Category Archives: food

Food

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Pizza Grocery, Corinth, MississippiDon’t you love eating out in good local pizza places? I think it goes Pizza Grocery, Corinth, Mississippiback to when I was younger — before Pizza Hut and Domino’s and Papa John’s were on every corner — and going out for pizza was a much-anticipated treat. Today for the adult me, there’s something so cozy and comforting about a restaurant that gives you melted cheese and cold beer in abundance — along with real silverware Pizza Grocery, Corinth, Mississippiand plates. One of the best local pizza parlors is Pizza Grocery in Corinth, Mississippi. It’s in an almost 100-year-old warehouse close to the Corinth square and is a popular local gathering spot. Besides specialty pizzas (my husband especially likes the Cajun Cowboy with blackened chicken, jalapenos and pepper jack cheese), the menu has calzones, deli sandwiches and sandwiches. The lunch special is a slice (or two, maybe?) of pizza plus a salad, and the non-pizza dinner entree special comes with fresh vegetables and upscale additions such as a pea puree or mushroom ragout. There’s also draft and bottled beer but it’s bring-your-own wine — the left-behind bottles decorate the brick walls downstairs. And if you want dessert to go, grab a pizza sugar cookie. Green peppers never tasted so good!

Go here http://nems360.com/pages/full_story?article-Pizza%20Grocery%20% 20=&page_label=results_content&id=2133541-Pizza+Grocery+&widget=push&open=& for a review of Pizza Grocery by Ginna Parsons, food editor of the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal in Tupelo.

A Week of Spring — Easter Candy

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Easter candyWelcome to day No. 3 in A Week of Spring. I love Easter Easter candycandy! Well, not really the candy part — I’ll take a bar of deep rich dark Green and Black’s over a milky chocolate bunny any time — but the oh-so-cute and whimsical spring-time packaging always makes me smile. And who wouldn’t? Fresh Market has an overflowing abundance of Easter candy this year and I can’t help but picture adorable Easter baskets filled with Easter Candyall sorts of sweets and treats. I think it’s the fascination of boxes and wrappings and what-wonderful-things-could-be-inside that’s so intriguing. And I probably have passed that on to my Easter candydaughters, who are in their 20s but still delight in candy-laden Easter baskets … although they rarely eat it all.  Since they’re vegetarians, we’ve banished Peeps but anything with caramel, fudge, peanut butter or vanilla creamy goodness at least gets a nibble. We’ll see if my 1-year-old grandson carries on the family tradition — I’m betting one bite won’t be enough for him! Come back tomorrow for day No. 4 in A Week of Spring.

A Week of Spring — Entertaining

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EntertainingHere in Alabama the tulips and dogwoods are in full Spring dinner partybloom with the irises close behind, so it must be spring! No matter the weather — mornings are still chilly around here — we’ve all got lighter and fresher on the mind. So this week I’m taking a closer look at spring things that have caught my eye. First in A Week of Spring is this beautifully set table my friend Cheryl surprised our four-Spring decorwoman book club with this past week. Although it really was no surprise — Cheryl’s one of those gracious hostesses who makes you feel so welcome and special, like she’s waited all day just for you to come over. (I’m the one who answers the door with, “Oh, hi. Was tonight our party? Well, uh, come on in but watch out for cat hair.”) Cheryl also is one of those smart shoppers who knows where to find bargains and stocks up when the price is right so all she has to do is pull things together. The butterfly-print tablecloth and napkins, the china-flower napkin rings and the pretty floral plates needed only a few spring blossoms for Cheryl’s menu of fresh green salad and a light pasta salad. And since we read “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortens0n (we liked it both for the history and culture and also for the inspiring story of the difference one person can make in the world), we had plenty of tea. And wine. Come back tomorrow for day No. 2 in A Week of Spring.

Birthday Parties

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Nolan Behel birthdayGrandson Capt. Adorable celebrated his first Dragon birthday cakebirthday in style, with even his Grandad John taking a break from sports news to wish him a happy one. In keeping with the whole dragon and little prince theme, the birthday boy got crowns on his T-shirt and bib, a dragon cake and a soft purple crown for his Nolan Behel first birthdayprecious baby head. The hit of the party, however, was Capt. Adorable’s discovery of balloons — or “oons” as we had to call them to avoid Nolan Behel first birthdaysetting off a frenzy. To celebrate the first-birthday occasion, balloons were everywhere — even festively tied on to his high chair. It was the first time he’d ever seen balloons close up and he was fascinated. When his mommy gave him one to hold, he clutched the ribbon tightly and would not turn loose as he spent almost a half hour tracing a joyous route from room to room. The joy stopped, however, when the balloon would drift up to the ceiling and the Capt.’s desperate wails brought the nearest tallest adult running over for retrieval. His smart mommy realized that getting him into his high chair for lunch amidst all the balloon decorations would not work at all, so she took him into another room while the co-conspirators removed all “oons”  and when he came back in distracted him with — what else? — cake. Success! “Oons” forgotten — for the time being, at least.

