Coopers' Craft Kentucky Bourbon Pecan Pie
Pecan pie always conjures up holiday memories for me. My mom always makes three or four pecan pies for every holiday gathering. Now, I don't have the patience for baking on that scale, but I LOVE this new Kentucky Bourbon Pecan Pie mix from Coopers' Craft.
In case you haven't heard of Coopers' Craft, it's the first new bourbon that Brown-Forman has introduced in the past 20 years. Coopers' Craft takes its name from the Brown-Forman cooperage. Brown-Forman is the only spirits brand to have its own cooperage (that's where they make whiskey barrels!), and the new Coopers' Craft bourbon is finished with a curated mix of beech and birch charcoal for a smooth finish.
The folks at Brown-Forman were kind enough to send me a bottle of Coopers' Craft, a container of their Kentucky Bourbon Pecan Pie Mix, and a Louisville Stoneware pie plate to sample. I've got to say, this is a delicious pie! It combines the rich warmth of pecan pies like my mom makes with a delightful vanilla bourbon note. It is so seriously easy -- you just add eggs and butter, mix well, and add the mixture to your pie shell! You can order your own Kentucky Bourbon Pecan Pie in a Jar gift set from Louisville Stoneware! It makes a perfect holiday gift!
For a great variant on this recipe, if "First Saturday in May" Pie is your thing, you can add a half cup or so of chocolate chips to the mix.
Thanks to Brown-Forman and Louisville Stoneware for this fantastic holiday recipe!
Rustic Italian Chicken with Red Gold Tomatoes
Savory slow-cooker Italian chicken and pasta recipe!
This morning, I had the chance to share lovely recipe for Rustic Italian Chicken (made with Red Gold® Tomatoes!) on WHAS-11's Great Day Live!
I love this recipe, because it's a delicious and filling meal with an elegant presentation, but takes very minimal effort through the modern miracle of slow cooker cooking!
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, around 12 thighs
- 2 large carrots, cut into 1/2 inch slices
- 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can Red Gold® Diced Tomatoes
- 1 (28 ounce) can Red Gold® Crushed Tomatoes, or 2 (15 ounce) cans Red Gold® Crushed Tomatoes
- 3 cups penne pasta, cooked and drained (I like whole wheat pasta!)
Directions
• Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. Place chicken in slow cooker and top with remaining ingredients, except pasta and garnish.
• Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. Serve chicken over pasta and garnish with cheese and parsley.
Celebrate College Colors Day in Style!
Fashionable ways to cheer on Kentucky's college football teams!
Happy College Colors Day, y'all! I am just so excited that it's starting to look like fall, and that college football is back! I am so excited to be wearing my Kentucky Blue for College Colors Day, and I picked out a few great ideas for my friends who cheer on all the Kentucky D1 College Teams!
Draper James Tailgate Essentials
Have you seen the newest batch of tailgate-inspired items from Reece Witherspoon's Draper James line? So, so cute, y'all. I feel like the scarf is going to be necessary as the weather gets cooler.
Go Big Blue!
Now, if you've been reading HerKentucky for any time at all, it's no surprise that I ride or die with the Kentucky Wildcats, even if football isn't exactly our premiere athletic program. UK will always feel like the home team for me, in any sport. I lived in Lexington for over a decade, my beau and I hold three graduate degrees from UK, and I grew up on stories of my grandfather and his siblings attending the University in the '30s. The 'Cats and I, we go way back.
I personally believe that there's no such thing as taking your
Go Cards!
Y'all, I don't care what team you rep or what part of the Commonwealth you hail from. That Louisville win was ridic last night. Lamar Jackson was on fire, and my Cardinals fan friends were jubilant. That win deserves several days' worth of team-inspired outfits!!
Cheer on your Kentucky team!
Most of us can find a reason to cheer for just about every Kentucky college, if we look hard enough for a link. My parents each hold degrees from Morehead AND EKU. I have plenty of friends with ties to WKU and Murray State. And the list goes on. There are so many cute ways to rep your team. A Tervis Tumbler and a cap are, of course, standard equipment.
Let me know in the comments below what team you're repping today, and don't forget to visit the College Colors Day website to enter to win a trip to the 2017 National Championship Game! (please note that this post contains affiliate links.)
The HerKentucky Guide to Shopping Lilly Pulitzer Sales
Shop locally for great sales!
