Sesame Lime Shrimp Skewers

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Conagra Brands. All opinions are mine alone. #SimpleSecret #CollectiveBias

When I think of spring dinners, I think of fresh vegetables and delicious seafood.  As soon as the temperature rises, we spend as many nights outside grilling, as we can.  These Sesame Lime Shrimp Skewers are one of my favorites.  They're colorful, easy to make, and done in only ten minutes.

For me, simplicity is key, and I have the best secret ingredient for creating the extraordinary flavor in my skewers: NEW P.F. Chang's® Home Menu sauces.  

Ingredients:  
- 1 bottle P.F. Chang’s® Sesame sauce
- 1 pound fresh shrimp
- fresh pineapple (cut into 1 inch chunks)
- 1 green pepper (cut into 1 inch chunks)
- 1 red onion (cut in half and each half into eighths)
- 2 limes (cut into wedges)
- fresh cilantro
- toasted sesame seeds

Directions:
1. Soak the skewers in water for a half hour while you cut up all fruit and vegetables.  This will keep them from burning on the grill.
2. Preheat the grill to medium heat.
3. Create the skewers, each with: 3 shrimp, 2 pieces of pineapple, 2 slices of pepper, 2 layers of onion, and finally a lime wedge.
4. Place the skewers on the grill and baste the top side with P.F. Chang’s® sesame sauce.
5. Grill the skewers on each side for 3-4 minutes.  After turning once, baste them again with sesame sauce.
6. Remove the skewers from the grill and sprinkle with sesame seeds and chopped cilantro.  Enjoy with a squeeze of lime!

This P.F. Chang’s® sauce packs a great punch, and is brand new, exclusively available at Walmart!

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A Guide To Charleston Breweries (Part 2)

It's been a full year since my last Charleston brewery post - whoops!  I seriously can't even count the number of locally brewed beers anymore; they're popping up every week, and I love the wide variety in this little city.  Last year, part of my summer bucket list was to visit each local brewery, but with close to 25 now open, it's been a little more difficult than I anticipated.  I thought I'd share another five with y'all today, just in time for the long weekend, and hopefully it won't be another year before I post even more favorites!

Ghost Monkey Brewery (Wando Lane, Mount Pleasant): Located right near the Wando River ports, Ghost Monkey can be a little tricky to find.  Once you do, they have plenty of parking and outdoor space for relaxing.  Inside, they have tons of board games and big screen tvs, so this is one of my favorite places to spend a fun weeknight.  Make sure you check out their Facebook page for upcoming events as they always have great food trucks on property and events (like yoga and trivia) happening.
What to try: Peanut Butter Porter or Yoga Pants Kölsch

Cooper River Brewing Company (Mechanic Street, Charleston): Breweries and industrial areas go well together in Charleston, because here's another one up on the north side of the peninsula.  In their 7,500 square foot renovated warehouse space, they have a huge bar, wide windows to see all of their American-made brewery equipment, and a back patio with picnic tables.  My favorite beer pairing is definitely pizza, and another great reason to head over to Cooper River is that Dough Boyz is there almost every weekend.  Try the buffalo mozzarella and ricotta on their delicious dough!
What to try: Watermelon Wheat or Orange-Infused Blonde Ale

Frothy Beard Brewing Company (Sam Rittenberg, West Ashley): I am so excited that this spot has officially relocated to West Ashley from Summerville - so much closer to my house!  Their new taproom is a collaboration between Frothy and Zombie Bob's Pizza, and the pizza always smells so good when we're there.  They serve everything from giant slices to deep dish.  I love how the outdoor patio is even decorated practically with herb planters for Zombie Bob's!
What to try: Horchata Stout or Summer Summer Summer Lime

Edmund's Oast (Morrison Drive, Charleston): Edmund's is a little different than the rest of the breweries in the Charleston area because this one is a brew pub and is known just as much for their food as they are for their beer.  The communal tables inside and out as well as the long chef's table make for a fantastic place to get together with friends.  They not only serve their own beer but also an ever-changing array of beers from small breweries all over the country.  Don't forget to try a famous charcuterie board, too - all butchering is done in-house!
What to try: Peanut Butter and Jelly or Cookies & Cream (yes, those are both beers!)

Fatty's Beer Works (Meeting Street, Charleston): A few weeks ago when a friend was in town, we saw the word "BEER" across the street as we were driving down Heriot Street from Cooper River Brewing.  Obviously, we pulled a quick u-turn on Meeting Street and headed over.  I'm so glad we did!  Everyone was so friendly, and we learned that they just opened this spring.  They've been guest brewing beer at other breweries around the city and serving it at restaurants all over town for a while (82 Queen, Cocktail Club, Hall's Chophouse, etc), but I love that they have their own brewery and taproom now!
What to try: Goslar Gose or Photon

Linking up for Oh hey, Friday, Five on Friday, High Five for Friday, and two doses of Friday Favorites

Summer Brights

With all of the rain we've been getting in Charleston over the last couple of days, it's truly starting to feel like summer in this city.  For those who don't know, we pretty much get storms every afternoon throughout the summertime, so this weather isn't a surprise.  Honestly, it just confirms that summer is here!  Luckily, last weekend was beautiful: sunny and in the 80s.  As I mentioned in my weekend recap, Mike and I headed downtown on Saturday for a walk around some of our favorite streets South of Broad.  I just love this area.  There is nothing commercial, just historic homes and plenty of shade for a warm May day.

