A Lovely Day

Baby M did a Happy Dance to celebrate my birthday...

He knows that Mommy is "Queen of Cinco de Mayo"
That evening we celebrated at Brio Tuscan Grille...and had the most amazing pasta {SC Chickies, what on earth was it called?}

My SC Girls treated Baby M and I to a wonderful Birthday Dinner- it was an awesome meal and as-always fun company and conversation!

{glad we picked Italian rather than the next door Mexican place...it was filled to the gills}

The entire day was wonderful- it's been very busy and I'm still catching up but hope to do more this weekend {like read blogs from this week...I feel so out-of-touch}.

To All Your Wishes

Jamie Michele's Birthday is today. And because it's your special day- cheers to all your wishes, to all your hopes, to all your dreams- may your blessings abound!

I dug this pic up from last year at Chez FonFon (since I know how much you love old photos). Happy Birthday!

And we did actually celebrate Thursday night, although I was remiss in taking an actual group photograph (sorry James!). I did snag one of Jamie's hubby and Baby M. Of course we all know Jamie's a baby pro, but apparently Ben is too. Mason was terribly fussy all during dinner, I found out later that it's due to his first cold...poor guy. But despite Mason's ickiness, Ben was able to calm him down AND get him to sleep. Sweet boys!

Hope your birthday is fantabulous Jamie Michele!

Happy Birthday You Darling Girl!

I think Betty must be the cutest preggers girl ever. She's 6 months along...seriously. Last night we celebrated her birthday, but today is the big day. Hope you had a fantabulous one darling!

Baby M and Ben, his Polo twin.

Buckeye Belle somehow managed to sneak out of pictures this time, but she was sweet enough to capture M "flying" in the restaurant.

Can't believe another year has flown by... Baby Madi will be joining us for her Mom's next birthday!

I Love Flowers

So along with my beautiful birthday roses (displayed inside another BDay gift-a white pottery pitcher), my sweet girls Jamie (aka Buckeye Belle) and Bethany (aka Betty) sent me this gorgeous Heather Plant for Mother's Day!

The cute card reads:

"Mason asked us to order this for you. He thinks you're an amazing mom and we agree!

Happy Mother's Day!

We love you,

Mason (Jamie and Bethany)"

I seriously have the bestest best friends eva!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

to all you fabulous mothers and mothers-to-be!

Chocolate Cake

I had all sorts of presents, roses, a balloon, and a baby...it was the best birthday eva!

Here we are- the three Supper Club Chickies (plus Mason) and in the center is the best chocolate cake in town. The first time we ate of this monstrosity, it took 7 of us to finish it off. This time we barely made a dent; however that meant I got to take it home and I devoured the scrumptious leftovers the next day.

Another Very Merry Birthday to Me!

There are many things to celebrate in the midst of an uncertain adventure. And it is absolutely amazing and exciting thinking about what God has provided and blessed me with over the last year. He gives me peace and hope for the future. Thank you God!

Here's the crew last year at Bottega's for my 27th Birthday Celebration

Last night my sweet neighbor Mrs. B delievered a scrumptious chocolate bundt cake (please excuse my PJs).

And then tonight, is a dinner celebration at one of my favorite restuarants with my Supper Club Chickies...and Baby Mason!

Party Time

It's our fifth annual Supper Club Christmas Party!

And we're going a little "A Christmas Story" style with the menu. Read: a non-traditional Chinese menu. This was the faux invite first sent out; it was a joke, although I hope they don't find everything else as tacky :)

Here are the real invites:

Boo!

Did I scare you?

Because between the ghost brains and boiled spider legs, our dinner was frighteningly scrumptious last night! Buckeye Belle hosted a wonderful dinner for Betty and I. We ate and drank our fill and then shared some pretty scary tales afterwards (well, it was Girl Talk for us, but way scary for guys)...I LOVE Y'ALL!

Notice the eerie thin smokeline rising from the candle on the left...SPOOKY!

Spooky Celebrations

Our Supper Club Halloween Party is tonight!

And ohhh it's promises to be sPoOkY...

I've been looking forward to this dinner for weeks. Buckeye Belle is hosting this year and just look at the detail she puts into hostessing as even our invites and menu look ahhhmazing!

If you haven't already, check out her stationery design blog The Paper Nest

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And in my attempt to be a little more crafty (homemade versus store bought), here are the Halloween SC "Happy"s in an orange pail: days-of-the-week magnets (they look Gothic); a witches broom pencil; and candy in an orange goodie bag.

