Ryan's Birthday Celebration: Flip Burger Style!

Ryan turned the big 2-9 this weekend.  To celebrate, I threw him a birthday party featuring menu items from his favorite restaurant, Flip Burger Boutique. 

We had a slider bar with a range of toppings--- pickles, pimiento cheese, jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, blue cheese, guacamole, avocado slices, sprouts, cheddar cheese, bacon, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, coleslaw, ketchup, mustard  -- you name it, we had it!

...and I have to mention the sides --- brussels sprouts with bacon (of course) and sweet potato fries!

....aaaaand last but not least: KRISPY KREME MILKSHAKES!  That's right.  We recreated the most delicious dessert offering on the Flip menu.  The ingredients are calorie-free simple-- vanilla ice cream, whole milk, and Krispy Kreme donuts.  I didn't measure exact amounts -- but I can tell you that about 6 donuts went into every "blenderful".  That's almost a full donut per shake.  (Forgive me for not taking pictures of the shakes themselves -- it was a bit of a sticky situation!)

Oh yeah -- and we had plenty of Ryan's new found favorite beer on hand.  (By the way, we were SUPER excited to find out that Costco is now carrying Guinness.  At $25 for a pack of 24 -- it's a steal!  Those suckers are over $2 each at Publix/Kroger.)

Delicious.

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate!  We are so blessed to have such great friends.

Thankful

Today (and everyday) I am thankful that I am so incredibly blessed by

my amazing, supportive husband

my fun, loving (and fun-loving) family & in-laws


my amazing, inspiring group of girlfriends (this doesn't even come close to capturing all of you)

the personal growth and friendships developed in our small group 

our two crazy, but lovable dogs

 

our warm, comfortable home

my job and colleagues that allow me to learn, grow, and travel

Did I mention my husband?

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. 

Thanksgiving at Mom & Dad's

When you are one of four kids who have spouses (who are one of three or four kids themselves), significant others, and kids of their own, scheduling is....well, CRAZY.  My parents worked around our schedules and planned a Thanksgiving meal at their house last Sunday. 

We had all the traditional fare; and for the first year, all of the kids brought something to share.  I happily contributed homemade sweet potato souffle (sans marshmallows, add pecans) and pumpkin pie.  I got too caught up in ogling over the adorableness of my niece and nephew (and eating) that I did not take any pictures of our elaborate meal.

I did, however, snag a few shots of my mom's dining room decor for any of you looking for last minute centerpiece ideas of your own.  This year, my mom went with simple, yet beautiful.  (I say simple, because decor in past years have involved such things as my mom drilling holes in over-sized gourds to make gourd vases to line the table.  There you go.  Now you see where I get my craziness creativeness.) 

She started with an over-sized wooden bowl and filled it with all things fall: extra large pine cones, deer antlers from our recent Scotts trip, cabbage planted in ceramic gourd pots, acorns, and decorative balls with fall-like textures (ie, twine, wicker, and feathers).

These photos are very deceiving in terms of scale.  The table the centerpiece rests on is a large square that seats 12 people with 3 on each size.  To give you some perspective, see that large wicker ball in the back?  That has about a 12'' diameter.  Those pine cones are about 12'' long as well.

My parents have a fantastically versatile dining room chandelier.  Essentially, the center is a glass vase that allows them to change out the look from season-to-season (or dinner party-to-dinner party in my mom's case).  I love that the seasonal decor is not limited to the table and sideboard. 

For Thanksgiving, she filled the bottom of the vase with horse chestnuts she collected while visiting my grandmothers in Michigan.  The green leafy stuff (sorry it's so dark!) is more cabbage to continue the look from the table.  She added a few sprigs of red berries from their yard to finish the look.  This room is so gorgeous when all of the surrounding candles (and the wall of candles behind it!) are lit. 

