White Christmas

 A few weekends ago my husband took me to the historic State Theater in Elizabethtown, Kentucky to see White Christmas on the big screen. 

The originally theater opened in 1942 and the first movie they played was The Fleet’s In starring Dorothy Lamour and William Holden. 

The theater has been completely revitalized to the original art deco styling. It’s absolutely beautiful inside! 

The theater was absolutely packed for this show! We are not normally “go out to the movies” type of people. We both hate crowds, but this small theater is right up our alley! 

Don’t the ladies look lovely on the big screen? 

We had such a great evening, and can’t wait to go back. 

Hope y’all had a Merry Christmas! 

The State Theater is located at 

209 W Dixie Ave

Elizabethtown, Kentucky 

A December day in Versailles, Kentucky

 When my husband and I travel "back home" to visit family we always travel through beautiful Versailles, Kentucky. We were traveling through after Thanksgiving, right on Small Business Saturday. I was so excited to stop in a few of the boutiques, and picked up a few things!

Our first stop was at My Darling at 104 S Main Street. It is the most darling store full of cute southern goodies! We purchased an art print of one of our favorite restaurants in Midway, Kentucky - and I'll talk about that in another post, because you know I had the hot brown!

Our next stop was Oak & Moore at 141 N Main Street. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures inside, as we were chatting it up with the owners. They are so lovely, and their store is just gorgeous! This is where we bought our most recent Glory Haus ornament, and my husband also bought me some cute pearl earrings. 

Here are some photos I took of the town, who I have to say, has some of the best small town Christmas decorations in the state of Kentucky. They really do it up every year, and it looks both expensive, but also down home and cozy. It always makes me so happy driving though, especially in the evening!

If you ever get a chance to visit Versailles, I highly recommend you do so!

You’ll love it! 

Peanut Butter Pie, Oh My!

For Thanksgiving this year, I went a different route and made a peanut butter pie. I had never made one before, and it sounded so good! I'm not a big pie person, and never have been. I tend to make pies or desserts for others during the holidays, and end up never having anything sweet for myself. I didn't want to do that this year!

I spent hours on Pinterest and stumbled upon this recipe, tried it, and IT WAS A HIT!

The only baking you will need to do is a light bake of the crust, the rest sets up in the fridge. You can’t get easier than that! 

⬇️RECIPE⬇️

 

https://handletheheat.com/peanut-butter-pie/

I used chocolate teddy grahams like the blogger suggested, and the only tweak I made was doubling the vanilla amount.

Christmas is fast approaching, so if you are stuck for a dessert idea, I highly recommend this recipe! 

Here's another angle of my pie so you can see the topping after it set up in the fridge for a few hours. Actually, now that I think about it, my Mama has this fridge drawer that is kind of a fridge/freezer combo. It was the perfect temperature for quickly allowing the pies to "set".

I actually made two pies, one for us and one to send to my brother's work. He is in law enforcement and is always working during the holidays. You didn't hear it from me, but I think he kept his pie at home and ate it himself!

If you decide to make this, please let me know, as well as the recipe author on her blog! 

Happy No-Baking!

Country Christmas in Kentucky

Earlier this year my husband and I stopped in Cracker Barrel to see their Christmas decor. Two ornaments came home with us: a stick of butter and a buttermilk biscuit!

The biscuit and butter meant so much to us. We very sadly had to say goodbye to our 16 year old chihuahua in February of this year. She loved buttered biscuits so much, she could smell them baking in the oven and the whining would ensue about 10 minutes before the timer would sound. As soon as we saw these ornaments we knew we had to have them! We made sure they were close by to one of her photo ornaments. Wasn't she just precious!?!

This year we also bought a new tree. I guess you could say we "downsized" to a pencil tree. We have a much larger tree we have had for a few years but decided it was much too big for the type of house we have and all of our furniture on the first floor. Next year it will be in the family room. This year, we are enjoying this smaller tree which we have placed in between our living room and dining room. It fits the space perfectly, and although it's not as full as ornaments as I'd like it to be, we are off to a good start! Because of this location, we decided this would be a food tree - all things kitchen and food! I bought a few ornaments this year, but am still looking for a chicken ornament, some eggs, milk, and I have the idea of a vintage and somewhat rusty cheese grater as the tree topper! 

