Dining Out in Florence (Alabama, That Is)

I knew I’d found my soul mate when I started dating my now-husband ten years ago, and he had the same love for food, travel, and wine that I did.  He did not think I was snobby, but rather a woman who appreciated the good things in life. He did as well and, countless trips together later, we are still having the best time together over different types of cuisine and libations.

This past weekend, in celebration of our 8-year wedding anniversary, we visited Florence, Alabama, and stayed at the Marriott Shoals Hotel & Spa for a little rest, relaxation, and FOOD.  Friday night we ventured out to Florence’s downtown area, which has several dining establishments from which to choose depending on your mood.

We settled on Ricatoni’s Italian Grill, an unpretentious trattoria great for families or a low-key date night.  They do not take reservations, which I am not a fan of (there is nothing I detest more in life than having to wait), but it was a short wait as the staff is good at seating people quickly.  Do not bother ordering a mixed drink, as my margarita was all mix and did not taste like there was an ounce of tequila in it, but their wine list is respectable so I recommend skip straight to ordering a bottle of the chianti.

Our salads were definitely generic, and lacked imagination; think, lettuce with one tomato, cheap croutons, etc.  For my entrée, I went with the veal parmesan. It was cooked very well, and the accompanying side of fettuccini alfredo was tasty.  The hubs ordered their lasagna, and was very pleased with his as well. Their fresh-baked bread with olive oil helped us leave stuffed to the gills.  Dessert was skipped, as I witnessed a server keep using her fingers to scrape ice cream off a spoon in prepping another table’s dessert – I realize things like this happen in restaurants everywhere, but I really do not need to see how the sausage is made.

Overall, it was enjoyable.  Not fancy, but I left full and happily plied with wine.  I give it 3 out of 5 pours. 🍷🍷🍷

Menu cover from Ricatoni’s

Veal Parmesan with Fettuccini Alfredo

I mentioned the Marriott resort at which we stayed all weekend.  The best restaurant in Florence is located at the top of the resort: 360 Grille, and was the perfect place to go after my afternoon in the spa working up an appetite.  It is a rotating restaurant, and is definitely for those who enjoy fine dining. You can sip your cocktail while enjoying the revolving view. We have dined here several times before, so I can honestly say this was not the best experience we have had there.  They were a little off their game having just reopened from renovations.

Their wine list is impressive even if they were out of certain vintages, but our 2014 Brunello was incredible, as well the Rose with which I cleansed my palate.  Our server was incredibly friendly. Where this place faltered for me that night was in the food being room temperature at best. The crab cake is what a crab cake should be:  dense with crab a great deal of crabmeat and not a bunch of crusty batter; unfortunately, it was cold upon arriving at the table which it is not meant to be.

Brunello Di Montalcino

Crab Cake

NY Strip with Sweet Potatoes and Spinach

My NY Strip with Oscar topping melted in my mouth, but the spinach and sweet potatoes, again, were cold.  It was clear some of the food was cooked much sooner than other parts of the meal. They did, to our delight, surprise us with dessert since it was our wedding anniversary – a nice touch, yes?

I may review this establishment again in the future, and reevaluate my rating.  It has a wonderful atmosphere, and is a place where you feel you can really relax.  There were some hiccups this time around, but we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I give it 4 out of 5 pours. 🍷🍷🍷🍷

It’s not Florence, Italy, but Florence, Alabama, scratched my foodie itch for the time being.  Cheers!

Tarasque: Cooking with Dragon’s Fire

Tarasque: a mythical, dragon-like creature who brought about fear, destruction and death to villages in the hills of Provence, France, until the creature was eventually tamed with hymns, prayers and kindness by Saint Martha - the Patron Saint of cooks. 

The image of the Tarasque appears on the original cover of the Joy of Cooking - a book that most cooks refer to as "The Bible of Cooking.” Tarasque is also, hands-down, THE BEST restaurant in Oxford, Mississippi.

Tarasque is owned and operated by John and Lauren Stokes . There are no neon signs or flashing lights, no two-for-one well drinks, no cheese dip. Only sublime food made from scratch, sourcing local and seasonal ingredients by Chef John and his small, loyal Tarasque gangsta kitchen posse.

Tarasque is a small Italian Cucina located in an unassuming house on Jackson Avenue which was once owned by the Kiamie family in Oxford. The set menu is loaded with delicious pasta dishes, my personal favorite being the Rigatoni. The man daily makes his own Italian sausage with just the right amount of fennel and roasted fresh red peppers just for this dish.

Most restaurants in the modern world have decided this is too labor intensive, so they opt for flavorless sausage without a soul, and canned peppers.

John came up the "real" way in the business, starting at the bottom as a dishwasher, working his way up through the ranks in some of Oxford’s best kitchens. He is an old school chef in his cooking style, but he has a new-school mindset in the way he runs his kitchen.

