southernafternoon.com » Recipes

Inspiration: Paperwhites’ Quatrefoil Wedding Invitation

Andi — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 13:01:18 +0000

There are times I feel I breathe, eat and sleep weddings. I was on Pinterest the other day (shocker.) checking out decorating ideas and was transfixed by the array and patterns with wallpaper and fabric. Everywhere. The graphics remind me of everything from Moroccan tiles to bamboo lattice work. They can be bold and overwhelming, which is surprisingly charming in a little powder room. Alternatively, in a small tone on tone pattern, they can provide a subtle backdrop that adds polish and order and touch, which is unexpectedly sweet and gentle. Like maybe….on a great wedding invitation?

For example, here we show one of the color options for our Quatrefoil Wedding Invitation. What a great option for a bride who loves enhanced simplicity! Tiffany blue is always beautiful, always classic, always a perfect choice, and, considering Pantone’s recent color suggestions, totally on trend. A gray quatrefoil pattern frame surrounds the text. The blue-green touches (and there really aren’t more than touches) stand out against the gray backdrop to make a combination that will look fresh and spectacular in your wedding album for years to come. Add an amazing bridesmaid dress with a bit of sparkle, fantastic ribbon bedecked shoes and that Lowcountry Lemonade (love when something so pretty is so yummy!) and your friends will remember yours as one of the prettiest weddings on record.

Clean lines, clear colors. A breath of fresh (wedding) air.

Lots more great ideas, as well as sources for these, can be found on our Pinterest boards! Check out our website or our etsy shop to see other color options for this great invitation!

Recipes: Deviled Egg Variations

Andi — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:08:24 +0000

While roaming around Pinterest playing “Fantasy Wedding,” I stumbled upon instructions for how to easily peel hard boiled eggs. I cannot state the following strongly enough:

This is REVOLUTIONARY INFORMATION in my life.

My skills in peeling hard boiled eggs are rudimentary at best. I always end up with very unpretty, pockmarked eggs that are suitable for egg salad, but not for deviled eggs. It’s a shame, too, because they’re always a hit at parties, lunches, brunches, Bunco, game night, tailgating, weddings, weddings, weddings…

They have that coveted retroish-yet-elegant-yet-comfort-food-yet-light-yet-substantial-yet-modern-yet-retroish vibe that make them perfect for any occasion depending on how you dress them up. And there are SO many ways to dress them up! Our Deviled Egg Variations Pinterest Board has a couple dozen variations (including a link to the Cadbury Creme Deviled Egg!!), but here are some links to some interesting options that might be a welcome addition to your upcoming Super Bowl Bash or Oscar Night Shindig or your engagement party/shower/wedding celebration. They aren’t too hard, so they will make you look very kitchen capable, even if you’re just getting past boiling water in your culinary skills. I’m trying the Caesar Salad Eggs recipe this weekend, but I’m so intrigued by the Pimento Chesse version that I may give those a go. Southern to the core.

Row 1: Creamy Deviled Eggs from Martha Stewart, Dirty Deviled Eggs from Martha Stewart
Row 2: Caesar Salad Deviled Eggs from Smitten Kitchen, Avocado Deviled Eggs from Eating Well, Living Thin
Row 3: Anchovy Deviled Eggs from Bon Appetit, Sriracha and Wasabi Deviled Eggs from Food and Wine
Row 4: PIMENTO CHEESE DEVILED EGGS!! from Brandy Boils Over, Pickled Beet Deviled Eggs from Epicurious, Caviar Topped Deviled Quail’s Eggs from Fine Cooking

Inspiration: Derby Day Wedding

Andi — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:14:35 +0000

Have you ever wished you had an occasion to wear an incredible hat?

Yes? Me too.

That’s what got me started thinking about a Derby Day wedding. As I started to seek out ideas, I was OVERWHELMED at how much good stuff there is that fits under this umbrella–great hats, good food, beautiful flowers, good luck symbols, horses, bourbon, etc.. It’s an idea in which you can completely immerse your celebration or you can just add a few little details to make your day even more special. Peach, strawberry or blackberry could make a brilliant signature cocktail twist on a mint julep. You could add bourbon balls and derby pie on the dessert table or as a favor. Silver julep cups are beautiful in floral arrangements, as well as to sip from. Touches of equestrian culture from horseshoes to horse silhouettes add even more emphasis to the theme. Bridesmaid dresses akin to jockey silks would not be out of place, though here we focused on black and white stripes to harken back to Audrey Hepburn’s memorable trip to the track in My Fair Lady.

And hats–don’t forget the hats! On the bridesmaids, on the bride, on the guests. A simple invitation line of “Elegant Hats Appreciated for the Ladies” will get the message out. What fun for a sun-soaked afternoon in May!

