Reconstructing Amelia Book Club

Ella's  selection for her last book club was Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight and it was a doozie! The novel was filled with suspense and readers didn’t want to put it down.

Ella was not only preparing for a big move but had also undergone foot surgery so the other members helped prepare the food and drinks.

The book takes place in New York and often times the cocktail that comes to mind (thanks to Sex and the City) is a classic Comso. The food was homemade calzones, salad, breadsticks and for dessert- a berry cobbler.   

It is always sad when one of our book club members leaves us. We really miss having Ella in our group. We welcome her back anytime she can make it! Virginia isn't really that far is it...

Katie is missing but not by choice!

Right before Poppy was born.

I Do Declare...

that everyone needs to celebrate in true Southern style. Being from the West what could we possibly know about the South? Well luckily for us I married a real Southern gentleman all the way from Louisiana. However, you do not need to go out and get married to have a great themed party. For Abbie and I, part of the fun of throwing a themed party is doing a little research. Of course we do not live in an antebellum mansion with large white columns and we did not hire a Dixie land band...but that did not stop us from having one hell of a good time. Play a little Preservation Hall Jazz, find some dapper looking gentlemen, prepare some traditional Southern Fare; including BBQ ribs, roasted corn, and delicious mint juleps and Laissez les Bon Temps Roulez.

We used fresh mint from our garden and made this great mint julep recipe. While there are a lot of great bourbons out there we went with Maker's Mark.

While it might be fun to try and make your own BBQ sauce we used Stubbs and LOVED it!

One Tequila, Two Tequila, Three Tequila... Fiesta

Saving something you purchased on vacation is a great way to celebrate and reminisce on past travels. We have been fortunate enough to travel to the Riviera Maya in Mexico. This is where we bought this tasty tequila that we have been saving for the past year. When there are no trips planned on the near horizon it is always fun to bring out something that reminds you of previous vacations. We focused our entire Friday Night Girls or FNGs party around this great tequila. While a trip to Mexico may not be in our near future we can still enjoy this great souvenir, stories, and each other's company. Salud, Dinero, y Amor....