2021 Kentucky Derby Contenders and Basics of Betting

We have talked food, drinks and hats over on my Instagram page but there is one thing we have not discussed - HORSES!!!

Yes, you can attend the Derby or a Derby party for the glamour, food, cocktails and fun - but it really takes it up a notch when you know a little about the horses running. 

First, let's discuss the basics.  The Kentucky Derby is without a doubt the Super Bowl of horse racing.  It is the first jewel in what is called the Triple Crown.  It is run every year (with the exception of WWII and COVID 19, which saw delay's in the race) on the first Saturday in May.  Two weeks later, the Preakness is run in Baltimore, Maryland, and then two weeks after Preakness is the Belmont Stakes in New York.  The last horse to win the Triple Crown was Justify in 2018.  There have been only 13 horses to win the Triple Crown since 1875.  Many believe Barbaro was on his way to winning the Triple Crown in 2006 but sadly, was put down after being hurt at the start of the Preakness.  My favorite, like many, is Secretariat who still holds the record for being the fastest horse clocking in at 1.59.40 for the mile and a quarter race.   

Contenders are three year old horses.  A fun fact I learned on my recent "Behind The Scenes" tour of Churchill Downs is that a horses' birthday is factored not on the actual date of birth but by the new calendar year.  So if a colt is born in October, he would be considered "one year" on January 1st.  Fillies (female horses) are allowed to run in the Kentucky Derby if they qualify.  However, most fillies will run in Friday's Kentucky Oaks (another fun day of horse racing the day before Derby Day).  

So how does a horse qualify for the Kentucky Derby?  There are 35 "qualifying" races that offer a point system and horses win points for the top four spots in each race.  At the end of the season, the top 20 horses gain entry into the Kentucky Derby.  From there, the owners can decide if they wish to run in future races.  There are 14 races on Derby Day with the Kentucky Derby being race 12 usually around 7:00 pm.

So who are the horses and how do you bet?  Click here to learn all about the 2021 Derby Contenders.
Betting, however, is a whole other beast.  People have different strategies - they pick the frontrunner, the stalker or the closer.  It helps to have knowledge of the horse's style and obviously, success with being able to be the frontrunner and maintain.  Perhaps your horse is more successful stalking the frontrunner and then surging ahead at the finish line.  The most exciting race to watch (and nerve wrecking for the owners) is the closer- the horse that takes his/her time and comes from behind to win.

Another strategy is loyalty to a farm or trainer.  Breeding plays a huge part in horse racing and is a lucrative business in its own right.  Trainers and jockey's clearly play a role in bringing out the best in a race horse as well.  So by reading up on the horses, how they performed in the qualifying races and who owns them, trains them and rides them will all help in making your decision.  Click here and here for resources to bring you up to speed.  

As in most cases, a little research goes a long way.  I'll be sharing fun ways you can incorporate wagering into a home viewing party next week.

Enjoy and as they say at the track.....

Go Baby Go!

xoxo,
Lee

Movie Night with Suburban Soiree

                

We are returning to whatever normal is around here with school starting Monday.  Sports are still cancelled for the fall so I really wanted to do something family friendly and super cute this weekend.  The boys have been visiting their Granddaddy and Gigi in the mountains so I selfishly wanted them close to me and not out and about where I'd have to share their attention.  Bring on movie night!

All summer we have enjoyed outdoor movies however, the weather did not cooperate.  No worries - I piled everything in my itty bitty kitchen area and honestly, the coziness of it all was perfect (save for my youngest who literally did not stopping talking the entire movie.....he comes by it honest).

I follow Amy Wiley of Suburban Soiree on Instagram.  She has the most adorable napkins!  Recently, she posted this Shark printable kit for Shark Week, which I fell in love with.  I mean "shark" cuterie......I die at the cuteness!  Pretty sure my boys could have cared less of the details I went to but it made the evening special and these are the memories I hope they will look back on when they were older.  "Mom was corny but she cared".  Click here to check out Amy's Etsy shop.  

