Garden and Gun Recommened...Nu-Way Weiners

 

When I was looking over the Garden and Gun article regarding the "100 Foods You Absolutely, Positively Must Try Before You Die," I noticed one restaurant on the list was in Warner Robins, Georgia.  The Chili-Cheese Slaw Hotdog from Nu-WayWeiners made the list and since that restaurant is near Mama's house, I headed over there yesterday for lunch.   

The Nu-Way location on Watson Blvd. in Warner Robins is not a fancy restaurant...

There was only one other family dining there in addition to me, but they also have a drive-thru window and that seemed very busy.

In addition to their signature hot dogs, they offer many other fast-foods on the menu...breakfast foods, sandwiches, and their also popular MegAburger.

I admit that I have not had a hotdog in years...many, many years.  I was shocked at how red the hot dog was, but I can say that it was very tasty! 

Evidently, Oprah is huge fan of Nu-Way...

To address critics, the folks at Nu-Way are aware that they have been spelling wiener wrong for almost 100 years and they are mighty proud of it!

If you are ever in the Warner Robins/Fort Valley/Macon area of middle Georgia, stop in and check out the famous hot dog...before you die!  Be sure to order it "All the way!"

Entertaining on Tybee Island

While visiting my friend Tybee Joy, she hosted a casual luncheon for one of her team members who is leaving to spend more time with her family.  Joy decided to serve some Southern favorites from Paula Deen. 

Miss Janice, Joyce, and Tybee Joy

Menu:

Fresh Fruit

Pimiento Cheese on French Toast Rounds

Hoe Cakes with Black Eye Peas

Southwestern Avocado and Black Bean Salad*

Ham Biscuits

Key Lime Pie

Iced Tea

This is Joy's kitchen table before we put the leaf in to serve 8.

Paper products are perfectly acceptable for a casual luncheon...especially at the beach!

Fresh fruit was provided for those who didn't want to indulge in the comfort food.

Pimiento cheese and french toast rounds...

Simmering black eye peas in a Paula Deen pot...a turquoise pot, of course!

Joy served black eye peas with Paula Deen hoe cakes.  Oh my goodness y'all, Paula's hoe cakes are unbelievably good!

This is the Paula Deen Southwestern Avocado and Black Bean Salad*.  Y'all simply must try this recipe below.  It's fabulous!

Ham biscuits...with Paula Deen's fabulous biscuits!

Paula Deen's Key Lime Pie was beyond delicious.  The crust was devine!

Joy's beach cottage is decorated in all coastal colors...turquoise, white, lime green, and pink...I love the turquoise mason jars she provided for the iced tea.

*Recipe for Paula Deen's Southwestern Avocado and Black Bean Salad:1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

2 or 3 dashes hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)

4 cups chopped Romain lettuce

2 avocados, peeled and diced

2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels, thawed and drained

2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes

About 3/4 cup (3-ounces) grated pepper jack cheese

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the cilantro, oil, lime juice and hot sauce.

In a large serving bowl, add the lettuce, avocado, corn, beans, tomatoes, and cheese.  Add the dressing and toss well.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

Serves 4.

Thank you for visiting with me today.  I'm enjoying my time in Georgia...it's always good to be home.

Savannah Southern Women's Show

 

I've been visiting with my friend Joy in Tybee Island, Georgia this past week.  We love to shop and since Friday was a rainy day, we headed over to Savannah to check out the Southern Women's Show.

"Sweet Tea Sippin', Coupon Clippin', Front Porch Sittin'"...well, I don't coupon, but this tee is absolutely adorable!  Couponing Southern style, I love it!  These are available from My Coupon Keeper.

 We just had to stop and chat with Nancy Brewer who is a true Southern belle and was dressed in a beautiful hoopskirt. She is a best-selling author, poet, and songwriter. You can read more about her here.

 Love these burlap placemats with the colored trim from Mad Maggies...'cause I need more placemats!

Love these adorable monogrammed bracelet cuffs from Sweetbriar Designs.

