Summer in the South: A Few of My Favorite Things

Posted on June 21, 2011 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

Easy, refreshing and delicious Buttermilk-Basil Sorbet

Summer has not been my favorite of the seasons. Of course as a child, there were some things I really liked about it: no school, swimming and vacation were chief amongst them. But summer is always hot here in the South…really hot. And I like cooler weather better.

As time goes on, though, I’m coming back around to appreciating summer again—it does have a lot going for it, after all. Longer and lazier days, cooking outdoors, taking a dip in cold bodies of water, and tons of fresh produce. Here’s my little laundry list of a few of my favorite things about summer, the things I look forward to—most of which are food and drink related, of course! What are yours? Continue reading →

Penne for Your Thoughts?

Posted on June 19, 2011 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

Tonight’s supper is my Penne with Kale, Sausage and Roasted Tomatoes recipe. In the beginning, I always made this with Sweet Italian Pork Sausage, but now I substitute Chicken Sausage to make a healthier dish. This takes a little effort in prep and cooking time, but it’s worth it, and the result is a somewhat Sicilian-inspired dish. Continue reading →

Shaken and Stirred at H Harper Station

Posted on June 18, 2011 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

The Vesper, the Bramble and the Cosmonaut out on a Friday night.

Last night we joined our friend and amateur cocktail mixologist, David, for Friday night drinks at H Harper Station (www.hharperstation.com). Billed as “A Modern Watering Stop” and housed at the historic Atlanta & West Point rail station in the Reynoldstown area of Atlanta, it’s a very friendly, casual and inviting place. Continue reading →

CSA Today

Posted on June 16, 2011 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

Get ready, get set, open!

Thursday is CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) day and I awake on these days filled with the anticipation of a wonderful box of fruit and veggies coming my way. I am child-like in my excitement—it’s much like opening a present. And once I see all the beautiful colors of the fresh produce inside my box, my mind begins to race—thinking about what I want to make, how I want to play with the ingredients and what new recipe experiments I might try! Continue reading →

Ode to Red Speckled Grits

Posted on June 15, 2011 by bitsandbreadcrumbs

Red Speckled Grits close up and personal.

You no longer have to be born and bred in the southern U.S. to have tasted grits in one form or another. Now a part of the mainstream food vernacular, they appear on menus and in recipes from grit cakes to souffles, and the ever popular shrimp and grits. But as a child raised in Alabama, I hated them! Usually over salted, or worse still, bland and runny, I just didn’t get it. To me, they were slop. Continue reading →