Anatomy of A Dinner Party

Shiny, Brand New Site!

2009-11-06T07:39:00.000-08:00

We've moved! Come see us at: www.anatomyofadinnerparty.com

It's so exciting!

Under Construction

2009-11-05T07:44:00.000-08:00

Good Morning Darlings! We are getting some plastic surgery to look prettier (the blog, not me, you big silly!)

A gazillion thanks to my Eric and our darling Erika for making this happen.

I will try to be back by tomorrow. I will miss you!!

xoxoxo
Patti

Breakfast In Bed

2009-11-04T09:24:00.000-08:00

What could be more luxurious?

Breakfast in bed is a golden opportunity to show your love. It doesn't cost anything, but it can certainly start anyone's day in the best possible way. Accoutrements you might need include a tray, some big, heavy coffee mugs and big napkins (i.e - those Ikea tea towels for $.49).

What to serve for breakfast? This is a great time to get creative. Use last night's leftover pizza, homemade scones or whatever is laying about that seems good (this might be the time for that Halloween candy that didn't get handed out). Whatever might make your beloved smile. It's that easy. Eric and I like english muffins (all those nooks and crannies!). They're easy to make and that crunchy, butter-drenched goodness would happily wake anyone up.

If you feel you need to shop before you venture making breakfast in bed (not that you're actually making the breakfast in bed, you are just bringing it to one very happy recipient). Here are some shopping ideas that would make the experience just that much nicer.

A gorgeous serving tray. Some like a flat bottomed tray (like we use, in the photo above), or you might prefer the type that has legs, for all you tall folk. Like this one. Here's a whole website devoted to breakfast trays - how cool is that? You could get one that holds the newspaper so you all could snuggle in on a weekend morning.

Big coffee mugs. I seem to have a lot of luck finding great ones at Cost Plus World Market. These are my favorites:

These hold lots and lots of coffee

Here's a link to those Ikea towels I swear by. For forty-nine cents each, you can have a whole flotilla of these. I use them for everything.

Another nice touch would be a single stem in a tiny vase. My knockout roses are still blooming like crazy, but I know that is going to be short lived. Plus, this would involve me going outside in pajamas to cut roses and the neighbors would look at me funny. So you might want to scrap that idea unless you already have some flowers inside.

The most important thing you can serve with your breakfast in bed is a sunny disposition. I know a lot of you are not morning people, so I might be asking a lot. But if you are (like me), bring your tray into the room with a soft, gentle greeting - we don't want our ~~victim~~ beloved jumping up with fists in the air because you startled them.

Just don't be surprised if you both call in sick and declare a hooky day!

xoxo, Patti

Special Note: One person I would not like to see having breakfast in bed, is Jack, father of our darling, Matt, who is in the hospital. If you could send some great thoughts, prayers, karma his way, I would most appreciate it. I would much rather that Jack is jumping up and making breakfast for the family.

Pork Meatball Thai Inspired Soup

2009-11-03T08:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had the good fortune to spend a bit of time with Miss Lisa taking photos for her beer magazine at the Brick Store Pub in Decatur. She asked me to shoot the cover! So exciting. I felt like Annie Lebowitz. We got some really cute shots of Sally and one of her co-workers serving up some beer with a cheese platter. Of course, because this is for Lisa's mag, I can't share the photos with you yet. But soon.

Afterward, I picked up the dogs from camp and headed home to make supper. The night before Eric and I had watched a little Iron Chef and saw Morimoto make these gorgeous pork meatballs and dump them into a soup to boil. I have ground pork! And veggies and stock! I stopped at the store to pick up some udon noodles and I was good to go. The weather has rapidly cooled down here in Atlanta and all we want to do is eat soup and drink hot chocolate. And bake - this weather really has me wanting to bake bread, cake, whatever.

Anyhoo, take a look at the process:

Gather all your ingredients

Add some ground lemongrass and ginger

into your ground pork

It comes in tubes in the produce section - super cool!

Squish it up nicely with your hands

Form into meatballs - they don't have to be perfect

At this point, you will want to pour your two containers of stock into your pot to boil. Chop and add your vegetables (not the cilantro, yet). Get it boiling but good and drop your meatballs right in. Go ahead - you can't hurt them. Then add your noodles and cook for about 15 minutes until the noodles are done.

Almost ready to eat

Two steaming bowls of porky, noodley goodness

Don't forget to add your cilantro before serving

Hot, meaty and hearty

I really hope you are treating yourselves to some tasty, hot, stick-to-your-ribs dishes as the weather cools and the leaves fall from the trees.

And don't forget to go out and wish on the moon tonight - it is gorgeous right now!

xoox, Patti

Thanksgiving Ideas

2009-11-02T08:46:00.000-08:00

Lets talk about Thanksgiving, Darlings. It is 24 days away, which means you have 3 weeks, 3 days to get ready.

This year, Eric and I are frying a turkey with John & Danny and whoever else we can drum(stick) up to join us. Let me know if you need an invite!

As much as I love Thanksgiving food, I love setting the table even more. This year I'm thinking of sugaring fruits as the centerpiece (I always try to have a centerpiece that is low to the table -since I am short and can't see over anything!) What do you think of these?

Photo by Taste of Home.com

Find the very simple how-to here.

Now that we've figured out the centerpiece, what am I going to use to serve my guests? I am thinking gold chargers with white plates this year. Check out this site for crazy cheap serving pieces (24 charges for $48.80!) I love a deal and restaurant supply sites and stores are the greatest for these types of items. These come from instawares.com The gold and white will look pretty together.

I've got some beautiful big white platters for the turkey and my French White Corningware with which to serve the side dishes. I'll use my cut glass dishes for the relish tray (you cannot have Thanksgiving without a relish tray!) and for dessert....hmmm....I don't have that figured out yet. Any ideas?

Sides are the place where you can shake it up a bit each year. Everyone has their favorites (mine is my mother's stuffing with sausage and raisins - I have to have it!), but usually no one minds if you conjure up a new dish here and there. Here is a recipe that I am going to try again (for some reason, it just did not turn out the first time I attempted it) - Inside-Out Sweet Potatoes. I think they sound divine and I know all my boys will love them, too.

Lets talk more about this during the week. I will bring you more ideas and hopefully you will share yours with me.

I'm thankful for you all!

xoxo, Patti

It's Not Easy Being Green

2009-11-01T07:13:00.000-08:00

Alack and alas, Halloween is over. Say goodbye til next year, Jack O'Laterns. But before we do, let me share some shots. First, you have to see Eric's finished costume:

Didn't it turn out great!?

A couple of our trick or treaters.

Love that money hat!

Eric and I went to a couple of parties last night. The first, over at The Fourth Ward, was a doozy. The decorations were really fab. Despite the fact that Mother Nature did not cooperate, what with rainy, very cold weather, we had a wonderful time. The costumes were so creative, too! Some pics for you all.

A creepy seer....her head floated in the crystal ball

There's always room for cake....or not.

Somehow, the Geico dude fell in the dip. So sad.

Pretty streamers just make a party.

I have to have these - aren't they cool?

Halloween is the time to hang those old family portraits

This one had super sticky ooze dripping from its mouth. I like that.

J -E- L- L- O !!

Bobbing for eyeballs

I think our host was whipping up a little something....

I have the exact same candy bowl! Minus the hand trying to escape.

He just lost his head over all the excitement

Bjork hangs with Paulie and Juno

Spy vs. Spy

Our great friends, Christy and James

Eric and me as the Minotaur and Medusa

Aren't our babies sweet?

Chris, our host and the creator of all this mayhem

PeeWee and the Vampire

Halloween brings everyone together!

As much fun as this was, we had to leave to go back to our neighborhood party, hosted by Garry and Poppie. Everyone looked amazing, but I was so beat I forgot to take photos! Uh oh. Hopefully someone took a bunch that I can borrow and post. Some highlights included our besties Crystal and Teague dressed as The Pie Queen of Adair Park and the Cabbage King, respectively. Taruan and Chioke really stood out dressed spectacularly as The Ringmaster and Thomas Jefferson. We ended the night by the fire outside and decided to change it up a bit.

Oh, Minotaur Fur! Cozy.

Cutest story of the night came from Tiffany and Ashley, our darling neighbors that live across the street from us. They both came as bloody, zombie doctors. They were looking to liven up their costumes with blood stains and didn't have any red food coloring - the conversation went something like this:

Tiffany - "I said to Ashley, you know who will definitely have food coloring?"

Ashley - "Uh, Patti?"

Tiffany - "Yes! But lets see if we can make it ourselves. We have some red candies to top cupcakes with. We can melt them down with a little corn syrup and water."

Ashley & Tiffany - "Patti would be so proud of us!"

And so I was. They looked great. So great that a spartan wanted an exam, so I pulled Tiffany out of there. We were both grateful. LOL.

From there, Eric and I took our leave. Walking home in the misty moonlight with our shadows reflecting on the sidewalk, the Minotaur and Medusa cuddled up and called it a night.

Hope your Halloween was special. Because you are special to me.

xoxo, Patti

So Proud and Holeman & Finch

2009-10-31T07:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween, Darlings!! It's finally here! First, let me tell you what my angel of a friend, John Pearce did. He donated 25 pumpkin buckets to the kids in my neighborhood so they would have a great way to carry all their candy booty tonight. He's my hero today!!! Love you, John!

Also, John and Danny invited Eric and me to join them at the kick off party for Pride Weekend 09 last night at the Georgia Aquarium. We had a blast! John Walker, the adorable PR fella for the Aquarium, and close friend of John and Danny's, had expected maybe 500 party goers. There were 3000! It was crazy! We had never been to the aquarium and it was breathtaking. You know I have to share the most fun pictures with you.

One of the four whale sharks

Mr. Stingray taking a nap

John, Danny, Me, Eric

Dorie and Hermione

Me with my new friend, Pinhead - what a sweetie!

Adorable John Walker of the Georgia Aquarium

and equally adorable new friend Ken

More New Friends!

Beloved Danny and Me - Close Up!

More Party Folks!

Oh my goodness, we had fun. But all good things come to an end and by 10 pm, the party was over. On to the next place! Eric and I weren't ready to go home and we hadn't had dinner yet. My thought - Lumen! Of course! We rode over to the Ritz Carlton and went in......but Lumen was closed. Bummer. So we moved it upstairs to the Atlanta Grill and had a beverage and decided what our next move would be. We were lucky enough to catch Chef Bennett Hollberg before he left for the night and had a chance to say hello. But we were looking for more than a bar menu tonight. Where to go for a great late night nosh? Where do the chefs go when they get off work? Holeman and Finch, of course.

Now Holeman and Finch is in Buckhead and we consider that a drive. But we were up for it and cruised on over. It was hopping! And decorated deliciously for Halloween. Here's the sign in the entrance to the kitchen.

You know I love spooky!

There was nothing spooky about dinner, though. Eric ordered both the cheese board and the charcuterie board. Both winners. The cheeses were sumptious, the sheep's milk being my favorite. The charcuterie board had luscious cuts of cured meats - pepperoni, bresaola, smoked lardo, corned beef tongue (it was really light - honestly!). My meal consisted of a plate of Connecticut oysters and an arugula, beet, candied pecans and shaved goat cheese salad. It was all so good. You need to see some photos, don't you?

Cheese Platter

Beet Salad

Fresh, Briny Oysters

Charcuterie Board With the Famous H&F Bread

By now it was approaching 1 a.m. and it was time to go home. Sated, with happy tummies, we arrived home, proud of my gay friends celebrating their diversity and proud to be an Atlantan again.

Be safe tonight, my darling revelers!

xoxo, Patti

A Night Out With My Delicate Flowers

2009-10-30T06:37:00.000-07:00

Oh Darlings, this week has been a flurry of activity! What with getting ready for Halloween (almost done with Eric's costume!) and all our other events. Crystal and I took some time to breathe deep and enjoy a night out with our wonderful friend Kathryn, who just finished the 3 Day Walk for Cancer (20 miles per day!) Our destination - The Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Now, I have lived in Atlanta on and off since 1992 and have never been here. Oh, what I've been missing! And Kathryn chose this night so we could watch the Chefs Pumpkin Carving Contest. Kevin Gillespie of this season's Top Chef was one of the competitors (we saw him in the lobby after the challenge and he looked beat). But there was so much more than that to see. Custom Scarecrows dotted the landscape with their spooky and funny personalities. I have just got to share with you.

First one up - A giant panda with a giant cupcake!

A dragon made from recycled cans

"Will work for food"

Me, with the cooking crow lady

Very hungry pumpkin baby

Pumpkins all laid out for carving

Part of the Henry Moore Exhibit

My favorite photo of the evening

One pink lady's slipper

One of the pumpkin entries

Trophy?

What does any of this have to do with cooking? Well, not a whole lot. But we did see Kevin Gillespie from Top Chef and lots of those scarecrows involved food or cooking (Atlantans love to eat!) We girls just wandered around, catching up with each other and getting to know Kat's friend Gabrielle.

I arrived home after 9pm - Eric was just winding down from his workday. Neither of us had eaten. What's for dinner? I'll tell you what's for dinner - pappardelle and boar ragu, that's what.

Remember my advice about a stocked pantry? We were sitting down to a gourmet dinner in less than 15 minutes.

Today - making lunches with Lisa at her Cabbagetown Market - come say hi!

xoox, Patti

The Best of Halloween

2009-10-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

Hello, Darlings. I have been most busy at home with costumes and decorations for the big Halloween holiday on Saturday. So, not much cooking - there's nowhere to eat with everything all over the dining room table.

But I wanted to bring you something cool to get you started for your own Halloween celebration. You've bought the candy, yes? Good candy? Not candy corn and Werther's Originals, right? We've got Tootsie Rolls, Baby Ruth, Snickers, 3 Musketeers, Milky Way, Milk Duds, Hershey Bars, 100 Grand Bar and Crunch bars. So I think we're set. Weren't you disappointed by the houses that gave out lame candy? Why bother? No Dum Dums, either. You might as well turn out your lights and go get a beer.

I'm sure you got the good stuff. How about decorations? Here's some photos from our house to yours:

She crash landed on our middle column - but missed the first one?

Something super spooky for the older kids

My adorable mice and spider pumpkin

idea courtesy of Martha Stewart

Ohh, spooky and sparkly!

Side of the porch

Front door fun

Those are my decorations, but out there in blogland there are some truly astounding ideas. Here are a few that I really loved.

First, from Matt Bites , are these stupendous candy apples to go with a holiday cocktail. Could you die over these wine glasses?

Professionally spooky!

Photo by Matt Armendariz

Go check out his unbelievably cool site for all the info.

This next site made me clap my hands with joy. She is the Un-Martha at Not Martha . This dinner idea was just too much. I am so making this next year.

Creepy, cheesy meatloaf!!

This site is my new blog crush. You have to see how she did this. Don't you just love it?

And from Not Martha to Martha. Remember those Monster Fingers I made? Here is what they are supposed to look like. I might be more Not Martha than Not Martha.

Click here for all the ghoulish details from Martha

What about your costume? Mine is ready to go and Eric's is almost finished! A couple of places that should be able to overnight you the goods if you waited too long:

HalloweenExpress.com is a fantastic source. They have a ton of costumes left (I checked for you) and are able to overnight them so you can be awesome on Saturday.

Spirit is a cool place with pop up stores just for the season. When I visited the store earlier this week they were very patient and helpful and had just a ton of insanely wild stuff.

Here in Atlanta we are dressing up to give out candy to the kids from 5 - 8 pm, then off we go to a couple of really spectacular parties before heading back to our neighborhood party til the wee hours.

You know I will reveal our costumes on Sunday morning.

Happy Haunting, my dearies!!

xoxo, Patti

Special Note: I will be cooking with Lisa at Cabbagetown Market tomorrow. I will be making the special - Dilled Chicken Salad. Come see us!

Pork Belly and The Vikings

2009-10-28T06:20:00.000-07:00

I am becoming the denizen of cook one day, eat the next. From our beef bourguignon experiment and now the pork belly situation.

Pork belly is so divine. And it's cheap! If you cook it yourself at home. Why it is so outrageously priced on restaurant menus is beyond me. It's large pieces of bacon for goodness sakes.

Monday afternoon I seared two 1.5 lb pieces of pork belly in my huge skillet and then dropped it in the crock pot with two bottles of shiraz and five garlic cloves to cook at high for 3.5 hours. After all that time it did not seem right. So, into the fridge it went for Tuesday night's dinner. Tuesday arrived and I put the pork belly in for 8 hours on low. This is what we ended up with:

Pork bellies

Somehow I felt it turned out a little dry. Eric and Miss DeVore really liked it, though. I guess we really are our own harshest critics. We rounded out the meal with tossed salad and green beans. We are trying to watch our figures around here, after all.

Well, okay, we're not saints, so we had Halloween candy for dessert. They'll be plenty left for the kids, so no worries. Heck, we bought enough candy to feed all of Atlanta! So a few taken here and there won't hurt anyone.

We are still working on that costume for Eric. Bolts of fur needed to be moved before we could eat. This costume is overtaking our home! LOL. Here are some photos of our dining room table that really made me laugh with its randomness.

Even though we took out all the candy,

we only had a few each - really!

Even with these clues, betcha can't guess

what the costume is!

Eric, Miss DeVore and I were especially giddy last night. A rollicking good time was had by all. Pretty much everyday we are having the time of our lives. We are home in Atlanta, where we belong, surrounded by a zillon of our darlings and life couldn't be better.

