I had lunch with my grandmother in town yesterday and before heading home after eating, we decided to stop by the library.  I had yet to get my library card and decided it would be a good time.  Libraries are such an amazing thing.  The wealth of information and knowledge in them always amazes me!  It’s been quite awhile since I’ve been to the library and it’s easy to forget what a good selection they have.  I have been in several bookstores since returning from Togo, but since I’m not working many hours and a bit low on money, the library is a great option to read all of those books I’ve been skimming at Barnes and Noble   And guess what section I found?  COOKBOOKS!  I love cookbooks and have a very exstensive collection.  But since we are living at my grandmother’s house, most of our belongings are in storage, including my cookbooks.  I was so excited to find them at the library.  And they had tons of good ones.  Remember how I wanted the new book Clean Food?  Well, they had it!  I didn’t have time to glance through all of them, so grabbed the first four that caught my attention.  I can’t wait to sit down with them tonight after dinner.  And I know I’ll be back at the library soon to check out more.  So here’s what I got (made sure to get some “local food” ones!):

I used the shrimp I bought at The Bradford Store (provided by Flying Fish Seafood) to make a light supper last night.  I decided to keep the recipe simple and let the local, fresh shrimp shine on their own!  So I decided to boil them and add a salad and some biscuits on the side.  While the weather isn’t warm yet the meal was so simple and light that it will definitely be a repeat this summer.

So I cleaned the shrimp and added them to a bot of boiling water.

I love how quickly shrimp cook!

I picked up some fresh spinach (for only $1.50!) grown right on the farm at The Bradford Store and based my salad off of that. 

One great thing about salads, is that you can add anything from the pantry to the mix.  I added some edamame, cranberries, pecans, and celery…and of course some dressing from an open bottle in the refrigerator!

I had also bought some cheddar biscuits from the store and cooked them in the oven.  I love cheddar biscuits!  There is a store near Litchfield Beach, SC that sells homemade cheddar biscuits (I forget the name), and I love buying them for dinners at the rented beach house.  So I was excited to find these.  They cooked in only 8 minutes and were very good…very cheesy, just the way I like them!  A southern girl loves biscuits!

So with the salad, biscuits, and shrimp, we had a great supper.  Very easy…some evenings you just need it that way   Have a good night!

In my dad’s post last week, he mentioned that he went to The Bradford Store in Huntersville, NC to visit a family-owned business that sells a lot of local food.  Well, when I went home this past weekend, he invited me to go back with him and shop!  Of course I jumped at the chance and we went!  It was definitely everything I thought it would be…lots of charm and yummy food. 

We first checked out the garden store.

It was a nice sunny day!

It is run by T. McCloud, and he sells goods for farming and gardening.  We checked out his chicks…

And then saw his chickens and roosters in the moveable coop.

Afterwards, we checked out his seedlings.  He had many types of lettuce, along with spinach, broccoli, and herbs.  My dad picked up a flat along with some compost.  (He tells me he’s already planted them, so look for an update next time I go home. Good work, Dad!)

After the garden section, we headed into the store.  It was so homey and warm…they actually had a wood-stove burning!

I was so impressed with the selection.  They had everything from produce to dairy to meat to bake mixes to cosmetics.  I picked up A LOT of goodies so I’m excited about cooking this week. 

And before we left, we picked up one more item at the store….Seafood!  Now, I know what you’re thinking.  Seafood?  Mountains?  North Carolina?  Yep!  And it all came from the NC Coast by two local men.  I know it’s not “local local,” but I think a five hour drive is close enough.  And it was super fresh, just obtained the day before. 

There were a few choices, including flounder and scallops, but I went with the shrimp.

I am really looking forward to cooking this week, so check back often to see what I create in the kitchen!  Have a great day!