I’ve always been a fan of a great at-home bar. I strongly believe it’s a must-learn life skill to mix up classic cocktails, and as an avid host, it’s important to provide an array...
Looking back on Easter as a child, I remember how excited I was to dig through my Easter basket. Full of chocolate bunnies, malt ball Easter eggs, Peeps, golden coins, and my favorite Cadbury...
Lets be honest, salads can be boring. So I’m always trying to think outside of the box to come up with salad recipes that I’ll thoroughly enjoy, but are beyond easy to make. Enter...
Lets be honest, salads can be boring. So I’m always trying to think outside of the box to come up with salad recipes that I’ll thoroughly enjoy, but are beyond easy to make. Enter...
Summer tabletops that look like this make seasonal eating easy (emphasis on the EASY). And for those of you following along on Snapchat (username Waiting On Martha), you’ll know I’m trying to eat cleaner and put the focus back on fresh, in season, local ingredients. This focus on eating “clean” has in turn also highlighted my love of simple ingredients and flavors. Case in point: grilled fresh vegetables from the garden seasoned simply with a little oil, salt and pepper.
First up: shishito peppers. If you haven’t tried these, stop what you’re doing and go out and find some at your nearest Asian grocery market (if you’re in Atlanta you can find them at the Buford Farmers Market). They’re a milder pepper, but be warned about 1 in 5 will be on the spicy side so be prepared for a little game of pepper roulette. You can of course grill them, though I usually throw them into a sautee pan or even a wok. They are SO simple to make; simply drizzle organic olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper to taste. You’ll cook them until they char and start to shrivel up about 5-7 minutes and then just eat ’em up.
Second: grilled okra. I’m a firm believer that okra is one of the south’s best fruits of the earth (click here for Southern Living’s 10 best okra recipes to see for yourself). I’ve eaten them all sorts of ways, but I really might prefer simple and grilled above all else! All you need to do is halve them and put them on skewer sticks, drizzle with organic olive oil, salt, pepper and a dash of cayenne. Grill for about 10 minutes (or until charred) and pop the entire thing in your mouth! I’ve found that grilling them as such will also take the slime out of them entirely.
Lastly, my corn salad is quite possibly the biggest crowd pleaser of them all. It can be served cold, warm, room temperature…your call. I’ve enjoyed it as a salsa, as a salad and straight out of the sautee pan too. All you’ll do: dump the fresh corn kernels (stripped easily from the cob with one of these) or frozen corn if you must to a sautee pan with (plenty of) un slated butter and salt. When in doubt, add more butter. To serve, simply add chopped green onions, fresh cilantro and give it a quick stir…you don’t want any of these ingredients to get mushy so definitely save them until garnish at the end. It is seriously so easy, so fresh and SO tasty. Enjoy! Truly, MKR
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If you follow along on IG then you saw I recently returned from a wonderful segway-riding weekend in Raleigh, N.C., where HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams invited me and a few other bloggers to spend a little bit of time in the brand new, and gorgeous, HGTV Smart Home 2016. And by a little bit of time, I mean I pretended I was moving in that weekend.
Designed by fellow Chicagoan Tiffany Brooks, the HGTV Smart Home was a great testament not only for the power of all things tech, but also for the power of paint. The entire home incorporated a great mix of calming, traditional neutrals, but also bold, saturated rooms full of color from the HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams Neutral Nuance Color Collection. As I toured the 3,300 square feet of this Southern smart home, I of course was drawn to all things blue and grey; the kitchen and dining room being great examples of how to mix and play off the two. But perhaps my favorite room of all? The nursery with its gender-neutral teal blue walls ( Riverway HGSW3302 and bright playful patterns.
Being chocked full of HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams color I knew the house would quickly remind me of my love for bold color and stoke those fires to redecorate for the umpteenth time, but I didn’t realize just how GENIUS the place would be too. It didn’t earn its name as a “Smart Home” for no reason, friends. High tech additions were designed to make modern life easier, from automated thermostats to integrated entertainment systems, self-watering plants, and doors that can be locked and lights that can be turned off with an app on your phone (!!!). If your mind is as blown as mind was, just go on and read a bit more behind the build.
And I’m sure this comes to no surprise to most of you, but it didn’t take me long in Raleigh to see that it’s a place where I could happily spend a lot more time. We had tons of great food, saw so many interesting sites and got a feel for an inspiring creative business scene that left me feeling energized and inspired. The HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams team organized a great itinerary for the group; we toured Videri Chocolate Factory and Raleigh Denim Workshop, where you could simply feel these creatives pour their heart and soul into their work. We also strolled through the North Carolina Museum of Art, which was beyond beautiful and somewhere I could easily spend days, and we even hopped on some Segways to see Oakwood Historic District (which was sooo fun and a great way to see the historic homes).