Today I will pick up chicken breasts to make into dilled chicken salad to take to Lisa's on Friday. My dilled chicken salad sandwich will then become a lunch special at her adorable Cabbagetown Market.

I encourage you to come visit.

xoxo, Patti

It's All In How the Lemon Curds....

2009-10-27T08:53:00.000-07:00

Hello, Darlings. I have been asked by a few readers for some recipes. One request comes from Vicky over at Tradition Moderation Simplicity, who was kind enough to try our carrot curd recipe and was curious about the lemon curd recipe from which it originated. This is for you, Vicky!

Lemon Curd

5 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
4 lemons, zested and juiced
1 stick butter, cut into pats and chilled

Add enough water to a medium saucepan to come about 1-inch up the side. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, combine egg yolks and sugar in a medium size metal bowl and whisk until smooth, about 1 minute. Measure citrus juice and if needed, add enough cold water to reach 1/3 cup. Add juice and zest to egg mixture and whisk smooth. Once water reaches a simmer, reduce heat to low and place bowl on top of saucepan. (Bowl should be large enough to fit on top of saucepan without touching the water.) Whisk until thickened, approximately 8 minutes, or until mixture is light yellow and coats the back of a spoon. Remove promptly from heat and stir in butter a piece at a time, allowing each addition to melt before adding the next. Strain mixture through a sieve before moving to a clean container and cover by laying a layer of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

There you go, Vicky. Easy as pie. Lemon Pie! It is so good - either on scones, layered on cakes or cupcakes or just by itself.

Enjoy!

xoox, Patti

Pumpkin Carving Party

2009-10-26T08:42:00.000-07:00

We have had a very homespun weekend. From Friday night's viewing of Drag Me To Hell, Saturday's Pie Off and Sunday's Pumpkin Carving Party, it has been small town USA around here. I love it!

Before the party, my darlings John and Danny swung by to drop off a tent from our friend Mary Anne - a tent, y'all!! Oh - I should preface. Not a camping tent - Miss Hospitalityaholic is not likely to be found in the woods in a tent. No, an event tent - a big white one! It is so exciting! And while Eric and Danny played a little Mad World on the Wii, John helped me with our Halloween decorations for the front porch. When it is totally done, I will share with you. Maybe tomorrow.

And then it was off to the pumpkin carving over at Brad and Dawn's house. They host a lovely pumpkin carving party, I must say. Brad whipped up a huge batch of brunswick stew, Crystal made hush puppies (she has been cooking all weekend!) and there were s'mores for dessert. Yum! Here's our host serving up some stew - it was so delicious and spicy.

A man and his stew....

A bowl of spicy, meaty deliciousness

Made better with Crystal's hush puppies...

After eating it was time to get to carving. I had found my idea from Martha Stewart and it was adorable and easy. Especially since my awesome husband cut open and scooped out my pumpkin for me. All I had to do was bore holes in it and carefully place my mice and spiders in it for a spooky effect.

My sweetheart doing the icky work for me

Isn't it cute?

Two of my favorites, Dawn and John Charles

Big sister Megan

Teague working on his super scary jack o'lantern

Eric's completed masterpiece - he drew this free hand!

And it matches my spiders, too.

Our Pie Queen gets her hands dirty with

the most intricate pumpkin pattern

Megan and the pumpkin that Mom carved for her

A passel of pumpkins

Ohhhhh, scary!

It was a wonderful time with friends around the fire, enjoying our handiwork.

I hope you are enjoying the season with loved ones. And getting your candy ready! I might knock on your door.

xoxo, Patti

A Feast for the Senses - Homemade Pie and French Onion Soup

2009-10-25T07:45:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Read more about our Pie Off at my friend Mr. Tim's blog

Happy Sunday, Darlings. Saturday was so wonderful. Just a perfect day. I got up early to make my sweet potato pie for the neighborhood pie off. Eric got up very soon after (on a Saturday!) There was a park dedication across the street from our house with a cookout and live music, as well as the pie off at Tim and Becky's house. The pie off is well loved by our neighborhood and this was the second annual. Becky made everything look so beautiful and the pies were so spectacular that every photo was fab. Lets share:

BBQ on the park

Waiting for the contest to start

(there I am in the green sweater and pink scarf)

Pies awaiting judgement

The categories were sweet and savory

Miss Becky's Incredible Key Lime Pie

My darling boys, Taruan & Chioke, enjoying pie

Our bestie, Jeff, who would kill me if he knew I put his photo up - Shhh.

Someone liked my pie!

Kids love pie

This is still such a new contest that all the rules and regulations are still being set. When I first brought my pie to Tim and Becky's house, I was told to write the type of pie on a card so no one would know who made it. Then it was decided to have a "Parade of Pies" for all the contestants. Um....wouldn't everyone know who we were if were parading with our pies? Lol. I love our little small town neighborhood that lives under the guise of being "big city." Today we were all Mayberry.

The winner? I am thrilled to announce that it was my darling Crystal, whose ginger pear pie made everyone swoon. And it was adorable to boot! Take a look:

Contestants awaiting voting results

(Isn't Becky adorable in her polka dot hostessing apron?)

And now, let me introduce to you, your Pie Off Queen for 2009 - Miss Crystal!

Hooray for Crystal! And hooray for all of us getting to eat pie! It was a blast.

But there was a costume at home waiting to be built. Eric and I headed home (it's so great to have a neighborhood where we can walk to all our friend's homes), saying hello here and there to various neighbors all enjoying the day.

Eric and I spent a good part of the early evening cutting patterns and sewing this beast of a costume. It was so much fun to have a quiet evening with just the two of us puttering around, making a furry mess of the house. When it came time for dinner, we both knew we were making onion soup and just couldn't wait.

The onions prepped, butter and oil melted in the pan - the phone rings. I had been waiting to hear from friend and neighbor Tracy to call me so I could help her into her Elvira costume for a party she was attending. Eric was so great to watch over the soup so I could run across the street to play dress up for a minute. Here's a pic of Tracy. Doesn't she look amazing?

Tracy as Elvira at the party

With Tracy all tucked into her dress, wig and shoes, my work here was done. Home to Eric, two cuddly dogs and onion soup. I didn't realize I had been gone an hour (girl talk!) and my darling had tenderly watched over our dinner. The house smelled delectable! And my sweetheart was so sweet to take pictures of the process - he's so wonderful! Some foodie photos for you:

Starting the onions

Yummy, Carmelized Veggies

Action Shot! Stirring in the beef stock

Simmering for three hours

Time to Eat!

Holy Toledo, it was good. We used Julia Child's recipe and couldn't understand why she didn't include more herbs and spices. How could we have tried to second guess Julia? She's always right. This soup, with its croutons of Tuscan bread and shredded gruyere was perfection. My darling served up the soup and we ate while watching my Gators beat Mississippi State. Eric even cleaned the kitchen as I finished watching the game. That, my darlings, is the perfect husband.

And the end to a perfect day.

Warm yourselves up with some soup and some pie. You will have a huge smile on your face. And I love it when you smile.

xoox, Patti

Monster Fingers and Movie Night

2009-10-24T08:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a favorite type of day. Scheduled to make cookies with my friend Dawn and her little one, Megan.

But best laid plans - Dawn had a family emergency and could not make it. I had just put together the sugar cookie dough for our afternoon. Hmmmm....we had folks coming over for movie night and I had a bundle of candy, snacks and popcorn. How about one more treat?

I saw online where someone had made finger cookies. So cute. I only wish I can remember where I saw it so I could give them credit.

Anyhoo, I shaped the dough into fingers and topped the fingernails with raspberry jam. Don't they look cool?

Ohhh, spooky!

Tray full of spooky!

I baked them at what I thought would be the appropriate time and temperature, but they took longer than I expected. A lot longer. And how did I not expect them to expand like crazy? Like any cookie would. What I ended up with was what Miss DeVore called "Monster Fingers". Or "Ogre Fingers" - I like that one, too.

Oh! You would like to see a picture of the finished product? Well, ok.

Even scarier Monster Fingers

So, my advice to you, if you choose to make these, is use very small pieces of dough. Roll them very long and skinny and they should look more like people fingers. But monster fingers are fun.

Last night at movie night we previewed Drag Me To Hell from Sam Raimi. Campy, funny and sometimes scary. There were 10 of us nibbling on Halloween Candy, Swedish Fish, Twizzlers, Monster Fingers, Cajun Trail Mix and of course, Popcorn. A fun night was had by all.

We had three snack stations so no one had to wait

More snacks and party favors

Today, we are off to the neighborhood Pie Contest, in which I am entering a Sweet Potato Pie. Yum. I will report back on all the pie-y goodness.

Make your Saturday count!

xoxo, Patti

The Times Of Our Lives

2009-10-23T09:09:00.000-07:00

There are times in our lives that are defining, life changing. I was so lucky to witness one such moment yesterday at Kathianne's. After she and I sat down to the most satisfying lunch of luscious split pea soup (my favorite!) and yummy rosemary cheese biscuits, her husband arrived home. Now, I did not know that her husband was a trauma surgeon, our friendship is that new. But trauma surgeon he is and he had come home to check his final test scores that would determine their future.

The yummiest lunch

I am thrilled to report that I was fortunate to catch their special event on film. But the doctor is private and would prefer not to have his photo online. Understandable.

I quickly took my leave so they could start celebrating. A million congrats to you both.

Time to get home - so much to do! It was Mrs. Walker's birthday and I could not let the day pass without baking her a cake. I decided on a chocolate mayonnaise cake with seven minute frosting. Super tasty!

The recipe for you:

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

Adapted from The Red Hat Society Cookbook

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup granulated sugar

4 heaping tsp cocoa

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. For the cake, sift the flour with the baking soda. In a large bowl combine the sugar, cocoa, mayonnaise, milk, vanilla, and flour mixture. Pour the batter into two 8 inch greased round cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool

Time for the frosting. I used Paula Deen's recipe found here. It is fantastic.

And now some photos:

ready to frost! remember to use parchment paper under your

cake plate so you don't have icing everywhere!

Like this

Halfway there

Good to go!

My frosting skills are getting better. They are still very homespun, but what can you do? Well, if I ever want to go to Carnegie Hall, the answer is "practice, practice, practice...."

Frosting completed, I happily walked my cake next door to a very surprised Mrs. Walker. And not a moment too soon, either! Just after I arrived, Mrs. Walker's daughter Cheryl, grandson and great grandbabies drove up. I was tickled to share in one of their special moments as Cheryl's granddaughter (who couldn't have been all of 4 years old), sang Happy Birthday. It was adorable.

And again, I quickly took my leave so they could celebrate as a family. I'm getting good at this.

And for my own special moment for the day? Besides getting to be a veritable fly on the wall for everyone else's magical times? It came that night as Eric whisked me off to Sotto Sotto, a very high end restaurant here in Atlanta. In the small and romantic room, we dined on sweetbreads with trumpet mushrooms, fungi risotto with black truffles, tortelli di mele - raviolis with sausage, apple and sage, and an amazing special of tagliatelle with lamb ragu. We shared the stories of the day, held hands and gazed in each other's eyes.

The special moments are everywhere. Take a second to absorb it all.

Happy Friday, Darlings!

xoxo, Patti

Uh, The Dog Ate My Camera?

2009-10-22T07:09:00.000-07:00

You know when you get super involved and the time passes just like that? Last night was like that. It was Wednesday, and that means our weekly get together with Miss DeVore. So many things have happened to both of us recently that we grabbed a glass of Chardonnay and got to gabbing. The sweet potatoes were baking in the oven while I seared a pork tenderloin and put some broccoli in the same pan with wine and butter and just let it cook all together. Then I set out to make a sweet potato pie with a ginger snap crust while Diane took a look at my site for editing purposes.

How was dinner? Well, pretty darn tasty except for the fact that I didn't remember about pictures until after we were finished eating. We inhaled this dinner and gabbed some more.

Miss DeVore was loving the mashed sweet potatoes. Mashed is my favorite way to enjoy them. Bake them, scoop them, put plenty of butter, cream and salt in them and enjoy.

The pie? Well, it tasted just fine, but the crust was soggy on the bottom even though I had prebaked it first. It was also my first trial for the Pie Off on Saturday, which I plan to enter - if I can get the crust right.

It was an exciting night - new developments for both Miss DeVore and me and.....what's all that racket in the back yard?

I walked to the back door and Mrs. Walker was giving one of her sons the devil. I asked her if she was okay and she held up a mop and showed me where the handle had broken off - "I broke this on his butt!" was all the explanation she gave regarding her adult son, who had just sped off in his car.

Two lessons learned here - don't forget the photos for my readers and DON'T mess with Mrs. Walker. She'll get you. I'm so happy she's my neighbor. She's the greatest.

And - it's her birthday today! I am going to make her a birthday pie and take it over with some champagne.

Go out and have a gabfest with your besties. Just don't forget the pie is in the oven.

xoxo, Patti

I Finally See The Lumen

2009-10-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

Lumen

Since I have arrived home to Atlanta after two years in Los Angeles, I feel like I have been reborn. Reborn under ~~a lucky~~ the luckiest star. Today was a shining example of this. Shining like shrouded chandeliers and gobo lights.

The Ritz Carlton is everyone's gold standard for perfection. I also believe that most feel that the Ritz is only for the upper crust. But Lumen, the dazzlingly decorated lobby bar at the Ritz Carlton in downtown Atlanta is most certainly within reach. I was invited by my friend, Tami Hardeman, from Running With Tweezers, for an early evening of cocktails and noshes. Tami had been invited by the lovely and gracious Sandra Ryder, Area Director of Public Relations for the Ritz Carlton Hotels of Atlanta, and she asked me to tag along. As I have been yearning to visit Lumen since our return home, there was no way I would miss this opportunity.

Designed by The Johnson Studio (my favorite!), Lumen brings the Ritz Carlton to a different level altogether. It is sexy, alluring and attentive - like a fantasy lover. But this is the real deal. The degree of lavish attention each patron receives is seductive. I have never felt so pampered and cared for. From Kristin, the amiable Bar Manager, who noticed me waiting and introduced me to Sandra, who had been waiting for us, to Kerem Kendigelen, the charismatic Food and Beverage Manager, as well as the delightful gentlemen (and I do not use that word lightly) at the valet - every single employee I encountered was charming and treated me as if I were royalty. This is what one would hope for when visiting the Ritz Carlton, but these wonderful people really deliver. I cannot wait to go back.

Lumen was first unveiled in June of this year. It is all about the glow. You can't help but feel beautiful just sitting there and sipping cocktails. The first delicious surprise comes when you open the menu. What's the surprise? You know, since I am dying for you to check it out, I don't think I will spoil it for you. Go ahead - see for yourself. Bill Johnson and his team of miracle workers reworked this room from a plain Jane to a fierce goddess. The sexy settees are cloaked in midnight blue mohair, perfect for that rendezvous you have been planning to relight the fire. As we were planning a tasting of the bar menu and cocktails, Sandra chose the onyx-topped, under lit communal table for us, which was perfect.

Next, the cocktails. Tami and I both chose a signature cocktail that was created to match the artwork. Fabulous. This was my drink (description from the Ritz Carlton itself):

“Evening Bonfire”
Clem Bedwell’s dramatic work, (Lakeshore, Evening Bonfire, acrylic on canvas, 45 x 43 inches), may be viewed in The Lobby above a large-scale Chippendale Mahogany sideboard refinished in a hand-applied gilded platinum tone. “Evening Bonfire” is made with Absolut Kurant Vodka, Limocello, and Blue Curacao, served in a martini glass embellished with blueberry and mango puree, mimicking the extraordinary paint strokes and deep, rich tones of Mr. Bedwells’ inspiring canvas.

Tami's Drink:
“Seas of Europa”
Named after the magnificent installation at the Peachtree Street entrance foyer by R. John Ichter, (Seas of Europa, mixed media on canvas, 144 x 102 inches), the “Seas of Europa” cocktail is served in a specialty martini glass acquired specifically for Lumen. Created with Stoli Straw-berry Vodka, watermelon pucker, a dash of strawberry puree and a splash of Cointreau poured over watermelon, Blue Curacao and sour apple pucker pearls, the cocktail is a whimsical representation of Mr. Ichter’s breathtaking work.

Artful Cocktails

Time for the food. Wonderful! Chef Bennett Hollberg's southern take on bar food is delicious and locally sourced when possible. The trout come from a place called Enchanted Springs - don't you want a fish that comes from a magical sounding place? Of course you do. We sampled the Southern Style BBQ Pork Sliders with Pickled Sweet Potato - who knew you could pickle sweet potatoes? It was savory, barbeque goodness.

BBQ Sliders

Next up was the Oxtail and Wild Mushroom Flatbread, Arugula, Oven Dried Tomatoes, Fontina Cheese. Every bite was perfection. The wild mushroom surprises the palate with something far superior than those white buttons you are used to. All the ingredients were super fresh. It really hit the spot.

Wild Mushroom Flatbread

There were also lavosh crackers with cider hummus. This was Tami's favorite. French fries came out crispy, hot and amazing. The best.

