How to Sweeten Mother's Day

Let's be honest: By this point, FedEx overnight shipping might be your only savior for Sunday's festivities in honor of Mom. Rather than stress out over elaborate packages, sweeten up the day with little gestures of equivalent (if not greater) value.

Here are a few ideas:

1. Grab some tea bags and fresh lavender from your local market. Place them in small canvas packs and pop them in a Paper & Clay mug (which you can buy this Saturday at her studio pop-up!) for ultimate presentation. A little jar of Nature Nate's honey won't hurt, either.

2. Pick up a bouquet of peonies while you're grabbing morning coffee on the way to your mother's house. City & State will have a floral pop-up on Sunday, if you're in Memphis!

3. Skip the restaurant reservation. Make something memorable in the kitchen.

4. Cinnamon rolls. Just because.

5. Do not buy a clever card from Target, unless you feel like stressing yourself out for 20 minutes in the aisle with an attempt to find one that matches your unique mother perfectly. Just get a pretty piece of stationery and simply write. Write more than, "Happy Mother's Day! Love, Cara." Write why she means something to you!

6. Hug her. Many, many times over.

image via lauren conrad 

top and featured image via alamode journals

Time to Derby

It's the most wonderful month of the year. I call May my most beloved of the twelve for many reasons: my birthday, Mother's Day brunch, family and girlfriend reunions, Memphis in May moments, Barbecue Fest. But also, I simply love May because of the refreshing spirit that fills each of us with an urge to be outdoors, enjoy our surroundings, and be.

My excitement for May began earlier in the week when my roommate and I spontaneously planned a Kentucky Derby brunch for tomorrow. I've put on my hostess hat (though it's not as extravagant as the hats you'll see at the races) and conceptualized a menu that's easy yet classy. Here's what we're planning to serve so far:

• Bloody Mary bar
• Mint Juleps (heavy on the bourbon)
• Mimosas
• Eggs Benedict
• Mini cucumber and goat cheese sandwiches
• Mini corned beef and pastrami sandwiches
• Veggie frittata
• Pimento cheese and various dips
• Mini bourbon pecan pies

I learned the most fabulous approach to the intimidating poached egg for a Benedict, thanks to a Today Show article online. You can poach 12 eggs at once using a muffin pan! Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour 1 tablespoon of water in each cup of a muffin pan and then gently crack the eggs into the cups. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until the whites are set but the yolks are runny. Using a small slotted spoon, transfer the eggs to English muffins or biscuits.

I'll be back next week with photos! Off to the races. It's time to Derby.

images via my pinterest feed

City and State (Memphis)

People supporting people. That's what it's all about. Or at least, that's what it should be about. It is in Memphis. Lisa Toro recently opened the Broad Avenue coffee + retail shop City and State. Oh, did I fall in love upon first step. The space is refreshing and resonant of creativity and artistic appreciation, whether for the cup of pour-over brew or a timeless third-generation woodworker cutting board.

I'm infatuated by the gorgeous array of items, from bath salts to Nashville-based imogene + willie denim and Shotwell caramels. If you need a gift for yourself or a friend, City and State is where you'll go and score regularly. Hello, Mother's Day in one week.

On the other side of the storefront is a beautiful coffee counter with minimalist seating and decor. The brown sugar latté and mocha are both divine. I've heard the cortado is excellent. Of course, pastries are a usual accompaniment; though a recent collaboration with Porcellino's has elevated the food offerings to breakfast and lunch service.

On weeks one and two of the collaboration, Porcellino's has delivered chocolate croissants, morning buns, yogurt & granola, sweet corn muffins, turkey croissant sandwiches and The Goomba sandwiches. In the coming weeks, they're looking into surprise-filled menu expansions. Looks like I'll be here much more often.

Upon asking Lisa about the collaboration between two visionary, Memphis-loving, trendy coffee shops in town, here's her lovely recount:

"About two weeks ago, Matt Farmer stopped by for some coffee. He was complimentary and said he enjoyed the experience. The next day, he showed up with two boxes of beautiful Porcellino’s pastries and said they were interested in working with us on wholesale. Two days, later Chef Andy and Michael, along with Matt, came over to see the place for themselves. From the minute they walked in, there was no bravado and no ego. They showed nothing but respect for and interest in what we were doing.

As is true of many Memphians, I’d been dining in their restaurants for years and never had a bad meal. As a huge foodie, their reputation more than preceded them. We sat around the communal table in my three week old shop, and I listened as they offered up their staff and skill in providing food for City & State. Not only that, but the opportunity to work with them in the near future to come up with a few custom menu items.

I cannot say enough great things about the openness and support these two celebrated chefs and their team have given us in this new venture. They recognize, as do we, that the way to continue to move Memphis forward is through partnership and support across all in our community. They are a shining example of what is so incredible about this city. People supporting people."

Last Song to Memphis

The City of Memphis shapes people. Its history and harmony ignite ideas and new vision. Its food scene inspires my pen (or keyboard). Its basketball team inspires community spirit and grit (despite last night's Game 4 loss). And its music momentum inspires the strum of a guitar and beat of a track.

For the up-and-coming Indie-rock band The Black Cadillacs, an East Tennessee group of five, their album was missing a valuable final song. Scribbles on notepads simply could not translate to chords and harmonies. So, naturally, the Black Cadillacs jumped in a van and traveled to my city for four awe-inspiring days of deep discussion and lyrical listening. The end product? A compelling final album track (which you can now download!), and a newfound perspective on Memphis, documented with raw footage and magnetic emotion.

My natural first questions: How did the crew experience Memphis in four days? And what did they eat?!

