Friday Five: Welcome to football season

It's Friday, so I'm linking up with Joy for another Friday Five. 

1. My tailgate bag is packed! Can't wait to see everyone and enjoy our first home game of the season. 

2. Getting ready. This week I prepped food for the game and bought some new maroon! Old Navy and Material Girls for the win. 

3. I planned a super awesome date night for Patrick and we headed to Fondren for big bites and cold beer at Fondren Public. This BLT is to die for (bacon, lettuce, and sundried tomato pimento and cheese)!

4. The drinks were fantastic too! I went with a Mississippi Mule (Cathead Honeysuckle vodka, ginger beer and lime) and now I MUST try it at home/find some copper mugs. 

5. And just for giggles, this was my view part of the week. 

Yep, that's an orang hiding under kraft paper. Pumpkin's a little shy. 

Tailgating Tuesday: Brunch Options

It's Tailgating Tuesday again! Today I'm going to share one of my favorites for an early tailgate...brunch.

A brunch tailgate is pretty easy to set up and can run the gamut from donuts and coffee to mimosas and eggs benedict.  We usually go somewhere in the middle with breakfast casseroles, monkey bread, fruit,  and well, mimosas. I tested this recipe last weekend and it was a hit at our house!

3-ingredient Sausage Bites

• 1 lb. sausage (pork)
• 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
• 2 packages crescent rolls (save yourself some stress and get the seamless dough)

1. Brown and drain sausage. Blend in cream cheese until the cream cheese is melted.
2. Unroll one package of crescent rolls and place on a baking sheet. Leaving about a 1/2-inch border along the edges, add sausage and chees mixture.
3. Unroll the remaining package of crescent rolls and place on top of the sausage mixture. Press the edges together to seal.
4. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until crescent roll dough is golden brown.
5. Cut into small squares and serve.  (A pizza cutter makes it easy!)

Some of my other favorites:

Monkey Bread
Sausage Biscuit Bites
Banana Bread Muffins

Tailgating Tuesday: Bourbon Balls

Wahoo! My first REAL Tailgating Tuesday post that people will care about!  It's time for my FAMOUS Bourbon Ball Recipe.  I'm forced to bring these to every single football game, and really, I don't mind.  It's an easy recipe, and all of our friends love them.

1 c. crumbled vanilla wafers

1 c. chopped pecans (optional)

1 c. confectioners sugar

2 tbsps. cocoa

1 1/2 tbsps. light Karo syrup

1/4 c. bourbon (We use Maker's Mark.)

extra confectioners sugar

 

Start by chopping your pecans and crumbling the vanilla wafers.  Wafers should be uniform in size, and a sandy texture.

 

Mix pecans, vanilla wafers, confectioners sugar, and cocoa in a large bowl. Whisk bourbon and Karo syrup in a separate bowl. After that, add the wet mixture to the dry.

 

If it isn't wet enough, add a little more bourbon, I almost always have to.  At this point, you start rolling them into little balls about the size of a gumball.  

After rolling each ball, coat it in more confectioners sugar.  I lay them out on a cookie sheet before storing in a plastic bag. 

 

 

 

 

5 Things

Amanda (my Bloggers Helping Bloggers Buddy) tagged me in a 5 things post and I just couldn't say no.

Five things I have a passion for:

Baking

MSU Football

Cavalier Puppies

My husband's mad grill skills

Pottery Barn

Five things I’d like to do before I die:

Write a cookbook
Have an academic building named after us
Go on our honeymoon trip again (it was amazing)
Trace our family tree back to Europe
Live somewhere exotic

 

Five Reads I love

My Life in France By Julia Child 

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Five Six Favorite Movies

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Gone With the Wind

Pride and Prejudice (Colin Firth)

Animal House

Monty Python and the Holy Grail or National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Five Places I’d Like to Travel to

London

St Maarten

Rome (again)

Costa Rica (again)

Paris

I think this has been passed around my group of friends a bit, so I'll stop here, 

but did any of these surprise you?

Wordless Wednesday

Tailgating Tuesday: Planning

 

For the next few weeks, I'm going to share the best part of a fall to me: TAILGATING!  It's the perfect way to get ready for the big event of the day (or night) and crucial to our social circle.

 

Want to tell me about how you tailgate? Email me here if you'd like to guest post!

 

The first and probably most important is proper planning.

 

What exactly do you need and how can you work with your group to make sure

no one person is doing too much?

 

 

We've been doing this for a few years, so our group takes up a "fee" at the beginning of the year to pay for any group purchases, like generators, satellite, or televisions.  We also determine where everything will be stored, like tents, chairs, and grill equipment. With about 20 people on a small weekend, we need four tents, three 8 foot tables, and a grill.  Most people bring their own chair.

