Trip to Nashville

I am really surprised that I still have followers because I've been so bad at updating this blog, but I do have one main reason why I disappeared over the summer. Patrick's job actually took him to Australia and I am a little weird about people knowing when and where my every move may be, especially since I was home by myself this summer!

Anyways, Allison and I took a trip up to Nashville over the summer to visit with Katie and Tyler. Neither Allison nor I really wanted to drive and we found a solution: the Megabus! It had just recently come to Atlanta and we decided to try it because it was super cheap and we figured we would be together if anything went wrong, so why not? I think it cost us about $10? I can't really remember, but it was ridiculously cheap! 

It's a very cheap because you get picked up on the street (not from a station or something like that) and get dropped off on the street wherever you are going. It added one more hour to the normal trip had we driven, but it was so nice not to have to drive! Neither of us was tired after we got to Nashville because we could rest on the bus and we didn't have the stress of driving!

We scored a bench seat up on the upper level of the bus and it was neat being able to see the sky through the skylights and didn't make you feel very cramped at all! Al brought us sandwiches for lunch and we had one stop right outside Nashville to drop off some people, but it seriously wasn't bad at all! If you need to go somewhere for the weekend, I would highly recommend it because you can't beat the price and it truly wasn't bad! (I know it helped having Al with me though because we were able to share a seat together and not having to seat with some weirdo.)

We ate dinner out on Friday night and then went downtown to a few bars before calling it a night. We had a great time and were highly entertained during our dinner as we sat outside on the breezeway and saw a couple of homeless people getting arrested for being out of control, I'm sure.

 During the day on Saturday, we drove down to Franklin to eat lunch. I forget the name of it, but it was amazing!! We walked around downtown and it was so cute! There were so many adorable shops and we had a great day until it started raining on us a little. Oh well! We went back to Katie's house and enjoyed sitting around and catching up before dinner at a fantastic little restaurant! It was nice to get out of Atlanta and enjoy some quality time with Katie, Allison, and Tyler!

 We also enjoyed Katie's new addition, Momma G. She was quite hilarious and is kind of like a "dog-cat" as she will chase after rubber bands that you throw to her. I love it and I was able to take medication to keep my allergies away from her. Hooray! Thanks, Katie and Tyler for such a wonderful weekend!

Momma G

Weekend Recap

  On Friday, I had to work so I finally got home around 11:30 and Pat and I caught up on The Sing-Off. Do you watch it? Because you should start if you don't. I'm rooting for the oldies, Northshore, and the Dartmouth boys; that lead singer can rock it. If the Dartmouth boys don't win (too many, maybe?), then I definitely think he needs to get himself another group and sing; I would buy his cd for sure. And the old guys, well, I just love them. I think they are adorable and they are the quintessential a cappella group.

Mustache glasses

We found Stephen!

  We spoke to Erin who ended up having two tickets to the Decatur Beerfest on Saturday. Erin has been to this festival for the last four years and raves about it, so I was excited to see what all the buzz was about. And it definitely lived up to the hype! Stephen was on a bachelor weekend for one of his friends and we met up with them down there for a bit. The square was a really great location for this festival because even though it was packed, you didn't feel like you were jammed in there with everyone. We got to sample a few really good beers and a couple not so great ones which Erin and I poured out. We rode the Marta down there and unfortunately because of the unpredictability of public transportation here in Atlanta, it took about an hour, but we finally made it and started a great afternoon! The weather was beautiful and not too hot and we enjoyed walking around the square.

The brewery that was the reception site for Kevin this summer

Love this girl!

Boo.

ATL from the Marta

  We finally headed back and ended up getting back to our house around 6pm, just in time for Pat to start mourning the would-be loss of his team. Allison came over and we rooted our Tigers onto victory. It was ugly and I think I suffered several mild heart attacks, but we will take it!

After the exhausting game!!

Labor Day Musings

We were supposed to go to the beach this weekend, but Tropical Storm Lee had other plans. Pat and my family didn't really want to drive down there just to hang out in the rain. Instead, last night we let the beach come to us! I made Kathryn's shrimp creole, fried some okra, and made some crusty bread to dip into the skrimpies. Delicious!! After eating wings on Friday night and pizza on Saturday night while watching football ALL DAY LONG, I figured we needed to have a little home cooked something.

