Tag Archives: James Farmer

what’s ringin our belle…round 13

28 Tuesday Jul 2015

Posted by in what's ringin' our belle

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Hola belles! Need a cool refreshment….?

The website y’all need to know about to get the real scoop.

We love livin’ on the fringe.

We think very belle needs at least one of these!

We have burgers on the brain…you will too after you take a gander here, here and here!  If you need a great recipe for pimiento cheese, may we humbly suggest one from a previous post…click here…from guru of all things southern,  James Farmer?

For a radiant summer glow…try this. 

And there you have the belle-ringers of the week!  Ring-a-ling!

a&a

not your everyday farmer…a little spring inspiration

16 Thursday Apr 2015

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

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IMG_2781The South is all about entertaining, eating and garden clubs…that’s just how we roll down here. We both belong to a great garden club with monthly meetings and at least two great parties each year…holla! But we have several dear friends who are members of what we call “the serious one”. So, when we were invited by the “serious” garden club to hear a wonderful speaker and have a delectable lunch, we didn’t hesitate to accept!

On the the date of the luncheon, we donned our finery (sometimes it’s nice to get out of the yoga pants and throw on some heels) and headed over to the Poinsett Club. Tables were adorned with the most beautiful spring arrangements, put together by the über-green-thumbed members. Lordy, these ladies are talented with a capital T! They even had a little pop-up shop featuring wonderful gardening tools, entertaining ideas and clever gift items. There were also three books available, written by the guest of honor, James Farmer. We barely got our hands on them! There were a couple of moments when we thought the fur might fly with the high demand. (Not from these belles, mind you…just sayin…). Luckily, we emerged with everything intact and autographed books in-hand. Time for some sustenance! IMG_2309 We sat down to a beautiful lunch that included Farmer’s pimento cheese (we posted the recipe here), his famous biscuits (one bite and y’all won’t need to ask why they’re famous) and a healthy serving of Mr. Farmer’s wit. We have attended quite a few of these “belles who lunch” affairs and have heard a good many speakers. James Farmer is, by far, the most engaging, entertaining, humorous and – most of all – inspiring of them all! We couldn’t wait to get home and prune a little from our yards (and the neighbors’)! We wanted to throw a dinner party immediately; and we could hardly get in the kitchen fast enough to make that pimento cheese…and we hadn’t even cracked open the books yet! Speaking of the books…we each came away with these two…IMG_2335His gardening book, A Time to Plant, was already sold out when we got there (at 11:32 am) so we are ordering from Amazon. You must order as well so you can find out about the May rule….or do you know it?? It was a pleasure to remind ourselves to bring the outdoors in, even in the smallest way; to rethink the art of entertaining as an opportunity to share and engage, not a chore or burden; to know that taking time in the kitchen brings tradition and creativity together…which then brings friends and family together.  IMG_2337Simple tasks bring great rewards, and sharing is everything! James Farmer is a true southern gentleman, and we can’t possibly thank our serious garden club friends enough for sharing him with us. But we’ll try by inviting them over for some ham biscuits, a cocktail or two, and camellia from the yard in a beautiful vase…all displayed on motha’s silvah of course!!

a&a

belleicious bunny-worthy recipes…an Easter-prep friend-1-1

27 Friday Mar 2015

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Easter is just round the bend, so it’s time to fill the grocery baskets and prep to feed the egg hunters, bonnet-wearers and seersucker-dressed.  While y’all are figuring out where to hide the golden egg, we’ve come up with some golden egg-worthy recipes to round out your Easter menus…

We’ve actually been enjoying some beautiful weather these last few days, so we would much rather be outside rather than over a hot stove. Go figure!! But we still need to eat, and since Easter is one of those celebrations that can take up all the appliances…all at once…we tested a crockpot ham with humongous success.  Yay us!! This is a fix (with 3 ingredients!!) and forget while you go enjoy the Easter parade type of dish!!

The Food Charlatan is a fantastic blog. She has a great wit and even better recipes. Her easy spicy slow cooker ham is a recipe worthy of making for Easter or really anytime you don’t want to be in the kitchen.

Here’s how ours turned out:IMG_2300It is beyond delish and not really spicy in our minds…we describe it as having more of a kick. So, tender mouths need not fear, and the brave can add extra bang to their liking!

Side-note…this is one of the few recipes we didn’t feel the need to tweak (shocking, we know!), and many of her other recipes are just as spot-on.  We just adore this site and suggest you go get the recipe here and spend a little time perusing!!

Next up…a to-die-for side dish.  Here in the South, we can’t do without pimento cheese…evah!! We belles were recently in the midst of the truly southern James Farmer…more on that incredible experience to come (y’all know what they say, keep ’em wantin’ more!)

We each have a couple of his books (again…more on that later), so we couldn’t resist trying, tasting, and sharing his recipes for pimento cheese. We even sent them out to a tasting panel of sorts!  They were both met with rave reviews, but the spicy version won by a smidge.  Both are worth making…and we suggest a taste test of your own. Would love to hear who makes it to y’all’s winner circle!IMG_2310

Jalapeño Pimento Cheese from James Farmer

Serves 4-6

8 ounce block of sharp cheddar cheese
4 ounce block of Monterey Jack (We used jalapeño jack because we couldn’t find jalapeños in the recipe!!)
2 green onions chopped
1/3 cup pimentos
Dash of garlic salt
Dash of salt
Fresh ground pepper – white, black or red, depending on taste (we used black and red)
3/4 cup mayo (we used Hellman’s)
1/4 cup reduced fat mayo (if you want it creamier…we did not)
Toasted pecans, optional

Grate cheeses by hand (it makes all the difference). Place all ingredients in bowl and fold gently with a wooden spoon; don’t over-stir!

 

Farmer’s Pimento Cheese from James Farmer

Makes 2 1/2 cups

1 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese (please hand grate!!)
1 cup finely shredded sharp Vermont white cheddar cheese (again, grate by hand)
1/2 -3/4 cup mayonnaise (we used Hellman’s, a scant 3/4 cup)
1/3 cup pimento pieces with some juice
Squirt lemon juice
Dash of Lawry’s seasoned salt
Dash of Morton’s Nature’s seasons
Pinch of cayenne
Fresh ground black pepper
Fresh ground sea salt

Combine cheeses with mayo to taste, pimento, lemon juice, and seasonings to taste.

Now, how about a grilled pimento cheese with ham for lunch the day after Easter?!  Sounds like a perfect way to wind down from the holiday to us!!

And remember…everything tastes better on motha’s silvah, just sayin’!!!

a&a