Years ago, I filmed myself teaching the cake recipe I spent YEARS developing for The Mischief Maker.

The entire point of this cake was to solve a problem:

I wanted it to be insanely flavorful + tender enough to make people’s eyes roll back in their heads...

AND sturdy enough to stack, carve, sculpt and actually build with.

That combination took me years to get right

And somehow I filmed the whole thing - my Appalachian Granny’s White Buttermilk Cake, Swiss Meringue Buttercream, soaking syrup + the techniques I actually use - and then basically left it sitting on the internet.

So I spent the weekend rebuilding the class around what it actually is. The foundation of possibility and anything that your imagination can lead you to build. From the simplest cake for a birthday or something grandiose that you envision. That’s the beauty of a recipe that you know in advance is packed with flavor and also can withstand being stacked and sculpted into whatever your heart desires. The Mischief Maker Signature Cake and Buttercream class is now live!

What I realized is that I never viewed this class as an isolated class, even though it is so important.

When I started building cakes, the first thing I wanted to do was make a tiered cake. I had never even made a cupcake. My way of learning is to start with the hardest thing and refine it until I have it down. It’s backwards for some people, but it’s my way.

I would have loved being handed this recipe then, because it solved all of the problems I kept running into: intense flavor building, a tender crumb, and a cake sturdy enough to stand, stack, carve, sculpt and be used for almost any project or purpose.

That’s a game changer.

Originally, I had a much larger idea. I created this course as part of a series about learning how to bake in eight weeks. I wanted to build an arsenal of videos people could revisit throughout their lives. Lessons they could return to over and over again to bake almost anything they’d ever need.

It was a great idea.

But sometimes, inside a grand vision, you lose sight of the thing that matters most. You lose sight of the foundation. You lose sight of where the gold actually is.

This class stands alone.

That doesn’t mean I don’t want to revisit the larger idea someday. In fact, we filmed an entire lesson around an out-of-this-world coconut cake I make, and I either need to find an editor or finally edit the thing myself and publish it too.

But that would be an addition.

A coconut cake is a wonderful cake to make for a birthday or as a beautiful layer cake. This class is different. This is something you can use forever, for almost any project, at almost any time.

It is the foundation of everything.

And I mean everything.

It would have saved me many nights crying in a ball on a kitchen floor over the years, I can tell you that.

The other beautiful thing about this class is that you can bake completely on your own time. There is no schedule and nothing to keep up with.

Bake the cake this weekend. Come back to the buttercream when you need it. Revisit the class before a birthday, a wedding, or some completely unreasonable thing you’ve decided to build.

Work through it at your own pace and return whenever you want a refresher.

The class is yours to use again and again.

Come bake with me:

The Mischief Maker Signature Cake & Buttercream Class is now rebuilt, $47, digital and available on demand.

And maybe this is the beginning — not necessarily the entirety — of that larger idea after all.

Some thoughts on getting it done versus over preparing. There’s always a time in a place for a drop cloth, taping off things, and a super preparation and then there are times when you just need to get it done. I think that this thought of absolute over preparation, kills people from doing things in their house or otherwise. Is it ideal to paint without a drop cloth and then have to use dawn dish soap and water to get everything up? No of course not. But sometimes it’s better to have a finished project than absolute perfection.

Now, if it’s a five minute prep lay down some newspaper. Sure, if you have a helper who is more of a prepper even better, but I say if you’re going to sit there and not get something fucking done, you should just do it and clean up your mess afterwards. Thoughts for the day. ❤️

It seems as if so much time has passed since the last article, and yet there is so much to do to progress forward and what to choose first. This week I have a great bed and breakfast guest. She is doing an externship to be an equine vet. Each day a different visit with a different doctor. Evenings are spent at home with refreshed candles, sometimes a joint meal, movie or a show. And today, a little rain.

^ the last seasonal dinner. A group of friends organized by my cousin Melissa.

A little rain, Norah Jones, and moving words on a page are a trifecta of feelings all at once. None to do necessarily with productivity, but about living .

^ Caesar salads and amaretto sours. Both of which recipes can be found in the archives here on my newsletter.

Attic progress ^

I’ve been deciding what my projects will be this week. I’ve been working on the last leg of the attic. A confusing space, because it wants to live dual lives.

Its original purpose was to rent it out separately (as it is apartment sized) or join it with the Air Bnb as a separate rentable space to extend the spaces. I don’t want to rent it as a whole, but as separate things to separate people. That way multiple people can be in each at once. However, the final push that lead to the clearing of the floor and the final painting was that my cousin requested an attic dance party at the seasonal dinner she put together with 11 of her girlfriends. Sometimes, simple wants are what achieves these things in the end. The garden here was similar. It’s true it developed to hold the models for my sugar flowers, but its first most basic want was to have a garden for a garden party.

The first garden party ^

So, the attic floor is clean and painted . Chairs for the garden got painted. (I need to paint five more before the next dinner!) Stefan came in from Germany for a two week trip right before the dinner and he helped do the last push. Sometimes you can’t see how to fix large things on your own. Even if they’re a few hours close to finish.

^ I had to give him Tara’s shorts to wear and an old shirt 🤣^ .

The pink paint in the attic needs to be touched up from errant red marks that were smashed as I went, but the floor is finally finished. I don’t know how many coats it has. But I love the colors. I made a peachy pink and a bright red floor with an ever so slight orangey undertone. Good colors, I think. The new problem though is the attic bath. All the remnants of the attic are now in the bath. I’ve shoveled a path way to the claw foot tub among extra linens, racks, rocking chair, and a kitchen table ( for the undone attic apartment).

I should break down and move the coat hangers. And donate or throw away the extra bedding. It just pains me. At the start of the bed and breakfast, I burned quite a few comforters in the dryer before I started air drying them. So, they’re expensive nice comforters with one small spot of imperfection. But also the one small burn mark looks like shit. So, I go back and forth on throwing them away. They’re perfectly fine. I think that maybe I should do the clearing before I break a limb to get to the bath tub.

That’s the other third purpose of this space. It’s kind of a nice thing to have a bathtub up here as the bed and breakfast guest gets the shower and bathroom on the second floor. I do need my space too. This will lead you all to write me and say why don’t you move to the attic ?! Then you’d have a whole floor to yourself. Yes, I’ve thought about this too. But I can’t see the moon properly from here and I like my small room with the view of the church and the wisteria that is climbing outside the window. Simple wants.

