…and I’m not talking about the junky kind, but the real “letter-from-ones-you-love” kind of mail. Unfortunately with the rise of technology (with which I admittedly have a love/hate relationship) and the craziness that is the US Postal Service, snail mail is becoming a bother instead of what it was intended to be/do and that is to connect people and keep them connected.
I’m a HUGE of handmade cards, invitations, etc., vs. the store-bought generic cards. To me, it shows the time and effort someone put in FOR YOU, especially for you…only for you and they paid 44¢ to mail it TO YOU.
With Valentine’s Day coming up (and FAST, people) and the commercial “holiday-whoring” (harsh, but true) that most stores participate in this time of year, I think there are some better ways to share the love.
For one, instead of buying things of the red/pink persuasion with silly, generic “love sayings” on them for your loved ones, how taking some time to serve them. Drop them a real note (handmade perhaps?!) telling them how you really feel, in your own words. If not a note, try to do something nice for them, going out of your way to make their life(ves) a little easier. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, in fact, in this recession-age more folks are finding that the simple gestures are the most meaningful…they show that you PAY ATTENTION. {last year I did homemade s’mores!}
Maybe try to serve those who you don’t love or don’t necessarily know. The random acts of kindness go a long way and if you’ve been on the receiving end of a random act, you know that JOY that it brings is contagious.
The last thing is something a little smaller in size and scope, but the impact on yourself is tremendous. It is always good to take some time and treat yourself with some love. Last year, I participated in a Handmade Valentine Swap sponsored by The Stationery Place. I thought it would just be a fun thing to do, mainly to challenge and push myself to get crafty, but what I got in return was a joy and a smile that were so OVERWHELMING..much more than a little paper valentine should probably conjure up…for a week, I received 4-5 handmade valentines from people all around the world via this swap and it was amazing.
my handmade valentine last year
I think this particular swap closed on Jan. 25, but you can try to email the folks to see if you can still get in on this one. If not, here are a few more that you could check out: Aunt Peaches, FaveCrafts Blog, Oh Hey, What’s Up?
You could even coordinate a Valentine’s swap with a group of friends locally…My friends are always saying we need a craft night, so this would be a great “theme”.
Hope you’re having a GREAT Friday…I’ll have some really fun news to post this weekend…a little something in the works for someone close to me…I CANNOT wait to debut.
Well…more like she’s “getting” skills. Cooking skills, that is. As I’ve mentioned before on the blog, I’ve taken a few cooking classes over the last few months. These cooking classes, sponsored and hosted by the wonderful chefs of Amelie’s French Bakery, have been amazing.
Chefs Maggie Boehlert and Lucia Renzi have led us through classes ranging from Farmer’s Market, Low Country Boil, Pies and the latest and greatest, Soups & Stews. These classes are super informative and the relaxing atmosphere, coupled with the small class size and the amazing talent showing us the ropes, has made each experience truly wonderful. (not to mention the free flowing libations, those are pretty nice too!)
Last night’s class featured homemade chicken noodle soup, buttermilk biscuits and snickerdoodles. At first, the chicken noodle soup idea threw me off because really, how hard can it be, but this was unlike any chicken soup I’ve ever made and it was SO easy. If you’re picturing the Campbell’s Soup lame-o version, go ahead and put it OUT OF YOUR MIND and OUT OF YOUR PANTRY (no joke, throw that garbage where it belongs).
We started with a mirepoix {definition: a flavoring made from diced vegetables, seasonings, herbs, placed in a pan to cook with meat or fish} which consisted of celery, onions, carrots, garlic and thyme. We then chopped some mushrooms, green beans and whole leaf spinach to add to our soup a little later.
- pardon the iPhone quality
And here is how we REALLY started the class…Chef Lucia giving directions and me…doing a little “pre-gaming” 
.
- Photo Cred: Stefanie Haviv, Amelie’s French Bakery
One reason I wanted to start taking cooking classes was to learn the best and proper way to prepare & cook food. My mother always comments on my cutting (or lack-there-of) skills and I want to watch and learn the proper way to cut, dice, chop, etc. Here I am cutting an onion…BEFORE I started crying (couldn’t help it…onions get me every time!).
