Birthday Celebration: Dinner at Knox Mason

My birthday was a few weeks ago and to celebrate, the southern beau and I had dinner at Knoxville's Knox Mason. It's kind of sad that this was my first time dining at Knox Mason, even though I'd been wanting to eat there for what feels like forever.

Much like the tagline for my blog, Knox Mason is "utterly southern, and elaborately simple." And I mean that as a compliment.

The food was delicious. We began by enjoying deviled eggs, which were made with rooster sauce and Tennessee chow chow. The deviled eggs were creamy and rich...but somehow I missed that little sprinkling of paprika that usually accompanies them. Call me a deviled egg purist.

Next, we tried the pimento cheese, which is made with Sweetwater Cheese and served with Saw Works beer bread and Wickles pickles. Again, delicious. Although I have to admit I didn't think it was quite as good as my homemade pimento cheese, which I'd swear on the witness stand is the best pimento cheese I've ever had. Hear that Chef Matt Gallaher? The pimento cheese gauntlet has been thrown.

 For the main course, we decided to try two different salads...have I mentioned how much my beau loves to sit patiently looking at the food while I try to get the best possible photo? [sarcasm. but he is a good sport].

I got the beet salad, which was divine. If you aren't careful, you can really mess up beets by overcooking them. In fact, for most salads I make with beets, I prefer them raw for that crunchy texture. But the Knox Mason beet salad was great. That little swath of goat cheese smashed across the plate looks like a happy accident, but I suppose in fancy culinary circles this is the style du jour. Whatever, it was delicious.

My beau got the carrot salad with arugula, almonds and creme fraiche, which was also very tasty. He seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. 

For dessert, we tried the banana pudding, served in a mason jar with the most perfectly toasted marshmallow topping. Too cute!

Have you been to Knox Mason? What delicacies did you enjoy? Since I'm not a meat eater, it eliminated some things as options, but I had a great time. 

Want a side-by-side taste test comparison of Knox Mason pimento cheese vs. Southern Belle Simple pimento cheese? Here's my recipe. 

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint at the Back Porch Mercantile

I've been in the process of upgrading some of my home's features, including replacing the carpet and getting a few new pieces of furniture. I also gave some current furniture a face-lift with Annie Sloan Chalk paint. This product has been popular for some time, but I don't think I quite believed that it was as amazing as folks said.

I jumped in head first by painting an old chest of drawers in Annie Sloan's newest color "English Yellow." The paint came from a shop down the street from me called The Back Porch Mercantile, Knoxville's only Annie Sloan Chalk Paint stockist.

During a second trip to the shop to pick up the finishing wax, I met and struck up a conversation with Jenny, the owner. She invited me to join in one of the store's Chalk Paint workshops and even though I'd already painted my chest of drawers, I decided it would be fun to learn more.

Not only did I learn more tips and tricks of the process, I got to use some of the tools of the trade. The Annie Sloan brushes are really great...I didn't think I needed special brushes at first, but once I used them in the workshop, I was hooked. Especially for the waxing...they made it so much easier.

I also learned about how to layer the paint and mix different colors to create textures. My favorite thing about the class was getting to use the gilded wax...so Marie Antoinette, don't you think? Loved it!

I probably won't paint too many more pieces of furniture, but when I do I will definitely know more about how to do it and how to get different effects. I highly recommend the workshops at The Back Porch Mercantile for anyone who is interested in learning more.

Here's some information (and you can also visit the store's Facebook page):

Beginner Workshops:
October: 
Thursday 24th 5:30-8:30
Saturday 26th 1-4

November: 
Thursday 7th 5:30-8:30
Saturday 16th 1-4
Thursday 21st 5:30-8:30

December: 
Thursday 12th 5:30-8:30
Saturday14th 1-4

Please call 247.4532 for more information.

Have you joined the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint craze? It really is fun to transform furniture without any sanding or scraping old layers of paint. What's your favorite Annie Sloan Chalk Paint color or color combination?

Spend the Night at Daylight

Of all the spots I love in Knoxville, I think the Daylight Building is near the top of the list. When I worked downtown, I got to pass by it every day. I'd stop in at Just Ripe for a vegan breakfast burrito. I'd wave to the folks at John Black Photography. On my lunch break (back to Just Ripe), I might pop into Reruns Boutique for a quick fashion fix or some gab time with my dear friend Bri. On the way home, I'd often drop into Union Avenue Books for some browsing.

