Heather C. Watson 5/26/16 Heather C. Watson 5/26/16

Maker's Mark Chocolate Chess Pie

I LOVE Chess Pie. I especially love the chocolate chess pie at Homemade Ice Cream & Pie Kitchen. Of course, my favorite flavor profile on earth is the mixture of rich bittersweet chocolate with a sweet, high-wheat bourbon, especially Maker's Mark. The dark chocolate notes paired with the vanilla and caramels of the Maker's to create a decadent treat. It just made sense to bake a pie that combined these two! I adapted from this great recipe.

Pie Crust

1 stick (1/2 cup) cold butter
1 1/2 cups flour
Pinch Kosher Salt
2/3 cup cold whole milk

Stir together the butter, flour, and salt in a mixing bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour until the butter is the size of peas.
Add milk, one splash at a time to the flour and stir. Continue adding the milk until the mixture forms a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and flatten into a disk shape.
Chill dough about 15 minutes.
Roll dough, place in a pie place and trim and crimp the edges.
Chill dough while you make the filling.

Filling

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
2 ounces Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons Maker's Mark Bourbon Whisky
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Place butter and chocolate in a small glass bowl or measuring cup and microwave for 45-60 seconds. Stir and let sit to finish melting the chocolate and then to let it cool a bit.
Place sugar, eggs, flour, bourbon, salt and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk well to combine.
Add chocolate mixture to the sugar mixture and whisk until smooth.
Pour filling into pie crust and bake in preheated oven until edges are browned and filling is puffed and set (but still wiggly in the center), about 30 minutes.
Let cool and serve alone, with whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.

Heather C. Watson 5/24/16 Heather C. Watson 5/24/16

Easy Summer Outfits!

Dress up your summer wardrobe!

The past few days have brought warm temperatures and the end of school. And, I don't know about y'all, but I just don't feel like getting dressed up at all. Even when I need to. Here are some cute ways to pull yourself together without trying too hard.

Fun dresses

Lightweight dresses are always a great option. These Lilly Pulitzer dresses are a perfect match for dinner, drinks, or anything else that pops up.

Lilly Pulitzer Dominica Handkerchief Hem Dress

And there's nothing more comfortable than a well-made t-shirt dress with fun tennis shoes for a day of running errands or hanging out with friends.

L.L. Bean Mariner Dress, ON SALE under $40

Sweatshirts and Shorts

There really is a way to wear a structured long-sleeved top with shorts without looking like you're headed to a sorority rush workshop. Opt for fun prints and quality fabrics to pull the look together

The LL Bean French Sailor's Shirt is my FAVORITE. I have this in cream and navy, and cream and rose, and it is just the perfect thing for most any season! I just got this Lilly Pulitzer

L.L. Bean French Sailor's Shirt; all colors under $35; sale colors under $20!

Dress up your sneakers and flip-flops!

You really don't want to wear old sneakers or rubber flip-flops, do you? I love a pretty pair of Keds with skirts, and Jack Rogers sandals with just about anything!

What's on your summer wardrobe wishlist?

Heather C. Watson 5/20/16 Heather C. Watson 5/20/16

The Kentucky Derby Fan's Guide to the Preakness Stakes

Preakness Stakes Black Eyed Susan Cocktail

With Kentucky Derby Winner Nyquist and Derby second-place finisher Exaggerator ranking as many oddsmakers' favorites in this weekend's Preakness Stakes, horse racing fans' attention has turned to Maryland's Pimlico Park. Here's the HerKentucky Guide to the Preakness Stakes, which will tell you everything you need to know about this weekend's race festivities!

Black-Eyed Susan Day

The day before the Preakness, Pimlico celebrates Black-Eyed Susan Day with a G2 race for 3 year-old fillies. Known as the Pimlico Oaks until 1952 when it was renamed to honor the Maryland state flower, the Black Eyed Susan Stakes serves as the second leg of the filly Triple Crown. Like the Kentucky Oaks, the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes has a charitable focus, benefitting the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and Susan G. Komen® Maryland.

Preakness Traditions

This weekend marks the 141st running of the Preakness Stakes. Race day will start off with the annual Alibi Breakfast for trainers, jockeys, owners, and media. The crowd will sing along with Maryland's state song, Maryland, My Maryland, and sip Black-Eyed Susan cocktails. The winning owner will be given a sterling silver replica of the Woodlawn vase (The original trophy, an 1893 creation by Tiffany & Co, remains on permanent display) and the winning horse will be draped in a blanket of Black-Eyed Susans.