If you're a serious Lilly Pulitzer shopper, then I know you've heard about the big After Party sale that's starting this Monday. Now, the after-party sale is great, and I've scored some good deals there. Buuuutttt.... it has a tendency to have long lines and a bit of a "break the internet" feel.
As a longtime Lilly lover, I'm going to let y'all in on my very favorite Lilly Pulitzer shopping secret, and it's right here in the Bluegrass State: The Peppermint Palm, Kentucky's very own privately-owned Lilly Pulitzer Signature Store, with locations in Lexington and Louisville. No insane online hassles, shopping locally, and often getting far better buys. What's better than that??
In fact, some of my very favorite deals of the summer have come from the Peppermint Palm! Here are a few examples:
Sophie Dress
I found this Lilly Sophie Dress at The Peppermint Palm back in May. It retailed for $138; while it was still full price online, I found it for under $80 at the Palm!
And, let me tell you, I've more than gotten my money's worth from this dress! I've worn it to bourbon distillery tours, charity events, even a shotgun shoot! It's amazingly comfortable, has an SPF 50+ rating for sun protection, and can be dressed up or down with different shoes and accessories! (My mom got the same dress on sale at the Palm and has worn it to baby showers, work events, and even my cousin's med school graduation!)
Younger Woman's Club of Louisville End of Year Toast
Woodford Reserve Distillery Tour
Original Makers Club Shotgun Shoot and Southern Supper
Ali Dress
I LOVE this dress! It has been my go-to all summer! While it was still $98 online, it was 40% off at The Palm!!!
This may be the most flattering everyday summer dress I've ever owned. With three quarters sleeves, a deep-but-not-too-deep v-neck, loose bodice, and shirttail hem, this has been perfect for everything from a pool party to a morning of art at 21C! I've legitimately thrown this dress on with sneakers, sandals, and dressy flats for a ton of different summer looks, and every.single. time. someone stops me to tell me how cute my dress is!
Ali Dress + Art at 21C's Penthouse! (Kentucky necklace from Elva Fields)
Marlowe Dress
I'm just in love with this blue striped Marlowe Dress! When it was still $98 online, I got it for under $70 at the Palm!
Happy shopping, y'all! Remember to always shop locally first!!!
How to Eat Lunch Like a Louisville Local
"Where should I eat lunch in Louisville?"
It's probably the email, text, Facebook message, etc., question that I get the most often. What are the tried-and true favorite spots for lunch in Louisville? Where are the hottest new restaurants in the Derby City? Where can I grab a quick bite in a particular Louisville neighborhood?
That's quite a question, y'all, but I've narrowed it down to thirty of the very best. Click here to download a printable version, and let me know if you agree with my choices!
Downtown
Dine with the penguins at Proof on Main.
J.Graham’s Café at the Brown Hotel
Home of the Hot Brown.
The Brown Hotel, 335 W Broadway
Sun-Sat 7am – 3pm
Proof on Main
The best burger in Louisville.
21C Museum Hotel 702 W Main St
Mon-Thu 11am - 1 am; Fri 11am - 2 am;
Sat 12 pm-2am; Sun 12 pm-12 am
Mussel & Burger Bar
Don’t miss the truffle oil steak fries.
113 S. 7th St
Mon-Thu 11 am – 9:30 pm; Fri 11 am – 10:30 pm;
Sat 12 pm – 10:30 pm; Sun: 12 pm – 8:30 pm
Main Eatery
The Blue Plate Special is always great!
643 W Main St
Mon-Fri 11 am – 2 pm; closed weekends
Atlantic No. 5
Don’t miss the latte!!
605 W Main St
Mon-Fri 7 am – 4 pm; closed weekends
NuLu/ Butchertown
Brisket sandwich at Feast BBQ
Grind Burger Kitchen
Order the Southern Burger!!
829 E. Market St
Tue – Sat 11 am – 10 pm
Butchertown Grocery
Have the BLT!
1076 E. Washington St.
Wed – Sun: 11 am – 10 pm (Sat & Sun brunch 11 am – 3 pm); Closed Mon and Tues
Ghyslain on Market
A macaron and a French press are a must!
721 E Market St
November - March: Mon - Sun 9AM - 8PM;
April - October: Mon - Sun 9AM - 9PM
Feast BBQ
Have the pork cake appetizer, mac & cheese or collard greens!
