Southern Protocol

Holy Tapas! Usually Sara is the food guru around here, but oh my gosh I just had to write about this. My brother and I decided to go to Et Cetera on Daniel Island for tapas and wine. Not only do they have fantastic tapas from 6 pm to 9 pm every night for $6 each (yes, $6 each!), but they serve lunch AND they are a gourmet food store all in one. If you have not been you need to go! We had an amazing wedge of brie with fruit preserves, tilapia on a bed of spinach, feta, and olives and Italian sausage with peppers. Everything was fantastic and the service was superb! It is such a warm atmosphere and I absolutely loved it. I had been in before to grab coffee and I was intrigued by all of the fresh cheeses, olives, pasta and many other products in the store, but this was the first time I dined in. It was fabulous and I have not seen or been to any place like it in Charleston. This would also be a great place to pick out a gift for a friend or family member. I am for sure heading there to try lunch within the next few days

Posted by Quinn

This week I interviewed Katherine McDonald, owner of LulaKate, to find out about her successes as an entrepreneur here in Charleston. With a major in Psychology, it is amazing to see the line of work she has come into. Katherine is an amazingly talented designer with a fabulous boutique at 324 King Street. I was excited to chat with her about how she started and what her inspirations were over a little coffee at Caviar and Bananas.

Q: How did you get started and what inspired you?

A: Katherine had always wanted her own clothing line and was always making her own clothes. In 2003, she was layed off from a job and started some intensive sewing. Almost heading to New York, she found a great job here in Charleston at Blackbaud. Wearing her adorable a-line skirts to work got her friends talking. Before she knew it she was doing trunk shows for friends and friends of friends from Maryland to Florida. The skirts were adorable cotton poplins and fun prints. It was history from there and began selling wholesale to boutiques like Copper Penny and even one of my favorite boutiques in Lexington – AJ’s! “So many of my customers were starting to get married and wanted me to design their bridesmaid dresses,” but Katherine was a bit hesitant. With the economy in a sudden downturn Ready-to-Wear was deeply affected, but not the bridal industry. She made the transition into bridal and she is now one of the most well known bridal gown and bridesmaid designers in Charleston. You can find her amazing custom dresses at her boutique and also at Bella Bridesmaid locations across the country!

Q: How do you incorporate your Southern roots into your business?

A: “The name LulaKate is very Southern in itself. Lula was my great grandmother’s name.” Everything sold in the store is very classic and sophisticated. “Southern women know how to dress and just have class. They know that a simple silhouette will look good at any age.” There is no doubt that Southern women ooze classic elegance.

Q: What is your favorite Southern staple food? Favorite restaurant in Charleston?

A: Without a blink of an eye Katherine replied, “macaroni & cheese – and sweet potatoes with marshmallows!” She adores Al Di La in West Ashley.

Q: Is it difficult to be a female entrepreneur in Charleston?

A: “In Charleston, no. The city is so supportive of women.” There are still stereotypes of what women should be and then what women are doing these days. There is a definite sense of empowerment. “It is a small city and there aren’t many industries so that is why there are so many female entrepreneurs.”

Q: Any advice for other female entrepreneurs?

A: “A very smart and very successful person once told me:  ‘Pick one thing and do it well and if you are seriously passionate about something do not quit!’” Katherine also said that this is not a business for someone who is faint of heart and it has been 8 years in the making for her successes.

I loved chatting with Katherine and found her absolutely intriguing because of how successful she is and how she has never given up. It is definitely a huge encouragement for me personally. A little passion and hard work go a long way.

Posted by Quinn

The hit AMC series Mad Men continues to have an enviable stronghold on current popular fashion! January Jones and Christina Hendricks have easily replaced Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall, turning sexy on-screen fashions from the 1960s into highly coveted pieces for the modern wardrobe.

Now that Mad Men costume designer Janie Bryant has already paired with QVC for a clothing line inspired by the hot movers and shakers of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, it only makes sense that she’d move on to another hot commodity: nail polish.

The line, which will be through sassy retailer Nailtini (flawless pairing choice for a show with everyone drinking all the time, huh?), will consist of four colors: Bourbon Satin (brown), French 75 (gold), Deauville (platinum), and Stinger (iridescent). Don’t those colors just scream Mad Men? The colors that dance across the screen during that entire show are rich browns, creams and jewel tones. What a perfect decision to keep the nail polishes in those families – I’m sure they’ll be a big hit come fall!

The polish will be available at CVS Beauty 360 and Duane Reade’s Look stores this fall for $14 a piece. Slather some on, slip into a corseted dress, grab a martini, and hit the town!

Vodka. It’s the happy hour drink of choice here at Southern Protocol. Did we realize everyone knew that? Not necessarily… which is why we were curiously delighted at the email we received this morning from a mystery New York company outlining three (quite tasty looking) drink recipes, all using Van Gogh Vodka. We’re not selfish people, so we decided to share!

