Sunday, December 28, 2008

28 December 2008 – The Last Supper






Well it's the last Sunday Supper of 2008! Is everyone as ready as I am to end this crazy year? However, I am feeling optimistic about 2009. Christmas week has been hectic. It began with the annual Grant family holiday gathering last weekend. We had 10 relatives stay over last Saturday and made brunch on Sunday. We had a fun and crazy time, and I think wigs will become an annual tradition! I made a cook book of my mother's favorite recipes and gave to my family as a gift. It was a lot of work, but I enjoyed the process. I told a personal story about each of the recipes, so it was kind of like regression therapy. My sister gave me two Olivia Newton-John albums for Christmas, so she supervised all of my holiday baking in the kitchen. We are off to Seattle tomorrow to visit Jim's family and grand niece, Tatum. We are going to ring in the new year by watching fireworks at the Space Needle. It will be a lot of fun.

Tonight, I used my huge new cast iron skillet to pan roast a whole chicken! (just for you, Bernardo!) I finally got around to using my gift cards to the Viking Store that I got last year for my birthday. I am tired from all of the holiday festivities and a bit under the weather, so the comfort food hit the spot.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and best wishes for many great meals in 2009! Catch you on the flip side...

The Menu:

- Pan Roasted Organic Chicken with Sherry Rosemary Sauce

- Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

- Sauteed Organic Cabbage

- Homemade Bread From Mike and David

Sunday, December 14, 2008

14 December 2008



It's been a fun, crazy weekend! It started Friday night with a great dinner at Goin' Coastal with our friends Jeff Brown and The Cory. Better yet, I had helped my friend Zach, our client who owns the joint, with a DVD for his mother's 60th birthday, so he comped the entire meal with wine! Thanks Zach! It was a great meal, and the service was good. On Saturday, Jim and I went into the ATL. I was out of facial care products, and we wanted to see a movie. After an hour or so in retail traffic hell, we escaped to a great little Italian place on Edgewood in Downtown Atlanta: Noni's Italian Deli. It is a new place in a sketchy, but fascinating, part of town. They have a very cool bar, kickass jukebox and a limited, but divine, menu. We started with the garlic parmesan fries, and they were as addictive as crack! Very strong garlic, so we were safe from vampires the rest of the night! After dinner, we saw a great French film, "A Christmas Tale" with the (still) classic French beauty, Catherine Deneuve. It was kind of existential with modern nuances. I LOVED every moment and every subtitle. I think Jim liked it but said it was "very French." After the movie, we went to a couple of bars, and everyone was in a festive mood – even the drag queens! After a few drinks (for me), we wound up at a great dance club until 3 AM. We had a blast. Today, we did a few things around the house and recovered from last night. I decided we needed the ultimate "comfort food" to stabilize a crazy weekend, so I made old-fashioned Chicken and Dumplings! I'm not really sure what makes them old-fashioned other than the fact everything is from scratch' including the dumplings! They were as satisfying, albeit less sexy, than Noni's fries with Parmesan and garlic! Hope ya'll (homage to Southern dumplings) had a great weekend as well. I suppose I should think about doing some Christmas shopping soon, but cooking is so much more interesting...

The Menu:

- Old-Fashioned Southern Organic Chicken and Dumplings (enough said)

Sunday, December 7, 2008

07 December 2008


We spent all day putting up our Christmas Tree, so no Sunday Supper tonight! We took a quick break and went for sushi instead. The tree has over 3000 lights this year! Man, it's hard work being festive. It is not quite done, but this photo will give you an idea. Guess you'll have to come visit to see it for yourself...

Hope to get back on schedule next Sunday. Until then, happy holidays!

