Irish Cream Brownies

Y'all I love my family dearly but sometimes you just need a drink to be able to deal with family gatherings. When you get 30 people with strong personalities, passive- aggressive tendencies and dry wits in one room and tell them to chat, sometimes you'll be amazed what comes out of their mouths. Since the law (and my parents) tend to frown upon putting a gin and tonic in a water bottle, I decided to make some Irish Cream brownies. The alcohol cooks out so that won't really take the edge off but the chocolate will. So lets make a toast to families. Here's to the ones we love and the ones who love to make us crazy. Cheers! 

Irish Cream Brownies:

1/2 cups of butter, melted

1 1/4 cups of sugar

1 cup of cocoa 

pinch of salt

1/2 cup Irish Cream

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 egg white

3/4 cups of all purpose flour

Mix melted butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt until well combined. Stir in Irish Cream and eggs. Add flour and and mix thoroughly until the mixture is smooth. Bake in greased pan at 325 degrees for 25 minutes or until set.

Icing:

8 oz of cream cheese, softened

3 tbsp (or more if you want) of Irish Cream

1/4 cup of powdered sugar

6 oz of dark or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Mix the cream cheese, Irish Cream and sugar until smooth. Then add chopped chocolate and mix. 

After taking the brownies out of the oven, allow them to cool for a few minutes. While still barely warm, spread icing on brownies. (This way the chocolate kind of melts and swirls). Then enjoy with a delicious cup of coffee (with a little Bailey's)! 

-Ada Grey 

Cheesecake Stuffed Peaches

My sweet Mama has been making cheesecake stuffed peaches for years and Caroline and I can single handedly eat an entire batch at once. Now, I rarely contradict anything my Mama says or does but I have tweeked her traditional cheesecake stuffed peaches to make them just a little richer. I just pulled a big batch out of the oven and they smell heavenly. This is a summertime must- especially in Georgia. 

Cheesecake stuffed peaches:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons white sugar
5 peaches, cut in half and pitted
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/3 cup brown sugar

In a bowl cream together cream cheese, egg yolk and white sugar. Dip the peach halves (cut side only) in butter. Place in a lightly grease baking dish and sprinkle with cinnamon. After all peaches have been dipped in butter and sprinkled with cinnamon, put a dollop of the cream cheese mixture in the hole where the pit was removed. Then, sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Enjoy!

- Ada Grey

Blueberry Pie and the perfect pie crust

Some of y'all might not know this, but not only is Georgia famous for our peaches but we also are substantial blueberry growers. So in homage to Georgia's other famous fruit, I decided to share my blueberry pie recipe and my perfect pie crust. Serve this pie with a big scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream! Yummmmm!
So many people have trouble making homemade pie crust, but I promise this recipe is delicious, easy and fool-proof!

Blueberry Pie:
3 1/2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries (divided)
1/2 cup water
the juice of 1 lemon and zest
3/4 cups sugar
2 tbsp corn starch
3 tbsp water

In a saucepan, add 1 cup of blueberries and the 1/2 cup of water and let simmer on medium-low heat for about 2 minutes. Then, add lemon juice, zest and sugar and bring back up to a boil. In a separate small bowl, stir cornstarch and 3 tbsp until cornstarch is smooth. Add to the saucepan with blueberry mixture and allow to simmer until the mixture is no longer milk and has thickened. Then, remove from heat and add remaining blueberries. Pour into pie crust, top with either lattice or well vented top crust. Bake a 350 for 25 minutes.

Perfect pie crust (for a bottom and top crust):
2 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cups Crisco
4 or 5 tbs cold water

Cut Crisco into flour until the Crisco is in crumbles the size of chocolate chips. Sprinkle water in one teaspoon at a time and stir until a soft dough forms. Split dough in half and roll each section out on a floured surface. 

-Ada Grey

Scarlett's Caviar

This salsa-ish dip is perfect for hot summer days. The best part is that it is FULL of yummy fresh veggies and is soooo easy. AND it only gets better the longer it sits in the fridge... only problem is that it usually doesn't last that long because everyone devours it. If you aren't a black eyed pea fan you can substitute black beans for a more traditional salsa. Personally, Ilove the black eyed peas in it. Great on tortilla chips or on tacos or nachos. This recipe just screams Georgia in the summer. 

Scarlett's Caviar:

• 1 (15.5 oz) can of black eyed peas (drained and thoroughly rinsed)
• 1 (11 oz) can of white or yellow corn (your preference, I use yellow)
• 1 (10 oz) can of tomatoes with green chiles
• 2 medium sized tomatoes 
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 bunch green onions

• 8 oz Italian salad dressing (less if you want a chunkier salsa)
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp cilantro

Drain and rinse the black eyed peas well. Also drain corn and canned tomatoes. Finely chop pepper and onions (or put in food processor). Dice tomatoes. mix veggies well. Add salad dressing and seasonings. Refrigerate or enjoy!

