01 August 2010

It has been a long, hot week, and the dog days of summer have arrived. I can't believe it is August. Summer will be gone before you know it, but we're trying to enjoy the pool and local produce while it lasts. For tonight's Sunday Supper, I decided to celebrate the first day of August with a quintessential summer meal. Jeff and Cory had dinner with me, and we prepared as much as possible on the grill to keep from heating up the kitchen. I have never made ribs, but they sounded great for some reason. I used Willy Senior's (Jeff's dad) method of slow roasting the ribs in white wine before grilling, and they literally fell off the bone. Cory appreciate this since bones freak him out. After the slow roast, we took them to the grill and bathed them liberally in the Grant family secret BBQ sauce. Finger licking good I tell you! For desert, I picked a bowl of fresh figs from the tree and rosemary from the herb garden to make a Fig and Lemon Marscapone tart with a rosemary cornmeal crust. It looks divine and should be interesting during tonight's episode of True Blood. Jazpur hung out with us as well, but spent most of his time in a recycled shopping bag – one of his favorite spots. Here's to farm fresh Sunday Suppers, but oh, OHHHHHH, those summer nights!

The Menu:

- BBQ Pork Baby Back Ribs with Grant Family Secret BBQ Sauce

- Jeff's Roasted Georgia Cork in the Husk

- Grilled Organic Baby Zucchini

- Grilled Whole Grain Sports Bread with Rosemary and Garlic Infused Olive Oil

- One Britt Lemon Marscapone Fig Tart with Rosemary Cornmeal Crust

18 July 2010

Well it has been a glorious weekend. Simple. Superb. Spent all weekend in Canton. Lots of time on the side porch and in the lounge at One Britt. Fun night on Friday that ended with watching Xanadu – backwards! Yes, it is possible. Saturday was divine. Great dinner and movie night at home: bacon wrapped filets, twice baked potatoes, asparagus and Jeff's impromptu peach pie! Dinner was followed with movies: A Single Man on BluRay (exquisite) and It's Complicated (adorable). After a day of deep cleaning the bathrooms and mopping the kitchen (twice), we had a soothing Sunday Supper on a rainy night in Georgia. I made homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs, and Jeff whipped up a batch of vanilla ice cream to accompany the leftover peach pie. Perfect. Cory joined us on the side porch, and a brilliant little rain storm provided a prelude to True Blood. Hope your weekend was as backwards and forwards as mine. Cheers!

The Menu:

- Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs

- Fresh Baked Ciabatta

- Georgia Peach Pie with Dominican Vanilla Ice Cream

11 July 2010

It is a quintessential Southern summer night: hot, still, loud and sort of sassy. It has been a fun weekend. Jeff and I went to see Phantom of the Opera at the Fox on Friday night. We had dinner at Floataway Cafe before, and it was really nice. I had never seen the musical before, but it was really amazing. The story, music, sets and lighting were divine. Today, Jeff, Cory and I floated in the pool with cocktails, and I made a low country boil for dinner. Jeff brought some fresh jalapeno peppers from his family farm, so I fried them in a pseudo tempura batter along with some fresh okra from the Canton Farmers Market. I served the appetizer with a ranch dipping sauce. We made some homemade bread to go with the boil. There was some leftover frozen Parker House bread dough that Jeff made last Thanksgiving, and I bought some fresh French bread dough from Publix. We baked them both, and they both were nice. Now, we are sitting on the side porch sipping wine, checking our iPhones and awaiting a new episode of True Blood. I will serve my sour orange pie with the episode, and the weekend will slowly fade away into just another Manic Monday. It should be an interesting week in many ways. Hope everyone had an equally dramatic summer weekend as well. See you around the pool...

The Menu:

- Tempura of Farm Fresh Jalapenos and Okra with Ranch Dipping Sauce

- Antonette's Garden Fresh Tomatoes with Olive Oil Drizzle and Meghan's Basil

- Low Country / Frogmore Stew Boil with Cajun Andouille Sausage, Georgia White Shrimp, Lobster Tails, Red Potatoes, and Homegrown Georgia Corn.

- Homemade Bread for Dipping

- Sour Orange Meringue Pie

27 June 2010

It has been a perfect summer weekend! Fun in the pool, good food, great music, dear friends and a few libations. The Canton Farmers Market was amazing this week. I bought farm fresh eggs, red potatoes, dragon tongue beans, cabbage, white velvet okra, tomatoes, seedless watermelon and an artisan baguette by my good friend Sam Smith! We had steak and eggs for breakfast this morning and BLTs by the pool this afternoon. I used the rest of my purchases to prepare tonight's Sunday Supper. Jeff and Cory came over, and we swam in the pool until it threatened to storm. We had cocktails on the side porch, and then I cooked a Southern vegetable supper. Jazpur hss been hanging out in Public reusable shopping bag all weekend, and he is more adorable than ever. All in all, a perfect weekend and a mighty fine Sunday Supper. Hope yours was the same.