- Photo Cred: Stefanie Haviv, Amelie’s French Bakery
So we started by sautéing our mirepoix in a little oil oil in a saucepan until the onions were translucent. I LOVE the smell of onions and veggies sautéing in a pan…it truly is delightful. From there we added our mushrooms, green beans, chicken broth and water. We let that simmer for a bit.
Photo Cred: Stefanie Haviv, Amelie's French Bakery
Photo Cred: Stefanie Haviv, Amelie's French Bakery
Then came the noodles. We used egg noodles and added those in already cooked (al dente).
Photo Cred: Stefanie Haviv, Amelie's French Bakery
While our soup was simmering, we started the buttermilk biscuits. A couple key tidbits to making GOOD homemade biscuits…you need butter, shortening and buttermilk. You also don’t want to overwork the dough – you want to make sure the butter and shortening are covered and crumbled within your flour using just your finger tips (the butter will melt quickly so the less you touch it, the better).
Photo Cred: Stefanie Haviv, Amelie's French Bakery
{side note: my wine glass magically stayed full:) Thanks, Stef!}
You want to mold the flour into a volcano, then pour the butter milk into the middle. Lightly pull the flour from the edges to cover the “milk hole” and trapping the buttermilk. Start lightly integrating the milk within the flour.
It is MESSY.
Photo Cred: Stefanie Haviv, Amelie's French Bakery
I mean…REALLY MESSY.
Photo Cred: Stefanie Haviv, Amelie's French Bakery
We added some sharp cheddar cheese to our flour mixture, then rolled and cut our biscuits. We got eight HUGE biscuits out of the dough ball like the one in front of me {behind the full glass of wine}.
again...iPhone quality:)
From the biscuits {and while the soup is simmering} we moved on to the dessert of the evening…snickerdoodles!
These were SUPER easy and for anyone who loves cinnamon {me! me!} these are a HUGE HIT. Also for those of you with kiddos, this would be a really fun and easy baking project to do with them.
courtesy of my phone.
Photo Cred: Stefanie Haviv, Amelie's French Bakery
After the meal prep is over, the soup is simmering, the biscuits are rising and the cookies are becoming UBER delicious, we all moved to the dining area where we continued snacking on drinks and fresh baguettes & spreads from Amelie’s.
Once our food is finished, we EAT…laugh and conversate.
my finished product! and crappy iPhone pic
We finished the evening by partaking of our yummy snickerdoodles and enjoying a smooth, delicious cup of coffee from Magnolia Coffee. Magnolia Coffee Company is Charlotte, NC’s only boutique, artisan roaster that provides truly customized specialty coffees with the additional focus of forming local partnerships to make a difference in the community. I heart Magnolia Coffee in a BIG way.
So that was my latest cooking class experience. One of my life goals is to host a dinner party with 4-5 people where we prepare and cook the meal together over drinks and conversation. I hope that goal happens soon but in the meantime, I am so thankful I get to take part in these wonderful classes hosted by Amelie’s. You guys really are the GREATEST!
This year, for Christmas, I wanted to give the women of my family a special gift. My grandmother (mom’s mom…I call her Nanny Sis) is a GREAT cook and like most really great cooks, she does NOT use recipes…or measurements for that matter. She cooks from the soul…it’s about timing, the smells and how it “feels”…which is really a beautiful thing…UNTIL you want to replicate any of her “famous” dishes.
I was determined to record some of her recipes so we can keep them “in the family” and not let them pass with time. So, this year, I spent some time with my Nanny to watch her every move, take photos and record some of her famous holiday candy recipes. I compiled what I saw, what I heard, what I smelled. I asked the other women in my family for some of their famous recipes too…my aunt…my cousins…my mom…my sister. We all put in 3-4 of our best recipes. I compiled them and designed my very first cookbook…The Branham Women in the Kitchen cookbook. Here it is:
Cooking and the love of food is something that runs in our family and that is one tradition I intend to continue.
