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

Shhh….It’s A Secret (Supper, That Is)

Written by Patti on February 17th, 2010

Good Morning, Darlings!

Saturday night Eric and I were so happy to be invited to Black Tie BBQ’s Secret Supper for Valentine’s Day. I had yet to attend a secret supper and was very excited.

Held at a building in Midtown on the 8th floor, we were escorted (after signing in) to the dining room for the night.  The dining room was a raw space that had been transformed for the evening just for us.  The view of downtown was spectacular and the tables were beautifully set with silver rimmed china, low set candelabras and red rose petals. It was the perfect ambiance for a romantic evening.

Sitting At The VIP Table!

More Romance After The Fold

 

Chinese New Year

Written by Patti on February 16th, 2010

Good Morning, Darlings!

This past Saturday was a busy one.  We attended a Valentine’s Secret Supper (more on that tomorrow) in the evening, but in the afternoon attended a party for the Chinese New Year. Fun!

Invited by my buddy, Lisa, we were asked to bring a Chinese dish (store bought or homemade).  Since Atlanta had been in the midst of a snow storm, we decided on fried rice, since we had all the ingredients at hand (except for soy sauce – thanks, Crystal and Teague!)

Eric made a killer fried rice, and we were off. Or on (like Donkey Kong), depending on how you look at it.

Frying Up The Rice

More Deliciousness After The Fold

 

Fried Chicken Wednesday

Written by Patti on February 15th, 2010

Good Morning, Darlings!

You might remember that I’ve been trying to use up the food in the house in an attempt to be frugal.  When I spotted some chicken thighs in the freezer, I knew we needed to have fried chicken night.  Ok, so it was necessary to pick up a few things at the grocery store, but I think that’s all right.  I invited Diane, Jonathan and Tracy over and set about prepping the meal the night before.

I took the thawed chicken and placed it in a gallon size Ziploc bag and then poured  enough buttermilk in to cover the chicken and put it in the fridge over night. The next day, I drained the chicken, took some flour and put it on a dinner plate, seasoned it with salt and pepper and got out another plate, in which I put four beaten eggs.  Into the pot went about three inches of vegetable oil and set the burner to medium.  The chicken first got dunked in the eggs, let excess drain off and dredge in the flour. Then it goes into the hot oil for about 8 minutes. Repeat until all pieces are ready. Place the fried chicken onto a baking sheet and put into a 200F oven so it can stay warm while you are frying the remainder of the chicken.

Steam your green beans. Warm up the amazing mac and cheese Tracy brought. Warm up the dinner rolls. Pour copious amounts of wine. Enjoy!

Perfect Fried Chicken

Fried Chicken Makes Everyone Happy!

For dessert?  Oh my goodness, I tried a recipe from Framed (such a cute website!) It was a peach crumble cake and it was fabulous! Find the recipe here.  It was pretty sweet, so I might cut that next time with some fresh whipped cream. But I bet everyone will love it. What’s that you say? You’re horrified because it is made with cake mix? Oh, darlings – you can’t make everything from scratch – well, I guess you could, but it might cut into time with your guests, and to me, that is much more important.

Yum Yum Peach Crumble Cake!

It’s a fresh new week – enjoy!

xoxo, Patti

 

A Tribute To Eric

Written by Patti on February 14th, 2010

Good Morning, Darlings!

I know I said we don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day around here, but that won’t stop me from saluting the man who makes everyday Valentine’s Day.

Eric, thank you for being a prince of a husband. You are here for me no matter what:

Winter

Spring

Summer

Fall

You stand by me…whether we are:

In the Mountains

Or in Wine Country

You constantly allow me to see things in a different light.

It's As Clear As Black And White

That no one else would ever do.

You are the best dad to our dogs.

Whether You Are Making An Omelette Just For Us

Or Dry Aging Beef For Eight

You always make me feel protected.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Sweetheart. I love you!

 

Sweets for Your Sweetie

Written by Patti on February 13th, 2010

Good Morning, Darlings!

One more day until Valentine’s Day, if you are counting.  If you need something sweet, but also adorable and delectable, I have a wonderful suggestion for you.

