- Foodie News for the Week:

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*Heard this on NPR just this morning: "A new line of vanilla and chocolate-flavored baby formula has been released by Enfagrow." What?! I am appalled...let's just continue to feed our obesity epidemic and our taste for all things sweet and processed, right? Blogger and Dr. of nutrition, Marion Nestle, posted about this about a week ago on her blog Food Politics. What do you think?

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*On a more encouraging note for our nation's health, I read in my June 2010 Runner's World magazine, that "organic food is good for your running, your health--and the planet, too." There has been much debate in recent years over whether organic is truly more healthy, and now there is scientific evidence to prove that organic food really is better, in lots of ways. "In a study published in Environmental Health Perspectives, researchers analyzed urine samples of children who ate a chemical food diet and then samples from the same children after eating an organic diet. They found far fewer chemicals in the children's urine the same day they switched to an organic diet--and a return to high levels when they went back to a chemical diet." Enough evidence for me...

*Some local Columbia news--I went to the new Forest Acres Farmer's Market on the roof of Richland Mall yesterday and it was awesome! Many of the same vendors that I've seen at the All-Local Farmer's Market on Whaley St were there, as well as many others, including some local crafts. I took lots of pictures and will post about it this weekend; the only caveats are that it was pretty hot since it was on the roof, in the sun, and you have to make sure the vendor is selling local items, since it's not a requirement for this Farmer's Market. I will definitely return though; lots of good stuff! It will continue every Wednesday from 3-7 PM through the end of October.

image via here

*And, if you're in Columbia this Saturday, check out City Roots' first ever farm tour from 1-3 PM. I am hoping to make it, as this really is a very cool and up-and-coming urban farm! Click here for more information.

Part II- And now, on to the restaurant review...
This "review" is going to be short on words and long on pictures because truly, I have nothing bad to say about any part of the experience. The Great American Grill is located inside the Hilton Garden Inn hotel off Harbison Blvd. Now, I know what you're thinking--hotel restaurants are not always the best--but believe me, this one is worth enduring the bland hotel furniture for.

We started with Fried Green Tomatoes, served with chunks of goat cheese and a balsamic vinegar reduction. My husband commented to our waiter, Ryan, (who by the way is super-charming and knowledgeable about food and wine), that these were the best fried green tomatoes he had ever had. Which, as Ryan pointed out, is quite a feat considering my husband grew up in SC, where fried green tomatoes are everywhere, in many different iterations. They were really tasty.

Fried Green Tomatoes
(sorry for the horrible picture quality)

Our second course was this salad, which I regretfully cannot remember the name of, but was good. It consisted of fresh greens, chick peas, goat cheese, tomatoes, a citrus vinaigrette and a saffron ailoi. It was huge, and a few bites would have sufficed since the dressing was quite pungent, but yummy nonetheless.

And for the main course, James selected a New York Strip served with skin-on potatoes and some sort of greens...(can't remember what). The sides were delicious and perfectly complemented the huge cut of beef. James is a big steak-eater, (I mean, he does work at Ruth's Chris), and even he was amazed at the size of the cut and the full flavor of the steak.

NY Strip

I chose the special Seared Scallops paired with summer squash and tomato pie, with a red curry tomato sauce and balsamic reduction. Sounds like a lot was going on, and it was, but it all came together beautifully. The scallops were seared beautifully, with just the right amount of carmelization, and the little squash and tomato "pies" were really good and a fun addition to the plate.

Seared Scallops

All in all we had an amazing evening. James paired his big steak with a really big red wine, Napa Cellars Syrah, recommended by our waiter, Ryan. I also ordered one of the special desserts--which change nightly-- Blood Orange Sorbet. I could not bear to eat another bite as we sat at the table, so I asked for it to go, (which is no easy feat with sorbet). But the kitchen staff obliged and wrapped up a healthy portion for me to take home. And I just remembered it in the freezer last night as I was starting to write this post and had to have some--it did not disappoint. As James said, "it's like an orange push-up," but much more adult and with a stronger bite. I will enjoy it for nights to come.

Stuart Partin, head chef at the restaurant was not there the night we dined, but another chef, Jeremiah, appeared at our table to make sure we had enjoyed ourselves.

