Thinkin' Bout Drinkin'

As a special New Year's Eve related post, I'm going to tell you about a few of my favorite festive drinks. To me, nothing says "celebration" like punch. I'm sure you've all had wedding punch and a few of you may have tried Hunch-Punch at a party in college (guilty). This one's a little bit of both - very delicious and sweet but with a kick.

Celebration Punch

1 Pint Trader Joe's Tangerine-Mango Sorbet

1 1/2 Cups Bacardi Gold Rum

1 Cup Orange Juice

1 Cup Cranberry Juice

Ginger Ale

Put sorbet into a large pitcher or punch bowl, pour in everything but the ginger ale and allow the sorbet to soften. To serve, ladle into cups and top off with ginger ale.

Other punches to consider are Egg Nogg (it's not just for Grandma anymore) and Milk Punch, which I prefer.

My next favorite things are for you to enjoy any time during the holiday season, especially if it's cold. Do yourself a favor, and around Thanksgiving buy yourself a bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream. Whenever you want a little dessert in the evenings, make a cup of decaf coffee and add a little bit of Irish Cream. Need I say more? Here's a list of appropriate and delicious coffee additions that you may enjoy:

Bailey's Irish Cream

Butterscotch Schnapps

Peppermint Schnapps

Irish Whiskey

Brandy

For New Year's Eve, you must have sparkling wine. Of course, real Champagne is divine and my personal favorite is Perrier-Jouet. It's very dry and sophisticated and should never be mixed into a cocktail. However, it doesn't have to be champagne, in fact, Christmas Day at the Crane house featured delicious Mimosas made with Prosecco. Prosecco is Italian sparkling wine and is very delicious. Equally good and even more affordable is Cava from Spain. I find these much more exotic and interesting when compared to California sparkling wines. Although there are some good domestics, you can usually find an excellent Cava or Prosecco for around $10. I love Champagne-Cocktails and here are a few fun ideas for New Year's:

Kir Royal (Champagne and Kirsh)

Kiss of the Butterfly (Champagne and Grand Marnier)

Mimosa (Champagne and OJ)

Champagne Cocktails (Champagne, sugar cube, Angostura Bitters)

Ghost (Champagne and Midori)

Poinsettia (Champagne and Cranberry or Pomegranate Juice)

Bellini (Champagne and pureed fruit)

With sparkling wines, the possibilities are endless and delicious. So, if you want to add something special to your celebration, I highly suggest that you just let your imagination run wild.

Our new year is going to be the best-ever, right? Give it the party it deserves - out with the old and in with the new!!! Happy New Year's, everyone! May God bring you innumerable blessings and happiness in 2009.

Slackin' Off

The girl with the food blog is bringing cranberry sauce, rolls and booze to her brother's this weekend!? What a slacker I am!! No, seriously, I just have to take things that don't require fresh-prep on Saturday as we are going to Atlanta on Friday for a puppet show. Also, I am being kind to Jennie and trying not to overload her refrigerator with stuff before the big party. A good house-guest tries to keep out of the way! I have also decided to make a trip over to Trader Joe's on Friday afternoon and pick up some stuff to throw on a platter (relishes, pickled and roasted veggies - sort-of an antipasto plate, if you will). It will be my first time there and I'm sure I will have plenty to share about the experience.





I feel so guilty about the lack of homemade goodness this week that I thought I'd share a good breakfast recipe with you.

Pumpkin Pancakes

These are the perfect thing to make with half a can of leftover canned pumpkin! They turn a gorgeous golden color and are fabulous for breakfast or a fun snack!

Whisk together in a large bowl:

• 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1-3/4 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Combine in another bowl:

• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 can of cooked, pureed pumpkin (not pie filling)

Mix the liquid ingredients quickly into the dry ingredients. Cook on a hot griddle until the edges are dry, then turn and cook until golden brown on 2nd side. Serve with real maple syrup and cinnamon-nutmeg whipped cream*.

*To make cinnamon-nutmeg whipped cream, simply add a few shakes of each to your heavy whipping cream along with the sugar. This stuff rocks on coffee!!