 

For each game, we send an email about a week beforehand so that people can sign up for different needs.  I normally take a dessert, while my in-laws that make a longer drive bring chips and dip.  This way everyone is in the know and we don't end up with tons of baked beans, but no burgers.

 

Next week, I'll share some of my favorite recipes for tailgate desserts!

 

 

What do you do to plan your tailgate?

 



Friday Five

It's finally Friday! Although, much less satisfying when you plan on working on Saturday too. I'm linking up with  Joy from the Sowell Life.

1. Target finds: I had a couple of hours to waste while getting my tire fixed a few weeks ago and found some of the best stuff. Needed shorts because I work outside a good bit and couldn't remember the last time I bought a pair.  For $13, SOLD! We also wanted a good outdoor rug to put outside the front door...super cute, but for a fraction of the cost elsewhere.  I really want two more now.

2. Football season is coming up in 15 days! We can't wait to sport the maroon and white in Starkville.  Time to tailgate...and share some good recipes!

3. Speaking of football season, these guys need some Maroon and White.  Can't decide what else to add to them.  Any suggestions?

4.  On the home front, I added this to my office. It needs to be framed out, but I need someone to come help me out with it (cough, Dad, cough).

5. On a not so happy note, migraines are zero fun.  I had one Monday, and it got so bad, so quickly that I needed a shot and prescription.  They've been under control for a while, so I'm pretty concerned that this one popped up. So say a little prayer for no headache days for a while!

Foodie Friday-Banana Bread

I've been craving something homemade this week since I'm normally a grab a breakfast bar as I'm running out the door. This week, banana bread muffins made the menu....Patrick is always super supportive of this plan!

Bread:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
¼ cup of walnuts (optional)

3 ripe bananas, smashed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan or 15 muffin tins. 

Combine flour (2 C), baking soda (1 tsp), and baking powder (½ tsp) in a small bowl, whisk.

Beat sugar (1 C) and oil (½ C) on medium. Add the eggs, one at a time, then add the bananas and vanilla extract (2 tsp); beat to combine. Begin adding the flour mixture and milk, alternating. Finally, add chopped walnuts (¼ C)Beat just until the flour is incorporated and finish mixing with a spatula.

Spread batter into the loaf pan or muffin tins. Bake until a toothpick comes out mostly clean, about 55 minutes for a loaf or 20 minutes for muffins. 

New (easy!) recipe: Creamy Sausage Penne

Last week, we lived off of junk food. One of my friends even said that our diet appealed to her inner toddler, yikes! Unfortunately, anytime I'm sick, that's what happens at our house. Patrick doesn't cook. At all.

I decided that to combat this next time, I'd prep some freezer meals that he can just throw in the oven and set the timer. My plan is to not do the crazy hundreds of meals prep, but make a double batch of dinner. Here's the first delicious dish I've tried...hopefully it will be good in a few weeks too. 

Creamy Sausage Penne

Adapted from What's Cooking Chicago

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon  chopped garlic
1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed
2 (10.5-ounce) cans tomato puree

1 (14-ounce) diced tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound penne
3 cups ricotta 
1 bag shredded Mozzerella

Preheat the oven to 400°.

In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the minced garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until lightly browned, about 15-30 seconds. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat, until browned, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato puree, diced tomatoes, and sugar, . Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until thickened, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the penne in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

Reserve half of the meat sauce. Transfer the remaining sauce to the pot with the pasta. Toss to combine.

Spoon the pasta into a 8x8-inch baking dish. Pour the reserved meat sauce over the pasta and dollop large spoonfuls of the ricotta on top. Gently fold some of the ricotta into the pasta; don't over mix.  Scatter the mozzarella on top.

Bake the pasta in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes, or until bubbling and golden on top. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

*Make Ahead/Freezer Meal: Prepare the recipe above but spoon the pasta into a freezer- and oven-safe container. Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the pasta and dollop large spoonfuls of the ricotta on top. Gently fold some of the ricotta into the pasta; don't overmix—you should have pockets of ricotta. Scatter the mozzarella on top. Cover and freeze. When ready to serve, defrost and bake the pasta in a 400 degree preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until bubbling and golden on top. Let rest for 20 minutes before serving.

Friday Five 7/26

I'm linking up with the lovely Joy from the Sowell life for the Friday Five

1. I've been totally miserably sick this week.  Don't know if Patrick's parents passed on their illness to me, but fever, chills, congestion....they're all over me right now.  Luckily, I have a sweet husband to take care of me and a pup that loves to snuggle.

