What I did on my summer vacation....

Since it's been SUCH an epically long time since I consistently posted; I thought I'd show some stuff I've done over the past year...

From the 4th of July

If you couldn't tell from my previous post...my mom and I love to cook. Well, my mom is a great cook/baker, and I am a willing (as long as it doesn't involve corn) guinea pig. Mom had been talking about making homemade "Moon Pies", and I finally pestered her into it.

EVERY component in this "Moon Pie"
 was made from scratch.  The graham cracker and the marshmallow and the layer of chocolate glue in between.....YUUUUUM!  Plus, I also got to watch Mom fight with the marshmallows.  See, unlike the marshmallows you see in the baking aisle at the grocery store...these marshmallows were fresh...which means STICKY.  Mom was pretty much covered in powdered sugar and bits of marshmallow by the end of it, which is why some of the marshmallow edges looking a little ragged.  Didn't affect the taste though...still DEE-LISH.

I've actually never had a store-bought "Moon Pie", but I really think there's no way they can measure up.

Bernie was pouting because he didn't get any...since it had chocolate and all....and mostly because I wanted them all for myself.

I also got to spend some time with one of my good friends, Rachel, who recently moved up from Georgia Southern.  She, Bernie, and I have birthdays around the same week, so for the past few years we've all hung out together.

This year, we went on a tour-de-Atlanta.  One of the places we went was Sublime Donuts in Midtown.  They've been in the news, on FoodNetwork, and on a blog my mom and I read, Bakerella.  And they're right here in Atlanta!

Really non-descript place.  You'd almost never know it was there if you didn't know what you were looking for.

Ahhhhh the fruits of our labor.  Yes, that is a bag full of donuts.  Yes, those are all mine.  And yes, this is a donut story after the "Moon Pie" story.  Think of it like "Eat Pray Love" but with baked goods.  Yeah....that sounds good.

Rachel's selections.  The s'mores one (with the marshmallow middle) was super yummy.  I got that one, too.

The fresh strawberries and cream!  Strawberries and cream cheese?! Heck yes!  Bernie wasn't really a fan, though.  :)

My best friend's shower

So one of my best friends in the whole world is getting married. As the maid of honor, it is my duty to host a shower in her honor. I love Katie; she and I go way back to our college days, so I had to do something that would be totally her. She's a lot more sophisticated and modern than I am....and she loves Tiffany & Co, in fact, her engagement ring is from Tiffany's. So that's the theme I decided to run with...iconic Tiffany blue and white satin and diamonds.



I can't lie...my mom did help with the majority of the food execution. I made decisions about what to eat (I am obsessed with the fruit tarts), and the decorating ideas, so I can hope to say it was a collaborative effort. Mainly I just want to show off what we accomplished...together...which was wonderful on its own. Thanks, Mom, you're the absolute best.



So like any great masterpiece...we had to start somewhere.



Since we had the Tiffany & Co. theme....we had to incorporate diamonds. Mom found what she calls "pirate booty" online...which was too awesome for words in my opinion. We scattered the clear gems around the tables...I hear they come in a whole array of colors, but we were going for diamonds so we chose clear.



CAN YOU SAY 'BLING'?!?!?!?! I looooooove it!



We put some little Christmas lights above my entertainment center and above the niche in my kitchen. It really added a subtle layer of twinkle and light that highlighted some of the silver I already have in my place as part of my own decor.



These are the favors....aren't they just too frickin' cute!? They're little blue candles on the inside, and the ribbons say "Something Blue" on them too! All this coordination makes me giggly :).



So these are the unadorned tables...a blank canvas...sort of. I wanted the tables to look like Tiffany boxes...blue wrapped with a white satin ribbon.

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This is the "dessert" table. We had the tarts...which were soooooo delish!!! Brownies and chocolate dipped-strawberries. Another bridesmaid also brought cupcakes designed to look like cute potted flowers, too.




The fruit added a nice, fresh, slightly tart contrast to the sweet pastry cream.



Who doesn't love brownies, right? And I love that my mom thought to put them in these cupcake liners....it added such a great touch.



Again, Mom thought to put flowers in an antique silver teapot. I picked the flowers....but it was such a great idea. And I'm sure a small part of her thought, "YES! I KNEW this teapot would come in handy someday!"



Rebecca working on the assemblage of her cupcake-flower pots...



Guess everyone enjoyed it!

I know....I know.....

It's been an excessively long time. I apologize. A year, actually. I've done a lot over the year....had some pretty fun adventures...we'll recap later perhaps.

The rest of my trip....Statesboro and Savannah

AHHHHH vacations...they are the best! Some may not think that Statesboro ranks up there as far as dream destinations....and granted there isn't a whole hell of a lot to "do" there....unless you hang with the right crew....like Beth and Rachel....as Russian spies. My whole vacation was spent talking like a Russian spy...or like Natasha (from Rocky and Bullwinkle)...I don't know why..but it was highly amusing for all involved :)

But I get ahead of myself....the worst part about Statesboro is the coming and going parts.....they take FOREVER...but there are parts from Augusta to the Boro that are pretty scenic if you dig the whole rural south Georgia scene.

My co-pilot kind of zonked out on the journey....he would occasionally stick his nose out the window if I was going slow enough. And then of course there's the acres upon acres of peanuts or soy or cotton....

