The Hot Brown at Louisville's Cheddar Box Too

I love hot browns.

They're a matter of some debate here on HerKentucky, but I simply adore them. The ingredients? I mean, it's turkey, bacon, cheese and tomatoes. What's not to love? 

And then, there's the story of the hot brown. I have to say, it rekindles my Scott and Zelda obsessions when I hear that Louisville's famous Brown Hotel first served the filling, warm, open-faced sandwich as a midnight meal for Jazz Age flappers and their beaux, providing the fuel by which they could Charleston the night away. Good Lord, it just makes me smile to type that. 

Joan Crawford in Our Dancing Daughters.

These days, hot brown is one of those quintessentially regional cuisines that you just have to try if you visit an area. Visitors to Central Kentucky just have to try a hot brown. And those of us who live here, well,we either love them or we hate them.

Now, I've tried appetizer hot browns and breakfast hot browns. I've had the eponymous sandwich from the Brown Hotel (always my favorite!), and I've followed their recipe to make my own. But, this weekend, I found a whole new adjective to describe the hot brown: "light."

The Cheddar Box Too! is located in the Chenowith Square shopping center in Louisville's St. Matthews neighborhood. It's a delightful little lunch nook -- a spinoff of one of those old-school delis that sells delicious pimiento cheeses, salads and baked goods.  The hot brown was light and delicious, with farm-fresh tomatoes and a light hand on the mornay sauce. I had a side of baby field greens with house-made cherry balsamic vinaigrette, which made the meal decidedly more "ladies who lunch" than "flapper." I guess I'll put my Roaring Twenties daydreams aside for another day, but this was a really great sandwich.

Who serves your favorite hot brown?

Women's Equality Day

Today is Women's Equality Day. Designated by Congress in 1971, Women's Equality Day is the result of the passionate advocacy of the one-and-only Bella Abzug and is meant to commemorate the 1920 passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which granted women the right to vote.

In celebration of Women's Equality Day, the Kentucky Commission on Women is hosting screenings of the landmark PBS documentary Makers: Women Who Make America. Originally broadcast in February, the three-part three hour documentary profiles the fight for women's rights in the last half of the 20th Century and the women who played essential roles in that fight.

I was completely and totally inspired by the film and the conversations I've seen taking place since its original broadcast. For so long the women's movement was defined by those who opposed it. Feminists were "bra burners" and "femi-nazis" who thought women were superior to men. Hearing the stories of those of the front lines of the real feminist battles - battles for domestic violence shelters and equal pay and the right to play a game you love is not only refreshing but motivating in a way I find difficult to describe.

What I found particularly powerful was the way the total story of the women's movement is portrayed. The filmmakers do not shy away from those who opposed equal rights for women and - even more importantly - the new generation of women who have grown up with equal rights and now must face what this all really means on a personal and professional level.

Watch MAKERS: Women Who Make America on PBS. See more from Makers: Women Who Make America.

However, Makers is really so much more than a single documentary. The film itself is composed of interviews with many of the most important women in the world: Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Gloria Steinem, Marissa Mayer. The interviews with these "high profile game changers" are available online in what PBS calls a "digital and broadcast initiative." Hour after hour of women sharing their stories to inspire a new generation of women is powerful and empowering in a way a thousand Miley Cyruses and Robin Thickes can't undo.

So, celebrate Women's Equality Day! Go to a screening in your area:

August 26, 2013

Host: Morehead State University Student Activities

Location: 150 University Blvd., Morehead, KY 40351

Time: TBA (Tentatively scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in conjunction with another event)

Contact: Shante Hearst 606-783-2668 or Laken Gilbert 606-748-4864

Host: League of Women Voters of Louisville

Location: 115 S. Ewing, Louisville, KY 40206

Time: 6:00 p.m.

Contact: Pat Murrell 502-895-5218

Host: Midway College Student Affairs

Location: 512 E. Stephens Street, Anne Hart Raymond Building, Room 120/121, Midway, KY 40347

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Contact: Jessica Combess 859-846-5390

Host: Lexington Public Library

Location: 140 East Main Street (Central Library Farish Theater), Lexington, KY 40507

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Contact: AnnaMarie Cornett 859-231-5501

Host: Gateway Community & Technical College

Location: 525 Scott Blvd, (Gateway Urban/Metro Campus), Room 301, Covington, KY 41011

Time: 2:00 p.m.

