An Evening with the Junior League of Savannah….

A few weeks ago, we hosted a ladies night at our store with the Junior League of Savannah. Jennifer Dusterdieck and Stephanie Meredith of the League joined us. They brought along with them the two “Savannah Style” cookbooks and several other JLS branded items including aprons, thermal mugs, and note cards. The note cards were my personal favorite due to the fact that each note includes one of the recipes from the original “Savannah Style” cookbook. What a great idea! Not only do you send a thoughtful note, but the recipient gets a little gift as well….So inventive! We served five recipes from the books, including the Cold Strawberry Bisque and Blue Cheese Biscuits pictured above.

I really do believe that it was an evening that was Southern. Soulful. Splendid. Superb. And if you missed out on your chance to snag a copy of “Savannah Styles” or “Downtown Savannah Styles,” we have copies available for purchase in the store.

Kisses!!!

Happy Birthday, Mommy!!!! We love you!!! (Taken with Instagram at The Ritz-Carlton)

Sushi Night!!!! (Taken with Instagram at Koto Sushi)

Ladies, join us next Thursday evening as we welcome members of the Junior League of Savannah!

Simple Sunday…. (Taken with instagram)

Warm Salmon Salad

It’s been a couple of weeks since I made this, but it was just too good not to share. I find that using any leftover fish can be a difficult task. Fish just doesn’t re-create quite as easily as say chicken or pork, but this salad is a great use for any leftover fillets you may have. 1/2 Head Red Cabbage, shredded 1-2 Handfuls Shredded Carrots 1 Red Onion, thinly sliced 1 Cup Frozen Peas 2 Salmon Fillets, cooked and flaked 1 Inch Piece of Fresh Ginger, peeled and minced 1/2 Cup Wine or Veggie Stock 1 Lime, juice and zest 1/4 Cup Honey 1/4 Cup Soy Sauce Hot Sauce, to taste Salt and Pepper, to taste Arugula, Field Greens or Spinach to form “Bed” for warm salad Sesame Seeds, for garnish Heat sesame oil over medium heat. Add onion and sautée until it begins to soften. When onion starts to soften, add cabbage and carrots and sautée until tender. Add ginger and cook for a couple of minutes. Deglaze pan with wine or stock. Add in lime, honey, soy sauce, and hot sauce. Cook for another few minutes, until liquids start to reduce. Add in salmon and frozen peas and cook until heated through. Adjust seasonings. Serve warm, on greens, and garnished with sesam seeds. Enjoy!!!

A Fat Tuesday Celebration!

As you know, last Tuesday was Fat Tuesday, and what a great one it was!!! Amos and I have wonderful friends who own a Chevrolet Dealership in Lewisburg, TN. For quite a number of years, they have been hosting a Fat Tuesday celebrations as way to say, “Thank You!” to all of their loyal customers. Over the years, this has grown into a pretty major event. It was estimated that this year somewhere in the ballpark of 1,500 members of the community came by the dealership to dine on étouffée, fried catfish, gumbo, red beans and rice, and low country boil! Oh, and of course King Cake! You can’t have a proper Fat Tuesday celebration without King Cake!

This celebration of the community of Lewisburg and beyond is truly a testament to who Richard and Susan are. They are two of the most selfless and giving people that I know, and putting on an event like this themselves (It’s not a catered affair….All of their employees and family members pitch in to cook, set up, and break down afterwards!) is beyond commendable. All of our communities could use more caring, giving people like them!

This really was the best Fat Tuesday celebration I have ever been a part of! Amos and I are already looking forward to next year!!!

Kisses!

Slow Cooker Lasagna

While I was at the coast with Mother a few weeks ago, I was looking through one of her plethora of back-logged magazines and came across a recipe for lasagna made with a slow cooker. At first glance, I just passed right by it, but when I noticed it a second time, I decided to tear it out. At the very least, I could give it a look once I got home. I am, after all, trying to find as many slow cooker recipes as I can due to the fact that I am enrolled in a ballet class on Thursday’s that keeps me out until nine-ish. Once I got home, I gave the recipe another look. I was extremely skeptical….Let’s face it, slow cooker recipes can be tricky, especially the ones that involve more than your basic ingredients. They are always super easy, but it takes talent (or at least I think it takes talent) to make recipes in a slow cooker that have any depth of flavor and a variety of textures within the dish. So, I gave the original recipe a look over, changed a few areas (ingredients and methods) that I wasn’t happy with, and went to work on it. The result was so much better than I had ever imagined! I may never make a traditional lasagna again!

2 Boxes Frozen Spinach (10 oz. each), thawed and squeezed dry

1 Cup Ricotta Cheese (I used part skim ricotta)

1/4 - 1/2 Cup Half and Half

1 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Pepper

1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Grated Nutmeg

1 Cup Parmesan Cheese ( I used the canned kind. It was all I had! I’m sure fresh would be even better!)

3 Cups Meat Sauce or Marinara Sauce (This is a great use for sauce you have left over or in the freezer!)

6 Dried Lasagna Noodles

2 Cups Mozzerella Cheese, shredded

In a small bowl, mix together first 6 ingredients and half of the Parmesan cheese. Set aside. Layer the following, repeating twice: Thin layer of meat sauce or marinara, 2 noodles (breaking to fit), thin layer of meat sauce or marinara, half of the spinach mixture, thin layer of Mozzerella cheese. Repeat, ending with an extra layer of oodles and meat sauce or marinara on top. Top that layer of marinara with remaining Mozzerella and Parmesan. Cook on low for 4 hours.

Enjoy!!!

An Accidental Valentine’s Feast… . .On Tuesday, aka - Valentine’s Day, this is what I made for supper:

Pan-seared Salmon with an Avocado Sun Dried Tomato “Salsa” Roasted Potatoes and Onions Carrot Purée with Cilantro

Now, I call it an “Accidental Valentine’s Feast” because although we are deeply, even madly, in love, Amos and I don’t really “do” Valentine’s Day. Sure, when we were courting, there were many elaborately planned dinners with flowers and candy and all that hoop-la, but now, we would rather have a “romantic” dinner on a night when everyone else isn’t crowded into our favorite restaurants for some mandatory Prix Fixe menu. That said, it was just another Tuesday to me, and I had been wanting to try this menu for about a week now. It was inspired by a menu that I saw in a not-so-recent volume of Real Simple magazine. Boy, did my variation not disappoint! Amos even said that if we had gone out, we would have been hard pressed to find a meal as delightful!

All in all, I’d say we had a pretty great “Accidental Valentine’s Feast”!!!

Here’s the recipe for the Salmon and “Salsa”:

1 Avocado, diced 1/4 Cup Sun Dried Tomatoes, finely chopped 2 Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro, finely chopped Salt and Pepper, to taste 1 Lime 2 Salmon Fillets Olive Oil

In a bowl, combine first 5 ingredients. Juice the lime into the bowl and stir to combine well. Set aside. Sprinkle salmon fillets with salt and pepper. In a skillet heat about 4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat, add salmon and sautée until desired doneness is reached, turning once (about 3 minutes per side for medium). Remove salmon to serving plate and top with half of the avocado mixture.

Enjoy!!!