Preakness Fashion

While the focus on Kentucky Derby Day is high fashion, the Preakness is all about fun. I asked Bri Mott, the founder of raceday style website Fashion at the Races (and the most fashionable horse lover I know!) to describe the difference in Derby and Preakness style. Her tips? "Dressing for the Preakness Stakes is very different than the Southern Belle style of the Kentucky Derby. Preakness is known for its 'party' factor with all the crazy stories of the infield. You want to bring the party into your fashion. Bold colors and flashy prints. Less brimmed hats and more fun fascinators. It's all about the fun and you show that in your raceday style!"

Preakness Spirits

Like the Derby's famous mint julep, the Preakness has its own signature cocktail, the Black-Eyed Susan. You can find the official recipe here, but I modified mine with homemade sour mix, Indian River Valencia orange juice, and Boteco Vodka. This is a sweet and sassy citrus-based cocktail that packs quite the punch!

Black-Eyed Susan Cocktail

1.5 oz vodka
1 oz Maker's Mark bourbon whisky
2 oz orange juice
2 oz sour mix (recipe below)
orange slice and cherry for garnish

Combine all ingredients and serve over ice.

Homemade Sour mix

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup lemon juice, strained
0.5 cup lime juice, strained

Make simple syrup by bringing sugar and water to a boil. Stir to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and let cool. Add citrus juices. Shake and use immediately or refrigerate.

Happy Preakness weekend, y'all!

This post was brought to you by The Kentucky Derby Book.

Heather C. Watson 5/7/16 Heather C. Watson 5/7/16

Five Fun Facts about the Kentucky Derby Garland of Roses

American Pharoah's Garland of Roses. Image via Kentucky Derby.

Perhaps the most iconic and memorable of all Kentucky Derby traditions is the garland of red roses that is placed around the winning horse. This custom has earned the Kentucky Derby the nickname “The Run for the Roses®”, but how much do you know about the Kentucky Derby red rose? Here are some fun facts for your Derby Day.

· Roses were first used in the 1896 Derby, when winner Ben Brush received an arrangmenent of pink and white roses.

· The red rose became the official flower of the Kentucky Derby in 1904.

· The Derby was given the nickname “The Run for the Roses” in 1925 by sports columnist Bill Corum. The phrase was trademarked by Churchill Downs Inc. in 2009.

· Burgoo King, the winner of the 58th running of the Kentucky Derby, won the first garland of roses as we know it today.

· The Derby Garland has been crafted by Kroger since 1987. The Derby Garland is 122 inches long and 22 inches wide, and weighs approximately 40 lbs. More than 450 Rainforest Alliance Certified "Freedom" roses are placed on the garland.

Heather C. Watson 5/6/16 Heather C. Watson 5/6/16

Lilly Pulitzer Kentucky Derby Quilt

Happy Derby Weekend, y'all!

I've shown you most of my quilt collection before, but this may just be the most special one of all!

Several years ago, we were able to find some yardage of this gorgeous Lilly Pulitzer print on eBay. The print is "Low Riders," and it features gorgeous shades of mint, periwinkle, and butter, as well as horses and some rather iconic spires.

Of course, it's no secret that Lilly and Derby go hand in hand! My local Lilly Pulitzer store, The Peppermint Palm, goes all out for Derby; they always work with local milliners to match the latest Lilly prints, host the Derby Festival Princesses, and generally have lots of Derby-time fun!

The ties between the Lilly Pulitzer brand and the equestrian lifestyle go back to Mrs Pulitzer's own love of horses. The late Mrs Pulitzer often cited these ties to her own childhood memories of traveling to Kentucky from her family's upstate New York home to watch her stepfather's horses run at Churchill Downs. As a young adult, Lilly even served as a horseback courier for the Frontier Nursing Service in southeastern Kentucky!

My Lilly Derby quilt is such a special keepsake, because it combines so many things that I absolutely love -- Lilly Pulitzer, the Kentucky Derby, and the priceless feeling of having a quilt made by my grandmother!

Happy Derby, y'all!

