Fresh from the oven, Clafouti is puffed and bubbly!
Coq au vin, Boeuf Bourguignon, Vichyssoise, Clafouti… had these names even been pronounced much less heard of in any home kitchen in the United States before 1961? I’m sure they had somewhere, but was anyone actually cooking them at home? I think not so much. Continue reading
With such a fiesta of color, this dish just has to be good!
Why famous? Well, it started many years ago when I was making pottery and taking classes on a regular basis at the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center.
I specialized in handbuilding and loved to Raku-fire pots outdoors. At the end of each quarter, we would have a party, appropriately named “pot luck raku.” Each person brought a dish to share. We’d set the food out on long tables outdoors next to the raku kilns and eat, drink wine, fire pots, pull them out of the kilns at red hot temperature and throw them in the sawdust to absorb the smoke! There were some amazing dishes—both from a food and a pottery perspective—that showed up at these events, and I have such fond memories of these times. It was at one of these parties that I first tasted the dish Fesenjan, the Persian chicken and pomegranate stew, as well as some other worldly delights. Continue reading
Okay, maybe that’s an oxymoron! I mean, can a BLT really get ANY better that the original bacon, lettuce, tomato on white bread with mayo variety?
If you build it, I will come eat it!
I say, perhaps it can…at least for me.
It was literally only a couple of years ago that I finally got over my aversion to mayonnaise long enough to have a BLT with a teensy bit of that white stuff on it, and I actually enjoyed it. And that’s still the way I usually have it…tried and true. Until now. Continue reading
Now THIS is a southern plate of food that makes me grin like a Cheshire Cat!
It’s said that you can beat the heat by eating spicy foods on a hot day. And as we all know, folks in many parts of the world employ this method in their cooking to induce sweat, which cools the body. So seein’ as how we’ve averaged at least 100 dry degrees around here for days on end, I’ll try anything, and fighting heat with heat works for me!
Of course I just happen to really enjoy spicy foods, which is a plus. As a child and for a long time after that, I couldn’t tolerate spicy, but once I developed a tolerance there was no stopping me! Since we celebrated Independence Day here this week with fireworks and cookouts, it seemed the perfect time to invent something new to enjoy the festivities in style, and that something was my Firecracker Slaw. Continue reading
A Lentil Haiku (sort of)
Busy. Busy. Busy.
Quick lunch hour
(the market calls)
Scanning dry bins
de Puy French lentils here
$3.09/lb.??? Whoa.
Must. Have. Lentils.
Luscious little babies
Good for salad
Good with salmon
Good with grilled things
Good for you!
A recipe in mind
French Lentil Salad
Happiness.
Resting from last long post
more food soon
(wink!)
French Lentilicious Salad
(can be halved, full recipe will feed 8 as side portions)
For cooking the lentils:
2 cups dried green de Puy French lentils, carefully picked through for stones and rinsed (do not soak)
1/2 onion, peeled
1 whole clove garlic, peeled
1 carrot, washed, trimmed and cut into 3 inch chunks
1 stalk celery, washed, trimmed and cut into 3 inch chunks
4 cups low salt chicken broth, or you can use water
For the salad:
1 large carrot, peeled, trimmed and finely diced
1 cup of finely diced celery, preferably hearts with a few leaves
1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper
For the dressing:
1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1/3 cup fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 generous teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In a deep medium sized saucepan, combine the dry lentils, the onion, garlic, carrot, celery and chicken stock. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer/low boil and allow the lentils to cook until just tender, about 25 minutes, but test them at 20…you don’t want them mushy. When the lentils are done, drain the liquid, remove the solid onion, garlic, carrot and celery, and place the lentils into a bowl to cool a bit.
While the lentils are cooling, make your dressing. Combine the parsley, thyme, vinegar and dijon in a small bowl with a whisk. Add the olive oil in a slow stream, whisking to emulsify. Season with the salt and pepper.
