Moonshine & Wanderlust

... a cosmopolitan view from a southern perspective

Winter Bucket List

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As far as I’m concerned, “winter” and the Christmas season doesn’t start until the day after Thanksgiving. However, I have decided to be enough in the holiday spirit to create a winter bucket list! There are so many great ideas on Pinterest and they gave me some good ideas, but I really tried to stick with things I have never done, minus volunteering. Helping others never goes out of style. Below are my goals for this winter season and maybe they will help jumpstart your own list!

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Winter Bucket List

❄ Go ice skating

❄ Host a winter party

❄ Go to a Predators game in Nashville

❄ Go skiing

❄ Volunteer for a Christmas event

❄ Send a Christmas package to a soldier

❄ Attend a Christmas Eve service

❄ Have a Christmas movie marathon with popcorn & hot chocolate

Farewell to Fall

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November is ending and with it, the last few remnants of fall. Thanksgiving looms around the corner and with Black Friday comes (in my non-official opinion) the beginning of the Christmas and winter season. I checked off the last of my Autumn Bucket List activities I was able to check off this year by wrapping up fall with a “Farewell to Fall” party at my house this weekend. I accomplished half of my bucket list – I wish I could have done more, but I’m happy with all of the things I did get to do!

So, what is a “Farewell to Fall” party? I used to have parties in the fall called “Autumns Toasts & Roasts”, but this year I prolonged the gathering a little longer to say goodbye to fall – it seemed fitting for this year. The agenda was still the same – fire pit, good food, and friends. Today, I’ll share some of my new and favorite fall recipes that are non-complicated and perfect to put together when you are short on time!

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People can make fun of Pinterest all day, but I really utilize it for organizing my thoughts and for things I want to do – especially when it comes to cooking. Check out each of the recipes below for the Pins. I prepared a few days in advance for what I wanted to have at the party and picked a few things that would be easy and not too time consuming. Below is my menu for the evening:

• Chili + Toppings

• Corn Muffins

• Cheesy Corn Dip + Tortilla Chips

• Baked Potatoes + Toppings 

• S’mores 

Super simple, right? It was the perfect amount of substance and snack. I was able to throw everything together in just over an hour. My kinda meal!
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Chili – for the chili, I don’t use much of a recipe. I kind of do my own thing. I’m a real winger when it comes to cooking, which is surprising since I’m pretty OCD about a lot of other things I do in life. However, here is a breakdown of the ingredients I use in mine :
• 16 oz tomato sauce
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 1 can light kidney beans
• 1 can dark kidney beans
• 1 can chili beans
• 1 lb. of lean, ground beef
• minced garlic – added as desired
• 1 small, yellow onion – added as desired 
• garlic powder – added as desired
• chili powder – added as desired
• cumin – added as desired
• salt & pepper – as desired 
• a dash of Italian seasoning 
• a dash of cayenne pepper
I have a deep love for my Crockpot, so these delicious ingredients make their home in it on LOW for about 8 hours.
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Corn Muffin Recipe – this recipe was very basic and QUICK! So easy to put together in just a few minutes. It’s also the perfect recipe to add some pizazz to your muffins – corn, jalapeños, etc. Make it your own! I stuck to the traditional way and these turned out perfect. Under 20 minutes for perfect muffins – can’t beat that.
Cheese Corn Dip – Talk about a super simple and delicious appetizer… this is it! It’s cheesy, it’s warm, and it’s a little hot! Perfect combination for a fall or winter treat for your guests. I will definitely be keeping this on the forefront of my snack lists.
Baked Potatoes – I’ve always known baked potatoes and foil to go hand in hand, but this spin on baked spuds is sans the aluminum. It’s like “Baked Potatoes Gone Naked!” I like it. They turned out great and I’ll be using this method from now on.
Toppings – You can get creative with this. I stuck to more traditional toppings – sour cream, bacon bits, cheese, and butter. Green onions are good to add as well. But, you can get really creative and pick a variety of toppings for your guests to choose from or maybe even go with a theme. The possibilities are endless and completely up to you and how fancy you want to get.
S’mores – This campfire treat doesn’t need an introduction. I had a separate setup outside on a table with the S’mores ingredients beside the fire pit.
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Throwing a get together doesn’t have to be extremely time consuming and stressful – remember the reasoning behind having a party and getting people together and let the stress take a back seat.
Don’t be like this little pup and get too worn out…
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’til next time… xoxo, patty lauren

Mercier Orchard

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Fall is coming to an end (I’m still in heavy denial) and I am happy to say I have checked a few things off of my Autumn Bucket List – I’m planning on checking off a few more in the next couple weeks as November closes. One of my favorite things I did (and the one I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to do!) was visit a picking apple orchard.

