Before I moved to Atlanta, I had had collards maybe once up north and they were not good. In fact, I’d never spent much time in the South before I moved here and so all the cuisine – and the history, ingredients and traditions that went along with it – were new to me. Collards were an immediate favorite of mine, mostly because I loved how they were different from restaurant to restaurant and home to home. I think those variations are what gives this dish its richness and interest – and I knew I wanted to try to make my own. I’ve received recipes from friends and found some online – this is my compilation of all of that plus the result of trial-and-error in my own kitchen. Enjoy! Continue reading
My Brother’s Wedding
Last year on September 12th, my brother and his fiancee Kym helped Sean and I on our special day in Savannah. This year on September 12th, Sean and I were in the wedding of my brother and Kym. While we share the same anniversary, the weddings and the events leading up to it were very different. It’s always nice to be back in Ohio and this time was no exception. The four days were a complete whirlwhind for me and Sean – I can’t imagine how it must have been for Tyler and Kym!
We arrived in Ohio on Thursday morning, having left Pittsburgh early that morning. Continue reading
24 Hours in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
24 hours is not a lot of time to spend in a city. It’s not a lot of time to spend with your friend who lives there, either. So what is the traveling friend to do? Some research. I studied up on what I wanted to do and leaned on my friend to fill in the gaps, make recommendations and tell us the best approach to maximize our time.
Guess what? It worked. We had a fabulous day in Pittsburgh with some tried-and-true activities and a few things that were new to my friend as well. It didn’t hurt that it was 75 degrees and sunny, either. 😉 Continue reading
Celebrating One Year of Marriage in Savannah, Georgia
We celebrated our anniversary a little early (September 5th, as opposed to the 12th) and took advantage of the long Labor Day weekend to head back to Savannah. We arrived Friday night in time for a drink at The Distillery. The view from our hotel suite the next morning was fabulous and the sunny skies were all the motivation we needed to get to the beach! Continue reading
Can Awful Traffic Deliver Top Talent to Atlanta?
Traffic in Atlanta is horrible. Debilitating. Life-altering. I remember giving myself an hour to go ten miles. Surely, that would be enough time. It usually took 45 minutes in rush hour. On that day, it rained. So it took me 90 minutes to go what would have taken me 15 without traffic. It’s stressful and it’s a mess.
The suburbs aren’t any better as surface streets become clogged by quickly-expanding and pooly planned communities, the new residents fighting to get onto one of the few highways. They inch along tens of miles of concrete towards a desk and a laptop in a tall glass building.
Are there solutions? Continue reading
Orange-Glazed Pork Chops
I still remember the first time Sean made this dish for me. We were up in Helen, GA and we’d rented a cabin for my birthday weekend getaway. It was our first “trip” together and he made these orange-glazed pork chops for dinner one night.
This dish is is special enough for a birthday weekend, but simple enough for a regular weekday meal. Sean made it again recently and we enjoyed it so much I knew I had to share the recipe here. Continue reading
Alaska, Part 2: Chena Hot Springs and Sights of Fairbanks
The day after our Denali adventure was cool, rainy and smoky. We decided to do some indoor activities around Fairbanks. Continue reading
Gluten-Free Triple Berry Crisp
Summer berries are on sale at every grocer I go to these days and I’ve been stocking up – blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and I’ve even found some nice-looking strawberries. I’m freezing them for later use but couldn’t resist doing something yummy with the fresh ones. I’ve made a gluten-free apple crisp in the past and did a variation on that a while back with apples, pears and cardamom. I decided that using berries instead would be a perfect dessert for these seasonal fruits. Continue reading