Coolest Small Towns 2013

Even though we are new to the town of Travelers Rest, we have fallen in love with the hospitality, restaurants, Swamp Rabbit Trail and accessibility to the moutains and Greenville. Someone else who loves our little town submitted it for Budget Travel's "Coolest Small Towns in 2013"! We need people to go to This Link to Vote on our little town!! You can vote once a day! If you look at the list, A LOT of towns have been nominated and some have as many as 5,000 votes already. We have about 90 so we need to get a lot more votes in!!! Below are only a few things that make Traveler's Rest such a fun little town. (This list only includes the places that had pictures online and/or links for them)

Click the photos to get more information on each of them ~

Swamp Rabbit Trail brings in several families and college students from Greenville to the Travelers Rest by foot, bicycles, skateboards, and roller blades.

Don't own the equipment to go exploring? Check out Sunrift! They have bikes, canoes, kayaks and anything else you need become one with nature.

When you want to get a little energy boost before or after a trip on the trail stop by The Forest Coffeehouse! Students, musicians, and artists are often seen relaxing or entertaining here.

The Barker Bar is a great place to socialize without feeling guilty about leaving the pooch at home. Here man and man's best friend is welcome with open arms!

 The Cafe at Williams Hardware is a lovely place to grab lunch or dinner. You can also enjoy your meal on a back porch overlooking the Swamp Rabbit Trail.

Trailside Creamery is a cool break in a small southern town. They're flavors change continuously but they always have vanilla and chocolate!

Home Color is a new store on Mainstreet with beautiful and bright art to brighten your home.

Chef Giovanni's is a new restaurant that not only has delicious italian dishes but also tasty steak and seafood selections.

 (still waiting to find an updated photo of Duke's)
Duke's Doggs serves only hotdogs and man are they good!! They now have a screened in porch so you can enjoy your eats while watching the trail.

Upcountry Provisions is a quaint bistro and cafe just off of Mainstreet. Their breads are delicious!

As I mentioned before, Travelers Rest has a prime location. Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains, you have access to trails, rivers and campsites while also being 15 minutes away from downtown Greenville.

                      

 Even if you don't live in Travelers Rest, but have enjoyed one of these wonderful places, show your support and go vote!!

Ceasar Head

Justin and I have gotten so many great suggestions on places to hike. This morning we hiked a two mile trail in Ceasar Head Park. There were a lot of professional photographers and bird watchers there to see the hawk migration. I had no idea they did this, but I am told it is incredible to see.  

We had such a wonderful time together on this trail. We started the morning off by watching the fog roll over the mountains from lookout point. The photo does not come close to representing the view. The air felt so clean and fresh way up there.

We spent a lot of time taking photographs. 

We spent a lot of time in awe of not only how beautiful everything was but also how accessible it was to us. It is still hard to believe that we live here and are surrounded by all of this. We've noticed that we are a lot more willing to get out and be active with places like this close by.

We ended the adventure on a rock cliff overlook. It was so nice to be able to sit and enjoy the view.

                                    

Looking forward to many more Saturdays like this one!!

From Flatlands to Mountains

I must say that moving 10 hours away from where I grew up was definitely one of the biggest moments of my life. When Justin and I started the discussion of "spreading our wings", I always kinda thought it would just be something we talked about. I still cannot believe how quickly things fell into place. Our interviews started May 21 and we were moved and working in SC by July 1. 

We decided to make camp in a town just north of Greenville called Travelers Rest. This precious little town keeps us close to downtown but lets us play in the mountains whenever we want. Our first adventure was tubing down the Green River in with my cousin Lauren and her fiance, Tim. We had so much fun!

We ventured out on our own a few weekends later to a place called Twin Falls which was so beautiful. I got us lost on the way there but cannot wait to go back and spend more time there. 

By far our favorite spot in "TR" is The Barker Bar. It is a bar that lets you bring your dogs in with you! I must say that this is probably Toby and Charlie's favorite place too. Patti, who owns the bar is so sweet and played a big part in us feeling at home here. 

We will keep updating on the new adventures from South Carolina!

Entertainment Goodies

I have not posted in ages! I got so focused on having to post about DIY projects and when I was not doing them, I did not think I had anything to talk about. My dear husband reminded me of all of the other things I have been doing with my time. So here we go!

