Still here?

Just in case you were wondering, I'll be back soon.

happy 1st birthday, Baby Boy Chaos!

the hipster

BBC and his first wagon!

 

 

 

someone is going to be a year old soon! and another someone is 6 months old NOW!

sitting up and laughing

SUPER BOWL XLVII or what's cookin on the plantation today

now all y'all know the plantation is part of the WhoDat Nation (for those who don't know what that means: The New Orleans Saints Geaux Saints) and we have pretty much cast aside all former (american) football allegiances, the raiders, the rams, the forty-niners UNTIL today...

there's going to be a super bowl party here tonight with Big Shelly and Miss K. the MITM started prepping and cooking yesterday and we are ready! today we're setting aside political debate, hard news stories, international concerns, and most definitely, business, to indulge in SUPER BOWL SUNDAY! 

oh, and the menu?

Moules À La Marière   (Mussels in white wine, crème fraîche and shallots)

Braised Short Ribs in a red wine reduction sauce
Pan-roasted Root Vegetables
Garlic Mashed Potatoes

all of his recipes came from The Balthazar Cookbook.

i'm betting on the 49er's winning the super bowl, but the MITM is going with the ravens.  who's with me? 


 

anticipation AND drive-by blogging

~~~~~~~~~~~

today is going to be a drive-by blogging day! 

a joke from a pal:

The local news station was interviewing an 80-year-old lady because she had just gotten married for the fourth time. The interviewer asked her questions about her life, about what it felt like to be marrying again at 80, and then about her new husband's occupation. "He's a funeral director," she answered.

"Interesting," the newsman thought.
He then asked her if she wouldn't mind telling him a little about her first three husbands and what they did for a living. She paused for a few moments, needing time to reflect on all those years.

After a short time, a smile came to her face and she answered proudly, explaining that she had first married a banker when she was in her 20's, then a circus ringmaster when in her 40's, and a preacher when in her 60's, and now - in her 80's - a funeral director.

The interviewer looked at her, quite astonished, and asked why she had married four men with such diverse careers.

She smiled and explained,
"I married one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, and four to go."

another sunday in savannah (spoiler alert: some sport is involved)

the MITM will be leaving soon, so everyday is different and unlike the previous day, except for sundays. sundays are always the same around here. slow start, leisure breakfast, sunday morning on cbs and then, sports! (american) football season is over, so we've moved on to GOLF! yeah, baby, we watch golf with the same intensity we watch (american) FOOTBALL! (more on this later, the super bowl is next weekend.) this week, starting on thursday, has been about the start of the PGA tour at torrey pines, out in california.  yesterday's match was called because of FOG! who knew, right? san diego is in southern california and fog is usually NOT a problem, but it was THICK! (if i've lost you already, just ignore the rest and go look at the food pictures at the bottom of this post) today was supposed to be the last day of the tournament, but the final play will be tomorrow.  the golf is exciting, the live feed is magnificent and the views are spectacular!  even if you aren't a fan of golf, check out the feed just to see views of the pacific ocean!

torrey pines is a personal favorite of our family. the MITM and i used to drive down when we were younger, just to hang out on the beach. mr. moose and Miss Nan were married there.  torrey pines is what california is all about and a reminder of why conservation and good stewardship of the land is all about.

~~~~~~~~~

we've been doing a lot of comfort food cooking lately. of course, it's because the MITM is leaving soon and favorite meals are always appreciated.  it's really true, we start our day the same way everyday: open laptops across the breakfast room table, coffee at hand and a conversation planning our dinner for later that day!  it's a ritual of sorts that started a long time ago, minus the laptops, of course, when the coconut krewe were young and so were we!  our early morning coffee was the best, and only, time we had together to talk about the day ahead.  now it's just us and you know what, it's still the best way to start our day!

the stirrers are from The Hansom Cab, our local when we're in London!

G&T's, the sunday drink of choice whilst watching golf

i had meant to post these dinner specials earlier this week,  but as you know, the week got away from me!

fresh georgia shrimp and carolina rice plantation grits

beefsteak tomatoes, fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese, fresh basil and olive oil

slow roasted chicken with red potatoes, carrots and vidalia sweet onions

the shrimp and grits were served with, hold on to your champagne snob hats, a 7usd bottle of Barefoot Bubbly, Brut Cuvee Champagne!

the chicken dinner was accompanied by L'arpent des Vaudons, Sauvigon Blanc.

we also had red beans and rice this past week, but didn't take pics because it was just so damn good we didn't even think about pics, but we did have a lovely bottle of Josh, a delicious california cab! 

thursday? how the hell did that happen?

i sort of lost track of the days/time/everything.

i've been reading.

i've been commenting.

and yeah, i did spend some time on the facebook.

and the twitter.

but

i have an excuse.

ok, not an excuse.

a reason! 

yeah, that's it.

i was doing research.


yeah, that's my story and i'm sticking to it!