Sunday, November 30, 2008

30 November 2008 – Thanksgiving Sunday



It is the Sunday after Thanksgiving, so I will not be cooking tonight. I cooked enough on Thursday to last a while and loved every minute of it! It is a very rainy day and rumors of snow mixing in tomorrow. Jim and I are going to see two movies today: Quantum of Solace and Milk. We were too tired from the Thanksgiving Soiree to do our movie marathon on Friday. The party ended about 4:30 am, and it was a blast! You know it is a good party when you find remnants of a pink feather boa on the floor the morning after! I made this slide show to commemorate the event. Great friends, great food and great music. In lieu of grace, we sang along to Barbra Streisand's "Happy Days Are Here Again" to celebrate Obama's stunning election. I awoke at 7:45 on Thursday morning and started cooking. I did not stop until we sat down for dinner around 8:30! It was a great day in the kitchen. I ordered a kosher organic free range turkey from Aaron's Gourmet in Upstate New York. It was a very divine bird – the best yet! My dear friend Ann Willoughby could not join us this year, but she would be happy to know that the turkey was properly roasted. Last year's was very slightly undercooked but still good. All of our friend's brought dishes and wine, and the cast performed wonderfully. I am very thankful for having the most amazing partner, friends, and family. I made my mom's Southern cornbread dressing, so she was here in spirit. I am also thankful for my kitchen, especially my Viking range! It is like a dear friend to me, and I began the Thanksgiving journey with a proper cleaning. It was very therapeutic. Special thanks to Jim for cleaning the kitchen after the throwdown!

It's now time to get ready for the movie marathon, so here is the Thanksgiving menu to the best of my recollection. I apologize if I left anything out. Everyone was assigned a color family for their dish, and they delivered on hue. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving also. Happy Holidays and Sunday Suppers to one and all.

The Feast:

Bill: (Multicolored)

- Roasted Kosher Organic Free Range Turkey
- Betty's Southern Cornbread Dressing
- Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes
- Salt and Pepper Cream Biscuits
- Red Velvet Cake

Steve: (Green and White)

- Baby Lettuces with Pears, Mushrooms and Blue Cheese

Amado: (Pumpkin Dispensation)

- Savory Pumpkin Bread from Amado's Organic Pumpkins

Matt and George: (Yellow and Tan)

- Edna Lewis' Corn Souffle
- Cornbread Souffle

The Cory: (Green)

- Southern Green Beans With Bacon

Jeff Brown: (Brown)

- Jeff's Famous Pecan Pie

Sylvie: (Chocolate)

- Crab Cake Appetizers
- Assorted Chocolate Coins From Heaven

Maxey: (Orange)

- Roasted Root Vegetables

Clem: (Red)

- Cranberry and Walnut Relish

Sunday, November 23, 2008

23 November 2008






Well it is the Sunday before Thanksgiving, so I am getting psyched! I love to prepare the Thanksgiving feast. I've began to clean the Viking range. I started with the stove top yesterday and will run the self clean cycle on the ovens tonight after supper. Yesterday, we had our Historic Canton Homeowners Association Yard Sale. It was a fundraiser for our legal fund, and we did pretty well. We have some great neighbors, and it was fun to spend the day with them. We all bought stuff from each other as well, and I found some great treasures! The best thing was a series of cookbooks: The McCalls Cooking School! My friend Rajayne was so jealous that I found them first! I bought two other cookbooks, including the National Symphony Orchestra Cookbook, complete with hand written notes from the previous owner. I also found the strangest kitchen towel that has a rather masculine looking mountain girl smoking a pipe, and it has two raised puffy things for her breasts! Check out the photo. It is so odd, but I love it!

While working the sale, I had a long conversation with our friend and neighbor, Wanda Roach, about our Thanksgiving dishes. It made me very nostalgic for some classic comfort food, so I decided to prepare Julia Child's classic chicken pot pie for tonight's Sunday Supper! You really can't beat it on a cold, early winter night. Plus, I now have enough homemade chicken stock for my mother's southern cornbread dressing on Thanksgiving! I should be writing copy for a project, but making chicken in cream sauce with flaky pastry is so much more rewarding.

Wishing everyone a very happy Thanksgiving. Good luck with your bird and sides!

