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Here and There

Tuesday, November 7th, 2017

Good Morning Darlings!

Things have been hopping around here, so I thought I would post a few photos and give you an update.

 

Candy Experiment

Eric and I went to see Nathaniel Hawthorne and the Night Sweats on Halloween night, so we weren’t here for most of the candy-handing-out. I put a sign on our candy bowl and set it out. It worked pretty well. No one took the bowl!

Larry. Oh, Larry.

This is crazy Larry. No, he won’t make you a great deal on a new car, but he lives with us now. Larry loves long walks, chasing balls, driving Karen insane and sleeping on the bed. Get off the bed, Larry. We are learning to love Larry.

These ladies are electric!

This was a group of ladies I brought together that pretty much run this town. From the Arthur M. Blank Foundation to the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and beyond, these ladies taught me so much in one evening. Looking forward to plenty more dinners with women of substance like these five.

Cream Puffs!

Did you know that cream puffs are insanely easy to make? You can make tons in an afternoon and watch your friends gobble them all up. This is a before picture, but they turned out great. I topped them with chocolate ganache and filled them with…GASP…vanilla Jello pudding (I dumped all the jello into a piping bag and hid the evidence). Don’t judge. They were delicious. Here’s a recipe. Go make them right now.

I love my friends.

After I made the cream puffs, we had a lovely dinner party for 6 friends. I made a beef bourguinon and served it over Israeli cous cous with a crisp green salad and yeast rolls.

The photo above is my kitchen after the dinner party. Our wonderful friend Teague rolled up his sleeves and washed all the dishes. Our dishwasher is on the fritz. I could tell you why, but the story is too gruesome. If you live in a 100+ year old house, you can imagine.

Anyhoo. How’s your week coming along?

xoxo, Patti

 

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Pizza Skulls!

Tuesday, October 17th, 2017

Good Morning Darlings,

My friend Sherry shared this on Facebook and not only are they fabulous for Halloween, they look easy to make and tasty too (if you can get past the creepiness – is that a word?)

Anyhoo, get the deets here at Genius Kitchen and amaze your friends. These are awesome.

They’re so creepy!!!

I need these in my life. How about you?

xoxo, Patti

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Dreamin’ of Spain

Thursday, September 21st, 2017

Good Morning Darlings!

Eric and I have booked a trip to Barcelona for this November and we are so excited!!!

The other night we put together our own little tapas and watched YouTube videos of Barcelona.

Dreaming of Spain

Tell me your top places to see there!

xoxo, Patti

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Let’s Cook Like Chefs – Easily!

Tuesday, September 5th, 2017

Good Morning Darlings!

Ever wonder how chefs get the food out of the kitchen to your table so quickly and deliciously? Is deliciously even a word? Whatevs.

Check out this article that will make your home cooking so much easier. Of course some of the tips are obvious- get a sharp knife…really? But some tips you might not know that could help you out.

Tips to cook like a restaurant chef

Now I want cookies. And bacon!

I can haz bacon?

xoxo, Patti

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Mushrooms – Guest Post!!

Thursday, April 27th, 2017

Good Morning Darlings,

I love mushrooms. Like I REALLY love mushrooms. They are always in my fridge, ready to make something taste even better.

My new friend, Joe, knows all about mushrooms. Do you know they are a superfood? Finally something I love to eat is a superfood (why can’t pizza be a superfood!?!?)

Anyhoo, mushrooms are anti-inflammatory and they taste delicious.

Joe, take it away!

The Science of Mushrooms

ALL the mushrooms!!

Wasn’t that cool? Now go eat some mushrooms.

xoxo, Patti

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Let’s Get Cheesy

Thursday, March 16th, 2017

Good Morning Darlings!

I’m always on the search for the perfect cheese and charcuterie board. How about you? The same old thing gets boring.

My friends over at The Gander NYC shared their ideas with me, and now I’m sharing with you. Take a well, Gander…

What’s on your cheese board?

xoxo, Patti

Posted in Appetizers, dinner parties, Dinner Party Ideas, entertaining, party | 1 Response »

Frito Fail!

Friday, October 21st, 2016

Good Morning Darlings,

Happy Friday!

It’s always a hoot when things in the kitchen don’t go as planned. Eric and I got a wild hair last weekend to try and whip up homemade fritos to go with chili. The New York Times had what looked like a super easy recipe with basically three ingredients.

