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Valentine's Day is often seen as a "Hallmark Holiday," but I think any reason to wear all pink and red, share time with loved ones, and buy pretty flowers is a good holiday!! Check out what I wore and how we celebrated this year!       Shop my look here: One Shoulder Ruffle Top Jeans - My absolute favorites! Jacket - similar & ON SALE! Nude Pumps Bag Earrings - similar  This year Conner and I decided to keep it casual. We really aren't much for fancy, small-portioned food, and pre-fixed menus; so we decided to head to our favorite local Charlotte brewery, Sycamore! They hosted a seated dinner in conjunction with our favorite food truck, Papi Queso. It was a 4-course meal with beer and wine pairings, and it was absolutely A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!! The atmosphere was fun and relaxed, and the food was as gourmet as it gets! Check it out...    Image courtesy of Charlotte Agenda    Image courtesy of Papi Queso  Image courtesy of Papi Queso
First Course - Polish Potstickers Lobster-goat cheese pierogies with smoked tomato jam and crispy leeks Second Course - Spanish Grilled Cheese Jamon serrano with Manchego and P'tit basque. Mahon and roasted garlic topped with a honey quince marmalade. Third Course - Brisket & Biscuit Black pepper buttermilk biscuit with sliced smoked brisket and comte and homemade pickles. Topped with an espresso BBQ sauce. Fourth Course- Chocolate Hazelnut Tart Graham cracker crust with chocolate hazelnut cream. Topped with a salted pretzel caramel sauce. Thank you to chef Brian for these delicious and amazing creations & to Sycamore for hosting a wonderful evening!! I hope you all had a beautiful Valentine's Day filled with love & happiness! Thanks for reading! Cheers - Molly
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The Super Bowl is coming, y'all; and whether you like football or not, it's a great excuse to entertain, have your girlfriends over, drink some vino (or beer), fix fun food, and decorate! Take a look below at my Super Bowl tablescape and my favorite football food recipes!       Shop the look here: -Football Field Table Runner -Pom-Poms -Pineapples - also, check out Pure Joy Home for a tutorial on the cutest football pineapples I have EVER seen! -Koozies -Moscow Mule Mugs -Cocktail Napkins -I used a basic drop cloth from the home improvement store as the table cloth. These are so handy to have at the ready! Superbowl Sunday Menu Pickle Roll-Ups From the kitchen of my mother-in-law, Pam Ingredients: 1 jar Vlasic dill pickles 1 package cream cheese - softened Dried oregano - to taste Seasoning salt - to taste Rectangular shaped ham slices Directions: Soften the cream cheese. Add dried oregano and seasoning salt to taste, mix well. Take pickles out of jar and dry with a paper towel. Also, dry each piece of ham with paper towels. Lay out a piece of ham on a cutting board, spread cream cheese mixture evenly over entire piece, place pickle on edge and roll. Slice into rounds with a serrated knife. Repeat until finished. Chill in refrigerator or serve immediately. Parmesan Chicken Wings From the kitchen of my Aunt Dana Ingredients: Chicken wings (I prefer all drumettes.) 1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese, finely grated 2 tablespoons dried oregano 1 tablespoon paprika 1 tablespoon garlic powder "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" spray Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two baking sheets by covering in foil and spraying with Pam (really coat the trays well because the wings will stick). Rinse wings and pat dry. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Spray wings thoroughly with butter-flavored spray then roll them in the cheese mixture, covering completely. Place the wings on the cookie sheets. Bake for 1 hour. Maple, Bacon, Brie Bake -1 16oz wheele of Bri cheese -2 frozen puff pastery sheets -10 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled -1/4 - 1/2 cup of maple syrup (prefernce) -1 Egg, whipped -Apple wedges -Ritz crackers Preheat oven to 375. Fold out puff pastery sheets on baking sheet or pie pan overlaping them slightly. Pinch together to stick. Place wheel of cheese in the center. Top with bacon bits and drizzle with maple syrup. Fold and pinch sides of puff pastery together. Brush top with whipped egg. Bake for about 18 minutes, until golden brown. Serve immediately with crackers & apple wedges! Thanks for reading y'all! And CHEERS to your favorite team winning!!! XX-Molly So what do you do when your child-hood best friend, who is really like the annoying brother you never had, is getting married!? Throw a stock the bar party of course!! But seriously... friends who are really family is a true gift in life and we were so happy to be apart of this special time. A "stock the bar party" is a fun choice, especially when hosting something for the couple (not just a bridal shower; the soon to be hubby needs some love too). There are TONS of ideas and themes on Pinterest that the options are pretty much endless. Check out our fall themed stock the bar bash below - I even included a tutorial on how to re-create our pumpkin center pieces! These would also be great for a Thanksgiving center piece, hostess gift, or "just because"!                   Pumpkin Flower Arrangement Tutorial: Items needed: -1 medium to large pumpkin, as round and perfect as you can find! -1 carving knife -1 spoon -Old newspaper -6-8" tall flower vase (this will depend on the height of your pumpkin - choose a vase that is small enough to fit within) -Flowers! Whatever you like best! Instructions: -Carve out the "lid" of the pumpkin. Be sure to make the hole a decent size, as if you were carving a jack-o-lantern -Remove the lid and throw it away. Begin to remove the insides of the pumpkin. Clean it out as best you can but it doesn't have to be perfect. -Place your vase in the center of the hole and stuff newspapers around it. This will help hold it in place so it doesn't move around. -Fill with water and begin arranging! Be sure to cut some shorter pieces so that it covers up the hole. -Now you have the perfect fall arrangement! Cheers y'all - to fall, family friends, a life time of love, & stock the bar parties!! Thanks for reading! XX-Molly Fall, football, & Sunday afternoons are just a few of my favorite things! Check out my favorite "tailgate food" recipes below!   