Thursday, September 29, 2011

Beyond the Hedges

As of September 12th, the Junior League is in full swing. As an active member this year, I am serving on the Cookbook Committee. I am thoroughly looking forward to all of the events, meeting new people and of course trying TONS of new recipes.

I will also be featuring some tasty recipes on the "Beyond the Hedges" website/blog so definitely check it out!



*** Don't forget Christmas is just around the corner. The Junior League cookbook would go great in a Christmas gift basket along side cute recipe cards, kitchen utensils and decorative kitchen towels!!

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Mr. and Mrs.

A HUGE Congratulations to our friends Brian and Michelle Klepacki. We wish ya'll a lifetime of happiness. Can't wait to see you both soon.

Love you guys!

Monday, September 26, 2011

St. Simons Island Party

This past weekend I was able to join some friends in St. Simons for Allie's bachelorette. It was a wonderful and relaxing weekend and I can't wait for the upcoming wedding in December.














I was so glad I got to spend Saturday in St. Simons with some awesome girls. We cooked dinner, made drinks, played bachelorette games, watched movies, made pottery, went to the beach, played more games, had a wonderful dinner at Ocean Lodge and opened gifts. Just what I needed!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Corn Flake Pork Chops

Don't ever go to Publix on a Saturday! It's a trap. I made this mistake this past Saturday. As soon as I started pushing the buggy around I started to smell the deliciousness. All the booths were cooking up a storm and there were already lines. Stuffed Brats, German Potato Salad and Corn Flake Pork Chops. I even asked the meat department where the wonderful smell was coming from...he replied "Oh Mary is cooking up some pork chops in the back. They will be ready in about 10 minutes." So I proceeded to walk around Publix until they were ready. And boy were they delicious. I picked up the recipe and bought all the ingredients.

Corn Flake Pork Chops

Ingredients:
2 cups corn flake cereal
large zip lock bag or bowl
1 large egg, beaten or 1/4 cup egg substitute
1 1/2 lbs boneless pork chops (about 4)
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
4 tablespoons garlic and herb butter
Parmesan cheese

Steps:
1. Place corn flakes in large zip lock bag or bowl and crush. Place egg in medium bowl. Sprinkle pork chops with seasoned salt.
2. Preheat large saute pan (cast iron skillet) on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Coat pork chops by dipping in egg, remove, let excess drip off and then roll in crushed corn flakes. Evenly coat pork chops.
3. Place butter in pan; swirl to coat. Add pork chops and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Cook 6-7 minutes on each side or until temperature reaches 160 F. Serve.




ENJOY!!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Guest Bedroom Update: One

Last night I stopped by Hobby Lobby on my way home...a.k.a The Best DIY Store Ever!! Sam suggested I find teal knobs for the desk (I have to let him have some say-so in decorating our rental home). I found these cute little teal knobs, orginally $3.99 on sale for $1.36!!! That's right...$1.36.


They look so cute on the desk and it literally took me 2 minutes to screw them in. So easy.


Here are my inspirations via Pinterest for our guest bedroom. I love this yellow fabric.


And of course this grey fabric. I think I want my euro shams and/or bedskirt in this fabric.


And I am definitely on the seach for an "inexpensive" grey patterned rug. Like this one. Something to help break up the white walls, white carpet, white molding...just about everything is WHITE!

 Love these pillows from ETSY too.


Happy Tuesday!!

Monday, September 12, 2011

Painting Project

Remember a few months ago when I blogged about the desk and headboard I purchased off Craig's List...Well I finally got around to painting the pieces this weekend.


First, I stained the sanded pieces with Dark Walnut Minwax stain. Sam and I had intended on keeping the pieces stained. I decided a couple weekends ago that I wanted "light colored" guest bedroom furniture. The master bed and other guest bedroom both have dark furniture and I wanted something different.


I primed all the pieces with a Sherwin Williams basic oil based primer with a hint of the color paint in it. I chose snowflake grey. Something light but that would still contrast with the white walls and blend perfectly with the John Kollock "Lake Burton" prints that are framed in grey barn wood.


