Happy 2013!

Wide eyes.

Where did the past two months go!? (I'm resisting the urge to panic... moving on...)

Where have I been?

How was your holiday?

What resolutions have you made?

Excellent questions friends...

I know how ridiculous it is to have a blog, and then ignore it for two months. I know. But what I didn't know was how ridiculous it was to have a blog, and a job that schedules you for overtime for over a month, and be a full time student. Yeah, I didn't know how ridiculous that would be. Sure, on paper, in a calendar, it was just fine, and thirty minute breaks here and there, or that unclaimed time before bed or before rushing off to start the day, seemed like the perfect time to squeeze in a post here and there, but alas, those precious moments dry up quicker than anticipated. Shucks.

So all I have to say now is thank goodness for the new year, and the arrival of our slow season. And the arrival of time to do things like blog. And cook for fun. And sleep. I'm mostly excited about the time for sleep.

Needless to say I have made plenty of dishes in the past months, but failed to photograph them out of sheer necessity to move on to the next task on my prep list. So until I have some pretty food photography to share with you, I'll share instead a photo of my very first Christmas tree - I was such a proud mama!

Happy New Year!

In Continuation of my Tardy Mother's Day Theme

I figured I should get on posting about the actual meal that we enjoyed in order to commemorate another wonderfully spectacular and festively embraced Mother's Day.

What was on the menu? Why, a traditional backyard barbecue feast, certainly fit for my mom - 

Grilled Chicken Sausages and Hamburgers, with all the messy fixin's

Potato Salad

Grilled Asparagus

Cabbage Salad

Ice Cream and Brownie Sundaes

I owe you all the recipe for the cabbage salad - I have not yet memorized it and am back in Lexington, thus far away from mom's recipe box. It's delicious and simple though, definitely something up my alley, not to mention not that bad for you. The kicker? Dried ramen noodles, a food completely banned from my diet and yet, in this salad, it seems so right that I can overlook the sodium, fake ingredients, and overall "blah" just this once.

No barbecue plate is complete without Izzy's pickles - if you have no idea what I am talking about, then you have been sorely missing out your entire life... look them up now!

Doesn't this look like a kitchen island full of heaven?!

Bourbon Balls for Mother's Day

I am getting into this bad habit of posting things way after they happen. I am going to blame it on the warm weather, summertime mind set, lackadaisical attitude with which I approach my free time now, and my inability to go inside until it is way too dark to be outside. Isn't that what summer is all about anyway? Grilling out, eating watermelon until juice drips off your chin, showing off farmers' tans with pride, and camping outside so you can (attempt) to count all the stars in the night sky. That is at least how I choose to spend my summers. Regardless, however, I apologize for my absence and promise that this post will make up for my dropping the ball (get it?! Dropping the ball... Bourbon balls... I have jokes today.)

As you know, I love to give homemade presents, and since I really am not much of a crafter, I tend to make presents in the kitchen. Quick breads, someone's favorite meal, jams and preserves, and in this case, chocolates! As you all know I work at the Woodford Reserve Distillery and thus decided to make some of the recipes that I have internalized for my mom for Mother's Day which, of course, features our namesake libation. This bourbon ball recipe, however, has some slight variations made due to my ill-equipped kitchen.

Woodford's own pecan bourbon balls... with my own special twist.

Pecan Bourbon Balls

1 cup chopped pecans

Woodford Reserve bourbon, or bourbon of choice

1 stick butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 TB bourbon

24 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted with 1 TB shortening

Toasted pecan halves

Cover the chopped pecans with bourbon and let sit overnight. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, set aside. Cream the butter, vanilla, bourbon, and sugar until fluffy but stiff, adding additional sugar if necessary or until the mixture is pliable, like soft Play-Do. Fold in bourbon soaked nuts. Roll the dough into balls, refrigerating the dough slightly if it is too soft to do so. Dip in melted, slightly cooled, chocolate to cover; top with toasted pecan half. Allow to harden at room temperature.

This is the best way to say Happy Mother's Day if you ask me.

Homemade vanilla: vodka, two vanilla beans, split but not scraped, and 2 weeks of steeping.

I might have spiked the chocolate a bit too... the more the merrier right?!

What homemade goodies do you like to gift?

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Happy Cinco de Mayo y'all! (I know that sounds just so lovely with a southern accent.) We celebrated Cinco de Mayo with Sangria, chicken enchiladas, and corn and black bean salsa. What a wonderful way to celebrate Mexico's eradication of the French (NOT the Mexican Independence Day, common misconception - that is actually September 16th... more sangria then too!) And it was so nice to have guests to share our celebratory meal with!

Look how festive our apartment looks!

Getting up close and personal con mi comida!

Our festive bar, patiently awaiting our guests!

Spicy chicken and salsa filling - I had to keep myself from eating  all the filling before rolling it up in tortillas.

