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.

I Know This is Random

Over on Beth Moore's website yesterday, she started this blog conversation about finishing the sentence, "I know this is random but . . . " I think I spent an hour reading all of the fascinating responses to this post about all of the random things that people love . . . smelling their dog's breath (really?), reading when raining outside (love that too), baby's feet (oh yes, without a doubt), office supplies (agreed) and hanging out at a book store for hours (done that). Well, I think I'll play along. Random things I love . . .

1. When my big ole boy calls me "momma" and calls my girl "sister." Melt my heart.
2. Any text message from my husband that begins with "hey babe" or from E that starts, "I've just got to tell you this . . ." Again, melt my heart.
3. When I'm reading God's Word and have one of those "ah hah" moments. When I finally put the pieces together about something and get insight into what God's trying to reveal to me.
4. When the fall issues of magazines come out. What is it about the fall? I want every magazine I see that has fall fashions, fall colors or a pumpkin on the front. I have a stack a foot tall right now that I can't wait to get into.
5. When one of our brides says with tears in her eyes at the end of her wedding day, "thank you. It was so much better than I ever imagined." Oh.my.word.
6. A scone from Panera. That's all I'm going to say about that. And maybe a caramel apple latte from the coffee shop at Books A Million. Trust me.
7. When every single time I see my mom (every time) the first thing she says to me, "honey, you look so pretty."
8. The caramel apple hand soap from Bath and Body Works.
9. When my house is clean.
10. When my jeans aren't tight.

What about you? What random things make you smile?

We're all a-Twitter about TV

Okay, I few quick things . . .

This week begins the new fall tv schedule and premiers all of our old favorites. Well, you may well remember that I am huge (did I mention huge?) fan of Castle. I adore this show. I'm really not a fan of most murder/crime solver/police dramas but this one is different. Well . . . last season's finale left us sick at our stomachs because our main girl, Kate, was shot, square in the chest, with lots of lots of blood and ooh and ick while speaking at their captain's funeral. Which is a whole other story. Anyway, Rick professes his love for Kate as she's laying on the ground bleeding. Yes, he does. Says he loves her and everything right to her face. Well, this is a long story and you really need to watch it but thankfully, Kate recovered all in the season premier last night and low and behold tells Rick she doesn't remember anything about the shooting . . . but she was telling a fib. Because at the end, when she's talking to her counselor, guess what? She tells him she remembers everything which means?? Yes, she heard Rick say he loves her. But remember she told him she doesn't remember anything. Oh.oh.oh. Kids, this is going to be good. Good I tell you.

So since we're talking tv, D and I were total nerds last night and set our DVR for all the new shows that we want to check out as well as some old favorites. I'll take you through our line up. Now, keep in mind, we will pick and choose between all of these because after all, we have set a new tv goal to go back and watch all of the seasons of the now-ended series, "Friday Night Lights." I've heard for years how good this show is but sometimes when you come into something in the middle, it's a little overwhelming. So our NetFlix account is now queued up for all 47 seasons. It may take us awhile.

Okay, the new season highlights according to the Wileys:
Mondays: Castle, of course. The Sing-Off (love this show); By the way, Dancing with the Stars - no thank you, not this season.
Tuesday: Slow night for us. We'll check out Biggest Loser but if that doesn't excite, we'll keep the tv off this night.
Wednesday: We'll bounce back and forth between Up All Night (this looks good, we'll see), Modern Family and The X Factor. The X Factor just intrigues me. I want to see what Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul have been up to.
Thursday: Ohh . . this is a Big night at our house. D has been just giddy about the premier of the new Charlies Angels. Having grown up with the original angels, I'm kinda curious myself. Of course, The Office has a new boss (can anyone really replace Steve Carell?) and we've got to see how that plays out. Also, love The Big Bang Theory on Thursdays. This has to be the quirkiest, quickest, well-written sit-com on television right now. The ensemble cast is one of the best. I always say that any show that makes me laugh out loud is a keeper. Now, a disclaimer. You either "get" this show and like it or you don't. E and N don't like it so I can only guess that they don't get it. Honestly, it's a strange kind of humor. That's us - a strange kind of humor.
Friday: Okay, a couple of thoughts here. D loves Chuck. I can take it or leave it. But the fact that they have moved Extreme Makeover: Home Edition from Sunday night to Friday night presents a huge problem. However, D and I got out our DVR manuel last night and guess what? You can actually watch one show and record another. Well, there you go. Problem solved.
Also, I've been wanting to watch Blue Bloods. I think this is the second season but I keep seeing that the main character is played by Tom Selleck. I'm sorry but I don't care how old he is, the man is so handsome and I just like him. Is it because I watched every single episode of Magnum P.I. from 1980 til 1988? And then the final season of Las Vegas? And then him and Monica on Friends? Yes, yes it is.
Saturday: Reserved for SEC football. End of story.
Sunday: Okay. Like I said, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and Undercover Boss have always been staples here. However, time marches on and things change and now, well, we're a couple without a show. Oh yes, there's always Sunday night football. :) Again, the tv will probably stay off this night.

