This weekend, I fell further in love with Atlanta as our friends Jen and Pat tied the knot.  They’re a spectacular couple with spectacular taste, so of course, their choices were perfection… and SO Atlanta.

The rehearsal dinner was at the Peachtree Club, on top of the 999 Building, and we met the bridal party and friends for drinks and dessert following.   If someone can think of something better than enjoying a cocktail, a Swedish Fish, and this view…

…I wish they would tell me what because I can’t think of much.

The wedding was outdoors at Greystone in Piedmont Park and though I felt I had been there before from Lindsay’s awesome post (see it HERE) this was my first time to experience this remarkable venue for myself!

Greystone's east facade

You know how I love a good wedding!  I recycled a dress, but got to take these bad boys for their inaugural spin:

Badgley Mischka. Style: Lissa. Color: Platinum.

Jen looked absolutely stunning in a J.Crew bridal gown, the bridesmaids wore g.o.r.g.e.o.u.s. dresses by Carol Hannah (Charleston native and my Project Runway all-time fave)

and Sun in My Belly knocked it of the park with the catering!

We after-partied with the happy couple at Einstein’s on Juniper…

2nd Grand Entrance of the evening!

(where I may or may not have had a slider or two…) and I woke up just dying to share this fantastic weekend with our readers!

Congratulations Jen and Pat…and thanks for a lovely weekend!

xx, L

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Soooooo, remember my friends Jess + Paul from their YouTube invitation for their Hanukkah party last year? 

formal J+P

They are pretty rad.

And, they’re BACK with an even more impressive YouTube invite for their 8th Annual Turduckenfest!  Please enjoy:

Paul has some pretty sick dance moves, eh? 

Slick + I are making the trip to NYC next weekend to take part in the festivites, but unfortunately – y’all aren’t invited, that is unless you can make sides?! 

xx, L

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A few months ago, I was lucky enough to be a part of what I considered to be one of the most beautiful weddings that ever was. But I mean, it was destined for greatness right from “go.”   I expected nothing but sheer awesomeness of the union of these two:

Truly, I felt like it was a special wedding.  But then again, Leslie is one of my oldest and best friends and I think just about everything she does is amazing

So it’s nice to have confirmation from a reliable source.  Please see the spread on Leslie and Jarrod’s wedding on Weddings Unveiled…Completely Unveiled.

Click HERE.

Katie Stoops photography did what none of our iPhone cameras were capable of (duh)… capturing this truly, truly special wedding.

Photography by Katie Stoops

I’m begging you to check out the whole spread for the deets.

LOVE.  Just love.

xx, L

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Slick + I spent Saturday night celebrating our good friend Dana’s 30th birthday at Taverna Plaka on Cheshire Bridge. 

Taverna Plaka

I hadn’t been to T. Plaka in maybe five years + I’d completely forgotten how much fun it is!  After the three hours we spent there, I’m convinced that it should be on everyone’s list for a bachelor/ bachelorette party, places to go when you have friends in town, or special (fun NOT romantic) occasion!

Dana had about 20 people out to celebrate with her + even before we could order drinks and get a bit crazy, one of the belly dancers brought her up on top of the table to get her Greek grove going!

happy birthday, dana!

The energy was great!  Then, all of the ladies were called up to participate in what to me seemed like a big Greek hora around the restaurant while everyone clapped + danced to traditional music.  Paper napkins were thrown everywhere with shouts of “OPA!”

OPA!

And, Ouzo shots…don’t forget those bad boys! 

"shots, shots, shots, shots, shots, shots - 'erbody!"

 By this time, we’d all worked up an appetite…  T. Plaka’s menu is pretty extensive, so my end of the table decided to do the $25 per person Mezedes: special chef menu for parties of two or more with all plates served family style.  It was the easiest choice + seemed like a good way to taste a bunch of dishes.

The first thing they brought out for the table was do-it-yourself hummus.  Slick worked on ours + it was super delish!  Fingers in the bowl + all…

Then, they brought out a cold spreads platter (eggplant, red pepper and cucumber spreads) and a Greek village salad.  All were sufficiently yummy, but we didn’t focus on them long because the flaming cheese (saganaki) was next! 

The server lit the cheese at the table + set it down while it was still flaming a bit.  It was pretty exciting to watch when you were a few drinks in…  M. Reynolds, Slick + I really enjoyed the cheese, but Cute Cari and Jordana described it as a “cheese version of tofu” – way too bland for them.  That was fine, though, because it meant more for us!

Before we knew it, the rest of the meal was out on the table + we were overloaded with delicious plates of spanakopita, chicken and beef kabobs, gyro meat, rice pilaf, and moussaka. 

They were all really good, but we had to finish them fast because Dana was back on the table in the blink of an eye dancing + holding an adorable Sugar Sugar birthday cake!  Sugar Sugar cakes are the very best in town + Dana’s was even better (if that is even possible) as it was accompanied by some of T. Plaka’s seriously scrumptious baklava.

Shortly thereafter, T. Plaka turned into a full-on club bumping Usher + Kesha tunes.  I think we were all caught a bit off-guard when the traditional Greek music transitioned to Top 100, but we embraced it for approximately 15 minutes before we called it an Ouzo-laced evening. 

T. Plaka is way more fun than I’d remembered it + I can’t wait to throw a party there or take friends who are in town.  With so many restaurants in Atlanta that seem like carbon copies of each other, T. Plaka is the perfect place to spice up your routine! 

Opa + happy birthday, Dana!

xx, L

Taverna Plaka
2196 Cheshire Bridge Rd. NE
Atlanta, GA  30324
404.636.2284
www.tavernaplakaatlanta.com

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Confession: I am a book club slacker. We’re on our 4th installment and I haven’t read a single sentence of the book.  I mean, I read The Glass Castle (loved it) and of course I read Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang

Duh

…but I must admit, I have not even cracked our current assignment, The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

As one of my favorite authors, Augusten Burroughs says, “I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions.”

Luckily, my book club ladies’ love is unconditional and they didn’t appear to judge me one bit when I managed not to read a single sentence of last month’s book, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, even though I hosted the club at my condo.

Luckier still, the group is comprised of some pretty spectacular chefs! So while the girls were discussing Steig, I found myself face first in all their delicious offerings.

The Club and The Carnage

There wasn’t a bad dish on my coffee table that night, so I BEGGED the girls to send me their recipes ASAP so I could share them with you now…almost a whole month later. (please refer to the Burroughs quote above.)

Anyway, better late than never!

Buffalo Chicken Dip a la Jen DiLorenzo
1. Mix: One pound chicken (cooked and shredded) and one bottle of your favorite wing sauce and layer in your oven-safe serving dish (like a Pyrex)
2. Mix: one small bottle of Ranch dressing and two blocks of cream cheese
NOTE: It mixes best if you warm the cream cheese in the microwave (be careful not to overheat!)
3.  Layer cream cheese/ranch mixture over chicken mixture
4.  Cover with shredded cheese (Jen likes Monterrey Jack).
5.  Bake at 350 until cheese is melted…and serve!

Avocado and Serrano Salsa a la Ellen Terchila
Ingredients:
1/2 Cucumber, diced
2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and coarsely chopped
1 red onion, diced
2 Serrano chilies, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Juice of 1/2 Lime

In a large bowl, combine the first 4 ingredients.  Toss well.  Gently stir in the salt, pepper, and lime juice (take care not to let avocado get mushy!)
Serve immediately or cover and put in fridge for up to 1 day.  Return to room temp before serving.

BONUS: Ellen notes,  “I learned that this also makes a fabulous “day after” sandwich by toasting two pieces of whole grain bread, scooping on a delicious helping of the salsa, and a slice of Havarti cheese…just saying.” (You are so adorable, E)

Last but not least…

Spicy Corn + Cheese Dip a la Shanon Perry

Ingredients:
1 bar of cream cheese
1 4-5 oz package of goat cheese (S likes to get the kind that has the seasoning in it, but get what you like)
4 cups of sharp white cheddar cheese
2 regular sized cans of white corn kernels (drained)
5 fresh jalapenos – remove the ribs and the seeds, then dice into small pieces (you can obviously adjust this to your own palette)
3-4 scallions – finely chopped
S says that the following ingredients are estimates…she just likes to add and taste as she goes and suggests you do the same.
2 tsp of garlic salt
2 tsp of fresh ground pepper
1 tbsp of Mexican Chili Powder

Add cheeses and corn to an oven/microwave proof bowl. Warm in the microwave for about 2 minutes to soften the cheeses.  Stir in remaining ingredients, but keep aside enough cheddar to sprinkle over the top of the mixture.  Once you’ve sprinkled the rest of the cheddar over the top of the mixture, then put the bowl back in the microwave for about 5 minutes until the cheese is melted on top and the mixture is heated through – OR – you can place the bowl in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or so.

Serve each of these with your favorite chip…pita chips or Fritos scoops have been tried and were proven to be a success!

I can’t tell you which was my favorite…they were ALL delicious! It’s always good to have a good go-to dip, so next time you have to bring an app or a side, try one of these!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I gotta dip! (couldn’t resist.)

xx, L

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