Delicious Autumn!

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. - George Eliot

I love Fall, it's my absolute favorite time of the year. It's cool, but not cold, and its' arrival ushers in a sweet and peaceful inundation of the senses. Colors, smells and taste buds seem to take over the next two months, and for some inexplicable reason a certain peace always seems to come over me. There's something about Fall that just calls to me. Someone told me once, it's too bad that humans can't be more like leaves and go out at their best, their most beautiful, perfect state.

It's during this time I year I love to grab the camera and just take off.

Friday, I decided it was Stone Mountain. I haven't been to the top in 12 years, and as luck would have it, it was fall then too. Imagine that:)

I figured Fall, apples, cinnamon = FALL, so I whipped up a Apple Coffeecake (courtesy of Emeril) before I left. It was pretty good. I added some pecans to the crumbly top and in retrospect I'd fore go the glaze next time. It's just extra sweetness that quite honestly you simply don't need.

So I talked my brother into going with me and off we went...

My memory, and apparently my brothers' GPS, was "spent"for the week because we ended up parking in the village and walking in to the tram. Note to self: Rethink this next time:) When you're not a walker (that'd be me) the 2 mile trek in comes as a bit of surprise!

Once there however, my incessant moaning and complaining

about how I was sure I was going to die from the walk, was

silenced and all of sudden the trek became well worth it.

You'd never guess a big slab granite rising 1600ft above

sea level could have much to offer in the beauty arena.....funny how nature does that. A good friend told me once that he found beauty in imperfection and in this case - how true.

We decided to walk down the mountain as to taking the tram and I'm so glad we did! Beyond the tremendous beauty the mountain graciously contributes, you come to recognize it gave you a much more precious gift. Time.

Time is the most precious gift you can give someone as it's part of your life that you can never get back. In this case, the time my brother and I spent together enjoying the beauty of nature and enjoying each other is a gift I'm sure I'll come to cherish.

I guess it comes back to the leaves. Sunsets, leaves, people. It's

toward the end when we recognize their beauty and when they affect us the most. They come, and in a blink of an eye - they're gone.

Enjoy life. Enjoy the people in your life. Impart the precious gift of time to those you love, because before you know it - the sun will set and the leaf will wither and fall from the tree.

Jodie

TGIF!!! What a Week!

Well, the last week or so has been a doozie to say the least. First....no shocker here....the flu. Thankfully, I started hitting the vitamins, oranges, tea and whatever else OTC remedy I could get my hands on and it didn't get toooo bad....but bad enough. Second, as of yesterday I have worked 50 hours this week which has just about pushed the princess to the edge of sanity:) It's shockingly funny how I can be so laid back in some areas of my life, but in others --like my day job, I am incredibly rigid and borderline perfectionist. The day job revolves around training and development and I LOVE it....it truly is one of my passions. But boy are there days......This week has been centered around creating online learning modules and it's been maddening! I love the end result, but the amount of work that goes into a 20minute training video is shocking! To date I have close to 60 hours on this one project and it's not over yet:)

That all being said, I've been a bit of a hermit this week and have literally have been held up in my apartment slamming out this project. I have, however, found a little time for some cooking goodness - if nothing else for the release I so eagerly look for at the end of the day. One of my absolute all time favorite meals is shrimp and grits and as eluded to in previous posts, I don't take my shrimp and grits lightly. This time, I was a bit lazy in that I didn't grill the shrimp or veggies first, but still -- pretty darn respectable. Andouille sausage is a beautiful, beautiful thing:) Now --- admittedly, I'm just beginning to embrace the spicier things of life, but I figure it takes baby steps. Sausage with onions, Pablano's (my new favorite pepper....Thank you Bobby Flay!) smoked paprika.....all over what I call "real" grits. OK I don't even want to know the calorie content of these grits because I make them with heavy cream and half and half but allllz I can say is .....uhm.....uhm..uhm. One valuable lesson this time around....grill the peppers and peel them or you'll get the skins in the gravy.

Also this week, I made a stuffed pork tenderloin and it was really good! I've never taken the time to wrap a tenderloin before, but sunshine, when I tell you it's worth it......it's worth it! This tenderloin required no fork and barely teeth to eat - it was sooo tender! I stuffed it with a mixed herbed pesto, sundried tomato and feta. Really impressed with this one.

