I recently stumbled upon a wonderful book and ended up purchasing it as a little early Christmas gift to myself. Homemade by Clodagh McKenna is one of those volumes I’m sure I’ll refer to again and again as it is filled to the brim with wonderfully easy recipes and creative ideas.
McKenna is an Irish television personality and she just exudes girl next door charm. From her preserved lemons and Christmas chutney recipes to her thoughts about the importance of having picnics and keeping life simple, her book offers a little taste of what things are like in her world. It is beautifully designed and has enough pictures to satisfy even my picky tastes (what can I say…I like cookbooks with a lot of pictures).
You can also visit Clodagh’s website where she shares a ton of recipes and other info that is found in the book. Maybe I’m drawn to her because a part of me longs to connect with my Irish roots. I’m just glad I discovered her because I’ve already gotten quite a bit of inspiration from the book and site.
If you still aren’t convinced, take a look at this recipe for onion soup with cheese toast and just try not to drool.
Hope everyone is having a blessed week! Mine has been busy but Wednesday means Friday is just around the corner so I think we’re gonna make it. Love y’all!
My “Only in the South” posts are usually a bit humorous (or at least I intend for them to be), poking a bit of loving fun at the traditions and culture of my sweet south. This post is different. In a season that can so easily get derailed by the commercial aspects or stress of having to make everything just so, I’m glad there are places where the true meaning of Christmas is known and celebrated.
And only in the south is one of those places a Shoney’s All American Diner. There is one particular Shoney’s location in my town that is always decked out for each holiday. Maybe saying it’s decked out doesn’t convey the degree of décor I’m talking about, but just picture hundreds of giant snowflakes hanging from the ceiling, 8 ft Christmas trees in every room and a mural with polar bears frolicking in the snow.
All these things are nice and festive, but the life-size nativity is what really caught my attention. In a time when everyone seems so afraid of offending people or Heaven forbid, saying Merry Christmas to someone who might not believe in Christmas….I’m really happy that I could enjoy my bacon and eggs while the reason for the season is illustrated in the next room.
Hope you are having a great week! And if you’re ever in East Tennessee, visit the Shoney’s on Western Avenue….I guarantee whatever the time of year, it’s a feast for the eyes.
It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas in my neck of the woods and over the weekend, the southern beau and I enjoyed one of our favorite holiday season traditions. Every year we like to bundle up, grab a coffee or hot cocoa and drive around the neighborhood looking at the lights.
By now, most everybody who is going to has put up his or her Christmas tree and outdoor decorations. We like to make our way around and see what festive décor can be seen. There are certain houses we always look forward to because we know they’ll be decked out in holiday brilliance. Plus, there’s something about seeing a lit-tree twinkling in each home that reminds me how much we are all connected.
It might not be very glamorous, but it’s our tradition and we really look forward to it each year. That’s the thing about traditions…they can be anything really, as long as they are special to you. I love to hear people talk about their own meaningful traditions. Anytime they get that wistful look in their eyes and begin a sentence like “oh and we always…,” you know they are going to share a story that matters to them.
I’d love to hear about a simple, but important tradition your family enjoys together. What makes the holidays feel like the holidays to you?
When Santa comes to my house this year, he won’t be getting milk and cookies…but it’s not because he’s been naughty. I recently stumbled upon the most delish concoction and I think Ol’ Saint Nick will love it. Plus it’s something the rest of us can enjoy in the meantime.
I’m not much of a milk drinker, but I love almond milk and will occasionally drink soymilk. This time of year, Silk (the almond- & soymilk company) brings out a couple of its seasonal flavors and one of them is pumpkin spice. I grabbed a carton of it at the store this week and had a glass last night. With a generous shaking of pumpkin pie spices on top, it was truly decadent.
Have any of you tried the seasonal Silk flavors? There’s also mint chocolate chip and an eggnog flavor (which I’ve never had). I only tasted soymilk for the first time a few years ago, and I really prefer almond milk. What about y’all? Any other pumpkin lovers out there who’ve had this treat or might give it a try? I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
On this day in 1933, the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution was repealed, ending the 13 year period of Prohibition in the United States. It’s so strange to think about a time when it was illegal for adults to drink alcohol.