Top 5 Reasons You Should Dump Your Girlfriend (From A Female Perspective)

1. Your friends secretly dislike er hate her. 
     The sound of her voice probably sends chills down their spine like nails on a chalkboard. The thought of her tagging along with the boys to happy hour makes them want to walk into oncoming Atlanta traffic. Her cuddly hugs, baby talk, and constant need to be up your butt in front of them makes them swear to eachother they’d rather die lonely, single, and celibate than be in a relationship like yours. Getting the picture?? Good.
      Sure, they tolerate her and pretend to like her enough to maintain a friendship with you, but let’s get real boys; unless you’re best buds with some Oscar worthy actors, there HAVE been signs that they don’t like her. YOU’RE.IGNORING.THEM. You were probably just too enchanted by her double D’s to notice their discontent with your blossoming courtship. Get a clue, moron. And even better, if any of them have the testicles to come clean and tell you they don’t particularly love her, don’t brush it off. This is HUGE! Guys almost NEVER interfere or comment negatively on a friend’s relationship. They’d rather have their chest hairs plucked out one by one into the shape of a heart than have the awkward “Dude, your girlfriend sucks” convo. Even worse is when your guy friends AND their girlfriends hate her.  This is going to hell in a handbag, fast!  Not gonna work! And let's not even get to the part about your family not liking her.  I think you know what I would say to that. Not gonna happen unless, A. you're willing to abandon friends and family for said female, or B. You are willing to spend the remainder of your relationship with her in extremely painful awkwardness when around said friends and family who don't like her.  For your sake, some of them will try to be nice, really they will... but they can't help it. The tension is already there. 

2. She’s got a tendency to have psychotic episodes. 
     Sure, most girls have that time of the month where they tend to be a little more unpleasant, and some girls just have a slightly-bitchy-yet-charming-personality in general , but what I’m talking about is full on hurricane force bitch winds coming at you. One minute you’re the light of her life, and the next she’s screaming paranoid accusations. Said delusions are typically alcohol induced. (i.e. - substance induced psychotic episodes) Dating someone who is delusional is never fun, especially in the long run, trust me… I’ve done the leg work on this one. Even more disturbing is when she branches out and has these episodes in public with friends as witnesses, which means she’s obviously not embarrassed by her behavior. (Hence why your friends aren’t crazy over her)

3. She talks to other guys. 

      No, I’m not talking about her kindergarten best friend who is SOOOO gay, but “is-too-scared-to-come-out-to-his-southern-baptist-grandmother-for-fear-of-being-cut-out-of-the-will”, or a that friend that you mutually share and trust that she occasionally texts with. I’m talking about exes, former crushes, and GUYS THAT YOU DON’T KNOW. That guy that she met at the bar on girls weekend?!?! Yeah… you know…. THAT GUY. Come on, you’ve been THAT GUY before. You’ve totally hit on, or crossed the line with a girl who wasn’t available and you know where it can lead…. and FAST. If she’s been guilty of this more than once, and with multiple guys while you’ve been dating, then it’s totally time to peace out. She’s still testing the waters to see if she can reel in a better catch. If you can’t keep her attention, she’s not that into you. She’s just waiting on a better one to come along, but keeping you in the meantime for security purposes. 

4. She drinks a little too much, a little too often--- and doesn’t know how to behave properly. 

        Sure, in the beginning this was cute and endearing. She could drink with the boys, stay out all night and be the slightly-obnoxious-sparkle-in-the-room…. But lately her fun and sparkle while drinking has turned into a crazy-trainwreck-mess, worthy of an AA meeting. (refer to alcohol induced psychotic episodes in reason #2) Furthermore, if she can’t remember said “Episodes”, that raises an even bigger red flag. 

       Brother, you’ve got yourself a problem.  Her alcohol induced tantrums and amnesia of the event screams “BINGE DRINKER”. I’m not saying kick her to the curb if she becomes a sloppy drunk mess once a year. Hell, we’ve all been there…. but when it gets a little more frequent than that, she needs help that you can’t provide without a PhD in Psychiatry. A proper southern lady doesn’t make a habit of drunken scenes. Such a no-no!

5. She’s more like Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton, and Carmen Electra, than she is Jackie Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly.

        No, just NO…. A MILLION TIMES NO. 

        First of all, she doesn’t have to be Southern, but God help, she at least has to have SOME class about her. Just thinking about how many times Kim, Paris and Carmen have been engaged, married and divorced combined makes our heads spin. She shouldn’t only act like a lady, but she should dress like one too! Besides, Midriff bearing tops and painted on spandex skirts were made for Adriana Lima, not the average sized young lady. If she’s showing her goodies, chances are she’s not just trying to look sexy for you, but for other guys viewing pleasure too.

