From the Hills of East Tennessee...

Well I think I can honestly say....I work at a badass place. I have been very busy since beginning my new chapter at Blackberry Farm, with learning the ropes, an unexpected surgery, and summertime means busy busy busy.

BUT with all that work there have been some pretty sweet perks...

I have gone horseback riding...

I have learned how to fly fish... (and actually caught not one, but TWO!!)

Met one of the very cute and fuzzy Lagotto Romagnolo (aka Truffle Dog) puppies, Tom..

Witnessed the first Saturday of Farmer's Market... Krissy is a Bread Master!! I have become one of two Queens of the cookies...

A little sampling of the goods:

grape jelly (top), strawberry jam (left), and smoked onion jam (bottom) on a fresh buttermilk biscuit

Supported the gift shop for Mother's Day.

Strawberry Jam and Sweet Onion Jam 

And finally an evening on the other side... Dinner at Blackberry Farm!

A HUGE Thank You to Gisell for including me in her dinner plans! :)

Wine Cellar Tour

Buttermilk Panna Cotta with housemade chip, caviar, and dried yolks

Farmstead Charcuterie Plate
 pancetta, ham hock rillette, soppressata, housemade pickles and oatmeal crisp

Country Fried Sweetbreads
crayfish, fava beans, asparagus, shellfish cream

Wood Oven Roasted Guinea Hen
potato croquettes, forest mushrooms, broccolini, and cippolini onions

Profiterole with peanut butter ice cream

Cheese Plate
Blackberry Farm's Singing Brook and Yellow Branch Natural Rind
vanilla apricots and cashew butter

Farmstead Brebis Semifreddo
South Carolina strawberries, cornflour crumbs, sweet pesto

Benne Seed Cake
Honey Mint granita, preserved lemon, Prichard's Run

Neopolitan
Malted Ice Cream, strawberries, and bourbon chocolate ganache

Rocky Road
Toasted marshmallow, chocolate, and pecan toffee

Of course, being pastry girls we had to try ALL of the desserts. Everything was delicious. The charcuterie plate was amazing - I could have eaten that all day long. The sweetbreads were perfect - the cream sauce - yum. The Guinea Hen was so tender and salty. Excellent.

I cannot wait to go back and eat again....couple more months!

SO MUCH FUN! And there is SO much more to explore and enjoy! Hope you are enjoying your summer! I, personally, am headed home to celebrate Father's Day, and am looking very forward to having some cocktails on a new patio with best friends :)

Cheers Friends!

On the move....AGAIN!

Well I said it! 2013 was going to be a great year, and so far it has...

I am in my last 2 weeks of living in Charleston and working at HUSK. I will be moving outside of Knoxville, TN to work at the prestigious Blackberry Farm. I have taken an AM pastry position and will start on February 25th. SO SOON. Although the 4 am - 2 pm shift will take some adjusting to, I am so excited for my new adventure.

And one of the coolest parts....I get to bake in a BARN. One giant beautiful red barn that sits behind a white fence on a green hill at the base of the Great Smoky Mountains. For those of you that know me well, you can only imagine my excitement!! Now I just need to find some horses... :)

"The Barn" at Blackberry Farm

Isn't she beautiful!! Ahhh...I cannot wait!!

Hopefully my blog will get a little more taste bud action once I am moved and settled into my new schedule (early some days, but it will be more consistent). I will definitely be venturing into Knoxville, over to Nashville to visit the new HUSK, and wherever the wind may blow me...

Who knows what is behind another door!

King Street, Charleston, SC.

Stay tuned!!

A New Year, Another Turn On...

My move to Charleston has taken over my life.... I have not written in almost 4 months, BUT I have been cooking, and of course, EATING, with every intention of sharing my culinary experiences.

A new year has come upon us, resolutions have been written down and probably already forgotten in the busy lives we lead. How funny that every year we make lists, empty promises to ourselves, sweet nothings that form our New Year's Resolutions... I believe it was John Lennon who stated, "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans."

Looking forward is very much a necessary evil, but reflections are good for the soul as well...

I moved to the beautiful Holy City on the water...

I completed my internship at Husk, and joined the work force immediately after, where I have been playing with pastries...

Found a favorite spot in Charleston... Twenty Six Divine...

Met Spike....my little alligator that lives in the pond near my apartment

Caught a sunset or two..

Ate at Bowen's Island

Went for a climb in the beautiful North Carolina Mountains.

Witnessed, in person, Sean Brock doing what he does best...

Visited my best friend in Nashville....and checked out the new HUSK...check it out!

FINALLY was reunited with my pup...

She loves the beach!!

Had Thanksgiving at the beach with family

Shucked corn while a Swedish film crew looked on...

Visited the Angel Oak, thought to be over 1500 years old...

Celebrated the holidays at Social with new friends :)

Got to go back to Kentucky for Christmas...and it snowed!!

Had the best kind of Christmas, a culinary Christmas....

And rang in the New Year with a cute boy...

It's already almost the middle of January and things are moving so quickly... so many exciting things to come. 2013 is going to be great!

Wishing everyone a happy, and healthy, NEW YEAR :) Cheers!