empire state south

For Easter brunch we went to Empire State South with Megan and Adi.  Hugh Acheson of Five and Ten in Athens started this place as well.  I have been wanting to go for a while but we hardly ever get there.  So, when this chance came up, we made reservations immediately!

 Love the bocce court!!!  We had a lively game after brunch.  Brad and I took the early lead but Megan and Adi made a comeback.  Rematch!

Adi's yummy smoked trout with dill biscuit.  The food, service and ambience were marvelous!!

The weather was perfect for dining al fresco.  What a lovely Easter!!

stock the bar

Last Saturday we celebrated Megan and Adi with a Stock the Bar shower in Atlanta.  It was a blast!

 Corey and Liz have the best backyard!!  Perfect for parties.

 We even had a cornhole tournament with UGA and Furman boards.

 Adi's parents - Sela and Damir. 

 They had bride and groom rubber duckies floating in their backyward pond.  So cute!

All the food was from the different towns in which Megan and Adi have lived - Augusta, Athens, Greenville, Atlanta, San Francisco, Chicago - and Bosnia, Adi's native country.  Liz made these cute markers for the food.

Part of our gift to the happy couple.  Brad passed down his secret recipe for Shingleritas and we gave them the ingredients in this cute beverage dispenser. 

 Adi with his guys - one half of the hosts for this lovely shower. 

 Have you ever heard of 'bros icing bros?'  This is something that Adi and his friends ran across in South Africa while there for the World Cup.  The basic premise is that you present someone slyly with a Smirnoff Ice and they must get on one knee and chug it immediately.  So, we decided to hide one in their present! 

 Adi was a trooper and chugged a hot green apple bite Smirnoff Ice on the deck. :)

 Cute invite!

 toasts!

 We went to dinner at Eclipse di Luna with the crew.  It was such a fun evening.  They didn't bring Adi a margarita glass so he just drank out of the pitcher.  Ha.  Doesn't he look like Scotty on Idol holding his microphone?

 Fun band!

 Megan and Corey hit the dance floor hard core.  LOVE it!



i'm back

Wow, things have been wild around the Shingler household!  I worked 19 straight days around Masters.  It is a fun week but takes lots of prep and long hours.  Of course, nothing else clowed down then either.  :)

Granny is back at Brandon Wilde but one of us still tries to get by to see her every day.  She seems to getting better and even went to church last Sunday!

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My grandmother (Mema) had a small event last week and was in the hospital for two days.  They still aren't exactly sure what happened but she is back home.  We stopped by to see her on the way back from Atlanta last weekend.

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My car had to go in the shop.  of course, it is almost paid off and it starts acting up.  It was a minor thing but being without a car is never fun!

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Brad has a new job!!!  He will start Monday with Vann Appraisals here in Augusta.  They are a private commercial appraisal firm.  He has wanted to get to that side for a while now and is really excited.  It will be tough for the first few months but I know this will be a great career for him.  Goodbye county job!

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Brad's Dad's birthday was Thursday so we had him and Debbie over for dinner.  We had Swiss chicken, honeyed cashew green beans, cheddar cheese rolls and cheesecake.  Yum!

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My friend Spencer from Kiawah is in town today playing the National (jealous) and we are going to meet up for drinks before he heads back this afternoon. 

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We went to Atlanta last weekend for Megan and Adi's stock the bar shower.  We spent the night and had a wonderful Easter brunch at Empire State South.  Pictures to follow!!

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I have been doing a lot of reading and cooking in my small windows of free time.  Book and recipe suggestions are coming soon!!

mia

It is that time of year!!!  Masters Week is next week so I won't be around for the next few weeks.  Last Sunday was my last day off until April 16.  Most of the running around is done so now it is down to long hours at work.  It is fun though - tons of fun corporate clients in town.

Hope to get to the tournament on Sunday!

See ya after my hiatus!

chicken spaghetti/mac n cheese carbonara

It is about time I shared these recipes.  They are both fantastic!

I have to warn you - this is a special occasion dish.  The cheese alone was probably $50 and it CAN NOT be good for you.  Unless you need comfort food, which we do now and everyone does at some point right?  So, mac n cheese carbonara was not something I could pass up.  And, it was well worth it!!

I did add some diced ham for a larger protein presence.  The pancetta was amazing all by itself though.  I served it with an arugula salad - one of my favorites.  Just toss some arugula in olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, feta cheese and pine nuts.  So simple and tasty!

This is another yummy one that is much more economical and better for you!!  Chicken spaghetti from The Pioneer Woman.  The Bowens got some of this when we went to see little Tensley.  Yum!!

ENJOY!

avett brothers

One of my favorite bands was in town on Sunday - The Avett Brothers!!!  They have been here many times in the past (and in much smaller venues) but it was all before I moved here. 

If you don't know the Avett Brothers, you may recognize them from the Grammys.  They performed with Mumford and Sons (another fave of mine, from across the pond) and Bob Dylan. 

 They did not disappoint!  Very energetic and commanding.  The long-haired Asian cellist was hysterical. 

 Even when the two brothers did a duet, the entire audience was entranced.  They were so humble and you can tell they love what they do!

The opener was Langhorne Slim.  He was pretty cool too.  Brad LOVED him!

Here is a video of my favorite newish song of theirs - Head Full of Doubt.  They performed this at the Grammys.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!

If they are in a town near you, GO!

happy birthday martha!

As I mentioned earlier, we went to Frog Hollow Tavern for Martha's bday before heading to Thomson to visit Levi and Walker.

The girls!  Such a fun dinner!