I hope y'all are having a great weekend.  Up next, I'll be featuring photos from a luncheon Joy hosted for one of her team members who is moving away.

Garden and Gun Recommended...O'Steen's Restaurant

 

Have you seen this list?  Garden and Gun magazine has travelled the South for y'all and come up with all the best foods to eat before you die.

Lord have mercy, yesterday I was driving up the east coast of Florida on my way to visit my friend Joy and stopped in at O'Steen's restaurant in beautiful, historic St. Augustine.  Their fried shrimp is on the list!  The restaurant is smaller than I expected and was packed with a line out the door at 2pm.  Operated by Minorcan descendants, this seafood spot is definitely worth the wait.

The fried shrimp did not disappoint.  I ordered the 6-butterflied shrimp platter, which came with two sides and a hush puppy.  These shrimp definitely are a must!  The batter is very light and thin and their special sauce is the perfect condiment for dipping.  Of course the sides of cole slaw and field peas were delish!  Oh, and the sweet tea was steeped and sweetened just right!

Y'all simply must stop in and try their fried shrimp if you find yourself in the area of St. Augustine...just south of Jacksonville.  The restaurant is located at 205 Anastasia Boulevard in the scenic, historic area.   Please note if you go:  Bring cash...they do not accept debit/credit cards!

O'Steen's is also very close to the St. Augustine Outlet Mall, which is full of designer outlet stores.  I couldn't help myself and added this chartreuse Kate Spade "Quinn" pocketbook to my collection.

Hope y'all are having a wonderful day.  I'm visiting my friend on Tybee Island, Georgia before I head over to my Mama's.  Thanks for visiting with me today.

Red Velvet This and That

As far back as I can remember, Mama always made me a red velvet cake for my birthday.  I grew up loving the rich taste of the red velvet with the cream cheese icing.  It seems that in the past few years red velvet is all the rage.  All you have to do is click on Pinterest under "Red Velvet" and all kinds of sweet delicacies come up! Of course, I had a red velvet groom's cake long before Shelby in Fried Green Tomatoes--except mine was not in the shape of an armadillo! When I entertain, I love to serve anything red velvet-whatever.

Correction:  Oh good Lord, y'all must know I meant to say Shelby in Steel Magnolias!

Red velvet cupcakes for Valentine's treats several years ago...

Red velvet cake at a Christmas soiree...

The red velvet doughnuts from Krispy Kreme are delicious any time of the year!

The red velvet cookies I made for my February "Friendship Gifts" are moist and delicious.

Last week I prepared red velvet hot chocolate to sip while we watched the Olympic ice skating...

This was so good y'all!  It's hot chocolate {homemade or packaged}, a tablespoon of red food coloring, whipped cream, and chocolate morsels on top.

Last week I served red velvet pancakes, topped with lite syrup, powdered sugar, and the chocolate morsels.  The chocolate tea from Harney Tea was the perfect morning beverage!

Lord have mercy, of course I love the red velvet wine, by Cupcake.  It's not expensive and it is very smooth.

Red velvet wine...perfect for Merlot Hour!

On Valentine's Day I prepared a red velvet cheese ball*.  I didn't want to have too much before dinner, so I only had a couple of bites, along with some champagne.  It it fabulous!

*Recipe for Red Velvet Cheese Ball:

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups red velvet cake mix, dry

2 tblsp brown sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup mini-chocolate chips

Vanilla Wafers

In a large bowl, add cream cheese and butter and mix until smooth.  Add in the red velvet cake mix, the brown sugar, and the powdered sugar.  Continue mixing until everything is mixed well and looks smooth.  Pour the mixture out onto a large piece or saran wrap.  Wrap and shape the mixture into a ball and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours.  Pour the mini chocolate chips onto a plate (use more if needed).  Remove the cheese ball from the refrigerator, unwrap, and roll the ball into the chocolate chips until the ball is covered. Place on a serving plate and garnish with cookies of choice.  Serve immediately or keep chilled until you are ready to serve.

