Cool as a Cucumber

Posted on August 8, 2011 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

A cup of coolness, cucumber soup.

Mmmmm. This past weekend brought us some much needed rain, a few breezes and a very slight breather in the heat wave we’ve experienced this summer. But it’s still in the 90’s, and anything that has the word “chilled” as part of its name, gets my attention. We had some very pretty little cucumbers in this week’s CSA box of summer goodness, and I’ve made a quick, easy and delicious Chilled Cucumber Soup. And since my mission is to come up with delicious ways to use up all of that goodness, I made another tomato pie Saturday night—a variation on my last one that I’ll call Tomato Pie II—using a pound of red and yellow heirloom tomatoes and some beautiful organic red onions, along with some fresh basil and thyme, a little wine and some gooey-good soft goat cheese—and we had some leftover pie along with the soup, since tomatoes and cucumbers go together so wonderfully well. Continue reading →

A Superb Summer Sandwich: Pan Bagnat

Posted on August 4, 2011 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

Recently, Pan Bagnat has come back across my radar. What a wonderful summer sandwich it is, and why haven’t I made it in such a long time? I believe the first time I tasted it was in the south of France, where it’s very common and you can find many different versions of it. It tasted so good on a hot summer day, was easy to make, and I made it many times right after we returned. But as time marched on, I somehow forgot about it. Then, just last week, I saw a post on a blog in France about Pan Bagnat made with fresh produce from a Mediterranean garden, and it looked so yummy that it brought the taste back to me, and I’ve been craving it. Continue reading →

Quick Sip: Ale Yeah!

Posted on August 3, 2011 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

Last Saturday we stopped by the relatively new local craft beer market, Ale Yeah!, which we are oh-so-lucky to have in our little hamlet of Decatur, GA. It’s a very pleasurable experience to step into this nice, cool, store, filled to the brim with American craft beers—beer from all over the world, actually—and with gracious owners and staff on hand to explain and inform. And not only do they have beer, but they also have other local and regional goodies to go with it including fine cheeses from farms like SweetGrass Dairy, local preserves and jams, sausages and cured meats, pretzels, coffees, chocolates, and more. Plus they have all the supplies you need to make your own brews at home. And perhaps best of all…they have Growlers. Continue reading →

Food, Fans and Formula 1

Posted on July 31, 2011 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

My husband has been an Formula 1 Grand Prix racing fan for many, many years. And shortly after we got together, we had the good fortune to go to Monaco and see the Grand Prix de Monaco, my first live race. Needless to say, I, too, became a fan after seeing those amazing cars running the Monte Carlo street course in that gorgeous principality. Continue reading →

Partaking at The Porter

Posted on July 30, 2011 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

It’s a very warm Friday night and we’re meeting our friends Pam and Rick out for drinks and dinner, but where to go? We love the Brick Store Pub and it’s our home bar, if you will, though we were there just last weekend. And of course there’s the Brick’s sister restaurant (or brother) Leon’s Full Service, which is also a fave of ours for cocktails and such, but our friends have never been to The Porter Beer Bar and want to try it out, so off we go. Continue reading →

Bits with Jam

Posted on July 28, 2011 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

Now that I’ve made all this great jam, what the heck am I going to do with it? I’m keeping some for gifts, but in addition to spreading it on a buttered biscuit, toast, scone or English muffin…not that there’s anything wrong with that…I do have some quick and easy ideas.

Use Peach-Orange Marmalade or Blueberry Jam swirled into thick Greek yogurt for a yummy and quick morning breakfast. Continue reading →

We’re Jammin’

Posted on July 24, 2011 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

Each year I see all these wonderful recipes for canned goodies—homemade pickles, relishes, chutney, jams, marmalades, conserves, preserves, jellies, sun-dried tomatoes—and I SO long to make my own and try them out, give them as gifts to friends, and have a bit of summer sunshine stored for my own winter pantry.

But there’s been a problem: contemplating the process has caused great fear and trepidation in my soul. Even though it’s one of the most common ways to preserve homegrown foods, and is quite a simple process handed down through generations of folks, I just have not been able to bring myself to attempt it. So why all the angst? In three words: sterilization, pasteurization and the worst thought of all, botulism. Doing anything connected with those words made me want to run in the opposite direction. Continue reading →

Staying Cool with a Classic

Posted on July 21, 2011 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

Sometimes when dinnertime rolls around, I feel like just sticking with the basics, and I seem to be in that kind of mood this week. Here’s another simple recipe for summer, that has a little kick of spice to it, but cools you down at the same time: Classic Curried Chicken Salad. For those who can’t eat curry, I’ve added a non-curry variation to the recipe, too, substituting tarragon for the curry and pecans for the almonds in the form of a Tarragon Pecan Chicken Salad. Both make a wonderful main dish for a hot summer night. And if there’s just two of you, there will be more for tomorrow. Joy!

seedless red grapes

chopped celery

toasted slivered almonds

roasted chicken breast

Taters 101, 2, 3

Posted on July 19, 2011 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

Tiny red potatoes and rosemary

All dressed up and ready for the oven.

Roasted and ready to eat!

Who doesn’t love a good ‘tater? Baked. Boiled. Smashed. Grilled. Fried. Sauteed. Salad-i-fied. Totted. Roasted.

‘Tis the season for new potatoes and fingerlings, and one of my favorite and quickest ways to prepare them is roasted. With a little scrub, a few quick cuts, a little olive oil, salt, pepper and a few fresh herbs you may have on hand, you can eat restaurant-style potatoes any day of the week. And by changing your herbs, changing your cut, adding a little garlic powder, paprika or cayenne, a little onion and bell pepper—or combos of the above—you can have a completely different side dish customized for whatever meal you’re making.

Last night we had these rosemary roasted potatoes as a side to souvlaki and tzatziki. I usually make a frittata with any leftover potatoes, if I have them—adding some veggies, cheese and sometimes a little ham to the mix—because potatoes and eggs are so good together. Here’s a basic technique for roasted potatoes with variations, and an easy way to “bake” potatoes on the grill. Also try roasting or grilling potatoes for your next vinaigrette-based potato salad.

What’s your favorite easy spud preparation? Do tell…

Related Links: Souvlaki, Tzatziki

Quick Bite: Oakhurst Market

Posted on July 17, 2011 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

The remaining half of my pimento cheese sandwich, moments before it disappeared.

Doing errands earlier today. Stopped by to glance around the newly opened Oakhurst Market in the Oakhurst neighborhood of Decatur, GA. Very attractive place. Nice meats and produce, homemade bread, sweets, ice cream, wine, beer, flavored olive oils which are custom poured by the bottle, other useful pantry items, sandwiches and spreads. Snagged a pimento cheese sandwich out of the cold case on the fly. Homemade pimento cheese, served on homemade white bread, thin slices of cucumber in between the pimento cheese which has the tiniest bit of sherry wine vinegar in it. Inspired, and only $3.00! Sweet. Can’t wait to see how they progress. Will go back.