Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2024 i Southern Living

IN MAY 1967, when Southern Living was just over a year old, we ran a cover story about the Kentucky Derby with an iconic photograph by Bruce Roberts. I have always loved this image, with the horses rounding the first turn, the Twin Spires of Churchill Downs rising from the grandstand, and more than 100,000 spectators standing in rapt anticipation under a blue sky. The story inside was no less dramatic, leading off with a quote from the Paducah-born writer and humorist Irvin S. Cobb: “Until you go to Kentucky and with your own eyes behold the Derby, you ain’t never been nowheres and you ain’t never seen nothin’.” With the Derby gearing up for its 150th running, I started digging into this old issue. Before long, I was immersed…

BEAUTIFUL SPACES FOR A BETTER LIFE WHEN LAUREN FOGELGREN landed an unexpected job opportunity in Charleston, South Carolina, she and her husband jumped at the chance to move from Atlanta to the coast. “We’ve always been drawn to Charleston and wanted to be near the water but also felt like it would be a great place for our then 2-year-old child to grow up,” says Fogelgren. After seeing this classic Colonial-style house in a quiet pocket of James Island, just a street over from rows of live oaks, the couple knew it was the one. “It felt like a family home,” says Fogelgren. “I immediately loved how it had formal rooms but all of the spaces still felt connected. It was warm and welcoming.” They also knew it needed a…

Baton Rouge is known for many things. It’s home to Louisiana State University (LSU) and is the stomping ground of colorful politicians. It’s featured prominently in Janis Joplin’s hit version of “Me and Bobby McGee” and Garth Brooks’ “Callin’ Baton Rouge.” Its summer heat renders a person limp like old lettuce, and its springs are nothing short of spectacular. Over the past few years, Baton Rouge has become one of the best places to eat in the state. Located a little more than an hour northwest of dining paradise—New Orleans, the municipal equivalent of Louisiana’s popular girl—Baton Rouge is now considered a food town all its own. The culinary scene in this city on the Mississippi River has decidedly matured, with inventive spots joining old-school favorites. You’ll never be without…

Berry Basket Upside-Down Cake ACTIVE 15 MIN. - TOTAL 1 HOUR, 15 MIN. SERVES 8 ⅓ cup light brown sugar4 Tbsp. unsalted butter1 tsp. kosher salt, divided3 cups mixed fresh berries (such as blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries)2 large eggs, at room temperature1 cup granulated sugar½ cup sour cream, at room temperature½ cup vegetable oil1 tsp. vanilla extract1½ cups all-purpose flour2 tsp. baking powder1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray. Stir together brown sugar, butter, 1 tablespoon water, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt in a small saucepan; cook over medium until sugar is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to prepared pan; spread in an even layer. Top evenly with berries. Set aside. 2. Whisk together eggs, granulated…

WHAT WE’RE LOVING, SHARING, AND CELEBRATING BELOVED BLUE AND WHITE The Pattern: Blue Willow The Arrangement: Informed by the timeless china, florist Carolyn Chen made the most out of the color palette in this runner-worthy display. Verdant blooms, stems, and leaves (no additional greenery needed here!) deliver a beautiful balance and allow the blue and white blooms to shine. The How-To: Soak florist foam in water, and secure it to a tray or long dish with tape. Start by adding bigger flowers like hydrangeas to fashion an elongated centerpiece that mirrors the table’s shape. Then sprinkle in favorites like tulips, peonies, hyacinths, viburnums, hellebores, clematis, and tweedias so it resembles a lush garden. For a fuller look, cover up the tray and exposed foam with moss. The Pro Tip: When…

BOURBON HAS taken on many different cultural identities throughout the United States. In chef and writer Edward Lee’s latest book, Bourbon Land: A Spirited Love Letter to My Old Kentucky Whiskey, he focuses on the quintessential liquor of his home state from its earliest iterations to today—or as he puts it, “from the temperance movement, when it was blamed for every evil, to now, when it’s the trendiest, coolest thing on the planet.” Lee characterizes the amber spirit as “time trapped in a bottle.” It’s an apt description for a drink that distinctly captures a specific place and tradition. It was once forsaken in favor of clear alcohols such as gin and vodka, but the resurgence in classic cocktails like the old-fashioned, coupled with factors like a post-9/11 desire to…

ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL AND CULTURE “WHERE DO you want to have dinner?” Normally, I can answer that question in seconds. I love eating out, especially when I’m traveling. But there I was, on vacation in West Palm Beach, Florida, completely dumbfounded. We could have sourdough pizza, barbecue (Floribbean style or Tex-Mex inspired), fried chicken, Jamaican fish, and the list went on. This smorgasbord of options wasn’t the cause of my confusion. See, I grew up in West Palm Beach, and at some point an actual dining scene had taken root while I wasn’t looking. When it comes to food, the city has historically been overshadowed by Palm Beach, its tony neighbor across Lake Worth Lagoon, and by glittering Miami, about two hours south. During my childhood in the 1980s, there…

THE QUESTION might be asked in a dramatic stage whisper. Or it might be said loudly—because it’s a very serious matter, one that divides palates and has the ability to make or break your meal. “Who made the potato salad?” Depending on how it’s spoken, it can be a withering insult or a high compliment. If my mother was the cook, the answer is always met with a sigh of relief. When potato salad is not on the table, it’s missed. It may be composed of humble ingredients, but there’s nothing simple about it. Get it wrong, and every skill you possess or decision you’ve made may come into question. When done right, it creates memories that remain long after the dishes have been washed and the leftovers are packed…

