Monday, June 20, 2016

20 June 2016




The past two weeks have been very hectic. I was in Chicago June 10-15 for my 32nd NeoCon, the world's largest trade show for commercial furnishings and materials. It's always great to see so many colleagues, and Grant Design Collaborative's work for Decca Contract and Elan furniture was well received. As always, our team did great work, especially our Creative Director, Matt DeFrain.

I flew back late on Wednesday night, and we had a Council meeting on Thursday. Although exhausted, it was great to be there for the official adoption of the new Master Plan and LCI update for downtown and the River Mill district. It was such an honor and privilege to chair this initiative with my fellow Council member and friend, Sandy McGrew. The new plan features a lot of great initiatives to change the trajectory of downtown, and we hope to expand our long term plans for other areas of the city. The Mayor, Council, City Manager and city staff collaborated in an effective and productive manner, and the only thing more exciting than the plan itself will be the implementation efforts. To see the final plan, visit cantonforward.com.

After work on Friday, we celebrated Jeff's dad's birthday at their family farm in Jasper. It was a perfect Summer evening, complete with grilled steaks, twice baked potatoes and homemade ice cream. On Saturday morning, we ventured over to the Canton Farmers Market to stock up on some great items. As usual, we returned home with a great haul of farm fresh eggs, everything bagels, onions, garlic, homemade soap, crushed red pepper, corn, purple potatoes, pork rinds, pecans and even a fresh garlic skate compliments of Rustic Roots! After a late breakfast at Keithsburg Cafe, we were off to Atlanta to attend an opening reception of the Mad Men exhibit at MODA. The exhibit featured fine art from many advertising and design professionals working in Atlanta in the 70's and 80's, and our dear friend, Steve Martin, had three amazing paintings in the show. It was great seeing so many friends and colleagues, especially those that I had not seen in many years. We had a wonderful time and visited Krog Street Market on Sunday for a late lunch. This redevelopment project is so inspiring, and it includes a lot of great restaurants and food stalls. We even ran into some Canton friends, the Walker-Bundas: Rob, Kandace, Atlas and Indy.

Needless to say, we did not make it back to Canton in time to cook Sunday Supper, so I used a lot of our Farmers Market items to prepare a "Meatless Monday" Supper. I made buffalo cauliflower sandwiches and served them on the delicious Whim Wham Art Farm bagels. I roasted the purple potatoes from Rustic Roots with local onions, garlic, rosemary and chopped garlic skate. I also roasted the first corn of the season as another side. It was a filling and satisfying vegetarian dinner after a busy Monday.

The rest of the week will also be busy, and I leave for the GMA Annual Conference in Savannah on Friday. Along with other city leaders, I look forward to this gathering of Georgia's elected officials. It is always educational, inspiring and a good opportunity to hear what other cities are doing to advance their communities. Of course, I hope to enjoy a couple of good meals with friends while in Savannah. Until next time, eat local and be kind to one another.

The Menu:

- Buffalo Cauliflower Sandwiches

- Roasted Valdosta Yellow Corn

- Roasted Purple Potatoes with Onions, Garlic, and Rosemary


The Recipe – Buffalo Cauliflower Sandwiches


Ingredients:

1 whole cauliflower

1/2 C low fat milk

1/2 C water

3/4 C all-purpose flour

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1 tbsp butter

1/2 C Frank's red hot sauce

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and preheat oven to 400.

Cut cauliflower in half and then cut 2, 3/4 inch steaks from each of the sides. Trim off leaves at the base, but leave most of the stem in tact.

Mix the flour, milk, water, spices, and seasoning into a bowl and whisk until combined. Transfer mixture to a wide shallow baking dish that will hold the cauliflower steaks. Dredge the steaks in the batter, coating well in all the crevices. Place the battered cauliflower steaks onto the lined baking sheet, and bake for 25 mins.

Just before the cauliflower is finished baking, melt the butter and whisk into the hot sauce. Remove the cauliflower from the oven and allow to cool a bit.

Dredge the cauliflower steaks in the buffalo sauce to coat evenly. Return to the lined baking sheet for 20 mins at 450.

