Southern Belle

LESSONS FROM A SOUTHERN BELLE #175:  Southern belles are just southern sunsets: warm, beautiful, magic.

A dip that is perfect for all those March Madness parties!  (Serves 6.)

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 (14.5 ounce can) white beans, drained

1/3 cup sour cream

2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

juice of a half lime

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt (if needed)

1 cup shredded, cooked chicken

1/2 cup sweet corn (fresh or frozen)

2 tablespoons minced cilantro

1 1/4 cups mozzarella/cheddar cheese combination, divided

1/3 cup diced red peppers

1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon salsa verde

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush olive oil onto bottom and halfway up sides of a 10 inch cast iron skillet. (You could also bake in any vessel you normally use for baking dips, relatively the same size.)

Reserve 1/4 cup of the drained beans, set aside. Add the rest of the beans, sour cream, garlic, lime juice and cumin to a food processor. Puree until smooth. Taste and add a little salt if needed. Stir in chicken, corn, cilantro and a 1/2 cup of cheese.

Spread onto bottom of skillet, then evenly sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup white beans, red peppers and salsa verde on top of the mixture. Cover with remaining cheese. Bake for 16-20 minutes, until dip is bubbling and browned on top. Serve immediately. Can be rewarmed as needed

PINTEREST FINDS:  Creative Spaces

Interior Designs:  Create an area, small or big, where you can craft, write, or relax.  I have a small office in my home and it is specifically designated for all things creative.  (Pin it here.)

Shelf Life:  Find a creative way to display your books.  These pipe shelves give a room a more industrial look.  (Pin it here.)

All Hands On Deck:  Organization is key and when you are creating, things need to be within reach.  Cute containers can spruce up any area!  (Pin it here.)

LESSONS FROM A SOUTHERN BELLE #174: Home is where you can walk outside without shoes on.

INGREDIENTS:

one 10-ounce jar maraschino cherries, divided

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

pinch salt, optional and to taste

2 large eggs

1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil

cherry juice, reserve 1/4 cup

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cherry-Almond Glaze

1/4 cup reserved cherry juice

1 teaspoon almond extract

about 1 1/2 cups+ confectioners' sugar 

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray two 8x4-inch loaf pans with floured cooking spray or lightly grease and flour the pans; set aside. Recipe may be baked in one 9x5 pan, as 4 mini loaves, or as muffins, although I have not tested it that way. Adjust baking time accordingly.

Cherry Bread - Remove cherries from jar and place on a cutting board. Roughly chop them.

Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons flour (prevents them from sinking during baking) and toss to coat evenly; set cutting board aside. Set jar with the cherry juice aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add 1 3/4 cups flour, sugar, baking powder, optional salt, and whisk to combine; set aside.

In a small mixing bowl or glass measuring cup, combine eggs, oil, all the cherry juice from the jar except 1/4 cup to be reserved for the glaze, almond extract, vanilla extract, and whisk to combine.

Pour wet mixture over dry ingredients and stir to combine; don't overmix. Batter will be very thick.

Lightly fold in the chopped cherries.

Turn batter out into the prepared pans, smoothing the tops lightly with a spatula. Strategically place a few cherries on top for visual appeal.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until bread is domed, set, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Allow bread to cool in pans on top of a wire rack for about 15 minutes before removing and allowing to finish cooling completely on rack. While bread cools, make the glaze.

Cherry-Almond Glaze - In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup reserved cherry juice, almond extract, about 1 cup confectioners' sugar, and whisk to combine until smooth and satiny. Add sugar until desired consistency is reached. Glaze the bread prior to serving. After the photos were done, I glazed much more liberally, spreading the glaze like butter on the interior of the slices. Bread will keep airtight at room temp for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Do not glaze bread until ready to serve if you plan on storing long-term.

PINTEREST FINDS:  Blue Fever.

Make a Splash:  There is no reason why the rainy season should keep you dull and grey!  Get some kicks that are cute and water repellent!

Blue Belle:  Spring means tea parties and luncheons, belles!  Stand out amidst the pastels with this electric satin get-up.

Monogram Me:  What Belle can resist the call of her own initials?  This jewelry rack is much needed for organization!

the Wide, Blue World:  The world is in your hands...well, really around your neck!  Such a cute necklace with fine detail can make statement without being gaudy!

If someone is making fun of you, there are a few options you can choose from.  You can ignore them, smile and laugh with them (because who knows yourself better than you?), or you can educate them on respecting not only you, but the people around you.  It doesn’t matter how we dress, where we are from, or what life we lead—each and every human being deserves respect.  Don’t worry, honey.  You’ll get out into this wide, wonderful world and you will see that there are plenty of places that don’t have such a high population of narrow-minded people.Keep your chin up and smile!

So, hold onto that dream!  I think that everyone should move around in their young adult life (I mean, after school!)  Life is a exploration of these wonderful places around us.  A way to keep that southern lifestyle around you?  Read books based in the South or with southern characters, stay up-to-date with southern fashion, listen to iconic southern music, take time to learn new recipes.  You can be whoever you want to be!

I would simply present with yourself with grace, but take the opportunity to reinvent yourself there.  Like you said, people have seen you in some time.  Wear clothes that are comfortable and wear layers—because God knows that South Carolina can be humid, rainy, hot as the desert (or a solid combination of all three in an entire day.)

LESSONS FROM A SOUTHERN BELLE #173:  There is nothing wrong with starting over or beginning anew; just know where you want to go and what you want to do, and don’t let doubt get in your way.

As many of you have noticed, Lessons from a Southern Belle has been on a bit of a hiatus for a couple of months.  There is an explanation behind all of this, though it doesn’t excuse my absence.  I want to apologize for not keeping up with the blog and also thank each of you from the outpouring of messages that had concern, love, and well wishes for myself and my family.

The last time you heard from me, I took a trip to San Diego to visit with my sister who I hadn’t seen in some time. I got to thinking a lot about where I was going with my life and what I wanted to happen.  You see, I have got a lot of dreams hovering at the back of my mind.  These dreams have remained unfulfilled because I was lacking in funds, in ambition, and in confidence.

To say that the carjacking situation was the only thing to effect me towards the end of 2014 is an understatement.  I felt really lost and didn’t know how to put that into words.  Lessons from a Southern Belle has always been my home base on the internet; it was the one place I could really express myself and share my love of my heritage with the world.  Neglecting it did two things: it gave me a much needed break, but it also made me realize how much I truly do love sharing this wonderful life I have led for twenty-seven years.

So, think of this as a renaissance.  I am going to be posting more content and sharing more with you all.  There is so much I have planned in the coming year, including vlogs, DIYs, photo trips, contests, and opening an online Southern Belle shop.

I hope you all will continue on this journey with me.  Life makes for an exciting ride and I wouldn’t want to go it alone.  You all have meant so much to me since 2010.  Thank you for everything!  

On with the show!