Recently, I've been feeling extra summery, wearing as many bright colors as I can.  This romper is from the Victoria Beckham x Target collection, and I have to admit, I woke up at 3am to shop to line the morning it released (and bought it in two sizes, just in case, to make sure I had the right fit).  I am a little embarrassed to say that now, since it's still currently available (and on sale), but at least I got it.  When I first saw the collaboration, I fell in love with the scalloping and pockets on this piece.  To break up with bold, solid color a bit, I paired it with this adorable tassel clutch I received at the April Charleston Blog Society event.  Escapada Living graciously hosted our group, and we were all treated to a fantastic talk by their PR team and Rachel all about blogs + businesses.  And if that's not enough local Charleston love, those pretty little earrings are from last week's CBS gathering at E. Blackhurst, just up the street from where we took these photos on King.

This look is really my go-to for the summer:  1. There's no use straightening my hair, because the humidity is through the roof.  2. I love putting on something comfortable that I don't have to fuss with.  3. Makeup is as minimal as possible with a heavy load of sunscreen underneath (FYI I just started using this sheer lotion and love it!), and 4. Comfortable shoes are it for me, and these slip-on Converses are my favorite right now.  Walking is the absolute best way to get around Charleston, and it's definitely worth it to burn a few calories and enjoy all the delicious food we have to offer afterwards.  I can't wait for more afternoons like this all summer.

Shop my look: Victora Beckham x Target romper ||| Escapada Living Pacific Clutch ||| Slip On Chuck Taylors ||| Plano earrings ||| Gold pineapple necklace

Weekending

Short and sweet with this weekend's update.  It's been a busy one, so much so that I took a look at my phone last night and noticed I had barely taken any photos to share today.  The weather in Charleston has been fantastic, and we've spent as much time outside as possible.  Linking up with Biana today!

Friday: After work, we played golf before heading to our neighborhood park for Food Truck Friday and movie night.  We split some Thai and Southern food before grabbing beers and kettle corn to watch Rogue One.

Saturday: I had a work event in the morning, which Mike helped me with.  We had a great time, and afterwards he kept the kindness going by taking a few blog photos for me that I can't wait to share later this week.  Below is a little behind-the-scenes that Mike snapped when I was too busy planning our next adventure for pizza and beer.  After photos, we did a little brewery hopping: Coast and Frothy Beard.  Coast had our favorite truck that afternoon, Dough Boyz, and Frothy Beard now has Zombie Bob's Pizza in-house - delicious.

Sunday: Early afternoon golf was followed by a Riverdogs baseball game - pirate night - with friends. I had the best ballpark snack: homemade local doughnut is cream sandwich.  We got home just before the most beautiful sunset, which we enjoyed on our porch with a couple glasses of wine.  In case you didn't see my Instagram last night, I wanted to share that I am really excited to be featured on Wayfair this week in a post all about porch swings.  Four other bloggers and I share our inspiration for our swings and how we use them with our families.

Wedding Memories in Our Home (+Giveaway)

I still like to think of myself as a newlywed.  As my dad said in his beautiful toast at my wedding, that day truly was one of the nicest days of our lives.  I honestly don't know there's a day that goes by that I don't think back fondly to that beautiful September afternoon in New England, filled with love and family.  Part of the reason for the constant flood of memories is all of the wonderful mementos of that day that we have around our home: photos on the bedside and coffee tables, a beautifully framed copy of our invitation hung next to our front door, and almost every aspect of our dining room.

You might remember when we closed on our house last year, we had the whole house painted right away and chose colors off paint chips.  Not knowing where to start, I tried to match the living room off these beautiful placemats and napkins my aunt and uncle gave us for our wedding.  I chose Swimming by Sherwin Williams, which matched perfectly.  I didn't extrapolate how it would look across nine-foot ceilings.  Now we have one bright dining room!  To go with the matching table settings (and trivet - which was another wedding gift from a college teammate), last year, we hung even more wedding reminders: a painting from my college where our ceremony was held and a collage of wedding day detail photos.  Now, this spring, we have finished off the room with my favorite piece yet, a beautiful watercolor of my bridal bouquet.

I am so excited to introduce Linny and her Etsy shop, Imagine It to all of you.  She creates stunning watercolors reminiscent of nature, travel, and the soul.  Her newest inspiration is her own wedding, and she has started making watercolor table numbers and other wedding accessories for fellow brides-to-be.  My favorite of Linny's new collection is her commissioned bridal bouquets.  With a photo of your own wedding bouquet, she will create a one-of-a-kind piece reminiscent of your special day.  In addition to the digital file of your bouquet, Linny will also send you the video of her creating your design - here is mine!

Linny's piece truly brought our whole dining room together, and she hopes to add something special to on of your homes!  Linny is giving away one custom bridal bouquet to a Borrowed Heaven reader.  She will custom paint your (or a friend's - makes a beautiful gift!) bridal bouquet and send you the digital file and time lapse video.  This is a $70 value, and you can enter with the widget below - good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was not compensated for this post but did receive my original bridal bouquet in exchange for the creation of this post.  I enjoy sharing small businesses with all of you, and opinions are always my own.