As I stated in the beginning of March, there were no dinner parties to be hosted in my home this month. But, alas, rules are meant to be broken. The one person I would allow as the exception came to dinner last night. And it was so worth breaking the rules!

Last night our very special guest of honor was Clint’s enchanting mother, Sylvia. We had not seen each other in seven years and she was in town for a visit. There was no way my little moratorium was going to keep me from entertaining one of my most favorite people. And so I set about to show her a very good time.

On the menu was:

Caprese Salad
Pappardelle with Boar Ragu
Sauteed Broccoli Rabe
Fresh Garlic Bread
Lemon Tart

Mmmm, Meatballs, Y'all!

So, happily I tottered off to Toscano & Sons yesterday to pick up the pasta and boar ragu. Uh….the FDA came and took all their boar ragu away, siting insufficient information on the packaging. Mama Mia! What to do? Well, I had some meatballs in the freezer and some Italian sausage in the fridge, that would have to be my stand-in.

With all my other ingredients packed up in the car and Karen off to camp for the night, I set home to whip up a fabulous evening.

Lemon tart? Sure! I have some pate brisee in the freezer that I took out to thaw. That should work perfectly in this pie. Why should I read the directions?
Well, because the pate brisee had some major shrinkage in the oven. Aw, geez. I wound up with what looked like a nice, flat piece of pie dough.

Into the trash it went. Now I need to come up with another dessert. I could go back out, but it is raining cats and dogs out there! Hmmm, lets see what we have.

Yay! There are some gorgeous strawberries brought back from Florida by Holly earlier this year! And I have cookie dough in the fridge. Dessert would be strawberries macerated in sugar and balsamic vinegar, topped with black pepper alongside one perfect cookie. Whew.

Since it was St. Patty’s Day (and I am Patti), I thought I should go all out. I picked up some green bowler hats at Target and set them by each place setting. Also at each place was a TableTopics question. Kroger had daffodils – 5 bunches for $10, so home they came with me, too. They look like Spring will soon be here, don’t they?

Top O' The Evening To Ya!

Isn’t my organdy tablecloth pretty? I got it on ebay for $20 (that includes shipping)!! Isn’t that crazy? I love it! I really should have ironed it before using, but I thought with everything on the table maybe no one would notice. And if they did, they were so polite, no one said anything.

Close Up Of The Tablecloth

Soon, my charming guests arrived and Eric finished up work. We had so much catching up to do with each other! Eric and I orchestrated the last minute cooking while visiting with Clint, Matt and Miss Sylvia in the kitchen. It was so much fun. And now to eat!

Caprese Salad

And time to wear our silly green hats. With glitter. That got all over everything and everybody.

Matt, Miss Sylvia and Clint

Now I feel bad that Miss Sylvia had green, sparkly hair. But we all had green, sparkly hair.

Yippee! I Got Everyone To Wear The Hats!

It was a wonderful evening, and as I shook out the tablecloth this morning and saw tons of green fairy dust fly into the wind, I thought of the people in my life who make it so magical.

Make some magic today, Darlings!

xoxo, Patti

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 photos)

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!