Today is my sweet Crystal’s birthday. And in honor of my adorable friend, I am going to post some of my favorite pics of her.

Crystal and I met in 2002, when Eric was working with Teague. The first day I met her I spied her vegetable bible and knew we were destined to be besties. When she married Teague, Eric became ordained so he could perform the ceremony. When we moved to our neighborhood, we were thrilled that they bought a house on the next street.

They have been our friends through thick and thin and it is such a pleasure to call you my little sister, Crystal. I love you!

The prettiest bride ever!

I cried when they said “I do” all the way through the Krispy Kreme wedding cake!

I cried when we sent them off on their honeymoon for a month

And I cried for happy when they returned....

We’ve gotten wiggy with it…

Pink, for Crystal...

And a black bob for me...

We’ve celebrated birthdays..

Sometimes with belly dancers...

Even our friends got in on the act..

Sometimes at home

And always, with

your wicked sense of humor..

Better the robot than us!

We’ve eaten and cooked together

Well, really, you took over the cooking duties this night...

Uh, you did all the cooking on this day, too...

We’ve partied…

The Great Chili Cookoff of 05

At Christmas

Other Christmases and that wig again..

We’ve enjoyed the warm weather…

Summertime

And we’ve relished the cold…

Wintertime

And everything in between. And you are anything but a fair weather friend….!!

Happy birthday, my darling girl!!

xoxo, Patti

This past Saturday night was the last stop in my birthday celebration tour.  And what a night it was!  My darling bff, John, took to the kitchen and whipped up the most amazing meal ever. I’m serious. If we could have had some judges there, he would have won a James Beard Award. And there was also a fabulous gift for yours truly!

The Maestro at Work

Plus, this was the first time seeing John’s new place, which is super chic, of course.  John, Danny, Eric and I gathered in Alpharetta for my last birthday hurrah of the year. It was the greatest time, we ate, we drank, we laughed – hard.  Oh, and the food, that swoony meal? Here are the photos!

First up, individual shrimp cocktails:

I Love Having My Own Little Serving!

Second course, steamed mussels in wine. Honestly, haven’t you had mussels in restaurants that come out all dried out – yeah, me, too. But these mussels were perfection. Every bite a juicy, plump morsel from under the sea. Spectacular.

Just Beautiful

I was even allowed into the kitchen to help a bit!

John and Patti, BFFs

After we had savored every last bite of those incredible mussels, we took a break and let me open my present. Yay, presents!

Look at the Size of That Bow and Box! Yippee!

And as John and Danny have impeccable taste, their present was so beautiful. They know me so well. And all of this came with cards that made me laugh so hard I almost…well, never mind. LOL

Hello Beautiful!

This decanter weighs a ton – it is so fabulous and I cannot wait to use it! Thank you my darlings!

Back to the dinner now!  Third course – bay scallops gratin. Individuals. Yumtastic. Take a look.

Oh.My.Goodness!

Really, this was unbelievable. The scallops were huge and perfectly cooked. The topping was sheer indulgence.  After this course we all needed a little break, because there is MORE TO COME!

Danny and Eric Ready For the Next Course By Playing Xbox

And John cooks on….

Our Chef For The Evening!

Two more courses, y’all.  And did I tell you the champagne flowed? Oh, yes, it did. I felt so pampered! What’s next, you ask? Why crab cakes, my darlings!

One Pristine Crabcake

At this point, we have almost fallen into a champagne and seafood coma. And really, would there be a better way to go? I think not! But there’s dessert….

White and Milk Chocolate Strawberries, Hand dipped By John

Pinky swear, I don’t think Caligula ate this well. This was one of the most spectacular dinners anyone has ever prepared for me. And since it was so obviously prepared with such love and care, you could taste it.

John, you are a constant joy to me. Thank you so, so very much! I love you!

xoxo, Patti

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend, I know we did.  And I will be back in a few with lots of pictures and foodie stories for you.

But in the meantime, I’d like to discuss how to use items in your house for a purpose other than originally intended. For instance, I bought this killer planter this fall at the Grant Park Yard Sale with Crystal for $5.00 and I just love, love, love it.  But how can I use it for something other than plants?  You know, I bet it would make a wonderful and exotic ice bucket.  And it did. Take a look:

Isn't This Cool? The Bubbly Thinks So!