These drinks are perfect for late summer fetes… they can be made ahead of time, and are fun updates on tried and true warm weather classics!

Blueberry Mojito (you know I love my mojitos!)
28 oz Van Gogh Acai-Blueberry Vodka
14 oz fresh lime juice
7 oz simple syrup
Mint leaves
Fresh blueberries
Club soda

Muddle mint leaves, blueberries, and simple syrup in a pitcher. Stir in Van Gogh Acai-Blueberry Vodka and lime juice. Then add ice and top with club soda. Serve in a highball glass garnished with a mint sprig or skewer of blueberries.

Sparkling Dutch Red Sangria
1 bottle dry red wine
3 oz Triple Sec Liqueur
3 oz Van Gogh Pomegranate Vodka
6 oz Grenadine
1/2 Bottle pomegranate juice
1/2 bottle Pommery Brut Royal Champagne
1 orange, sliced
Cinnamon sticks

Combine the first five ingredients. Add champagne and give a quick stir. Pour mixture over ice and add slices of orange. Garnish each glass with a cinnamon stick.

(I just realized this last recipe isn’t made with vodka… oh well! It still sounds nice and refreshing!)

Early Riser
19 oz Ron Abuelo Anejo
6 oz Jumbie Coconut Splash
13 oz fresh mango juice
13 oz fresh pineapple juice
Maraschino cherries
Orange slices
Sugar cane stick

Pour all ingredients into a pitcher and stir vigorously.  Add ice, cherries and orange slices. To serve, pour into a tall glass and garnish with sugar cane stick.

All recipes came our way via Talbert Communications, Ltd in New York. Cheers!

I’m still chugging along with my New Year’s resolution to read more. It’s been a bit touch and go for the past month or two, because we’ve been so busy (and I’m ashamed to say, that means watching TV is often a better way to wind down than reading! Shame on me!), but I’ve hopped back on the wagon with a book entitled, The Sharper Your Knife the Less You Cry, by Kathleen Flinn. For all of you chefs out there – be you culinary, pastry, or homegrown – it’s an absolute must-read.

What makes the story fabulous is that it’s autobiographical: an American woman in her mid-thirties has a job in London she hates, and is finally fired. A bit unsure of what her next step should be, a new love interest encourages her to pack her bags for Paris, and fulfill her lifelong dream of attaining a diploma from the original Le Cordon Bleu cooking school.

What follows in her amazing journey through the three-level cirriculum is fascinating. Not only is an inside peek at one of the most talked about cooking schools given, but Flinn beautifully intertwines cooking lessons with her personal life, and how it changed and developed during her stay at the school. She speaks from the heart, and has had some truly hilarious, mortifying, heartbreaking and wonderful moments. Not to mention that at the end of every chapter she includes a real recipe, with annotations on where she got it, how she created it, or who inspired her by sharing it with her.

Simply marvelous!

Thanks to the wonderfully fabulous photographer Leigh Webber, I stumbled across this precious blog the other day. Leigh had it posted on her twitter – and whenever a photographer tweets about some kind of photography, naturally one is pretty much much required to check it out.

Called Mila’s Daydreams, the blog is a compilation of perfectly styled photos centering around the photographer’s baby during her nap time; the scenes she puts her daughter in are reflections of what she’s possibly dreaming about in her newborn snooze. She uses such creativity for these – I love the denim shirt that has been shaped into an elephant, upon which Mila is riding. They’re all so heartwarming and clever!

In the “Behind the Blog” tab, the photographer states that this is merely a fun little hobby while she’s on maternity leave… what a talent she has.

Alissa and Jim tied the knot  at the beautiful William Aiken House on King Street, and their over the top Chicago personalities made for an incredibly fun weekend!

We started off with a super sweet ceremony in the courtyard (the bride walked down the aisle to a version of a Ben Folds song), then headed to the house for homemade runners, vintage birdcages, rustic chic charm, and plenty of family love. Seriously – the love was overflowing. Doesn’t everyone look so happy?!

Thanks to our lovely vendors:
Venue: Patrick Properties
Photographer: Brandy J Photography
Caterer: Fish
Entertainment: Complete Music
Flowers: Stems

I was lucky enough to get to travel to Athens, Georgia this weekend for a little get together with some friends – I know everyone is biased towards their college town, but The Classic City is just hands down the best place on Earth. One of the hardest decisions you have to make when only visiting for a short amount of time is where to eat! It amazes me how many fantastic restaurants are in one little college town.. one of my favorites being DePalma’s.

Try as I may, every single time I dine at DePalmas – which is pretty much any time I head back to Athens – I can’t resist getting their Pasta Margherita. I know I should branch out, and that this dish is one of the simpler ones on the menu, but I absolutely crave it. Naturally I wanted to share it, and remembered that the University of Georgia’s campus paper, The Red & Black, featured a recipe for the pasta while I was still there!

