Most people celebrate spring by changing out closets, putting a fresh wreath on their door or just standing in the sunshine and taking a moment to be grateful for all the new sights and smells.

Serenbe Foods chef-in-residence Matt Adolfi celebrates spring by breaking down a 300-pound pig from Double T Farms with his brother, Paddy, and throwing a pop-up dinner for 35.

The plan was to host it in my backyard, but as the date got closer, the weather got colder. So we did cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at my house and dinner at the Daisy.

Michael Taylor, Garnie’s best friend from college who lives out his dream of owning a restaurant by planning these dinners, asked what we could do to make the Daisy look like less of a sandwich shop. So I did a little pruning at the Inn’s gardens the morning of the event and filled up the back of the Gator with tall viburnum branches and some very petite roses. Back at the Daisy, I worked some flower and candle magic — even though it’s not my forte — while Matt and Paddy worked their food magic in the kitchen.

A few hours later, guests had pate and chorizo plus fried pork belly with tomato jam and pickled okra served in metal Japanese soup spoons, which was my favorite bite of the night. After we’d picked the big, beautiful wooden serving boards clean, we walked across the street to the Daisy, which felt transformed into a bistro. Matt’s menu combined the best of our local farmers and artisans:

• Cured North Georgia trout
• Beet root, buttermilk, rye 

• Braised Many Fold Farm lamb shoulder
• Brebis agnolotti, oyster mushrooms, English peas, fennel lamb consommé

• Double T Farm slow-roasted porchetta
• Potatoes boulangere, roasted asparagus with Serenbe Farm egg emulsion, thyme onion rolls

• Many Fold Farm Garrett’s Ferry
• Kumquat marmalade, funnel sultana crisp

• Crepe cake with Georgia strawberry preserves
• Chevre & pine nuts

As if that wasn’t enough, Matt always sends guests off with a takeaway and this time he did chocolate meringues — chewy chocolate cookies with chunks of chocolate inside, packaged beautifully in cellophane with a tiny pin and Serenbe Foods tag. Even if he’d shoved them in a Ziplock bag, they would’ve flown out the door. They are oh-my-God good.

Chocolate Meringue Cookies

• Makes approximately 24 cookies
• 9 oz. egg whites (by weight) at room temperature
• Dash of cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons dutch cocoa powder
• 18 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• ¾ cup roughly chopped toasted walnuts

1. In a Kitchen-Aid mixing bowl, beat egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar to soft peaks. Be careful not to over whip — it should be glossy with soft peaks.

2. Slowly add granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, until add is incorporated.

3. Remove mixer from stand and fold by hand the cocoa, chocolate and walnuts into the meringue.

4. Using a 70# scoop, place scoops of meringue onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

5. Bake at 275 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes, rotating once after half of baking time. Cookies are done when they lift off the paper. Cook completely uncovered and store in an airtight container.

How do you improve on Carousel, one of the most beloved musicals in American history? If you’re Brian Clowdus, founder and executive/artistic director of Serenbe Playhouse, you put a stage in a field, surround it with a fully operational carousel, ferris wheel and fair games and sell out every seat for every show.

When Brian first came up with the concept, he called numerous carousel operators around the country, asking them to build a fair in our field and run it during the three-week span of the show. Everyone said no, but he kept dialing. He was down to his last potential vendor but refused to give up. He picked up the phone, explained the project for the millionth time and the man said, “Sounds like a great idea. Let’s do it.”

It was pure magic. There were kiddie games with prizes, one of those strongman games with the mallet and bell, beautiful county fair signage and strung lights all around. While the play was in progress, the ferris wheel would start up and go round and round.

Steve and I took family and friends to see it on a Thursday night. During the song “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” the rain — which wasn’t supposed to come until much later — started to fall while they were singing these lyrics:

When you walk through a storm

Hold your head up high

And don’t be afraid of the dark

At the end of the storm 

There’s a golden sky 

And the sweet silver song of the lark

Some people got up, but the actors stayed, so we stayed. The rain only lasted for a couple minutes and felt like it was part of the play. Some magic just can’t be planned.

Brian’s next adventure is bringing Charlotte’s Web to Serenbe Farm, complete with live animals. Reserve your tickets for the May 27-July 31 run of the show here.

On the surface, community Easter egg hunts seem like an easy thing to organize: Put someone in a bunny costume and a bunch of plastic eggs in a field and let the kids do their thing, right? Not so much.

The annual Serenbe Easter Egg Hunt has been a work in progress since it began in 2010 — each year we have made wonderful memories, but also a few logistical mistakes. This year Garnie had the most brilliant idea in the history of Serenbe Easter Egg Hunts: put Kara in charge of it.

Kara is the queen of lists: Nothing makes her happier than organizing something. Back when the girls were in high school, we’d host pre-prom dinners in the backyard for 55 people — they’d organize; I’d cook. When Kara was a senior, she decided we could pull off double that amount. I decided to hire a caterer. She hired two buses and organized it to perfection. We set up a buffet on the Hawthorne patio and I have the best picture of her, clipboard in one hand, fork in the other, eating directly from the buffet because she didn’t have time to sit.

