A November space

"But there is always a November space after the leaves have fallen when she felt it was almost indecent to intrude on the woods…for their glory terrestrial had departed and their glory celestial of spirit and purity and whiteness had not yet come upon them."

--L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Windy Poplars (Anne of Green Gables, #4)

Southern Christmas Traditions - Southern Living Sweets to Eat & Read

I have such a sweet tooth and when Christmas rolls around, I just can't resist indulging in some holiday sweets. There are so many great recipes out there for holiday goodies, but I'm running a bit behind this year, plus it would be impossible to try them all.

Since I've had some baking fails in my life, I try to stick with recipes that are tried-and-true and you don't get any better than the Southern Living test kitchen.

These culinary wizards work all through the year on confectionery creations, testing and making sure that they can share the recipes in good faith. Thank goodness for them is all I can say!

Here's a wonderful recipe that would be fun to recreate with your family this year and who knows, maybe you should make a few extra to leave out for the man in the red suit.

Minted White Chocolate Balls

Makes 32 cookies • Hands-on 30 min. • Total 1 Hour
(Coat in chocolate two at a time)

• 56 vanilla wafers, crushed (less than 1 [11-oz.] box)
• 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
• 4 ½ tsp. light corn syrup
• 6 Tbsp. peppermint schnapps
• 3 cups white chocolate morsels
• Crushed peppermint candies for coating

1. Stir together first 6 ingredients; shape into 32 balls.
2. Microwave chocolate in a bowl at HIGH 30 seconds; stir. Microwave 20 more seconds or until smooth, stirring once.
3. Coat balls in white chocolate. Sprinkle with crushed hard peppermint candies immediately afterwards.
4. Place in parchment paper-lined pan. Chill for 30 minutes or until set.

Yum! For more great recipes like this, pick up the December issue of Southern Living Magazine, on newsstands now. And if you want even more great southern Christmas fun, consider the wonderful new book Southern Living Christmas All Through The South: Joyful Memories, Timeless Moments, Enduring Traditions. It is a gorgeous sight to behold and would make a wonderful gift for your favorite southerner or yourself!

**This post contains an Amazon affiliate link, but please don't feel any pressure to click on it**

Southern Living Summer Cookbook Giveaway

The life of a blogger has its perks...one of which is some of the really great products that come my way every now and then, in exchange for a review. I recently received three incredible cookbooks to review and since my cookbook collection is already bursting at the seams (oh the woes of a tiny home), I decided to offer them up in a fun giveaway!

I'm also hanging out with my pals on Knoxville's Mornings with Fox43 today and sharing a few recipes from the books. If you're just visiting after hearing about the giveaway on air, welcome to Southern Belle Simple!

Check out the books below and then leave a comment to be eligible to win them!

1) Southern Living Scooped: Ice Cream Treats, Cheats, and Frozen Eats

Scooped is a visual treat for your eyes! From the moment I took it out of the package, I couldn't stop staring at the gorgeous images of yummy-looking frozen treats. 

The thing I loved about this cookbook is that all the recipes are pretty easy. 

And it doesn't require you to make your own ice cream from scratch...it's more of a collection of ice cream hacks with delicious implications. I had trouble choosing a recipe to create on air, but I know Abby Ham is a fan of S'Mores so I chose that one. I think it was a hit! 

2) Southern Living Country Music's Greatest Eats - Presented by CMT: Showstopping Recipes & Riffs from Country's Biggest Stars 

Another really fun book, this volume was packed to the brim with all sorts of fun information and not just food-related. Country music is such a southern staple. And it's fun to read about folks who have become big, big stars and be reminded that they eat pretty much the same stuff we all do. 

I was excited to receive a copy of this book because its author is a friend I met through the Southern Food Writers Conference. Tanner Latham is an all-around good guy and his southern podcast Authentic South is worth a listen. 

3) Southern Living Heirloom Recipe Cookbook: The Food We Love From The Times We Treasure  

This cookbook might be my new favorite. It read more like a slice of history than a simple collection of recipes. The beautiful handwritten mementos and other notes combined with stories of yesterday made for a really lovely experience. 

Something else you'll love if you're a Southern Living fan is the vintage SL covers throughout the book. 

What a neat walk down memory lane! I remember flipping through my granny's magazines as a child and thinking the food always looked so perfect and delicious. 

If you've been looking to enhance your cookbook collection, here's your chance! I'm giving away these three incredible cookbooks from the Southern Living collection (via Oxmoor House) and you can win them. To enter, just leave a comment on this post. Tell me what's cookin' at your house right now? 

