Southern Living March 2021

ABOUT THIS TIME of year, I start taking a lot of walks, usually with my Jack Russell terrier, Rocky, lunging ahead on a taut leash. My route doesn’t change that much. Sometimes I take a right out of my driveway and head uphill, and sometimes I turn left and go downhill. Either way, I usually make a big loop around the neighborhood, and I always enjoy looking at the houses and how they start coming to life in the spring. There’s a brick Georgian with black shutters around the corner that always has several hundred daffodils blooming in the front yard about now, and next door is a stately French Colonial with a mailbox that will soon be covered in white azaleas. Sometimes I’ll spot a cottage that I hadn’t…

Robert Moss CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Based in Charleston, South Carolina, Moss is the author of Barbecue: The History of an American Institution (2020). In this month’s feature “The Stories Behind the Sauce” (page 106), our barbecue expert shares the origins of five regional favorites. Brie Williams PHOTOGRAPHER Born in Memphis and currently residing in North Carolina, Williams loves to explore her surroundings near and far, photographing interiors and the people who inhabit them. In “The Hangout House” (page 27), she captures the beauty of architect Heather A. Wilson’s South Carolina carriage house renovation. TOP TO BOTTOM: JONATHAN BONCEK; COURTESY BRIE WILLIAMS…

WHAT WE’RE LOVING, SHARING, AND CELEBRATING MIGNON FRANCOIS can always find a good reason to celebrate. “If it’s your birthday, there’s a cake for that,” says the founder and CEO of The Cupcake Collection, an award-winning bakery that’s located in both Nashville and New Orleans and ships nationwide. “If you’re going through a divorce, if you got a promotion, or if you had a hard day—there’s a cake for that.” Following last year’s devastating tornado in Nashville and amid a global pandemic, Mignon is as passionate as ever about spreading joy through sweets. “In these hard times we’re dealing with, in all this struggle, people need for something to be a piece of cake,” she says. But things haven’t always been easy for the perpetually optimistic baker. “I opened my business with…

NATURALLY DERIVED formulas are popping up like wildflowers, but don’t let these pretty little ingredients (and their packaging) fool you. They deliver all the advantages of the heavy hitters but are often gentler, leaving behind less irritation for you as well as a cleaner environmental footprint. (1) Aveda Botanical Repair Intensive Strengthening Masque: Rich A plant lipid blend treats each layer of the hair strand, bringing a hefty dose of nutrients that’s ideal for medium-to-thick, textured or color-treated locks. $59; aveda.com (2) Biossance Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil Press a few drops onto clean skin twice daily to reap the brightening effects of Damascus rose extract paired with lightweight moisture from sugarcane-harvested squalane. $72; biossance.com (3) Tatcha The Kisssu Lip Mask The leave-on jelly uses camellia oil to smooth lines, relieve irritation,…

HOW TO CUT A MANGO STEP ONE With the stem facing up, slice from the top of the mango down one side of the pit (about ¼ inch from the center). Repeat on other side. Discard section with pit. STEP TWO Use the tip of the knife to score a crosshatch pattern into each half without cutting through the skin. STEP THREE Invert the halves so that the flesh sticks up. Cut the flesh from the skin. Sunshine Smoothie Combine 2 ½ cups chopped very ripe mango, ½ cup fresh orange juice, 1 ½ cups ice cubes, 2 Tbsp. honey, and ⅛ tsp. kosher salt in a high-powered blender. Process until smooth, about 45 seconds. Pour into 2 glasses, and serve immediately. ACTIVE 5 MIN. - TOTAL 5 MIN. - SERVES 2 RECIPE: MARIANNE WILLIAMS; FOOD STYLING: RISHON HANNERS, PROP…

SECRETS TO A GOOD LIFE Art with Heart Houston’s Sandal Gap Studio celebrates artists with disabilities WHEN LISA EICHER (above center) and her husband, Joey, adopted their son, Archie, who has Down syndrome, her eyes were opened to a new world. “I started to realize just how afraid people were of difference,” she says. Archie’s sister Ace (above left) was eager to build an environment where those fears could be put to bed. For months, the family brainstormed what that might look like. Something clicked when her older sister, Sevy (above right), who has Down syndrome and is nonverbal, began painting. Ace says, “It made me think, ‘What if there are other people with disabilities in the world who also love to paint and be creative?’” So the Eichers started Sandal Gap Studio (@sandalgapstudio). Named…