Food Friday, The Vendor Party and a Wild Thing

This girl is trying to get back on some sort of blog routine and I vaguely remember that Fridays were all about food around here. So, I thought we would talk food for a few minutes because it is after all, one of my favorite subjects.

What have you been cooking? Last Sunday evening, D and I hosted our small group from church at our house. So I had the pleasure of cooking supper for these fine folks and if you know me, there is nothing I enjoy more than having family and friends in my home for a get-together that involves food.

This was my menu: Easy but Elegant Pork Tenderloin; Cranberry Chutney; Sweet Potato Tart; Black-eyed Peas; Slaw; Corny Cornbread Muffins; and Fresh Apple Pound Cake with Caramel Icing. If Jesus asks me what I want to eat when I get to heaven, this will be my first choice. I think I've posted all these recipes on the blog before but if not, they are What's for Supper? recipes that can be found on the store website, http://www.jandjfoods.com/ if you're interested. All except the Sweet Potato Tart which I'll post very soon. It was to.die.for.

So last night, I had a hankering for some seafood but just couldn't decide what and how. Then I remembered a recipe for Baked Coconut Shrimp. I had all of the ingredients on hand with the exception of the shrimp so I ran by the store and picked up a pound of raw shrimp and two bunches of asparagus for roasting to accompany the shrimp. Came home and whipped that up quick as could be and D and I ate like little pigs. So today I'll share my Baked Coconut Shrimp recipe.

Baked Coconut Shrimp
Ingredients:
1 pound large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups flaked sweetened coconut
3 egg whites, beaten until foamy
Directions:
1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Rinse and dry shrimp with paper towels. Mix cornstarch, salt, and cayenne pepper in a shallow bowl; pour coconut flakes in a separate shallow bowl.
3. Working with one shrimp at a time, dredge it in the cornstarch mixture, then dip it in the egg white, and roll it in the coconut, making sure to coat the shrimp well. Place on the prepared baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining shrimp.
4. Bake the shrimp until they are bright pink on the outside and the meat is no longer transparent in the center and the coconut is browned, 15 to 20 minutes, flipping the shrimp halfway through.


Okay, so if you remember a couple of weeks ago, we hosted J&J's Vendor Party at the farm. It was a blast! Here's a few photos from the evening:

God gave us this view from the deck.

D conquering the mechanical bull.




This is totally unrelated but I shared last week that I had ordered a pair of booties. Well, look who arrived at my door this week. And even better news, they are my birthday present from my momma. I was talking to her on the phone last week, sharing my joy about finding these beauties, when she said, "well, honey, I'll just get you those for your birthday. I always want to get you something that you really want and it sounds like you're pretty excited about these boots." Seriously, who wouldn't be excited about these?

A Day in the Life

I thought I would go back and see when the last time I wrote one of these "Day in the Life" posts and would you believe it was last November? Well, it's high time we did this again.

1. Outside my window . . . I'm at the office typing this so I'm not absolutely sure what the weather is like outside right now but when I came awhile ago it was overcast and my iphone weather app says is 69 degrees. Loverly to me.

Oh, speaking of the iphone, guess who walked right into that AT&T store and ordered herself a brand new iphone 4S. I've been due for an upgrade since February but the new iphone rumors had been swirling and I thought I might wait for the new iphone 5. Well, when that got the no-go, I just decided to get the new 4S. When I ordered it a week ago, they said it would be delivered to the house in 14 to 21 days. E on the other hand, ordered on line, and hers should arrive tomorrow. Go figure. Doggone if I'd known that I would have just saved myself the time and gas and stayed home and ordered on the world wide web. But I told her last night that I'm really kinda glad that she is getting hers before I am because that way she'll know how to work it by the time I get mine. Really helps this old woman's learning curve when your precious daughter can just tell you how to work stuff.


2. I am reading . . . a bunch of different things. Two new books that I just ordered for my Kindle are Max Lucado's "God's Story, Your Story" and "Untangling Christmas." My sweet sis-in-law sent me an email to tell me that Max's book was free (as in costs 0) on Amazon for 24 hours. Well, because I love Max Lucado and I love free, I quickly got this downloaded. Just started reading it and it's great so far. I haven't started "Untangling Christmas" so I'll have to let you know. Our couples Bible study group (and our whole church) is reading "If God is Good" by Randy Alcorn. Great day, this one can quickly go deep and be way over my head. But it definitely gives me pause to think about some subjects I've never thought about before and that's always good. And of course, my chronological Bible. Looks like I might be about two weeks after the end of year finishing this but that's okay. I need to give myself permission and be okay to read the Bible through in one year and two weeks.

