Another Serving of Almost Heaven In The Lowcountry

Click on colored links

You have got to be kidding me, right? My beloved pepperoni rolls made right here in Charleston? Not Charleston, WV but the other Charleston? You can't be serious, what? And soon available at farmer's markets, grocery and convenience stores? The ultimate grab and go, an authentic West Virginia style pepperoni roll, you can't be serious. YEP! I am serious.

I introduced the readers of this blog to Hot Dog Sauce and Pepperoni Buns back in January as part of my plea for cultural diversity in The Lowcountry. You may remember, the pepperoni roll/bun is the delectable crusty, yet soft and pillowy roll stuffed with spicy pepperoni and other tasty goodies like cheese and peppers. They have their roots in my hometown of Fairmont, West Virginia and they are as common around West Virginia and parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Ohio as, well boiled nut stands and barbecue joints in Charleston.

And now, thanks to a couple of fellow West Virginia University Alums turned Lowcountry Transplants, Jessica and Andrew, Mountain Mama's Pepperoni Rolls are now ready to burst onto the cullinary scene of my favorite foodie city, Charleston, South Carolina. If there ever was a story made for this blog, it would be Jessica and Andrew's story. In a world economy where college graduates are finishing their degrees and being greeted with letters stating "thanks but no thanks" this couple took to the road "chasing the great weather of the Lowcountry" and "traded the beautiful mountains of WV for the coastal waters" of Charleston, found day jobs and began a quest for their dream in their new life From The Land of Palm Trees. Their business plan simple, find a co-op bakery where they could produce their hand-made pepperoni rolls, spend the major part of their start-up cash on a good graphic design for their packaging and enjoy life where "the livin' is EEEEEEZZZZZZZYYYYYYY!" Their you have it, a classic start-up business from a couple of real life pioneers.

After meeting the Trumbulls last week on their way back to the "mother land" to spend a Mountaineer Football weekend in Morgantown, I put their product to the test. Michelle and I hosted the Bethany United Methodist Church Youth Senior and Junior High youth this past Sunday by providing the meal; Mountain Mama's rolls, chips and salsa finished off with chocolate chip cookies. What better way to "test the waters" and conduct an experiment in culinary cultural diversity than using fifty or so teenagers and a handful of adult counselors and parents. It didn't take long for a couple of parents to migrate back to the kitchen and say, "you have got to tell us how you make these pizza rolls." OK, so we have some work to do, first of all, they ARE NOT PIZZA ROLLS!!! And besides, you don't have to know how to make them, you just need to know that Mountain Mama's will do the baking and you just have to pony-up at the cash register. Capish? (that's understand in Italian)

At any rate, from the pictures you can tell that the test went well, and their were satisfied smiles abound. And yesterday evening I enjoyed my own version of the pepperoni roll supper with a cold Corona and of course some Oliverio's Peppers. Good luck to Mountain Mama's and keep your eyes open in The Lowcountry they are sure to be a sensation soon, watchout Tony the P-nut Man, here comes Andrew the Pepperoni Roll Dude to a sporting event near you.

Happy 49th, Finally!

For several years of my childhood I believed that Labor Day was a National Holiday in honor of me and my mother. I was born on September 2nd, Labor Day in 1962, and for some reason in classic childhood innocent fashion, I believed that since my mother was in labor for my delivery that they called my birthday, Labor Day. Well, at least my birthday is always close to the unofficial official end of Summer weekend that is usually packed with fun and frivolity.

This year was a very odd, if not surreal birthday experience for me. My birthday this year fell on a Friday, usually not a bad thing for birthday boys, unless of course you have to work. Compounding my dilemna was the fact that my son had a varsity high-school football game Friday evening in Kingstree, way to far for me to catch part of the game before going to work at the hospital. So after arriving home from work Friday morning to an empty house, except for my black lab Sammie, I proceeded to spend most of the day in bed only to wake up to a quiet and empty house since my wife traveled to Kingstree directly from her job. Then things really took a turn for the worse, my cell phone rings and displays my wifes cell number, initially thinking she is calling to tell me that my son just made an interception or returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Instead I hear her say, "Doug, Noah got hurt. He is on the bench with an ice bag taped to his knee." Wow! Happy Birthday Doug. So, off I went to work, after having spent the first birthday in 49 years of life without spending one minute of the 24-hour period with anybody who shares my last name and the knowledge that my youngest son is hurt in a football game on my birthday with me two-hours away.

