The Good, The Bad, The Bugs

The Good – My tomatoes are doing wonderfully well!  I have probably picked about 2 pints of cherry tomatoes and new fruits are still growing on that plant.  I haven’t harvested a purple heirloom yet, but there are about 9 on the plant now and I think 3 of them will be ready at the end of the week; I can’t wait!  Finally these little guys have been my favorite, Bonnie’s Better Boy.  I have picked about 10 of them and there are another 10 or so on the plant.  They are about the size of a baseball and are perfect for slicing to eat with salt and pepper as an afternoon snack (just did that) or good for a family of 2 to each have 2 slices on a sandwich or burger.  Very, very good.

The Bad – I guess it’s not bad now, but it rained like every day for the past 5 days.  Ok, enough of the disgruntled teenager voice but seriously, this rain was out of control.  Normally I’m ok with a rainy weekend, but this was a 4 day holiday weekend and it rained the whole time.  Fireworks were cancelled, BBQs postponed and the festiveness that usually encompasses the 4th of July just didn’t seem to exist this year.  We still partied on the covered front porch, ate hamburgers and hot dogs and set off fireworks in the driveway making the best of it, but I really could have done without the rain.  Thanks to the peeps who did come over to celebrate America’s 237th and my 30th; it was fun, even with the stupid rain!
The Bugs – AHH, these little @*%$#ers.  From my research I think they are baby cucumber beetles which grow on the leaves, eating and destroying them as they grow.  Luckily we got 3 zucchini off the plant before they took over, but I’m scared that the plant is a goner.  So far I have pulled off and squished at least 15 of them, but every time I go back there are more.  And yes, they are gross, think yellow slug with lots of black hairs – VOM!  I hate you bugs and the yet to grow zucchini which you stole from me!

See the little buger right in the middle?

You can really see the damage on the bottom leaves with all the holes.

I think this coming week will involve pulling up the zucchini plants and getting the bed ready for a late summer something, maybe a Japanese Eggplant, a red bell pepper, or some snap beans?  At least I enjoy planting new things #silverlining #lovetoplayinthedirt. 

What have been your favorite summer veggies?  Do you have a garden?  What’s growing well and what’s not?  Do you see the sun today like we finally do here in Atlanta?  I hope so!
Sincerely Loving Food,
Lainey

Restaurant Review: Buckhead Diner

I’m convinced that the best kept secret dinning spot for a foodie is the chef’s counter at Buckhead Diner.   The diner isn’t even close to a secret, the place is hopping most of the time, celebrities stop by to eat while in town and its part of one of the most well known restaurant groups in the country, Buckhead Life Group.  People literally wait over 2 hours to get a table at Buckhead Diner, it is that good.  But, what blows my mind is there are 8 stools at a counter overlooking the grill, garnish station and expo center, and they are usually empty.  Last night they were quoting a 45 minute to an hour wait and the hubs and I walked right in and sat down at our favorite 2 stools in the back with a perfect view of the grill.  The service is exceptional at the counter, like it is at all the tables, and since you are close to the bar I think drinks come out even a little faster than at a traditional table.  Not to mention the entertainment, watching this guy cook anywhere from 2 to 12 steaks at a time along with pork chops, chicken breasts, and any other protein.

Last night we started with the crispy rock shrimp tacos and white truffle deviled eggs.  The eggs were served on a bed of bibb lettuce and the vinaigrette on the lettuce really made the dish a winner.  It was great to have a bit of acid to cut the creaminess of the yolk mixture.  The tacos were also delicious, each one had 5-6 shrimp in them which made for a very healthy portion and the “pow pow” sauce really bough the “pow,” just spicy enough to hit your palate but not too much to overpower the shrimp. 

Side note – my drink is the “Best Wine Cooler Ever” from the specialty cocktail menu and it really was the best wine cooler ever – dry champagne, soda water, lemon twist and St. Germain Elder Flower Liqueur – what a winner!

