March Happenings

Looking for fun events in the Triangle area? Check out Triangle.com for the latest happenings in Chapel Hill and surrounding areas. There are more than 1200 events to choose from in March!

Here’s a list of some of my favorite upcoming events.

Joe Goode Performance Group
3/9/2010 Tuesday 8:00p
NCSU Stewart Theatre, Raleigh NC

Laser Michael Jackson
All month
The Children’s Museum and Science Center at the imperial Centre, Rocky Mount NC

“Go Green” Wine Dinner
3/12/2010 Friday 6:30p
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Raleigh NC

Clay Aiken
3/12/2010 Friday 8:00p
Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, Raleigh NC

LEGO-palooza
3/13/2010 Saturday 11:00a
Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, Chapel Hill NC

Menopause – The Musical
3/13/2010 Saturday 2:00p
Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts, Raleigh NC

Broadway Series South presents Little House on the Prairie The Musical
3/16/2010 Tuesday 8:00p
Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, Raleigh NC

St. Patrick’s Day Mug Night!!!
3/17/2010 Wednesday 5:00p
The Pour House Music Hall, Raleigh NC

Autism Society of NC Night with the Hurricanes
3/18/2010 Thursday 7:00p
RBC Center (Raleigh Entertainment & Sports Arena), Raleigh NC

WSN Series: An Evening With Pianist Stefan Litwin
3/19/2010 Friday 8:00p to 10:00p
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC

Women’s Empowerment 2010
3/20/2010 Saturday 11:30a
RBC Center (Raleigh Entertainment & Sports Arena), Raleigh NC

Mozart, Bach & Schumann
3/23/2010 Tuesday 8:00p
Meymandi Concert Hall, Raleigh NC

Lisa Lampanelli
3/27/2010 Saturday 8:00p
Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, Raleigh NC

Natural Egg Dyeing (age 4 & up, with parent)
3/28/2010 Sunday 2:00p to 3:30p
North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill NC

Know of any other great events?  Share with all your neighbors on our blog!

Sculpture in the Garden

Art and gardening combine at the annual Sculpture in the Garden exhibition at the North Carolina Botanical Garden. Twenty-four local artists contributed their three-dimensional art and sculptures to the garden and you can check out their work for yourself now through November 15. Find out more about Sculpture in the Garden here. (http://ncbg.unc.edu/pages/29/#sculpture)

Have you been to Sculpture in the Garden? Which sculpture was your favorite?

Lunch with One

Ackland Art Museum is currently hosting a daytime presentation during certain Wednesdays now through the end of the year. You are invited to bring your lunch and enjoy an hour of lecture on the art collection housed there. The event is free to members, and only $5 for non-members. One hour, one expert, one work of art – regardless of the piece, it promises to be an enlightening hour.The calendar lists the upcoming days for the Lunch with One program. If you have any questions, please call 919.966.5736.

 

Try a Quick Getaway to Gatlinburg

Would you like to get away but don’t think you have the time? How does horseback riding, canoeing, shopping or perhaps a dip in a hot tub sound to you?

You can do all of this in one weekend trip by driving to Gatlinburg, Tenn., which is closer than you may think.

Amid the splendor of the Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg embodies the simple goodness of small town life. Gatlinburg is where people gather together and stand in awe of nature’s glory.

The adjacent Great Smoky Mountains National Park, boasts more than nine million visitors annually, and has transformed Gatlinburg into a mountain resort destination, packed with accommodations of every sort, dozens of local-to-national restaurants, and attractions galore.

Surrounded on three sides by the natural beauty of the park, Gatlinburg prides itself in its mountain heritage, and the arts, crafts and retail shops of the area reflect that heritage to a large extent.

Enjoy the walking community along the Downtown Parkway, which runs from one end of town to the other with hundreds of things to see and do in between. The river walk along River Road echoes the wistful sounds of the Little Pigeon River, with gazebos and benches along the walkway. And the streets are dotted with shops and restaurants for about three miles.

Once the sun sets, there are plenty of fine dining and entertainment options. From family-fare to filet mignon and everything in between, the area’s restaurants have something special to please you. Log on to www.gatlinburg.com for more info.

If you have been to Gatlinburg and would like to share your favorite restaurant, attraction or photos, please let us know.

Always a Winner – Chocolate Cake

Who needs a birthday excuse for chocolate cake?

A new recipe for this old favorite is always a good reason for breaking out the kitchen utensils.

Tastespotting.com is loaded with chocolate cake recipes; a quick search showed more than 300 recipes just for chocolate cake.

One recipe that sounds wonderful comes from Visions of Sugar Plum, the blog site of Emily from Food Network’s Ultimate Recipe Showdown. The name of the cake says it all: Chocolate-Hazelnut Cake with Raspberry Preserves & Chocolate Ganache.

What do you think about a chocolate-raspberry combo? DinnerWithJulie.com featured a Sunken Chocolate Cake with Berry Fool recently that can be made with raspberries, or blackberries if you want to switch it up, or just left as plain ol’ divine whipped cream. The cake is flourless, which makes it ideal for celiac sufferers.

If you want something a little different, what about a Lime-spiked White Chocolate Cake? The citrus balances the sweetness of the white chocolate, and it looks nice and light for a summer dessert.

This spiced Gooey Pecan Cake looked different, and delicious.

What’s the recipe for your Best Chocolate Cake ever?