The Daylight Building houses a wonderful collection of locally-owned Knoxville shops and I truly miss being in the area now that I work from home.

However, tomorrow I get to visit all my friends for a new event in a series called Daylight Nights. The Daylight Merchants are shutting down the street (Union Ave.) to celebrate the block and you're invited too!

I hope you'll join me and lots of friends on Union Avenue from 5-8 p.m. for shopping, food and fun. Food trucks such as Hoof Knoxville, Tootsie Truck, Good Golly Tamale, and Bull's BBQ will be in attendance. Learn more here, and become a fan of the Daylight Building on Facebook! The Daylight Building has been a Knoxville landmark for many years and I hope this event is just the first in what will hopefully be a longstanding tradition of Daylight Nights to come!

Knox Heritage Summer Supper in a Glass Box

Knox Heritage is a wonderful Knoxville nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the community about the importance of historical preservation of local buildings and properties. Each year, Knox Heritage holds a series of fundraising events called Summer Suppers.

Each supper is held at a local venue and has its own committee of volunteers who plan, prepare and serve the meal to attendees.

Committee members and other local businesses make an initial donation to cover the cost of the food and all the money raised from event ticket sales goes to Knox Heritage to help it fulfill its mission of preservation and protection of Knoxville's historically significant sites.

I served on a committee for a Knox Heritage Summer Supper a few weeks ago and I wanted to share my experience!

The setting for the Summer Supper I helped with was a mid-century modern home on Cherokee Boulevard in Knoxville. The home was designed by well-known Knoxville architecture firm Barber McMurry and the gracious homeowners who opened their living room for the event were both professors at UT's College of Architecture.

Our theme was classic 1950's, with a typical steakhouse menu that included:

Classic Martinis & Whiskey Sours
Wine, Beer, & After Dinner Liqueurs
1950’s Appetizers
Shrimp Cocktail
Bleu Cheese Wedge Salad
Prime Rib
Steakhouse Potatoes
French Green Beans
Homemade Cloverleaf Rolls
Chocolate Chip Icebox Cake

The committee members divided up the food preparation and other tasks. Half the group arrived early to set up the tables and handle decorations. The other half stayed late to take everything down. It was so fun to work together a group and see the event come together!

We ended up raising nearly $6,000 for Knox Heritage! And even though it was quite a bit of work, it was all great fun. I can't wait to take part in a Summer Supper again next year!

Chocolate Chip Icebox Cake...I've gotta get the recipe! 

Does your city have anything like this? I think it's important that we preserve the history and heritage of our cities....rather than tearing down old buildings to build new ones in their place.


{top image via Flickr Creative Commons by MsBlueSky}

Store-Bought Products with a Homemade Twist

This morning I visited my friends Abby Ham and Moira Kaye at Knoxville's WTNZ Fox43 for my regular Southern Belle Simple segment. For today's installment, I shared tips and tricks to give store-bought products homemade flair! You can watch the segment below. For full details of the recipes I shared, read on!

Store-bought Dill Pickles with a Homemade Twist

I've been making these easy hot & sweet pickles for a few years now. The recipe came from my friend Shannon's sister-in-law's mom (I think)...isn't that how all good southern recipes are? Passed around from family to family, friend to friend? 

To make them, all you need is a jar of store-bought dill pickles, granulated sugar and crushed red pepper flakes. I prefer whole dills because I think they have better texture than the dill pickle chips. 

Pour the pickle juice out of the jar, but save it for later. Slice the pickles. Now put them back in the jar in layers, beginning with a layer of pickle slices plus a sprinkling of sugar and red pepper flakes. Repeat these layers until the jar is filled with pickles and then pour the juice back over the jar's contents. Replace the lid and refrigerate for a day or two. You'll swear these sweet & spicy pickles are homemade! 

Sweet & Savory Butter 

Flavored butter is so easy to make, yet it makes an average meal more special. As I mentioned in the segment, I love having herb butter at one of my favorite Knoxville restaurants, The Northshore Brasserie. 

To make flavored butter, simply decide what flavors you want to incorporate. For a savory option, I used fresh chopped garlic chives. For a sweet version, I added some Key Lime marmalade to room temperature unsalted butter. This tastes awesome on croissants and I'm sure would be wonderful on pancakes, scones or biscuits too. 