Since it was my birthday the main dish was my favorite restaurant dish – Steak & Frites – hanger steak cooked perfectly, medium rare, with French fries.  The steak was soo good…as are the fries…I wish I could have them again today.

Buckhead Diner is a winner no matter where you sit, but with a seat at the chef’s counter in the middle of all the action, it’s a food lover’s paradise!
Happy 4th of July everyone!
Sincerely Loving Food,
Lainey

Bunless Buffalo Burger

This Buffalo Turkey Burger is almost exactly like the Buffalo Chicken Burgers we had for Ralph's birthday in October with just a few tweaks to make them South Beach Diet friendly.

Obviously there is no bun...I used 2 big butter lettuce leaves instead and surprising to even me, it was pretty good!  Honestly, yes I missed the bun a little but since the burger is so flavorful it really was great ok it really was good, but I keep thinking about bathing suits and it helps.  You can see the zucchini slices peeking out from the side which I grilled to go along with the burgers - very South Beach friendly!  Modified recipe after the jump!
Sincerely Loving Food,
Lainey

Stolen Recipe Success: Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

Short and sweet: last night I made this recipe from Peace, Love and Low Carb and it was totally awesome!  Basically a green bell pepper stuffed with sauteed garlic, onions, mushrooms and get this: roast beef lunch meat!  So easy, really filling and quite tasty, a lot like a Philly Cheesesteak without the bread.  Cut the peppers in half, clean out the guts, saute your veg until soft, cut up the lunch meat throw it in the pan for a minute or two along with some Worcestershire and Dijon, stuff it all in the pepper, cover with cheese and bake until bubbly.  How easy is that?  I served it with a blue cheese dressed spinach salad.  Totally South Beach Diet friendly and a great change up from the normal roasted meat and veggies. 

Finally its Friday!  Wishing you all a great MINT JULEP filled weekend!
Sincerely Loving Food,
Lainey

Happy May 2nd Day

Wowser...so its been a while...I could apologize and say it won't happen again and let you know that I have been busy and all that other blah, blah but we all know its just life and that's the way it is.  All of that being said, let's ease back into this.  A few random thoughts for the day and hopefully another post will follow in the not too distant future.

• The hubs has been umpiring baseball games like crazy!  He has a dream that one day he will be a major league ump, for now he is sticking to little league and high school but it's a start.  I am so proud of him for working to achieve his dream job...can't say that about too many people.  Side note: who's dream job involves getting yelled at by fat men in little boy's clothes...
• We went to Daytona for a family wedding 3 weeks ago and my bathing suit had shrunk!  It was crazy small...so I have been following the South Beach Diet for 2 weeks now and I am down 4 pounds!  Thanks to Kalyn's Kitchen for some great recipes that follow the diet I have still been eating well.  I hope to share some real winners soon!
• I can now say I have eaten at Empire State South and the food was all it has been cracked up to be, not to mention the atmosphere and service - it was an all around winner.  I can't wait to go back.  And for the record this was one of our 13 in 2013 - hooray check it off the list! Humm..now that I think about it dinners like this are probably why all my clothes have shrunk...
• Due to some unexpected home issues, don't ask it involves "critters" best left unsaid, we have modified our 13 in 2013...more on that to come: The Modified 13 in 2013!
• Everyone must be busy because I have been missing some of my friend's blogs lately...not going to call you out but you know who you are - write on your blog even if it is only a post of 5 bullet points..

Sincerely Loving Food,
Lainey

I Rented The Runway

A few months ago, my Birch Box included "$25 off" a rental from Rent The Runway.  I had been wanting to try this awesome site for a while and the combination of a formal event coming up and the coupon pushed me over the edge.  The concept of Rent the Runway is brilliant - you can rent dresses for formal events, weddings, girls nights out, etc, wear them once and return them.  Let's be honest, we don't really wear these formal dresses over and over again and the prices are usually ridiculous, so renting at a fraction of the price is really the way to go.  The customer service I received was out of this world, and I will for sure use the service again.  Here is how it went down:

Back in early January I scoped out the website (you do have to "sign up" to see the dresses, but they really don't spam you all the time) and picked out the Badgley Mischka Flora Chiffon Gown.  For me the most helpful part of the website were the past customer reviews.  Girls who had previously rented the dress uploaded their picture along with their: height, weight, bra size, typical dress size and any comments.  This was so helpful because you could see real people in the dress, look for some one that was similar to your height, weight, and build, how smart is that?  It made me feel so much better about the sizing.

