Charleston Day 4

My last and final day was yesterday (as I write this post on the Charleston Airport)😢. I swear I’ll be back to my normal boring self tomorrow, as I need to run all this FOOD off!!  But I honestly think I did well, as I made good choices and didn’t eat everything on my plate as I normally do! 

Our last day was relatively low key in the Low Country….but that doesn’t mean we didn’t EAT! 😂😂😂

We went back to Prohibition for lunch.  Of course we had those INSANE chicken wings …

 I don’t remember if I told you above to them but that are brined in pickle juice for 24 hours, confit in duck fat, fried, tossed in a special Memphis rub (of their own), and stuck in the broiler to get the skin CRISPY! (I probably told you this…but I felt compelled to tell you again!😂). 

We had lunch as well; Hubs had the Duck BLT –

 ….looks like a Dagwood Bumstead sandwich, to me! (You know, from the comic strip Blondie? I’ve just aged myself…). Salt and pepper fries on the side.  He couldn’t finish it…it was too much and half of it came back to the hotel with us. It was so good and FULL of meat! 

I had the Crispy Chicken sandwich- 

 ..I swear the South know how to fry some CHICKEN!! It wasn’t the least bit greasy and the chicken was juicy and flavorful!!

True to form, we walked off the food around town.  We decided to go through Battery Park and walk around from there.  I’m a BIG fan of pre and post Civil war “stuff” and it amazes me the history that is in this town alone.   

 I really like houses like this!!! 

There are many houses to tour and we stumbled upon The Calhoun Mansion.  It is still a private residence to this day and open for tours.  (SN: If you are a fan of Downton Abbey (LOVE!),  Highclere Castle is where it’s filmed and it’s still a private residence open to the public.).  I was surprised to know we could do that!  The sad part is you can’t take ANY pictures inside the house! Boo!! The gardens are beautiful and I was able to snap a few shots because that’s allowed….

   Gorgeous!!  There are so many more pictures I have…on my camera..!  I LOVE photography and I desperately want to get better.  This trip really got my buzz going again for photography!!  
Our dinner was a change from any traditional Southern fare.  We decided on Vietnamese, which was new to Hubs.   Co right in Downtown was the perfect spot.   

 Co is a noun in Vietnamese meaning  “feast”…well, let’s DO this!!😏. We started with the Pork and Chicken gyoza 

 …with some lovely Malbec (our FAV!).  It may not look like a lot but it was perfect and light! We ordered the traditional Pho ga

 ..shredded chicken, rice vermicelli,herbs all in a beef broth.  Sides of additional cilantro, bean sprouts and parsley came with it. And if you like, which I do, lime to sprinkle over the broth.   

 This was a perfect way to end our Eat Through Charleston campaign! Our “tour of duty” was complete and we will be ready and able to shipped out again, Captain!! 

 Thanks for sharing this trip with me!  I’m sad to go home but that only means I get to come back! I’d really like to share this place with my boys next time and my  sister and her family too! 

Now, it’s back to the grind! I’ve got a 5k this Saturday and I’m not the LEAST bit prepared! And Star Wars 10k in April…that training should be starting next week or so!! #letsdoTHIS

***Disclaimer: All of the opinions in this post are my own. I have not been compensated for any of my opinions. 

Charleston Day 1

Hubs and I are celebrating our anniversary this weekend in Charleston, SC.  I’ve been OBSESSED with coming here since I was OBSESSED with the miniseries “North and South”! Remember that?? With Patrick Swayze??? “Orrie…take me to Nawlins…” 

 We had an early morning flight out of Tampa at 8:30 to Charlotte, NC, connecting to Charleston, SC.  I always find that funny when you pass the state you need to get to…to then come backward to it! 

We are staying in Historic Downtown Charleston, where there is a lot of construction going on to improve what’s here and to help the city grow.  It’s exciting.

We had lunch at Prohibition right up the street from our hotel.  

 This place was a throw back and pays homage to the Prohibition era.  I mean any place that refers to their drinks as “hooch”, I’m GAME! 😂 

    
   The lunch menu was perfect because it wasn’t overwhelming.  Simple items, simple ingredients with good tastes! 
Chicken wings with a Memphis Dry rub..

 WHAT??? They are brined in pickle juice for 24 hours, then confit in duck fat, deep fried, and tossed in rub and then broiled! I’ll say again…WHAT???? Man…those were good!!

Fried Oysters 

 Theses accompanied a truffle oil aioli.  I LOVED them…and I don’t eat oysters! But  I do now….

Grilled Sweet Corn 

 This was ridiculous!  Grilled to perfection, topped with garlic aioli, manchego (cheese) with lime.  I WISH they sent mmore than just 3 small ears! I’d would have had 20!!  

 We walked around a little to wear off the food!!!