The seasonal dinner went very well. Attic dance party included. It’s hard to decide what should happen as the space is perfect for dancing and music. And I’m sure part of me wants to leave it for dancing. Movies and private moments. That being said, there have been intense times in pushing for help to finish the space. I had in place a great girl who wanted it for the summer. But no help and a mental block on my part kept it unfinished. One has to do things themselves, but an hour or two of help sometimes makes the push and difference. I shouldn’t be that way, but I am. I work all the time to push through and get over it.

We have had talks again of an art salon with live music up here in the fall. Back in the day, I had some huge Christmas parties with white elephant gift exchanges lead and guided by a friend of ours named Spencer. Why he stepped in for this job, I’ll never know. Everything from antiques to voodoo dolls were brought to these. I’ve also had dinners up here as it’s fun with a big long table right down the center of the room. Especially in the winter (I can imagine ) when the seasons of the seasonal dinners are too harsh outdoors . It’s not a garden, but it’s transportive in a different way to a different time and space. And I feel like something of these past memories had to be where the attic dance party request came from. But an attic with no jazz is lifeless.

Back in the day ^

I used to layer lasers up here in different patterns also as the angled walls are perfect for it. It was also always fun to project movies up here. However, something Christmas themed would not work, I’m afraid, for the middle of July. But as I looked around. Turning out a dark light and throwing a phone in a cup seemed like a bad option. Or rather different than what they might be envisioning in their imagination as in reality. So, I ordered some lasers last minute and scratched it together. We have put in place a plastic only rule. I broke the glass and Stefan grabbed a broom. I did the deed this time, but next time it could be someone else. The wine spills comfort me that it wasn’t only me who was having a good time. The gin floweth.

The layering and playing pleases me for some reason. Adding one light pattern at a time. Sometimes, you figure out less is more. And having it dark enough is more important, so sometimes you have to turn out extra lights. Just the same, I’ve had to blow out extra candles up here too. You think more candles will be better, and then you realize that people lit entire houses by candle for a reason. It works. It’s bright. But it isn’t creating a cozy or intimate atmosphere. And after all, that’s really what I’m always after.

Back to the dinner. It was fabulous. Exactly the perfect experience I had always hoped they could be back when I was writing this idea in notebooks and endless Virgo lists more than seven years ago. To be truthful, I like doing this for friends of friends the most. Even friends of friends of friends of friends. But, of course I do. My cousin put together her group of girls and I added in four of my own to the mix. My friends Patrick and Katelynn. Who brought homemade bread. Placed citronella incense and protected everyone from bugs. Tara and Stefan.

Stefan helped do things all week. Which makes me a bit nervous to be honest, because I always want to have fun and don’t want to mess up someone else’s vacation. Especially when they’ve traveled so far. But I think it was pretty manageable in the end. We spent the first week here having kitchen parties and at the Red River Gorge on the weekend. The experience at The Hive was a master class in absorbing atmosphere. Burning sage. The last slot of baths opening up at the last hour. Sunset. The sound of water and bugs and the feeling of pure peace. They’ve created magic there at the thermal spas and bath. I knew to close my eyes and soak it in as long as I could, because the next week had an anchored focus on the dinner.

The second week, we kind of had our lunch, and did one small thing a day and wrapped it up by 7 pm in general. The painting and pasta making was tactile. Using your hands and mind at once to complete a task is not something I’d put in the category of a chore. So, I’m happy to complete these things together. And believe in this connection.

On the whole, I think the trip from Germany couldn’t have been more perfect. Party included. And it takes a strong person to restrain me from going to the lantern after a post party dance party refusing to go to bed while I sing New York, New York by Frank Sinatra. And somehow everyone made it to bed.

Whatever the task of the week was. I wrote down everything on a napkin. This is the kind of organizational world I live in.

One time my friend Tara came in and found such a napkin and laid it carefully to the side and said very seriously, “oh, this must be important ! “ 😅🤣. It was important. The whole week was broken down day by day to get to Saturday. We took off the whole tail end of Friday or it all would have gone perfectly to napkin plan.

Breaking things down by day is an old sugar flower cake organization habit. And it works for dinners too. Doesn’t really matter if it’s on a napkin! Or an errant sheet of printer paper. Maybe it feels more on the fly or less pressure mentally to not have it on something more precious. It is like a feather in the wind a bit this way, but it works. Then the careless thing is taped to the wall or saved and cared for like gold. Maybe I like making the mundane things precious.

The dinners really are becoming a dream. The surrealist elements from my old party days are returning (if the host shall want anyway) . And I like the current method. The host which is kind of me also (in an over arching way) , but the host ( the person who puts together their group) eats for free. The price I think is worth it, because there is nothing worse than wrangling people, sending addresses, and getting people to send in their costs. All the hosts so far ended up paying me anyway. As they know me and know it goes to buy something special for the party to make it better and ,not ever, or rarely ever, something for myself . Right now, for example, I battle with myself a very nice tablecloth. In the end, we will land on the right one.

So the host. They talk to me about their wants imaginations. The menu ideas. And I do just what I always did with my cakes. I do not over run people and their imaginations. I never have and I never will. I listen. I have my own set of aesthetics and standards, yes. But my goal is to translate their wants into something even better by presenting my ideas back to them. And the last two months, I’ve realized the dinners are no different. The host of that group becomes what my brides have always been. I’ve always done well with a prompt . An adjective. A slight idea and I can run with it. This is really fun.

The seasonal table experiences like the ones I host on TripAdvisor are lovely on their own way. You meet a stranger. A couple. You end up having a really fun time creating a meal together. Which also works, but the other is more creative adjacent as I’m working with the host lately to achieve a common goal for their group of friends. And I’m probably used to that. So, I find it soul satisfying in the end and not transactional. If anything in my life starts to feel transactional, I not only spin out, I am out. So, if I do something for money, it also has to be rewarding to me. It sucks sometimes to be an artist with a soul and standards.

My goal was just to replace the random dinners we go to in town at least every so often. To put the house and a group of intimate friends together to have a true experience at home and work it into the Dudley’s, Deauville, and Speakeasy rotation of evenings. And it’s private. And personal. And a bit of magic. And it has the ability to be different every single time based on the prompt. The guests. And the involvement of the host / hostess who puts these humans together.

