Atlanta Snowpocalypse 2014

It has been an interesting days in Atlanta filled with snow, day long traffic jams, and the beauty of Southern hospitality. I luckily did not spend 20 hours in my car or sleep at Kroger (or the hospital) like most of my other co-workers and friends and cannot entertain you with horror stories that I hope we can all laugh at now.

Instead I managed my way out of the hospital during the "Code White" and slowly trekked home in the ice. SNOW DAY was needed in our household so once all the roomies ventured back into the safety of our abode, we set to work playing, eating, and day drinking. It is important to never forget the true meaning of snow day.

But the snow kept falling into the night causing people to be stuck on highways, in accidents, and in bad situations. However, it turned our yard into a winter wonderland.

On Wednesday it was very obvious we would not be making our way into work that day so we started the morning with a big breakfast and Bloody Mary Snow Slushies while we waited for B to make his way back on the ice rinks we were calling our roads. He had made it to a friend's house the night before thankfully!

We did everything in our power to get rid of the snow plaguing our city. Filling our glasses to the top with fresh snow, adding a splash (or two) of Tit-o's and drinking those snow drifts away.

Goodbye snow, hello day drinks!

Then we took to the streets like kids out of school - sledding on our garbage lids (fail) and frolicking through the snow.

The boys ventured out for essentials since I obviously did not purchase enough Modelo the evening before. Cabin fever was already starting in for me, so I tagged along just to get out of the house.

By mid-afternoon the streets were thawing out but it was still treacherous in others!

Wanting to be (somewhat) productive, B took the time to teach me how to make pasta. He is the best pasta chef in the city so I tried hard to get it right and listen to every instruction. There is no recipe and no list of measurements. He decides everything by texture and experience. Sure, B sounds simple...

Did you know pasta can be made with only flour and egg yolks? When I admitted that I think he knew this was going to be a long lesson but we were snowed in and he was stuck with me!

B grabbed our 00 flour and farm fresh eggs to create our dough. A reference is using 1 egg to 3/4 C flour. 00 flour is the most highly refined flour and is ground into a talc-powder softness. As you can probably tell I learned alot of information on Snow Day!

We  He created a well in the flour and cracked each of the egg yolks into, discarding the whites. The dough is made by slowly mixing to incorporate the flour from the sides into the center of yolks. After it forms the dough must be kneaded to activate the gluten. (So much for cutting my gluten this year...) but at least I was good at this part of the project!

After your sough forms, let the pasta sit for about 30 minutes or the rest of the afternoon as we did. The dough should be tacky but not sticky and not stick to the plastic wrap when you are ready to use.

And then the fun began. We rolled the dough, fortified, folded, ran it through the machine and REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT.

We used KitchenAid mixers for this process which are wonderful! Start with the #1 setting as this will be the widest and slowly work down to your thickness. Make sure to fortify the dough each time by lightly coating it with flour and then wiping it off. It doesn't need to be rubbed in because the rollers will do this but wipe it off because you don't want any excess flour when running it through again. Otherwise it will be cracked and you want a soft velvety texture instead. This also helps if you are an amateur like me to not get the dough stuck on the rollers. 

I watched the master at work and finally pushed him aside when I thought I knew what I was doing. FYI - I didn't. He just made it look so easy!

One of the hardest parts was holding the dough so your fingertips were not touching the sides or creasing the pasta. Plus you have to feed the dough in straight and even so it doesn't crack the edges. If you do that you fold over the opposite direction and create new edges. So, no this is not a fast process.

B cuts each of his noodles. Yes, really. So next time you are at the restuarant think of all the hard work and time goes into EACH. NOODLE. It really is more than putting a pot of water on.

I, on the other hand used the KitchenAid mixer attachment that cuts for pasta of all types. Run it through one time and create perfect little noodles. At this step they are very soft and dough-y so we placed them on a cooking sheet using chop sticks and covered with a towel to keep the moisture in the air from drying it out. 

Next were a few steps I could handle. 1. Pouring wine. 2. Boiling water (B did yell at me for not adding salt - is that a thing you are always supposed to do?) The pasta noodles we made from scratch cooked within minutes so if you make your own make sure to time it right with the rest of your meal.

What a great family dinner and I have to admit I make a DELICIOUS pasta (ok, it was B) but I helped. Don't you think this pasta looks like a heart? Just in time for Valentines!