My favorite part of the evening was visiting with Chef Hollberg. Sitting down and getting to really know the chef behind the food is one of life's greatest treats. Chef Hollberg did not spend his childhood on the family farm, churning butter and gathering eggs. Au contraire. He went to college on a baseball scholarship and realized that it was a full time job and one that he did not relish. When he decided on culinary school, he moved up to Seattle to study and after graduation moved home to his native Atlanta (there are still a few around). Chef Hollberg, asked around on the best place to hone his craft. He was told, "the Ritz Carlton, but don't expect to get hired". Well - he got hired. Just like that. And has been at the Ritz in Atlanta for three years now. His newest passion involves smoking foods and he convinced the General Manager at the hotel to allow him to install a smoker in the kitchen. Most unusual food he has recently smoked? Chocolate - for ice cream. Isn't that brilliant? We also talked about dining trends and how some other chefs fall under the impetus for food that looks clever, but may not be very appetizing. Funny chef quote for the evening - "It needs to taste good, whether you are making grilled cheese or foie gras with sparklers in it". This soft spoken chef has a rapier wit.

Chef Bennett Hollberg

He has spent the better part of 2009 changing things up on the menus for both the bar at Lumen and the Atlanta Grill, upstairs in the hotel. The Grill is reaping the rewards of the aforementioned smoker in the form of a smokehouse menu in addition to the regular offerings at the restaurant. From beef brisket to a salmon filet, this is high end smokehouse fare.

Chef Hollberg has also put his own twist on the hotel's high tea. Once only serving hot tea, the hotel is now serving iced tea with a most innovative sweetener - flavored cotton candy! I love it and I bet anyone who visits will be just as delighted. Keep attending those marketing meetings that spark these ideas, Chef Hollberg!

And then, our enchanted evening was over. As I drove home in my trusty sedan (that I'm sure was an elegant horse drawn carriage when I arrived at the Ritz Carlton), I felt every bit the princess.

Visit Lumen. It is a magical place where you are transported from the humdrum of the everyday. It is affordable, beautiful and bewitching. Relax for a couple of hours in this city respite where you will feel like royalty. You will thank me.

I would like to extend many thanks to Tami, Sandra, Kerem, Kristin and of course Chef Bennett Hollberg for the very special evening.

I will definitely be back. Soon. Very soon. Maybe tonight!

Take the time to pamper yourselves, Darlings - you deserve it.

xoxo, Patti

Faux Pho

2009-10-20T07:18:00.000-07:00

Recently, my time has been consumed with building a Halloween costume for Eric. I went and bought three yards of furry fabric yesterday and it came all rolled up like a huge carpet. Apparently, I know nothing about sewing, although I do own a machine. So, I picked up my furry carpet roll, topped it with a Viking hat and headed over to Tracy's across the street to confer on said costume. I think we have a plan and it will turn out well. After our little tete a tete, I hauled my furry Viking friend down the street (while the neighbors looked on and hollered "trick or treat" at me) and came home to make dinner.

It was an easy dinner.

Remember the lettuce cups? Well, there was so much filling left over I decided to make faux pho. It has been so cold here in Atlanta that we needed some warming up. I'm almost embarrassed to tell you how simple it was. But I will.

Take one large container of chicken stock
One half onion
Carton of mushrooms
Leftover lettuce cup filling
Ramen Noodles
Olive Oil

Slice onions and heat up a tablespoon of olive oil in large pot. Put onions in pot and let them brown. Then add the mushrooms and let them cook down. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Then add the noodles - don't let them cook for too long or they will get mushy. Pour into a bowl. Gobble down like wild badgers.

One photo today:

Hot! Hot! Hot!

Feel free to go ahead and doctor it up with your favorite spices. I chose red pepper flakes and chili powder.

Since we are talking about cold weather fare, let me share the recipe for hot chocolate that Eric made for me this past Saturday. It was so good. He put his spin on it, but the basic recipe comes from the side of a box of Hershey's Cocoa. Love those Hershey folks.

Eric's Twist on Hershey's Favorite Hot Cocoa

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 Hershey's Cocoa

1/3 cup hot water

4 cups milk

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

dash salt

cloves

cinnamon stick

nutmeg

1. Mix sugar, cocoa, spices and salt in saucepan; stir in water

2. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture boils; boil and stir 2 minutes

3. Stir in milk and heat. DO NOT BOIL (sorry for the hollering)

4. Remove from heat, add vanilla

5. Strain before serving to get out cloves and cinnamon stick

It is the best hot chocolate ever.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post. It is going to be a doozy. Pinky swear.

Warm your tummy and you warm your soul.

xoxo, Patti

Hot Times with Fellow Food Bloggers

2009-10-19T08:31:00.000-07:00

Last night Eric and I had the distinct pleasure of being invited to Tami H's place for a celebration of her run on $30 A Week that had just ended. Not only was this a super fun get together, but also a small, elite fund raiser for Project Open Hand here in Atlanta. I was thrilled to be in such company. Lots of bloggers. There was Broderick Smylie from Savory Exposure , Betty from Trouble With Toast and Zack who writes Mise En Face . I'm sure I'm forgetting someone, so if I left you out, please let me know and I will add you in.

And, as probably goes without saying, the food was fantastic. Tami and Mike cooked up some delicious tidbits that included tabouli in lettuce cups, artichoke bruschetta, gravlax, jalapenos stuffed with asiago and wrapped in bacon, potato latkes with a lemon sour cream sauce, stuffed mushrooms, blt deviled eggs, pumpkin cupcakes made by Betty, ginger cookies baked by Jen and the chocolate dipped potato chips that I brought (super easy - melt chocolate, dip one half of a potato chip in chocolate, let dry, eat). Some pretty pictures for you.

The BLT Deviled Eggs before we devoured them all

The ginger cookies that made us all swoon

Mike's Marvelous Latkes

Happy Party People

Our gorgeous hostess

It was an evening filled with laughter, food, wine and the best conversation. Eric and I marveled on the drive home that we could not have imagined the turn our lives have taken. In the time we have returned to Atlanta from Los Angeles in July, our social calendar has run amok with parties. Some with trusted, long time friends, and some where we are forging brand new friendships.

It's a wonderful life.

Happy Monday, Darlings.

xoxo, Patti

Fry Cook Report, Pantry Pappardelle & Zombies

2009-10-18T06:15:00.000-07:00

My Friday working as Lisa's guest fry cook and sandwich maker was a blast. It's always a treat to squeeze in some girl time while making bahn mis and meatball subs. It was fun meeting her neighborhood regulars and learning their preferences while catching up with one of my besties. Some photos:

Down Carroll Street

The outside of Lisa's Place

Look, Ma, I made Pork Tacos! Yum!

Have you ever cooked with someone in their kitchen? You feel like a neophyte. All of a sudden you can't remember how to chop cabbage. It took me about an hour and then I felt at home in Lisa's kitchen, but boy, that hour trying to find your way around sure makes you feel like you have never held a knife or made cole slaw before.

In the end it was a great day with great friends, old and new. Can't wait to go back and have fun before Halloween. Lisa and I are cooking up some swell treats for her patrons. More on that story later.

Friday night after working all afternoon, I decided we needed a very easy dinner. You know, caveman easy. I opened the pantry and what did I find? Oh, the joy! Pappardelle and Boar Ragu. Ok, not everyone has this in their panty, but you could. It was the perfect combination of swanky and embarrassingly easy. Boil the water, cook the pasta, pour the ragu in a pan, heat it up. Cut up some bread you might have about and call it dinner. It looked and tasted fantastic on our chilly Friday night at home.

Hanging about in the kitchen waiting for pasta to boil

10 Minutes Later....

You need a quick meal when there is Wii to play and Zombies to shoot. This filled the bill. I got all of the ingredients at our local Italian Import store, Toscano and Sons. If you don't have a purveyor like this in your town, you can always order online. And think how surprised drop in guests would be if you served them this on the fly. Always the host with the most, you are!

Saturday came very early as I had made a pinky swear to Miss Crystal I would get up and go to the Annual Grant Park Yard Sale with her. We jumped in the Jeep and took off. It was a day filled with treasures for me. Crystal bought one thing. One. Cheeky monkey. While I spent money like a drunken caveman. I picked up a set of glass nesting bowls for $3, a BBQ set from the Sharper Image for Eric for $5, a couple of blankets (one red wool, the other a precious quilt for my guest room), binoculars, a tripod for $1!! We also rescued a worn, heavy rattan chair from the side of the road (free!) which I will recover and repaint for the guest room as well. It was so much fun! But we had to head home to get ready for the Annual Little 5 Points Halloween Parade with more friends and neighbors. Here's where the pictures get really good.

Men in Tights!

More Men in Tights.

Mr. and Mrs. Beelzebub

Something for the guys...

Here come the Zombies!

and someone very special.....

Even Zombies love beer

Captain Sisko and The Dude

Halloween brings everyone together!

Edward Scissorhands

Try drinking beer like that!

It really is all about the kids

One of my favorite friends, John Charles

Queen Dawn and Princess Megan

Best buddies, including yours truly (in the center)

This was the most spectacular costume of the day

Giant Puppets. Aren't they cool?

We really loved the beer hall girl

(click to enlarge photo)

All in all, a perfect day. A very cold (48F) day but a perfect day nonetheless. After the parade, Eric, Crystal, Teague and I all headed over to Manuel's for a bite and a beer. It is one of Atlanta's institutions and they serve comfort food to warm your soul and your tummy. Then we went home to shoot zombies. Let me tell you, shooting zombies works up an appetite, so I went into the kitchen and whipped up some beignets. They were so good.

Not too long after, Teague and I agreed that the first really cold day was much like the first day in the sun when summer comes. It just wears you out. By 10 p.m. we were finished. Worn out. Time for sleep. But in the best possible way, after you have spent the day having nothing but fun with the ones you love.

Hug your besties today and tell them you love them. It's always the right time.

xoxo, Patti

Very Special Note: New follower, MPB1204...it took me exactly 3 seconds to guess who this was. Hi, Parri!

Lovely Lettuce Cups and Becoming a Guest Fry Cook

2009-10-16T06:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday Darlings! I hope you all have a swell weekend planned. Ours is filled with fun. Saturday is the Little 5 Points Halloween Parade, the most fun parade of the year. All kinds of zombies and things that go bump in the day! Our entire neighborhood is going together so that should bring all kinds of mischief. I'll report back.

I am also working as the Guest Fry Cook at Cabbagetown Market today with my friend, Lisa. It will be so much fun, so come by and see us at lunch if you get the opportunity. Her bahn mi sandwich is to die for.

Last night for dinner I went with something super light. We had been eating such rich, heavy foods recently I was afraid Eric and I would come down with gout. And since I had just been to the Georgia Grown show with Lisa and the peachy folks at R & G had given me the most gorgeous head of lettuce, I decided on lettuce cups. You know - the ones you get at PF Changs and lesser known (read "authentic") Chinese Restaurants. I substituted carrots for the water chestnuts and didn't fuss with the dipping sauce. They sure hit the spot. Here are some brightly colored pictures for you!

Prep Time!

Supper Time!

One, Singular Sensation....

I think you all would love these. Either as an appetizer or a very light dinner, they are delicious. Here is the recipe from the nice folks over at Recipe Bazaar.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup water chestnut
2/3 cup mushroom
3 tablespoons chopped onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
4-5 leaves iceberg lettuce

Special Sauce

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon hot mustard
2 teaspoons water
1-2 teaspoon garlic and red chile paste

Stir Fry Sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Directions

Make the special sauce by dissolving the sugar in water in a small bowl.
Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil.
Mix well and refrigerate this sauce until you're ready to serve.
Combine the hot water with the hot mustard and set this aside as well.
Eventually add your desired measurement of mustard and garlic chili sauce to the special sauce mixture to pour over the wraps.
Bring oil to high heat in a wok or large frying pan.
Saute chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes per side or done.
Remove chicken from the pan and cool.
Keep oil in the pan, keep hot.
As chicken cools mince water chestnuts and mushrooms to about the size of small peas.
Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing the soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar together in a small bowl.
When chicken is cool, mince it as the mushrooms and water chestnuts are.
With the pan still on high heat, add another Tbsp of vegetable oil.
Add chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts and mushrooms to the pan.
Add the stir fry sauce to the pan and saute the mixture for a couple minutes then serve it in the lettuce cups.
Top with Special Sauce

There you go - so easy a caveman could do it. Cook some up for your friends and family and watch as they gobble them up.

Autumn is here in Atlanta - how about where you are? Bundle up, Darlings and make the most of your weekend!

xoxo, Patti

Special Note: Shout out to brand new Follower # 13 - NMOS. How exciting!! Thanks so much for reading!

Some of My Favorite Things

2009-10-15T10:10:00.000-07:00

I love lots of stuff. My friends, my dogs, most of all, my Eric. But there are lots of fun websites out there to love, too. Since I'm not doing any cooking right now (I will tonight), I thought I would share some fun sites you might learn to love as well.

For just gazing at pretty food, here are my three favorites:

Foodgawker: As much as I love this site, they don't love me much. I keep submitting my best photos and pithy food commentary and they have rejected me every time. Maybe I just crave their approval. Or not. Either way, it's a great way to peruse recipes when you are looking for something new and different.

Same with Tastespotting. Although I understand that aren't as picky about submissions as Foodgawker, I haven't even tried. Maybe I just like the sites that play hard to get. Who knows?

Don't be put off by the name - Food Porn Daily - The photos displayed here are museum quality and get you up close and personal with the food. I could watch this all day.

Here are a few that make me laugh:

Tastestopping - for all the Foodgawker and Tastespotting rejects. I belong on this site. Until I can convince Foodgawker to love me! And they will...they will....

Cake Wrecks - Oh my goodness. This is endless, hilarious fun. Just click on it and see if you can get right back to work. Bet you can't.

So there are some of my favorite food websites. But what about just my favorite things? Here are a few:

Fireflies in Summer

Zombies

Apple Crisp

I could go on and on, but I would love to hear about some of your favorite things! Leave me a comment and let me know. It gets lonely here waiting by the computer.

Feeling Clammy

2009-10-14T09:41:00.000-07:00

As reported, Monday, Lisa and I went to the Georgia Grown show where the lovely John from Savannah Clams gave us both a big bag of fresh clams to take home. Eric and I cooked ours last night, thinking they would be delicious over pasta with garlic and basil. Here's how it went down:

Clams were briefly rinsed and set in a pretty bowl

Basil and garlic to go with

Sauteing the basil and garlic in 5 tablespoons of olive oil

Clams tossed into the mix

2/3 cup of white wine added

Time to open up, little clam friends!

Lotsa clammy goodness

Adding the bowties to the clam party

Doesn't it look fantastic?

Well, the truth of the matter is, Darlings, that it was not. It sure looks pretty, though, doesn't it? It was one of the grittiest things I have every tasted. Did I know how to properly clean clams before cooking? Apparently, I did not. But I want you to learn from my mistakes, so I am sharing this article from ehow.com before you run off to make yourself some clams. This would have saved those beautiful bivalves and we all would have been happy last night. See? I told you it is not culinary expertise at our house every night. In fact, tonight, I am serving Miss DeVore leftover beef bourguignon. Hopefully, she won't mind.

But back to the clam cleanings. Here you go:

Pick healthy clams from the beginning. If clams are chipped, broken or open, buy something else because they are not healthy. Clams in their shells are alive when you bring them home, so keep them in a cool, open area where they can breathe.
Put the clams in a medium-size container of clean, fresh water to soak for 20 minutes. Because clams filter water through their systems, putting them in fresh water helps clear out the salt and sand that they store inside. Some chefs recommend adding a few tablespoons of corn meal to the water to help clean the clams more thoroughly.
Pull the clams up out of the water instead of pouring them through a strainer. The salt and sand that comes out of the clams during the cleaning process will run right back over them if you pour the liquid and clams through a strainer.
Scrub the clams, once they've soaked, to remove any barnacles or other debris on the outside of the shell. This process should also be used for other shellfish, like mussels.

There you go, Darlings. Don't be a clam clod like me and forget to soak the clams. They deserve better than that.

Clam chowder, anyone?

xoxo, Patti

Eating Local and Making Pizza

2009-10-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

I am having a lovefest for all my cool friends this week. They are all so stupendous. Yesterday I received a call from one such fab friend - Lisa, proprietress of the Cabbagetown Market. If you haven't been to her store, you must. It is everything a small town store should be, in our big city of Atlanta. Lisa called to ask me to join her at the Georgia Grown show in town. Lots of vendors from our great state and the fruits of their labor. Of course I said yes!

After trying to figure out where we were going, we finally arrived at the event right by Underground Atlanta. Going to these events with Lisa is a hoot, she knows everyone. So I got to meet lots of cool farmers, seafood vendors and even a cattle rancher. Time for some photos!

Yummy Sauce from Sweet Sue!

Will Harris, one very southern gentleman and Cattle Rancher

from White Oak Pastures

The very generous John Pelli, Owner of Savannh Clam Company

Lisa and I both agreed he should win best booth. And best clams! Yummy!

One of the swell farmers from R & G Farm, LLC and

his gorgeous basil. Take a look at their breathtakingly beautiful lettuce (below)

Lisa and I happily munched our way through the show. There were lots of delicious foods to try and even wonderful beers to imbibe - provided by Red Brick, Terrapin and Sweetwater 420.

It was the perfect way to spend an afternoon. Thank you, Miss Lisa!!