Happy 2012!
I’ve had the itch to start blogging again for the last couple of weeks, but this time, it’ll be with a different focus…a FOOD focus. A few months back I finally achieved one of my 2011 NY resolutions…to take a cooking class! I started taking monthly classes at Amelie’s French Bakery in NoDa (a fantastic 24/hr. bakery in Charlotte, NC) and have LOVED them.
I LOVE food. I’ve always loved food, well, really just eating it, but it wasn’t until I got married that I even considered learning how to actually cook. For the first few months of our marriage, I tried a new recipe every single day of the week. As with all new adventures, there were some victories and boy, there were some pretty terrible failures (what a brave, PATIENT husband I have). Nevertheless, out of all those victories and failures, I grew to absolutely LOVE cooking.
So here we are. I thought I would start this new blogging venture off with the recipes I tried today for our New Year’s Day Lunch. I recently subscribed to this amazing Southern living magazine, Garden & Gun. If you haven’t seen it yet, go out and get it RIGHT now. The tagline is “South of the Soul” and every issue I’ve received has truly rekindled my love for the South…the food, the culture, the art…everything. In the Dec/Jan issue, they featured Stephen Stryjewski’s recipe for Hoppin’ John. Jay, my husband, immediately insisted that I try my hand at THIS particular recipe to start our 2012 off the right, Southern way…”the beans represent coins and the pork optimism, because pigs forage forward and don’t look back.” Amen.
In addition to the Garden & Gun-inspired pork and beans dish, I HAD to make collards! They’re the dolla-dolla bills, ya’ll!? And THAT…is MY southern grandmother’s tradition, so I found a lovely Collards & Bacon Recipe via The Wall Street Journal a la Donald Link, chef and co-owner of Herbsaint and Cochon in New Orleans.
You know what is so RANDOMLY awesome about this recipe being paired with the other?? Chef Stryjewski is actually the NEW co-owner of the SAME restaurant, Cochon, as Chef Link!? It was MEANT to be and these two dishes paired beautifully together…and by the amount of empty plates at my table following lunch today, I think my guests agreed. So here are the photos of my cooking adventure today:
Collard Greens w/Bacon Recipe
{via WSJ}
Yield: 6-8 servings
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
4 strips thick-sliced bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black peppercorns
Several dashes hot sauce
1/4 cup apple-cider vinegar
2 pounds collard greens, stems removed, sliced into 3-inch-wide strips
1 cup homemade or canned low-sodium chicken broth or water
- Place the bacon in a large pot or Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until it just starts to brown around the edges, stirring occasionally. Mix in the onions and cook until they’re soft and starting to brown, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic, sugar, salt, pepper and hot sauce and cook until the garlic becomes fragrant, stirring often. Pour in the vinegar, bring to a simmer, and cook until the amount of liquid is reduced by half, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot to work any browned bits into the sauce.
- Stir in the greens and the chicken broth (or water) and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until completely wilted and the color of the greens have lost their brightness, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with additional vinegar and hot sauce and serve with a generous ladle of the pan juices from the pot.
Hoppin’ John Recipe
{via G&G}
INGREDIENTS (Stage 1)
1 lb. dried black-eyed peas, rinsed and picked over
¾ lb. Tasso ham, diced
1 onion, halved
3 cloves garlic
3 bay leaves
PREPARATION
In a large Dutch oven or kettle, combine ingredients with 6
cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer gently until beans are tender but not mushy, 2 to
2 ½ hours. Drain the black-eyed peas and ham, saving cooking liquid separately. Remove and discard the onion pieces,
garlic, and bay leaves.
INGREDIENTS (Stage 2)
½ lb. bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
½ tsp. fresh thyme
1 cup Cajun Grain rice (or a good-quality long grain rice)
6 green onions, sliced
½ bunch parsley, chopped
1 tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
PREPARATION
Wipe out the pot and return to stove over moderately high heat. Add bacon and render until golden (8 to 10 minutes), then add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and jalapeño. Using a wooden spoon, stir occasion-ally, cooking until onions look translucent (8 to 12 minutes). Add the thyme and 2 ½ cups water, and bring to a boil. Lower heat, stir in the rice, cover, and simmer until the
rice is tender, about 17
to 22 minutes.
