Greek Yogurt

This yogurt is the best you can buy. It comes in 0, 2 and 5%. It is triple strained so it is not watery like American yogurt. It is unbelievably thick and rich and creamy. It is not bitter or tangy like most plain yogurts. The possibilities are endless, whether adding fruit, honey, agave nectar, cinnamon or cucumber & dill. Fage (pronounced fa-yeh) has about half the carbs of regular yogurt, but more surprisingly it has more protein than your average yogurt. All Total Fage products are great. I also recommend their Feta cheese!

Monogrammed Towels

I love all things monogrammed. My father was supposedly named Carl Stanley Davis because my grandfather thought that CSD when written in cursive flowed well and he liked those initials. So I guess Papa Davis liked monogramming too.

Neiman Marcus has the Ralph Lauren "Lawton" towel on sale. This also includes the monogrammed bath mat that retails for $28.50 for $16.49 and shipping is FREE. Monogrammed hand towels are $10 and those really great large "body sheets" are $16.49 and make perfect beach companions. Enter coupon code NMSHIP for free shipping.

Sweetener

I really like this. It is debated whether this is a good alternative to sweetners. Some say yes and some say no. I say it has to be better than Pure Sugar and certainly better that artifical sweetners. So I say go for it. I use it all the time and I think it's a good thing. When cooking with this alternative lower the oven temperature 25 degrees and use about 25% less than the recipe calls for, 3/4c. instead of 1c.

The agave (uh-gah-vay) plant has long been cultivated in hilly, semi-arid soils of Mexico. Its fleshy leaves cover the pineapple-shaped heart of the plant, which contains a sweet sticky juice. Ancient Mexicans considered the plant to be sacred. They believed the liquid from this plant purified the body and soul. When the Spaniards arrived, they took the juices from the agave and fermented them, leading to the drink we now call tequila.

But there is a more interesting use for this historic plant. Agave syrup (or nectar) is about 90% fructose. Only recently has it come in use as a sweetener. It has a low glycemic level and is a delicious and safe alternative to table sugar. Unlike the crystalline form of fructose, which is refined primarily from corn, agave syrup is fructose in its natural form. This nectar does not contain processing chemicals. Even better, because fructose is sweeter than table sugar, less is needed in your recipes. It can be most useful for people who are diabetic, have insulin resistance, or are simply watching their carbohydrate intake.

Billy Reid once again

Well, what'd ya know? I head over to Garden & Gun to find that article below on historic trees and lo and behold I see an article entitled Faulkner-esque Fashions and sure enough, Billy Reid is featured here! I found him first! This is getting a bit out of hand. But here you go, G&G's review of MY favorite designer:

What Ralph Lauren did for New England, Billy Reid is doing for the South. The award-winning designer is back on the radar with an exclusive line of clothing and accessories called Billy Reid. Pieces range from luxurious custom-fit tuxedos and handmade shoes and accessories to sportswear and premium denim, with a women’s collection causing a stir as well.
Customers can get a firsthand glimpse of the lifestyle inspired by his clothing at any one of his retail stores, each decorated to evoke the classic American South. Reid’s studio and flagship store, Pickett Place, is located in Florence, Alabama, but other boutiques can be found in Dallas, Houston, Charlotte, Nashville, and Charleston, South Carolina. Reid visits each store regularly and gives customers the opportunity for a custom suit fitting with the designer himself.

Trees with Pedigrees

Garden & Gun Magazine has twice now stalked me and taken my creative ideas as their own. Now I am doing the same, but giving them full credit for introducing me to this amazing program.

Through its Historic Tree Program, American Forests, the country’s oldest national conservation group, will ship you the offspring of some of our most famous trees. Want a direct descendant of South Carolina’s mammoth Angel Oak, widely considered the oldest living thing east of the Mississippi? Or perhaps you’d like a Gettysburg honey locust, progeny of a tree that stood mere yards away from a guy named Lincoln while he gave a pretty memorable speech in 1863. Elvis fan? Look out your window at a Southern magnolia from Graceland’s front lawn. All the trees are grown from either seeds or cuttings of the original and arrive as one- to three-foot saplings, ready to plant—and ready to become a part of your own legacy. Neat, huh?

http://www.historictrees.org/store.html