A great post party dinner at The Obstinate Sons. 10/10. ^

I’ve thought about doing something like have an open night every month and fill the spots. See what different grab bag of mystery guests we get. To total 11-16 or something. Stefan suggested the third Saturday of every month. It’s an interesting idea. Different than planning with a specific person, but maybe an interesting activity to drop into. It’s an idea.

The Fourth of July has also come and gone. This year was fun. But for me, it’s always the worst and most depressing holiday of all. The most romantic one (in theory) and always the most disappointing. It always seems like life is falling apart or there is some sort of lack that realizes itself in the visuals of flashing explosions over head. When it seems always like it should always be a romantic calm picnic. Everything is usually to hell. A romance where no one can get along or come to an agreement long enough to sit down on a blanket. Life is somehow in shambles. Disappointment looms. It’s idealized what I think it could be. My own existential crisis.

I’ve always loved watching the fireworks with my friend Drew and his kids. But in my mind I end up diving into something else. Anyway, this year I spent the two days with lots of friends and it was a lot of fun. So, I’m grateful for the invitation on what I find to be a trying weekend. Only a slight bit of reflection kicked in which is an improvement to the usual. But somehow I still spent the end walking home in blocked traffic from a questionable Rally’s with fireworks exploding behind me .

On the whole though, the last months have been positive. So much growth . Fun. Satisfaction on every level. Life lived and memories at every turn. There’s still so much to do. And an attic bath to clear, but the progress seems to be bubbling and budding slowly. And you have to take the perfect moments anytime you can get them. They don’t fall on a certain day of the year or a certain hour. I’ll be here picking one thing to do to move things forward this week. Maybe a few things. But one thing at a time.

I'm still winding down from the first seasonal dinner here at the house. I made the Spring menu for two guests from Pennsylvania on Tuesday ! Last night, I decided to pull a recipe from the house archives here . I love it as it uses honey as the sweetener. My favorite is Bee Boys Honey if you’re in Kentucky. Simply my favorite. If you like lemon, gin, honey, and a hint of lavender may I suggest you give this one a try!

Bees Knees

1.5 oz dry gin or Hendricks

1.5 teaspoons honey

Read more

Read more

You give energy and you get it back. Today’s guests are in from LA. I always leave open the kitchen windows, the back kitchen door, and the nook doors. I usually have on music of some sort. Everywhere at first. Then on a lower volume only in the kitchen in the morning hours.

They took a red eye here to attend their son’s graduation and I went on the back deck last night after a walk at the arboretum to pick some lettuce and kale for my dinner. I noticed the sound of the shower coming from an open window on the second floor. This pleases me to no end, because they picked up where I left off.

I was wandering around the kitchen after lunch while they’d run home today to take a shower in between activities and I paused. Jazz music coming from the bathroom. People from my own heart. I went outside to take out the trash. I looked up and the bedroom windows are open. People make a space feel alive and anew with their own energy on occasion.

The other time I noticed this (in a way that their energy lent me some) was a few guests ago. I walked out of my room at night to go on a walk in Gatton Park to see the gigantic flowers that were here on an art installation from a group of French artists. The house smelled divine . The most wonderful smells permeated the entire second floor and the stairwell. From whatever her shower was. A mix maybe of things I have laid out for them in the bathroom. Oils maybe? Crabtree and Evelyn verbena things. A rose lotion? A secret something I know nothing about. It bled through the whole upstairs and then in part inspired me to do something different in my own right. I decided that on this rainy day, I’d make myself a tea.

I have collected a variety of loose leaf teas that I forgot to label. I went with one that had rose petals and made myself a cup. Then I had a thought . My guest’s husband was downstairs watching a hockey game and I thought maybe she’d like one too. I messaged her and said that I laid a variety of tea downstairs . Some a mystery. She came down and made a cup at some point. In a robe and the most as ease . You can feel when people are at ease and it puts you at ease too.

They warned me it may storm, told me I should take an umbrella, but I took my chances. Went on my walk and got back just before the storm. I ran at least a side walk’s length to get back to the front door.

The worst, but most magnificent thunderstorm rolled in. I suggested dark and stormies and while everyone was tempted, the vibe was still most certainly tea all around. We could barely hear each other speak over the rain sound coming through the open kitchen windows. The nook door. But somehow intimately gathered in the evening we talked about the importance of gathering . Of old ways of doing things.

Ivett was born in Hungary and grew up in Berlin. Germany. They had just been there the week before. They described going to various bed and breakfasts back in the day in Scotland. They said different people in each room. All gathering for breakfast in the morning. The host asking what they’d like. Full Scottish breakfast. How over the years the platform of Airbnb has changed. What started out as an experience meeting strangers has evolved into a void empty space and a key code.

I feel happy that I’m bringing things back around the other way again. For those that appeals to. Even the seasonal dinners I’m doing are structured this way. I join the guests. If guests are staying at the bed and breakfast I invite them to join in. And the people that book know it’s “a small intimate group of people “ not a private dinner, unless requested. I feel like bringing a little wild card back in the mix is a good thing. People are meant to gather.

In a way, they are influencing me to change a few things around myself. Maybe, I’ll open the windows to the bathroom too. And leave the guest room window open. Mostly, they are letting me know I’m going in the right direction.

I’m delighted to find the next morning, as a day has passed since writing these first paragraphs, all the windows open. A candle and matches moved in the bathroom. The house has come into its own today. With the breeze coming in from all directions, I think I’ll leave it just as it is for my next guests.

The Bed and Breakfast is fun I must say. A lot of work, but fun. I have random notes on my phone from each set of guests telling me where to travel. What to go see in this world and how to do it. My last two even watched part of Requiem for a Dream with my friend Katelynn and me. Normally, I lock myself away in the nook at a certain hour, but these two may or may not have heard my singing rendition of Colors of the Wind. 😂.

They were lovely and left two pages in the guest books filled out. I love when people take the time to write me . I can feel myself tangenting into what would be an actual article, but I think i’ll leave this one to Speak Your Piece.

Read more

I had composed a spring table for a mother and daughter who were very much looking forward to it. A small accident shifted their plans, and suddenly the table was open again.

I was geared up to fully have bed and breakfast guests all weekend while simultaneously hosting this dinner on Saturday to DIFFERENT guests! Wild, but good. I was keeping the menu for this season a surprise until after their dinner, but i’ve decided to go ahead and release it.

I had already composed the table, and it’s one of my favorites of the season. Hosted in my home and garden in Lexington, Kentucky. I am creating these menus for small groups, intimate gatherings, and evenings that feel like something more than dinner.