Food

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Thai foodThai food is one of my favorite things to order when Thai foodeating out — I love the spicy-sweet combination of flavors — but I’d never tackled it on my own. Now I’m inspired to try Thai at home after my cooking club recently did a Thai night. Everybody was amazed at how easy it was to recreate our favorite restaurant dishes. Recipes included crab-fried rice, pad thai, shrimp Thai foodsoup, marinated cucumber salad,Thai-style chicken and beef with broccoli. We also had wonderful coconut ice cream served in a hollowed-out pineapple — a super idea that impressed us all. The tablescape was impressive, too, with tealights and floating lotus blossoms on a blue pashmina wrap. How creative was that? As always, I am in awe of my talented and skilled friends. I think they keep me around for comic relief. They even forgave me when I inadvertently admitted to using frozen mango instead of fresh for my Mango Passion Cocktails and mango/lime salsa. “But I did it for you,” I said, trying to convince them I was altruistic and not lazy. “Since I didn’t have to spend time peeling and slicing fresh mangoes, I had enough time left over to make this peanut dip for you, too. And please, have another Mango Passion Cocktail. There’s plenty.”

Note: I got my recipes from about.com, where you are clearly given permission to use frozen.

Spring Decorating and Coffee Cups

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Decorating for springWhen my two now 20-something-year-old daughters were little, I went all out for holiday decorating — a trait I got from my own mom, I think. At this time of year I’d have bunnies and chicks and eggs and flowers everywhere. Now that the girls have their own spaces (one with her own family in their apartment and the other in her dorm room at college), I’m taking a break. I’m sure once I get the dozens of grandchildren I’m hoping for, I’ll once again turn our house into Holiday Headquarters — again, just like my own mom. But until then, my nods to the changing of the seasons are few: A new wreath on the front door, different candles in the living room and changing the coffee mugs and espresso cups I keep out on a tray in the kitchen, always ready for a hot steaming cup of goodness. This past weekend I finally put away all the winter mugs and cups and replaced them with Decorating for springEspresso cupsthe spring ones. I love the pink and green Portuguese-pottery espresso cups. They come in three designs: Rabbits, frogs and cabbages. I’ve found them the past couple years in discount retailers such as TJ Maxx and Tuesday Morning but haven’t seen many so far this season. Plus, there are pitchers, bowls, dessert plates and serving platters —  I finally had to stop buying  because really, how many lavender bunny-themed cake stands do you actually need? I also adore this blue and green teapot and espresso cups with flower-petal saucers I found at a gift shop and the two pottery espresso cups from Starbucks I bought just a few weeks ago. And now I think I’m all set decorating-wise until July.

Food

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Asparagus terrineEven though I love oven-roasted asparagus year-round, something about spring makes me want asparagus even more. And I don’t think I’m alone in that. At a recent cooking class at the Shoals Culinary Complex in Florence, Alabama ( http://www.shoalsec.com), director Sherry Campbell taught us how to make this gorgeously easy and delicious Asparagus Terrine. One of those impressive dishes that always gets you compliments, it’s perfect for spring luncheons celebrating weddings, graduations, Easter and Mother’s Day. And, surprisingly, it’s great to make ahead and also is conveniently totable for  covered-dish get-togethers. Sherry says to look for asparagus with plump, closed tips for freshness. She uses most of the whole stalks, too, but I don’t like that slightly woody flavor and trim mine pretty closely. But then I don’t like broccoli stems, either, so what do I know?

Asparagus Frittata Terrine

Peel and finely dice 1 medium onion and saute over medium-low in 1 T. olive oil until translucent. Add 1 T. sugar, increase heat to medium-high and stir until lightly colored. Add 3 peeled and minced garlic cloves and 1 T. white-wine vinegar and boil until vinegar is evaporated, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper and cool to room temperature.

Trim white ends off 2 pounds asparagus spears and microwave until slightly cooked.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line small loaf pan with plastic wrap, letting excess hang over sides. Trim asparagus if longer than pan and save ends. Place single layer in bottom of pan, alternating tips and ends and filling in with trimmings. Spoon over half cooked onions and add layer of cooked bacon or 40-42-count shrimp. Season with salt and pepper and add freshly minced tarragon, dill or mint. Continue layering, sprinkling herbs on top.

