14 June 2009

What a weekend... Our dear friend, Jeff Brown, attended a bachelor party this weekend in Savannah, so we were all lost without him. We enjoyed a great Friday night with The Cory, Matt and Krissi. Saturday included a great first float in the pool with The Cory and a wonderful evening and dinner with Steve and Amado in Blue Ridge. So for Sunday Supper, we welcomed Jeff Brown back to town with a "Surf and Turf" dinner on the side porch. I, well Jeff, grilled bacon wrapped fillets and garlic infused shrimp on Rosemary skewers. I rocked the night with my broccoli and smoked Gouda twice baked potatoes, and just for The Cory, my soon-to-be-famous Southern Peach Cobbler. Sunday night has never been so delicious and bug-infested...

The Menu:

- Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Filet of Beef and Rosemary Garlic Chicken

- Georgia White Shrimp on Rosemary Skewers

- Twice Baked Potatoes with Smoked Gouda, Broccoli, and Cheddar

- Watermelon and Watercress Salad with Serrano Vinaigrette and Feta Crumbles

- Smack Your Mama Peach Cobbler with Hagen Daz Five Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

- Assortment of Wine and Vodka

07 June 2009 – The Tony Awards

The Tony Awards are on tonight, and Dolly Parton is going to be on the show for her new Broadway musical 9-5. I'm sure she will be as entertaining as usual. I had a nice three mile run this afternoon, so I wanted to keep dinner relatively healthy. I made a Thai red curry sauce with organic chicken and vegetables. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

The Menu:

- Thai Red Curry with Organic Chicken and Vegetables

- Vegetable Spring Rolls with Chili Sauce

- Organic Ginger Ice Cream with Old Fashioned Ginger Snaps

24 May 2009 – Memorial Day Weekend

It's been a couple of weeks since I posted, but I hope to make up for it tonight! It is Memorial Day Eve, so tomorrow is a holiday! That gives me extra time to cook, relax and enjoy the evening. Our friends Jeff and Cory joined Jim and I for dinner. Always a treat to share good food, wine and laughter with them. We started the evening with a new drink creation: sweet tea martinis! In honor of Memorial Day, I prepared an Americana Sunday Supper with Carolina pulled pork and pulled chicken BBQ. I served it with a mashed potato casserole and baked beans. I made a key lime pie for dessert. We ate dinner on the side porch while listening to intermittent rain showers and great music. All in all, a great Sunday Supper.

Happy Memorial Day!

The Menu:

- Carolina Pulled Pork and Chicken BBQ Sandwiches

- Mashed Potato Casserole

- Baked Beans

- Key Lime Pie

Tres de Mayo, 2009

My Derby Dash 5K Number

Great Canary Yellow Derby Hat!

The Ladies Parade Their Derby Hats

Jeff and Cory Sport Their Derby Seer Sucker

CCHS Board Member Jim Works the Derby Party Check In

It has been a fun weekend! Yesterday, I ran in my first 5K race with Jim, Cory and Jeff. It was the Derby Dash Run, a fundraiser for the Cherokee County Historical Society. I ran the entire way and finished around the 35 minute mark. It seemed like a huge accomplishment, and I hope to run more. The race was followed by a Derby Party at the Rock Barn, another fundraiser for the CCHS. There was great food by Zach Kell and his team from the Downtown Kitchen, and the mint juleps were flowing freely. We finished up the evening with dinner with Jeff and Cory at Goin' Coastal Sustainable Seafood Joint followed by a night cap on the side porch.