Happy Snow Day everyone! Pray that it will be our LAST.

Prohibition

Let me start by saying I know I am behind on this spot. I don't make it to East Andrews very often (for obvious reasons as it is in the epicenter of Buckhead bar scene) so when the bartender asked if I was interested in the number to get in I quickly accepted. If you are like me, you are usually wondering at this point how you even ended up at EA but Prohibition is your answer.

Prohibition can be tricky to get in, it is not a spot you can plan to go, instead you must be asked by a bartender if you want in. It never hurts to bat those eyelashes and wear the dress code (dudes you are going to need a collar or suit jacket here) which will up your chances for the coveted number. Once the bartender slides the napkin over, go to the designated phone booth, and dial.

The number changes each weekend so you won't have luck with this one unfortunately!

Dial the number on the rotary phone, wait for the buzzer, and the wall fades away into the past. Jazz music played all night as we sipped Manhattans next to a roaring fireplace on big lush couches.

They have great cocktails and one of the best bartenders in Atlanta, but be ready to pay the usual 2013 prices. Most drinks average around $12 but juices are fresh, ice is hand chopped off a big block behind the bar, and all liquor is top-shelf. Sure it is a gimmick, but it does a great job of being authentic about it and truly feels like a Prohibition area bar with all the glitz and mystery to go along with it.

The crowds are kept small and the staff is friendly offering the best service, cigars, and booze of any place I have been in awhile. It is definitely worth a pop in if you get the number, but if its just too cold to venture out lately (and I don't blame you) make your own Manhattans at home on these cold winter nights.

My new favorite taste treat for my Manhattans are cherries marinated in brandy. Toss them in your drinks and enjoy - 

Brandy Marinated Cherries
Fresh cherries (can use frozen but thaw and dry so not soggy)
1/2 C Brandy
1/2 C Sugar
1/2 C Water
Lidded jars

Combine water + sugar and boil on the stove until sugar is dissolved.Add brandy and allow to cool.
Pop your cherries in jar - make sure to leave room for liquids. Pour the sugar, water, brandy mix over the cherries. Cover with lid and marinate. Two weeks to one month is ideal. Toss in your Manhattans or on top of vanilla yogurt.

The Manhattan that started it all, I first stole this recipe from my bartender in Vegas. You can learn so much there!

Why Didn't I Fly!?

Nashville is always the best time. I get to pretend to be roommates again with K and explore around Nashville, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite cities. Though I think it has something to do with visiting this lady!

I love Music City, there is always something new to discover, a great new band to check out, or a festival or event happening around town. I initially planned to fly up for the UGA v. Vandy game but when it turned into such a disappointment, we had to make due with frolicking downtown, carving pumpkins, and visiting many delicious restaurants. Such a hard life we live...  

Friday we did our usual dinner & pregame routine - went to dinner at The Pharmacy and downtown to Paradise Park and Honky Tonk Central. I made the mistake of only bringing beach clothes and it was rainy and freezing in Tennessee. I am not ready for this weather, winter go away! We started the morning with Bulldawgs pancakes. This should have been all the help our boys needed for the game!

Put off by the rain and not wanting to tailgate or scalp tickets in inclement weather, we went to The Pour House for drinks and lunch. Pour House is overlooking downtown Nashville and a radio station was there broadcasting live for the day. Though it wasn't very busy, I definitely recommend this place for gameday activities - good drink selections, lots of outside space, and all the good games on TV.

Plus we won tickets, movies, and lots of fun prizes from the radio station by playing cornhole and other games that were set-up!Too bad most of us don't live in town to use them. When it became too cold outside, we started making game of our own - with all these great people no matter what we do is always a good time!

After the disastrous showing of the UGA Bulldawgs, we released our frustrations by carving pumpkins

I am horrible at carving pumpkins but Katie on the other hand is GREAT at it (or any other crafty activity for that matter)  check out her fun blog about life in Nashville to see for yourself!

She and Aust were in a pumpkin carving contest - both were great but I think we all know who won! 

 Though pumpkin carving is not my thing, I love to roast the seeds. Pumpkin seeds is one thing that I always crave in October so I got the job of cleaning the innards and roasting up the snackies!

I love extra toasted, crispy seeds and you can get this by drying out your seeds as much as possible before roasting. If they are water logged they get too chewy! However, even though it seems to defeat the purpose of having them dry, the best way to get all of the gross pumpkin guts off of the seeds is to boil them.