For the savory butter, you can use any herbs you like...basil, oregano, dill, thyme...the possibilities are endless! Try it on fish, potatoes or warm crusty bread. Your family and/or dinner guests will love you! 

Condiments with a Kick 

Finally, condiments! It's so easy to jazz up even the most boring condiments with a little creative ingenuity! Ketchup gets bolder with the addition of curry powder. For a sweeter option, mix peach preserves or even sweet onion jelly.

Mayo (or in the case of my segment, Vegenaise) is a great starter for all sorts of add-ins. Sriracha is my favorite...it's a perfect topping for sweet potato fries! 

I hope these ideas inspired you to think outside the store-bought box. It's easy to take everyday store-bought products and give them a homemade twist...with a little creativity! 

[fries image via  by stevendepolo (contact)]

Southern Living Idea House at Fontanel

It's been the most exciting week! I was invited to have a sneak peek of the newest 

Southern Living Idea House. Built on the grounds of Fontanel, Barbara Mandrell's famous estate, the SL Idea House is a sight (and a site) to behold! 

Located in lovely Whites Creek just outside of Nashville, Tennessee, Fontanel has long been a gorgeous location. But now, with the addition of the newest Southern Living Idea House, it's even more beautiful! 

The Southern Living Idea House at Fontanel opens to the public tomorrow (Saturday, June 29th) and will remain open through December for guest tours. After that, the property will become a boutique hotel/bed & breakfast destination. 

Photos inside the house were strictly prohibited since it will be featured in the July edition of Southern Living...so you'll just have to take my word for it until the magazine comes out! 

The central house is flanked with guest cottages and two adorable small cottages called 'bunkies.' Porches connect the properties around a grassy quad area. In fact, the property contains 2800 square feet of porches! 

I was allowed to bring a +1 so I invited my lovely southern momma and we had a blast! Our Nashville trip included other adventures so stay tuned for more of that as well! 

The highlight of the event was getting to meet Southern Living editor-in-chief Lindsay Bierman who provided the behind-the-scenes tour. Also in attendance was designer Phoebe Howard who designed the property's interior spaces. 

After our daytime tour, a crew descended on the property to transform it for the night's party. Nearly 500 guests attended the opening party, including Nashville news personality Jonathan Martin, musician Keb' Mo' and Big Kenny of country music's Big & Rich. 

Southern Living EIC Lindsay Bierman & my mom...too cute! 

Make plans now to visit the Idea House at Fontanel. It's absolutely stunning and there are plenty of things to do in the area....including paying a visit to the Goo Goo Clusters Outpost on the grounds of Fontanel. 

Summer only officially started a week ago and already mine is getting off on the right foot! I hope your summer is going swimmingly my dear! 

Butter My Biscuits

It's a great time to be in Knoxville, Tennessee! This morning I'm visiting my Fox43 friends for a segment all about that most southern of delicacies, the biscuit.

Today kicks of the 2nd Southern Food Writing Conference, which I'm attending. It's going to be two jam-packed days of learning and eating, with some amazing foodies, southern food enthusiasts, cookbook authors, writers and bloggers. 

I'm looking forward to meeting the fabulous Julia Reed as well as Chef Hugh Acheson. Don't you just love folks who love food? 

One of the most highly anticipated events of Southern Food Writing Conference is a dinner at Blackberry Farm. It's like the southern foodie's holy grail (I hope it can live up to the hype). 

Then Saturday, May 18 is the 4th Annual International Biscuit Festival! Thousands of folks will descend onto downtown Knoxville to eat their hearts out on all sorts of delicious biscuit creations. 

I hope to see some of your smiling faces! 

Jekyll Island Adventures: the Southern Coterie Summit 2013

I just got home from a whirlwind week(end) at the inaugural Southern Coterie Summit and to quote my grandma, it was a big time. The Southern Coterie is a social network especially for folks who love and celebrate the south and I'm a member (as well as a contributor to its blog).

The network was started by the loveliest pair of ladies, Cheri Leavy and Whitney Long, who are great friends and when I heard they were planning an "in real life" meet-up, I knew I wanted to be part of it. 

Me with Whitney Long & Cheri Leavy, Southern Coterie Founders extraordinaire 

They surprised the socks off me when they asked me to be a speaker at the Southern C Summit in gorgeous Jekyll Island, Georgia. The Southern C Summit is an event for bloggers, writers, business owners and enthusiasts of the south.