3. I am watching . . . well, you know we discussed tv a few days back and I was just super excited about the return of the sit-com for television, i.e. no more reality shows. I've checked out a few of these sit-coms and have been disappointed. It seems there is a central theme of sex in most of them that frankly is inappropriate and offensive. One that I do like although it's not a sit-com is Charlies Angels. On a purely girly level, I love these girls clothes, shoes and hair styles. That may be the best part although the plots have been decent. Oh and because I believe in full disclosure, I have been sneaking a peek at Dancing with the Stars. Yes, I know, I vowed not to watch but J.R. Martinez just won my heart. And last night was the best results show ever because Blake Shelton was on there singing the "Footloose" song from the new movie by the same name. And just guess who was back on the dance floor cuttin a rug? Yes that would be our girl Julianne. She's also the lead female in the new "Footloose" movie. Which leads me to my next point.

4. Movies I want to see . . . obviously the new "Footloose." I have watched all the trailers, been on the website, and read the background about this movie. First of all, "Footloose" was one of my favorites back in the day. Love Kenny Loggins and Kevin Bacon. So as soon as I heard this movie was about to cut loose (sorry), I had to know all about it. And did you know that the whole movie was filmed in Georgia - Atlanta, Covington, Senoia and Acworth. To me, this is the best dance movie of all time. I know I know, Dirty Dancing and Momma Mia were good too.
Second, I've been wanting to see "Courageous." Everyone says it's awesome.

5. What I'm wearing . . . to be honest, I'm a little overdressed for the office today. I'm wearing a black jacket, black tank and black pants. Wow - that couldn't be more boring could it? Well, I did add some pizzazz with jewelry. D and I are going to that event in Atlanta tonight and I have no idea what the dress code is so I'm playing it safe with this ensemble.
I'm cracking up reading what I wrote in that last Day in the Life post from last November. I wrote in this section about my love for boots, particular the bootie. Well, some things never change. What is it about boots/booties that I love so much? I've got to tell you a little secret. I've been wanting a leopard print pair of booties for well over a year. I've searched the stores and the internet with no avail. Well . . . yesterday I was reading a fashion blog (imagine that) and she mentioned something about some Aeorsole riding boots. They were really cute so I followed the link to these boots and low and behold sitting right next to these riding boots were, you guessed it, leopard print booties and they're Aeorsoles. So that means they're comfy too, right? I ordered those in a big hurry and they should be at my front door in a few days. What if they come the same day as my iphone? That truly will be too much to take.

6. What I'm listening to . . . you probably aren't going to believe this and think you're reading somebody elses blog but I am listening to more and more talk radio. Now, I don't get too political around here but I am super interested in this upcoming election and super intrigued by Herman Cain and his 9-9-9 plan for America. So, go figure. But you know there is only so much of that a girl can take so I plug in Luke Bryan's new CD "Tailgates and Tan Lines." It's really good but I'm a country music nerd.

7. What I'm thinking about . . . that's a loaded topic. There's so much going on around this pea brain that some days I think it might explode. But besides the obvious upcoming weddings and assorted business ventures, when my thoughts go deep, I'm pondering one of our memory verses for our study at church. Boy oh boy this spoke volumes to me.

"God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. " 2 Corinthians 5:21

God made Jesus for the purpose of taking on our sin. That's right - my sin and your sin. He took it all. Paid the price. Secured the debt. For us.
So that we might become the righteousness of God. So that we can become through His goodness, in relationship with Him. Honestly, the words righteous and righteousness have always thrown me just a little bit. It kinda sounds unattainable. So this is what I'm thinking about. How do I become the righteousness of God? Because if I'm reading this verse correctly, that's why Christ died for us. See - told ya this was a lot to think about. I want to understand this because it sounds pretty important if you ask me.

And that, my friends, is a day in this life.

What I Love about October 2011

Well as we all know, this should have been posted a lot closer to the beginning of the month. But it is what it is so here we go:

1. October started out with a bang with one of our brides getting married at Montaluce Winery. You know, we have grown quite fond of this place and oh, at the beauty this time of year up there. The weather was perfect, although it leaned to the chilly and windy side. The wedding was out by the water and was perfect in every way. Her colors were chocolate brown, greens and purples. Gorgeous.

2. We also assisted from afar with another wedding in St. Simons Island on October 1st. The family is from Gainesville and just needed our help putting all the details together from this end. It sounded fabulous and I loved every little detail of this bride's day. I heard from the mother of the bride that it was quite the beautiful affair.