John understands food is beautiful, should be treated with respect, and first and foremost, be delicious and taste good. The difference between average and ordinary is attention to detail; it's what takes a dish to the next level and creates an experience. He does not cut corners.

Let me just say again – Tarasque is THE BEST restaurant in Oxford, Mississippi.

Sourcing local and seasonal ingredients whenever possible means the Tarasque small plate menu is in a constant state of evolution. Let me be clear, the average chef does not have the ability or the mindset to change menu items daily. We are creatures of rhythm and habit and one of the things that makes us tick as cooks is routine. Just ask my business partner, Alexe - I drive her crazy at the BTC with all my processes and routines.

You have to get to a point with your craft where you have the confidence in yourself and the food that you cook to start fresh every day, just because today was the day the turnips really spoke to you. I respect John’s chef game because it’s strong and because John puts a piece of himself on every plate.

Simple. Pure. Humble. Delicious.

Run, don't walk, next time you are in Oxford to Tarasque, and visit Chef John Stokes and his baby – Tarasque. Sit at a table made of reclaimed wood from the legendary Kiamie Bowling Lanes and settle in for an experience, not just a meal.

Tell the chef that Dixie sent y`all and that you heard he cooks with the dragon’s fire.

Have Your V8 and Eat It, Too: Chipotle Vegetable Soup

I was the fourth child in a litter of five, so large-batch meals were par for the main course, and as I grew up on a cattle farm, we always had a significant vegetable garden featuring every kind of pea and bean locally available for cultivation. Thus, vegetable soup was an Abel mainstay during the winter.

The garden was a family project, and many a summer night were spent in front of the television snapping fresh beans and shelling peas that would be cooked, frozen and stocked away in the deep freeze for year-round meals.  

Those hot summer days hoeing and picking were a torturous chore to a kid. Calluses, in simple terms, suck, and the goal of filling a pea bucket over the course of a day was not high on a kid’s priority list when swimming pools and baseball were calling. But still, I look back on the experience fondly, in particular because of the meals that were produced as a result.

This is a recipe that I have put together over the last few years. It’s the base that is important as the mixture of beans, peas and other vegetables can vary to your tastes, and I have certainly been inclined to cook a pound of beef or ground turkey and throw it off in there for a little extra protein, as well.

The only problem? Trying to fit all the vegetables that you want in your soup pot. The bigger the pot? The better.

Though the ingredients lean toward a Southwestern flavor profile, none are so pronounced to label it as such. The chipotle adds a subtle background heat and smokiness. It’s a meal low in calories, nutritious and high in fiber, and with a hot pan of buttered cornbread, it’s childhood to my taste buds.

Oh, and it freezes beautifully, as Annelle would say. Enjoy …

Chipotle Vegetable Soup

One 64 oz. bottle of Spicy V8 Vegetable Juice
4 – 6 TB of diced chipotle peppers in adobo (such as La Costena)
One 6 oz. can tomato paste
2 medium onions, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
4 carrots, peeled, diced
2 TB butter
One 14.5 oz. can stewed tomatoes
One 15.5 oz. can dark red kidney beans
One 14.5 oz. can blackeye peas
One 14.5 oz. can purple hull peas
One 15.5 oz. can lima/butter beans
One 15.5 oz. can cut green beans
One 11 oz. can white shoepeg corn
One 15.5 oz. can sweet/English peas
2 TB chili powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt, to taste

In a large soup pot, melt the butter then add the carrots, onion and celery. Cook for about 10 minutes until soft, but still a little toothy.

Add the can of stewed tomatoes. Drain and rinse all the cans of peas, beans, and corn, and add them in except for the can of sweet/English peas. Add it the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Depending on the size of your soup pot, add 6 or more cups of the V8 and stir. Heat to a simmer.

Add tomato paste and diced chipotles. Start with 4 TB each and stir until incorporated. Add more if needed - the paste will thicken the soup and the chipotle heat it up. It will depend on the amount of vegetable juice you can get in your pot. 

Add seasonings and salt to taste. Simmer for 30 minutes and add the English peas during the last 5 minutes, just to heat them up. 

Ladle into bowls and enjoy.

I Have No Beef With Ground Turkey: Taco Soup

Happy New Year, folks! Thank goodness the holidays are over, and everyone is back on schedule – and we actually know what day of the week it is!

My recipe is for the ultimate comfort food - taco soup. Ginger Brown, an old family friend, was kind enough to share this recipe with me. Ginger is a much healthier eater than I am, so she uses ground turkey instead of ground beef, but I won’t hold that against her. Either is delicious in this recipe!

I hope you all enjoy this dish as much as we have. Coming up next, I will feature a Mardi Gras favorite.

Peace and love …

Taco Soup

2 lbs. ground turkey or ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 oz. ranch dressing mix
2 packages taco seasoning mix
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 16oz. can Rotel tomatoes
1 16oz. can tomato wedges
2 cans whole kernel corn
2 cups water

Brown meat with onions. Do not drain any cans. Add mixes and remaining ingredients. Simmer 2 hours. Serve over chips and garnish with sour cream and green onions.