Menu

Cheese straws, green olives, radishes with cultured butter and sea salt

Beet tart with horseradish

Chicken roasted in spiced hay with lemon stuffing

A crisp green salad with mustard dressing

Salted honey ice cream

I’m opening a small number of spring bookings for this menu.

Designed for a small group of 2-8 guests. Feel free to share this with someone you’d want to sit at this table with.

I'd love to have you! I bought a fun new tablecloth and everything 🤣❤️.

Here is the link to book if you'd like ! Come on, let’s make some hay chicken! 🐓

Alex

I am passionate. For better or worse. I love deeply. I hurt deeply. Wounds are deep. I don’t give in that well. I take awhile to recover. Laughter is great. And when there is joy, it is abundant. Intensity in every direction is how I live my life. The best parts of us all are often also the worst parts too. The high. And sometimes, the downfall. But together, I think it all forms a beautiful picture. An imperfect one, yes, but a real one. And that’s what I strive for.

Simple luxury is how I would like to define my life. Music in the balmy night. With friends. Ocean sounds in the background. Water hitting a shore. A slow glistening river. Delicious food. A full stomach. A kitchen party that never ends. Delicious hazy buzz from wine. A dog underfoot is the icing on the cake, but even without, a fire, some taper candles or a $2.00 pack of votives elevates life to an art . A dreamy car ride with window views of expanding horse farms or architecture of a foreign country.

Cooking in Mexico ^

Making Paloma’s with the most gorgeous view !

Plants in every atmosphere. The home. Tropical plants in the ground in Mexico. A surrealist vision of house plants everywhere in the ground that could simply never survive in Kentucky. Like a transplanted vision of a dream.

Yelapa ^

^ tropical plants in Isla Cuale in Puerto Vallarta.

Mismaloya Beach at sunset ^

Hiking hard through six beaches. Breaks on the sand . Over rocks and water flowing. Slipping on algae. Unsure if you’re even on the right path. Being let out on a path and being told to walk 15 minutes. Not knowing how long 15 minutes is or where on earth you’ll end up. If you’re lucky, it ends in the most expansive private waterfall and basin of water. And you swim freely without caring about the depth. Wishing to memorize every rock. Every aspect of the nature around you, forever. And resting on a chair after a hard days work. Satisfied . With yet another satisfying dinner, cocktail, or a glass of wine. That your body signals to you that you have earned.

First full day in Puerto Vallarta.

A $100-a-night room and the perfect base to explore the coastline and nature outside the city.

That’s how I would start to describe the Mexico trip I went on recently. 14 days of adventure. Ups. Some downs. But more ups. 98 percent ups, 99 ? Memories to last forever. I don’t think a few years ago that I’d ever find myself to be a traveler. To fly alone multiple times. To navigate airports. Start to do parts of countries solo when flights are delayed . But somehow. It’s exactly what I’m meant to be doing. Action is always more valued than thoughts alone.

Snorkeling and exploring the caves in Los Arcos ^

And in all my traveling lately, I have to say, coming back home to Lexington is very special. And I find that when I had my first new sets of guests that I want them to feel the heart of soul of this place. Because it’s just as special as a foreign land.

Read more

I personally don’t want a transactional sort of bed and breakfast where you let yourself in with no interaction with the host. The house is not meant to feel anonymous. I want to welcome each person myself, too meet their needs, and to bring them into the rhythm with the house the garden, and the kitchen. A place where they can enjoy and exhale.

There are really two doors at play at my bed and breakfast. The literal front door and the door that opens once the guest has booked.

Inside the guest portal they can shape their stay. A slow breakfast in the kitchen. Cinnamon rolls warm from the oven. A basket of raspberry muffins carried out to the garden.

A room becomes a weekend.

The more the house creates moments for people, the happier my soul feels. Complete . Enriching .

I don’t even like to call what I'm doing an Airbnb anymore. The house is listed there, and now on booking.com, as well. As i’ve slowly watched this development over the last month or so, it is in my mind, most certainly a bed and breakfast.

A hotel room offers some services. A blank and sterile function. A blank Airbnb, decorated in a cookie cutter way with one looking just the same as the next, is not what I want to offer.

I want to offer a full experience.

I want the soul of my guests to feel fed just like mine does when I walk around my house and garden during the week, enjoying one plant after another, floating from room to room, anticipating the stay of my next guests.

I want the house to feel alive.

After a reservation is confirmed, guests receive a private link. Inside the portal they can add small experiences to their stay.

Not necessities.

Little luxuries.

Breakfast happens in the kitchen. The house is a Victorian garden home, built in 1890. There are usually flowers on the island and sunlight is streaming through the kitchen windows and through kitchen door. There is a nook just off the kitchen a small a pocket sized little room with a wicker daybed and plants hanging overhead. The doors to the kitchen and the patio doors are left open when the weather is nice.

Here’s what guests see when the portal opens.

Some mornings the house smells like cardamom and cinnamon before anyone is awake.

The garden is often the quietest place to start the day.

Sometimes the best mornings are the simplest ones.

Keeneland weekends will have their own rhythm.

The Keeneland Cure is exactly what it sounds like. A softer landing before or after champagne, betting slips, and a long afternoon at the races.

Occasionally the table fills with guests and the evening turns into a small dinner.

Most guests choose one or two experiences to shape their stay.

Nothing i’ve ever been interested in has to do with necessity or the bare minimum. I think that when you show care and love to someone that they can feel that. More than shoving at them the cheapest thing you can do or the easiest. Which often leaves someone feeling a bit hollow rather than fed.

What started out as a simple room becomes a weekend and a memory of Lexington, Kentucky that lasts.

This is one of those fast dinners that tastes far more complex than it should. The trick is blistering the tomatoes and melting anchovies into the pan so they dissolve into the sauce. This one is pretty perfect, I must say.

Blistered Tomato Tuna Bowl with Herbs and Sunny Egg

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 pouch Safe Catch wild ahi tuna

1 cup protein greens

A handful cherry tomatoes

½ jalapeño, sliced

3 green onions, sliced

3 anchovy fillets

Small splash fish sauce

A few shakes Tapatío

Olive oil

Maldon sea salt

Herb topping

Parsley, chopped

Mint, chopped

Grillo’s pickle de gallo

A spoonful of the pickle juice

Olive oil

Maldon sea salt

1 egg

Instructions

Heat a skillet with olive oil over medium heat. Add the cherry tomatoes and let them blister and burst in the pan.

