Autumnal Birthday Bash

Let me start this post with a little background story. As y'all all know by now, I love theme parties. You can find some prior posts on them here, here and here. I come by this naturally. My mom can rock a theme party. I always had elaborate birthday parties where everything went with the theme. These were the days before Pinterest, y'all. She of course got this from her mother, "Mawgie." She told me a story where Mawgie traced and colored individual paper sacks for goodie bags for one of my mom's childhood birthday parties.
Well, let me tell you my friends Samantha and her mom Sheila can throw one heck of a party, too. A few weeks ago we went to a party at their house to celebrate Samantha and her hubbt Neil's 30th birthday and mama Sheila's 60th. It was a blast. Lots of details, great food and an awesome band. I'll let the pics do the rest of the talking.

I would never have thought to use a changing table as a bar.
So clever!

Of course there had to be a spot set up where the guys could watch the college games.
Sam went to MSU, her hubby went to Ole Miss.

This is where the guys were cooking all the meat.

AMAZING cake made by our sweet friend Kayce's (remember from here at the tailgate?) mom.

I thought the unlisted napkins were clever.

Taco bar

Great band

Fried bologna Do yourself a favor and go try some right now.

The fabulous Sheila

The fabulous Samantha

From left to right;
me, Christopher, Samantha, her hubby Neil, Matt and Kayce

You know it was a fun party when your hair ends up like this.
 

Amazing party and great friends. Did I mention Sheila's signature cocktail was an apple cider with tequila and rum in it? Yeah...

The ladies also run a very cute boutique. Go and check them out on Facebook. The Shop of S & J. Sam is also a very talented interior designer, if you ever need someone she's your girl.

Gameday Recipes

As promised, this post is recipes for a few go-to recipes whether you're tailgating at the game or couchgating at home. For the Ole Miss tailgate I made a new recipe found on Pinterest: Samoa dip. Oh, yeah, as in the Girl Scout cookie I sold so many years ago.
 

Samoas Dip

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Ingredients:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, cold
• 8 oz. butter or margarine, cold
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 sleeve shortbread cookies
• 1 cup toasted coconut
• 1 cup Caramel Hershey Kisses
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate for drizzling

Instructions:

1. Using a paddle attachment, cream the butter and the cream cheese.
2. Add in the cookies, and mix on high (so the cookies are good and crushed).
3. Mix in the powdered sugar, until fully incorporated.
4. Add Hershey kisses, and mix on high so they get broken up really well.
5. Fold in the toasted coconut with a rubber spatula
6. Serve with graham crackers!

These are the shortbread cookies I used.

 Toasting the coconut, so easy and so good!

 

 That's a lot of Hershey Kisses!

Tada!

The next recipe is for my mom's gumbo. It is so delish and is great for carrying to a tailgate in a crockpot or to eat while you're "couchgating" and watching the game at home.

Willma's Gumbo:

Ingredients:

3/4 c. vegetable oil (I use olive oil)
6-8 stalks celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 c. fresh parsley, chopped (Willma prefers to substitute a little dried instead, which is what I do)
1 lb. frozen okra (I like okra so much, I put in 2)
3 cans chicken broth
1-2 c. water
1/2 c. Worchestershire sauce
1 TBSP salt
1-2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp. dried whole rosemary
2 c. shopped chicken (OR 2 large cans)
1 lb. smoked sausage (or Kielbasa, sliced)
1 c. all purpose flour
2-3 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 large can stewed tomatoes
1 large slice ham, diced (I omitted this because I didn't have any and it was still good)
1/4 tsp. dried, whole thyme
red pepper flakes (to taste, optional)
3 lbs. cooked, peeled shrimp (I keep mine separate and add later since the hubby is allergic)
hot, cooked rice

Instructions:

Combine oil and flour in large Dutch oven, cook over medium hear, stirring constantly, 10-15 minutes or until roux is the color of a copper penny. Stir in onion, celery, green pepper and garlic; add parsley (if desired). Cook 45 minutes - 1 hour on low to medium heat, stirring mixture occasionally to prevent sticking. Add okra, and stir well over low heat. Stir well. Next, add chicken broth, water, seasonings. Add sausage and chicken (drained if using canned). Simmer 2 1/2 - 3 hours over low heat, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking. About 30 minutes prior to serving, stir in shrimp and heat thoroughly. Serve over hot, cooked rice. You may sprinkle a tiny bit of gumbo file' over each serving for extra thickness and flavor. (See file' package directions.) NOTE: This makes A LOT! It freezes well, but you want to freeze it without the rice. Or, of course you can half the recipe.