Giveaway will run through midnight EST Sunday, June 1st. I'll choose the winner at random and announce Monday, June 2nd. Good luck to you all! Giveaway open to U.S. residents only.

Disclosure:  I was provided with copies of these books for review purposes.  

Savor the South: Okra and Pickles & Preserves

I was excited to get an unexpected package in the mail and even more excited when I opened it to reveal the newest volumes in the SAVOR THE SOUTH Cookbook collection: Okra and Pickles & Preserves. 

The cookbook series, published by The University of North Carolina Press, includes other editions such as Peaches, Pecans, Buttermilk, and Biscuits. These are great little cookbooks that pack a punch with some wonderful recipes and commentary from major southern food writers and experts .

Okra: A Savor the South® Cookbook is written by none other than the fabulous Virginia Willis. She's just great and her insight on the "bright green, heat-loving vegetable" includes slime busting tips, and fifty recipes for how to make it more delicious (26 southern dishes and 24 global dishes). I love fried okra, but I hate standing over a skillet...so the oven fried version below caught my attention when I was thumbing through the book.

Photo by Scott M. Porush

Oven-Fried Okra

From OKRA: a Savor the South^® cookbook by Virginia Willis. Copyright © 2014 by Virginia Willis.  Used by permission of the University of North Carolina Press. www.uncpress.unc.edu

Let’s face it, there’s really nothing like fried okra, but this oven-fried version comes darn close. I prefer to use organic canola cooking spray. It has little flavor, a high smoke point for high-heat cooking, and no aftertaste like some cooking sprays seem to have.

Makes 4–6 servings

·         1 cup fine cornmeal (not self-rising)

·         1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

·         Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

·         1/2 cup buttermilk

·         1 large egg, lightly beaten

·         1 pound okra, stem ends trimmed, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

·         Cooking spray

Place a rimmed baking sheet in the oven. Preheat the oven to 450°.

Combine the cornmeal and cayenne pepper in a shallow dish. Season heartily with salt and pepper.

Whisk together the buttermilk and egg in a large bowl. Add the okra and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine and set aside to marinate, about 3 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the okra from the buttermilk and add it to the cornmeal mixture. Dredge the okra in the cornmeal mixture. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and spray it with cooking spray. Place the okra on the heated pan and lightly coat it with additional cooking spray. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring once. Stir and spray again. Cook an additional 10–12 minutes. Remove from the oven and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Pickles and Preserves: A Savor the South® Cookbook is written by Andrea Weigl, the food writer for the Raleigh News & Observer. It begins with some great how-to information for the novice canner (such as myself). The best part to me were the "Don'ts" because I guess with canning it can go south really fast if you don't do the right thing. This is my year to can y'all...I just feel it!

Until then, here's a refrigerator pickle recipe that I know won't be too hard.

Spicy and Sour Refrigerator Pickles

From PICKLES & PRESERVES: a Savor the South^® cookbook by Andrea Weigl. Copyright © 2014 by the University of North Carolina Press. Used by permission of the University of North Carolina Press. www.uncpress.unc.edu

I don’t think my husband and I could survive without a jar or two of pickles in the refrigerator to serve with hamburgers, hot dogs, and pulled pork sandwiches. So it really says something that this recipe has become our go-to recipe for cucumber pickles. I’ve even used the same brine to pickle jalapeño slices. 

I first tasted these pickles while judging a cooking contest at Burt’s Bees corporate headquarters in Durham, North Carolina. The recipe is adapted from Beth Ritter’s winning entry. Ritter says it appeared in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram years ago and was attributed to Dock and Opal Everett, who used to own a produce stand in Waco, Texas. I use a mandolin to make quick work of slicing the cucumbers, jalapeño, and onion.

Makes 2 quart jars

·         2 pounds pickling cucumbers, such as Kirby, cut into 1/4-inch slices

·         1 jalapeño, seeded and sliced

·         1 onion, sliced

·         4 cups white vinegar

·         1/4 cup pickling salt

·         3 1/2 cups sugar

·         1 1/2 teaspoons celery seeds

·         1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric

·         1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds

·         1 tablespoon black peppercorns

Combine the cucumbers, jalapeño, and onion in a large bowl.

Heat the vinegar, pickling salt, sugar, celery seeds, turmeric, mustard seeds, and peppercorns in a medium stainless-steel saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved, about 10 minutes.