Givin' Thanks

Well, Thanksgiving is tomorrow and it may be too late to give out cooking tips. But just in case you need something quick and easy to make, here's my most recent favorite!
Last year I really wanted sweet potatoes to be included in the Thanksgiving meal. However, my mother in law really doesn't like the look or taste of the traditional casserole. I persuaded her to allow me to make something a little different and it was a huge hit. "Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes" were the perfect answer to my dilemma. You basically make them just like twice baked potatoes but alter the mix-ins.
1. Bake your sweet potatoes in the microwave just like you would normally bake regular potatoes
2. When they are cool enough to handle, cut them in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides gently into a large bowl
3. Place your empty skins in a shallow baking pan
4. Mash the baked sweet potato with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of clove to taste (you know how spicy or not spicy to make them for your family - don't be afraid to eyeball it!)
5. Fill your potato-skin shells with the mixture
**You can dress these up by using a pastry bag and frosting tip or you can just spoon it in
6. Brown slightly under the broiler
**If you want a little added crunch, sprinkle on chopped candied pecans or just eat them plain

Everyone who claimed to "not like sweet potatoes" tried these and loved them! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and remember what it's all about - being thankful for those who love us enough to stop everything they're doing to spend time with us. If you burn the turkey, scorch your pecan pie and drop the cranberry sauce on the floor - stop and remember what it's all about. Then, call Aunt Beverly and invite yourselves to dinner!

Tastin' Your Food

I think the Alabama game killed me! I really had a good thing going and now I am just not interested enough in the season to keep it going. So, if you were tired of seeing tailgate food, you're in luck!
The holidays are fast approaching and I will be putting lots of tasty stuff on here. However, we all get tired of turkey and dressing at some point, so here is a meal idea for when you don't feel like cooking - and you just feel like tasting! For a special occasion, Baxter went to Earth Fare and purchased three wildly different types of very good cheese, pate with black truffles, french bread and fresh fruits. He paired the meal with a really good bottle of Rose. C'est parfait! A note about Rose: if you have never tried this wonderful dry chilled wine, please don't think it in any way resembles White Zinfandel. A good bottle of Rose is delicious, crisp and complex. Look for one with a deep color and hints of cherry or citrus. I have had excellent bottles from California, France and other regions. This one is French. Every morsel of this type of meal is packed with flavor and will start your eyes rolling into the back of your head! If you want to eat it all, plan on it taking about 2 hours. This makes excellent grown-up picnic fare or a stay-home date night that will delight your taste buds.

Lovin' Them Sweet Potatoes

It is now November and I am so excited about all the good stuff we get to fix in the upcoming holiday season. I took pictures of this salad a few weeks ago because it was such an unusual way to use sweet potatoes. With all the sweet potatoes in our future, I thought I could share this cool idea. I don't always have french fries in my freezer but I always have Alexia Sweet Potato Fries there. They're quick, tasty and much more nutritious than your traditional fast-food variety of fry. We eat them with wings (they taste great in blue cheese dressing!) and in place of regular fries with any meal. I invented this use for them out of desperation when I literally had no food in the house! Sometimes the best tastes arrive this way. It's just your basic salad with grilled chicken, red bell peppers, chopped parsley and crispy sweet potato fries! For the dressing, I chose a Parsley Lime Vinaigrette from the Joy of cooking. All of these flavors melded so well together and the dressing was a perfect compliment! If you love sweet potatoes as much as I do, get excited about them this year and find some new and interesting ways to eat them. Not only are they so delicious; but they are so great for you too!

Football Watchin': UGA vs. LSU

Given my love for Creole cuisine, you'd think I would have used this week to showcase some great recipe for Seafood Gumbo. I did work at THE BEST restaurant in town when I was a student here and I learned a lot about the region and its' food while there. I have eaten my way through New Orleans twice and am a huge fan of all things Creole or Cajun. However, I wasn't in the mood for that on Saturday! So, sorry, no Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce and definitely no Creme Brulee (even though I have new dishes to make them in!) I was in the mood for Japanese food. So I made something awesome, but it doesn't have anything to do with Louisiana. Oh well. We will surely meet again.

This dish is called Niku Tataki. I had it for the first time at our favorite restaurant in Greenville, SC, Irashai Sushi Restaurant. It happens to be the place we got engaged and we started off our meal with this delicious first course. I have served it here with sushi rolls and Unaki (BBQ Eel - my favorite). If you're not a sushi fan, the beef is so wonderful and you can serve it with any Asian-inspired meal. Whatever you do, I beg of you, eat this with chopsticks! Have a little fun!!

