It has been awhile since I last posted. I have been
busy looking at barn plans and trying to decide what will work best for me and
my horses. Spring has passed so quickly
and it is now early May. So thoughts and
plans are turning toward this Saturday’s race; the Kentucky Derby.
I wanted to share some ideas that I and several of my
riding friends used just recently for day at the races here in Aiken. We hosted a rail side picnic and everyone
brought their favorite recipes. One of my riding partners made Mint Julep cupcakes
from a recipe that is quite popular on-line.
It is worth the time and effort; the flavor of a Mint Julep in a moist
cupcake.
To cover our tables we used long runners of khaki
burlap. These were actually recycled
from my son’s wedding rehearsal dinner just a few months ago in St. Petersburg,
FL. For the dinner they crisscrossed
round tables of white linens and were piled high with bleached white shells and
starfish interspersed with candles and votives. Well back the races! I mentioned the runners
to a very talented riding partner. We
decided to do a jockey theme for the tables and then headed off to shop for
fabrics that were bright and eye-catching. My friend, Karen, turned the fabric and
runners into custom made “linens” for our picnic. Each end of the runners had a different pattern for the jockey silks. Wicker baskets, pink topiary roses, and horseshoes added the final touch.
My mint plants have taken off in the last few weeks! Just in time for me to gather a large bunch
and prepare my own recipe of Mint Juleps for Saturday.
Just be sure to “muddle the mint” for the best tasting drink. That’s what we do in the South!