Check out more Quilt of the Week posts here:

Heather C. Watson 5/6/16 Heather C. Watson 5/6/16

My Old Kentucky Home

The history of Kentucky's state song

"The Sun Shines Bright on My Old Kentucky Home…”

The lyrics of Kentucky’s state song bring a tear to the eye of even the most cynical track-goer. In fact, one of the most sentimental moments of Kentucky Derby Day is when the crowd – led bythe University of Louisville Marching Band—sings Stephen Foster’s nostalgic ballad, My Old Kentucky Home. But did you know that My Old Kentucky Home was once regarded as a powerful anti-slavery message?

My Old Kentucky Home Music Box, Louisville Stoneware

The story goes that songwriter Stephen Foster, whom many consider to be the father of American music, wrote My Old Kentucky Home in 1852, after reading Harriet Beecher Stowe’s famous abolitionist novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. The original lyrics of the ballad told the story of enslaved servants who’d been sold from a peaceful and happy life in Kentucky into a harsh existence in the Deep South. The grief of the narrators as they recall better times with their families led famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass to note that the song engenders "the sympathies for the slave, in which antislavery principles take root, grow, and flourish."

U of L Marching Band plays My Old Kentucky Home, image via Kentucky Derby.

The lyrics of My Old Kentucky Home were later adapted to reflect a more generalized nostalgia for the Bluegrass State. The ballad was first played at the Kentucky Derby and was named Kentucky’s state song in 1928. Kentucky Governor A.B. “Happy” Chandler famously sang the song at University of Kentucky basketball games, and actor Johnny Depp led what could easily be characterized as the weirdest version at a memorial service for his fellow Kentuckian, writer Hunter S. Thompson. The Bardstown, Kentucky mansion that is said to be the setting for My Old Kentucky Home has been a beloved state park since the 1930s, and the song is now associated with the greatest aspects of Kentucky, especially The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports.

On Derby Day, before you place your bets and sip your julep, please take a moment to sing along to My Old Kentucky Home and remember that the song has a history of both social justice and deep love for the Commonwealth of Kentucky!

“…For The Old Kentucky Home, Far Away…”

This post was brought to you by The Kentucky Derby Book, an interactive media experience that brings The Run for the Roses ® to your coffee table.

Heather C. Watson 5/6/16 Heather C. Watson 5/6/16

Ten Things You Probably Didn't Know About George Clooney

Ten things you probably didn't know about Kentucky native and actor George Clooney.

On May 6, 1961, George Timothy Clooney was born in Lexington, KY, the younger child of journalist Nick Clooney and his wife, Nina. George, the nephew of singer and actress Rosemary Clooney, made his TV debut at age 5 on his father's Cincinnati-based talk show, and grew up in the Bracken County, KY town of Augusta. He was clearly a charm from a young age.

Young George with his older sister, Ada.

In honor of everybody's favorite Kentucky-born birthday boy, I thought it would be fun to do a little trivia this morning. Here are 10 things you probably didn't know about George Clooney.

George Clooney and Brad Pitt dance at a 2013 Oscars after-party.

George was a high school athlete; he tried out for the Cincinnati Reds, but he didn't make the team.
He is the only person ever to be nominated for an Academy Award in six categories.
Although George rose to fame playing Dr. Doug Ross in the NBC medical drama ER, he previously had a supporting role in the similarly-named Elliot Gould sitcom E/R, which ran on CBS for one season.
He was arrested in 2012 for a planned protest at the Sudanese embassy in Washington, DC.
George attended classes at Northern Kentucky University, the University of Cincinnati, and the Beverly Hills Playhouse. He dropped out of NKU to to make a low-budget movie with his cousin Miguel Ferrer.
George has been married twice: first to actress Talia Balsam (Mona on Mad Men) and currently to attorney Amal Alamuddin.
George is a distant relative to perhaps the most famous Kentuckian of all: His maternal great-great-great-great-grandmother, Mary Ann Sparrow, was a half-sister to Nancy Hanks, mother of Abraham Lincoln.
For years, George had a pet potbellied pig named Max. He credits Max with saving his life, by waking him up before the 1994 Northridge, California earthquake.
He guest-starred on classic 1980s TV shows including The Golden Girls and Murder, She Wrote, as well as his parts on The Facts of Life and Roseanne.
George is the co-owner of a premium tequila label, Casamigo. One of his partners in the Casamigo brand is his friend and neighbor Rande Gerber (Cindy Crawford's husband.)

From all of us here at HerKentucky, Happy Birthday, George!!