Gus's Fried Chicken, Slider Inn, James Lee House, and Double J Smokehouse were a few culinary stops along the tour. A culmination of the smoky and fried, casual and fancy, The Black Cadillacs got a true taste of Memphis' diverse dining palate.

As Memphis musician Amy Lavere explains in the video, "Memphis is the kitchen. If you ever go to a really nice dinner party, where does everyone wanna be? They all want to be in the kitchen."

I just love that analogy.

Today, the documentary is live to the public, and so is the band. The Black Cadillacs are putting on a pop-up in-flight performance on the new Southwest Dallas-Memphis connection today. Tonight, upon their arrival, they'll perform a set at BB King's, including the last song inspired by the city surrounding us. I'll be there, and I hope you'll join me.

And if you love Memphis, share this video.

original photo sources unknown

A Caramelized Conversation with Caitlin Dupuigrenet

This extra-chilly February may not mark strawberry picking season, but over one dozen farmers' booths will line the parking lot of First Congo church tomorrow morning with freshly plucked mushrooms, eggs, meats, breads, and kale. The year-round Cooper Young Community Farmers Market in Midtown Memphis supports and celebrates the everyday harvests and goods of local farms and shops on. You can feel the warmth of the people as soon as you turn the corner on any given Saturday morning; and you'll most likely be greeted by Caitlin Dupuigrenet, the naturally charismatic and delightful Parisian-turned-Memphian market manager. Join us in a charming Caramelized conversation, and go meet her tomorrow at the market!

What initially attracted you to the farmers market scene?

While studying English Literature and Philosophy in college, I became completely enamored with Southern literature, especially Faulkner. Meanwhile, my philosophy classes led me to search for what I thought would be the most "authentic" and "ethical" life (oh, to be a 20-year-old liberal arts student...). The summer of my senior year, I decided to travel down South (having never been down further than D.C.) and work on an organic farm. I ended up working for room and board at Downing Hollow Farm, a family owned sustainable farm in Hardin County, TN, owned by Lori and Alex Greene, two of the most generous and adventurous people I have ever met.

That summer, I met so many people in the Memphis restaurant and farming scene and made so many lasting friendships that I returned to the farm as soon as my senior year ended. That one summer farming with the Greenes changed my life forever. So when Lori, asked me to help her start the Cooper Young Community Farmers Market in 2010, I jumped at the opportunity and moved to Memphis permanently. The food and farming community in Memphis is so exciting and dedicated. I've never looked back.

Let us in on your Saturday routine. How do you pull off running a year-round market, week by week?

Every week is a mad scramble to organize that Saturday's market. I try to plan markets and events as far ahead as I can, but being a one-woman show does lend itself to last minute changes and 5 a.m. phone calls to farmers. I usually get to First Congo Church by 6 a.m. and immediately start making coffee in the church kitchen (An uncaffeinated farmer is an unhappy farmer!). Then I set up tables, chairs, tents, the fire pit etc. Volunteers usually show up around 7:30 to help set up so I can review that week's stall map with vendors. By 9 a.m., everyone is set up and ready to sell, and my favorite part of the day begins: connecting with our amazing patrons and hearing all of the latest news from everyone's farms! Human connection really is the core of what I do.

How, in your opinion, can a farmers market create community?

Community is at the heart of our market. The vendors, the patrons, the community organizations who participate in the market every week all form distinct groups while sharing so many values and concerns. We all want to be better stewards of the land; we all want to be better educated about food; we all want to support the local economy; we all want each other and the community at large to succeed. No matter how different our backgrounds are, coming together around common values fosters an incredible sense of purpose and power. We also have an ever-growing number of baby dogs, lambs and humans at market; and everyone, no matter how different, can agree that that's a good thing!

Every home cook needs...

Five recipes they can always count on. For ideas, check out the market-inspired recipes in our weekly newsletter!

Your most unforgettable restaurant experience?

I was born and raised in France; and although I have had countless amazing restaurant experiences in Memphis, I have to say the most memorable one, for me, was a recurring lunch date I had with my father at the Closerie des Lilas in the 13th arrondissement in Paris. Hemingway was a regular there, and I did always feel like I was stepping into a different era every time I passed the threshold. My parents divorced when I was young, so I would only see my dad every other weekend. When I was old enough to navigate the city on my own, we started meeting at restaurants for Saturday lunch. We didn't meet at the Closerie every Saturday, but it did become a bit of a tradition. I would begin with either oysters or escargots, accompanied by a glass of muscadet, followed by table-side prepared steak tartare, my all-time favorite food. I don't remember what dad ordered, but I do remember that if we were having an especially good time, he would order his favorite baba au rhum for dessert.

What do you love most about Memphis?

I literally came here to spend a summer and never left, a testament to the amazing pull of the city. I love the small town feel and friendliness of Memphis. No matter how lofty my goals or ambitions, everything somehow always feels within reach. Want to start a farmers market? OK! Launch a crowd-sourcing campaign to better your neighborhood? Let’s do it! Go from the least bike-friendly city to one of the most improved in a year? Done! The amount of work and commitment the citizens of Memphis put into their city is truly inspiring.

How do you add sweet touches to everyday experiences (the mantra of Caramelized)?

A family cuddle session with my husband Stephen, our kids Chloe, Theo and Julien, and our coon hound Stella!

Also... Sorghum on everything.

Snow Day Simplicities

The wintry mix has dusted over the surface of Memphis and, similarly, dusted a calm over my typical Monday stresses. After a lazy morning of perusing on Pinterest, I've created a mood board to, well, match my mood...and I hope match yours! Enjoy the day, friends.

Donna Hay buttermilk panna cotta Tassike vanilla bean tea Paris Paper & Clay danish mug Lemon almond cakelets The Faux Martha carrot cake donuts A cake for no occasion