What a wonderful weekend we had! Friday night we had dinner at Shaun’s (more on that tomorrow), slept in on Saturday and went to have our passport renewal photos taken (lots of trips coming up!) and Sunday saw me at two events, which is unusual for me, but they were both so packed with fashion and fab folks that I couldn’t pass them up.
One of those parties was at the home of my fun friend Elizabeth. Our friend, style-maker Victor was there to give tips on what to do with those fashion pieces in our closets that stumped us.
But first, a tour of Elizabeth’s adorable cottage. It is so her – fun and sweet and whimsical. I loved it!
As you may have guessed, I am still recovering from the paella party. Still. My goodness.
Eric and I did make the time to sneak in a trip to the Dragon*Con Parade on Saturday, after a scrumptious brunch given by our friends, Carrie and Steven.
Today is a photo journey that I think you will really like. The parade just gets better every year.
I know a lot of you have been waiting patiently for the details of our paella party. Here you go!
The party started the day before when Vickie arrived and Jeff, Crystal and Teague joined us for some brainstorming about the fire and flow of the party. Pizza and beer followed. A pre-party is always fun.
Sunday we all woke early and Eric got the fire started. Early, y’all. It was blazing by 10 a.m. and was ready for the paella pan by 3 p.m. And then Eric cooked. And cooked. And cooked some more. We have realized that the paella still takes about 3 hours to prepare. But we were ready this time.
I bet you are getting ready for Labor Day. Me, too. Eric and I are hosting around 70 of our nearest and dearest for paella in the backyard. Someone asked me the other day how I do it. My response was that it is just as easy to cook for 70 as 10 friends. You just add extra chicken. lol
Remember last year’s paella soiree? We learned a lot from last year’s bash.
First, we will build a big wood fire this year. No wimpy propane for us. And we will start the fire early. Eric plans on having the fire up and roaring by 9 a.m. so we can eat at a decent hour. Last year it took 3 hours for that paella to cook and everyone was half in the bag by dinner. Now everyone will only be 1/4 in the bag by dinner, so that’s an improvement.
Secondly, we are asking our darlings to bring wine, beer and booze. That stuff skyrockets a party budget. Everyone is in a bit of an economic crunch these days, so our buddies are happy to contribute.
Thirdly, this year we will buy cleaned and deveined shrimp. Holly and I spent a billion hours peeling and deveining the four pounds of shrimp last year. Not this time.
Dessert will be paletas, or in english, popsicles. As I write this, the strawberries are bubbling on the stovetop with sugar and strawberry nectar. They will go into our popsicle molds and I will start all over again tomorrow with a new flavor. Maybe Mexican chocolate would be good. And easy. Pretty much just chocolate milk with cinnamon. That would be good. When you are making 70 popsicles, easy is key.
Here’s a link to the recipe we’re using. It says it will feed 25-30, but don’t you believe it. It will easily feed 60. With leftovers. Seriously. Maybe 25-30 linebackers.
Some of my favorite shots from last year.
Rick, Teague and Eric discuss the browning of the chicken
I love the look on Eric's face as he stirs this monster...
Have you ever met folks and just knew you all would be great friends? My new friend Victor is one of those folks. Victor is an image consultant and just the loveliest person. Our mutual friend Elizabeth introduced us and on Sunday we all met at Victor’s house for brunch. His house is one of those wonderful places you immediately feel at ease and could stay for hours.
You all know how much I adore living in Atlanta. It’s a town filled with surprises. We are genteel, we are foodies, we love a parade, we love a spectacle. Sometimes we like it rough.
Saturday night was one of those rough nights. Besties Crystal, Teague, Denise, Rick, Eric and I all packed up the food and tailgated before the Atlanta Rollergirls bout at the Shriners Temple. This was my first time seeing the Rollergirls in action, and what a treat it was. But first, we must eat.
This has been quite the week. Starting with a fab dinner with Mr. Kerry Howard on Sunday night, followed by rising at 4 a.m. the next morning to appear on CBS Better Mornings Atlanta, the podcast that afternoon and finishing up with speaking at the Crave event on Tuesday. It has been a true whirlwind!
I am just now getting some rest, but wanted to share all the fun with you.
Monday morning found our group (the ever-adorable Laura Scholz of Scholz Communication – our camp counselor for these two days and her gorgeous assistant, Brittany, the amazingly glamorous Meridith Ford Goldman, Former Atlanta Journal-Constitution dining critic and food writer and now editorial director of the Atlanta-based marketing and public relations firm, The Reynolds Group, and my sweet friend Christy Annis, CEO of Peas for Prosperity), bleary eyed and in need of coffee at 4:45 a.m. at the CBS studios to talk about “When Life Hands You Lemons, Start A Lemonade Stand” with Tracye Hutchins. We were met by Amanda Harley, segment producer, who made us all feel very at home. And we gabbed. There’s a lot of hanging around when you appear on tv.
Christy, Brittany and I wait for Laura and Meridith
As any fan of design shows would know, Top Design is the ultimate contest. You all know Eddie Ross, and of course you know Kerry Howard. Remember our fun dinner party here?
Well, this time, we were the lucky ones to be hosted by our dear Kerry. I swear, if you met him, you would just want to eat him up with a spoon. He is that sweet.
And there were new friends to meet! You know how I love that.
First off, I know you are dying to hear all about Kerry’s place – fab. fab.fab. Everything is gorgeous – from the old church-inspired mirrors to the original art on the walls. It truly is a showplace. And of course, that fine design aesthetic made its way to the dinner table. I loved the cushioned bench that off-set the dining chairs.
Salvadore Dali. Just the mention of his name invokes images of melting clocks, mind bending artwork and that iconic mustache.
Being able to see that fabulous artwork in person is staggering.
Being able to experience it with 4,000 other art lovers, a DJ, models resembling something from a Guillermo del Toro film, was beyond staggering.
What a night.
The multimedia exhibit at Atlanta’s High Museum of Art opened to a capacity crowd this past Saturday night and the people watching was part of the show.
Over the past year you have met so many of our favorite folks. Chioke has been a guest star in many of these posts. Remember his movie night here, our taco and candy night here? Those are just a few of the times we’ve shared and I’ve shared with you.
But now Chioke is moving to THE big city, New York City, to continue his education, and will be gone for three years. Three years I will not be able to walk two blocks for a hug or a special cocktail. Three years I will not be able to hear the sound of his smooth voice and laugh at his wicked jokes.
My heart is a little heavy today.
We spent our last evening together for a while doing what we do best – eating. Eric, Holly, Chioke and I met up at JCT. Kitchen in Atlanta for a (semi) celebratory meal. I first introduced you to JCT on my first meeting with Eddie and Jaithan.
Since JCT. does southern cuisine best, it was a fitting place to say our goodbyes.