I just love how gothic and exotic it looks. For FIVE DOLLARS y’all!

The weather is finally getting nice – get out to those neighborhood yard sales and take a gander!

See you in a bit.

xoxo, Patti

Still celebrating my birthday, even though we are going into March. Yesterday Holly treated me to lunch and let me pick the spot. I picked Las Arepas de Julia on Lawrenceville Highway. On a trip to NYC long ago, Eric and I sampled some arepas from a street cart during a neighborhood festival. They were just some of the most delicious things we had ever eaten, so when I learned that someone was making them here in Atlanta, I figured it would absolutely worth the trip OTP (that’s Outside The Perimeter for those of you outside Atlanta, and thus, OTP).

We knew we had arrived when we spotted the bright, colorful sign outside:

We Have Arrived At Our Arepas Destination

Inside was a colorful, tidy dining room. We took a seat and our server approached our table.  Holly and I seemed to have a language barrier with the lovely woman trying to bring us delicious food, but we muddled through. This would be the time to break out the spanish you learned in high school. I decided on the chocolo (yellow corn with yummy, gooey cheese inside) and the chorizo arepas. Holly opted for the chocolo also and then the chicken with mushrooms. Both very tasty.  Water was our beverage of choice.

Yummy Chocolo

Neither Holly or I could figure out why this was served with tiny containers of Country Crock. Our server brought out a cool assortment of condiments for our cheesy, Colombian sandwiches. There was a pink sauce, a fruity sauce, some ketchup (?), and a green, slightly spicy sauce that I loved. Not sure what was in the bowl, but I’ll try that next time and let you know.

Not Only Tasty, But They Looked Pretty, Too

We gobbled down our chocolos just in time for the next round. We were feeling so happy.

Happy Holly

Happy Patti

And here’s round two!

My Chorizo and Corn Arepas

Holly's Chicken and Mushroom Arepas

All the while, I was snapping photos of all these tasty plates.  A man came up to our table and introduced himself as Luis, Julia’s son-in-law.  We visited for a bit and he was kind enough to let me photograph he and his beautiful wife, Marisol.  Miss Julia was away at the Mercado, so I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself and let her know how much I loved her arepas.

Luis and Marisol Perez

As I was photographing Luis and Marisol, a plate emerged from the kitchen, carrying the day’s special, the Mini Bandeja Paisa.  I emphasize the mini because I just cannot imagine what the regular plate looked like. This was huge!

This Is The MINI!

The special was comprised of beans, chorizo, sweet plantain, rice, ground beef, pork rind, arepita (tiny arepas – I love this name..), served with a over easy egg. It looked so good.

And I really loved the bright, happy Colombian sodas they serve.

Apple-Flavored Soda

Before we bid goodbye to Luis and Marisol, I spied a little cooler with more colorful treats – I believe they were a frozen specialty on a stick. Cannot wait to try one when the weather warms up. Everything about Julia’s Arepas was fun and I cannot wait to go back.  I even brought home an arepas for Eric. Although I was tempted to load up on everything to go – tamales, more arepas….but I’ll be back.

And I hope you try it, too!

Las Arepas de Julia
4044 Lawrenceville Hwy
Lilburn, GA  30047
770-559-4094

xoxo, Patti

My dear friend, John Channell, whom I have known forever, sent me this recipe from Miss Yoder of Inverness, Florida, our hometown.

Miss Yoder lived across the street from the little red school house I went to in the third grade. It was everything you would hope a school to be. Big, red brick, wooden floors, huge windows you could sit in.

But that little schoolhouse is gone now. But Miss Yoder’s Buttermilk Pie recipe remains. And I am going to share it with you.

And it’s crazy easy and so delicious you might be tempted to eat it all by yourself. But go ahead and share it with someone you love. They will feel so pampered.

Miss Yoder's Buttermilk Pie

Here is the recipe as it was given to me:

So, it might be a bit hard for you to decipher, here is the recipe typed out. No matter how much I love a handwritten recipe, it doesn’t do you a lot of good if you can’t read it. And when I baked the pie, I found that 50 minutes worked better for my oven.

