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

March, 2010

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Dandelion Syrup

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Good Morning, Darlings!

Spring is here in Atlanta. The dogwoods are exploding with blooms, the temps are rising and my winter clothes are all put away.  What to do when your lawn is littered with a zillion yellow dandelion flowers?  Make dandelion syrup, of course!

Honestly, this project started as a dare.  Crystal thought this would be a great use for the umpteen flowers in my yard.  You call them weeds, I call them flowers. The recipe takes two cups of petals. That’s about 365 dandelions. So out I went into the yard and faced the challenge.  Then I clipped the petals of all the flowers.  Crystal found a recipe online (which prompted all of this) and off I went.

365 Dandelion Flowers, Waiting To Be Snipped

To See If I Actually Did This, Click Here

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We Have A Winner!

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

Good Morning, Darlings!

The winner of our Miss Becky awesome soaps giveaway is Erin, from Atlanta! Congratulations!

Erin, please email me at Patti@Anatomyofadinnerparty.com to let me know your mailing address.

Enjoy!

xoxo, Patti

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Urban Picnic

Monday, March 29th, 2010

Good Morning, Darlings!

I had the good fortune to attend our city’s Urban Picnic this past Friday in support of Food Trucks in Atlanta. The event was held curbside at The Sweet Auburn Curb Market, one of Atlanta’s oldest operating markets.

It was a lovely event meant to raise awareness of what we could be enjoying on a regular basis like other cities.  Cities like Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Chicago. All the major metropolises seem to possess what seems to be a daunting task here in Atlanta. But the Atlanta Street Food Coalition has taken on this task on behalf of all food lovers in our fair town.

Souper Jenny's Super Soup Truck!

Come Peek At the Picnic After The Fold!

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Fun Find Friday – Peas For Prosperity

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Good Morning, Darlings!

Today’s fun find comes from sweet Christy at Peas For Prosperity. A great organization that sells not only black eyed peas to eat, but also jewelry made from these little gems that are thought to bring good luck to all us southerners on New Year’s Day.

And the packaging is cute, too!

Too Adorable!

For More Info, “Peas” Join Me After The Fold

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Jamaican Butterfish, Mon

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

Good Morning, Darlings!

Yesterday I was feeling like the islands, but since I can’t jump on a plane and jet down to Negril, I thought I would bring the tropics to us.

First stop, Super H. Of course.  I picked out some gorgeous Jamaican Butterfish. Mainly, because I liked the color. Now, I looked online for a photo of this fish alive and just can’t seem to find one. So this gorgeous photo from Destination Jamaica will have to suffice.

Ah, to be in Jamaica right now....

More Faux Island Fun After The Fold

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I Have A Surprise For You!

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

Good Morning, Darlings and Happy Spring!

Remember Miss Becky and her gorgeous soaps? In honor of Easter and Spring, we are giving away another of her baskets of soap. Couldn’t you just squeal with delight? Me, too!

Miss Becky With An Apron Full of Soap

All you have to do to win this giveaway is live in the continental U.S. and leave a comment about how you are celebrating spring. That’s all! I’ll choose a random winner with my random counter super duper time machine. Not really, it just picks a random number, but doesn’t that sound cool?

And you can win this! I’ll pick a winner on Monday, March 29, so you can have it in time for Easter.  It will have one of each of the following hand-crafted soaps by Miss Becky:  Lavender, Orange-Rosemary, Vanilla Brown Sugar, Jasmine Green Tea and Oats and Honey.

A Basketfull of The Sweetest Soaps Could Be Yours!

I can’t wait to see who wins!

xoxo, Patti

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Miso Happy!

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

Good Morning, Darlings!

A week or so ago, Miss Tami and I had a girls’ lunch at Miso Izakaya just to catch up. Pretty yummy, I must say.

Even though the rain was coming down in buckets outside, inside we were feeling sunny and warm. The sushi here is so beautiful. Take a look.

Don't You Just Love All That Color?

More Fishy Fun After The Fold!

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A Sweet Night With My Boys

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

Good Morning, Darlings!

As I look back to February and whip out all the fun nights we’ve shared with friends, I had almost forgotten this one.  After returning from NOLA, we invited our sweeties Taruan and Chioke for a sweet night.  And from the looks of the photos we took, you would think there was no dinner served….but I just cannot recall.   Although, here is evidence that I made some fresh tortilla chips.

Mmmm, Fresh Chips!

You all know how to do this, right?  Take a stack of small tortillas, cut them in half and half them again.  Fry in hot oil, scoop out and sprinkle with kosher salt. Devour.

Almost too easy – and so much better than store bought.

More Sweets After The Fold

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Fun Find Friday

Friday, March 19th, 2010

Good Morning, Darlings!

I think Friday is a great day to dedicate to fun finds, don’t you?

You know how I love the Goodwill.  Oh boy, do I ever!  I especially love perusing the bookshelves, looking for classic or interesting cookbooks.  I recently found a 1975 edition of The Joy of Cooking, in pristine condition, but this one really tickled me.

More Friday Finds After The Fold

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My One Exception

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

Good Morning, Darlings!

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!

More Rule Breaking Fun After The Fold

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