Bake Bread, Make Soup

Spring Entertaining Ideas

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Marilee

Spring weather brings a ton of options for entertaining — patio dining, a picnic in the park, and a lighter, more seasonal menu make spring a season to welcome with open arms.

It’s best to shop for lush vegetables, seasonal ingredients, and a little liquid sunshine when prepping for a gathering, whether it’s an intimate group or a surplus of friends for brunch, lunch, drinks, or dinner. If in need of some guidance, look no further than the list below. It will get you through spring and onto summer faster than you can say “bikini.”

8 Must-Cook Foods for Spring Entertaining

A good place to start, this guide shares what to cook now that we’re in a new season. Spring means iron-filled greens like ramps and spinach, fresh berries, bountiful herbs — and nice weather, which is all the more reason to turn on the grill (for those who don’t during the winter). Make this a go-to list for foods in the next few months.

Stress-Free Spring Dinner Parties with Style

Hosting can always be a bit hectic, but there’s a way to throw a party in effortless fashion. Stick with a simple menu, get a little organized, and voilà — a charming spring night filled with great food, good company, and easy cleanup.

A Dinner Menu to Celebrate Spring

Here are five courses of seasonally inspired dishes that consist of fresh salads, juicy cherries, and a rack of lamb so delectable you’ll want to remake this dish all spring long.

Outdoor Cocktail Party

As the sun sets later and the nights get warmer, the patio or backyard looks mighty enticing. The only thing to do is, you guessed it, have a cocktail party. Craft an appetizer menu with rich cheeses, cured meats, fresh bread, and tons of vegetables and pair it with creative cocktails to match.

Romantic Picnic for Two Menu

The next few months bring a little spring fever, it’s inevitable. With the sun, the skin, and the outdoors, romance is sure to follow. Prepare for such a situation and pack a picnic for two… in the park, shall we say?

The Perfect Picnic Lunch Menu

Want the picnic without the mushy gushy? Have a girlfriends picnic or a day with the family and use this portable menu filled with sandwiches, salads, and vegetables. Don’t forget the double fudge brownies. What’s a picnic without them?

Resource: http://www.thedailymeal.com/spring-entertaining by Francesca Borgognone

Posted in Beverages, Grills and grilling, Veggies | Tagged dinner menu, dinner parties, entertaining ideas, outdoor cocktail party, picnic lunch, seasonal menu, spring entertaining | Leave a comment

A Good Ole’ Iowa Maid-Rite

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Marilee

You have to be from the Midwest to know what a Maid-Rite is…or have been educated by a Midwesterner on the loose meat sandwich. I grew up eating Maid-Rites and every time I visit my hometown of Mason City, Iowa, I stop in and get one. (Watch the short video below about the history of the Maid-Rite.)

I was craving one last week and decided to make the layman’s Maid-Rite recipe over the weekend. They aren’t as good as the real thing but it works in a pinch. Here is a photo of my Maid-Rite. I didn’t fill it quite as full as I should have and I disgraced it with ketchup! But I love ketchup so that’s how I ate it. The other photo is of a Maid-Rite served the right way…meat overflowing on the bun, wrapped in deli paper and a spoon on the side. The condiments originally served on a Maid-Rite were onions, pickles and mustard. The ketchup option wasn’t even allowed on the counter for 78 years! See the video below for the history of Taylor’s Maid-Rite.

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Marilee's Maid-Rite

The Real Maid-Rite

The taste of a Maid-Rite is like no other. It’s like a taste vehicle that transports me back in time. It brings back memories of sitting at the long, low counter on a red swivel stool next to old farmers, waiting on their food, smoking their cigarettes. (Everyone was old back then - little did I know!) The plastic menu board was up high on the wall and had those little black letters that were placed in grooves. The big root beer barrel was on the back counter and the homemade pies sat in the pie case by the cash register. And they had homemade ice cream in which they made hot fudge sundaes, creamy milkshakes and thick malts.

