Sunday, April 28, 2013

28 April 2013



Last week was intense at work. Grant Design Collaborative is very busy, and that is a blessing. My team is working over time, and they continue to amaze me. It's hard to keep up at times, but we continue to work as a stealth team. I am so lucky to be surrounded with such capable, talented and committed colleagues. When Friday finally rolled around, I was exhausted but ready for the weekend. We wound down the week, with a relaxing happy hour at the Painted Pig Tavern. Afterward, we hosted a spontaneous tribute to the late George Jones on the Side Porch at One Britt. As we toasted the fact that "he stopped loving her today," a few great friends showed up to bring a hectic week to proper closure.

Saturday arrived and provided a much needed lazy interlude. After a couple of naps, we sojourned to Town Center Mall for a little shopping for the Cherokee County Historical Society's annual Derby Day event. It is truly the greatest party of the year in Canton. We found some great deals and look forward to dressing for the occasion. Since it is the organization's biggest fund raiser of the year, I decided to donate a "Bill's Sunday Supper" for the silent auction. Hopefully, someone will enjoy bidding on a Sunday Supper on the Side Porch at One Britt, and I will enjoy cooking a fabulous dinner for a very worthy cause.

After an afternoon of shopping, we enjoyed an outstanding dinner at The Butcher and Baker on the Marietta Square. This new restaurant exemplifies the local farm to table culinary concept, and I highly recommend it. For starters, we devoured a pork belly Bahn Mi – heaven in a steamed bun! Our entrees included a New York strip with savory bread budding and an ocean fresh Cobia with ramp risotto. The meal was truly divine, and it hit the right notes on many levels. After dinner, we returned to One Britt to a relaxing movie night. We enjoyed a few Nutter Butter cookies while we watched "">The Impossible," the story of a tourist family in Thailand caught in the destruction and chaotic aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. It is an amazing movie about the triumph of the human spirit.

During the movie, the rain and thunder moved in and has not stopped. While dampening some typical Spring endeavors, the rainy Sunday seemed to grant permission for internal projects. After an over indulgent breakfast at Cracker Barrel, I returned home to tackle one of the biggest adventures: cleaning my closet. Just like my dear friend, Sandy McGrew, I think a bomb exploded in my closet around three years ago. The sojourn required a couple of bloody mary's, and I was honored to have my best friend, Cory Wilson, join me for the duration. He kept me on task and folded my "keepers" professionally and without sarcasm. Of course, he inherited a few nice couture treasures in the process, but he earned them.

I asked Jeff about what would be an appropriate Sunday Supper for the rainy day, and he instantly replied, "spaghetti." Therefore, I thought about that for the rest of the day. So after my closet was somewhat pristine, I ran over to Publix to gather the ingredients for tonight's Sunday Supper. A couple of weeks ago, we picked up some amazing spaghetti from Star Provisions. This spaghetti is imported from Italy, and it is the best pasta you will ever enjoy. I paired it with a rendition of "Jo Mama's" spaghetti sauce from the Food Network, and the results were heavenly. For starters, I prepared a Spinach Salad with warm bacon vinaigrette, and I made a cheesy garlic bread for the side. John Clark declared the "best Sunday Supper ever," but I closed with a superb Peanut Butter Pie. I referenced a few recipes and decided to strike my own course. Using the leftover Nutter Butter cookies from Saturday night, I made a pie crust for this Southern delight. It worked very well, and the pie filling delivered on so many levels.

So, it was a rainy Sunday night on the Side Porch, but the warmth and companionship of great friends delivered more great memories. Here's to lazy, rainy afternoons. We need them from time to time.

The Menu:

- Spaghetti with Italian Sausage and Mountain Valley Ground Beef

- Organic Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

- Georgia Peanut Butter Pie with Nutter Butter Crust

The Recipe – Peanut Butter Pie

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream or cool whip
1/4 cup sugar
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 Nutter Butter Pie Crust
8 Reece's Peanut Butter Cups - rough chopped

Instruction:

Crust:

Process two cups of Nutter Butter cookies in a food processor or place in a zip lock bag and pound with a skillet or mallet until you get fine crumbs. Combine with 1/4 cup melted butter and form pie crust in pie pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes. Cool on a rack before adding filling.