Parmesan Chicken Wings From the kitchen of my Aunt Dana Ingredients: Chicken wings (I prefer all drumettes.) 1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese, finely grated 2 tablespoons dried oregano 1 tablespoon paprika 1 tablespoon garlic powder "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" spray Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two baking sheets by covering in foil and spraying with Pam (really coat the trays well because the wings will stick). Rinse wings and pat dry. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Spray wings thoroughly with butter-flavored spray then roll them in the cheese mixture, covering completely. Place the wings on the cookie sheets. Bake for 1 hour.  Pickle Roll-Ups From the kitchen of my wonderful mother-in-law, Pam Ingredients: 1 jar Vlasic dill pickles 1 package cream cheese - softened Dried oregano - to taste Seasoning salt - to taste Rectangular shaped ham slices Directions: Soften the cream cheese. Add dried oregano and seasoning salt to taste, mix well. Take pickles out of jar and dry with a paper towel. Also, dry each piece of ham with paper towels. Lay out a piece of ham on a cutting board, spread cream cheese mixture evenly over entire piece, place pickle on edge and roll. Slice into rounds with a serrated knife. Repeat until finished. Chill in refrigerator or serve immediately. P.S. Those adorable napkins are from Swoozies - Shop them here!   White Chicken Chili From my very own kitchen :) Ingredients: 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 medium/large sweet Vidalia or yellow onions - diced small 1 jalapeno pepper - diced very small 2-4oz. cans green chilies (do not drain) 4 garlic cloves - peeled, finely minced 32 ounces (4 cups) low-sodium chicken broth 4 cups shredded cooked chicken (about 1 whole grocery store rotisserie chicken) 2-15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 1 tablespoon lime juice 1 tablespoon cumin 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoons salt, or to taste 1 teaspoon black pepper 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely minced Diced avocado - for garnish Sour cream - for garnish Shredded mozzarella cheese - for garnish Directions: Take 1 cup of the beans, add to a food processor or blender, add a splash of chicken broth or water and blend until smooth; mixture should be thick In a large Dutch oven, warm oil over medium heat and add the onion, jalapeno, green chilies, and sauté for about 7 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften. Stir intermittently. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir intermittently. Add the chicken broth, chicken, cannellini beans (including blended bean mixture), lime juice, cumin, oregano, salt, & pepper. Bring to a boil. Allow mixture to boil gently for about 7 to 10 minutes. It's unlikely, but if at any point the overall liquid level looks low or you prefer your chili to be thinner, add 1 cup of water or as desired; you'll adjust the salt and seasoning levels at the end. For thicker chili, allow mixture to boil longer and reduce until desired thickness is reached. Add the cilantro and boil 1 minute longer. Taste chili and a make any necessary seasoning adjustments. Serve with desired garnishes & Jiffy mix corn muffins Cheers to fall, football & Sunday afternoons! Thanks for reading! XX- Molly I'm pretty sure that all grandmothers are angels walking the Earth, and my Grandma Jean is no exception. This year she is celebrating 89 years of life, so we decided to throw her a surprise birthday party. I think she earned it! My whole family was in town; and for the first time in many years, we were all together. I am proud to say that we PULLED IT OFF ! Check out a peek at our celebration below!          Of course with everyone being together, we had to take new family pictures...which was quite the show. Trying to arrange almost 20 adults and 7 children is no small task; and in the process, I'm pretty sure we provided great, free entertainment for our neighbors. My Grandma Jean has 3 daughters, 3 sons-in-law, 6 grandchildren, 1 granddaughter-in-law, 3 grandson-in-laws, & 7 great-grand children. We are quite the crew, and I wouldn't have it any other way!  Cheers to family y'all!! Thanks for reading XX- Molly I LOVE hosting a good party...but sometimes it's nice to just have your closest friends over for a casual dinner. And what's better than piling into the floor with pillows, a good glass of wine, and fabulous company!? Of course the idea for this post came after browsing the Target $1 section... I never come out of there without something in my cart! Take a peek at my easy, breezy, and inexpensive indoor picnic spread...       So everyone RUN over to Target and scoop up all of these fabulous goodies!! Cheers to indoor "picnicking" with your favorites! Thanks for reading XX-Molly Y'all...I can't even describe how happy I am that it's Cinco de Mayo! It's probably one of my favorite holidays, simply because it's a good excuse to eat guacamole and drink margaritas (not that I need one; let's be real!). In honor of today, I thought I would share my famous guacamole recipe along with my Aunt Tina's margarita recipe! Check out below for all the details... Ole' to my favorite day!! Molly Mays' Famous Guacamole Recipe:  Guacamole: What you'll need... - 4 Avocados - 1 large red onion - 1-2 tomatoes - 1 lime - 1 bunch of cilantro - Salt - Pepper - Tostitos Scoop Tortilla Chips -Large mixing bowl - Spoon (for scooping out the avocado) - Fork (for mashing the avocado) - Juicer - Knife -Cutting board  First, gather all of your ingredients and kitchen tools.