As a blogger and now small business owner, it's so important to me to connect and network with people in my industry. I've attended other professional conferences before, but this one was unlike any other! 

Not only was it the inaugural Southern C Summit, this was my first trip to Jekyll Island and it more than lived up to my expectations, setting the most apropos backdrop for this utterly southern event. 

Crane Cottage ~ where my mom & I enjoyed lunch our first day on Jekyll Island

I took my momma along with me and she made a fine traveling companion and cheering section for my professional conference presentation debut. 

The first night we arrived, I attended an event called Cocktails & Conversation, hosted by 

Southern Living. The next day was packed full of learning opportunities as well as networking and making friends. The weather didn't quite hold up for all the outdoor events that were planned, but this is the south after all and it takes a lot more than rain to dampen our spirits. 

I gave my presentation as part of a panel with some fabulous ladies, but I think I'll devote an entire post to that. 

The highlight of our main dinner event was a keynote talk and impromptu fashion show from 

K. Cooper Ray, creative mastermind behind the southern fashion line Social Primer. 

Some of the fabulously talented, creative & lovely ladies I met

We ended the event with a great learning session about how to grow our online presence using tried and true methods from Internet consultant Mr. Ryan Dohrn. 

I learned a ton, but even better, I made some authentic connections. If you are on the fence about attending an event like this, let me encourage you to do it! I've been fortunate to learn from so many wonderful people on this blogging adventure and I hope it continues for a long time!

And for those of you who read my previous blog about my mini fashion emergency, I was making a mountain out of a molehill. Everyone was so sweet and kind. It didn't matter what anyone was wearing...after a little time together, we were all laughing and getting on like old friends. 

Missed the Southern C Summit in Jekyll Island? You can still jump on board with this great group of folks...there are plans for another event in Athens, Georgia as well as one in Nashville, Tennessee this fall! (Stay tuned for more info!) 

Adventures in Washington D.C.

I've been doing a bit of traveling lately and the above photo is one of the locations I visited...and no, it's not my neighborhood Cracker Barrel. I was actually in Washington, D.C. for a few days on a work trip and part of my business took me to Capitol Hill. That's where I visited the offices of both my state (Tennessee) senators and the above photo was taken in Senator Lamar Alexander's office.

If you haven't made a trip to D.C., I suggest you do! Most of my time was spent working, but I so enjoyed getting to see the Senate and House office buildings where all the heavy stuff goes down...a little too heavy these days if you ask me, what with all this Sequestration business. But politics aside, I was proud to see all these wonderful Tennessee artifacts adorning the walls in Sen. Alexander's office.

It reminded me that our legislators really are supposed to represent us in Washington (whether they actually do or not is another issue). It also made me think of my great grandparents who never visited our nation's capital. They would have been so surprised, as I was, to walk into such a formal office building and see things that reminded them of home.

Another highlight of my visit to the Hart Senate Building was the cafeteria...what can I say? I'm a food enthusiast. I didn't try these yummy-looking root beer float cupcakes, but I had to snap a picture. NOT your typical cafeteria fare!

Prior to this past week's trip, my most recent visit to D.C. was in 1994 (I was in the 6th grade) so let's just say I enjoyed many aspects of the city that were off-limits to me then. I'm sad I didn't get a chance to visit my fabulous blogger friend Miss P (I Do Declare). Oh well, there's always next time! 

Southern Living and the Southern Coterie Summit

I've got something exciting to share. At least I think some of you will be excited about it. You may have heard me say my favorite thing about blogging is getting to meet and connect with all sorts of wonderful folks. May 1-3 is another opportunity for this, in the form of an event like none I've ever heard of before and I'm hoping you will consider attending.

The event is a conference, The Southern C Summit and it's being hosted by the fabulous ladies Cheri & Whitney who founded the southern social network, The Southern Coterie, for which I am a contributor.

It's being held in beautiful Jekyll Island, Georgia and offers attendees a chance to connect with southern bloggers, brands and businesses for a variety of learning and networking opportunities.

The schedule (which can be seen here) includes social events, educational sessions, panel discussions (one that I'm even speaking at), and keynote presentations from some amazing folks, including Erin Shaw Street of Southern Living, Carrie Morey of Callie's Charleston Biscuits and Haskell Harris, most recently at Garden & Gun! I'm still pinching myself to be included in this lineup.