Okay, so that's the DVR schedule for the 3 major networks but you know that there's always The What Not to Wears and The Say Yes to the Dresses on our TLC channel. And of course, the Cake Boss. Oh, I watched The Cake Boss, Baby Edition last night. I'll swan, Mrs. Cake Boss looked like a movie star giving birth to the baby boy and when Mr. Cake Boss sobbed when he held that child, well, I did too. And that man, as a surprise to the Mrs. for her baby shower, made a cake the exact (exact I promise) replica of the baby's new nursery. I have never seen anything like it. He's incredibly talented. He likes to act all tough and stuff but the man's a teddy bear when it comes to his family. Gotta love him.

One more thing . . . since we've been away from each other, I did something big. I have joined Twitter but I don't tweet. I just stalk everyone else just like I do on Facebook. E says because of our business that we need to be tuned into these social media-type things. I try not to spend too much time on them because honestly, if you aren't careful, you can waste some serious time on there. But I did see one of Rick Warren's tweets for today. I know this because I follow him on Twitter. While he tweets. Okay, seriously, this is good. You might want to give it some thought.

We want intelligence. God wants obedience.
We want confidence. God wants dependence.
We want relevance. God wants reverence.

And that my friends is good stuff. Lots better than any ole television show will ever be.

What I Love about September 2011

Remember back in the day, when I used to blog on a regular basis, before my life turned into a big ole whirlwind of activity, that I used to post about what I love about a particular month. Like on the first day of the month. Well, here it is the 19th day of September but I'm not going to let that stop me so here we go . . .

What I Love about September 2011

When you start on the 19th, you have to look at some things in the rear view mirror so that's what we'll do with the first few . . .

1. The Labor Day weekend was anything but restful for E and I as we were in Athens assisting with Sarah and Daniel's gorgeous day. Hey, one advantage to doing this two weeks in, their amazing photographer has already posted some of their pictures so if you're interested, you can have a sneak peak at this beautiful wedding.

http://melissatuckblog.com/

2. A certain young woman who is special to our son celebrated her birthday on September 7th. The Big 21! Happy Birthday to a beautiful girl - inside and out!

3. The second weekend in September, D and I made a whirlwind trip down to Savannah and back up through Statesboro for visit with our boy. Savannah was as beautiful as ever, what little we saw of it. This trip was quite the experience for a variety of reasons but always a fun time when D and G are involved.

4. Okay, so this past Friday night D had his college reunion. Oh yes he did. I knew three people in the whole room of 75 but that's better than not knowing anyone I suppose. This event was so special to D and I loved that he could reconnect with old friends. Since this was a reunion of the folks from the Baptist college he attended his first two years, this wasn't the typical college reunion. It began with a time of Praise and Worship; followed by a little preaching/inspiration from one of the classmates and then a share and prayer time. It was amazing. I actually loved it and even though I didn't know hardly anyone, I came away from there truly uplifted by the whole experience.

5. E and I completed about 9 months worth of planning with one of our precious couples when they married this past Saturday at Montaluce Winery outside of Dahlonega. This was an outdoor wedding down by the pond and the weather could not have been more beautiful. This was such a fun wedding! There was a Mariachi Band during dinner; a great dance band called Str8 Pipe for the reception; then a DJ for the post reception. To say that these folks had a par-tay is an understatement! They partied so late into the morning that I finally crawled into bed about 3 a.m. E drove home and I don't know if we were overtired or just wound up tighter than a string, but we talked non-stop for the 30+ minute drive. This wedding was executed by all vendors flawlessly. I by no means am taking credit for that but when you have some extremely talented folks coming together, you get an amazing event.

6. Okay, so now I am caught up to current. Tonight I get to go out with my Birthday girls and I am pumped! I had to miss last month's get together and I have mourned that for the past four weeks so I just cannot wait to see these girls. They are some of the coolest women on the planet.

7. On Friday, I'll be heading on over to the FBC Gainesville for the Hearts and Hands Emporium. I love this shopping event. Admission goes to a great cause, The Gateway House and the shopping well, it's awesome. I'm considering beginning my Christmas (really? Christmas? Ahhhh!!) shopping this weekend at this event. Can't wait!

8. On Friday evening, D and I are looking forward to attending the John Jarrard Concert held on the Brenau University campus. This is always a fun event and this year it will be held two nights, Friday and Saturday. Again, proceeds go to some mighty fine organizations. Music and dinner under the stars - yes, please.

9. On the 27th, my hubby will have a birthday and much fun will be had. Still ironing out the details for this special time so more to come here.

10. Our church is having a church-wide study right now, called "If God is Good." This study is based on the book by the same name by Randy Alcorn. We have joined a small home group for this study that meets on Sunday evenings and while we've only been once (last night), let me just tell you, it was blessing.

Well, that's the highlights for September 2011. More to come . . .