Welcome to All in the Detail... I am so glad you are here!
church on sunday
Welcome to
All in the Detail... I am so glad you are here!
Whether a
church is
simple or
ornate, large or small,
old or new,
wooden or stone...
it is most
likely always a beautiful sight to behold.
Today, I share
this beautiful image of a church with you
in hopes that
it will bring
a little
peace, a little joy
and a lot of
love.
Lord, as I
walk through this World,
Let Your Grace
Light my Path,
Your Mercy Shelter
my Soul
and Your Love
Heal my Heart.
from a restaurant supply store
Welcome to All in the Detail... I am so glad you are here!
There are so many things to choose from in restaurant supply stores, and usually at such great prices. So, what's worth getting there for the home kitchen, especially if you're on a budget?
Just a suggestion to you when planning your first trip: Go with a Shopping List.
Here are my five top picks of the best values from restaurant supply stores:
If I could be anybody at 70 years old, I would want to
be Ina Garten. Actually, scratch that — I'd want to be her at any age (and
anyone who knows me, can attest to that). Just a little side note sharing here –
bet you can hear me screaming now as you read this – I have tickets for my
daughter and me to go see Ina (as us close friends call her) in Atlanta, November
13th – an evening with Ina… I mean…. seriously…. I just can’t………………
Sorry, I fainted (again)
Ok, back to this post, I want her Hamptons house and her $15,000 French stove, and I want to smile all the time and look 25 years
younger than I am — just like she does. The last part I'm still optimistic for,
but the Hamptons house (not to mention her garden, her barn – and oh yes, she actually calls this The Barn - and then there’s that breathtaking Paris apartment, I mean…. seriously…. I just can’t……………… AGAIN) and her oven are
things I might just have to be content with by watching Ina on TV. She has beautiful
things, beautiful taste and OK, I’ll say it, she has beautiful friends. But you know what... I do, too!
It's obvious
from watching Ina's shows and Instagram that she has beautiful taste, but in
the end, what she really cares about is quality. "You
don't need a lot of equipment, but you do need good equipment," she is quoted as saying in a recent interview with Food
& Wine.
Ina's list of
must-have cooking equipment includes sheet pans — a lot of sheet pans — and a
good set of knives. A person doesn't need to have a dozen specialty knives, she
says, but a few good, sharp, useful knives are great. She also says a person
should have a good set of sturdy, hard-working pots that will last a lifetime
(but they don't need to be expensive).
"If you
can't afford a good set of pots, you can go to a restaurant supply store," Garten said. "Simple, really good equipment that you
can have forever is really the best."
Going to a restaurant supply store for cooking
equipment is great. The cooks at your favorite high-end anniversary restaurant
may turn out exquisite steaks and souffles, but they're not using thousand dollar casserole dishes. Restaurants put their cookware through the wringer, and they
operate on tight margins and don't want to spend money where they don't have
to.
Some
might find restaurant supply stores unattractive and utilitarian, but I can't
pass by one without going in. If I happen to pass one on the road, I scream, "Turn around. I want to go in!" Sure, there aren't any items with pretty
packaging or cutesy gadgets vying for my attention, but I just love wandering up and down the aisles and seeing what restaurants use to efficiently get food out to
their guests. Of course, I love to eat, I love to cook, I love a beautiful kitchen… I love it
all. So, yes, I love a whole store filled with affordable, reliable cooking equipment.
There are so many things to choose from in restaurant supply stores, and usually at such great prices. So, what's worth getting there for the home kitchen, especially if you're on a budget?
Just a suggestion to you when planning your first trip: Go with a Shopping List.
Here are my five top picks of the best values from restaurant supply stores:
1. Baking Sheets
Also known in the restaurant industry as sheet pans,
these are the pans that can do it all: bake cookies, roast vegetables, or even
act as jelly roll pans. You want heavy-duty baking sheets that won't buckle or
warp, and restaurant supply stores have never failed to offer good quality at
great values. Make sure you stock up on half-sheet pans, which fit in standard
ovens, as well as quarter-sheet pans, which are great for toasting nuts or
other little baking or prep projects.
2. Chef's Knives
If you can't afford a more expensive designer knife,
restaurant supply stores have lightweight but sharp chef's knives with plastic
handles, usually around $10 to $15.
3. Frying Pans
Not everyone can buy a set of All-Clad pans, and
neither do most restaurants. Instead, they rely on strong aluminum pans that
can take the high heat and high-stress cooking that goes on in restaurant
kitchens. These pans get a lot of use yet still do a great job of searing and
sautéing, and they can do the same thing in a home kitchen for a fraction of
the cost of name-brand pans.
