Innholdsfortegnelse for March/April 2025 i Southern Lady

OH, HAPPY SPRING! A vaseful of flowers holds more possibilities than petals, augmenting lavish tablescapes and understated vignettes, conveying sympathy and elation, eliciting a fleeting glance or lingering awe of nature’s prolific treasures. Working on the Southern Lady staff has only bolstered my love of flowers, and our March/April issues, with their plethora of springtime posies, make me swoon time and again. The cover of this year’s entertaining issue takes the cake with its masterpiece of Dutch daffodils and other blooms spilling from Royal Delft vases, fashioned by Director of Lifestyle Brands Melissa Sturdivant Smith. Turn to page 59 to see more marvelous daffodil varieties styled to perfection in a tribute to the season’s grandeur. Former Southern Lady editor Lisa Frederick takes us to Half-Mile Farm inn (page 71), which…

LIGHT & LOVELY Verdant details and dabs of vibrant pink bring a sun-dappled deck to life for an unhurried midday meal. Planted in small ceramic pots, tiny flags act as place cards, welcoming guests to a table bursting with vitality. Creamy white and blushing blooms make a showstopping centerpiece, while flowering vines wind across a linen cloth paired with woven accents, minty goblets, and elegant napkins with rosy trim. Pristine china with foliage-inspired flourishes seems made for a Mixed Greens Salad with Fresh Peas followed by salmon drizzled with a lemony sauce, Mini Cream Cheese Biscuits, and potatoes sauteed with fresh thyme. A glorious Strawberry-Pistachio Tart delivers a sweet close. Mixed Greens Salad with Fresh Peas MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS 2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar2 tablespoons olive oil1 clove garlic, thinly…

SPRIGHTLY JUBILATION From flora to bunnies, this Easter fête mirrors nature’s beauty. Cotton-tailed figures peek about arrangements of pastel blooms, such as ruffly peonies and fragrant freesias. Blush cabbage plates, green chargers, and embroidered linens mingle alongside floral inlaid glasses and golden flatware. Tall tapers pose in burnished candleholders to be lit as conversations linger. Spring Vegetable Tray MAKES 10 TO 12 SERVINGS 1 (8-ounce) bag baby carrots, halved1 (16-ounce) package mini cucumbers, sliced1 (12-ounce) bag assorted colored bell peppers, cut into ¼-inch-thick sticks1 (6-ounce) bag radishes, halvedPurple and gold cauliflower floretsLemon-Herb Yogurt Dip (recipe follows)Honey–Black Pepper Goat Cheese Dip (recipe follows)Garnish: fresh dill sprigs, flat-leaf parsley sprigs 1. On a large serving platter, arrange vegetables and dips as desired. Garnish with dill and parsley, if desired. Serve immediately. LEMON-HERB…

Southern Lady FAVORITES Visit southernladymagazine.com to read this issue’s online stories and to find more of the content you love. Our favorite March/April web features: Shop to See in the Bluegrass State A go-to source for hand–block print linens and stylish home goods, lifestyle brand Pomegranate celebrates its first retail store, located in Lexington, Kentucky. Happy Birthday, Flannery O’Connor Literary great Flannery O’Connor would have been 100 years old this March. Join the festivities in Milledgeville, Georgia, and visit the writer’s home turned museum. Dishing with Alabama Chef Kelsey Barnard Clark In her Southern Get-Togethers cookbook, this Top Chef winner shares expert party-planning tips and crowd-pleasing fare. Enjoy a taste of the book, including the recipe for Kelsey’s New Orleans Beignets. Delectable Tea Sandwiches Bite-size morsels are ideal for spring…

Fostering a spirit of welcome makes a house feel like home, whether you’re hosting extravagant parties or porch sitting with loved ones. In a gorgeous new book, Victoria Editor Melissa Lester bestows expert advice for creating a place of peace and congeniality, an art influenced in part by her deep Southern roots. “Having resided in Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Alabama, I take great inspiration from ways of life observed in the South,” says Melissa. “My mother, grandmothers, and aunts informed so many of my ideas about creating a gracious home. Other women—teachers, ladies from church, the mothers of children I babysat—influenced me though their gifts of hospitality, creativity, and encouragement.” Penned in the tone of one dear friend to another, Gracious Home: Cultivating a Spirit of Welcome (86 Press,…

BRIGHT BOTANICS Throw open the windows and let spring’s gossamer light bounce across a sweet soirée, where fanciful tulips take center stage. Earthy table linens call to mind velvety green moss and set off the shimmer of gold-brushed chargers topped by alabaster plates, whimsically adorned by colorful blooms and flittering butterflies. Stemware in the softest of pastels pairs amicably with silver goblets and treasured place settings pulled out for the special occasion. Because pearls are always an appropriate adornment, napkins stitched with a string of these prized orbs add a final charming flourish.…

Crab Cakes with Parsley Caper Sauce MAKES 8 2½ cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided½ cup mayonnaise*1 large egg, lightly beaten2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce1 tablespoon Dijon mustard1 tablespoon fresh lime juice2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning*½ teaspoon kosher salt½ teaspoon ground black pepper1 pound lump crabmeat, picked free of shell1 small jalapeño, diced2 tablespoons minced fresh chives6 tablespoons olive oilParsley Caper Sauce (recipe follows) Lime wedges, to serveGarnish: fresh chives, fresh parsley 1. In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, egg, Worcestershire, mustard, lime juice, Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir in crabmeat, jalapeño, and chives. Portion and shape mixture into 8 patties. Place remaining 1½ cups breadcrumbs in a shallow dish. Coat patties in breadcrumbs. Refrigerate 1 hour. 2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons…

COVER See Ode to Daffodils. ON THE WEB Page 9: Photography (top left) by Shining Light Photography for Pomegranate Inc. Photography (bottom left) by Antonis Achilleos for Southern Get-Togethers: A Guide to Hosting Unforgettable Gatherings by Kelsey Barnard Clark, shared with permission of Chronicle Books. SUPPER CLUB CELEBRATIONS Pages 19–20: Tablecloth; Trois fabric in pink by Evelyn Henson. Lettuce ware plates and bowls and vintage chinoiserie screen; Parker Kennedy Living. Herend Fish Scale service plate in blue; Gaines Jewelers. Embroidered dinner napkins; Preppy Paper Girl by LB Originals. Clementine Grace napkin ring in pink; June St. George. Tureen (for floral arrangement); Therapy on Main. White bud vases; Wildflowers Floral Design. Fresh roses; Grace Rose Farm. Page 20: Hand-painted wooden eggs; Lucky Carpenter Art. Tiny Veggies and edible flowers; Gourmet Sweet…

MEADOW DELIGHTS Set against an oak leaf majolica charger, this 1950s pattern by Haviland bears diminutive floral motifs, including the eponymous French bluebell. Place a bold yellow bowl on top, like the center of a flower awaiting the happy work of a honeybee. Rattan flatware and a scalloped napkin add whimsy atop a polka-dot tablecloth. GILDED GRACE Accompanied by its sister teacup, Royal Crown Derby’s Lombardy ruffle-edged dinner plate has an effortless prestige about it. Play into its elegance seamlessly by adding teal accoutrements, a wedding-white bouquet of flowers, and delicate napkin bound by a romantic butterfly ring. SERENE OUTLOOK Noritake’s 1960s Monteleone pattern boasts an intricate blue-and-green border that calls to mind a formal garden stroll. Highlight its allure with simple hydrangea blossoms, classic silverware, and baby blue accents…