Experiencing lovely Raleigh and HGTV‘s brilliant and bold Smart Home with HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams was such a treat, and I’m even more adamant about the fact that paint (especially when we’re talking about the best of the best here) really does set the tone for your home. Truly, MKR
P.S. Head on over to enter the HGTV Smart Home giveaway so you can call this gorgeous and genius space home (you can enter once a day!). xo
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I’m sure you saw that we had quite the adventure in Louisiana a few weeks ago. We teamed up with Atlanta Food & Wine Festival and Louisiana Travel on a 3-day road trip to get a taste of the best Louisiana food and drink. Last week, we shared our recap of Baton Rouge and Lafayette and today we’re all hungry again reminiscing over our stop in New Orleans.
We kicked off the 3-day trip with a bang in NOLA, hurricane in-hand the second we stepped off the plane. First stop, NOLA Distillery. Opened just last month, we were lucky enough to get a little behind-the-scenes tour and tasting. We all loved the craft vodka made from only Louisiana-grown sweet potatoes (the state is known to be the home of the best sweet potatoes, FYI). We saw first-hand how NOLA’s vodka is distilled twice and filtered, giving it a hint of sweetness and a touch of earthy flavor. The vodka went perfectly in what the team joked as their “Kale-Gate” cocktail (more on that backstory here) and their take on a Cosmopolitan.
After we sipped a few cocktails and talked plans for the tasting room (opening soon) with the lovely NOLA team, we scooted over to St. James Cheese Company. This local shop would definitely become my go-to for an easy lunch with the girls; think cheeses on cheeses, wines and drool-worthy sandwiches. We were thrilled to have the queen of cheese herself, Liz Thorpe, with us to introduce us to some pretty fantastic pairings with our wine. Liz published The Cheese Chronicles back in 2009, and her immense knowledge about the many variations of cheese was downright inspirational. Her newest book, The Book of Cheese, breaks down cheese into nine “gateways” of flavor, rather than by country, milk type, etc. Her take on enjoying cheese, finding flavors and kinds you love, and understanding the wide varieties in this unique way is refreshing. It’s approachable. And with over 400 pages in The Book of Cheese, there’s something for everyone. Seriously cannot wait to get our hands on this “cheese bible”!
We could have stopped there; bellies and hearts SO full. But alas, we were in New Orleans, and there was more goodness to taste. Next up: Willa Jean. And oh, let me tell you: Willa Jean is an absolute MUST when you’re in NOLA. This contemporary bakery was opened by Chef John Besh, Chef Kelly Fields and Chef Lisa White in the Central Business District, and it celebrates the best of the best Southern comfort food with fresh, local ingredients. We loved chatting with Chef Kelly Fields; she was incredibly welcoming, hilarious and to say that she blew us away with her cornbread, frosé and homemade chocolate chip cookies (a recipe that includes 5 different kinds of chocolate and one she took two years perfecting!) is an understatement. COME HERE with your girlfriends for a boozy brunch on your next trip; you won’t regret it.
Next, (no we’re not done yet), we downed a quick dozen raw oysters with wine at Borgne, another gem by Chef John Besh and Chef Brian Landry. Borgne is known to be one of the best spots for fresh seafood in the area, and it did not disappoint. Its menu is a true celebration of Louisiana coastal fare, with everything from Oysters on the Half Shell to Pan Roasted Lemonfish with brown butter turnips and Shrimp Toast with pork belly and sweet chili sambal. Its ultra cool, modern vibe in the bottom of the Hyatt makes it a hotspot (and easy locale in the Central Business District) for visitors and locals alike.
It was a big day, but we (somehow?!?) left room for dinner at Balise. Balise, manned by 2016 James Beard winner Chef Justin Devillier (also with La Petit Grocery), was named after the first French settlement at the mouth of the Mississippi River. And the place is clearly steeped in its history; located in a 19th century Creole townhouse that’s expertly decorated, and irresistibly intimate in its ambiance. On our prix fixe menu, we enjoyed fare like Fried smoked oysters, chilled Roasted Beets with Lemon, Mint and Brown Butter, Roasted Lamb Shoulder, Pan Roasted Gulf Shrimp and Chicken & Ricotta Dumplings…I mean my mouth is watering just recounting it here now. And to top it all off, Walnut Cake, Apple Crisp and Sticky Toffee Pudding (the table’s favorite).
Lastly, we (somehow) made it to Cane & Table because who could say no to Hurricanes. Located in the heart of The French Quarter, Cane & Table is a gem of a restaurant and bar where Chef & Mixologist Nick Detrich mixes up the best hurricanes I’ve ever had. Truthfully, when I looked at our itinerary and hurricanes where on the menu I wasn’t impressed, but that’s because I was used to the cheesy spring break, overally sugared hurricanes in neon plastic cups. Chef Nick sticks to the original recipe; refreshing, crisp, and goes down like water Hurricane. Cane & Table deservedly tops the list for where to drink in town, being featured on Vogue and The New York Times. The vibe here was second-to-none (string lights out back, drippy candles and palms), and the company was even better. Nick was the warmest guy, welcoming us into his tiki-inspired world and teaching us a bit of history along the way.
After that whirlwind of the day I rolled myself into bed and woke up the next morning still full from one of the best days I’ve had in awhile. A big thank you to all of the chefs for welcoming us into their worlds, and make sure to check out the entire photo gallery below! Truly, MKR