But it was brilliant. And it was fun. That’s our Kara.

Before she moved home from Seattle, Kara contacted all 20 counselors from Camp Serenbe to help out with the event. They distributed 8,000 plastic eggs — yes, you read that right — and navigated all four age groups of kids through their designated hunt times. If the counselors were lucky, they got to hold one of the five battery-operated bullhorns Kara purchased so everyone could hear the announcements.

She had three face painters, two balloon artists and envelopes with tickets and wristbands for everyone who pre-registered online. She even had Easter baskets available for purchase in case someone forgot theirs or didn’t have time to pick one up the week before. When parents arrived, they got their envelope and hopped off to have fun.

Even though the weather was gray, it all worked out perfectly. We had 800 people here that day, 350 of whom were children, and it never felt like chaos. Parents were happy, children were happy and we even got to take advantage of the set from Serenbe Playhouse’s production of Carousel, which was surrounded by real fair rides and games.

And what would a Serenbe event be without food? The Inn did a locally made bratwurst from local Double T Farms with chips and a drink and The Children’s House, the Montessori school in the community, did an old-fashioned bake sale table. Steve and I bought lots of goodies, but my favorite was the chocolate chip cookie. They were absolutely delicious, so I reached out to the daughter of the woman who made them to see if she’d share the recipe. I got this in response:

“I have bad news (maybe).” She said she just followed the recipe on the back of the Yellow Bag (aka Nestle Toll House Morsels). She likes to cook them a little longer so they get nice and crispy.

“It makes me feel better knowing that even Alton Brown wouldn’t do a show on chocolate chip cookies because he said the Yellow Bag recipe can’t be improved.”

Nestle Toll House Cookies

• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (12-ounce package) Nestle Toll House semi-sweet morsels
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in a large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 9-11 minutes (or longer, for crispier cookies) until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

photo by Carra Sykes from thepianofarm.com

The first visiting artist to stay in Serenbe’s new Rural Studio cottages was spoken word poet Anis Mojgani.  Also a visual artist and musician, Anis lives in Portland, Oregon, was born and raised in New Orleans and graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) here in Georgia.

He’s been on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam and has toured for years doing poetry slams and performances all over the world. He’s published three collections of poetry — Songs From Under the River, The Feather Room and Over the Anvil We Stretch. The month he spent at Serenbe was focused on a children’s book.

“I have a batch of picturebook ideas and stories for young readers that I’ve been thinking on and developing for a few years now,” Anis said. “So I came with those, to see which of them bubbled most to the top to ask for time and attention while at Serenbe. Of those, there are three I mostly worked on, shaping and fine-tuning the actual story of them, and putting down on paper the visual storytelling of them.”

On one of his last nights here, Anis shared some of his poetry with us around a bonfire at the Art Farm. One of his newer pieces about beauty really struck me. Anis is the poetry: He’s one of those artists that fully embodies their work.

Steve and I soaked it all in, then looked at one another in disbelief that an artist of this talent and caliber had come to gain inspiration from what we’ve created. I’m not going to say it’s a give and take — it’s a give and give.

The last little chick is officially back in the nest.

Kara and Micah packed up and left Seattle a few weeks ago, starting a glorious cross-country trip that ended at their new home in Serenbe.

They texted gorgeous pictures from Zion National Park in Utah, where Kara hiked five miles in her fifth month of pregnancy. They explored Santa Fe and crossed paths in Texas with Micah’s mother, Kristen, who was on her way to Joshua Tree. Kara reconnected with a sorority sister in Austin then they drove to New Orleans where they had beignets at Café du Monde, a muffaletta at Central Grocery and a fantastic meal at Peche.

After they arrived at Serenbe, Micah looked around and said, “This isn’t a visit. We’re actually going to live here.” They have a house in the Grange hamlet.

Steve and I decided that, now that all three girls are home, we’ll start having family dinner every Sunday night. Since Gerry Klaskala was here for the Southern Chefs Series on the first Sunday night after Kara and Micah’s arrival, I did a family breakfast instead. Ever since they started having sleepovers, the girls have loved a pancake breakfast. It was the one time Steve got in the kitchen.

I cracked open my 1956 edition of Joy of Cooking and flipped to my favorite pancake recipe. What makes it special is that you separate the eggs and whip the egg whites to make a better batter. After everything’s been sifted and whipped, all you need is a hot griddle — I prefer a cast-iron skillet — maple syrup and good butter.

We are complete now. People ask me all the time: How did you get all your kids to come home? And I usually say with a smile: You build a town and your kids might want to live there, too.

In all seriousness, the girls generally do like to hang out with us and it’s ultimately the most gratifying thing in the world that they want to live and work here.

Of course, the little boy in ever-growing belly makes it all the more special. Steve and I just look at one another and say, oh my God, we’re going to be grandparents. Every chance I get, I lean down and say, hello baby boy. I want him to know my voice.

And soon enough, there’ll be a brand new chick in the nest.

