End of summer checklist

Attend the Park Hop closing celebration – check!

Held at Conestee Park, this event was the culmination to months of “park hopping” to complete the scavenger hunt sponsored by LiveWell Greenville. We visited 16 of the 17 parks featured (and technically I don’t believe the Fountain Inn Farmer’s Market counts as a “park”) and although we didn’t win any of the adventure-themed prizes, the boys had loads of fun running around Conestee during the game, they love their new shirts, and we had the chance to visit nine parks we had not yet been to. As Greenville county Park Hop 2013 is over, keep up to date with next summer’s hop at parkhop.org. I can’t wait to see which parks are chosen next year; hopefully one or two close to us make the cut, and the majority are a little more toddler-friendly than this year’s. (Cedar Falls Park was my favorite of the new parks visited on the hop…)

 

Run into random university mascot during storytime at the local library – check!

Sponsored by Cocky’s Reading Express (a literacy outreach program), the USC mascot and friends read a few books, posed for pictures with fans and gave each child in attendance their very own book. Although the boys were a bit weary of the life-sized rooster sporting a giant beak and talons at first, they warmed up after the bird took several tumbles during Chicken Little’s “The Sky is Falling.” End result = lifelong Gamecock fans? Not just yet, it will take a little more than a free book. Dear Clemson Tiger – do you know how to read also?

 

Check on the progress of the construction crew down the street – check!

The rain has really slowed them down, but a few days ago the site was buzzing during one of the few cool, dry days we’ve had this summer. Favorite construction equipment? The dump trucks and excavators.

 

Catch Downtown Alive – check!

The weekly music series at NOMA square ends with the last Thursday of August, so if you haven’t made it to downtown Greenville yet, you only have two more chances. With local, regional and national bands playing rock, blues, funk, and covers, this event is the single largest fundraiser for the Metropolitan Arts Council every year. Just remember: all the restaurants that have outdoor seating look like the perfect spot to enjoy the music while having a glass of wine or trying a local microbrew, but there is a citywide ordinance that says you must order food with your drinks if you want to sit outside.

 

Visit the doctor for well-visits – check!

On a glum and rainy day the boys walked out with a shot or two apiece, but luckily the day was saved by the arrival of Foršā avīzīte, the zine published by the cousins. Add in baking sugar cookies with our brand new train, plane and automobile cookie cutters, and you have two smiling kids.
 

 
Catch a Greenville Drive game at Fluor Field – check!

After our last attempt at supporting our local minor league baseball team was rained out, what would be the chances of it happening again? Luckily between the Playcation package, the finished library summer reading program, a Michelin family event and a completed Park Hop we had a few extra tickets. Lauris enjoyed some one on one time with dad watching the Drive play the Rome Braves on Tuesday and we have our fingers crossed the weather holds for tonight’s game.


A last visit to the Children's Museum of the Upstate before the school groups take over – check!

We didn't go to Grown-Ups Only night, the party for adults hosted by the museum as a fundraiser, but we did have a ton of fun on several of the humid and hot days here in Greenville. As these tickets were also part of our Playcation package I really feel as though we got our money's worth, having visited the museum and the waterpark and having been rained out twice at Fluor Field. We'll definitely be taking advantage of this deal next summer!

Neither of the boys will be attending school this fall, but I still feel this sense of urgency to maximize every day remaining, take advantage of every opportunity and get the most out of the last days of summer. We've had a cool spell in addition to the rain, and I sense closet organizations, end of summer garden work and fall activities taking over our schedule in the next weeks. However until then we'll have to squeeze in a few more evenings spent downtown, more meals centered around all the wonderful fresh produce available this month and some time out on the porch swing reading books & sipping lemonade. Happy final days of summer, my friends!

 

The butterfly garden at Roper Mountain Science Center

We tend to visit Roper Mountain Science Center at least once a month. If not for one of the events (like the blueberry festival, Holiday Lights or Green Halloween) then it is usually for a playdate in the butterfly garden. Although you can easily become a member and enjoy free admission to the planetarium and observatory in addition to many other benefits, the butterfly garden is free to members and non-members alike.

a gulf fritillary

 

The butterfly garden is a joint project of the Roper Mountain Science Center, the roper Mountain Science Center Association, and the Greater Greenville Master Gardeners. Upon entering the RMSC drive keep your eyes peeled for a sign posted “gardens” and follow off to the right. Next to the Harrison Hall of Natural Science and Technology are the pond and the butterfly garden, as well as access to several of the trails that lead to the farm and even all the way to the observatory.