Living la vida loca in Canton, G A...

The Menu:

- Fried White Velvet Okra

- Steamed Cabbage

- Dragon Tongue Beans

- Salt Water Red Potatoes with Chives

- Sliced Local Tomatoes with Crunchy Salt and Balsamic Drizzle

- Iron Skillet Cornbread

- Watermelon Wedges

20 June 2010 – Fathers Day

Well it really is Fathers Day today! I jumped the gun last week. I miss my dad. He was a great man and a great cook. I did not feel up to cooking Sunday Supper for one tonight, but I did harvest the first figs of the year! Therefore, I had to make something with them, so I whipped up a rustic fig tart! I'll have it later with True Blood. The fig tree is full of figs, so there should be plenty this year. I may have to make some fig preserves so they don't go to waste. Last night we went up to my dear friends Steve and Amado's cabin in Blue Ridge for a Summer Solstice dinner. It was delicious, and of course, we had lots of fun and laughs. It was a beautiful night in the mountains. I hope all of you have a great Summer Solstice tomorrow and a great week. Last week was kind of crappy for me, so I'm hoping this one will start off better. I think the fig tart
will help!

13 June 2010 - True Blood

It's been a quiet, but productive, weekend at One Britt. Jeff and Cory are in the Dominican Republic to celebrate their girlfriend's 40th birthday, so it's just Jazpur and me for tonight's Sunday Supper. Today is also the last Sunday before father's day, and I miss my daddy. He was a gentle and kind man - not to mention a damn good cook! I used his secret BBQ sauce tonight for the pulled pork sandwich. It is so good. I worked up an appetite in the yard today. It has really been a lot to try to keep up the "grounds" around here, but I am doing my best. I have been working on the front circle for the past two weekends. It is right out front, but it had become unsightly. However decided to use Liriope for decorative gardening purposes should be shot! The entire circle had filled in with "monkey grass" and weeds. Jeff helped me till it all up last weekend, so I mulched it today. I found a great specimen tree for the center at Autumn Hill Nursery: my very own Metasequoia Glyptostrobides (Dawn Redwood). I dug a very large hole and planted it, so I hope it survives. The tag said "plant now, and let your kid's kid's kids walk beneath it some day." I found that intriguing, but I suppose I better start searching adoption agencies now. I have included a "before" and "after" photo for your viewing pleasure. It has also been a very hot weekend here in Canton, Georgia – upper 90s both days. Luckily, the pool was opened this week for a couple of months, so I enjoyed taking a dip and floating on work breaks. The unheated cement pond already feels like bathwater, and it is only early June. I think it is going to be a very hot summer!

As for Jazpur, he has been a dream. Whenever I am inside and sitting, he is in my lap. He's been sleeping with me and usually places his arms and paws around my neck or arm-in-arm. However, he does slightly snore, but I will overlook this minor flaw. He is sitting in my lap as I type this post.

Tonight, the Tony Awards are on TV. I always enjoy them and like to see what is current on Broadway. I read that Linda Lavin is up for a Tony, and I love her work. Most people know her as Alice from the same-named sitcom, but she is an amazing theater actress. I also heard that the Glee cast is performing, so that will be fun. In addition to the Tonys, tonight is the premiere episode of True Blood's second season!!! It is an amazing show, and the creator, Alan Ball, is a local Georgia boy! He grew up just down the road in Marietta. He is brilliantly twisted. So here's to dad, trees, food, friendship, love, Broadway, vampires, cats and quiet time! Happy Sunday everyone.

The Menu:

- Georgia Pulled Pork with "NewGene's"
Secret BBQ Sauce on Toasted Wheat Bun

- Three Cheese Baked Mac-n-Cheese

- Spinach and Gruyere Stuffed Local Patty Pan Squash

06 June 2010

It's been a great early summer weekend! Saturday was the first Farmers Market in Canton's Historic Downtown Loop, and I got there early to get the best products. Tonight's Sunday Supper was derived primarily from my haul of local produce. Today, Jeff helped me attack the landscaping disaster in the front turnaround. It was very overgrown and neglected, so we rented a tiller from Home Depot and proceeded to spend the afternoon on the project that seemed to be so simple. So, we really worked up an appetite, and Cory joined us for dinner on the side porch. It was a beautiful summer night surrounded by the amazing hydrangeas. Two weeks ago, I also adopted a cat that was rescued from a meth cooking apartment. His name is Jazpur, and he is seven months old. He has a lot of energy, but he is very sweet and loving. Perhaps it's going to be a great summer after all. Here's to fireflies, good friends, local produce, sweet kitties, hydrangeas and red, red wine!

Cheers!

The Menu:

- BLT's on Twelve Grain Bacon Toasted Bread

- Local Squash Two Ways: Baked Patty Pan Squash
and Spinach Stuffed Yellow Squash

- Watermelon from Moultrie, Georgia