Life's a beach

All Jacie wanted for her birthday was a trip to the beach, so we headed off to enjoy some fun in the sun for a few days. We normally make multiple trips each summer, but buying a house took the place of multiple vacations this year. :) This time, we had Jacie's cousin Dara along for the trip and they were super excited!



Everytime we head out of town, if we're anywhere near passing a Cracker Barrel, we have to stop for breakfast! So, on the way, we made our traditional stop for some of the world's best biscuits and my favorite hashbrown casserole before moving on to the beach.

When we arrived in paradise (also known as Destin, Florida), we were beyond relieved to find the crystal clear waters we had hoped for and absolutely no trace of oil (as CNN was constantly reporting).







After hours at the beach, we grabbed dinner at Taco Bell (my absolute favorite)--cheap, delicious, and everyone can agree on it. Then, we headed to the hotel pools before bed. We often stay at the Comfort Inn in Destin, which is very clean, comfortable, and fairly priced... plus, they have a great complimentary breakfast buffet. The next morning, I made us some sandwiches before heading to the beach, where we stayed all day long. (I later ended up with an allergic reaction to face sunscreen and second degree burns.) We had dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise, then Fudpuckers the next day before souvineer shopping and heading home. Despite the sunburn, we had an amazing trip!

The FIRST supper

We've been in the house for two weeks tomorrow, so I've decided I'll do just a little backtracking so as not to leave anything out. I plan to try to post daily, if life allows.

We moved in on a Thursday, eating at moms before moving our bed. So Friday, after we picked up Jacie, I decided it was time for our first official meal in our new home. So Friday night, our first supper was spaghetti!




The next day, we had family over to celebrate both Jacie and Justin's Maw Maw Beym's birthdays! We were thrilled that we could host our first official family gathering, and this was the first time anyone would visit after we were all moved in. The menu for the day was centered around mom's delicious shrimp jambalaya (which I've not yet learned to make). To accompany that, I made pasta salad, corn, dinner rolls, homemade pepperoni and cheese pizzas (I bought the dough already made) and some cream cheese and pepperjelly with ritz crackers for an appetizer. We also had an amazing fresh fruit bread pudding that my dad made and a birthday cake! It turned out to be a great day and we all enjoyed ourselves very much.

Welcome...

About me: My name is Karly and I am born and raised in the South. I grew up in Belle Chasse, Louisiana--a quiet community south of New Orleans.

As luck would have it, I am truly blessed. I come from a loving family and I have the best parents in the world. Some might argue that theirs are the best, but nope, I'm sorry... it's mine! :) My mom and dad are two very hardworking people that have instilled in me a priceless value on family love, pride, and sacrifice. We aren't rich with money, but we are rich in blessings.


And then there were... five? My household consisted of my mom, my dad, my sister Jory, my brother Scott, and me. As with any family, we are all very similar and very different. My brother is the oldest and looks the most like my mom. He's always been the most independant and daring of us all, and he's also our strength. The rest of us are real softies at times. My sister and I look alike and we're close in age. We share a special bond as sisters that runs deeper than the roots of the Earth. She's always been the one I've looked up to and idolized and I did my best to be just like her (and drive her nuts) as we grew up! She looks more like my mom and her personality is more like my dad. I'm the baby and I look more like my dad and have more of my mom's attitude, but I do have a generous mix of them both--the best of both worlds! I couldn't be more proud!


A house is not a home until after you're all grown. This is something I've come to learn and appreciate over the years. I can remember when I was younger taking for granted all of the good things in my life, as children often do. I wondered why we didn't have a two story house because I always thought it would be cool to have stairs. I wondered why my parents never got a divorce because many of my friends' parents were and they got two houses and twice the gifts each holiday (or so I thought). I can also remember that just about anything I ever wanted for, my parents found a way to make it happen. We were spoiled and didn't always know it. We didn't understand the sacrifices they made; just that our prayers were somehow answered, our efforts always supported, and our dreams always fulfilled. I can remember wishing for a new house as a child because ours was so outdated; I couldn't see then the beauty between those walls. Our house was sturdy and clean. Our house was lived in and comfortable. Our house was more than just our house, it was my childhood home.

