Favorite Southern Places

Today, I am sharing pictures from some of my favorite Southern places.  They are presented in no particular order but I feel so fortunate to live in such a beautiful place.

Sarah P Duke Gardens, Durham NC

 

Duke Chapel, Durham, NC

 

The Beach Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

 

Charleston, West Virginia

 

Lake Watauga, Tennessee

 

Charleston, South Carolina

 

Wing Haven Gardens, Charlotte NC

 

Hart Square, Catawba County, NC

 

Christmas Tree Farms, Ashe County, NC

 

Ryman Auditorium, Nashville Tennessee

 

The Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina Tennessee Line

 

The Parthenon, Nashville Tennessee

 

The Memphis skyline view from the Mississippi River

 

Harbor at Beaufort, NC

 

Churchill Downs Louisville Kentucky

 

Shiloh Baptist Church Hamptonville NC

 

Old Salem, Winston Salem NC

 

Bell Tower On NC State Campus, Raleigh NC

 

Downtown Village of Pinehurst NC

 

Park In Downtown Old Fort, NC

 

Black Mountain, NC

 

The Pisgah Covered Bridge, Asheboro NC

 

Looking Glass Falls – Transylvania County, NC

 

The Pirate House Restaurant, Savannah Georgia

 

Seagrove, North Carolina

 

Mabry Mill, Virginia

 

Biltmore House, Asheville NC

 

Chattanooga Tennessee

 

Close up Stone Mountain, GA

 

Daniel Stowe Gardens, Belmont NC

 

I hope you have enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed sharing these pictures with you.  We have enjoyed our day trips and other adventures and I can honestly say that when I return to North Carolina I know my heart is at home.

Thanks for stopping by.

Asparagus Casserole – The Pirate’s House Cookbook – Savannah, Georgia

Today, I am sharing a recipe from The Pirate’s House Cookbook, Savannah, Georgia.  It is a beautiful place to celebrate any holiday.

I think at Thanksgiving we sometimes ignore an inexperienced cook and I am sure the day can be overwhelming for a rookie.  I think today’s recipe would be a good choice if you are asked to bring a vegetable for a Thanksgiving feast.  I totally understand how we are evolving to only fresh ingredients.  However, at the same time, I can imagine an inexperienced cook dealing with fresh asparagus.

Of course, I know that if you are an experienced cook sometimes you just want to make something easy and I think this would be a great choice for an easy side for the Thanksgiving meal.  Isn’t it funny how you take two or three days to prepare the Thanksgiving meal and people expect you to cook again the next day?

Thanks for stopping by.

Pirates’ House Meat Loaf

Last week while visiting Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, we went to Savannah, Georgia on a rainy Wednesday.  We usually eat at Mrs. Wilkes Boarding House in Savannah and it has always been a tradition for us.  However, I call it Karma and Mr. D thinks that is funny.  Whatever you call it, our timing did not work out well and we were in a very long line waiting to eat there.  When we realized the meal was $20 each we made the decision to go to The Pirates’ House Restaurant as they have a lunch buffet.

I love the atmosphere of the Pirates’ House Restaurant. The building is historic and the service is impeccable.  For $13.99 we enjoyed the buffet that includes great southern vegetables including squash casserole, cabbage, collards, sweet potatoes and red rice.  There were at least three meats:  fried chicken, catfish fried of course, and meat loaf. Also included in the meal was our choice of beverage (sweet tea of course) and dessert (key lime pie or peach cobbler.

I only had a very small portion of meat loaf but it was absolutely delicious.  Mr. D loved it too and I was very thankful that I had the Pirates’ House Cookbook.  When we returned home I found the recipe in the cookbook and I am sharing it with you today.  I know this time of year as fall begins, we think of more comforting foods to prepare.  This one is definitely on my “I must make this” recipe list.

I think Franklin’s Sauce is what makes this meat loaf so special.  I will say the meat itself was prepared properly and was moist and well seasoned.  I hope you are able to try this one.

