PIMENTO CHEESE + TWO HOUR WORKSHOPS

April 26, 2010

Thank you to everyone who braved the weather and joined us for our Open House, Sample Sale and Earth Day Celebration over the weekend. (And to Butch and Robert Rausch for playing along…) It was lovely to open our studio and the event was so successful that we decided to go ahead and plan for next year… Mark your calendar & plan your trip:
Alabama Chanin
8th Annual Open House & Sample Sale
April 29 & 30, 2011.
We have also added Two-Hour Workshops to both our Events and to the Open House next year. The seating is limited for each session so register early. We also have a range of these new Two-Hour Workshops coming soon:

May 1st and 2nd @ Textile Fabrics in Nashville

May 8th @ Barneys in Chicago

May 14th @ Purl Soho in New York City

June 12th @ Warehouse Row in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Contact us for more information.

My son Zach cooked for us at our Open House over the weekend. I asked him to write up his recipe for Pimento Cheese since we had so many folks rave about his special blend. I have always prided myself as a good cook but I believe that Zach has surpassed me.

Lovely when your children do you one-up…

Zach’s Pimento Cheese

3 cups shredded Hoop or Sharp Cheddar Cheese (about one large block)
9-10 squirts of Tabasco (Or as you see fit)
1/4 cup Roasted Red Peppers diced
2 tablespoon Prepared Horseradish
1 1/2 tablespoon Lemon or Lime juice
1/2 cup Aioli or Mayo made from olive oil
Fresh Herbs fine chop (Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary, Parsley)
Salt n Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and stir vigorously.  If too spicy add another tablespoon of Aioli.  If not spicy enough, add more Tabasco.  You may want to find some of the different styles of Tabasco such as Chipotle or my favorite, the Roasted Garlic style.  Enjoy!!

If you have another great Pimento Cheese recipe, please share it with us in the comments below!

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WORD OF THE DAY: CELEBRATE

April 23, 2010

Celebrate – verb:

To observe (a day) or commemorate (an event) with ceremonies or festivities:
Today we celebrate Earth Day and the joy of life.

To make known publicly; proclaim:
The newspaper celebrated the beauty of her life.

To perform with appropriate rites and ceremonies; solemnize:


We will celebrate the light that her life brought to Earth.

While today we begin our Earth Day Celebration @ The Factory, it is a mixed blessing as Tuesday of this week our friend, mentor and local hero Marigail Mathis passed away.    While this is a sad time for all of us, Marigail was the kind of person who made life worth celebrating.    Her vision, joy, enthusiasm, support, laughter and kindred spirit will be sorely missed in my life; however, what she has given to me – through her friendship – will be celebrated eternally.

Celebrate the life of someone you love today.

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FR0M TOBACCO TO FOOD (GOOD FOOD)

April 21, 2010

I lived in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina for almost 10 years of my life. In fact, I lived at one time or the other in just about every one of the cities and my son, Zach, was born 28 years ago when I lived in Durham.

Shortly before Zach’s arrival and in teenage rebellion style, I left Alabama at 18 with my best friend (and a whim) heading towards Chapel Hill. Our first house in the area – rented for $50 a month -  was in the middle of a tobacco field and you could literally see the sunset through the kitchen wall. I remember telling my mother, “This is paradise.”  The memories of that first summer still make me laugh but at the arrival of winter, I found more suitable “paradise” where the heat from the wood stove actually warmed the house.

However, I can still smell the rows of tobacco being worked by migrant farmers that drifted through those walls. And from time to time, I feel the sense of driving down the streets of Durham with the overwhelming smell of tobacco infusing the entire community.

How lovely to read this article today in the New York Times about how the greater Durham/RTI community has been able to make the leap from traditional (and chemical ridden) tobacco farming to sustainable local cuisine. I especially love the story of Neal’s Deli where the son of famed chef Bill Neal carries on the family tradition.

It is heartening to think that the fields on the outskirts of our little town may one day be bountiful again.

*Photograph by Travis Dove for The New York Times

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CALIFORNIA TO OREGON (+BACK AGAIN)

April 20, 2010

California to Oregon and back to Alabama again. The travels, the people, the trees, the forests and the ocean were amazing. But then again, there is no place like home.