Don’t Borrow Trouble, Folks: Eat Your Peas and Greens

Congratulations! If y’all are reading this post then you survived Christmas and all of the joy which comes with the season - outlet mall present snatching, ugly Christmas sweaters,  nonstop Christmas songs on your favorite radio station, sausage balls galore and enough eggnog to keep the Christmas spirit flowing as you gather with family to commune over ham, pie and remember the baby Jesus. I salute you!

New Year’s Day is a holiday near and dear to all Southerners’ hearts. It involves all our favorite things - reflection, new beginnings, traditions, superstitions and food. Southerners are far more complex humans than the average person realizes, and each one of these things will have a seat at the table on New Year’s Day. 

The traditional Southern meal for the first day of the new year will consist of black-eyed peas for luck; cabbage for prosperity; hog jowl for health (not kidding, you gotta love the South); and greens for money.

Superstition dictates this is what should be on the plate or we are inviting the fates to wreak havoc on any given day throughout the year. Black-eyed peas are African as are most "Southern" vegetables. Their cultivation dates back 5,000 years, and peas were brought to the United States during the transatlantic slave trade, and I figure that some of the folklore and superstition surrounding New Year’s day traditions comes from Africa as well. 

Don't borrow trouble, folks. Cook the peas and the greens and know that you did everything you could to ensure a safe, happy and prosperous year and hopefully a fresh start with cousin Beulah after the Christmas fruitcake incident of 2019.

Ah, Reflection: Where have we been? Where are we now? Where are we going?  

My Southern roots run deep as a chef, and I feel strongly that I have a responsibility to stay true to those roots, to respect the ingredients and to encourage people to learn about Southern culture.

Food brings people together, opens conversations and provides a window into cultures and traditions that may be different than your personal experience. It`s the perfect day and the perfect plate for me to remember where I come from, why do I want to cook the things I cook, and how I can take something old and turn it into something new.

Last year, I made Ramen using collard greens, hog jowl, cabbage and black-eyed peas. 

This year, I will pull out my cast iron skillet for a batch of cornbread to go with the mess of greens and the pot of peas stewing on the stove all day, and I will remember the smells and aromas of my grandmother’s house on this special day: black-eyed peas, collard greens, cabbage and pork fat - or goodness and love. The house where I learned to cook and learned to love.  

Those memories will inspire me to create and cook beautiful food in my restaurant and my home, using simple ingredients while paying respect and honoring those who came before me and showing love to my community and to my south.

Happy New Year!

A Toast to Your Grown-Up Self

Sparkling wine began with French monks almost 500 years ago, but it was a certain monk named Dom Perignon who is given credit for creating champagne itself.  There are all kinds of sparkling wine, but the French own the credit for “champagne.”  

That being said, I have a confession to make.  I absolutely hated being a child – everything about it.  Being a grown-up seemed like the best thing in the world.  And you know what? It totally is. And, for me anyway, there is nothing more grown up than drinking champagne.  Think Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant in “An Affair to Remember” aboard that cruise ship drinking champagne together.  

I mean, it just announces to the room “I’m an adult who’s ready to celebrate.”  Although even us grown-ups sometimes like to make our champagne cocktails a little ducky when hanging at the Peabody. 

This time of year more than any other time of year is primetime for drinking champagne.  Does not matter if you are mixing it with orange juice for a little mimosa for breakfast with friends or family, or drinking it straight up when ringing in the New Year with your special someone.   Personally, I like to drink champagne on a slow Tuesday sometimes. Is that odd? Who cares? I’m a grown up and do what I want.

In my household we stick to only French labels.  Moet & Chandon is my favorite, while the hubs is partial to Veuve Cliquot.  Both have been around for a few hundred years, and enjoyed by nobility, so you will not go wrong with either of these if you’re treating yourself, or if you are not used to drinking champagne.  Many are fond of the traditional Dom Perignon as well if you want to go old school. All of these are good straight up, with a little fruit, other liquors such as cognac, etc.

So, over this holiday season, step outside your comfort zone when ordering a cocktail & see what types of champagne specialties are on the menu and try one.  And if you lack confidence on what type of drink to order simply pull a Deborah Kerr and say “champagne cocktail please.” God, she was such a grown up…

Tang and Twang: Buttermilk Mushroom Baked Chicken

Someone out there thought to mix buttermilk and cream of mushroom soup, and it’s a brilliant, tangy sauce for chicken. This is an office recipe that was making the rounds. It was literally dictated to me without having to write down the instructions. It’s that simple. And it’s delicious and quite satisfying. I have found multiple versions on the web that slightly vary, but most stick to the basics.

I am going to give you two versions of the recipe – the basic buttermilk and soup sauce and also an alternate version that came from experimenting, and which is even more rich and satisfying, only requiring the addition of sautéing some onion and sliced mushrooms in butter.

