Disclaimer: Don’t read this post if you’re hungry. This post is 100% drool inducing food.

Last night Justin and I got to attend the first Atlanta Culinary Tour of Woodstock.

And it was delicious. I also won the tickets so it was free.

Is there anything better than delicious free food? Nope. Not at all.

The first stop on our tour was Ipps, which is a new restaurant from the same people who own Ippolito’s. Oh my heavens. They were the first stop, and hands down the best stop. Here’s the spread…

They started us off with a glass of red sangria and later a glass of white. I must be a bad wife because Justin has never had good sangria before (the horror!). I think he’s a little obsessed with it now. Their sangria is fantastic!

The samples we tried were an eggplant rolentini, a cannoli and one of the best things I’ve EVER eaten called Pepe. It’s a piece of sausage wrapped in dough and cooked with honey and marinara sauce. That honey, oh good gracious. I’m going to need that again soon. Real soon.

The next tour stop was the Foxtale Bookshop. I have a thing for cute, independent bookstores and this one fit the bill. I can’t wait to go back and browse around.

They also had the most quaint bathroom I’ve ever seen. It was so cozy I wanted to curl up with a book. In a bathroom. Weird, I know.

Our next stop was Freight Kitchen and Tap. We’ve actually eaten here before and love that it’s located right next to the railroad tracks. It’s the perfect spot to sit outside and enjoy the pretty weather. I started with a Singapore Sling, which is evidently a cocktail from my parent’s generation. I loved it!

First up on our tasting was a fried green tomato with a bacon aioli (vat of that to-go please!). Enough said.

The star of the show, however, was the braised pork over cheddar grits. Melt-in-your-mouth good. Next time we come, I’ll take whatever braise they’ve got going.

Moving on. Are you full yet? We certainly were but we still had three stops to go! The next stop was Pure Taqueria. Their upstairs patio is the place to be at night. Especially if you have one of their peach margaritas in hand.

They brought us out plates full of calamari, mussels, guacamole, salsa and cheese dip. I could have eaten that cheese dip all night and been a happy girl. What can I say? I’m easy to please.

Last but not least, the final “dinner” food of the night was at Firestone Pizza and Grill. Here we tried a new ceviche dish and their sausage pizza. They also have a great patio that we’re looking forward to visiting again. So many options for places to go!

Finally, for the grand finale we headed to the new cupcake shop, Cupcakelicious. We got to sample their oreo cupcake, birthday cupcake, and a sweet and salty cupcake. To say Justin was obsessed with the oreo one would be an understatement. My guess is we’ll be back this weekend. When he told the owner how much he and I liked the cupcake, he actually referred to me as a “cupcake aficionado”. I think my face turned bright red. Yes, cupcakes are my thing but “aficionado”, I’m not too sure.

There you have it, our tour of Woodstock. The guys leading the tour did a great job and it’s easily worth the money. I mean, look at all we got to do! They also offer tours for other areas of Atlanta so if you’re looking for a fun date night or group outing, check them out! Your stomach will be glad you did.

Find all the tour info { here }.

I know, I know. I dropped off the face of the Earth.

To say things have been busy around our house is an understatement. I have lots of fun projects that I’ll hopefully get to share with you guys in the near future, but for now here’s what I found on a recent shopping trip…

Marshall’s, $39.99

Marshall’s, $12.99

Marshall’s, $19.99

Target

Target

Target, $69.99

Priceless.

Juuust Kidding. Wanted to see if you were still reading, hehe.

We had a fun delivery yesterday at the Smith house….

You know you’re old when getting a new dishwasher is THE event of the week, ha! I’ve been stalking this beauty for months now, waiting to hit the perfect storm of sale, coupon, plus extra money off and it finally hit!

We tested it out last night with a bunch of dirty dishes and I’m happy to say that not only did it do a great job of getting everything clean, it’s also SUPER quiet. Like, are you sure it’s on quiet. That was one of the most important features to us since our kitchen is open to the rest of the house. A quiet dishwasher is a beautiful thing I tell ya.

Oh and if you’re wondering, it’s { this model }.

What about you guys? Any fun deliveries this week?

This weekend I had a sick husband. Most of my time was spent curled up on the couch with occasional trips to the kitchen to heat up soup or dish out meds. Sounds fun, right? On Sunday I decided to take a quick trip to Target and came back with these babies.