Here is the desk painted with Sherwin Williams latex paint in Snowflake Grey. The lighting isn't very good because I was outside and using my phone...It looks white but is really grey.


I then "antiqued" the desk, drawers, headboard, footboard and railing. I used 220 grit sandpaper on my detail sander and then went back over the areas by hand with the same 220 grit. After I was finished, Sam helped me arrange the furniture in our guest bedroom. I spent $40 on all the furniture and about $60 on the stain, paint, brushes, paint thinner, etc. But I have tons of supplies left over for my next project. Money well spent in my opinion. We plan on getting linens and decorations this weekend and I can't wait to show the finished room!!

Oh and of course knobs for the drawers. I'm still on the hunt for some cute ones in either grey, teal or yellow!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Ham & Cheese Sliders


24 Good white dinner rolls (My Secret: I used Sweet Hawaiian Rolls)
24 pieces of Honey Ham
24 pieces Swiss Cheese (I doubled the cheese)
1/3 cup Mayo
1/3 cup Miracle Whip

Poppy Seed Sauce:
1 Tbsp. Poppyseeds
1 1/2 Tbsp. Yellow Mustard
1 stick of Butter, melted
1 Tbsp. Minced Onion
1/2 Tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

The Hawaiian Rolls come together in a package. Simply take a bread knife and slice all the tops off. In a small bowl, mix together mayo and miracle whip. Spread on both sides of the rolls. Lay Swiss cheese on both sides of the roll and then honey ham on the bottom side of the roll. Since these are sliders, I took one slice of deli honey ham, folded it into fourths and placed it on the roll. Easy and Simple. Place the tops on the rolls. Put rolls onto a baking sheet. Cover with foil.  
In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the poppyseed sauce ingredients. Brush/pour evenly over all the rolls. Let sit 10 minutes for the butter to soak in. **I actually made the rolls the night before. I did brush the rolls with the poppyseed sauce, covered them with aluminum foil and put them in the refrigerator overnight.** If you are baking them the same day, after they have sat for 10 minutes, cover them with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Uncover and cook for 2 additional minutes. Serve warm.

These were a huge hit at the tailgate. It's nice to have a slider (with bread) instead of always having a bunch of dips. Hope you enjoy!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Spread the Red 2011

This past Saturday we headed to the dome to kick off the 2011 football season. We headed to Atlanta early to get our day started. Our tailgate was a huge success from all the food, games and friends. Our friend, Stacey, made the best jalapeno poppers right out of her garden. I'm pretty sure I ate half the tray. I made ham & cheese sliders for the first time and they were amazing. They were so easy to make and I will definitely share the recipe later this week. Saturday was "spread the red" and everyone was suppose to wear red to the game. I, on the other hand, SWEAT A LOT and knowing how hot is was going to be opted to wear black. Thank goodness I did because at one point during the day sweat was dripping down my legs. I know that's disgusting but atleast my dress didn't have sweat marks all over it...right?




Upon heading into the game, I lost my camera, so I didn't get to take any pictures inside. But after a disappointing loss, I'm sure I would not have been smiling in any of them. Hopefully, Georgia can get their act together so we can have some sort of season this year. GO DAWGS!!

Friday, September 2, 2011

Georgia Football

College football kicks off in less than 24 hours and I can NOT WAIT until Saturday. UGA plays Boise State in the Chick-fil-a bowl in Atlanta. Good food, great friends, grilling, tailgating, corn hole, and of course the best dressed girls in the SEC will all be in full swing tomorrow. It's a religion in the South...

Even in a downpour we call the dawgs.

Love my husband!


I think this was 2006.

Raining at the UGA v. Ga Tech game in 2008. One of the
last football games with our friend Jeremy. We love you!


GA/ FL We sat in the row right in front of Lindsay Scott.
Run Lindsay Run!

Tailgating 2004 or 2005.
Can't wait to see all our friends tomorrow and lead the dawgs to a win!! GO DAWGS!!