And as Julia would say, bon appetit!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

16 November 2008

I was in Santa Fe all weekend for the AIGA New Mexico Showdown design competition. I judged the show and gave a presentation along with my friends Gong Szeto and Terry Marks. It was an honor to share a stage with them since they are both so talented. So, I got home late tonight and was not able to cook my Sunday Supper. However, my Sunday Supper blog fan, Bernardo Margulis, posted this on my Facebook status on Saturday:

Bernardo Margulis posted a photo. 5:00pm



"Your status shows you're away. I figured that tomorrow night you'll either be too tired or won't be back on time, so I took care of Sunday Supper for you. Except I'm Jewish, so I did it Saturday Supper.

White mac and cheese with mushrooms and basil."

Thanks Bernardo! It looks and sounds delicious!

Sunday, November 9, 2008

09 November 2008 - Jeff Brown's Birthday




Wow. It has been a fun, but tiring, weekend! Last night, we went to our BFF, Jeff Brown's, birthday party. It was after 4 AM when I got home, but it was a blast! I have been dragging all day and thought about not cooking tonight. However, Jim thought it sounded good, and my friend, Bernardo Margulis, made a nice comment about my Sunday Suppers blog on my Facebook wall, so I thought I had better support my fans. Plus, I read a great recipe that I wanted to try in this month's Saveur, and it was an excellent choice. Stretch's Chicken Savoy was created by Carlo "Stretch" Verdicchio, a cook from Newark who opened the Belmont Tavern in 1967. It is an intoxicating roast chicken laced with garlic, herbs and red wine vinegar. Comfort food personified! I served it with mascarpone mashed potatoes and sauteed organic cabbage. It was the perfect meal to end an amazing week with the election of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States of America! It will be grand to witness the transformational change in the years ahead. Peace out...

The Menu:

- Stretch's Chicken Savoy

- Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes

- Sauteed Organic Cabbage

Sunday, October 26, 2008

26 October 2008







Fall is quickly approaching, and it is supposed to get below freezing here in Metro Atlanta tomorrow night. One of my favorite Fall herbs is sage, so I decided to try a Chicken Saltimbocca for tonight's Sunday supper. Saltimbocca is Italian for "jumps in mouth." You can make it with veal of chicken, so of course I used chicken for Jim. It also includes whole sage leaves and prosciutto. I left the prosciutto off of Jim's as well, but he does not know what he is missing! I served the saltimbocca with pan roasted asparagus, fluffy mashed potatoes and salt and pepper cream biscuits. For extra fluffy mashed potatoes,
I actually steam them instead of boiling them to keep them light and airy.

While cooking, I listened to Olivia Newton-John's epic recording from 1978: Totally Hot. Special thanks to my Facebook BFF, Kim Spencer, for reminding me that it was a great album! I think she was in her best "voice" – plus a great S&M album cover!

Nine days until the election and getting excited about the potential of a transformational change! So let's all eat, drink, be merry and vote early –
for Obama of course.

Mangiamo!

The Menu:

- Chicken Saltimbocca

- Fluffy Mashed Potatoes

- Pan Roasted Organic Asparagus

- Salt and Pepper Cream Biscuits


"Totally Hot" by Olivia-Newton John Track Listing (1978)


1. Please Don't Keep Me Waiting
2. Dancin' Round and Round
3. Talk To Me
4. Deeper Than the Night
5. Borrowed Time
6. A Little More Love
7. Never Enough
8. Totally Hot
9. Boats Against the Current
10. Gimme Some Lovin'

Sunday, October 19, 2008

19 October 2008



Another solo Sunday supper. Jim went back down to Aiken to see his dad this weekend. He got out of the hospital on Friday but seems to be doing much better. Jim went down last night, so I entertained myself by making a classic French coq au vin! It was divine. Afterwards, I sipped on more red wine and downloaded some new tunes. Of course, I had another listen of the new Lucinda Williams CD, Little Honey. Another classic. But while watching my alternative country videos, I also discovered a great new artist, Brandi Carlile. She recorded a great CD last year, The Story. Amazing singer, songwriter!