To assemble the sandwiches, spread some ranch or blue cheese dressing on both sides of a toasted bun, and lay the cauliflower steak on the bottom. Add red onion slices, lettuce, and tomato slices, if desired.

Monday, June 6, 2016

05 June 2016 – For Corky



It has been a long, hot week. It was also a sad one as we lost our dear friend, Judson "Corky" Roberts. Judson was a true gentleman, and his contributions to our community were legendary. He was especially generous and influential when it came to the Cherokee Historical Society. Judson had a passion for preservation and led the charge to save the Rock Barn in Canton. After his funeral on Wednesday, a celebration of his life was held at the family home where he lived in Ball Ground. It was nice to see so many people come out to honor Judson's memory, and I send my sincere condolences to his mother, Sylvia, his brother, Rick, and the entire family. The Roberts family is certainly a blessing to our community, and I am fortunate to enjoy their friendship. Corky will be missed, but his influence is everlasting.

We did manage to sneak a little fun into the mix this weekend, and you know it's Summer when the Canton Farmers Market opens for the season! This year's market is going to be great, and it debuted with over 60 vendors last weekend; including produce, farm eggs, bread, pies,seafood and grass fed beef. Micki Farley has outdone herself, and I am so excited to have such a great selection of farmers and makers this year! I encourage all of you to check out the market every Saturday from 9 - 1pm in Cannon Park.

The weekend began with Bike Night at First Friday, and it was a big crowd, as usual. In addition to the Farmers Market on Saturday, the Wing and Rock Fest took place in Etowah Park, so there was a lot going on in Canton this weekend. On Saturday night, we had the pleasure of seeing Dolly Parton's "Pure and Simple" tour at the Infinite Energy Center in Duluth. The arena was packed, and Dolly was amazing. She sang for two hours, and she played over a dozen instruments. Of course, her stories were both touching and hilarious. She is such a national treasure, and her message to "love everyone" is well timed and appreciated.

On Sunday, we got to see the progress that Stefanie Joyner has made on the restoration of her historic home in Ball Ground. She bought the house last year and has been doing a lot of work to the property. It is looking awesome, and we can't wait to see what else she does to the home. Again, it was nice seeing other friends and neighbors at Stefanie's open house, and Meghan Quinlan laid out quite a spread of delicious food for the event.

Sunday's weather did not look good with a forecast for rain, storms and cooler temperatures. With that in mind, I decided to make some French Onion Soup for Sunday Supper. It sounded good, considering the forecast, but the rain and cooler temps did not materialize. Regardless, the soup was delicious and filling, and it included a homemade beef stock that simmered most of the day. I made the broth with oxtails and some added stew beef for a bit of heartiness. For the soup itself, I combined several recipes and added my own touches with good results. Unfortunately, I forgot to write down all of the ingredients I used, so I will include my recipe for homemade beef stock. We had some beautiful lettuce from our raised garden bed at home, so I made a simple green salad to serve with the soup. I always make my own dressing instead of buying the processed versions because they are full of fat, sugar and sodium. For dessert, Cory and John brought over a wonderful strawberry and rhubarb pie they bought from the Pie Bar at the Canton Farmers Market. Oh my, it was so good!

I am off to Chicago for work on Friday, so I won't be cooking Sunday Supper next week. Rest assured, however, I will enjoy some nice meals in the Windy City. It's one of my favorite food cities! Until next time, this one's for Corky.



The Menu:


- French Onion Soup

- Simple Green Salad

- Strawberry and Rhubarb Pie


The Recipe – Homemade Beef Broth


Ingredients:

2-3 lbs of beef oxtails or other beef bones
3 carrots, coarsely chopped
3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
1 large Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, whole
10 black peppercorns
Sea salt to taste
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
Cold water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350, and brown the bones in a shallow roasting pan for 20-30 minutes.

Wash and coarsely chop your veggies and add with browned oxtails and herbs to large stockpot.

Cover with cold water and add vinegar.

Cook on high until stock comes to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer for 3-4 hours.

Strain stock through a sieve and press on vegetables to release more flavor.

Refrigerate stock and allow excess fat to form on surface. Remove fat and use immediately, store in fridge for a few days or freeze for future dishes.