Sunday Snippets: The Red, White and Blue Edition

Could we all stop for a second and revel over the fact that it is July? Honestly, y’all. I have no idea where this year is going, and it makes me happy and sad… especially since we’ll be moving in a little more than a month. It feels like we just got here and are finally settling in, and now, we’re going to be uprooted once again. However, this time, we’ll be in our destination for a little longer.

So, the moving situation? We’ve got a house. Hooray! It’s under contract. And assuming everything comes back clean, we are pretty much good to go come late August to move to Dallas. Fingers crossed!

So, other than that, this is what I have for y’all this lovely Sunday afternoon:

Collage of two images showing figs in a pot and baked, sliced figs

1. Our fig tree is producing an abundance of figs, so I’ve made gallons (yes, literally gallons) of preserves, as well as a delightful fig tart. Both went over well… and it looks like we’ll be making some fig beer next week, thanks largely to a friend and his beer-brewing skills.

2. I figure we’ll have fresh figs through the end of the month, so I am making the most of this while I can. And then I will cry because we won’t have a fig tree at our home in Dallas…

join our party!

get our latest recipes delivered to your inbox every week — plus all my entertaining tips and tricks!


    We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.

    3. Perhaps that means we just need to plant a fig tree… or various other fruit trees… in the backyard of our new home?

    Collage of two pictures with man and woman posing for the camera

    4. Last week, Winston and I attended a magazine release party for one of my freelance clients. We got all dolled up for the occasion, and it was fabulous, especially since this issue — the Best Of edition — was the one I spent a month secretly photographing around town. It was lovely celebrating the publication of the issue and being able to talk about the work, which I had to keep hush-hush while I was documenting the winners.

    5. When we were in Memphis last weekend, I made a new friend — a miniature fuzzy horse toy left in my mom’s car by my sister’s friend’s child. (Hello, crazy amount of commas and incorrect sentence structure. What?) He was the perfect accessory on my sunglasses. Also, I’m awesome at making serious faces.

    6. Dear Regina Spektor and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes: I love your new albums and think you’re all fabulous. The end.

    Collage of three images showing a biscuit, star shaped cookies and bottle of beer

    7. I ate the most scrumptious cheddar bagel from Bogie’s Deli last weekend in Memphis. Mmmm, bread.

    8. Wednesday morning, I baked four dozen cookies, then decorated them for two separate parties we were attending later that day. They were delicious, and I consumed about five while icing them. … Oops?

    9. At one of the Independence Day parties, I enjoyed this Angry Orchard Hard Cider. … Y’all, I don’t know what my deal is, but I absolutely love hard ciders in different fruity flavors these days.

    10. At our second July 4th party, we got to hang out with some old friends, ate some of our favorite dishes, including steak with Cajun spices, green beans, fresh spinach salad and homemade mac ‘n cheese. The wonderful dishes combined with the company made for a perfect ending of a perfect holiday. I hope you all had the luck of experiencing the same thing.

    [mv_create key=”33″ type=”list” title=”Sunday Snippets” thumbnail=”https://www.thespeckledpalate.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/10-303-post/SundaySnippets_Square.jpg” layout=”grid”]

    And that’s all I got for y’all this weekend.

    What are your snippets today?

    A woman with dark curly hair wearing a black tank top in front of a white wall

    About the Author:

    Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her

    Similar Posts

    Before leaving a comment or rating, ask yourself:

    • Did you make the recipe as directed? If you didn’t or made an ingredient swap, please do not leave a rating. Recipe results are not guaranteed when changes have been made.
    • Is your comment helpful to others? Rude or hateful comments will not be approved. Please remember that this website is run by a real person.
    • Are you complaining about ads? I develop these recipes and provide them to you for free. Advertising allows me to continue to do so at not cost to you. It is also unavoidable on the internet and in everyday life. If you want recipes without ads, please purchase a cookbook or borrow one from your local library.

    4 Comments

    1. Good luck with the house closing!! Real estate is such a nightmare these days, I really hope it all works out for y’all 🙂 Those cookies look amazing! And don’t worry about the ones you ate while icing. I have it on good authority that any food consumed during the baking or cooking process contains absolutely no calories.

      1. Thanks so much, lady! I appreciate it, and I really hope it works out for us, too. So far, it has been smooth sailing so fingers crossed that nothing awful happens between now and then to make it happen.

        And the cookies WERE amazing. I’d send you some if you lived a little closer because I love them… and I’m going to have to agree with you on the food consumed during baking/cooking process. I like that, and I’m now sticking to that from now on. Which is probably why I will eat an entire bowl of cookie dough this week and say that it was good for me. Ha!

    2. I can’t say I’ve actually ever eaten fig anything! But your tart does look lovely and that’s awesome you can make so many preserves. And woo to house things, keeping my fingers crossed!

      1. Too funny that you’ve never eaten fig anything. This needs to be fixed! Figs are delightful… though I’d never had a fresh one until last summer. I’m assuming if they can grow in South Louisiana that you can get them out in L.A… so try one sometime!

        Thank you! Fingers crossed on this end, too. It sounds like everything is going to work out, so assuming it does, we’ll have a home in August!

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *