Wonderful Weekend

Thanksgiving was delightful, and I didn't burn anything. The reunion was super fun (although Hubs is in the doghouse for the foreseeable future), and both the Dawgs and the Vols beat their opponents Saturday night! All in all, a fantastic weekend!  I will have pictures and some recipes for y'all soon. How was your holiday weekend?

 

Featured in Southern Weddings Magazine, Dogs, Party

No, my wedding was not featured, although I am inspired to ask Whitebox to send in pictures after spying my handsome pup, Henry in the pages of the recent issue.  That darling golden retriever in the Southern Proper bowtie is our own Henry, plucked from the pound.  Who could ever let that dog get away, I don't know.  Thanks Southern Weddings for showing my dog off (although I think he deserves a credit!). I loved their site and mag when planning my own wedding, so please check them out.

Henry is a part of a long line of golden retrievers my family has loved, preceded most recently by Marley.  He may not of been a dog model, but he was definitely the biggest golden retriever in the world.  Here he is as a young pup- probably about a year old?  He was a bear- and had the disposition of one.  We loved him dearly.

About this time last year was when we had to put Marley down (he was twelve), and then a month later saw Marley and Me as a family.  At one point I thought I was going to have to leave the theatre because I was crying so hard.  It's always shocking how a loss of a pet is so devastating (at least to some people- the ladies sitting behind me at Marley and Me were too busy loudly discussing their Christmas shopping to be truly upset, blergh).

Anyway, on a less serious note, I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving.  Tonight is my ten year reunion, and I am going to dash out of the office and decorate our home for the pre-reunion cocktail party happening there this evening.  Some of these ladies will be there! From our senior year of high school:

Bottom- ERJ, AK, Ames, Dids

Top- Me, MOH, AG

Have a wonderful weekend- pictures will be coming soon!

Mama's in the Kitchen

Here's my Mama in our kitchen in Thanksgiving of 1985, rocking the velour sweatsuit like it's 2001.  So ahead of her time.  Looks like she's cranking out some angel biscuits before putting on her hostess finery.  Tomorrow morning I will be in the same kitchen, making some green beans which are cooked all day, practically to the point of disintegration, much to Hubs' delight.

I don't really have a recipe for my beans, but here's an approximation based on a Paula Deen recipe:

Ingredients

• 3 pounds fresh green beans
• 1/4 pound fatback sliced
• 1/4 cup bacon grease
• 2 cups chicken broth, plus more if needed
• 2 to 3 teaspoons season-all
• 1 onion, cut into slivers
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, sliced
• Ground black pepper

Directions

Remove the ends from the beans. Snap the beans in 2 pieces, place into a colander, wash, and set aside to drain.

Meanwhile, in a large cast iron Dutch oven, lightly brown the salt pork in the bacon grease over medium heat, turning often, for approximately 10 minutes. Toss the green beans into the pot, stirring them with a wooden spoon to coat well with the pork fat. Add the broth and House Seasoning. Cook over medium-low heat, covered tightly, for approximately 30 minutes, or until the beans are half done.

At the end of 30 minutes, add the onion to the beans; add 1/4 cup more broth, if needed. Cook, covered tightly, approximately 25 to 30 minutes, periodically checking the pot to make sure a small amount of liquid remains. Tilt the lid slightly, off to the side of the pot, and continue to cook until the green beans are wilted, approximately 15 minutes. While cooking, add the butter and season with pepper.


I realize that putting this much fat into veggies is a crime for your heart, but hey, it's Thanksgiving.  Other days of the year replace the bacon fat with olive oil, use low sodium chicken broth, and just a pat of butter for flavor.

Chopping Broccoli

Two days til broccoli casserole!  Hurrah!  I adore broccoli casserole and really only having it on Thanksgiving, due to the fact that I like broccoli in general, and can't justify eating it baked in mayo, cheese, cream of mushroom soup glory the remainder of the year.  I shall though, when I am 75 (my designated age to eat whatever I want including real Caesar salads and chocolate cake every single flipping day). 

However, any broccoli casserole will not do.  Throw some rice in there and I will run- no point wasting calories on boring old rice- not caloric nor flavorful enough.  Here's the recipe from my Grandmother Faye's well worn Ladies Medical Auxiliary Cookbook, but commonly found all over the South, and in the Lady and Sons cookbook:

Ingredients
• 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped broccoli, cooked and drained (I like to toss in about half a box extra)
• 1 cup mayonnaise (I use a little less, more like 2/3 a cup)
• 1 cup grated sharp cheddar (MORE!- use a super heaping cup- you need to add calories b/c with lowering mayo and upping broccoli this is getting downright healthy)
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups crushed crackers (I like Cheez Its, Mama uses Ritz- one year I used X-Treme Nacho Goldfish)
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, combine broccoli, mayonnaise, cheese, soup and eggs. Mix well with a  spoon. Place the mixture in the prepared baking dish. Top with the crushed crackers and pour the melted butter evenly over the crackers. Bake for 35 minutes or until set and browned.

