• alcoholic,  joie de vivre

    Limoncello

    As a self-proclaimed connoisseur and purveyor of all things delicious, I was more than on board when Angela proposed a trip last to the Côte d’ Azur and Riviera (aka the tour de limoncello). I could talk you to all day about eating nearly a metric tonne of pasta and cheese, but I must share our story of limoncello. We drank ALL the lee-mohn-CHAY-loh. You see, while we were there, Europe was experiencing a treacherous heat-wave. We were compelled to stay cool by drinking limoncello. It became a matter of life or death. At each stop on our continental trek, we sought out limoncello. We would specifically ask for the…

  • dessert,  joie de vivre,  vegetarian

    Sweet Georgia Peach Ice Cream Sandwiches

    Masters Week has come and gone, y’all. Didn’t make it to the tournament to grab one of those delicious Georgia Peach Ice Cream Sandwiches? Or perhaps you can’t help reminiscing about those quintessentially southern treats you noshed on last week?  No worries. I gotcha. Let me be clear, however:  this is NOT the sugar cookie recipe used by Nashville’s Christie Cookie Company.  Like most things that concern the Augusta National, that recipe is veiled in secrecy. But chances are these will hold you over till next year’s tournament. The recipes for these cool confections are oh, so easy: simply bake up a batch of sugar cookies and sandwich a big…

  • be merry,  drink,  joie de vivre

    Arnold Palmer & John Daly Sippers

    It’s Masters week here in Augusta. Golf fanatics are landing here by the droves to follow those little white balls on their journeys across 18 holes at the Augusta National Golf Course. The Augusta National is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful golf courses in the world. The property is on a former nursery.  The flora abounds, each hole taking its name from a signature plant. The grass underfoot has a certain spring to it. The long shadows of the loblolly pines offer respite on sunny days. The jays chirp out their gleeful songs. This tournament is much more than just the game of golf–it is a feeling. A magical…

  • be merry,  joie de vivre

    What is YOUR Hygge?

    Yesterday I saw a commercial about making life more hygge.  I watched and listened, and then I chuckled to myself. How ironic that someone chose to commercialize hygge. And how demeaning.    Commercialization is the antithesis of hygge, I am certain of that. What exactly is hygge?  It is a buzz word, for sure; I had been hearing it everywhere. But I wasn’t certain of its meaning.  That is, until I discovered this gem on Alex Beauchamp’s hyggehouse.com: Hygge (pronounced hue-guh not hoo-gah) is a Danish word used when acknowledging a feeling or moment, whether alone or with friends, at home or out, ordinary or extraordinary as cosy, charming or…