BSP, What You Mean to Me

Posted on August 14, 2011 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

LOTS has been written about the Brick Store Pub here in Decatur, GA. The owners—Dave Blanchard, Mike Gallagher and Tom Moore—get much due praise and press for their accomplishments with “The Brick,” as it is fondly known, and for Leon’s Full Service. They certainly deserve credit for bringing Belgian beer and Belgian style beers and ales to the palettes of Decaturites—as well as bringing Atlanta to Decatur to drink them—and their selection and skill in pouring draft is, in my opinion, the best in town. They have some pretty darn good eats at the Brick, too, including a recently updated menu featuring some tasty new items along with some old favorites, and I’ll talk more about that in a minute. Continue reading →

Local News Bit: Growlers at Sherlock’s

Posted on August 11, 2011 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

Our own Decatur Sherlock’s Wine Merchants is now pouring growlers!

I’m on their email list and they announced it a couple of days ago, but I was in there today and saw their set-up with my very own eyes. Right now they are pouring Allagash White, Bell’s Brewing Amber Ale, Sweetwater 420 Extra Pale Ale and Port Brewing Wipeout IPA, and Warner says they’ll probably switch one out to a Creme Brulee Stout this weekend…hmmm, sounds delish!

You say Potato, and I say Frittata!

Posted on August 10, 2011 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

When I think of leftover roasted potatoes, I think “Frittata,” which is an egg-based dish similar to an omelet or a quiche, with added goodies like veggies, meat and cheeses. They are not hard to make and a fantastic way to use up some supplies in your fridge.

I’m still working through my CSA box goodies from last week, and tonight I have on hand some roasted potatoes, onions, a few grape tomatoes, bell peppers, ham, herbs, eggs and Parmesan cheese. If that doesn’t scream “frittata” I don’t know what does! Sometimes I add some raw spinach if I have it, or raw kale, which I do happen to have in my garden, so it’s going in, too. You can customize to your heart’s content. Continue reading →

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 →