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Lemony Creme + White Chocolate Trifle
This Lemony Creme + White Chocolate Trifle is almost too pretty to eat! ALMOST. When the weather starts to get balmy (and stays that way for 5 months), my go to relief is LEMONS. I love lemons. I also love trifle. I do not love baking. There. I said it. I DO NOT BAKE. Suffice it to say, my favorite kind of dessert is a no-bake dessert. Hence, this Lemony Creme + White Chocolate Trifle. Trifles are always a win because they look so elegant without a lot of fuss. You do not even have to turn on the oven to make this gorgeous citrusy delight. All you have to…
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Dirty Dalmatian
Have you ever laid your lips on a cocktail, and your first thought is, “Uh-oh”? As in, “Uh-oh, this concoction has some kick to it!” or “Uh-oh, I may end up drinking quite a few of these!” or “Uh-oh, these Dirty Dalmatians won’t last very long around here!” Meet your new best friend—the Dirty Dalmatian. This Dirty Dalmatian is a complementary amalgamation of Black Peppercorn Not-So-Simple Syrup and fresh Ruby Red grapefruit juice. When you sip it, you feel a rush of warmth in your throat swilled away by cold + refreshing + tangy acid. I call it a Dirty Dalmatian because the peppers have commingled with the syrup for…
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Blueberries + Creme + Lavender Frosé-Merlotsé
Today I added a bullet to my professional resume: how to Photoshop my dogs out of blogging pictures. I was chopping vegetables for a salad when they came a runnin’. It happens to these Pavlovian creatures every time they hear me at work on the cutting board. For them, chopping sounds = treats. It could be carrots, apples, ____ (insert crunchy vegetable or fruit here)–it makes no difference. Chow hounds, I tell ya! But healthy snackers, nonetheless. (Oh, who am I kidding? I don’t know how to Photoshop. I have to lure them outside with peanut butter treats so I can snap some shots without their interloping.) Today it wasn’t…
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Lemon Zest + Spring Pea Parmesan Orzo
I am welcoming summer with mouth wide open! Yes, I know it it only May, but in Augusta our summer starts in April. But then switches back to winter. And then we will have two outstanding weeks of spring. But now we are in summer again. Sooo…….last night I made this delightfully fresh and lively Lemon Zest + Spring Pea Parmesan Orzo. This recipe is so easy you’ll have plenty of time to do those warm weather things you love to do, like sleep in the sun or splash in the pool. Lemon Zest + Spring Pea Parmesan Orzo is sunshine on a plate. This dish is so much…
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Mediterranean Chicken Salad
Isn’t this Mediterranean Chicken Salad gorgeous? You bet your sweet ass, it is! I am an absolute sucker when it comes to beautiful produce. I mean, I get weak in the knees and my eyes glaze over. Then I hear this robotic voice in my head: Must Buy All the Produce. I call it Blog Brain Frenzy where I buy anything and all that is beautiful because in some manner or fashion I can use it in something. Right? In the history of never have I been able to pass up beautiful produce. Today I had to borrow a truck to get it all home. But the positive side of…
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Bleu Cheese + BLT Salad
It’s time to bring out your Summer Goddess. This Bleu Cheese + BLT Salad has all the flavor and is a breeze to throw together! Spilling over with delicious ingredients and this amazingly light Buttermilk Bleu Cheese Dressing, you will want to eat this every day during the warm summer months. At the market on Saturday, I was awestruck by the sight of the gorgeous locally grown, farm fresh produce. I usually gather it all up, knowing that it will somehow become a recipe. Today’s tough decision was which salad I should I make. The resident carnivore put in a request for something with bacon, and thus was born this…
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Raspberry + Thyme Frosé
This frosé screams SUMMER! It is just what these hot summer nights beg for. You know something else it screams? THE BEST WAY TO ADULT IS TO FROSE! This boozy, fruity slushee is light, refreshing, and for grown-ups only. I am on the fence about calling it frosé, though. I chose to use Merlot over rosé because it has more body and can hold up to the infusion of thyme. Instead of frosé, shouldn’t it be called Merlotsé? Raspberry + Thyme Merlotsé. Let me think about it… So about the thyme…At first I made regular raspberry frosé, and it was delicious. But I thought a hint of peppery thyme might…
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Ultimate Chicken + Avocado Caprese Salad
It’s that time of year when we are inundated with images of summer-readiness attire + activities + dietary regimen. It can be so stressful getting back on track after the holidays in preparation for the nearly naked time of year. (Seriously, have you seen how tiny bikinis are nowadays?) But there is no stress at all with preparing or eating this delightfully light yet satisfying Ultimate Chicken + Avocado Caprese Salad! I’d go so far as to say this salad is crazy easy to prepare. Simply do a sweep through the produce aisle of the market, grab a rotisserie chicken, and throw together some dressing fixins and you’re set! This…
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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…
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Seared Sea Scallops with Caramelized Corn + Tomatoes
Of all shellfish, my very favorite is scallops. Their porcelain creaminess is so pure and elegant, their bouquet an intoxicatingly sweet brininess. I imagine it to be like mermaid’s breath. For this recipe, I nestle those succulent pillows of goodness on a bed of fresh corn sautéed with bacon, shallots, and thyme. I have three words to describe these scallops–Mmm, mmm, mmm! Seared Sea Scallops with Caramelized Corn + Tomatoes is the first meal I made for The Man. It was back in the flirting stages of things. Apparently it blew his mind because all these years later he is still around. The key to the deliciousness of this dish…