909 E Market St
Tues-Thurs 11 am -10 pm; Friday-Sat 11am-12am; closed Sun-Mon
Royal’s Hot Chicken
Louisville’s only legit Nashville-style hot chicken. Don’t miss the fries and cheese grits!
736 E Market St
Tues-Thurs 11:30 am-10 Friday-Sat 11:30 am-11 pm; closed Sun-Mon
Royal's Hot Chicken is a Louisville can't-miss!
Old Louisville
Seafood Lady
Amazing Cajun seafood! Portions are huge!
617 W. Oak St.
Wed, Fri, and Sat: 11 am – 9 pm; closed Sun-Tues and Thurs
Buck’s Restaurant & Bar
An elegant Old Louisville institution!
425 W Ormsby Ave
Mon-Fri 11 am-3 pm, 5-11 pm; Sat 5-11 pm; closed Sun
Ollie’s Trolley
You need an Ollieburger!
Mon-Fri 10:30 am – 4:25 pm; closed Sat & Sun
Germantown
The Post
Fabulous New York Style Pizza!
1045 Goss Ave
Mon -Wed 11 am – 12 am; Thurs- Fri 11 am – 2 am; Sat 12 pm – 2 am; Sun 12 pm – 12 am
The Highlands
Bacon & Benedictine from Stevens and Stevens Deli
Gralehaus
Fabulous espresso beverages!
1001 Baxter Ave
Mon-Sun 8 am – 4 pm
Stevens & Stevens Deli
You don’t want to miss the bacon and Benedictine sandwich!
1114 Bardstown Road
Mon – Sat 10 am – 4 pm; closed Sunday
LeMoo
Reserve the Louis Vuitton booth!
2300 Lexington Road
Mon – Wed 11 am – 2 pm; Thur- Fri 11 am- 10 pm; Sat 10 am- 3pm, 5 pm – 11 pm; Sun 10 am- 3pm, 5 pm – 11 pm
El Taco Lunchador
The chicken mole taco is superb!
938 Baxter Ave
Mon- Thurs 11 am – 9:30 pm; Fri 11 am – 10:30 pm; Sat 12 – 10:30 pm; Sun 12- 9 pm.
Molly Malone’s
Famous fish and chips!
933 Baxter Ave
Mon – Sun 11 am – 4 am
Fish and Chips at Irish Rover
Frankfort Avenue
The Irish Rover
Order fish and chips and a pint or seafood pie!
2319 Frankfort Ave
Mon-Thurs 11:30 am – 11 pm; Fri-Sat 11:30 am – 12 am; closed Sun
Blue Dog Bakery & Café
Fabulous salads and breads!
2868 Frankfort Ave
Tues-Sat Bakery 7-am-4 pm; Tues-Fri Lunch 11 am – 2 pm; Sat Brunch 9 am – 12 pm; closed Sun and Mon
North End Café
Go for all-day breakfast!
1722 Frankfort Ave
Mon 8 am – 2:30 pm; Tue- Thurs 8 am – 9 pm; Fri- Sat 8 am – 10 pm; Sun 8 am – 9 pm
El Mundo
Louisville’s favorite tacos!
2345 Frankfort Ave
Mon 5-10 pm; Tues – Sat 11:30 am – 10 pm
St. Matthews
namnam cafe
namnam café
Fantastic Pho!
318 Wallace Ave
Tues – Sat 11 am – 2:30 pm, 4:30 – 9 pm; Sun 4-9 pm; closed Mon
Coals Artisan Pizza
Wood-fired pies with regionally sourced ingredients!
3730 Frankfort Ave
Mon – Thurs 11 am – 10 pm; Fri-Sat 11 am – 11 pm; Sun 12 – 9 pm
Cheddar Box
Don’t miss their country ham sandwich and pimento cheese!
3909 Chenoweth Square
Tues-Fri 9 am – 6 pm; Sat 9 am – 4 pm; Closed Sun and Mon
Local Chains
Impellizzeri's Pizza
Shiraz Mediterranean Grill
Go for the hummus!
3501 Poplar Level; 205 N Hurstborne; 2210 Holiday Manor Suite 1; 237 5th St; 4614 Chamberlin
Hours vary
Bristol Bar & Grill
The green chili wontons are everyone’s favorite!