Add the sliced jalapeño and green onions and cook until fragrant. Stir in the anchovies and let them melt into the tomatoes.

Add a small splash of fish sauce and a few shakes of Tapatío. Lightly season the tomato mixture with Maldon sea salt.

Add the tuna and warm it gently in the tomato mixture. Season the tuna lightly with Maldon as well.

Place the protein greens in a bowl and spoon the warm tuna and blistered tomato mixture over the top.

Make the herb topping by combining parsley, mint, Grillo’s pickle de gallo, a little of the pickle juice, olive oil, and Maldon sea salt.

Cook a sunny side egg and place it on top of the bowl. Finish with the herb mixture and a final pinch of Maldon on the egg.

Little trick

Let the anchovies melt completely into the tomatoes before adding the tuna. They disappear into the sauce and add deep savory flavor without tasting fishy.

Protein & Nutrition

This bowl comes in around 32 grams of protein depending on the tuna you use.

Approximate nutrition per bowl

Calories: about 380 to 420

Protein: about 32 grams

Most of the protein comes from the tuna and egg, while the vegetables, herbs, and tomatoes keep it fresh and light.

If you enjoy cooking and hosting this way, most of my deeper essays on building atmosphere in everyday life live behind the paid section of this newsletter.

Hope you’re all doing well!

Alex

If you want poppies in late spring, scatter the seeds now while the ground is still cold. Poppies need a period of chill to germinate properly, and this small window disappears quickly. I usually mix mine in an old Bonne Maman jar filled with dry play sand for better distribution. I drilled holes in the lid.

I ordered these for sheer convenience this year.

I always try to get them in during the first week of March. I asked Martha Stewart’s gardener, Ryan McCalister, years ago when the best time to put out the seeds and he said “roughly early March.”

^ some sugar poppies

You do not need to overthink it.

• scatter seeds directly on the soil or get an empty jar with holes drilled in the lid. Fill with dry play sand . Put in your seeds and distribute

• do not bury them deeply

• let the late winter weather do the work

Poppies actually prefer a little neglect.

I’ve been working on cutting back the ornamental grasses in my garden and pulling up old leaves to reveal the soil. So exciting seeing all the hundreds of bulbs coming up. Revealing them feels like an archaeologist revealing lost treasures. I will be traveling, so I need to reveal some of my soil quickly to be able to scatter the seeds as late March will be too late.

^ another sugar poppy

I wrote more about my poppy routine last year, including the varieties I love and how I scatter them in the garden.

Paid subscribers have access to the full archive of seasonal notes and garden experiments, but I’ve included the original post below for anyone who wants to plant poppies this week.

If you want the full guide, you can read it below.

If you plant poppies this week, let me know what varieties you choose. I'd love to know !

Alex

It’s been a long time. There has been a hiatus to these speak your piece articles. If you’re new here, “Speak Your Piece” is a mixture of a gossip or grievance column in my hometown newspaper from Whitesburg Kentucky, The Mountain Eagle. It screams! Dramatic and fun in the best way.

Somehow, the subscription lapsed: And as my friend Lincoln said, “What am I paying for?!” So without further ado, the first of many Speak Your Pieces. I think the first one is a gem.

Read more

Louisville Woman’s Club 2022. In the same dress I wear to every speech. Including this year.

I had asked everyone I knew for advice, at the time, about how to do this, because I was supposed to do a speech at the Louisville Woman’s Club and then host and give a speech at the Bluegrass Trust Antique and Garden Show (no longer), but I struggled. Despite all of their wonderful advice and expertise, I had to find it within myself somewhere to get over this fear. To which I finally did when my friend Erin said, “If you have a gift, you have to share it.”

Hosting the BGT show with Mocha.

Erin is an extremely talented singer. On one of my Mocha dog walks, I had stopped at the Green Lantern to talk to her briefly. I didn’t relate to that necessarily, but what I did relate to is that nobody is going to save you. You have to save yourself. So, if you have a story, (and I did) I knew that I better get up there and tell it.

So, I certainly have come a long way. The past version of myself could never imagine standing in front of a room of people and being pretty much, if not somewhat, at ease.

February 2026. Same dress. Same place.

The crowd in the room was a bit smaller this time. I got there early. 75 people? I met Margaret, one of the core members, in the parking lot. I had been talking to her and sending her my PowerPoint to prepare. She led me through a secret squirrel sort of entrance, which saved me a walk around the block in heels. I had to update my bio at the very last minute to include all of the new things that I’ve been building.

The 2022 speech included a demo on how I grow many of my cottage garden flowers from seed.

I find that, yes, my original expertise and my experience, the unique thing that I have built is absolutely my 17 years of work on my sugar flower cakes, my art form making botanically accurate flowers, sculpted by hand, wedding cakes built petal by petal. That is still true.

But in the last five years, something else has been growing quietly.

I found myself challenged to find a way to redirect this group into what I’ve been doing in the last five years. What has changed? And the truth is what has changed was that I’ve been building an infrastructure that will support my creative efforts financially. Essays. A bed-and-breakfast. Curated dinners. A house and garden that are part of the work, not separate from it.

I knew I had to find a way to introduce them to all of this and promote the bed-and-breakfast. To show a working full encompassing vision of what’s been going on. So, my new biography had to reflect that.

Updated Links (Permanent QR Codes):

Updated March 2026- Permanent direct links.

That being said, I started the speech, mainly about me, what I do, how I came to do the sugar flowers, sugar flower wedding cakes, how I built my business, how I grew, how we learned all of these things. And I found that the crowd was very engaged and wanted to ask questions, which is absolutely wonderful. They would pop up and ask questions right in the middle of the speech, instead of waiting until the end, which is fine. They were curious. This is an informal group, and I don’t care about the interruptions. I absolutely don’t care, but I found myself panicking about the time I had left to speak. The time to convey my new ideas, and I was struggling a little to transition into, “Yes, this is what I do, but I’ve also created all of these other doorways for you to enter this world. All of these foundational things support the cakes, the future sugar flower work, the future ceramic work.

These new developments ultimately tie to my personality with the house and the garden. The last few weeks with the bed-and-breakfast could not be more of a dream. To be honest, every single guest has been a gem. And it is important to note that this is how I was living my life anyway. This is how I was living my life on the in between of these treks home to Jenkins, Kentucky to work on these sugar sculptures for months at a time. On the in between, I was entertaining and trying to live life as beautifully immersed in the house and garden as I could.