4. Plastic Cutting Boards
A good set of plain, plastic cutting boards is always
needed in the kitchen. Even if you have a great butcher block, plastic boards
are good for cutting meat and are also easier to maneuver in the kitchen. Plus,
they are a breeze on clean-up. Restaurant supply stores have a wide range of
boards in multiple sizes that will hold up for years.
5. Mixing Bowls
Restaurant supply stores are great for getting a
sturdy set of metal or glass mixing bowls. I find that I always need two big
bowls for mixing salad or for the wet and dry ingredients in baking, and a few
smaller ones don't hurt for whisking up salad dressings or beating eggs. The
ones from the restaurant supply stores are inexpensive, can be used as
makeshift double boilers, and are virtually indestructible.
That's also
true of glassware. I was discussing stemware with my favorite local bartender
recently, and he suggested I buy them from a restaurant supply store.
Ok, I can't help myself and just because I can...
one more Ina kitchen photo for good measure
(get it? Measure, kitchen supplies.)
low country charm
Welcome to All in the Detail... I am so glad you are here!
I am a Gulf Coast person, through and through… a 30A kind of gal, but there are two other areas of the country that seem to call to me on a regular basis:
1.
New
England – specifically that Atlantic Ocean coast line
2.
The low
country of the South Carolina coast.
I actually feel guilty at times
for not being loyal to my Gulf Coast love… but a girl can have more than one love
in her life, right?
Now one of the best, and I mean
BEST, areas of South Carolina is an enchanting community in its Low country and
one of Coastal Living’s 20 Best Places to Live in 2017, Palmetto Bluff. This little
community includes some of the best places to eat, drink, play, and stay in the
country. Why the breathtaking architecture alone makes me swoon! I am a sucker
for the style seen there… you just wait. Plus, bonus points, my all-time favorite
architect abounds here, Historical Concepts. I admit it, I am in love.
The romance begins, in this Low country community near the
Georgia border, with those emblematic live oaks and Spanish moss. They grace
the winding avenues here, where life combines a passion for nature with Southern
civility, plus a sweet dose of sports (golf, fishing, equestrian, and shooting);
yachting on the May River and beyond; and culinary pleasures (including the
annual Music festival). Along with the charming commerce of food, drink, and
shopping, the Montage Inn at Palmetto
Bluff (which opened in 2016) has added
a shimmering new center to this best-kept secret on the Southern coast.
Palmetto Bluff by the Numbers
Population: 200
- I mean, com’on, how quaint, right?
Average July temperature high: 90
- absolute perfection
Average January low: 39
– I can live with that (but probably won’t
winter there)
Median home price: $1.2 million
– a girl can dream, right?
Average commute time: 24 minutes
– that’s nothing compared to an Atlanta
commute
Number of sunny days: 217
– duh!
Palmetto Bluff offers everyone a beach gift twice a day, at
low tide. That’s when the May River Sandbar emerges, smooth and silky, from the
water and becomes a slender beach playground for locals and visitors alike. And
if you are a shell or drift wood collection, hold onto your hats… it’s a treasure
trove!
One of Palmetto Bluff’s most distinctive offerings is its
sporting life, particularly for the hard-core competitor, the Wilson Lawn and Racquet
Club (above) features two pristine croquet lawns (do not scoff—croquet players are
among the most fiercely competitive. I grew up playing croquet in my back yard
and my father was the cut throat
player of all time!). Finally, locals will tell you that this community is the
best trifecta at Palmetto Bluff: sitting on the chapel dock and swinging your
feet over the May River, hanging out at summer concerts under the live oaks on
the Village Green, and grabbing a drink at the Octagon Bar.
Where to Eat and Drink
If you ever get a chance to visit this beautiful utopia, Palmetto
Bluff pours an excellent locally roasted King Bean coffee at all its
restaurants, so good coffee is to be found
everywhere in the community! You had me at ‘coffee’. Hit Buffalo’s corner café (above) in
Wilson Village for a cup with breakfast, or grab it with your morning paper at RT’s
Market.
Where to Stay
Surrounded by Low country rivers and marshes, and blending
seamlessly with the community edged with a nature preserve and webbed with
hiking trails, the Montage Palmetto Bluff (above & below) enchants with charming lagoon- and river-view cottages
and a spa. The resort is awash in activities — hitting the links on the May
River Golf Course, shooting clays at the Palmetto Bluff Shooting Club, tennis,
yachting, and trail rides on horseback, to name but a few.