1321 Bardstown Rd; 614 W Main; 300 N Hurstborne Pkwy
Hours vary
Impellizzeri’s
Incredible deep dish pizza!
110 W Main; 1381 Bardstown Rd; 4933 Brownsboro Rd
Hours vary
Wick’s Pizza
The calzone is amazing!
975 Baxter Ave; 2927 Goose Creek Rd; 12717 Shelbyville Rd
Hours vary
What are your favorite lunch spots in Louisville?
Make-a-Wish #BIGwishgala
This weekend, my friends and I attended Make-a-Wish Foundation of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana's Big Wish Gala.
Several of my friends from the Younger Woman's Club of Louisville are Wish Granters for Make-a-Wish, so I'd heard about some of the amazing opportunities that local kids had been granted. Still, I wasn't prepared for how amazing and emotional it was to hear the Wish Kids talk about getting to visit Tahiti or meet Apple's Tim Cook.
The Gala was truly lovely (and trust me, I go to enough of these things that I'm pretty hard to impress!) The Seelbach was an elegant backdrop for dinner dancing, and raising money. In fact, the event raised over $184,000 for Make-a-Wish!
I love that Make-a-Wish helps make dreams come true for children with life-altering diseases. I was particularly moved by how many of the wish kids and their parents described the Wish as a time to "just be a kid" or a time to "not have to think about cancer." So many of us take our health and good fortune for granted; it was sobering to hear the Wish families talk about the gift of normalcy that their children had been granted!
If you'd like to make a time or monetary donation to Make-a-Wish of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, please visit their website. Also, please take a moment to watch this video of a precious toddler from Eastern Kentucky who wished to go to Disney World.
Special thanks to Shircliff Publishing (and their unofficial mascot, Willie!), for sponsoring our table! It was such an incredible night to hopefully help wishes come true.
More about Make a Wish:
Whiskey Wednesday: Woodford Reserve Rye
Welcome to Whiskey Wednesday, HerKentucky's weekly feature that makes you think about what you're drinking. Today, we're departing from our traditional focus on Kentucky bourbon with some notes on rye.
So, I've noticed a disturbing trend lately. I seem to keep running into people who don't know the difference between bourbon and rye. We're talking bartenders, and folks who claim to be whiskey-lovers, and proud Kentuckians who ought to know better. They'll use Sazerac or the green-label Bulleit, and claim they've used bourbon whiskey, bless their hearts.
Like most everything in whiskey production, it all comes down to the grains. The difference between bourbon and rye is the grain mixture that is used in production. Of course you know that all bourbon whiskey must be made here in the United States and must have a mash bill that consists of at least 51% corn. American rye whiskeys must be at least 51% rye grain. As with bourbon, the remaining 49 percent of the recipe varies wildly by brand. Bulleit's mash, for example, is 95% rye, producing a very powerful, spicy flavor profile. Woodford Reserve's Rye, on the other hand, is only 53% rye, which makes for a smooth and balanced pour. Like bourbon, rye is aged in charred new oak barrels and must be aged for at least two years to earn the designation "straight."
Prior to Prohibition, rye was most popular in the Northeast U.S., particularly in Pennsylvania and Maryland (Mad Men fans will note that it makes sense that rye was Draper's drink of choice...) and Pittsburgh was the city around which most rye production was focused. After Prohibition, only a few rye labels survived, and most rye productions were moved to Kentucky, under the umbrella of larger distillers.
Last year, Woodford Reserve introduced a rye whiskey to their line of products. I had the opportunity to sample that product during The Kentucky Bourbon Affair tour of Woodford's distillery last week. I was so surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. I'm normally a little put off by the heavily spicy and often bitter notes of rye, but the Woodford product was delightful. We learned during the distillery event that Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Chris Morris based this recipe on a historical recipe in the Brown-Forman archives. The really does work as a nice companion to Woodford's high-rye bourbon, Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select, pairing up-front tobacco aromas with heavy tastes of apple and pepper, and a caramel finish similar to that of Woodford's bourbons. I can't wait to try it in a cocktail!
So, there you go. High-rye bourbon and low-rye rye. Two more whiskey concepts to wow y'all's friends. Go get a bottle of that rye; I promise you'll love it!
Cheers, y'all.
You may also like:
Whiskey Wednesday: The HerKentucky Guide to Talking about Bourbon