We all have favorite food memories from our childhood. My memories of eating Maid-Rites are comforting and give me the feeling that all is “rite” with the world. Do you have one? Please share your story with me!

And if you happen upon a Maid-Rite shop, by all means, stop in and have one!

Posted in Restaurant food, Sandwiches | Tagged loose meat sandwich, Maid-Rite, Maid-Rite recipe, Taylors Maid-Rite | Leave a comment

Seriously? A Bacon Milkshake?

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Marilee

I never saw this one coming. A bacon shake from Jack in the Box! It’s a fat and calorie laden shake that sounds like an artery clogger. Just sayin….

You’ve heard of combining milk and cookies, bacon and eggs. Now you can get three out of four of those items together, in one creamy shake.

It’s the bacon milkshake, and it’s the brainchild of the Jack in the Box fast-food chain.

The shake, taking the concept of fast food and buy one, get one free to a whole new level, gives a meaty element to the normally dairy-laden treat. Sadly for true carnivores, however, it is said to contain only bacon-flavored syrup, not the real thing.

PHOTOS: Outrageous Foods

Still, according to the to the Jack in the Box website, a regular-size 16 ounce bacon shake weighs in at a hefty 773 calories and 40 grams of fat, while a 24 ounce large option packs 1,081 calories and 54 grams of fat, nearly an entire day’s allowance.

The bacon milkshake is part of the 2,200-store, San Diego-based chain’s new ” Marry Bacon” ad campaign that asks, “Love Bacon? Marry It,” and encourages visitors to the chain’s website to “Make a Bacon Baby.”

In addition to the calories, a regular-size milkshake costs $2.90 after tax. But don’t expect to just walk in or drive up to your local Jack in the Box and see the new item on the menu.

“The shake is not listed on our menus in the restaurants, so it’s more of a ‘secret item’ that people can order. Each restaurant is getting a very limited quantity, so we don’t know how long they will last,” a Jack in the Box spokesperson told the Huffington Post.

Indeed, the chain is advertising the new shake with a disclaimer that says the drink is “as limited as limited can be” and “might disappear.”

While Jack in the Box restaurants are found only in 19 states, most of the restaurants are open 18 to 24 hours a day, plenty of time in which to track down and slurp down the meat-flavored treat.

Posted in Beverages, Restaurant food | Tagged bacon milkshake, bacon shake, Jack in the Box bacon milkshake | Leave a comment

A Southern Breakfast of Biscuits and Grits

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Marilee

I don’t usually make breakfast but one Sunday morning I thought I’d try making a southern breakfast…without the ham and red eye gravy. I used one of my new cookbooks, Southern Biscuits, by Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubart. If you want to learn how to make a biscuit, this is the book for you! It includes every kind of biscuit recipe imaginable. Who knew there could be so many different kinds of biscuits? I had no idea!

I started with the chapter, “Easy Biscuits.” I had to choose a biscuit recipe in which I had all the ingredients. Self-rising flour is not something I usually have on hand so per their instructions, I made my own using a combination of all-purpose flour, salt and baking powder.

I decided on “Allison’s Easy Sour Cream Biscuits.” The recipe called for self-rising flour and sour cream. And some soft or melted butter for finishing. Yum! I followed the directions and I was very pleased with the outcome. They were lightly browned with a crisp but delicate exterior and a fluffy, tender interior.

I also made some of Virginia Willis‘ heirloom grits. You have to try these grits! They taste nothing like instant or quick grits. So rich, sweet, creamy and very comforting!

Nathalie Duprees southern biscuits,virginia willis,grits

If you want to learn how to make a great biscuit, get a copy of Southern Biscuits today! Also, check out Virginia Willis’ heirloom grits. They are worth it – you’ll love them!

Posted in Biscuits, Chefs | Tagged biscuit recipes, Nathalie Dupree, southern biscuits, southern breakfast, Virginia Willis | Leave a comment

Healthy Foods on a Budget

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Marilee

It’s finally 2012, and many of us have set resolutions to eat healthier. But often times with the high costs of organic and natural foods, we get discouraged to stick to our healthy food regimen. Staying on top of seasonal fruits and vegetables is one way to keep money in your pockets, but there are also some foods that are both healthy and affordable for the everyday diet. Here’s a short list of the best picks of healthy foods for the best prices that won’t burn a hole in your pocket.