        Being a lady also includes being friendly enough with other females that she has enough girlfriends to properly fill a bridal party. Be a little concerned if she has less than 10 close female friends. Less than 5?? Contemplate walking away. Less than 3 girlfriends who can tolerate her on a daily basis?!?!? DON’T WALK, RUN!!!

        Sure, we love a girl with some sass and a little sprinkle of bitchy-ness, but when she’s a condescending-backstabbing-wench to the point that she doesn’t have a wide circle of female friends, she’s not for you. Secondly, your gal friends need to at least be able to get along with her. They should never feel like she is trying to initiate a competition over who gets your attention. THIS.NEVER.ENDS.WELL. Your gal pals will try to tell you, but YOU.WON’T.LISTEN. They will likely jump ship to avoid further confrontation with you. They will then commence to praying that said girlfriend falls off a cliff so that your friendship can return to normal.

My final word:  If you are in denial about this article, then it most likely has resonated and at least one of the five reasons fits your dating situation.  Acceptance is the first step. Step two, DUMP HER. Period-End.Of.Story.

If you choose to ignore me and marry her, be warned. 

- Caroline Grace McKenlie

What it means to have a Southern Wedding

Most Southern girls, I included, emerged from the womb with strong opinions on organza versus tulle, alencon lace versus beading, ball gown versus fit and flare, peonies versus roses and baby's breath (gag me...) versus lavender limonium. It's just in a Southern girl's DNA to have strong opinions on anything wedding related. Here are my thoughts on the situation.

1. Do not have a "themed" wedding.

Now I never realized that this was actually a problem until the TV show "Four Weddings" came out. Y'all, those Yankee girls are all about having themed weddings. If I see one more wedding that is "Old Hollywood", "Hawaiian Luau", "Forth of July Barbecue", or "Winter Wonderland" themed, I'll gag on my Oreos (I have a small addiction). Ladies, your wedding's only theme should be "wedding themed". Period. End of Story. 

Now, let me be clear, every bride should choose her colors and decorations and flowers according to her own taste and each bride should pull from the variety of influences that she sees her big day in. Weddings vary according to tastes and likes and dislikes. By all means, pull elements from time periods or events that you find inspirational. But save the themes for children's birthday parties, and sweet sixteens. 

And while i'm at it.... your wedding should scream TIMELESS, not DATED in ten years.  Please, I know there are all sorts of crazy trends right now, but to me, classic just lasts.  Are black tuxes with black bow ties going out of style anytime soon?  Nope, probably not.  Is that interesting getup with funky exposed socks, matching ties and suspenders gonna be in style in ten years??   Probably NOT.  Come on ladies, if you aren't normally someone with 'funky' style, don't pull out the funk for your wedding day.  There's no reason to reinvent the wheel.  Just take a classic timeless idea and give it your own little twist!

2. Avoid the cash bar.

Weddings are ridiculously expensive. And not all of us can afford to provide a full bar at the reception. But here's my advice. Don't have a cash bar. Its just tacky to ask your guests to pay for drinks. Skip the alcohol all together if you think your guests wouldn't mind. If your guests would prefer to have alcohol, limit the menu to only beer and wine, which are less expensive and easier to serve than liquor drinks. Or you have another option. Have two signature drinks (sangria, gin and lemonade, margaritas, etc.) - one of the bride's favorites and one of the groom's. You can mix large quantities of them in pretty, large glass decanters and guests can help themselves. Limiting the liquor options is a good way to limit your spending on alcohol. You won't go broke and your guests can still get loosened up enough to Macarena on the dance floor! 

3. You are not a princess.

Unless you were born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, you are not a princess. You are not Cinderella. So stop limiting yourself to only ball gowns big enough to house a family of four. Choose what looks best for your body, not what you think Snow White would have worn when she tied the knot with Prince Charming. If a ball gown looks great on you, go for it. If a dropped waist is more flattering, do that instead. Look like your best version of yourself on your wedding day, not a knock off version of Sleeping Beauty. And for heaven's sake DO NOT WEAR A TIARA. I will have the unrelenting urge to slap it off your head.  You have been forewarned.

4. Unity candles and unity sand annoy me
I think this is a modern fad... at least I certainly hope so. I just don't understand the point. I think saying "to have and to hold until death do us part" ties you to your husband sufficiently for eternity more than mixing two viles of dirt together. Just my humble opinion. And besides, chances are in the reality of the situation your two families probably aren't BFF's so pretending your families are dirt and mixing them together in one jar is just supremely bizarre.