Niku Tataki

(or SAKE it to LSU)

(Cold Beef Tenderloin with Pongu Sauce)

To Prepare the Beef:

1/2 whole beef tenderloin

salt & pepper

Olive oil

-Heat a large skillet with 2-3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat

-Add the tenderloin and sear on all sides - if you're not sure how to do this, use a guide like

Joy of Cooking for a reference

-Remove beef from pan, wrap in foil and chill in the refrigerator overnight

-about 45 minutes prior to serving, place tenderloin in freezer to firm up the meat

Ponzu Sauce:

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl:
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon ginger juice *
2 tablespoons finely snipped fresh chives

*ginger juice - finely grate 1 small piece of fresh ginger root into a small dish then pick up the lump of shavings and squeeze the juice into your measuring spoon

Final Step:
-Remove tenderloin from freezer and slice very thinly (almost shaved) with an electric carving knife
-Arrange beef in serving dish and pour sauce over the top

Football Watchin: UGA vs. Vandy

Homecoming came and went without much pomp and circumstance for me this year. I guess when you live in Athens, homecoming isn't so important as it would be if you had to travel a great distance to attend. Homecoming makes me think of things homemade and one of my favorite discoveries has been homemade tacos. We love having taco night as a family and it's a regular meal around here. I avoid MSG at all cost. It gives me terrible headaches and stomach cramps. For a while, it was very difficult to find things that were MSG free - like canned chicken broth - which you can now get MSG free made by several different companies. Tacos were an issue because the traditional family taco night involves shaking a powdered, MSG riddled substance from an envelope and mixing it with your very high fat ground beef. Ugh. Not good for the tummy. When I found this recipe several years ago, it was a God-send. There may be more natural products on the market today; but this one is so easy and so incredibly delicious that I have no interest in them! Being married to an avid hunter, I have used ground venison exclusively in this recipe and everyone who has had these tacos loves them and can't believe they're made from venison. I highly recommend using venison in place of the beef because it is very healthy, lean red meat and also high in Omega-3s. It is closer in composition to salmon than beef. If you are not a fan of venison, or just not brave enough to try it, get the leanest ground beef you can find so your tacos don't turn out greasy and heavy. The filling is a recipe from Tom Perini's Texas Cowboy Cooking. This cookbook was a gift and it is wonderful! If you ever have the chance to pick up a copy, do yourself a favor and get one. His ranch dressing recipe is amazing!

Picadillo Carmela

(A filling for tacos, burritos, nacho topping or anything else you want to try it on!)

2 pounds lean ground beef or venison

1 large onion, chopped

2 large cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press or finely minced

1/2 cup sweet pepper, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup sliced carrots

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tbl flour

2 cups beef stock

1/2 cup skinned potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks

1-2 whole jalapenos (optional)

Ligntly brown the meat, onion and garlic in a large skillet over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. If meat is very lean, like most venison, first heat 2 tablespoons of oil or bacon drippings in the skillet before adding meat mixture. Add the chopped peppers, celery, carrots, salt and pepper. Add flour to 1 cup beef stock and mix well; add to meat along with remaining stock. Stock should barely cover meat mixture. Lower heat, cover and cook 10 minutes. Add the potatoes (and jalapenos, if you wish) cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Serves 6 to 8.

Football Watchin': UGA vs. Tennessee

What a hard couple of weeks for Georgia Football fans! I know this is a cooking blog and not a sports blog - but it has been difficult to keep up with my theme for my own anxiety over our standings. Anyway, we beat Tennessee soundly and it feels a little better now. Since it was a 3:30 game and we didn't tailgate, there wasn't really any food to speak of. Later, however, we had a great time at Anna's house as we celebrated my birthday and watched some more great college football games. There was a Mexican theme, inspired by a an obscure bottle of tequila which was apparently left in Anna and Lloyd's house by the previous owners. It cost 544 Pecos half-a-Century ago, has no English writing on it and it has an actual worm inside. Finally feeling brave enough to open it, Anna made us margaritas and we all brought a dish.

