Now that I'm grown and out of the house, married for ten years with children myself, I've found that my relationship with my mother has evolved.  We have always been very close, but since I've spread my wings and left the nest, our relationship has actually deepened and reached a whole… Read full post »

A few weeks ago, Lucy Mercer approached many of the SKC frequent contributors with a proposition.  Would we like to join her in participating in the Imperial Sugar "Bake it Forward" project?  The project involves the procuring of an Imperial Sugar tin, filling it with goodies, and mailing i… Read full post »

When I think back to the Thanksgivings of my childhood, I remember trips to Florida, to my Nanny and Papa's house, where the kids might venture for a chilly (but not cold) dip in the pool while the moms and aunts and Nanny did the cooking and the dads and Papa did....I'm not… Read full post »

I wrote this about a year and a half ago, when I had a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old.  They are now 6 and 4 and the situation has only gotten worse. :)

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What's up, Doc?

I knew teenage boys would be expensive to… Read full post »

For as long as I can remember, all Southern family functions have involved a pound cake.  If someone comes for a visit, bake a pound cake. When a baby's born, take the family a pound cake.  When someone dies, bake a pound cake.  When someone new moves into the… Read full post »

At our house, we're in the process of trying to remove, or at least reduce,  processed foods from our diet.  My son is having difficulties focusing and concentrating, and I've done some research and there's evidence out there that eliminating things like aspartame/… Read full post »

It's been a tough couple of years for Alex.  Now that he's in school, it's been a stressful, frustrating time for all of us.  Considering that Alex is a bright, cooperative, easy-going, good-natured kid, school has been shockingly hard.  And it's only the first grade.

Alex is our first… Read full post »

When I think of apples and fall weather, I always think of my friend Martina.  Martina was a foreign exchange student who worked as an au pair at our neighbors' house when I was in high school.  She was hired to come to America and help look after their child… Read full post »

My mother's mother was a lady of quiet dignity and grace.  She was the discipline to my other grandmother's wild side.  She was the decorum to my Nanny's social mishaps.  She was a lady, a fine, Southern lady, and I loved her.

Harriet (who I called Mimi for no… Read full post »

A Royal Flush

My grandmother was the youngest of six children,  and the three youngest girls lovingly referred to themselves as "the susters" for all of their lives (the oldest sister died early, before I knew her....I'm not sure if she was originally one of the "susters" or not;… Read full post »

In the Victorian language of flowers, basil signified love or good wishes.  In Ancient Greece, it was the "royal" herb.  In India, it is sacred and is believed, in the Hindu religion, to protect the dead from evil.  It is often planted around t… Read full post »

Ask any grown woman about her memories of sleepovers as a child, and I can almost guarantee she'll have some.  Sleepovers defined my youth...many Friday nights were spent in the company of best friends, either one at a time, or on rarer occasions, at sleepover "parties," whe… Read full post »

When I saw that this week's SKC was fruit cocktail, I immediately thought of a scene from one of my favorite movies.  In "Steel Magnolias," Dolly Parton makes mention of an easy dessert that has since been made famous at church potlucks in these parts, the "Cuppa Cuppa… Read full post »

I have vivid memories of peach season when I was growing up.  My parents, my dad especially, were peach fiends.  Every year, when the fruit came in season, they'd go to the farmer's market and bring home baskets full of them. 

Peaches were about the only fru… Read full post »

Today was my son's sixth birthday.  At his school, the policy is that parents can bring in cookies OR cupcakes during the class's lunchtime.  Parents are also allowed to bring a "special" lunch for their child on their special day.

 So, late yesterday afternoon after hom… Read full post »

After my grandfather died 14 years ago, my grandmother never did get the hang of cooking for one.  She always cooked so much food!  I think her calculations were always a little off due to circumstances beyond her control. 

She was the youngest of six children, so… Read full post »

My tomatoes didn't grow well this year.  I planted four bushes and netted one grape tomato.   One.  I could blame the scorching heat (it's been one hundred degrees in the shade down here more often than I'd care to think about).  I could blame the lack of rain.  I could… Read full post »

This afternoon, I was looking for inspiration on a lot of different levels.  I was feeling a bit melancholy and sentimental, so I was perusing the cookbook my grandmother (who died two years ago) gave me back when her church published it in 2003.  I was looking at… Read full post »

It's sweltering hot in Georgia.  Merely walking outside puts sweat glands into overdrive and has parched mouths begging for a cold drink.  To be outdoors almost requires one to be submerged in a pool full of water, but even the swimming pools are hot.  This weekend… Read full post »

Watermelon and I go way back.  I remember, as a child, standing on our back patio, eating watermelon slices and spitting the seeds into the garden.  The garden we grew when I was small was prolific in its production of tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and even strawber… Read full post »

When I saw that this week's Salon Kitchen Challenge was eggplant, I knew right away what my story would be.  Travel back in time with me a few years...

 It was the summer of 2004 in Atlanta.  It was hot.  It was humid.  I was 7 1/2 months pregnant.&… Read full post »

Float in a small-town Georgia Christmas parade, December 2009

Block party dessert, July 4th, 2009

Stone Mountain, Georgia, at Sunset, January 2010

All-American Hotdogs

All photos (c) Lisa Kuebler Read full post »

"What'll ya have? What'll ya have? What'll ya have? Have your order in your mind and your money in your hand!"

These are the catcalls that can be heard throughout The Varsity, one of Atlanta's most prized landmarks.  As you enter the restaurant, the cashiers chant these lines, urging patro… Read full post »

The only thing more dangerous than a group of senior church ladies playing cards and drinking is a group of senior church ladies playing cards, drinking, and eating rum balls.  The liquor hits them twice as fast, and when you combine that with the sugar rush, the gambling, and the goss… Read full post »