Then it was back home to put on my homemaker cap and prepare dinner. I had made some pizza dough last Friday, but we got busy and had plans every night until last night. And so it was pizza night at our house. Eric got in on the fun and we sliced, diced, sauced and baked until it was time to eat. It has become such a rare treat for us to be together in the kitchen, alone, even (!) that we savored every moment. Eric is also becoming the photographer in the family and is doing a bang up job. Take a look at some mouthwatering pizza shots.

A perfect margherita pizza waiting for the oven

And after baking - it was so cheesy!!

Eric's bbq chicken pizza ready to be baked

And ready to be gobbled up

And I'm sure I've posted this recipe for the dough, but it is so good, lets do it again. Top it anyway you see fit.

Ingredients

1/4 cup light red or white wine, Fiano di Avellino
3/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 ounces fresh yeast
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
3 1/2 cups flour

Directions

Place wine, water and yeast in a large bowl and stir until dissolved. Add the honey, salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil and mix well to combine. Add 1 cup of the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until it becomes a loose batter. Add 2 more cups of the flour and stir for 2 to 3 minutes, incorporating as much flour as you can with the wooden spoon.

Bring the dough together by hand and turn out onto a floured board or marble surface. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes, until dough is smooth and firm. Place in a clean, lightly-oiled bowl, using remaining tablespoon of oil and cover with a towel. Let rise in the warmest part of the kitchen for 45 minutes.

For individual pizzas or calzones, cut the dough into 4 equal pieces and knead into rounds. For one large pizza, knead into 1 large round. For either, let rest for 15 minutes.

So go ahead, get your hands all floury and full of sauce. Giggle with your loved ones in the kitchen. Make some memories.

xoxo, Patti

A French Feast For Four

2009-10-12T09:10:00.000-07:00

There is nothing like the comfort of friends who have known you for years. I am so fortunate to have quite a few, but there are a couple that go back to my awkward days of middle school. My longest besties are Vickie and my darling John, who also lives in Atlanta (lucky me!) He and I know each others every triumph and foible and still love each other. John is also an incredible cook and invited Eric and I over to his boyfriend Danny's place for a five star dinner that most high end restaurants could not turn out. Menu (drumroll, please):

Cheese Board, including Brie and a German Bleu

Butternut Squash Soup

Individual Beef Wellingtons, topped with a Red Wine Mushroom Sauce

Grilled Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce

Steamed New Potatoes with Butter and Parsley

Fromage Blanc with Fresh Raspberry Sauce

Assorted Red Wines

I am more than pleased to report that this was definitely one of John's greatest triumphs. Wow. It is so wonderful to watch as your friends develop from little kids into the most amazing adults. When did we grow up and start giving such sophisticated dinner parties?

As much as I adore cheese, I tried to limit myself so I would have plenty of room for dinner. I'm so glad I did. The butternut squash soup was so delicious and creamy - thanks to John's new immersion blender (what else can we blend!?) You can always tell by the silence at the table that the food is too good to do anything other than keep eating. We saved a lot of conversation until after dinner, it was that good. The beef wellington was just perfect. A savory brown puff pastry cradling the perfectly cooked beef inside, topped with a slice of foie gras and a mushroom duxelles. We all just melted over this dish. And keeping the wellington company on the plate were more gorgeous creations - pristinely cooked asparagus with hollandaise sauce (who takes the time to make hollandaise anymore? John, that's who) and the tastiest little new potatoes bathed in butter and parsley. Ready for some pictures, Darlings?

The butternut squash soup before John whipped it into shape

Darling John getting ready to bake the Wellingtons

Asparagus Grilling (thanks to my Sweet Eric for the photo!)

John and me in the kitchen

The beautiful table setting

One perfect plate of goodness

Our adorable Danny

Even the Simpsons know a swanky dessert when they see one!

So sophisticated! John and Danny even made playing with Simpsons toys swanky! Ok, so maybe we're not as grown up as we pretend, but we are still having the most fun ever.

John and Danny, we love you both and we're so incredibly honored to have been the recipients of your gracious hospitality. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

xoxo, Patti

Grindhouse Burgers, a Chef Introduction and Soup With the Neighbors

2009-10-11T07:03:00.000-07:00

Atlanta is a big city. But it is also a small town. Since living here on and off since 1992, I've met a lot of people. It's difficult not to run into someone one knows when out and about. Saturday was no exception.

Eric and I decided to try our town's newest burger sensation, Grindhouse Burgers in the Sweet Auburn Curb Market. We had not been in line a few minutes and I heard my named called behind me. It was our friend Patricia Tinsley, with her friend Emily, another food blogger. As always, Miss Tinsley had a full plate of activities for the day and one of them included burgers. We had a chance to meet the owner, Jeff and enjoy some amazing burgers. I had the regular grindhouse burger with the chocolate peanut butter shake and Eric enjoyed the Apache, which included roasted green chiles. Both fantastic. While we were still in line waiting to place our order, another of Patricia's friends showed up. It was Brad, the chef at Dogwood, a restaurant that has been high on my list of places to try. In my opinion, it's always a special day when you get to meet a real chef. I consider myself something of a chef groupie, and am always thrilled to meet the person behind the food.

If you are looking for an awesome burger, get yourself over to Grindhouse, STAT!

Tummies full, we cruised over to Edgewood to pick up another dog bed (last one destroyed when we put our little hooligans in the bedroom when Pat and Deacon came to dinner - it was quite the spectacular mess, I will tell you!) And then popped over to Kroger for mushrooms, since I was in charge of making stuffed mushrooms that night for Tracy's soup party.

Tracy is our neighbor across the street and also a zombie afficionado. Not only did she participate in the zombie walk, but she and her mom sewed the most incredible Marie Antoinette costume for Tracy to parade in. Gorgeous.

The soup Tracy decided on was potato soup topped with lotsa cheese. It was so good. Everyone seemed to show up with either an appetizer or dessert. There was a cheese dip that used 2 pounds of cheese, a silky smooth salmon dip, fruit and cheese, cookies and tasty sweet potato cupcakes. Everyone had a fabulous time. Eric and I keep on meeting the coolest new people everywhere we go. Here are some snapshots from our fun time last night:

Nibbles!

Soup on the Stove

Our Sweet Hostess, Tracy & Bowls Waiting for Soup

New Friends!

Chioke and Taruan, two of my most Favorites!

Anyhoo - it was scads of fun. It was also, BYOB - bring your own bowl. Which is so clever when you are feeding soup to a crowd of 40.

Enjoy your Sunday. It's a very busy day for us. Brunch with Matt, Clint and Holly and then dinner with Danny and John.

xoxo, Patti

Hot Tub, Hot Pizza, Hot Time

2009-10-10T06:31:00.000-07:00

Since we had company Thursday night and both of our weekend nights are filled, I was hoping to hang out at our house Friday night and sit. Not sit and think - just sit. Maybe cuddle a dog or two. Then Denise called and invited us over for pizza, wine and a soak in the hot tub. Denise and Rick live directly behind us and we had not seen them in a month and we just love them. So we packed up and headed over. So glad we did.

The two of them are so easy to be around. No one was going to any lengths to impress the other. We sat, we ate pizza, we drank wine, we caught up. It was so relaxing. For once I was very happy to let someone else call all the shots. And so it will be for the rest of the weekend. Although we are hopping from event to event, it will be in the hands of our hosts to entertain us. All we have to do is show up and be good guests. Easy enough. This weekend's itinerary:

Friday night - hot tub with Rick and Denise
Saturday - Soup party at Tracy's (first stop by Jay and Val's football party around the corner)
Sunday - Brunch with Holly, Clint and Matt
Dinner with John and Danny

Today we will rest a bit before tonight. I am slated to bring stuffed mushrooms to the soup party, so eventually I will have to leave the house for supplies. But for now, I'm happy to lounge about, blogging for you and perhaps cuddle a dog or two.

Happy Weekend, my Darlings. Make it count.

xoxo, Patti

ps - Our beloved Sylvia sent me this uplifting quote when I needed it most. It's from Dr. Suess:

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

Pat, Deacon and the Lure of CNN

2009-10-09T08:52:00.000-07:00

As hoped, last night's dinner with Teague's folks was a success. Granted, the beef took twice as long to cook as expected (maybe the calibration on my oven is off?), but the company was divine. Pat and Deacon look great and were thrilled that I added Miss DeVore to the guest list. I thought it would be fun to have someone there they had not yet met and they all got along famously. Pat and Deacon are both more than well rounded on current events and Diane, who works as an editor at CNN, was more than happy to engage them in conversation on the state of the media.

My day yesterday was not stellar. I usually like to keep things light here, but I took a stand on something I believed in yesterday and lost an acquaintance because of it. It stung. But there were guests arriving and I needed to move forward. My sweet Crystal swung by early to help and it was wonderful having her in the kitchen with me before her inlaws came for dinner. Having best friends working with you side by side in the kitchen is a very healing thing. We tied the beef, we chopped and roasted potatoes. It helped my mood immeasurably. We also had time for a glass of chardonnay before everyone else got there.

Crystal and I were so busy cooking and visiting that I forgot to photograph the food. But here are some nice photos of the table. The roses came from my front yard - aren't they lovely? Although I ironed the tablecloth, the wrinkles persisted. I need a new tablecloth. One that won't wrinkle. I'll find one and get back to you on that.

Deacon brought us a gorgeous bottle of Chateau Tour du Mayne 2005 Haut-Medoc. It looked too beautiful to open so we are saving it for a special occasion. As the beef was taking its sweet time to cook, I decided we should go ahead, sit down and enjoy our salad. That done, the beef made its appearance and was gobbled up happily along with the green beans with almonds, roasted potatoes and dinner rolls. All our guests ooohhhed and ahhhhed over the cheesecake with coffee. It was a lovely evening.

On an entirely different note, I would like to say congratulations to President Obama on winning the Nobel Peace Prize. We salute you, our dear president and support you in your efforts.

Getting off my tiny soapbox now and wishing you all a wonderful Friday. Our weekend is filled with lots of parties, so I will be bringing my camera and letting you all take a peek.

xoxo, Patti

Getting Ready For The In-Laws

2009-10-08T06:17:00.000-07:00

Good Morning, Darlings. Tonight we are hosting the parents of our dear friend Teague, in-laws of our sweet Crystal. Lots of scurrying around to get ready. Last minute cleaning and prep. Here's our menu for the evening:

Beef Tenderloin

Tossed Salad

Roasted Red Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic

Green Beans with Almonds

Dinner Rolls

Strawberry Cheesecake

It may not seem like it to you, but this is a really easy meal. Let me break it down for you. The beef tenderloin gets rubbed with butter, salt and pepper and goes into the oven for 25 minutes at 500F. Salad is just bagged salad (why would I cut up all those greens?). Potatoes - cut up little red potatoes, toss them with olive oil and spices and stick in a 400F oven for 1 hour. Green beans - canned green beans heated up and toss in some almonds. Dinner rolls - prepackaged and heated up. Cheesecake - store bought.

My concern is that I'm phoning it in. It all seems so easy that I feel like I should be more stressed out, but I'm not. I'm more concerned about what to do with my crazy dogs when they arrive tonight. I know that when folks come to my house they expect a certain level of food expertise, but there are those who are just happy to be somewhere they will get fed and not have to worry about anything else.

So, today I will set about making the table the focal point of the meal. I am going to iron my white tablecloth. I will set out my nicest tableware. I went to the Dollar Tree and picked up these cool, wide glass containers for the roses that are low enough to see over. I will fill them with knockout roses from my front yard - they are perfect for table settings because they have no scent. Remember, this is an Important Tip: do not set your table with scented flowers or candles - they will only compete with the food for what smells best. And after slaving over a meal for your guests, you want them to smell only the yummy goodness you are bringing to the table, yes?

Question - what is the most important aspect of the dinner party?

Food? Well, of course, you want everything to taste good. But is it any less fab if you pick it up from a purveyor who does it better than you can? Absolutely not. In fact, in most cases it helps to know your weaknesses and garner strength where you can.

Drinks? They don't hurt. But the in-laws are tee totalers. So tonight, I will have a nice glass of wine with Miss DeVore before eveyone else arrives.

Tablesetting? To me, a lovely table setting is like putting on your makeup. It makes the whole package look better. Plus, there is nothing like the sound of your guests ohhhhing and ahhhhing when they walk in and see your table scape. It is the icing on the party. It makes everyone know that you think they are special. And you can do it on the cheap. Pull some things from your house you love and set them on the table. Whatever makes you happy (not the cat, of course, but you get my meaning).

A clean house? Sure, they'll notice if you are living like Big and Little Edie from Grey Gardens, but if you were the Edies, you wouldn't be throwing a dinner party, now would you? Clean the bathrooms, make the beds and dump all your Playboy magazines under the bed. Light a ton of unscented candles and keep everyone out of the kitchen if it looks like something exploded in there. Ply your guests with wine (or ice tea). Smile. A lot.

Your attitude. Most.Important.Aspect. You are happy to have guests in your home. You invited them. You like these people. Let them know. Welcome them into your home with a huge smile and open arms. It doesn't matter that you are serving Kraft Mac n Cheese from the blue box with a Boone's Farm chaser. Do it with love and it is better than dining at a five star restaurant with a bunch of bores.

I promise.

Go out there and entertain - tis the season!

xoxo, Patti

Lunch with a Celebrity, Chicken Chili and That Pumpkin Bread

2009-10-07T07:58:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was just a bundle of fun. In the early afternoon, I met celebrity blogger, Tami H. of Running With Tweezers, for lunch at La Pietra Cucina. It was sheer luxury. I know Tami would never describe herself as such, but ask anyone in the food blogging world and they will know her, her food stylings and her fabulous blog. We had a great time. The food was amazing - we both ordered the same thing - the black spaghetti with rock shrimp, scallions and hot calabrese sausage. It was spicy, savory and hit all the right notes. We both threw caution to the wind and enjoyed some lovely Italian white wine as well.

The lovely Miss H. with the winning dessert

Mascarpone, huckleberries and caramel

And always, as with people who are meeting for the first time in person (we have been running in the same circles for years), there was not enough time for us to visit - we could have sat there for hours and still not run out of things to discuss. Tami is going for her second experiment of eating on $30 a week. You have to check out her blog to see how she does it. Today was not that day - this was a total midweek splurge - complete with an afternoon nap for me.

Nap completed and refreshed after my incredible lunch, dinner needed to be tended to. Even though the chill in the air has subsided a bit, I am still in Autumnal Cooking Mode. Chicken chili was the dish for tonight. I read a few recipes and decided on my own. Here's what I came up with:

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients

2 lbs of chicken breasts - cubed

3 large poblano chilies - roasted (see photo below)

4 cups of chicken stock

1 medium onion, chopped

1 can of corn

2 cans of white northern beans

salt

pepper

1/2 tsp Adobo

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Chili Powder

2 TBP Olive Oil (the liquid, not Popeye's girl)

Sour Cream

Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Cilantro, for garnish (if desired)

First, let's roast the poblanos and get that out of the way. Hold the chili over a low flame with a long pair of tongs until blackened. After all are blackened, place in a big bowl covered with plastic wrap for 30 minutes. Cut off the top of the chili and discard seeds and stem. Then slice open the chili (charred side up) and rub charred section with a paper towel - the char will come right off. Then slice chilies for later.

Next, take a big stockpot (not that one, that's too big - the other one...) and pour the olive oil in. Turn the heat to medium and let the oil heat up. When it is sufficiently hot, put in your onions and cook until translucent. Then add chicken and let brown.

Next, add those chilies and spices and your stock. Turn the heat to high and let it come to a boil. Let it boil for about 5 minutes and turn back down to low. Let simmer for about 2 hours. Remember to stir every once in a while.

After two hours, add corn and beans and heat through.

To serve - spoon chili into bowls, top with sour cream, cheese and cilantro - devour.

Although this was super yummy tasty....it was a fairly small bowl. So I needed dessert. Pumpkin bread! And lemon curd! Mmmmmm.....

I'm hoping that your Tuesday was just as wonderful. And leave a comment - I know you are out there reading!

xoxo, Patti

Carrot Curd and Pumpkin Bread

2009-10-06T07:16:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, the chill in the air, the leaves falling, unpacking the sweaters and the Uggs. I love Autumn. The turn of the season from the hot days of Summer bring the cool, orange and brown days of Fall. This means heartier cooking, substantial dishes from your kitchen that will stick to your ribs. Yesterday was like that.

I was craving the first loaf of pumpkin bread this season so I went to the cupboard and wrangled all the ingredients for one perfect loaf. It was silky, lush and dense. Sound good? Here's the recipe, Darlings:

Perfect Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

1.5 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 can pumpkin puree

1/2 cup of olive oil

2 eggs

1/2 tsp each of nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger (or more if you like it really spicy, like me)

Preheat oven to 350F

1. Mix wet ingredients and spices

2. Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl

3. Combine wet and dry ingredients

4. Pour into greased loaf pan

5. Bake for 60 minutes

Voila! You've got a snack the entire family will love!

I'll take a few better pictures of that today. I get so excited by the finished product that sometimes I forget to take the photos. Color me chagrinned, but happy.

