30 May 2011 – Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day! Summer has unofficially begun, and the temperature in the ATL concurs – 93 degrees today. While most of us enjoy summer activities on this long weekend, it is also a time to give pause and thanks to all of those men and women who have served our country – past, present and future. That would include my late father, Manuel Eugene Grant who served in three branches: Army, Navy and Air Force. He also served in two wars: World War II and the Korean War. He was a chef in the Army and an amazing cook. So for Memorial Day, I cooked in his honor. A couple of weeks ago, I made a large batch of his barbecue sauce. For today's supper, I prepared smoked chicken and pork sliders. Jeff's parents and the Cory joined us for supper on the side porch. We also had a simple salad of baby lettuces from the garden. It was so fresh and tender and set the right tone for dinner. I served the salad and slaw in beautiful ceramic bowls that we purchased from Eddie Smith of Salacoa Valley Studio last weekend at the Canton Festival of the Arts. It was a great meal but back to work tomorrow. I fly to Chicago on Wednesday to do a final site check on a showroom we are designing for NeoCon, the world's largest commercial furnishings trade show. I am exited to see the space and will fly up next week for seven days to prep the showroom for the event. As always, it has been a pleasure working with our long time partner and contractor, EDE Corp. They do amazing work!

So, the next couple of weeks will be hectic but looking forward to a nice cruise the last week in June!

Hope your Memorial Day weekend was peaceful and bountiful. Bring on Summer!

The Menu:

- Barbecue Chicken and Pork Sliders with Grant Family Recipe BBQ Sauce

- Baby One Britt Lettuce with Lemon Vinaigrette

- Jicama and Granny Smith Slaw with One Britt Peppers

- Husk Grilled Yellow Corn

- Lemon and Strawberry Ice Box Pie

16 May 2011 – Farm to Table to Vineyard

I had a great retreat with the Grant Design Collaborative creative team this weekend, so I did not get home in time to cook Sunday Supper this week. We spent some fun and relaxing time together at Persimmon Creek Vineyards in Clayon, Georgia. Persimmon is a client of ours, and we did the website for the Cottages. We stayed in Fiddle Head and Sassafras, both of them are beautifully situated and appointed. On Friday night, we dined in their new restaurant, the Farmhouse. The food and wine were exceptional, and we felt like we were dining at a friend's country home. Thanks to Mary Ann and Sonny Hardman for a wonderful visit. On Saturday, hiked the beautiful vineyard and went into town to check things out. We stopped at one of my favorite spots, Osage Farms, for local produce and beef. Local farmers bring their produce here, and it is always fresh and in-season. We picked up some things for Saturday Supper, and I cooked for the team that night. All of the meat and produce was local and organic, so it was great. We had a big dinner, followed by games and marshmallow roasting. I truly have the best team ever! Not only do they do some of the greatest strategic design work in the country but are fun to hang around with as well. So, thanks to Matt DeFrain, Elizabeth Peterson and Kurt Seidle. I could not, and would not, do it without your collaborative efforts. This meal was for you...

The Menu:

