did you know atlanta has a replica of the white house?

you can find it on briarcliff road just north of clairmont. from what we’ve heard, a gentleman from iran built it after moving to america and making lots of money. to show his appreciation for democracy and the usa, he decided to build the three-quarter size replica. it’s pretty awesome/weird. if you’ve never seen it before you should check it out.

here are some interior photos.

– ryan & gub

atlanta white house

3687 briarcliff rd ne
atlanta, georgia 30345

we recently made some fried squash blossoms from our garden that were delicious! we were getting frustrated over the amount of flowers falling off our plants but it turns out they were male flowers that don’t grow fruit. gub remembered having fried squash blossoms in italy so we found a recipe and did some frying.

to make these tasty treats, first gather and clean some squash flowers. next dip the flowers in egg and batter before frying them up in some oil at medium heat. it’s the same as frying anything, you’ll just want to use a light batter since the flowers are so delicate. we went with corn meal and loved it!

– ryan & gub

fried squash blossom recipe:

ingredients:
fresh squash flowers
whipped cream cheese for stuffing (if desired)

egg wash:
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup milk

batter:
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp parsley

directions:
– clean squash flowers
– stuff squash flowers with a little whipped cream cheese if desired
– heat oil in a frying pan at medium heat
– dip squash flowers into egg wash and then batter
– gently place battered squash flowers in frying pan and fry until golden brown
– place fried flowers on splatter guard to let cool and drain the excess oil
– serve hot

jaxa, japans equivalent of nasa, recently had a spacecraft return to earth after being in space for 7 years. the hayabusa travelled on an asteroid during its space exploration to research and retrieve samples for further studying. landing a spacecraft on an asteroid and returning it to earth sounds so sci-fi to me.

below is a really cool video of the hayabusa re-entering earths atmosphere as it lit up the australian sky. most of the spacecraft disintegrated during re-entry.

– ryan

we are so excited about the most amazing popsicles EVER!!! banana pudding popsicle? made with real bananas and wafers? sold from a cart by the nice guy that made them? yes, have some. the king of pops handcrafted popsicle cart can be found in the highlands at the corner of north ave and north highland ave by the gas pumps at buddy’s. you will find stephen carse and his cart from 3 – 7 pm on weekdays and 12 – 7:30 pm on weekends.

these tasty treats-on-a-stick are fashioned after paletas, which are latin american popsicles made from fresh fruit. the king of pops features unique and interesting flavors you won’t find in grocery stores. they are made by hand each morning with local and organic ingredients and are a perfect refresher during this summer heat.

after losing his job, stephen decided to pursue an idea of opening a paletas cart after enjoying the frozen delights on travels through latin america. he perfected his recipes, got a cart, secured a street corner, and began selling his delicious treats!

you can follow the king of pops on twitter to find out his daily menu. today’s menu is: grapefruit mint, strawberry margarita, chocolate tarragon, pineapple with blueberry tip, lemon basil, banana pudding, and cantaloupe with cream & ginger.

be sure to get there early, most days the popsicles sell out. the prices are 1 for $2.50 or 5 for $10, so stock up and be the hit at your next pool party. you can also find the king of pops at irwin street market, super jenny, and various atlanta festivals.

– ryan & gub

king of pops

1079 north avenue ne
atlanta, ga 30307

with our hydrangeas in full bloom, we’ve been keeping fresh flowers throughout the house. the problem is our cut flowers kept wilting after only a few hours, which was very frustrating. we decided to look for a remedy and take action.

here’s what we found worked best for keeping hydrangeas fresh after cutting them from a garden. first, cut the flowers in the early morning when the weather is cool, not in the afternoon heat. be sure to bring a pitcher or bucket of water and place the flowers in the water right after cutting. when ready to arrange, cut the stems at an angle under cold tap water and dip the flower tips into a bottle of alum powder, found in the spice section of most grocery stores. after dipping, place the flowers in a vase filled with water. that’s it.

we’ve used this method numerous times now and it totally works! it’s impressive how much longer our cut hydrangeas last.