Serve this over rice or, perhaps, egg noodles, as the sauce has a stroganoff twang to it.

Enjoy …

Buttermilk Mushroom Baked Chicken

For the Dredge:

1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp red pepper, optional 

For the Chicken, Marinade and Sauce:

4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 cups buttermilk, divided
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
6 TB butter, divided 

To Make It More Rich:

8 oz. sliced, white mushrooms, washed, drained, chopped
1 medium sweet onion, diced 

Marinate the chicken breasts in 1 cup of buttermilk for 30 minutes or up to several hours.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Spray a glass 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking oil, put 4 TB of butter in there and then melt it in the oven.

Mix all of the dredge ingredients in a mixing bowl. Remove the melted butter in the glass dish from the oven and carefully swirl to cover the bottom in butter.

Remove chicken from buttermilk marinade. Run the chicken breasts through the dredge, shake to remove any excess flour, and place in the glass baking dish. Return glass dish to oven and cook 20 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, mix two cans of mushroom soup with two cups buttermilk in a sauce pan and heat until bubbly. Throw in a pinch of paprika, black pepper, and garlic powder to align with your chicken flavors. Salt to taste. You can stop there with the sauce, and you will get a delicious dish.

If you want to make the sauce richer, before mixing the buttermilk and soup, sauté the diced onion and sliced mushrooms in 2 TB butter. Once the onion is softened and the moisture from the mushrooms has evaporated (about 12 minutes), add the 2 cups buttermilk and 2 cans of mushroom soup to the onion and mushroom mixture, and heat until bubbly.

After the chicken has cooked the first 20 minutes, take it out of the oven and turn breasts over and cook an additional 15 minutes. The chicken will probably stick to the bottom of the dish, but worry not. The dredge serves as a thickener and flavor booster.

Get your rice or egg noodles going.

Take chicken back out of the oven (it has cooked 35 minutes at this point) and add buttermilk mushroom sauce to the glass baking dish, pouring over breasts to cover (depending on the size!). Do not overfill with the sauce; keep any remaining sauce warm on the stove. You will want the additional sauce – I promise.

Return to oven and cook an additional 15 – 25 minutes until chicken breasts are no longer pink and are cooked through. The total cooking time should be 50 – 60 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool 5 – 10 minutes. Using a fork and knife, cut chicken into chunks or shred it. Stir the melted butter, sauce, and chicken in the baking dish. Serve over rice or noodles.

Perkins Drive Spaghetti Sauce

Well guys, we’ve made it through Thanksgiving, so it’s time to push on to Christmas. This recipe I’m sharing is a family favorite.

Our neighbors on Perkins Drive in Brookhaven were all like family. We lived in the same home for 40 years, so there are a lot of wonderful memories. One that is my favorite is the Perkins Drive Spaghetti Sauce recipe.

My parents would hunker down with our close friends the Panzicas to begin what we fondly called Spaghetti Day. I can only say it was tons of fun to eat the sauce and watch the chefs sing and dance after their culinary conquest.

Note that the recipe is easily doubled or tripled. Peace and Love …

Perkins Drive Spaghetti Sauce

1 stick of butter
1 cup of chopped green onions
2 large chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
2 cups chopped bell peppers
5 chopped garlic toes
2 TB Italian seasoning
4 bay leaves
5 14 oz. cans of whole Italian tomatoes
3 cans tomato paste
3 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 tsp sugar

Sauté the first 9 ingredients for 20 minutes. Then add whole tomatoes and let cook slowly for 1hour. Then add tomato paste and tomato sauce. Add 1 cup of water. Simmer on low heat for 2 hours. Add sugar and let simmer another 2 hours. Remove the bay leaves. Serve over spaghetti. Enjoy with a nice bottle of red wine!

To Jell or not to Jell: Dixie’s Cranberry Sauce

My childhood Thanksgiving memories are filled with many things that still make me smile as turkey day approaches each year: Charlie Brown`s Thanksgiving - I always longed to have the turkey served with a side of popcorn from a ping pong table with the family dog; Macy`s Thanksgiving Day Parade - I still make my wife watch the entire thing with me each year; and jiggly, alien-like cranberry sauce out of a can. My grandmother always served it on a silver platter atop iceberg lettuce. Who knew that's actually what the good silver is reserved for - .99 cents a can cranberry sauce.

Growing up in deep south Mississippi in the 70`s, making cranberry sauce with fresh cranberries was not an option. I was well into adulthood when I discovered that this mythical fruit does exist and that you could make a fresh version of the jellied, straight out-of-the-can sauce I grew up with in my Southern house.

My grandmother made everything from scratch, and she loved food. In today`s food culture, she would have been designated as a “foodie.” We made special trips to Memphis and Tupelo to eat at new and interesting restaurants that were getting out of the box of Southern food. I could order anything I wanted, the only rule being it had to be a dish or food I had never had before. She would have loved driving the family T-Bird down to Big Star to load up on fresh cranberries during the holidays. The recipe I created to use in my restaurant for Thanksgiving and the holiday season was made with her memory in mind and our family Thanksgiving table.

