Happy Little Cottages By The Sea

Cottage Charm, Coastal Calm

Savannah Classic Desserts & "my" sour cream peach pound cake

I just love how if you pay attention to life, there are little lines of connectivity that all comes together in the most wonderful way. Here’s my little story for you to follow along .

 

 

A few years ago I found this GREAT receipe for a sour cream peach pound cake in Savannah Magazine. The receipe is from Martha Giddens Nesbitt who made the cake for a QVC special that was being shot in Savannah. I started to make the cake to take to parties, give away as holiday gifts and to use for dinner parties. Danny the cup cake eating dog even got into the act. I had one dinner party where I made this delicious cake for desert. Now this is before I discovered it’s really ok to put the dogs in another room while you have company, especially when the dogs are labs who adore food and consider any food on a counter fair game if they can reach the counter…Today , my dogs go in the bedroom while I have dinner parties. Anyway, we were having desert and one of my guests was telling a great story and not eating his piece of cake. Danny was sitting to his left watching the food, watching the story teller and waiting for his chance. Yes, , Danny in one big bite grabbed the cake from the plate and consumed in one swallow. We were so stunned we couldn’t help but laugh!

 

 

Earlier this summer, I came across a used cook book called “Food for all Seasons” by Anne Bryn. I was surprised to find a very similiar receipe in the summer section for a Famous Peach Pound Cake and when I went back to my receipe from the magazine – I see that Martha references this same receipe as one of the inspirations for her receipe. ( see where the lines are starting to form?) And now, a brand new book is coming out called Savannah Desserts by Janice Shay with the forward by Martha Giddens Nesbitt ( who wrote the magazine article for my peach pound cake!) The picture on the cover is MY PEACH POUND CAKE! Look how gorgeous this is!
Here is the fabulous receipe! You’ll make this over and over again because of the raves you’ll receive and it’s so good!

 

 

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sour cream
2 cups diced fresh or canned peaches ( I use canned peaches)
Glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 Tbsp cream cheese, at room temperature
1 Tbsp milk
Preparation:Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch fluted tube pan.
Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time beating well.
Fold the flour, baking soda, salt into the creamed mixture, alternately with the diced peaches and sour cream. Stir in the vanilla and the almond extract.
Bake for 65- 75 minutes until the cake is golden brown and will just release from the sides of the cake pan. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan ( at least) then cool completely on a rack.
Glaze: once the cake is cool, cream the confectioner’s sugar with the cream cheese and milk and pour over the cake. Fresh peaches can go on top for decoration ( see the cookbook picture above!)

 

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Hurricanes and the Georgia Coast

Many of you ask me about hurricanes and should you take the trip insurance we offer on our website. I always encourage you to take the insurance if you think there might be a reason why you need to cancel. Sickness, older parents, kid’s schedules are all reason why vacations need to be cancelled, but one reason that I really don’t worry about is hurricanes. Of course I can’t promise we won’t be hit, but here is some information about hurricanes and the Georgia Coast that may make you feel better.

The last “big one” to hit Savannah and Tybee was August 27th, 1893 as a category 4 hurricane. Our part of the Eastern Seaboard is among the most storm-shielded area of the coast. “The likelihood of a direct hit by a big storm is very, very small.” WTOC TV Meteorologist Pat Prokop. “We are about the furthest point on the East Coast. We are located in somewhat of a cove. Hurricanes traveling from south to north will largely miss us.” However the storms that threaten our area come in the “back door”which means they brew in the Gulf of Mexico and hit us by land. These storms usually produce high winds and heavy rains but seldom produce the damage from storm surges or cause evacuations.

There is a fascinating website you can visit to learn more about hurricanes and also track hurricanes throughout the season. The National Hurrican Center website is worth checking out. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

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Birthday Dinner at The Old Fort Bakery with the Mary Kay Andrews Family & Friends

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The Mary Kay Andrews Family is in town to start the process of renovating their Tybee Island Dream House, The Breeze Inn. Our regulars readers will of course know who the NY Times Best Seller Author is- Mary Kay has written a number of terrific books, including a trilogy about two southern women and their life’s adventures in Savannah and Tybee. The book she’s currently working on is called “The Fixer Upper”, very appropiate as they start to create their very own beach house out of a very neglected old house…. If you haven’t already become a regular reader of Mary Kay’s Blog- you need to start! http://www.marykayandrews.com/ ( be sure to read about her recent junking adventure and the discovery of the a Bomb Fuse Case which now proudly resides in SeaSide Sisters and the Tybee Bomb Shell booth ……)
Kathy and Family ( her real name- remember Mary Kay Andrews is a combination of her two children’s names ) invited me over to dinner to help celebrate her birthday, catch up on the good news of her daughter Katie and experience the incredible old Fort Screven Bakery.

