Sugar & Spice by Celeste

Photo by Brad W.   Friends, I have such wonderful news to share with you.  Next week, my husband and I are scheduled to welcome a precious baby girl via c-section!  There are simply no words to rightfully express our excitement and joy. It's been a long, emotional and rocky road for us to reach this point, but it will all be worth it the moment we see our daughter's face for the first time.  Feeling her little kicks, jabs and punches has truly been one of the greatest blessings of my life. I know that you haven't seen me post many recipes lately, and now you finally know why.  As you can imagine, we've had a lot going on, and this mama-to-be just needed a tiny break.  But do not worry my foodie friends, this blog is still incredibly important to me and you will see many, many yummy recipes soon.  I can't wait to be able to share "mommy and me" recipe posts and updates about our little one!  Please keep us in your prayers as the ...

Anytime that blogging can be used for a good cause, I'm all in.  September happens to be Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and the folks at OXO are gearing up for their annual program benefiting Cookies for Kids' Cancer . Cookies for Kids' Cancer is a wonderful program which makes it possible to easily get involved in fundraising to find a cure for pediatric cancer.  It's a program that I've thought about getting involved with for quite some time now, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to participate with my blog. You see, OXO will donate $100.00 to the organization for each blog post dedicated to this campaign in September!  Also, be on the lookout for OXO products with the following sticker attached:  OXO sent a variety of cookie tools to help with all the cookie baking! For every stickered item sold, OXO will donate $0.25 in support of pediatric cancer research, as part of its $100,000.00 pledge! For my cookie post, I chose a recipe...

Recently, the wonderful folks at White Lily & Martha White invited 10 food bloggers for a fun-filled weekend in Nashville, TN for their first ever Southern Baking Retreat.  I was lucky enough to be among those 10 bloggers chosen, and it truly could not have been more fun.  It not only was a great opportunity to learn a little more about two southern brands that I already love, but it was also an unforgettable experience filled with great food, fun times, incredible music and new friends. Here's a fun little video that they put together of the retreat.  It does a great job of summing up all the fun we had! Also, here's a list of the other 9 fantastic food bloggers in attendance. Be sure to check out their sites: Mommy's Kitchen Southern Bite A Farm Girl's Dabbles Add a Pinch Bake or Break Table for Two Love and Olive Oil Mostly Homemade Mom The Country Cook    Mike Rutherford welcomed us into his studio. DAY #1...

Photo Credit: Asia Geiger So, I know this isn't the normal recipe or food related article that you're used to seeing here, but I wanted to share a cool interview that I recently had the opportunity to do with Robby Takac from Goo Goo Dolls.  It ran today over on al.com .  Hope you enjoy! ____________________________________________ It was a cool December evening in 2002.  The Goo Goo Dolls were playing at the House of Blues in New Orleans, LA, and I was lucky enough to find myself standing in the 2nd row, near the middle of the stage.   That was a night I'll never forget, and they forever claimed a spot as my favorite band. Their lyrics stand the test of time, just as well as the band itself.  After 27 years, they're still going strong and are currently on tour promoting their brand new album that hits stores today, called Magnetic.  Their summer tour will bring them to the Oak Mountain Amphitheatre in Pelham on Friday, August 2n...

Photo courtesy of Pursell Farms My latest culinary road trip took Brad and me to Pursell Farms , where I recently had the opportunity to sit down with award-winning Chef Andrea Griffith during our Easter weekend visit (read about our fun weekend HERE !). With over 13 years of experience, Chef Griffith is no novice and is using her passion for farm-to-table southern cuisine to create exciting new menus and culinary experiences at Pursell.  She was gracious enough to sit down with me after a long day to answer a few questions, which I think you'll really enjoy.  Read on as she talks about trying to duplicate an elusive Canneles de Bordeaux, her advice for home cooks, and making authentic Polish Pierogies with her grandparents: Let's start with what everyone wants to know about an award-winning chef:   What are 5 items that you always have stocked in your kitchen? 1.   Sriracha 2.   Sweet chili sauce 3.   Grits 4.   Greens (collards, tu...

Three things that I love are: 1)  Fun & relaxing weekend getaways 2)  Awesome food 3)  Beautiful surroundings This past weekend was filled with all three of these things during our stay at Pursell Farms in Sylacauga, AL.  Brad and I loaded Ava up in the car and made the one hour journey to the countryside, where we had such a wonderful time.  And OH, the food!  It was incredible.  I just can't help but share the details with you all. The trek led us out of the city, only about an hour away.  Upon arriving, we were greeted by a pretty gate, with the Pursell Farms sign beckoning us in.  A long, winding road led us through the beautiful property, with trickling streams, open fields, shaded woods, and views of the golf course along the way.  A sense of calm came over me...a relaxing weekend on the farm was just what I needed.  I breathed in the fresh air and got excited about the events of the weekend to come. We...