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| five tiers |
holding hands
DIY office makeover
good things come to those who wait
Friday, April 29, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Corn Pudding
This is a dish that has become a staple at our holiday meals. My husband's aunt began making corn pudding for us several years ago and we've been hooked ever since.
I went to make corn pudding a few weeks ago and didn't have her recipe on hand so I found this one from The Red Apple Inn that uses fresh corn and what a difference it makes! I also added a bit of thyme for more depth of flavor and cooked it to perfection in my cast iron skillet.
Do you have any side dishes that always make appearances at the holidays?
- tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 cups whole milk
- 4 cups fresh corn kernels (from 8 medium ears of corn)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
- Preheat the oven to 375°. In a medium saucepan, melt 5 tablespoons of the butter. Add the flour, sugar and salt and cook over moderately high heat for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook over moderately high heat, whisking, until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
- In a large nonstick skillet, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the corn and cook over moderately high heat until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Gradually whisk in the hot white sauce. Add the corn and fresh thyme.
- Lightly grease a 9-inch cast-iron skillet and heat on the stovetop. Pour in the corn mixture and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the pudding is cooked through and golden. Let cool slightly.
MAKE AHEAD The corn pudding can be baked earlier in the day and reheated in a 325° oven.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
The Royal Hat and Kate Middleton
Are you looking forward to the royal wedding as much as I am?
I can still vaguely remember watching the wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles on TV when I was a little girl. I vividly recall how her train went on forever and wishing I could have been one of the many little girls in the wedding party. I also remember my mom being really excited over the event. I was only five years old at the time! Isn't funny which memories choose to "stick with us?"
My mom tells me that as a little girl, I adored wearing hats. Anything that I could put on my head really. I often thought that if I could start over on my career choices and have a true "dream job," it would be a milliner. I've always thought of it as a lost art and secretly hope that hats will one day become more acceptable as the norm again.
Will Kate be the leading lady to bring this trend back? That's the buzz anyways. Rumor is, she's a big fan of the fascinator and has chosen Philip Treacy to design her wedding day headpiece. I'm interested to see if she chooses a more traditional style or something more youthful. Isn't she just absolutely gorgeous? What a breath of fresh air for the royal family.
Here's some fascinators and hats that make my heart go pitter-patter....
Are you a fan of hats? Will you be watching the royal wedding on Friday? Any die hard fans getting up at 4 am? I'm thinking I may have to in order to watch it in peace and quiet.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Easter 2011
Does anyone else feel the need to pack as much as possible into these beautiful spring weekends? My weekend flew by with a whirlwind of activity that has me looking forward to the lazy days of summer.
We relaxed on Good Friday with some legos on the back deck, some yardwork, a date at Pinkberry and a fish dinner. I planted some ranunculus bulbs and a Lady Banks' Rose which I'm hoping to train to grow up our pergola. Have any gardening tips on these?
I woke up early on Saturday and despite the light mist, I headed out to pick up several tomato plants and some fresh mozzarella at the local farmer's market. I then raced home to take the family to the Touch-a-Truck festival, which is heaven for little boys. They get to be hands on with all their favorite trucks, climbing in the cabs, beeping horns, etc. Do you have this in your area?
As soon as I got home, I trucked out to Douglasville with my older sister to a baby shower for one of our favorite college friends. Of course I loved seeing some of my favorite gal pals and the commute there and back with my sister left me smiling the rest of the day. We rarely get to catch up without our kiddos interrupting our conversation. Love that.
Easter was so special this year since it was a first for Jett. Luke woke us up screaming "The easter bunny really came mommy and he brought just what I ordered online!" Jett's favorite Easter surprise was most definitely the pinwheel. Mesmerized.
After a beautiful church service, we enjoyed a yummy lunch and easter egg hunt at my sister's house. I brought a corn pudding dish that I can't wait to share with you all later this week. And just when I thought we couldn't fit anything else in, we stopped by my cousin's home to wish her son a happy 16th birthday!
So, I'm curious what keeps you busy on these lovely spring weekends? Are you a traveler, gardener, runner, crafter? Leave me a comment and say hello.
