I have a PROBLEM!!!

I went in TJ Maxx and Homegoods again this weekend. I should stay away from that place because every time I go, all I want to do is buy LAMPS! What in the world? Why am I so obsessed with cute lamps?

They all look so adorable just sitting on the shelves like that! The patterned blue one had a matching friend that went with it. They could really make a room. The bright green one would be good by itself and the green one with cutouts was very unique!



More sophisticated neutrals - these could be used in any room in your house!



They all look like friends sitting on the shelf! They most always have pairs of lamps (which I love - the more the better). That is where I got the lamps for my room. The prices are right too!

Grillin' with Gena

This past weekend was very low-key. Ryals is taking the bar exam on Tuesday and Wednesday (let's all say a little prayer!) so we were in town with not many plans!

Friday night, we planned on cooking out and using his Weber charcoal grill that I gave him for his birthday. I was really in the mood to cook and try something new, so who did I turn to, but our good friend Gena Knox! We had never tried grilling with cedar planks, so I picked a recipe that included that type of cooking. I hit up Fresh Market (best grocery store ever) and was pleasantly surprised to see an entire Gena Knox display with grilling accessories and cookbooks. I selected her "Herb-crusted Lamb Chops with Feta". I had never cooked lamb before, so this would certainly be a challenge! As side dishes, I chose freshly picked corn and asparagus. As a starchy side, I chose another Gena Knox Favorite, "Cheese Polenta".

Starting off with delicious ingredients. The recipe involves zesting two lemons and I almost 'zested' my knuckle off.



Soaking the cedar planks for a few hours before use. They smelled so good!



Ryals doing his part and pouring me a glass of wine. Everyone knows wine is vital to good cooking.



The mixture that goes on top of the chops is a delicious mix of feta, panko bread crumbs, lemon and herbs. it was so good and could be used on other recipes too.



Chops and mixture are finally done.



Cheese polenta's on the stove - delicious! The Fontina cheese really made it!



I'm not going to lie, the asparagus kinda sucked...



Bubba wanted in on the action!



Gettin' the chops on the grill and using the cedar planks. It's not as easy as it looks kids.



Checking on the chops. Gena recommends cooking for 12 minutes...YEAH RIGHT. After 12 minutes, they looked the same as when we put them on.



Executive decision - remove the cedar planks and cook directly on the grill for faster cooking. Still took forever, but the cedar taste stayed with it.

***Side note: Please notice that I am wearing the purple Tracy Reese shirt I discussed in a previous post. Well, after I posted that blog with all the items I coveted, my sweet mom called Heery's to see if they had it in my size. As luck had it, the bi-annual 70% off sale had just started and they just happened to have my size (last one)! She surprised me by sending it to me (with another shirt from that post) at work. I had no clue what it was when I opened the package and she included a note that said "To our Atlanta Design Chick"...how sweet! I have the best mom ever!



Chops done! Delicious gourmet meal a la Atlanta Design Chick and Ryals (he needs a stage name - how about Atlanta Lawyer Dude - hahahah...stupid).



Here are the recipes - try them out:

Herb Crusted Lamb Chops with Feta

Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary leaves
1 large garlic clove, minced
Grated zest of 2 lemons
3 tablespoons olive oil
8 lamb loin or rib chops, each 1 1/4inches thick
3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs


Directions
Preheat grill to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, combine parsley, rosemary, garlic, lemon zest and olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper. Combine half the mixture with bread crumbs and feta cheese; set aside. Rub remaining mixture on lamb chops.

Place soaked planks on grill; close lid and heat 3 minutes. Using tongs, turn plank over and place lamb chops directly on heated side. Close lid; cook 6 minutes. Pat equal amounts of feta topping onto each chop. Close lid again and continue cooking 5 to 6 more minutes or until desired doneness (meat thermometer should read 130 degrees). Remove chops and plank from grill. Cover with foil and let sit for 5 minutes before serving!

Cheese Polenta

Ingredients
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 cup stone-ground cornmeal
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 cup cubed Fontina cheese

Directions
In a medium saucepan, bring chicken broth and water to a boil over high heat. Whisk constantly, slowly stirring in cornmeal. Stir in salt. Lower the heat and cover. Cook polenta at a gentle simmer, stirring frequently until creamy and not grainy, about 25 minutes. Remove polenta from heat, stir in cheese and serve.


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What????

My homepage is MSN and they usually have up some pretty interesting stories. However, this is the most bizarre thing that I have seen! What in the world??

Oldies...but GOODIES!!

I hope that everyone had a great weekend! I had a very relaxing one myself. Friday I met up with Hollie, Lindsay Curry and Kaci Patterson for a girl's dinner at NAVA. It was so fun to get to know Lindsay and Kaci as well as catch up on any gossip and girl talk!

