Happy Birthday, HerKentucky!!
Six years ago today, HerKentucky.com's first post went live! I can't believe that my little idea of sharing stories about Kentucky life has become my full-time job. I am so grateful for all of you who read the blog and follow along in our social media communities!
Today, I have a little birthday present for one of you. Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below to win a Draper James Be Kind Y'all Trinket Tray, and keep an eye out for more fun birthday celebrations this week! (This drawing is brought to you by HerKentucky and is in no way sponsored by Draper James.)
Gameday Tee and the Stadium that Will Always be Known as Commonwealth
My favorite new gameday tee!
Hey y'all! It's the first home game at, uh, Kroger Field. It's going to take a little minute to get used to calling it that. Anyway, I wish I were in Lexington for this UK game, because not only is it the first game at the newly-renamed stadium, but the Cats are playing my parents' alma mater, EKU.
The University will also be saluting one of my very favorite UK alums, garden designer Jon Carloftis, today! Jon is such a cool, creative, and wonderful Kentuckian, and I love this story of how he utilized his Kentucky degree to craft a dream career.
I can't make today's game, but I am rocking a fun game day tee from Draper James! I love this top because I can cheer for both of the teams I love -- the 'Cats and the Crimson Tide -- without a costume change! (Don't forget to click here for $20 off your Draper James order!)
Who are y'all rooting for today?
Kentucky's Best Labor Day Sales!
The best online and in-store Labor Day sales
Hey y'all! If you're sitting at home on this rainy Labor Day weekend, I've compiled a list of some of the best sales (online and in-person) from Kentucky stores!
Bourbon-themed items
Maker's Mark: 20% off online purchase with code LD17.
Pappy & Co: 15% off online order with code LABORDAY. A portion of proceeds will go to
the American Red Cross to help victims of Hurricane Harvey.
Bourbon Outfitters: Sale on select shirts and flasks.
Exercise Studios
BYou: VIB Membership Sale; B.Boutique Apparel Sale.
Housewares
Louisville Stoneware: 10% off all online orders with code LABORDAY10.
Hadley Pottery: Save 30% on a $250 order with Discount Code: LABORDAY30; Save 25% on a $150 order with Discount Code: LABORDAY25; Save 15% on a $75 order with Discount Code: LABORDAY15.
Pomegranate Attic Sale: Up to 70% off on table linens, aprons, bags, sweaters and more.
Clothing
A. St Clair: 50% off coral/blush, gold tunics, and last chance pieces. 20% off everything; 5% of sales benefit Hurricane Harvey victims.
C.C. Prep (St Matthews): 20% off in-store.
Where are you shopping this weekend?
Bourbon and Coke Slushes for Tailgating
Football season is finally here, y'all! Enjoy these bourbon and Coke slushies for tailgating!
Football season is finally here, y'all! Bob and I may have started the countdown to football sometime in June. And we may have added the Kentucky game and the Alabama game to our iPhone calendars back in July. And Bob may have gotten some fancy tv speakers that I don't fully understand in anticipation of the football season. Let's just say that we're really looking forward to Saturday's games!
Image via Draper James
With the 'Cats in Hattiesburg and a full Saturday of great games, it's the perfect time to kick off the long weekend with a frozen bourbon and coke slushie. These Tervis Tumblers from Draper James are the perfect way to keep your drink cold and reflect your school spirit. (Click here for $20 off your online Draper James order!)
These slushies are fun because you can use any soft drink you like, and even omit the whiskey for kids or anyone who doesn't care to imbibe.
For each slushie, use two cups of ice, a cup of Coke, and 2-3 ounces of bourbon. Add ice to the blender and crush until smooth. Add bourbon and pulse; add coke and pulse again. I used Maker's Mark in my test recipe, but I also like the idea of adding a lower proof bourbon (like Basil Hayden or Old Forester 86 proof) to keep these drinks a little less potent. I added a splash of bitters to the Maker's and Ale-8 slushie, like they do at Star Hill Provisions at Maker's Mark. It really adds an interesting dimension to the drink!
Cheers, y'all. How are you celebrating the return of football season?
My #KYBeef Iron Chef Experience, Part I: Cooking with Meijer at Michigan State
A couple of weeks ago, I had the amazing opportunity to visit Michigan State University courtesy of the Kentucky Beef Council and Meijer. There were a lot of fun experiences, like learning how beef is graded and visiting the College of Food Science and Nutrition at MSU with a group of fellow bloggers, Michigan State employees, and representatives from Meijer, the Kentucky and Michigan Beef Councils and the Cattleman's Association. The sessions were titled #BlogMeetsBeef, and I feel so much more confident about how to purchase and prepare beef after these events! My favorite portion of #BlogMeetsBeef was the cooking competition. The participants were divided into three groups, given a $100 gift card to Meijer, and asked to prepare, plate, and photograph a balanced meal, including a wine pairing.
I was paired with two registered dietitians -- Kati Mora, a practicing dietitian focusing on eating disorders, and Tina Miller, a dietitian on on the Meijer health communications team. I laughed that, from the beginning, it was a bit of a funny fit since my cooking tends to veer into bacon-and-grits territory, while the two dietitians on my team started thinking vegetable servings and a healthy dose of quinoa! We actually all worked really well together!
The rules for our competition were that the main protein for our meal had to be the actual beef that our team had cut the day before. Working with the Meijer beef team in the MSU Food Science butcher-training room, we broke down a full beef sirloin into a sirloin cap, sirloin steaks, and petite sirloins. We chose to use the sirloin cap as the portion for our meal. This is a great, tender cut that I'd never worked with before!
