Country Style Eats in Hotlanta

Happy Thanksgiving! I love today. It's my absolute favorite holiday (okay, maybe tied with the Fourth of July), because it serves as such a wonderful reminder of everything we have to be grateful for in life. I actually get a little angry when I see Halloween and Christmas start to steal Thanksgiving's thunder. Don't get me wrong - I quite enjoy both Christmas and Halloween, I just don't think they should overshadow all of Thanksgiving's splendid goodness. Most of November belongs to Thanksgiving...let's give it its due. Tomorrow is for Christmas music. Tomorrow is for watching "Love Actually" on repeat. Tomorrow is for turning into a gift-hunting crazy pants. But, today...today is for relaxing and enjoying each other. :)

A festive little treat I made to accompany Thanksgiving dinner thanks to the ever-inspiring Pinterest: Chocolate and Peanut Butter Acorns.

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I recently went on an epic girls trip to Atlanta with a few of my favorite people (coming together from four different states). Most surprisingly, this was my first visit to Atlanta proper. I've spent countless hours stuck in that crazy airport due to various connections and travel delays but had never actually set foot in the city. I was excited to fix that.

We were in town for just a weekend but managed to really take it all in as we celebrated a friend's birthday at the 2012 Roller Derby championships, where we were lucky enough to catch a Minnesota RollerGirls bout (Minnesota represent!). We toured CNN (nerd heaven), enjoyed cocktails while taking in city views in the Westin's spinning Sun Dial restaurant, ate good food and even overwhelmed ourselves at the World of Coca-Cola.

One of the most memorable dining experiences came in the form of Southern perfection at Pittypat's Porch in downtown Atlanta.

Now, for those more informed than I, the restaurant is named after Scarlett's aunt Pittypat from "Gone With the Wind" who was known to serve up some delicious Southern eats (or so I've been told). The ambiance of Pittypat's Porch is nothing short of awesome and everything you'd hope for.

We were there right when the restaurant opened for dinner, combining a late, late lunch with an early dinner (read: go big or go home). And go big we did. I ordered Aunt Pittypat's fried chicken: "three pieces of the best damn Southern fried bird." All entrees came with access to a "Southern Salad Sideboard."

I tried a little bit of everything. Some salad with bleu cheese dressing. Some pasta salads. A little rice dish. A scoop of potato salad. The potato salad was killer, but I tried not to fill up on everything else in order to save room for the main event.

Fried chicken. Fried chicken. Fried chicken. Oh my gosh, this was sooooooo much chicken for just one person. But that didn't stop me from giving it the ol' college try. I think I made it through the breast and half of the thigh. Mmmmm.....crunchy, crispy chicken. And those mashed potatoes...were...ridiculous. Seriously, so good.

Our meal also came with collard greens and blackeyed peas. But I really couldn't even consider either option. I had one last thing on the brain: a bite of the Georgia peach cobbler we ordered to share.

That's right. A picture is worth a thousand words (photo courtesy of a friend on said trip). :) 

Halloween Festivities

Hard to believe it's been a week (and some change) since Halloween weekend already. It was a fun weekend spent out of town with friends and a quick pit stop with family on the way back home.

In keeping with my tradition to dress up as an insect (originally a friend's idea that it would be rather precious for me to go in a child-like costume), I was a butterfly this year. Previous years found me all dolled up as a lady bug and then as a bumble bee.

Since crafty isn't really a word people would generally use to describe me, I took baby steps in my costume creation...which involved a lot of glitter. Here's my little DIY mask-making project, starting with a plain black mask.

Then using a paper towel to smear silver glitter puff paint all across the mask.

And adding a few little details to jazz things up :) Maybe next year, I'll figure out how to up the ante and get real creative as a grasshopper or maybe even a walking stick!

Part of the Halloween party I went to included a potluck. My friends and I went with the oh-so-spooky (okay, maybe oh-so-yummy is more like it) dirt cake. Layers of chocolate pudding, crushed Oreos and whipped cream, topped with gummy worms.

