Sunday, October 25, 2009

25 October, 2009


Well it is the last Sunday in October, and time just keeps flying by. The holidays will be here before we know it. I am looking forward to making lasagna for Halloween next Saturday. For some reason, it has become a ritual. Speaking of Halloween, we went to a costume party last night and had a great time. Jim and I went as Taylor Swift and Kanye West! I made some handheld masks, and we accessorized accordingly. Jim wore a curly blond wig, and I made him a red baby doll dress out of cellophane. He wore it with cowboy boots and held a VMA moon man trophy and a microphone in his hand. I wore some bling and carried a bottle of Hennessey around. I kept grabbing the microphone from "Taylor" all night to spout off about how Beyonce had one of the best videos ever made, had the best costume ever made, threw the best Halloween party of all time, etc. I think you get the drift! It was a lot of fun, and everyone seemed amused.

Unfortunately, I caught a terrible cold at some point, so I have been feeling crappy all day. I have a lot of writing to do for a brand strategy presentation on Wednesday, and it is very difficult to focus with such a mushy head! I worked at the office all afternoon and decided to bring my work home while I made some homemade chicken soup with matzoh balls. Hopefully, it will make for a productive and healing Sunday Supper. Now, I feel like putting on my pajamas, taking some Nyquil and watching Yentl...

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Next stop, November!

The Menu:

- Homemade Chicken Soup with Matzoh Balls


Taylor Swift and Kanye West

Monday, October 19, 2009

Monday, 19 October 2009 - Leftovers


A rare Monday night post on Bill's Sunday Suppers! Actually, it is just a follow up to last night's dinner. Like the love of a dear aunt, great food just gets better! So tonight I made a salad with the leftover Southern Fried Chicken. I also used the leftover milk to make a Buttermilk Chive Dressing. Since Jim does not eat red meat, I usually cook something decadent when he was away. On Saturday before he got back, I made a homemade Bacon Cheeseburger. It was divine, of course. I love French hamburger buns, but you have to buy a whole pack, so I used the leftovers to make homemade garlic croutons for the salad and to adorn a side of tomato soup. Our cat, Leo, loved the leftover chicken too. I am also happy to report that today brought some good news for Jim and his family. His niece, Jill, gave birth to her daughter! Welcome to the world Piper Elizabeth Randall! Tonight's Theone Fried Chicken Mashup is dedicated to you!

Have a great week everyone.

Piper Elizabeth Randall

Sunday, October 18, 2009

18 October 2009 - Tribute to The One








Tonight's Sunday Supper is dedicated to Jim's Aunt Theone who passed away last week in Fargo. She was a great lady, and her daughter, Tonya, and grandson, Hans, decided that I should cook Southern Fried Chicken as a fitting tribute. I took this video of Theone, Tonya and Jim last February when we were visiting. Theone loved to play cards and tell stories. She was always very kind to me when we visited, and she was as quick witted as they come! She will be greatly missed, especially by her loving family. So, comfort food is definitely in order! Plus, there is a freeze watch in Atlanta for tonight. It has been cold all weekend, so a great, hot Southern meal was just what we needed. I have been asked why I do not publish my recipes on the blog. Honestly, it would just take to long, and I do not always follow recipes. However, there are three key tricks to making fried chicken. One, brine it in salt water (1/3 cup per quart of water) for at least 4 hours and up to overnight. Next, remove the brined chicken from the refrigerator two hours prior to frying until the chicken comes to room temperature. If it is too cold, it will cool the oil down to fast. That brings me to the third and final tip: maintain a constant frying temperature of 325 degrees. If you follow these steps, your fried chicken will be crispy on the outside and very moist on the inside!

Here's to a better week ahead for everyone.

Cheers!

The Menu:

- Southern Fried Chicken

- Mashed Potatoes with Chicken Gravy

- Green Beans

- Franny Betty's Buttermilk Biscuits

- Lemon Meringue Pie

Sunday, October 11, 2009

11 October 2009






It has been a sad weekend. Jim's dear aunt Theone passed away on Friday. He will be going to Fargo on Wednesday for the services. She was a great lady and lived life to the fullest. Jim was very close to her and spent a lot of time with her growing up. Otherwise, it's been business as usual. We had the Taste of Canton event on Thursday this week, and over 1700 people attended! It was great to see that many people in the Historic Downtown Loop. I volunteered to be in the dunking tank, and every kid that took a turn got to dunk me! I still have water in my ears! I made a big mess in the kitchen tonight by cooking a "simple" Chinese dinner! I always forget how intense Asian cuisine can be to prepare. Lots of prep work but very little cooking time. For some reason, all of my pans were sticking tonight. Maybe it's the humidity? However, it all turned out pretty good. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

The Menu:

- Cashew Chicken with Steamed Rice

- Broccoli in Oyster Sauce

- Turkey and Chive Potstickers with Soy Ginger Dipping Sauce

- Ginger Ice Cream with Fortune Cookies


The Dunk Tank!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

04 October 2009




It's been a busy, strange and beautiful week. I was in Greensboro, NC most of the week for a lecture and workshop for business and design professionals. It was interesting, and I met some great people. I also got to spend some time with old friends, my fellow designer Elliot Strunk and my dear friends of 21 years, Chris and Scott Skidmore. I had dinner on Thursday night with Chris and Scott. It was Chris's birthday, and we had a great time. Thursday also marked the day that Jim and I met in Seattle 14 years ago. It's been an interesting and great 14 years. In addition to all of this, Jim's dear and totally fabulous aunt, Theone, was released from the hospital to hospice care. She is an amazing lady, and I feel so honored to know her. She has lived her life at full speed, and I really admire her. Speaking of great ladies, Barbra Streisand released her new CD, "Love is the Answer," this week! Diana Krall produced it, and Babs sings with Diana's quartet on ONE version – exquisite! The other version features a full orchestra. Kids, they don't make them like this anymore! Perfect music for a cool, early Fall night by the fireplace...

So after a hectic and scattered week, comfort food was definitely in order for Sunday Supper! I made chicken pot pies with a side of French green beans. For dessert, I welcomed a rainy Fall night with a homemade Apple pie. Still sitting on the porch, and a gentle rain is beginning to fall. If you go away – please don't go away...

The Menu:

- Rustic Personal Chicken Pot Pies

- Simple French Style Green Beans

- Homemade Apple Pie Ala Mode