And ours looked pretty close to the ones pictured in the Times.

Here’s their photo:

New York Times Fritos (on the right)

New York Times Fritos (on the right)

And here’s ours:

I seriously have to use a better camera, y'all.

I seriously have to use a better camera, y’all.

Perhaps I should have laid mine out on pretty polka dot wrapping paper?

Anyhoo, Frito Lay doesn’t have to worry about going out of business. We immediately went out and bought three bags of real fritos. We had friends coming over! We couldn’t feed them these homemade things.

But we did – just so they could see what the homemade version tastes like. And you know what? They ate them, because they are awesome people. Polite to the max.  It was the first attempt. We can get better.

Popping out to the store is so much easier and tastier, though.

What are you cooking this weekend?

xoxo, Patti

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Sometimes, It’s Just Snacks

Wednesday, August 10th, 2016

Good Morning Darlings!

Same theme – it’s HOT here in Atlanta. Even too hot to make salad. Last night I threw together this fun platter of treats from rummaging in the fridge and the pantry.

Crab dip, baby carrots, club crackers, grapes and pistachios. It was like a tiny cocktail party without…gasp…the cocktails. Even we have to take break every once in a while.

 

It doesn't have to be difficult to be delish.

It doesn’t have to be difficult to be delish.

Pull out your cute little bowls and a nice white platter and add some colorful food and you have an instant party. Voila!

xoxo, Patti

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SuperBowl Snack Bracket With Van Gogh Vodka

Tuesday, February 9th, 2016

Good Morning Darlings!

How was your Super Sunday? We had a swell time with a few close friends at our annual Snack Bracket. Everyone brings a dish in one of the following categories:

1. Sweet
2. Savory
3. Dips
4. Vegetarian

Guests will judge the entries in each category and then one winner will reign over all! The winner takes home bragging rights and a trophy.

It’s always a blast. Here’s the table pre-party:

That

Are you ready for some snacking?

Are you ready for some snacking?

There’s the trophy in the center of the table. Every year I have to find something that might work as a trophy. Last year it was an egg cup with googly eyes glued on. This year we upped our game.

Drinks are an absolutely necessity for every party and this is THE party. The lovely folks at Van Gogh Vodka sent me a couple of bottles along with the cutest and yummiest recipes to match the teams playing. Take a look.

SuperbowlCocktails

THE BRONCO

1 1/2 oz. Van Gogh Oranje Vodka

3 oz. Orange Juice

1 oz. Club Soda

Pour vodka and juice into an ice-filled highball glass rimmed with blue sugar.  Stir and top with orange juice and garnish with an orange slice

 

THE PANTHER

1 oz. Van Gogh Acai-Blueberry Vodka

1/2 oz. Blue Curacao

5 oz. Lemonade

1/2 oz. Triple Sec

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into an ice filled highball glass rimmed with silver sugar.  Garnish with floating blueberries.

Even though Peyton Manning took home the trophy, our guests loved the Panthers cocktail best.

At our party, it was the Panthers 4-1.

But who took home the Snack Bracket trophy?

This was early in the evening. Not everyone had entered yet.

Everyone had a blast sipping Van Gogh cocktails and watching the game.

Look at those happy faces!

But who won the Snack Bracket???

It was Vareck with his famous meringue pecan pie. It was SOOOO good!

Congrats Vareck!

May I recommend that you mix up these cocktails for your Valentine? They will love you for it!

xoxo, Patti

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Buttering Up To Bulldogs

Friday, August 21st, 2015

Good Morning Darlings,

If you know me well, you know that I am a complete sucker for all things bulldog. My beloved Chelsea was the flower girl when I married E, much to her distaste of wearing a tutu.

Wedding

Chelsea went to heaven many years ago, but my love for English Bullies stays strong. The wonderful folks at the Georgia English Bulldog Rescue are always taking in stray and abandoned (how can that even be a THING?) English Bullies and give their all doing so.

They are having a fundraiser to pay for all the great work they do and all you have to do is show up and eat and drink (half priced bottles of wine, y’all!) Take a look:

GEBR eclipse di luna 2015

 

So go out next Sunday and grab some yummy treats for a great cause.

 

xoxo, Patti

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