Home At Last! with Patty Gironda

Traveling with Home At Last! is one of the joys of my life and last week's adventure on Sapelo Island didn't disappoint!  I've been around seafood my whole life-fishing for alligator gar in the bayous of Louisiana, stringing rotten chicken necks in crab traps along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and fishing off the back of my dad's boat for any delicacy that might happen to swim by! Sampling the seafood of the Georgia coast was an exciting prospect and I was eager to sample the local favorites including Sapelo Clams prepared in a Geechee recipe of Clams and Gravy! Our new friend and featured cook, Cornelia Walker Bailey, shared her secrets for cleaning, chopping and cooking the clams in a simple, straightforward dish!  Cornelia shares that the fresh clams can easily be stored in the freezer for future use! Once brought to room temperature the clams open and can be cleaned and prepared in your favorit...

I don't find myself in much of a hurry to do much, today. I'm luxuriating in the fact that I have a much-needed day off. There will be plenty of time to rush about madly preparing for the next guests at Casa Bella Bed and Breakfast or cleaning and preparing for a taping of Home At Last! No, today, I'm drinking way too much coffee, enjoying a late breakfast of a simple potato scramble with fresh tomato, baby spinach, three peppers and a sprinkling of a freshly-grated cheese-just in time to almost be an early supper! Zena, my sweet Rottweiler, is by my side and I'm grateful for the peace and quiet! It's a great day to be a proud America!  God Bless America and keep us safe . . .

A easy recipe from the 1800's Shortening Bread deserves a revival. Growing up a southern girl I remember the childhood folksong that was often sung to babies and performed by children in school plays. The cookies are light and tasty with the substitution of brown sugar instead of white. They have a wonderful crumb and will be combined with fresh bread crumbs to create a breakfast cheesecake with glazed fruit! These were baked to sit beneath fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream.

  Someone said once that I love "sparkly" things and it's true!  Magic happens in my brain when light is captured in glass-creating such indescribeable beauty!  It started early for me as a child growing up in Germany-wonderful field trips to glass-blowing factories! Museums filled with gold and jewels from ancient Egypt. But my young imagination also soared at the sight of home gardens dotting the landscape along the Rhine River! Delectable red currants, delicate lettuces, huge cabbages and stunning window boxes spilling over with beautiful flowers! I continue to be inspired in my life from the images of a wonderful childhood in a foreign country! I am only able to manage a few raised gardens these days but I rush to the small raised gardens in the early morning to witness the magic created overnight.  Late last night a soaking rain caused baby French Breakfast Radishes to pop up their heads out of the dirt!...

This shot took me several hours to capture but I think you'll have to agree it was worth it! Enjoying the afternoon sun this little baby took shelter from the sun in my father's Italian parsley!

I just had to post this pretty picture; so pleasing to me.. From a simple digital photograph I am transported across oceans and continents. Popular in both Tuscany and Spain, anchovy-stuffed green olives are enjoyable as a compliment to bruschetta or simple grilled cheese bread or paninni. For me, they are best by themselves with a Chianti or Pinot Noir. For others, these can be an acquired taste! The mention of anchovies can really cause some to shake their heads in disgust or cringe with disapproval. But, I don't let little things stop me from trying to convert "fish haters".   I recently won over my husband . . . "a fish hater" from way back! 

of hearing "I love you!" My husband works very hard at remembering holidays and anniversaries. I appreciate all his efforts. Today had to be one of his most imaginative! He surprised me with what he thought was two dozen white roses and spelled out "I Love You" in Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. Not bad. He led me to our dining table where he had laid it all out-admitting he had been a little confused by the white plastic thing at the bottom of the flowers. He said he thought it might suck up water to the roses. The roses turned out to be silk. . . and there was no lying about what I thought; on the way to the table he had casually asked me what I thought about silk roses. oops! It's the thought that matters, right? and he did give me a great laugh!  Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

The renovations are almost complete. We have painted, updated and spit-shined a few more spaces in our wonderful old home. Some days I think it will get the best of us-mostly, we seem to be winning. What started out as an impossible situation to some has revealed a comfortable, happy home. After seventeen years, the past is slowly revealing itself. Hidden documents and online resources shed light on the company dealings, civic involvement and home life for past occupants. Many of them passed on now-but still so many stories unfolding. The Old Garden Inn Bed and Breakfast enjoyed so many guests in our first seven years. Guests from Russia, Italy, Germany, Japan, England and many from here in America have graced our breakfast table. . . each depositing their energy and creativity into our space. I can't help but wonder about the lives of future guests of Casa Bella Bed and Breakfast, our new name for our Bed and Breakfast. What will there lives reveal, where will they come fro...

Every day brings us a little bit closer to our projected opening of Casa Bella. Our bathrooms are now outfitted with ample sinks with granite tops that create space for in-room amenities like Honey Soap and Shampoo. Recalling our favorite Tuscan villas and resorts has provided a road map for recreating romantic guestrooms with modern amenities. Creating reading vignettes with ample natural and artificial lighting ensures each guest a cozy custom reading chair or sofa-perfect for enjoying a good book along with a steamy cup of hot chocolate or tea. In the main hall a newly upholstered chair and a half with oversized footstool is the perfect sunny spot to enjoy Patty's collection of design and travel books, cookbooks and decorating magazines. Escape to the massive front tiled porch and reflect on the day's activities before heading out for a fun-filled day exploring our wonderful county.

Ok, I can understand you might not want to stay just yet but things are starting to shape up around our house. The furniture is being upholstered. . .or painted; as is the case here. This is my project today. I am applying a sunny white paint to this 30-something year old chair and upholstering with this pretty red fabric that was just applied to the bar stools. We are excited to offer our corporate guests a less-formal space to catch breakfast on the run. There is a pretty bar with granite and bar stools. And soon; a pretty little chair. All of these are just around the corner from the coffee nook and a nearby cappuccino machine. We hope to open in mid-December-just in time for Christmas guests and family.  Please check back for our projected opening or call us at area code 770-755-6750.  Casa Bella Bed and Breakfast of Newnan, Georgia