Miss Yoder’s Buttermilk Pie

1.5 cup sugar

.5 cup Bisquik (don’t judge…)

1 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 T vanilla

3 eggs

Stir together the sugar and bisquik, then,

Stir in buttermilk and oil, then,

Stir in the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time

Pour mixture in 9″ pie plate and bake at 350F for 50 minutes

Gobble up with loved ones and sit around and smile at each other!

xoxo, Patti

Since August I have been recording all the fun times at our house and beyond. And all we wanted when we returned from Santa Monica was to be surrounded with as many friends as possible. And we have. It has been grand.

I have to say, though, that giving party after party can be exhausting, even for a hospitalityaholic like myself.

And so, this month I am issuing a “no party” rule for March.  I can attend parties, but we will not be hosting for the next 30 days. I am taking this month to recharge my batteries so I can come back with renewed resources and ideas.

April will bring our spring fling, so I can gear up for that, but all dinner parties in our household will be held for just us two this month.

Some don’t think I can do it. I refuse to fail. Eric wondered what I would blog about. I believe there are a ton of things to blog about.  In fact, I’m a bit behind on dinner parties given in February that I must tell you about and there are also some fun surprises.

So, if you have been wanting to invite us, now is the time!

xoxo, Patti

I had the sweetest time in NOLA with my darling husband, but the birthday celebration didn’t stop there.  This past Friday night, 22 of us gathered to celebrate some more at Karaoke Melody, a terrific spot on Buford Highway that has private karaoke rooms. Most.Fun.Ever.

The photos really tell the story here, so lets begin!

Teague Checking The Mics

Lisa Arrives

Lisa Made Party Favors - Filled With Peppermint Patties!

Eric Checks Out The Stage

A Hug For My Sweetie

At first, Eric, Teague, John, Danny, Crystal, Holly, Lisa and I sang a few songs  before everyone else arrived. “Paradise By The Dashboard Light” is one tough song to sing. But we muddled through, giggling til the end.

Matt With Clint Laughing Through "Punk Rock Girl"

Me and My Girls, Crystal, Holly and Lisa

Tim, Becky and I, Wearing the Darling Apron They Had Custom Made For Me

Sweet Miss Diane

Teague Opens With La Bamba - "It's In Spanish!"

Shane In The Hall

Danny and I Belting Out The Lyrics to Something

New Neighbor Dean Brings Down The House With His Rendition of "Lets Get It On"

My Crooners - John and Taruan

Shane And Eric Take A Beverage Break

Holly and Danny Cut Up For The Camera

Val and Leila Share a Moment

In Honor Of Johnny Cash's Birthday, Eric & I Pair Up To Sing "Jackson"

Like All Good Southern Girls, Crystal and I Sing "Delta Dawn"

Diane and I Having A Giggle

Taruan and Chioke Enjoying The Evening

Shane and Teague Sing "The Time Warp"

and if you are going to sing The Time Warp, you know that right behind are folks that…

Are Going to Sing and Dance With You. Guaranteed.

and sing and dance some more…

More Time Warp Fun

Me, Getting A Chance To Thank Everyone For Coming

But there is one (maybe two…) more surprises to come…

Lisa Wrote Custom Lyrics To "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", Just For Me!

This tickled me to no end. I was so thrilled.

I just wasn’t ready for the party to end. And so, six of us brought it on home.

Because no birthday is complete without…

a Pink and White Cake, Complete With Adorable Candles!

It was a fabulous birthday and I was so thrilled with all our guests. We have the best friends ever.

xoxo, Patti

Our last day in New Orleans was off to a slow start. We had a quiet breakfast on a patio in the French Quarter and just moseyed around town on foot. The sky was grey and the day was misty. I didn’t even take any photos.

Eric and I packed and had a late lunch at The Gumbo Shop. Eric sampled both the chicken and the shrimp gumbos while I opted for a shrimp po’ boy.  Eric’s dishes won hands down, but the bread for the po’boys was so soft and crusty and delicious. Yum.

After lunch my cell rang and it was my friend Allen, who attends law school at Tulane.  We had missed each other the day before and looked forward to catching up today.  And so we decided to meet at the Napoleon House, one of the oldest bars in the French Quarter. So off Eric and I strode.

The Napoleon House is closed on Sunday.

We need a Plan B.