Today, I don't see a big meal preparation in my future, but I think I do see coffee and an apple coffee cake:) I'll let you know how it goes! OK - maybe a cocktail too........or 8:)

Have a great weekend!

As American as Pizza, Cookies, Cupcakes and Apple Pie.....

For about the past month I've been raving about this "cookie place" in Decatur to the Work Husband. This place specializes in cookies and cupcakes and when I tell you it will stop you in your tracks, trust me it will. But me being me, of course, I can't quite remember the name "The Cookie Company, the Cookie Store....something cookie" as I try ever-so-eloquently to explain it to him. Thank heavens for technology because he whips out the Blackberry and punches a few things in and Voila! The Cookie Studio in Decatur! Well - it just so happened that the Work Husbands REAL wife came home one day and was raving about these cookies from Decatur that someone brought into work. The astute Work Husband, half laughing again whips out the Blackberry and shows her the website and says "Is this it?" Well, we figured enough was enough, it was time to take an extended lunch and go get a cupcake. Interesting thing was the discussion that came after, "well we couldn't eat cupcakes for lunch could we?", "where will we eat lunch?"...."oh and then we could pop by this other bakery I know about".........well one thing led to another and the "Tour de Sweets" was set. Day: Friday. Time: 1130a - until................

Friday arrives and true to form our lunch day starts promptly at 1130am. Please fasten you seat belts - it's gonna be a a SUUUUWEEEAT ride:)

First Stop? Lunch at Savage Pizza in Avondale Estates. You must first understand that one of us (WORK HUSBAND) has a passion for pizza. Thin pizza, thick pizza, pizza! Pizza!! Pizza!! So

exploring a new pizza place could have severe consequences if it doesn't live up to very specific and uncompromising standards. This place definitely delivered. First the atmosphere is really clever and inviting. Now princesses in general don't go for comic books, but I couldn't help like this place. Comic book characters all over the walls, figurines -- very clever and tastefully done. The restaurant had a very comfortable and welcoming feeling and offered bar seating as well as

outdoor patio seating in addition to the tables inside. Although the menu offered much more than pizza, we knew there was only one option: Split a Greek Salad and medium "house" pizza. OK - one little soap box here. Work Husband and I undisputedly agree ....don't be putting no weird protein or fruit on our pizza! Give it to us straight-up, hold the pineapple. Which in our books mean: marinara, cheese, pepperoni, onions, olives, MAYBE sausage and our comprise --- half green peppers/half not:) Salad was incredibly fresh, pizza incredibly good -- thumbs up from both of us.....definitely worth a go. Especially if you have anyone in the family that gets their kicks out of comic books. My only criticism was the server. Our food came out promptly, but the server rarely returned to the table for service --- but in this case - we didn't really care, we discovered another spot to put on the lunch rotation! Oh, do yourself a favor, use this coupon -- we didn't know about it until after the fact:)

Next Stop.... Cookies and Cupcakes at The Cookie Studio. Keep an eye out for this

place, because you'll easily pass it by on College Avenue if you're not paying attention. Quiet and unpretentious (shocker for me right??) on the exterior - what's inside.....nothing short of the quintessence of cookies and cupcakes. OK so it's probably time to mention the cupcakes

at this wonderful place don't get the attention or headline they deserve. Cookies??? Fabulous. But in my opinion....the cupcakes??....HOLY SMOKES. One cupcake in particular.....the coconut cupcake. Right behind it, the lemon.....the carrot cake....the red velvet.......( I could go on) Another beautiful thing?? They come in bite size and regular size. This woman knows her stuff. So let's talk about this woman for a minute. Beyond now being what I feel is the end all and be all of cookies and cupcakes, she's a darn good human. Not only by graciously serving up what I'm sure has crashed my diet for the past 2 months, she donates proceeds from her business and her expertise in the IT world to the Atlanta Day Shelter for Women and Children. Enough said, grab the check book and go buy some cookies and cupcakes already.

Stop 3 on Today's Tour.... Southern Sweets Bakery. People, people, people.

Want a cake? Want a Pie? Want Lunch?? -- Go here. Because we're on our sweets tour today, I'll leave the lunch menu for another time. But for the record, know you can go here have lunch AND walk out with a wonderful piece of cake, pie or numerous other wonderful desserts.