Pack the vegetables evenly into hot, sterilized jars. Ladle the brine over the pickles, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Seal the jars with lids.

Let the pickles sit in the refrigerator for 5 days before eating. These pickles are good for 1 year but best within 3 months.

So there you have it. Two great new cookbooks and tons of new recipes...You should snatch these up! They are available where books are sold. Also, be on the lookout for the next editions in the SAVOR THE SOUTH series, Sweet Potatoes and Southern Holidays.

Friday Favorites: Oil Pulling, Junior League, and New Age Wine

Happy Friday to you! I hope you've had a good week. What's on your agenda for the weekend? Saturday morning, I'm headed to a local charity rummage sale put on by the Junior League...my dear friend and I have attended together for several years and found some incredible treasures along the way.

Here are my top three tips for finding great stuff at yard sales and rummage sales (in case you were wondering):

1) Take an empty tote bag or duffel bag with you to haul everything around in.
2) Look for potential in everything you see, but realize you can't bring it all home with you.
3) Be brutally honest with yourself and don't purchase things just because the price is right.

Speaking of Junior League, you might be aware of my affinity for vintage Junior League Cookbooks (at least I'm in good company with the likes of Ms. Julia Reed). I've amassed a pretty great collection over the years, but since I only have limited space, I try to buy them only when they seem like a really special find. I ran across one such book recently and for the low price of $4, it's now mine.

Some Like it South: A Cookbook by the Junior League of Pensacola, Florida is a wonderful addition to my vintage Junior League cookbook collection. When I'm having trouble making a decision, I base my purchase selection on how many congealed salad recipes a cookbook has. In this case, it's 12. Not to mention 17 casseroles! That's the sign of a good southern cookbook and this one has casseroles and congealed salads for days. 

Another reason I liked it was it has a series of sample event menus at the beginning (A Beach Picnic, Easter Dinner, A Hunt Breakfast). I'm such a sucker for these! 

You can find vintage cookbooks at second hand stores, rummage sales and used book stores as well as on sites like ebay and etsy. They are a little slice of history to me and I treasure my collection! Stocking your southern kitchen? Here are my top 5 southern kitchen must have items. 

Oil Pulling - 

Okay, so you might know about this already. I just heard of it. Apparently oil pulling is a thing where you swish oil around in your mouth to remove toxins from your body. And it's also supposed to contribute to better health in a bunch of areas. My southern beau said it sounded like black magic bulls4!t (pardon his crude language). But he's kind of a cynic. So I decided to try it. 

You need unrefined, organic coconut oil. Or sesame oil. But I went with coconut. Then, you just get a teaspoon of it and put it in your mouth. It's really odd because it starts out all waxy and solid, but then it immediately liquifies. You have to keep the oil in your mouth for 20 minutes. I'm not going to lie...it was kind of gross. Not the taste, but more just the idea of swishing something in your mouth for that long. 

However, after my 20 minutes were up, I spat it out and looked in the mirror. My teeth were so much whiter! Seriously, I couldn't believe it. Who knows if this was a fluke since I've only done the oil pulling one time. We'll see. Anybody else doing this? 

Wine Tasting

Saturday night my beau and I are headed to a wine tasting party. Everybody is supposed to bring two bottles of wine so there's enough to share with the group. After being pretty anti-social for awhile (just keeping busy with work), I'm glad to do something like this. 

I'm thinking of taking a couple of bottles of New Age, an Argentine wine that is best served on the rocks with a lime slice. I had it for the first time at Christmas and found it refreshing. 

Do you have a favorite vino that's your go-to for special occasions? I'm not a big drinker, but I enjoy a glass of wine from time to time. 

If you made it through this long and random post, congratulations. I hope you have a wonderful weekend! 

Callie's Charleston Biscuits

I first had the pleasure of meeting Carrie Morey at The Southern Coterie Summit on Jekyll Island earlier this year. We reconnected at the Southern Food Writing Conference and International Biscuit Festival in May. She is so kind and genuine and I was excited to see her smiling face this past week at the Southern C Summit in Nashville, where she was passing out biscuits and promoting her new cookbook.

Carrie started Callie's Charleston Biscuits because of her mom, Callie White, who made the most delicious country ham biscuits for catered affairs. There are now seven varieties of biscuits, in addition to cheese crisps, pimento cheese and other incredible products that you can buy at various retailers around the country, including The Fresh Market.

Morey's new cookbook, Callie's Biscuits and Southern Traditions, is a must-have for any southern (or wanna-be southern) cook.

