Sunday, March 31, 2013

31 March 2013 – Easter Sunday






I hope everyone had a happy Easter weekend! Our weekend was busy but fun. On Friday night, we met our friends TJ Cochran, Matt Blinn, Cory Wilson and John Clark for Mexican food at Viva Mexico. We also ran into our friend and neighbor, Pat Gold, and her son, Michael. After dinner, we went over to TJ and Matt's house for cocktails and egg dyeing. We had a great time, and I enjoyed foraging their yard to find the ingredients to produce a natural, grass dyed egg.

Saturday was filled with projects at One Britt. Jeff and a few helpers spread a truck load of mulch in the backyard beds. It looks great, but we are going to have to get another load delivered for the front yard. I spent the day doing several loads of laundry and changing the bed linens. In the afternoon, I ventured over to Cherokee Market for some fresh produce and local pork. Unfortunately, they had sold out of pork chops, but I found some great cabbage, baby spring Vidalia onions, potatoes and brussel sprouts. If you have not been to this great little farm stand, you should give it a try. If you go on Thursday through Sunday, treat yourself to some awesome local BBQ at the food truck outside. Grab an A&W root beer or Nehi soda along with some chips inside to go with your pulled pork sandwich.

On Saturday night, we enjoyed a delightful gathering at Harry and Rebecca Johnston's home to celebrate the Spring visit of their daughter, Ann Johnston Cloud. As usual, the hospitality, food and conversation were all first class. We had a great time chatting with many friends and getting to know Ann. Afterward, we attended our second party of the evening to celebrate Jennifer Dunn's birthday. A lot of our other friends were there, and we all played a hilarious game, Cards Against Humanity. It was a lot of fun!

I got up early on Easter morning to bake a carrot cake to take the gathering at the Brown Family Farm in Jasper. Although it was a bit rainy, the fun, food and fellowship were heartwarming. We hid eggs for the kids between showers, and after lunch, there was just enough time between the rain for the kids to hunt the eggs. They were not phased by the damp grass and mud, and everyone had a good time.

We arrived back to One Britt late in the afternoon, and I began to prepare tonight's Sunday Supper. I decided that a rainy Easter Sunday was perfect for a little soul food, so I prepared some smothered pork chops, mashed potatoes, stewed cabbage, baby spring Vidalia onions and cream biscuits for dinner. For dessert, I made an upside down skillet peach cake. The main course was delicious and satisfying, and the weather cleared long enough to allow us to enjoy supper on the Side Porch. Cory and John brought a nice Old Vine Zinfandel and an exquisite Cabernet from Argentina. The pork chops, cabbage and peach cake recipes came from the new Lee Brothers Charleston Kitchen cookbook. As usual, their recipes and stories are divine.

After we rested for a while after the main course, I went inside to prep the upside down skillet peach cake. Jeff had turned it out onto a cake stand prior to dinner, but I decided the top needed to brown a bit more. I must have been channeling my mother, so I decided to place it, cake stand and all, into the oven under the broiler while I made the whipped cream topping. I checked on it a couple of times, and the progress was satisfactory. As I was adding the finishing touch to the whipped cream, a little syrup from some canned organic peaches, I heard a heart-wrenching noise from the oven. You guessed it, the glass cake stand had shattered in the hot oven, and the cake and pieces of glass were everywhere. Deflated and embarrassed, I scanned the kitchen for a Plan B. I returned to the Side Porch with some Cadbury Eggs and Lindt Chocolate Carrots from Jeff's Easter Basket. My dinner companions were gracious, as always, and even consoled me with compliments on how well the chocolates went with the Argentinian Cabernet. At least I got some good photos of the cake before the disaster ensued, but after all, isn't that what Easter is all about: disaster and recovery? None of us are perfect, but I am blessed with dear friends and family that laugh at my mistakes and love me anyway.

My shattered glass is always half full, and I wish all of you a healthy and hopeful Spring awakening!


