thankful thursday # 43.

i am so thankful for everyone who has taught me how to cook.

my mom.  my sister.  my dad.  ruth.  my grandma.  everyone at work.  everyone at school.  the pioneer woman.  tons & tons of blogs out there.  the food network.  amy & ogden.  miss nebbia...

it is so much fun to learn about something & actually get a bit better at it.  especially when it is something you really love.

& after pastry school & baking almost daily for over a year now, i am certain that the best way to learn how to cook is to do it a lot & make mistakes & pick up tips from those around you.

i made a huge batch of salsa last night for a dinner we are hosting tonight & it is really bitter.  i have full confidence after talking to my chef & stalking the internet, i can salvage it.

& i am making my umpteenth pioneer woman pulled pork for the dinner too.  some have been better than others but i am learning that part of it has to do with the quality of the meat but part of it is the amount of salt i put on the pork first to break down the proteins & make it tender.

that is so cool.

so thank you all who have made me a better cook.  & thank you all who cheer me on to keep cooking.  it is a lot of fun.

i hope you can think of something today for which you are thankful.

love love,
kjp.

fun after all of the thanks.

after the thanksgiving feast on thursday, we had a super fun weekend with julie & ben.  as everything else with us, most of it revolved around food.  we had to show them all the awesomeness birmy has to offer... which is a lot of food.

real southern bbq was a top the list, so saw's had to be on schedule.  their ribs are amazing.  if you are in birmingham ever, eat saw's ribs.  so good.

one of the local breweries recently opened a beer tasting room.  good people brewing company.  very tasty beer.  my fave is the brown ale.  all boys love the ipa.  oooh, & we tried their new bret pale ale.  very good too.  we ran into one of my favorites in birmy, so it was an evening of all things fun.

for the lsu vs arkansas game, we headed to our favorite chicken wings & patio.  you guessed it - moe's!  for a november afternoon, it was a gorgeous day for a patio full of football, beer, & bbq.  ben & julie loved the redneck nachos.  obviously.  & the wings were fabulous too. 

 {tic-tac-toe in beer foam = awesome}

our friends, matt & ashlee, were in town for the holiday, so they joined us too!  oh, it felt like the good ole days.  we absolutely loved seeing them.  & were very happy matt got out of the shower long enough to hang out with his buds.  {haha.}

once the patio got a bit chilly, we went across the street to the best package store/bar.  oh yes, two in one.  the bar tenders are quite funny with their adult jokes.  always a laugh.  always a good time.

 {little kiiiiiings.  holla.}

on saturday, after we convinced julie byrd & benny boo to stay an extra day {HECK YES!}, we had to watch THE big game.  if you live in alabama, you must know what game this is referencing.  the iron bowl.  alabama vs auburn.  the biggest game of the year, regardless of how bad one of the teams may or may not be.  

so even though i refuse to pick a side, as all say we have to do {i am sooner born & sooner bred & when i die, i will still not cheer for alabama or auburn}... i do love football, so we watched the game at the clyde & enjoyed a tasty alabama beer or two & maybe even a deep fried bratwurst.  & deep fried sauerkraut balls. 

it's the south.  don't judge.

did i mention blake & ben went to a shooting range?  just for fun.  man time.  boys are funny.  

also funny about man time: sitting on the couch.  next to each other.  watching tv.  while each on their electronic device.  somehow equals man time.  boys...

so girl time was a must!  & what do julie & i do for girl time?  make grandma's christmas candy!!!  english toffee & peanutbutter balls are made!  if you ask really really nicely, i might share with you.

in conclusion, we had the most fabulous weekend.  & the final result was...

love love,

kjp.

a happy happy day of thanks!

so so many things to be thankful for this year.  & that absolutely includes my sister & bro-in-law and our birmy friends.  so happy & blessed you all would join us for our thanksgiving feast!

a feast it was.  2 turkeys, 2 dressings, 2 gravies... an appetizer with cranberries & champagne... 5 more delicious side dishes...  pumpkin pie & of course julie & my famous rendition of our grandma's pecan pie!

{paula dean's brie en croute.  delish.}

as it turns out, blakey is a master turkey carver.  proud of you, babe.

{how pretty is our platter of 12lb turkey?!}

& we all already knew ogden is a master meat man.  fried turkey... i think so!

{my grandma's cornbread dressing}

{amy's family's traditional dressing}

{mushroom gravy for my almost-a-vegetarian sister.  surprisingly good.}

{amy's mom's giblet gravy}

{it wouldn't be thanksgiving without mashed potatoes.}

{& it definitely wouldn't be thanksgiving without green bean casserole.}

{ben's favorite corn casserole}

{& bobby flay's ridiculously expensive mac & cheese.

totally worth it.  even when i forget one of the cheeses.}

{our leftovers.  impressive.}

thanksgiving would not be complete without a game or two of shuffleboard.  so happy julie & ben could learn the ropes.

a very happy thanksgiving to you!!  

love love,

kjp.

so thankful.

we had a most wonderful, fun, relaxing thanksgiving week with julie & ben! 

we ate.  we drank.  we were very merry.

& i am excited to tell you all about it... tomorrow... when i've re-joined the real world.

i hope your thanksgiving was absolutely wonderful too.

love love,
kjp.

it's thanksgiving!!!

& i am so thankful it is here!

my sister & benny boo are here.
groceries are purchased.
the house is decorated.
& i am super ready to start the cooking & baking extravaganza that is thanksgiving.

thanksgiving last year was one of my favorite birmy memories that we will remember for years & years to come.  our first thanksgiving as husband & wife.  our first thanksgiving in birmy.  & my first thanksgiving meal to cook.  it was a wonderful day...

my annual panic of "oh my gosh, how am i going to fit a 5-gallon bucket in my fridge with all of the other groceries?!" has already been here & been solved.  wine fridge = beer fridge.  success!

ooooh, i already look forward to all of this...& more...

my grandma's pecan pie with julie & my twist...

my most amazing husband...

so ready for thanksgiving 2011 & all of our new memories.  

i hope you can think of many many things today for which you are thankful.

love love,

kjp.

get your vote on! {for pentatonix}

remember last week when i told you about the AMAZING group pentatonix on the sing off?  {if you missed it, check it out HERE.}

well, they made it to the finals!  & their performance was pretty kick a.  you should probably watch it:

so.  voting has begun!  if you love them as much as i do {how could you not?}, you should vote!  it is super easy.  go here: VOTE HERE!  enter your email address, click that you are 13, & vote!  

{don't worry.  nbc doesn't email you.  or at least they haven't for me yet.  & i voted all 10 times :) }

shameless kappa love.

love love,

kjp.