This is the kind of event I've been waiting for ever since I started blogging. I've attended other blog conferences, but never quite found my niche. I'm not a mommy blogger. I'm not a fashion blogger. I'm not even really a food blogger. I'm a southern blogger and until now, there wasn't a specific event tailored just to me. And I couldn't be more excited!

And you should not miss it!

Holiday Blogger Outing with Southern Belle Simple, part 2

I've said before that, for me, the best thing about blogging is the relationships it has fostered...including with readers and other bloggers who are following their passions. Last year, I got together with a fabulous group of Knoxville bloggers for a little holiday shindig and we decided to do a repeat this year. Our group was a bit smaller than last time (we missed the ones who couldn't attend), but we had a great time catching up, getting to know each other better and cheering each other on in our various goals and endeavors.

From L to R:
Yours truly
Heather of The Mommyhood
Heather of Sprinkle Bakes
Kate of The Sassy Swan

(yes, two Kates and two Heathers...it was easy to remember names!)

Hopefully, you'll pay them a visit! These women are incredible and so are their blogs! I'm so grateful to call them friends. Whether you are a blogger or not, I encourage you to cultivate friendships with folks who can help you along your path in life. It's so great to have a group of people who can offer feedback, bounce ideas around and just tell it like it is.

Happy Monday my dears!

Tennessee Southern Hospitality for Kathie Lee & Hoda

Knoxville has been buzzing ever since the news broke that the Today Show's Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb were coming to town to broadcast their hour of the popular NBC show from the University of Tennessee campus.

So I was thrilled when my friends at Knoxville's WTNZ Fox43 contacted me about doing a special segment this morning. In the spirit of southern hospitality, I have been tasked with creating a basket of local, southern goodies as a welcome gift to make KLG & Hoda feel right at home.

I knew I wanted to make this gift basket extra special so I thought long and hard about which local products would best showcase all the talent and creativity that Knoxville (and East Tennessee) has to offer. You can see the basket (above) with everything I chose and find links to the items and their sources below.

1. Spoil Me S'mo dog treats
2. Benton's bacon (no shortage here!) 
3. Stonehaus wine (Cumberland Gold) 
4. Tennessee Thunder habanero hot sauce
5. Gunshot Sauce 
6. Haze & Co. salad dressing (poppyseed) 
7. Muddy Pond sorghum made just down the road in Muddy Pond, Tennessee
8. The Tomato Head hummus 
9. Ole Smoky Tennessee moonshine barbecue sauce 

I figured these New York gals love bagels so I also grabbed some Bagels from Flourhead Bakery but as you can see, the basket is pretty full so I wasn't able to get them in the photo.

I hope Kathie Lee & Hoda feel right at home here in Knoxville. We might be a scruffy little city but we're good people and I think we know how to make visitors feel welcome!

Sinfully Delicious: Maple Bacon Bread Pudding

Y’all are in for a real treat today. My dear friend Ms. Amy, a talented cook and delightful Tennessee belle, has agreed to share her top secret recipe for Maple Bacon Bread Pudding.

Yes, you read that correctly. It’s like nothing else I’ve ever eaten. I even broke from my vegan diet to indulge in some this past weekend. In fact, Ms. Amy entered her creative dish (she came up with the recipe) into a bake-off and I was able to photograph the finished product before it was whisked away to the judges. Alas, she didn’t win, but I think the judges must have been crazy because I can’t imagine anything better.

Maple Bacon Bread Pudding

• 2 dozen glazed doughnuts (Krispy Kreme preferable)
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1 pound bacon, fried and crumbled

Shred doughnuts into a large bowl. Mix milk, syrup, and eggs. Pour over shredded doughnuts and let set until all liquid is absorbed. Fold in all of crumbled bacon, reserving a cup or so for topping. Pour into baking dish, and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until mixture is set in middle.

Hot Fudge Sauce

• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 bag caramels
• 1/2 pound bar milk chocolate
• 1 cup vanilla ice cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Heat milk and caramels until melted into a smooth sauce. Add chocolate until melted. Fold in ice cream and vanilla. Stir until well blended and creamy.

Spoon bread pudding into individual dishes. Top with hot fudge sauce. Sprinkle with remaining crumbled bacon. Enjoy!

Many thanks to Ms. Amy for sharing her one-of-a-kind recipe with us here! She is a precious friend and I'm so impressed by her creativity to come up with this dish. Rumor has it she makes a wickedly good banana pudding...maybe she'll share that recipe too!