For tonight's Sunday Supper, I decided to pay tribute to that most authentic Mexican holiday, Cinco de Mayo! I prepared a somewhat quicker version of Chicken Mole Poblano and served it with rice and vegetarian refried beans. I also made a chunky guacamole with homemade tortilla chips. The tornado siren went off while I was cooking, but the storm was a little north of Canton, so I stayed at the stove to mind my mole! It was a pretty decent mole sauce, and now I am exhausted! Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Adios Amigos,

Bill


The Menu:

- Chicken Mole Poblano with Rice

- Vegetarian Refried Beans

- Chunky Guacamole

- Homemade Tortilla Chips with Fleur de Sol

19 April 2009 – I'm Okay, You're Okay at Festibal!

This weekend, we attended our third consecutive 4 Bridges Arts Festival in Chattanooga. As always, we had a great time in the Choo Choo City! Our close friend and colleague, Matt DeFrain, once again produced some brilliant work for the show. The centerpiece of his installation was a great piece entitled, "I'm Okay," and it was personal and exquisite. It sort of summed up the mood of the weekend and the gang in attendance. This year, Matt had a great posse of old and new friends. The group included the old timers: Matt, Bill, Jim, Elizabeth and Kurt; and the new comers: Jeff, Cory and Krissi. It was a great mix of old and new. After the show, we dined at The Meeting Place at St. John's. The Chef, Daniel Lindley, has received a 2009 James Beard Award nomination! Afterwards, we shot a few rounds of pool at our hotel, The Chattanoogan. The late night mayhem ended as usual at one of my favorite dive bars of all time – Lamar's Motel and Lounge! You really can't describe Lamar's. You just have to experience it for yourself! They have the stiffest drinks, the best jukebox, kick butt flocked wallpaper and the most awesome fried chicken in the world. Really! So it's hard to follow all of that for this week's Sunday Supper. Anyway, I decided to create a healthier version of one of my favorite comfort foods: Meatball Parmesan Sub Sandwich. Of course, the meatballs were made of turkey and chicken sausage, but they sufficed for the real thing. We will be in Seattle next Sunday for Jim's dad's memorial service, so I won't be posting for a couple of weeks. In the interim, I wish you lots of great art, good friends and a festival of happiness...

Bill

The Menu:

- Open Face Turkey and Chicken Sausage Meatball Parmesan Sub Sandwiches

- Organic Spring Asparagus with Brown Butter and Toasted Breadcrumbs


My BFF, Jeff Brown, Welcomes Us to the 4 Bridges Arts Festibal:

12 April 2009 - Easter Sunday

It's been a fun weekend. Last night, we went to the North Georgia mountains to have our annual Easter Eve celebration with our friends Steve and Amado. Jeff and Cory also joined us this year. We had a pot luck dinner, and I baked a coca cola and whiskey glazed ham and salt and pepper cream biscuits. Jim prepared a beautiful salad. Jeff and Cory brought green beans and rustic mashed potatoes. Steve made a delicious cheese grit souffle, and Amado made a gorgeous Key West lemon pie with the most perfect meringue I think I've ever seen. We began the evening with craft hour by dying Easter Eggs. There were some beautiful eggs! One egg had to be incorporated into the post-dinner activity – which was a riot. It was great fun and total mayhem! So I have been recovering today but managed to find enough energy to clean the patio chairs. They were nasty. After cooking that big ass ham yesterday, I decided to keep it simple and meatless for tonight's Sunday Supper, so I made macaroni and cheese. You can get better comfort food than that kids! Hope everyone had a great, Peep-free Easter.

The Menu:

- Baked Macaroni with Four Cheeses

05 April 2009

It has been a beautiful Spring weekend! I have been trying to eat healthier and exercise, so I have been running again. I ran two miles and walked a couple of more both yesterday and today, so I decided to prepare a healthy vegetarian Sunday Supper. I made an organic vegetable curry and served it with Basmati rice pilaf and grilled whole wheat flat bread. Since I ran both days, I am rewarding myself with a rustic raspberry tart and a wonderful 2006 Cabernet Franc from Persimmon Creek Vineyards in Clayton, Georgia! If you have not tried Persimmon's wines, you should. Now we are watching the Academy of Country Music Awards. All in all, a great weekend! Once again, I apologize for the quality of my photos. My new digital camera is not working, so I had to use my iPhone camera.

The Menu:

- Classic Indian Curry with Organic Vegetables

- Basmati Rice Pilaf

- Grilled Whole Wheat Flat Bread

- Organic Rustic Raspberry Tart

- 2006 Cabernet Franc from Persimmon Creek Vineyards