Filling:

Whip cream with 1/4 cup sugar or use Cool Whip. Mix all other ingredients until smooth and fold in whipped cream until well blended. Pour mixture into Nutter Butter crust. Top with chopped Reece Cups and chill for several hours. Before serving, top with fresh whipped cream and slice.


Sunday, April 21, 2013

21 April 2013













It has been a beautiful Spring weekend in Canton! We spent Saturday in the picturesque foothills of North Georgia, beginning with lunch at Two Brothers BBQ in Ball Ground. It was delicious as usual, and afterward, we stopped in Jasper for the ArtFest celebration. We strolled Main Street looking at all the art and walked over to the Woodbridge Inn for a craft beer. Hans Rueffert was out front grilling us some mouth watering food, and the grounds were dazzling. While there, we ran into our friends Arthur and Amelia McIntyre, and it is always great to see them. Amelia actually started the ArtFest a few years ago with her outstanding work with the Sharptop Arts Association. It's nice to see this juried show growing stronger every year, and it got me thinking about the upcoming Canton Festival of the Arts! Mark your calendars for May 18-19, and don't miss this annual event in Brown Park. From what I hear, the Artist's Market is totally filled, and there will be a Literary Celebration, Serenity Gardens, Interactive Children's Experience, and a Beer and Wine Garden!

After we left Jasper, the day was too perfect, so we had to do some more exploring of the backroads. We happened upon a new vintage and antique shop in Talking Rock, and I found some great albums plus a promotional 45 single of Olivia Newton-John's "Something Better to Do" from 1975. Needless to say, I was ecstatic with this find, and it took me right back to my early teenage years. Emboldened by my treasure, we decided we were too close to Ellijay not to stop by Cartecay Vineyards. After catching up with our hilarious friend that works there, DeAnna Bagwell, we purchased a nice bottle of 2009 Merlot and enjoyed it on their outdoor patio while listening to acoustic music. This little vineyard is an unexpected joy, and it's close enough for a short road trip. Check it out, and tell DeAnna that Bill Grant sent you to listen to some of her outrageous stories!

On our way home, the day just kept getting better when we stumbled upon a quaint little farm stand that featured the season's first homegrown vegetables from Florida. Apparently, the guy goes down to Florida every week until the produce starts coming in on his own farm in North Georgia. I bought some beautiful cherry tomatoes, new potatoes, yellow squash., zucchini and some of the first Vidalia onions. Tonight's Sunday Supper featured all of these vegetables, and I was fortunate to have a Georgia Heritage Pork Loin in the freezer from Mountain Valley Farm. After doing some gardening this morning, I really worked up an appetite.

Here's everyone's weekend was equally serendipitous and that you all found "something better to do" than yard work!

The Menu:

- Mountain Valley Heritage Pork Loin with Garlic and Rosemary

- Baked Bacon Wrapped Vidalia Onions

- Baby New Potatoes in Rock Salt Water

- Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

- Paremesan Baked Squash and Zucchini

- Cheddar, Sour Cream and Chive Corn Muffins


The Recipe – Bacon Wrapped Vidalia Onion

Ingredients:

- Vidalia Onions

- Thin Sliced Bacon

- Butter, Salt and Pepper

Preparation:

Trim the tops and bottom off of the onions. Peel, wash and cut a small well into the center of each onion. Wrap each onion with one to two strips of thin sliced bacon and secure with a toothpick. Add one tablespoon of better to each well. Salt and pepper, and then wrap each onion in aluminum foil, leaving a small vent at the top for steam to escape. Add to a grill or bake in a 350 degree oven for around 55 minutes. Allow to cool a few minutes before serving.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