Pancakes, Griddle or Batter Cakes

• Courtesy of Joy of Cooking, circa 1956

• Makes about 14 four-inch cakes 

• Sift before measuring:
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• Resift with:
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 ¾ teaspoons double-acting baking powder

•  Beat lightly:
• 1 or 2 eggs

When using 2 eggs, you may separate them. Add the yolks to the milk mixture. Beat the whites until stiff, but not dry and fold them lightly into the blended batter, after adding the milk and butter.

• Add:
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 to 1 ¼ cups milk

In last week’s post, I wrote about the rye toasts that chef Gerry Klaskala made during his visit to the Southern Chef Series. Today I’m back with more Gerry and — that’s right — more bread.

Months before his visit, Gerry told me he wanted to do an Alsatian theme to expose participants to recipes from the French region so heavily influenced by nearby Germany. And did he ever. Gerry brought three types of sausages, three kinds of pork, ham, roasted duck, boiled potatoes, different mustards and a big loaf of potato bread to make bread dumplings.

Oh my.

First he started by cooking the applewood-smoked bacon in a pan. You know, because we needed more pork. Then he added onions and added that mixture, plus nutmeg, parsley, salt and pepper, to the potato bread that had been cubed and toasted. After moistening it with chicken stock, he formed it into the shape of a sausage, wrapped it in cheesecloth, tied off the ends with cotton twine and poached it in a pot of boiling chicken stock. Then he sliced it up into discs and served it with the pork and its juices. It was amazing. Might have something to do with the fact that he cooked the bacon in fat rendered from the goose he cooked at Christmas.

There was nothing green about this dinner. The only vegetable was the cabbage he’d put up three months ago and brought with him. And we couldn’t get enough.

Gerry is easygoing and such a natural with the guests. He entertains at home a lot, which means he cooks all week at work, goes home and has dinner parties on Sundays. He does it because it loves it and it shows.

Join us at the next Southern Chefs Series with guest chef Ford Fry of JCT. Kitchen, No. 246, The Optimist, King + Duke and more. The experience includes preparing and eating dinner on Sunday and lunch on Monday with the chef, breakfast and an overnight stay at the Inn at Serenbe. $695; 770.463.2610

Bread dumplings

• Serves 8

• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
• 1 cup applewood smoked bacon, medium dice
• 1 ½ cup onion, small dice
• 3 quarts potato bread, cubed and toasted
• 2 each eggs, whisked well
• ¼ cup Italian parsley, coarsely chopped
• 2 each scallion, thinly sliced
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1+ gallon chicken stock
• Salt and freshly milled black pepper

1. Heat a heavy-bottomed sauce pan, add oil and cook bacon until half cooked

2. Add onions and continue to cook until onions are soft. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

3. In a large mixing bowl, place the toasted potato bread croutons and add onions, bacon, nutmeg and parsley. Season well with salt and pepper. Moisten with chicken stock and mix well.

4. Lay out a sheet of 20″ x 24″ cheesecloth. At one end, shape the dumpling mix into a large sausage shape. Tightly roll up and tie off each end with cotton twine.

5. Place chicken stock in a pot large enough to hold dumpling. Bring to a simmer and cook for 35 minutes. Shut off heat, cover and hold.

6. When ready to serve, remove from stock, cut strings and unroll. Cut into ¾-inch round discs.

Note: These particular bread dumplings are intended to be served with roasted meats and sauce or pan gravy. They are great for sopping up all that deliciousness.

Gerry Klaskala, chef-owner of Aria and co-owner of Canoe, arrived for his visit to the Southern Chefs Series with two freshly baked loaves of bread, European butter and sea salt to sprinkle on top. And as far as I’m concerned, he could’ve stopped right there.

(He didn’t, of course. More on that in another post).

The women were on my side: Each one said they could die happily on a belly full of bread and butter. The men said they’d prefer steak. And it struck me how those ancient rituals — men hunting; women baking bread — still feed our cravings centuries later.

Bread touches something deep within us; I think it’s a big reason that artisan breads have made such a comeback.

Gerry sliced the rye on a mandoline so it was razor thin, toasted and served it as part of the Sunday night dinner. My first bite jarred a childhood memory of the rye melba toasts I loved as an after-school snack when I was 10 years old. It was a box brand called Old London and I’d smear them with butter, sip Red Rock ginger ale and watch Bewitched.

Gerry topped his version with housemade cold-smoked salmon he’d marinated overnight in layers of coriander and cardamom, salt and pepper. The next morning he scraped off the spices and cold-smoked it, a process that makes the fish taste much less smoky than hot smoke. I don’t like smoked salmon for that exact reason, but this one had me salivating and figuring out two things:

1. How soon I could get to Aria to have more

2. How to make my own cold smoker

According to Gerry, all I need is a smoker, some galvanized pipe and a refrigerator. It’s genius and totally doable with a little help from Quinn’s boyfriend, Lucas.

This could very well be my new summer backyard décor.

Join me next week for more details about Gerry’s Alsatian-themed visit, featuring bacon cooked in goose fat he rendered after Christmas dinner.