So tonight, I am having leftover coq au vin – always better the next day! I am also savoring today's endorsement of Barack Obama by Colin Powell. He is a wise man. Happy Sunday Suppers to all, and may there be a chicken in every pot for everyone come election day!

The Menu:

- Classic French Coq au Vin

- Buttered Egg Noodles

Sunday, October 12, 2008

12 October 2008












































Jim is visiting his dad in Aiken, South Carolina today, so guess what that means? Red meat baby! I made an old fashion pot roast with potatoes, onions, carrots and celery. I am also boiled some organic cabbage and served both with hot garlic french bread for "sopping." Comfort food at its best, and lord knows we need a little comfort in these trying times. I also made a fresh batch of rice krispie treats for tonight's episode of "Brothers & Sisters." Only 23 days until the election and holding my breath that "That One" wins big!

The Menu:

- Old fashioned pot roast with potatoes, onions and carrots.

- Organic boiled cabbage served with pepper sauce

- Crusty garlic French bread

- Rice Krispie treats

Sunday, September 28, 2008

28 September 2008










































































I have been glued to the television today watching the Wall Street bailout drama! I think Nancy Pelosi had those old white guys by balls. Go Nancy! This ordeal will have to be a movie one day. Maybe I could play Barney Frank, but I digress.

I have prepared this Sunday supper before, but it has been a while. Jim has asked about it the past couple of weeks, so I decided to deliver. It is a great roast chicken recipe from Cooks Illustrated. The chicken is brined, butterflied and air dried in the refrigerator overnight to make the skin incredibly crispy. Better yet, it is roasted at high heat over thinly sliced russet potatoes that cook in the roasted chicken drippings. So French! Ooh la la...

I also made some of my famous salt and pepper cream biscuits in honor of my friend Matt Porter. He loves them, as he should. They practically melt in your mouth! For desert, there will be homemade apple pie a la mode for the season premiere of Brothers & Sisters! Of course, I will be sipping some Pinot with Nora Walker.

And congratulations to our friend Jeff Brown on the smashing success of his grandmother's 75th birthday party! Congralations.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

07 September 2008 - MTV VMA





Try to remember a time in September...

Has it been a weird weekend for everyone else? Nothing memorable, but something seems a bit off. I think it is the weather. It is still as hot as summer, but the light is more fall like. That's it. The temperature and light are out of sync.

Tonight is the MTV Video Music Awards, and we love a good award show! I decided to go Bollywood for tonight's theme, so I made my first classic Indian curry. Once I found all of the right ingredients at Harry's Farmers Market (Whole Foods), it was really pretty simple. It turned out well and will be even better on a cold Sunday winter night, especially if the light and temperature are in sync and Obama is in the White House!

Enjoy the VMAs!


The Menu:

- Classic Indian Curry with Chicken, Potatoes and Peas

- Organic Basmati RIce

- Grilled Naan

Sunday, August 24, 2008

24 August 2008




Well folks it has been a while since I posted, but summer has been hectic. Last night, we went to see Loretta Lynn at the Cobb Energy Center. She was a HOOT! At 73, she is a true American icon and a member of the Songrwriters Hall of Fame, a true honor. She sounded great, but she was a mess. She had to sit through a lot of the songs because she has had back surgery. I think her back may be okay now, but she has to sit because of the pain medication – LOL. At one point toward the end of the show, we looked over to one of her band members and said, "I am drunk! It was a riot. She wore a sequined lavendar gown – fabulous!

Trying to get back in the swing of things, so tonight I made pizza from scratch. The sauce and dough are both homemade. If I only had a wood burning oven to seal the deal! For dessert, I made a fresh tart with the first figs from the garden. We are watching the Olympic Closing Ceremonies as we eat. All in all, not a bad way to spend a Sunday night! Wishing you all great Sunday suppers as well!

