Good Morning Darlings!
Remember on my birthday, my sweet friend Allen gifted me with a homemade chicken pot pie? Goodness gracious, it was delicious. And, as expected, gobbled up like hungry badgers by E and me.
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Allen’s Chicken Pot Pie
Tuesday, March 1st, 2011Birthday Pizza and Porch Drinks
Monday, February 28th, 2011Good Morning Darlings!
Well, it’s been a week but it seemed like the birthday fiesta went on and on. Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday Sunday Sunday (insert motocross announcer voice here). Sunday was my actual birthday and we gathered everyone to eat pizza, leftover nibbles from Saturday night and drink some lively libations. What I didn’t know was that Eric had asked our dear Lisa to bake me a cake. What a cake!
You’re invited! Come on in.
Mr. John’s Feast + 11
Thursday, February 24th, 2011Good Morning Darlings!
This past weekend was my birthday and there were no shortages of celebrations. Friday night was The Cafe at The Ritz-Carlton Buckhead, Sunday night was pizza and beer on the porch, but Saturday was most special. My sweet bestie, John, cooked a fabulous meal for 12 of us – at my house, so I never had to leave. The party just came to me. Yay!
John decided on a La Dolce Vita theme, with all Italian cuisine. It was divine. The planning started weeks in advance, with John allowing me final say on the menu. I felt so pampered. The menu was as follows:
Aperitivo
Savory Caramelized Onion Cheese Cake with Apricot Glaze
Assorted Crackers
Red Grapes
Green Grapes
Pan Seared Polenta with
Creme Fraiche
Chives
Antipasti
Pesto Insalata with Three Cheese Tortillini
Piatto Principale
Lasagne with Baby Spinach and Portobello Mushrooms
Dolce
Chocolate Raspberry Panna Cotta
Sambuca
Amaretto
The Cafe at The Ritz-Carlton Buckhead
Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011Good Morning Darlings!
I have been more than fortunate since I started the blog over a year and a half ago. Oh, the fab parties and the wonderful people I have met have filled my life. But one particular experience left me with more than I could ever imagine. It was the day my darling friend Tami over at Running With Tweezers , took me to Lumen, at The Ritz-Carlton downtown as her “plus one”. There I met Sandra Ryder, who so kindly brought me into her circle of fabulous PR Directors, who, in turn, so kindly invited me to write about their respective Ritz-Carlton hotels.
And to kick off my birthday weekend, Miss Sandra invited Eric and me to The Cafe, and The Wine Bar to sample the most lovely, fresh cocktails and fine cuisine at The Ritz-Carlton Buckhead.
Miss Sandra and I catch up on all the news.
Join me inside to see what The Ritz is cooking up!
FFF-My Birthday, You Get A Gift!
Friday, February 18th, 2011Good Morning Darlings!
As I sit here in my office at my tiny desk, on my birthday Friday (actual birthday on Sunday), I can’t help but be so grateful for everything in my life. My incredible husband, Eric, my amazing besties, my good friends, and all of you out there in tv land. Or blog land, I don’t judge.
Happy Birthday To Me!
But since I love you so much, I thought I should give you a gift. CSN has so graciously offered a $65 gift card to their massive online store. Last time we did a giveaway with them, my bestie Clint won and couldn’t say enough great things about the wine glasses and linens he received. Clint said everything was packaged in the most pristine way and both items were gorgeous. And they have virtually everything you could want. You could buy me an offset spatula! Or, holy Toledo, they have Le Creuset, too! Check out this set of bright yellow cookware – wouldn’t this make you smile everyday?
Just like sunshine!
So, my little darlings…comment away. I would love to hear your idea for my perfect birthday celebration. The winner will be announced on Wednesday by a random drawing.
xoxo, Patti
Today blogging to Marvin Gaye – Got to Give It Up, Part I (because it’s my birthday and this is my favorite song, of all time..)
Byron and Michelle’s Engagement Party
Thursday, February 17th, 2011Good Morning Darlings!
Love love love is in the air. Jay and Valerie will be tripping up the altar in September, but beating them to the vows will be Byron and Michelle in April. Our delightful friends Stephanie & Reeves threw the most lovely party for our betrothed friends last weekend in their comfy, cozy home in our neighborhood. They even keep chickens – remember the eggs from the morning after Valentine’s Day? Their home is filled with cuddly furniture and whimsical treats – like the painting of Rod Stewart dressed as a Storm Trooper, or the wig on the horse mask which would become the center of the party later in the evening.
The sweet guests of honor
Stephanie went all out – there were boodles of shrimp, tons of brownies, yummy spinach dip and tasty bruschetta. Delicious!
Stephanie knows what she is doing!
Perfect strawberries for dipping.
The weather was terrific, too, so we were able to enjoy part of the evening on the deck, viewing the chickens and checking out their fab view of the Atlanta skyline.
But inside was where most of the fun took place. Take a peek.
See what happens next!
Danny’s Seafaring Birthday
Wednesday, February 16th, 2011Good Morning Darlings!
Yes, this is my birthday week, but last week we feted our darling Danny at McCormick and Schmick’s with some yummy seafood. There were 10 of us and we just gathered, drank, laughed and enjoyed our plates of seafood. I think the photos (snapped by our friend, Eric Rice) say it all.
A special menu with a special message for our birthday boy.
Our group
Holly, Eric and Me
My sweeties John and Danny
My boys and me sharing a giggle.
Patrick and Andrew.
Eric, Danny and Bruce
Bruce, Danny and Sweet Rose
It was a fabulous night with some of my most favorites!
