20 Friday May 2016
Posted in friday friend 1-1
Thought we would share the secret to summer (and just about any time) entertainin’…easy-peasy-style…
from smartyhadaparty.com
To drinkware…
from smartyhadaparty.com
from smartyhadaparty.com
Time to plan a shindig, belles!!
a&a
13 Friday May 2016
Posted in friday friend 1-1, what's ringin' our belle
While at our recent TSC SUMMIT in Charleston, we had the pleasure and delight to meet so many creative, interesting and dynamic people. One such character was Brian Hoffman who has written an entertaining, tantalizing book that is very informative at the same time.
Since we drink for a living, our eyes glistened and our tastebuds were ready for little action.
For any cocktail lover, entertainer, book admirer, host or hostess, this is THE book that needs to be added to the repertoire. The Coupe. Just get it. You won’t regret it.
Available at Amazon
The pictures are extraordinary and the writing is wonderfully organized and divvied up by your liquor so you can go straight to your elixir of choice.
A few of our favorite recipes include…
The Kollar
Not only is it a magical concoction but it is also a memorial to Ryan Kollar. He was a bartender that we had the honor of working with when we wrote our Bacon Brothers article. He was a true personality and had a genuine passion for the art of the cocktail.
Our other favorite is the Within Temption
Some cocktails can be too sweet and cloying, but this one has a savory flair that we can’t resist. And – of course – we can’t resist a little blue cheese. Just sayin’.
Since the art of the coupe is back, and you may not have your grandmother’s collecting dust in the cupboard, here are a couple of belle-ringin’ coupes to get you started.
Available at Amazon
Also available at Amazon
Cheers!!
a&a
29 Friday Apr 2016
Posted in belle-icious, friday friend 1-1
We’ve mentioned the Happy Everything cookbook before…but thought it was time to dig in a bit. Found this Italian Chopped Salad that totally rang belles at a recent dinner party. Just HAD to share!!
Italian Chopped salad
Dressing:
1 T white balsamic vinegar
2 T lemon juice
1/2 t honey
1/2 t Dijon mustard
2 T extra virgin olive oil
Salad:
4 c baby arugula, coarsely chopped
1c flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
1/2 c mint, torn
1 large cucumber, peeled & diced
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, seeded & diced
2 c cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 can (15.5 oz) chickpeas, drained & rinsed
Sea salt & freshly ground pepper
Now…
Do your choppin’
Whisk your dressing…
Put it all together…
Toss…
…and prepare for the accolades
Again…
a&a
18 Friday Mar 2016
Posted in friday friend 1-1
Tags
We recently ran across a belle-ringing list of fashion and household hacks and thought it a must to pass on…’cause we care, belles…we care about you and all of your little pretties!
photo from marthastewart.com
1. The household cleaner 409 removes lipstick beautifully (but check the shade first 😉
2. White vinegar added to your wash can help remove sweat stains (although belles don’t sweat…just sayin’)
3. Baby shampoo can be used to hand-wash delicates including silk (baby those babies)
4. Dish liquid removes grease/oil-based stains from fabrics (gently massage into stains, launder, be amazed)
5. Cornstarch or baby powder will remove oil from leather (sprinkle on, allow to sit overnight, be wowed)
6. A mix of vodka and water sprayed on clothing will remove most odors (we prefer to save the vodka for other purposes, but if you must…)
7. Baby wipes will remove makeup from clothing (hmmm…wonder what this is doing to baby’s bottom?)
8. Hairspray and a clean toothbrush will remove ink (resist that urge to wet or pretreat before grabbing the hairspray)
these pretties can be found at Croghan’s Jewel Box in Charleston
For other household hacks…
1. Beer cleans gold jewelry (again…if you must)
2. Ketchup cleans silver jewelry (wonder who tried this first??)
3. WD-40 removes paint from hands (and pretty much everything else)
4. Suede can be cleaned/revitalized with a toothbrush (clean…please)
5. Vaseline can be used to polish shoes (and a banana peel will apparently do the same, but the smell…)
The tips-n-tricks can be endless. We’ll share ’em as we find ’em, belles.
a&a
15 Friday Jan 2016
Posted in belle-icious, friday friend 1-1
Popcorn has long been a favorite snack of ours, but it got a bad rap quite a few years back with the whole food-police-movie-theatre-popcorn exposé. Turns out…what could have been a healthy, wholesome, low-cal, low-fat snack had been turned into an artery-clogging mess. Suddenly, popcorn was the enemy!
We continued to enjoy it the healthy way (popped with little or no oil), but pined for something with a bit more of a belle-ish flare. Enter the deliciously healthy flavored olive oil and salts we now see almost everywhere! Once we discovered these delicious little tricks, we thought it was important to make sure all of our belle-friends had the chance to join in on the crunchy fun!
Now, for starters, the popcorn can be any old kernel…just the plain kernels in a jar.
Next, because the popping needs to be quick and easy so that you can have this treat at a moment’s notice, you might want to try this from everythingbutthe.com…
…works like a charm!