The Menu:

- Organic green salad

- Homemade Pizza with Cheese and Prosciutto (Bill's Side Only)

- Fresh Fig Tart with Hand Whipped Cream

Sunday, June 22, 2008

23 June 2008

I am in Greensboro, Alabama tonight. I picked up my dear friend Ann Willoughby (Louise) from Kansas City at airport, and we drove down this afternoon. We are here to mentor design students with Project M who are working in conjunction with the Rural Studio from Auburn to demonstrate how design can change people's lives. It is really a great program and honor to be here. Tonight, we went over the students' bunk house, and Kate from Chicago made deep dish pizza for all of us. It was great, and I look forward to the next two days. Quite literally, food for thought...




Great dinner at the bunk house tonight! Kate, the pizza was awesome. Thanks for the warm welcome.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

15 June 2008 – Father's Day and Tony Awards




Today is Father's Day, and the Tony Awards are on tonight! Xanadu on Broadway is up for three Tony's, including Best Musical, Best Actress and Choreography. So, we had to have a special Sunday Supper tonight. Funny thing, many people often ask me how my fascination with all things Olivia Newton-John started. It all begin on Father's Day when I was just seven years old. For Father's Day, I bought my dad Olivia's second album, "If You Love Me Let Me Know." I was entranced by her cover pose: those green eyes and dishwater blond hair with denim shirt and arms folded. She had me at "mellow," and I never looked back. My dad never really got to enjoy the album, but he was more of an Anne Murray fan anyway...

My father was also a chef in the army, so maybe I got some of my love of cooking from him as well. So, this one's for you dad!

The Menu:

- Early Summer Vegetable Risotto

- Arugula Salad with Figs, Prosciutto, Walnuts and Parmesan

- Black Walnut Ice Cream (Dad's Favorite)

- Persimmon Creek 2007 Seyval Blanc (Thanks Mary Ann)


You have to believe we are magic!

Monday, May 26, 2008

25 May 2008 - Memorial Day Weekend




















This week's Sunday Supper features a cookout and special guests! It is Memorial Day Eve, and Jim's grand niece, Tatum, made her first visit to Canton! She is a little over 6 months old, so of course, she was accompanied by her parents, the uber cool Jill and Tim Randall from Seattle. So, we spent the day lounging by the pool and preparing for the cookout. I had made some of the secret Grant family barbecue sauce a couple of weeks ago, so I used it to make more BBQ chicken for the gang. In addition to the Randalls, we were joined by Tim's cousin, Ally and her husband and daughter, Colin and Maggie. Also, we were honored to have a few of our friends and co-workers from Grant Design Collaborative: Kurt Seidle and Elizabeth Peterson, and Matt and Millie DeFrain. A good time was had by all, and for once, the grilling worked out okay (I think!)

I forgot to photograph the courses, but I did snap a shot of the peach cobbler at the end. I have also included a short Flip video from dinner on the porch.

The Menu:

- Barbecued chicken with secret Grant family homemade BBQ sauce

- Corn on the cob

- Cole slaw

- Baked potatoes with butter, sour cream and fresh chives from the garden

- Homemade peach cobbler ala mode

- Pureed mangos (for Tatum)


Happy Memorial Day!

Bill

Sunday, May 11, 2008

11 May 2008 - Mother's Day


So today was the first Mother's Day without my mom. I kept trying to think of something to cook in her honor, but I couldn't bring myself to make a decision. I was probably just trying to think about other things. But Jim took this photo of my mother and I on Mother's Day 2006. We took her to Savannah for the weekend and had lunch on Mother's Day at Paula Deen's restaurant, "The Lady & Sons." She loved it! Lots of fried food, butter and salt...

Sunday, May 4, 2008

04 May 2008 - Derby Weekend




What a fun and wacky weekend! Friday night, we strolled down East Main Street with our friend and neighbor, JoAnne Eggleston and her son Raymond. We dined al fresco at Patzcuaro Mexican Restaurant in historic Downtown Canton (the next Decatur). Mario and Mario Jr. treated us well, and we discovered really good molé sauce right down the street! Now, I will be obsessed, well more obsessed... Anyway, JoAnne and I each had three margaritas and got all giggly! JoAnne's daughter and grandson showed up at the end of the meal, and they walked with us back home. It was real. It was fun. It was real fun. So nice to be developing a "sense of place."