- Local Hormone Free Grass Fed Strip Steak

- Roasted Baby Red Potatoes with Persimmon Rosemary

- Husk Grilled White Corn

- Grilled Fresh Asparagus

- Fresh Picked Cranberry "October" Beans

- Ramp Butter Baguette and Homemade Sourdough from Crescent Moon Bakery

- Local Sweet Strawberry Shortcake on Grilled Krispy Kreme Doughnuts

- 2010 Cabernet Franc by Persimmon Creek Vineyards

08 May 2011 – Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! It is sort of a sad day for me since my mom passed away, but the rose I took from her yard is in full bloom – her way of being here for me. Otherwise, it was a fun weekend. Yesterday was Derby Day for the Cherokee County Historical Society. Jeff organized the Derby Dash 5K run, and I emceed the start and finish lines. The race went great. Afterward, the Canton Main Street program sponsored the Mother's Day Chocolate Walk, so the Store was very busy. After that, we had the Derby Party at the Rock Barn. It was a lot of fun, and I got to fulfill a lifelong dream by being one of the hat judges! There were over 40 contestants in the hat parade, but we found three great winners. It was a very long day but a lot of fun. Today was about recovery, and I spent most of the afternoon making my mom and dad's secret family barbecue sauce! It is perfect for kicking the summer off with barbecued chicken. Also, I needed to make some for my dear friend and neighbor, Pat Gold! Pat agreed to chair the Canton Festival of the Arts for the Cherokee Arts Center, and she has been working very hard. The Festival will be held May 21-22 in Canton's Brown Park. The Artist Market is sold out with nearly 65 artists from 9 states! There is also a Literary Celebration with over 30 authors. Keep your fingers crossed for great weather! Anyway, the last time I made the barbecue sauce, I shared some with Pat and her husband, and she recently said I could return the favor for chairing the Festival by making her some more barbecue sauce! So, there you have it. A great weekend with lots going on. I hope yours was equally eventful and memorable.

The Menu:

- Barbecued Organic Chicken with Grant's Secret Recipe Barbecue Sauce

- Grill Steamed Organic Florida Corn in the Husk

- Steamed California Jumbo Asparagus with Bread Crumbs

- Garlic Bread

- 2005 Joseph Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

02 May 2011 – Sunday Supper on Monday

It was a very hectic weekend, so I did not get around to cooking Sunday Supper last night. Friday night, Jeff and I went to see Lucinda Williams at the Cobb Energy Center. I have seen her five times now, but she was better than ever on Friday. She was in great voice, and her band was incredible. She actually sounded better live than she does on her CDs – a rare case. On Saturday, I worked the Store, and then we had the Service League Ball that evening. It was a lot of fun, and the League raised a lot of money to benefit needy children in Cherokee County. Nice job. Afterward, some new and old friends came over to the Side Porch at One Britt, and he had a lot of fun. Yesterday, I was a little tired from all of the festivities, but I had a lot of yard work to accomplish. I got a lot done, but I did not finish in time to cook. So, it was Mexican and margaritas instead for Sunday Supper. However, we got another big bag of ramps last week, so I could not let them go to waste. So tonight, I left work on time to get to nursery to buy some coleus for the side porch pots and make a simple Monday Supper with the ramps. I made some great roasted fingerling and ramp potatoes, olive oil steamed corn on the cob and organic, grass fed cube steak. In addition, I made two more pounds of homemade organic ramp butter from scratch, and I still have ramps left over! I hope to make more butter in the next couple of days, but it is going to be a busy week. Hope your Manic Monday was equally productive and delicious!

Cheers!

The Monday Menu:

- Organic Grass Fed Cube Steak

- Oven Roasted Organic Fingerling Potatoes and Wild Ramps

- Olive Oil, Husk-Steamed Sweet Florida Corn

17 April 2011

I've been so excited about cooking tonight's Sunday Supper! One of Jeff's customers brought him some ramps on Friday, and I obsessed about what to cook with them all weekend. Ramps are wild leeks that only appear for a very short period in the Spring. They grow wild, and foodies forage for them like truffles. They have a very strong and distinct flavor that is similar to garlic and onions. I have heard about them but never cooked with them until tonight. I love the fact that they are wild and native, so I made sure that everything I prepared tonight was from Georgia. I cleaned the ramps and made two pounds of Amish ramp butter. It is now in the freezer, and it will be great for steaks, chicken and fish. I will experiment with it on other things as well. Our local farmers market begins on May 15, so I am looking forward to some local produce this summer. Jeff's parents joined us for dinner on the side porch, and I began with an amuse bouche of baby green pea soup with pea cream and wasabi pea garnish. It set the tone for a nice dinner. For the entree, I pan seared bacon wrapped filet mignon and topped it with the ramp butter. For sides, we had sweet corn steamed in its husks and baked Vidalia onions. I made some whole grain ramp bread with the butter as well – similar to garlic bread but with ramp butter. It was yummy! For dessert, Jeff made a divine flourless chocolate torte which we served with organic raspberries and a dollop of whipped cream. All in all, a very nice Sunday Supper inspired by an indigenous wild leek.

Sweet dreams!


The Menu:

- Baby Georgia Sweet Pea Soup with Pea Cream and Wasabi Pea Garnish

- Local Grass Fed Filet Mignon with Ramp Butter

- Baked Vidalia Onions

- Sweet Corn Steamed in its Husks

- Whole Grain Ramp Bread

- Flourless Chocolate Torte with Organic Raspberries



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10 April 2011

It has been a busy weekend at One Britt! On Saturday, my dear friends Steve and Amado came down from the mountains with their tiller in tow. They helped Jeff and I plow up the old herb garden which was too far gone to be saved. Plus, I wanted a fresh start with the herbs and other edible plants and flowers. We couldn't have done it without their help – yet another reminder of our timeless friendship. Although it was a lot of work, we had a great time and ended the day with a trip to two local nurseries. We found some great things to plant in the new garden; including: rosemary, basil, oregano, tarragon, three varieties of sage, cilantro, parsley, and chives. Once we got the herb garden all plowed, we realized it was quite a large space, so I also decided to plant some vegetables and other edible plants. I found four varieties of heirloom tomatoes, Annie Oakley Okra, heirloom mixed lettuces, cabbage, jalapeno peppers and strawberries. Jeff and I spent all day planting these little gems, so I am hoping for some fresh herbs and produce in a couple of months! We centered one of the old iron candelabras in the center, and used it for a tomato cage for the better boy tomatoes. Instead of the candle holders on top, we planted small clay pots with thyme and limelight sedum so it will flow over the top of the pots and drape down. It should be quite dramatic if it works! I posted a few photos of the process below, and I will keep you posted on the garden. Hopefully, I will be using the bounty for many future Sunday Suppers this summer.

After two long days of gardening, we really worked up an appetite! One of my favorite magazines is Garden & Gun! It sounds crazy, but it is really a very tame publication focused on Southern lifestyle. In this month's issue, I was fascinated with one of the featured recipes, "Peanut Chicken." It is basically a roasted chicken with a peanut butter, soy, green onion and other Asian influenced spices. You make a paste of these ingredients, and rub it under and over the skin before roasting. It is really very interesting and delicious! To accompany the chicken, I made sesame rice timbales, organic English peas and fresh local carrots. For dessert, I made individual lime tarts. A great Sunday Supper to celebrate our gardening adventures.

I hope everyone's weekend was as beautiful as ours here in Canton, Georgia, and I wish you a productive and bountiful week ahead.

The Menu:

- Roasted Organic Free Range Peanut Chicken

- Sesame Rice Timbales

- Organic Young English Peas

- Local Carrots

- Key Lime Tarts

- Frogtown Cellars Disclosure Chardonnay, First (2008), Dahlonega, Georgia

20 March 2011 - Annie Okra

It's a special Sunday Supper tonight! My best girlfriend, Ann Willoughby aka "Annie Okra," is visiting! Ann was in town to judge the AIGA Atlanta SEED awards and stayed a couple of extra days at One Britt. Last night, we had dinner on the side porch and watched the perigree "super" moon rise. It was a magical evening. Today, Jeff cooked his mile high biscuits, and I made sausage gravy for breakfast. Afterward, we took a road trip up the Georgia Wine Highway to Dahlonega. We visited three vineyards: Three Sisters, Cavendar Creek and Frogtown. They were all interesting, but Frogtown Cellars was really great. We had a private tour of the wine room and heard some great stories. It was a great day.

Before Annie arrived, I asked her what she wanted for Sunday Supper. She only had one request – okra! It is not in season, but I called Publix, and they put in a special order for me. We decided to forage for other ingredients along the wine highway and wound up with filet mignon and young corn from Wilkes in Cumming, Georgia. For dessert, I made one of my own inventions – grilled Krispy Kreme strawberry shortcake. We washed the meal down with several of our North Georgia wine discoveries. It was a great Sunday Supper from start to finish!

What a great weekend! Hope yours was filled with great friends, good food and the "great nectar that drips from the bottom of those grapes!"

Okra love to all...

The Menu:

- Grilled Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon

- Fried Okra

- Young Local Corn in Brown Butter and White Truffle Oil

- Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Muffins

- Grilled Krispy Kreme Strawberry Shortcake