Just your basic weekend

This weekend had its share of fun times on the lake...Sydney did a little tubing...
And everyone had a shot at being "Iced"







And this beautiful moon was glowing over the lake late last night when we were on our way home after the Jaycees party at Jaime's mom's house. Plenty of fun, lots of sun, and many laughs - it was a good weekend.

Happy 6th Birthday Paisley!

When I turned 21, my gift was this beautiful, fluffy Persian cat; this tiny little kitty covered in fur with the most inquisitive personality. He was gray-blue with amber eyes, and I named the little angel Paisley. He and I lived in Athens for the next 3 years, and I loved playing chase with him, rubbing his back, and having him sleep at my feet. Paisley really is the smartest cat ever - he's helped my dad find bats, told us where his brother is, and sometimes he'll even respond when you talk to him. While he's kind of a snob (as so many cats are), he's really protective and thoughtful. If he could talk, I'm pretty sure it would be in a British accent.

Paisley has a brother named Oliver, or Ollie cat. When I got Paisley, my Baboo got Ollie, and Ollie brought my Baboo and Gongaman so much joy too. Now, my parents have Ollie full-time.

In the process of me graduating from UGA and moving to a non-cat-friendly house in Atlanta, Paisley moved home to have a little vacay with my parents. Over the course of my and David's engagement before the wedding, we all decided that it was best to let the brothers stay together - they tussle in the mornings, receive daily brush-brushes, and basically rule the roost. Paisley really likes hanging out with my brothers and dad, while Ollie seems to like my mom and Abbye the best. Even though David and I have Sandy here at our house in Gainesville, I miss Paisley every day. There's a portrait of him in my hallway that I see every morning. Its awesome to know that my parents and siblings take great care of him, and I am so appreciative of that. He loves living there with them, and he and Ollie are truly a part of our family!

Happy Birthday Paisley!

Father's Day weekend!

Happy Grand-Father's Day to my Gongaman!
Happy Father's Day to "The Dads!" We are lucky kids!

David and I are so blessed to have our dads as our role models, confidants, and as friends - they've steer us in the right direction while letting us be our own people. And even better, they're friends with each other! It sure does make things easy on us...one big extended family!
Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of attending one of David's cousin Kimberly's bridal showers. She's getting married in about a month, and we are excited to head to New Orleans with the Curth side of the family! Here is David's Aunt Jane, Aunt Noel, Mom Pam, Cousin Kimberly, Sister Amanda and me!

After the shower in Atlanta on Friday morning, David and I headed to Macon to camp out with Brince and Becca and work on his new house! Check out my other blog for more on that!
On Sunday, we were able to celebrate Father's Day with my two grandfathers and both of our dads! Here are the Coody kids with Dad! My mom prepared the most wonderful meal, as usual, and had the table set especially for Father's Day. She's always doing something to make any event special, and while it was Father's Day, we appreciate all Mom does for us too!
And here we all are with Datee!

**my weekend wardrobe provided by Hollie B. Hill couture! :)

Summertime eatin'

Our favorite part of summertime, or anytime for that matter, is our Ben. I took this photo of our sweet little nephew last summer while we were all enjoying our time on the water. He has learned to swim so well, learned to fish, and enjoyed being our youngest sailor. David and I are looking forward to spending time with Ben on the lake!
Another part of summer that we love so good is cooking with all the ripe produce that's available now. Here, I've made rice with vegetables and David's grilled pork chops topped with my homemade tomato and mango chutney.
David loves scallops and I try to include them in my menu planning when I can. Its hard to beat any kind of delicious shellfish with good, ol' cream cheese grits. In true Last Resort style, I paired them with sauteed kale served with a side of mango. Doesn't that offset the grits with cream cheese, mozzarella, heavy cream and butter?
Tonight we paired a Santa Fe marinated pork chop with black bean cakes and steamed broccoli - delish! I've included recipes at the bottom!

Black Bean Cakes
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 cans black beans
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1 cup grated sweet potato
Sour cream and lime zest

Saute onions, bell pepper, garlic, cumin and chili powder in olive oil in medium skillet for about 5 minutes. Mash beans with potato masher adding egg, onion mixture, bread crumbs and potato with salt and pepper. Shape into patties and add to cooking spray covered cookie sheet. Bake for 7 minutes on one side, and 3 on the other at 500 degrees. Garnish with sour cream and lime zest.