Pasta Margherita (serves 4)
1 lb (16 oz) rigatoni egg pasta
1 medium red onion, cubed into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 cup olive oil
8 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup white wine (they use pinot grigio)
20 basil leaves
1/2 of  a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
2 4-oz balls of fresh mozzarella chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
Salt and pepper to taste

Layer the basil leaves on top of each other, roll them crosswise and cut into 1/4 inch strips.

Cook pasta in boiling water to al dente. When you add pasta to boiling water, start sauce. Add olive oil to saucepan and heat on medium heat. Add in cubed onion. Heat for 60 seconds and add garlic. Cook until both start to soften.

Deglaze with wine.

Add salt and pepper, then toss. Add tomatoes, toss, and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Drain pasta and add to saucepan, toss with basil. Place in serving bowl and top with mozzarella.

Enjoy!

Now that Betty White has outlasted all of her Golden Girls co-stars, and has had quite possibly the most random comeback of all time, there’s only one obvious thing left to do: a clothing line with Jerry Leigh Apparel, of course!

I am absolutely dying laughing that 88-year-old Betty White has an upcoming clothing line. The best part is, she has SUCH a strong following – from her actual Golden Girls days as well as her new, younger fans – that this line will no doubt be uber-successful. I actually bet it will be more successful than some of the younger actress-turned-designers (you know how I normally feel about that prototype!) that have churned out collections recently…

Set to launch in August, the collection consists mostly of hoodies and t-shirts featuring Betty herself, and range from $28-48. As if having a shirt with Betty’s deceivingly sweet-as-sugar face on the front isn’t enough, part of the proceeds will benefit the Morris Animal Foundation.

How could you possibly resist?!

I just heard about this campaign on the radio this morning, and it is a true testament to one person making a difference – I actually arrived at my destination before the segment was over, and stayed in the car to listen to it!

Jimmy Wayne, a thirty-something year old relatively well-known Country singer, had a dark childhood. After an abusive start to his life, he bounced from foster home to foster home, and eventually ended up a homeless teenager. In one of life’s miracles he was taken in by a North Carolina family, and ended up rising to fame with songs like “Stay Gone” and “I Love You This Much.” But just because he’s now secure, loved and with a home doesn’t mean he’s forgotten where he came from, and what it took to get through it.

Which is why he founded the Meet Me Halfway Campaign in January of this year, a one-of-a-kind charity that raises awareness of kids who have “aged out” of foster homes and find themselves with no place to go. As an unbelievably massive kickoff for the organization, Wayne started a cross-country walk – yes, as in, he’s WALKING halfway across America.. my joints get sore just thinking about it – to bring attention to his cause.

His amazing journey began in a Nashville foster home parking lot on New Years Day, and concludes next week in Phoenix, Arizona. As of today, he has walked well over 1500 miles. Bet you can’t beat that on your treadmill! The inspiring country singer has logged every step of his adventure, chronicling the people he has met and the challenges he continues to face. On that radio segment this morning, it said that if he had a scheduled media interview or performance, he would have someone drive him to the airport, wait while he performed, then drive him back to exactly where he left off. Absolutely incredible.

To learn more about the Meet Me Halfway Campaign and everything it does to support these abandoned teenagers, visit the official website. You can track Jimmy’s Twitter updates, watch videos of his journey, and donate when you realize what a great cause it is.

Ok, so I have another recipe that makes me salivate from Carolina Cooking. Quite a few actually. So I figured since we’ve slacked on getting you weekly Tastes of the Weeks recently, I’d hit y’all with TWO today! Woo, what a wacky Wednesday.

I personally love a good meatloaf, although I don’t remember the last time I had one. This version, a semi-gourmet twist on your average ’50s meatloaf, is sure to be a hit with all ages and for all occasions.

Meat Loaf Stuffed with Blue Cheese, Tomato and Bacon (Makes 6-8 Servings)
From Fenwick’s on Providence, Charlotte, NC (Where are all the Charleston recipes, by the way?!)

Meat Loaf
2 pounds ground beef
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/3 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1.3 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Filling
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 to 2 cups blue cheese
9 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Mix the meat loaf ingredients in a large mixing bowl. (Ot is best to use your hands to mix all of the ingredients together.) Add breadcrumbs so that the meat loaf holds together. It should have the consistency of soft Play-Doh.

Line a baking sheet with a generous amount of foil. Spray the foil thoroughly with non-stick spray.  Pat out the meat loaf so that it completely covers the baking sheet evenly.

Lay the tomato slices along the center of the meat loaf. Top with blue cheese and bacon. Use the foil to help fold the edges to the middle, shaping tightly into a loaf. Make sure the loaf is smooth and sealed. Bend the foil over the loaf and seal completely.