Happy Birthday my darling Danny! I love you!!!
xoxo, Patti
Today blogging to Johnny Cash – Oh Danny Boy
V-Day Recap and The Morning After
Tuesday, February 15th, 2011Good Morning Darlings!
Hope you all had a fine Valentine’s Day – no matter who you spent it with. Ours was swell. Lets recap the menu:
Crab Cakes
Creamy Pasta
Fresh Green Salad
Lemon Souffle
It was all so good. The souffle was delicious, but needs some work. I thought it was pretty good for a first try. An oven thermometer would probably help to make sure it’s calibrated correctly.
Some photos?
Crab Cakes and Creamy Pasta
Eric whipped up the cream sauce with the most spectacular oregano and gorgeous Greek olive oil by Frixa, that was just sent by lovely Miss Leigh in St. Simons Island. The Chryssaidis family owns a restaurant, Athena, in St. Augustine, where they go through 20 liters of this elixir each day. Can you imagine? And you can buy both the olive oil and oregano online. Yum.
The sauce goes like this (thanks, Honey!): Melt 2 tbsp butter and add 2 tsp Frixa oregano, infuse with low heat while the pasta cooks. When the pasta is al dente, strain and quickly beat together 2 eggs, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1 cup parmesan with a little pasta water. Dress the pasta in the sauce and drizzle with the butter to serve. (cooks note: boom done).
Eric’s crab cakes were essentially crab, a bit of mayo to bind and panko for coating. Perfect.
I dressed the table with three large pillar candles, red beaded placemats from Mexico, silver napkin holders, hammered silver flatware and red champagne flutes. Although I believe I forgot to shoot the table because I was so excited about dinner. Sorry, Darlings.
Here’s a peek at the souffle.
Fresh from the oven and dusted with powdered sugar.
To our plates.
And into our bellies! Nom nom nom. And having an excuse to practice my souffle skills is a delicious reason for dessert, yes?
But, Eric and I both agreed, the really special treat came this morning inside the delicate confines of four very fresh eggs, gifted to us by our oh-so-sweet friends Stephanie and Reeves, who raise chickens just a few blocks away from us. They taste nothing like what you buy from the grocery store. No, these are much more piquant, with a richness that betrays its supermarket brethren, and puts them to shame. And look, Stephanie puts the date each one, so you know exactly what day it was gathered.
Gathered 2 days ago! And more cooking in the background. In Beka!
We didn’t say too much during breakfast – we were too busy trying to savor every bite of those pristine eggs. Thanks Stephanie and Reeves!
Aren't they lovely?
Oh, and my Sweeties – I am giving away two tickets for The Wedding Experience tomorrow. You just need to comment here on this blog post. You don’t have to be a bride, you might have a friend who is getting married and could benefit from this – so get your comments in!
xoxo, Patti
Today blogging to Nat King Cole – Love
Going To The Chapel….
Sunday, February 13th, 2011Good Morning Darlings!
Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day my angels! And if by chance you are getting engaged, you are going to have a ton to think about. How about two tickets to The Wedding Experience, being held on February 26, in downtown Atlanta? With Michelle and Byron’s engagement party last night to helping plan Valerie and Jay’s reception in September, I have had weddings on the brain.
The Wedding Experience is perfect for newly engaged couples to jump
start their journey down the aisle, featuring seminars geared toward
helping couples plan a successful wedding. The day will consist of
seminar sessions, table inspiration designs, and lunch.
Attending engaged couples will have the chance to win a weekend stay
at Watercolor Inn & Resort! The prize includes two night’s
accommodations for two PLUS dinner at Fish Out of Water($100 value)!
Cost is $15 per person or $25 per couple. Brides who purchase their
tickets by February 18th will be entered in a drawing to win a set of
Tiffany & Co. champagne flutes.
Register to attend at http://studiowedexperience.eventbrite.com/
Wouldn’t it be great to have a group of professionals guide you in the right direction and give you some inspiration? Leave me a comment and we’ll pick our winner on Wednesday!
xoxo, Patti
Today blogging to The Shirelles – Going To The Chapel of Love
Kahlua 101
Saturday, February 12th, 2011Good Morning Darlings!
I thought I would slip a bonus post (or two) in this weekend. If your mind is on Valentine’s Day today, here are some super easy and yummy cocktails to be made with Kahlua. Isn’t Kahlua yummy? All sweet and exotic – it’s great by itself or even poured over some ice cream. Easy ideas, both. But here are a couple more ideas from Chef Aaron Sanchez sent to me by our friend Jaclyn in New York.
Celebrity Chef and TV Personality, Aarón Sánchez’s favorite cocktails are easy to make in the comfort of your own home and are simply delicious! Each is made with Kahlúa, keeping close to his Mexican heritage.
Here are a few recipes below for you to try this Valentine’s Day…
Kahlúa Black Russian
Ingredients
1 part Kahlúa
1 part ABSOLUT® Vodka
Ice
How to mix it
Fill a rocks glass with ice, add Kahlúa and ABSOLUT VODKA and stir.
Kahlúa Espresso Martini
Ingredients
1.5 parts Kahlúa
1 part ABSOLUT VODKA
1 fresh brewed espresso
How to mix it
Fill a shaker with ice, add Kahlúa, ABSOLUT VODKA and a fresh brewed espresso. Shake vigorously, and strain into a chilled martini glass.
Kahlúa Sparkling Water
Ingredients
2 parts Kahlúa
4 parts soda water
Ice
Lime
How to mix it
Pour Kahlúa into a highball glass filled with ice. Add soda water. Top it with a lime and serve.
For more recipes visit www.Kahlua.com .
Don’t they sound delicious? Charm your Valentine.
xoxo, Patti
Today blogging to Tom Jones – Love Me Tonight