Just for the record - I love all cranberry sauce. I feel strongly that each one has its place at the table. Food should be fun, and you shouldn't feel guilty because you REALLY like cranberry out of a can. There is no shame in that game, folks. Food Made With Love.

Dixie’s Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

2 bags fresh cranberries (12 oz. each)
2 cups white sugar
1 cup water
1 cup apple cider
1 orange (cut in half)
1 small lemon (cut in half)
2 large cinnamon sticks
1 1/2 slices of peeled ginger
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice

Directions

In a medium pot, add all ingredients. Squeeze juice out of orange and lemon, then add citrus shells into berries. Cover with a lid. Cook slow and low, stirring frequently. I like to bring it to a just boil stage and then turn it down to low. Usually cooks about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Notes

• You can adjust sugar to make it as unsweet or sweet as you like for your taste. Just add more or less sugar. Also feel free to use a sugar substitute if you have a family member with dietary restrictions.

• The cranberry sauce can turn into napalm during the cooking process, so keep the lid on the pot which will ensure that you do not become a helpless burn victim on Thanksgiving Day. Also, it will save you from scrubbing cranberries off the walls in your kitchen well after the Fourth of July.

• Feel free to serve canned cranberry sauce on the table next to your homemade version, if for no other reason but nostalgia. There are no rules for holiday cooking except that you do what makes you happy, drink the wine and eat ALL the cranberry sauce.

Randy Balls: A Meatless Wonder

Ground walnuts. Pulverized Saltines. Eggs. Cheese. Onion. Those ingredients should not combine into the wonder that they do: a delicious, meatless ball that stands on its own in a competition against beef and pork.

I got the recipe from my friend Erin. She made them for her husband Randy’s birthday with a recipe she got from Randy’s mother Loretta. When she offered me the plate, her eyes were alight. She knew I would love them. I did. And she knew the ingredients would befuddle me. They did.

I made them, following the exact instructions and served them as an appetizer to some friends who had the same reaction as I. But then, I noticed that when my guests fixed their dinner plate, they threw on a couple of the balls and added them as a side.

But these aren’t just a novel appetizer. They’ve got heft and great texture. I had to wonder: would they stand up to a marinara and pasta?

I Googled the ingredients to see if anyone else out there had a similar recipe. It looked as if “Walnut Balls” had been a popular recipe back in 2009. The ingredients were similar with the only real difference in the amount of egg/egg whites being used. And, alas, someone had commented how great they were with spaghetti and marinara.

So, I made them again, this time for pasta. I made my basic San Marzano and onion tomato sauce, but I did not add the balls to the sauce, nor did I baste the balls halfway through baking with the marinara, as I had done the first time I made them with the sweet and sour glaze. They were nice and crispy, great flavor, and stood up with the marinara. My friends loved them and said it was definitely worth repeating.

These balls deserve a better name than “Walnut Balls.” My friend Randy was central to my discovery – his birthday party, his mother’s recipe, his wife made them. And the adjective “randy” describes them perfectly. They are definitely frisky. Therefore, as Queen of the Corkscrew, I hereby dub these “Randy Balls.”

Enjoy.

Randy Balls

1 ¼ cups cracker crumbs (Saltines, about a sleeve)
¾ cup walnuts, ground (buy chopped and crush them)
¾ cup grated cheese (your choice – cheddar is good)
1 sweet onion, small, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, pressed (or equivalent garlic powder)
4 eggs
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp sage
3 TB minced parsley 

Sweet and Sour Glaze

¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup lemon juice
Zest of one lemon
¾ cup apricot or apricot/pineapple jam
½ cup ketchup
2 TB brown sugar
2 TB onion, grated
½ tsp salt
½ tsp oregano
Dash of hot sauce and/or a pinch of red pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet in foil and spray with cooking oil.

For the balls, double bag a sleeve of Saltines and beat the hell out of them with a rolling pin. Then, double bag a little over a cup of walnuts and beat the hell out of them. Measure those and all of the rest of the ingredients, except the eggs, into a mixing bowl.

Whisk the eggs then mix them into the dry ingredients. Let it all sit for a couple of minutes for the dry ingredients to absorb the egg. Form them into 10 – 14 balls about the size of a golf ball, and place them on the cookie sheet. The balls will seem loose, but they will hold together. Place in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Mix all of the sauce ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil then cut off heat.

Take the balls out of the oven after 20 minutes. Baste the balls with the glaze.

Return to the oven and cook an additional 15 – 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and baste again. Enjoy!

Notes

• You can substitute white vinegar for the lemon juice and zest.

• Substitute Heinz chili sauce for the ketchup for a nice little kick.

• The recipe calls for grated cheese, but shredded works fine, too.