I had another treat yesterday in the form of friend and neighbor Curtis asking to stop by for some culinary advice. But of course! Curtis is a great cook and had challenged a co-worker to a cake-off. The contest - Curtis bet he could beat her best cake recipe. Her best cake recipe - Carrot Cake. Curtis has been searching online for recipes and every one he read said he needed to put in crushed pineapple, which, when discussing said contest at a recently attended dinner party, Curtis was asked by a food writer if he was going to use crushed pineapple, which she found to be abhorrent. Luckily, none of my cookbooks referred to using any pineapple, which was a relief. But just baking a plain old carrot cake isn't enough for Curtis. He's a pioneer, a risk taker. He wanted to stretch the boundaries of the imagination. We started brainstorming and came up with the idea of making carrot curd. Now, I have never even heard of carrot curd, but we googled it and Curtis found a recipe that seemed more savory than sweet. So we decided to riff on my lemon curd recipe and see what happened. Here's how it went down:

First, the proper ingredients. I try to keep my kitchen well stocked so I can bake or cook something at a moment's notice.

Lemon curd uses zest and lemon juice for its zing. How to do that with the carrots? Curtis thought it would be good to shred the carrot, squeeze the juice and then toast the shredded carrot for extra flavor. Great idea. I thought it would be cool to use dark brown sugar instead of white for added depth. Another great idea. This afternoon was the kitchen equivalent of musicians jamming together - it was a creative meeting of culinary minds and it was coming together like smooth jazz.

Here's Curtis toasting the carrot:

The recipe for all you seekers of the unsual:

Carrot Curd

Ingredients

7 large eggs yolks, plus 2 large eggs

1 cup, plus 2 TBSP dark brown sugar

2/3 cup carrot juice (or 1/3 cup carrot juice, 1/3 cup orange juice)

1 large grated carrot

1/2 stick butter, cut into 4 pieces

3 tablespoons heavy cream

Pinch of salt

In a medium non-reactive bowl, whish together the yolks and whole eggs until until combined

Add sugar and whisk until combined

Add juices, carrot and a pinch of salt, whisk until combined

Transfer mixture to a medium non-reactive saucepan, add the butter pieces and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the curd thickens to a thin sauce-like consistency

Immediately pour through a sieve, that is place over a large bowl. Stir in heavy cream. Jar and refrigerate immediately.

How was it? Luscious, delectible, crazy tasty. Like Autumn on a spoon. We spooned some over slices of pumpkin bread and all you could hear was silence. Our mouths were full. My mama raised me not to talk with a mouth full of pumpkin bread spread with carrot curd....some might fall out!

Some more pics for you:

Thanks, Curtis, for coming up with this fabulous idea. You are welcome in my kitchen anytime.

The rest of you - step out of the box and try something that seems undoable. I know you can do it!

xoxo, Patti

Pedicures, Zombies and Shaun's....

2009-10-05T07:18:00.000-07:00

Oy, so I'm a zombie!

I love the weekends. Mostly, Mr. Eric and I try to spend it together, but sometimes you need time with your buddies. Sunday was one such day. Eric spent the day with Teague and I got to spend the day with Crystal. I think our girls' day was the winner.

We started out with pedicures at Cure, with Kim and Cheryl. Although our appointment was at 1:30 p.m., we got started a little late and didn't finish up until 4 p.m. We were supposed to meet Miss DeVore at Oakland Cemetery to shoot zombies for real (with the camera!), but the zombie walk started at 3 p.m., so we didn't think we could catch them (which, in retrospect, is funny, since zombies are notoriously slow walkers - or lumberers, as Crystal put it..). After our tootsies were done, we dashed to the car and drove to Oakland Cemetery and saw a few zombies. Finally, we met a zombie who was very helpful and told us to drive to Underground Atlanta, where they were all headed. We were richly rewarded with tons of zombies taking to the streets of downtown Atlanta. God bless Crystal, who has a morbid fear of zombies, hanging out of my car window and snapping shots of the undead. She only screamed when they stuck their ghoulish heads in the car. I was so proud of her! Here's a couple of our favorite shots from the day.

Crystal and I both reasoned that it was fine to post the zombie pictures here because they were looking for something to eat and this is a dining blog. So there's my rationalization for steering off course. To see some killer professional shots, click here for photos shot by Josh D. Weiss, an amazing talent who works with Crystal.

Chasing zombies in the car works up an appetite, so Crystal and I headed over to Shaun's to wrap up the evening in style. Chef Doty has a $12 menu on Sunday with salad, pasta and dessert. It was wonderful.

Because I thought I was starving, we opted to start with an appetizer of chopped chicken liver - it was gigantic! And one of the tastiest things ever! Funny, that we started with a body part after chasing zombies - seemed appropos to me.

That was followed by a lovely salad with buttermilk dressing and then the pastas. Rigatoni with a chicken bolognese for me and the lemon ricotta ravioli with pesto, green beans and fingerling potatoes for Miss Crystal.

Dessert was rich, chocolate ice cream, which I am embarrassed to say I gobbled up before realizing I had forgotten to get the shot. Oops...

I hope your weekend was as zombirific as mine was!

Happy Monday!

xoxo, Patti

Bonus Post - Cheap Eats Calendar!

2009-10-04T09:14:00.000-07:00

How cool is this? It's a calendar Berlin B. from Yelp.com put together to show nightly food specials.

As we are having girls day today/tonight, I wanted us to be able to go somewhere cheap and fun.....now we just have to choose!

Tomorrow - where we went and what we ate!

New Babies, Old Friends and Pad Thai

2009-10-04T06:03:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a busy day for us. Miss DeVore and I did a little early morning shopping for Clint's new place and then Eric & I were scheduled to go to the christening party of a friend's baby. It had been a couple of months since I had seen baby John Charles and he had certainly grown. He was full of charm - more so than most babies. At four months he managed to have me wrapped around his finger in no time with his smiles, giggles and jaunty eyebrow maneuvers. His proud mom and dad, Dawn & Brad, along with big sister Megan, threw a lovely party. Yummy meats and cheeses, salads and even beets - I love beets! This was topped off with a gorgeous cake of blue with white polka dots - so sweet. And Dawn even served that swell punch we all love here in the south at special celebrations - fruit punch mixed with sherbet and 7-Up. It looks so pretty in the punch bowl and definitely signifies that this is an event to be remembered.

It was great catching up with everyone at the christening party and then it was on to the next event. We met my sweet, sweet friend Kathryn and her husband, John and adorable step-daughter, for dinner at Top Spice for Thai. The brief time we spent together at dinner was crammed with two years of catching up, so lots of talking between bites. I had the Pad Thai, which was filled with shrimpy, peanutty goodness. After 1.5 hours, we all packed up and headed home.

Eric and I spent the rest of the night lounging about, watching tv and playing with the Wii.

Hope your Saturday was just as fun. Sunday - Zombie walk!

xoxo, Patti

A Kitchen Imagined

2009-10-03T06:12:00.000-07:00

Last night, Eric and I went to LeFlash....a celebration of the photographic arts in the Castleberry neighborhood of Atlanta (just 5 minutes from our house). Although it was enjoyable, the main attraction was seeing the brand new condo of our beloved Clint. He closed on Friday and we were dying to take a peek. We finally met up with Clint around 10:30 p.m. and proceeded to his new digs. The new condo is spectacular, with killer views and most importantly, a killer kitchen. Matt poured us all a glass of champagne and all of a sudden, I swear, the condo filled up like the party in the movie, Breakfast At Tiffany's. There were a ton of the most hip people filling the space. Some we knew, some we met for the first time, but everyone was super cool. I have never seen anything like it. These people appeared as if by some cinematic miracle. But that's Clint - he attracts everyone he meets like moths to a flame. Here's a cool little film made by Matt on Friday night.

My question to you this morning - with what do you stock a brand new kitchen to make it most efficient?

Lets see - I would start with a perfect cookbook. My choice would be Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything. This is a great all purpose reference for almost any recipe. It's great for beginners and advanced cooks alike.

Next, you have to have a sharp, well made 8 inch chef's knife. Do your research and check out what feels best in your hand. I like Wusthof, personally. You will be reaching for this knife a lot, so make it count.

You need a great cutting board. I know everyone is in a panic these days about cross contamination, and suggest plastic cutting boards, but I am going to disagree and suggest a big, sturdy, wooden cutting board - Boos if you can afford it. I always wash mine with a mixture of lemon juice, soap and bleach and have never had any problems.

What do you need to cook in? A stock pot is nice and doesn't have to be particularly high end. I would suggest sinking your budget into a great saute pan (preferably nonstick). You can make everything from omelets to stir fries in this versatile pan. Don't skimp, please.

These are what I believe to be the basics for your new kitchen. Hopefully you are fortunate like Clint and have a sleek, swanky place to cook and enjoy your guests. I know I can't wait to cook with him at his new place.

Congratulations, Clint! We love you!!!

On an entirely different note - I would like to say hi to Carla over at il piatto blu. I had the distinct pleasure of meeting her through our friend and neighbor, Michelle, last night (Hi Michelle!). Last night was full of magical moments - I hope you are making your own this weekend.

oxox, Patti

Special Note: Thanks to our Darling, Matt Belfi for that fine photo of our Clint!

Creamy, cheesy, fruity gooey goodness

2009-10-02T09:17:00.001-07:00

Oh my. I was starting dinner last night when one of our darlings dropped by. Miss DeVore was on her way and of course there was a ton of food. Problem? We were all so excited to visit with each other that the only photos taken last night were of food in the works - not the finished product.

Crab risotto with peas and mushrooms along with an apple and blueberry crisp. Yummy, gooey Autumnal goodness.

Crab Risotto with Mushrooms and Peas

* 6 cups seafood stock
* 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
* 2 pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced
* 2 shallots, diced
* 2 cups Arborio rice
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* sea salt to taste
* freshly ground black pepper to taste
* 3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
* 1 10 oz package of frozen peas
* 1 8 oz container of crabmeat, picked over to remove shells
* 4 tablespoons butter
* 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. In a saucepan, warm the stock over low heat.
2. Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside.
3. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, and stir in the shallots. Cook 1 minute. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup stock to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding stock 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives, crabmeat, peas and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Risotto is easy, but time consuming. Hmmm, between this and the beef bourguignon, I'm sensing a trend here. Plan to make it on a night when you have plenty of time.

Next, dessert. I love a fruit crisp. It is my favorite type of dessert. I can remember eating it in the cafeteria at school. Even that version delighted me. The blueberries and the apples were from the mountain trip this past weekend, so you know they were very fresh.

Here's a shot of the filling. We ate the finished dish way too soon for pictures, but I promise I'll have them for next time!

It's Friday! You have the whole weekend to get in the kitchen and cook. Hope you are staying toasty warm and enjoying this fresh new season!

xoxo, Patti

Odds and Ends

2009-10-01T07:23:00.000-07:00

This weather makes me want to cook and blog. Yesterday was particularly busy. Two requests to meet for lunch next week. One lunch date will be with Tami at Running With Tweezers and the other will be with Denise Jackson, a totally fab art dealer. The week's lunches will start Monday with my dear friend Holly and her sister, Aimee, who is in town for the U2 concert. Busy calendar! I also received a request to borrow my crockpot by a friend who is feeding a crowd that will be helping to clean up our neighborhood on Saturday. The other request came from my friend Dawn, who was looking for a recipe she and her sweet daughter could make for the bake sale at school. I suggested Pumpkin Bread. Dawn agreed that would fit the bill.

Also, I picked up a boodle of apples on our way out of Sky Valley last week and you have got to see the size of these babies - they are gigantic! Look at this one next to a regular apple.

They will be featured in tonight's dessert - blueberry (also from our trip) and apple crisp. Don't you love a fruit crisp? All fruity and streusely, hot from the oven, topped with vanilla ice cream? I swear, my tummy just rumbled as I was typing.

And you, dear reader, will have all the deets by tomorrow.

Happy Thursday!

xoxo, Patti

Beef Bourguignon - The Final Product

2009-10-01T06:47:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are the photos of the BB I finally finished last night. It took over 3 hours to cook, but it was delicious. It was the perfect dish to celebrate my 1,000 hit. As I said previously, this recipe was from Ina Garten. Hopefully, that link will work. Here are some pics of our dinner.

Here it is, finishing on the stovetop, with the addition of butter and flour to thicken it up:

My mother's old dutch oven was so big I had to take a rack out of the oven to make it fit. I love using my mama's kitchen equipment, it makes everything taste better.

Dinner all plated and ready to eat!

And the celebratory champagne, along with those adorable red flutes I picked up at the mountain flea market.

All in all, if you are considering making this dish, fear not - it is not difficult, but you do need to allot enough time to let it cook. I found that starting it one night and finishing it the next is perfect. It also gives you a ton more time on the second night to fiddle around with sides or just enjoy some wine.

Eric and I both ate plenty, and there was a bundle of leftovers. I just popped it into the freezer for a carefree night of cooking in the future.

Tonight - crab and pea risotto along with Tiger Woods PGA Wii Golf with Miss DeVore. It's de rigueur!

AOADP OVER 1,000 HITS IN 1ST MONTH!

2009-09-30T16:15:00.000-07:00

Thanks a gazillion to everyone who has read the blog this month. I am so thrilled that I have had over 1,000 hits in September.

Special thanks to the lovely Celine at Hop City, who helped me pick out a celebratory champagne for tonight!

Here's to more cooking and dinner parties in the year ahead!

Smooches, Patti

The Beef Bourguignon Experiment

2009-09-30T10:25:00.001-07:00

I'm sure a lot of you went to the movies and saw Julie and Julia. Beef bourguignon seems to be very popular right now. Especially now that Autumn is sneaking up on us and there is a chill in the air (isn't it exciting?) Its lure is not lost on me and I made up a pot last night, based on Ina Garten's recipe (that for some reason will not link). I followed the recipe and after 1 1/2 hours in the oven, it was still not ready. The meat was still tough. Hmmm, what to do? Well, for one, I had to put dinner on the table and this was not going to suffice. What's in the fridge? Some leftover chinese from Sunday night that had been yummy. It'll have to do. I warmed everything up and we had a buffet right there in our kitchen - standing up. So gourmet - or not.

Anyhoo, back to the beef. It is in the fridge ready for tonight. I trust that putting it back in the oven for another 1.5 hours will put it right. And I am more prepared, having picked up a loaf of cuban bread with which to dunk.

I will let you know tomorrow how this all turned out.

On an entirely different note, I wanted to thank everyone for reading. It looks like I will have had over 1000 hits this month and I couldn't be more thrilled!

If there is a recipe you would like to see me tackle, let me know. I am here for your amusement!

xoxo, Patti

A Mountain Retreat

2009-09-29T11:32:00.001-07:00

Hello Darlings!

Eric and I are refreshed from a fabulous weekend at the home of our dear friends Matt and Clint in Sky Valley. Oh it was a delight! We were the first to arrive on Friday night, so we let ourselves in and opened up the cabin and set about lighting candles and setting out nibbles for happy hour. Clint and Matt arrived a short time later and we had drinks and the artichoke dip with stone ground crackers I had picked up at The Mercantile. I also picked up some ridiculously delicious cookies there for our dessert. Chocolate chip and peanut butter.

The plan was that each couple would take one night to make dinner. I made ziti with garlic bread for Friday night and after drinks and snacks, I heated up the oven and baked the dinner. It turned out really well and we dined outside on the deck with gas lanterns and candles while birds and crickets provided the background music.

After dinner was cleaned up, we went on the most fun hike. In the dark. Looking for bears. Apparently, one has been spotted, but this time, no such luck. Or we were lucky not to see the bear. Either way, I can't remember the last time I took a walk in almost total darkness and it was so totally cool. Granted, I was huffing a bit from the hills I couldn't see, but it was a blast.

The evening was capped off with a rousing (and I mean Rousing) game of foosball. Matt and me against Clint and Eric. I do believe that Clint and Eric won this one, as my foosball skills leave something to be desired. Bless Matt's heart, he was so patient with me. Then we played some Wii bowling. By this time, we were all beat and slept soundly.

Saturday morning greeted us with rain. Lots of rain. As we meandered through our breakfast of english muffins and fresh fruit, we plotted out the day's plan. Matt wanted to show us the waterfalls and we all wanted to check out the flea market and go into town for lunch. The rain would not deter us! First stop, the waterfall. I tend to forget sometimes how beautiful the United States really is. This was one of the most gorgeous landscapes I have ever been blessed to see. The rain didn't matter as we just gazed on its beauty and immense size.

Next stop - the flea market. Oh what interesting people watching. I picked up 6 red pressed glass champagne flutes for a song while Matt got to know the goats.

Then we moved on to Miss Megs for lunch. Oh, boy, what a treat! Miss Julee, the sweet proprietress, was just a bubbling over with stories. And her food was fab. We all chose the pecan chicken salad on fresh baked bread and the seafood chowder. The four of us ate while Miss Julee entertained us with tales of the restaurant.

If we hadn't had enough fun already, Matt took us for a long drive home on country roads, but not before stopping at an outdoor church complete with a family cemetery and a pass through his sister-in-law and brother's property so we could pick fresh blueberries for Sunday morning pancakes. So many blueberries!

Then it was back to the cabin where Matt, Clint and I made birthday cupcakes for my darling Eric (he was napping). Something went awry and Matt found himself struggling with the beater, while I lunged for my camera. Matt was a very good sport and let me snap the chocolate mess.

Matt and Clint hung a Happy Birthday banner on the mantle and Eric was most surprised. The cupcakes were pretty darn tasty, too. But we saved those for dessert.

We whiled away the rest of the afternoon playing with photos on the computer. Then it was time for dinner. Clint and Matt cooked up the yummiest dinner that included grilled hangar steak, sauteed turnip greens and the creamiest cheese grits. I contributed some beets that I had leftover from Kathianne's vegan dinner and we feasted. It was so good.