– ryan & gub

we were quite delighted to find three cucumber in our garden that were ripe and ready for picking. yeah to our first crop of the season! we can’t wait for more vegetables to harvest.

– ryan & gub

here is our garden at four weeks.

we planted our cute little garden on the 15th of april, here’s what we are growing:

here is our garden at six weeks.

we ended up losing our one artichoke plant early on and replaced it with another much younger tomato plant to try and stagger the tomato harvest a bit.

here is our garden at seven weeks.

everything is thriving pretty well, although something pesky keeps biting off our squash blossoms. they aren’t even eating them, just leaving them on the ground. which is even more annoying. we are working on fencing in the garden and bought some organic insecticide as well, so hopefully we’ll get that under control soon.

– ryan & gub

i visited barnsley gardens over the weekend while doing a film project with the yacht rock revue. it’s located about an hour and a half north of atlanta in adairsville, ga at the base of the blue ridge mountains. these days, barnsley gardens functions as a resort where you can stay, play golf, quail hunt, or have your wedding. there is also a historic district on the grounds where godfrey barnsley originally built his mansion and gardens featuring flowers from around the world. here you can visit the beautiful 160-year-old heirloom gardens, a museum, and the mansion ruins.

the ruins were really amazing! it felt like you were walking around in what’s left of an old european castle. there were these great vines growing all over the walls, adding to its mystique. i was envious of the event going on while i took photos, having a party in the ruins of an 1840s mansion seemed like the best thing ever. the museum had photos of the estate before it fell to ruins and if you are lucky enough to catch the curator, an oral history of the barnsley family and gardens as well.

barnsley gardens is very beautiful and has a rich history. even if you’re not looking to stay at the resort, the heirloom gardens, ruins, and museum are open to the public and definitely worth the drive for a short getaway from atlanta.

– ryan

barnsley gardens

597 barnsley gardens road
adairsville, ga 30103
770-773-7480

we just discovered a great bbq restaurant called garden produce & country store! on the front page of their website they say “welcome to your neighborhood barbeque.” we wish they were doing business in our neighborhood!

we woke up this morning and decided to go on a ‘bbq adventure!’ the only rule was we had to try a place neither of us had been to before. after doing a bit of research and reading some reviews, we decided to venture out to a tiny place in stone mountain, mostly because of the words in this review. we were not let down!

we are big fans of ‘side of the road’ and ‘hole in the wall’ style restaurants that have great food. this quaint bbq joint totally fit the bill! it can be found on an unassuming canopy road near stone mountain. you’ll know you’re there when you see a couple of red gas pumps and a few cars parked on the side of a house. garden produce was quite small, with only a few tables for seating, but featured a comfortable rustic atmosphere. diners on the patio greeted us with a cheerful, “hello,” as we approached the restaurant.

we both really enjoyed the bbq; it was well worth the drive! ryan got ribs with field peas and baked beans and i got pulled pork with squash casserole and fried okra. the meals came with a delicious slice of corn bread, a pickle and a pineapple wedge. we are pretty picky about our bbq and often don’t like the same style, but we both really loved our meals! the ribs were great, not too smoky but still flavorful, and the pulled pork was excellent as well. plus the prices were very reasonable.

there were plenty of sides to choose from and they all looked great. some of the veggies came from their huge garden, including the field peas and squash. they also offer a homemade pastrami sandwich that sounded amazing! the country store sold seasonal produce and various jarred products, including pickles, jams and relishes.

we’ll definitely be going back again soon!

– ryan & gub

garden produce & country store

567 stephenson road
stone mountain, ga 30087
770-413-0338
gardenproduce@bellsouth.net

i’ve never been shy about my affection for three’s company or john ritter. in fact, losing both john ritter and johnny cash on the same day was a huge loss for me. my brother, who is also a big fan of ‘the rit,’ has a copy of the life magazine poster seen hanging in jack’s apartment. i’ve always been envious of his poster and on the lookout for one of my own.

well much to my surprise, i recently found the poster for sale here! i am very excited! now i’m off to the regal beagle for celebratory drinks.

ryan