I want a balanced life. And I currently love my pivot to these additions, so the struggle was, “OK how do I make this group of women also love this as much as I do? How do I introduce this new thing? “ So, as I said, a bit of a struggle. As far as the speech goes, I think I got through to the making of the bed-and-breakfast, which went over very very well. But not further.

The ladies may come see the garden soon. I donated an evening to their auction next year, but, because of the questions and timing, I didn’t get to explain the seasonal dinners that I’m doing which are curated dinners in my home. About this, I was upset only briefly. I panicked in the car when I left at first, because I didn’t get to explain what is current. What has evolved.

You can give a speech and everyone wants to talk about this original thing, my thing, the sugar flowers, what I have built and I’m very proud of it. I’m very proud to have the skills to continue on with the sugar flowers in the future, but it made me momentarily panic, because I need them to understand these other parts of this world that I’m building. But then, I took a step back, because that’s not what’s important.

What’s important is making a connection to people, with people. The fact that they were engaged enough to ask me questions. The fact that they were engaged enough to interrupt me makes me happier than anything else, because if one person in that room goes home and decides to scan a QR code later (because we left codes on the table for all the guest to lead to these different doorways) to maybe engage or read an essay, stay and have a curated dinner, come and stay for a ball game at the bed and breakfast, a race, a holiday. That is enough. They were listening.

Ultimately, connecting with every person in that room is impossible and emails went out later to the ladies in bulletins in two different forms that explained these new developments further. So, the connection is what matters.

You don’t need 100 people, you need one person that listened. So, I am forever grateful and the conversations that I had alone were well worth the trip to Louisville for me. I ended up having a recommendation from Margaret about A Feast For The Eyes, which is a book of a famous Victorian Neighbourhood in Louisville called Old Louisville. The book has recipes that have been collected from the inhabitants of those homes. Which I think will perfectly translate, somehow, in the future to me and what I’m doing.

For me, moving the pieces of my life around like a puzzle is the biggest joy that I have, to watch them fit together, align, and build.

Connection is what matters over perfection. That’s my key takeaway of this particular article. I hope you’re all doing well. I decided to take a very cold brisk walk today to write this.

I can’t wait to share more with you about the last three sets of guests that I’ve had. I had a guest Thursday, a different set Friday, and a different set Saturday. They cemented the idea in my brain that I am 100% doing exactly what I meant to be doing, and putting those pieces of the puzzle together and feeling that alignment feels stronger and better than anything I could imagine.

Alex

Gay Ann’s Martini

This seems to suit the sugar flower painting chapter of my book, as I use lots of Tito’s Vodka to paint my sugar flowers. I’ve borrowed this chapter from my unpublished book. I thought it was on here already!

Gay Ann prefers Grey Goose and Kettle One , but will use Tito’s in a pinch. She keeps Grey Goose in her freezer. I have been to many weddings and asked for vodka in the mornings during a cake setup. I need it to erase an error in color or a bad mark, but the looks you get for asking for vodka early in the day are something! People can be so judgmental. With cakes, vodka can be added to dry pigment to make a paint or erase something you need to get rid of. I get questions too about why there is always a gigantic bottle of Tito’s on my sugar flower workstation. That’s why.

A note to the wise, these martinis are strong.

Some could call them vodka in a glass, but when she hands you one, made to order, and in her way, they are elegant and simply perfect. Go out on the town and order a few of these, however, and you’ll end up God knows where in a dress covered in fruits, something akin to the Chiquita banana woman because you thought that was a good idea. I may or may not be speaking from experience.

Gay Ann’s Martini (in her words)

1. Get glasses started chilling with lots of ice and water.

2. Cut a lemon in half and peel some strips. Then, cut one of the halves in half to make a quarter lemon wedge.

3. Fill shaker with about half of what vodka you’d put in a martini glass (multiply by the number of glasses. If more than two, add an extra for good luck.) I never measure 😂 I pour enough vodka to fill the martini glass, add the (optional, but very good) quarter of a lemon to the shaker with ice, (shake long enough and it’s usually enough for two.) As I’m pouring the first, if it seems short, I add more vodka, reshake, continue pouring the first and then the second. (Alex suggestion - 2.5 oz works, or more.)

4. Shake at least 100 times (less if you prefer stronger martini, but I do 100 shakes minimum!) Until it is so cold, your hands cannot hold the shaker.

5. While vodka is chilling in shaker, run a quarter of the lemon generously around the rim of the glass you will serve in with some juice dripping into glass.

6. Pour in vodka

7. Twist zest over the glass then garnish the glass with it (curled ones are prettiest, but slightly thick has more flavor if you like bitter part of lemon. If not, use a smaller curl)

ENJOY!!!!!

PS I forgot... sometimes—not always— put one of the lemon quarters in the shaker and shake with the vodka and ice. I order them out the same way except without the lemon in the ice (too complicated 🙄) .. but I love a lemon wedge in the ice 👍. The at home version has a lemon wedge or circle.. however I’m cutting lemons for other drinks. It’s too complicated for a busy bartender.

But you may say, what if you want to order this martini Gay Ann’s way out? Here is what to tell the bartender.

^ mine last night at dinner.

How to Order at a Bar

Kettle One (I’ve switched back from Grey Goose) martini, up with a twist, no vermouth, and well shaken please 😊🍸

😊🍸💖

From Gay Ann:

Ordering out, I say “with a twist” .. unless I need to say “lemon twist”. If the bartender is young/inexperienced I say lemon twist .. if it’s someone who looks experienced they know it’s lemon 😆

Note: To clarify, Gay’s middle name is Ann. Gay Ann Hazle Schaye. I’m not calling my friend Gay Ann gay, nor is she, not that it would ever matter! I’ve been asked this several times 😘😂.

“Sugar Flower Martinis”

or

Tito’s at work.

OR in the morning, rather:

Hope you enjoy this out as much as we have ! 😅

Last note, if you’d like this with gin (as I often do as I am a mainly gin devotee unless i’m in a super clean mood) you can make or order it the same way and sub in gin. I prefer Castle and Key Dry Gin.