 

 

A butterfly garden is planted with species of plants utilized by butterflies for food, protection and reproduction. Host plants are the plants eaten by the caterpillar or larva and each species of butterfly has a specific plant that the adult butterfly lays her eggs on and which the caterpillar will eat. Nectar plants provide food for the adult butterfly, as butterflies will use their proboscis to sip nectar from the flowers of the plant. The garden will also have protection from the wind, a damp spot for puddling and sunny areas to soak up the sun. It isn’t unusual to see other wildlife in the garden, such as hummingbirds and songbirds, a lizard or toad, and all sorts of insects.

tiger swallowtails are a common sight

 

On our visits we often utilize the covered picnic area, splash in the running “creek” and visit the frogs, turtles and fish living next door in the pond. There is usually something blooming all through spring, summer and fall, and it is hard to decide which season we prefer. Although spring is nice for lack of mosquitos, summer has the widest array of butterflies and blooms, fall brings the beauty of leaves changing color in the adjacent forest and winter has its own beauty. The Greater Greenville Master Gardeners maintain the garden, and it isn’t unusual to see someone hard at work on our visits. Kudos to them for the inspiring work they do, and thank you to the RMSC for having the garden open to non-winged creatures as well, allowing us to learn and play in such a beautiful place.

 

For more information on the Roper Mountain Science Center and the various programs and resources, please visit their website, http://www.ropermountain.org/

Greenville, Best Town 2013!

If you haven’t seen it, Greenville has once again made it on the “best” list, this time Outside magazine’s “Best Towns 2013.” Mentioned in the article were the Swamp Rabbit Trail, the new bike share program, the abundance of great restaurants and the proximity to the great outdoors - Paris Mountain and the National Forests of the Upstate specifically mentioned. The great thing about these lists is that they just reinforce what I already know; there is tons to do in and around Greenville! Other than the bike share program we’ve tried/been to every activity/place in the article in the recent past, hiking on the Swamp Rabbit Trail, catching a Ranger-led creek tour at Paris Mountain SP, trying out new restaurants and indulging in fresh, local food from the state farmers market and local groceries.

Enjoying a summer stroll on the Swamp Rabbit Trail

The easy access to nature might be my favorite thing about Greenville, but the availability of healthy, local food probably comes in second. I’ve already blogged about my favorites: Tomato Vine, the Swamp Rabbit Café & Grocery and the state farmers market, but there are plenty more options in the area. Saturday we headed out to the downtown market, which is possibly a little pricier than the year-round alternative, but is more of an experience than a shopping opportunity.

We picked up some breakfast and coffee, found a spot to let the boys run around and took a pause: on a beautiful summer morning this is a great destination. It wasn’t all just lounging around, as we did buy a wonderful chèvre from Spinning Spider Creamery,  but mostly it was slow strolling – a perfect start to a relaxing weekend. There are often cooking demonstrations and live bands playing, but make sure to drop by soon, as the Saturday Market only runs until October 26^th.

A very recent favorite local store of mine is Parkersway Food. Another place that isn’t much to look at from the street, this family owned business supplies many local restaurants with their meat, including Northgate Soda Shop, famous for their pimento cheeseburgers. On my first visit I was a bit put off by the grocery selection, but after driving by a few more times and seeing steaks and other cuts of meat advertised outside I decided to stop by again and give the butcher a chance. Am I glad I did! At competitive prices the meat is loads fresher than what the local supermarket stocks, and the owner cuts to order. We buy almost all of our beef, pork and poultry there now and have not been let down once. They make their own sausage, smoke their own pork and can get me almost anything I ask for. The customer service cannot be beat, and giving a local store my business in exchange for fresh food is a win-win in my book. Tip: they stock Suber’s Old Style Water Ground Meal, produced the old-fashioned way by grinding with a water-turned stone. To get the best tasting grits and cornmeal you’ve ever had, try Suber’s Corn Mill’s products.

The best “local” experience in the past week however, did not come from a store. Imagine the boys’ happiness at finding heavy machinery, chain saws, men in hardhats and a roped-off street… without having to leave the front porch! An old telephone pole was finally removed, freeing us of the worry that the already-loose post would topple on a passerby or vehicle, and this mom got her 15 minutes of zen… They say they’ll be back tomorrow to fill in the hole, maybe if I time it right I’ll get another 10 minutes of peace.

On cooking with kids - gateau au yaourt

I’ve got two boys that love to “help” in the kitchen. Although I can’t wait for the day that they start washing dishes, it can be tough to find things for them to do; Mikus is too young to be left unsupervised, and Lauris still needs help with many tasks. My goal with them is not to create more work for myself in clean-up; instead I aim to familiarize them with the ingredients that go into the foods they eat, teach  them the kitchen basics and keep them out of trouble while I’m cooking.

 

While living in France I often heard about gâteau au yaourt, or yogurt cake. You might be familiar with it from the book “Bringing up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting” by Pamela Druckerman. Although I found many things in the book to be stereotypes and not representative of the French parents I knew, the yogurt cake was in fact often baked in many households. Not only does it teach children the basics of measuring, mixing and baking, but it instills patience (yes, in the parents, also…), as the kids have to wait for it to cook before they can have it for their goûter, or afternoon snack. I waited for a while to try it out with the boys, as I wanted Lauris to be able to work independently for the most part – that is after all what yogurt cake is all about. Although he still is not able to follow the recipe completely by himself, he does well enough alone that I can concentrate on keeping his brother out of trouble.