Check out the sources for these ideas and all the others I didn’t have room for on our Pinterest Board! Links to recipes for hot browns, bourbon balls, derby pie and a host of juleps can be found there, as well as several amazing hat makers.

Retail Therapy: Cookbooks by Virginia Willis, y’all!

Andi — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:50:48 +0000

What a busy week and busy weekend! I *know* y’all are done with your holiday preparations, right? Right?? Well, if not, and you have a cook on your list, I would humbly and with greatest reverence recommend the cookbooks by Virginia Willis. She is simply one of the most amazing and powerful forces in Southern cookery today. I could name drop all the amazing people she has worked with, I could tell you all the amazing organizations she is involved with…or I could just tell you that the Old Fashioned Yeast Rolls recipe on her website were the.best.I.ever.tasted. Ever. Put away the Sister Shuberts, these are worth the effort!

Her earlier book, Bon Appetit, Y’all! Recipes and Stories from Three Generations of Southern Cooking is a great cookbook for the cook who is looking to build up that list of great recipes and techniques that come from her French training, Southern raisin’ and perfect execution. The newer book, Basic to Brilliant, Y’all:150 Refined Southern Recipes and Ways to Dress them Up for Company provides a host of great recipes that are wonderful “plain,” but easy to tweak, add to and fancify for special occasions. Both are loaded with fantastic pictures, amazing recipes and What a great gift for a friend who is setting up her household (or even for yourself)!

For other great ideas for gifts or ways to add to your special occasion, check out our Pinterest Boards!

Libations: Cranberry Ginger Fizz

Andi — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:55:10 +0000

I spotted the image below on Pinterest and knew I MUST make something similar for Thanksgiving. Ours will be a quiet affair this year, sticking close to home, movies and cleaning in anticipation of tree trimming. But even though it’s low key I still want it to be special and festive. I’ve got some fancy cheese, some scaled down versions of our favorite dishes (Brussels sprouts with bacon! Sweet potatoes with marshmallows!), fancy plates from vintage shops and the bounty of the Goodwill.

This is a totally simple and elegant drink to whip up for us or for guests who drop by. The original recipe called for creating a cranberry syrup and muddling fruit. While it sounds A-MAZ-ING, I’m pretty sure I won’t have the energy for all that fuss, so I’m opting for a streamlined cocktail I’ve made before. It’s a crowd pleaser, easy to adjust for bigger crowds or designated drivers. (Just mix up the fruit juice, simple syrup and ginger ale and have the gin (or vodka) on the side.) Crisp, tart, refreshing and festive. Do you have a favorite holiday drink to add to my list? I’m always looking for good ones!

Cranberry Ginger Fizz Cocktail
Ingredients

1 cups real cranberry juice
1/4 cup simple syrup
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 orange, juiced
1 1/2 cups dry gin
1 cup chilled Ginger Ale
Mint & cranberries to garnish

Preparation

Put all ingredients in a pitcher with ice, stir, strain into glasses filled with crushed ice. Garnish with mint and cranberries.

For the link to the original recipe and lots of other ideas, check out our Pinterest boards!

Recipe Love: Paperwhites Cranberry Cheddar Cheese Ball

Andi — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:07:47 +0000

I’ve been trying to do some things to get ready for the holidays. Thinking about cards, ordering some presents, getting my Personalized Self-Inking Stamps designed (I had to slip a mention of the sale in, didn’t I?), stashing some things in the freezer to make life easier later. I try to use early November to make a few things to take to Bunco, cookie exchanges, food days at work, and a million other occasions that seem to crop up out of nowhere during the holidays. I was browsing Pinterest the other day and spotted the image below from Erica Berge from Cooking for Seven, via Tasty Kitchen (whew!). It’s similar to one I make every year. My mouth started to water. The craving started to build. Yes. It’s time. Cheese Ball time.

Cheese Balls are so totally retro, so slightly ironic, and so totally delicious. I was kind of iffy about making them for a party–were they too 60′s? too (ahem) cheesy?– but they always go off like gangbusters and there is never any left at the end of the night. I get asked for this particular recipe every time I make it. You can make a big batch and divide it up and freeze them wrapped in cling wrap. Pull one out, grab a box of great crackers and a pretty platter and you are SET. One more thing off the to-do list!

Paperwhites Cranberry Cheddar Cheese Ball (basics from Martha Stewart a million years ago, tweaked in my kitchen to suit my tastes)

2 packages softened cream cheese (8 ounces each)
1 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 dashes Tabasco
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
8 ounces sharp cheddar, finely shredded (best to shred yourself, preshredded is too dry)
2 tablespoons cranberry sauce (I used homemade, but any would be fine.)
1 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped

1 cup almonds, chopped & toasted

Mix ingredients together (cream cheese to cranberries), form into ball, roll in toasted almonds, devour.