A Little Holiday Wine-ing

When I first conceived of this blog in my food-loving little heart last year I knew it had to include discussions about wine. It is a big part of my dining & entertaining life, so my inaugural post devoted to that nectar of the gods is here to help those who might feel a little intimidated by selecting the right type of wines for holiday festivities.

If you are hosting a holiday gathering you MUST offer wine to your guests, but keep it simple: offer a red and a white. Most holiday parties (at least the ones I have attended) are fairly informal; think ugly itchy holiday sweaters and finger foods. People are not going to be questioning the wine’s vintage or the year the grapes were harvested. If they do, throw them out!

That being said, I beg of you to not serve swill at your parties. Yes, I know it is tempting to buy those jumbo bottles, which cost all of $8, and are practically screaming at you from the kiosk as soon as you walk into the liquor store “Buy me, I’m a bargain!!!” However, you can find decent bottles of wine for $15-20 per bottle that your guests who drink wine on a regular basis will appreciate – I cannot count the number of parties the hubs and I have attended which resulted in us discreetly tossing our glass of wine because we JUST COULD NOT DO IT. 🤢 Also, by serving a decent wine to your guests you are performing a public service – those guests who know nothing about wine are getting a taste of what wine SHOULD taste like.

Two selections of red wine that are easy to find at your local liquor store.

White wine tends to be less expensive than red wine.

When serving red wine to your guests, go with a Cabernet or Merlot. Most red wine drinkers will drink those, and every liquor store is going to have decent selection of these varietals. Cabs tend to be dry and full-bodied, whereas a merlot is known to be an easy drinking red. 2 of my favorite $15-$20 bottles of these are Rodney Strong and Charles Krug – both offer Cabernet and Merlot varietals.

In deciding your white wine selection to serve, go with a Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio (or pinot gris, as some call it). Most white wine drinkers defer to one of those. Chardonnays are dry and oaky in flavor and pinot grigio is usually lighter-bodied and fruitier. Really depends on what you are going for. The good news in buying white wine it is almost always less expensive than red wine, in general. Again, Rodney Strong is a strong choice. King Estate carries an excellent $18 pinot gris.

Hopefully, this will help a little with your holiday entertaining. Incidentally, as all of these wines are under $20 you can buy them for your friends, family members, or picky boss, and end up impressing them all without breaking the bank. Now THAT is something to celebrate. Cheers!

Homemade Yeast Rolls, or Store-Bought Yeast Rolls: That is the Question

In my family, Thanksgiving isn’t about cherished recipes or football or even giving thanks. It’s about competition.

My mother’s people are from north Alabama, and many holidays of my youth were spent in her hometown of Decatur, where my grandmother lived four blocks from her sister, my Great Aunt Mary.

Mary liked to entertain. She and her husband never had children, so they—or so it seemed to my ten-year-old eyes—spent their leisure time hosting friends, drinking cocktails, and playing cards. Whenever my mother and I were in town, I always looked forward to supper at Mary’s. We’d sit at her perfectly appointed dining room table where she served me iced tea in a fancy glass, and I would wait patiently for my favorite part of the meal: the rolls. I always tried my best to hold my manners in check, but I always ate more than my share. 

On one of our holiday visits to Decatur, there was some confusion about Thanksgiving dinner. My grandmother wanted to host everyone at her house, but my Great Aunt Mary was expecting us at hers. After a lively one-sided conversation that I overheard my grandmother having on the wall-mounted rotary-dial phone in her kitchen, it was decided: Mom and I were to have two Thanksgiving dinners, one with Grandmother and one with Mary. But they were so sore with each other that they would only be hosts, not guests in each other’s homes. And so it was. Mom and I had two practically identical Thanksgiving dinners in one day at two different houses just four blocks apart. Only one thing was different: Mary’s rolls.

Years later, Mom and I were laughing over the ridiculousness of it all, and we had an argument of our own. Mom was sure that Mary never let anything grace her table that wasn’t homemade, especially her yeast rolls. But I had my doubts. They were just so perfect, those little rectangular Parker House rolls, kept just the right kind of warm in a bread basket lined with a pressed linen napkin. In fact, they were almost too perfect. What added to my doubt was another one of my favorite things that Mary served: coconut cake with lemon curd. It was an extra-special occasion when that particular brick-shaped dessert hit the table, but it took one fateful trip down the grocery store’s freezer aisle to shatter any illusion that it might have been homemade. 

Mary and Grandmother are long gone, but thank goodness I still have Sister Schubert and Pepperidge Farm.

Sometimes we just have to fake it to make it.

* * *

If you know anyone from north Alabama, you’re likely familiar with Cotton Country Cooking, the community cookbook published by the Decatur Junior Service League. It has been my family’s recipe bible for as long as I can remember. I have my grandmother’s copy and, while there isn’t a recipe for Parker House rolls or even yeast rolls—another clue in the Mystery of Mary’s Yeast Rolls—there is a recipe for Beer Rolls with a checkmark next to it in my grandmother’s hand, so I suppose she made them at least once. It’s the kind of recipe to use if you want to be able to say that you dirtied some dishes but don’t have time for all of that rising business and just want to get to the point already. 

