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Month: August 2014

  • A Quickie…..Cami Cakes

    Cami Cakes sign

    A dear friend of mine (who shall remain nameless) gave me a short list of places I should visit and try their eats. Cami Cakes was on that list. While out earlier this week I finally made it. I’m not even sure where to start about this place. I have gone to many places where the presentation was phenomenal from the opening of the door to the customer service but then fell flat on the taste of the food. Not so at Cami Cakes. I had the pleasure of visiting their Vinings location. The place was inviting and the staff friendly and most helpful. I wanted to try their Red Velvet cupcake but the young lady behind the counter would not sell me what she had been removing from the case. She said they were no longer fresh (so they aren’t all about profit but good eats). I opted for the Cami Sweetheart since I couldn’t wait for the fresh batch of Red Velvet. The Cami Sweetheart is Chocolate cupcake with a cream cheese filling topped with a chocolate glaze. It was delicious…the cake moist…the filling not too sweet…the chocolate glaze was the truly the icing on the cake. I was in cupcake heaven. I plan to visit their newest location that has a creamery……cake & ice cream. How could you go wrong?. They have several locations and also now ships across the states.  Click here for more on Cami Cakes

    The Showcase of yummy goodness
    The Showcase of yummy goodness

     

    Presentation is KEY
    Presentation is KEY

     

    The Cami Sweetheart
    The Cami Sweetheart

     

    Cami Cakes Collage

     

  • What’s in Your Pantry?

    pantry

    At any given moment I can whip up something scrumptious in my kitchen.  All because I keep what i consider staple items in my pantry.  Things I feel with a little time and some effort can be transformed into a meal. So what do I consider staples?

    • Pasta (1 long noodle i.e. spaghetti or fettuccine and 1 short noodle i.e. macaroni or rigatoni)
    • Stock or broth ( I keep chicken. beef and vegetable in the 32 oz size)
    • Flour (all-purpose & self-rising)
    • Rice
    • Oil (I like canola for frying & olive oil for sauteing)
    • Canned tomatoes (diced and pureed)
    • Canned beans ( black, pinto red or your favorite)
    • Onions
    • Bell peppers (I prefer colored to green ones)
    • Assortment of frozen vegetables (i.e. broccoli, mixed vegetables,corn)
    • Ground beef
    • Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
    • Butter
    • Eggs
    • Milk

    With a combination of just a few of these items you can have a wonderful meal.  For instance you can make a quick pasta e fagioli ( broth, short pasta, diced tomatoes, a can of beans)  or maybe a vegetable fried rice( oil, cooked rice, frozen mixed vegetables, onions) or even chili ( ground beef, beans, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers).  Once you have the basics or the items that you use repeatedly in cooking you will always be prepared to whip something great up.

    P.S. My pantry list is a little longer than the one I have included because I have a pretty sized family and lots of friends who like stop by to eat)

    P.S.S.  This post is dedicated to my son, Akeem, the newly wed and apparently the chef in his new household

  • Brunch OOTD

    Green Jessica Simpson Dress- Dillard's Cork sling back Wedges- Goodee2shoes Earrings & Bracelets- Gems and Baubles
    Green Jessica Simpson Dress- Dillard’s
    Cork sling back Wedges- Goodee2shoes
    Earrings & Bracelets- Gems and Baubles

     

     

  • All That Glitters Ain’t Gold

    So in appreciation of all the time energy and MONEY we spent on their marriage, my son and his wife invited us, the parents, to have brunch with them at the Georgian Terrace. I was overly excited,it has been somewhere I wanted to go since I moved to Georgia. The Georgian Terrace is on of Atlanta’s Historic sites first opening it’s doors in 1911. I knew we would be in for a treat…..but all that glitters ain’t gold.

    The Up View of the lobby in the Georgian Terrace
    The Up View of the lobby in the Georgian Terrace

    We were to have lunch at their restaurant/bar …The Livingston. It was beautiful….historic with a modern flare

    Table for Four with a view
    Table for Four with a view

    But that was where all the glitter started to lose it’s shine.  I still don’t know our waiters name but let’s just say he left a lot to be desired.  I was excited to see on the menu ( view Menu)Sweet Potato Donuts ( anyone that knows me knows that anything with sweet potato as an ingredient is going to be on my radar). We placed an order for the donuts to start with our teas and coffee and then ordered our brunch. There were 2 orders of the Livingston Omelet, 1 for the Black Truffle Omelet, 1 Double Cheeseburger, 1 Mini Quiche Lorraine and 1 Chicken Monte Crisco.

    Menu
    Menu
    Sweet Potato Donut
    Sweet Potato Donut
    The Livingston Omelet with a side of breakfast potatoes
    The Livingston Omelet with a side of breakfast potatoes
    Mini Quiche Lorraine with a shaved salad
    Mini Quiche Lorraine with a shaved salad
    Double Cheese Burger with house made potato chips
    Double Cheese Burger with house made waffle potato chips
    My meal for the afternoon.... Chicken Monte Cristo
    My meal for the afternoon….
    Chicken Monte Cristo

    Now the presentations were nice but the tastes fell short.  The sweet potato donuts were okay as a yeast donut but wasn’t enough sweet potato for it to carry it as a main ingredient. The omelet that my husband and son had both tasted way too salty. My son’s father-in-law’s double cheeseburger was over cooked ( actually he said it was burned along the edges) and his mother-in-law felt her quiche was just “alright”.  As for me and my Chicken Monte Cristo, well, let’s just say the brioche bread was the best thing about the sandwich.  It came off pretty mediocre.  We all agreed that their potato products were really good.  The house made waffle chips, the breakfast potatoes and the french fries were well done and very enjoyable. I really had high hopes for the meal here but my feelings were dashed.  I hope it was that the chef was having a bad day but i will never know cause I’m not moved to visit them again.

     

  • Mother of the Groom

    motherofthegroom
    Gown: Ralph Lauren Nordstrom’s Necklace, Earrings, Bracelet & Clutch: Gems and Baubles Hair: Chic Strands Make-Up: Shalawn Architect Beauty Wilis