The Menu:

- Smothered Pork Chops

- Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes

- Stewed Cabbage with Locally Smoked Pork Necks

- Roasted Baby Spring Vidalia Onions

- Simple Cream Biscuits

- Upside Down Skillet Peach Cake with a Substitute
of Easter Basket Chocolate


The Recipe – Roasted Baby Spring Vidalia Onions

Ingredients:


- 15 baby Vidalia onions or other large-bulb spring onion, ends trimmed and halved lengthwise
- 1 teaspoon(s) fresh thyme leaves
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place onions in a baking pan. Sprinkle with thyme and season with salt and pepper. Add butter in slivers, especially around bulbs. Roast onions until tender, browned, and caramelized, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a warmed platter, and drizzle with pan juices.









Sunday, March 24, 2013

24 March 2013 – Winter Into Spring



Spring officially began this week, but the weather continues to be somewhat tedious. It has been rainy and gray all weekend, but at least One Britt has a new roof. After discovering some hail damage, Keith Pritchett Roofing made good with some beautifully installed architectural shingles.

It has been a busy and productive week. I spent Wednesday and Thursday in Chicago reviewing two client showroom projects for NeoCon 2013. This will be my 29th NeoCon, and walking into the Merchandise Mart always brings a mixture of comfort and anxiety. I'm sure the Grant Design Collaborative team will deliver the goods, as always. I returned home in time to attend the Cherokee County Historical Society's Historic Preservation Banquet on Friday night. Some amazing homes and businesses were honored for their efforts to restore and preserve our historic assets. As the newly inducted president of the organization, Jeff Brown did a great job at handing out awards to the worthy recipients. After the event, we enjoyed a much-needed fireside night cap with some great friends and neighbors.

Saturday included a great brunch at Keithsburg Cafe and an awesome dinner in Roswell at Rasa Sayaang. This authentic restaurant specializes in Chinese and Malaysian cuisine, and the food is addictive. After an amazing dinner, we returned home for a nightcap and a movie. We finally took the time to watch Life of Pi. It is an inspiring film, and Ang Lee never disappoints. Open your heart and soul, and watch this movie.

Sunday festivities began with my ritualistic viewing of CBS Sunday Morning. In the midst, I explored recipes for Chicken and Dumplings. After a few minutes on Google, I realized the day was not getting any younger. I procured the necessary ingredients from Publix, and began to perfect the Southern art of Chicken and Dumplings. The preparation was complex, and it included the inspiration of such accomplished Southern cooks as Edna Lewis, Nathalie Dupree and my mother, Franny Betty. I combined and reduced all that I know into a concoction of stewy love and little pillows of divinity. To top it off, I explored and reproduced the cheddar cheese drop biscuits by Art Smith that we devoured two weeks ago at Southern Art and Bourbon Bar in Atlanta. Oh, My, God. Shut your mouth delicious! I am proud to be a Southern cook, so measure me by my dumplings and biscuits. Tonight, they measured up for a magical gathering of friends: Carmen Tanner Slaughter, Sandy McGrew, Gary Mullet, Cory Wilson, John Clark and, of course, Jeff Brown. Palm Sunday provided many blessings.

Now we move from Winter into Spring, and I wish you all a delicious renewal. I'm ready.

The Menu:

- Cream Cheese Wrapped in Apple Smoked Bacon

- Southern Chicken and Black Pepper Dumplings

- Strawberry Shortcake Martini

The Recipe – Art Smith's Cheddar Cheese Drop Biscuits:

Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup low-fat buttermilk, more if needed

Instruction:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven to heat.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in 4 tablespoons butter using a pastry blender or two butter knives, until it reaches a crumbly consistency. Stir in half of the cheese. Make a well in the middle of the ingredients and pour in the buttermilk. Stir until just moistened, adding an extra tablespoon of milk if needed.

