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Dinner

PRACTICAL MAGIC


Remember the dreamy apartment from this post? Had the pleasure of revisiting last week for a themed dinner the talented KJO hosted, Practical Magic.

There were skulls and smudge sticks, taper candles, black lipstick and magical sunbeams peaking through the trees.  I got to know new ladies over red wine and a grilled dinner. A fantastic night in the (spell) books!

Just look at the details that went into the evening, so wish I would have brought a real camera, but thankful to have at least captured with my Iphone~

After two weekends in a row out of town, we are looking forward to sticking around ATL. Going to start packing up the house and hang with some friends. Low key is just what we need!

Happy almost weekend!

A BLAIRSVILLE BIRTHDAY

Back in February I had the pleasure of photographing a friend’s thirtieth birthday up in Blairsville, GA.  This friend, Maggie, is a very talented calligrapher, stylist, curator, host…the list goes on!  Knowing these skills I knew it was going to be GOOD.

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As I predicted it was dreamy! We pulled up to a beautiful two-story cabin that overlooked Lake Nottely with a mountain view. The dinner featured hand-lettered menus, enamelware, foraged greenery, plaid (!!!), cutest mini wood and gold flatware and many more of Maggie’s touches. Lets let the photos do the talking –

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The birthday lady!

I asked her what made her pick this spot and she said with certainty it was the raw wood table!  I’m sure the view also had something to do with it but I agree, it is a really good table for hosting such an epic evening!

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She mixed her own chairs with chairs from the cabin for a fun mixed-matched seating arrangement.

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OYSTERS!

Did I mention she has a knack for presentation?!

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After this party I was so obsessed with oysters. Remember my recap post from Oysterfest? We went because I enjoyed eating them so much this day!

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Working her magic on finishing touches.

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It was pretty when the sun was shining bright but every hour it got a little darker it kept getting better and better!

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I wish I could photograph these type of events all the time!  Seriously a dream.

Stayed for the meal, party and after party!  Thanks for letting me take a part in your special day and bomb party Maggie!

 

BIRCH LANE

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Wednesday evening I got invited to preview the first outdoor furniture collection from Birch Lane at Wahoo Grill.  The garden party took place out in their beautiful atrium, which was a perfect setting for their outdoor furniture and dining collection.  After arriving there was a table of appetizers which Dustin and I gladly visited especially since we’re familiar with the restaurant and it’s delicious!  We really enjoyed the baked apples wrapped in prosciutto and the fried calamari-which was the legit-tenticals and all-kind!

If this is your first time hearing about Birch Lane, no worries. They are around 1 year old and are a sister company of Wayfair.com – which I’m sure you know. Birch Lane can appeal to my age-late 20s/early 30s-on up. We got a small preview of their line but after looking through their site I can tell you it has vibes everyone can get into.

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After apps and visiting we all took a seat.  The table I was sat at was set beautifully with a Spring palette consisting of gold, white, peach, yellow, purples and greenery.  There was another table that had sage, white, navy with silver and lots of green garland.

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We were given a menu and started dinner. For the first course, a salad, Dustin and I both chose the blood orange citrus and fennel salad which was a perfect balance of fresh and tangy. Next up was dinner and most of us chose the grilled amberjack over rice pilaf with capers and spinach.  Amberjack is such a hardy fish, almost as dense as chicken, which I really liked. The capers really made this meal, added a little jolt of flavor. Lastly, was dessert. I got a lava cake and Dustin got the bourbon bread pudding, naturally. Man oh man was this meal tasty! And in such an elegant setting, I felt very lucky and wanted all the beautiful tablescapes!

Thank you to Birch Lane for hosting our group of lifestyle, fashion and decor bloggers-we had a terrific time getting a first hand look at your Spring outdoor line!

SOFIA XIV SUPPER | BIRD’S THE WORD

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Few weekends ago I photographed a supper at the Goat Farm Arts Center hosted by Ciera of SOFIA XIV. The chef was local, the food was bird themed and the ambiance was perfect. Here’s a blurb about the chef from the event’s invite ~

BLKKMORRIS is an Atlanta success story: an international figure in the music world and one of the creative geniuses behind the lifestyle brand +FRESH.i.AM. The word’s been out about this for quite awhile. But to the surprise of many (or maybe not surprising at all) BLKKMORRIS is also an incredible, self taught chef. Cooking alongside and learning from his Jamaican/Filipino Grandmother, and eventually working in restaurants, this passion could have been a pretty damn good Plan B. Fortunately for all of us his success remains on the rise and we’re happy that we could grab him while he’s in town between touring.

I rented an 85mm L series lens to give a try because I’ve really wanted to see how it performs. The weight and size of the lens were a little overwhelming but I did love the clarity and the way it handled low light.  When I got there the space had great natural light pouring in which always makes for great photos but even when it got dark and most of the light was by candles, it still operated well. Very happy with how all the photos turned out! Here’s a glimpse into the event + the menu below—

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Snacks
Crispy duck skins w/ dipping sauce
Pickled quail eggs
Krungthep tea punch

Course 1
Confit duck drums
Panko crusted egg yolk on a nest of daikon, green onion, and kimchee

Course 2
Thai smoke salad
House smoked turkey breast with sliced cucumber and tomato on top of a bed of lettuce; topped with a hot and sour Thai chili dressing
Paired w/ S & A Verdelho Calaveras County 2014

Course 3
Thai boat soup
Savory enriched duck stock with five spice chicken meatballs and slow cooked duck breast, buck wheat noodles, Chinese celery and spinach topped with bean sprouts, cilantro and Thai basil
Paired w/ JC van Staden Petite Sirah 2013

Course 4
Braised duck thighs w/ collard greens and bok choy
Paired w/ JC van Staden Petite Sirah 2013

Course 5
Homemade Chinese Donuts

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The two things I tried were the panko crusted egg yolks and the confit duck wings. Both were delicious! For the yolk snack they cooked only the yolk while the egg whites weren’t cooked at all so they stripped them away from one another,  rolled the yolks in panko flakes and then flash fried.  It was like an egg truffle-solid on the outside and smooth on the inside.  Being a lover of eggs it was heavenly!  The wings were best duck wings I’ve had, moist and fell off the bone. Not only does C Will get crowds moving to his dance mixes but he can also whip up a damn fine meal!

For more info on upcoming SOFIA XIV visit the Facebook page.