The Menu:

Homemade Salsa

Three-Layer Chili Dip

Spinach & Bean Dip

Tamal

Tortilla Chips & Pita Chips

Chocolate Ganache Cake

My dish, the tamal, wasn't as good as I had hoped. It is basically a large tamale pie. This was my second or third try at making one of Rick Bayless' Mexican Kitchen recipes and I'm not sold yet. I found it way too bready with not nearly enough meat filling. I like the concept though; so I may play with it a bit and report back if I hit on a better version of it.

Mindi's dish, the Spinach & Bean Dip, was very good. She adapted the filling for a lasagna roll recipe, adding spinach and adjusting the consistency, to make it into a dip. It tasted a little bit Italian and a little bit Mexican. I loved it.

Anna, of course, out-did herself as always. Her salsa recipe is outstanding as it blends traditional tomato salsa with tomatillos as well. She isn't one for taking short cuts and she always hand-chops everything. This ensures her salsa's wonderfully uniform consistency and beautiful color. I have never had her Three-Layer Chili Dip and it was wonderful. It looked easy to make and was completely gone at the end of the evening. The best food of the night award, however, goes to her Chocolate Ganache Cake. I have had it many times now and it is always perfect. While most cakes are delicate and light with a heavy chocolate-fudge type frosting; Anna's is just the opposite. The cake is moist but dense and the chocolate frosting is light and semi-sweet. The texture is perfect and I had no desire at all to ruin it with ice cream. Bravo.

It was a lovely evening, as always. Thanks everyone for helping me to celebrate my birthday! Hey Anna! You better bring the rest of that cake over for tea this week!!

Football Watchin': UGA vs. Alabama

I do not want to post this recipe. I am actually very fond of this meal - but we lost terribly. Our yet-to-be-attained "undefeated season" is once again spoiled. The object of our affection lost forever. My "Ode to a Grecian Urn" is in tact and I am sad. So, after a brief repose, I am back with my dish that was served on the day of the UGA/Alabama game. And that's all I have to say about that. Very simple, kid friendly and easy - here ya go -

Bulldog Blackout Beans and Rice

3 cups black beans, either soaked and cooked or canned (drained)

2 cups cooked rice pilaf

1/2 cup beef or chicken broth

1 can diced tomatoes

2 cups cooked white meat chicken or turkey

1/2 tsp curry powder

1-2 tablespoons of cumin powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1. All of the ingredients in this dish are already cooked. All you really have to do is put them all in a big pot, stir well and bring to a simmer. Simmer just long enough for all of the flavors to meld - and eat it!

(If you don't have rice pilaf, but want to use plain cooked rice instead, simply saute 1/2 cup of chopped onions in a little olive oil in your pot before you add the rest of the ingredients - the key is that there must be onions somewhere in this dish)

Football Watchin': UGA vs. South Carolina

This football watchin' party was really not a football watchin' party. It was really a birthday party for my good friend Anna. Most of the game happened before the party started and Baxter lost the last quarter because of a glitch in the Tivo. Still, there were plenty of other good games on and the guys didn't seem to mind as long as they were watching football. Since everyone ate dinner before they arrived, we had heavy hors d'oeuvers and cake.

The Menu:

Homemade Bread Topped with Smoked Salmon

Avocado Dip

Bruschetta

Lane Cake (with lots and lots of whiskey)

My contribution (besides the cake) was bruschetta. This is a recipe that I've had in my arsenal for years now and it is one of my best. You can really only enjoy this in the Summer and fresh picked basil from the garden makes it doubly delicious and fabulously fragrant. It's a beautiful dish but unfortunately I have no pictures of it - I was too busy entertaining. Maybe next time I make it, I'll post a snapshot or two.

Bruschetta

(or, Steve Spurrier Toast w/ tomatoes)

2-3 large, ripe tomatoes (homegrown if you can get them)

1 medium vidalia onion

2-3 cloves minced garlic

1/4 cup good balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

1 loaf baguette

olive oil

12 or more whole basil leaves

Feta cheese

lemon wedges

1. Mix your tomatoes, onions, garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl and allow the flavors to marinate for at least 30 minutes

2. Slice the baguette in 1/2" thick slices. Brush both sides with olive oil and toast in a 450 degree oven until lightly browned. Allow to cool before topping.

