Sunday, November 17, 2013

17 November 2013





After a long, but successful campaign, it is so nice to get back into the kitchen! Today is rainy and foggy, and the multicolored Fall leaves outside the kitchen window create the perfect atmosphere for comfort food. As most of you know, I won my election for Canton City Council in Ward 2 with nearly 65% of the vote. While the drudgery of campaigning is not my favorite thing, I look forward to the challenging and meaningful work ahead, and I have a strong appetite for helping move my small town forward. The other two seats are in a runoff, so I am thankful to be done – for now. I officially begin serving the citizens of Canton on January 2, so stay tuned. I could not have achieved this milestone with the love and support of my campaign committee, friends, family, coworkers, neighbors and a lot of new supporters from across the city. Thank you all for believing in me, and I promise to work hard to exceed your expectations.

Just as one "campaign" is complete, it appears another one is now underway. This time it is a movement to help save one of my favorite local purveyors of farm fresh produce and local suppliers of meat, cheese and a variety of sustainable ingredients. Cherokee Market Farm Fresh Produce is located on Highway 20 at the corner of Union Hill Road. The owner, Lisa Meyer, has worked diligently over the past few years to bring farm to table produce and fresh foods to our community. Her market is located in the historic Bell's Store, one of the Buffington Community's greatest historic assets. Recently, a developer from Macon has expressed interest in buying the property to develop a Flash Foods convenience store and gas station. It would be tragic to replace a local and sustainable produce business with a haven of processed foods, beer, cigarettes, gas and video poker machines! The community seems to be rallying around Lisa and Cherokee Market, but we need all the help we can get. An online petition was created just a week or so ago, and it already has over 700 signatures! Click here to sign the online petition. In addition to the historic building, Cherokee Market is also home to one of the best BBQ food trucks in the South, Scott Boys BBQ, so a lot is at stake in this battle. If you live in the area, please join the movement to preserve our history and save our most accessible sustainable food provider.

Needless to say, I have been very busy trying to catch up at the office and fighting irresponsible growth, so it was nice to slow down this weekend. I spent most of Saturday catching up on my favorite PBS cooking shows. It had been months since I've had a chance to watch them, so it was a true gift in the form of downtime. I am beginning to plan my favorite meal of the year, Thanksgiving, and it was nice to get some new ideas. With the rainy weather today, I decided to cook a steaming pot of old fashioned beef stew. Earlier today, we went to Cherokee Market to have lunch at Scott Boys BBQ and to buy all of the produce. I was delighted to find some baby Vidalia onion bulbs and heirloom multicolor carrots for the stew. along with some of their fresh jalapeƱo cheddar bread to serve on the side. To go with the hearty stew, I made some delicious cream cheese mashed potatoes on the side, and it was a great combination. For dessert, I made one of the Pioneer Woman's recipes from her show on Saturday: individual cherry almond crisps.

All in all, it was a much welcomed and needed return of Sunday Supper.

The Menu:

- Old Fashioned Hearty Beef Stew

- Cream Cheese and Chive Mashed Potatoes

- Cherry Almond Crisps ala Mode