Anatomy of a Dinner Party: a day in the life of a hospitalityaholic
 

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More Lemony Goodness

Thursday, July 6th, 2017

Good Morning Darlings,

I can’t get enough of anything lemon this summer. I leave you with this today. Go, make it. Treat yourself and all your loved ones.

You need this tart. I need this tart.

Find the recipe here. 

xoxo, Patti

Stubb Your Ribs + A Giveaway!!

Thursday, May 25th, 2017

Good Morning Darlings!

Summer is here (To me, at least. Memorial Day = Start of Summer).

Are you grilling out this weekend? Need some ideas? I’m here to help!

My friends at Stubb’s Legendary BBQ are hooking us up with awesome tips (clean your grill with an onion?! check it out below) and a couple of coupons for $5.00 off any of their fabulous products. That’ll take care of your rub and sauce needs. Wait, that sounded bad..you know what I mean.

DIY sauce recipes: Kick the ketchup habit with some fun, easy and tasty DIY burger sauces that you can make with some items you might already have on hand.

  • Mustard + Original BBQ Sauce: ¼ cup mustard to every 1 cup of BBQ
  • Bang Bang Sauce: Mix together 1/2 cup of mayonnaise, 3/4 cup Stubb’s Original BBQ sauce, 1 heaping tablespoon of hot sauce and either a tablespoon of honey or some brown sugar depending on what I am cooking.
  • Spicy Mayo: ½ cup of mayonnaise and 3 tablespoons of Stubb’s Spicy BBQ sauce
  • Not Just Basic BBQ:

o    For a sweeter BBQ sauce – add 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 2 tablespoon honey to 1 cup of Original BBQ

o    To give your BBQ sauce a spicy kick – add habanero peppers to 1 cup of Original BBQ (add as many as you like depending on your level of spice)

Tips for Grilling your Meat:

  • Start with a clean grill so your burgers don’t stick and fall apart. My tip is to use an onion to clean your grill. Cut the onion in half, and while the grill is heating up, rub the onion across it. The juices from the onion clean the grill and get it ready for use. Note: I DIE! How cool is this, y’all?
  • Make a thumbprint in the middle of the patty before putting it on the grill. This will help the patty come our nice and flat (not puffy in the middle) and the meat will be cooked evenly throughout.
  • Avoid burning or charring your meat by flipping it every couple of minutes. It’s a myth that you shouldn’t flip your meat! The hotter the grill, the more often you should turn it.

And some recipes to help you win that burger cook off. You go, girl!

Full Recipes:

  1. Toasted Pecan Burger:
  • Ingredients

–       1 pound ground chuck

–       ¼ cup chopped red onion

–       ¼ cup chopped pecans, toasted

–       1 tablespoon finely chopped green bell pepper

–       3 tablespoons Stubb’s Original BBQ Sauce

–       2 tablespoons Stubb’s BBQ Spice Rub

–       Lettuce, mayonnaise, and toasted buns, for serving

  • Instructions:

–       Mix together the chuck, onion, pecans, bell pepper, Stubb’s Original Bar-B-Q Sauce, and Stubb’s Bar-B-Q Spice Rub. Shape into 3 large or 4 average-size patties. (The burgers may be mixed and shaped earlier in the day; refrigerate until ready to use.)

–       Prepare a grill for direct cooking. For a charcoal grill, when the coals are ashed over, rake or spread them out in the bottom of the grill so the food can cook directly over the coals. (For a gas grill, fire up the burners so the food can cook directly over the heat.)

–       Grill the burgers over direct medium heat, first on one side then on the other, 7 to 10 minutes, until they reach your desired degree of doneness. (Medium burgers register an internal temperature of 160°F.) Serve with lettuce, mayonnaise and toasted buns.

  1. Stubb’s Fried Egg Burger with Spicy Mayo:
  • Ingredients

–       ½ cup mayonnaise

–       3 tablespoons Stubb’s Spicy BBQ Sauce

–       2 lbs. lean ground beef

–       1/3 cup Stubb’s Texas Steakhouse Marinade

–       2 tablespoons vegetable oil

–       6 eggs

–       6 hamburger buns

–       Tomato

–       Lettuce

–       Blue Cheese (optional)

 

  • Instructions:

–       In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise and Stubb’s Spicy BBQ sauce. Set aside.

Using your hands, mix the ground beef and marinade. Divide meat into six patties.

–       Prepare the grill for direct cooking. Cook the burgers for 6-7 minutes on each side for medium doneness.

–       Heat a large non-stick skillet on medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Crack eggs into skillet and cook until the whites are set but the yolk is still runny, approximately 3 minutes. If you prefer your eggs over easy, flip and cook for an additional 15-20 seconds.