Contact: Kathy Driggers 859-442-416

Host: KCW Commissioners Karkie Tackett, Joan Gregory, & Mary Ellen Elsbernd

Location: Campbell County Library, 1000 Highland Avenue, Ft. Thomas, KY 41075

Campbell County Library Event Flyer.docx

Time: 6:00 p.m.

Contact: Joan Gregory 859-802-8785 or Karkie Tackett 859-781-1844

Host: University of Kentucky UK Women's Equality Day Flyer.pdf

Location: Main Building, Visitors Center

Time: 2:00 p.m.

Contact: Randolph Hollingsworth 859-257-3027

Host: KCTCS, WIN Committee and Women's and Gender Studies

Location: Downtown Campus Library (First Floor Activities Area), Louisville

Time: 2:00 p.m.

Contact: Jill Adams 502-213-2364

August 27

Host: Coalition of Labor Union Women MLWPC FLYER.doc

Location: UAW Local 862, 3000 Fern Valley Road, Louisville, KY 40213

Time: 6:00 p.m.

Contact: Virginia Woodward 502-541-5526 or Vera Newton 502-364-3973

Panel of Scholars: Discussing the Status of Women Today—Local, State, National and Global Women's Equality Day 2013 - Tuesday.pdf

Host: University of Kentucky

Location: Marksbury Building Auditorium

Time: Noon – 2 p.m.

Contact: RSVP 859-257-9293

Host: Women of Daviess County

Location: Ford Center, Owensboro Area Museum, 3870 W 2nd (60W), Owensboro, KY 42301

Time: 5:30 p.m.

Contact: Rachel Foster 270-314-1226

If there isn't one available near you, watch the documentary online and be inspired to become a maker yourself!

~ Sarah Stewart Holland

It's time to transition to fall y'all!

Sadly, summer is coming to a close and fall is on its way. Lexington is bursting at the seams with college students and Keeneland's opening day is just around the corner, but that does not mean we should toss our favorite summer pieces aside like yesterday's race booklet! With a few quick adjustments, we can transition those summer stunners into fabulous fall outfits!

White Blazers were white hot this summer. They were everywhere, adorning brightly colored dresses and breezy floral tops. You can transition your blazer to fall by adding a few key pieces that you probably already have in your closet! This outfit is so versatile, you could dress it up with heels or dress it down with riding boots or flats.

White Hot Blazer

Pretty Pearls

Stunning Stripes

Dark Skinny Jeans

Summer's flirty floral dresses get a fantastic fall makeover with the addition of black tights, cardigans, statement earrings and boots.  This dress is so cute and even features a little UK blue! Tailgating, anyone?

Flirty Floral Dress

Over Sized Statement Earrings

Ruffle Cardigan

It is no secret that I LOVE stripes, so it was no surprise that my favorite summer trend was statement stripes.  These bold stunners can easily transition to a fancy fall night out by adding a fabulous cardigan, pearls, tights and heels.  

 Statement Stripes

Pretty Pearls

Chain Cardigan

I am so excited about these outfits....looks like I have some shopping to do! Ooh La La! What is your favorite summer trend and how are you transitioning it to fall?

Transitions

Oh hey... I used to read this blog called HerKentucky. It was a bunch of women in  Kentucky telling their stories and sharing their favorite places and things about the Bluegrass State... It was a great site, but then, it went away for two whole days. In Internet time, that's like a lifetime...

Thanks to Glenda for this. Makes me laugh every time!

Things have been crazy with the HerKentucky staff lately. As you've read lately, Shannon, Allie, and Cristina sent their kids off to school. But that isn't all. Emily is bouncing back from ankle surgery -- and doing it fashionably. Erin is moving across the country. Liz moved from  And I am in the midst of a big move of my own.