We’ve been wanting adirondack chairs for our patio for a while and at $18 a pop (on sale), these were a pretty affordable option.  They’re comfortable and since they’re plastic, they can easily be hosed down once the pollen fairy comes out in full force.

I still want to get a few throw pillows to add a bit more color, but I think it’s looking pretty dang relaxing just as it is. All I need now is a well husband to help me test them out…

Hope your weekend was more exciting than ours!

I’m 100% a grain girl. I love pasta almost as much as I love my husband, and rice comes in at a close second. For years, not a day went by that I didn’t have one or the other. I’m talking serious dedication.

As I get older, I’ve realized the need for more variety in my diet. There were hundreds of delicious vegetables out there just waiting to be tried. At first, I thought I would have severe withdrawals from my daily bowl of pasta, but honestly I’ve enjoyed trying new things. If I had never branched out, I wouldn’t have tried dishes like { mashed cauliflower } or { kale salad } (which I could honestly eat every day of my life!).

I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything, but rather gaining an appreciation for our ability to choose what we eat, in a world where not as many people are that lucky. It’s a daily goal to find new-to-me foods to try or to find new ways to enjoy old favorites. The latter is exactly how this recipe came about. I’d seen cauliflower “rice” recipes floating around on the internet and was skeptical at first. Could anything taste as good as my beloved rice?

Yep. It can. Does it taste exactly like rice? No, afterall, it is cauliflower. But, it’s also a delicious alternative and a great way to introduce kids to a new vegetable in a familiar form.

My challenge this week is to find one vegetable you’ve never tried and give it a whirl. Chances are it’s no more difficult to prepare than anything you’ve had before, and it’ll make you feel great for branching out. After all, you don’t usually find anything amazing in life if you don’t set out on an adventure first.

Cauliflower “Rice” with Leeks and Parmesan

{ Serves 3-4 as a side }

1 head cauliflower

*1 leek, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 TBS coconut oil

salt + pepper

1 lemon

2 TBS Parmesan

Take the head of cauliflower and cut off the stalk. Cut the remaining cauliflower into large chunks. Process in a food processor at 2 second intervals until the cauliflower resembles large chunks of rice.

Add processed cauliflower to large bowl along with the sliced leek and minced garlic. Drizzle with coconut oil, a few pinches of sea salt and black pepper and toss well to combine.

Spread mixture on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 450 for 10-15 minutes until mixture begins to brown, stirring mixture halfway through.

Remove from oven, add juice from 1 lemon and Parmesan and toss well. Taste to adjust seasonings and serve.

* Here’s a { great tutorial } for how to clean and slice leeks.

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend!

And what a beautiful weekend it was! We spend most of the weekend outside working on the yard, except for a break on Saturday night to see { these guys } in concert. Loved them!

Anyway, remember last week when I mentioned we were working on re-doing our yard? Well here’s the before and during pics! It’s not really an “after” since we still have more to do, but it’s a heck of a lot better than it was. Let’s just say I have a newfound respect for landscape architects. Hard. Work.

Here’s the beginning of the walkway to our front door before…

And here it is now! We still have more mulching to do and hopefully everything will start to grow. Fingers crossed.

The before for the area to the right of the driveway…ugly right?

Currently!

Here’s the other area by the garage. It was perhaps the most pitiful.

Not anymore! Oh and all those potted plants are mums that my Grandfather rooted for me. That man is amazing.

And the most dramatic change goes to the area down by the curb. We had three HUGE trees removed because the roots were damaging the driveway. Just ignore the men, um, climbing up the tree in the picture. That’s what you get when you forget to take a true before pic.

There’s something to be said for yard work. It’s hard and you work for hours and hours on a tiny little space, but man is it rewarding to step back and see what you’ve done. So many people overlook the outside of their homes, but it’s just as important as decorating the inside. It’s the first glimpse people have of your home. Even if you live in a condo or apartment, a cute doormat will do wonders to make your home look inviting.

Now’s the perfect time time to spruce up your exterior. Start with a rug or a hard-to-kill pot of succulents if you’re thumb is more purple than green. Trust me, if I can do it, you can too.

Here are a few things I’m loving today…

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{ Oh hi, husband! }

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Evidently I’m loving stripes. And word art associated with my husband.

