When you cook a lot- and trying new foods is one of your passions- you get REALLY excited when you are offered exotic items to try in the kitchen. A few months ago, I was given a large array of different wild game meats to experiment with. Now, I am not a hunter (big surprise) and I don’t have any hunters in my family…so, the idea of a freezer full of pheasant, quail, venison and boar was super exciting and a fun new challenge.

We decided to plan a dinner with close friends and make a night of trying exotic new foods. The night was shared with Molly and Jamie (some of our dearest friends in Atlanta) and Hannah and Jeff Heck, some new friends from our old neighborhood. Jeff and a few of his friends started an awesome brewery called Monday Night Brewing. Their beers are all the buzz in Atlanta right now- and for good reason. They are all unique and lovely…with great names, like The Drafty Kilt and Fu Manbrew! Jeff not only crafts wonderful beer- but he is also a very talented mixologist. So, I sent him the menu ahead of time and he very thoughtfully paired different drinks with each course.

The first course was one that I was really looking forward to. I have been wanting to venture into cheese making for some time now. It always seemed quite time consuming and tedious- so I haven’t ever really given it a shot. But, this dinner was a great opportunity to try something new. I decided to make a lovely, lemony ricotta cheese. It was SO easy and totally worth the effort. The comparison between fresh and store bought is remarkable! I topped the ricotta with local buckwheat honey, fresh cracked sea salt and crispy pea shoots. I served it with fresh baked bread- still warm from the oven.

The second course was a bit of a challenge for me. 1- because I know that it is very hard to keep quail moist and 2- because I decided to fry it, and my frying experience is quite limited! I topped a salad of baby arugula, fresh peas and homemade buttermilk ranch with a light and flaky fried quail. It was a little challenging to eat…but tasty none the less!

I was the most excited about course number 3. The most unique game that I received was ground wild boar. I decided to make a ragu using the boar, beautiful tomatoes that I found at Whole Foods, dry white wine, and lots of fresh garlic. Since the I knew that the ragu would be hearty- I wanted a pasta that would stand up to it. This course marked my first attempt at making pasta as well. I ventured into the land of homemade Orecchiette pasta. It too was time consuming but SO WORTH IT!! The pasta was perfectly chewy and made a great base for the boar.

This was a night of first- so I embraced my first time cooking pheasant as well. Again, this meat tends to get very dry- so I did what any good Southern girl does…I covered it in thick slices of bacon and slowly roasted it. Since the meat became nice and smoky from the bacon…I paired it with a light and refreshing corn sauce. It was made with fresh (uncooked) corn, roasted jalapeño and fire roasted corn. I topped with a small roasted red pepper salad- and with was a light, simple course!

The finale (of the savory courses) was also really exciting for me. I was given a gorgeous venison loin…and I knew that a simple sprinkling of salt and pepper and a quick sear would best highlight the amazing flavor of his loin. I served it on top of sweet potatoes and pearl onions simmered in fresh vanilla beans, lemon juice and sugar. It was perfectly simple.

After all of the meat- and 5 courses- I decided that a refreshing sorbet was the perfect end to the meal. Gavin’s mom and I found some beautiful nectarines at the store the other day and allowed them to ripen. The sorbet with tart lemon zest and pistachios with the Tarquinio family shortbread cookies ended the meal in just the right way.

Though I had so much fun making (and eating) this meal…and I absolutely LOVED getting to see Jeff’s creativity with all of the pairings (I really wish I had pictures to show you how amazing it was) the best part of this meal was getting to share it with precious friends. The night was full of laughter, story telling, dreaming and praying together- and it is a memory that I will cherish for a long time!

A Hawaiian themed dinner party hosted by Shannon.

A morning spent with sweet baby Hammond.

A farm fresh breakfast treat.

105 degree heat. Broken A/C. Dinner party in the basement!

A wonderful NYC surprise!

Day of fun at Serenbe with the Huggins family.



Truth.

Wedding celebrations and old friends.

So, to fill you all in- here is a snap shot of the past two weeks- the good, the exhausting, and the yummy! The day after we got home from New York, we knew that they next few weeks were about to be crazy- so we started our Saturday morning with a trip to one of our very favorite brunch spots. We enjoyed an amazing, relaxing brunch date and enjoyed savored moment! Mimosas, greek yogurt parfait with homemade granola and fresh fruit, truffled cheese grits, incredible biscotti and Land of a Thousand Hills coffee!