I bought the above Glory Haus brand ornament at a boutique in Versailles, Kentucky a few weeks ago. Its my second ornament from that brand, and I love everything from them I have seen!

In our dining room we also have a secretary shelf - a piece of furniture I spent so many years searching for. So many years, and I'd say two military duty stations - so in total, probably a good ten years. Last year I finally found one I liked, and one that fit my odd sized wall. My very first Glory Haus ornament is hanging with the heart boxwood wreath.

Also this year, I went a little different (and very simple!) with our porch decorations. I bought two quilt pillows at Target this year, and everything kind of went from there!

That little heart bench was purchased a few years ago at Goodwill, and I haven't yet decided on a home for it. I am such a sucker for heart furniture. It's been in my dining room, at the foot of my bed, and on the porch. It even spent a year in our dark garage. I feel like every time I want to move it to another location I want to paint it another color. Right now I'm wishing it was red! Ask me again in the spring!

And last, we have our dear cow, Clara Bell. I saw her sitting on the porch at Green Top Antiques in Glendale a few years ago and have given her a happy home. Every year my husband puts this lit up Christmas wreath around her neck. We are hoping to adopt a goose statue in 2025, so stay tuned!

Hope you enjoyed my very simple country Christmas decor!

Merry Christmas, y'all!

 

A Hot Brown at the Whistle Stop

 In late summer, my husband and I visited Glendale, Kentucky. Glendale was the first small country town my husband and I explored when we moved back to the state, and because of that, it will always hold a special place in my heart. It is the most charming little southern town, full of cute antique stores, beautiful homes, and a sweet little restaurant called The Whistle Stop.  We ate here once, many years ago, but management recently changed hands. It was definitely on my list of places to order the Kentucky Hot Brown!

For all you train fans out there, (like me!) yes, a railroad track runs along side the restaurant. Many trains run through town during the day, and if you happen to be dining at the time, you will definitely hear it and feel it! It really adds the perfect touch to the dining experience, in my opinion.

         Thankfully, the charming interior hadn't changed at all! There's just something about that vintage wallpaper that is so reassuring and safe to me. I am a child of the 1980's and I remember wallpapers and drawer liners with the tiny calico prints. As dated as I know they are, I am still drawn to them out of nostalgia.

The coziness of these booths are exactly what I look for in a small country restaurant, and the pressed tin light fixtures add a primitive touch. The entire restaurant is so warm and inviting, but if you can get seated in a booth, I think you'll enjoy your visit much more.

And here we have my new love, the Kentucky Hot Brown. I assume I had probably heard about this dish many moons ago, but my husband and I left the state in 2006 when he got stationed in Alaska. (That's an entirely different and wonderful story!) Being away from the state for so long, I was busy learning about all the new places we were exposed to! When we returned to Kentucky to settle down over a decade later, I was introduced to this marvelous dish!

Now, every restaurant tends to put their own twist on the hot brown, but the following is what you are looking at: A large piece of toast, turkey breast and/or ham, followed by a Mornay sauce, and topped with a slice of tomato and two pieces of bacon. It sounds so simple, right? Yes. But oh my, so incredibly delicious! It has been my mission over the past year to try the Kentucky Hot Brown at various establishments whenever I get the chance. I definitely have a favorite, which I will get to at a later date, but I have to say, I have never had a hot brown that wasn't amazing!

Upstairs they have the cutest little gift shop, and lots of "Whistle Stop" themed souvenirs. 

There's just something about supporting a local business - you truly are supporting someone's dream!

If you are ever in Glendale, Kentucky, I highly recommend the following locations:

-Green Top Antiques

-Southern Heart & Home

-Rustic Redemption

-True Kentucky

-Mountain Mike's Coffee

Sometime's the wait at The Whistle Stop can be long, so if you are looking for a quick bite to eat, I recommend Grandma's Bluegrass Kitchen.

Here are some more photos of Glendale that I think any small town lover will enjoy!

Thanks so much for reading!

#willtravelforfood