2. Being housebound almost drove me loony this week, so my niece got two new outfits sewn, including this sunsuit with a ruffle booty.  Super professional picture, I know.

3. I've been super busy at work, which means my sick days were actually grant writing/reporting days.  I'm waiting to proofread until Monday just to be on the safe side.  Just couldn't take 3 days completely off right now.

4. Our bestest friends got married last weekend!  If you missed that post, go back and check it out, but I'll leave you with a lovely outtake.

5. This weekend, we plan on taking it easy, so I can hopefully get completely well.  I'm looking forward to sleeping late, pancakes, and all day PJs.

Getting to Know You

Tuesday's post was just the start.  Here's some more you about me!

1. What part of Mississippi are you from? Madison
2. How long have you been blogging? Off and on for 4 years.
3. Why did you start blogging? I started as a way to connect with family and friends when we lived in Arizona.  I was pretty miserable out there.
4. Tell us what we can expect when reading your blog. A little bit of everything, but mostly lots of puppy pictures and some good recipes, especially since football season is just around the corner.
5. What does your blog title means? Pretty self explanatory ;)
6. What do you love about being part of Mississippi Women Bloggers? Great community!
7. Who inspires you to blog? It's a fun way to de-stress after a long day and express myself.
8. If you could pick a favorite blog post from this past year, what would it be? That's a short list! Probably my Bundt cake recipe.
9. Do your real life friends know you blog?  How do they respond? Yep.  They're kinda meh.
10. What is your blogging routine (if you have one)? Not even close.  I wish I did!
11. We all love social media!  Are there any social media links you would like to share so we can follow you? twitter.com/angela_shepard
12. Name 3 bloggers who have not joined Mississippi Women Bloggers that you would like to see join us!  MK @ Joyfully Uncomfortable...can't think of any others

Wedding Weekend

Last weekend, we headed south for the beautiful wedding of Ben and Jamey.  Ben is one of our best friends (former roommate) and Patrick's fraternity brother and Jamey is the perfect girl for him.  We love her.

It was bound to be interesting since it was a Primitive Baptist/Catholic wedding, but I think that the pastor and Father Rust did a great job of integrating both traditions into the wedding. There was a little bit of wedding day craziness, like finding the groom in the pool thirty minutes before pictures (30 minutes away) or the music person being fired during the rehearsal, but otherwise fairly uneventful....and aren't those the things you remember?

 The funniest part (to me):
Friday night, I was the proxy bride and Boone (family friend), escorted me down the aisle several times, which led to lots of jokes. The church was small tiny, so the bride couldn't come over till just before the ceremony, and Boone joked that I was going to get a second husband.

The reception was at the country club and we danced our booties off.  Even Patrick made it on the dance floor.  Here are some fun pictures from their great day!

Tammie Adam Photography

Some Fun Questions

A few days ago, Jenny from Crumbs Under the Table nominated little ol' me for a Liebster.

It is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers, 

as a great way to get to know you a little better.

So here are the rules: 

1. Link back to the blog that nominated me. 

2. Nominate 5-11 blogs with fewer than 200 followers. 

3. Answer the questions posted for you by your nominator. 

4. Share 11 random facts about yourself.

5. Create 11 questions for your nominees. 

6. Contact your nominees by commenting on their blog or sending them an email to communicate the nomination. 

My questions from Jenny:

1. Would you rather live in the city or the country?

    Can go with the "other" option?  I'm a fan of the 'burbs, but if I had to pick, I'd probably vote city.  Loved living in NoLA!

2. What is something that happened in the last seven days that you will remember in seven years?

     Ben and Jamey's wedding.  Complete with Kool-Aid getting fired during the rehearsal.

3. Surf or turf? 

Always turf.

4. Why did you start blogging?

It started with a different blog (eons ago) when we were living in Arizona, as an easy way to keep up with family and friends.

5. If you were stranded on a desert island, what is the one object you would like to have with you?

Shampoo.  I hate the feeling of sandy saltwater hair once I'm done at the beach.

6. Do you love or hate Facebook? 

Good one.  Personally love it, but part of my career is social media related....which makes me hate it.  

7. What kind(s) of music do you like?

Rock/pop/folk.  Lately I've been jamming out to Matchbox20, Robin Thicke and Mumford and Sons.

8. If you had it to do over again, would you take the same career path? 

Depends on the day. 80% of the time I'm happy in my field (fundraising), but it's a niche market, so moving can be challenging and it's very high stress.