To commemorate this day almost 80 years later, I wanted to share a truly wonderful product with you that was inspired by the days of speakeasies and Prohibition. Bathtub Gin is a line of jams and fruit spreads made with fresh fruits + liqueurs and other spirits. Created by two Nashville sisters who grew up helping their mom make homemade jams and preserves, the company has several flavor options and all are just so tasty.
The sisters offer several Bathtub Gin gift-set options for that foodie on your shopping list. I love how the jams can be used in the traditional sense, but also for sauces, mixed drinks and salad dressings.
Even if you aren’t a drinker, I think you’d still enjoy these great southern products! All this talk of Prohibition and the roaring 20s sort of makes me want to dance the Charleston!
Happy Monday friends! Missed y’all!
Earlier this week I traveled across the state to Nashville for an event I just couldn’t miss. After the much-anticipated release of her first book, Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge has been doing a book tour and the West Elm store in Nashville was one of the stops on her agenda.
Not only was I able to meet Grace (who is tiny in real life) and get a copy of the book signed, I attended a special pre-book signing event where we were able to complete a fun little craft from the book. I took my mom along for the adventure and we had a blast.
Here Grace, Amy A. (left) and others ham it up for the camera. We were all encouraged to take silly pictures in front of that bright backdrop and they should be posted on the Design*Sponge Facebook page. I’m going to do another post detailing the craft, but you might be wondering about the giveaway.
I had pre-ordered my copy of the Design*Sponge book as soon as I heard about it, but a signed book was included with each ticket to the event so I asked Grace to sign the extra copy for me to give away to one of you. She wrote a sweet note inside for the SBS reader who wins.
Design*Sponge at Home Giveaway:
1 entry per person for a chance to win a copy of the book signed by author & D*S creator Grace Bonney. You can leave a comment here OR comment on the Southern Belle Simple Facebook page OR tweet me @sthrnbellesimpl. It’s that easy. The giveaway will be open through midnight on Thanksgiving and I’ll announce the winner on Friday November 25. Good luck to everybody!
Happy Friday!
I don’t remember the first time I saw Gone with the Wind as a child nor all the subsequent viewings thereafter (there were many), but I vaguely remember the first time I saw it after learning that many aspects of the story’s setting and background happenings had really taken place once upon a time.
Probably the scene which had the most impact on me as a child was the burning of Atlanta by Sherman and his men. I’d be on the edge of my seat watching as Rhett tried to coax that poor horse, with Scarlett’s shawl over its eyes, through the depot as the flames leapt around them. Even though I knew they’d make it, I always watched as if anything could happen.
You might wonder why I’m mentioning this today. On November 15, 1864 General William Sherman and his men left the scorched ruins of Atlanta and began their march to the sea. To be clear, I’m no Civil War scholar…just your average southern girl with a blog celebrating life in the south. Those were dark times in our nation’s history…not the first, not the last, but they helped shape what the south was to become, some good and some not so good. I like President Herbert Hoover’s quote in which he states “the supreme purpose of history is a better world.”
Thankfully the fair city of Atlanta rebuilt. It’s home to Coca-Cola, the Braves and Julia Sugarbaker…to me, it doesn’t get much better than that.
It was one of those perfect fall weekends with just enough productivity to make you feel accomplished, but also enough frivolity to give your mind, body and spirit a little refresh.
Friday evening I enjoyed dinner with my brother in which he kept me utterly entertained with his colorful commentary on religion, politics and other current events. It’s so strange for me, having always seen him as my ‘little brother,’ to think of him as a grown-up, but I’m so proud of the grown-up he has become. He’ll be graduating from college in a few weeks and my family is looking forward to celebrating the event.
Saturday morning I ran some errands and then met my sweet friend Hannah B. (from Secrets of a Belle) for lunch and an estate sale. For someone like me who comes from a family of hoarders collectors, it’s safe to say I probably visited my first estate sale in utero…but Miss H was more of a novice. Have no fear though….she got right in and found several treasures that I hope she’ll feature on her fabulous blog sometime. My finds were a couple random kitchen items, including a vintage FireKing relish dish (like the one pictured, which is available on Etsy).
