Category: life
Summer Edit Part 3: Beauty and the Beach
I have a couple of friends with whom I routinely share beauty tips and news about clever, effective products. It's funny, really. These women are highly successful professionals, truly amazing at what they do and I know them mainly in a business sort of way. But when one of us finds something good to slather, dab [...]
Summer Edit Part 2: More Food and Drink and Life
St. George Island never disappoints. Even on a cloudy day, and those have been few, it's my favorite place to be. Life is here simple: hours and hours of reading books on the beach under a huge umbrella. We listen to Oyster Radio (100.5 WOYS) and don't turn on the television. I've had oyster dates with [...]
Odette is Destination Dining in Florence
For nearly five years, Odette owner Celeste Pillow and executive chef Josh Quick and their team have helped downtown Florence, Alabama flourish--one delicious dish at a time. The casual, upscale restaurant is one of a growing number of locally owned, small businesses drawing people back to this exciting town’s downtown. Read more about Odette here [...]
44 Hours (approximately) in Asheville, NC
I love sharing Birmingham with friends. I love just as much when friends share their own special places with me--opening my eyes to something I don't see every day. My husband, Rick, and I recently spent about 44 hours in Asheville, North Carolina, with our friends April and Sid and Bob and Tondee. April was [...]
Come to the Table
When women help other women succeed, good things happen. Tasty things do, too. This year, $10,000 in scholarships and awards from a group of women leaders in our food community will help four college students pursue their food-science studies, three high schools better serve their culinary-arts students, Jones Valley Teaching Farm connect with more kids, [...]
Edible Art: Geode and Agate Cookies
Sugar cookies + artists = some delicious awesomeness. On a recent rainy afternoon, my daughters and I made geode and agate cookies, and we had an absolute blast. We used a simple sugar cookie recipe from PureWow (I'll include it below), Alton Brown's royal icing (recipe below), some clear rock candy (which I bought at [...]
The Summer Edit: Books, Food, Drinks and Fun
Summer's here. And I couldn't be happier. Well, maybe I could. I most definitely could if I were at St. George Island. With a good book in one hand, a fun drink in the other and my family nearby. To celebrate the season, I'm going to put together my own summer edit with books, drinks, [...]
Three-Minute (at Most!) Bathroom Update
The '80s called, and they want their crystal faucet knobs back. Especially this one with its off-kilter label. Here's my new rule: I'm going to tackle at least one update each month around my house. And once a year, I'm going to take the "Swedish Death Cleaning" approach to my space (especially my closet). This is where [...]
Au Revoir, Winter!
It's a Springalingadingdong! Go ahead. Say it out loud, because it's fun. Then make it part of your plans for Saturday, April 21 because that's even more fun. Springalingadingdong! is a European-style street carnival and giant puppet parade in Mountain Brook's English Village. It's a celebration born from another celebration. In 2009, Carole Griffin wanted [...]
Mississippi Tamales and More, Thanks to a Los Angeles Mariachi Band
LIfe's little surprises often remain hidden unless you're paying attention. At the Southern Foodways Alliance Winter Symposium held in Birmingham recently, I heard the celebrated female mariachi band La Victoria perform a concert of corridos (storytelling folk songs). They sang about many things including a woman who traveled with her food--and food memories--packed in a suitcase. [...]