A few side notes: she's not kidding, it does make a lot. We had it for dinner and then I had it every day for lunch that week. I still had enough after that to freeze some, too. Also, don't forget that this takes 4  hours to make. I always forget and everytime I make it I end up making something else for dinner that night and have the gumbo the next.
This is the file' I use:

Southern Tailgating

As I think I say every year... It's fall, y'all!!! And with fall comes football. A few weeks ago, we went to our first Ole Miss (hubby's alma mater) game of the season. That being said, with this being the first day of October I'd like to dedicate the next few posts to football. Here are some pics from our southern tailgate in The Grove:

 

Our tailgate 

For those of you who don't know, everyone tailgates at The Grove at Ole Miss. It's a big grassy area in the middle of campus. Although, we're tailgating there aren't any cars so there are no actual tailgates. Ole Miss fans go all out and will set out china and have chandeliers hanging from their tents. People will get there the night before an stake out their spot. Some people have had the same spot for years and actually pay a service to go set up their spot for them. No joke. What a great way for college kids to make some extra money, right?

Our friends, Kayce and Matt Riva. Kayce sat for 7 hours the day before to make sure we had this spot! That's dedication!

 

My friend, Tilly. We our Tennessee girls who have managed to find us some Ole Miss Rebel guys. 

 

In the game:

 

Fins up! The Ole Miss defense is called the Landsharks. Our friend, Gordon (the super tall guy) scored us these awesome foam fins. Thank goodness, since Miley ruined foam fingers. 

 

Thanks to my friend, Aimee, who sent me the link to this. It's so true! I made a few notes.

Football in the North vs. South

Planning for the fall football season in the South is radically different than up North.

For those who are planning a football trip South, here are some helpful hints.

Women's Accessories:

NORTH: Chap Stick in back pocket and a $20 bill in the front pocket.

SOUTH: Louis Vuitton duffel with two lipsticks, waterproof mascara, and a fifth of bourbon. Money not necessary - that's what dates are for.
Yes, I had a flask in my purse to sneak in for the guys to pour in their drinks. Ok, maybe not just the guys.

 
Stadium Size:

NORTH: College football stadiums hold 20,000 people.

SOUTH: High school football stadiums hold 20,000 people
The University of Tennessee's stadium holds over 100,000 people.

 
Fathers:

NORTH: Expect their daughters to understand Sylvia Plath.

SOUTH: Expect their daughters to understand pass interference.

 
Campus Decor:

NORTH: Statues of founding fathers.

SOUTH: Statues of Heisman trophy winners.

 
Homecoming Queen:

NORTH: Also a physics major.

SOUTH: Also Miss America.

 
Heroes:

NORTH: Rudy Giuliani

SOUTH: Archie & Peyton Manning
UT has streets named after Peyton (his alma mater) and Ole Miss' speed limit thru campus is 10 MPH (Archie's number)

1st Ole Miss game I attended

 

Getting Tickets:

NORTH: 5 days before the game you walk into the ticket office on campus.

SOUTH: 5 months before the game you walk into the ticket office on campus, make a large financial contribution and put name on a waiting list for tickets.

 
Friday Classes After a Thursday Night Game:

NORTH: Students and teachers not sure they're going to the game, because they have classes on Friday.

SOUTH: Teachers cancel Friday classes because they don't want to see the few hung over students that might actually make it to class.

 
Parking:

NORTH: An hour before game time, the University opens the campus for game parking.

SOUTH: RVs sporting their school flags begin arriving on Wednesday for the weekend festivities. The really faithful arrive on Tuesday.