It's a southern thing: Whether it's meeting new people or discussing a friend's recent trip, one of my first questions is always, "What did you eat?" From visitors, I suppose I'm looking for validation that they too agree there is some great food around here (and I secretly hope they are even half as passionate about it as I am). From travelers, I suppose I'm looking for some great tips in case I visit where they've recently gone. In the South, asking what you ate is probably as common as "How's ya mom and em?" It defines our culture and priorities on the important things in life. The table is the ultimate gathering place. It's where you come together as a family at the end of the day and get to discuss the days' events. It's where you talk over your problems and listen to each other. It's where you celebrate simply being together and enjoying each others' company. It's where you gather to find out what's going on in each other's lives... metaphorically speaking, "what's on each others' plate."

What's on My plate? I've thought for a while about starting a blog, which I knew would be food-oriented since I'm such a huge fan! My fiance Justin and I bought our first home in May so I've decided that, with this milestone, it's the perfect time to get started. New to my own kitchen for the first time, I've been trying out some recipes and I always find myself wondering how my mom has done it all these years! Luckily, she's just on the next street and there's plenty of time for her to teach me plenty recipes and kitchen tricks that I desperately need to know.

My inspiration: My mom is an amazing cook, so food has always been valued in our home. Our favorite gatherings always happen around the table, where we visit with family and friends and count our many blessings. Growing up, friends knew they were in for a good meal when they walked in the door and my mom has always been the one to make sure everyone eats... and eats well! My parents also took us out to dinner fairly often and we were able to develop a passion for good food.

Where it all began: From what I can remember, my Granny (my mom's mom) was an excellent cook. She ran a restaurant and my mom learned a good deal about cooking from her. Our holiday meals were always celebrated with family around the tables at my grandparents' houses. Stories tell that my Maw Maw (my dad's mom) wasn't known for her cooking, but they say she cooked the best jambalaya and roast anyone ever had. I just remember always loving her spaghetti (which apparantly came from a box and I was the only one who liked it). Anyhow, I'd give anything to have those dishes with my grandparents again. It was a tradition that after a great meal, my Pa Pa would always say, "I wonder how the po' folks are living." We always smiled as we looked around stuffed, "Pretty good, Pa Pa...pretty good." I hope they are all proud as they watch over us now.



Two worlds collide: Nine years ago, on June 6, 2001, I met the love of my life, my fiance and best friend, Justin. About a week later, I was introduced to his beautiful princess Jacie Lynn, my step-daughter (to-be). Their entrance to my life was without a doubt the best thing that ever happened to me. However, it is also when two super picky eaters joined our food-loving family. Justin's food diary at the time consisted basically of hamburgers, turkey sandwiches, and spaghettios and Jacie didn't branch out too far beyond that--pizza rolls and spaghettios please! This was going to be a learning process for all of us! In time, they both learned a great deal about good food and began trying new things. Now, they are still slightly more picky than the rest of us at the table, but they do eat a great deal more than we ever expected. And, we're still working on them!


I'm a big girl now: Imagine that! Twenty-six years have come and gone. I have a house and a family to feed. I also love to entertain and, of course, no gathering I'm used to is complete without... food! I think about all the delicious meals my mom has made over these years that we've all grown to love. But, where are all these recipes when I need them? In her head! My mom, the amazing cook, makes everything from scratch. She doesn't go by recipes and even if she starts with a recipe, her own deviations and substitutions make it better than we could have ever imagined! There's no book to tell me what to do or how. And, even if I shadow mom from now on, there are so many past meals we will never recall. So, why haven't I been following her around with a notepad all this time?? I'm sure I knew that at some point I'd have to try to recreate some of these, but I guess it never actually occurred to me that I wouldn't have the slightest clue how. That, and you never realize how quickly time passes until you're grown up and so much is behind you.

So here I am, embarking on a journey to share dishes, memories, and experiences in hope that one day my own children will have an account to look back on--some of mom's traditional recipes that will hopefully continually be passed on and enjoyed.

Some of life's greatest moments are shared around the table... where the main ingredient is love.
~Karly