Upgrade Your Cookout Great gear and clever hacks for top-notch summer grilling DITCH THAT OLD, RUSTY BRUSH An onion will remove stuck-on food with ease It’s never fun cleaning grill grates, but there’s a surprising solution that tackles the mess without harsh chemicals or wire brushes: half of a raw onion. Use tongs or a long grill fork to rub the onion, cut side down, over the hot grates. The heat will release steam from the vegetable, which will help loosen cooked-on bits. For extra cleaning power, spray the grates with a little lemon juice or vinegar first. Say Goodbye to Wooden Skewers Try this sustainable option instead Choose stainless steel skewers for your kebabs. Sturdier than wood or bamboo, they don’t require soaking and are reusable. We like the…

FIRST OFF, you need to understand that my mother does not change. She will not do anything she doesn’t want to do. She will not reconsider, waver, or retreat. When she was younger, she might have had a little bit more flexibility in her character, but now that has dried up, calcified, and turned to stone. Her backbone does not bend or twist, and her head is about as hard as an English walnut. She doesn’t care what the world does. It spins around her. Time passes, but she doesn’t hitch a ride. It curves around her too. I guess she’s earned it. Recently, she required a fairly serious surgery on her hand. The nurses informed her that before she could go into the operating room, she needed to…

EXACTLY ONE MONTH before my wedding, my then fiancé, Luis, and I dug a hole in my parents’ yard, but we weren’t landscaping. We were burying a bottle of W.L. Weller Special Reserve in the spot where we’d get married. I insisted on this wedding tradition, as it was said to guarantee good weather for our big day. I also wanted to use bourbon in a signature drink at the reception. The cocktail—which we affectionately named the Basil Smash after our dog, Basil—combined my beloved Kentucky whiskey with the fragrant herb and bright lemon. Our guests, both bourbon aficionados and novices alike, still rave about it years later. While I adore this spirit, it has a reputation of being for the boys. But why should they have all the fun?…

RICHARD REUTTER can’t remember a family get-together without cake. “The first caramel one my mom [Caroline Ragsdale Reutter] served was at my christening in 1982,” says Richard, who is president of Caroline’s Cakes in Spartanburg, South Carolina. “People would make requests for them over the years, so she’d leave them on a joggling board on our front porch in Annapolis, Maryland. They’d come by, find the one with their name on it, take it, and put a check in the big red tin.” Her hobby didn’t grow into an official business until the early 2000s when a Florida financial firm ordered a couple thousand of her seven-layer caramel confections for gifting. At the time, Caroline was able to bake only eight per day in her home setup. In spite…

HAT TRICK If you’ve ever wondered why some hues look better together, it comes down to the color wheel. Just as a painter considers shade pairings in their art, a gardener can apply the same rules when picking plants. For this container in full sun, Thompson opted for a triadic scheme, using colors that are equidistant on the wheel. “Per the old-school method, [I incorporated] three different growth habits into this design—with something bushy as the filler, a spiller at the bottom, and a thriller popping out at you from the top,” he says. Begin by planting the yellow melampodiums as the focal point and some ‘Truffula Pink’ gomphrenas behind for height. Then add in two blue flowers—plumbagos and ‘Blue Daze’ evolvulus—to trickle out in the front. HIGH CONTRAST There…

KAREN LEA SANDIFER’S long love affair with Fairhope, Alabama, began during childhood summers spent on the bay. “We’d come over here from Mobile and rent houses,” she recalls. Years later, as the artist and her husband, Jamey, raised their own children in Mobile, they made the same seasonal pilgrimages, trading their ranch-style home in the city for carefree days on the water and warm nights peeling shrimp on the wharf. Eventually, in 2015, the couple built a spot of their own in the area, and for a few years, they split time between the two places. “I kept staying in Fairhope longer and longer. Once I was sticking around from Thursday to Tuesday, we decided we might as well move here,” says Sandifer. Their vacation home wasn’t equipped for full-time…

Appetizers Double-Dill Deviled Eggs, P. 23 Fresh Dill Dip, P. 23 Smashed Oven-Fried Okra, P. 106 Beverages Basil Smash, P. 19 Bourbon Mule, P. 19 Bourbon-Pineapple Slush, P. 19 Breakfasts Lemon-Ricotta Silver Dollar Pancakes, P. 110 Mains Crispy Ranch Shrimp, P. 102 Hot-Honey Grilled Chicken, P. 104 Mustardy Glazed Barbecue Ribs, P. 100 Savory Veggie Fajitas, P. 98 Secret Sauce Smashburgers, P. 105 Salads Maude Crawford Barton’s Potato Salad, P. 109 Watermelon, Mint, Feta, and Fried-Peanut Salad, P. 25 Sweets Berry Basket Upside-Down Cake, P. 113 Peanut Butter-Banana Upside-Down Cake, P. 113 Spiced Plum Upside-Down Cake, P. 113 Strawberry-Ginger Poke Cake with Toasted Vanilla Meringue, P. 94 Strawberry Ladyfinger Cake, P. 95 Strawberry Shortcake Biscuit “Pudding,” P. 95 Strawberry Shortcake Ice-Cream Cake, P. 94 Strawberry Trifle with Coconut-Lime Whipped Cream,…