You might think me silly, but I was moved to tears during Carrie's presentation at the Southern C Nashville event. Not because biscuits make me cry (well, the good ones do actually), but because it just encourages me so much to see someone pursuing a passion and having great success doing so. When she shared about how she had started out driving around in her Suburban delivering biscuits or vacuum sealing them in her laundry room, it reminded that the really good things in life are worth working for. Luck is part of it too, but hard work and dedication paves the way.

If you haven't tried Callie's Charleston Biscuits, I hope you will! I tried the Cinnamon variety for the first time recently and they are a tiny bite of heaven. No lie!

Any Wonderful Unexpected Thing

Beautiful Day Here by Andrew Saftel

“After the keen still days of September, the October sun filled the world with mellow warmth...The maple tree in front of the doorstep burned like a gigantic red torch. The oaks along the roadway glowed yellow and bronze. The fields stretched like a carpet of jewels, emerald and topaz and garnet. Everywhere she walked the color shouted and sang around her...In October any wonderful unexpected thing might be possible.” 

― Elizabeth George Speare, The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Wishing you all sorts of wonderful, unexpected things this October and beyond! Happy Fall y'all! 

What is the Most Important Thing in Life?

While there are a few things that I do think top enthusiasm in life (love, family, faith), I have to agree with Tennessee Williams that enthusiasm is way up there. 

I used to hear that quote from Emerson that "nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm" and I'm only beginning to understand how true it is. 

Do you approach each day or each task with enthusiasm? For a long time, I certainly didn't...but now I'm so grateful to have a job I love and a daily routine I feel excited about. 

Who knows? Maybe injecting a little enthusiasm into your life will have a positive effect! 

Words of Wisdom from Julia Reed

One of the absolute highlights of my recent attendance at the Southern Food Writing Conference was getting the chance to hear Julia Reed speak. A published author plus contributing editor at Vogue and Newsweek, Reed is one of my favorite southern writers, but she was even better in real life!

Her southern grand dame persona was warm and inviting...Reed's rubbed elbows with the likes of politicos, fashionistas, and the Washington D.C. & New York elite but she doesn't seem to care about any of that. Anybody who can make offhand remarks about Anna Wintour's spelling mistakes and then go right into a debate with herself about Pickapeppa sauce vs. pepper jelly as a topping for cream cheese and crackers is alright by me.

Not that she needs my approval, mind you ;)

I wanted to share some of the wisdom I gleaned from her talk. You'll like it.

1. The way to the hearts of the staunchest folks is always through the stomach

We already knew this of course. Reed shared stories of how she impressed the socks off her Washington D.C. & NY colleagues by serving southern food in the 90's. She talked about how this was a time when the popular cocktail party fare was something like an under-cooked snow pea. Her cocktail party staple? Sister Schubert's rolls and a big ol' bowl (her words) of jumbo lump crab meat with mayonnaise.

Her advice? Cook basic, honest food that people will like.

2. Southern Junior League Cookbooks are ALWAYS better than Northern Ones

Again, not much of a surprise. Reed's evidence for this is the fact that Northern Jr. League Cookbooks usually have titles such as "Posh Pantry" and "Cook's Cabinet" while the far superior Southern versions are called things like "Come on In!" and "Talk about Good" (I actually have that last one!).

3. True Southerners know the importance of Funeral Food
Absolutely we do. Reed told the tragic story of how her grandparents were killed in a car accident when she was a teen. She followed up with how her momma's last words to her as she ran out the door were "go clean out the refrigerator." They knew the casseroles and Jell-o salads would start pouring in and sure enough, they were right.

Reed also made sure to point out that the amount and quality of food that is brought to a funeral is directly proportional to how well the person was liked. She said "if you die and nobody brings food, it's a sign that you weren't very nice."

Her final bit of valuable advice?

Homemade is best, store-bought is better than nothing, but NEVER take funeral food with a price tag still on it!

Her new book But Mama Always Put Vodka in Her Sangria!: Adventures in Eating, Drinking, and Making Merry is available in stores now.

Happy Birthday Barbara Kingsolver!

Today is the birthday of one of my favorite authors, Barbara Kingsolver. While not born in the south, she was raised in rural Kentucky and much of her writing celebrates southern settings, locations and culture.

If you haven't read Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible, I highly recommend it. It tells the story of an evangelical minister from Georgia who takes his family to live in the Belgian Congo as missionaries. It's one of those amazing books that has a lasting impact on you...or at least it did on me.