Finally, my mom had her china cabinet all decked out for her Halloween party Thanksgiving.  Note that your buffet or china cabinet need not be limited to the traditional items: dishes, candlesticks, and serving ware.  She has glass cloches, antique bottles, books, and interesting antique finds (such as that iron bathtub foot on the second shelf).  My favorite part of this display, however, is the top.  On the left, she has a grouping that includes a large wicker tray, a wicker covered glass jar, and beautiful green and white pot.  On the right, she has a beautiful antique scale weighing...what else?  A pumpkin!

Ryan and I are celebrating Thanksgiving with his wonderful family in Nashville this year -- with one dinner tonight and a Thanksgiving lunch tomorrow.  The turkey is currently brining in the fridge -- and we will drop it in our Big Easy Oil-less Turkey Fryer this afternoon.  Yummy!

I plan to get ahead on my blog posts while I am here.  A few upcoming posts to look for:

• What I Want for Christmas (I need to post this soon, as the list keeps growing!)
• Giveaway on CyberMonday from M.Elaine Beadworks
• Black Friday Finds

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

Recipe: Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies

Victory tastes so sweet!  My beloved Georgia Bulldogs beat up on the defending National Champions, the Auburn Tigers, to continue our quest to win the SEC East (Sorry, Melissa!).  All that stands between us now is a W over the Kentucky Wildcats next Saturday.  Go Dawgs!

Ryan and I spent the day in Athens tailgating and cheering on our team with dear friends and family. (Hi, Liz & Lindsay!)  A special thanks to my brother for providing an unfailingly fabulous tailgate setup.

What did I bring to share?  After careful perusal of my Pinterest boards Friday, I decided to make these sweet treats: Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies.  They were delicious! The recipe made 65 cookies -- and there was not a crumb left by game time.  I guess that means everyone agreed with me?

(Side note: I actually discovered that I pinned the recipe twice...I guess that means they really sounded good to me.)

The original recipe was on the always delicious baking blog, Two Tiny Kitchens.  I pretty much followed her recipe exactly (though a little less sugar).  One thing to note if trying this out, I made the cookies the night before, and they definitely tasted better the next day.  I am not sure why -- I guess that the flavors needed to meld together.

Ingredients

1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp softened butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar (give or take)
3/4 cup brown sugar (give or take)
Pretzels (you will need about 130 pretzels)
1 bag  semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
Step 1:
Combine peanut butter and butter in a large bowl with whisk a stand mixer.  Add the sugars and mix to combine.  If the filling rolls easily into balls without sticking to your hands (note: roll in your palm rather than your fingertips to reduce stickiness), you are ready for Step 2.  If not, add a little more of each sugar until you reach a consistency that is easy to roll.

Step 2:
Roll filling into small balls (approximately 1 tsp), then sandwich them between two whole pretzels.  When all the balls are rolled and sandwiched, place the tray in the freezer for about half an hour.

Step 3:
Pour the chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl and heat at 30-second intervals, stirring occasionally until completely melted.  (Note: You will need the entire bag.)  Remove the pretzel sandwiches from the freezer and quickly dip each cookie into the melted chocolate.  When all are dipped, return the tray to the freezer to set up completely.  Store the sandwiches in the refrigerator until serving time.

Yum!

Want to see what others brought to share?

My mom made this incredible (seriously, I could not stop eating it...notice the missing bottom right corner of dip?  Whoops!) 7-Layer Greek Dip she found on Pinterest.  (She substituted Tzatziki sauce for the cream cheese base.  Delish.)

 

My friend Liz brought this tasty Fruit Salsa with Baked Cinnamon Chips.   The fresh, crisp flavor of the fruit was such a nice change from your regular tailgate fare.  I ate quite a bit of this too... 

(Note: I am not sure if that's the exact recipe Liz uses -- but it is very similar.  She says she uses all sorts of different fruit depending on what's in season.)

 

Food, football, and friends?  An all together great weekend.  What's your favorite tailgate recipe?

I'm an Aunt!

My beautiful niece, Addyson Rae Borngesser, made her arrival into the world on Monday, May 24.

She was welcomed by a loving family....

The proud parents (Tammy looks fabulous...)


Nana

Grandpa

Aunt Ashley


Uncle Ryan