Posts about living in, understanding, and finding the best of mavenhood.
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Editor’s Note: Good Food, Good Company is where we ask contributors to share a two course meal pairing they love. These recipes take a little more time and effort than the dishes we typically feature, but the payoff is spectacular. They’re the kind of meals to make for a dinner guest, date night, or a celebration. For this first feature, we asked sister chefs Stacey Johnson-Calhoun and Audra Ortiz to share recipes that not only pair beautifully, but also reflect the style of cooking they love most. This is a delicious meal, packed with flavor.
Bright and Tangy Key Lime Bundt Cake
My father, a Southerner, LOVES key lime pie. For his 79th birthday, I thought I’d change things up and make a Key Lime Bundt Cake. It was the right decision. My dad, who said it’s the best cake he’s ever tasted in his life, is now obsessed with this cake. It’s bursting with true key lime flavor, with delicious nuances of coconut and the right amount of tanginess from the cream cheese. Make this cake! You won’t regret it.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour and 5 minutes
Cooling Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 3 hours and 35 minutes
Servings: 12 slices
INGREDIENTS:
For the Cake:
3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 and ½ cups (340g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (227g) brick-style full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups (398g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla bean paste (extract is a fine substitute)
5 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup (113ml) key lime juice (fresh or pasteurized)
4 tablespoons (48 kg), key lime zest, finely grated (the zest of Persian limes is a fine substitute)
2 Tablespoons (28ml) coconut oil
For the Soaking Syrup:
½ cup (113 ml) key lime juice
½ cup (99g) granulated sugar
For the Icing:
2 cups (228g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
¼ teaspoon salt
2 and ½ tablespoons (35ml) key lime juice
1 – 2 tablespoons lime zest, finely grated, for garnish
optional lime slices, for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together until well combined. Set aside until needed.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
- Gradually add the sugar, then increase the speed to medium-high and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla bean paste.
- Reduce the speed to medium, then add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the key lime juice, lime zest, and coconut oil.
- Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing just until combined.
- Generously grease and flour a 10-inch (12-cup) bundt pan, or spray it with a baker’s spray containing flour, making sure to coat all nooks and crannies.
- Scrape the cake batter into the pan and, using a rubber spatula, evenly smooth the top.
- Bake for 60 to 65 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown. This cake is moist, so insert a toothpick into the center; if it comes out clean, the cake is done. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then set it on a wire rack. Then invert the cake onto the rack.
- Slowly brush the warm key lime soaking syrup all over the cake, top and sides, allowing it to sink in before adding more.
- Once all of the syrup has been added, set the cake aside to cool completely, about 2 hours.
For the Soaking Syrup:
- In a medium saucepan, combine the key lime juice and sugar.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, whisking frequently, just until the sugar has completely dissolved.
- Remove from heat and brush the warm key lime syrup over the cake – slowly.
For the Icing:
- In the large liquid measuring cup or bowl, combine the sugar and salt. Whisk in the lime juice, mixing until just combined. The mixture will be thick and spoonable. If the glaze is too thick, add more key lemon juice, a teaspoon at a time. If the glaze is too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar, a tablespoon at a time.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake. Decorate with key lime zest and key lime wedges or slices, if using. Then allow it to set for 20-30 minutes.
Enjoy!
Have you ever stood in front of a closet full of clothes and thought, “I have nothing to wear”?
It’s frustrating. It’s confusing. And for many women, it feels like a personal failure – as if somehow we’re doing fashion “wrong.”
But here’s the truth: it’s not you. It’s your system.
As a personal stylist, I work with women in all stages of life, and I can tell you this with confidence: a full closet doesn’t equal a functional wardrobe. What matters is not how much you own, but how well it works together and how well it reflects who you are right now.
Every woman is unique. She has her own lifestyle, her own body, her own preferences, and her own challenges. Some are navigating career changes, others are raising families, entering new seasons, or rediscovering themselves. Your wardrobe should evolve with you. But often, it doesn’t.
Instead, closets become time capsules. And that’s where the disconnect begins.
Let’s break down the most common reasons this happens – and why it’s not just about clothes.
The 6 Reasons You Have a Full Closet but Nothing to Wear
- You’re holding onto clothes that no longer fit.
Whether it’s physically or emotionally, these pieces represent a past version of you. Keeping them creates guilt and clutter instead of options. - Your lifestyle has changed, but your closet hasn’t.
Maybe you used to work in an office and now work from home. Maybe your social life looks different. If your wardrobe doesn’t match your daily reality, getting dressed becomes a struggle. - You shop for individual pieces instead of outfits.
That bold blouse or trendy jacket felt exciting in the moment but now it hangs there, unworn, because nothing goes with it. - You’re missing foundational basics.
Basics are the backbone of your wardrobe. Without them, even your best pieces have nothing to anchor to. - You don’t know your personal style.
So you default to the same safe outfits over and over again, even though your closet holds more potential. - You’re holding onto worn-out, outdated, or sentimental pieces.
These items take up valuable space, physically and mentally, and keep you stuck.
So What Can You Do?
Let’s start with the step everyone talks about but few people do effectively.
First Step: Clean Out Your Closet (The Right Way)
Yes, you’ve heard this before. But let’s approach it with intention.
This is not a one-day overhaul. It’s a process.
Set a timer for one hour. Choose one section – just one. Do not attempt the entire closet at once.
Create three piles:
• Yes
• Maybe
• Donate
Now, for each item, ask yourself these six questions:
• Does it fit?
• Do I love it?
• Is it a basic or essential piece?
• Does it fit my current lifestyle?
• Can I mix and match it with at least three other items?
• Is it stained, damaged, or outdated?
Here’s the rule:
You must answer YES to at least four of the first five questions for it to stay.
If the answer to the last question is YES, it goes.
No exceptions.
If the timer ends and you’re not finished, stop anyway. Take a break. Step away.
If you completed a section early, resist the urge to keep going. This helps prevent burnout and decision fatigue.
Then repeat the process until your closet is complete.
Your closet should now feel clear. You can see what you have. You know that everything fits. You should be able to reach for anything in your new closet confidently. Getting dressed is easier because the distractions are gone.
That shift matters more than most people expect.
If you want to build intentionally from here, read How to Build a Wardrobe That Works.
