The HerKentucky Guide to Keeneland Style

Tomorrow is the first day of Keeneland's Fall Meet, y'all! Now, Lexington in October is the absolute prettiest scenery you can hope for, and the Fall Meet is my absolute favorite. And, in all the years I've been writing about Kentucky, the question I get asked most often is "What should I wear to Keeneland." Here's a handy guide to help you crack the Keeneland Dress Code.

When someone plans to attend their first race at Lexington's storied Keeneland Race Course, I ask three questions to help them plan their wardrobe and Itinerary: "Where are you sitting?"; "What are you doing?"; and "Will the weather cooperate?" As you'll see, those three questions factor into every piece of your Keeneland experience.

1. Where are you sitting? 

This is the most important question to help you gauge your Keeneland wardrobe and experience is where you'll be sitting. 

If you're going to stay near the Paddock --General Admission, Grandstand, or Equestrian Room-- there's no need to dress up very much.  Guys often opt for khakis and polo shirts, and women can wear slacks or skirts. You're actually dressing for a horse race in these sections.  These are the areas nearest the track itself, and people are truly there to watch (and bet on) the horses. With that said, don't be surprised to see a lot of dresses and sport coats in the lower-levels.  In recent years, a culture of dressy tailgating (think Steeplechase) has popped up among college students and twenty-somethings, and the second floor (General Admission) Sports Bar often resembles a campus bar or fraternity semi-formal.  While the dress code says "casual", there's plenty of Vineyard Vines ties and Lilly Pulitzer sundresses to be seen. 

If you'll be dining in the upper-level, enclosed dining rooms-- The Lexington, Kentucky, or Phoenix Rooms-- then expect to dress for a business event.  The Lexington and Kentucky rooms -- dining rooms often reserved for business and social gatherings-- have a "business formal" dress code; these areas require men to don a coat and tie, and skirts/dresses/dressy slacks for ladies.   The Phoenix Room-- another reserved dining room-- is "business casual", requiring collared shirts and slacks for men and dresses or pantsuits for ladies. 

Wear to the Dining Rooms

The track's members-only turf club, the Keeneland Clubhouse, similarly requires coat and tie for men and dressy pants/skirts for ladies.  I find that a skirt suit or a dress paired with a pretty cardigan or wrap is always appropriate for the upper levels.  In general, if you'd wear it to church or a business meeting, you're golden.  

Wear to the Clubhouse

2. What are you doing? 

That seems an odd question; you'll be watching the horse races, right? Well, there's a little more to it. Are you going to walk frequently from the paddock to your seating area? Then you don't want to wear high heels. Will you be tailgating? Then you might want to wear wedges or wellies. The same applies to your parking space! I like to suggest a small handbag or clutch; you don't want to have your hands full with an oversized bag! 

3. Will the weather cooperate? 

Pretty often, Keeneland attire is a day-of decision. October in Kentucky is a pretty tricky weather situation. It could easily be 80 degrees one day, and 50 degrees the next. You’ll need sunglasses, of course, but also potentially a sweater or wrap or a sundress, depending on the day you visit. It’s really easy to get dehydrated on a sunny autumn day at Keeneland. Remember to drink plenty of water, especially if you’re imbibing, and don’t forget the sunscreen!

Most of all, remember to enjoy what I’m sure will be a pretty wonderful day at the track!

National Coffee Day!

Today is National Coffee Day! I have to say that, at HerKentucky Headquarters, Coffee Day is a whole lot like that tagline for Shark Week; we live every day like it's coffee day.

Because we put down a whole lot of java at my house, I wanted to pay tribute to my very favorite cups in Louisville.

Of course, there's Please & Thank You. Strong lattes and some the best baked goods in town. 

And then there's Sunergos, the beans that fuel my own French presses. I'm partial to the Mexico Chiapas blend.

And, of course, there's my neighborhood Starbucks, which serves as my office away from home, my cappuccino connection, and generally the place that keeps me caffeinated! 

Happy Coffee Day, y'all. Today and every day. Who keeps you caffeinated? 

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.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Gameday Tee and the Stadium that Will Always be Known as Commonwealth

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!

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! 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!!