Spicy pork chops with mango-lime salsa

For the salsa:
1 ripe mango, pitted, peeled, and cut into small dice
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into small dice
1/4 cup small-diced red onion
2 scallions (white and light- green parts), thinly sliced
3/4 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. Tabasco
Kosher salt
1 Tbs. peanut or canola oil

For the chops:
1 Tbs. cumin seeds
1 Tbs. freshly cracked coriander seeds
1 Tbs. ground dried chile (chipotle is good, but ancho or New Mexico will work, as will a mild chili powder)
1 Tbs. kosher salt
1 Tbs. freshly cracked black pepper
4 bone-in center-cut pork chops (1 to 1-1/2 inches thick)
2 Tbs. olive oil; more if needed

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Make the salsa:

In a small bowl, combine the mango, tomatoes, onion, scallions, cilantro, orange juice, lime juice, and Tabasco. Toss gently to combine. Season with salt to taste. Drizzle with the oil and gently toss again.

Cook the pork chops:

Combine the cumin, coriander, ground dried chile, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels and rub each side evenly with the spice mixture. Heat the olive oil in a very large sauté pan over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. (If you don't have a sauté pan large enough to fit the chops without crowding, use two smaller sauté pans, heat 1-1/2 Tbs. olive oil in each, and cook two chops in each.) Cook the chops until well browned on one side, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn and cook the other side until the meat is done, 2 to 4 min. (If they start to burn, turn down the heat slightly.) To check for doneness, make a small cut near the bone and look inside—the pork should have a hint of pinkness. If it's still red, cook for another minute and check again. Transfer the chops to a plate, tent with foil, and let rest for 3 to 5 min. before serving with the salsa.

Refreshing Recipe

Wanted to share the recipe for the dip that I brought to Monday Night Girl's Dinner last night!

Black Bean Salsa with Roasted Corn
2 cans (15oz.) black beans - I use the reduced sodium
Red bell pepper, chopped
Yellow bell pepper, chopped
Orange bell pepper, chopped
Green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 of a medium size red onion, chopped
2 ripe mangoes, chopped
2 teaspoons of fresh chopped cilantro
2 scallions, chopped
1/2 medium jalapeno, chopped *don't forget your gloves!
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 limes, juiced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 can fiesta corn
Handful of grape tomatoes, chopped
Avocado, chopped

Combine all ingredients, let chill for one hour, and serve with your favorite snack chips!

Afternoon playtime

As most of you know, our little Sandy enjoys her natural predatory ways in catching mice and chipmunks. Well, today was no exception. I heard a bit of commotion in the basement, peered down the stairs, and saw this lovely scene. She doesn't kill the little guys, just plays with them like toys. I've shut the door, and am waiting on my hubs to come home and run the thing back outside!

Wedded Weekend Fun!

Nice, relaxing weekends are always a plus for us, and this one was great. It began with David and I having an afternoon shopping date to check out the deals at the Pottery Barn Outlet. Although we left empty handed, we found these fun things...like the seagrass chair - great for a desk chair or dining chairs!
LOVE this ticking sofa for less than $1,000! So adorable!

We walked into the Restoration Hardware outlet across the way, and the "deals" aren't quite as good as PB's. Either way, I wish I had a place to tuck this beautiful lantern, and that it wasn't so pricey.

But, I did think these red ceramic lamps were so pretty and had a decent price on them too.

Saturday brought Meredith's shower, and it was nice to see her sis Lauren and her grandmother, Poppie T!

We ended up at Ormsby's after a dinner of fish taco's at Taqueria del Sol. Nick and Kim played pool....
...and David and Hunter were the coaches and observers.

Today brought a day on the lake - which was just what we wanted! As we were heading back in late this afternoon, we were caught in a funny little rainstorm. A cooler of beer, a few magazines and some chips and dip helped us wait it out under a bridge.

Christmas or Wedding Season? Wedding Season!

I love this picture of all of us girls last year at Hollie's rehearsal dinner - the colorful dresses, the big smiles, and the tans. Three of us in this picture got married last year, and this year is Meredith's turn! With her fun bridal shower coming up tomorrow, it got me thinking how much I love my friends and how much fun we've had at bachelorette weekends, showers, cocktail parties, rehearsal dinners, bridesmaids luncheons, and weddings; and just how much fun its been to be a bridesmaid! This got me thinking about my fabulous friend Sara Lloyd, and I found these pictures of the role her beautiful handbags have had in all of these fun wedding events.
This photo was taken at my wedding reception last year. Obviously, my bridesmaids posted up at this cocktail table - I think this is Kim's beautiful bag that Sara did for her wedding in April of 2008.
When Kim was engaged, she employed Sara to make all of our bridesmaids gifts and here they are all together - I thought the colors were beautiful for her fuchsia and turquoise wedding.
Sara has done really well with bridal parties - my friend Amy used her for her gifts last year, and I gave the hostesses of my bridesmaids' luncheon one as a thank you gift. This is a photo (courtesy of Zeke Smith Creative) of a few bags that Sara did for a wedding last year. Several of us brides have enlisted her to make a beautiful, special bag for our wedding days too. Sara's blog Out to Lunch is adorable, so keep up with her fabulous life in The City here!