Bake for about 1 hour. Unfold foil and bake 15 minutes more. At this point, if you like, brush ketchup or BBQ sauce on top of the loaf. Remove from oven and cool. (You can even prepare this the day before.) Slice when cool and serve with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable.

Suggested wine pairing: Chase – Centennial Harvest Zinfandel.

I had a lovely visitor last week: my mother! Amongst our numerous activities, she needed to find a cookbook with some delicious recipes to use for her dinner club in a few weeks. She found exactly what she needed one day when she was strolling around town in Carolina Cooking (she purchased her copy at Waldenbooks on Meeting), the cookbook version of the hit local show.

I met her at her hotel later, and after browsing through only 3-4 recipes in the book decided I absolutely HAD to have it! It’s a great cookbook for entertaining, as all recipes look mouthwateringly delicious and take relatively little time. I haven’t had a chance to experiment with any of the dishes yet, but here’s one that’s making my stomach rumble…

Prosciutto-Wrapped Wild Salmon with Mushroom Risotto and Garden Peas (4 servings)
From the Inn on Biltmore Estate, Asheville, NC

5 tablespoons butter
1/2 white onion, finely diced
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup Chardonnay
4 cups hot chicken broth
salt and white pepper
8 slices prosciutto
4  (7-ounce) salmon fillets
Olive oil
3/4 cup English peas
1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon minced shallot
12 fresh shitake mushrooms
8 chanterelles, morels or other fresh mushrooms
12 baby tomatoes

PReheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter, then the onion and sweat. Next add rice. Stir rice around in the butter and onions. Deglaze with Chardonnay and stir using a wooden spoon or spatula. Add enough hot broth to cover the rice. Continue to stir comstantly over low to medium heat. Add broth two more times while continuing to stir. Season with salt and whit e pepper.

While the risotto is cooking, lay 2 slices of prosciutto flat, then wrap around each piece of salmon. In a hot skillet, add a touch of olive oil. Sear the fish on all sides. Transfer the fish to the oven and continue to cook for about 5 minutes more, or until the fish is cooked through.

In a blender, add English peas with garlic, shallot and 3/4 cup chicken broth; puree. Season with salt and pepper. Strain through a wire mesh strainer.

In a small hot skillet, add a teaspoon of olive oil. Add the mushrooms and saute. Fold the mushrooms into the risotto and finish the risotto with 3 to 4 tablespoons cold butter.

Saute the pureed English peas and baby tomatoes. Ladle peas and tomatoes on plate. Top with mushroom risotto. Place salmon on risotto.

Enjoy!

Unfortunately summer is coming to an end and I’m sure everyone has had a fair share of the sun. I personally love basking in the sun whether it is at the beach or at the pool, but sometimes I get worried that my skin is really suffering. There are so many products out there to reverse the signs of skin damage from the sun these days! My mom swears by a simple product called Bio Oil that you can find at any drugstore. She had a very visible line on her arm from sun damage and the Bio Oil has almost completely made it disappear. There are products made by Oil of Olay, Clinique, and Garnier. Olay’s product is called Definity Color Recapture that you can also find in most stores. Clinique’s product is the Clinical Dark Spot Corrector that many people rave about because of its awesome results. And the last product available over the counter with great reviews is the Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Sun-Damage.

All of these products are the top picks by many experts to protect and correct. So keep your skin looking young and radiant with these awesome over-the-counter products even after the summer is over!

Posted by Quinn

Everyone seems to be getting back to basics these days and this Fall it is back to the 1950s. Designers from Louis Vuitton to Banana Republic are showing the 50s era with cinched waists and perfectly coiffed hair. The tailored glam look is an absolute classic and also gives you an excuse to pop into a great vintage store for an authentic piece to add to your closet. The skirts are full, waists are cinched, bags are structured, and the hair is pinned back perfectly. This tailored look comes in and out of style from season to season with separates and now it is the full-on look for this coming Fall season. The jacket is another must-have piece. A structured cropped jacket or classic silhouette is how you are going to bring flair to your all your looks. A classic white or cream button-up blouse is also going to be a must have for your 50s style along with animal print accessories seen in belts, bags, and shoes.

This Fendi runway look is easily mimicked with pieces you can afford! This full skirt from Anthropologie is $78, a navy ruffled blouse from Talbots is $40, a great leopard print skinny belt from J.Crew for $39.50, and an awesome structured brown leather bag from Urban Outfitters for $58. Pair this look with a great pair of peep toe heels and some pearls and you’re a flashback from the 1950s!

Posted by Quinn

Sometimes we need a good video to get the week started off right – and I guarantee this will give you that good mood and laughter burst needed to get you through the rest of the day!! I’ve already watched it around 20 times… thanks to Perez Hilton for finding this gem and sharing it!

Number One Cheerleader