Kingsolver has also written non-fiction, including a book about her family's attempt to eat local for an entire year. In the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, she chronicles their food production and consumption on a farm in Virginia.

Are you a fan of her writing?

Remembering Carson McCullers

Today I'm remembering one of my very favorite authors Carson McCullers, who was born on this date 96 years ago in Columbus, Georgia. She's someone whose life must have had an element of deep, deep sadness about it for her to have written the way she did. She counted as friends the likes of Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, and W.H. Auden.

Where some authors put their characters through the ringer for the sake of the story, I always get the feeling she was her characters' biggest advocate...cheering them on, even in the face of heartache and despair.

Her book "The Member of the Wedding" deals with feelings of belonging in such a delicate way and each time I read it, new things are revealed that I somehow missed the last time. If you haven't read any of her books, start with this one. You won't be disappointed.

I am drawn to anyone who has a way with words and McCullers certainly had that. I'm not sure that I completely agree with the following quote of hers, but it definitely makes me think about things in a new light.

“We are torn between nostalgia for the familiar and an urge for the foreign and strange. As often as not, we are homesick most for the places we have never known.”

Happy Birthday Carson McCullers! You were one of a kind. 

Do you have a favorite southern author? There are too many good ones for me to pick a favorite, but Carson McCullers is way up on my list! 

The Rules of Civility and Being useful

I just finished reading the most wonderful book about the glamorous life of a group of New York socialites in the late 1930s. I think I enjoyed reading it because it was, for a few minutes each night, an escape to a more exciting time. The elegant, but stoic men went to work on Wall Street or in high-rise office buildings. They wore dinner jackets and drank martinis. The women shopped at Bendel's and had lunch at the Plaza.

Kroger Meat Department (my Pe-pa is 2nd from left)

But then I ran across the following poem and decided that while it's fun to imagine a life of privilege and elegance, that's not really who I am or where I come from. The words in Marge Piercy's stanzas speak to my heart on a much deeper level. As I read the lines, I see images of my great-grandmother...who, as a girl, learned to plow the field because she didn't enjoy her assigned task of chopping corn. I think of my mom's dad who worked his entire career as a butcher at a local grocery store -- "a thing worth doing well done."  It makes me want to jump into my work head first and I feel so lucky to have such work to jump into! I hope the poem brings up some pleasant imagery for you too. Enjoy! 

To be of use, by Marge Piercy

The people I love the best
jump into work head first
without dallying in the shallows
and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.
They seem to become natives of that element,
the black sleek heads of seals
bouncing like half-submerged balls.

I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,
who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,
who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,
who do what has to be done, again and again.

I want to be with people who submerge
in the task, who go into the fields to harvest
and work in a row and pass the bags along,
who are not parlor generals and field deserters
but move in a common rhythm
when the food must come in or the fire be put out.

The work of the world is common as mud.
Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.
Greek amphoras for wine or oil,
Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums
but you know they were made to be used.
The pitcher cries for water to carry
and a person for work that is real.

Happy Birthday F. Scott Fitzgerald!

"That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you're not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong." -- F. Scott Fitzgerald

Today would be F. Scott Fitzgerald's 116th birthday and I thought we'd celebrate his memory with a slice of cake (and a spirited cocktail!). He wasn't particularly southern, but he married up, choosing a wickedly adventurous southern belle for his bride. 

According to Hemingway & Bailey's Bartending Guide, Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda were a "pair of drunken pranksters" known for jumping into the fountain at the Plaza Hotel, boiling party guests' watches in tomato soup and arriving at soirees in their pajamas. 

The book also notes that F. Scott Fitzgerald's drink of choice was gin and shares the following recipe for a gin cocktail that he might have enjoyed. 

Gin Rickey

2 oz gin
3/4 oz lime juice
club soda
lime wheel 

Pour gin & lime juice into a chilled highball glass filled with ice cubes. Top with club soda and stir gently. Garnish with lime wheel and serve with two straws.

Cheers to F. Scott Fitzgerald & Cheers to you my friend! 

Happy Birthday Cynthia Rylant

Today is the birthday of one of my favorite southern writers, Cynthia Rylant. Her simple, yet magical stories are beloved by children and adults and they remain some of my favorites from childhood.

Rylant’s first book When I Was Young in the Mountains was inspired by her time spent growing up with her grandparents in West Virginia. Another favorite of mine is Missing May, a poignant story that made a great impact on me as a child (and began my fascination with whirligigs).