Here is a sneak peak at our fun!

Amy includes a list of adorable family friendly "shark" movies if JAWS is a bit advanced for your crew.  My kids wanted to watch THE MEG but I can barely handle JAWS myself - ha!

The kit includes an interactive Shark Bingo set

This Shark-Cuterie graphic may or may not have been the reason I bought the kit.  Too stinkin' cute!

                         Blue Jello with Swedish Fish made for a fun dessert.

                          Next up, back to school hair cuts 

                                Mama's Boys 

We are already planning our next family movie night.  I want to introduce them to the classics I grew up with this year.  Or really ANYTHING that has NOTHING to do with Fortnite or YouTube.  Who's with me? 

Thank you so much Amy for this adorable printable kit that made for such a fun night with my boys.  Be sure to check her out on Etsy or Instagram!

xoxo,
Lee

Stuffed Shells

We are back to celebrating Sunday Suppers in an effort to return to some sort of normalcy.  With only three weeks left to summer break, slowly but surely, we need to break some bad habits that we've embraced since being confined to our homes last March.  What better way to start than breaking bread as a family.

Memorial Day Pop Up Shop

                                           

Nibbles

Old South Cheese Straws

$10 a dozen

Jalapeno Cheddar Crackers
$10 a dozen

Pecan Sandies
$12 a dozen

Breakfast
Cheddar Biscuits

or
Country Ham Biscuits
$20 per dozen

Picnic
BBQ Bar
Shredded Pork and buns, with Western BBQ Sauce, Lexington Style Mustard Sauce and Alabama White Sauce

$40 serves 8

Low Country Boil
Shrimp, corn, potatoes and sausage prepped and ready to boil and serve immediately
Market Price 

Hamburger/Hot Dog Bar

Southern Sideboard special hamburger recipe with all the fixins along with hot dogs ready for the grill

$30 serves 8

Sides

Brunswick Stew        $13 a quart
Cornbread                  $20

Dessert 
Lemon Chess Pie        $15
Kentucky Derby Pie    $20

Please order by Wednesday, May 20th for delivery/pick up beginning noon on Friday, May 22nd.  
text 828.228.5807 or email thesouthernsideboard@gmail.com

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!!

Perfect Tea Sandwiches

As promised from my last post, here are my favorite sandwiches to have on "stand by" for a ladies luncheon or appropriate type event.  Up next, I'll walk you through the ins and outs of tea etiquette.

Last year, I hosted a Galentine's luncheon for my girlfriends.  I had some fun with lip and heart shaped cookie cutters to make the perfect themed sandwiches.  Typically, you'll find pimento cheese, egg salad, benedictine (cucumber/mayonnaise mixture) and/or tomato aspic down south.  Thanks to a recent trip to the Plaza Hotel back in March, I am known to offer herb-roasted prime rib with horseradish cream and watercress on a brioche slider now too.  For this menu I used the following:

Heart Shaped Sandwiches:  thin, white Pepperidge Farm bread with herbed cream cheese and cucumber slices.

Lip Shaped Sandwiches:  thin, pumpernickel Pepperidge Farm bread filled with Palmetto Cheese.

Triangle Cut Sandwiches:  thin, wheat Pepperidge Farm bread filled with smoked salmon and egg salad.

During my Mother-Daughter Christmas Tea, I offered the same bread offerings but paired Palmetto Cheese with white bread, egg salad with wheat bread and cream cheese and smoked salmon with the pumpernickel.  I always use the thin Pepperidge Farm breads for these sandwiches.

The trick to keeping the sandwiches moist so they don't dry out is to layer them between buttered parchment paper in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

For little girls you can offer peanut butter and jelly, Nutella and strawberry, Nutella or peanut butter with banana or ham and cheese.  Using fun shaped cookie cutters to match your theme elevate the excitement and make your party more festive.  I have a horse shoe cutter that I'll use for the Kentucky Derby and Steeple Chase events. 