Using a pot holder, remove the hot skillet from the oven and place two tablespoons of butter in it. Swirl to melt the butter. When the butter has melted, use a 1/4-cup measure to drop batter into the pan. It's fine for the biscuits touch. Melt remaining butter and brush tops of biscuits with melted butter if desired. Bake 14 to 16 minutes until lightly browned.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

03 March 2013






All in all, last week was physically and emotionally cruddy. I literally had the "crud" all week with a terrible cough. I finally surrendered and went to Medical Associates of North Georgia on Thursday, and I was diagnosed with a bronchial infection. Apparently, there is a lot of this going around. After losing my voice completely on Friday, I am finally beginning to feel a bit better. On the emotional side, I have visited Darby Funeral Home twice this week. The first time was for my friends Carrie Budd and Mike McGowan who lost their son, Adam Budd way too early. The second time was a visitation for my friend Jeannie Lathem Adams who lost her long battle with cancer. Jeannie was a remarkable and inspiring lady, and she was a huge advocate for Canton and, especially, our historic neighborhood. I rallied long enough to make her visitation on Thursday, but my persistent cough kept me from attending her service on Saturday. I heard it was lovely, and she will be greatly missed by her family, friends and community.

On the positive side of things, the Canton Main Street program hosted the initial First Friday of the year in downtown Canton. We made a valiant effort, but it was simply too cold to attract a large crowd. I want to give a special thanks to Canton's Chief Floyd for bringing the volunteers some hand warmers from the fire station! We hung in for a while but retreated to The Painted Pig Tavern for libations. The Canton Theatre was filled with a young crowd for a Call of Duty tournament that was sponsored by Audio Intersection, and it was great to see the next generation enjoying the new projection equipment. The restaurants did very well, and we hope the weather will cooperate for the next First Friday in April. Today, I joined my fellow downtown Canton businessman and friend, Bobby Greene of Greene's Blueprinting, as a judge for the Dizzy Dean Little League parade floats. Bobby is a great guy, and he does a lot of great work for Main Street, the Cherokee Arts Center and many other worthy organizations in the community. It was very cold for everyone, especially the parade participants, but we all had fun. Good luck to all of the Dizzy Dean teams!

After a cold and challenging week, I really needed some good comfort food for tonight's Sunday Supper! At our last visit to Mountain Valley Farm in Ellijay, I bought some beautiful grass fed stew beef, and it has been waiting in the freezer for the right occasion. So I made a big pot of beef stew for dinner. I added a local beer, Sweetwater Georgia Brown, to the stock, along with the beef and organic vegetables. I also added some organic kale to the stew, and it was healthy, delicious and filling. To go along with the stew, I baked some fresh focaccia bread with rosemary from the herb garden. It was well worth the effort and helped to "sop up" the earthy stew base. The "beef stew for the soul" really hit the spot, and I am hoping for a healthier and happier week ahead for everyone.

As for tonight, I dedicate this Sunday Supper to the loving memory of Jeannie Adams. Rest in peace my friend.



The Menu:

- Georgia Grass Fed Hearty Beef Stew with Organic Vegetables and Kale

- Rosemary Focaccia

- Angel Food Cake with Florida Strawberries


The Recipe – Hearty Beef Stew

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Butter
2 pounds Stew Meat (Preferably Grass Fed)
1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 bottle Beer - your choice
4 cups Beef Stock
1-2 cups Additional Water (as needed)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1-1/2 teaspoon Sugar
1-2 splashes of Hot Sauce (optional)
4 whole Carrots, Washed, Unpeeled, And Roughly Sliced
4 whole New Potatoes, Quartered
2 stalks Celery - rough chop
Small bunch of Kale - rough chop (optional)
Minced Parsley (optional)

Preparation:

Heat oil and butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown meat in two batches, setting aside on a plate when brown. Cut pieces in half. Set aside.
Add diced onions to the pot. Stir and cook for two or three minutes until softened, then add garlic for another minute. Pour in beer and beef stock, then add Worcestershire, tomato paste, paprika, salt, pepper, hot sauce and sugar. Add beef back into the pot. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The liquid should cook down to a thicker state. If it gets too thick/reduces too much, add additional water as needed.

Add carrots, celery, potatoes and kale, then cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes. (If stew gets dry, just add a cup of hot water at a time to replenish the liquid.) Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Serve in bowls next to crusty French bread, focaccia or cornbread. Sprinkle with minced parsley, if desired.