Budget healthy foods,healthy foods on a budget,budget foods

Broccolini-Spring Onion Soup

Best Vegetable: Broccoli
Nutritionally, a half-cup of cooked broccoli delivers 24 percent of your Vitamin A, 84% of your Vitamin C, and 3 grams of fiber. This versatile vegetable is a great bang for the buck and packs a great nutritional punch.

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Posted in Healthy Foods | Tagged budget foods, Healthy Foods, Huff Post, Marcus Samuelsson | 1 Comment

How to Make Homemade Pizza Dough

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Marilee

Do you know how to make homemade pizza dough? It’s really easier than you think and so much better than the premade pizza dough you find at the grocery store. This easy pizza dough recipe is adapted from “Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day“.

The beauty of the five minutes a day concept is that you make up the dough ahead of time so it’s ready to go at a moments notice. It pretty much goes like this. Mix six ingredients together, let stand and rise for two hours, refrigerate for at least three hours or overnight. When you’re ready to make pizza, remove a portion, form a flat disk, roll it out to desired thickness (or try throwing it up in the air if you’re feeling brave), place toppings on it, then bake! There are a few more details than that but it really is easy.

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Pizza Margherita

If you want to try your hand at throwing it in the air, this is the recipe for you. The bread flour produces a stronger dough more suitable for throwing. I like this recipe because of that fact. Whenever I make pizza or flatbread, I always practice my throwing technique. And yes, it does take practice! Here is the recipe.

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Posted in Artisan Bread, Breads | Tagged easy pizza dough, homemade pizza dough recipe, how to make homemade pizza dough | Leave a comment

What do you do with food leftovers?

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Marilee

What do you do when a meal is finished? Most of us wash the dishes and put away the leftovers, but what happens to the leftover portions not eaten? Do they get consumed later or do they sit in the refrigerator until they start to smell and you finally throw them out? If you tend to do the latter, how about saving some time and money by learning how to use those leftovers in new ways to surprise your family at dinner time.

Some people like leftovers and some do not. Many will eat them the next day, but quickly get tired of eating the same thing two days in a row. Here’s a way to fix the problem if you or someone in your family is the same way. Let’s start with an example.

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Posted in Cooking-Kitchen Basics, How to | Tagged Food leftovers, how to use leftover food, leftover foods | 4 Comments

An Event to Remember!

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Marilee

Last Thursday evening, The Cook’s Warehouse in Midtown hosted a dinner for a select group of 30+ Les Dames d’Escoffier members. They were in Atlanta for their weekend-long, annual national conference. This was a grand event, entertaining the “Who’s Who” of women in the culinary world!

Nathalie Dupree,The Cooks Warehouse,Les Dames d'Esoffier

Nathalie Dupree & Marilee Johnson

Nathalie Dupree,The Cooks Warehouse,Les Dames d'Escoffier

Front Row, Virginia Willis, Mary Moore, Back Row, Gena Berry, Angie Mosier, Rebecca Lang, Nathalie Dupree

I had the fantastic opportunity to assist for this event and was humbled to be in the kitchen with well-known Southern Chef’s and cookbook authors Nathalie Dupree, Virginia Willis, Rebecca Lang, Angie Mosier. The atmosphere was busy, as there were other professionals such as Chef Gena Berry and Literary Agent, Lisa Ekus and other volunteer assistants helping out. The kitchen was full of laughing and teasing between friends and colleagues. There was another element as well, lots of love for each other!

They each demonstrated recipes from their cookbooks. They answered questions from the guest Dames and were entertaining and humorous. It was a delight to watch!