Thank you to everyone at RedBird for making us feel at home, the Edible Schoolyard (coming to Alabama soon!) for hosting us, Alice Waters and all the folks at Chez Panisse, Chef Bruce Hill and the great staff at Picco’s, Marci and the whole staff of Powell’s Books for their beautiful exhibition of our Textile Stories Quilts and support of Alabama Studio Style, everyone at Mario’s Portland, JP and all the great students at Pacific Northwest College of Art and Oregon College of Arts and Crafts, Jack and everyone at the ACE Hotel in Portland, our great supporters in Berkeley and Portland and a slew of others who helped along the way and made us laugh… 

(Special thanks go out to Sally whose beautiful little purse – filled with goodies – gave Maggie a joy that got us home with smiles and busy little fingers!)

Luckily, nothing stops around here and we are getting ready for all of the great events starting this Thursday for Earth Day 2010 and our Annual Open House and Sample Sale starting on Friday.

Plan to join us!

Natalie

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CALIFORNIA SISTERS + CHILI

April 7, 2010

Flying out the door to fly to San Francisco and thinking about my lovely Kitchen Sisters playing on the iPod… and the beautiful story of the Chili Queens. I can smell the chili cooking as I fly.

I will be that annoying person on the plane today with a four year old who talks too loud and sings out-of-tune. If you are traveling my way, grant me grace – if just for today.

Looking forward to all my California Sisters!  

*Photo courtesy of Kitchen Sister Davia

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SOUTHERN FOOD 2010 + THE BENNE

April 3, 2010

The Oxford American: Southern Food 2010 arrived while I was traveling and I am breathless to devour the issue this weekend in the sunshine and at my own kitchen table.

I will move seamlessly from John Kessler’s “Tale of Two Cities” to Dian Robert’s “People of the Cake” while sipping a tea and listening to Maggie talk to her “babies” in her room.

Get your copy here and start with this great article from Matt & Ted Lee on the OA website: Matt and Ted Lee on the Next Big (but Tiny!) Southern Ingredient

Continue reading →

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TRUCKERS QUILT

April 2, 2010

Many of you may have already seen this but in the off-chance that you missed it, I wanted to share this great article.

What I really love are all the comments – especially the one about how media is trying to emasculate men with articles like this one.

In my Making & Meaning sessions with The Bureau of Friends, I found that sewing and making is genderless. Making together inspires spirited conversation, bonded friendships and, simply said, a good time.

From the Wall Street Journal:  

Continue reading →

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VIDEO BLOG #1 – LOVE YOUR THREAD

April 1, 2010

The Doo-Nanny was amazing this year and I have arrived back home after what seems like months. It was lovely to sit at my dining room table this morning and think about all the stories and laughter…

I hope that you can all join us next year in Seale. It is a magical experience and there will be more about this next week. BUT… back to today.   I have been asked over the course of the last year (about a hundred and one times) to start a video blog and I have probably tried it just as many times. I never once posted the video for one reason or the other but mainly because I could not make it through one video watching myself and hearing my own voice. Ever felt that way?   Anyway, I have been broken by peer pressure (Melanie + Gilberto I am writing to the two of you) and here present Video Blog #1. Depending on the feedback (ahmmm… this means to comment below), I will start to share one on a regular basis.   So here you have the story of “Loving Your Thread.” You will find this story in both Alabama Stitch Book and Alabama Studio Style.

Loving Your Thread is at the core of our work at Alabama Chanin and at the core of my work as an entrepreneur. After I become a Video Blog Aficionado, I will most likely want to do this one again.
Smile and let me know if you need subtitles for my Southern accent…

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WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

March 25, 2010

Butch had a vision of a structure after watching Where The Wild Things Are and Zach has spent the last weeks bringing it to life.

I love the stark geometry against the trees and water. It is a shame that they are going to burn it in the end.

I told Butch this morning that I would like to re-build it this summer and host a dinner right there in the middle.   Beautiful…

Come join us at the Doo-Nanny for films, sewing, books and a little bit of the wild.

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