Sunday morning, we stopped at a local favorite in Pine City - Nicoll's Cafe - for a nice greasy breakfast.

Nicoll's is one of those sweet little spots, filled to the brim on a Sunday morning (though admittedly cleared out by the time we left) and where families go after church to enjoy the all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast special.

Not one for pancakes, however, I went with the ham and cheese omelet with hash browns and wheat toast. Boy, did it hit the spot. Pipin' hot and served just as you'd expect from your favorite small town diner.

And, since it was a weekend of indulgence, I treated myself to this little homemade sundae at grandma's house just before making my way back home to MSP Sunday night. Yummers.

Easter Dessert

Okay, so I've been holding onto this one for a little too long. I'm not sure whether to be impressed or embarrassed with myself ;)

My mom randomly assigned me the responsibility of bringing dessert to Easter dinner this year. I thought long and hard about what to bring. One part of me wanted to wow everyone with a home-baked wonder. Another part of me wanted to rush out and buy my favorite, oh-so-expensive but oh-so-good classic vanilla cheesecake from Cafe Latte (pictured here).

In the end, my roommate inspired me with the idea of making Easter bunny cakes with my almost four-year-old nephew. Her idea won out.

I decided on two bunnies: one chocolate with chocolate frosting and one lemon with white frosting.
Neither of them came out looking as though they were made at the hands of a professional, but they were cute nonetheless. My nephew helped paint the green grass on each of the serving platters, but I'm pretty sure most of the frosting made its way into his mouth/all across his face.
Of course this experience wasn't without its drama. I neglected to purchase an adequate amount of frosting for either cake. Thankfully, my mom had extra chocolate frosting (although clearly not the same shade of brown as evidenced above), and my grandma made a pit stop at the grocery store for more butter cream frosting before coming to our house for dinner.

And, my mom was none to impressed with the mess I left in my wake. She might have gone so far as to suggest that I just be in charge of buns and milk next year to avoid making a mess of her kitchen.

In the end, everyone seemed pleased with the dessert options (it's pretty hard to screw up boxed cake) and at least a little bit humored by my creativity.

Christmastime in Our House

Driving around rural Minnesota as youngsters during the holidays, my sisters, brother and I could often be heard shouting
"Christmastime to the left" (or to the right) whenever we passed a Christmas display. Now that we've all grown up, it seems - more often than not - my mom is the one pointing out the Christmastimes.

Smart cookie that she is, she's found a new car companion to share in the Christmas spirit. My oldest nephew has picked up on the tradition and recently spent all of our car rides together during his visit pointing out each and every one of the Christmastimes. It just warmed my heart.

So, tonight, as my roommate and I decorated for Christmas, I couldn't help but smile as I thought about Christmastime in our house.

A Kid for a Day

Seems like I've been on a bit of an Internet sabbatical as of late. I guess that's what happens when you take a week off, invite your nephews down to play and go home for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Last weekend, my sister brought my adorable little nephews down for an adventure in the city. At 3 1/2 and 2 1/2 years old, they were ecstatic about a trip to the Minnesota Children's Museum in downtown Saint Paul. And, thanks to Saint Paul Public Library's Passport to Play offering, all four of us got in for just $4.

Here's a brief sampling of some of the exhibits, like "Out on a Limb" and "Earth World."

The boys had so much fun exploring and running and jumping and climbing...they didn't want to leave. I think we'll have to plan another visit when the "Dinosaurs" exhibit opens next month.

I kept my older nephew overnight before heading home for Thanksgiving, and we took a trip to what I called "the magical place" Monday afternoon - Wild Rumpus bookstore in Minneapolis' Linden Hills neighborhood.

Busting at the seams with children's books, Wild Rumpus is also home to many fine living animals...a chicken, cats, a lizard, a spider, doves and more. Magical indeed.