 

What makes this the perfect recipe to bake with kids is the measuring system; the empty yogurt containers are used to measure everything but the vanilla and baking powder, and for those a ½ teaspoon measuring spoon will do (3 “spoons” baking powder and 2 “spoons” vanilla). I grease the pan for Lauris and then read off the ingredients, but he does the “measuring” and pouring. Mikus lends a hand with adding a few ingredients and mixing, and then mom handles the baking. We opted to add chocolate chips this last time around, as it was that kind of day, but really you can put just about anything in it: berries, fruit or nuts to give the kids some variety, lemon zest or rum to make the grown-up version. There are two basic recipes floating around, we use the one from Druckerman’s book, which is also the one I’ve included at the bottom of this post. I’ve found that baking it in a loaf pan extends the cooking time and creates a crunchier crust, but a cake tin will give you more of a smooth cake-like texture. It’s delicious either way, and as long as the boys keep eating it we’ll keep making it.

 

Bringing up Bébé’s gâteau au yaourt

 

Ingredients
2 six-ounce containers  of plain whole-milk yogurt
2 eggs
2 containers sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Just under 1 container of vegetable oil
4 containers  flour
1 ½ teaspoons  baking powder
Crème fraîche (optional)*
 
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375˚F
Use vegetable oil to grease a 9-inch round cake pan or a loaf pan.
Gently combine the yogurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and oil. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients; mix gently until ingredients are just combined (don't overmix). You can add two containers of frozen berries, a container of chocolate chips, or any flavoring you like.
Bake for 35 minutes, then five minutes more if the cake doesn't pass the knife test. It should be almost crispy on the outside, but springy on the inside. Let it cool. The cake is delicious served with tea and a dollop of crème fraîche.*

 

*As crème fraîche is not readily available in Greenville, we tend to eat it alone, or with a dab of butter (must be the Southern influence, thanks Paula Deen!)
** Another option is to top with slivered almonds (before baking) or powdered sugar (before serving) for a more glamorous result. Perhaps the mommies are coming over for a playdate and you don’t want them to know your son did the baking?
*** If you wish to lower the sugar intake you can cut the 2 cups the recipe calls for in half easily without hurting the end result – it just won’t be as sweet, which isn’t a problem if you’re adding berries or chocolate.

Kannika's Thai Kitchen, a new favorite!

There’s this Thai place in Chicago that was a family favorite for years, still is a family favorite as we often celebrate birthdays or graduations for which I’ve returned to my hometown. Opart Thai for me has set the bar on what Thai food should taste like, and I still find myself ordering chicken satay at every Thai place I have ever eaten as a first test; if the peanut sauce isn’t the real thing and the satay is tough, I go for the easy meals and avoid anything more complicated as I know it just won’t measure up.

 

Over the weekend we stayed busy running errands, and as it was approaching lunchtime Roberts commented on a Thai place in the strip mall across the street from the mall. Before we moved to France there was another Thai place in that spot, and if I remember correctly I had heard mixed reviews. As my husband does not often suggest restaurants my curiosity was aroused, and not long after we found ourselves in front of the unassuming storefront on Haywood Rd. Any doubt I had evaporated upon entering, as the interior of Kannika’s Thai Kitchen is lavishly decorated complete with a running-water piece and beautiful ornaments on the walls. Although the first real test (of satay) was yet to come, I was already impressed as we were efficiently seated in a great spot. A high chair was provided and glasses and knives removed from the kids’ places, which lets me know they are used to younger patrons and happy to have them. The trend continued, as the service was great throughout: never pushy, always polite and helpful.

 

The satay and peanut sauce passed with flying colors, served with the little bowl of cucumber salad as it should be. My husband ordered the pork Pad Thai, and I chose the garlic chicken (Pad Gr ate-um), and the servings were large enough that we had plenty to share with the boys and still had some to take home (which saves me from having to figure out dinner tonight, win!). I was impressed with my stir fry; the veggies were crisp, the beef tender (and fresh, not the usual cut you see in stir fry) and the sauce delicious. As my experience in other Thai places in Greenville has been of exquisite-smelling food that ends up being tough work to chew (and loses the taste before you can even swallow), I immediately knew we had found a new favorite Thai place without even trying Roberts’s noodles. And yes I eventually did, even though I’m not a Pad Thai fan, and they were delicious too! I can’t wait to try other dishes, such as the soups which have been getting good reviews on urbanspoon.com, or one of the house specialties… My Thai iced coffee was the perfect complement to the semi-spicy meal, and I really couldn’t have been more satisfied with the food, the service or the price.

 

Not long after, back at home base just in time for naps, dark clouds rolled in and thunder was soon booming overhead. We’ve not even crossed half the items off of our to-do list, but it has been a wonderfully productive, yet relaxing weekend. As the summer draws to a close we’ve quite a few activities planned for these last weeks of August, but judging from the super-satisfying meal we had at Kannika’s we’ll have to fit in another visit there as well.

 

* As of November, 2013 Kannika's has moved to a new location. They are now down the street at 430B Haywood Road, and although I wasn't as wowed by the interior as by their previous home, the food is still just as delicious!