May 2016 Pre-Nuptial #brewsnque at Avondale Brewing and Saw's Soul Kitchen

May...wonderful May.  May gives us graduation celebrations, parties and teas, bridal showers and weddings, baby showers, birthdays and Mother's day.  May packs a punch in the event department so planning a #brewsnque date was difficult.

This weekend was the wedding weekend for our friend Ron.  Ron and Cliff were planning on tying the knot at Avondale Park...down the street from Avondale Brewing...where we've wanted to visit for quite a while now...ding, ding ding!  We have a winner!

On the day of the wedding, I wanted to swing by Cahaba Heights and have lunch at Miss Myra's BBQ and then go to Avondale Brewing for a prenuptial libation but we left Montgomery too late to squeeze in a stop at Miss Myra's.  We'll catch you another time Miss Myra! Maybe on our next trip to or through Birmingham.

Running short on #brewsnque time, we went straight to Avondale Brewing.  This brewery is a really cool place!  We ordered a couple of Miss Fancy's Tripels and wandered out back. Music was flowing, the low country boil was being served from a truck and so many hip young people with their pups were hanging out and enjoying life.  We were a little overdressed in our wedding attire, but all in all, it was good times!  We will definitely make a return trip because this one was way too short!

Being hungry and not wanting to wait for the wedding reception, Lamar and I decided to tack on another Saw's to our #brewsnque experiences!  We thought about trying the Post Office Pies but were a little short on time to eat and want to be able to sit and enjoy the pies when we finally visit.  So, Post Office Pies, we'll catch you another time too!

The pork sandwich at Saw's Soul Kitchen in Avondale was again, one of the best BBQ sandwiches I have ever tasted.  Y'all, it literally melted in my mouth!  The vinegar based coleslaw was delish and the only thing that was missing on the fries was a good brown gravy and melted cheese!  (Sidenote : must make Poutine soon.)  The hubs enjoyed his too, although we both ate way too fast.  But the clock was ticking on the two Cinderellas we were there to watch get hitched so we ate fast.

Just a few blocks down the road, and it's off to the wedding we go.  It was a beautiful night for an outdoor wedding at the Avondale Park Amphitheater.  Surprisingly cool and breezy for a Saturday late in May.  The wedding was really nice. Surrounded by family and friends, it was truly the perfect way to usher in the next chapter of their lives.  It was a fun celebration and the bonus was getting to visit with Lamar's sister, Traci.  She was the "best person" for Ron. Traci and Ron are long time friends and I thought it was sweet that she was able to "stand up" for him on an important day.

Rosie was the flower girl.  Lamar always finds the pups, wherever we go, always.

The Avondale area of Birmingham is a great neighborhood if you are young and hip or old and would like to look hip, like us!  This #brewsnque is deserving of a repeat!

April 2016 - Railyard Brewing

April was a busy month!

We welcomed a new grandbaby into the family!

He's is fearfully and wonderfully made and perfect in every way! The Ivey family is totally in love with Alexander!

Our #brewsnque weekend for April became just a #brews weekend.  We enjoyed an early evening of dinner and shared a flight at Railyard Brewing.  Railyard Brewing is one of our most favorite places in downtown Montgomery.  We love the atmosphere and the food and we are sure to run into someone we know while we are there.

The night we were there was also prom night for several young couples.  It was fun to watch them at their pre-prom dinners, hanging out, taking photos and just having a good time downtown.  

We love the area down by the river in our capital city.  When I was growing up in Montgomery, downtown was office buildings and the Civic Center.  Other than an event at the Civic center or to do business you just didn't go to downtown Montgomery...unless it was to eat at Chris' Hotdogs.  

Chris' Hotdogs, where on any given day you could be sitting in a booth with the Governor on one side and a homeless person on the other because all are welcome and all the way is the only way.  =)  

If you ever get an opportunity to visit Montgomery, be sure to visit the historical sites and stick around for the really fun spots downtown...which might be my next blogging venture in 2017...hmmmm.

March 2016 - Calhouns, Cribbs and RJ Rockers

It was time to hit the road again for a few days and this time we headed to Spartanburg, South Carolina to see our friends Ritch and Pat!