Beer Rolls

1 tablespoon sugar
1 can beer (12 ounce can)
3 cups Bisquick

Mix ingredients together in bowl. Spoon into greased muffin tins. Bake at 400* for 12 to 15 minutes. Yields a dozen or more large rolls.

Don’t laugh until you’ve tried these! These closely approximate yeast rolls, and talk about quick--you won’t believe it!

-Mrs. Robert H. Hosey

From Cotton Country Cooking (1972), p. 212.

Basil Chimichurri

Here we are at the end of the summer growing season. The heat has subsided and given way to a blustery chill. The colors begin to turn from all greens to yellows and golden-oranges, like the light at sunset. 

The changing of colors and temperature alerts me that my abundance of basil, which is taken for granted because of its constant presence, will be coming to an end. I must quickly gather all of this common treasure and prepare to ration it for the winter. Harvesting is awkwardly completed as the first cold spell sets in for a more permanent visit.

My alley herb garden has been a gift for which I am unceasingly thankful. Its humble existence in its concrete jungle is a small protest to structure. It is a nod to the monument of agriculture. It is a symbol of hope for a good meal.

The fruits of my alley herb garden are always appreciated and taken with respect and care. Basil seems to be the most prolific of the handful of herbs and veggies that have proved, after much trial and error, to work in the unnatural environment of the brick and concrete alley. It is the kindest, most faithful ingredient that I have throughout the long hot summer.

Basil is a familiar herb and when it appears on a menu it is often overlooked, taken for granted once again. In truth, it is friendly and inviting and will make you feel like you’ve had a good hard hug from family. With the harvested basil, I hurriedly make pesto and basil-seasoned tomato sauces in order to save it for winter use.

The chilly weather brings the end of basil season but also brings the warmth of hot fire pits, grilled meats and roasted veggies. Chimichuri, a go-to Argentine sauce or condiment for grilled meats, is something else I make with basil. 

At my restaurant, Fan & Johnny’s, I make a Chimichurri Chicken with basil in order to familiarize an unfamiliar dish. After the pesto is made, soups and sauces have been seasoned, and the first hunt is over, try this dish made with basil and turn a version of an Argentine staple into your new winter favorite.

Basil Chimichurri

2 cups fresh basil
4 TB garlic purée
3/4 cup Vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp sriracha
1/2 poblano pepper
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

This is a variation on the classic Argentine staple. It’s a strong acidic marinade and sauce. I use fresh basil as the base for a herb vinaigrette with lots of garlic and instead of chilli pepper I use sriracha and fresh poblano.

It’s perfect for grilled steak, chicken, and veggies but especially wild game.

Burgundy Mushrooms

Growing up in a small town was a wonderful experience. It was an even better one when your home was always open to friends.

I could not have had a better childhood. My mother Butchie was the head of the house and the hostess with the mostess. Most of all, she was the ruler of the roost. Our door was never locked, and our refrigerator was always open - as was our bar!

With the holidays approaching, I wanted to share a recipe for a goodie that was always in our refrigerator. As per Butchie, always have a snack for your guests at happy hour!

Peace and love!

Burgundy Mushrooms

4 lbs. white button mushrooms
2 sticks salted butter
1 and 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 quart burgundy wine
2 cups boiling water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
4 beef bouillon cubes
5 cloves peeled garlic

Put all ingredients in stock pot. Cover and cook on low heat for 4 hours.

The Beauty Shop in Memphis

Welcome to our inaugural post, everyone! One of my best friends, Cammy (only I get to call him that - he's "Cam" to everyone else), and I are launching this blog together. I'm Amanda Daniels: practicing attorney by day and hopeless foodie by night.

Cammy and I were in law school together about a million years ago, and have been very dear friends ever since. Throughout the course of our friendship, we both discovered we have a passion for discussing food, cooking food, photographing food, and, of course, eating good food! We also enjoy a good glass of wine (hence, the title of this little blog).

We are lucky enough to have some fellow foodies & friends join us on this yummy journey, so special thanks to Amy Cameron Evans, Dixie Grimes, LeAnne Doss Gault, Martha Foose, Nancy Nations, and Taylor Bowen Ricketts for jumping aboard!

Our first official outing for this blog was at "The Beauty Shop" in Memphis. "Look Good - Eat Good" is the motto for this unassuming little place with a kitschy vibe. Located in the Cooper-Young District, the place is always packed, so you better make a reservation. I was extremely impressed with the menu; a little something for everyone: vegetarian options, locally sourced ingredients, and everything was beautifully plated, to boot. Favorites amongst our group included the double dutch bruschetta with fresh greens, Za'atar lamb chops seasoned with pomegranate salsa & smashed goat cheese fingerling potatoes, watermelon with mint, the sugar spiced crispy duck and, as always, a little wine to bring it all together.