The price tag for rental was $125 and for that price you get the dress delivered in 2 sizes (side note for an additional $25 you can get a 3rd size of the same dress, or a completely different dress all together, so cool!).  You get to keep the rental for 4 days, so since my event was on Saturday I scheduled delivery for Friday, and was told to return the dress on Monday in their prepostage-paid envelope.  I used my $25 off coupon, thanks Birch Box, paid my bill and patiently waited for the event.....

Fast forward 5 weeks and on Friday when I got home from work the box was sitting on the porch.

I was so excited, I carefully opened the box

and inside was the $900 dress I had rented for $125, in 2 sizes!  The dresses were freshly dry cleaned and came with a little sample size of moisturizing bronzing lotion and some fabric tape.  After trying on the dresses, complete with hubs wrestling a tough zipper, and realizing I needed to wear the tallest 5 inch heels I own to keep the dress from dragging, I was so satisfied with my purchase rental and began getting super excited for the next day.

Here is the finished product, it was like prom, getting dressed up and taking a photo on the porch...The event was a great success, we had a great time, and I have literally never gotten as many compliments on a dress as I did on Saturday.  Like I said this particular dress was quite long, but I am all of 5"3 so this is a problem I am used to dealing with.  The condition of the dress was great, and you would never know that it was a rental by looking at it.

Yesterday I folded up the dress tucked it into the pre-postage paid envelope that came along with the dresses and dropped it off at the post office - so easy!

I loved Rent the Runway!  The dresses selections are great.  The customer service is amazing, they are so responsive, I love their "live chat with a stylist' to discuss sizing.  The prices make it possible for me to wear couture that I could never normally afford.  And the process is so easy!  I totally recommend it!  Let me know if you have any questions!
Sincerely Loving Food and Fancy Dresses,
Lainey
PS - I was not compensated in any way for this review, I just had an awesome experience I wanted to share!

LOVE

LOVE - It's the 3rd word in the title of this blog, a short name I call the hubs, and the reason justification for eating 14 pounds pieces of chocolate on the 14th of this month.  Any kind of love: love of others, love for pets, romantic love, friendly love, supportive love I am excited about celebrating all of them in the next week.  It always surprises me the number of people who hate on Valentine's.  Whenever I hear people say they hate Valentine's I think - wow, how original.  Especially the people who say, "I show my _(insert gf/bf/spouse/whomever here)___ I love her everyday, I don't need to do something special on the 14th."  Well you know what, I love Jesus everyday, but I celebrate Christmas, just like I love hubs everyday and we still celebrate Valentine's.  I just don't get that, maybe because I am a half full kind of person, but I love celebrating, anything really, and this month I am celebrating love.  Here is what I have done or am planning for the next little while 

I hung my Valentine's wreath I made last year back on the door:

I put this cute printable up on my hutch

I found it on pinterest, and now I can't find the original, but there are tons of others that are similiar.

 

I'm planning on making these cookies next week for myself hubs

 pic and recipe courtsey of buns in my oven

 

 

 And I'm gonna do something cool for my friends, but I can't tell you because you might read it...

 

All of this to say, you can do whatever you want on February 14th, stay home, alone, drinking 3 bottles of wine and watching WWE or you can  take a bath and read trashy magazines, or you can go out to dinner with friends and special people and order more dessert than you need, or you can eat only the fudge filled candies out of the box and leave the lemon ones for others, really whatever you want.  But me, I'm celebrating love and the people I love.  It makes me happy and I hope it makes them happy as well!  I'll be a lover not a hater.  So please don't hate on me for loving on love.

Sincerely Loving,

Lainey