This wonderful book by the author is called Appalachia: The Voices of Sleeping Birds. It paints such a beautiful picture of our region and evokes feelings of longing for a simpler time when time moved (or pretended to move) a little slower.

There’s nothing like getting lost in a good book…having the story wash completely over you and feeling like the characters are really real, even if just for a few pages. I’ve been in a reading slump lately and sometimes it helps me to read something short to get back in the swing of things. Maybe I’ll dig out my childhood stash and reread some of Cynthia Rylant’s books. I’m pretty sure no matter how old I get, I’ll always find some new gem in these sweet stories.

Do you ever go back and read your favorite childhood books? How does it make you feel?

Wordle Wednesday: Southern Authors

There are so many wonderful southern writers and this week’s wordle shows a few of the ones you love best…those of you who named a fave on Facebook. Some are old favorites, but others are new to me and I look forward to checking them out. If you didn’t comment in time for the wordle, we’d still love to know who your favorite is! And if your favorite author isn’t southern, it’s ok to share him/her too!

A Dream is a Wish Our Heart Makes

I just finished reading the most delightful little book called “Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris.” Written by Paul Gallico in 1958, it is the story of a London housekeeper who gets the notion to have a haute couture Christian Dior dress made for herself. Once Mrs. Harris gets this idea in her mind, she is determined to see it through. Maybe it’s because she’s the underdog or maybe because we all have secret wishes we long for, but this story resonated with me.

I don’t want to give anything away…but you should definitely try to track down a copy. While the idea of a dress costing 1/3 of your annual salary might sound preposterous, maybe you dream of something else. Whether your heart’s desire is a trip or a dress, a certain kind of home or an experience, I think it’s nice to be reminded that there can be good in being determined for something. Even when getting the thing doesn’t turn out exactly like we’d expected (does it ever?), there can be wonderful growth.

To me, the lesson learned from this story is that we must keep wishing and dreaming…even if everyone thinks what we’re wishing for is silly. What secret dreams are you harboring these days? I’ll believe they are possible for you if you’ll believe with me for mine!

From the Southern Belle Simple Bookshelf: Homemade by Clodagh McKenna

I recently stumbled upon a wonderful book and ended up purchasing it as a little early Christmas gift to myself. Homemade by Clodagh McKenna is one of those volumes I’m sure I’ll refer to again and again as it is filled to the brim with wonderfully easy recipes and creative ideas.

McKenna is an Irish television personality and she just exudes girl next door charm. From her preserved lemons and Christmas chutney recipes to her thoughts about the importance of having picnics and keeping life simple, her book offers a little taste of what things are like in her world. It is beautifully designed and has enough pictures to satisfy even my picky tastes (what can I say…I like cookbooks with a lot of pictures).

You can also visit Clodagh’s website where she shares a ton of recipes and other info that is found in the book. Maybe I’m drawn to her because a part of me longs to connect with my Irish roots. I’m just glad I discovered her because I’ve already gotten quite a bit of inspiration from the book and site.

If you still aren’t convinced, take a look at this recipe for onion soup with cheese toast and just try not to drool.

Hope everyone is having a blessed week! Mine has been busy but Wednesday means Friday is just around the corner so I think we’re gonna make it. Love y’all!

Design*Sponge Event & Giveaway

Earlier this week I traveled across the state to Nashville for an event I just couldn’t miss. After the much-anticipated release of her first book, Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge has been doing a book tour and the West Elm store in Nashville was one of the stops on her agenda.

Not only was I able to meet Grace (who is tiny in real life) and get a copy of the book signed, I attended a special pre-book signing event where we were able to complete a fun little craft from the book.  I took my mom along for the adventure and we had a blast.

Here Grace, Amy A. (left) and others ham it up for the camera. We were all encouraged to take silly pictures in front of that bright backdrop and they should be posted on the Design*Sponge Facebook page. I’m going to do another post detailing the craft, but you might be wondering about the giveaway.

I had pre-ordered my copy of the Design*Sponge book as soon as I heard about it, but a signed book was included with each ticket to the event so I asked Grace to sign the extra copy for me to give away to one of you. She wrote a sweet note inside for the SBS reader who wins. 

Design*Sponge at Home Giveaway:

1 entry per person for a chance to win a copy of the book signed by author & D*S creator Grace Bonney. You can leave a comment here OR comment on the Southern Belle Simple Facebook page OR tweet me @sthrnbellesimpl. It’s that easy. The giveaway will be open through midnight on Thanksgiving and I’ll announce the winner on Friday November 25. Good luck to everybody!

Happy Friday!