Entertain ~ Decorate ~ Celebrate

I love reading ALL the Hoffman Media publications and Entertain, Decorate, Celebrate is one of my favorites.  The January-February 2014 issue is packed full of party ideas.

Are you looking for last-minute Valentine crafting ideas?  You can purchase the magazine in stores now or visit their website here to see the Valentine "Crafted with Love" party.

You might supply washi tape, twine, and other crafting supplies...everything your guests will need to create gift boxes.

Serve a Signature Beverage* and savories for your guests to enjoy while they are creating sweet boxes...

Love these chocolate and strawberry cake pops and xo cookies!

Set up a station for the treats so your guests can fill their boxes with sweets for their sweetheart.

 You can download all the printables here!

Recipe for Fizzy Pink Lemonade Punch*

Makes about 1 gallon

1 (12-oz) container frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed

4 cups cold cran-grap juice

1 (1-liter) bottles cold ginger ale

Garnish:  maraschino cherries

In a large pitcher, combine concentrate and juice, whisking to combine.  Add ginger ale, and serve immediately.  Garnish with maraschino cherries, if desired.  You may substitute champagne or sparkling wine for the the ginger ale, if desired.

Valentine Treats

OOTN...last night.  I'm wore my red gingham Jessie Steele apron in the kitchen...baking red velvet cookies.

The *recipe is very easy...Normally I add a cream cheese frosting, but left it off this time because my packaging would mess up the frosting.  They are still delicious without the frosting!

I placed them inside the heart-motif cups I bought on sale last year after Valentine's Day.

*Recipe for the red velvet cookies:~1 pouch (1-lb. 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
~1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
~1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
~1/4 cup sour cream
~1 tblsp red food coloring
~1 egg

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Stir cookie mix, cocoa, butter, sour cream, food coloring, and egg until soft dough forms.  Roll dough into 1-inch balls.  Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 8-9 minutes or until set.  Cool 2 minutes.  Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack and cool completely, about 15 minutes.  Makes 36

Cream cheese frosting may be added after the cookies are cool, if desired.

Super Bowl Party

Today I'm entertaining a group of my husband's friends for Super Bowl XLVIII.  I set up the spread on the gaming table in his man cave...

He has a cottage above the garage with a studio area, full bath, and full kitchen.  It's the perfect spot to entertain a bunch of rowdy men!  So I spent Friday night and Saturday afternoon cleaning the place up...stocked the frig with beverages, dusted off the sports memorabilia, and cleaned the kitchen & bath area.

We are not fans of the Broncos or the Seahawks, BUT I do want to see Peyton Manning and his team win the Super Bowl!  So, today I'm wearing Broncos colors...J Crew Factory colored denim pants and matching cardi, Tory Burch 'Revas' and the 'Robinson' crossbody bag, and the orange gingham blouse is from LL Bean.

Super Bowl Party Menu
Deviled Eggs
Spinach Dip in Bread Bowl
Taco Cheese Ball
Guacamole Dip
Crab Dip
Caesar Pasta Salad
Potato Salad
Baked Beans
Pigs-in-a-Blanket
Gridiron Chili
Chicken Wings
Sliders
Fit Sandwiches
Chocolate Cake

Last night I put the chili in the crock pot and let it simmer overnight.  It's delish!

Little green onion strips football-fied my deviled eggs.

Of course I had to serve the obligatory football-shaped cheese ball.  This taco cheese ball had quite the kick!

Wings, guacamole dip, and pigs-n-a-blanket...I definitely can't eat much tomorrow!

This Caesar Pasta Salad is delicious and was made in the deli at Publix!

I tried my first sliders out in Vegas last summer and they are now my go-to party food...all in moderation right?

I hear about these "Fit Sandwiches" all the time on The Biggest Loser show.  Well, they look good and taste even better!  

My Super Bowl cake looks so litttle...kinda hokey too.  Whatever.  I'll be having some of this chocolate cake later with my coffee!

Even though none of my favorite teams {Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints} made it to the big game, I'm still very excited to watch the game.  LET'S GO BRONCOS!