From brunch, we headed to celebrate one of my oldest friends (I met her in 6th grade) birthday! So fun :)

From Decatur- we drove across Atlanta to the Dogwood Festival!! Gavin took me to a concert at the festival 5 YEARS ago on our first date- so the festival is always a fun reminder for us. I CAN NOT believe that it has already been 5 years! This festival was extra special because our friend Matt Vaughan was playing in one of the pavillions. Matt has been a dear friend for years- and he is releasing his first CD on May 18 (he’s having a release party at Smith’s Olde Bar- if you want happy ears- buy a ticket now)!!

Sunday morning, we woke up excited for one of our favorite outdoor bashes of the year. A dear friend, Corrine and her husband David (and adorable son William) host a giant crawfish boil every spring. David is a master crawfish boiler (I don’t know if that’s a thing, but if it is, he is one)- and Corrine and David make sure to pull out all of the stops for this annual sioree! Loads of crawfish, sweet corn, tender potatoes, spicy onions, smokey sausage…pimento cheese sandwiches, caramel cupcakes…and most importantly- great friends!



Monday we were able to go and bid farewell to another super special lady! I have been friends with Tricia Andrews for quite a while- we became close in college and have stayed close since. She is one of the most brilliant, loving and FULL-OF-GRACE people that I have ever met. Last week, she left for a trip around the world- so we met at a Mexican restaurant so that she could have her last (Americanized) Mexican food of the year. Can’t wait to hear all about her incredible adventures!

The next morning, Gavin and I headed over to the U-Haul store, rented a trailer and loaded up for Orange Conference. Orange is a conference for family ministry leaders- it is our biggest event for LUO, or non-profit each year. We set up a booth at the conference and then spend the week sharing the stories of the children that we work with in South Africa. We bring 200 canvases that we hand paint with the children and then sell them for $250- the cost of the canvas supports a child for A YEAR! It provides nutrition, medical care, education and an awesome Bible Curriculum. The Conference is fast paced, super busy and very fun (complete with a large selection of Atlanta’s best food trucks)!


When the conference ended on Friday, we literally sprinted for the door and headed to Athens (one of the best food towns in the South) to celebrate my brother’s girlfriend, Katie’s birthday. Katie is so much more than my brother’s girlfriend- she is family and we were so excited to ring in her 21st year with a yummy Thai meal, homemade margaritas and great conversation. She is one special chic!

The morning after Athens, we got up BRIGHT and EARLY and headed BACK to the U-Haul store, to FINALLY move into the home the we have been renovating for what feels like FOREVER! A REAL, beautiful kitchen motivated me as I carried load after load of our things out to the truck. Moving is exhausting and exiting- but settling in a “nesting” is so fun (tho we haven’t been home to do that yet!)

Right as the dust (in this case saw dust from all of the renovations) started to settle, we packed our suit cases and headed for the airport to fly to West Palm Beach for another LUO art show. Our friends in Palm Beach recently relocated from the DC area and wanted to introduce their new community to LUO. They own a really beautiful art gallery (specializing in glass- each item is like $100,000.00) and a coffee shop (that literally serves my favorite coffee in America and therefore started my slight obsession with finding the perfect cup in Atlanta)- so we were really excited to visit, drink coffee, and raise money for our beautiful children at Ithemba! It was SO amazing to see their artwork hanging in a gorgeous gallery next to some of the more acclaimed artists of our time. I am always amazed by how incredible their canvases are when they are stretched and hung. Each one is different, and beautiful, and truly shows the personality of the child that painted it.




From Palm Beach, we headed to Ft. Lauderdale to visit some friends for a day…and oh my goodness, we were so spoiled! Our friend Mike connected us with a lovely family in the area to stay with (when we travel we really like to stay with local families and get to see the city from their perspective)- but this was over the top amazing! Their home was located right on the beach- and our room was situated in the perfect position- it opened out to the pool and then overlooked the water. It was an amazing time of rest and rejuvination. Our hosts spoiled us- we woke up to steaming coffee on the porch- followed by a beautiful plate of quiche and bowl of fresh fruit.


We ate- we soaked in the view- and then we headed down to the beach because this family had a PADDLE BOARD!! As you know, Gavin is a surfer, and like a fish, he feels like he can’t breathe as well when he is out of the water :) Paddle boarding is one of our favorite things to do together- it is great excercise, and such a fun way to get out in the water! We spent the morning paddling around and trying to catch some of the super small waves.

