The Magic of a Good Meal

I love to eat.

Anyone who knows me knows that (despite my childhood ardor for Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls) I am a foodie. And I love to engage in the conversation about food, watching food shows (I like PBS more than Food Network for these), reading magazines, blogs and tweets about food, and of course, writing about food. So it's only fitting that the following statement carry its proper "weight":

I recently had one of the 5 best meals of my life.

It was on a cold Tuesday night in December, but the table was full of some of my favorite people, and the food was pure magic.

Mike Lata + FIG = magic

Now it's true -- Lata gets a lotta love around here, heck, a lot of love by more than around here. He recently sharpened his knives on Iron Chef and lots and lots of people tout him as one of the country's best chefs. But what I had on Tuesday was light years away from any recipe, any cooking show, any Iron Chef competition.

Why was it magical?

Because I didn't want to figure out what made everything taste so good. I'd never had so many flavors working together on one dish on one table where they each worked together and I didn't say -- "how did they do this?" I just wanted to eat it, savor it, and share the meal with everyone.

Happy holidays, all you foodies. Hope you find a little magic at your table ...

Blogger Love

I had the opportunity to act as consulting editor on The Post and Courier's holiday gift guide, and it got a little blogging love. An article from Gift Wrapped is mentioned on "Christmas Rapping."

As Dickens once said, this blogger "keeps Christmas in her heart all year":

http://christmasrapping.blogspot.com/2010/12/wherein-i-am-interviewed-for-article.html

Holla for Challah

I love to make challah bread. Although I'm not Jewish, it is the only bread that I can make. Really. It is my favorite recipe from a little Fleishmann's yeast cookbook, and I originally chose to make it because it was braided. My thoughts: "OOOh, pretty ..."

 So it was just perfect when Today's Charlotte Woman asked me to interview Sharon Katz --  a master challah bread baker. Sharon was a wonderful interview. She was fun, vibrant, intelligent, and very practical about her baking skill. I got to research a little food history as well (always fun) and Sharon got a photo shoot with her grandson Eli. Win win.

Try out Sharon's recipe, or take a look at mine. If the holidays put you in a baking mood, why not try challah?

Local Lowcountry Love

I know it's been a while, but I have been busily writing from my little desk, so much so that I've not had time to write about writing -- or the interesting things I get to write about.

Time to remedy that.

Almost a month ago, I covered the Second Lowcountry Artists Market for Charleston Scene. It's really a great idea, using the resource of Etsy, the daytime empty space of the Music Farm, and Charleston's passion for buying local to bring together great artists and crafters.

This particular Saturday was also special for one vendor in particular. Neve Inspired Clothing officially launched their line of handmade children's clothing, and their booth was instantly one of the most popular at the show. It was a family affair, with Bob and Kris manning the booth while new baby Shep slept through the whole thing!

Their ability and artistry comes together to create fun, funky clothes for the cool kids in your life. And for you if you see something you love and ask *very* nicely. :)

I Heart Charleston Jazz

I've loved jazz as long as I can remember. I gained a closer connection with it when I realized in scholarly research (for teaching my American Studies 1920s class) that Charleston was just as much a hotbed of jazz as New Orleans.

And I live here. Woo hoo.

The "hotbed" really centers around the Jenkins Home for Children, and a concert this weekend centers around a benefit for that Charleston institution. Still in existence more than 100 years later, its legacy is much more than just music.

The great trumpet prowess of Joey Morant and the elegant saxophone of Lonnie Hamilton, III are just two legends that are part of that Jenkins legacy, and two names that have worked for years in their respective fields. Their thoughts on jazz are just as important as their music, and I was thrilled to get to talk to them one-on-one.

Ghost Lady indeed

Well. It's official. Based on the article this month in Today's Charlotte Woman (check out pages 44-45), I'm officially the "ghost lady" of Charlotte. And although you'll see me photographed in a jaunty top with a smile on my face, I know it's true. I do write about ghosts, I have spoken about ghosts, think I've encountered ghosts, and yes, even worn black pointy toe boots to multiple book signings.

It's the 7-year anniversary of Ghost Stories of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, and it's wonderful that people are still interested in the book and my writing of it. 

So there it is -- I happily embrace my ghost lady persona in October of each year. No matter how sunny the streets of Charlotte are, ghosts be afoot. Happy haunting!

My beach

In Charleston, everyone has a beach. Think of it as your default beach setting, and each one in the area has its own distinct vibe. There's (the main spots) Sullivans Island, IOP, and Folly within 20 minutes, but further afield you'll find Kiawah's private slip of sand, Edisto, and Beachwalker Park.

My beach is Folly. I can take the back roads and be looking at the water in close to 12 minutes (depending on the stop light at Center Street) and it's the place we go on a Friday night when we want to hang out and be casual.

Wanna know more? Check out my Folly Beach profile in this month's AAA Go Carolinas Magazine. But don't spread the good word too much -- we still would love to be able to get our favorite spot at Taco Boy!