As it turned out, Noah was evaluated this morning at the Roper-St. Francis Sports Injury Clinic and got some decent news. Not a blown out knee, but a severe sprain of the MCL. Even though he will be out of the action for a couple of weeks, at least he won't have surgery to repair a torn MCL or ACL. And wouldn't you know, that awesome home cooked birthday meal was even better today than it would have been yesterday, one of my favorites Filet Mignon Stroganoff, fresh peas and a tossed salad, not to forget the home-baked Salt Risen Bread shipped to me by my sister in West Virginia.

Look at what the wife and sons got me for my birthday, now I can proudly display that Mountaineer Pride on the golf courses of the Lowcountry.

And look at me, celebrating 49 with a wish, finally....

The View From The Top Of The Palm Trees V.9.1.11

It is well known that "the livin' is eeeeeezzzzzzyyyy" in The Land of Palm Trees but don't think for a minute that life in Charleston is all lounging on the beach and bermuda grass greens surrounded by white sand bunkers. Yes we have our day jobs, or in my case our night jobs. But we also have alot of entertainment options to fill up the social calendar. That is why life in The Lowcountry is such a blast. Options man, we have options! My family has lived here for four years now and we have not begun to scratch the surface in light of restaraunts visited not to mention theatres, art galleries, museums and music hot spots. That is one reason why this particular regular post is so enjoyable for me because twice a month I get to research entertainment options to include in the post. By doing so it not only provides visitors to the blog a glimpse of what is happening in The Land of Palm Trees but it also insures that I am on top of upcoming events. Some of what I see from my perch at the top of the old palm tree today...

click on colored words for links

Pet Lovers
With beaches, dog parks and numerous walking routes in and around Historic Charleston that are perfect for walking Fido Charleston is a great dog-town. The Summer season at Charleston County Parks and Recreations water parks is coming to an end and on September 11, 2011 at Whirlin' Waters Park in North Charleston it is your chance to celebrate the Dog Days of Summer with man's best friend. Check out this fun video from last years Dog Day Afternoon.






Theatre Lovers
Nothing beats getting all dressed up "like a million dollar trouper" and putting on the ritz by hitting the town for a great show in one of Charleston's historic theatres. Charleston Stage kicks of their 34th Season with Chicago, the Tony Award winning jazz classic at my favorite theatre, The Dock Street Theatre. Another theatre option for September is The Village Playhouse who will be presenting the Tennessee Williams classic A Streetcar Named Desire in honor of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the writer. The Village is an intimate venue that puts you right into the scene as the professional actors do their thing.

History
Charleston is so rich in history and culture, the city itself is a living museum. The acclaimed (click on this colored link) Charleston Museum Mile is comprised of six museums, five nationally significant historic homes, four scenic parks and a revolutionary war powder magazine all in a 1-mile stretch of Meeting Street. During the upcoming Museum Mile Weekend, you can visit each 13 different sites for just $25.00. This is a tremendous value and gives you the perfect excuse to plan a weekend visit to the Holy City.

Music
Charleston is a Mecca for the live music lover with multiple venues providing all types of musical entertainment, from jazz to blues, hard rock to bluegrass and everything in between.
Check out the North Charleston Coliseum and Performing Arts Center for a complete listing of upcoming events. Some notables include the Lowcountry Jazz Festival, The US Army Spirit of America and Glorious Gershwin to name a few.
The most intriguing music headline currently in terms of music entertainment is the press release by the Zac Brown Band about a major 3-day festival of food and music to be held at The Joe, Joseph Riley Stadium, on the banks of the Ashley River. The festival sounds like a blast, the only problem? The folks at the stadium say that it hasn't been scheduled. So it will be interesting to see what transpires over the next couple of weeks. From The Land of Palm Trees will keep you posted.

And finally, twice a year the Charleston Restaraunt Association schedules Charleston Restaraunt Week. This huge event is widely popular with the locals and provides the perfect opportunity to dine at most of Charleston's most excellent dining spots for literally pennies on the dollar. More on the Charleston Restaraunt Week coming up later this week, but for now click on the colored link and make your plans.