 
Game Day:

NORTH: A few students party in the dorm and watch ESPN on TV.

SOUTH: Every student wakes up, has a beer for breakfast, and rushes over to where ESPN is broadcasting 'Game Day Live' to get on camera and wave to the idiots up north who wonder why 'Game Day Live' is never Broadcast from their campus.

 
Tailgating:

NORTH: Raw meat on a grill, beer with lime in it, listening to local radio station with truck tailgate down.

SOUTH: 30-foot custom pig-shaped smoker fires up at dawn. Cooking accompanied by live performance from the Dave Matthews Band,... who come over during breaks and ask for a hit off bottle of bourbon.

 
Getting to the Stadium:

NORTH: You ask 'Where's the stadium?' When you find it, you walk right in.

SOUTH: When you're near it, you'll hear it. On game day it is the state's third largest city.

 
Concessions:

NORTH: Drinks served in a paper cup, filled to the top with soda.

SOUTH: Drinks served in a plastic cup, with the home team's mascot on it, filled less than half way with soda, to ensure enough room for bourbon.

 
When National Anthem is Played:

NORTH : Stands are less than half full, and less than half of them stand up.

SOUTH: 100,000 fans, all standing, sing along in perfect four-part harmony.

 
The Smell in the Air After the First Score:

NORTH: Nothing changes.

SOUTH: Fireworks, Gunpowder (from the cannon in the end zone), with a touch of bourbon.

 
Commentary (Male):

NORTH: 'Nice play.'

SOUTH: 'Dammit, you slow sumbitch - tackle him and break his legs.'

 
Commentary (Female):

NORTH: 'My, this certainly is a violent sport.'

SOUTH: 'Dammit, you slow sumbitch - tackle him and break his legs.'

 
Announcers:

NORTH: Neutral and paid.

SOUTH: Announcer harmonizes with the crowd in the fight song, with a tear in his eye because he is so proud of his team.

 
After the Game:

NORTH: The stadium is empty way before the game ends.

SOUTH: Another rack of ribs goes on the smoker, while somebody goes to the nearest package store for more bourbon, and planning begins for next week's game.

Nothing else in the universe comes even halfway close to the glories of Southern football!

 
And for SEC Fans:

HOW MANY SEC STUDENTS DOES IT TAKE TO CHANGE A LIGHT BULB?

At VANDERBILT: it takes two, one to change the bulb and one more to explain how they did it every bit as good as the bulbs changed at Harvard.

At GEORGIA: it takes two, one to change the bulb and one to phone an engineer at Georgia Tech for instructions.

At FLORIDA: it takes four, one to screw in the bulb and three to figure out how to get stoned off the old one.

At ALABAMA: it takes five, one to change it, three to reminisce about how The Bear would have done it, and one to throw the old bulb at an NCAA investigator.

At OLE MISS: it takes six, one to change it, two to mix the drinks and three to find the perfect J. Crew outfit to wear for the occasion.
Yes, I know Kayce and I searched for perfect outfits for the game.

At LSU: it takes seven, and each one gets credit for five Semester hours.

At KENTUCKY: it takes eight, one to screw it in and seven to discuss how much brighter it seems to shine during basketball season.

At TENNESSEE: it takes ten, two to figure out how to screw it in, two to buy an orange lampshade, and six to phone a radio call-in show and talk about how much they hate Alabama.
Yup, we HATE Alabama. It's a lot harder to be a Tennessee fan than an Alabama fan!

At MISSISSIPPI STATE: it takes fifteen, one to screw in the bulb, two to buy the Skoal, and twelve to yell, 'GO TO HELL, OLE MISS'.

At AUBURN: it takes one hundred, one to change it, forty-nine to talk about how they did it better than at Bama, and fifty to get drunk and roll Toomer's Corner when finished.

At SOUTH CAROLINA: it takes 80,000, one to screw it in and 79,999 to discuss how this finally will be the year that they have a decent football team.

At ARKANSAS: None. There ain't no 'lectricity in Arkansas

 

It's all in good fun!!! Go big orange and hotty toddy, y'all! Stay tuned for my next post on tailgating recipes!