To the warm lentils, add the diced carrot, celery and red pepper, and stir gently to incorporate. Pour the whisked dressing over the salad, and stir gently to coat. You can serve immediately warm, or allow about 30 minutes for the flavors to develop and serve at room temperature, or serve it chilled. This is wonderful with a bit of grilled salmon served over it. We also enjoy it as a side dish to just about anything grilled, and as part of a veggie meal…you can’t go wrong! Will keep in the fridge for a few days.
My family loves history and architecture, touring historic sites and taking impromptu road trips. And as a result of this, we are constantly seeking little hidden places to go and gems to find. I’ve posted about some of those little gems from time to time and a lot of them are around my hometown of Florence, Alabama. Every time I go and visit, it seems like we discover more interesting little tidbits about the area.
We were in Florence visiting my mom a couple of weeks ago, and had heard that an old home…a plantation, actually…had been restored and reopened recently, so of course we had to go and check out this latest “find.” I’m offering to take you along on this little road trip of ours, if you’re interested, and inviting you to step back in time with us and take a peek into a slice of southern American history, and the history of North Alabama, in particular.
View of walkway and entrance to the grounds of Pond Spring Plantation, the home of General Joseph Wheeler and his family.
Pond Spring Plantation was the home of General Joseph Wheeler, former Major General of Cavalry of the Confederate western army, The Army of Tennessee. Many local sites have been named after General Wheeler, including the nearby Wheeler Dam on the Tennessee River. After the Civil War, Wheeler fought again as a Major General in the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War, earning the well deserved nickname “Fightin’ Joe” Wheeler. After the Civil War, Wheeler became a long time and noteworthy U.S. congressman, and was known as a national symbol for reunification and reconciliation in the late 19th Century. And as a U.S. congressman in the early part of the 20th Century, he was a driving force for progressive economic direction and growth in North Alabama. Quite a remarkable and accomplished man. Continue reading
What makes one start a blog? There are so many answers to that question that it boggles the mind.
For some, it’s a way to express their passion about what they enjoy doing most. For others, it’s a means to an end in pursuit of a writing career. And maybe for all of us, it’s a way to reach out of the loneliness that our human existence can sometimes have, and share common interests and conversation, while learning a thing or two in the process. Whatever one’s reason may be for starting a blog, the end result is exposing yourself to a whole new world. And that’s actually what I like about it the most! Continue reading
“Three more recipes…what’s going on here? Why not break this up into three posts if posting more than once a week is a problem? Is she crazy?”
Yes, I can hear the thoughts and no, I can’t blame you for thinking them. But you see, there’s cause to celebrate. Have you figured it out from the photo yet?
That’s right, it’s my 100th post!
Thank you all for being with me on this wonderful blogging journey so far, and for reading and commenting. Your dialog with me via comments was, and is, one of the things I love the best about blogging and I hope you’ll be with me for the next 100 posts, to infinity and beyond, and continue to chat with me, share your experiences, thoughts and feedback. Continue reading
A two taco tango. These lively and loaded vegetarian tacos tick off all the flavor boxes! The cool plate is by the talented local clay artist, Gwen Fryer.
During last weekend’s holiday cookout involving the peach ice cream for dessert, our friends brought over some fantastic homemade pico de gallo that featured heirloom tomatoes, mango and mint. It was so delicious and such a nice blend of flavors that a desire for more haunted me into this week. And of course, I had peaches on hand and needed to use them. Continue reading
Luscious homemade peach ice cream. I mean really, can there be anything better than this? (A daylight picture perhaps?)
For those of us in the United States, we are celebrating Memorial Day today and, whether you are here or abroad, I hope you all have had a lovely and safe weekend. Memorial Day is a day set aside in our country to honor those in the United States Armed Forces who have given their lives and their service in defense of our country and our allies, and I bow my head to those brave men and women. Today many memorials are taking place around the country in the form of parades, the laying of wreathes and tributes. Continue reading
bits and breadcrumbs 