So yummy.  Just a few more days.  So are ya'll casserole ladies?  Pro inclusion of rice or anti?

Romy and Michele's

So my high school reunion is a week from today, and (gasp) I don't have my outfit yet.  As you may have noticed, I am a bit obsessive about outfit planning.  It's weird.  Anyway, so I scooped up the above skirt online on sale from Anthro, but am unsure what to pair with it- definitely black tights and black flats.  The reunion will likely be very casual, so I don't want to look too out of place.  However, I have no clue what to wear with it.  Thinking possibly this sweater from Gap:

To add a little color.  But then it's still frightfully boring, and a bit disjointed.  What do y'all think about this necklace with the above?

I would have to order immediately for it to be here from Anthro land by next Friday.  I need suggestions please!

Of course, it would be incredible if I could convince MOH to wear shiny marabou trimmed dresses and tell everyone we invented the post-it.

Makeover!

As I give myself a makeover with Operation Get Hot at It Is Everlasting, my blog is getting a makeover too, courtesy of Jessica at Front Porch Studio.  Please check out her blog, The Love List, which is full of wonderful design.

Gobble Gobble Gobble

So Turkey time is nearly upon us.  Although due to the executive decisions of the chefs (comprised of Mama and myself), we are not partaking in turkey. Sacrilege!  We just don't care all that much for turkey.  Now HAM on the other hand (please see pretty much every post I write- my dedication to eating pig is well documented), is definitely on the menu.

Not just any ham, mind you. Benton's ham, smoked and cured to perfection.

Now next on the menu is a newbie for our family- fried Brussels sprouts! Recipe is Michael Symon's and appears in this month's Food Network Magazine.

Ingredients:

Canola oil, for deep-frying
1 clove garlic, minced
4 salt-packed anchovy fillets, rinsed, filleted and minced
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced on the bias
1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered lengthwise
2 cups loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 tablespoons salt-packed capers, rinsed and patted dry
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Pour enough oil into a medium pot so that the oil comes 3 inches up the sides. Heat the oil to 350 degrees.

While the oil is heating, whisk together the garlic, anchovies, serrano, red wine vinegar, honey, scallions, walnuts and extra-virgin olive oil in a bowl large enough to toss all of the Brussels sprouts. Keep the bowl near the stove top.

Working in batches, deep-fry the Brussels sprouts until the edges begin to curl and brown, about 3 minutes. To the last batch, add the parsley and capers (stand back-the capers will pop and sputter!). Give the contents of the pot a stir. When the color of the parsley becomes a deeper, more saturated shade of green, about 30 seconds to 1 minute, remove the contents of the pot with a skimmer and place directly in the bowl of dressing. Toss to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I have been dying to try this ever since various chefs were raving about it on that show "The Best Thing I Ever Ate, mmmmm.

Okay, I was going to post the rest of the menu with recipes, but I need to avoid food talk for now.  I am in the middle of a two day juice detox, and  starving my ass off getting rather hungry- more to follow though when I'm back on solid food.

What are your favorite turkey day traditions?  Recipes please if you got 'em!

Movie of the Week

So the other day, there was a Twitter discussion on some favorite Lifetime movies, a genre I'm sure we are all familiar with.  I am particularly a fan of the ones set in high school and college.  Cheating husbands and vengeful wives don't do it for me as much. So here are my faves-

Friends Til the End

 Amazing- the IMDB plot keywords for this movie are Rock Band, Murder, Obsession, Deception and Stage Fright.  Shannen Doherty plays a sweet sorority girl who fronts a rock band, which her hot boyfriend (Jason London) is also in.  Somehow, through her kindness she befriends nerdy Zanne (nee Suzanne) and begins to show her the ropes of being cool.  Then Zanne takes over her life, room at the sorority house, boyfriend and spot in the band. Then it gets dangerous, all because Shannen Doherty beat Suzanne in a pageant, since which point Suzanne became delusional, paranoid and hell bent on revenge.

Death of a Cheerleader

Love this one- Tori Spelling is really mean to Kelli Martin so she kills her.  That's pretty much the movie.

A Secret Between Friends

The girl on the left teaches the girl on the right to get an eating disorder.  The girl on the the left dies when a car hits her from a heart attack because she is so weak from only eating a carrot stick, piece of celery and saltine a day.  Very after school special.