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Mercier Apple Orchard is located in Blue Ridge, GA. It’s a beautiful drive full of rolling hills and crisp fall colors lining the way. The weather was absolutely perfect the day I went and made for a very enjoyable afternoon. In my mind, I pictured a simple orchard with towering trees, but I was shocked at how large the operation is. Started in 1943, the family owned orchard not only has plentiful U-Pick opportunities, classes, fishing,and cooking demos but an enormous (and, delicious smelling) store complete with a deli that makes some of the most delectable sounding sandwiches.photo 2-3

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The views are magical – I can’t wait to go back this spring to U-Pick fruit… and maybe even do some fishing!
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I picked 1/2 peck to start me off and it turned out to be plenty of apples! We got a ride out to the orchards and given some instructions of what types of apples were ready for picking and we were off! The trees weren’t the towering variety I had imagined, but more stout which was fine by me because I didn’t have to worry about falling out of any trees. Not that I would have tried climbing, but you know… a girl can dream.

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The best part? Eat as you go! A sample of this, a sample of that…

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I got a few apples of each variety – they were all so good! It was really everything I had hoped it would be. That sounds corny, but it was a fun experience for this gal. There were a lot of families there – it’s a great outing for friends, families, couples… you can’t go wrong. For $10 you can spend a fun afternoon walking through rows of beautifully grown creations and make some lasting memories.

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You know I have to throw in if Mercier Orchard is pet friendly or not… While pets are not allowed in the orchard, they are allowed around the lake and near the store. I saw several individuals with small pups hanging outside of the store while they enjoyed their fall day walking around the property and waiting on others in their party.

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Be sure to check our Mercier Orchards Events on the Farm page for upcoming events and a schedule of U-Pick varieties!

until next time… xoxo, patty lauren

“After all tomorrow is another day…”

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Gone With the Wind – perhaps one of the greatest sagas ever to grace the silver screen. If you ever read Margaret Mitchell’s novel you know it differs quite a bit from the movie, but in this case the movie version wins hands down for me. Many of us Southern girls have a Scarlett O’Hara inside and we’d be lying if we didn’t want our very own Rhett Butler. They just don’t make men like that anymore!

So, why am I writing this? Because this is your chance to see it in movie theaters! I’ve been lucky enough to see it before in grand style but this week is another glorious opportunity. If you follow me on Twitter and Instagram, you’ve seen my blurbs about today’s showing, however you have another chance on October 1st. Turner Classic Movies and Fathom Events have teamed up to celebrate the movie’s 75 anniversary by bringing this epic story to our local cinemas. Check out Fathom’s website to see a showing near you – make sure you take a friend, especially one who has never seen the movie and revel in this special afternoon to celebrate a true classic.

xoxo,

patty lauren

Tennessee Valley Fair 2014

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If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you may have witnessed my uber excitement over seeing Air Supply at the Tennessee Valley Fair in Knoxville.

It. Was. So. GREAT! Air Supply truly gave a great performance. They got out into the crowd, took pictures with people, beckoned us to sing and sway along. The music was flawless – they sounded just as good as they did in their prime. They sang all of their big hits along with a few lesser known tunes and some surprises. Although they didn’t sing “Rocky Top” as one fan screamed out (thank God) they put on a wonderful show that lasted almost two hours. The amphitheater was the perfect size and was even pet friendly! Grace Kelly was really bummed she wasn’t invited… 😀 It was truly a show to remember!

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The fair lasts 10 great days – September 5th through September 14th. They have an exciting lineup this year including artists like Cole Swindell, Jon Pardi, Ginuwine, Big Daddy Weave, and many more. You should definitely check out their website and other social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) for continual updates throughout the week.

Not only do they have great music at awesome admission prices, but the fair is HUGE. This was my first time visiting the grounds and it was much more expansive than I had imagined. There are plenty of rides for everyone – including multiple ferris wheels (they’re my favorite!) – agriculture shows, beauty pageants (because nothing screams the South like a girl dressed up like a Barbie doll waiting in line for a corn dog), rodeos, and even a demolition derby.

You still have a whole week to go visit the fair – go check out their information and plan a fun night in Knoxville to commemorate the end of summer.

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