From there- we drove back to Palm Beach to get one last cup of coffee- its our favorite, can you blame us?? and the headed for the airport!

Tomorrow, I leave for New York (YAY!!) and then, when I get home, I will get cooking- I promise!

Sometimes I think our lives are like a bad romantic comedy…we literally BOLTED off of the bus (with our two MASSIVE suitcases) hobbled down the 1,000,000 stairs to the subway, bought our metro cards, got stuck in the turn stall with our bags, ran as fast as we could to the train- and arrived as the train doors were sliding shut! So, we caught our breath and waited for the next train. When we arrived at our stop- another hilarious episode of bag dragging, getting stuck and running through the crowded streets ensued. We ran in the door of the town house, threw open our bags and changed in about 2.5 seconds. Ran back out the door, grabbed another train and FINALLY made it to dinner as the plates were being served! Whew!

I am SO glad we made it to dinner…it was such an incredible meal! A new friend of mine, Jack (who I met in LA last month) just moved into the city and was having a meal to celebrate passover with a bunch of friends.

He must have been cooking for 34 days because the spread that he put out in his 350 square foot apartment was IMPRESSIVE and SO delicious! We had tilapia crusted in herbs and pine nuts, poached salmon, home made chick pea burgers, mini spinach quiche, matzah pizza, amazing roasted veggies, a fabulous salad, an incredible spaghetti squash topped with a rich red sauce, stuffed grape leaves, and many more delicious dishes. Wine was flowing, conversation was wonderful, and we made lots of fabulous new friends.

A perfect dinner was topped off with a huge array of desserts from chocolate and mint covered matzah (oh.my.yum) to gluten free apple pie- we left very full and very happy!

Day 2 started early (even though we went to sleep super late- our excitement for a fun day in the city had us up at the crack of dawn)! Without hesitation, we hopped out of bed, got dressed and headed straight to our favorite bagel shop, Murray’s! I know I have told you before, but this place makes us happy- the bagels are fresh and delicious- perfectly chewy and topped with cream cheese. They have a huge variety of home made flavored cream cheeses…it makes it very hard to choose…but we went with a cinnamon raisin bagel topped with maple walnut cream cheese and two cups of super yummy coffee! The perfect start to the day.

From Murray’s we headed south to our new favorite part of town along the surprisingly peaceful Hudson River. We spent the morning walking around, sitting by the water, chatting and dreaming. When our tummies started to rumble, we headed to a little shop on the outskirts of SOHO, basically in Chinatown, called Xi’an. I have heard A LOT about this tiny little shop. They are famous for a dish called cumin lamb noodles…so, you know, we had to try it! The shop is itty bitty and manned by one person. Their menu is very small, but everything looked delicious. I ordered the tiger vegetable salad and the home made spicy tofu (I am a huge fan of tofu and I have never gotten to taste it home made before) and Gavin got the cumin lamb noodles.

All of our dishes were EXCELLENT. Far beyond expectation (and our expectations were HIGH). The noodles were freshly made, the lamb, perfectly tender and seasoned, and my tofu was so, so great! The tiger veggie salad was fresh and remarkably delicious. We WILL be back!

After lunch, we continued our walking around the city…we figured out later that we walked about 13 miles on this particular day….and then headed back home to get ready for a super fun evening! We were invited to our friend Rusty’s 50th birthday party in Connecticut. We boarded the train and headed out for what turned out to be a wonderful evening.

We were so spoiled with amazing food and again, the company of wonderful new friends. Rusty’s friends welcomed us with open arms- and an incredible spread of food. We started with appetizers (shrimp, smoked salmon, crab cakes, artichoke spread, flax seed crackers, spinach dip) and then moved on to the main event (yogurt marinated lamb, kale salad, cabbage salad and baked zitti. Dessert was not one, but four birthday cakes…it was quite an awesome dinner.



Though we got home super late- we were up early again with one thing on our minds- cookies from Levain. Levain’s in located directly across Central Park…about a mile and a half walk. The morning was lovely and our walk was peaceful. Levain did not disappoint. We ordered our usual double chocolate cookie and then went for something new- the chocolate chip banana pound cake. It was heavenly. Every single bite was heavenly!


