finding hope

photograph by kristin karch

dearing street

this year is the athens-clarke heritage foundation's 50th anniversary, and to celebrate, i am contributing to a monthly neighborhood highlight. this month revolves around dearing street, which was laid out in the 1830s and sold in 4 acre plots over the next 50 years. the neighborhood includes a wide range of architectural styles including folk victorian, queen anne, craftsmans, and two italianate homes. what i love about this neighborhood is how some of the homes are hidden by trees and still have dirt driveways. there is an air of history but also of simplicity on this street.

photographs and words by kristin karch

woodland textures

photo by rinne allen

winter favorites.. muted tones

we have been creating season blooms throughout the past several years.  today, i wanted to go through and pick a few of our favorite arrangements that demonstrate some dark and winter tones.

arrangements and photos by rinne allen

winged seeds

photo by kristen bach

winter salads

this winter we have had some weather that is "far from winter" temperatures.  while i love having some cozy comfort foods there haven't been too many days that call for  a big pot of soup!

we have been craving a lot of hearty winter salads.  yesterday was mid 70's in January, of course i am going to make a salad over a soup, right?  today, i wanted to share some of my favorite winter salad recipes from around the web.  enjoy ...... and i hope you have some cozier weather where you are!

this yummy salad has all of my favorite winter vegetables in it; beet, cumquats, quinoa, yum!  find the recipe here!

this detox winter salad is from vegetarian ventures.  it is one of my favorite go to blogs for inspiration in the kitchen.  click here for recipe

this winter detox salad has the perfect amount of crunch and nourishing ingredients to make it a satisfying meal!  find recipe here

anytime of the year...i love a good thai salad.  this hearty salad is filled with loads of veggies to keep you healthy and  filled up through the winter months and it is very simple to make. find the recipe here

we would love to know if you have any favorite winter salads that you would like us to try!  

bright

photograph by kristin karch

wind blown

photograph by kristin karch

walter anderson museum

over the holidays, i visited the walter anderson museum of art in ocean springs, mississippi. walter anderson was an american painter whose depictions of wildlife & people of the gulf coast placed him amongst some of the most well regarded painters of the 20th century. the museum also displays and celebrates his brothers' work, peter anderson of shearwater pottery and james mcconnell anderson, who was a noted ceramicist and painter.

two of my favorite parts of the museum was the community center and the 'secret room', both of which were covered in murals by walter. i learned on my visit with my family that my aunt held her wedding reception in that very community center. as far as the secret room, walter would not ever allow anyone inside, not even his wife. it was only after his passing that she saw the magic that was inside.

words and photographs by kristin karch

woods

photo by kristen bach

super easy rolls

my daughter has developed a huge love for cooking lately.  i recently taught her how to make bread and we have been experimenting with many different recipes....some have been delicious, and some need some work.  

one recipe that we have loved is this 30 minute dinner roll recipe.  we oftentimes decide that we want to make bread or would like rolls moments before dinner is done.  this recipe is so quick that it works!  it also is a perfect dough for cinnamon rolls.  

give this one a try!

photos by kristen bach

brick shadows

photograph by kristin karch

mississippi fog

over the holidays, i visited some family in coastal mississippi. there was a dense layer of fog over the beach and the harbor for almost the entire trip that made for the most wonderful moody landscape.

photographs by kristin karch

winter color

photo by kristen bach

banana cream poke cake

in the south, new years day is just as big of a celebration as new years eve.  eating collard greens, black eyed peas, and corn bread is a southern ritual for bringing goodness in the new year.  my family has a tradition of spending the day with friends and family and having a big potluck feast.  i made a banana cream poke cake to go alongside all of the savory items.
-i started by making this buttermilk cake as a base and punched big holes throughout
-i then made a batch of vanilla pudding and layered it on top of the cake
-next, i added a layer of freshly sliced bananas
-then i made a layer of whipped cream and carefully spread it over the bananas  (see recipe below)
-lastly i topped the dessert with a layer of vanilla wafers.
my favorite whipped cream recipe
1 liter of heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp of sweetener (maple syrup or powdered sugar)
1 tsp vanilla
inside of 1 vanilla  bean (optional but so good)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of salt
-whip your very cold whipping cream until soft peaks start to form
-add a sweetener and whip again
-slowly stir in the rest of the ingredients and keep chilled

photos and words by kristen bach

fort yargo camping

i recently went camping with some friends at fort yargo state park for the first time, and it was so much fun! we chose to sleep in a yurt, which had access to the beautiful lake, cannoes, and a fire pit. it is located in winder, just a quick 30 minutes from athens!

photographs and words by kristin karch

autumn vines

photograph by kristin karch

mule creek

my family's property is one of my favorite places. i got the chance to fully explore it this past weekend and i was surprised of all the beauty i found. something about moody overcast light brings out the soul of the land.

photographs and words by kristin karch

creek + leaves

photo by kristen bach

salt and vinegar sunchokes

i love when root veggie season starts.  roasted roots are one of my top comfort foods. last week we got some sunchokes in our CSA box and roasted them up to go alongside a veggie burger. 

ingredients
sunchokes, cleaned and diced into medium size pieces
1 tsp olive oil
large flake salt
malt vinegar
directions
-pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
-in a roasting pan toss sunchokes with olive oil
-roast for about 30 minutes or until they start to get some color
-toss with a tiny bit of vinegar and sprinkle with some salt

photo and recipe by kristen bach