5. Soloists during your ceremony -- JUST NO.
 Look y'all,  I know your sorority sister Mary Margaret sang in the university talent show and y'all all got drunk and bought votes from the judges with your daddy's money so she would win because her boyfriend had just dumped her and her confidence was lower than low, but note for you... SHE CAN'T SING.   I don't know if you were just too drunk to remember, but she never can quite hit those high notes.  Please, please.... for the love of all things Holy, do NOT bring her into the church and have her sing Ave Maria in front of your 400+ wedding guests.   Besides, have you ever read a translation of the lyrics to Ave Maria?  It is NOT a wedding song!  And even worse, no one wants to hear your mediocre soloist sing Shania Twain's From This Moment, or some other cheesey song.  Puhlease....  If you want music as part of your ceremony, as most people do, please consider a harp player or pianist like a sane human being.

More later!

-Ada Grey and Caroline Grace
PS: Use burlap and Mason jars sparingly. Its becoming a little over done. A little of that goes a long way. 

I just don't understand...

I live in an area with a lot of transplants (transplant- n. Yankee's who moved South) and inevitably I've had to work with and for them. I won't lie to you- I wasn't too thrilled about it. But, it has been a learning experience. So now I will share with you what I learned so you won't have to learn the same way I did.

1. I don't like king sized beds.
I've had to try to decorate around them and they are just too obtrusive. But, my disdain for king sized beds came after a house sitting gig I got roped into. As I lay on the right side of the bed trying may hardest to fall asleep, I noticed that there was about 3 acres of bed on my left. Its just too much. Even if there had been someone else (or a family of 4) in the bed with me, there still would have been too much bed left. I'm perfectly fine with a queen sized. Just my opinion.

2. I can't live in a subdivision.
Subdivisions have cropped up all over the South. And the houses are beautiful. But I cannot live so close to someone that they can look right into my bedroom window from their living room. I mean, I'm not doing anything scandalous inside my house, but that doesn't mean I want the whole neighborhood to be able sit back and watch my comings and goings like the next season of American Idol. I just need some privacy.

3. Some people treat their dogs better than they treat their kids.
So I see a woman I know (transplant) walking her dog, Gigi. Gigi is no ordinary dog. She is a "designer dog"- a mutt genetically modified to be fluffier, prissier and have a severe under bite.... Now, on Gigi's morning walk she has a bow in a little tuft of hair between her ears, a pink rhinestone collar, and a pink glittered tutu. From the looks of this scene, one would think that this woman had no children to spoil so she babied her dog. Nope. She has a 14 year old son. As I stopped to chat with this woman I asked her how her son was. Her response was "Oh fine I suppose. He's in a boarding school in Connecticut. I think he'll be home for Christmas. I call him about once a month. and he always seems to be just fine! But I better run, Gigi has a pedicure and haircut appointment. Great to see you!".... The kid will be home for Christmas? It was MAY!

4. Yankee's eat entirely too much hummus.
I love hummus. I always have a container of it in my fridge. But y'all, I kid you not. I was babysitting for a transplant family and it was time for me to fix the girls some supper so I went to the fridge and this is what I found:
six flavors of hummus
some almond milk
some olives
some arugula lettuce
a box of alfalfa sprouts
some Gruyere cheese

What in the sam hill was I supposed to fix these children for supper? I couldn't even make them a tomato sandwich. Do you really think a 5 year old and a 3 year old are going to eat an arugula and sprout salad and some hummus? Is it really necessary to have SIX flavors of hummus?
Long story short, I found a box of Easy-Mac in the bottom of the pantry. Bon appetite, girls!

5. How can you live in a multi-million dollar house but own NO fine china or antiques
I don't know about y'all but if I had the means to build a multi-million dollar abode, the first thing I'd do is display my fine china in an antique china cabinet. I'd be single handedly keeping the antique shops and auctions in business. Apparently this mentality is not universal though. I've seen MANY nouveau riche houses that had NO antique furniture and absolutely NO china- just some Pier 1 dishes. WHY??

6. The color burgundy will NOT go in my house.
In the same homes that have no china or antiques are inevitably decorated in the color burgundy... Why has this trend from 1998 continued? WHY? I want answers! I didn't like it then and I sure don't like it now. I think the mentality of burgundy is that it looks expensive. I DOESN'T. It only looks outdated. Bless their hearts, they just didn't know any better. Here's my tip, pic a good neutral for your walls (a light grey, a good white, a pale beige). Then, incorporate color in with your accessories. Avoid deep, dark colors that will add to much visual weight to the room. Keep it clean, light, and simple. NO BURGUNDY!

To all our transplant followers, we love you. We're glad you are here. But please, adapt to Southern life. You are here now, its time to embrace the Southern way of life and get rid of these nasty habits. Next step: work on those hideous accents.

- Ada Grey