Katie’s good news is she’s now working with my very dear Marriott friend, Libby Gooden handling the details and arrangements of a series of customer events for Marriott’s key business segments. Talk about a flashback in my life, hearing about Katie’s first week working with Libby brought such a smile to my face. Events that I had helped created for Marriott, people I’ve known and worked with for years- both hotel friends and customers and travel to places that I knew like the back of my hand- all are part of her wonderful new business life. This is a match made in heaven, Libby has grown so much she needs a very strong assistent and Katie has the skill set, ambition and desire to jump right in and make everything happen that’s needed. And to make the circle even more complete- our other dear friend Susan Jacobs who had been helping Libby with the project work, just took on a brand new assignment managing an incredible small resort in South Carolina ( her dream job!) which cleared the path for Katie to come on board. I’m so happy for Susan, Libby and Katie and happiest for myself because I get to stay on my little island, managing my wonderful homes and cottages and getting around on my old beach bike or island car ( vs the jets, limos and taxis of my former career.) Amazing how perfect this is for all of us!
The Bakery is just glorious. The Smith Family took on this renovation project several years ago and turned the old bakery into a welcoming family beach house. Some of the details that make this home so special are the soaring ceilings, wide open spaces , family touches that are everywhere ( this is a home where the children are allowed to make this their home as well) and proud display of the building’s former life as a bakery. The porch is dedicated to the former owner ” Miss Edith who loved Tybee, loved her porch and loved to welcome people to her home. Again, the Smith Family in a very special touch, had a plaque mounted to remind everyone who came to the home about Miss Edith.
Dinner- Shrimp boats made from shrimp fresh off the boat from our local favorite seafood stand, Bowie Seafood, salad with produce from Davis’s Produce on Whitmarsh Island and…… Crab Pie and hot Crab dip! Tacky Jacky (a dear friend of Kathy who has made appearances in the Savannah Breeze and Savannah Blues books) lives here on the island , has her own dock and CRABS FOR HER OWN CRABS! And then creates incredible receipes!!! She brought not only one but two dishes for dinner both filled with hand picked fresh blue crab meat. Thank you Jackie!
Mr. Mary Kay made the shrimp dish- Shrimp boats- a receipe from a cookbook I’ve never seen before but will be purchasing before the week is over. “Screened Doors and Sweet Tea”. I spent part of the evening going thru the pictures and receipes, making mental notes about which receipe to try when. Not only is the food perfect southern delights, but the pictures and text just as special to read and absorb. The book will be for sale later this summer at SeaSide Sisters Coastal Cottage Shop. More to come on this book as I start to make receipes from the book..
Thank you Kathy, Tom and family for including me in your family gathering! Note this picture of Kathy sporting her birthday present- a bright pink foldable sun visor hat. Ideal for traveling… Can’t wait to be part of the celebration party for The Breeze Inn! ( And for Mary Kay fans- we’ll be taking reservations for the cottage for next spring and summer later this year….. the family has graciously agreed to add their newly restored home to the Mermaid Cottage Collection next year!!)
And note the mermaid sighting! I think she is from Thailand- she has a very south asia flair to her.

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Recent Guests and their fun times!


We love our guests! We love hearing how much fun they’re having while on their getaway from real life . Here are two recent visitors and the photo’s they sent. The Flip Flop cupcake/ cake was created by the Huff, Moss and Jones girls weekend group who stayed at- where else- Flip Flop Cottage!
In their own words “We are having the best girls weekend ever! 2 Sisters, 1 Sister in law, 3 daughter and one grand daughter thrown in for good measure.”

The bike/ dog pictures are from Vicky Smith, one of our regular visitors. These are her two daughter, Emily and Jessie and their two dogs Rascal and Holli.
Don’t forget to go to our Mermaid Cottages Social network to see all sorts of pictures and comments from our guests. We’d love you to join and then post pictures and tell everyone about the fun things you did while on your island visit. Just go to : http://www.mermaidcottagestybee.ning.com/ then sign up. Super easy to post pictures, add comments , even add events important to you that you’d like to share and of course- blog about your stay. The more everyone can share the more fun for everyone!

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This Weekend on the Island


Three fun events are happening this weekend on the Island!
1. Side walk sale at Seaside Sisters Saturday and Sunday. 10AM- 6PM both days. www.seasidesisterstybee.com
2. Tybee Prom– an annual favorite for locals and visitors alike. Saturday July 26th
Though proms of the past were famous for their punch and cookies, the Tybee Prom will bow to the pressure to have “serious” food. Inside the Legion, your prom ticket to benefit Tybee Beautification will entitle you to bar snacks — nuts, Chex Mix, and M&Ms. Outside the Legion, the Marine Rescue Squadron will be selling their WORLD FAMOUS HOMEMADE BRUNSWICK STEW to benefit MRS! This is not your ordinary stew, but rather a hearty mix with everything in it including chicken, BBQ, and some secret ingredients. And a cup of stew will be a lot easier to eat without having to sit at a table. After all, this is a dance…not a dinner! J Please pass the word and bring some cash! Thanks for your support of these two vital Tybee volunteer organizations!
Tybee Prom, Saturday, Tybee American Legion, 7 pm to midnight, Music by the Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love, Psychedelic Summer of Love, Tickets $20 a person at the door. Please call 272-9200 for more information. There will be a spotted volunteer photographer, Miki Skelton, taking photos at the Prom.
To see photos of last year’s prom, please go to
http://spotted.savannahnow.com/galleries/index.php?id=315787
As you can see, anything goes…..
3. Christmas in July Sunday July 27th , The World Famous Doc’s Bar
You Ask why Christmas In July?
Because we can, and it’s Tybee Island, and we do things different here so there.
Turkey Dinner With All The Trimmings $10.00
Christmas Carols
The Sexiest Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus On The Island Making Your Wishes Come True
Champagne
Presents
Wine Tasting With Tybee’s Dee Herb And Quality Wine, 6 Different Wines ($5.00 charge for all 6)
Party Starts At 3:00 And Goes On Till New Years Eve
Dinner At 3:30 Until It’s All Gone
Deserts By Tybee’s Best. Bring Your Favorite To The Party Or Go To The IGA And Buy Something
Santa’s Elves Tending The Bar All Day Long http://www.docsbartybee.com/ Visit the website just to see Santa….only on Tybee…..
Have a fun weekend! And let us know about your experiences if you go to any or all!

 

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