Frying that okra!

First time frying okra Mama's way!

This trick never gets old--Pat was entertaining himself while I cooked

I was so proud of our meal that I had to FaceTime my fam in Jackson to show them what they were missing! I know, I'm terrible! For dessert since Pat has such a sweet tooth, we tried to make chocolate mousse. It was a little too grainy and bitter for me, but it has a good base so I will try it again soon. I'm thinking that I will have to add a little sugar and something else to get the flavor where I want it. I am excited to try it again and welcome any tips or advice from y'all!

Mmm, fried okra

I have to include all of these recipes because they were just so good!! (And I need your help on the mousse!)

Shrimp creole

Printables:
Artisan bread (I found this recipe on this amazing blog. Go here, you won't regret it--http://www.alexandracooks.com/2008/06/22/artisan-bread-in-five-minutes-a-day-seriously/)
Shrimp Creole
Fried Okra
Chocolate Mousse

Easy artisan bread

It finally started raining a little last night and has continued today. Even though we desperately need the rain, blegh is how it makes me feel! However, I enjoy how all three of us are nestled on the couch as we catch up on our shows from last week. I've got tons of recipes I have been meaning to share, but I just haven't made the time. Perhaps I can blame Pinterest or foodgawker for this? Alas, I will try to do better!

To finish out this weekend, we finally made it out of the house today (in the rain!) and picked up some canvases from Michael's for an upcoming project that will hopefully turn out well and we ran over to Total Wine and found some great bottles we had been wanting to try. Then we ran over to my neighbor's house (hi, Laura!) for an inside cookout and chowed down on some great food. I took over one of the Comeback dressings I made yesterday (yes, I couldn't decide which one I wanted to make, so I made both) and everyone liked it! Can't wait to share!

Weekend Recap

  This past weekend was wonderful! I had to work on Friday and didn't get home until late, but it was nice to be able to hang out with Patrick. We watched our DVR'ed shows that we had missed over the week and just relaxed.
  Saturday, one of my good friends, Katie, came into town for dinner. Allison, Kate, and I met up with Katie at Tin Lizzy's for margaritas and dinner and we had such a blast! After dinner, we decided we still wanted to hang out so we headed back to Allison's apartment for a while. Allison's new place (only 8 months and I was just finally seeing it!!) looked great!! I was impressed with all of her decor and how clean everything was!
  On Sunday, Pat did some work while I made another loaf of bread (I made one earlier this week) and then I took Wrigley to puppy class. Thankfully, Patrick made Wrigs run around the house before we left so he was a little more worn out than usual. After class, Pat and I decided to walk up to Yoforia with Wrigley and then do the short loop around our neighborhood. We ran into a few of our neighbors and let Wrigley run around with her dachshund and two other puppies. Wrigley loved it, but was so tired that I almost had to carry him home and at 36 pounds, he is a little heavier than he used to be!! He collapsed once we got back home and fell right asleep as I made another loaf of bread (banana bread) and dinner.
  Last night, we tried another recipe from the September 2010 Real Simple. This time it was sausage and chard saute over polenta. It was pretty good, but this was the first time I have ever made polenta and I'm not sure if I just didn't know how to season it or what because it was a little bland. I think the next time, I might add more salt, butter, and some Tony's. Anybody cook polenta much and have ideas about how to integrate more flavor? Any help would be much appreciated!!

Sausage and Chard Saute with Polenta
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage
1 bunch Swiss chard
Garlic cloves (I used minced garlic)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Polenta, cooked according to package

Instructions:
Cook 11/2 pounds Italian sausage in olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat for 10-12 minutes. Then remove and slice the sausages. Add 4 cloves sliced garlic to the skillet and cook for 1 minute over medium heat. Add 1 bunch of Swiss chard (cut into strips) and season with salt and pepper. Cook until wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Then add the sausage back in and serve over the polenta, cooked accordingly.

  I also made some braised brussel sprouts, but Patrick thought they were absolutely disgusting. I didn't find them that awful but they just lacked flavor. Hmm. Oh well, I guess I'll stay away from the brussel sprouts in the future as that is the first thing that Patrick has actually spit out that I've made. Ha! I hope your weekend was as pleasant as mine! I am loving this 60 degree weather in FEBRUARY!! (Should I be scared that cold weather will strike again?)