January 16, 2013
On Monday, Sara wrote her thoughts on fashion and designing for real people with different body types. We’ve written before ‘On Beauty’ and the comeback of pin-up style. Even though media representations might make you feel differently, the fact is that women come in so many beautiful shapes and sizes. This is a deeply important [...]
January 2, 2013
This year saw our Journal take a more structured tone and we devoted particular days to particular topics. Wednesday’s became Recipe Wednesday and we worked to get ourselves organized and cook. EVERY WEEK. It was quite a feat of organization since we also run the production office, online store, design, pay bills, and as I [...]
January 1, 2013
In our family (as many families in my community), today will be celebrated with Hog Jowl, Collards, and Black-eyed Peas (although you might want to try the Three Sisters with some root vegetables). It’s one of the few days of the year my father (who is gratefully still with us and in remission) actually cooks [...]
August 15, 2012
Last week, during a photo shoot at my house for our new Indigo + Carmine pieces, my son Zach took time from his busy day of new fatherhood and running his growing catering company to make us lunch: a simple, delicious pizza piled with tomatoes. This summer has been hard on my garden. Many of [...]
July 18, 2012
The food might just be the best thing about Penland… other than the yoga every morning (and afternoon), the view, the beautiful studio, the great people. Let’s just say that the food is one of the things that make Penland great. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner served on schedule. No preparation or clean up – thanks [...]
December 27, 2011
In the spirit of “The Best Of” week as we move towards New Year’s Eve, I had to recap some of the best meals of my year – and they were plenty (despite my detox). 2011 started with a trip to Blackberry Farm’s Taste of the South with an amazing array of chefs and artisans. [...]
December 26, 2011
It seems unbelievable to me that 2011 is coming to a close. The Alabama Chanin journal has covered so many topics over the 2011 year and we have been so grateful for the opportunity to share our thoughts, travels, milestones and inspirations with you. As the year’s end approaches, we thought we would recap some [...]
September 21, 2011
I arrived back from Berlin to find that tomatoes are still dropping off the vines in my backyard. I just can’t seem to keep up with them this year. In a situation like this, the best thing to do is to make Pico de Gallo. A great dish for the heat of summer, it’s also [...]
September 12, 2011
I made it! 50 years old and going strong. On my daughter Maggie’s birthday each year, I send (or do my best to send) an invitation to celebrate that includes the following text. Today, the invitation is for me: “Join us in celebrating 50 years of life. No presents please, plant a flower or a [...]
September 2, 2011
Labor Day in my family means delicious home-cooked food. And while I won’t be indulging to excess this year, I still look forward to family get-togethers and the cooking involved. While browsing my cookbook collection in preparation for our family meal, it occurred to me that covered pies are really just applique with dough. Fascinated [...]