Slice and core your avocados.  Chunk up avocados and place in mixing bowl. Mash with a fork until the desired consistency. Less mash = more chunk More mash = less chunk Set aside.  Chop up the rest of the ingredients: onion, tomatoes, & cilantro. Cut limes in half. Add all of these to your avocado and mix together.  Lastly, squeeze in your lime and add salt and pepper to taste! Taste test with a chip, and add more of "this or that" as needed! Aunt Tina's Margarita Recipe:  Margaritas (better known as "Margs" at my house!) What you'll need... - 5 oz. silver tequila (preferably Patron) -2 oz. triple sec -12 oz. margarita mix (preferably Jose Cuervo) -2 oz. Rose's Lime Juice -2 limes, juiced; 2 wedged for garnish - Cointreau (for garnish) -Margarita Salt -Ice -Pitcher -wooden spoon with long handle -shot glass & measuring cups - juicer -cutting board -knife P.S. - I usually double this--you can never have too many margaritas!  Gather all of your goodies in one area and start the mixing process!  Measure each of your ingredients into the pitcher. Stir to combine. Squeeze in your lime juice. Add ice, stir, & chill!  While the margaritas are chilling in the fridge, prep each glass! Run a lime around the rim of each glass, and place the rim into the margarita salt. Move the glass around making sure the rim is evenly coated. Slice up your limes for garnish, and squeeze one wedge into each glass. Add a few ice cubes to help chill the glass and keep your marg cold!  Pour in your margaritas! For an extra special touch, float a teaspoonful of Cointreau on the top of each glass & serve! Now for the fun part....invite your friends over and enjoy!  Happy Cinco de Mayo, Friends!!! Thanks for reading! Cheers - Molly For most of you, today is just another day... But for my adorable hubby, Conner, and me, it's April 11th...and today we celebrate our one-year wedding anniversary! One year ago today we embarked on the most exciting and magical time of our lives. So, today I thought I would share some of my favorite moments from our special day. (I'll list all of the details at the bottom of the post.)  
      
  
 
 
 I want to thank our parents for hosting a beautiful wedding weekend for us! It was everything we dreamed of and more, so thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making our wedding day & weekend the most magical time of our lives. Thank you to all of our family and friends who traveled to Savannah to celebrate with us. You all mean the world to Conner and me, and it wouldn't have been the same without each and every one of you. Thank you to our bridal party for standing by us on the most important day of our lives! And thank you to my husband, for choosing me to live this wonderful life by your side, for always encouraging me, challenging me, and loving me unconditionally. Now that I have been overly sentimental, here are all of the details. Click on each to be linked directly to more information: Destination - Savannah, Georgia Church - The Lutheran Church of the Ascension Reception - The Charles Morris Center Gown - "Maude" by Lea-Ann Belter from Ladies of Lineage, Charlotte, North Carolina My Shoes - Badgley Mischka Bridesmaids Dresses - Alfred Sung Groom & Groomsmen Suits - Jos. A. Bank Wedding Planner - Vanessa Saturday of Spectacular Saturdays Florist - Amy Harvey Designs Floral Ribbons - East Coast Trimmings, New York City Caterer - Savor Savannah Cake - Mollie Stone Rentals - Amazing Event Rentals DJ - VIP Entertainment Trolley - Old Savannah Tours Photography - Dragonfly Photography (no longer doing weddings) Picture Locations - Forsyth Park and Chippewa Square Hair & Makeup - Joli A. Get-ready location - The Marshall House Wedding night accommodations- The Brice, a Kimpton Hotel Bridesmaids Luncheon - Olde Pink House Rehearsal Dinner - Vic's On The River Thanks for reading & for reminiscing with me today! Cheers Ya'll - Molly Happy almost Fri-Yay y'all!! Let's face it Thursday is the new Friday so we're just callin' it like we see it. In the spirit of the weekend (pun intended) let's talk cocktails! Meet my new favorite cocktail book - White Spirits!  Personally, my drinks of choice, usually consist of a white spirit; but, regardless, no bar cart is complete without this book. It lists all the details: everything from "how white spirits are made" to "essential bar equipment."  Of course you need cute bar tools, so you can try all of these fun new recipes! Here are all of my favorites... Now, I have to admit the real reason why I bought this book--It had not one, but TWO cocktails named after me! My maiden name was Gibson. The Gibson The Golden Gibson Try them out and let me know what ya think!    Check back for more cocktail ideas coming up! And make sure to grab your very own copy right HERE! Thanks for reading! Cheers - Molly |
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