Feature Friday: Green Door Trading Co.

Before moving to Chattanooga, one of my favorite things to do with my girlfriends was to go thrifting.  I wasn't always good at it but I have a friend who's fantastic at finding great accessories or clothing at thrift stores.  Quite honestly, I never had the patience for it.  Eventually I grew to love and enjoy it; some of my favorite items in my closet are from my thrifting experiences.  When I moved to Chattanooga, I was immediately intrigued by a cute storefront not too far from my apartment called The Green Door Trading Co.

The Green Door Trading Co. is a fantastic Chattanooga store that specializes in unique and creative vintage items and handcrafted goods. Owners, Paul & Michelle Kuffrey really have an eye for fun and rare pieces.  Late last year, my boyfriend randomly purchased a rare Clinton/Gore campaign button and he loves it!

taken from my Instagram

Over the last few months I've had friends come visit me here and I always take them to The Green Door.  Earlier this year, my friend Archie found a must-have globe, one of the many fun items you'll find there...

Recently, I had an opportunity to visit The Green Door's new location and meet the owners.  The new location has the same awesome items but in a much bigger space.  The best part: there's an upstairs!

5 Questions with The Green Door Trading Co:

Name + position @ Green Door?  Paul & Michelle Kuffrey / Owners

How long has your business been open?  We're celebrated our one year anniversary by moving to our new location on the Northshore!

You're on a deserted island, what are 3 things you'd bring with you?
     
     Our dog Bruiser
     Duct tape
     Sour Patch Kids

Restaurant where you last ate?  Good Dog with Milk & Honey for dessert

Fun fact about your self?  Our first "picking trip" also happened to be our honeymoon!

owners Paul & Michelle Kuffrey

Ready to shop for some cool vintage items?  Visit their NEW location at:

11 W. Peak Street 

Stay in the know with events and new items:

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BBQ Turkey Sliders

Since finding this recipe on Pinterest, I knew I needed to try it.  It looked easy, delicious and seemed filling.  I never make meatballs or burger sliders; not really sure why.  Sliders are so cute and are the perfect bite-sized dish.  I set out on a culinary adventure to try these meatballs, which is what the original recipe calls it.  I decided to turn them into sliders and it was a fantastic idea.

BBQ Turkey Sliders - adapted from Chicken Recipe Box

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• fresh cracked black pepper to taste
• 1 cup bbq sauce
• 1/2 small onion, minced
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• dried rosemary for garnish when meatballs are done (optional)

1. To make the meatballs: combine all ingredients EXCEPT FOR THE ONION AND BBQ SAUCE. Mix together well.
2. Roll about 1-2 Tablespoons of chicken mixture into balls. Refrigerate the balls for about 15 minutes to make them a bit more firm.
3. In large pan over medium-high heat add oil. Add meatballs and brown on all sides. Remove meatballs and set aside.
4. In the same pan, add minced onion and cook till translucent. Add meatballs back into the pan then add bbq sauce. Add water if the sauce is too think.
5. After sauce begins to simmer, lower heat, cover pan and gently simmer meatballs in bbq sauce for 15-20 minutes, or until meatballs are completely cooked.
6. Serve as a slider on mini burger rolls (I used brioche).

Enjoy!

The Weekend

I live for the weekends.  Friday evening was a busy night; my job celebrated our first graduating class.  This was a pretty historic and monumental time for the girls, staff and our donors.  After a very long day, I went to dinner with a John and two of my colleagues at the Boathouse (pictured above...I LOVE their chicken sandwiches and caipirinhas).  The rest of the weekend was pretty low-key.  Cleaning, menu planning..the usual.  I'm actually looking forward to next weekend already; it'll be a long one!

taken from my Instagram

After our last trip to Virginia, we actually returned with my parents' dog. We went to give her back only to learn she needed to stay with us a bit longer.  Dog sitting chronicles continue.  I also picked up a new member to my bar: saffron infused gin. I was too curious to leave it in the store.

Happy Monday!

What Would You Do...

...If you weren't afraid

I saw this question posted somewhere recently and it made me think: what would I do if I weren't afraid...if I had absolutely no fears of failure or what other people would think.  There are quite a few things that I'm passionate about - one of which is my blog.  Some things that I've had a fear of trying in the past, I feel like I've faced some of those fears; having my own weekly food column was one of them.  Fear of failure held me back from even trying to go after it but I did and I love it! So, as of today, what would I do if I had no fears:

I would take a risk and take a leave from my job to travel to Europe for a while and focus on my blog...for good.

I know it may seem like that's not much of a huge risk but for someone who *tries* to plan everything, leaving a secure job to travel and focus on what I'm really passionate about, is a pretty big deal.  I hope that the above statement will become less of a fear soon and more of a reality for me.  

So, what would you do if you weren't afraid?




photo via

Cucumber Gin Spritzer

It's summer...well, almost and I love a decent gin cocktail.  I can usually drink gin all year but sometimes I reserve it for the warmer months; it's so refreshing.  Though I'm still trying to build my bar, I make sure to keep a bottle of gin on hand for those long days when I need to make a gin and tonic.  I was recently reading through an issue of Food Network Magazine and saw a recipe for a cucumber gin spritzer.  Before even reading the recipe, I knew I was going to try it.  This drink is so refreshing and perfect after a long day's work or a long day of frolicking around.

Cucumber Gin Spritzer - adapted from Food Network 

gin
lime cordial (I used Rose's)
fresh lime juice
thinly sliced cucumber
cucumber soda (I used the Mr. Q Cumber brand)
limes for garnish (if desired)

combine gin, lime cordial, lime juice and cucumber.  

top with cucumber soda and limes.


You'll thank me later.

The Weekend

Such a crazy busy weekend.  John and I traveled back to Virginia where we squeezed in lots of things in a very short amount of time.  One major activity that I did was do my to go wedding dress shopping with my best friend and her sister (pictured above).  Her sister and I are the bridal party so we did our wedding duties by shopping around for dresses and we found one!  Can't wait for the big day.  I'm exhausted from all of the traveling but hoping for a good week!  We obviously knew that the bridal shop where she purchased her dress was a winner when they offered us mimosas!

my almost-finished mimosa

Special thanks so Pure English in Virginia Beach for being so helpful and nice through the wedding gown process.  Off to another week!

Wedding Attire

Usually Spring and Summer are the seasons for weddings and I'm usually plagued with not knowing what to wear.  I have a wedding to attend next month and I've been stressed with the idea of finding the right outfit.  As I searched the web (going into millions of stores tires me), I found 4 dresses that could be wedding guest attire but also used for other events.  What do you think?  I need help!

1.  Black & White Leopard print - H&M ($25)

2.  Yellow Structured Dress - Zara ($80)

3.  Black Bodycon Dress - TopShop ($40) on sale!

4.  Black Mesh Bodycon Dress - TopShop ($98)

My goal and challenge for this particular wedding is to try and find something cute, versatile and under $100.  I think I'm off to an OK start. Have ideas or suggestions?  Send them my way!