Hospitality lives on and on

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / August 20, 2015 /

This past week, I delivered not one, but two 7-Up Cakes to friends who were suffering from one kind of affliction or the other. Now, in and of themselves, 7-Up Cakes have no proven healing qualities nor have they ever claimed to cure a single thing, but we all know that like the salt water…

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Why we’re leaving public school

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / August 17, 2015 /

This is the story I wrote for the Gulf Coast Newspapers describing why we made a big decision regarding our son’s education.  Check back in the days to come for updates on how our new way of life is going.  I feel like somewhat of a traitor because with my whole heart, I’ve always loved…

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Better than a chick-flick

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / August 13, 2015 /

With my college son working at a camp in Mississippi during the summer, I’m home all day with my dear husband, who works most of the time in his home office and son #2 who works on being a teenager. All day. ALLLL DAAAY. Not that I don’t love every second of being surrounded by their…

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Find your Steinway

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / August 11, 2015 /

“If you could have any power, talent or ability, what would it be?” This was the question asked by friends over dessert one night. After thinking for a moment, I decided that aside from having the power to time travel (hello, young Elvis) I would like to be able to play the piano like Harry…

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Biscuits and Gravy — CHIPS?

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / August 3, 2015 /

Here’s a very important message: No. Uh-uh. Don’t do it. I’m partial to Golden Flake anyway, since they are made in Birmingham, Sweet Home Alabama, but I was tempted to stray with Lay’s promise of the taste of biscuits and gravy, which is one of the best tastes in the world next to fried catfish and…

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7-up Cake

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / July 31, 2015 /

7-Up Cake is a favorite around here and has such a light, lemon-lime, fizzy taste, I think it’s perfect for a hot summer day. I baked these cakes and used them as props for a photo shoot to accompany a newspaper story that will be printed next week. I’ll be sure to post it here…

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The Greatest Love of All

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / July 29, 2015 /

It’s often said that food equals love, and there’s no more powerful proof of God’s love and downright favoritism for the South than in his ultimate gift of “Dinner on the Grounds,” but half the excitement in the gift is knowing how to accept it graciously, and with that in mind, I think we’re not…

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Charles Phillips Antiques

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / July 24, 2015 /

Go over the bay, across the highway, over the river, down windy roads, across a bumpy field . . . then, you will be rewarded by finding antique nirvana, Charles Phillips Antiques. The destination shop, which is the secret place of  antique dealers and designers, is tucked away in Theodore, Alabama, which is in the…

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Pretty Poppies in Fairhope

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / July 22, 2015 /

Do you remember hearing about the poppy project, “Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red” last year in London to commemorate the start of WWI? Well, get ready, because a brigade of volunteers is preparing their own version of the public art installation and there will soon be thousands of pretty poppies in Fairhope! Thousands??? You…

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First, you make a roux . . .

By Leslie Anne Tarabella / July 15, 2015 /

A church to which I once belonged assembled a cookbook and asked all members to contribute their favorite recipes.  Knowing the longevity of such books, my Mother wisely warned me not to submit recipes that contained the phrase, “open a can of . . .” She said it would haunt me for the rest of…

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