…or buy this…
photo from thedailyeater.com
We have used this little gem for years! Just put 1/4 – 1/3 cup uncooked kernels in the bottom, place the cover on the bowl, “pop” it in the microwave on high for 2 1/2 – 3 minutes, and you have absolutely delicious, crunchy, toasty, fresh popcorn! Purchase the popper on Amazon here
Now for the fun part! Truffles anyone?! How about rosemary/parmesan? By drizzling just a teaspoon or two of one of your favorite flavored oils…maybe adding some fresh herbs…and grinding some fresh sea salt over it all, you have quite the tasty, gourmet treat!!
Here are some flavor combinations to try:
– truffle oil and truffle salt
– rosemary oil with chopped fresh rosemary and fresh parmesan
– green chili oil with a dash of cayenne
– basil oil with chopped pine nuts
– cilantro oil with lime sea salt
The combinations can be so exciting…and never-ending. We get our oils from our local Palmetto Olive Oil. Or you can get the California belle’s new favorite olive oil Here. It’s awesome!!
Try it, you’ll like it, belles!
a&a
08 Friday Jan 2016
Posted in friday friend 1-1
Tags
2016 planner, Bezels and Bytes, brunch, Country Living, do, Finding Beautiful Truth, fitbit, Gages on Augusta, meatless Monday, new year, Paper Source, Recipe.com, recipes, stationary, Target, thank you notes
From one of our favorite blogs, Finding Beautiful Truth, we found this January “do” list. Thought it was worth sharing…
a few of her do’s worth a little shout-out…
from Country Living
Number 2…drink 100 ounces of water every day. Remember, this is technically just a list for January…maybe to flush out all of those holiday toxins…and we “get it” that 100 oz might be a bit much. But water just makes a belle feel good and our S’well bottles help tremendously! Give it a try (at least for the next 23 days)
from Target.com
Number 7…buy some pretty thank you notes online or these from our local paper-haunt, Gages on Augusta, for the task at hand
from recipe.com
Pretty sure these are totally “doable do’s”.
And now check out the Glamour don’ts for the new year…(click the link for their full list). Although we have praised the benefits of thong underwear here, and our FitBits here, here, here, here, and here (we kinda like them…and we don’t think we go terribly overboard)…we do see the benefits of simplifying and relaxing a bit.
Bottom line (pun intended…remember, we said “thong” above..tee hee) is… YOU do YOU in 2016!! Do what makes you feel good which will help you be a good mother, wife, friend, daughter, daughter-in-law and all the other things you might be.
Happy, happy, belles!
a&a
01 Friday Jan 2016
Tags
Okay…it’s time for a tip. Ankle booties are everywhere and they are here to stay. We love them as much as you do…what we don’t love is seeing your white or mismatched socks ….the ones that show when one can see straight down! We love the glimpse of ankle, the hint of skin. But any sock that hits above the ankle can be seen from a downward angle where the booties open.
Via Pinterest
Zee solution??? Grab a pair of these footies and never fear again. They would make great stocking stuffers for all the belles in your family as well.
No need to thank us…that’s just what belles do. Just sayin
a&a
25 Friday Sep 2015
Posted in belle-icious, friday friend 1-1, just sayin'
Tags
We love recipes. We like reading them and using them, but most of all, we like experimenting with them. We enjoy spending time in the kitchen, dumping and pouring to our hearts delight. So when we came across this helpful post from Food 52 to make our creative measuring easier, we just had to share.
A pinch here, a bunch there, a dollop, a sprinkle and a dash….let this post upgrade your guesstimating by golly!!
Via Pinterest
By the way, Food 52 is one of our favorite sites! They have incredible recipes, fabulous tips, a terrific help section and even a divine provisions shop. We kinda love it all….just sayin’ .
Happy cookin’ y’all!!
a&a
11 Friday Sep 2015
Posted in friday friend 1-1, what's ringin' our belle
We belles love a beauty hack…who doesn’t like to look and feel better on a shoestring?! Well, seems our mothers and grandmothers knew a thing or two about lookin’ good with these popular hacks from way back when (found on glamici.com)…
Marilyn was sooo a belle;)
a&a
10 Friday Jul 2015
Posted in belle-icious, friday friend 1-1
Tags
french fries, goop, Lincolnville Beach, lobster, lobster roll, Maine, McLaughlin's Lobster Shack, recipes
We told you about our Maine experience a couple of weeks ago (read here) and went on & on about the food…lobster to be specific. Some of the best lobster rolls can be found at the shabbiest road-side dives all along the coast, and we sampled our way for miles-n-miles! Our favorite was at McLaughlins Lobster Shack in Lincolnville Beach. Just take a gander…
Well…not that we can even come close to duplicating their perfection…we have found a worthy substitute. If you can’t make it to Maine this summer, you can at least pretend!!
From our dear friend, Gwyneth (she doesn’t know that we are so dear to her…but perhaps one day she will realize what she’s missing), here is an authentic stab at this delightful creation (with a side of fries to boot!)
From goop …
and for the fries…
One thought…we suggest you consider using a fresh loaf of Italian bread, sliced like a 2-inch (or wider) piece of toast in the place of the hotdog buns as a slight variation. Granted, the hotdog bun is a classic…but the bread allows for that chance to brush a bit of olive oil on the cut sides so that it can be grilled or toasted. Simply split it in the middle and fill. Just a belle’s two cents.
Enjoy!!
a&a
the RARE belle 