We chose Tujague’s (Thanks, Clint!), another very old bar in the quarter.  Eric and I get there first and get acquainted with the bartender who starts to whip us up some special cocktails. I don’t even ask, I just let him do his thing.  Allen arrives and it is so good catching up with our old friend.  Stories are bandied about and old names we haven’t uttered in some time creep up. It was just a hug for our souls.  As we are imbibing, there is a quick, hard thunderstorm outside. It seems very romantic to be in a 200+ year old bar in New Orleans with the rain beating down. Very Ernest Hemingway or F. Scott Fitzgerald.

After the rain let up, we decided it was time for dinner. We chose Muriel’s for its pretty decor and tasty sounding menu.

We started with the escargots and then split from there. I chose the salad and turtle soup, Eric decided on the duck, while Allen tried the three course meal that included a veal chop. The service was polished but not hovering and the space is beautiful.

Satisfied all around, we head back to our hotel for a nightcap at our gorgeous hotel bar. It is such a gift to be able to catch up with old friends. And you know what? We have one more bottle of champagne left to enjoy. We ask the front desk to send up an ice bucket and pop that last bottle while we pack.

Our 5:30 a.m. wake up call came way too early. The train left promptly at 7:05 a.m. and I have to say, as tired as I was, I was happy to board the train and have some breakfast (really great french toast), followed by a very long, languid nap in our sleeper car.  On the return trip, we enjoyed some more movies, some tasty on-board meals and more napping.  When we returned home to Atlanta, we were greeted by our darling Crystal who arrived at the station to take us home.

Traveling is wonderful, but isn’t arriving back home the best?

xoxo, Patti

Day three in New Orleans was the greatest and….it was my actual birthday, so even better!

Eric and I arose fairly early and caught the trolley to The Trolley Stop Cafe for brunch.  And since it was my birthday and I could do anything I wanted, I ordered a blueberry waffle and a crab cake. Both delicious. Eric ordered the eggs, toast and bacon. Also yummy.

After brunch we wandered around the Garden District and enjoyed all the beautiful homes. The architecture in New Orleans really is fantastic and refreshingly without a whit of snobbery.  Then we hit Magazine Street for some shopping. Such fun.

First Stop - Brunch At The Trolley Stop

Shopping on Magazine Street on a very sunny, warm birthday Saturday was truly a treat. First stop – Sucre. Sucre is one of the country’s premier sweet shoppes. We spent a good amount of time with the darling general manager, Hali, who happily allowed us to sample some of their amazing chocolates. Take a look:

The Vast Array of Most Unusual Chocolates

There were absinthe chocolates, port wine chocolates, orange chocolates, even wedding cake chocolates (see the white candies just above?).  They were all tiny treasures that left us very happy indeed.

Sweet Hali

We had the best time with Hali and brought home a gorgeous assortment – which are all gone now.   I guess I will have to call Miss Hali and order some more. Not only were they the tastiest things ever, each one was gorgeously decorated. Honestly, they looked like jewels. I felt like a princess indulging in these treats. Thank you, Hali!!

A Jewel Box of Treats, Just For You!

Ok, that photo comes from their website, but I wanted you to see how special they are. See the fourth row over? Those are hand painted chocolates. Ridiculous, Fabulous, Life Changing. Wild for them.

And look at these macaron cakes! They are the stuff dreams are made of! I’m sure Helen at Tartelette would approve!

How Beautiful Are These?

I just adored spending time at Sucre and can’t wait to order more chocolates from them. They would make any woman swoon (hint, hint, fellas!)

Next door to Sucre, more treasures awaited me at As You Like It Silver Shop.  Nothing but the finest silver and silver plated items for your table. My husband indulged me as I picked out the sweetest silver plated deep soup spoons for my collection.  You know I now always shop with the motto, “what would Eddie Ross buy”. Eddie, of course, being my shopping guru. Well, I think Eddie would be pleased with my find. At $8 each, I bought all 6 in stock.  Duncan, the owner and I discussed Eddie and his fab shopping tours and agreed that his shop must be a stop for Eddie. You would love this place, my friend!