I included 2 pictures because at first I only dumped the candy into the pail. I decided to try making the orange bags as my first attempt at sewing with this new sewing machine to get a feel for the machine and also see if I remembered anything at all from my Homemaking Class 15 years ago.


I think the bags gave the pails a nice touch. Originally I made 4 bags; however, the first 2 were trashed. But all 4 only took about 30 min including ironing the interfacing on all sets and setting everything up.

I'm off to our frightening festivities...

Somewhere In There...

...is a little bit of Martha Stewart...I hope. Here's a breakdown of my paltry attempts this week:

MONDAY

Every Monday night our Small Group meets at my house and I thought I'd actually make dessert for a change (us singles are notorious for picking up brownies/cookies/cake at Publix on the way over). These little guys were easy enough to make (took 17 minutes) and there's something so fun about colorful sprinkles.

TUESDAY

Earlier this week we were plagued by the looming of Hurricane Fay. During nasty rainy days, soup and cornbread always seems like a good go-to comfort meal. So I cooked some creamy potato soup (from a mix) and cornbread and then just dunked one of those muffin-suckers in my soup to soak up the warm goodness of my comfort soup. And although both were from a box, at least I cooked something NOT in the microwave.

WEDNESDAY

A local church held a fresh produce market and I was able to pick up some sweet potatoes, fresh peaches (YUM!), and blackberry jam. After that, I felt very domestic =)

THURSDAY

Last night we had Supper Club at my house. and I cooked again. This time from an actual recipe. Giada's Spaghetti with Lemon, Basil and Salmon was quite yummy and I substituted the whole-wheat pasta for spinach pasta...just as healthy and a creamier base.

LABOR DAY WEEKEND

Beginning tonight, I plan to take it easy. I have no exciting plans for the weekend other than making a list of random house items to find (still in search mode for my kitchen chalkboard) and delving into some crafts which may or may not include me breaking out that sewing machine that I've never touched (thanks again Momma for sewing my pillows!). That's quite domestic...no?!

Gypsy Cooking

So, one of my favorite things to do is throw dinner parties. In fact, there's a group of us who love this and that's how Supper Club was born. But when I host, the tricky thing is that I almost never stick with the recipes. I use them as a sort of guideline... look at the ingredients suggested, the order and ways in which things are prepared, and then I substitute, and in general, make-it-up as I go along. Could never tell you the exact measurement, I just "eye it" and guess.

But I'm hungry right now and want to reveal some of my favorite recipe variations.

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CHICKEN GYPSY

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken breasts pounded flat

Bearnaise sauce (you can cheat like I did and buy it in a jar, or it's simple to make from scratch)

For the Stuffing Inside:

Cream cheese softened

Crab meat (just used 1 or 2 cans...whatever I had on hand)

Chives, finely chopped

Garlic powder

Breading:

Egg

Milk

Flour

Crumbs (I think in the last time I didn't have bread crumbs, so I finely crushed Ritz crackers or something of that sort)

COOKING PART:

1. Oven @ 350 F
2. Mix all the Stuffing Ingredients together
3. Lay chicken out & insert a dollop of stuffing; tuck corners over (use toothpicks to temporarily hold)
4. Make egg wash using an egg & a brief pour of milk
5. Dunk chicken in flour, then egg wash, then coat with crumbs
6. Place in baking dish with corners face down; remove toothpicks (should stay-put)
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes (make sure there's no pink!)
8. Top with heated Bearnaise sauce.

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Then once I took this recipe for Maple Chicken Cream de Brie Sauce and gave it my own twist.

CANDIED CHICKEN BRIE

INGREDIENTS:
Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

Marinade:
equal parts- Honey; Maple Syrup; Brown Sugar
Garlic Powder
Crushed Red Pepper (this ingredient is key for the kick!)

Brie Sauce:
Brie
Heavy Whipping Cream
White Wine
Garlic chipped
Chopped chives
Dijon Mustard

COOKING PART:

1. Mix marinade ingredients & then marinate the Chicken for 15 minutes in a large Ziploc bag. Make sure it inhales all the sweet, sugary goodness. I always add just a sprinkle more of the red pepper right before I place it in the oven.
2. Bake chicken @ 350 F for 35-40 minutes (I put foil down because this mess gets very gooey)
3. Meanwhile, make the sauce by combining wine, garlic and chives in a large sauce pan. Add cream and simmer for 10 minutes, then add Brie and mustard...keep stirring mixture to make sure the lumps melt evenly. I'm pretty sure I added a little more wine here and there until the consistency was just right.
4. Top the candied chicken with the Brie sauce and it's a yummy goodness you wouldn't expect!