Sunday, the southern beau & I enjoyed a fun day together which started with a ‘Dixie biscuit’ {see below} and ended with watching a silly 90s movie on Netflix. All in all, it was a great weekend.
I hope yours was fun too. As always, I’d love to hear about your adventures, so fill me in either here in the comments, on the SBS Facebook page or @sthrnbellesimpl on Twitter. Sorry for the lack of posts lately….after 7 years working at the University of Tennessee (my alma mater), I just started a new job with a public relations firm and I’m still getting settled into my routine.
Happy Monday friends!
Soup is my favorite thing to enjoy for dinner after a long day, especially when the weather gets a little chilly. The only problem with soup & blogs is that some folks don’t think it makes very pretty pictures…but I promise what this chowder lacks in beauty, it makes up for it in taste. It’s really easy and can be altered to fit your preferences (which is how I cook everything…recipe, schmecipe).
The Anti-Recipe:
Cook the lentils according to the package, but use the green juice instead of water. If you need to add some water, that’s fine. As they get tender, stir in the tomato sauce and onion. Simmer this for a bit and add the pasta (if you like). Just make sure there is enough liquid to cook the pasta and the beans unless you really like to chew. Season it up to your liking and when everything is the consistency you want, ladle it out into bowls over fresh spinach leaves. The heat from the soup wilts the spinach and makes for a really good taste.
{Fyi: I came up with this soup from things I had on hand…that’s the beauty of soup. Be brave with your cooking my friends…who knows when an experiment gone-right will become your favorite dish!}
My house has been decorated for Halloween since around October 1st, but it’s possible we get into the holiday more than other folks.
This little crow has been part of my décor for a few years now and this year he found a nice spot on an Eiffel tower lamp. Some small antique glass bottles give a spooky effect as they can be imagined to hold potions and other mysterious concoctions.
These bottles actually started out clear, but certain elements present in the glass caused them to turn purple over the years as they were exposed to ultraviolet light. Many people collect this ‘sun-colored amethyst’ glass.
No Halloween is complete with candy corn and the rest of Brach’s sugary harvest mix. My great-grandmother’s carnival glass compote makes a perfect spooky candy dish.
White pumpkins add an unexpected touch, just watch out for the spiders crawling all over them. And after our visit to the real-live pumpkin patch, the southern beau and I finally carved our punkins yesterday….can you guess which one is mine & which is his? ;)
My southern beau and I get pretty excited about Halloween and this year he wanted us to visit a real pumpkin patch. We’ve done ‘pumpkin patches’ before, but they were the kind where all the pumpkins have been set out in a field…as opposed to actually growing there.
There was still a bit of that at the patch we went to, but many of those little orange babies were still clinging to the vine! I felt like such a kid running around trying to select the perfect ones.
We also saw these rascals who were alertly guarding the patch. The dog wasn’t easily convinced, but Mr. Goat fell in love with me once I gave him corn and a few licks of my sorghum lollipop.
All the pumpkins made it home with only one instance of stem breakage and they are patiently waiting to be carved.
Did you get a pumpkin this year? Did it grow in a patch or do you prefer more lasting varieties (i.e. ceramic)?
Happy Friday y’all!
and congrats to Amy & Katie L. for winning the Shutterfly giveaway!
I’ve played around with chalkboard spray paint in the past…once turning an average wall mirror into a cute kitchen message board. This time I used chalkboard paint to make a few easy gifts and I think they turned out pretty cute.
First, these little gift tags. I guess I should share that all these items came from the clearance bin at Hobby Lobby. The tags started out with different kinds of veggies painted on them, but since I liked the shape more than the original design, I decided to make them chalkboards instead. These could be used as actual gift tags or I was even thinking personalized Christmas ornaments.
Next was this metal wall art…once again I wasn’t a huge fan of the original painted design, but, spray-painted with chalkboard paint, the metal makes a nice little message board, both for chalk and magnets.
I love how chalkboard paint makes it so easy to create a new use for something, especially when it’s a steal of a deal. I’m always on the lookout for items I can transform. Have you made anything crafty lately?