Shopping For Silver

By now, we were parched and of course, there is no shortage of places to imbibe in New Orleans so we headed over to The Bulldog for a couple of brews. As the weather was so stellar, there were no seats on the patio, so we perched ourselves on stools inside. This was where the fun was. We met a group of stuntmen in town to shoot “The Green Lantern” and boy, were they a wild bunch.  Shot glasses and beer bottles were broken, the petite bartender had to put them in their place more than once. But, hey, they were stuntmen and it was my birthday and they wanted to party. So party we did. We met everyone in that bar and it was a blast.

Getting Silly At The Bulldog With My Sweetie

Me With New Friend, Stuntman Lee From London

No Shortage of Beers Here!

But we didn’t want to get too wild, we had to get to dinner. But first, some photos of our hotel lobby.

Among The Hanging Crystals in the Lobby's Chandelier

Alack and alas, the wild had caught up with us so we ordered a pizza from room service. But you know what? I love room service and was happy to relax in our luxe room for the evening.

Tomorrow, classic cocktails and hanging out with an old friend.

xoxo, Patti

Our second day in New Orleans my sweet Eric woke up early and decided to take a walk while I got pretty for the day. After primping, I walked out to find him and we met at Harrah’s. Mr. Perfect was armed with cafe au lait and fresh beignets from Cafe Du Monde.  We walked down to the river and had an impromptu picnic breakfast while enjoying the tugboats.

A Wonderful Way to Start Our Day

Here’s a photo of my yummy beignets:

What's Better Than Sweet Fried Dough? Pretty Much Nothing, That's What

Eric and I took a walk along the riverfront, stopping at the Holocaust Memorial.  Instead of it being a sad occasion, it is a celebration of spirit.  The monument looks different from every angle. I took a photo, but it just cannot do it justice.

Holocaust Monument

It was an overcast day in Louisiana, but still full of life. We walked from the river over to Jackson Square, a beautiful park close to the French Quarter.

The Center of Jackson Square

I liked all the people watching here.

The Ice Cream Must Be Good If Abe Eats There

Juggling Lessons

All this people watching made me thirsty, so we ducked into Stanley for some milkshakes. Mmmmm, milkshakes.

Another Open Kitchen At Stanley

A Strawberry Shake for E and a Pecan Pie Shake for Me

The fellow sitting next to me ordered the po boy sliders and was kind enough to let me photograph them. Don’t they look delicious?

If I Hadn't Just Eaten Breakfast....

It was time for another stroll. This time, the French Quarter. Still decorated for Mardi Gras (but without the crowds).

Loved All The Balconies

It was in the French Quarter on this very day that Eric purchased the most fabulous painting for me from a very chic gallery. More on that much later. But suffice to say, I am thrilled.

Eric and I just ambled around and took in the sights. Then popped into Fritzel’s for a beverage (thanks for the tip, Arlynn!)

Errol's Handcrafted Cocktails. I Had The Amaretto Sour!

And on to lunch. They do a lot of eating in New Orleans, so I felt right at home.  We headed to Frank’s for muffalettas. Well, a half of a muffaletta. They were huge. Accompanied by some fries and cokes the size of missiles, it was plenty.

Sandwich Species - "Muffaletta Gigantis"

After lunch it was time for some gift shopping and a trip to the Absinthe Museum. That was cool. Then back over to Chuck’s for some more beverages and cheap jukebox fun. This time the bar was filled with old men playing pool and singing every Four Tops and Temptations song that the jukebox carried. I loved it.

At this point it was getting time for dinner and we decided to have dinner at Rambla, located right in our very own hotel. Best meal of the trip.

And dinner, of course, started with cocktails – a blueberry cosmo for me and a bombay breeze for Eric. Excellent.

Care To Join Me?

And then the food. Really amazing stuff.

We tried grilled octopus, a ridiculously yummy charcuterie platter, bone marrow with bacon jam (!!), the mushroom flatbread and wrapped it up with chocolate mousse topped with not only whipped cream, but chocolate Pop Rocks! It was all fantastic.

But seeing is believing, yes? Yes, yes it is.

Rambla's Menu

Charcuterie Platter

The Mushroom Flatbread

Grilled Octopus Served Over Pureed White Beans and Topped With Fennel

Bone Marrow With Bacon Jam

Sexy Candlelight To Dine By

That Chocolate Mousse Before It Was Completely Devoured

The best day ever. And we still have two more to go!

Thanks for joining me on the journey! Day Three tomorrow, Darlings!

xoxo, Patti