And if
you are not a ‘resort’ kind of person, there are plenty of VRBO Palmetto Bluff SC or Air BnB
choices in this beautiful and charming village.
What to Do
Upon
arrival at Palmetto Bluff, you are greeted by century-old live oaks and hiking
trails, lazy winding rivers, spectacular sunny skies, and 20,000 acres of
natural splendor. So, if you fancy yourself an outdoor enthusiast, you have
come to the right place. Palmetto Bluff’s waterways are teeming with memorable
experiences just waiting to be had. Grab a kayak, paddleboard, or canoe and
take in the native wildlife and serene, verdant landscape as you meander along
the May River. Or journey to the May River Sandbar, a location that is usually
kept hidden by Mother Nature, except for twice a day when the tide recedes to
reveal a beautiful silky beach. Now, personally I am not an outdoor type of person, but when it comes to sitting in a beautiful setting in an Adirondack chair, enjoying the peace and quiet of the day, count me in!
Interested in dropping a line or just an anchor and enjoying a beautiful summer day? Head to one of Palmetto Bluff’s ponds or lakes for a chance to catch largemouth bass and bream. Or stick with the saltwater May or Cooper rivers for tarpon, cobia, redfish, and sea trout. Either way, your day will be filled with quiet relaxation the way nature intended.
For
those who have a passion for other outdoor activities like golf, bocce, and
tennis, Palmetto Bluff will more than meet your expectations. The May River
Golf Course has an acclaimed 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Course, and the
Wilson Lawn and Racquet Club is ladened with bocce and tennis courts, courtside
respites, and croquet lawns. And if you want to get out and test your aim,
there is the Palmetto Bluff Shooting Club, which features 13 sporting clays
stations, spread out through an expansive 40 verdant acres.
Another
way to experience Palmetto Bluff is to bike around the Low country and its
preserve paths, take a nature hike through maritime forest trails, or follow a
guide who will be able to tell you the storied history of Palmetto Bluff and
its dedication to conservation versus development.
The downtown
area offers wonderful boutiques and shops for the avid shopper. You can find
just about anything and everything you would every want within just a few steps
of each other. It is the best way to spend a lazy afternoon there.
And at
the end of the day, unwind from your adventures at Montage Palmetto Bluff, the
centerpiece of Palmetto Bluff hospitality. It is an elegant collection of 220
rooms, suites, cottages, and vacation homes designed with the sophisticated
charm of Southern style. Vaulted ceilings, cozy fireplaces, sumptuous baths,
verandas with breathtaking views, and refined decor offer an authentic glimpse
at Low country living.
What did I tell you, swoon, right?
Now, I know this may seem like a ‘paid advertisement’ for the Palmetto Bluff Welcome Center and maybe they should pay me! I love this area of the country and could/would easily ‘sell’ the charm right out of Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina, but trust me, one visit and you will be hooked too.
Yes, I AM IN LOVE.
sunday in bed
Welcome to All in the Detail... I am so glad you are here!
It’s Sunday and everyone deserves a day off.
Here’s wishing you a restful Sunday.
recipe friday
Welcome to All in the Detail... I am
so glad you are here!
Turkey Gravy
Ingredients
- 2 lb turkey wings
- 5 T extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, halved
- 4 carrots, chopped
- 1 head garlic, smashed
- 2 sprigs fresh sage
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 8 black peppercorns
- 2 T unsalted butter
- ¼ C all-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Heat the
oven to 375 degrees F.
Put the
turkey wings (also backbone and neck if you have it) into a small roasting pan
and roast them until they are golden brown, about 30 minutes. You can also use this recipe when you are
roasting a whole turkey or chicken.
Heat 3
tablespoons olive oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat.
Add the
onion, carrots, garlic, herbs, and peppercorns and cook for 5 minutes. Add the
turkey wings.
Pour some
water into the roasting pan and scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom;
add this to the pot.
Cover
everything in the pot with cold water by 1-inch and bring to the boil, skimming
any foam that rises to the surface.
Reduce
the heat and simmer for about 1½ to 2 hours.
*You can
also use this recipe when you are roasting a whole turkey or chicken – start
here.
Strain
out the solids and discard.
Wipe out
the pot and put it over medium heat.
Melt the
butter with the remaining 2 T olive oil and add the flour.
Cook this
roux, stirring frequently, until it is golden brown.
Slowly
whisk in the strained stock being careful to work out any lumps.
Cook
until the gravy has thickened, about 10 to 15 minutes.
BONUS
FEATURE:
to view a
selection of our Recipe Friday recipes.
&
#recipefriday
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