Someone Needs a Shower

Another weekend. Another wedding shower. Another trip to Florida.



I have been best friends with Megs since we were in Mrs. Hickenbothom's preschool class at age four. I grew up with this girl; we shared more memories than I could ever carry; she is my sister. So I guess this means I am getting a brother-in-law.



I flew to Florida for Megs' wedding shower. It was a couples shower which was really fun. There were games, amazing food, cute decorations and great company with a surf-n-turf theme. All the lovely bridesmaids really pulled together to create an amazing event.



Probably my favorite part of the game portion:



Amazing food:



The full spread including everything from venison meatballs to shrimp and scallop ravioli:



Meagan and Jonathan make a great couple, mostly because their combined name is "Jeagan" and their kids will be studs, but also because they complement each other better than anyone I know. They deserve each other. I have never seen my best friend happier, and I cannot wait to celebrate the big day.



As a huge HUGE bonus, my brother's family came down to my parents' house in Tampa for the weekend for some quality time with "Aunt Lindsey."

Charlotte (just days from being a year old)..."A" is for Apple:



Olivia looooooooves coming to her buela and grandpa's house in Tampa...cannot imagine why:


Side note: I love the painting on the wall in this picture (sorry it is blurry). My parents have had it for about 20 years, and it has never become old or ugly to me. It is the reason I like the "old world look," because lots of things like that will never go out of style. There is something to be said about old pictures that have been recreated and printed and have survived hundreds or even thousands of years (and make it into people's homes still today). This is obviously just a recreation of an original painting, but it is my favorite thing in my parents' house.

When you live across the country from so many people you love so deeply, you end up cramming a lot of quality time into the couple times a year you get to visit. There are only so many meals I share with my family each year so I always want them to be special. It is almost like I get to experiment all year long and use some of my favorite recipes for these rare get-togethers.



This is one of those recipes. I made it for the first time only about a month ago. It is yet another recipe from my gal pal, Paula Deen's cookbook. Succotash is a dish that is made a variety of ways. There are wildly different recipes from the one Paula gives (I am pretty sure she even has more than one recipe for it herself). I don't think you will feel the need to look any further after trying out this version.

The Only Succotash Recipe You Need:

(recipe by Paula Deen)

1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 chicken bouillon cube (I used beef) or 1 tsp granulated bouillon
one 10 oz package frozen lima beans or butter beans (I used lima)
6 slices of bacon, cut into tiny pieces
one 10 oz package frozen corn kernels (or 3 ears fresh corn (I think we all know I used frozen)
2 tbsp butter
pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, add the first three seasonings and the bouillon cube to 2 cups of water.
Add the lima beans (or butter beans), and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low, and continue cooking until the beans are tender and some of the water has been absorbed.
Meanwhile, in a skillet, sauté the bacon until very crisp.
Drain off all but 1 tbsp of the bacon grease, and add the corn to the skillet with the bacon; cook over low heat for about 10 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, ad the beans to the skillet with the corn and bacon.
Spoon over a little of the bean liquid to mix in.
Add the butter and pepper to taste.

It is almost even more delicious the next day as leftovers!