Communing in the Garden

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The Mural at the Oakhurst Community Garden.

For all things produced in a garden, whether of salads or fruits, a poor man will eat better that has one of his own, than a rich man that has none.
–  J. C. Loudoun

Amazingly, we now have 3 community gardens that I’m familiar with inside a less than 3 mile radius here in the Decatur area, as well as several farm to table school gardens and some urban organic gardens supplying local restaurants. In fact, almost every house has a garden of some sort around here! In part, this can be attributed to the likes of Farmer D, who has made it his mission to bring organic and bio-dynamic gardening—and the reaped rewards of it—to every child and adult’s table in Georgia. And being that I’m a very frustrated organic gardener myself, every now and then I like to go and visit some of those gardens that have more sun than I do and therefore can grow those things that I cannot. Continue reading →

Virginia really is for Lovers…of Life, Food, Wine and Nature

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A pastoral setting, to say the least.

First, forgive me for the lack of posting for a while. This is truly the longest I’ve gone between posts since I started this blog. Work deadlines are the main culprit, and being out of town…and more work deadlines. Reality sets in, folks, but I am back! And I have lots to share with you. So sit back and read my story about taking a little trip to Virginia.

A dear girlfriend of mine and her husband have a lovely home on a farm in Afton, Virginia, and last weekend I flew up for my first visit and a girls’ weekend. Little did I know what a fun, tasty, adventurous and beautiful interlude lay ahead. Continue reading →

Cheater Pizza

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All dressed up and ready for dinner.

Really, I shouldn’t dis this pizza by calling it “cheater”…it’s actually delicious pizza. It’s my fall back when I’ve been working all day and it’s really too late to make dinner. I call it cheating because, I confess it, I keep some whole wheat pre-made (cheater) pizza crust in my fridge. I know, home made is so much better, but when it’s 8 p.m. on a weeknight after I’ve been working all day, and I don’t already have some crust of my own made, the last thing I want to do is make pizza dough. It’s so easy to just pull out some cheater crust, place it on my peel, throw on some toppings, slide it onto my pizza stone, and in 12 minutes I’ve got a really tasty, crispy pizza, lickety-split! Continue reading →

This, that and the other…

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Smiling eggs make better brownies.

I could get with this…or I could get with that… (You’re envisioning the Kia Soul Hamster Rap commercial, aren’t you?) Basically, this sums up my thoughts on my pantry and fridge contents last night as I faced making dinner. We’re finally getting some rain here, and I was happy to stay in and make a meal. But, what to make? I had no real plan, and I had bits of this and bits of that for ingredients. When in doubt, make a salad and some pasta! Continue reading →

D-Con, D-Book Festival and Some De-licious Sliders

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A sailing machine of some sort...anyone know what this is, besides amazing?

Not sure, but I think these folks may have just come from a dip in the pool after walking the 1/2 mile parade in the heat!

It’s D-weekend (sorry, I couldn’t help myself) and a lot is going on in the big city. We decided to try something new and headed downtown to see the Dragon Con Parade, which kicks off the world’s largest fantasy/SF convention, held annually in Atlanta, GA, on Labor Day weekend. Sci-Fi and Fantasy fans come from everywhere, donned in their finest Star Wars, Star Trek, Road Warrior, Alien, Thunder Dome, Ghost Busters, Harry Potter (or at least we saw Snape there), Dr. Who, and any and all other related costumes you can possibly think of, and some you couldn’t imagine. We saw a working replica of a truck from Thunder Dome that some 10 people were riding, and a time machine. There’s some serious money laid down for this, people! Continue reading →

Confessions of a Cookbook Addict

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I am a cookbook-a-holic.

There, I’ve said it out loud…well, sort of. I know many of us have lots of cookbooks and/or love to read them, but I’ve kind of taken it to the extreme. In fact, they are running me out of the house.

My unorganized reading table of cookbooks, food mags and Ree Drummond's new book.

Sure, I have my favorites, and they rotate sometimes. I have some very old ones, hand me down ones and some found at yard sales. I have some by famous chefs, some by famous cooks, some from other countries and some from little churches, schools and Junior Leagues. And In addition to the ones I own, I’ve read a bunch that I checked out from the library. It’s like some kind of a jones or something, every now and then…mostly now…I have cravings to read a new cookbook, essay or magazine about food like others have cravings to eat some chocolate. What can I say? I’m kinda weird that way. Continue reading →

Go Grill! Sun-dried Tomato Turkey Burgers, that is…

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Just look at that juicy, flavor-packed burger with oozy blue cheese and balsamic glazed onions tumbling out of it. Who wouldn't want to eat that?

Don’t get me wrong, I still love beef, but especially in the summer months I do like to eat a little lighter for the most part. One of my favorite items to grill is my recipe for Sun-dried Tomato Turkey Burgers with Balsamic Glazed Onions. I know what you’re thinking. “Turkey Burgers, oooooh, those are so dry. Not juicy and not a good substitution for good ole’ ground chuck!” I beg to differ. I’ve shared this recipe with a friend who said just that, and once he and his wife tasted these, they changed their minds completely, and it’s become part of their cooking repertoire. Continue reading →

words, no pictures

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Yesterday was supposed to be a celebratory day. It was my friend’s birthday, and we had lunch together at a great new local restaurant. Later that evening, my husband and I had been invited to the home of more friends—some we don’t see often enough—for a dinner party, and I was making a peach crisp to take for dessert. Continue reading →

A Little Taste of the Mediterranean

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Mediterranean Pasta Salad finished with a sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper.

I’ve always loved a great pasta salad, full of fresh ingredients and lightly dressed. Last night I felt inspired by the flavors of the Mediterranean and decided to make my pasta salad by the same name. It’s easy, makes a lot, and keeps for several days. This recipe has been the hit of many a party or pot luck gathering, and is a pretty and filling summer entree all by itself. You can find the full recipe here and the step by step is below. Mangia!

To your cooked pasta, add scallion or shallot, parsley, arugula, fresh tomatoes and Kalamata olives. But don't stir yet!

Then add the artichoke hearts with the marinade, sun-dried tomatoes with 1/4 cup of their oil, the tuna and it's oil, and then stir to combine. Lastly add the feta cheese, salt and pepper and stir again. Chill to blend the flavors and eat!

Of Mountains, Waterfalls and Picnics

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“Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the wind longs to play with your hair.”

—Kahlil Gibran

Yesterday seemed like a perfect day to drive up to the North Georgia mountains for a little R&R from the city and we chose Amicalola Falls as our destination. Located in the Amicalola Falls State Park and situated at the southern terminous of the Appalachian Trail, it is the tallest cascade in the Southeast at 729 feet. We were pleased to find it not so crowded, and there was an invitingly cool and gentle breeze blowing…the promise of fall was in the air. Continue reading →