Check out other recipes on our Pinterest board!

Trendspotting: Macarons

Andi — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:05:13 +0000

Though we still harbor deep and unabiding love for them, the cupcake trend is on the wane. There’s been much written about what will take the crown. A clear front runner is emerging…Macarons.

Macarons aren’t the yummy little pyramids of coconut (that one has two “oo”s–macaroon). These are delicate puffs of finely ground nuts in merengu, sandwiching buttercream. The array of flavors and colors guarantees there is one to match your festivities. And while they aren’t impossible to make at home, most people leave macaron making to the pros, which makes them all the more special. My favorite so far was a pale green pistachio with raspberry, but every one has been delicious. Have you tried them? Will they be part of a special day in your future?

For more pretty macaron pictures, as well as a link to a great DIY, check out our pinterest board.

Recipe Love: Paperwhites Texas Sheet Cake

Andi — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:38:24 +0000

One of the things I love about this concept of “Southern Weddings” is that interweaving of familiar and comfortable sights into the special and fantastic wedding. It definitely highlights the homey hospitality that we crave. And speaking of craving…anybody up for some chocolate?

Sheet cake is the epitome of hospitality. Delicious, familiar and comforting, it would make a great groom’s cake, shower cake, unorthodox wedding cake. You get the idea. Always a welcome addition to the table. Maybe even for this weekend? A perfect thing to bring along this very weekend to your potluck/tailgating/friend’s house.

YUM is our Pinterest Board of recipe links. We have a couple of different Sheet Cake recipe links there. Or you can try…

Paperwhites Texas Sheet Cake!

Gather up

2 Cups Flour
1 3/4 Cups Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
4 HEAPING Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
2 sticks unsalted Butter
1 Cup Boiling Water
1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar (I like the spice, but you can use plain white vinegar.) + enough milk to make 1/2 cup
2 Whole Beaten Eggs
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Vanilla

While you’re at it, get together the icing ingredients:

1-3/4 sticks unsalted butter
4 HEAPING Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
6 Tablespoons Milk
2 teaspoons Vanilla
pinch of kosher salt
3 drops of Tabasco*
1 pound Powdered Sugar

Mix it all up!

Heat up your water if you haven’t already, beat up your eggs (ha!) and get your oven hot (350 degrees)

Get a large mixing bowl and whisk together your flour, sugar, and salt. Set aside.

Then in a saucepan melt your butter over medium heat. Once it’s melted, add in your cocoa powder. Whisk those together, too, until it’s a glorious chocolatey mess. Add in your boiling water and let it cook for 30 seconds or so. Turn off the heat and dump all that goo over the flour/sugar/salt in your big mixing bowl. Stir it up.

In a smaller bowl, mix up the eggs, milk & vinegar, baking soda, and vanilla. Then mix all that into the chocolate mix.

Pour it all in a sheet cake pan. Bake at 350 for 22 minutes (just check on it after 18 or so to make sure you don’t over cook it). It’s done when it looks set all the way to the middle and the cake springs back if you nudge it gently in the middle. You can also do that toothpick test if that works for you.

No rest while it’s baking up, though! Melt butter, dump in your cocoa powder, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, Tabasco and powdered sugar. Stir together. Pour over warm cake and let it ooze all over…try to let it cool enough that you don’t burn your mouth!

*NOTE–Tabasco is completely optional, but you should try it at least once! The pepper goes really well with the chocolate and you don’t notice the heat. It just gives this excellent warm glow to your already amazing cake.

Something Sweet: Red Velvet Variations

Andi — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 12:09:51 +0000

Oooh, Red Velvet Cake. How I love Red Velvet. Firmly rooted in the South, it’s gained a following across the country. It conjures up images of Sunday supper, potlucks, and, of course…groom’s cakes in the shape of an armadillo. (Thank you Steel Magnolias!)

That image is enough to scare off all but the most diehard fans. I started thinking about all the other ways one could approach the deliciousness. Wedding Cake? Sure. That springboards to cheesecakes…and brownies…and fudge…and cake pops! A million ideas started swirling around.

Can you imagine a more stunning combination for a winter wedding? That bright pop of red against the white makes everything look crisp and glamorous from Christmas to Valentine’s. At the same time, many of the recipes so simple that you could easily add them to your recipe book to stun your friends at a tailgate party or impress your in-laws at brunch. Red Velvet is both familiar and special in any form, making it perfect for any occasion. Here is a roundup of some of the best ideas I found:

1) Red Velvet Donuts, 2) Red Velvet Brownies, 3) Red Velvet Cake Roll, 4) Red Velvet Cheesecake, 5) Red Velvet Cake Balls, 6) Red Velvet Crepes, 7) Red Velvet Macarons, 8) Red Velvet Fudge

Check out these images and lots of others on our Pinterest Board!