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!
ALL the mushrooms!!
Wasn’t that cool? Now go eat some mushrooms.
xoxo, Patti
Good Morning Darlings,
Still crushing on Easter – only 1 more day!
If you are looking for inspiration, here are a couple of my favorite blog post about my favorite spring day. Enjoy!
I’ll leave you with a link to the lemon meringue pie I’ll be making on Sunday. The recipe is by my sweet friend, Brookie Lark, who created the Anatomy of A Dinner Party logo and makes everyone swoon with her famous blog, Cheeky Kitchen. I LOVE Brooke.
Isn’t this pie a beauty? Thanks Brookie!!
Happy Easter my Bunnies!
xoxo, Patti
Good Morning Darlings!
Easter is right around the corner. I LOVE Easter – all the pretty colors, the nice weather, the leftover ham. What’s not to love?
My favorite thing is to set the table. I attended a meeting this week at 14th Street Antiques and Modern Home and wowza, do they have gorgeous things to set the table with. Take a gander, my little geese.
All that glitters, might be gold!
Swimming in glamour.
Always welcome your guests with a drink.
And for all you Easter fans like me, there’s even a sale on all things spring and gilded. Love.
Color me glitter!
Go visit my fabulous friend Lisa over at 14th Street Antiques and Modern Home and tell her I sent you. You could spend the entire day in there.
xoxo, Patti
Good Morning Darlings!
With spring in the air, I am dying to start planning some outdoor parties. Our new (100+ year old) house has a gigantic front porch that faces a very busy and loud road, but I’m still determined to throw a porch party (or three) this spring to bring together friends old and new for adult beverages and fun conversation.
What do I do for inspiration? Why, I do the same as you – I read dinner party blogs! I love this one, Cup of Jo, who gathered tips from tons of party givers. I even learned a new tip or two.
Warmer weather makes us want to get out and enjoy the outdoors. Or a drive to somewhere indoors. Recently, Eric and I enjoyed a night out at Saltwood, the hotel restaurant at the Loews Atlanta. I am swoony for a hotel bar and restaurant and Saltwood did not disappoint. Incredibly charcuterie, and gorgeous craft cocktails at their new Traveller Bar, which may be gone by now. It’s a pop up! Take a look.
Traveller Bar, as seen in LA. It looks the same in Atlanta! 🙂
And here in Atlanta. Photo credit, Eater Atlanta
I will admit, instead of having dessert in the restaurant, we retired to the bar for another cocktail. So good. Special thanks to our sweet friend, Rachel Peavy, who is the PR Maven for the Loews Atlanta. It was so much fun running into her and catching up.
Go forth, and entertain your friends. Mix up some fresh lemonade and add a bit of grenadine to make it pink and then some vodka to make it boozy. It is such a lovely springtime cocktail! Here’s a great version!
xoxo, Patti
Good Morning Darlings!
I am asked so often what is the best thing to bring to a dinner party. So many lovely answers. No one ever seems to ask what not to do.
But I am happy to clue you in. Shall we begin?
That’s a good start. Let me know your favorite ideas. Oh! And here’s a look at our homemade limoncello. Next time we make a double batch. This disappeared in no time. Serve it in a gorgeous cut glass decanter. Or bring some to your hostess. Before serving, put in the freezer so it is ice cold when your guests enjoy it. YUMMY!
Lemon & vodka, ready to mix with the simple syrup.
xoxo, Patti
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
Good Morning Darlings,
There’s nothing sweeter than a beach getaway, especially when your bestie’s daddy has a beach house. We adore Captain Mike and he is sailing off to Cuba next month so we decided he needed a bon voyage party.
So that’s what we did. Lots of delicious food (cuban sammies, empanadas, plantains) and yummy beverages were consumed as we hung around, told stories, sang A LOT of songs and laughed til our sides hurt.
Pics to prove it happened!
Crawfish Bread is DELICIOUS!
It’s all chill at the beach.
Making new friends.
There’s always time for shenanigans at the Flori-Bama!
Mike and Mellie take a romantic stroll on the beach.
My buddy, Captain Mike, and me at the Flori-Bama
Can’t wait to go back! A million thanks to Captain Mike, his lovely lady Karen and my bestie Mellie for making Eric and me feel so welcome!
xoxo, Patti
Good Morning Darlings!
It’s February. Which means winter. It also means it’s my birthday month!
I needed a pick me up to hold me over until my Florida vacay in 10 days (please let it be warm and sunny!) and I had a surplus of lemons I was going to use for that detox drink that gets Beyonce to her fighting weight.
But I never got to making those detox drinks and the lemons were waning.
You know I’m always up for a party, so I decided to use those sunny little orbs to make my first ever batch of limoncello!
First, we have to find a terrific recipe. I found this precious blog called Garden Betty and decided to follow her recipe for my first foray into making adult bevs. Go follow her and get her recipe and then we can make limoncello together!
Aren’t lemons the happiest of fruits? So sunny and they smell soooo good.
So sunny and fresh!
You have to zest them all and then you can’t just leave the juice – those lemons need to be juiced, too! I ended up with about 3 cups of juice from 15 lemons. I can’t lie, Eric juiced most of the lemons. He’s the best.
Thanks, Eric for juicing all those lemons!
You put all the zest into a glass gallon jar and add a liter of vodka. For some reason, friends have been gifting us with vodka, so we have a boodle at the house. It looks like this.
I bet that is so tart!
At second glance, that may be bigger than one gallon. Anyhoo. The jar goes into the dark pantry for 6 weeks.
Have you ever made limoncello? Tell me all your stories!
xoxo, Patti
Good Morning Darlings,
Atlanta is grieving after our SuperBowl loss to the Patriots. I thought we needed something to boost our mood.
What better than butter?
Take a look here at how they make the butter at Bordier Butter in France. Isn’t their packaging gorgeous?
Beautifully crafted French Butter
Enjoy!
xoxo, Patti
Good Morning Darlings,
It’s almost time for Super Bowl and our Atlanta Falcons are set for a big win.
Our great friends Jay and Valerie are hosting the party this year. I’m pretty happy to be a guest.
Of course, you can’t be a good guest without bringing something yummy to share. My dill chicken salad is always a hit and I love how it tastes when I grill the meat first. That will require cleaning the grill. And it’s been a while. My new friends at Napoleon Grills sent me some tips for a gleaming grill worthy of my chicken.
There you go – all ready to grill!
Now, what are you cooking?
xoxo, Patti