Whisk 6 eggs in a bowl with salt and pepper until well-blended. Pour into loaf pan, moving a knife between asparagus spears and lightly tapping pan on work surface to evenly distribute. Fold excess plastic over, cover with tin foil and place in hot-water bath. Bake until eggs are set, 50-60 minutes. Remove from bath.

To serve warm, let settle 15 minutes then run knift around rim and unmold and slice 1/4-inch thick. To serve at room temperature, let cool and then unmold and slice or prepare ahead, refrigerate and then bring to room temperature before serving. Serve with Tarragon Sauce: Whisk 1 T. each mayonnaise and Dijon mustard and add 1 T. white-wine vinegar. Pour in 3/4 cup olive oil in slow, thin stream while whisking. Mix in 1 T. freshly minced tarragon and salt and pepper to taste. Can make ahead and refrigerate before using.

Food

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Chex mixChex MixLike most married couples. my husband and I come from different backgrounds. He’s Baptist, for example, and I’m United Methodist. He listens to Rush Limbaugh and I listen to NPR. And he grew up with Cheerios and mixed nuts in his Chex Mix, and I didn’t. My mom made straight up Chex Mix: Cereal. Pretzels. Peanuts. Plain and simple. (And we called it TV Mix and could annihilate a batch so fast that my mom had to hide it so her efforts wouldn’t disappear in five minutes.) But my husband’s mom always made hers with Cheerios and mixed nuts. That’s what he was used to, and since he loves Chex Mix — I’d go so far as to declare him a Chex Mix connoisseur — I was willing to try it his way. I’ve had varying degrees of success — it really helps if you don’t burn it or use two-year-old cereal you found in the back of the cabinet — but I believe I got it right this time. “This is really good,” he said, munching away this week on my latest attempt. “I believe it’s the best ever. And pretty close to my mom’s.” Success!!!

Healthy Eating

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Better nutritionAs much as we try to eat healthfully and buy organic and nutritious Better Nutritionfood, it can get expensive. That’s why I was happy to see an article titled “Eat Well, Eat Cheap” in the March issue of Better Nutrition magazine — a freebie publication that’s probably in your local health-food store. I’m usually cynically suspicious about this magazine — Will the SuperEnergy Natural Organic Green X48  multi-vitamins really help me lose weight, sleep all night and beat every disease that comes my way? — but this article actually was objectively helpful. It’s not on the Web site, http://www.betternutrition.com/ yet (the site’s getting a makeover and will be updated early this spring, so the cover image here is March 2008 instead of the newest magazine that’s out right now), so grab a copy of the March issue if you find it. And what are some healthy and nutritious foods you can include in an even stretched-to-the-limit food budget? Author Lisa Turner details 15, such as eggs, cabbage, sweet potatoes, sardines, canned tomatoes and oats. This issue also has a great recipe for a St. Patrick’s Day potato appetizer that even people who turn up their noses at “health food” will gobble up: Top roasted red-potato slices with a feta-olive oil-fresh basil mixture and garnish with a parsley leaf. Yummy and green!

Food

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Fried okraAm I the last person to find out about fried okra? I’m not talking about the okra your mama slices and sprinkles with cornmeal or flour and fries in an ancient cast-iron skillet. That’s what “fried okra” always meant to me — up until this week, that is. Because now when I think about fried okra, I’ve got a completely different picture: Whole okra pods fried to light and crunchy S'moresdeliciousness and sprinkled with a bit of salt. I’d had fried green beans before and was sort of underwhelmed, but I promise you, fried okra is incredibly tasty and addictive. I found them at a Fresh Market produce section and because I’m a junk-food connoisseur and cannot resist anything new — Oil! Salt! Crispy goodness! — I had to try them. And am I glad I did. Everyone I’ve shared with loves them, too. There’s a hint of okra’s signature “slimy” taste and a definite sort of fresh-from-the-garden flavor that reminds you you’re eating vegetables. And vegetables are good for you. Okay, these are fried vegetables. But still.

On the other hand, learn from my mistake and ignore this new product at Target: S’mores Tortilla Chips. You would think that chocolate and marshmallow and tortilla chips would be a great combination — well, I did, anyway — but they are not. Somehow, the usually rich and sassy combination of sweet and salty flavors did not work here. Instead what you got was something akin to the fancy candy bar you picked up on impulse from the clearance rack right before you got to the cash register and then when you got home you realized the expiration date was 2002. But you bit into it anyway. And were very, very sorry.