Go try out The Great American Grill in Columbia--and tell Stuart or Ryan that Becca sent you. They will take great care of you. Thanks, guys!

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A Word for Wednesday

estitution: restoration to the rightful owner; reparation made by giving an equivalent or compensation for loss, damage, or injury caused

So, this Sunday is Mother's Day. I wanted to pick a word for today that reminded me of my mother...I know, I know, this pick seems a bit odd, but here's the story:

When I was 4 years old I was playing at a friend's house and noticed this beautiful ring in her jewelry box and instantly wanted it for myself. [I'm pretty sure that it was a plastic ring, those of the dentist's-office-treasure-chest-variety, you remember those, right? Plastic and gaudy-as-hell, yet oh-so-chic when you are 4]. Anyway, when my friend left the room to use the restroom, I pocketed the ring.

The next day on our way to school, my mother noticed that I had the ring on my finger and she asked me where I had gotten it. I immediately burst into tears and told her I had taken it from my friend. She calmed me down and said it would be alright, that she knew just what to do, (as only mother's know how to do, you know).

Well, as my restitution, she made me march right into my 4-year-old kindergarten room and stand up in front of the entire class to apologize and publicly return the ring to my friend. I was a shy child, so this absolutely mortified me; I cried through the whole thing. Yet, I can honestly say I have not stolen a thing in my life since that cheap dentist ring.

Well played, mom. Valuable lesson instilled. Thanks for being so great!
And here's a picture of my beautiful mother, my sister and my nephew:


And, here's a deal for Mother's Day:
Click here to get a printable coupon for a FREE South of France bar of soap for mom from Earth Fare. (With $5 purchase; expires 5/11/2010). Or, save on beef tenderloin or salmon:

What's your most memorable "mom story?"

Definition via dictionary.com
Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische.

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It's Be Kind to Animals Week

May 2-8 is American Humane's Be Kind to Animals Week.

Here's just a few things we all can do to be kind to animals:

Speak out for animals

Get informed about policies and legislation that can impact the animals in your community and throughout the country. Also, register to receive Action Alerts from American Humane -- you’ll be able to speak out for animals with just the click of a mouse. You know I'm a fan of being knowledgeable about policy--just do it.

Report animal abuse

Animal cruelty and abuse is not only tragic for animals, but also an indicator that other forms of abuse such as domestic violence could be happening. If you see something that looks suspicious -- a dog chained in your neighbor’s yard that looks underfed, a child putting a cat in a box and kicking it around the yard -- don’t hesitate. Let someone know. I have called City Animal Control several times and they are usually very willing to help investigate; advocate for a dog or cat that cannot speak for itself.

Adopt a pet from a shelter or rescue

Every year, an estimated 3.7 million animals must be euthanized at our nation’s shelters because they could not be adopted into loving homes. Help animals find a second chance at happiness by adopting your next pet from your local shelter or rescue group. American Humane has tips to find the animal companion that’s right for you and develop a bond that will last a lifetime.

My shelter babies- Abby, Peach, Fat Albert & cat Bernice (not pictured)

I LOVE my shelter babies--all adopted from our local shelter, The Animal Mission, and they are the greatest!

image via here

And, go buy the new Stamps to the Rescue postage stamps--available in your local post office or on-line. With these 10 stamp designs, the U.S. Postal Service hopes to raise awareness of the need to adopt shelter pets; all pets photographed had been homeless at one time. I just bought some stamps at the Greene Street PO--they are precious!

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This Week in Columbia

Here's some fun things going on in Columbia this week:


*Tonight only--shop for a good cause at Revente. 20% of all sales will go to Sistercare, the local shelter for victims of domestic violence.

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*Wednesday- go drink a margarita or a Dos Equis 'cause it's Cinco de Mayo! Eric's San Jose on Garner's Ferry is my usual pick for cheap Mexican food, but their margaritas aren't my favorite...maybe try Cantina 76 or Yo Burrito.

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*Every Thursday in May, Riverbanks Zoo is hosting Rhythm & Blooms. From 6 to 9pm guests can listen to live music under the Rose Garden Pavilion and browse displays from local artists throughout the Garden. Tapas and drinks will be available for purchase on the Garden terrace. Cost is $5 for members and $7 for non-members.