Jamie's Day

Jamie Michele turns 26 today... and she's as darling and beautiful as ever before!

Jamie, aka Buckeye Belle, is a kindred spirit. She has a gift of discernment that I deeply admire. I know I can turn to her for wise counsel and advice...and when she doesn't have an answer, instead of relying on her off-the-cuff opinion (like I'd do), she prays over it. Jamie Michele is a godly woman with a compassionate heart and a good head on her shoulders. I love you girl!

Thai Emerald- Jamie's Birthday Celebration 2007

À Tes Souhaits

Today's a very special day for our darling BETTY...it's her Birthday!

Betty, may you have a beautiful day filled with much happiness and joy... may you celebrate life and all the beauty and love it brings.

Thank you God for bringing this wonderful friend into my life!

Betty's Birthday Bash at Bottega's {2007}

Joyeux Anniversaire mon cher Betty!

À tes souhaits...

All Weekend Long

I had the weekend in town.

All weekend long.

And you know what they say about "idle hands"...

Friday night I had a lovely dinner with my wonderful friend Betty (one of our Supper Club founding members!). We had planned an official Supper Club, but Buckeye Belle was detained with work overload- devastating! We missed her horribly, but made plans to meet up the next day (to come).

Meanwhile, Betty baked a scrumptious meal of: Tuscan Dip; Fresh Strawberry Salad; Sauteed Squash and Asparagus; and Paula Dean's Georgia Chicken. It was AWESOME! And you know how you'll hear people rave and say, "oh I just must get that recipe from you....some day." I didn't give Betty a moment of delay- I got the Tuscan Dip recipe that night =) She inspired me though. I'm resolving to get great recipes on-the-spot rather than simply rave about the meal.

Saturday I woke up late to make a lazy, yet lovely breakfast. My favorite meal of the day. It's nice to indulge sometimes. Then it was off to shop for mirrors for above my mantel (I'm moving that artwork to the top of the stair landing); new pillows for the bench I have yet to pick up (will they charge demurrage?!?!?); an oversized wall clock and mosquito netting to hang above the back guestroom bed.

Pink Pimpette came over and then we drove to meet with Betty and Buckeye Belle for the much-anticipated viewing of SEX AND THE CITY. Fabulous! I cannot say more or I may ruin it for those who have not seen it yet, but what a glorious storyline... And then the four of us went for cocktails and sushi so we could discuss every aspect of the movie. Perfect number in our party huh? I think I must see it again in theaters to fully appreciate the film...then I'll purchase the DVD immediately on-release to enjoy it in its entirety.

Pink Pimpette and I had a slumber-party discussing various topics from the order of a wedding reception to what it is to truly be in love- the kind that makes you silly-happy and uncontrollably giddy.

Sunday I slept in again. Actually poor Pink Pimpette had to knock on my door to make sure I was still alive. I made brunch, then we talked for a while. She watched a movie while I cleaned up a bit and then surfed on the Web for ideas. After she left I went for a run...went shopping for groceries at a local, overpriced, hoity-toity, organic food market that has sucked me in because of the exotic-foods-and-trendy-clean-feeling-of-being-green. And then came home to bake an experimental dish of : flounder stuffed with spinach/bacon/toasted walnuts and topped with red Roma tomatoes and sprinkled with Parmesan. Not bad for a single gal? Yummm.

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Oh and I almost left off that I've had some very important photos taken this weekend. Now be cognisant that these are serious artistic works of art and NOT online ego boosters (who does that?).

Without further ado, here are three preview slides of my going-to-push-me-forward-as-a-rising-designer-star pictures that will be featured in House Beautiful the last month of never.

Don't worry, I'm not quitting my day job =)

Hurrah for food...and GOOD FOOD at that! (Food: yet another reason why I run, reference below post)

Supper Club is this upcoming week and the ever fabulous Jamie Michele is going to be hosting. I caught word that she may be trying out her new culinary skills on us. Color me Guinea Pig!