Chicken and spinach roasted red enchiladas

And what would a holiday celebration be without some festive libation? Cranberry and frozen grape sangria, ole!

Cranberry and Frozen Grape Sangria

1 bottle white wine (we used Pinot Grigio)
1/2 bottle of 100% cranberry juice
1 cup simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar, simmered until the sugar is dissolved)
juice of two limes
Grapes and granny smith apples, frozen

Mix the liquid ingredients in a large pitcher. Refrigerate until chilled. To serve, add some fruit to the bottom of each white wine glass, then pour your perfect sangria over your frozen fruit.

** The frozen fruit will act as ice cubes to keep your drink cold without watering it down like ice cubes will. Fun tip of the day!**

Easter Weekend: Part I

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter holiday this past weekend! Mine was perfect, filled with a long visit with my sister, fun in the sun while wearing pretty dresses, and of course, lots of yummy food! Here is part one of my weekend, in picture form.

A yummy, protein packed breakfast I made for Shelby and I before we headed to the racetrack for the day. Toasted bagel thins, fresh tomato slices, fried eggs, and scallion. Simplicity at its best.

I overcooked my eggs a little bit, but they were nonetheless delicious.

Shelby and I at Keeneland Horse Track. We felt oh so glamorous in our Derby hats, and I even won $20!

Shelby's very first plate of sushi! Now we just need to work on her chopstick skills...

From left to right: BBQ eel roll, tempura shrimp roll, and california roll.

Shelby and I also tried Local Taco, a restaurant that just opened up down the street from campus. Since we are both suckers for Tex-Mex, we just had to go. And I've already been back - scumptious!

Blackened yellowfin tuna, seared with pico de gallo and arugula, served on a homemade tortilla.

Pulled brisket in mole sauce, topped with pickled onion and cilantro, also atop a freshly made tortilla.

Stay tuned for Easter weekend, part two and three!

It's Getting Squirrelly Around Here

Happy Valentine's Day all!

For those of you who are keeping track, this is our 50th post together! Can you believe it? Me neither - seems appropriate that it fell on Valentine's Day. I hope you all are having a sweet Tuesday!

Valentine's Day in particular is turning out to be a little squirrelly this year. As you may or may not know, I am a proud Alpha Gamma Delta sorority sister, and our mascot is the squirrel. Why? I am not sure, but rumor has it that we, as a sorority of women, look towards and prepare for our futures. Whatever the reason, look at all the wonderful Valentine's Day presents I received this year from my parents and grandparents - how they find these things I have no idea, but I am so grateful!

Yep - squirrel EVERYTHING! Cookies, grocery pads, dark chocolates, and a grey squirrel bookend.

How. Cute. Are. THESE?! Mommaw made these for me and my fellow AGD sisters for Valentine's Day, how  precious!! You can tell she spent a TON of time on these, but they were so well received - she certainly earned the "best grandma EVER" award. Really though, she does.

Excellent advice from a squirrel: Plan Ahead, Stay Active, Go Out on a Limb, and It's OK to be a Little Nuts. 

Christmas Party: Part II

As promised in my previous post, here is the second half of the Christmas party, the food part! My previous post featured all the glorious floral arrangements (constructed so artfully by my grandma) and can be viewed here. Really, you should check them out, they really are breathtaking, she did such a wonderful job with them. They were catered to each room they were placed in and fit is just beautifully - I answered questions all night long from guests wanting to know who did our flour arrangements!

Here is my mom's and my contribution to the festivities. We stuck with a southern classic Christmas theme, as our home is a colonial Williamsburg replica, and everything turned out simply scrumptious. Feel free to browse all these great pictures, provided by my sister, and ask any questions you'd like!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!

Our hot appetizer table

Crab Cakes with Creole Remoulade

Trio of Homemade Mustard for the Biscuit Sandwiches - Cranberry Mustard, Sweet and Spicy Mustard, and Grainy

Country Ham on Chive Biscuits

Poinsettia Sipper - lime and cranberry sparkling cider

Peanut Brittle (my favorite part of the holidays - these bowls had to be put is rooms very far away from me in order to stay full.)

Woodford Reserve Bourbon Pecan Fudge

Homemade Cookie Tray, filled with family recipes

Spritz cookies, Miniature Pecan Pies, Austrian Jams, and Peanut Butter Blossoms

Spinach Dip - complete with a crunchy water chestnut finish

Goat Cheese Log with Cranberry Jam

Festive Fruit Platter

Asiago, Parmesean , and Italian Herb Pita Crisps

Spicy Spinach Pinwheels

Olives and Cornichon Pickles

Stuffed Strawberry Tomatoes

Cheese Platter with Fig Jam

Our cold appetizer table, complete with our Egg Tree in the corner!

Me before the party, making sure everything is in it's place...

... and me after everyone has left and all the clean up was complete.