–       Assemble the burger in the following order: bottom bun, lettuce, tomato, cooked burger, blue cheese (optional), then egg. Spread the spicy mayonnaise on the top bun and place on top of the egg.

  1. Stubb’s Stuffed Burger: 
  • Ingredients

–       2 lbs. ground beef

–       3/4 cup Stubb’s Original BBQ Sauce

–       2 tablespoons Stubb’s Beef Marinade

–       2 tablespoons Stubb’s BBQ Spice Rub

–       7 oz. can of nacho sliced jalapenos

–       3/4 cup shredded cheese

  • Instructions

–       In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, Beef Marinade, and Bar-B-Q Spice Rub together with your hands.

–       Use about 1/3 cup of meat and press it into a thin patty with your hands. Top the patty with one tablespoon sliced jalapenos and two tablespoons shredded cheese, leaving at least a ¼” rim around the edge. You can adjust toppings per your taste.

–       Press out another thin patty. Place the second patty on top of the first patty and use your fingers to seal the two patties together well. Repeat another five times to make a total of six burgers.

–       Grill burgers over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes per side, flipping once during cooking. Baste with Stubb’s Original Bar-B-Q sauce during last 3 minutes of cooking.

–       Serve on a bun with your favorite toppings.

Okay – leave a comment and you might be one of the winners of those $5 Stubb’s Certificates. If you do not comment, I will use them all myself, make all of these burgers at my house and not invite you. And nobody wants that.

xoxo, Patti

 

Oh Happy Party Day!

Wednesday, May 24th, 2017

Good Morning Darlings!

I get so many emails everyday touting everything from vacation spots to dog collars. It could make a girl’s head spin.

Once in a while, something comes across my desk that makes my head spin in a good way. Today that something is Oh Happy Day – a website packed to the brim with everything I love and makes me scream “TAKE MY MONEY!”

With Memorial Day almost here – can you believe it? Some friends actually had to remind me that it was THIS WEEKEND. Gah. I am so not ready. But I might be if I can get speedy shipping from my friends at Oh Happy Day. Take a look a some of their adorable offerings. And, no, they didn’t send me any product, I’m just in love.

Peacock Balloons! Oh my word.

Beach ball napkins!  I need a beach house, y’all!

Step aside, Imma need this to serve lemon layer cake on.

I’ll take the ‘Cheers’ cocktail stirrers, please.

 

You get the idea. If you need me, I’ll be shopping!! Tomorrow, we’ll talk about grilling out.

xoxo, Patti

Chop It Up, I’ll Eat It

Friday, August 5th, 2016

Good Morning Darlings!

Golly gee whiz, it is HOT here in Georgia. Yes, I know, it’s August. But wow, all I want to eat is chopped salad these days. I’m on a kick and taking Eric with me.

Here is one of the salads we’ve been enjoying recently. I’m a big fan of California Pizza Kitchen and love their BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad. I could eat it everyday. But that would get pricey, so I learned how to make it at home. Would you like to make it for yourself? Let me help!

You can make this at home, too!

You can make this at home, too!

I didn’t say I was dieting, I’m just beating the heat. Add a Corona – don’t judge.

The recipe is from Food.com, and I can’t lie, I used tortilla chips and bottled ranch dressing and then threw it all together. If you have the time to follow all these steps, bless your heart.

INGREDIENTS:

4

DIRECTIONS

  1. To Make the Fried Tortilla Strips: In a deep, heavy frying pan, heat several inches of vegetable oil to a temperature of 375 degrees. Working in batches if necessary to prevent overcrowding, carefully add the tortilla strips to the hot oil, submerging them with a metal skimmer or slotted spoon. Fry the tortilla strips until evenly golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully lift them out with the skimmer or slotted spoon and transfer them to paper towels to drain and cool. Set aside, uncovered.
  2. To Make the Garden Herb Ranch Dressing: In a mixing bowl, use a fork to stir together the mustard and cold water, forming a paste. Set aside for 10 minutes. Add the remaining dressing ingredients to the bowl and, using a handheld electric mixer at low speed or a whisk, blend together just until smooth, taking care not to incorporate too much air into the dressing. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
  3. To Make the Grilled Garlic and BBQ Chicken: Preheat a stovetop grill or the broiler. In a mixing bowl, stir together the olive oil, garlic, soy sauce, and salt. Turn the chicken breasts in this marinade and leave to marinate at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Grill or broil the chicken breasts until cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator. Cut the chicken breasts into 3/4-inch cubes and, in a bowl, toss with the barbecue sauce to coat well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
  4. To Make the Salad: In a large mixing bowl, toss together the lettuces, basil, jicama, Monterey Jack cheese, beans, corn, cilantro, dressing, and half of the Fried Tortilla Strips. Transfer the salads to chilled serving plates. Surround each salad with diced tomatoes and the remaining Fried Tortilla Strips. Top each salad with chunks of Grilled Garlic BBQ Chicken and drizzle the chicken with the barbecue sauce. Garnish with the scallion.

