I’m joining Hey Harriet for Shadow Shot Sunday. These photos were taken on a recent trip to Savannah, Georgia.
You can see more Savannah photos here.
Visit Hey Harriet for Shadow Shot Sunday~
I’m joining Jain with my Edible Book Review at Food for Thought, where pages from your book magically mix with the kitchen and your camera.
(This is part two of this Edible Review~ I ended up with more photos and content than I planned. If you missed the first part of this book review, look here.)
More garden & courtyard views from our strolls. . .Wouldn’t you love your address to be 113 Garden?
“Nothing is left to chance–the gate is designed to catch your eye first, so that you look farther into the garden to appreciate the flowers, the fountain, or a hundred different details that can be glimpsed as you stroll from house to house.”
This poor guy didn’t even wag his tail as we walked by. . . I think he was hotter than we were.
There is a chapter on collecting~ with photos of silver, plates, pottery, and canes.
Brandon’s Style Secrets:
“Silver objects transcend every style of decor. Don’t be afraid to use a silver collection to complement both modern and antique furniture. Silver doesn’t need to be polished constantly to be party-ready and beautiful. The old patina of silver is particularly lovely. It shows the age of the piece.”
Paula’s house on the water at Turner’s Creek~
“There’s nothing on the walls to impede the view of the water. The simple colors and matching furniture are all designed to play second fiddle to the view.”
With its coastal location, seafood is an automatic choice for Savannah. With the mention of shrimp, I went to a recipe that is a version of one my mother-in-law makes~
Marinated Shrimp
~adapted from Paula’s recipe and a Southern Living recipe
Prep: 20 min., Cook: 3 min., Chill: 24 hrs
Yield: Makes 12 to 15 appetizer servings
Ingredients
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7 1/2 cups water
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1 box Crab & Shrimp Boil seasoning
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3 pounds unpeeled, large fresh shrimp
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2 small red onions, sliced
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2 lemons, thinly sliced
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1 cup vegetable oil
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1 cup red wine vinegar
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1 -4 0z. jar of capers, drained
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3 tablespoons sugar
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1 tablespoon white wine Worcestershire sauce
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1 tablespoon hot sauce
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1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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2 garlic cloves, minced
Preparation
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1. Bring 7 1/2 cups water and contents of seasoning box to a boil; add shrimp, and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Drain and rinse with cold water. Peel shrimp, and, if desired, devein.
2. Layer shrimp, red onion slices, and lemon slices in an airtight container.
3. Whisk together vegetable oil and next 8 ingredients; pour over shrimp. Cover and chill 24 hours, stirring occasionally.
There is chapter on Book Nooks. . .
“A library doesn’t have to be a room. You can create one in a pass-through hallway, or by adding shelves that under a stairway–spaces that are not normally used.”
We spied lots of places that would be delightful “nooks” to curl up and read on our strolls thru Savannah~ of course, we would have needed a strong breeze or much cooler temperatures to enjoy them this particular weekend. Maybe late October/ November?
“Packed with advice and nostalgia, Paula Deen’s Savannah Style makes it easy to bring gracious Southern living to homes north and south of the Mason-Dixon Line.”
“Lush and liveable, Savannah Style is not just a look or book, it is a lifestyle.” – Brandon Branch
Be sure to visit Food for Thought and see what everyone is reading & eating!
I’m joining Jain with my Edible Book Review at Food for Thought, where pages from your book magically mix with the kitchen and your camera.
We recently spent the weekend in Savannah, Georgia, which you can read a bit about here. I returned with plenty of photos of this historic Southern city and several new books, one of which was Savannah Style. Paula Deen, the city’s most famous resident and anointed Queen of Southern Cuisine, and her stylist and co-author Brandon Branch, along with Atlanta photographer Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn, have combined talents in this richly illustrated book. Divided by season, this book offers tips for entertaining and decorating, as well as photographs of some of Savannah’s grandest homes~ from the grounds of Lebanon Plantation to the whimsically restored cottages on Tybee Island.
I’ve divided this review into two parts~ to help the photos load easier, once I discovered I had too much content. (I’m not very good at editing :-) There is a link at the end of this section that will lead you to part two.
“Brandon Branch is a playful Southern gentleman. His style is equal parts Yankee chic and Southern elegance all muddled together in a monogrammed mint julep cup. An invitation to one of his Savannah dinner parties is the equivalent to getting the golden ticket from Willy Wonka. Brandon holds the position of Design Director for Paula Deen Enterprises and serves as Paula Deen’s Personal Assistant.” ~ pauladeen.com
You can see more tabletop inspiration from Brandon here.
The chapters on porches~ Porch Livin’, Screened Porches, Porch Views are full of beautiful photos that evoke images a Southern breeze~ sitting with a good book and sipping a glass of iced tea or a cool drink. No breezes were blowing when we visited, with sultry temperatures in the high 90′s & a heat index of 110! Fortunately for us, Savannah is a city where you will not go thirsty :-)
Searching through Paula’s drink recipes, I stumbled on this one~
Sparkling Sweet Cherry Lemonade, recipe here
My personal twist would be to add some citron vodka to make this a refreshing afternoon cocktail. . .
“Walk down any street in Savannah and you’ll see parlor-level porches; gaze through the fence and you will see the side porches; get yourself invited in and you’ll see the courtyard and balcony porches.”
