Good Morning Darlings!
I am so excited for spring to be here. Easter, in particular, when Eric, John and I will be hosting dinner at our house.
To get ready, I have taken large square votive holders, filled them with potting soil and grass seeds and now I wait. The grass-filled votive holders will line our dinner table, enveloping the table in fresh, green grass. But for now, I am tending to my little charges.
Good Morning Darlings!
Yesterday was such fun. With the snow piling up, Atlanta shut down. The neighbors took to the park to sled and just play in the snow. And since all that sledding and snowball fighting works up an appetite, I suggested a pot luck supper at our house around 5pm.
Eric sleds down the hill.....whee!!!
Good Morning, Darlings!
My wonderful husband, Eric, is taking the reins today to share the recipe for the scrumptious White Bean and Chicken Chili he made this weekend. It is perfect for these cooler nights. Enjoy!
This chicken chili hits the spot on a cool evening.
White Bean and Chicken Chili
Ingredients
Debone the chicken. Season evenly on both sides with salt, pepper, adobo, sage, and basil. Reserve.
Peel and rinse the tomatillos. Cut the smallest in half and the larger to roughly that size. Put in a medium saucepan, and add the cider vinegar and one beer. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes or until the tomatillos soften.
Roast the chiles and wrap in plastic to steam them, 15 minutes. Rub or peel off the skin, then remove the seed pits and dice.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot to a shimmer. Add the chicken, skin side down, and brown. Remove before the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Drain on paper towel.
To the pot, add half of the liquid cooked with the tomatillos and deglaze. Add the chiles and onion to the pot and sautée* with a pinch of salt. Once toasted, add the garlic and toast, stirring often 5 minutes. Add the tomatillos and liquid, then the cans of beans, with liquid. salt and pepper the beans before you stir them in. Add the other beer.
Dice the chicken and return to the pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer for an hour. Taste frequently to correct the seasoning.
Serve with white corn tortilla chips and a dollop of sour cream.
* If you started with a whole chicken and have giblets, dice them and add them with the onions and chiles. Skip the kidneys and neck.
xoxo, Patti
Today blogging to Beyonce – He’s My Man
Good Morning Darlings!
We are finally recovered from Thanksgiving (I think). It was a wonderful time with fabulous friends and I bet you want to hear all about it. Lets do it!
Just between you and me, I had no intention of hosting Thanksgiving Dinner, but when bestie Diane said she was coming home, I knew that called for something special. We bought the turkey, planned a few dishes, invited a few friends, bought a case of bubbly. Then our incredible friends from Black Tie Barbecue told me they were holding a smoked turkey with my name on it, I decided to go ahead and roast the turkey we had at home and freeze the meat for the Christmas party nibble ingredients.
Do you remember the photo of those smoking turkeys? Unbelievable.
Good Morning Darlings!
I hope you all are up and watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, like I am. One day I will get there in person, all bundled up in NYC. But not this year. This year we are hosting 6 friends for dinner and several more after dinner for drinks and dessert.
And I am feeling particularly lazy, so I am digging up a rerun from last year’s turkey day festivities here.
As for what I am grateful for this year, it is much the same as last year. The love of my amazing husband and number one best friend, Eric, our good health and that of our dogs and never last, our beloved friends that make every day a holiday. I love you.
And Glee! I am thankful for Glee. Could there be a more perfect television show? I think not.
You know I am grateful for you, too, yes? Because I am. You all are the greatest and make me want to blog every single day. Thanks so much for reading and commenting. Next week, I have a very special giveaway to show my appreciation.
xoxo, Patti
Today blogging to The Warblers from Glee -Teenage Dream
Good Morning Darlings! Okay, so belicious isn’t a word, but I liked how it sounded with the other words. Sunday night our besties John and Danny whipped up the most fabulous meal for a belated celebration for my sweetheart, Eric. You know we never need a reason to party. What’s that you say? It’s Tuesday? Pop open the bubbly!
Poor Eric has been on crutches this past week due to a bad ankle, so he gave Danny a lesson on balancing on crutches when we arrived. Hilarity ensues.
Danny had never used crutches before. It's kind of a balancing act.
Good Morning Darlings!
My life has given me such amazing friendships and as you know, people come and go, but when one comes back, it is one of the greatest gifts. I received such a gift last week.
Johnny P and I go way back. Way, way back. I won’t even tell you how far. But it’s far, I tell you. He and I have lived in Atlanta for many years and although we don’t live far apart, we never get together. Life gets in the way.
But we changed all that last week. My swanky friend, Caren West, of Caren West PR arranged a very special tasting for the three of us at Cafe Circa, in the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood of Atlanta.
How could this have been here for 3 years, without me noticing?
Good Morning Darlings!
Happy Monday to you all. I hope your weekend was stupendous. The weather in Atlanta was ridiculously beautiful and we had lots of fun.
Friday night, Eric and I had ourselves a little date night and went to see the movie Red. This was a hoot. Lots of things blowing up and Helen Mirren as an assassin. What more could you possibly ask for? After the movie we ducked into Fox Grille at Atlantic Station for a drink and to catch up on all the games. Did you see the Yankees against the Rangers? Unbelievable.
Saturday, Eric had a haircut scheduled, so we had a cup of coffee together and off he went. I went across the street to take pictures of our neighborhood park being landscaped by our wonderful neighbors. When he returned, we picked up Valerie and took the MARTA to the Little Five Points Halloween Parade. This is always a a great time, with loads of costume ideas to be inspired by.
Eric, Valerie, Curtis, Me at the parade
Good Morning, Darlings!
You’ve read the article in Design Is Magazine. Now get all the behind-the-scenes skinny.
Driving the 3.5 hours from South Montgomery was a snap with Sirius radio in our rental car. Arriving in the Crescent City to 97F heat, we entered The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans to kind hellos and cool air.
Good Morning, Darlings!
I am still glowing from the weekend’s activities. Last Friday, I got some surprise news that tickled me to no end. It was a treat I wanted to share with our very besties and neighbors so I sent out an email asking everyone to be at our house on Saturday between 5- 7pm for a huge surprise.
All the guesses I received were hilarious – was I pregnant (what?!?!), did I get a television show (hmmm…), are we moving (hell no!!!)
But I knew it would make all of us smile and warm our hearts in a big way.
And it did.