Gobble down like hungry badgers. Crack open another cold beer. Sit in the air conditioning and watch Stranger Things. OMG, I love that show!

What are you doing to beat the heat?

xoxo, Patti

Some Summer Things

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2015

Good Morning Darlings,

I simply cannot let summer slip away. The nights are getting a smidge cooler and Labor Day is upon us.

Here are some of my favorite shots from summer. They may not all be my shots, but I love them just the same.

This past weekend we visited with our friends Denise, Rick and Holly in Florida. Despite the impending hurricane, we had a fine time. Here we are getting ready to tuck into some bairdi crab legs . They are a cross between snow crab and Alaskan king crab. Delicious.

Hanging at Crabby Bills

Hanging at Crabby Bills

We also spent the night at La Hacienda, owned by our dear friends, Tera and Ed. I took no pictures, I just enjoyed the day.

I never made it to the beach, but I bet it looked like this! Maybe later this year:

 

Wish I were there!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we did lots of beer tasting (doesn’t that sound better than drinking? much more sophisticated).

Eric and I discussed the house we will buy before the end of next year. Things on our wish list include:

A pizza oven is a MUST!

I want the entire backyard look like it’s always ready for a party. Party lighting is a must have.

Is this scrumptious?

That’s all for now. Share all your dreams and secrets for summer with me! I promise not to tell.

xoxo, Patti

 

Some of My Favorite Summer Things

Monday, August 15th, 2011

Good Morning Darlings!

Summer will soon be gone, replaced by light sweaters and thoughts of Halloween costumes.

What has been your favorite summer memory?

BBQ Manners

Monday, June 20th, 2011

Good Morning Darlings!

Just when you thought it was time to let your guard down…here’s a list of manners for giving/attending a bbq. Anything here that we’ve forgotten?

Celebrity chef Ted Reader comes to us with these gems of advice.

What’s cooking with Chef Ted?

Fun Find Friday – Popsicle Molds

Friday, June 25th, 2010

Good Morning, Darlings!

Summer – hot – meltingly sultry….we just can’t seem to cool down quick enough. What to do? Well, if you can’t stand the heat, get in the kitchen and make popsicles!

These tasty treats are so easy, and so much better when made at home. You can actually control what goes into your food, and isn’t that what we all want?

I just purchased this model and have been making popsicles every day. I’m popsicle obsessed.

My Popsicle Mold

And you’ll need extra popsicle sticks, too. They can be ordered here. I really need to stock up on these, my popsicle addiction is growing.

Now that you’ve got a mold – what should you put into your popsicles?  Just about anything you can pour into the mold.  I started with juice – easy enough. But I chose exotic juices. Guanabana, mango, papaya and pineapple juices. And then I started combining the flavors. I even took popsicles to a new neighbor as a housewarming gift. Trust me, they were very well received.

You could mix up instant pudding and pour them into your molds. For a lunch popsicle you could fill the mold with vegetable juice! Okay, that may not appeal to everyone, but you healthy types out there might really like it.

You can also get swanky with your frozen treats. How about pouring a bit of pureed strawberries in the mold, just to fill the tip, and after that portion freezes, fill the rest with pineapple puree or juice. Not only will it look pretty, but it will be delicious!

Special tip – Let your popsicle mixture firm up a bit before inserting the sticks. I learned this the hard way. My first batch had sticks that were all wonky and off-centered. They still tasted good, but looked funny.

Another tip – first pour your mixture into a spouted container for easier pouring. I use my large Pyrex measuring cup. Works like a charm.

Now go forth and make popsicles! Summer will not get the best of you!

xoxo, Patti

Today blogging to Glee Soundtrack – Ice Ice Baby

Cold Is The New Cool

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

Good Morning, Darlings!

The official start of summer is just days away, but Old Sol seems antsy to bring it on. It is positively steamy here in Atlanta and what better way to beat the heat than ice cream? Now I know that might coincide with your bikini-ready plans, but you need to give yourself a tiny break here and there, yes?

There are so many fantastic ice cream purveyors here in our city – just turn around and you bump into one!

If Only We Could All Look So Sweet Gobbling Ice Cream

More Frozen Goodness Inside