One of Brandon’s style tips:
“Porches are for bringing your lifestyle outside during the warm months. You should think of the porch as an extra room, and like any other room in your house, it should reflect your sense of style. Be creative–think of your porch as a nighttime room as well as a daytime space.”
This porch is quite literally reflecting some homeowner’s sense of style~ I loved glimpsing the reflections in this mirror~ the magnolia and a bit of peach stucco, from across the street.
There is a chapter on wrought iron in this book. I am drawn to all variety and designs of wrought iron. I have bits of old gates and grills in my garden and on my walls at home and at the lake. (which is partly why this review was divided into two parts, I included too many pics :-)
Wrought iron is visible everywhere in Savannah. Most iron in Savannah is painted Charleston Green~ The color Charleston Green originated after the American Civil War, when the North provided black paint to the South for use in its reconstruction. Too “funereal” for Charlestonians, they mixed the black with a little bit of yellow and Charleston Green was born.
Stairs. . .
Balcony railings. . .
Gates. . .
I love the idea that this gate emblem/crest was custom made for someone with the intials BN. . .
And this custom iron gate with a frying pan inset outside of The Lady & Sons. . .
An example of an oval window inset we found in our strolls, that might have been installed to thwart pie thieves :-)
So with that for inspiration, I searched for a pie recipe from Paula. I found a different sort of pie recipe~
Tomato Pie, recipe here
I did make a couple of minor adaptations to the recipe with consideration to our arterial walls. (Whenever I watch Paula cook~ with her love of butter & mayo, I always wonder what kind of cholesterol medication she must be on :-)
I substituted olive oil mayo and used 3/4 of a cup instead of a full cup. I also used 2% cheese, instead of full fat~ I don’t think we sacrificed any flavor. The fact that I didn’t use the South’s favorite Mayonnaise~ Duke’s, would probably make Paula faint :-)
Courtyard Gardens:
“The garden walls kept passersby from seeing into the gardens, but there are many who want to share the beauty of their handiwork with others. These people have installed wrought-iron gates or wooden doors with little windows that afford the curious a peek into the garden. Keep your eyes open on a slow stroll down any Savannah street and you will find many of these hidden treasures.”
Here are a few treasures we spied, thru garden gates into courtyards on our visit~ one of my favorite things to do. . . you never know what surprises you’ll find~
for Part II of Savannah Style, click here.
A weekend visit to Savannah, Georgia had us enjoying a city chock full of history. . .
Live Oaks with Spanish Moss. . .
decorative Wrought Iron. . .
Churches. . .
River Views. . .
and Great Food.
What we consumed in calories, we expended in sweat, walking around the squares, with temps around 98 and a heat index of 110 !
It also allowed us sneak peaks into courtyard gardens.
And of course, I couldn’t leave without purchasing a book as a keepsake for my trip.
“Nurture the Earth and be nurtured, even if it’s only one flowerpot at a time.” ~ Elvin McDonald, Small Gardens of Savannah
Stop by A Southern Daydreamer for more Outdoor Wednesday inspiration.
I’m joining Jain in her bi-monthly edible book review at Food for Thought, where in her words, pages from your book magically mix with the kitchen and your camera. Don’t miss this visual feast!
Favorite quote from the book:
People is wise ’cause they get out in the world and live. Wisdom comes from experience—from knowin’ each day is a gift and accepting it with gladness. You read a whole lot of books, and readin’ sure has made you smart, but ain’t no book in the world gonna make you wise. (Oletta talking to CeeCee)
With an absentee father, and as the sole care giver of her mother, CeeCee Honeycutt is trying to survive her childhood. Her mother, Camille, is trapped in her own world where she is the reigning 1951 Vidalia Onion Queen and is the ‘tiara-wearing, lipstick-smeared laughingstock of the entire town’.
A passage about Camille:
Her bedroom was a perfume-scented battlefield. Above all else, it was a testimony to her illness. The mirror above the vanity table was cracked in half. Hair rollers and tubes of lipstick were scattered across the floor like spent bullet casings—all of them sad reminders of Momma’s long-fought interior war.
CeeCee retreats into her world of books and the comfort of her elderly neighbor, Mrs. Odell. When her mother dies, CeeCee’s dad ships her off to live with her Great Aunt Tootie in Savannah, whom she has never met. There, twelve-year-old CeeCee, flourishes- surrounded by the care of strong women who help her heal.
CeeCee:
All I knew was this: I had been plunked into a strange, perfumed world that as far as I could tell, seemed to be run entirely by women.
Oletta, Aunt Tootie’s cook and housekeeper, becomes CeeCee’s confidant…
I am making my version of Oletta’s chicken salad…
Tarragon Chicken Salad
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1 Roasted Chicken from the deli
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3/4 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
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1/2 cup chopped pecans (walnuts or almonds work too)
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1 cup halved red seedless grapes
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1 tablespoon dried tarragon
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2 ribs of celery, diced
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1/2 teaspoon pepper
Pull chicken and dice meat. Mix with all the above ingredients and refrigerate to allow flavors to marry. (You can substitute a combination of sour cream and mayo if you like.)
While I enjoyed this book, it did not quite live up to the hype and the reviews I had read (definitely not 5 stars for me). Some of the characters seemed one dimensional…bordering on the ridiculous. However, it was a sweet story and quick read. I particularly enjoyed Oletta’s relationship with CeeCee.