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*Haven't visited the SC State Museum in a while? Or ever? Here's your chance--Friday, May 7th from 6-10 pm is Pirate Night at the museum. There will be 2 showings of the classic movie, (and one of my all-time-favorites), The Princess Bride, as well as flashlight tours of the Pirates, Privateers and Buccaneers exhibit.Price is $15; click here to register.
Not into pirates?--take your mom to the museum on Mother's Day, May 9th, and she will enjoy FREE admission when accompanied by her child(ren).

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*This Saturday, May 8th is the annual Get in the Pink 5K, 10K, and Stiletto Sprint to benefit breast cancer research. I will be participating in the 5K, along with some of my Biggest Loser team members--go Slate Blue! There is an after-party with food from Cantina 76, Doc's BBQ, Bojangle's & Chik-fil-a, and activities for kids. Events start at 8 AM.

And don't forget--Sunday is Mother's Day! If you attend any of these events I'd love to hear about it!

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Catching Up...

So, for those of you who keep up with Au Courant, you may have noticed my dearth of posts recently...so sorry! I am back. Jury duty, finished; craziest time of year for my work, done; and final grades for my Social Work 222 students, posted. Whew.

So, here is my Crawfish Festival re-cap, and a preview of posts to come this week.

image via here

James and I started our Saturday by running in the Inaugural Crawdaddy Dash 5K. The run didn't start until 10 am, and while I enjoyed getting to sleep in a bit after a grueling week, the extra hours of sleep did not equate to happiness as I sweated in the humidity and glaring sun about 10:15 am. Columbia summer weather has officially begun--May 1st: mid-90's and sunny. Humidity had to be about 80%-yuck. All in all, it was a very solid run for me; I set a new PR of 29:24. While I am well aware that this is no great feat for many hard-core runners, I do not consider myself a hard-core runner, so I was thrilled to average a 9:28 mile. Here's to hoping that they move the race start an hour or so earlier next year.

After cleaning up and cooling off after the run, we headed back out into the thick air for a day of local festivities at the Crawfish Festival. I have attended this event in past years, and it is always fun. It is not as crowded or filled with drunken co-eds as the 5 Points St. Patty's festival, and is located in my old 'hood- Rosewood.

Line-up of bands at the event--we heard American Gun, Danielle Howle, and Marcy Playground.

Of course, people came running (literally) when Marcy Playground played Sex and Candy. A classic.

There was a play area for kids, a small section of local crafts for sale, the standard Rockaway's "Shot Closet," (which I steered clear of--liquor and heat don't bode well for me), and plenty of crawfish to be eaten. There was also a pole-vaulting competition, which seems a bit extraneous in this setting, but is great fun to watch.

Rockaway's Shot Closet

Pole-vaulting

It has become a Crawfish festival tradition to go to Labrasca's Pizza for an early dinner post-festivities, and we continued the tradition this year. Labrasca's is a Columbia classic-I have been eating this pizza since I was a kid. My mom used to go buy un-cooked pizzas from them on Saturday and save them to cook Sunday afternoon for lunch because they aren't open on Sunday.

Labrasca's cheese salad. Possibly my favorite thing they serve: 1/2 iceburg lettuce, 1/2 mozzarella cheese, served with Italian dressing and Captain's Wafers. In no way healthy.

Black olive and cheese pizza. Yum.

All in all, a super-fun day. Going to bed with a full stomach, just a bit over-sunned, a little sore (from the 5K), and a little tipsy (from festival beer), is a nice way to end a spring Saturday if you ask me.

This week's up-coming posts: my review of an awesome, yet hidden gem, the Great American Grill restaurant in the Hilton Garden Inn off Harbison, this week's round-up of Columbia stuff, and the usual Word for Wednesday and Thursday's Thinking of Food. It's good to be back!

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A Word for Wednesday

earth: an inadequate supply; scarcity


As in: Last night's episode of Glee, when Kurt says to his fellow Glee Club members: "It has become clear that our group, the New Directions, has a dearth of direction." Once again, if you have not seen Glee, you must.

image via here

Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische.

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