Stir in the green onions, parsley, and black-eyed peas and ham, season with salt and pepper, and adjust the consistency with the reserved cooking liquid. The hoppin’ John should be lushly moist but not soupy.
Good morning! I’ve been working on this list since my birthday (back in September) so I apologize for the delay, but here it is, My Top 10 Favorites of Fall. Fall is my absolute favorite season of the year. A lot of people say because of the cold weather and the leaves falling from the trees, it’s a depressing time, but for me, the colors of the leaves are gorgeous and the cold weather means that I can wear big sweaters and awesome coats:) Enjoy!
Top 10 Favorites:
10. My Birthday: I mean, my birthday is the first official day of fall, so how could I not LOVE it. This year was so special …Jay, my wonderful parents and amazing friends surprised me with my very first letterpress. Super awesome!
9. Pumpkin Spice & Cinnamon Dolce Lattes: I’m sorry, I’m all about supporting my local coffee shops, but there is NOTHING like a Starbucks latte. I’m not sure what makes theirs different but it just is…and I LOVE it:)
8. Theme Parties!! My friends and I love theme parties. For the last couple of years, we have had everything from “Black & Gold” to “Cowboys & Indians” to “Wedding Receptions for Jim & Pam on the Office” to baby showers that turn into CRAZiest of parties.
7. Gamecock Football: Every year around the beginning of September, I get that feeling…that feeling that something amazing is about to begin…the cold, crisp air starts smelling a little like tailgating and I know, it is time for GAMECOCK football. Every year, we hope to be amazing…this year, we aren’t pretty but so far, we’ve put up 6 wins against some pretty good teams. GO COCKS!
6. Fall Fashion = LOTS of Layering: Layering is one of my all time favorite things to do. I like to look down at my waist line and see at least two- three contrasting colors…weird, maybe…but awesome in my mind. I also love mixing and matching patterns, fabrics, etc…but only in my mind…not confident enough to do it yet for real…like this picture from Anthropologie, I WISH I had the gumption to do this.
5. More Fall Fashion = Big Coats and Fancy Scarves: The ironic thing about my obsession with coats is that I only have like 2 coats and one I have had since 9th grade…but no worries, it is getting replaced this year and here is what I’m eyeing at the moment from Old Navy…and this scarf from Anthropologie…yes please.
4. Fall Food = Bring on the Homemade Chili and Soups: Pumpkin Apple Bisque, Smoky Corn Chowder, Baked Potato Soup, My MOTHER & Chris Kincaid’s Chili…these are a few of my favorite fall time soups.
3. BABIES galore! 2009 was amazing for my proverbial family – we have added two very special ladies to our group, Magnolia Louise Godshall and Ethne Rain Calnin. One day, hopefully soon, Jay and I will be able to have kids of our own, but until then, we are working hard to be the best aunt and uncle to these precious babies…This fall, a new face was added to our community…meet Mr. Ames Emmanuel Kincaid. After 20 hours of labor, my dear friend, Rachael introduced us to this little man. It was my first witnessed home birth (the labor part, did NOT witness the actual birthing part) and it was spectacular.
2. TWILIGHT: NEW MOON – I know, its a little crazy and I tried to avoid the madness for as long as I could. I broke down and read the books and have been hooked ever since. I go back and forth from Team Edward and Team Jacob, but November 20th can NOT come soon enough. Please and thank you.
1. The best thing about fall is….My Wedding Anniversary: Okay, you can stop gagging now:) But seriously, three years ago, on November 18th, I married the sweetest, most compassionate and amazing man I know…the best part…he loves this CRAZY girl despite her insanity. PLUS, I LOVED our wedding! If I could go back, I might do some things differently, but overall, it was the best day of my life and seeing those big ole’ blues as I walked down the aisle is something I will NEVER forget.
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