First throw all the seeds in a pot with salt and bring to a boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes, this should evaporate all the extra water and leave you with clean seeds!

  

After that, drain off the water and leftover pumpkin guts and then put back into the pot or another bowl and toss in olive oil, sea salt, and whatever other spices you prefer. I made this batch with olive oil and sea salt but my favorite is using paprika and cayenne pepper to give it a spicy kick!

Next, spread the seeds on a baking pan and roast at 350F for 10 minutes. Then take them out, shake them up and roast for up to another 10 minutes. Be careful in the last minutes as they will start burning quickly!

After that, ENJOY you Halloween! 

Crockpot Garlic Chicken on Moving Day

I moved again* this weekend and needed some ZERO prep-time meals to whip up to eat off of for the remainder of the weekend. Since Fall is starting in (although it is 74 today - best thing about the south!) it is time to break out the crock pot.

* I am so good at moving now

Oh, and wine I guess! 

I tried a new recipe I have been drooling over, Crockpot Garlic Chicken using:

• 4 organic chicken breasts, thawed
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Slice half of an onion - I prefer thicker sliced sweet Vidalia onion and line on the bottom of the crockpot

Add 6 cloves of minced garlic, I used about 2 heaping tablespoons of the pre-minced garlic which is so worth every penny. I love garlic, I hate chopping it. 2 teaspoons of dried thyme and salt and pepper. 

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup of dry white wine, I used a Sauvignon Blanc and 1/3 C all-purpose flour.

 

It will be frothy when mixing, but this is perfect. Just make sure to get the flour and wine uniform, breaking up the clumps of flour.

 

Place thawed chicken directly on top of the onions and seasonings. I added extra salt and pepper to the bottom of the crockpot instead of seasoning each breast individually.

Place the frothy wine-flour mixture directly on top of each breast and into the crockpot.

Start the timer for 7:00 hours - it only took about 5 - 5.5 hours but my chicken was completely thawed and go about your day!

From there the chicken was so tender and it thicken nicely with the flour. The onions were an awesome addition as well and I served it on a bed of quinoa and broccoli.

I love crockpot recipes... 

Game Day+Cupcakes+Flowers (with a side of puppies and robberies)

It is that time of the year for the leaves to change, the weather to cool, and cookouts and Georgia football to start again. I would say I am excited, but I'm not. I am still waiting on my humid summer nights, dark tan lines, and throwing my pack on to roam around Europe. Summer, you owe me.

But you have heard me whine about Summer enough this year so while I am stuck in Georgia I plan on celebrating all of our Fall festivals accordingly. Staring with GAME DAY and my little, K's birthday.

In college, this became a crazy birthday weekend and although we missed out on the Athens bar scene we still created it as best we could.  

We did our best to annoy help A as he grilled up steaks, brats, and chicken.

and set up the projector to watch the game like the best days at STA.

We also had a guest of honor because K's birthday present was a sweet pup named Hoover!

One more, because look at this guy and those puppy eyes...

He is the sweetest and we were all smitten instantly. We all had to be as close as possible to the little guy.

The whole day had the great gameday feel. It is a bit like Christmas morning, waking up and turning on Gameday and getting into the kitchen to whip up some gameday goodies. The first place that notices its football season is my kitchen. When else would I whip up bright red cupcakes...

Since we were also celebrating a birthday, I decided to make "Cupcake Flowers" so the best things in life were covered.

 To make your own you will need a terra cotta pot - I covered this with chalkboard paint for all of the "Happy Birthdays" and "Go Dawgs" messages I could squeeze in.



 Styrofoam to fit into the flower pot. I used a round ball to fit snuggly into the pot and cut it into halves, because these types of items are always good to have on hand. You can find these at any hobby store around you.

After frosting the red cupcakes with icing, to complete my red+black requirement, or whatever team you choose to celebrate, use wooden spokes to spear each cupcake into the Styrofoam.  

Helpful hint: make some cupcakes smaller with less frosting for the sides. Since they will be speared into the Styrofoam on a bit of a slope, they should not be top heavy. I also popped it in the freezer for a few hours until the game - because humidity kills in Georgia. 

If you are presenting it as a gift like I did, make sure to bring some chalk because everyone will want their turn signing. 

Gerogia football+cupcakes+flowers.

We even ended the night with some Hobbin + Bobbin.  

Happy Fall from The Landing.