Since it was Phillip’s first week at MUSC and also the week of the Fourth, his new group got together to attend a local minor league baseball team (the Charleston Riverdogs) game and enjoy the celebratory fireworks thereafter. It was SO HOT. But, we had a good time watching the Riverdogs win their game and meeting new people from Phillip’s program. We hung around for the fireworks show and I filmed about 30 seconds of it on my phone:
On the actual Fourth, we decided to go exploring and made our way to John’s Island to see the famed Angel Oak. Unfortunately, that attraction is run by the city and so the gates were closed due to the holiday. We went to Plan B and drove out to Wadmalaw Island to visit South Carolina’s only winery and the home of the Firefly Distillery. 
Although there isn’t much to the visitors’ center, we had a great time. Apparently, they also do fun Saturday events with food and live music – it’s really like a big community picnic. But, this was a Wednesday so we missed out on that adventure. There were still other things to see and do though. First, we did a tasting of some of the Firefly products which include vodkas, rums, and liqueurs. 
We ended up buying a couple of their liqueurs – Peach Cobbler and Pecan Pie – which were so delicious. Next, we went next door to the winery’s headquarters and did a tasting there. 
Of course, since this is South Carolina, the only grapes that will really grow here are muscadine. Phillip and I were kind of skeptical since the other muscadine wines we’d tried were all very sweet. We were pleasantly surprised though! Easily the best muscadine wines we’ve ever had. They offer whites, reds, and a blend.
The tasting was in this room.
After completing our tastings, we walked out among the grape vines. As I said, this is a low-key kind of place, so you can basically wander about as you choose. 
After an enjoyable morning on Wadmalaw, we headed back to our apartment and I started working on our Fourth of July meal. We have another round of summer fare for the July Sweet as Pie picks, and first up on my list was a macaroni salad, an easy fit for the Fourth. Technically, the name of this recipe is “Best Macaroni Salad Ever,” but unfortunately, I’m not sure that title fits. Here’s how it came together and how I think it might could be improved upon:
Basic ingredients.
First, the easy part – boiling the macaroni. Then, I diced some roasted red peppers, green onions, and some spicy pickles. I used Wickles because they are awesome. Then, I mixed the dressing – it was a simple mix of mayo, red wine vinegar, sugar, milk, salt, pepper, and a splash of pickle juice.
I poured on the dressing and then added the peppers, pickles, green onions, and some chopped black olives to the mix before putting it in the fridge to meld for several hours.
There wasn’t anything wrong with the flavor profile of the dressing (tasted great by itself), and I loved how light it was – definitely not the heavy mayo-caked stuff you often find – but in the end, the salad was still bland. Maybe just not enough dressing for the amount of macaroni? Maybe it needed some more assertive flavors to cut through all the pasta? I think I’ll keep the pickles since they were my favorite part and the base dressing, but I’ll definitely have to jazz up the rest to get this even close to a “best ever” recipe. Maybe some chopped fresh basil? Also adding some chopped pickled okra or green beans? Adding some heat with crushed red pepper or some chopped jalapeno or some spicy mustard in the dressing? Or bacon, because bacon makes most everything better? Some combination of those? Anyway, completely edible and a cool compliment to our ribs (which, incidentally, were based on this recipe; I don’t make the rub, really, but instead just sprinkle all of the ingredients on both sides of the ribs before wrapping in foil, and we use our own sauce – super easy and super delicious). Our Fourth meal:
The biscuits (although they didn’t rise because I think I need new baking powder) were also extra delicious and were made from this recipe for Bacon Cheese Biscuits.
All in all, a great first holiday in our new city!