Cheers!

Turkey Time Is Here: Miss Vetra’s Cornbread Dressing

The holiday season is upon us, and it’s turkey time – or, more importantly - it’s dressing time. Cornbread dressing is the Holy Grail of the Southern holiday meal. Let’s be honest: any long lost cousin twice-removed on your mama’s side can make the turkey, but not just anyone can make the dressing. It takes soul, love of food, and respect for the generations (past, present and future).

If you are asked to make the dressing, then you, my friend, are the keeper of the Holy Grail, which means you have a responsibility to make sure it’s not dry and has flavor. Let’s be frank here. You will most likely be using a family recipe that still has dirt around the edges from when your great grandmother unearthed it from the ground after the Yankees left town. No pressure.

Here is my Grandmother’s recipe for cornbread dressing with a few tips to make sure it’s perfect every time.

Miss Vetra’s Cornbread Dressing

Ingredients:

1/4 cup (1/2 half stick ) unsalted butter
1 small onion, minced
4 celery hearts (with leaves), minced
1 small green bell pepper, cored, seeded and minced
6-8 cups chicken stock
1 (10oz) can cream of chicken soup
4 eggs (large), lightly beaten
1 heaping tablespoon dry rubbed sage
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 recipe of cornbread, use your family recipe

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9 x 19 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, celery and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until soft, about 10-15 minutes.

In a large bowl, crumble the cornbread in small pieces and add the cooked vegetables, soup, stock, eggs and dry spices (salt, pepper, sage). Mix well. You may need to add a little less stock or a little more stock depending on the texture of your cornbread. You want the mixture to be wet but not soup. Pour the dressing into the prepared baking dish.

Bake until golden brown on top and with a slight jiggle in the center or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, usually about 45 minutes. Be careful to not over-bake. Let the dressing sit for 30 minutes before serving.

Tips:

• Make sure the mixture is moist before baking. If it’s dry before you cook it, then it’s going to be dry after it is cooked, and that is an offense to the entire family.

• Under no circumstance use poultry seasoning which is like putting ketchup on caviar.

• Taste it before you add the eggs, this way you will know if you need to adjust the seasonings.

• It’s better if you make a day ahead, and let sit overnight and then bake the next day.

• Whatever recipe you use for cornbread make sure it calls for bacon grease and buttermilk which is the goodness and love. Never use cornbread out of a box.

• Now get out there and make your family proud, and remember that it’s your dressing which will make aunt Betty’s dry turkey taste like turkey, helping keep the family relations on track.

Carrot and Chicken Broth

Years ago while learning to make chicken and dressing, I came across a Paula Deen recipe that is the basis of this Carrot and Chicken Broth. This broth is very rich, and once made, can be turned into an amazing soup or used as a kicker for any meal. 

Beware the color: it’s golden orange from the carrots!

Around the same time, I found a great kitchen hack: freeze broth in ice cube trays then store them in a freezer bag, and when you need a wonderful background flavor for potatoes, rice, or other vegetables, throw in a few cubes from the freezer, and you are good to go.

The key in this recipe is to blend the cooked vegetables. Immersion blenders are relatively inexpensive. I think that we paid $10 for ours at Wally World. And they can change the way that you make sauces and gravies. But if you just have a regular blender on a stand, that should work, too.

Carrot and Chicken Broth

4 – 5 lb. whole chicken
4 – 6 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
4 ribs of celery, cut into chunks
Medium sweet onion, cut into chunks
4 cloves of garlic
Seasoning salt
Pepper
Poultry seasoning, if desired

Remove the gizzard bag from the chicken and discard or save for another use. Put the chicken in a Dutch oven and add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and pepper. Add as much water as possible, up to 2 quarts. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and put the lid on then simmer for 45 minutes. Cut the heat off and let the chicken and vegetables sit for 30 minutes with the lid on. 

Remove the chicken to a cutting board. Let it and the broth cool completely. 

Once the broth is cooled, blend all of the vegetables with an immersion blender. Be sure and wait until the broth is cool enough as the blending may splash some. Taking your time, work the blender up, down and around and scatter a million bits of the vegetables and flavor into the broth. 

Go ahead and add your seasoning, just don’t add too much salt. It is best to salt the broth at the end. 

Remove meat from the chicken, putting all bones, skin, and fat, and, ultimately, the whole carcass back into the pot. Use chicken meat for whatever you need, whether you finish the broth and use it for soup or a dressing, or for any other recipe.

Add more water to the pot – around 2 cups or so. We are shooting for 2 quarts of broth, more or less. Bring the broth back to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Remove all chicken parts. Strain the broth through a wire strainer. Add salt and taste it coming to life! 

Let the broth cool and skim off the fat from the top. Use it immediately for any recipe, and freeze any remaining broth in ice cube trays. Once frozen, put the cubes in a freezer and keep there until ready to use!