belles and their beau…or should we say bows??

19 Thursday May 2016

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Finding a great gift for the man in your life is never easy whether he be your father, son, brother or significant other. 

All belles love seeing a man in a tuxedo, so what better way than a unique and divine accessory for the man of the hour. Let’s give the boys a chance to show off for a minute. 

May we suggest Feather bow ties from Brackish. These handmade bow ties are amazing and will make any man proud as a peacock. 

We think they make great birthday, Father’s Day, graduation, or “just because” gifts.

Our favorites are :


 The Jive Turkey bow tie

  

The Bobwhite Quail feather bow tie

and last but not least…

 The Guinea feather bow tie

All available at Kevins Catalog and locally in Greenville at Rush Wilson Limited.
So treat the men in your life to a little style update, belles!

a&a

what’s ringin’ our belle…round 54

17 Tuesday May 2016

Posted by in belle of the ball, belle-icious, what's ringin' our belle

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Ringin’ belles this week…

  

Via Theminimalistbaker

Refreshing, and thirst quenching.. A new twist on the Margarita…
  
Via Thekitchn

As y’all may have noticed from our belle-ringin’ cheeseboard post we have embraced the honeycomb. It’s time y’all did too.  Here are some delectable ways to have fun and add flavor . 

  
Via Pinterest 

Mind over matter. Meditate belles.

  
Via Pinterest 

  
Via Pinterest 

Maybe we will meditate about this Thai noodle bowl

  
Via Pinterest 

When coffee isn’t enough.. Try these Six things that will give you energy…

  
Via Amazon

A Fun read

Ring-a-ling!!
a&a

your monday perk, belles…

16 Monday May 2016

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Time for some new Hater Blockers.

It’s a belle’s way of saying “do not disturb”…


A twist on the classic Ray Ban from one of our favorite websites Shopbop…

We feel much better already!

a&a

all “coupe’d” up…in a good way

13 Friday May 2016

Posted by in friday friend 1-1, what's ringin' our belle

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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

gettin’ salty…a belle-icious discovery

12 Thursday May 2016

Posted by in belle-icious

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We were recently introduced by a dear sister-belle to a belle-ringin’ line of culinary products that we just HAD to share (again…’cause sharin’s what we are all about).

Meet Beautiful Briny Sea and their amazing line of “artisan dry goods”…

  

Based in Atlanta, Beautiful Briny Sea makes their products as “close to the earth” as possible…focusing on local, sustainable ingredients. To quote them, “From start to finish our products are 100% handmade.”  Now that’s impressive!!

 

from Beautiful Briny Sea

 
And the Beautiful Briny Sea folks have a sense of humor…which is a major bonus in our book!  With flavor names like “Magic Unicorn” and “Hot Steve“, we get to giggle while we cook. (gigglin’ makes a belle happy!)

from Beautiful Briny Sea

Speaking of giggles, they even have a hibiscus-flavored sugar called “Mr. Gigglepants“! 

  

 Just imagine sugar cookies, cupcakes, or ice cream sprinkled with this happy deliciousness!

Just brings a smile to our faces. We suspect it will work the same for you!!

a&a

what’s ringin’ our belle…round 53

10 Tuesday May 2016

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Ringin’ belles this week…

 Via Pinterest 
The secret ingredient  to enhance the Bloody Mary 
   
Via Pinterest 
The mint is blooming. Twelve recipes to use up all hat mint overtaking your yard .

  
Via Pinterest 

Paint it black. A little design inspiration .


We are always intrigued by the cauliflower crust pizza.  Might need to try this one!
  
Via Amazon

And we belles think the perfect pizza making pan is this little number . Cast iron , preseasoned and easy to clean. 

  
Via Refinery 29

A must-have …How to create an unhackable password and remember it.. About time !!

Well, ring my belle!!
a&a

this perk will have you hoofing it everywhere…

09 Monday May 2016

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We needed a pair of black sandals that could be worn with anything, dress up or down, have a pretty heel that we could actually walk in for more than a minute. Eureka!!!

And it doesn’t hurt that they are reasonable!!

  
By  Steve Madden available at Shopbop

a&a

a belle-ringin’ Mother’s Day breakfast-in-bed…hint, hint

06 Friday May 2016

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We recently had the chance to spend a weekend away with friends and were treated to this incredible do-ahead French Toast casserole that knocked our socks off.  We didn’t rest until we had the recipe.  And now you have it too, belles!!  We wouldn’t mind at all if someone surprised us with this bit of yumminess on Mother’s Day…just sayin’…  
Baked French Toast Casserole 

From Paula Deen, y’all!!

Serves 8-10 

Prep: 20 minutes

Inactive:  8 hours (overnight)

Bake:  40 minutes @ 350 degrees

Ingredients:

1 loaf French bread, cut into 20 slices

8 large eggs

2 c half-and-half

1 c milk

2 T sugar

1 t vanilla extract

1/4 t ground cinnamon

1/4 t ground nutmeg

Dash salt

Praline Topping, recipe follows

Maple syrup

Now…for the assembly:   

Gather ingredients and slice bread, arranging in two layers in a greased 9×13 casserole dish.

   
 

Beat eggs, half & half, milk, sugar, vanilla and spices until well-mixed
    

Pour egg mixture over bread and gather topping ingredients:

1 stick butter (Paula calls for two…of course)

1 c chopped pecans

1 c brown sugar

2 T light corn syrup

1/2 t ground cinnamon

1/2 t ground nutmeg

  

Melt butter and combine with all topping ingredients.  Spread evenly over the entire dish.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Uncover and bake 40 minutes.
  

Serve with maple syrup…and enjoy!!

Happy Mother’s Day!!!

a&a