Other pairings I enjoy are turkey and cream cheese on a raisin bread, herbed goat cheese with cucumber on a grain bread and cream cheese with thin radish slices on pumpernickel.  A fabulous summer option is strawberry, basil and cream cheese on white bread.  It is so refreshing and unexpected. 

Usually, I like to make my own egg salad, chicken salad and pimento cheese but y'all - these suckers take a good while to assemble.  Find a trusted deli or brand and spend your time on the assembly line rather than whipping up the fillings.  For pimento cheese, I prefer Palmetto Cheese or Proper Pepper. 

So speaking of Galentine's Day - here is a sneak peak to last year's details. 

Pulled out all the silver, crystal and Mottahedeh Tobacco Leaf china

Nicoise Salad is always a hit

Rose all day!

Sweet treats

I can't wait to recreate for my friends this year though it will be much more casual.  Cheers to girlfriends!

xoxo,
Lee

A Time For Tea

I hosted a mother-daughter Christmas tea and had such a fun time planning something totally girly.  My mother was in town visiting from Atlanta, which gave me an excuse to banish the boys to the basement and entertain my friends and their sweet daughters.  It was the perfect way to kick off a season of merriment. 

My "Adpot a Daughter" Tea Party

Tablescape

I wanted the little girls to enjoy the "big girl" table with some finery without worrying

Homemade Fish Stock

One of the things that I miss about living in D.C. is the abundance of good, fresh seafood.  Fortunately, we have a fabulous seafood shop in town that flies food in from the coast - but you pay for it it.  Unfortunately, they do not "prep" food as some of the coastal shops do and thus, I am on my own when a recipe calls for fish stock.  So Saturday was spent channeling my inner Julia Child making homemade fish stock.  I thought I would share since this is not something you find or use every day.

Seafood Stock
Makes 1 Quart

1 pound shelled shrimp
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion - rough chop
3 carrots - rough chop
3 celery stalks - rough chop

1 clove minced garlic

1/2 cup white wine
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

bunch of fresh thyme springs - do nothing to them - just toss in

Shell the shrimp and save for another use.  Warm the oil over medium heat and saute the onion for 3 minutes, add the shrimp shells, carrots and celery and saute for 10 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for a minute more.  Add 6 cups of water, wine, tomato paste, salt, pepper and thyme.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for an hour.  Strain the liquid and you should have rendered a quart of fish stock.  Perfect base for a fish stew!

Enjoy!

xoxo,

Lee

Chicken Piccata

Sunday Supper is something I look forward to all week long.  Cooking is how I relax.  My youngest loves to help me in the kitchen too so it makes for a special time for us when he is in there with me.

In the summer, I find inspiration from our local farmer's market and seafood shop.  Each week during my shopping, I am really looking ahead to the next week's meal.  While I was on a mission for peaches and blueberries last week, I was drooling over all the squash and zucchini.  Needless to say, you'll be seeing lots of posts featuring squash and zucchini this week.  They accompanied our Chicken Piccata last night by simply being roasted in the oven with a drizzle of olive oil and a tablespoon of Nature's Seasoning blend.

I do my sauce differently than posted in the link for Chicken Piccata above.  I melt 4 tablespoons of butter, half a cup of white wine two tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, the juice of a lemon and the slices of one cut up lemon.  I bring to a boil, add parsley and then toss in some angel hair pasta (just enough to coat the pasta).  I plate the pasta quickly so it does not absorb all the sauce, top with the chicken, fish one of the lemon slices out of the sauce to go on top the chicken and drizzle with remaining sauce. 

Enjoy!

xoxo,
Lee

Heirloom Tomato Pie

It is hard to pass up fresh tomatoes at the Farmer's Market and my haul this week screamed to be made into a Tomato Pie.  So, of course, I obliged.