Ritch, Pat and their kids lived in Montgomery when all of our kids were young.  Pat and I worked together and for too many reasons to mention, we gravitated toward one another in friendship.  The Ivey family soon began to form a bond with the Calhoun family and even though we are now miles apart Lamar and I count our friendship with Ritch and Pat as eternal!  We.love.them.  We love their kids.  We love their grandkids and we love their pets!  RIP Maxx you were such a good pup.

So our typical #brewsnque weekend had a little twist this month. Ritch is the Executive Chef at the Piedmont Club in Spartanburg and he has a killer recipe for Boston Butt. Not only was he kind enough to share the dry rub recipe with the "Cooking Through the Calendar" Cookbook that the Dream Team at New Waters Realty gave to their clients in 2016, he went above and beyond to treat us to a BBQ for dinner the first night of our weekend!

I was, as you can see, half way into my dinner before I thought to take a photo.  Ritch and Pat have always spoiled us in the food department of our visits!  This weekend was no exception!  (ps Pat makes a clam dip that has always, always been my favorite.  She's a keeper!)

Here's the recipe for both the dry rub and the blueberry BBQ sauce. #yumformytum #myfavorite

8 pound Boston Butt

Dry Rub:
1 cup chili powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup salt
2 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoons garlic
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons black pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

Trim fat to 1 inch.  Rub pork butt and set in refrigerator overnight.  Smoke at 250 degrees for approximately 8 hours or until internal temperature is 190 degrees.

Blueberry BBQ Sauce:
3 jars Stubbs BBQ sauce
2 pints blueberries (frozen is fine)

Simmer for 10 minutes.  Puree in food processor.

I need to back up just a bit and let you know that Ritch had surgery on his wrist the day before our visit, so the phrase "above and beyond" doesn't seem to quite cut it.  He's doing better now...but those first few days were rough, even with pain killers.  Ritch is the Man.

The area of South Carolina that is home to Greenville and Spartanburg is probably one of my most favorite places to be!  I've always told Lamar that if he ever had a job offer anywhere close to there we were going!  They have four, count them, four seasons!  Cultural diversity and rich in history.  During our few trips to visit the Calhoun family, they have shared some of their favorite spots and this trip did not disappoint!

Pat took us to downtown Spartanburg on Saturday.  Y'all.  I could move there tomorrow.

 

We ate lunch at Cribbs Kitchen and enjoyed the delicious Warmed Bread Plate, I'll Have the Dip assortment of chips and dips and Pimento Cheese Fritters with Tomato Jam.  Everything was so good!  We shared a flight with Pat and selected a couple of dark beers, pale ales and signature drafts from the brewery next door.  What a fun place and we will make plans to stay for dinner next time we are in town!  

You'll notice the US map made of different brewery logos.  Look who we found! One of our favorites and the first stop on our #brewsnque tour of 2016! Good People Brewing

After we enjoyed some good food and fellowship, we walked next door to RJ Rockers Brewing to sample some more home brews to make our #brewsnque weekend complete!

Great place!  Great fun!  Great friends!

Lamar, of course, made friends with a couple of rescue dogs and their owners.  Looking forward to taking Pretty Girl and Minnie to enjoy a #brewsnque weekend soon!

To walk off our #brews we headed back up the street to look at some creative street art and then visited Olive and Then Some in downtown Spartanburg.  We sampled so many delicious oils infused with wonderful ingredients.  I came away with an Olive Oil infused with Cilantro and Roasted Onion.  My spaghetti has not tasted the same since... =) Pat had some delicious finds as well!

They also have Vinaigrettes that are infused.  So many things to taste...so little time!  This is definitely a place to revisit and budget for on our next trip!

When I first started thinking about the whole #brewsnque in 2016 thing I wanted it to be a time to spend with Lamar doing something he was interested in (#brews) and something I am interested in (#que) and if it was something we could do with family and friends...all the better!  This weekend was not intended to be a "brewsnque weekend.  This was a weekend that we wanted to spend with friends and just be with them.  The surprise BBQ dinner and trip to downtown Spartanburg was just a happy bonus!  Looking forward to our next #brewsnque weekend but even more than that, I am looking forward to seeing my friends Pat and Ritch welcome a new addition to their family in July! Welcome Baby Sproul!