It’s almost Labor Day Weekend!  Though I wish I was in the south to truly celebrate this holiday, I can at least devour my favorite southern cuisine here in California!  Zac Brown and his band sincerely express their love of Southern fare—check it out—it’s one of my fav country songs!

Southerners always have sweet tea at our get-togethers and while fried chicken isn’t a necessity—it does taste good hot or cold (HA!) making it perfect for picnics. I also love serving the expected southern appetizers: fried green tomatoes and deviled eggs—but I like unique variations for them, like shrimp & bacon whipped into the deviled eggs or a fancy remoulade sauce for the tomatoes. What cook-out would be complete without homemade pecan pie…this is southern dessert staple and even tastier if you can find a recipe that incorporates whisky! What are your plans this Labor Day Weekend? It’s the official last day of summer, so I’ll be traveling up to Napa for some wine tasting and later, possibly camping in the Redwood Forests too!

Sweet Tea, Fried Green Tomatoes, Green Beans, Fried Chicken, Pecan Pie, Deviled Eggs

Image credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Yes—August is winding down and I’m ready to soak in as much of the final days of summer while I can.  I haven’t even read any of the already arrived September issues from my many magazine subscriptions. (I’m saving these for the last week of August.)  One thing making me a little more content to this fast approaching seasonal change are the amazing online sales of summer fashions!  Just check out these cute sandals from one of my fav shoe spots, Nine West.  There was a store directly across the street from the InStyle offices and on hectic days I would sneak out for some retail therapy…nothing de-stresses me like shopping…well besides a little time in the gym, but isn’t shoe shopping more fun!?

1. Kattie $25
2. Post $80
3. Mixitup $40
4. Fluffy $30
5. Jasmina $25
6. Dagmar $90

This weekend, I spent a relaxing amount of time in South Lake Tahoe!  It was perfect summer weather and I was able to somehow work in some wedding talk…are we surprised?  Each year, Lewis’ family migrates to the same cabin his grandparents (and their five children) have spent their summers these past thirty years to partake in some R&R and family time.  For the last two summers, I have attended and last year, Lewis took advantage of the gorgeous scenery and proposed at Emerald Bay.     

Photo-op right after he popped the question last year!

This summer, I brought along a couple jars of my homemade blackberry jam and two new swimsuits (Gottex and Badgley Mischka). I asked Lewis’ sister to be one of my bridesmaids and his sweet little niece to be our flower girl–she’s so girly, I know she’ll love wearing a ”princess dress!”  Here are a couple of pictures I was able to snap while I was there this weekend!

View of the lake from the cabin...beautiful sunsets!

Our fav place for appetizers and drinks after lounging at the beach.

Me and one of my bridesmaids--Lewis' gorgeous sister!

Almost one year exactly since he proposed, Lewis & I went back to our spot in Emerald Bay! I got a sweet kiss to commemorate!

I love the affect small details can have on fashion.  I like ruffles, ribbons, and pearls….however, I adore buttons!  Their presence adds a unique and playful element to the unexpected and adds something extra to catch the eye.  I would easily pair one of the blouses below with faded jeans or linen pants to maintain a feminine casual style and those shorts are perfect for a nautical feel.  What other small fashion details do you love?

• RSVP Ruffle Buttoned Blouse $53
• TopShop Three Button Fold Blouse $32
• Delia’s Bow & Buttons Burnout Dolman $19.50
• Arden B Ombre Linen Button Front Romper $20
• Tahari by ASL Textured Crepe Dress W/ Gold Buttons $132
• Authentic Chanel Button Floral Hair Pin $60
• Juicy Couture Denim Legging W/ Button Detail $88
• TopShop Gold Button Mini skirt $30
• Jane Norman Anchor Button Shorts $14
• Christian Louboutin Corto 85 leather pumps $695
• Dorothy Perkins Black Button Detail Flats $20
• Go Jane Button Trim Ankle Boot $20

This past Saturday, I achieved a tremendous feat…I was able to make homemade blackberry jam from scratch…this time all by myself!  You may remember that it was only a few weeks ago that I learned how to make Strawberry Jam and look at me now…jammin and cannin all on my own!   Growing up in the suburbs in Tennessee, most of our fruits and veggies either came from the grocery store or our local farmer’s market.  Though for some reason, we were lucky to have wild blackberries growing in the backyard (probably the doings of some cute little bird dropping a seed).  Each summer,  I would gather berries and my mom would bake blackberry cobbler or some other amazing southern dessert.  Isn’t it odd to come to the realization that it was once my mother who made the scrumptious desserts and sewed my intricate Halloween costumes and now it is me who makes desserts from summer’s bounty and sews baby dresses?

Enough with the reflection; time to talk jam! This finger-lickin recipe that I used came from my favorite southern chef, Ms. Paula Deen. Her recipe says that you’ll get six 1-pint jars full, but mine came out to nine–more to share!

Just look at these juicy bittersweet berries! They are huge! After prewashing, I couldn’t help myself but to eat one…two…three…yikes, I had to make myself stop!  Eating blackberries always reminds me of those hot humid summers growing up!

While I’m pulsing the berries in the food processor, I’ve started heating up the canning lids.  They’re like the Snapple tops: you know your jars have sealed if you hear the “pop” of the heat compressing within the jar.

Mmm…now I’ve got this pot of berries to a rolling boil and I’ve added the Sure-Gel.  I’ve pre-measured my SEVEN CUPS OF SUGAR (not made for the girl on the diet, this recipe) and dumped it all in at once. The whole house fills with this sweet summer smell!

After ladling into the VERY HOT jars (compliment of the dishwasher), wiping rims with a clean damp cloth, and sealing the jars with heated lids and rings, I’m done!  If all of your jars, lids, rings, and jam are extremely hot, then it’s not necessary to go through the process of a boiling water bath.  They all sealed up and my jam was complete from start to finish in less than an hour!

Now, I couldn’t wait until the next morning to eat my jam with breakfast.  I wanted some right then!  There was no other option than to make some cake.  Recently, I had purchased a butterfly cake mold from Ruelala.com and saw this as the perfect opportunity to use it.  I found this recipe for basic yellow cake…I like it because it’s quick, easy to revise (I used 1/2 tsp almond extract & 1 tsp vanilla instead), and now I finally have a use for those yolks left over from egg-white only omelets (that I make each morning for Lewis).

How cute are these? So adorable and the cake was so moist, it practically lifted itself right from the mold.  Placed alongside my freshly made jam, I’ve got the perfect summer dessert!