on the road again.

back to wheaton and probably the last time i will be making the trip from charlotte to chicago. this time we have decided to make the best of this trip and enjoy our stops along the way. we got 2 hours away before we made our first stop. my mom has always wanted to go to flat rock, north carolina, a quaint mountain village, home to author carl sandburg. i love mountain towns so this was right up my alley. we perused antique shops and boutiques before we decided to eat at a local bbq shack. the aroma from the smokestack was too tempting to pass up. we shared some pulled pork bbq, collard greens, stewed okra and corn bread. de-lish.

before we left charlotte we consulted our southern living: off the eaten path to find some good eats along the way. we found one in louisville, kentucky called lynn's paradise cafe. it has been features on the food networks and my personal favorite, man vs. food. despite the fact that teresa about got us killed on the way there, it was a success. the decor was crazy. i felt like i was in alice and wonderland while on drugs, the pictures speak for themselves. this time we shared a grilled portobello mushroom wrap with onions rings and for dessert, a louisville favorite: derby pie a la mode. i give it two thumbs up. 

goodbye summer.

the end is almost here. i cannot believe just how fast this summer has gone by. i feel like i haven't been settled in one place for more than 6 weeks. home to france back home to good ol' lake lure back home and now off to chicago in 5 days. i'm still not fully ready to go back to wheaton. not because i am not ready to see all of my friends and start volleyball, but because i am not ready to start my senior year. once i start, it's practically over and then everyone starts asking the typical "so what are your plans for after graduation??" and do i have a clue??NO! ideas, yea, plenty of those. my newest one is going to pastry school since i will be owning my own french bakery one day (preferably in charleston, sc). le cordon bleu has a pastry school...international and in the states. so i have been looking at my different options for pastry school and whether i want to go back to france to take more classes or stay here? and of course, teaching english in france is still on the top of my list. ahh so many options! but i know that no matter what God has a plan for me and he will reveal it in time. so really there is no need to worry or stress. i am currently in the process of making one of my go-to summer dinners: grilled chicken, grilled zuchini and squash, and angel hair pasta with sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms. my next big dessert challenge is a variation of a mille-feuille (a french inspired pastry). however, rather than putting custard in between the pastry layers, i'm planning on making mousse au chocolat and using that as the filling and garnishing the top with white chocolate and strawberries. i'll let y'all know how that turns out :)