Eric fell asleep early and the boys were kind enough to let me pick the evening's movie, "American Zombie"...did I tell you what good sports Matt and Clint are? It was a snoozer. But we did dig into Eric's birthday cupcakes, reasoning that there were more than enough to celebrate again tomorrow.

Sunday morning brought wonderful blueberry pancakes made by Matt and I ate more than my share of those tasty wonders. After that, Eric and I got packed up and got ready to go back to Atlanta. Eric indulged me and took me back to the flea market for a lovely glass jar I was coveting and I was able to find it and get it for a steal. We also stopped at the farm stand for some of the biggest apples I have ever laid eyes on. The market also had multi varieties of pumpkins. I didn't know there were so many different types!

We also stopped at Goats on the Roof...a roadside attraction where they have - what else - goats on the roof!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Matt and Clint for the most incredible weekend! You all are the greatest!

The Sheer Joy of Being A Guest

2009-09-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

Last night, Eric and I were the happy recipients of a dinner invitation from our new friends Chris and Erin. What a wonderful night.

I'm telling you, my darlings, this was perfect textbook entertaining. These two did not miss a beat. Everything was amazing. We were joined by my adorable friends, Clint and Matt, who are so awesome that any time you get to spend time with them is an immense treat.

First, the table was beautiful. Take a look at how pretty Erin made everything for us.

We started out with two delicious cheese and proscuitto rolls, one which was kidnapped by their cuddly soft labradoodle, Charlotte. You know this makes for a great story later!

Next, we were treated to a luscious caesar salad. So good. Not a drop left. Chris did all the cooking, and boy can he cook! The entree was linguine with clam sauce with steamed mussels atop. The sauce was so terrific and Chris shared that he used anchovies in the sauce. It was to die for. Here's a photo of our charming host at work.

We also ate our share of garlic bread (is there anyone who can resist garlic bread?) and then the next show stopper - german chocolate cake for dessert. Here's a pic of the cake (beautifully staged and shot by artist extraodinaire, Matt Belfi).

Matt also captured yours truly licking the plate (such a no no! lol)

Not only did the meal totally impress, but the company surpassed the food, if that can even be possible. Stories were told and the entire evening was filled with quippy, pithy repartee. I can't remember ever laughing this hard at a dinner party.

Thanks a million, Chris and Erin, we love you!!

Learning to Love Vegan Eating

2009-09-24T13:47:00.001-07:00

As a birthday gift for my sweet friend, Kathianne, over at Nourish.Create.Bloom, I promised to make her a special dinner. Today was that day. As we discussed her gift, she let me know that her husband was vegan. Totally vegan. Hmmm...this seemed like a delightful way to discover a new way of cooking. I was thrilled to do the research and even more thrilled to try something new.

I didn't know much about this way of life until I did some googling. No dairy - no any type of animal by products. Putting on my creative thinking cap, this is the menu I devised:

Appetizer - Endive stuffed with tabouli
Side Dish - Grilled beets and asparagus with lemon olive oil
Entree - Polenta cakes topped with a mushroom ragu
Dessert - Fresh strawberries macerated in balsamic vinegar and topped with ground pepper

And then I did what any cook would do - I called Miss Devore over to taste test it with Eric and I last night.

I have to say...it was devoured in no time and loved by all of us. The only recommendation was to fill the endive with much more tabouli. Which I did today.

Many thanks to Kathianne and Brian for teaching me something new and delicious. Eric and I both agreed that we should definitely incorporate more meals like this one into our home.

Meatloaf, Taters and An Ugly Cake

2009-09-23T10:20:00.000-07:00

I love having folks over on a weekday. It saves them from cooking and means that I get to spend more time alone with Mr. Eric on the weekends. Last night, we invited 7 friends for dinner and ended up with 3. Which meant there were 5 of us at the table, including Eric and me. Since it had been flooding here in Atlanta and our darling Crystal is the spokesperson for the Georgia DOT, she and her sweetie had to decline. She was at work trying to dry out the state. One had a last minute project at work and the last just didn't show up. That happens. Those who were there had a great time and there were leftovers to take home.

The menu was simple. Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, fresh green beans and cake. I thought after all this rain, we could all use a little comfort. My only snafu was the cake. I made a vanilla cake, filled it with raspberry preserves and iced it with chocolate frosting. Now, I don't claim to be a wonderful baker, and while it looked good, the layers kept sliding all around while I was trying to frost the little devil. Here's a photo for you:

It tasted delicious and no one made fun of it, so I was happy. It's always nice to have very polite dinner guests.

Hope all of you are staying dry!

xox, Patti

Duck and Cauliflower

2009-09-23T10:09:00.000-07:00

Eric and I had a super easy supper Monday night. We had been shopping at Super H and spotted a vendor selling roasted ducks. We purchased one and brought him home.

I don't know why I didn't take photos of this - it was not like buying a chicken at the grocery store. When the time came for me to take him out of his bag and heat him up, I was surprised by his little ducky head. I'm not used to looking my food in the face and have to admit, this was a bit disconcerting. But, kitchen girl that I am, I good naturedly took the head off while trying not to think "Aflac!" at the same time. He tasted really, really good. And as we were trying to keep it simple, we decided to try a roasted cauliflower recipe that has had my interest for some time. I don't normally care for cauliflower, but we scarfed up every morsel - it was that yummy. Here's the recipe from the nice folks at simplyrecipes.com:

Roasted Cauliflower Recipe

* 1 head of cauliflower
* 2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and coarsely minced
* Lemon juice (from 1/2 or a whole lemon)
* Olive oil
* Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
* Parmesan cheese

1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut cauliflower into florets and put in a single layer in an oven-proof baking dish. Toss in the garlic. Squeeze lemon juice over cauliflower and drizzle each piece with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If the oven hasn't reached 400°F yet, set aside until it has.

2 Place casserole in the hot oven, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is lightly brown. Test with a fork for desired doneness. Fork tines should be able to easily pierce the cauliflower. Remove from oven and sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Val and the Homemade Tortellini

2009-09-22T07:29:00.000-07:00

Val and I have been trying to hook up for various cooking sessions. On our first attempt, we made homemade pasta and on Friday we tried our hand at homemade tortellini stuffed with a lemon ricotta.

Making the fresh pasta was a breeze and the filling turned out nicely, too. Next, was getting the filling into the pasta. This proved to be a little more tricky than first thought. Although we used water to seal the edges, the filling kept oozing out of many of our adorable tortellini. We tried to reseal the best we could and then put them on the grate to dry.

I suggested that we might consider frying these as opposed to boiling them, thus allowing more filling to get out of those precious pasta bundles. Val did just that and reported that they turned out perfectly. Here's the recipe from our cooking afternoon.

Lemon Ricotta Filled Tortellini

Pasta dough:
* 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 3 large eggs, plus 1 for egg wash
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* Cornmeal, for dusting

Lemon Ricotta Filling:
• 8 oz container of ricotta
• zest of one lemon
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 egg

Directions

To make the pasta dough: In an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook*, combine the flour and salt. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and continue to mix. Drizzle in 1 tablespoons of the olive oil and continue to incorporate all the flour until it forms a ball. Sprinkle some flour on work surface, knead and fold the dough until elastic and smooth, this should take about 10 minutes. Brush the surface with the remaining olive oil and wrap the dough in plastic wrap; let rest for about 30 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.

*Alternatively if you don't have an electric mixer: Combine the flour and salt on a flat work surface; shape into a mound and make a well in the center. Add the eggs and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the well and lightly beat with a fork. Gradually draw in the flour from the inside wall of the well in a circular motion. Use 1 hand for mixing and the other to protect the outer wall. Continue to incorporate all the flour until it forms a ball. Continue as directed above.

Cut the ball of dough in 1/2, cover and reserve the piece you are not immediately using to prevent it from drying out. Dust the counter and dough with a little flour. Press the dough into a rectangle and roll it through a pasta machine, 2 or 3 times, at widest setting. Pull and stretch the sheet of dough with the palm of your hand as it emerges from the rollers. Reduce the setting and crank the dough through again, 2 or 3 times. Continue tightening until the machine is at the narrowest setting; the dough should be paper-thin, about 1/8-inch thick (you should be able to see your hand through it.). Dust the sheets of dough with flour as needed.

Beat 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. Dust the counter and sheet of dough with flour, lay out the long sheet of pasta, and brush the top surface with the egg wash, which acts as a glue. Drop tablespoons of your favorite filling on 1/2 of the pasta sheet, about 2-inches apart. Fold the other 1/2 over the filling like a blanket. With an espresso cup or fingers, gently press out air pockets around each mound of filling. Use a sharp knife to cut each pillow into squares and crimp the 4 edges with the tins of a fork to make a tight seal. Dust the tortellini and a sheet pan with cornmeal to prevent the pasta from sticking and lay them out to dry slightly while assembling the rest.

Cook the tortellini in plenty of boiling salted water for 4 minutes; they'll float to the top when ready, so be careful not to overcrowd the pot. Lift the tortellini from water with a large strainer or slotted spoon. Bathe the tortellini in your favorite sauce to lightly coat and serve.

A Sweet Treat and A Special Hiding Place for Karen

2009-09-17T06:23:00.000-07:00

If it's Wednesday, that must mean it's zombie shooting night with Miss Diane. Yay!

Since I am fresh from a post about Jolene Sugarbaker, I thought I would honor her by making my own trashy dinner. This culminated in tamale salad. Eric and I thought this up when we were living in Tampa and watching our pennies. It is so yummy and cheap! And easy. Here's the recipe:

Tamale Salad

1 box of Goya frozen tamales (4 servings)
1 bag of salad (your choice)
3/4 bottle of salsa (your favorite)
Mexican Blend cheese
Sour Cream

Boil the little bags of tamales as directed on the box
Divide your greens between three bowls
Divide salsa over greens
Sprinkle Cheese over salsa
Place one cooked tamale over greens
Top with sour cream

Serves 3

And since I felt so guilty about serving something so lowly to our good friend, I decided to make it up to her with a special dessert. Eric and I were served these in a restaurant in Venice (Ca.) and were wowed by them. They are super easy to make but everyone is crazy for them. I know it has a special italian name, but I can't seem to find it. So call it whatever you like, but remember to make extra!

Vanilla Ice Cream
Amaretto Liquor
Amaretti Cookies - 7 oz bag

Crush up Amaretti cookies and place in a pie dish
Drizzle 1/4 cup of Amaretto over cookie crumbs and stir
Take an ice cream scoop and make five scoops. Place scoop into crumbs and cover each scoop completely
Place in a covered container and place in freezer until ready to serve

Serves five

You might want to serve this in a pretty colored bowl or even martini glasses garnished with a sprig of mint.

While I was making dinner last night and Miss Diane and I were visiting in the kichen, Karen decided that sitting on the bottom tier of the marble island was a perfect place to hide. She was so adorable that I thought I would share her picture with you.

So it looks like my lazy streak has passed. Tomorrow Val and I are making homemade tortelloni! Stay tuned.

xoxoo, Patti

Cooking Videos Are Helpful

2009-09-16T12:53:00.001-07:00

Hello Darlings. Since I am so lazy this week, but still want to keep in touch, I thought I would share this most helpful cooking video.

Yummy, cheap and classy...what more could you ask for?

Jolene Sugarbaker is the queen! Enjoy!

Cornchip Pie Recipe Video With Jolene

A Challenge

2009-09-15T10:51:00.000-07:00

This cool link was sent to me by my dear Crystal. And seeing as how I am feeling very lazy this week (yes, that was frozen pizza we had for dinner last night..), I thought this might stimulate the competitive streak in you.

Come up with a recipe based on these themes and make it into Amanda Hesser's cookbook. Too cool.

I just dislike not having at least a little something for you each day. Here's your little something.

Thank you, Crystal!

Well, No....I Didn't Cook This Weekend

2009-09-14T07:21:00.000-07:00

But that doesn't mean I didn't eat!

Friday evening started with london broil on the grill and salad. Great way to begin the weekend!

Saturday, after I returned from boxing class and while I was blow drying my hair, my darling Eric whipped up a delicious brunch of bacon, melon, eggs and bagels after turning the tv to the Gator game for me to enjoy. What an amazing man I am married to!

That night, we ventured out to midtown Atlanta for a night of burgers and comedy at the Vortex. Alack and alas, the comedy left something to be desired, but it was fun to get out and do something totally different.

Sunday we snoozed til 10 a.m., went to the Goodwill to pick up a great rug for the dining room (this really cut the noise down in there), over to Forsyth Fabrics to check out textiles for draperies and then a surprise visit to Flip. Ohhh, this was tasty! I had the bacon cheese burger and Eric had the farm burger, we shared the crispy, yummy fries and both had a milkshake - the foie gras milkshake for Eric and the nutella and burnt marshmallow shake for me. It was so good. And as the Falcons were playing in town, it was easy to get a seat at this very popular spot.

The evening was rounded out with potato chips and onion dip while watching the VMA awards.

It's okay to give yourself time off - you can't be expected to entertain ALL the time.

Have a wonderful week Darlings!

Smitten.....

2009-09-11T05:54:00.000-07:00

I know I can't be the only one out there besides Martha Stewart who loves making things beautiful for my loved ones.

Today, via the sweet Tami Hardeman on Facebook, I was introduced to these two sites that utterly enchanted me.

Please take a look while I am whipping up today's post. You will fall in love, I promise.

Sophistimom

And

Conversations With A Cupcake

They are what I aspire my little blog to be and they are fabulous.

Be right back with today's post.

Happy Friday, Darlings!

Disasters In Dining

2009-09-10T05:58:00.000-07:00

By now, I guess you have figured out that not all goes swimmingly with every party. I thought I would lighten the mood today with some of my past dinner disasters. No doubt Martha Stewart would concur that not everything goes as planned....

One of my most favorite mini disasters happened when Eric and I lived in a tiny apartment in Tampa and we had invited a co-worker of his to dinner. I had planned a lovely pork tenderloin...that was not cooperating. Instead of freaking out, I decided we should turn the dinner upside down - by starting with dessert. Everyone was decidedly happy and the party was saved.

Another night, same apartment. I had invited one of my best girlfriends for a special dinner in her honor. She brought her two daughters, whom I have known since they were babies. The menu included stuffed clams and veal medallions. Guess what two foods in the world my little darlings refused to eat? You guessed it....clams and veal. A lot of garlic bread was consumed that night.

I've already told you of my silly plan to make mini pizzas for a huge party, my pasta problem (thank goodness for Via Elisa!) and the paella fiasco. But there's more.

Recently, I made a baba ganoush requested by my darling Eric. I have never made baba ganoush before, but how hard could it be? It turned out so bitter, I could not eat it. But not Mr. Eric - he thought it was yummy.

In my early years, I was nothing but kitchen disasters. The first one I can recall is when I was around 10 years old and thought I could make hot chocolate in the tea kettle. As you can imagine, my poor mother was scrubbing hot chocolate off the ceiling for years. Sorry, Mama!

Once, thinking that chocolate covered homemade marshmallows would trump plain ole homemade marshmallows, I dunked said marshmallows in hot, melted chocolate. What I ended up with was quite the melty mess.

Christmas is my favorite time of the year, but one year, after making a gorgeous prime rib roast, shrimp stuffed baked potatoes and brandied mushrooms for ten, the kitchen sink wouldn't drain and our dear landlord was in Missouri. For two weeks. Not my finest hour for sure.

I could go on and on, but I will end with the most hilarious kitchen disaster of all. The college birthday cake massacre. My darling friend Vickie and I decided we would bake a cake for our dear friend Donna's birthday. In these days, baking from scratch meant a jiffy cake mix, which we made and seemed fine. But the cake needed icing, so we whipped out the powdered sugar and mixed it with some milk and put it on the cake. The cake soaked up every bit of icing...what to do? Check the fridge - we have some frozen blueberries! That will be pretty! Time to decorate the cake with those charming candy letters from our childhood. Happy Birthday - check! Donna...not so much. Clumsily we broke all the letter Ds, Os and Ns....what are we going to do now? Vickie, the ever creative, came up with this cake greeting - "Happy Birthday Virgil Ray"...which caused a laughing fit the likes I have yet to see again. We laughed so hard we were laying on the floor, holding our stomachs.

There is hope for all who aspire to bake and cook. Keep trying and let me know how you are doing.

The Perfect Dinner Guest

2009-09-09T18:39:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't want to be thought of as the perfect guest? Everyone wants to be the guest that hosts clamor to invite. What is the best way to accomplish this? I'm going to clue you in.

1. Bring A Gift. This should be a no-brainer, but I never show up empty handed to a party. Ever. Your host/hostess has planned a perfect evening on your behalf, let her know you appreciate her efforts. Wine, cheese, a candle or a book you know your hostess would enjoy are all good. Anything she might have to fuss with is not (i.e. - loose flowers, puppies, a jello mold). It helps to have a little stash of gifts to grab at the last minute if need be. Just wrap a ribbon around it and you are good to go. Sending flowers the next day is a nice touch, too, if the party was particularly spectacular. Recently, we were invited to a party where we could view the Paul McCartney concert in Piedmont Park on a rooftop pool deck, catered in the most amazing home. That definitely warranted flowers the next day. Use your best judgement.

