Meet Ashley; the Lady of the South.

Founder, CEO & Lead Potter of Dirty South, this blog features her writings on living as a modern-day southerner,
an inside perspective of the business, and what it is really like to own & operate a small shop. Grab a glass of sweet tea & enjoy!


December Recipe: Florentine Cookies

Florentine Cookies (also known as Lace Cookies)
Perfect for dipping into hot drinks.

Christina Williams, West & Taylor
westandtaylor.com


These cookies are sweet, crunchy, thin and perfect for dipping into any one of your favorite hot beverages, including the many drinks available at Dirty South Pottery. They are a perfect mix of sweet and salty! These are not traditional Florentine cookies but they are my version of them. 

 

 

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • Cookies:
    • ½ cup butter, unsalted is best if using salted nuts
    • ⅔ cup packed brown sugar, light or dark
    • ⅓ cup powdered sugar
    • ¾ cup flour
    • ½ tsp salt
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • 1 TBls light corn syrup
    • 1 egg white
    • ½ cup sliced almonds
    • ¼ cup salted pumpkin seeds
    • ¼ cup dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, etc)
    • Chocolate for drizzle, white or dark

 

Preparation

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Melt butter and combine sugars, corn syrup, vanilla together in a bowl.
  • Add in almonds, pumpkin seeds and fruit to the bowl and then stir together with the egg white. I wait to add the egg white here because I do not want to add the egg white to the butter if it is too hot. The mixture of the sugars with the butter as well as the mix-ins will help cool down the butter so the egg white does not scramble.
  • Once combined, add in your flour and mix until a batter is form. This will not be as thick as a chocolate chip cookie dough or the red velvet cookies; due to this it will spread. These cookies are supposed to spread and crisp. 
  • Taking a small cookie scoop or a Tablespoon, scoop out your cookies onto a lined or greased cookie sheet leaving approximately 3 inches between.
  • Bake for 10 minutes, but check at the 5 minute mark. If you’d like to take them out at 5 minutes, you may, they will just be thicker in the center.
  • Once your cookies have cooled, you can take melted chocolate and drizzle it over the cookies. This isn’t the only difference between a traditional Florentine and mine, but this is a big difference; usually you would spread a thin layer of chocolate onto the bottom of the cookies whereas I just drizzle atop it. 
  • Enjoy with a warm drink, dunking if you’d like! 
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November Recipe: Roasted Sweet Potato

November Recipe: Roasted Sweet Potato

Did you get the newsletter last month? If so, you've got a jumpstart already on this month’s recipe. I’ve always been a savory Sweet Potato fan instead of sweet. That’s right, give me sweet potatoes with sour cream and butter rather than marshmallows and brown sugar any day! However, this recipe hits on both of those notes while still being a perfect companion for your Thanksgiving Day dinners!
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Clay Changes & More - 2024

Clay Changes & More - 2024

For years now we have bobbed & weaved, reacting to news about the economy, trends, pandemic protocols, and demand. We have run out of boxes and bags due to supply chain disruptions, have had to square with paying triple the amount for basic shipping supplies, and shouldered the extra workload when our supporting staff could no longer help us. But by far the biggest issue for us at Dirty South Pottery has been the inconsistency & the exponentially rising cost of our clay.
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October Recipe: Bonfire Syrup

October Recipe: Bonfire Syrup

Another month has come, and that means we have another recipe for you! Grab your favorite Dirty South Pottery mug & your favorite warm beverage, and get ready to level up with this syrup.
Toasted Marshmallow Coffee Syrup Recipe with handmade Kentucky Mug

Bonfire Syrup
Toasted Marshmallow

Christina Williams, West & Taylor
Westandtaylor.com

This syrup is great in coffee, tea, cocktails or in hot chocolate as seen in the accompanying picture. The cinnamon, brown sugar and molasses in this recipe help add the same flavors you’ll often find in graham crackers while also allowing for the slight heat that comes from cinnamon and reminds me of a bonfire night. Perfect for a s’mores inspired drink!

Total Time: 30 minutes 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 ½ cup water
  • 6-8 large marshmallows or approximately ⅓ of a bag of mini marshmallows
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Pinch of salt
Preparation
  • Arrange your marshmallows on a lined cookie sheet and place in the oven. Turn your oven on like normal, for 350 degrees and allow marshmallows to toast while the oven is preheating. DO NOT WALK AWAY. Frequently look at the marshmallows. The more burnt the top of the marshmallows are, the more toasty the end result will be. 
  • While this is heating up, you can get your water on the stove to a low boil and pour in the white sugar to make a simple syrup. (You’ll note that a normal simple syrup is a 1:1 ratio of water and sugar. However due to the added sweetener and the gelatin in marshmallows, you need the extra water.)
  • Once your marshmallows are toasted, turn off the oven and remove the marshmallows; allowing them to cool slightly to touch. 
  • After making sure that your white sugar has melted, scrape your toasted (burnt) marshmallows into the pot with your simple syrup and whisk vigorously. The added sugar in the marshmallows will cause your mixture to bubble and rise; please reduce the heat to medium to low-medium depending on your comfort level with heated sugar. (Also, ALWAYS use metal or wooden utensils in hot sugar and candy, if the sugar gets to a certain temperature, it is possible to melt your rubber utensils and then you have to start your project over.)
  • Once most of your marshmallows have reduced, keep heat on low-med and add in your honey, molasses and brown sugar. (If you use dark brown sugar, reduce molasses to 1 tsp)
  • Whisk and make sure that all sugar and marshmallows are dissolved. 
  • Remove from heat and add in the cinnamon and vanilla and the pinch of salt; mix.
  • Store in an airtight glass container in the fridge. Best if used in a week, but it will last up to a month. 

 

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September Recipe: Curried Cauliflower Chili

September Recipe: Curried Cauliflower Chili

The 'ber months of the year are here for 2023, and we love nothing more than to curl up with some soup on the first days of cool temperatures. Christina has once again served us a wonderful recipe that will hit the spot on those fall nights. 

Don't forget to grab one of our Fireside Soup Mugs when they are released on September 23rd! Hopefully by that time we will have some chilly (or chili?) nights. 

 

 

Curried Cauliflower Chili Soup

Curried Cauliflower Chili
w/Potatoes and Chickpeas

Christina Williams, West & Taylor

Westandtaylor.com


This recipe came to life in the midst of needing supper but having not gone to the store that week. I’m an avid fan of working with what you have, so I headed to the pantry and the freezer for ingredients that would make a hearty soup/stew. When I saw what I had on hand I was instantly reminded of my favorite Indian dish, Aloo Gobi; I prefer the cauliflower over the potatoes so this leans on the cauliflower. After tasting the soup and knowing exactly what I would do differently next time, I took notes and developed this. I’ll even give you some of my notes on how I will continue to play with this recipe in the future.

Prep Time: 30 minutes |Total time: 1 hour to overnight

Ingredients

  • 32 oz of broth
  • 16 oz frozen cauliflower
  • 10 oz frozen riced cauliflower, optional
  • 17 oz (or half a bag) frozen diced potatoes
  • 1 can of garbanzo beans/chickpeas
  • ½ cup diced onions
  • 6 cloves of chopped garlic, or 1 Tbls minced
  • 15 oz tomato sauce
  • 1 package (1 oz) onion soup mix
  • 1 package Knorr Vegetable Mix, optional
  • 1 Tbsp Yellow or Sweet Curry Spice blend (I used Spice House brand)
  • 2 tsp Red Curry blend (again Spice House brand), optional 
  • Olive oil for sauteing the onion and potato
  • S/P to taste, remember if you use both the onion soup and vegetable mix you may not need as much salt.
  •  

Preparation

  • In a large pot or dutch oven, saute the onions, garlic and potatoes in olive oil until the onions are soft and the potatoes are lightly browned. Feel free to pull these out and roast until the end of the soup making process if you’d like your potatoes to be on the cripsier side.
  • Pour in your broth and add in the curry seasonings, bring to a slow boil and add in your chickpeas.
  • Add in your cauliflower, onion soup and vegetable mix (if using). Mix and taste, add salt or pepper if you need. (Because I like the cauliflower aspect of the dish that inspired this, Aloo Gobi, I add in riced and chunks of cauliflower. If you don’t like the cauliflower idea that much, leave out the riced so you can easily eat around the cauliflower if needed. However, I will say the riced cauliflower helps provide the ‘rice’ that the inspiration dish often comes with.)
  • If you’ve roasted your potatoes, onions and garlic, now’s the time to add them to the pot.
  • Now, you’ll need to add in your tomato sauce and possibly a can (the tomato sauce can) of water, depending on how thick you’d like your soup. 
  • Turn the heat up and make sure it comes to a boil before bringing it to a simmer and allowing it to sit for about 15 minutes. Stirring frequently so the ingredients do not stick. 
  • As with any chili, this is in my opinion better the next day, but if you must eat it straight away I do recommend letting it rest-off the heat-for about 30 minutes. This not only allows the flavors to meld but if you use the vegetable mix, it will make sure that the dehydrated vegetables in the mix are rehydrated properly.

 

Notes:

  • The Red Curry blend is optional but I almost always put paprika in my recipes and since this is curry inspired and Red Curry usually has paprika in the blend, why not just lean into it?
  • If you have left over roast potatoes, by all means, use them instead of frozen.
  • Going forward, I may turn this into a creamier stew by replacing a portion of the broth with coconut milk, but again this was born from what I had on hand at the time. 
  • If you prefer a spicier curry, please by all means use a hot curry blend, add peppers or use more curry powder than in the recipe.



 

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August Recipe: Corn Salad & leftover recipe

August Recipe: Corn Salad & leftover recipe

Corn Salad
& a use for any leftovers

Christina Williams, West & Taylor
westandtaylor.com


Fresh corn isn’t that hard to find this time of year, but this is perfect for even frozen corn all year long. If you happen to have any leftovers, I’ve included a way to upcycle them!

Total Time: 15- minutes

Ingredients

  • 10 oz corn (about 4 freshly shucked cobs or 1 bag of frozen)
  • 4 oz halved cherry tomatoes
  • 3 oz diced red onion
  • 3 oz diced cucumbers or zucchini 
  • 1 diced jalapeno (add more if you like some spice)
  • 2 Tbls freshly chopped herbs (if using dried, cut amount in half; I used Basil, Thyme and Cilantro)
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 4 oz diced Cotija cheese 
  • Equal parts Olive Oil and Vinegar or Lime Juice
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

 

Preparation

  • If using fresh corn, shuck and make the decision to cook the corn or not. If you want this to have a bit more texture, feel free to leave the corn raw-it’s perfectly safe to eat and it’s a nice added crunch.
  • Combine all the vegetables and herbs and then season with the seasonings.
  • Add the cheese and oil and vinegar/lime juice and toss.



Leftovers

  • To make corn fritters from the leftovers add 1 egg and ¼ cup of flour to 1 cup of the salad; mix and spoon into a few tablespoons of oil until browned. 
  • These are so good with sour cream and even balsamic vinegar drizzled on top.

 

Notes

  • The beauty of this recipe is that if you don’t like one of the veg, you can replace it with something you do. You can also add black beans to this for a more protein filled side. 
  • When it comes to the cheese I used cotija because I like the saltiness it adds, but if you like a more salty/briny taste use Feta or if you like a little funk use some blue cheese (equally delicious).
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July's Recipe: Leftover Jam Jar Uses

July's Recipe: Leftover Jam Jar Uses

 

July is the time of the year that we do our annual sale, Oopsies & Oldies. So what better time for a scrappy recipe? We love minimizing waste, and this month Christina shares with us two ways to make your waste work for you. 

 

Leftover Jam Jar Uses
Leftover Jar Dressing & Jam Marinade/Glaze

Christina Williams, West & Taylor

westandtaylor.com


One thing I hate is waste. I try to use as much scraps and leftovers as possible in my kitchen; from saving vegetable cut off for stocks or adding eggshells and coffee grounds to my garden beds I try not to toss usable waste.

Total Time: 15- minutes

Ingredients for Leftover Jar Dressing

  • 1-2 Tablespoons of jam, scrape the jar
  • 1-2 teaspoons mustard
  • Equal parts Olive Oil and Vinegar
    • Start with ¼ cup but add more if you are making a large amount
    • Use up extra scraps by infusing your vinegar with strawberry tops for an added zing.
  • 1 Tablespoon of minced garlic
  • 1 Tablespoon of minced onion, fresh. If using dried, use only 2 teaspoons
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon Honey, optional

Preparation

  • If the jam is stuck to the bottom of the jar, heat up a little water and sit the jar in it until the jam releases.
  • In the nearly empty jar of jam add the garlic, onion and oil and vinegar, put the lid back on and shake vigorously. 
  • If you are using an empty jar of mustard, then pour the oil, vinegar and jam mixture into the mustard jar and shake. 
  • The empty jam jar is the perfect container to store the dressing until time to use. 
  • Taste the jam and add the honey if you’d like it sweeter. 
  • Salt & Pepper to taste.

Ingredients for Jam Marinade/Glaze

  • 1-2 Tablespoons jam
  • 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon Honey
  • 1-2 Tablespoons Lime Juice (or Apple Cider Vinegar if you are using this on red meat)
  • 1 Tablespoon Sriracha/Hot Sauce -or to taste
  • 2-4 Tablespoons Oil
    • I used a mix of toasted sesame oil and olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons Paprika
  • S & P to taste

Preparation

  • If the jam is stuck to the bottom of the jar, heat up a little water and sit the jar in it until the jam releases.
  • To the jar add all ingredients and shake until combined.
  • This marinade and glaze is perfect for any meat or vegetable; just remember darker fruit jam (grape, cherry, blackberry) are better on red meat and pork, while lighter jams (peach, orange marmalade, etc) are perfect combinations for salmon, shrimp or chicken. 
  • If using as a glaze as well as a marinade, brush the meat with the mixture before and during the cook time and then spoon the remaining mixture over the meat in the pan right before removing the meat. 
  • After removing the meat, add 2 Tablespoons of butter to the glaze in the pan and let reduce until a glaze forms that will leave a trail when the spoon is pulled through it. 
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June Recipe: Beer Cheese Cavatappi

June Recipe: Beer Cheese Cavatappi

It's June, and here in Winchester, KY that means one thing: BEER CHEESE. For the past 15 years or so, we have celebrated being the birthplace of Beer Cheese by hosting the one and only Beer Cheese Festival in our downtown. This is a wonderful festival that draws in 20,000 people (that's more than our population!) to try some of the best beer cheese that the state has to offer. You can buy tickets to try & vote for your favorite! Local restaurants all have specials devoted to the delicious orange dip as well, and we might have something up our sleeve as well....

We will be one of many booths at the festival, so make sure you leave yourself enough time to check out everything. Nothing would be more perfect for this month's recipe than something with beer cheese in it, and Christina has come up with a delicious surprising way to use beer cheese. You won't want to skip trying this month's recipe!

 

 

Beer Cheese Cavatappi
w/Pork Bratwurst and Scallions

Christina Williams, West & Taylor

westandtaylor.com

Total Time: 20-40 minutes || Feeds: Approx 4 (as a side)


Ingredients

  • 1 cup of your Favorite Beer Cheese
  • 1 cup Heavy Cream
  • 8 oz Pasta, Cook
  • 1 Tbls Butter
  • 1 Tbls Flour
  • 1 cup reserved pasta water, salted
  • 2-4 diced green onions
  • 4 oz Diced Pork Bratwurst
  • 1 Tbls Garlic Powder
  • 2 tsp Onion Powder
  • 1 tsp Nutmeg
  • Up to ¼ cup breadcrumbs and parmesan combined
  • Salt and pepper, to taste (start with 1 tsp each and go from there)

 

Preparation

  • Prepare your pasta of choice in heavily salted water and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Saute your bratwursts in a saute pan until browned and set aside.
  • While the pasta is cooking, combine your beer cheese, heavy cream, garlic powder, onion powder, salt/pepper and nutmeg until it is a smooth liquid texture.
  • Over medium heat, in a saute pan melt the butter and add the flour to form a roux (feel free to add a little more if you like a thicker cheese sauce). Once your roux is formed, add your cheese and cream mixture to thicken. Here, feel free to add more cream or cheese if the sauce is thicker than what you like; but don’t worry over it too much. You can always thin it down a bit with some pasta water.
  • Reserve at least one cup of the pasta water and then drain your pasta. 
  • Add the pasta, bratwurst and green onions to the saute pan with the cheese sauce and combine. Drizzle in some of the pasta water to help both season and coat your pasta.
  • In an oiled 8x8 (or a round cake pan) pan, pour the pasta and cheese mixture in and top with breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. 
  • Bake in the oven until the breadcrumbs and parm have become golden in color. 

 

Notes

  • For a twist substitute green onions for leeks and add ½ cup of shredded white cheddar. 
    • This is my personal favorite way to make it!
  • If you like heat, use spicy beer cheese and/or add 1 Tbls of hot sauce to your cheese sauce.
  • I’ve also made this with a handful of chopped spinach in the mixture with excellent results! 
  • Feel free to double the recipe and use a 9x13 casserole dish to bake. 
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May Recipe: Homemade Ice Cream Toppings

May Recipe: Homemade Ice Cream Toppings

For your next ice cream social, make it all the better with homemade toppings! Cajeta is the goat’s milk version of Dulce de Leche, often called Mexican Caramel. While it is very similar to Dulce de Leche, the goat’s milk provides a slightly different, yet distinctive flavor that sets it apart.
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Scooped: An Ice Cream & Art Event 2023

Scooped: An Ice Cream & Art Event 2023

Have you heard of Scooped? This is our annual philanthropy which combines art & ice cream, all to benefit two non-profits that are vital to our community: Clark County Homeless Coalition & Leeds Center for the Arts. 
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April Recipe: Glazed Salmon w/Bourbon Brown Sugar Glaze

April Recipe: Glazed Salmon w/Bourbon Brown Sugar Glaze

For April, we focused in on self care. The winter months can be a tough time for a lot of people, and early spring seems to tease good weather only for it to snow a few days later. So we wanted to take this time to breathe, slow down, and nourish ourselves with great food. 
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March Recipe: Pesto Mix & Match

March Recipe: Pesto Mix & Match

Although this pesto recipe can be used in so many different ways, we LOVE Christina's idea for using it as a bruschetta. You can see it layered as such in one of our Everything Plates (our Spring Seasonal Release, available 3/18/23 for a limited time). 
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