Posts Tagged ‘southern living’
jalepeno cheddar cornbread muffins
garden to table
a take on a southern classic. these muffins are great for brunch or as a side to your favorite soup.
recipe follows after the jump
garden on the mind
garden to table
i have always appreciated and enjoyed freshly grown food. for 3 years during and after college i worked on an organic CSA farm in wisconsin, called elsies. i was a sponge to learning about growing, harvesting, and cooking with fresh ingredients. it was hard work and long days, but i loved every second of it.
the most important thing that i learned was how good food tastes when you grow it yourself. it hasn’t sat on a truck for days, or been picked before it was ready, you can eat the freshest food strait from the garden. i also think there is something to be said about putting a seed in the ground, nurturing it, and watch it sprout and grow. it gives you sense of pride with every bite.
every spring, i wait like a young child on christmas morning, for the last frost day to pass, and get the garden prepared for growing. now that we are getting some spring-like weather we are starting to plan the r.wood studio garden. within the next couple of weeks we will be able to plant…..and begin to watch things grow
our friends in atlanta are planning their garden too, visit their blog to take a look at their ambitious plans and enjoy their great southern gothic pic above.
winter dyeing day
homes and habitats
i think we all end up spending a little more time at home during the winter months. every year i end up picking up a new indoor craft to get me through the cold days. a few weeks ago, a few friends gathered and spent the day dyeing. we shared fabrics, dyes, books, and ideas and enjoyed a winter day indoors. our friend rene, a local textile artist helped guide us as we tested various methods of dyeing.
with spring on our mind we chose the colors peacock blue and wisteria.
here are some photos from our inspiring day…..
homemade crackers
garden to table
i’ve been wanting to try making homemade crackers for awhile. i finally got a book called ‘easy homeade crackers’, by jim long. turns out, it’s real easy and fun. i started with a basic recipe that calls for 2 cups flour,1/2 cup water, and 3 tbs. butter. you can saute whatever herbs or spices you want in the butter before adding to the rest. i used one garlic clove and a couple sprigs of rosemary from the garden. because i’m genetically predisposed to never be able to follow a recipe, i replaced 1/2 cup of the flour with oatmeal.
throw it all in a food processor until it starts to form a ball. move to a floured cloth and roll out 1/8 – 1/4 inch thick. before the last roll, i sprinkled coarse sea salt all over. cut in shapes with a pizza cutter. prick all over with a fork. bake on ungreased baking sheet at 325 for 20 – 25 minutes. great with goat cheese and tasty to snack on.
signs of first spring at last!
in the country
this past weekend was the first in months that wasn’t 40 degrees and overcast. in fact it was sunny and 60! believe me, i got out there and started clearing debris out of the garden and doing some sprucing up. i spotted a clump of daffodils in the woods, so spring has announced its’ intentions to proceed. i’m anxious to get planting in the garden, but with all the rain, it’s still too muddy to get on the tractor. soon though…
nancy’s, a big old house
homes and habitats
one of our favorite places to be is our friend nancy’s house. tucked in by the woods at the edge of a field, her 100 year old victorian home sits, filled to the brim with beauty.
we have been lucky enough to photograph our dishes here many times, but it also is a place that we just love going out to, whether we are working or just visiting. it is about 20 minutes out from town down a dirt road. it is inviting and warm, as is nancy, she always with a warm pot of tea at the ready. comprised of more than 10 spacious rooms, it’s original woodwork is preserved from when the house was moved from three counties over, almost 20 years ago.
while it can not be described as ‘minimal’, a friend from tunisia called it ‘authentique’- to us, a compliment of the highest order. filled with memories, art, and found objects, nancy’s house defines what it is to for a house to be a home.
visit here to read more about nancy’s house
nancy has been busy moving and preserving another house to a neighboring lot. stay tuned for a story documenting it, it is just as amazing as this one!
rustic woodgrain. winter lines
daily beauty
today it’s been one year since we started this blog. rinne, kristen and i have had an exciting year working together and documenting all the beauty. we hope that it inspires you to look for the beauty around you. remember: beauty is free and abundant and brings joy to the spirit, so get out there and find some,wherever you are.
snow wonder
in the country
i know a lot of you are sick of snow, but you have to realize that for southerners, snow is a transient beauty spectacle that’s rare, unpredictable, and wondrous. it’s not likely to last more than a day, so i’m happy to say that we always have the good sense to take the day off and appreciate it.
here’s the idea shack in snow-