14 April 2013



It has been a beautiful weekend. Saturday was picture perfect, except for the pollen count, but today's rain is clearing the air a bit. I struggled with the record breaking pollen count of over 8,000 all week, but yesterday was too beautiful to stay inside. We spent most of the afternoon in Atlanta's Westside district. After a delicious lunch on the patio at JCT. Kitchen, we walked over to White Provisions for a little retail therapy at Room & Board and Billy Reid. Before heading back to Canton, we did a usual stop at Star Provisions. This wonderful little shop is just out front of Bacchanalia, and it is operated by their chef and owner, Annie Quatrano. Annie has amazing taste in the hand curated kitchen and housewares, but the store also carries some amazing food products. In addition to an outstanding variety of heirloom cheese, meats and other imported culinary items, they also feature some local organic produce from Annie's farm and other Georgia growers. Yesterday, I was delighted to find some amazing jumbo asparagus, colorful Swiss Chard, and Baby Radishes. All of these items made their way into tonight's Sunday Supper.

After leaving Star Provisions, we made a final stop at Harry's Farmers Market in Marietta. I have been craving fresh Halibut since I had it for the first time this season at Goin' Coastal. I love it prepared with their soy miso broth, so I did my version of the same dish tonight. While it was a little different than Zach Kell's version, I have to say I did it justice! I served my halibut over stir fried chard, brussel sprouts and radish greens. With a little edamame for color and texture, it was tasty and healthy. At Harry's, I also found some sweet and perfectly ripened strawberries from Mathews Farm in Georgia, so I prepared a strawberry short biscuit for dessert in honor of Loretta Lynn's 81st birthday! It is just like strawberry shortcake, but I used a sweet buttermilk biscuit instead of cake. It was a delectable ending to a great Sunday Supper, and it seemed like something Loretta would have concocted in her Crisco kitchen.

After a nice dinner, we were excited to watch the premiere of Anthony Bourdain's new show on CNN, "Parts Unknown." I really enjoy his travel journalism, and he will be showcasing some amazing destinations as part of CNN, including his first location of Myannmar. The show will be on Sundays at 9 PM, so check it out. Tomorrow, I travel to Michigan to present a very detailed brand strategy for a new client. My team has been working very hard on this presentation, and I am excited to present their work to our client. Thanks to Matt DeFrain, Elizabeth Seidle and Kurt Seidel for all of the great work they do for Grant Design Collaborative.

In addition to being very busy at work, we have a lot of repairs going on at One Britt. Our new roof was installed a couple of weeks ago, and now the house is getting a much needed coat of paint. Hopefully, it will all be completed in time for some amazing Spring and Summer Sunday Suppers on the Side Porch! Until then, I wish everyone a productive and tasteful week ahead. Eat well, and count your blessings.

The Menu:

- Fresh Alaska Halibut in Ginger Soy Miso Broth

- Stir Fried Local Organic Swiss Chard and Radish Greens

- Roasted Baby Radishes

- Jumbo Asparagus with Brown Buttered Breadcrumbs

- Georgia Strawberry Short Biscuits


The Recipe – Jumbo Asparagus in Brown Buttered Breadcrumbs

Ingredients:

- 1 pound jumbo asparagus, peeled and trimmed
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup homemade breadcrumbs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Instructions:

Fill a saucepan or deep frying pan large enough to hold all the asparagus with generously salted water and bring to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, fill a bowl large enough to hold all the asparagus about three fourths full with ice cubes and water. Add the asparagus to the boiling water and cook the stems until tender but still slightly crisp, 3 to 4 minutes, testing by removing a spear with tongs, cutting off a small piece from the stem end, and carefully tasting it. With tongs or a large skimmer, remove the asparagus from the boiling water and immediately immerse the stems in the bowl of ice water. Leave them there for several minutes, until completely chilled. Drain the asparagus well. In a sauté pan large enough to hold the asparagus, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the asparagus and sauté, turning it with tongs, until it has heated through, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the asparagus to heated serving plates. Add the remaining butter to the pan and cook over medium-high heat until it begins to turn golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the breadcrumbs and continue cooking until the mixture begins to turn a deep golden brown. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and spoon the buttery breadcrumbs over the asparagus. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.