Two days after Christmas my baby sister, Genevieve, moved to Dublin. She’ll be there for a year and even though I only see her a few times a year when she’s in North Carolina, I miss her. So we decided that for each month that she’s in Dublin we’re going to share a camera using the hipstamatic disposable app. Soon, our sister Lauren (who lives in New Orleans) will be joining us. Thank you for letting me share these photos each month! Here is our January selection.
This weekend some friends and I took a “mid-winter” getaway to Morehead. We planned it in November, as we were discussing how hard life and work can become once it’s cold and dark and dreary. We were hoping that a getaway to look forward to would help us fight the cold-weather grumps. And, before I knew it, the last weekend of January was here. The thing is, the cold weather grumps had never really come. We’ve had a few days of very cold, even a snow, but for the most part it’s been lovely (and a little terrifying coughglobalwarmingcough). But wonderful weather certainly wasn’t going to stop us from taking a beach vacation, so on Thursday night we packed up and headed south.
We spent four days in Cateret County, visiting attractions like the aquarium and the Maritime Museum, drinking bloody marys on the beach, and reading on the pier of the Swamp House. It was wonderful, relaxing, and the weather was amazing.
While we were down there I tried my hand at a recipe I’d been thinking of for a while. You see, I love pimento cheese. I love making it, eating it, and serving it to guests. But I always make the same recipe (my grandfather’s), and I’ve been wanting to try something new. So I thought about the flavors I wanted to highlight and put together a recipe that included sharp white cheddar, green olives, smoked gouda, pimentos, and of course mayo and spices.
The spread was, as I’d hoped, delicious. The smokey cheese played so nicely against the salty olives, a little bit of garlic and cayenne gave it a hint of a kick, and everything worked together to create a cohesive flavor. It was perfect with the buttery snack crackers and exactly the sort of snack you want when you’re sitting on the pier all day, reading and watching the marsh life.
This is an owl named Alba that we met at the National Aquarium at Pine Knolls Shore. She likes to watch the sharks.
Green Olive Pimento Cheese
1 medium size block of white sharp cheddar cheese
1 medium size wheel of smoked gouda
1 small jar of pimentos
1/2 cup green olives
1/4 cup mayonaisse
1 tsp garlic powder
Dash of salt, pepper, cayenne
Grate your cheese. Dice your olives. Drain pimentos. Combine. Stir in mayo and spices. Stir until well incorporated, adding more mayo to get your preferred consistency.
Midway through the holiday madness I was contacted by a fellow North Carolinian who was wondering if I would be interested in reviewing some cheese straws. Not just any cheese straws, but his family’s 100 year old recipe that his mother and uncle just started selling in small, artisan batches. Now, I’m picky about product reviews because I hate the idea of disappointing someone or, worse, making you all feel disillusioned by what goes on here at B&S. But cheese straws? From a sweet brother and sister combo in Concord, NC? How could I resist?!?
These bad boys arrived on our doorstep just before we headed on our whirlwind Christmas vacation. I snagged a few for the road and then spent the next week thinking about them. They are perfect, everything a cheese straw should be. Spicy, soft but not too soft, cheesy, salty, amazing. As we were setting up for Dan’s party last weekend Charlotte (a Tennessean and lover of all things cheese straw) and I spent a fair amount of time savoring these, trying to taste for different spices, carefully considering how we felt about them. Our conclusion? Delicious. Everything a cheese straw should be. We strongly suggest that you visit Ritchie Hill’s site and see for yourself.
In other news, it’s a new year, which means it’s time for goals and planning and thinking into the future. I know the past few weeks around here have been heavy on the reflections and musings side of things (and light on the recipes and eating side of things), but forgive me as I take one more stab at it (I’ll be back tomorrow with more of the edibles). My B&S related goals for this year are as follows:
- Continue expanding our recipe collection
- To actually make some instructional movies like I keep promising
- To take more process shots now that I have a fancy new flash
- To add to our set and prop collection
- To create images that inspire and to push myself to stay creative
- To write a post dedicated solely to the photography on this site
- To eat more pie
That’s not such a huge list, and hopefully it’ll be something that is constantly morphing throughout the year. I’m hoping that 2012 is a year of big growth for me, in the kitchen, in the garden, as a photographer… I have high hopes. That being said, I’m interested in hearing the sorts of things you would like to see around here. More pie? Less musing? All the cheese? Let me know. Let’s make 2012 a great year, together. Okay, that’s enough cheese.
*Ritchie Hill didn’t pay me to say nice things about them. In fact, all they did was send me a box of cheese straws (complimentary). And I ate them. And they were delicious.
Goodbye, 2011. Even though I can’t believe how fast it flew by, it was a wonderful year. Here is a roundup of some of my favorite posts from last year… hopefully 2012 is just as incredible!
Prettiest Food
Best Pie
Most Exciting
Most Popular Post
Best Tutorial
Most Refreshing Beverage
Most Loved Summer Treat
Favorite Fried Food
Best Use of Cauldron (aka Favorite Family Recipe)
Best Cocktail That Also Works Well in a Flask
Best Casserole that Dad and I Made Up on the Spot
Oyster Casserole
This year, like the year before, has been wonderful and full of family.
Personally, we’ve:
- celebrated our second wedding anniversary (with a wonderful trip to Savannah & Charleston)
- watched the one-year mark in our (not so) new jobs fly by
- celebrated the marriages of two dear family members
- said goodbye to loved ones, dear to our hearts
- created quite an impressive (if we do say so) art wall in our apartment
- increased the number of lipsticks in my collection
- watched as my youngest sister, gen, graduated from college
- dreamed up and created a pie festival
- spent more time with our three families than ever before
Biscuits and Such has:
- been published in Southern Living
- celebrated its third year
- finished a redesign
- smoked our first LOCAL pork shoulder
- said goodbye to Menuism (sadly)
- said hello to many new followers
- made many new videos
As always, thank you for being here. Happy New Year.
