Summer Journey's

July has been a whirlwind, y’all — the good kind.   Anthony, Winnie, and I packed up the truck and headed out on a two‑week road trip to visit family and friends. There’s something about summer highways, familiar faces, and a dog who thinks every stop is a grand adventure that just fills my heart right up.

Our first stop was the North Georgia Mountains, where we spent time with a dear friend I worked with over 30 years ago. We’ve seen each other a handful of times through the years, but this visit was the longest — and honestly, the sweetest. Now that we’re only a few hours apart, we’re already plotting more visits. We squeezed in tubing and paddleboarding, though Winnie made her opinion about tubing very clear. The paddleboard the next day was a much bigger hit. There’s a hilarious photo of Winnie and Anthony in their life jackets, living their best lake life — it still makes me laugh.

From Georgia, we headed west to North Louisiana to see my mom and celebrate her early 89th birthday. She requested Mimi's Chicken Cutlets (https://www.twobeansandapea.com/mimi-s-chicken-cutlets), and of course they were delicious — they always are. After our visit with Mom, we drove a few hours to see my brother, sister‑in‑law, nephew, niece, and her sweet family. And yes, I got more time with my new great‑nephew, who is somehow even cuter than he was last time. Babies change so fast, and I’m convinced he recognized me — which means I absolutely have to visit again soon.

We ate our way through the week with Cajun favorites, fried catfish, boiled shrimp, and some good Southern barbecue. We wrapped it all up with a cozy Fourth of July at home.

Now that we’re back in the mountains, I’ve been focusing on adding new recipes to the website and cooking Anthony’s July culinary‑journey dish: Pad Kra Pao from Thailand. It was so delicious… and I completely failed to take pictures or videos. So naturally, I bought more ingredients and will be making it again — round two for the camera.

Wishing you a wonderful rest of July, friends. Here’s to August, new recipes, and more little adventures along the way.

— Allison