Table Talk

Join me to talk entertaining, gardening, Southern recipes and timeless decorating. And meet the makers behind our collection of handcrafted beauty.

Featured Posts

Adventures and Misadventures in Entertaining

I grew up in Mississippi, where entertaining at home was a point of pride for...

A Southern Good-Luck Supper for New Year's Day

Black-eyed peas aren't the only good-luck dish for the new year.

Chicken Sauce Piquante, Fall's Perfect Recipe

Every year when there's the first hint of a nip in the air, I love...

Mary Mack's Wild Blackberry Cobbler

When we were little, my sister and I loved going to our grandmother's house in Kosckiusco, Mississippi, (named for the Polish General of Revolutionary War fame), where we'd be driven out on country roads in search of blackberry thickets so Mama could whip up her beloved cobbler.

A Travel Guide to Normandy

Yesterday, my family and I returned from Normandy, a region I knew very little about, and which had not been on my childrens’ list of top-10 vacation destinations. We were there to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, and while they were interested in that aspect of the trip, they argued for a drive to the beaches from Paris and an overnight stay at most. How wrong they were! Normandy is the embodiment of La France Profonde, with its heartbreakingly beautiful village streets, lined with half-timber houses and crumbling garden walls, Foxgloves and poppies grow wild along the hedgerows (which we learned had been a major obstacle as the Allies advanced towards Paris). Rows of craggy apple trees animate the landscape, and orchard owners along every tiny backroad invite guests in to sample their cidre and Calvados.

Award-Winning Lemon Chess Pie

This delicious lemon chess pie is the perfect coda to a spring luncheon or a heavy winter dinner.

A Weekend in the Big Easy

“America has only three cities,” Tennessee Williams was rumored to have declared in the midst of writing A Streetcar Named Desire. “New York, San Francisco and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland.” The fact that this sentiment was also attributed to Mark Twain doesn’t make it any less true. New Orleans holds its own —even as it stands apart — as one of the great American cities.

Bookshelf Wealth Gone Bad: Debunking the Latest Tik-Tok Trend

I may be the last to have learned about the Tik Tok decorating trend known as “bookshelf wealth” - a design aesthetic centered on shelves of haphazardly placed books and objets displayed on built-in bookshelves to achieve a cozy, imperfect look. Anyone who has been living with books and art and beloved objects collected over a lifetime may find it curious to discover this is a new “trend.”

Keith's Paris City Guide: Day 3

A Day on the Right Bank. Head for the Palais Royal for shopping and if you’re really in the mood for an iconic meal, reserve lunch at Le Grand Vefour, Paris’ oldest restaurant which boasts 2 Michelin Stars.

Keith's Paris City Guide: Day 2

Sunday shopping in the Marais is the BEST because most of the boutiques in Paris are closed on Sunday, and the vibe in the Marais is so festive on Sunday. It’s a great young quarter of the City with fantastic walkability and known for its arts schools and museums in addition to gentrified apartments and shops and restaurants. Also, the Place des Vosges is one of the most beautiful squares in Paris and it’s fun to get a coffee in a café in the arcades that line the square.

Keith's Paris City Guide: Day 1

I’ve shared this itinerary over the years with friends and family traveling to Paris, and I’ve revised it at least twice recently, tailoring it to the tastes of my two grown children who recently had their first visits to Paris without their parents, which they both argue was the only “real” trip they’ve taken to the City of Light.

A Refined Beef Stew for a Festive Holiday

It’s no secret to any of my friends that boeuf bourguignon is my go-to dish for winter entertaining. I love to serve it with garlicky cheese grits and crusty French bread and a big salad with lemony vinaigrette. When I do cook stew for a special occasion, though, I love to depart from my old (and very easy) standby. For Christmas or New Year's Eve, I'll pull out my tattered copy of Patricia Wells’ divine cookbook, At Home in Provence, and head straight to the recipe for Monsieur Henry’s Three Beef Daube.