2. Don't Arrive Too Early. I remember one party years ago a guest arrived as I was blow drying my hair. I was mortified and she felt terrible. Avoid this at all costs. Those last few moments before the start of the party are when I pour myself a little wine and take a deep breath. Every hostess deserves this bit of calm before the social storm. Let her enjoy it.

3. Contribute To The Conversation. Read the paper before you arrive, or at least glance at CNN.com to get an idea of the top stories of the day. It couldn't hurt to see a movie or a play now and again, either. The best guests know what's happening. But, you never know what will come up in the conversation. We once had dinner with a co-worker and her husband who had had a role in a horror movie. Our mutual interest in zombie films fueled the evening and we all had a hoot of a time. If you aren't interested in current events, be interested in something. And speak up. Trust me, as long as you don't drone on, everyone will be interested in what you have to say.

4. Don't Be Late. Be on time. This holds especially true if this is a sit-down dinner. Preparing a special meal for friends takes a lot of work and I know you would hate to be the guest that caused the souffle to fall or the flambe to fizzle. If you are chronically late, either you think your time is more important than that of those waiting for you or you have spread yourself too thin. People who are chronically late inevitably end up on our long list. I'm not sure how a host that takes three hours to get paella on the table fares in this situation, but I'll get back to you on that.

5. Keep A Open Mind Regarding Cuisine. As I invite guests for dinner, I always ask about food allergies and dislikes. I've cooked for vegans, veggie haters and once, for two Haitian brides. If you are willing to eat just about anything (allergies excluded), you will be invited back again and again. There is nothing more satisfying for a hostess than seeing everyone devouring her meal.

6. Leave At A Reasonable Time. Is your hostess turning off lights and yawning? There's your sign to exit the party. If it looks as if everyone is going strong playing the new Beatles Rock Band on the Wii until the wee hours, then you are safe. Have fun!

7. Watch Your Alcohol Consumption. Besides the danger of a DUI, you wouldn't want to be the guest that decided to swim with the koi, would you? Be a free spirit, get a bit tipsy (if you are not driving) and twirl in the backyard, if you don't think you'll feel silly in the morning. Make sure you check yourself before you start dancing in the champagne fountain.

My darling husband summed it up perfectly: "ultimately it boils down to what makes a good person: a friendly countenance and an interest in people".

All of you are my favorite guests!

Paella, Potato Balls and Flan on Labor Day

2009-09-09T05:47:00.000-07:00

Labor Day always inspires a party. This year was no exception. Before leaving Los Angeles, Eric and I purchased a 3 ft. wide paella pan and paddle with the intention of using it on this September holiday.

Remember that parties of this size are easier when you have help. And boy, did I. Armed with the most amazing coterie of comrades that are more like family, we whipped up a fantastic celebration. Dessert was a South Beach flan inspired by Gloria Estefan, created by our own John "Flan Jovi", the fried, stuffed potato ball hors d'ouevres were provided by our own "Potato Princess", Holly, Crystal came up with the most creative and beautiful caprese salad I have ever seen and my girls came to the rescue for the prep of the paella. My darling and ever patient Eric and our sweet Teague were in charge of cooking the paella outside.

A trip to the Dekalb Farmer's Market was our first order of business. It was a madhouse on the Sunday before Labor Day. But I did get a chance to meet one of my Facebook friends that I have only met online, which was super cool (shout out to Ashley and Alison!) It was so crowded, that they had employees directing traffic in the aisles. We got out of there in one piece, fought our way out of the parking lot traffic and the millions attending the Decatur Book Festival and arrived home.

But first, the prep. What seemed like light prep became KP at our house. While Holly and I peeled and deveined 4 pounds of shrimp, Vickie peeled and chopped five cups of onions and three garlic gloves and Eric roasted and peeled 10 large poblano chiles. While that doesn't sound like a lot of work, you stand up and peel and devein 4 pounds of wet shrimp and chop a ton of onions, garlic and peppers. It is not glamorous. Earlier in the week I had rolled all the silverware and placed it in a cute basket, so that was taken care of. But the table needed setting, the bar needed to be moved and filled with wine glasses at the ready, the drinks were to be iced down and the backyard sprayed for bugs. We were also taste testing the potato balls, which was Holly's first time cooking. After frying a couple that looked gorgeous and crispy on the inside and well...frozen on the inside, we had to figure out how to make them work. We all decided the best tactic was to lower the frying temperature, then place the balls in a 350F oven to cook the insides. They were fabulous! And there was no need for back up chips and salsa!

The giant paella pan was taken from its special spot in the laundry room (the only place it will fit) and taken outside to the stand made of bricks contributed by Rick and Denise (thanks, y'all), which housed the propane burner (thanks, Crystal and Teague) that would cook the paella. That lived in the house that Jack built. Wait....that's another story.

We used a recipe by Rick Bayless, which, when calculated, should have taken one hour to prepare. As I had said to the girls on Saturday at our slumber party, "how hard could it be? it will turn our beautifully". Best laid plans......

The paella took THREE hours to cook. Do you know how tipsy folks can get watching paella cook? Plenty. Eric followed the recipe to a T. He heated the pan, placed the chicken thighs in to brown and they just sat there...looking pale and flabby. It took a while, but eventually they looked like they had cooked a bit, but never got that crispy brown to them. The chicken was removed to make room for the chorizo and poblanos. This step was much more promising. Not only did it look great, but it smelled incredible. Next came the 8 pounds of rice. This is a LOT of rice, people. It was cooked with a two gallon mixture of chicken stock and water. Good Lord, this was a ton of rice - it grew like something from a science fiction movie. After the rice was cooked to a reasonable texture, the mussels and shrimp were added. The whole shebang should have been ready when the shrimp were pink. Now, if you have ever cooked shrimp, you know it takes no time at all, but we were not so lucky. It seemed to take forever for that shrimp to get pink. Between watching the shrimp and wrangling stray mussels from Karen's little canine jaws (since when do dogs like seafood?), it was quite the endeavor.

By 9:00 p.m., we were ready to eat the paella (thank God Holly made those crazy tasty potato balls, otherwise we would have starved to death and had been on the floor in a drunken stupor). By this time, we had lost 4 guests. Three were our wonderfully cool friends Natalie and John and their awesome daughter, Madeline (bedtime calls) and Denise, who was just tired at this point. But those that stayed were treated to a very yummy paella. The recipe claimed it made 25 to 30 servings, but this must have meant lumberjack servings, because we could have easily fed 60. Easily. We had approximately 25 folks at the party and there was a LOT left over (mostly rice - surprise!) Lisa and I stood in the kitchen afterward scooping rice into Ziploc bags and separating the seafood and chicken. Then the flan was served. This dessert was so delicious that I spied one of our adorable guests eat three of them. It was flan-tastic! I ate plenty as well (thank goodness for my boxing classes so I could work it off).

On Tuesday night, Eric and I were still cleaning. This was not the cutesy clean up of my first post - no, this was more like industrial kitchen cleaning in between me musing if we should ever throw a big party like this again. I always say, "never again", just to hear the siren song of another party waiting to be planned calling to me in the future.

Stay tuned.

Coffee, Wine and Chicken Salad

2009-09-04T05:43:00.001-07:00

What to do when one of your dearest friends completes a three year project? Why you invite them over for wine in the middle of the day!

My darling friend has been working on a very public project for three years and was finally finished. I suggested she swing by for a glass of champagne. She countered that she was hungry - she had been up since 4 a.m.

Should a friend dropping by for lunch be cause for panic? Never, if you are prepared. And yes, I was. I had just grilled a passel of chicken breasts yesterday and decided to whip up some dilled chicken salad. In this case, grilled dilled chicken salad - because that sounds funnier.

And since my darling friend had been so busy she had not had a chance to read my blog, I had her undivided attention. Perched on a stool at my island with a glass of wine and my laptop Mac, she read while I made chicken salad. This is such an easy recipe, I thought I would share it here. It gets rave reviews every time I serve it. For parties it goes into tiny tart cups, it could go into scoop chips or you could serve it over lettuce and make yourself feel healthy.

Grilled Dilled Chicken Salad

5 Grilled Chicken Breasts
1/2 medium onion, minced
Fresh dill to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup mayonnaise

Mix the mayo, onion, dill and salt and pepper in a big bowl. Dice up all of the chicken into bite size pieces and put in bowl. Mix. Serve.

Although it is much better if you have time to let the flavors meld before you serve it.

That's it. Isn't it easy? And you look like a superstar.

We ate our fill of chicken salad and polished off a bottle of Kendall Jackson Chardonnay in the middle of the afternoon. It was a celebration! This is certainly not an everyday occurrence, but it was a ball!

After my friend left for a much needed nap, another friend stopped by and I had the opportunity to feed her too! I made a fresh pot of coffee and whipped out my freshly made chicken salad for her. Then we got out the Wii and spent an hour shooting zombies. Nothing kills stress like zombie shooting.

Everyday is an opportunity to show your love and appreciation for those who make your life sweet. Grab that brass ring and don't miss a beat!

Tea Party!

2009-09-03T12:43:00.000-07:00

For a look at the sweetest party my friend Kathianne gave on her birthday, follow me to:

http://www.nourishcreatebloom.com/

Planning, More Planning and A Special Tip

2009-09-03T09:34:00.000-07:00

This weekend one of my dearest friends from Florida is coming to visit. Lots of planning to get ready for the holiday. Monday we will have 30 of our nearest and dearest for a paella party, so I will have a ton to report on Tuesday.

As you can imagine, I have been to-ing and fro-ing everywhere gathering up last minute buys at Ikea (wine glasses, extra chairs and those .49 napkins), Target (yard spray for those hideous mosquitos that love me as their banquet - I wonder if they blog about me?) and today to the liquor store for all the makings of a tasty sangria (both white and red). Sunday all my girls will be together and we will trek to the Dekalb Farmers Market for the paella ingredients so everything will be super fresh. Sunday night we are attending a huge taco party with Kingsized as the entertainment at Ryan & Jennifer's place. I am so looking forward to meeting these cool folks and eating some tasty tacos as well as dancing to great music! Other fun weekend activities include a slumber party at our darling Holly's house up in Cumming on Saturday after we watch the Dragoncon parade downtown at 10 a.m. Friday night we are supping at Holy Taco in East Atlanta. I haven't been there yet, but will review it next week.

As you can see, not a lot of cooking until the big day on Monday. We will be cooking the paella outdoors over an open flame (I will post photos, of course). I will be chopping tons of onions and garlic so I will leave you until Tuesday with this Special Tip: After chopping onions and garlic, rub your hands on something that is stainless steel (the bottom of a kitchen sink works really well) and no more odor. It's kitchen magic.

So, my darling readers, I bid you adieu until Tuesday. Have a wonderful and safe Labor Day weekend!

The Ten Types of Dinner Guests

2009-09-02T06:49:00.000-07:00

You know them. You are one of them. Take it or leave it, there is always a type of dinner guest. Good, bad and freaky. The good you keep, the bad you don't and the freaky you long list and only invite when there is a large crowd and their proclivities will only enhance the party.

1. The Best Friend. Lucky for me I have a few of these fabulous beings and if you don't, you are not living right. This is the friend who arrives a bit early and steps right up to help. She stirs the sauce, sets out the hors d'ouevres and lights the candles. She's a godsend. I once overextended myself while throwing a huge Christmas party and decided to make mini pizzas. This was insane. My two darling friends didn't miss a beat and baked every pizza while they shoved me out of the kitchen to get to hostessing. You can't buy friendship like that.

2. The Clinger. For some reason this guest wants to monopolize all of the host's time and refuses to engage in conversation with other guests until they are full of adult beverages. This guest is dangerous and should not be invited back. The only exception is if the reason for said clinginess is something traumatic (i.e - recently loss of family member, spouse, pet, job, brand new to town, static...lol) you get the idea. Introduce her to all of your gracious guests and hope they acclimate.

3. The Star. It's always fun to have someone of note at your parties, if you can. One time, I surprised one of my best girlfriends with the arrival of an actor friend from her past who spent the evening regaling us with stories of being on the set. It was a ball and no one minded that all eyes and ears were on our special guest. My favorite star guests include my darling girlfriend Lisa who owns the Cabbagetown Market and her boyfriend Bob, who writes about restaurants for the AJC. They are both incredibly well versed about beer and new restaurants, as well as just delightful people.

4. The Life of the Party. This can be a good or bad thing, depending on your point of view. As the evening progresses and everyone is lubed up with yummy things to drink, there always seems to be that one partygoer who steps it up a notch. Hopefully they will be tempted to sing, dance or recite poetry instead of loudly announcing that your toilet is clogged and where's the drano, or worse yet, crying. Call the cryers a cab and keep the budding Keats and Whitney Houstons. You can always call them a cab after their performance. Free talent!

5. The One Who Can Do it Better Than You. Lord, this guest has done it all and knows it all. If you went to Mexico, they went to Tibet. If you learned to hang glide, they are an expert parachutest. You built your own house, they built the Taj Mahal. You get it. They will always try to one up you. And that can be entertainment in itself, if you let it.

6. The Expert. I love these guests and I am fortunate to have loads of them. Although they may seem shy about tooting their own horn, when they finally share their knowledge, it's always a joy. I have friends that are architects, interior designers, fashion experts, traffic experts, experts on current events, beer and restaurant experts. Put these guests at the middle of the table and let them shine. They are never obnoxious, but their sheer knowledge of all things fun and cultured make them the most desirable guests of all.

7. The King of the Table. These guests hold a special place in my heart because they are almost always big personalities with something to say. Place your clinger next to one of these folks and they will be happy and the King will have someone to hold court with. Everybody wins.

8. The Late Arrival. For some reason, this person is always late. They had something pressing they had to attend to. Now I understand if you are late once in a while, but this person is chronic. My suggestion to you regarding this guest is just start without them and maybe they'll get the hint. Or long list them for times when promptness isn't as important.

9. The Eeyore. The economy is in the dumper, they are always ailing, their ovaries are dried up, their cat can't get a date...it is always something with this type. They are a Debbie Downer to the nth degree. One solution - don't invite them. They always put a damper on your nice party.

10. The Bon Vivant. Tales with which to regale, witty bon mots, a compliment for everyone. This guest is so desirable that one is always surprised and pleased when they have time to attend your event. They are the perfect guest, always prompt with a handwritten (!) thank you afterwards. They are funny, charming and sought after. Hopefully you are as lucky as me and know several.

There you are. There are others, but these seem to be the most typical. Pick and choose your guest list wisely and you will never have a dull moment.

Hostess Secrets

2009-08-31T16:55:00.001-07:00

All successful hostesses have a bag of tricks up their sleeves. Normally, I want all my guests to think I'm magic, but now that I am a responsible blogger, I should share.

1. Matthews Hamper House: This is the mac daddy of all things containerable (I think I just made that word up). If you want to give your guests a parting gift and need something nifty with which to present it, these are your folks. Their space is very big and they have everything from little cello bags to giant baskets and everything in between. I could spend hours in this store at the State Farmers Market and just lose my mind. If you need something to put something else in, they've got it.

2. Ikea. No surprise here. The best prices on wine glasses and my beloved .49 tea towels that I adore using as napkins.

3. Goodwill (multiple locations). I consider the Goodwill my own personal treasure hunt. Every piece is unique. From vintage champagne flutes to pitchers painted to look like watermelon, I find something cool almost everytime.

4. Super H Mart This grocery store is outstanding. The absolute freshest produce at ridiculously cheap prices. The last time I shopped there I bought a beef tenderloin for $5 per pound! Its a bit of a hike (Duluth, Kathianne!) but so so worth it. 2550 Pleasant Hill Rd, Duluth - (678) 543-4000.

There you go. A few of my secrets are now yours. Go and seek out little shops off the beaten path. You never know what you will find.

OMD - Orchestral Manuevers at Dinner

2009-08-31T06:42:00.000-07:00

A smaller dinner party gives you wiggle room to be creative. Six guests is perfect for creating an intimate night that allows you to use your imagination. Take fun pieces from around your house and use them to concoct a delightful tablescape.

Saturday night's dinner party gave me just such a opportunity. With a most interesting group of folks - two of our favorite dog trainers, a cnn editor and an artist/writer friend I had not seen in 15 years, the evening seemed ripe with the promise of a lively time.

The menu was simple. Grilled leg of lamb, bacon laced green beans, sour cream mashed potatoes and honey-ginger carrots, topped off with cake and ice cream. The table setting was a bit more lush. Hand beaded placemats from Mexico were placed over gold braided cloth placemats to give them substance. Gold napkins with beaded and tasseled napkins rings were set on the plates. I lined the table with textured votive holders for the candles and placed two wine decanters on either side of the table for easy access.

This was a group of people I had not brought together before and yet, our artist friend knew our dog trainer friend - I love little surprises like this. Atlanta is such a "small town" big city that you are bound to know someone in common with a majority of people you meet.

Funny stories were shared and everyone filled up on lamb, wine and laughter. It was a divine evening. The evening ended with a rousing game of Wii bowling on our brand spanking new gaming system. It was a sophisticated party that ended with games. Good times.

Bloggers Note: Many thanks to our darling guests who allowed themselves to be photographed for this posting.

When Is An Invitation Too Casual?

2009-08-28T05:58:00.000-07:00

While sitting on our porch over a glass of Syrah, I mentioned to my dear friend that she and her husband should come to over the next night for a casual dinner of grilled brats and potato salad. Very low keyed. She agreed, but needed to check with her guy that they would come on by.

Next day came and went with no dinner guests.