3. Can you believe on Sunday the 2nd that I, along with some other wonderful friends, threw a bridal shower for a long-time friend's daughter at our church? Let me tell you when you are planning three events in one weekend, it takes some detailed to-do lists. I think my list was about twelve pages long but it all came off without a hitch. Thank the good Lord.

4. On October 10th my boy had a birthday -22 years old! This child brings so much fun and laughter into my life. He's a pleasure and a treasure. We hadn't seen much of him since he left for school in August so it was great to lay eyes on this boy. We had birthday lunch on Sunday and it was great for our whole family to be together.

5. The Monday night Bible study girls are now the Tuesday night Bible study girls. This is like a paradigm shift for my brain. For maybe five or six years we have met on Monday nights at my house. Well, we decided that Tuesdays might work well for a season and we started our study last week. Boy, was it good to be back around the table and in the Word with these ladies.

6 . Last Saturday, our family along with the J&J Foods management staff hosted our Vendor Party at the farm. We have this event every other year in order to thank those fine folks who supply our stores and all those who basically, allow us to do business every day. This year's theme was western and the star of the show was the mechanical bull. Everyone in my family gave the old boy a go. Except for me. I know my limits. I'll post some pictures - you'll want to see, trust me.

7. Tomorrow night, D and I will attend an event that we have wanted to go to for years - The Taste of Georgia held at the Depot in downtown Atlanta. Anything that sounds like there might be food involved - we'll be there. Should be fun.

8. This Saturday, we will be assisting with another one of our precious brides. We have had the pleasure of working with her throughout her complete planning so it's always fun to see how everything comes to fruition. Her colors are navy and hot pink. This combination is super hot right now and while I wasn't a fan at first, it has really grown on me. We do story boards at our office for each of our brides and to see hers with these colors, it is just gorgeous.

9. Oooh, then on Sunday, the 23rd the daughter of some of dear friends is getting married at the farm. I just cannot tell you all of the fabulous details this bride has chosen but it is very vintage and beautiful. She'll get married out in the field then we'll move up to the deck for the reception. Lots of burlap, quilts, old books, trunks, vintage plates. So pretty.

10. By the time this month ends, E and I will have completed six events/weddings in the last eight weeks. To celebrate this, D and I are going to head down to Jacksonville for the Georgia/Florida game. This will be a welcome break and honestly, I can hardly wait.

So there you have it. Isn't October the best month ever? I love fall. Enjoy!

It's Soupy!

Have you ever heard that? It's soupy outside. Just exactly what does that mean? I think it means it's rainy and foggy. So, we just have the rain. But believe you me, we are not complaining. We need the rain like the Bulldogs need a win. I would never say this out loud because I'm just funny about those things but it might be possible that if the Dawgs keep up their current "situation" that Mark Richt might just get to keep his job. That would be just awesome. I heard him being interviewed on the radio the other day talking about Jesus, mission work and while he's been on several mission trips, that his primary mission field is the football field. He's a keeper. But good gracious in the morning, the football family is a fickle one. They'll turn on you in a New York minute.

So, I have several things I want to talk about like what I love about October, my boy's birthday, the Vendor Party but I'll get to that in the next couple of days. I just have a minute so I'm going to share a couple of soup recipes. It's Soup Week on the What's for Supper? radio segment and this just happens to be perfect soup weather. So let's all pretend we are sitting around the table sharing a big bowl of one of these. I posted this on Facebook yesterday and love it.
"Troubles are easier to take with soup than without." -- Ancient Yiddish saying


Potato Soup
Ingredients:
4 Cups Chicken Broth (2-16 ounce cans)
1 onion, chopped
4-5 Russet potatoes, washed, peeled, and cubed
1 cup smoked chopped ham
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup instant potato flakes
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup whipping cream
Suggested toppings: Bacon, sour cream, cheese, green onions, croutons.
Directions:
1. Pour broth in a stock pot over medium heat.
2. Peel and chop onion and potatoes.
3. Add to broth along with ham. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat and cover. Simmer for ten to fifteen minutes or until potato is tender.
5. Remove lid and stir in potato flakes.
6. Add in cheese and cream and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until just heated through.
7. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired.
8. Serve immediately and top with your favorite toppings.


Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
2 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli
4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (1 pound) loaf processed cheese food, cubed
2 cups half and half
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2/3 cup cornstarch
1 cup water
Directions:
1. In a stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion in butter until softened. Stir in broccoli, and cover with chicken broth. Simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Reduce heat, and stir in cheese cubes until melted.
3. Mix in half and half and garlic powder.
4. In a small bowl, stir cornstarch into water until dissolved. Stir into soup; cook, stirring frequently, until thick.