Hey…..I Saw You In a Magazine

Hello everyone and happy summer! Have y’all been as busy as I have thus far? And where did it go? School will be starting for some of the schools here in a few days. As I said, we’ve been busy with various things, graduations, a bit of travel, house guests, dinner gatherings under the Willow Tree, a publication in a magazine. WHAT??? That’s right! This gal from East Brewton, Alabama was in a magazine. Crazy, I know! My friend, Bobbie, sent me a text on Easter to say Happy Easter and to also let me know they were making my green beans for their Easter dinner, and oh by the way, my sister, Jackie, works for StreetScape Magazine and wants to know if you would be willing to do an article and share some recipes. What?!! I’m in the kitchen preparing brunch, when I somewhat screamed and was beginning to cry. My family thought someone died!  As most of you know, cooking is my passion, so this was of the highest honor for me to be asked to share my passion. Of course, this didn’t go without a bit of panic on my part, because you see, I’m not a writer! This blog is the first writing I’ve done in years other then email and text messages. But everyone has to step out of their comfort zone and just GO FOR IT! Hence, the birth of my blog! I was going to be published in the July/August issue and the theme was Red. I was asked to do something with red bell peppers. Let the planning and fiesta begin!

For the article I chose grilled stuffed red peppers, homemade salsa, and a tequila sangria. Of course we had other dishes to compliment the meal, but these were the staples for the article. I wanted the people I love most to share in this event, so I invited our longtime friends Josh and Eryn and their kids. My good friend John is a photographer so he agreed to do the photos for me. My daughter Liz did my makeup, and everyone pitched in to help with the set up. Makes my heart swell to know they all cared enough about me to help make this day perfect.

In my opinion, it pretty much was the perfect evening. The food was delicious, there were many laughs throughout the evening and John took the most magazine-worthy photos that would have made any food look yummy! I honestly didn’t know what to expect for when the article was to be published. Of course I would have been happy with anything, but when the magazine hit newsstands around the first of July, it far exceeded all expectations I could have ever had or conceived! And I must say, this magazine is done very well. It really is beautiful and I was reading it long before I was asked to be in it. I would encourage you to pick it up or subscribe to it. Here’s the link if you would like to take a peek or perhaps make the recipes I shared http://streetscapemag.com/magazine/archive/book/50-july-august-styled-2015  and, I got to share the spotlight with none other than Mike Matheny! That’s a big deal! My friend/photographer also featured it on his blog http://jharderphotography.com/blog/ and I am thrilled at how beautiful it is.

I have to admit, this goes down as probably one of the MOST exciting things that has ever happened to me. And they were so pleased with the results they asked me to be in the September/October issue as well. I just submitted that article a couple of weeks ago and can’t wait to see how it turns out. So look for it soon–it features some yummy fall recipes with apples and pumpkins. Thank you for indulging me with my little corner of fame and my passion for food and people. Give these recipes a try, they truly are yummy. Have a great week!

Much love,

Sandi