I think this might be the best week of eats that I’ve had to share with you in a really long time. Some great meals here in Charlotte coupled with being in my dad’s kitchen has been a pretty awesome combo.
Let’s dive right in. Warning, you will be hungry after reading this post!
Breakfast
I had brunch at littleSpoon here in Charlotte before leaving for Florida last Friday. Spread included slab bacon, bruleed cinnamon toast, a homemade hot pocket with eggs, turkey sausage and cheese and egg white, quinoa and kale tacos. I split all of this with a friend and it was delicious!
Lots of smoothies.
Lunch
A salad with spinach, turkey, pecans, avocado, feta, tomatoes, apples and dried cranberries.
Chicken salad and fruit plate from Zoe’s while I was out shopping with my mom. I introduced her to Zoe’s and she loved it!
This is not super exciting…chicken noodle soup. I was having major sinus pressure and ickiness yesterday so I took a break from working out and ate lots of nourishing, comfort foods. Feeling much better today! I think it was just the flight and change of climate/air pressure between Florida and here.
Dinner
Blackened Mahi in a citrus buerre blanc with wild mushroom risotto and sauteed veggies. This was the only dinner we went out for while I was home. The rest of the time I made my dad cook for me…you’ll see why in the next two photos!
Homemade sausage and cheese pizza. My dad makes the dough three days ahead of time so it can rest, rise and do its thing in the fridge. I swear his pizza is better than 99% of what you can get in a pizza place.
This was my favorite dish we had while I was home. It’s a replication of one of my families favorite dishes from Atlanta Fish Market, Sea Bass Hong Kong Style. It’s steamed sea bass over sauteed spinach with a soy/sherry broth and white rice. Garnished with fresh ginger and green onions. The fish was perfectly cooked and melted in your mouth. Here’s a link to the recipe. Try it! It’s good with any thick, flakey white fish and would probably be great for salmon too…as Asian style preparations usually are.
My first night back at home was spent at Stagioni for a birthday dinner for a friend. This was my third time at Stagioni and I think it’s one of the best spots in Charlotte. I wanted the duck but the kitchen ran out so I had a bone in pork chop instead. It was served with turnips, kale and polenta (the polenta was on a separate dish). Loved every bite of this!
Etc.
I carried a super special package onto the plane with me. My sweet dad baked me two loaves of sourdough bread fresh the day I left. He wrapped them up for me to make the journey back to Charlotte.
Once I got home I unwrapped the bread, sliced it and placed it in gallon bags. My freezer is now stocked and I should be set with bread for a while. Yum!
And finally, I couldn’t resist sharing this old school snack with you. Ants on a log. It’s been years since I’ve had this and it was everything I remembered and more. This snack is definitely making a comeback for me!
What’s a snack from your childhood that you still love? There’s two for me in this post…the cinnamon toast and the ants on a log!
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I hope your Dad shares his sourdough recipe, I have a starter and method I use, but I’d love to try his.
Homemade sourdough bread…AMAZING…and that brunch…drooling! 🙂 When I go back to NJ, I make sure to stock up on NJ bagels to bring back with me. SO GOOD…Happy Friday Friend! XOXO
PB, honey, and banana sandwiches are a childhood favorite!
And because of your weekly eats posts I started buying sourdough bread more regularly! Both my husband and I are loving it!
cinnamon toast and ants on a log were staples for me as a kid too. so were ritz crackers with PB – one of my all time faves.
I’d love to see the sourdough recipe too!
Ants on a log is still one of my favorite snacks along with string cheese. Your food does look amazing!!
holy molly these are some amazing eats!! my fav snack is goldfish!
PB&J is my go-to snack. I can literally eat it every day
That pizza!! Good lord. I still love ants on a log – definitely one of my favorites 🙂 When I was little I used to just roll up pieces of ham and eat that, but it’s been years since I’ve done that. I’m so glad you got such a great few days with your parents!
it makes me smile to think of childhood snacks ! i always liked bagel or english muffin pizzas, graham crackers w pb, and of course any homemade cookies my mom would bake. in general we were not allowed a lot of store baked good or anything like that but there were a few years when we were younger that my grandpa used to get us off the bus after school and watch us till my mom got home…and he ALWAYS had waht he called a s”smack” for us after school. and it was always something like a twinkie or ho ho which seemed so forbidden. he woudl say not to tell our mom which we loved. im sure she knew but somehow it seemed like our secret with him. my grandpa is gone now and i cant eat those things anymore due to food allergies but everytime i see a twinkie or one of those snowball things i think of him and how special he made that time for us. he was also the only way we ever got mcdonalds happy meals ; )
thanks for the trip down memory lane.
I will come down to Charlotte JUST for that breakfast. That bacon looks heavenly!
I was so bad in terms of diet when I was growing up; my favorite snack was white bread rolled thin, topped with butter and sugar and then rolled up. And of course, ants on a log. 🙂
Love all the food posts, but missing the at home/body weight workouts – they keep me motivated!
Your dad’s cooking is always impressive! I didn’t have ants on a log again until I started making them for my daughter, but I agree… yum! Other than that, I love string cheese 🙂
omgosh! you weren’t kidding! your dad is so awesome! i’m trying to recall what i used to snack on as a child and the only think i remember is some toasted bread with butter and sugar sprinkled on top. oh and ovaltine. my goodness did i love ovaltine! lol.
*thing
I am sure this has already been said multiple times, but you and your father should share that pizza dough recipe! I think all of us would be forever grateful 🙂
Ants on a log! Aw, that looks really cute and really good. You have fantastic photography.
I am drooling! This all looks so amazing!
I love ants on a log! Just made it for the little girl I nanny for and had to steal some for myself too 🙂