From Levain- we continued our walking- and went to Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods to stock up on groceries. I decided to make a few meals for our wonderful hosts to have after we left. I spent the rest of the afternoon cooking- and loving every minute of it!
If Gavin and I have a “spot” in New York, I think it would have to be Vanessa’s Dumplings. We found this little gem of a place about 2 years ago when we were wondering through Soho and crossing into Chinatown. This place is AMAZING- and unbelievably cheap…all of the food is made from scratch- absolutely wonderful- and between $1 and $4 per dish. We ordered way too many things and sat down for a feast!


Vanessa’s was a perfect way to end the day!

The next morning, we packed our bags and headed out for the bus back to DC…and then the train to the airport…and then the airport to MARTA…and then MARTA to our car…and then back home! By the time we arrived in Atlanta- we slept very well :)

After the conference, we walked back to our lovely hotel for happy hour…and it was a very happy and yummy hour, indeed! In the Tai Pan lounge, the hotel offers a gorgeous display of small plate dishes and a few selection of wine every afternoon. We decided to stop by the lounge before heading to meet some friends. As with everything else that we experienced at The Mandarin, happy hour was amazing.




I don’t know if its the overall abidance of the hotel, or the care that they seem to put into every dish- but this happy hour was just lovely, and a great time for Gavin and I to relax and chat after a busy week. Everything looked wonderful- so naturally, we basically got one of everything to sample. The star of this show was hands down the rice pudding. Anytime a dish inspires me to try to recreate it- I know that it was both unique and delicious. Rice pudding and I are good friends- I have loved it since I was a little girl. It is comforting and creamy…and usually packed with cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg. This was so different- but equally creamy and comforting. It was made with heavy cream, a little coconut milk and scented with lime zest instead of cinnamon. Oh my goodness, I will absolutely crave this dish until I try to make it again!

We had a lot of tasty adventures in DC- and then boarded the Bolt Bus for NYC…and even more tasty treats and great memories :)

The atmosphere is lovely with incredible views of the Potomac river- and every single thing on the menu looked delicious which made it very hard to order! If you google Sou’Wester, you will quickly find that EVERYONE who dines there GUSHES over the hush puppies with honey butter and the pan fried oysters with smoked pepper aoli…so naturally we had to try them both! Honestly, I had no interest in eating hush puppies because I have never had one that I enjoyed…but when these golden beauties arrived to the table, I decided to keep an open mind!

I am glad I did- they were spectacular. Nothing like any hush puppy I have ever had. They had the sweetness of good ol’ southern corn bread- and the perfect fried crispiness that made it crunch and then melt in your mouth. Add the honey butter- and you are in hush puppy heaven!

The oysters were also fabulous (though very surprisingly, I enjoyed the hush puppy more). They were big and juicy and lightly breaded…the perfect flavor when topped with the pepper aoli.

For our next course, we ordered the roast beet salad and the grilled veal sweetbreads. I was super excited about this course. You know how much I LOVE beets- and since I have only had fried sweetbreads, I was anxious to try the grilled variety.

The salad was so good I dream about it. It was served with a light vinaigrette and topped with tangerine and CHICKEN FRIED GOAT CHEESE (what!?) it was so stink in’ good! The light crispness of the beets mixed with the crunchy, salty, creamy goat cheese and the sweet citrus was to die for!

The sweetbreads were 100% the highlight of the meal for Gavin and I both. I know, a lot of people are turned off by them (they are the thalamus gland of the cow)…but seriously, give them a try! These sweetbreads were served on top of a wild mushroom grit cake (I HAVE to figure out how to make this) and served alongside wilted tatsoi covered in a house cured bacon gastrique. I am not kidding you, this combo might be one of the best bites of food I have had this year. Its almost worth a trip to DC just to try it!

By the time we were planning to order entrees, we were (not surprisingly) not super hungry- so we decided to share a dish. Due to my deep love for farro, and sea food, we ordered the Roasted Chesapeake Bay Rockfish served with warm farro salad, compressed cucumber, meyer lemon, and chicken jus. If the sweetbreads were my favorite bite this year- this dish might fall second. It was fabulous! So, fabulous that I am trying my best to recreate it for a dinner party later this month. The fish was flaky, the farro was nutty, and the chicken jus was rich with flavor.