Transitions are hard. We often dread them. We fight them or embrace them. But they arise no matter how we approach them. For me, it's been a weird feeling to move back to a town where I lived a few years ago. I've expected everything to be exactly where I left it, as though I were home for the weekend from college. I expected to eat at the same restaurants, live in the same neighborhood, and join the same clubs. But, you know, life doesn't work that way. My beau and I are several years older than we were when we left (funny how time does that to us all...) and Louisville, like any city, has changed a little as well. Some restaurants are as great as we remembered, and others just aren't. We're looking for different features in neighborhoods. And, I've found a cool new charity organization with which I'll be volunteering. It's a lot of change, but I'm realizing that most of these are changes that would have happened if I'd remained in the same city. Nobody stays the same for six years, right?

We'd love to hear about any transitions y'all are experiencing. How are you handling them -- with trepidation, excitement, or a mixture of both?

Instagram Photo Contest Winner

Thank you so much to all who entered HerKentucky's Instagram Photo Contest.  All 149 entries were great and made our decision a very tough one.  We really enjoyed seeing all of your posts from across the Commonwealth.

Congratulations to Stephanie Clemmons for her beautiful picture of Owsley Fork Lake in Berea, Kentucky.

Owsley Fork Lake, Berea, Kentucky Stephanie Clemmons

She will receive a $25.00 Amazon gift card and a 10x10 copy of this photograph (see below). Please continue to take pictures of our beautiful Kentucky...you never know when another photo contest might pop up in the future!

Stephanie will receive a printed 10x10 copy of this photograph and a $25 Amazon gift card

The Toughest Transition

View fullsize

This month at HerKentucky, we are all thinking about transitions into fall, and for many of us that means sending little ones (or big ones) off to school. I vividly remember the emotions of sending our firstborn son to Kindergarten four years ago. I was appropriately sentimental, apprehensive, and excited because I forced myself to be so. I had to will those emotions to be present because I was, at that time, also lost in the fog of raising a very young child who has special needs, not knowing what his future held, and I was desperately wondering if these milestones were ones I would share with him. (If you don't know me personally, you might not know much about Ben, but you can read about him and his developmental delays and other conditions here.)

The following year, Ben turned three and started at the Frankie Lemmon School. I often wonder what the real, divine reason would be for us moving back and forth between our beloved home in Kentucky and (this also lovely, but not home) North Carolina. I believe unequivocally that the reason is that there is no other place on earth like this school. This is a place where Ben thrived. He surpassed imaginary limits placed upon him by doctors who didn't know what Ben was capable of achieving and probably didn't want to give us what they felt would be false hope. Well. He showed them.

There might not be anything that has gnawed at my gut more than plucking Ben out of his safe and wonderful little school and sending him off to "big school." I'm still not sure that I love it there, mostly because of the long and important shadow cast by the place he outgrew. I know it will never be so good again. I know that I will begin morphing into one of the parents who fights and detests IEP meetings (whereas they have never been anything but delightful up to this point). I know that he is happy every day. I know that even though Ben can do just about anything, he is still going to be seen as different from other kids. I know he distributes hugs for all (whether you want one or not - we're working on it).

I also know that someday, maybe someday soon, someone will not be so kind to Ben. I'm not sure if he will notice that or not, but either way, the way we teach our kids to treat one another matters. This is something that can get buried under pressure to have great test scores, master math strategies, and beat AR goals. Please consider this a call to arms for all of us: parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and neighbors. Just be kind to everyone, all the time. If we can all set a beautiful example for our children to follow, then maybe all of these transitions won't seem so difficult for all of us tender-hearted parents every year. Bonus: You might get a hug from Ben, and you don't want to miss that, trust me!

Monkee's of Louisville Grand Opening

If you're in Louisville today, you should definitely stop by the Grand Opening of Monkee's of Louisville at 3624 Brownsboro Road!

Monkee's is such a unique shopping. They have locations across several states, but it never feels like you're shopping an impersonal, "mall-ish" chain. You can find fun brands like Jack Rogers and Tory Burch. There's vintage Chanel, and usually some gorgeous pieces by Louisville's very own W&M Jewelry!

My very, very favorite shopping experience of all time was at the Monkee's in Nashville. I got a pair of $500 Lilly Pulitzer boots for $40. While I doubt we'll find any sales like that today, I'm pretty excited to check out this cute new store!

Hope to see y'all there!