Our Secret Ingredient!

In our home, we love to cook as much as we love to eat. And Michael is somewhat of a spice master. He's always making new concoctions and he has a BBQ sauce, nothing quite exact, of course, that he could definitely bottle. It dawned on me after many dinners that were always delish, that there is a secret ingredient common among most of them. Can you guess what it is???

Chili, ribs, steak, lamb... mostly red meats, but could surely work on other dishes - both sweet and savory (savory is the fun part!). Cinnamon is our secret ingredient!

According to Wikipedia, cinnamon "was so highly prized among ancient nations that it was regarded as a gift fit for monarchs and even for a god: a fine inscription records the gift of cinnamon and cassia to the temple of Apollo at Miletus. Though its source was kept mysterious in the Mediterranean world for centuries by the middlemen who handled the spice trade, to protect their monopoly as suppliers, cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka."


If you need more motivation to give it a try next time you start the seasoning process, "one teaspoon of Cinnamon contains as many antioxidants as a full cup of pomegranate juice and 1/2 a cup of blueberries" (Wikipedia). And, what's more, some even believe it to be an aphrodisiac. 

If you're interested in the details!

This blog started as a way to stay in touch with our dear family and friends who live quite far away. As you may have noticed, it's turned into a way for me to express myself (for which I enjoy while Michael makes fun). There is nothing super exciting happening with us right now. Most of the excitement from last year has settled and we are pretty much enjoying staying in, building lots of fires in our new fireplace, cooking/grilling/drinking wine, and occasionally getting out to get items for our home (like a bathroom mirror, etc.). It's really a lovely life. If I could change one thing, it would be to be closer to our family.

If you're interested in the details... next weekend we're venturing all the way to Tuscumbia, AL, for Drake's wedding. And mid-February we're going on an all expenses paid trip from Michael's company to Cancun! Yeah, I know that's exciting and we're both really looking forward to it. We got to select excursions and one day we'll be swimming with dolphins! An item I can check off my "Top 10" list :)

We both have friends coming to staying in March. Michael's will be here just in time for St.Patty's weekend celebration. A night with Wilco also awaits us in March. In April, I'll be visiting my grandparents in northern AR, and we'll both be going to New Orleans for Jazz Fest to see Pearl Jam! May brings my MS friends and their husbands over Memorial day weekend! And, in June, the Mims will be coming for a visit!

comment moderation

Happy Thursday everyone! Just a quick note here... I got a comment on my blog from an Asian porn site and so have decided to turn on comment moderation. Apparently word verification wasn't doing the trick. Didn't want you to think I was actually analyzing any of your comments before posting. See you soon!

Back in the Day on Primetime!

My friend, Cheryl, and her husband Griff, own a jewel of a bakery here in Savannah, Back in the Day Bakery. Cheryl just made her third appearance on the Food Network alongside the one Mrs. Paula Dean. She was fabulous and so was her cookin. The show featured biscones, a mix between a biscuit and a scone. Last Saturday, my friend Jennie, from the Sassy Steel Magnolia, tested out one of these biscones and we both agreed it was delish. Flaky, crunchy, and chewy all at the same time, it left us completely satisfied, yet wanting more. I know what I'm getting on my next visit to Back in the Day!

If you're not fortunate enough to swing by Savannah and check out the bakery for yourself, you can check out a few of Cheryl's recipes from Paula's Best Dishes, including her biscone recipe. Just click here. You can also get to know Cheryl herself, along with Griff, on their bakery blog.

The Transformation!

You may have attended my wedding, but I thought you'd enjoy photos from the transformation of my wedding dress. I wore my mom's gown that she wore in 1971 when she was only 19. My dad was 20. Through plenty of ups and downs they are still married today, after 38 years. My grandmother sent my mom's dress to NYC to preserve it. I knew exactly the style I wanted and had an idea for my mom's dress when we pulled it out of its box. Tricia Copelin, an extremely talented designer who we were familiar with, knew exactly what I had in mind (it seemed she read my mind). She did most of the transformation while I was standing in the dress. Here, I'll walk you through it...

The dress in its original form. Basically lace upper on

top of a satin dress.

She cut the sleeves off first to make it cap sleeve. Notice the scallop on the end of the sleeve.

I took the dress off and she cut out a sweetheart neckline underneath the lace into the satin. I thought a sash around my waist would make the dress more form-fitting. Tricia literally grabbed a piece of silk fabric from a box and voila! The color added an antique look, which was exactly what I was

going for.

She put pins in to outline the V-neck that I wanted. I didn't realize she was going to cut the V-neck with me in the dress but when I got nervous, she simply wasn't worried about it. She didn't skip a beat!

Look closely... to the left, you can see the scallop that came from the end of the sleeves. That was Tricia's idea. It completely brought it all together.

The almost finished product. There was a train that hooked to the back of the dress. She adjusted the hooks so that the train attached underneath the sash. I also wore my mom's veil.

Yep, my mom was fr-eaking out! She is sitting next to the veil

and train.

And so here is the finished product. I tried to post a few different views... And, thanks to my maid of honor, Carmen, for documenting the transformation!

                                          

Mission and Music

I'm sitting at my favorite local Savannah spot, Back in the Day Bakery. Dust from my fresh sliced bread that I've been dipping into my tomato basil soup is sprinkled all over the keyboard, and I don't mind. Every time I come I always notice the Old Savannah City Mission directly across the street (photo above). Always curious, today I decided to go in. I found out they feed the homeless 365 days of the year, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There was a huge mural that covered an entire wall in the dining room that depicted a version of the Last Supper I hadn't seen before. Jesus was in the center, surrounded by all his friends, a bunch of homeless dudes, arms around Jesus' shoulders and big smiles. Very cool. I left my name and number and am thinking this is somewhat of a start at accomplishing my personal goal of hands on volunteer work, not just for 2010.

When I sat down to eat, there was a Connect Savannah magazine on the table. On the front cover is a bare chested hipster who on first glance looked like he belonged inside the trailer he was standing in front of. Low and behold it is Ben Kweller. A name and face I haven't seen in many years. I used to play his album when I worked at Bottletree Bakery during my late college days back in Mississippi. A professor that was a regular patron always asked about his music and I remember giving him my one and only Ben Kweller album, Sha Sha, when the professor told me he and his family were moving away. Surely I could get another album. Out of sight, out of mind. Five years later, he's promoting his new album, Changing Horses (2009), right here in Savannah! However... I missed it. Sort of. He played the night of the National Championship and that was a great game! If you haven't heard his music before, try a couple of songs out on iTunes. I think you'll like it. He comes recommended by Jeff Tweedy, reads the article.

Speaking of, Leah informed me via text that Wilco is playing in Savannah at the end of March. I was lucky enough to purchase a couple of tickets yesterday as they are almost sold out! It appears Savannah actually does have good music afterall. I just need to stay current on the line up.

**Later this day I downloaded the entire Ben Kweller album, Changing Horses, and have listened to the whole thing twice. It's fun, upbeat, and cool. Kinda folk meets indie meets tweedy. What I like most is it doesn't make you sad.

Bama victory!

Michael sent this photo from his phone from the National Championship game in Pasadena. What an emotional game. Congrats to Alabama! Does anyone know if Ole Miss has a quarterback prospect for 2010?