On to the other yummies... Now I brought the Work Husband here primarily for Show and Tell on the Cakes because these cakes....oh geese...they're works of art. Multiple layers of plain yumminess. Coconut cake, red velvet cake, caramel cake, carrot cake, yellow cake, chocolate cake....I could go on, and on, and on and on. Although I have been to this place before, today Southern Sweets would assume top spot on the best of the best for Apple Pie. My, My, My.....people all I can say is that this was the best apple pie I've ever had in my life, hands down, no discussion or argument - SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! This pie was sweet, savory, perfect crust (top AND bottom) and was topped off with some sort of pastry/bakery sugar that I've never had in my life. All of that and you'd think it would be an express ticket on the overly-sweet train, but no....it was perfection. The perfect mix of everything that melted in your mouth. The ONLY thing that would add to this slice of perfection.....huge dollop of vanilla bean ice cream. Work Husband and I SHARED a piece...OK - BARELY because it was a no-holds bar race to the end;) Beyond the food factor here, this little gem is tucked away in an old industrial park in Decatur. Honestly you'd never know it was there, which leads me to remind everyone what word of mouth and good food will do for you. The atmosphere in the bakery is simply wonderful. Art on the walls, couches and small tables -- just, like the food, perfect. Go, I promise you'll not be disappointed.

Final Stop on Today's Tour... Greene's Fine Foods in Decatur. AKA - CANDY SHOP! OK - by now, we're full on the sweets, but I figured what the heck, if we're gonna do this let's go all-in. So we stop by, if nothing else just for a look. Beyond having candy, chocolate, nuts, fudge and so on - this place offers a really cool atmosphere for having a kids party. It's a really neat place with some pretty darn good sweets. I've been before and had the chocolate covered oreos and some fudge, both were great. I jokingly told the staff they needed to get some milk in there, but looking back I think that might be a fabulous idea! Although we didn't buy anything today, we both walked around and let the eyes land on several "ohhh that looks good" potential buys. Again, our only critique, the service. We're not sure the kid behind the counter even said hello -- but then again we were busy with the "eye candy":)

Well folks, that concludes the Sweet Tour for today. All in all --- all wonderful food and all worth a go, and likely the only consequence of the day might be an extra 30minutes on the treadmill. Ok, 60 tops:)

Regards~

Jodie

*images courtesy of The Cookie Studio and Southern Sweets Bakery

Can't Go Wrong Greek -- Mediterranean Grill

I must say my taste for Greek food has definitely been a work-in-progress over the years. I think it stemmed back to this time when I was a young-inexperienced Hillbilly (yes folks I lived in West-By-God Virginia) traveling to Atlanta on business and naively ordered sweetbread. You know... why do they call it this? It's a evil, evil trick. What did we do to the Greeks to deserve this! You know...you order sweetbread thinking....."well heck it has to be good right??" It's sweet (ching!) it's BREAD...(ching! ching!) --- what could NOT be wonderful about this. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong!

Now, as an intimate lover of gastronomy I'd like to think I'm pretty open to all types of food. (Work Husband might disagree with this as he's seen me crinkle the nose and say "get it off my plate" when it comes to Dill pickles) But I have to say, organs in general are NOT on my list. I figure if God put a liver in my body to remove toxins, said organ need not get near my mouth. I'm sorry -- but you just can't argue with that logic! Sorry to all those that love country cooking and liver and onions and all that. Nope. Sorry. Not budging on this one. Well --- the same goes for the sweetbread.

For those of you that don't know, sweetbread is either the thyroid gland or the pancreas of a calf or lamb. I'm sure some masterful chef somewhere could make it good enough to eat, but you know - Princess just ain't goin' there.

Anyway --- back to Greek Food in general. Except for the above-mentioned nastiness, I love me some Gyro's covered in Tzaziki. Now there are places around Atlanta that do a respectable job of it, but to me... no one can get close to Mediterranean Grill. With locations in Decatur, Mid-Town and Marietta, to me this restaurant hits the nail on the head. Beyond the fact that they seem to follow my "keep it simple" philosophy - first and foremost, the food is awesome. Fresh, simple and delicious. Second it's CHEAP! You can get in and out for under $8 if you get their lunch special (with a drink!). Add some baklava and you're under $10. Seriously people...the baklava at this place...oy! On top of all of that - it's quick, the staff are attentive, nice and remember me!

