Green.

I'm a little behind when it comes to documenting my Holidays. Tomorrow is Easter and here I am - posting pictures from St. Patrick's Day.

Instead of braving the uptown crowd for Charlotte's annual Pub Crawl, I did the opposite and baked a loaf of Irish Soda Bread. Very fitting for the Holiday. This was about to be the most productive part of my weekend, but then I realized that sometimes it's important to get out of the house. Usually, I dedicate my weekends to being entirely anti-social, as I catch up on the sleep that I missed during the work week. And of course, (un)necessary trips to Target.

On Sunday, we celebrated our half-Irish heritage with a Celtic festival at Latta Plantation. Beautiful Latta Plantation. I'm such a nerd when it comes to Historic sites, and anything cultural. It made me miss Scotland (and Ireland) so so much!

Back again.

There is a perpetual war going on inside my head. Low country vs High country. Charleston and Savannah, vs Boone and Asheville. Beaches vs Mountains.

Charleston, I have enough love for you to fill my entire heart - but when it comes to taking sides, the mountains always win. Smiles ensued the moment we turned the corner and laid our eyes on those rolling, blue hills. It used to be such a familiar sight, and I fell in love all over again. We even experienced another snowfall - but it wasn't a cold, wet snow. Instead, it looked like Fleur De Sel falling from the sky, and didn't interfere with our busy plans.

Asheville is the perfect balance of an extravagant city and a sleepy little town. Things to obsess over: blinding sunsets, Bavarian-style architecture, smokey mountain air, an offbeat arts scene, and the forever satisfying Chocolate Lounge. I wasn't about to leave before enjoying a maple and smoked sea salt hot chocolate. I'm not sure why my favorite dessert stop in this town didn't cross my mind as we were in the middle of our failed quest to find celebratory cupcakes for our wonderful friends who just got engaged (!!!!!). They don't sell cupcakes, but they sell macarons and chocolate truffles. Fancy!

Time traveling at Biltmore.

Biltmore Estate: the closest thing that North Carolina (and the rest of our country) has to a castle. By visiting Biltmore, you're instantly transported to the setting of a Jane Austen novel, without having to drive very far. Oh, how I wish they allowed photography inside this grand chateau - intricate details, floor to ceiling tapestries, dainty floral china galore, and a Pellegrini painting that once graced the ceiling of the Pisini Palace in Venice. Somebody pinch me. Luckily, I have a 12 month pass that will surely be renewed. Their festival of flowers is just around the corner! It might be a cliche travel destination if you live in NC, but it'll never get old to me.

Red.

 

 

My family, friends, and handsome Valentine really showed me some love this year. Snail mail is one of my favorite things, and I received a few different cards and packages this week. I am so blessed to have such wonderful people in my life. While some might be cynical of the Hallmark Holiday, I happen to love it. Any excuse to eat an entire heart-shaped box of chocolate truffles.

Another high note of the week - Winter finally decided to show up! I haven't seen real snow since I lived in Boone, and I wasn't very happy about that. My poor little front-wheel-drive vehicle, on the other hand, was clearly confused. It was slipping and sliding the entire way back home after a quick outing this afternoon; an outing that I embarked upon after determing that it was definitely not going to snow today.

 

Kitties are even cuter in the snow, even when trying to run away.

Cookie Monster

Nutella-Stuffed Brown Butter and Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies from Ambitious Kitchen.

I saw a picture of these cookies on instagram Saturday night, and immediately decided to spend my Sunday morning waltzing down the isles of Trader Joes. I'm not sure which ingredient drew me in - Nutella? Swoon. Sea Salt? Always necessary. Chocolate Chips? Um... chocolate. Browned butter? A new favorite.

All of the above.

I'm not much of a baker - but when I decide to make something, I tend to act overly ambitious. These cookies sounded intimidating, but weren't nearly as time consuming or difficult as I thought (minus two torturous hours to let the dough chill). They were the perfect ending to our Superbowl feast of hot wings, pretzels and orange soda. Go Team.