Hope you enjoyed Easter weekend whatever you did!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Indian Cuisine-Butter Chicken
Yes, I know this is a far cry from the typical southern cuisine you might expect to find here on YSP but hang tight....it's not as hard as it looks and it's absolutely delicious!
My husband and I had the pleasure of attending a dinner party a few years ago where the hostess served a delicious Indian meal that was reflective of her heritage and I've been wanting to attempt Indian cuisine ever since. The flavors are so bold and exotic!
A friend of mine is the owner/operator of her own company called Modern Day Masala. What an amazing story she has. I love when women create opportunities for themselves! In short, Modern Day Masala is a line of organic Indian spice blends that are sold along with an attached recipe card which promises to deliver a delicious Indian meal in less than 30 minutes. Simple, right?
For the above recipe, I used the butter chicken blend and it was so very, very easy. I had it ready in no time since the spices were already ground and mixed for me, one of the essentials in mastering Indian cuisine! (I think.) I paired this flavorful dish with a simple steamed broccoli which was the perfect compliment. My husband absolutely loved it. I think this dish would be so impressive for a dinner party, accompanied by some white wine!
Overall, my first attempt at Indian food was a great one and I can't wait to try more of Modern Day Masala's spice blends.
I'm wondering, have you ever cooked Indian food?
If you're interested in purchasing Modern Day Masala products, you can find them sold here or via their website. I found some at my local Whole Foods!
See, that was easy right?
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Nature's Dye
With Easter approaching, I noticed a run on eggs while grocery shopping today. Of course, we'll also be dyeing some eggs at home to carry on tradition, but I can't stop wondering why change something already so naturally beautiful?
Monday, April 18, 2011
New Trees & Spring Blooms
Hi there friends. I hope you enjoyed your weekend more than I, who battled a head cold much of the time. I'm beginning to feel normal again and apologize to anyone who had to actually converse with me over the past few days. This cold made me hard of hearing and gave me that feeling of being trapped inside an echoing bubble!
I couldn't let an entire spring weekend go by without getting out in the yard a little bit. We had some major installations from our landscapers on Friday with the addition of a Dogwood tree, a Cherry tree, seven Encore azaleas and three knockout rose bushes. We've lost a few trees since we moved in seven years ago due to age so it was time to replace with a few new ones. Fortunately the shrubs and trees survived the strong Friday night storms with no damage.
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| Dogwood |
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| Cherry |
Here's some other things blooming around the yard this time of year.
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| Encore Azalea |
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| Iris |
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| Dianthus - need to be divided badly this year |
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| Rose |
I also moved my five year old Carolina Jessamine vine from a pot on the back deck to a new home where I hope she'll have more room to stretch. She's now lives in a back corner of our property where I hope she'll "dress up" the chain link fence a bit. She lost a lot of her leaves but I hope she'll bounce back beautifully later this year or next spring.
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| Carolina Jessamine |
I picked up three 1 gallon "Mildred" azaleas at Pike Nursery for $10. They bloom in an orchid purple color and are also located in the back corner of our property next to the Carolina Jessamine. Did you know Pike offers a lifetime guarantee on their azaleas? Love that!
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| 1 gallon 'Mildred" Azalea |
I love planting marigolds on the back deck because they're known to repel mosquitoes and you can't get enough of that down here in the South!
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| Marigold |
Love our Red Tips that tower over our play set and our back deck. They provide a lot of shade, privacy for the hot tub and year round interest with their foliage.
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| Red Tips |
I hope to share some of these little herb pots as gifts soon!
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| Basil and Sage |
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| Miss Kim's Lilac |
This old container belonged to my husband's grandmother and I can think of now greater way of honoring her than filling it with sprawling flowers that will bloom all season. It sits on our front porch, along with some rocking chairs.
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| Petunia, Lithodora and Sweet Potato Vine |
And of course, my favorite yard accessory...my little man, Luke. Love this kid. He's growing like a weed and becoming quite the little helper.
Other exciting news that happened this weekend....My baby Jett decided late last night to start taking some steps after his night time bath. We got it on video and he was SO proud of himself. It is so amazing watching a little one take their very first steps. Getting teary eyed just thinking about it.
I hope you all have a lovely week. Thanks for saying hello.