The requirements of our competition were that we should use (preferably) 8 ingredients or less, that we should use Meijer branded products wherever possible, and that it should be a balanced meal. We chose to sear our sirloin cap in a grill pan and serve it with a quinoa salad, feta cheese, and a cherry- Pinot Noir reduction. We served the meat over a bed of arugula; the sweetness of the cherries, saltiness of the feta, and peppery bite of arugula are one of my favorite combinations, so I was excited about our team's menu!
To add some fresh flavor, we added lemon juice to both the cherry reduction and the quinoa salad; we garnished the plates with parsley.
Scallions and bell peppers added color and crunch to the quinoa salad. I have to say that it was great to cook with dietitians. In preparing a similar meal at home, I wouldn't think to consider a cup of bell peppers. I'd serve the quinoa/ bell pepper mixture as a starch and then add in a veggie. It was a good reminder about portioning and nutrition!!
In working with the beef folks, we were given many reminders that, for safe consumption, a meat thermometer is a better indicator of doneness than internal color!
Our final product turned out pretty lovely! We plated it using some of the guidelines provided to us by Michael Ollier, Senior Corporate Chef for Certified Angus Beef. Our team actually won the cooking competition! I was pretty excited that our ideas came together so well!
Thanks so much to Meijer and the Kentucky Beef Council for this experience! I can't wait to tell you about the second time that week that I played Iron Chef -- the second time was at the Kentucky State Fair!!
How I Shop the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale
Tips for the Summer's Preppiest Sale!
I'm sure that most of y'all know that the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale starts tomorrow (Monday) morning. If you frequent fashion blogs, especially those with a preppy twist, then you've seen the basic tips, and you know to have your login and payment info ready. But, I have a few of my own tried-and-true after-party sale tricks to help you get exactly what you want in a hurry!
Search by Style
The first thing I do when I get into the Lilly Sale is to search by style. For me, there are three Lilly pieces that always fit perfectly, hold up well, and generally work for my life. I start any Lilly sale by searching for those pieces: The Elsa Top, the Skipper Popover, and the Sophie Dress.
1. The Elsa Top
This is always the first thing I search for when buying Lilly. It's a silk blouse that can work with anything from jeans and shorts to skirts and tailored trousers. It often runs a little large, so I have a two-size range in this style. It's a popular style, and it goes quickly, so I search for Elsa tops, determine if there's one in my size (or my mom's) that I want, and make my first purchase.
2. The Skipper Popover
After I've assessed the Elsa situation, I move on to searching for Skipper Popovers. This is like a dressy, French Terry sweatshirt. There are a few variants on that style now, so "popover" is probably a better search term than "Skipper." Either way, this is my second favorite search, because I wear these tops year-round. I look for my size (and, again, my mom's!); I like to buy these so that they're a little large.
I got the striped Skipper Popover in the January After-Party Sale. It's become one of the tops I reach for time and again!
3. The Sophie Dress
I love the Sophie dress! It's a jersey/knit dress, but it has a little more style and substance than a regular t-shirt dress. I find that these dresses get so many compliments whenever I wear them. This is another style that my mom loves as well (in fact, she and I both have it in Southern Charm, the print at the far left in the photo below), so I look for the Sophie in my size and hers.
Search by Print
After I've looked for my favorite pieces, I search by print. If there was an absolute favorite print that I loved in the previous few months, I'll scan the sale for it. For example, during the January 2017 After-Party Sale, I looked for Psychedelic Sunshine, a print from August/ September 2016. I usually don't like to buy more than one piece in a particular print, but this one is so special that I wound up getting an Elsa and a midi skirt (I'd bought the Sophie dress when it was new in the stores!)
Shop by Size
After these searches, I finally search by size. I look for my size in tops, dresses, and skirts. I check what's available for my mom, and for my little nieces. And, I try not to buy more than we all need!
My all-time favorite Lilly purchase -- my niece's first Lilly dress!
Check Back In!
Because it is so hard to get online at the stroke of 8 on Monday morning, the Lilly Pulitzer crew has really gotten smart about pacing the sale. New styles will come on the site as the sale progresses. This year, they've announced that the sale will last three days rather than two. I promise, if y'all want to shop, you'll be able to!
Shop the Palm!
If you're in Lexington Louisville, stop in the Peppermint Palm! They have great prices and a great selection!
Good Luck, and let me know what y'all find! How do you shop the After-Party Sale?
Pumpkin-Peanut Butter Dog Treats and the Draper James #BeKindYall Challenge!
Your pup's new favorite treat!
These cookies are Sophie-certified
The recipe I'm most frequently asked to share is for my homemade dog treats. They're full of pumpkin and peanut butter, and dogs go crazy for them! I adapted the recipe from this one to make a double batch and amp up the pumpkin and PB goodness. This morning, I decided to bake a batch for my own dog, and to share with my friends' dogs. My friend Ashley just adopted a precious senior beagle from the Kentucky Humane Society (that story is coming soon!) and Cathy's Willie is recovering from severe leg injuries. Since our crazy dog lady crew has eight dogs among the three of us, it seemed like a great time to make a big batch of dog treats! Here's the recipe for you to print out for yourself! (Just make sure your friends' dogs can tolerate wheat! It's a pretty common allergy!)
View recipe on Kulinarian.com
It just happened that, as these treats were cooling this morning, my Draper JamesBe Kind, Y'all tote bag arrived, along with the #bekindyall challenge card. I love this idea: simple ways that you can make someone's day a little better. You'll notice that I may have edited my challenge just a bit!
I have to say that this challenge has inspired me to find more ways to do small everyday things to be kind to others. I plan to use this tote to carry donations to the food bank donation bin at my local grocery store and dog toys to my humane society. I also plan to keep out some notecards to drop notes to friends more frequently. Thanks so much to Draper James for the important reminder to be kinder! (Click here for $20 off your next Draper James online order!)
How do y'all plan to be kind today?