Holiday Nutter Butter Recipes!

I came across these pictures on pinterest, of course and actually tried one of them out. They were sooo yummy and were quickly snatched up while we tailgated.

How- to- make

Halloween ghosts!! I forgot to take a picture of mine, but I know they were not nearly as smooth as this picture. Nevertheless, it was obvious they were ghosts and they were an easy sweet to pick up and eat! I realize I missed Halloween by a couple of days with this post, but I have another version for Christmas!

How-to-make

This photo is linked like the other one, but there is no recipe for the Santas. I would imagine it is the same basic ingredients and process as the Ghosts but with added sprinkles and different dipping technique.

I love finding cute sweets that are easy to make and easy to eat. Hope you like these too!!

Painted Frame on Labor Day!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Labor Day weekend! We have been cooped up in the house due to rain. I enjoy bumming around the house, but J is definitely stir crazy. Luckily, I was able to use free time to be crafty while we watched football and tennis. 

I had two large dark frames that needed freshening up. 

 The border was dark black with gold trim. I covered them in spare wrapping paper.  We will see if I end up keeping them that way.

A quick and easy project for the weekend!

Oven-Baked Bar-B-Q Chicken

Last night I was in desperate need of an easy recipe for a LARGE pack of chicken thighs that were taking up room in my freezer. I came across this finger licken recipe at The Hungry Mouse. It is so easy and so delicious. J could not get enough!


Here is a more edited version of how I did her recipe. For her full version (her BBQ sauce that she used etc.) click on her link above. How delicious does this look?! I would fix it again tonight!



Through out the recipe there are picturs of her leg quarters. I used thighs but really any part of the chicken will do.

Oven Baked BBQ Chicken

4 chicken leg quarters (or thighs or whatever piece you like)
kosher salt
spray canola oil
3/4 – 1 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Serves 2

Oven Baked BBQ Chicken:  Prep

Line a sheet pan with foil. Set a rack in the pan. Set aside while you sear the chicken. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.



Grab your chicken leg quarters.



Give them a rinse and pat them dry.


Set a nonstick pan on the stove over high heat and spray with a little canola oil. Let it heat up for a minute or two.



Oven Baked BBQ Chicken:  Sear the Chicken

When the pan is hot, drop in a few of the chicken leg quarters, skin-side down. You don’t want to crowd the pan (or your chicken will steam, not sear), so do this in a few batches.



With my thighs I was able to fit four into a pan. Searing them really adds flavor and makes them gorgeous to look at before you enhale them!

Cook them on high like this for a few minutes, until the skin is nice and brown, like this. You’re going to make a little smoke. That’s just fine. ( I made A LOT of smoke )



When the skin is browned, transfer the chicken to your prepared pan. Repeat with the rest of the chicken. (I only brown the skin side. I find that intense high heat on the skinless underside can dry the meat out a little.)



Oven Baked BBQ Chicken:  Brush with Sauce

When all your chicken is browned, you’re ready to coat it in barbecue sauce. Put the sauce in a medium-sized bowl so it’s easier to work with.



Using a brush, paint each piece of chicken on all sides with barbecue sauce.







Oven Baked BBQ Chicken: Bake for 15 min and brush with more sauce

When each piece of chicken is coated, pop the pan into your preheated 375 degree oven. Bake like this for 15 minutes.



After about 15 minutes, yank the pan out of the oven. Your chicken should look about like this. (The color will vary based on the sauce you use and how much sugar is in it…the more sugar, the darker it will likely be.)



Brush with the remaining barbecue sauce, covering each piece on all sides again.





When the chicken is coated again, pop the pan back into the oven. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes more, until they’re cooked through completely. (Your chicken should be in the oven for a total of 45-50 minutes.) Even with my small thighs, I cooked them for this amount of time and they were perfectly juicy.



After 30-35 minutes, they should have a nice crust. If you’re a meat thermometer type, you want a reading of 165 degrees in the thickest part of the chicken (without touching a bone).



Transfer to a serving platter.



Sprinkle with chopped cilantro. ( I skipped the cilantro because I did not have any)



Serve and enjoy!



I know this is a very beginner/step by step process, but I am on that level of cooking and this was delicious! I served them will butter beans and potatoes. We ate like kings for a small price!!
Try this out and let me know how you like it!