As if we needed anything else, we just had to order dessert! We decided to split the “light” sounding desserts- a Lemon-Raspberry Sundae with ginger candy, raspberry vanilla swirl and lemon frozen yogurt and then a Rhubarb Cloafoutis topped with baked meringue, gingered streusel and rhubarb sorbet. Both desserts were light and refreshing while still decadent and satisfying. The candied ginger won my heart and the light, airy meringue was the perfect finish to an all around wonderful meal.


If you are ever in the DC area, I would recommend a date night/girls night/family night/any excuse to eat here. It was such a treat!

Our room was located on the top floor- and we were able to get a view of the entire city. DC really is gorgeous!


We started our first day at the conference with a fabulous breakfast in the Tai Pan lounge in our hotel. Our room came with access to the lounge…and it was everything that was promised and so much more. Breakfast was a delightful spread of fresh pastries, gorgeous berries, perfectly soft scrambled eggs and house cured bacon. Needless to say, we started the day off right!




The hotel was located just a few blocks from the conference, so after breakfast we walked across the park for the first sessions.

Then came lunch. Whenever we travel to a new city- I become a crazy researcher! I read WAY too many blogs, magazines and newspaper reviews and then make a giant list of “must try” coffee shops and restaurants! For lunch, the first thing on our list was a tiny little falafel shop called V-Falafel (I am a huge sucker for a good falafel). It was a good walk from the venue, but there is never a lack of beautiful, historic sights in DC so we enjoyed our walk to an obscure street about 2 miles away. The shop was tiny and owned by a husband and wife who are passionate about creating delicious, authentic, vegetarian mediterranean food.

I ordered the falafel salad and Gavin ordered the falafel sandwich. The salad was FANTASTIC. I was able to go through a wonderful bar of home made salads and condiments and fill this “salad box” with as much as I could fit. (I think I fit 5 lb of salad in here)!


Gavin’s sandwich was much of the same concept…he received a pita filled with falafel and was able to stuff the pita as full as desired. YUM!

The falafel was literally the best I have ever had. It was super light and crispy and seasoned to perfection. The portions were generous and the price can’t be beat! (about $7 per person).

After lunch we headed back to the conference for the last few sessions and then made our way back to the hotel for what would be the best meal of our DC experience (this deserves its own post)…so look for it tomorrow!

Apart from Q, we have another wonderful friend in the DC area. Chris Kim is a worship leader and all around incredibly talented musician…he also enjoys food just as much as Gavin and I do- so we love to visit him and take in some local eats while we are at it. Monday night, Chris took us to one of the best Korean restaurants that I have been to. I absolutely LOVE Korean food. Since I am completely obsessed with condiments and small dishes…Korean food and I get along really well and when Chris suggested this place, followed by the proclamation that their noodles are to die for and homemade fresh when you order- Gavin and I basically raced out the door to try it. The restaurant, Dae Rae Won was a ways out of the city…and in a small strip mall. There was no ambiance…and pretty bad decor. All of the makings for INCREDIBLE ethnic food.

When we walked in, we were greeted with the constant sound of a loud thud coming from the kitchen. Naturally, we asked what in the world it was…and we were directed to look toward the back of the restaurant. Through a small smoked glass window, we could see the outline of a man and a giant looking blog being thrown through the air- over and over again. This, I am told, was the noodle maker. At that moment- my month started to water!

We left the job of ordering entirely up to Chris. He ordered a few dishes that we couldn’t pronounce- and moments later the amazing condiment dishes arrived that the table. Fantastic kimchi, spicy daikon radish, pickled radish and onions.

Very soon after, THIS arrived.

I don’t know if that dish needs any explanation….the crispy, sweet gooey chicken wings speak for themselves. WOW!

After the wings, the main dishes arrived. Chris suggested this lovely, spicy, massively portioned seafood soup for me. It was perfectly speckled with large shrimp, muscles, calamari and scallops and surrounded by very fresh, perfectly chewy noodles…all topped with an incredible seafood based stock and spicy chili peppers. It was DELICIOUS!

For Gavin, Chris ordered the house specialty- noodles with seafood black bean sauce. Again, the fresh, perfect noodles were the star of the show. When they were topped with the salty, thick, rich black bean sauce and lots of calamari and muscles…the dish was to die for.

All in all- this meal was totally delicious- very authentic- reasonably priced and 100% recommended. If you are in the DC area and don’t mind a short drive- please give the place a try. YUM!