As you all know, Bo and I decided to host a Derby inspired housewarming party only one week after moving into our new apartment. 

Most people, including our friends in this picture, thought we were crazy.

“You all are really having a housewarming one week after moving in?” “Isn’t that going to be too stressful?”

Looking back, the answer to all of these questions was a resounding YES. Bo and I added a great deal of pressure and stress to our life by planning a housewarming party one week after moving into a new apartment. This week was filled with late night trips to Crate and Barrel, rushing home during lunch breaks to meet delivery men, and then spending every spare moment at home decorating, hanging pictures, and organizing. On top of this, add the fact that Bo has a very intricate stereo system. Our move meant that all the wires had to be remounted, covered, and set up before we could even begin using our entertainment center. But, by 6pm last night we couldn’t stop smiling and were so thankful we’d sacrificed five days for the feeling of a home. The party went off without a hitch! At the height we had 26 people in apartment laughing, enjoying delicious Southern food, and drinking bourbon.

UGA Leonard Leadership Scholar gals! Welcome back from Dubai Christie!

One of the best moments during the night was when Christie asked Bo to teach her how to open a bottle with a spatula. After showing her the technique Bo let Christie give it a try herself. After a few minutes of attempting to open it Christie gave up in annoyance and self defeat. At that moment Bo burst out laughing finally telling her that the Blue Moon is a twist top not a pop top. 🙂

                                             Melissa and the green giant

It was a great opportunity to introduce work friends to our other friends. I was hesitant about inviting co-workers and even my manager to the party but I’m glad I did. It was a nice chance to relax with them outside the cubicles.

Having a Derby themed housewarming party means that your bar ends up looking like this by the end of the evening thanks to generous friends!

 

Our apartment went from 700 square feet of boxes, wire piles, and trash bags to this in just six short days!

 

Friday evening I dropped into a local florist near my office after seeing their sign advertising half price Fridays. It turns out that every Friday at 5pm they start selling all live flowers for 50% off since they are closed during the weekend. I was able to snag a dozen red and yellow roses for $24! We found more at Whole Foods yesterday but they were definitely not as pretty as the florists.  We used these to decorate the apartment in keeping with the Derby Run for the Roses theme.

Living room view #1

Our living room wall is quickly becoming one of my favorite areas. We have never displayed our pictures in a fun arrangement before and we love these frames from Crate and Barrel. They are inexpensive, simple yet quality, and come in three different finishes perfect for almost any home. We’ve already ordered two more to fill the space next to the TV. The entertainment center/bookshelf to the right was another great find from Crate and Barrel. We ordered a gorgeous entertainment center from Room and Board but when it arrived the finish was not right for our color scheme. This one was over $500 cheaper and does the job perfectly. The trick was searching for more than entertainment centers. This was listed as a bookshelf on Crate and Barrel’s website even though it has a bottom door area that is perfect for storing the DVD player and more.  Lesson learned: Think outside the box when looking for unique pieces.

We still need to find a kitchen rug, desk chair, and mount pictures above the desk. These items weren’t able to happen by this weekend but will definitely happen this month. Bo’s mother painted gorgeous watercolors for our rehearsal dinner table cards and we are going to have those framed and arrange them above the desk.

Friday evening the majority of apartment work which remained was wiring. This falls into Bo’s realm and therefore I knew it was time to focus on our Derby Housewarming menu. This would keep me occupied and out of Bo’s way for at least a few hours. My mom was a great sounding board and resource for the menu. She and I spent thirty minutes on the phone while skimming this month’s Southern Living magazine for recipes and inspiration. The following is the menu we put together:

Hors d’oeuvres

Paula’s Deviled Eggs

Pimiento Cheese & Crackers

Redneck Caviar & Chips

Main Course

Summer salad

BBQ Pulled Pork, Smoked Chicken, and Baby Back Ribs from Blue Smoke

Dessert

Bourbon Derby Pie

Southern Pound Cake

Specialty Drinks

Mint Juleps

Bourbon Slushies

Everything on the menu except the Blue Smoke items were homemade within eighteen hours of the party. The menu was delicious yet simple enough that I could get all ingredients at the Morton Williams down the block, execute each one perfectly, and make use of my beloved KitchenAid stand mixer we received as a wedding gift. Over the next week I’ll share each recipe for the above items. I’ll begin today with a southern favorite and one of the most popular items last night, pimiento cheese.

Growing up in the South, many people bought pimiento cheese by the pint in the Piggly Wiggly each Sunday in preparation for the week’s lunches. My brother’s favorite sandwich was always pimiento cheese on Sunbeam white bread. Even though my mom and many other Southern friends recommended I make this for the party I feared everyone would look at it in horror and ask what it was. I contemplated nixing the idea all together until Bo persuaded me against it. “Go for it! People will love it.”

I used the recipe from this month’s Southern Living which was very simple yet had some helpful tips. They insisted that cheese quality was important as well as grating the cheese on the finest side of the box grater.

Southern Living’s Favorite Pimiento Cheese

Ingredients

• 1 1/2  cups  mayonnaise, such as Hellman’s or Duke’s
• 1  (4-oz.) jar diced pimiento, drained
• 1  teaspoon  Worcestershire sauce
• 1  teaspoon  finely grated onion
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 1  cup  chopped pecans
• 1  (8-oz.) block extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1  (8-oz.) block sharp Cheddar cheese
• Celery sticks and assorted crackers

Preparation

Make the mayo mixture. In a large bowl, stir together mayonnaise, diced pimiento, Worcestershire sauce, grated onion, and ground red pepper until blended.

Toast the pecans. Toasting brings out the rich flavor of the nuts. Preheat your oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. (Stirring helps to ensure even browning.)

Shred the cheese. Trust us–texture matters. Using the small side of a box grater, finely shred extra-sharp Cheddar cheese. Then use the large side of the grater to coarsely shred sharp Cheddar cheese. Fresh cheese makes a difference.

Stir and enjoy. Add pecans and shredded cheeses to mayo mixture, stirring until blended. You can store it in the refrigerator up to 1 week. Serve with celery sticks and assorted crackers.