Question - is it the responsibility of the hostess to telephone to reconfirm such a get together? My thought is yes.

These friends are every bit family to us and we all knew this was not a white tablecloth affair. Certainly no feelings were hurt on either side. We were going to prepare this dinner either way.

Would I have stopped at Star Provisions to pick up that lemon meringue tart if it had just been E & me? Probably not, although lets face it, a lemon tart will never go to waste in our home.

All of this wondering could have been avoided if I had just sent an inquiring email or made a telephone call. I am lucky that I am a homemaker and most of my friends are seriously busy at their offices. My day is usually a lot more flexible.

So, when in doubt, don't be shy. Pick up the phone and call just to reconfirm. And if the answer is "no", go ahead and put on your jammies and grab the remote control. You have the night off!

Leftovers and A Show

2009-08-27T06:06:00.000-07:00

After a long day of work, Eric and I just wanted to chill last night. We got that and so much more.

At the end of the workday, I found a multitude of candles all over the house and brought them into the kitchen and lit them. The champagne flutes were taken from their cabinet and a bottle of bubbly was cracked. We enjoyed a very simple dinner of creative leftovers that consisted of a fresh spring salad with grilled pork from Sunday's supper along with the last bit of that delicious squash casserole from the same dinner with Jeff. We ate at our marble island, standing up, drinking bubbles and sharing our day's experiences.

We could hear torrents of thunder outside and did not want to miss the show. We took the champagne and candles outside and watched the most spectacular lightening and thunder storm, all the while commenting on the shapes of the clouds, like two kids laying in the grass on a summer afternoon. The lightening and thunder morphed into an amazing summer shower and eventually we were forced inside.

Remember to treat yourself as your own special guest. Even leftovers can be sexy.

Stuff Gay Guys Like - And Me Too!

2009-08-26T06:52:00.000-07:00

Plucked from Stuff Gay Guys Like - so funny! Author - VDG.

# 3 Dinner Parties

Dinner parties are a crucial aspect of gay guy society. As a way to see old friends, talk about real estate or coming-out novels, or, for the single gay guy, possibly meet a boyfriend, the dinner party is unbeatable.

If you are invited to a dinner party at the house of a gay guy (or more likely, the house of two gay guys) it is crucial not to arrive empty-handed. Always ask what you can bring. If you are told to bring something specific, bring it. If you are not told to bring something specific, bring wine. If you are told not to bring anything, bring wine. You will never be told not to bring wine.

While the dinner party is a wonderful environment for conversation, that is almost never the main reason for a gay guy dinner party. Gay guys generally throw dinner parties for one of two reasons: to show off some fabulous aspect of their lives, or to find a boyfriend for a single friend. And sometimes both.

In the first case, flattery is important, and whenever possible should be sincere. Details are what matters here: don’t say “this soup is good”, say “the crimini mushrooms in this soup are wonderful.” If you don’t know what crimini mushrooms are, say “what are these wonderful mushrooms?” Your host(s) will always appreciate food compliments. But they will appreciate complimenting their possessions at least as much as complimenting their food: on the table take a serious look at the glassware, silverware, plates and tablecloth (if any). Do any of them appear antique, imported, or campy? If so, comment on it: “These plates are beautiful! How old are they/What country are they from/Where on Earth did you find Tinkerbell dinner plates?”

The second case is more delicate. If the host(s) are smart, they will have invited a number of single gay guys and just enough couples to keep it from being mortifyingly obvious that they are trying to set someone up. In such settings, it’s considered poor form to comment on recent breakups or first dates, or how difficult it is to find a boyfriend these days, as this will only add pressure to the single guy in whose honor the dinner party is being thrown. Instead, keep the conversation to noncontroversial topics (such as coming out novels and real estate) and if you see two of the single guys talking to each other, don’t interrupt. Or, if you happen to be talking to one of the single guys and another one comes over and joins the conversation, wait until the conversation is flowing, then excuse yourself.

Your behavior during the dinner party is important, but so is your behavior afterward. No thank you note is too precious for a gay guy dinner party. Handwritten, hand-stamped and mailed the day after (even if that’s a Sunday) is the best way to go. Always comment on a specific detail (e.g., crimini mushrooms, Tinkerball dinnerware) and express hope that the same group can be assembled again soon. Never ask about whether any of the single guys hooked up in writing, though feel free to do this over the phone or email after the thank you note has been sent.

Following those simple rules (wine, complimenting details, never interrupting two single guys talking, and thank you notes) will ensure you further dinner-party invitations, and eventually you may feel comfortable giving one on your own. Have fun!

Party To Go

2009-08-25T06:09:00.000-07:00

Last week my dear friend Crystal asked me to co-conspire on planning a birthday surprise for her darling husband, Teague.

My mission was to gather our friends and show up at their doorstep as they arrived back from a long weekend at the lake, food and beverages in hand.

Teague wanted a pound cake for his birthday and I found a recipe that fit the bill in my old Southern Living Cookbook that had served me well in the past. The batter went together beautifully and the aroma in the oven was delectable. I set the baked cake on a proper rack and waited for it to cool. Then, ever so carefully, I ran a knife all around the pan and released the cake. I didn't plan for what happened next. The cake started to fall apart in chunks. Oh boy. So I did what any other clever kitchen magician would do - I pulled out the wooden skewers and skewered the whole thing together. Now I just had to figure out how I could get it to hold. I decided to wrap it in kitchen film - that should do it. And then put it in the fridge in the hopes that all the butter in the cake would cement it in place.

Then I made some stuffed mushrooms to take along with the two bottles of bubbly and waited for the rest of party to arrive.

Everyone met at our house and then we all walked over to Crystal and Teague's house for the surprise. Lisa and Bob brought bacon and peanut sauce - never underestimate the power of bacon. Michelle brought fresh baked Indian donuts. Yummy. Chioke and Taruan made a scrumptious platter of crackers, figs and fig compote with cheese. Poppie and Garry contributed a lovely pea salad. Bubbly flowed and laughter filled the air. And yes, the cake was still in hunks, but what delicious hunks they were.

Teague was pleasantly surprised and another year passed. Another year filled with friends and good times. And there will only be more to come.

Parties don't always go as planned, but if you act as if all is well with the world, no one is going to be disturbed that the cake doesn't look like Martha Stewart baked it.

Sunday Supper

2009-08-24T04:49:00.000-07:00

Sunday evening always has a bit of a melancholy tinge and it makes me want to create a send off party for the weekend. Usually this plays out as Sunday Supper. It's comforting to gather up friends who might be lounging about and have a last hoorah.

Last night we had a quiet hoorah. It was just Eric, Jeff and me. Which is fantastic as we don't get to spend nearly enough time with our good friend and just visit. And we kept it simple. Grilled pork chops and squash casserole.

Pork's doneness can be difficult to gauge, so always use your thermometer and consult your cookbook. Tonight was no exception and the pork was not done all the way when we plucked it from the grill. Plan B - just slice it up and put it on the indoor grill for just a few moments. It turned out perfectly.

The squash casserole is the last soldier from Crystal's victory squash garden. Her entire front yard was covered in yellow squash and zucchini and we have eaten our fill this summer. The casserole is crunchy, gooey and savory. A high note. There are plenty of leftovers which we will enjoy all this week as we contemplate Autumn's arrival and we leave behind the pristine produce of Summer.

Gather your loved ones next Sunday night and wave good bye to the weekend with your own get together. It will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy come Monday.

Be Fearless

2009-08-23T08:07:00.001-07:00

There comes a time in every accomplished cook's life when you hear a friend say, "we would love to invite you, but we can't cook nearly as well as you". Just invite me - I don't care what you are serving, I am looking forward to our visit.

Thank goodness for fearless friends like Val and Jay. After a night of dancing to Abbey Road Live, a Beatles cover band, followed by a rousing late night Wii bowling competition, we were invited back this morning for brunch.

And what a brunch! Eggs benedict with hash browns, fresh cantalope, watermelon, blueberries and strawberries. Washed down with orange mango mimosas. Enjoyed with our friends, Rick & Denise, it was a perfect Sunday brunch. Pair that with the temps dipping into the 60Fs this August morning, and it borders on sublime.

When you feel anxiety brought on by the thought of entertaining, remember there are all kinds of ways to feed your guests. There are thousands of food purveyors on the web, and I am sure in your community. Pick up some goodies, arrange them on your pretty platters, serve a gorgeous drink and you have all the ingredients for a perfect party at your fingertips.

Get out there and entertain! And let me know here how it goes.

An Impromptu Dinner Party

2009-08-22T06:17:00.000-07:00

Happy hour sometimes morphs into dinner time. This is a rare occurrence in our home because we are usually scheduled to the gills. But it happened last night and it is always a pleasant treat.

Spent a little time with Val this afternoon teaching the basics of pasta making. I had mentioned this to our pals Denise and Rick earlier in the day and in the midst of waiting for the pasta to rest, Denise called and I invited them over. As Val and I were finishing with our class, Denise and Rick arrived with a bottle of Pinot Noir and happy hour began in earnest.

After a few bottles of wine between the four of us, Eric finally gets off work and joins the party in the kitchen, where I am preparing a drinky snack - peanut butter & bacon sandwiches (with the crusts cut off, of course). And as yummy as this was, we needed something of substance. Eric came to the rescue, whipping up a yummy, yet simple dinner of grilled rib eyes (look at those grill marks!) and some of the leftover pappardelle from Wednesday night's soiree. I pull out my favorite heavy white TAG plates and 4 cool wooden placemats, set with our hammered flatware and burnished gold napkins. The makeshift dessert is four spoonfuls of lemon curd each topped with a plump raspberry, eaten standing in the middle of the kitchen. Everyone walks home a bit later, warm headed, with a tummy full of deliciousness and memories of a fun, last minute, dinner party.

Later that night, as the rain is pounding our roof, Eric and I sit outside on the porch to enjoy Mother Nature's spectacle and muse about our evening.

Every night is an opportunity to create a special dining experience for you and your loved ones. Even if it is dinner for one, take out your most special pieces and drink out of your best glasses. You are your own best friend. Pamper yourself.

The Clean Up Controversy

2009-08-21T06:08:00.001-07:00

Most people dislike the cleanup after a soiree. For me, its a magical time for Eric and I to relive funny and interesting moments from the evening. Giggly, a little tipsy and elbow deep in sudsy water makes for a romantic after party for two.

I'm not telling you that you have to be responsible for clean up after a huge gala of 100+ guests. There are services that handle that. But for a small dinner party (6 to 24 folks), this time can be your time to decompress while getting your kitchen and dining room back to its sparkling clean state.

Start with your toughest dish/platter/roasting pan. If you served a dish like lasagna in a ceramic/glass dish, I know that baked on cheese and sauce can be a bear to get off. TIP TIME: Put a dryer sheet in with the soapy water in your pan and it will be spotless in no time. You can take the wet dryer sheet and just wipe up the remaining gooey-ness.

Load the dishwasher with your pots and pans first and then stack the dishes in the sink. This way you can leave it until tomorrow if you are just too sleepy to deal with it right now. Place them in soapy water and you will be much happier in the morning. Line all of your wine glasses up and pop a little drop of dish liquid in each one so you won't have any red wine stains on your nice stemware. Filling them with a bit of hot water will make you feel happy the day after, too. It's all about making it easy on yourself. Not that giving a dinner party is easy - it's entertainment and have you ever seen all that goes into a Broadway production? Great entertaining is not easy, if you really set out for the summit every time. And you should. Welcoming people into your home and feeding them is one of the most personal things you can do for those you love (or want to impress), so why do it half way?

Maiden Post - Make it look effortless

2009-08-20T07:45:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog - Anatomy of A Dinner Party. I will be documenting each party I give here, the good, the bad and the ugly.

Last night was a dinner for 12. I had promised everything would be made from scratch.

The menu:

Stuffed Mushrooms
Pappardelle with Bolognese
Garlic Bread
Salad with walnuts and goat cheese
Mini lemon tarts topped with a raspberry

I take my party giving seriously, so from the moment I invite our guests, I am planning. First, the list making. Of course, one needs a shopping list for ingredients, but I can't stop there. There are lists for serving vessels, as well as a to-do list for each step of the party.

As soon as I hit "send" on the invites, the panic sets in. Nevermind the fact that I have been doing this for well over 20 years and have owned a catering company. I get terrible performance anxiety until the party starts.

The party was set for Wednesday night, so Monday started my prep. Off to Ikea for wine glasses that match and those fab $.49 dish towels that I am so fond of using for napkins when serving pasta. They cover laps beautifully and if they get stained, who cares? I also pick up a cute candle lantern and more votive holders (you can never have enough). Next stop, Trader Joe's for their wonderful cheap Two Buck Chuck (decanted, all wine tastes special). Yes, I will take a case, thank you. On to Kroger where I buy all the meat for the bolognese and all the produce, as well as the sparkling water (sparkling water bottles on the table just add to the abundance already set out for your guests). By this time, it's 5 p.m., so I am headed home.

It's Tuesday, and I did none of the food prep I had hoped to do on Monday. This will be a big day. After getting my darling Eric ready for his day, I attack the kitchen (what I like to think of as "my office") in earnest. Prepping the Italian sausage, beef, onions, garlic, grated carrots, mushrooms, fresh herbs from Crystal's garden (thanks Crystal!) for the sauce takes well over an hour, but it is now simmering on the stove and the house smells amazing. For my bread dough, I use the 5 minute artisanal bread.
If you love fresh baked bread, this book will change your life, as well as your waistline. But that's a story for another day.

Bread dough made and rising. On to the fresh pasta. I am accustomed to making a small batch of pasta for lasagna, but have never attempted to make a batch that will feed 12 guests, that also needs to be hand cut. I thought using my Kitchen Aid would do the trick, not that I have ever heard of anyone using this method with great results. The first batch worked well, with a silky ball of pasta now wrapped in Saran Wrap, resting on the counter. The second batch feels like old Play Doh, not a good sign, but I wrap it and hope for the best. At this point I have been cooking for 6 hours and I'm getting a little cranky. I unwrap my pasta and set to cutting it into portions that will fit through my hand cranked pasta maker ( I only used the Kitchen Aid to mix the pasta). For some inane reason, I decide to use the difficult dough first (really? what was I thinking?) and it is not being kind. The dough is ripping and falling apart. I move on to the dough I made first and while it rolled out much easier, I am over it. I roll out and cut until I cannot look at one more piece of pappardelle before chucking a majority of it out and calling Via Elisa, the place in Atlanta for fabulously fresh pasta. Although it is after hours, someone miraculously answers the phone and takes my order for 4 pounds of pappardelle. Whew, the day is over and my sweet husband takes me to La Fonda for dinner.

Wednesday - party day! I still have to make the stuffed mushrooms, rise and bake the bread and make the mini lemon tarts. The table needs to be dressed and I have got to make it all look effortless before my guests arrive. I remove the stems from the caps of the mushrooms, marinate the caps in olive oil and make the stuffing which consists of the chopped stems, a beaten egg, bread crumbs and mozzarella. I then move the mixture to a Ziploc container, which as soon as I turn around suddenly, falls on the floor. My heart stops, and I find myself swearing like a sailor. Funny enough, the container falls right side up, keeping some of its contents intact. I clean up what falls on the floor (no five second rule for slate kitchen floors in homes with two furry dogs) and save the rest. I will stuff and bake these right before the guests arrive. Even with my spacious fridge, I am running out of room. The lemon tarts await assembly. I use my trusty lemon bar recipe, but form the tarts individually in cupcake tins. This one dish comes off without a hitch and I even have some leftover curd for my lemon curd loving husband.

Three hours and counting until my guests walk through the door. Bread is shaped and set out to rise for 40 minutes before baking and the mushrooms are stuffed (the leftover stuffing is just enough for the amount of caps I have!) Time to breeze through the house with a dust rag, bathroom cleaner and vacuum (this is not the time for deep cleaning, candles hide a multitude of sins). Jump in the shower and get dressed. The bread and the mushrooms get baked, and the sauces and pasta water are set into their pots to heat. The salad is assembled. The candles are lit. I have time for a glass of chardonnay before my friends get here. I receive a phone call from Nedra, a new friend who is the Shopping & Fashion Reporter for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, saying she is delayed by a parade at the Georgia Dome. Better to be stopped by a parade than traffic - this way you have something to entertain you while you wait.

Our canine children get relegated to the bedroom so as not to maul the guests upon arrival (it's a friendly maul, but a maul just the same). Guests start arriving, the mushrooms are plated and devoured, Eric is manning the cooking pasta and sauce and everyone seems to be having a good time. Our guest list for this party includes some really fantastic folks. Crystal, one of our dearest friends, arrives first and jumps in to help. Next, Diane, our friend who is an editor for CNN, gets here. Then Jeff, our favorite next door neighbor. Then Jeff's brother Tim and his wife Becky. Tim and Becky are working with the youth of our 'hood and doing great things. Val, who is a delight and lives behind us, gets there around the same time as Chioke and Taruan, who live next door to Crystal and Teague and are too fabulous for words. Next to arrive is Miss Patricia Tinsley, a true southern belle. Nedra finally wrangles herself out of the parade route to join us as we polish off the mushrooms and sit down to dinner.

This is when I finally relax. This is the payoff. Filling our home with people we love and hearing their laughter over great food ( if I do say so myself) is what I am all about.

My next posts will include pictures! I would love to hear about your entertaining quests, so leave me a comment!