weekend recap...

What a weekend!  From a squirrel hunt (minus the squirrels) to chicken tikki masala, it was a good one.

On Saturday, Chams, Puddin and I travelled to Fosters, Alabama (right outside of Tuscaloosa) to our friends Ron and Kel's land for the 1st Annual Houndstooth Reserve Squirrel Hunt. 

It was frigid cold, so the girls mostly stayed inside and ventured out only for a little while to check on the boys and see what they were up to.

Russell & Taylor

The boys mostly rode four-wheelers, watched the little guys, and warmed by the fire.  There were no squirrels killed, or even hunted for that matter.  The firearms were only brought out to shoot a few cans.  Squirrels were safe.

Ron and Kel have such a great little get-a-way and were great hosts.  We had such a great time just enjoying good food and great friends for the day. 

We got back late afternoon on Saturday and were both feeling soup-ish, but didn't necessarily want to pick up any.  We decided on a soup my Aunt D made for Thanksgiving this past year.  It was so amazing then, and Chams and I were looking for the right time to make it again.  She got the recipe out of Southern Living.  For those of you who love collard greens, this recipe is a must. 

White Bean and Collard Soup

3 thick hickory-smoked bacon slices

2 cups chopped smoked ham

1 medium onion, finely chopped

5 (16 oz) cans navy beans

1 cup barbecue sauce

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

1 T chicken bouillon granules

1 tsp ground chipotle chile pepper (we omitted this)

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp ground pepper

3 cups shredded collard greens

Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat 4-5 minutes or until crisp.  Remove bacon and drain on paper towels, reserving 2 T drippings in Dutch oven.  Crumble bacon.

Saute ham and onion in hot drippings 10 minutes or until tender.

Add beans, next 6 ingredients, and 8 cups of water.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 hour.  Stir in collards and cook until tender (the recipe says 10 minutes, but it took ours more like 30 minutes).  Serve with crumbled bacon and hot sauce.

Yummo!  What a perfect way to warm us up and round out our day!

On Sunday, we had some kind of morning.  To make an extremely long story short, we got to church at 9:30 for the 9:00 service, then when we were walking back out to our car from church, Chams realized he had locked the keys in the car.  Yikes.  After trying to open the car with a clothes hanger with a Deputy Sheriff for over an hour, we decided it might be best to call a professional.  By the time he got there, the second church service was over. 

Thomas came to the rescue, and had us back in the car in a matter of seconds.  He was so nice and speedy.  If we would've just called him on the front-end.  Lesson learned.  That's what we get for being late to church!

After our key debacle, we headed to meet Matthew and Sarah for lunch.  Chams had wanted to try Indian food, and I consider Matthew and Sarah Indian food specialists, so with their direction, we met them at Taj India for our first sampling.   

It was surprisingly delicious (I had my doubts).  Chams enjoyed the variety on the buffet, and I ordered Chicken Tikki Masala with Sarah's help.  Such an excellent choice.  

If you like coconut, you'll love this stuff!  It's chicken in a coconut, curry sauce.  We enjoyed our first Indian food experience very much.  We will be having it again...after trying Vietnamese food next, of course!

Needless to say, it was a crazy but fun weekend!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend, too!!