9. What is your favorite place you have ever been?

Montezuma, Costa Rica.  I interned/went to school in Costa Rica for a summer and Montezuma was my favorite weekend trip.  So relaxing, best mango daiquiris, beautiful beaches.

10. What is the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you (that you can talk about publicly)?

After I got back from Costa Rica, my then boyfriend (now husband) thought it would be funny to stick a car key in my ear, to which I replied, "what the hell Patrick f'ing Shepard?" In front of my family. That had never heard me curse (nor have they heard it since then).

11. Do you like to watch sports, and if so, which ones  and which teams?

College Football....Mississippi State

Now for the randoms....

1. Last year, I got to see Joshua Bell perform Vivaldi in Audubon Park. It was my absolute favorite live  performance.

2. I've never been north of DC (in the good ol' USA).

3. I'm on my 3rd (maybe 4th) passport at 28.

4. I've been to 20+ countries, 4 continents (Asia, Africa, Europe, North America)

5. I've lost 30 pounds this year!

6. My dog is named after Oliver Cromwell.  He's a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. We're history nerds.

7. I grew up on a farm, with horses, cows and goats.

8. I hate goat cheese because of said goats.

9.  I have a degree in Spanish, but can only speak it if I'm tipsy.

10. I sew on the side as a stress reliever.  My niece is the biggest beneficiary of this hobby.

11. The Shepards are both big readers. We've started a library for our future children and read 100s of books a year.

My five friends:

Sally @ Sally, That Girl

MK @ Joyfully Uncomfortable

Southern Momma at Home

Cassie @ Second Chances

Samantha @ She Runs in Pearls

Questions for these ladies:

1. Did you ever want to change your name? To what?

2. Dream vacation spot?

3. What is your least favorite food?

4. If you could meet someone famous for dinner (dead or alive) who would it be?

5. Favorite book character?

6. Winter or Summer?

7. What's your perfect date night?

8. Dog or Cat?

9. If you could have a shopping spree anywhere, what store would you choose?

10. What career did you want as a child?

11. Is your hometown famous for anything?

Brain Dump Número Uno

It's been a crazy few weeks, so this seems like the most appropriate way to say a lot in a little time.

1. Cromwell and I have started walking almost every afternoon, but today I think I pushed him a little too far. By the last quarter mile, he started up every driveway, like he was thinking "please, please let this be our house."

                                

2. To follow up with that, I'm trying to get back into running. I've done C25K and will probably use it again, but I get bored easily. Any other suggestions to keep me into it? Or race suggestions?

3. Are you a reader? We are both big readers (bookshelf space is a must) but, this article about America's decline in reading made me pretty sad. To cheer myself up, I'm trying a new book, The Zookeeper's Wife. Apropos, right?

4. Only 51 days till MSU Football. I can't wait for trips to Starkville, our super "churched up" tailgate, and cheering on the dogs. #hailstate

5. Random observation: I'm terrible at making friends. After moving (a lot!), I'm good at making acquaintances, but friends to hang out with....not so much. #adultlifeishard

Bake Me a Cake

Patrick had sinus surgery a few weeks ago, and while I was enjoying a bachelorette party in New Orleans, one of our neighbors brought him a chicken pot pie.  Being the good southern lady that I am, I couldn't return the dish empty, but I completely forgot to buy ingredients every time I went to the grocery.  So last night, as we were waiting on the grill to get hot, I decided I would find a recipe that would work with what I had on hand...and I got pretty close! May I present:

 

Sour Cream Pound Cake

 

Ingredients

• 1 stick butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the sour cream and mix until incorporated. Sift the baking soda and flour together. Add to the creamed mixture alternating with eggs, beating in each egg 1 at a time. Add vanilla.
Pour the mixture into a greased pan. Bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.


Super simple and delicious.  Ours were in tiny Bundt pans which have about 4 servings each, Patrick's already asked me to make it again, only with strawberries on top.

Do you have a favorite pound cake recipe?

Crafty Update 1

When Patrick's busy, I get bored. Then when I get bored, I do ALL the things.

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com

Why do 1 project when you could do 3? At once. While sick. That's just how I roll.

The easy: curtains.  Totally done. They need to be ironed and hung, but they have beautiful seams and the pattern matches on both patterns. Winner.

                                       

The tables, aka the project I didn't think I was going to have to do. Done-ish. 

                                       

Notice something? Like the ridiculous amount the table sticks out into our breakfast nook? Yep...didn't measure the width. Luckily they are real wood, so I used the jig saw to shave a few inches off each side (tried a skill saw, but it failed), then stained the edges in Rustoleum Kona. One is still drying, but they look great and most importantly, they fit. 