living in the south

San Francisco 49er's

 for the record, i love living here.

for the record, i CHOSE to live here.

for the record, none of that matters and i know it.

today, once again, i lost friends because of a choice i made.

that's right, right here, on the plantation, the MITM and i were rooting for the san francisco 49er's to win!

facebook is not the place to mention your support for a west coast team when you are surrounded by dirty bird atlanta falcons fans. oh yeah, as a loyal Saints fan, i could not, would not, ever, ever, ever root for that team from atlanta. 

but you know?

it speaks to something larger than team spirit. i'm not FROM here and that is the downside of living in my little town. it's the same for everyone who's from someplace else here, we'll never know how it was because we weren't here. smart outsiders know that and listen before they speak about what they think should be done or how it should be done. like anything else, cooperation works better than imposition of will in new surroundings. (which is another topic regarding when do you stop being a newcomer)

but really, does it matter? aren't we all the same? when the hell will this insane sense of regionalism leave us? it isn't specific to the south, i think it's just amplified here, especially when you're from outside the traditional south.  i keep thinking that the new south that's always being touted in regional magazines just hasn't completely arrived in my little part of the world. 

or maybe it's just with sports fans.

one day she is going to be so upset with her mama about these

things that amuse me or doesn't everyone do it this way?

*sigh*

i've been under the weather.

i'm still there.

see you soon.

this is how we do it southside style

lamb overload

meyer lemon pastry & vanilla ice cream

Big Shelly and Miss K came over for dinner last night. actually, they BROUGHT the fixin's over and the MITM cooked! our BFF's found the absolute best place for fresh lamb shoulder (in ANOTHER state!) (ok, the other state IS just right over the bridge) and the best recipe ever (i'm not going to mention the chef, but his initials are jamie oliver) for slow roasted lamb shoulder. side dishes were smashed root veg and collard greens with a knob of butter (a term we had to "google" to find out what the hell that meant in terms of measurement). of course, thanks to all y'all from across the pond, my immediate response was, shall we say, of the vernacular meaning...everyone chalked my response up to aperitif overload. but i digress, anyway, we now know that a knob of butter is equal to a walnut shell size of butter (which is also a very weird way of measuring anything) the root vegetables used were potatoes, carrots and whothehellknew we'd cook them here, rutabagas! after they were boiled and drained, six tablespoons of butter was added and everything was given a rough smash. the other side was collard greens and the knob/walnut size bit o'butter! i know, right? what is up with the greens on my table of late? i am as surprised as all y'all, too, BUT, as i said the other day, i have learned to say, sure, i'll try it before i turn my nose up at almost anything. the veggies were all very simply prepared because the star of the meal was the lamb and the best supporting player was the pan gravy! the MITM removed the excess lamb fat from the roasting pan and then proceeded to work his magic! jaime's recipe

we started with champagne, ended with prosecco and in between with dinner we had a cab and a pinot noir. everything was delish!

our BFF's are going to the bahamas this week for a much needed vacation and lounge in the sun. we're already planning a meal for when they return or maybe we'll just go to charleston with them!

Veggies from Big Shelly and Miss K

mustard greens, slivered almonds, caramelized onions and clementines

one of the best parts of living near your BFF's is overflow veggies! Big Shelly & Miss K scored a ton o'greens and shared some with us yesterday. i'd already made red beans and rice for dinner, so we knew what today's lunch was going to be.  the MITM is the veg master, so the kitchen was his. (he's writing down his recipe now.)  i'm not a big fan of all things green and leafy, BUT, i have learned to give veg recipes a try before whining about where's the beef? not to mention the fact that our BFF's have yet to steer me in a bad direction when it comes to all things foodie delicious! (wait until this weekend, we're cooking a lamb shoulder and root vegetables.) it's a good thing that the holidays are over because we'd probably be baking up a storm, too! oh wait, i forgot, this weekend is the celebration of... gimme a second, i'll think of a reason for this party!

the MITM's mustard greens for 2

2 tblsp of good olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 clementine, peeled, slice separated
2-3 tblsp of chicken broth
1/4 cup sliced almonds
4 cups of fresh mustard greens
salt and pepper to taste
Sesame oil or Hoisin sauce

Prepare the mustard greens - slice away large stems, veins, trim edges, cut into 2" x 4" pieces or thereabouts

In a large frying pan with deep sides, saute the onions in olive oil till they caramelize.  Add the garlic, stir for one minute to release flavor.  Add the almonds and clementine, stir for a few minutes.  Add the mustard greens, chicken broth, salt and pepper.  Cook until the greens wilt.  Stir into the other ingredients.

Serve with white rice (dab of butter and a drizzle of soy sauce on rice optional).  Drizzle with sesame oil or hoisin sauce.

Serve with a nice dry white wine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

because you haven't seen BBC in a few days...