Dinner came about 3-4 hours later at Husk.  There are two locations- one here in Charleston and one in Nashville, TN. 

   Hubs picked this place out – he’s the family “cruise director” when it comes to food and drink. He always picks good places and never disappoints!! #lovehim. Husk prides themselves with selecting fresh foods from local and surrounding areas. When you walk in the foyer (it was an old house), you are greeted with a huge chalk board of all the ingredients on the menu and WHERE it came from.  They change the menu every couple of days which is nice because you don’t know what to expect. (See the menu from our visit on Jan 8th here ).

Starters:

Kentucky Country Ham, Husk Bread -n- Butter Pickles, Mustard, and Buttermilk Biscuits 

WWow….was that good!! 

 
Glazed pig ears lettuce wraps 

 I KNOW….you are thinking “Gross!!!!!”.  It was DELICIOUS!! It was like real crispy bacon! There was a pickled cucumber slaw on top.  You MUST try it!!!

Entrees:

Georgia Chicken, BBQ cabbage and sweet potato, NC mountain apple, honey, tangerine jus 

 
Hubs had another part of the pig 😂

American Spot Heritage Pork, Field peas and Butterbeans and smoked tomato gravy  

  It didn’t disappoint!

..there were SIDES too… 

  Geechie Boy Mill cheese grits (front) and Bacon cornbread (back).  Have you heard the phrase “it’s so good, it’ll make you SLAP your Mamma!”. This would be true! (sorry Mom…I don’t really want to slap you!!❤️). Oh…the butter for the cornbread? 

 …yeah….pork fat infused honey butter homemade!!!!

But wait….there’s more!  

 Egg Nog Tres Leches.  My hubs is Cuban- American and I believe they (the Cubans, that is) know their tres leches (“3 milks” cake because it’s made with 3 different mills for us gringos!).  This was perfect with a nutmeg whipped cream and an orange marmalade base! Hubs went through the ROOF!

If you ever go (or go back) to Charleston, please add these restaurants to your places to eat. I’d love to know that you enjoyed something that you read here! 

All in all,  Day 1 in Charleston was a success…dare I say a CULINARY succes! Can’t wait to see what Day 2 brings!

Anything anyone is celebrating now???Hubs and I have 17 years of marriage on Jan 9th.

***DISCLAIMER: All of the opinions in this post were my own. I have NOT been compensated for my opinions and reviews.

Gettin’ ready….

Tomorrow is the day of my competition. (Actually by the time this posts…I will have already finished day 1 and slowly dying!!). This is a 2 day competition, with 2 WODs per day. Whoa! So, thought it would be interesting to walk through the items that I needed (or not) for this event. I believe it’s all necessary but it seriously looks like I’m moving away from home…my husband sincerely thought I was!!!

1. Change of clothes

Well, I literally went through ALL of my gym clothes that I keep in my bag.

..and in this mess, I found some clothes. I would recommend a change of clothes, WITH unmentionables, for after your WOD. I did 2 WODs today…with one in the water, therefore, I had 2 changes of clothes.

2. Shoes

These beauties made their debut today. It’s important to have the right shoes and be prepared for whatever WODs that come your way. Today only required one pair but you might need to have an additional pair for other needs. Sometimes, if there is a run involved, I prefer my Brooks Pure Connect 2. They are lightweight shoes that I LOVE….and helpful in WODs with some running.

SN: I’m a name brand snob for my running shoes…Brooks are my absolute favorite! My previous ones were Brooks also!
PS…with your shoes PLEASE don’t forget your socks! Not a good feeling without them!

3. Food

OMG..do you EVER need food!! I feel like I have never been more hungry in my life than after a competition WOD. This is only my second competition, so I knew what to expect. Be prepared with a variety of items…

I love making a “sandwich” with romaine lettuce. The lettuce acts as the bread and provides a great crunch. I used some guacamole as a light spread, with string cheese…yummmmmmmy!

I got bananas and halos! Love..love..love halos! Just an easy peel and eat. What are those in the bag back there? Ok…sorry..chips of ANY sort are my weakness. I had to have them!! Who can have a sandwich with out them, huh?
The Zone protein bars (my FAV!) were for my breakfast, about an hour before my first WOD.

4. Fluids

Can’t say enough about hydrating. I had a gallon with me and I drank another one quarter of it. Maybe I should have had more?? Possibly…but I really wasn’t interested in peeing myself during the WODs.

5. Extras

Wrist wraps
Hat
Towels
Swim cap/goggles*
Personal hygiene items
Bags for wet / dirty clothes

I hope that this list was helpful to someone out there considering participating in a CrossFit (or CF style) competition. I’m sure there is something I forgot…but this may be a great start!
Happy WODing!!

Question
Have you ever done a CrossFit competition? What items did you bring