Saturday was Derby Day, and we attended the "Derby Days" at the Rock Barn. The annual event is a fund raiser for the Cherokee Historical Society. There was beer, wine, and of course, free flowing mint juleps! There was a silent auction, Jim bought two trees, and a "parade of the hats." There were about 50 women in their derby hats that paraded in front of the judges. It was a riot, and the lady who won decorated her hat with a "cosmopolitan theme" – as in the martini! It was a hoot as we say down here. There was also a lot of local politicians in the crowd, so I got the scoop on who to support due to their stand on smart growth. One even asked for my support and if he could have a "meet and greet" with the Historic Canton Homeowners Association! I felt like a king maker but was impressed with how much political clout the association has gained since we started. And, of course, I love the power trip a little too!

After the derby party, which was very fun and funny, we came home to change clothes, and I tried to sober up a bit from the juleps. Later, we went over to our dear friends and neighbors, Rich and Rajayne Cordery. They have an amazing home one block over, and actually our house and their house was featured in the May issue of Cherokee Life magazine. We are so glam! On a sadder and more serious note, Rajayne's father passed away last week after an extended illness. She had a "wake party" last night, and all of her family was there, and they were great. We had a fun time, but I am not sure if my liver can tolerate another derby party and wake in one day! We ate, drank, played basketball with the kids and listened to music. It was a blast and a good send off for RJ's father.

So, Sunday was all about recovery. I had a slow morning but planted a couple of basil plants in afternoon and fertilized the hydrangeas. I am such a gardener! Jim worked in the garden all day, and I went for a very long walk. I am trying to eat better and exercise more because I have become about as big as Delta Burke! I have lost a few pounds, but it's like the Titanic loosing a deck chair. Of course I watched America's Test Kitchen in the tub this morning. They cook every dish hundreds of time, so that I only have to cook them once. It is my favorite cooking show, and their recipes are spot on. Today, they made roast chicken and potatoes in around 30 minutes. I was skeptical, but it worked. In addition, Eddie Smith, one of our co-workers at Grant Design Collaborative, brought us some of his homegrown asparagus on Friday. It was beautiful, and I lightly steamed it. It was really delicious.

So there you have it. A wacky weekend that ends with roast chicken. What more could a guy want out of life? Let's see what next week will bring...

The menu:

- Pan Roasted Breast of Chicken

- Stove Top Roasted Potatoes

- Lightly Steamed Homegrown Asparagus

Monday, April 7, 2008

06 April 2008 – Love, Chicken and Biscuits!


Yesterday, we had Sunday Supper at the home of our dear friends, Matt and George. We were joined by Sylvie and Kathi, and we had a delicious time! Matt fried us up some of his infamous chicken, a true revelation. Kathi brought a very elegant potato salad, and Sylvie contributed a beautiful slaw. I made salt and pepper cream biscuits and banana pudding. We talked, drank, ate and reveled in the friendship, cholesterol and pollen. At the end of the night, Jim summed up the evening by creating this art in the bathroom: Love-Tips. A truly wonderful evening from start to finish.

Monday, March 31, 2008

30 March 2008 - Live from LA





Jim and I are in Los Angeles for the weekend. We came to visit our friends Mick and Gill Hodgson. Gill did a one woman show, "See You on the Ice," upstairs at St. Nick's Pub last night. She was great! While here, we discovered an amazing Mexican food stand at the LA Farmers Market, Loteria! Of course, I became obsessed with it. Great, authentic Mexican food and amazing place to "people-watch." Both times we ate there, the line was always long. Can't wait to return to LA and have more amazing dishes from Loteria! Until then, here is what we ate last night before Gill's show:

- Bill: Chicken Molé Poblano Tostada and Nachos

- Jim: Chicken Molé Poblano Tacos and Minted Rice

Adios!