Coed Call Girl

At this point Tori Spelling has moved on to college.  She randomly falls into a life of a high priced escort in order for cash for college tuition.  Criminal charges and violence ensure (duh).

And finally, the ultimate:

Mother, May I Sleep With Danger?

This is probably the best of its name alone.  Please read this recap.  Then check out Tori's hair.  Not a good phase for Donna Martin.

Cotillion Dress

This David Meister dress from Bloomingdales was the winner- and it was a steal!

I will continue to keep my eyes open, but it's nice to have something already that works for me.   My weekend was wine and Firefly fueled, and altogether wonderful!  Although the Vols lost to Ole Miss, Georgia beat Auburn in a close game- Athens was rowdy as all get out!

 How was your weekend?

What's it gonna be?

Abby Dids finds out what she is having today!  I am so excited.  Last time I thought it would be a boy, and this adorable peanut popped out, so I am not hazarding any guesses this time.

I can't wait to find out!

In other news- I am ready to see these peeps tonight and chow down and some barbecue!

A.S.S., (my hostess for the evening), Hess, AGM, and me.

There will likely be a lot of this going on.  So I put my hands up- Miley Cyrus ain't got shit on us.

All Dressed Up in Red and Black

In honor of my one and only trip to Athens this football season, I thought I would grace y'all with some pictures of game days past.

Me, Virge, Purv, NJ and Tron riding the bus (?) around Athens post game, looks like sophomore year?
 

I think this is pre-game, junior year.

 Me and SJD on the tailgate porch of my house 5th year.

Kinger (our hostess with the mostess game days when we invade her parents' house en masse), Tron, and a strange lady with a interesting dancing style.

In Kinger's parents' garden, my first year of law school.  Me, Purv. NJ. Tron, and Kinger.
 

The Auburn game 2 years ago, Tron, AGM and me!

Go Dawgs!

This is likely where I will be by the end of the night.

The Highlight of My Weekend. . .

. . .was this.  The limited time peppermint chocolate chip milkshake from Chick-fil-a.  It was worth the 6 mile run the next day.  Mmmmmm.

I always wanted to be a serious writer but. . .

This spread from Access Atlanta of Emily Giffin's style gives me a wee case of the envies. Also, random side note- it was photographed by a friend from high school.  I had her fake ID to make me 18 so I could go to clubs and hear bands.  Rockin.

I like the things inside this closet.  And her bracelet.

This dress is Dolce and Gabanna.  Bestselling author of enjoyable pastel covered books is sounding better and better.

I dig this outfit, but I don't think my bosses' would.  Ms. Giffin and I have so much in common- we're from the South, she used to be a lawyer, and I am a lawyer, we have blonde hair, she lives in Atlanta, I used to live in Atlanta, um,  . . .we are both married. . .  Anyway, I think I should write some clever chick lit and have a closet full of designer duds, and a darling home, don't y'all?

 

Domestic Goddess Fail

So, Hubs did not get home til almost nine, at which point I was comfortably ensconced on the couch  in a very big texting convo with one of my best friends, A.S.S. (those are real initials).

Me:  Tell your husband I am so impressed that he and Johnny Mercer went to the same high school! (Woodberry Forest for the curious)

A.S.S.: Who on earth is Johnny Mercer?

Me:  What!  Google him!  I can't believe you are from Georgia and don't know who Johnny Mercer is!  Moon River, Zip Dee Doo Dah, One for my Baby and One More for the Road?

A.S.S.:  OH NO WAY! he went to Woodberry & (her husband) didn't know that?  I'm shocked & feel. . .let down? 

A.S.S.: MMMMOOOOOOOOOONNN RIIIIIIIVVER!

Me: Watching his bio on Turner Classics right now, and wearing a UGA snuggie.  I am eighty years old.

A.S.S.:  O

A.S.S.:  M

A.S.S.:  G

A.S.S.:  And now we're watching it. 

So, due to a funny tummy and the ensuing inability to leave the couch, I had zero desire for dinner.  I made my self some scrambled eggs and toast- pitiful.  However, I made everything else, and all Hubs had to do was throw the marinaded pork chop on the grill.  The grill which was out of gas. He ordered pizza.  I am apparently not a domestic diva.  However, the Johnny Mercer bio is really interesting- it's produced by Clint Eastwood.  It makes me long for the era of big musical numbers, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.  Except for the whole Great Depression thing.

Domestic Bliss (or why I am such a good wife)

So Hubs comes home tonight!  A whole day early to compensate for the fact he's been gone a week and a half.  So I am going to act like the domestic goddess I am and make him dinner.