I was especially excited to see Nathalie again! She was my cooking teacher at Rich’s Cooking School and I hadn’t seen her in 25 years. It was so wonderful to reunite with her. We reminisced about our time at Rich’s and chatted about where we are now. I’ve always had great respect and admiration for Nathalie and it did my heart good to reconnect. It filled a void I didn’t know existed! I was “full up” with joy (as some of us say in the South). She invited me to travel down the road to visit her in Charleston, SC, an offer I will gladly accept!

The Cooks Warehouse,Nathalie Dupree,Virginia Willis,Les Dames d'Escoffier

Nathalie's Shrimp with Grits

Menu for Les Dames

This was an event I won’t forget! I’m fortunate to be associated with The Cook’s Warehouse and love being part of their assistant program. Mary Moore, CEO and Founder, has done an outstanding job providing Atlanta with four premier gourmet cookware and high-end appliance stores. They are also the largest cooking school in the Southeast and conduct more than 600 classes a year. That will increase as they have recently opened the fourth store in Marietta, GA. If you haven’t been, GO NOW, it’s well worth it!

Posted in Chefs, Les Dames d’Escoffier International (LDEI), Local Atlanta GA | Tagged Angie Mosier, Gena Berry, Les Dames d'Escoffier, Lisa Ekus, Nathalie Dupree, Rebecca Lang, The Cooks Warehouse, Virginia Willis | Leave a comment

Nathalie Dupree – Food Pioneer

Posted on November 6, 2011 by Marilee

Les Dames name Nathalie Dupree as Food Pioneer

The Post and Courier – Staff report
Saturday, October 29, 2011

Nathalie Dupree is well-known in her adopted home of Charleston as a cook, food writer and cookbook author. Dupree also is greatly recognized throughout the South and far beyond as a trailblazer in the culinary world.

On Thursday, Dupree will be honored at an Atlanta gala by Les Dames d’Escoffier International as recipient of its 2011 Grande Dame award. Members of the philanthropic society, consisting of 28 chapters across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, are professional women leaders in the fields of food, fine beverage and hospitality.

The award is given every two years. Past honorees have included Julia Child, Alice Waters, Edna Lewis and Marion Cunningham.

Dupree was a pioneer of “new Southern cooking” that arose more than 30 years ago and blended regional ingredients with French and Southern cooking techniques. She began at her restaurant in Georgia in the early 1970s, continuing on as chef, director and teacher for Rich’s Cooking School in Atlanta from 1975 to the mid-1980s. She went on to host more than 300 television programs on the Food Network, the Learning Channel and PBS.

“Nathalie was part of that generation that included people like Bill Neal as a chef, John Egerton as a documentarian and writer and Nathalie as a cookbook author and television personality,” said John T. Edge, a pre-eminent food writer and director of the Southern Foodways Alliance in Oxford, Miss. “She was at the forefront of codifying Southern food and placing it in cultural context, and more importantly (demonstrating) that Southern food isn’t staid, isn’t dead, that Southern food is vital and of the moment.”

Dupree, who holds an advanced certificate from London’s Cordon Bleu, is the author of 11 cookbooks focusing on the American South, entertaining and basic cooking. The latest, “Southern Biscuits” with co-author Cynthia Graubart, was published this year. Her books have won two James Beard awards.

Susan Slack is president of the society’s Charleston chapter, which Dupree helped establish. The honor for Dupree is a source of pride to the local LDEI chapter, Slack said. “Through great humor and generosity of spirit, she works to educate and encourage its members, while fostering a strong sense of community. No task seems too small for her.

“I believe Nathalie’s stewardship and commitment to creating a strong organization is based on what she refers to as ‘the pork chop’ theory. “She explains that one pork chop alone in the pan will go dry; with two or more, the fat from one feeds the others.”

Edge remembers buying Dupree’s “New Southern Cooking” when it first came out in 1986 and thinking there was “something afoot.”

“Her effect is ongoing,” he said.

Resource: The Post and Courier, Charleston, SC

Posted in Chefs, Les Dames d’Escoffier International (LDEI) | Tagged Nathalie Dupree, The Cooks Warehouse | Leave a comment

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