Clearly all the important things.

How is it already Monday again? I somehow feel like this weekend was both incredibly long and incredibly short. Is that even possible?

We spent most of the weekend outside trying to whip our yard into shape. It’s bad, y’all. I mean this is what we started with…

Evidently the previous homeowners didn’t believe in raking or putting plants and trees in proper places. We currently have an apple tree, a Japanese Maple and a cherry blossom tree all growing under our deck. Yep, under. As big of an undertaking as it’s been, it’s really rewarding to see things start to come together. It didn’t hurt either that Justin surprised me with a fancy date night on Saturday to break up the hours of digging and hauling. I love surprises.

We’re hoping to keep moving along with our outdoor projects this week so I’ll share more about that later. Today, I want to show you a quick and easy project that can help to add value to your home.

Take a minute to think about your door knobs in your home. If you live in an older home, chances are they are brass, scratched or just plain ugly. In our case, it was all three. Here’s what we were dealing with…

Ugly right? Well the fix is easy and affordable! After searching around for inexpensive door knobs, I discovered Lowe’s has them for around $10. Not bad considering similar ones online were at least $15. That $5 can add up quickly! I used a coupon (of course!) and bought enough doorknobs to replace the one on every bedroom and closet door. The best part of this project was that you can slowly do it over time. Buy a few each month and soon you’ll have them all replaced!

As far as installation goes, it’s a piece of cake. If you can use a screwdriver, you can install a new doorknob. We installed 10 of them in under an hour so quick is an understatement. Here’s a { great video } to show you how to install one. And finally, here’s our before and after.

What a difference! We chose to go with a darker bronze doorknob that really pops against the white door. A silver satin finish would look great as well! Whenever you do a home improvement, you have to think about what a potential buyer will think down the road. Updated hardware on your doors is an easy way to add a modern touch to an older home. Here’s a close up,

We’re really happy with the change and loved it even more because of how budget and time friendly it was. What about you guys? Any ugly doorknobs in your home or were we just the lucky ones?

Today’s post doesn’t have much to do with design. Or even food.

In fact, it’s completely, 100% random. And hilarious.

Several months ago I was introduced to Beyonce. Before you go thinking Beyonce, Beyonce, let me tell you that Beyonce is actually a 5ft. tall chicken. Yep, a chicken.

When we were in San Diego, I even found Baby Beyonce. Cute isn’t she?

Confused? Read all about Beyonce { here }. Be warned, there is language and you will laugh.

If I wasn’t so cheap I’d totally do this to Justin. (Cue evil laugh.)

Enjoy!

For the past couple years, I’ve tried to get on the quinoa bandwagon. It seems quinoa keeps popping up everywhere! As a side dish, in meatloaf, as a coating for fried or baked meats…you name it. If you’ve never had it before, it’s a small grain similar to cous cous and is a great source of dietary fiber as well as being gluten-free.

I’ve had it prepared numerous ways–some I liked and some I didn’t like. A few weeks ago I was in Whole Foods and noticed an interesting quinoa salad full of  mango, cilantro, peppers and raisins. I decided to grab a small container to go, not really sure if I would like it.

Oh, my word. It was delicious!

I now realize that I really enjoy quinoa when it takes a backseat to bigger, bolder flavors. And let me tell you, this dish is not lacking in flavor! It’s a great source of protein, Vitamin C and healthy fats. It’s also gluten free and diabetic friendly. It’s a dish that just about anyone can enjoy!

Try serving it alongside grilled fish or add diced chicken to make it a one dish meal. Enjoy!

Quinoa with Mango and Raisins

Inspired by Whole Foods

{ Serves 4-6 }

1 TBS cilantro

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. coarse sea salt

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

few cracks of fresh black pepper

Juice from 2 limes

1/2 cup olive oil

2 cups cooked quinoa

1 red pepper, diced

1 yellow pepper, diced

1 mango, diced

1 small red onion, diced

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup raw, toasted nuts

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Blend first 6 ingredients together. Slowly drizzle in olive oil until well incorporated. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Add half of the dressing mixture to the quinoa. Stir well and let sit for a few minutes.

Add remaining ingredients to the quinoa mixture, along with the remaining dressing. Toss well to combine and serve!