Confession- I am an excellent cook.  I love to cook.  It's one of my favorite hobbies. However, I fail at this when it comes to meals for my newly formed family of two. This is due to the fact that Hubs is gone Monday morning through Thursday night which makes planning meals for the two of us difficult, I suppose.

Okay, I'm lying.  The fact is during the week my primary food is soup.  Seriously- I love soup.  It's normally homemade soup out of my freezer, but that is generally what I consume.  It's my favorite food.  Occasionally, I mix it up and have an omelet and salad.  Crazy, I know.  Such an adventurous palate.

But Hubs will be home, and I am craving Brussels sprouts, so dinner will be served.  At the table.  I might even light candles.

So back to the whole craving Brussels sprouts thing- this is due to the yummiest, yet super healthy, recipe that I found in a Shape, or Self, or Fitness, (they all blur together) mag courtesy of my doppelganger.  Thanks Leann!

Preheat your oven to 375-400 (depending on how diligently you want to watch these babies)

Mix halved Brussels sprouts, sliced onions (or you can use pearl onions), cubed potatoes with the skin on (or halved fingerlings but that will take longer) .  Drizzle with olive oil, kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper and toss.

Spray a cookie sheet with some PAM, lay the veggies on it in a single layer.  Put in oven and chill (you chill not the food, which will be heating obviously) for about 30-45 minutes.

When veggies are browned and crispy they are ready to eat!

So that with boneless pork chops marinated in a mustard beer marinade, (the pork chops free courtesy of our Junior League's Tinsel and Treasure holiday market- there was a vendor who delivers groceries, and hooked us aisle hostesses up with some meat and a cute little cooler), and some fried apples (also free thanks to 3 lb bag of honey crisps Earthfare is handing out).  It will be delish.  And figure friendly.

Here's the apple recipe (for non-southerners I think you call fried apples spiced apples?)

Ingredients:
8 medium Granny Smith apples, chopped
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Preparation:
Melt butter in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Sauté 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are tender. Serve as a side dish for pork or with breakfast. Serves 6.

Do ya'll have any quick healthy recipes for me to try?

Dress I am Dreaming of

So once I lose my 10 lbs, I get a new outfit.  This is not likely to happen anytime soon, since feeling sorry for myself last night because I had a migraine (which I get almost every time I start a new pack of bc, am I alone here?), I ate the Donna Martin special- popcorn mixed with ice cream.  Sounds gross, I know, but you have to trust La Spelling.  So anyway, here's some clothes I want .  In a hopefully smaller size than I am currently sporting. Hmmm.

Garden dress from Anthro- looks like something I would get a ton of wear out of because I can wear it all seasons practically.

The Nanette Lepore Fire Dress.  Deceptively simple, yet looks flattering and easy to dress up or down.

So when the ten pounds are gone, both these dresses will probably be on sale, and be mine! Mwah, ha, ha.  (that was an evil laugh).

In the meantime, I am shopping my closet, and remembered this gem from last year.

Sorry for the poor picture quality (my camera is broken after it jumped out of my coat pocket and landed on the stone floor.  Note to self- send suicidal camera to Canon for therapy today!).  Anyway, my fave red wool Milly mini-dress.  Perfect with black tights for attending the UGA- Auburn game in Athens in 2 weeks.

2 weeks til I get to see these ladies- I am so excited. Go dawgs!

Another Relaxing Weekend

So I was a homebody again this weekend.  Hubs had to be in Columbia for work, and I had to teach Sunday school, so it wasn't going to work for me to go see him.  So, instead of attending the super fun and wild barn Halloween party Friday night I saw this with AK.

It was absolutely incredible.  Go see it.  Seriously.  Amazing.  I am probably going to see it again.  Really.

Saturday I hit up kickboxing and pilates.  Why?  Oh my new incentive program,

3 lbs- eyebrows done- I need this desperately.
5lbs- mani pedi
7lbs- my hair did
10 lbs- new outfit and/or nine o'clock cotillion gown (more to come on this)

Sunday was teaching my 5 year olds about Abraham and Sarah, then a baby shower (last one for the foreseeable future, thank goodness), for Veaz.

         Me, Peg, LCA, Veaz, and ALE (who's baby shower was 2 weeks ago).  This pic is obviously from 2 summers ago when Veaz and ALE were able to drink alcohol and not popping out kids.

And, although the Dawgs lost horribly to Florida, there was at least this.

I watched the game with my parents and family friends.  It poured the whole game, so I was glad with my decision to watch in front of the fire, with steak and spinach maria, along with homemade apple pie.  Nice to spend some QT with my parents also.