Will we go back to Mrs. Wilkes Boarding House again for a meal?  We aren’t really sure because honestly I think we have eaten there at least 20 to 25 times.  Maybe it is time for another tradition and maybe it is Pirates’ House. It is the first restaurant we ever enjoyed a meal in Savannah.  That is one of the reasons that I was inspired to know more about “Low Country” cooking.  Whether you chose Mrs. Wilkes or Pirates’ House, I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

It’s Almost Spring So It’s Time For Pirate House Brunch Casserole Or Cheese Grits

I am really looking forward to Spring this year.  Next week we will have several days that will have temperatures in the 70’s.  I think I am more excited about Spring this year because I am not working in the afternoons and l love the idea of spending pretty spring weather outside.  As Easter approaches I start thinking of brunch.  One of my favorite meals is when Mr. D and I prepare brunch for my Mother’s Day celebration and lot’s of times we do the same on Father’s Day.  I will not be preparing Easter brunch this year but I do plan to have brunch for us sometime in the month of April.

The other day I glanced over at my cookbook shelf and saw my Pirate House Cookbook from Savannah, Georgia.  I realized I had not shared many of their recipes with you recently.  I have such fond memories of eating at the Pirate House and their cookbook is one of my absolute favorites.  I love the way they prepare so many Southern traditional foods so simply but so deliciously.  As I browsed through the cookbook I saw the recipes I am sharing with you today.

The first recipe would be a great brunch recipe if you are having a large family celebration for Easter.  You can prepare the casserole the night before and refrigerate it.  As it is baking in the oven, you can prepare the other dishes for your brunch.  I think this sounds delicious with the sausage and eggs along with the swiss cheese. The only other thing you would need to prepare is fruit and if you are making a southern brunch you need some grits.  Keep reading.

I also love the recipes below for either a grits souffle or cheese grits.  I have made a cheese souffle before but I love to think of challenging myself again and giving the grits souffle a try.  Cheese and grits are such a wonderful creamy combination.

So as Spring approaches I think of the beautiful city of Savannah and the wonderful people and places that make that city so special.  Thanks for stopping by.

 

Leopolds or Hilton Head Ice Cream?

I have visited the low country of South Carolina and Georgia so many times over the last 30 years and one of our treats of a vacation is visiting ice cream shops.  I was totally surprised when I read about Leopolds Ice Cream in Savannah, Georgia in a magazine and realized I had never visited that ice cream shop.  Then I began to consider the fact that we eat at Mrs. Wilkes on every visit to Savannah and we would never consider eating ice cream after experiencing the wonderful feast prepared for us at Mrs. Wilkes.

Last year, we changed our plans and visited Savannah on the way to Hilton Head.  We arrived in Savannah around 10 AM on a Saturday and visited their farmers market.  We then visited Leopolds and had a light lunch. Our sandwiches were so good and then we had ice cream.  Actually, they do not have sugar free ice cream so Mr. D ate a yogurt and honey dessert and I had two scoops of ice cream, lemon custard and chocolate.  Here is a picture of Leopold’s Ice Cream in downtown Savannah:

 

Leopolds has been rated as one of the top 10 ice cream shops in the world by Virtual Tourist.  I love the ambience of the shop and the beautiful interior. It has been a Savannah tradition since 1919 and was founded by three immigrant brothers from Greece.  Stratton Leopold, youngest son of Peter Leopold, runs the store today with his wife Mary.  Because Stratton is a successful film producer there are many props and posters from some of his well known films decorating the shop.  The shop has many of the original fixtures that make the surroundings very charming.

Yes, I did like the ice cream.  It has great flavor and is amazingly creamy even though it has a thick consistency.  I  know that if we visit Savannah again, I will definitely want to include a trip to Leopolds.  Here is a link to their website: http://www.leopoldsicecream.com/

We arrived in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina later on that Saturday and spent the week there.  I do believe my all time favorite Ice Cream Shop is Hilton Head Ice Cream in Hilton Head.  Their ice cream has a different texture from Leopolds and is very creamy.  They have been in business for over 30 years now and I always treat myself to one trip to their shop during our stay.  I usually plan that for the last day of my visit so I will not be so sad about returning home as I love Hilton Head SO MUCH! Here is an article from the Summer 2013 Issue of A Taste of Hilton Head.  Here is a link to their website:  atasteofhiltonhead.com

Here is a link to the Hilton Head Ice Cream Shop website as it is referred to in this article:

http://www.hiltonheadicecreamshop.com/

I am so happy to have discovered two wonderful ice cream shops in my favorite part of the world.  As I was reading the brochure from Leopold’s , it states that USA today has rated it as the best ice cream shop in Georgia.  That makes me think that Hilton Head Ice Cream has to be the best ice cream shop in South Carolina.  I hope you are able to experience both of these wonderful places real soon.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you are able to share a dish of ice cream with someone very special this weekend.