TO MAKE:

2 1/4 pounds tomatoes
1 sweet onion
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1 /4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup assorted herbs - I use basil, parsley and  thyme
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mayo
1 store bought pie crust or homemade pie crust

Slice tomatoes and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt.  Let stand for 10 minutes.
Saute the onion in the olive oil with a 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper
Mix cheese and mayo together.
Dry tomato with a paper towel.
Mix herbs with a teaspoon of pepper.
Layer tomato on bottom of pie crust, sprinkle a bit of pepper, add the onion, another sprinkle of pepper, spread the herbs across top, use remaining pepper and then top with cheese.

Coot at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

xoxo,
Lee

Low Country Boil and Tomato Pie

                                     

Most Saturday mornings you can find me at our town's Farmer's Market finding inspiration for weekend dinners.  I already knew Low Country Boil was on the menu for Saturday night but I wanted some fresh fruit to make James Farmer's Summer Salad.  

Bride's Biscuits with County Ham

Bride's Biscuits with County Ham

I was recently asked to prepare Ham Biscuits for a luncheon and wanted to share the recipe with y'all. These are great to have on hand for company, for a tailgate, luncheon......basically any excuse you can think of.  The biscuits are flavorful and fluffy and the salty bite of the country ham adds nicely.  You could add egg, bacon, sausage or pimento cheese too!  They are called "Bride's Biscuits" because (aside from the time it takes to make them) they really are foolproof.

1/4 oz envelope of active dry yeast
3 Tablespoons of warm water
1/3 cup sugar, divided
5 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter (cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
1 3/4 cups of buttermilk

Combine yeast with warm water and a teaspoon sugar and let stand for five minutes.

Whisk together flour and five tablespoons of sugar, cut in shortening and butter until crumbly.

Stir in yeast and buttermilk and stir until dry ingredients are moistened.

Turn dough out on floured surface and knead five times.  Place dough in a bowl lightly covered with plastic wrap and chill for at least 8 hours (I usually let sit overnight).

Turn dough out on floured surface and knead 8-10 times.  Roll to an 1/2 thickness and cut with a 2 1/4 inch biscuit cutter.  Arrange biscuits, sides touching, on an ungreased baking sheet.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and sit at room temperature for and hour and a half until they double in bulk.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake 16-18 minutes until golden brown.  Top with melted butter if desired.

Game Day Nachos

College football has returned and all is right with the world!!!  Y'all know I need an excuse to gather family/friends and whip up some food like I need a hole in the head, right?  And who doesn't love a good tailgate?

Once again, I am back sharing some of my favorite munchies that are perfect for a tailgate or even a gathering with friends.  I hope you enjoy and if you subscribe to the blog (click the follow by email button), I'll even email you a recipe card.

All this gooey cheese, beans, meat and seasonings takes about 15 minutes to whip together.  Now that is something to cheer about!

Enjoy!

xoxo,
Lee

Game Day Appetizers

Happy Game Day, y'all!  I am SO excited football season has returned and wanted to share with you the recipes from the "Tailgate Tip" segment I hosted on IG last year.  I'll be hosting it again every Tuesday during September so be sure to follow.   Enjoy and GO TEAM!!! We root for Hickory High, Wheeler High, Elon, Georgia Bulldogs and are a house divided between the Carolina Panthers and Washington Redskins.  Who do y'all root for?

TAILGATE TIPS FROM 2016

Salmon Fillet Burgers

I am a sucker for a good BBQ in the summer time.  NOTHING makes me happier than having family and friends over and the little ones running around.  I honestly would host a BBQ every weekend if my hubby would let me.  

As such, I'm constantly looking for fun, fresh ideas for menu options to break the hamburger and hot dog rut.  I get it - they are easy and yummy; but you can't eat them every weekend. So when I stumbled across this Salmon Fillet Burger recipe from Barefoot Contessa Parties! years ago, it immediately went into my file.  The secret is the sauce so don't skip out on that part, y'all. I also insist on buying fresh seafood from our seafood market.  The quality cannot be beat.