Alex

This recipe below looks great. I’d start with dry classic martinis with lemon peel. I’d use a recipe by Alice Lascelles. And I’d lay out St Agur blue and St Andre Brie OR some Comte cheese. AND Rainforest crackers. For us to snack on with our martinis. Optional Maldon sea salt and cornichons on the tray to balance the acidity.

I think I’d start with an endive salad. The bitter start with a Dijon dressing. I make millions of variations of these. Just search my newsletter for “Dijon”. You’ll find several options and recipes.

I think I’d also make a very rich dark chocolate cake. Valentine’s should not be cloying. It should have a spine.

I’ve been thinking of this one from the New York Times for a few days. The only part I’m not sold on is the icing. I hate powdered sugar in buttercream in most icings. But the sour cream to cut it intrigues me. If I can taste a grain of sugar, I’m out.

So here’s a frosting I actually trust.

Read more

Otherwise, the moments of positivity come in small forms, I teared up at a horse on the Good News Girl account on Instagram being pulled by a raft when he was lost from his family in snow. There are little shreds of life and hope everywhere.

Wake ups come in many forms. Recently, I had an interaction with a potential client. I posted it on Instagram. Not because it was the first interaction of its kind. I am extremely used to rude potential asks and I never even blink an eye toward it. But this one. This one struck a chord. And at 17.7 k views, I think it struck a chord with a lot of other creatives. Creatives who are scared to speak out. I’m not scared to speak out anymore, because I want to be honest and share the truth .

No matter how much you work on excellence, re the cakes. Or building their worth. To which they are worth every penny. (18 hours or more work a day on behalf of two people with the occasional 8 hour pulls from a third person, my mom and dad, for a month to three months), you reach a point where you have to stop explaining your worth. You realize that excellence and achieving it is not the issue, alignment is.

There was a point when I realized I could make a 10,000 dollar object and still not be able to find the people willing to value it . I even had a feature on Garden & Gun, and still I wonder where my people are ?

So, I diversified myself without betraying myself. So, that I may live a life without permission. And truthfully, I don’t want 10 cakes a year. I want 1-2 and the rest of the time I want to be home. Living a balanced life in my home and garden. The rest, gallery work. Ceramic experiments. I was told recently at a talk, maybe that’s why you got divorced ! You’re gone all the time. That would take a very special person to handle that. Which was wild to me, and that is difficult but not the issue in my case. You can work with any situation with good communication and vigor. But that being said, I do want a balanced life even single. I can’t mentally and physically take the months long toll on my mind and body. And I don’t want to.

I realized that instead of waiting to be chosen by one system I would build several small doors into my world and let people enter where that felt right to them .

So, I started writing essays on my Substack account. Thank you to all of you for being here. As you know, these can be anything from gardening topics to recipes every week and just generally articles and thoughts about how to live life well.

And I realized that in this world building that what I need is foundational money. Foundational money to fund all of the creative and fantastic things I want to do. It builds scale. I can’t make 10 YouTube videos a week right now, but with the money from my Bed and Breakfast, I will be able to. I would be able to pay the thousand dollar a day equipment rental to Katherine and Tim, who started a pilot with me for a tv show over a year ago. The person who owned the equipment we were borrowing sold it .

I am in many ways creating the chaotic life of my dreams . What surprised me most was how quickly momentum builds when you make a few decisive adjustments. Visibility. Playing with the calendar. Within weeks, bookings increased in a way that made me realize this wasn’t just a side idea it was a real, growing arm of the business.

My goal for the snow storm was to lock myself in, much like I do in Jenkins and come up with some sort of clarity. By the end of the storm, I had it. I view winter as the time to hibernate, make changes, and plant seeds that will bloom by Spring.

My other vision for the future is to furnish the attic. It’s close. I think 3 days of hard work would knock it out. I’d like for the inhabitant to be someone fabulous. Maybe someone that reads. Someone that is fun, but kind of quiet. Who will join in on the occasional antics, but not be put off.

In my furnished finder listing, I wrote specifically that this was not “a quiet nice place to live.” I’m not loud, (despite my witch friend Katelynn assuring me that no ghosts are here, because my personality would “push them out.” 🤣)

This is a place where there is laughter. There is happiness and you might walk down into the kitchen with music playing. And I’d probably share a glass of my wine with you at the end of your hard day 😂. So, a fun, but balanced traveling nurse would fit my bill.

In my vision, there is someone in the Bed and Breakfast. From booking.com or Airbnb and they’re going to Keeneland or a UK game. The house is full of people. And maybe a workshop is underway too.

Just last week, I got an experience approved on Viator and TripAdvisor. Finally, completing my lifelong dream of workshops. A list of topics, I made and finalized years ago. They’ve hung on the back of my bedroom door on a hand written sheet ever since. It was hard to choose one topic right out of the gate. But I chose Seasonal Cooking and Entertaining with The Mischief Maker. Guests can do an optional brunch or dinner with anywhere from two-six people. This was my original vision 8 years ago. And one hurdle after another has stopped me. Until now.

My neighbor suggested I try TripAdvisor . Experience attempt after experience attempt failed on AirBnb. They thought the images from Garden & Gun were fake. All my photos even my iPhone photos. I was at a loss of what to do ? My neighbor owns several AirBnb properties and said if you do this, my wife and I are happy to promote it to all of our guests for free.

Another idea swirling around in past years from friends was, “Why don’t you come to varying houses and do a dinner at their house?” I said more than happy to always. But no one ever seemed to follow through. But now that idea has a home too. Incorporated into the original workshop idea. Guests who book the experience can make a choice. My house. Their AirBnb, or their private home.

My friend Stefan had a private chef come during Covid for him and his now ex girlfriend. 😅. And the ability to be at your own home, drink what you want, and not have to drive is also pretty appealing. I get it !

It would be crazy. To have so many swirling components. But I can do two years or so of crazy. And re-evaluate as I go. I would choose crazy any day over boring. I’m excited for the onslaught of travelers. New people. New ideas.

It’s a bit scary, of course, to have new guests. I never know how it’s really going until breakfast the next day. Then something shifts in an instant and I think, “Well, this went absolutely perfect.”

Last weekend, I made a Syrian frittata with mint at pure random, because the wife who was staying mentioned quiche. Loves eggs, I thought. I won’t commit to always doing elaborate breakfasts, but I’ll always grab something fun. So, you might stay one day and get something even more special. That keeps it fun and creative for me. Having options keeps me from being weighed down. And when I’m having fun, we all have fun.

