Crisp White Shirt

There are few things that I love more than a crisp white shirt. Okay, maybe there are a lot of things I love more...Spanish moss, champagne cocktails, Mr. SDP...uh oh, will he be offended that he's listed third??? Clarification: these things are just examples and are not in any particular order!

I digress. Back to the shirt...being "crisp" is only one requirement. The other is "collar up." Michelle Obama did both very well on Saturday night, don't you think?

Read more at Mrs. O.

The Premier Mixed-Drink Compendium

That would be The Bartender's Guide, first published in 1862. It was in that first edition, where the recipe for the perfect champagne cocktail first appeared. It's simple, but magnificent at the same time. {We enjoyed these at our Easter brunch on Sunday.}

There are only three ingredients...

Sugar Cubes
Bitters
Champagne

And the instructions are as elementary: Place a sugar cube in the bottom of a champagne glass and saturate it with 2-3 splashes of bitters. Fill the glass with bubbly and enjoy!
Cheers!

Carrot Souffle, Anyone?

This Easter, my immediate family (with the exception of my sister who elected to stay in City N, since she had been a road warrior for the past 4 weekends) traveled 90 miles east to visit my grandfather, who is 93 years old. He lives in the same city as my aunt & uncle, my cousin, his wife and their two children.

Since we were traveling, the only thing we had to bring to the Easter brunch was the champagne. Not a problem!

We enjoyed a wonderful brunch, complete with carrot souffle. I had never had carrot souffle before, but let me tell you, it will not be the last time. It was delicious!

The chef was so kind to share her recipe with me. It's been her "signature dish" since she found the recipe in Southern Living back in 1998.


Carrot Souffle
Preparation time: 55 minutes
Yield 6 servings

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds carrots, sliced
1/2 cup butter or margarine
3 large eggs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon


Preparation
Cook carrots in boiling water & cover 20 to 25 minutes or until tender; drain.
Process carrot and remaining ingredients in a food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides.
Spoon into a lightly greased 1 1/2-quart souffle dish.
Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until set.