The (slightly) crazy: daybed. 

I mentioned it in my last post, but I really wanted to build this daybed and a weekend at home with dad seemed like the perfect opportunity to knock it out. I forgot that this was a project with my dad. We are the same person as far as OCD is concerned so it may have taken longer than normal. In the hot MS sun. We worked until 11pm Saturday, then finished up with trim Sunday morning. 

         

I'm a tiny bit further than this. It's had the first sanding/putty, but needs another one before painting in antique white. It should be a great addition to our guest room, no more air mattress slumber parties!

So that's the state of craftiness this week.  Hoping to get the curtains up this week and start painting the daybed. The only other crafty project on my horizon (I think), is to sew my niece some new dresses, I can't wait!

Friday Five - 6/21

I'm linking up with Joy from The Sowell Life for another Friday Five:

1. Finally picked a curtain fabric! It was a tiny bit difficult to find something I liked (not that I'm picky AT ALL) but when I saw this from Premier Fabrics, I was SOLD.  Took home a sample and even Patrick liked it.  Now, I have to break out the sewing machine...or talk my mom into a project.

 

2. My tomatoes decided they were BLOWING UP this week! We only have 6 small plants, but here's what I picked in one day. Better Boys, Cherokee Purples, and two varieties of cherry tomatoes.

3. Patrick's surgery went really well. He took a little longer to come out of anesthesia than we would have liked, but everything was great at the checkup yesterday. 

4. Last weekend was one of my absolute favorites in a while. I headed to NoLA for a bachelorette weekend with my friend Jamey. Didn't know any of the other girls, but we meshed SO well as a group. It was nice to get away and have a good girls' weekend. 

5. Sweet pup thinks I should stay in bed longer....can't say I disagree with him!

Let's Get Crafty

A few posts ago, I mentioned the lack of personality in our house so far. And the empty room(s). Well, inspiration has finally struck for a few projects. I've got a few in mind, in no particular order, because frankly, a few of them will need some assistance.

Daybed

So, I love this daybed for our guest room, but I don't love the price. Luckily, there's a solution. Ana White has a plan, complete with cut list available. Whenever dear old dad has some time, we'll get this done. Question: Tufted PB mattress or real one?

Curtains

To help soften up the living room, I think we've gotta get some curtains. Our ceilings in the living room are super high (like 12 feet), so I haven't really found anything long enough that I like, which means the sewing machine will have to make its debut. I'm leaning toward a tan and white lattice/quatrefoil print. 

What do you think?

Next time I'll talk about the other fun I have planned...Patrick's thrilled. 

Always Busy and a bit about me.

Well, I should really update/customize this blog, but I just have been too busy, so this will have to do for now.  Patrick's having surgery tomorrow, work's a little crazy, and I can't say no sometimes.

Instead of a long, dramatic what we've been up to kind of post, I'm going to answer Joy's questions from The Sowell Life.

A Bit About Angela

 



1. Out of the 24 hours in a day, what is your favorite time on the clock and why?
This is a tough one... probably 11 am. I'm at my peak effectiveness around that time.

2. What is your favorite magazine to get in the mail or buy in the store?
 Martha! Even if I don't have time to be quite that crafty, I like to think I could/would be.

3. Twitter or Facebook?
Twitter! I use Facebook so much for work that I like to disconnect from it, but I've met great friends and had the funniest convos via Twitter.

4. What's your best memory of high school?
I loved our little high school.  Favorite memory probably is in Mrs. Herrington's AP English class. 

5. What's your go to website for shopping?
Clothes or homegoods? Clothes - JCREW, Gap...Classic, preppy style.  For the house - Pottery Barn...there's isn't one in Mississippi!

6. A blogger who inspires you?
Probably Sherry Petersik of Young House Love.  I'm slightly obsessed with them and their creativeness.

7. Who is your celebrity crush?
Can I specify a specific time period? If so, Brad Pitt, in like 2005. with short hair.  If current is my only option, Ben Affleck.

8. What's a book you'd recommend to read?
My Life in France - Julia Child

9. A favorite recipe you love to make?
Chocolate trifle - Dark chocolate cake soaked in Kahlua, fresh whipped cream, and fudge.

10. Your favorite app on your phone?
Instagram
11. You've got an afternoon kid free and job free, what would you do?
Lay by a pool (that I don't have) and then get a pedicure.

12. The restaurant you always crave?
Another hard one since I was a food blogger.  In Jackson - Ruth Chris, but only because Jeremy is the Chef.  In New Orleans, Restaurant August.  Best meal, hands down.

So now you know a little more about me, what would your answers be?