let the light in

photograph by kristen bach

winged seeds

photo by kristen bach

window light

photograph by kristen bach

super easy rolls

my daughter has developed a huge love for cooking lately.  i recently taught her how to make bread and we have been experimenting with many different recipes....some have been delicious, and some need some work.  

one recipe that we have loved is this 30 minute dinner roll recipe.  we oftentimes decide that we want to make bread or would like rolls moments before dinner is done.  this recipe is so quick that it works!  it also is a perfect dough for cinnamon rolls.  

give this one a try!

photos by kristen bach

peeling paint

photograph by kristen bach

frosty leaves

photograph by kristen bach

winter color

photo by kristen bach

banana cream poke cake

in the south, new years day is just as big of a celebration as new years eve.  eating collard greens, black eyed peas, and corn bread is a southern ritual for bringing goodness in the new year.  my family has a tradition of spending the day with friends and family and having a big potluck feast.  i made a banana cream poke cake to go alongside all of the savory items.
-i started by making this buttermilk cake as a base and punched big holes throughout
-i then made a batch of vanilla pudding and layered it on top of the cake
-next, i added a layer of freshly sliced bananas
-then i made a layer of whipped cream and carefully spread it over the bananas  (see recipe below)
-lastly i topped the dessert with a layer of vanilla wafers.
my favorite whipped cream recipe
1 liter of heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp of sweetener (maple syrup or powdered sugar)
1 tsp vanilla
inside of 1 vanilla  bean (optional but so good)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of salt
-whip your very cold whipping cream until soft peaks start to form
-add a sweetener and whip again
-slowly stir in the rest of the ingredients and keep chilled

photos and words by kristen bach

patched tin

photograph by kristen bach

pear compote

'tis the season for potlucks, entertaining, and eating.  i love creating massive cheese plates with fruits, nuts, and compote.  and leftover compote is always good to spread on toast or as a topping for pancakes.

i made this pear compote with some country pears from my parents pear tree but you can use any pear or apples too!

ingredients:

4-5 pears or apples
a cup of water, only use what you need
a pinch of sea salt
a dollop of honey
1/2 tspn more of cinnamon

directions:

-peel and seed the fruit
-dice them and put them in a small saucepan
-add honey
-add a swig of water to the pan
-cook on medium heat
-add more water when liquid evaporates
-stir frequently
-when the pears or apples are cooked down, add cinnamon and salt
-let cool and serve along side your favorite nuts, cheeses, and delicious breads

photograph and recipe by kristen bach

open to wander

we always love to take the backroads.  on a recent trip through the NC mountains, this house caught my eye.  i slowed the car and noticed the open door.  we walked in and wandered through this place someone once called home...

photographs and words by kristen bach

southern nibbles for the holidays

the holidays are my favorite time of the year.  i love the spirit, decorating, crafting, wrapping, giving, and all of the the yummy food!  i recently visited with our friend mimi at home.made and she had me sample some of her delicious new packaged goods. 

i love how mimi took traditional southern snacks and put her own touch into each product.  she had the packaging designed by megan at brown parcel press and they are ready to ship out just in time for the holidays!!

these are perfect dinner party snacks or a fun little stocking stuffer or gift!  it's hard to choose between the pepper jelly pecans, sweet tea caramels, caramel corn and pecans, or the cheese straws.

pick them up at the restaurant or order online!

photos and words by kristen bach

fall beauty

photograph by kristen bach

fall leaves

photograph by kristen bach

pinks

photograph by kristen bach

sand beauty

photograph by kristen bach

twin tops fish camp

a few weeks ago my husband and i listened to a gravy podcast episode about fish camps around gastonia, north carolina. we were so intrigued.  so, on a recent trip to charlotte, we headed over to gastonia.  at 3pm twin tops fish camp opened and people flooded in.  by the time we left, nearly every table was taken!  our server treated us like family; i thought at one point she may sit down at our table.  

it was a treat for sure!  a southern homecooked meal with a dose of southern hospitality. you could tell it was a tradition for many families to dine here at their local fish camp.   

photographs and words by kristen bach

fall light

photograph by kristen bach

colors of fall

we have had a funny fall.  the weather has been warm, weather has been ultra dry, our trees and plants don't know what is going on.   last week a friend told me she had iris' blooming! at any rate, i feel like the fall leaves have stuck around longer than usual.  i surely don't mind that!

this past weekend we went on an annual hike to take in all of the fall beauty.  we spent the weekend in charlotte, nc and went hiking at a local park.  the trees were exploding with colors that i had never seen before, it was breathtaking.  

if you haven't hiked around yet......don't wait!  those fall leaves will be dropping soon!

photographs and words by kristen bach

herbed salt

we always grow a variety of herbs but you can only use so many fresh herbs.  this year we wanted to preserve them so we could use them through the winter months.  we decided to try making this herbed salt.  it was a really simple way to preserve them and will be a great gift to give throughout the holidays.  enjoy! 
ingredients
6  cups of fresh herbs (I used basil, rosemary, sage, and thyme)
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup sea salt
directions
finely dice all of the herbs with a chef's knife.  you want them to be diced very very fine!
-do the same to the garlic
-combine all of the ingredients
-spread the mixture out on a parchment paper lined baking pan
let dry out for a day or two.  if you have an oven that is cooling you can also stick in the oven when oven is warm, just to dry it out a bit quicker
-store in a closed containers when salt is completely dry

photographs and recipe by kristen bach