There were lots of board games and many laughs....and we got to go LETTERBOXING!!!! If you don't know what letterboxing is....there's a website you can visit...www.letterboxing.org that allows you to input your location and gives you a list of clues or directions to boxes (like THOUSANDS) nationwide that people have hidden. Inside the boxes you find a stamp and a book...you stamp your stamp in the book from the letterbox and then stamp the letterbox stamp into your book. I've tried before....but with no success...and we actually went to three places but we could only find 1 box. It's ok though....totally worth the bug bites and furtive darting into the Georgia Southern woods after dark. We looked sketch...but we brought Bernie along to ward off invaders or attackers.....and to get him out and about....the box we found was called 6 Flags over Statesboro...


Beth and Rach are work at Georgia Southern....and they're grad students...I don't know how they do it...but they love it! We would meet everyday at noon for lunch....but deciding where to go was always the toughest :) Beth's office is kind of a dungeon, though. No windows....and LOTS of crap everywhere...but she's pretty important down there in the Russell Union :)

I apologize to Beth....I know you're blurry....getting the 2 of u to hold still is IMPOSSIBLE!

Then on Thursday we got to Savannah!!! It's one of my favorite places....so sleepy and seductive and Southern. Our first destination was The Cupcake Emporium.....where they sell.....CUPCAKES!

Then we had to drive across town to go buy Beth a real bed...since apparently she'd been sleeping on an air mattress that makes thunderous fart noises (Rach's description not mine) since they'd moved in in May....I didn't know how appropriate it would be to photograph us testing out the mattresses...but Beth did snag a SWEET little Sealy lamb since she bought a bed...
And here are some pics from the drive...and that low hanging moss is part of the reason I love this city.

Let's take this show on the road ya'll!!!

So one of the perks of growing up and having a "real" job...you get paid vactions! Bernie and I went home to my parents' house for a few days...Bernie loves Grandma and Grandpa's house....no rules...good food...backyard...and all the kitty butt he can sniff...


I guess the good thing is that Maggie doesn't really care about Bernie...she's definitely not afraid of him...she's just jealous of his youth and mobility.



Sunday morning breakfast is always a big deal at Grandma's house...we had beignets!!! For those of you unfortunate enough NOT to know what a beignet is...it's kind of like a doughnuts sexy French cousin....oui oui! Fried dough with powdered sugar...who could ask for more? Needless to say...the official taste-tester enjoyed them as well...

Random goings on...

It's been a hot minute since I last posted....I apologize...I haven't had anything particularly inspiring to say....

Except that Brett Favre needs to retire...once and for all....once I get a Harry Potter wand...I will come up with a spell to convince him it's just time...sheesh...is he ever gonna learn how terrible and egotistical all this makes him look?

It's just time...you know?

And Stephon Marbury...smoking weed in your car and thinking it's ok because you're not driving...or on a team...uhhh weed is still ILLEGAL...what a distorted perception of reality!

And then there's Plaxico Burress...dude shoots himself in his own dang leg and gets suspended for the whole season...I mean I understand that he should be punished for bringing a loaded handgun into a public area....yadda yadda yadda...it could've gone off and killed an innocent bystander. HE SHOT HIMSELF....IN THE LEG....a leg he uses in his job to run...which doesn't matter anyway this year because he's suspended but DANG! I think shooting yourself and being publicly ridiculed should be considered at lest partial punishment.

In the news you read all the time about how these professional athletes have really jacked up perceptions of reality and monumental senses of entitlement. Combine the two and that's how you get the aforementioned cases not to mention countless others. The thing is though, that these two things are not a singular problem with professional sports...it starts in middle school and high school and only progresses with time. Anyone who's ever known anyone who would have been called a "star athlete" growing up can vouch first-hand how these individuals are coddled by coaches and communities.

Until they get cut from their teams and have no jobs....no completed educational background...and no real prospects outside the athletic world....you could almost feel bad for them....and then you realize they signed million dollar contracts...and you feel somewhat mollified...HASTA LUEGO!!

You know...so you can have something else on there besides you bitching....

Thanks Ma! Since my hormone-fueled rants aren't entertaining enough...I'm blogging about what I made for dinner today. I get REALLY bored with the same broiled chicken and rice and beans. Perhaps it's the gemini in me seeking change. The thing is, when I was growing up, my mom wanted us to try new foods and dishes and restaurants and I never wanted to. But, after several years of brainwashing by the Food Network, I've gotten a little more funky in my food choices...I love to try new twists on classics. Like this mac and cheese. It's based off of Ina Gartens "Grown Up Macaroni and Cheese" recipe. Without the bleu cheese, because I don't like the idea of hot bleu cheese. This is what it looked like once it was all assembled....right before it went into the oven.
About one Family Guy episode later....Out came this bubbling, gooey, cheesy, yummy smelling concoction!

I had to wait a few minutes for it to cool...and Bernie HATES waiting for food. Can't you just see him saying, "Hurry up with the good stuff woman!". Oh, by the way, I feed him table food. He gets a little bit of everything I eat except chocolate and soda. I know, I'm the total anti-Cesar Milan. But I don't care.

TAAAHHH DAAAAAHHHH! And it has bacon in it! Bernie's favorite (and a high-ranking one on my list!)

And...like any good taste-tester....here's my little boy enjoying his mac and cheese!