Can You Believe It Has Been 2 Years Already?

Today was our 2-year anniversary… I know it is hard to believe that it has been two whole years already! We celebrated our anniversary this past weekend with a weekend trip to Savannah and Tybee Island. We had such a wonderful time just relaxing, consuming lots of seafood and touring the sites. Our hotel was very nice considering the smoking deal I got on it off the Internet…. And it came with a nice breakfast both mornings! Friday night we enjoyed shrimp and oysters and some of the best crab stew we have ever eaten. Saturday morning we got up early and made the trek to downtown Savannah to stand in line for dinner reservations for Paula Deen’s restaurant…. What an experience! They started taking reservations at 9:30am and we got there at 9:35am… I was shocked that the line was already 100+ deep! But, we made it to the hostess and got our 7:45pm slot! Next, we browsed around the downtown shops and then made our way to Tybee Island. The wind was very breezy and the air was chilly. We walked the beach and the pier…

Then, we had a delicious lunch at the Crab Shack on Tybee that included two dozen of THE largest oysters I have ever laid eyes on! We enjoyed shrimp and crab legs too.

Supper at Paula’s was an experience to remember for the rest of my life. The bread lady kept bringing these cheddar biscuit and hot cakes out to the diners… they were so good! I finally told her to not bring the tray by again… she was killing me! I did have a sad moment at one point over the “hot cakes” … they were a pan-fried cornbread patty just like my Grandmother used to make… I don’t think I have had them since I was in high school when she used to make them for my Grandfather… such great memories that always bring tears to my eyes… and all because of such great southern food! The smells are the hardest ones to endure…


We had the Shore Is Good Seafood Dip (Hubby’s favorite) and then I ordered the Shrimp ‘N Grits for my entrée. Hubby opted for the Southern buffet… which worked out really well for me since I could sample bites of every thing he brought back to the table. I tried so hard to savor every bite but at some point I just could not eat another bite. I did get a take-out bag for my leftovers. And then the waiter tried to get us to pick out deserts! I insisted that I could not do desert… we just would not pick out one so he leaves one- the banana pudding and says just try it. I took one bite and almost died. I truly think that banana pudding was made in heaven… he divulged that the secret was that it was made with homemade whipped cream. I had three bites and then I shut down. NO more for Kelly. We were stuffed and I was ecstatic that my meal at Paula’s was so enjoyable. Kelly’s score is 5 out of 5 stars for Lady & Sons…

Yes, what a great weekend getaway...Happy Anniversary to Us.

I Met Paula Deen Tonight!

Tonight was one of the highlights of my lifetime. I met the one lady I spend more time watching than any other on television…. Paul Deen, live and in living color. And it was Wonderful!
Here is how it all started: About two weeks ago, I was perusing through the weekly Publix advertisement flyer from the office copy of the AJC and just happened to see Paula’s picture. One of the many, many Publix stores in the Atlanta area was having a cooking class on May 29th with special guest Paula Deen. When I called about tickets, they were sold out at $150 each! And they could not even guarantee that she would actually be cooking during the class. But, they mentioned the Book Signing from 5:30 to 6:30 before the class. I was so excited! I called Hubby and made his co-worker interrupt his meeting just to tell him that I was going to meet THE Woman!
So today was the day and I got my friend, J-San to go with me. Please note that J-San is NOT from the South (Lord please forgive her) and when I told her about the Book Signing, she had the audacity to respond with, “who’s Paula Deen?” (Lord, please double forgive her). So I told her that she was now definitely going to meet her…I mean every Northerner should be graced with the presence of the Goddess of Southern Cooking, right? What an opportunity! Anyhoo, we arrived at 4:30 and the line had only 25-30 folks in it. The Publix folks were so nice and kept bringing around trays of fresh cut-up pineapple and chicken nuggets while we waited in line. It was heart-warming to see a group of ladies from an assisted living home there to meet her- they all had on matching hot pink T-shirts that stated, “The Veranda Loves Paula Deen”. I took their picture for them all together in line. So cute! And then it was our turn… I have to tell you that Paula has the biggest blue eyes and when she smiles it makes you feel so happy. I told her I was a huge fan and that Hubby was taking me to her restaurant in Savannah for our 2-year anniversary in September. I informed her that I wanted to try the Shrimp-n-Grits because even though I was from Pine Mountain, GA, I had never eaten any. She was so surprised! She was telling me about all the different ways they liked their grits with fish or roe… I then told her that we didn’t mix seafood with breakfast where I grew up. And besides, she was much closer to the coast than Pine Mountain…. We are next to Alabama and the closest thing we have is bass, bream or catfish! She just laughed and laughed at that! She and her Hubby both autographed my cookbook and were so pleasant to talk to… J-San just kept snapping pics. I finally walked away with Paula telling me that she looked forward to seeing us in September… What a great day for me!