3. On each piece of toast, place 1 whole leaf of basil, then top with tomato mixture (the basil acts as a little "boat" for the tomatoes and keeps the bread from getting soggy)

4. Sprinkle crumbled feta cheese all over the top, followed by plenty of cracked pepper

5. Serve with lemon wedges

Keepin' It Kosher

Rosh Hashannah is around this time of year and I have a very appropriate post to share with you. Since Baxter found out last year that he is 1/8 Jewish, he and our Jewish neighbor have been sharing a bit of bonding. The other day, Bill came over with a couple of very interesting beers and we drank them last night with a bowl of chili. Beer and chili - it doesn't get much better than that. The name of the beer? He'Brew of course! He'Brew: The Chosen Beer, has a couple of different varieties. We really enjoyed the Genesis Ale. It was a nice light brown ale, pretty hoppy and very drinkable. Thousands of tiny champagne-like bubbles flowed up from the bottom of the glass, and the head was perfectly foamy. Layers of lace graced the glass as I drank it. Unlike the dark brown ales I usually go for, I could drink more than one of these. Unfortunately, one was all I got! It's kosher, if you are concerned with that and it's brewed in New York. I highly recommend it.

Football Watchin': UGA vs. CMU

Central Michigan University. Need I say more? Of course we stomped 'em. It was a pretty boring game to be honest. I think college football really benefits from age-old rivalries and such. I love it when eager tailgaters burn Steve Spurrier in effigy and concoct funny (yet perhaps somewhat questionable) recipes involving gator tail. Unfortunately, the Chippewas had more people scratching their heads than stockpiling enthusiasm. Many of the bulldawg nation actually had to google Chippewa to find out what one was (It's a Native American tribe, in case you're lost). Tim McGraw educated me a few years ago when he stated that his baby was a Chippewa.



Anyway, not really wanting to stretch my imagination much for this one, our contribution to the tailgate was very simple - homemade salsa. I even let Baxter make it, even though it is sort of my specialty. He made such a good batch of it that I probably won't ever be able to make it again - darn! As far as the theme goes, Michigan is a pretty frigid place - maybe a scoop or two of this would keep them warm on those cold winter nights!

Salsa and "Chip"ewas

3 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 medium mild onion, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
Juice from 1/2 a lime

Very simple here - put all that good stuff in a bowl and mix it up! You may want to let the juices drain before you serve it with your favorite brand of chips - I like Snyders All Natural White Corn Tortilla Chips. This is also great with tacos, nachos, burritos, empanadas etc...

Football Watchin': UGA vs. Ga Southern

The first game of the season - how we have missed it! If you want a sentimental look at the whole experience, I blogged about it on Endless Joy. What I left out was the really good dish that I made for that first tailgate. Everyone gobbled these up. Noon games seem tricky at first. You don't want to bring scrambled eggs but it may be too early (and too hot this early in the year) for chili. So, taking inspiration from the brunch menu of my own noon wedding, I like to do dishes that work well no matter what time of day they are consumed. These little hand-held pies are great warm or at room temperature and they travel really well. Peach is definitely fitting here and in my opinion is the best filling hands-down. However, you can easily substitute apple, berries or even your favorite variety of jam.

We bulldog fans don't feel the same way about Georgia Southern as we do about Florida, Tennessee, Georgia Tech etc... We have a kind of camaraderie with them. We like them. We feel like they probably would have been bulldogs if some other mitigating circumstance had not prevented it and instead of going to some horrible place like Ole Miss or Auburn, they stayed close to home. There was a couple seated in front of us at the game wearing pale blue and white shirts, khaki shorts and bulldog hats. They cheered for both teams the whole game. Gotta love that. However, I'm still really glad we beat them soundly. So, here's my tribute to Georgia Southern for being a great team and their fans for being such great sports.

Georgia Southern Peach Turnovers

1 Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry sheet - 1/2 package

small cup of water

1/2 can Comstock peach filling

1 beaten egg

1. Thaw puff pastry sheet according to package directions

2. Preheat oven to 425

3. Working quickly on a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry into a large rectangle. Cut into 16 equal squares.

4. Take each individual square and roll to even the shape if necessary. Then place 1 spoonful of filling in the middle. Wet edges with water and fold into a triangle, pressing edges to seal. Using a pastry tool or a fork, crimp the edges. Place on pan 1 1/2 inches apart.