Saturday I did brunch with Ryals at J. Christopher's (eggs benedict OMG) before he had to go study and then headed to Phipps and Lenox with Hollie and Whitney! I have a little extra cash right now due to my security deposit from my last apartment being returned and so I was ITCHING to buy something! Well, it never fails that whenever I actually can spend money on clothes, I can never find anything. I even tried on the cute cropped jacket from my last post at Ann Taylor Loft and it turned out to look heinous on me. So after many hours of shopping, I went home empty-handed.

Saturday night Ryals and I went to Fork & Screen to see the movie "Grown Ups". Ryals and I both love that place because they have a full menu (not the best food in the world, but would compare to something like Applebee's, etc.) and a full bar. We ordered a few rounds of drinks and ate flat bread pizza, blue cheese burgers and brownie sundaes! The movie was funny, a little cheesy and turned out to be a great date night.

Today (Sunday) I have had to do some work (we are so busy!) and run other errands, do laundry, etc. I just got done working out and have some time before I head to Ryals' house to cook out, so I was looking through my old photos from college and the early years of moving to Atlanta. I think a few of you will try to kill me when you see some of these, but I thought it would be fun to post some oldies from our past as friends! Enjoy!

ADPi parents' weekend at the UGA baseball game!



Me and Kim at her loft apartment in downtown Athens celebrating her 21st birthday!



Rainy night in Athens and deciding to go play in the mud and rain around campus. Please note that this photo was taken before Brian and Amanda Vessels started dating. Look at how they are looking at each other. Now, they are married! How cute!



I'm looking kinda rough in this photo, but this is before ADPi's Crush Party @ Tasty World!



Hahahahaha - random night going downtown in Athens! I LOVE IT!



Not sure when this is from, but this is at my old apartment in Athens before a dinner party.



Mandyville for a 'surprise' party!



SB2K5 in Destin @ McGuire's for St. Patty's day!



Jill after her engagement at Glenn's bachelorette party!



Engagement party @ East Andrews for Glenn and Josh. We put on a good party that night!



Last celebration with our pledge class @ Speakeasy (also a combo birthday celebration for me - 22nd bday).



Cafe TuTu Tango with Jill and Kim still lived in ATL!



Vegas at the Hardrock Hotel Pool! Spring Break 2006!



Bella Vita for Meghan's 21st birthday and Spring Break 2005!



Holden Beach, NC with Kim and Julie...SHARK hunting after a few bottles of Andre!



Shocker - another celebration at our favorite Athens restaurant, SPEAKEASY!



Celebrating Kim and Nick's engagement at Treehouse!



Cheering on the Atlanta Braves!



ADPi Parents' weekend at Hilltop Grille - I miss that place!



Tailgating in Athens - can't wait for football season!



Hope that brought back some good memories for you. We have been friends for almost 8 years now. How the time flies!

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Things I Covet...

I love me some online shopping. And sometimes I just feel down about my wardrobe (which is probably why I borrowed both outfits I wore to Meredith's wedding events last weekend). Which is what prompted this post. Here are some of the items I have been lusting over lately:

Ann Taylor Loft. What a great store. Great sales too! I want this jacket to wear with a serious suit to work:



This outfit would be perfect for lots of events and I feel that I need it in my closet:



Get this - Loft is having a 50% off sale right now, which is making it hard to save my $$$ !!!

Anthropologie - damn this store. They have such unique pieces at prices that are not friendly to my budget! But I love it. And so does my mom (and she even surprises me every now and then by being my personal shopper and buying me a couple cute pieces). Here are some accessories from Anthro that I want:

These earrings are not very practical at $98, but would be a fun splurge. Perhaps one of my Mart-going friends would like to find me a pair like these for less? (cough cough, Hollie, cough cough, Maggie, cough cough, Meredith).



Anthro always does some inexpensive statement necklaces that I love. This piece is unique and is only $58.



I love this too. Would really make an outfit!



I have another multi-colored pair of earrings from Anthro and I swear, I not only wear them about 2-3 times a week, but I get the most compliments on them! I feel like if I owned these, I would wear them out!



Of course, I have to pay homage to the mack-daddy of all boutiques, Heery's. This place is so wonderful that I had to get a job there in college just to get the %30 discount. Of course, it is slightly outside of my interior designer salary budget (booooo). Take a look at this:

If I was getting married right now, this dress would be my bachelorette party dress:



I need this with some white shorts/pants to wear on our cruise:



Hello, I would wear this shirt until it fell apart - it goes with everything!



I have tried this Tracy Reese shirt on before in a different color and it costs about half as much as my rent, so I think I'll have to pass (but I still secretly want it).



That's my wish list for now...I am in Atlanta this weekend with NO PLANS (hallelujah) so maybe I will have some shopping time!

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Beautiful Blue!

Last weekend Ryals and I had the chance to head up to Lake Blueridge for some rest and relaxation. The weekend could not have been more beautiful. While I was there, I noticed that my mom's hydrangea bushes were in full bloom! I snipped a lovely bunch of them to display in my apartment.





I wish I had these beauties in here year round!

We're heading up to Blueridge for the 4th - see ya next week!

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