 

*sigh* set back tuesday

loved the captions on sunday for the pic of the MITM and Baby Girl Matrix (BGM).  the idea was to pick one yesterday, but the bug came back and yesterday was a haze. today was better EXCEPT the plumbing decided to go apeshit. fortunately, the plumber isn't far and was able to get here quickly. clean up is done now and so am i.
*sigh*
*double sigh*
he's going to come back next week and scope out the drains, but it seems today's problem was caused by roots from a palm tree we had planned to have removed that had already wormed their way into one of the pipes. the scoping will tell us just how much damage has been done. this is the pain in the ass part of owning a home or not being married to a plumber.   

i'm whining, i know. 

it could be worse.

i'm done.

cya tomorrow.


where's the damn vodka fountain????

you tell me

add your suggested caption in the comments

Today a good man left this world.

May He Rest In Peace and Perpetual Light Shine Upon Him

remember when i said ...

my l.a. flight home after thanksgiving was the worst flight ever? i was mistaken. it was bad. it was uncomfortable. 

it was r e a l l y,  r  e  a  l  l  y long.

this was worse.

the MITM had to fly with a MASSIVE headcold. 
not fun, m'darlings, so not fun...

it started on my birthday.  change of weather, run down, overworked, jet lagged, out of sorts, pick the reason, but he got kicked in his butt! the only thing that kept him moving was the coconut krewe. remember, he hasn't seen any of them since august when Baby Girl Matrix was born and Baby Boy Chaos was 6 months old! both of them have changed so much since then. Ace, aka the kid, is now 11, so he missed that birthday, too.  captain chaos had been duck hunting, so there were all kinds of delectable dishes for christmas dinner, then there was an oyster feast,  a risotto and duck dinner,  the birthday party *sigh, it was so good*, Stretch made a spaghetti bolognese that was beyond delish it was heavenly (and even better the next day). we got to babysit the grands, so that their paretns could catch a flick and a lunch (super nana& mr matrix) or dinner for captain chaos & Stretch. the MITM and i spent one day  teaching super nana some easy meals that last a few days.  just good times.

that's what it's all about in the end, being together and enjoying it. we know how to party and we sure as hell know how to cook!

ok, enough of that, now back to the SECOND FLIGHT FROM HELL...

mistake number one was booking a redeye out of LAX so soon after new year's day! everybody and his momma was traveling. fortunately, since the MITM flies so much, we get to use the priority check-in and don't have to stand in line for hours. unfortunately, we aren't guaranteed upgrades, so it was get on board early, but still in the cattle car! normally, this isn't a bother, it's just how you get from point a to point b, but traveling with a headcold after being awake all day and then into the deepestdarekstnight makes for a very, very, very grumpy baby man.  (last meal in l.a. was a specialty of captain chaos: duck tacos!!! but i digress...) flying west to east makes the trip a bit shorter, but 4 hours is still 4 hours and 4 hours with a man-flu addled brain traveling companion who happens to be your husband is, trust me, a case study in tolerance and unconditional love or you travel with the one who bought your ticket!  once we landed in the ATL, the first place i hit was a concession stand for a over the counter decongestant! who knew just how effective these things can be when you're on a plane? long story cut short (i know way past that point already) two hours later we boarded the last leg of our flight home. it's only a 35 minute flight, BUT it takes almost that long to get all the passengers on the plane! we had 3 seats to ourselves which means only one thing: sleepy time for the MITM and me! 

and now it's 15h25 and we're home. the MITM is asleep in a big comfy chair, the fireplace is blazing and the house is warm. i'm going to stretch out on the sofa and watch some tv and probably

fall

asleep.

i'm done until we get home

...i'll see all y'all at some point tomorrow.

yikes! we leave tomorrow night!!!

how did the time pass so quickly? 

thankfully, we're on a redeye, so it will be sleepytime for me.  
but right now, it's grab as much grandbaby facetime as possible! 

i'm going for blogging everyday in january!!!!   

(or not.)

because that's how we roll in blogville, sugarplums!

xoxoxoxo

Happy New Year!

2013, who knew, right? it was all supposed to be over last month, but somehow we made it. (i KNOW you just heard barry manilow's voice, didn't you? talk about an earworm for the day, babycakes!) i blogged every day in december and loved it. the best parts were, as always, your delicious comments and finding your latest entries on the sidebar. i'm looking forward to more of the same this year! the goal is to write more once again and wander away from facebook. i think i'll just leave it alone in january and see what happens.

so, here's the re-cap of last night:

family
a lot of food
family and friends
a lot to drink
family
a ton of desserts
family and friends
2 birthday cakes
a lot to drink
presents
phones calls from across the country
a lot to drink

the best thing about last night was just being together for the first time in a LONG time for fun and celebration of all things good and happy.

the second best thing?

somehow being either sober enough or drunk enough to actually clean up last night and waking up to a clean kitchen and house!

it's a sign, right?
i'll always have a clean house
and
i will never have a hangover again!
 

Cheers, m'darlings! May all goodness and love be yours in 2013!