5. When they are all on the pan, gently brush with beaten egg. Bake for 10 minutes

6. Remove from pan and dust with powdered sugar while still warm

**ovens vary, so watch them after about 8 minutes. They are done when they begin to turn slightly brown - don't over-bake them!**

Football Watchin': UGA vs. ASU

I always have some sort of theme going on when it comes to football watching food or tailgate cuisine. When I have time, I will do a retrospective on the two tailgates we attended previous to the blog. Thankfully, I have pictures of my efforts to include. Last night, the Bulldogs stomped the Sun Devils SEC-style and although we weren't able to make the trek to Tempe, I brought a little heat of my own into the living room. These hot-wings will have your palette burning - but in a good way. They're just the right degree of hotness in my opinion, however you may vary it according to taste by either decreasing the amount of butter down to 2 tablespoons or increasing it up to 8 tablespoons. I prefer my wings fried; but since I don't have one of those handy-dandy frying apparatuses, it creates quite a mess in my kitchen. Also, for the sake of cardio-health, I have engineered a very nice baked product. The result is very close to the fried variety. Although I first learned to make wings while slaving away at Locos with Baxter, this is not a copy of their sauce recipe. This is my own creation, and one I am happy to share. I serve my wings with extra sauce on the side, plenty of bleu cheese, celery and Alexia brand Sweet Potato Fries (which also taste really good dipped in the bleu cheese!)

Sun-Devil-Stompin' Hot Wings

1 cup Texas Pete Hot Sauce

4 tablespoons melted butter

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

2 pounds chicken wings, trimmed and cut into drums and flats

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees for at least 15 minutes. Spray broiler pan with canola spray and arrange wings skin side down on pan.

2. Bake wings for 20 minutes, meanwhile

3. While wings are cooking, prepare sauce:

• melt butter in microwave,


• measure Texas Pete and pour into a large bowl that you can toss the wings in


• slowly whisk in melted butter


• add lemon juice and seasonings and whisk again until well blended

4. After your wings have baked for 20 minutes, flip them over and bake for another 15 minutes

5. Remove wings from oven and toss in the sauce

6. Place back on pan and bake for an additional 5 minutes

7. Remove the wings from oven and repeat, tossing in sauce and baking again for 5 to 10 more minutes - or until they look good and ready

8. Arrange wings on plate and serve with bleu cheese, celery and whatever else strikes your fancy

***If you're lucky enough to have a fryer, just fry your wings according to your fryer's directions and toss them in the sauce when they're done!***

Southern Sayings

I'm playing catch-up here. I intended on starting this blog before now - but I just haven't had time! This is blog #2 for me. Yes, I know that's crazy. It's just that I type so darned fast and there is nothing in this world I love to do more than write. The second thing I love most is what I do in the kitchen. Sometimes I cook, sometimes I bake, sometimes I create and sometimes I just make a total mess of things and smoke us out of the house. But whatever I do in the kitchen seems to make me happy because I spend so much time there.
Hanging on the wall beside the stove in my kitchen is a small iron trivet depicting a man and a woman and the saying which I so aptly named this blog. I bought it for 25cents at an old junk store in Savannah right after we got married. It struck me as so funny and has since become my mantra of sorts. We both like to be in the kitchen. If I'm not cooking something, Baxter is. We very rarely get take-out and we have acquired some pretty good amateur skills over the last few years. As we celebrate our 7th anniversary on the 22nd, I would like to dedicate this blog to Baxter. He is the inspiration for this blog. He is the man that I love to feed and I still try to impress him with presentation or ingenuity on a pretty regular basis. He tries to impress me with his thoughtfulness and careful craftsmanship. He owned a restaurant before we got married and I helped him run it. I baked the desserts and we spent our first Valentine's day, dressed up for dinner, frying chicken wings in place of our irresponsible staff who all decided to call in sick for the dinner shift. That is love. When we first got married, the restaurant was bankrupt and we weren't far from it. We moved down to Savannah and started fresh and for about a month we lived off of Claxton Chicken Leg Quarters (19 cents a pound at the Red & Black). I figured out about 97 different ways to make dark meat chicken - and served it all on Waterford china with Williams-Sonoma napkins. Don't worry, my recipes here will be much more varied. I can afford white meat chicken now! But what I learned back then informs what I practice now, that anything you pour your heart into will show it. No matter if I'm making strudel from scratch or scrambling eggs for dinner - I'm going to do it right. For me, it's an act of love. Kissin' don't last, cookin' do.