I would love to be kind of be an ambassador of sorts to Kentucky and to show how wonderful Kentucky and Lexington are as a whole.

Chocolate Shortbread Cookies with Kerry Gold Salted Butter and Dark Lindt Chocolate bars for guests.

I am not interested in living a bleak life, a life that plays it safe, or one that’s blind to changes that need making. Focusing on beauty, imagination, creation, and being positive is still my life’s goal. But one must adapt to beauty and life, with new structure. With shifts. Politically. In business. In life, constantly. I’m awake and moving forward. Being true to oneself is the only constant.

The rest of what I’m building, I’ll be sharing privately here, moving forward ! I hope you’ll join me too.

Alex

I wanted to share a small, practical update, especially for those of you who support my work directly.

From time to time, people ask about staying in my guest room here in downtown Lexington. Going forward, I’m keeping preferred booking access reserved for paid Substack subscribers.

This isn’t a public discount or an automated code. It’s simply a quieter, supporter-only option that I handle personally, a way of keeping hospitality, work, and home in balance.

If you’re a paid subscriber and ever want to stay:

• message me before booking anywhere

• I’ll confirm availability and share your rate directly

If you’re not a paid subscriber:

• this is one of the ways I say thank you to the people who help sustain my work here

No pressure, no urgency — just transparency about how I’m structuring things.

🤍

Details about the paid tier are always available below.

Photos and general details are available upon request.

Sometimes, I know I need to set a day aside to clean and I can’t remember where to start. So, I always pull up this list. It was made when Mocha was sick and all everyone did was clean for sanity ! So, integrating it into everyday life with one person is tough. BUT it works every time when you get stuck on where to start. It isn't in the most orderly fashion, but it’s what I use. So, i’m sharing it as is. There is also a doable sort of sheet at the bottom that is kind of this same schedule.

The at one time everyday cleaning list:

I use this as a cleaning reset mostly. But I include clean all glass surfaces as one of the items. All kitchen cabinets. Occasionally base boards . Etc.

I think this is a little unachievable daily even though I was doing it at one time . But once a week on Thursday ? Doable.

Ideal Daily (Or Just a Checklist for a Cleaning Re-set)

Mopping all floors

Vacuuming every day

Washing what is dirty fold put away

Dishes are clean from sink wipe. Counters behind clean behind everything a couple of days

Opened fridge door wipe make sure check for spills

Microwave check for spills . Paper towel on top

Take broom and seeep down the steps each day inside steps

Sweep whole downstairs floor first floor

Paper towel wipe steps can get corners with hands

Or swiffer

Wipe windowsills going up steps everyday

Check dust on coffee table dust off do not windex every day

Porch wax off clean new candles wiped off chinlserie stool mirror paper towel wet wipe that

Sweep porch with broom spme days vacuum try to get back behind corners

Can use watering can if want to avoid dirt used haws watering can

Or be careful with water hose

Fingerprints on microwave dishwasher fridge try to wipe it off

Laundry room stack stuff back up going back behind yourself and picking up

Toilet paper not there replace

Mopped porch with fabuloso and water

Mop with kitchen Clorox or spray Clorox spray and mop with hot water

Murphy’s oil soap on hardwood . Ring mop out 10 times

Change out and dump la font every day (robot vacuum)

Dump Dyson everyday hard to open

Mom says can do in an hour about most tasks (Crazy ambitious. My opinion. )

Wipe sink out of downstairs bathroom

Trash out everyday

I sent the trash is getting taken out every day

Wax off tray on porch scraper orange thing drawer dawn it

Dry what you wash before put away

Other notes from that time period:

Top of picture frames dust. Hallway. Every two weeks. I really didn’t do dining room very well. I did go over the China cabinet doors, day before yesterday, but really not cleaned well since a few weeks ago. Your cleaner did vacuum in there (Note. There is no cleaner now 🤣) . I cleaned the mantle the other day so I would only do that every couple of weeks. Dust. Maybe take a rag to top of things but don’t move on mantle every few days.

I need to clean your bar cart tomorrow morning. I would only do that once a month, but it has been a month since I did it. I will do since people be here this weekend. People look at dust on bottles. I will look at dining room also before I leave. Bottles. Shouldn’t take but a few minutes to wipe off. They are pretty much in order. We can check candles and place so you won’t have to do. Exchange for colors you like.

Note : I also made this easier to follow weekly version, which would also work. BUT i’ve never followed it 🤣. Well, actually I guess I do follow it kind of. But I never look at this sheet.

PS: It used to look so depressing in here! 2020 and tonight (without the lights dimmed.) Banish gray walls.

Alex

These are so delicious . I made them first on my own. My eyes rolled all the way back in my head. Eating them alone at my kitchen counter. After that, Tara came over for Sunday brunch. We made French 75’s I whipped up more eggs and we had many many shots of espressos with bourbon cream. Think we had a dance party in the kitchen 🤣.

Since then, i’ve made them also for her again as a Breakfast for dinner or was that a different scrambled egg? And for Stefan when he came to town from Germany to stay. This is one of my favorite recipes.

NOTE: These are still the BEST French 75s. My cousin Melissa and Tomi Gibson have been making them at every party for MONTHS!

The method :

I just watch the video every time I make these to be honest. I got my Brioche bread at Fresh Market in Lexington KY.

Truffled Scrambled Eggs

RECİPE COURTESY OF INA GARTEN

Level: Easy

Total: 15 min

Active: 15 min

Yield: 3 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

8 extra-large eggs

1/4 cup half-and-half or milk

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons truffle butter

3 slices brioche bread, toasted

Minced fresh chives, for garnish

Directions

Place a medium (10-inch) saute pan over low heat. Add the butter and allow it to melt but not completely. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper until the yolks and whites are just blended. Pour the mixture into the pan but don’t mix it.

Allow the eggs to warm slowly over low heat without stirring them. This may take 3 to 5 minutes, so be patient! As soon as the eggs start to cook on the bottom, use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan and fold the cooked eggs over the uncooked eggs. Once the eggs start to look a little custardy, stir them rapidly with the spatula until they are the texture of very soft custard. Remove the pan from the heat before the eggs are fully cooked, as they will continue to cook in the warm pan. Immediately, stir the truffle butter into the eggs. This will stop the cooking.

Cut the slices of toast in half diagonally and place them on 3 dinner plates. Spoon the scrambled eggs over the toasts and garnish with minced chives. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot.