Autumn Harvest at Gatewood Hall

Well today is the first day of Autumn, and while I know not everyone is crazy about this time of year (Shawn Hall being one of those) I happen to love it! Many of you have heard stories about my mother and how much she enjoys decorating for the holidays and seasons...I remember my very first apartment, late September and she shows up with mums, and pumpkins that she had just purchased at the farmer's market to "help me decorate and get into the fall spirit" you guessed it, she loves the fall too!

Fall is especially nice in the North Georgia mountains, our neck of the woods becomes majestic and mother nature...well, she just "shows out"! Our very beloved British friend Ellie used to sit in a rocking chair on the porch of our cabin and look out at our view of Rich Mountain and say "That my dear is evidence of God!" and I couldn't agree more.

It's not just the beauty, it's the color, the crispness in the air, the idea of nesting and cozying up that I just love. (Don't get me wrong in early December I'll be dreaming of Spring) But for now I enjoy how some things just sort of slow down.

So this time of year brings us to our next theme that we call Autumn Harvest at Gatewood Hall! We'll be highlighting some of the our picks or things that we have in our shops and in our community that we especially love this time of year!

Some great fall inspired gourmet gear and goodies for your pantry or to keep handy for hostess gifts!

Beautiful decor for your harvest table and wreaths for your doors! Love these vintage looking wild turkeys and the faux gourds and pumpkins that we have look unbelievably real!

The new fall Caspari collection of napkins and guest towels are exceptionally beautiful this season. My mom always says buy those pretty paper napkins, "don't store them away, use them...they make an ordinary sandwich or drink taste better". You know what? She is right!!

We love this line and we have carried it for quite awhile, and they keep adding more beautiful pieces. These new items are gorgeous! I love the wood and pewter mix on the salad and nut bowls. The stag wine glass would be a great gift for the man in your life. Imagine a good red wine in that glass while sitting in front of the fire in your mountain home! The little squirrel on the stump is a salt and pepper set, the stump is for salt the squirrel holds pepper...how great is that?

A new gourmet line that we have is Captain Rodney's! The Boucan Glaze is a quick and easy cooking trick. It can be brushed on as a glaze for any game, fish, fowl, beans or vegetables. Straight out of the bottle, it makes the perfect dipping sauce for chicken or shrimp, quick and easy to use, always ready to add just the right amount of sweet spice to any dish. This glaze is added after cooking so you get full, rich flavor without the time and trouble of a traditional marinade. No long waits, just easy, all-natural flavor. We love the recipe for the famous cheese bake appetizer...we'll give you the recipe card on the bottle but- just to get your mouth watering.. you mix cream cheese, cheddar cheese, mayo, scallions, top with crisp bacon bits and buttery cracker crumbs and then drizzle with Captain Rodney's sweet, spicy glaze bake and serve warm with crackers, it is DIVINE!! Our friend who turned us onto "Hot Squeeze" told us about Captain Rodney's, what a great gift to keep on hand! Another one of our customers Martha from Alabama (who does famous catering) says she's used Captain Rodney's forever, she said "We call it the stuff that could make cardboard taste good!" She serves it over her well-loved southern fried chicken, YUM!

We also have Captain Rodney's Temptation of Jezebel Sauce which brings back a traditional recipe of the Treasure Coast. A sweet and tangy taste of the old south with tropical pineapples, sweet apples, cracked black pepper and a little horseradish for just the right amount of bite. Try it as a glaze over meat and vegetables or serve it as an appetizer with cream cheese and crackers. (I love it on a ham and swiss cheese sandwhich or biscuit). With just one bite you will see why the Temptation of Jezebel is impossible to resist.
Gosh now I'm so hungry!! Happy Fall Y'all! Please do come in and see us!

**P.S. I just had to come back in and add this footnote. It is around 11AM, I just called my mother on her cell to tell her to be sure to read this new blog post that I wrote last night..."OK" She said "Honey, let me call you back I can't talk, I'm on my way to Grandma's, I picked up mums and pumpkins and I can't even see out of my car, this is bad, I'm gonna have to pull over to rearrange..." I laughed and said- be careful, just call me later...Is that funny or what?? :) I LOVE YOU MOM!!