An added perk is that if you have leftover salmon, which I always do because I buy more than I need, you can whip up this salad using all the ingredients plus a chopped up celery.  It is amazing over spinach, in a whole wheat wrap or on its own.  

Enjoy!

xoxo,

Lee

Sail Into Summer

Nothing makes me happier than a lark than to plan parties for my wee ones.  And what better occasion than the last day of school!  The tradition started last year, which you can read about here. We scaled the craziness down a bit this year but had just as much fun.

I substituted a full fledged ice cream bar for Popsicles , omitted water balloons (those suckers hurt, y'all) but still let the best bud spend the night.  Here's a snippet of our fun.

Sail Into Summer Jello Boats

Company Salmon with Asparagus

It's that glorious time of the week where I can start to think about family time, cooking and Sunday Supper (quite possibly one of my all time favorite traditions).

I have not been able to blog as much as I would like lately so it really touches me when I get messages inquiring about one of my Instagram posts.  I always laugh and say my blog is akin to Cinderella before the ball.  I follow some amazingly inspirational folks but this is a do-it-yourself, real-time, no money invested whatsoever dealio.....so THANK YOU for stopping by.

I thought it would be fun to share my Sunday Supper recipes with you at the end of the week so you can incorporate the ingredients into your weekend shopping.  It is my hope some of my recipes may inspire you to recreate the meal with your family or loved ones.  Entertaining really is easy when it comes from the heart.  And for me, nothing beats a table filled with the people I love.

So here it is - last week's Sunday Supper:

Company Salmon with Asparagus

Purchase enough Salmon to serve your crowd
Season to taste with salt, pepper and herbs of choice
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil in a baking dish
Place salmon in baking dish with sliced lemon on top
Roast the salmon for 8 minutes, remove, drizzle with 1/3 cup of dry white wine and roast for another 4 minutes.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Spray inside of a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray
Top and toss asparagus with Parmesan cheese, sea salt and garlic powder
Roast in a preheated 400 degree oven about 10 minutes, until fork easily inserts into thickest part of stem.

*If you have a local seafood shop, I highly recommend you spending the few extra bucks to support your local fishing community.  We have a shop that flies fish in from the coast a couple of times a week and it is so refreshing knowing that my family is eating fresh food, supporting our local economy and regional fishermen.  The stuff at the store y'all - yuck and mostly not even from the United States.  

XOXO,
Lee

Shepherd's Pie

I love Shepherd's Pie but have not found a recipe I absolutely love......until this past week when I decided to marry two recipes I had tried in the past.  At last, a love made in beefy stew heaven.  This is our annual St. Patrick's Day meal so I needed to perfect it.  It would be perfect for a pot luck as well.  Enjoy!

The Southern Sideboard's Shepherd's Pie

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 pounds beef stew meat

1 diced onion

2 minced garlic cloves

1 bottle of beer

4 cups of beef broth

1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 1/2 cup frozen peas

2 diced celery stalks

4 diced carrots

5 quartered new potatoes

Heat olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Brown the meat on all sides (approximately 5 minutes).  Take meat out of pot and set aside.  Add onion to the pot, reduce heat to low and cook for 3 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for another minute.  Add the beer, beef broth, Worcestershire, sugar, salt, pepper, oregano and thyme.  Return the meat, stir, cover pot and simmer for 2 hours.  Add potatoes, carrots, celery and peas and cook for an additional 30 minutes.  To thicken stew, remove 1 cup of liquid and whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour, then add back to stew.  Stir and cook for another 10 minutes to bake off the flour.  Transfer stew to a cast iron skillet.  Top with your favorite mashed potato recipe (not gonna lie, I used two containers of store bought Bob Evans mashed potatoes).  Cook in a preheated oven at 375 degrees until golden brown.  *I cooked for 5 minutes, got lazy and turned on the broiler to finish the job.  Y'all the dog was howling it smelled so good!!!

XOXO,

Lee