Now, I will not lead anyone to thinking I have totally embraced all that is Greek when it comes to food, but I'm working on it and probably due all to Mediterranean Grill:)

Jodie

Lunch with the Work Husband...

Chicks in general have some awesome perks. Two of my favorite are the Work Husband and the Gay Boyfriend. Today we'll briefly chat about the work husband. That guy at work that pretty much fits the bill of "real husband" in terms of listening to us gripe, moan, complain and eats lunch with us to boot --- gotta luv 'em. All respective duties are abrubtly haulted come 5:00pm whereby each member of the union goes their own way. I have such a person, and quite frankly I'd be lost without him.

Monday's are pretty much the happy couple's standing lunch day and today was no different. Now, Work Husband and I have gotten into some pretty heated discussions and down right stand-off's about where to eat lunch, but today I could read the tone in the IM --- today our destination was non-negotiable. Gruby's New York Deli, end of story, "come with me or don't go woman". Well, I WENT......OF COURSE. At the risk of sounding incredibly adolescent, Gruby's just Rocks! Amazing Deli food, always yummy; never fails. Put it on your "Go To" list for lunch spots in Atlanta! I almost always have the Twin Towers which is a delicious sandwich with hot corned beef and hot pastrami on rye with Russian dressing. Just perfect. I've also had the cheesecake there...just about as authentic as you're doing to get.

If I had to pick a bad thing about Gruby's it would be the crowd and the parking. How to solve this problem? Avoid the lunch hour! If you must go at lunch, be there BEFORE noon. Parking can be a pain. As for the crowd, if you go a during the lunch hours, be prepared for the crowd, but hey -- a crowd means good food in my mind. The seating in the restaurant is crowded, so if you want a private, intimate lunch -- pick somewhere else. :)

Bonus Perk: Gruby's, as I understand, was voted one of the best places to have lunch/have a date/pick up a date/general eye-candy because of the all the medical personnel that go there for lunch. Humm....well isn't that interesting??

If you're ever in the Hilton Head/Blufton, SC area...you're in the luck they have one there too! But for us in the ATL, head toward "Pill Hill" and follow the nurses/doctors as they head toward the best "grub" around.

As for me.....dinner tonight? Soup Beans and Cornbread. I've been craving this for weeks, so this morning I put my beans on to soak and ended up with a pot of goodness:) I used smoked pork (OK that alone is crazy good) and basically cooked the soup silly. The flavors just melted together. My lesson from this dinner.....I used smoked pork neck...NOT thinking about all the little bones I'd end up with. In retrospect, I'd pick another part of the meat to use - but it was still yummy.

My cornbread? Straight out of Good Housekeeping with a few minor alterations....pureed 1/2 can of sweet corn and added about a tablespoon of honey to the batter. It made the cornbread just yummy. This of course made it a bit more sweet and cake-like, rather than the traditional southern/crusty cornbread (I love both!) -- but the sweet version fit the bill this time around.

Work Husband? Well he got a sample....we'll see what he thinks. :)

Sunday Mornings.....

I love Sunday mornings (it's truly a constant battle with Saturday's!) Sundays are fun because you generally tend to do something rewarding on Sunday's -- because inevitably.....the dreaded Monday will be here soon. For me, today it's going to be the Farmer's Market (LOVE THAT PLACE...so I'm saving it for a separate post:), a little brunchy/brunch perhaps....maybe a little retail therapy. Ahhhhh....

Well first I should mention I kicked some butt in the football pool yesterday. Dang-it. I was honestly over it all this season and went all-in yesterday, just to play gamble and be done with it. Of course I won....isn't that how it works???

Well - instead of pumpkin dessert yesterday, I ended up making some almond cookies. These are a dry/shortbread type cookie (which I typically don't go for) - but I liked them...not too bad actually. Also - a great cookie to decorate because they hold up. You can frost/ice them per the season, so I'd recommend them for just that.

This morning, I made some hash browns with poblano's and had a hankering for some french toast....so pretty simple stuff there but it hit the spot:)

Well - I'm off to figure out what's in the checking account so I'll know how much I can blow in Decatur at the Farmer's Market!

Happy Sunday!

Jodie