Yesterday, Miss Diane and I drove in the beginnings of the snow storm to Chef Layne’s bakery, Sweet N’ Sinful, over at Avondale Estates. Super close to the city, but in the cutest little string of shops.  Chef Layne is up to her elbows in sugar and spice and making everything nice for this holiday of hearts.

Would you like to see what we picked up?

Oh How I Love This Pink Confection

More Yummy Goodness After The Fold

 

Start Your Valentine’s Day Right

Written by Eric on February 12th, 2010

Good Morning, Darlings!

I have quite the treat for you today. My guest blogger is none other than my perfect husband, Eric! Take it away, Honey!

My honey, your blogger for the day!

Good morning, and hello, everyone. I’m lucky enough that I get to eat what you read about here – or most of it, anyway. Patti is a wonderful cook and a joy to cook with, but I also like to cook for her. When it comes to what to cook, I like to keep my recipes simple, tasty, and if I may admit, pretty big — well, not too big. Good-sized. On weekends I love to cook breakfast, and every lady loves breakfast in bed, which is a lovely start to Valentine’s Day.

Surprise your favorite this Sunday with an easy and yummy breakfast of an omelette , hash browns, english muffin, and juice. It goes together quick and sticks to your ribs till dinner. All the info is below the fold.

 

Handcrafted Soap Basket Winner

Written by Patti on February 11th, 2010

Good Morning, Darlings!

We have a winner of the handcrafted soaps by Miss Becky. It is Sandy over at Sandy Ala Mode

Congrats to Miss Sandy! And for those of you who are interested in ordering soaps from Miss Becky, you may visit her Etsy shop here.

Miss Becky and Her Famous Soaps

And a very happy Thursday to you all! Are you all keeping warm and dry? I hope so.

xoxo, Patti

 

I Guess It’s Mardi Gras Time?

Written by Patti on February 10th, 2010

Good Morning, Darlings!

Well, of course I knew that Mardi Gras time was drawing nigh, but I hadn’t realized that it was starting last night.  What I did know was that I had some red beans and andouille sausage with cornbread set to serve for dinner. How fortuitous!  Since there is still plenty of partying going on in NOLA (isn’t there always?) I thought I would post the recipe I used last night. It’s from Martha, but surprisingly simple. Really. Truly.  I fudged a little and used Jiffy cornbread mix for my cornbread, but I’m pretty sure this is acceptable in most southern homes (at least I’m hoping….)

Not only is this an easy meal, it is very inexpensive and it is OMG good enough for company. I had to keep myself from eating two large helpings.  And though the recipe suggests soaking the beans over night, on the bag of beans it gave a great tip if you need those beans tonight.  Rinse and sort through your beans (making sure there are no rocks or un-beany things in there), put your beans in a pot with 8 cups of hot water (I just used hot tap water), bring to a boil for 2 minutes, take off the heat and cover for one hour. Voila! Your beans are ready for the recipe. Right after you rinse off all the cooking liquid.

Such a Yummy Dinner!

Get The Recipe After The Fold

 

Tea For Two

Written by Patti on February 9th, 2010

Good Morning, Darlings!

What’s nicer than two friends catching up? Two friends catching up over a pretty table set for tea.  That’s exactly what Miss Diane and I did this weekend.  In the morning I went to my favorite store (say it all together now…Super H!) and picked up some delectable pastries from their bakeshop.  I picked up a pecan tart and some Monjoo cookies.  Now, I’m not sure what a monjoo is, but these cookies were exquisite. They were like a cinnamon bun wrapped around a crumb cake filling. Mmmmmm.

Tea Brewing For Two Friends

More Tea Fun After The Fold

 

Darling Danny’s Birthday – A Night Out With The Boys

Written by Patti on February 8th, 2010

Good Morning, Darlings!

On Saturday night, Eric and I were lucky to be invited to join our sweet Danny for his birthday dinner at The Highland Tap .  It’s a fun restaurant in a basement location of Virginia Highland here in Atlanta. It’s super cozy and a great place to meet our old friends as well as make new ones!

Underground Fun!

For Danny’s Birthday Party, Come On Over