-
Low Country Boil aka Frogmore Stew
One of the new gals at work is from California, and I have taken it upon myself to play Southern Tour Guide to help her settle in. For convenience, let’s call her Becky. Becky and I have gone to museums and the theater, canal cruises, cultural festivals and SEC games—the full gamut. There is no dearth of activity in our area, so our orientation schedule has been pretty packed. “We will leave no stone unturned!” I told Becky. Becky smiled politely…and then I think she rolled her eyes. I am on a mission. Part of this mission means hosting a lowcountry-ish shindig. Every newbie to the South needs to experience…
-
Lemony Creme + White Chocolate Trifle
This Lemony Creme + White Chocolate Trifle is almost too pretty to eat! ALMOST. When the weather starts to get balmy (and stays that way for 5 months), my go to relief is LEMONS. I love lemons. I also love trifle. I do not love baking. There. I said it. I DO NOT BAKE. Suffice it to say, my favorite kind of dessert is a no-bake dessert. Hence, this Lemony Creme + White Chocolate Trifle. Trifles are always a win because they look so elegant without a lot of fuss. You do not even have to turn on the oven to make this gorgeous citrusy delight. All you have to…
-
Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna Bites + Ginger-Soy Butter
I wanted to call this recipe Seared Tuna and the Puddle of Love, but The Man nixed that straight outta the gate. Too weird, he said. You’re weird, I said. I love you, he said. Same, I said, and then sulked my way back to the kitchen, my cooking metaphor not having passed muster. You have several options for serving this Sesame Crusted Ahi: as a first course or a party app; sliced on top of a salad; or as entree steaks. Whichever you choose, be sure to use the freshest tuna steaks and pat lots sesame seeds into them (your rule of thumb is about 4 tablespoons of sesame…
-
Mexican Street Corn (aka Elotes)
Oh, Mexican Street Corn, where have you been all my life? You know those formulaic (and perhaps pretentious) blogs resembling something out of a J Peterman catalogue? Sure you do. The blogs where someone in Etherland tells us about the first time he/she sampled (type of food) while traveling in (exotic land) wearing a (bikini, kaftan, sheepskin thong, whatever) as he/she cruised down the (faraway river). (Guilty!) This is not one of those blogs. I did not buy street corn skewered by a stick from a vendor on my last visit to Mexico. I did, however, bury my teeth in a roasted cob of corn, so crunchy + sweet, and I…
-
Shrimp + Scallop Ceviche
It is already hot as Hades outside. Who in Augusta can fathom turning on the oven for dinner? I.can’t.even. So it was a no-brainer that we would have crisp + cool Shrimp + Scallop Ceviche for dinner. I was much younger when I had my first experience with ceviche. It was on a trip to Chile, and I remember being intrigued when the waiter said the lime juice cooked the fish. What he wanted to say was the fish was denatured by the citric acid, but the easy translation for the gringo he was serving was “cooked.” As you can imagine, the weather in Chile was quite balmy, so eating…
-
Seared Pepper Ahi Tuna + Wasabi Vinaigrette
I am about to blow your mind with this recipe, so pay attention. Seared Pepper Tuna is such an indulgence for me. Something about clean tuna crusted with freshly cracked pepper throws me into a drooling tailspin. So.Many.Times I have put all dinner plans aside to drive directly to a sushi house to get my fix. For some reason it never occurred to me that I should (or could!) make it at home. That is, until I had this chat with myself: Girl, you are a bad ass, and you can make this yourself! So here we are. Lean in. I have to tell you a secret. You can be…
-
Lemon Zest + Spring Pea Parmesan Orzo
I am welcoming summer with mouth wide open! Yes, I know it it only May, but in Augusta our summer starts in April. But then switches back to winter. And then we will have two outstanding weeks of spring. But now we are in summer again. Sooo…….last night I made this delightfully fresh and lively Lemon Zest + Spring Pea Parmesan Orzo. This recipe is so easy you’ll have plenty of time to do those warm weather things you love to do, like sleep in the sun or splash in the pool. Lemon Zest + Spring Pea Parmesan Orzo is sunshine on a plate. This dish is so much…
-
Mediterranean Chicken Salad
Isn’t this Mediterranean Chicken Salad gorgeous? You bet your sweet ass, it is! I am an absolute sucker when it comes to beautiful produce. I mean, I get weak in the knees and my eyes glaze over. Then I hear this robotic voice in my head: Must Buy All the Produce. I call it Blog Brain Frenzy where I buy anything and all that is beautiful because in some manner or fashion I can use it in something. Right? In the history of never have I been able to pass up beautiful produce. Today I had to borrow a truck to get it all home. But the positive side of…
-
Bleu Cheese + BLT Salad
It’s time to bring out your Summer Goddess. This Bleu Cheese + BLT Salad has all the flavor and is a breeze to throw together! Spilling over with delicious ingredients and this amazingly light Buttermilk Bleu Cheese Dressing, you will want to eat this every day during the warm summer months. At the market on Saturday, I was awestruck by the sight of the gorgeous locally grown, farm fresh produce. I usually gather it all up, knowing that it will somehow become a recipe. Today’s tough decision was which salad I should I make. The resident carnivore put in a request for something with bacon, and thus was born this…
-
Raspberry + Thyme Frosé
This frosé screams SUMMER! It is just what these hot summer nights beg for. You know something else it screams? THE BEST WAY TO ADULT IS TO FROSE! This boozy, fruity slushee is light, refreshing, and for grown-ups only. I am on the fence about calling it frosé, though. I chose to use Merlot over rosé because it has more body and can hold up to the infusion of thyme. Instead of frosé, shouldn’t it be called Merlotsé? Raspberry + Thyme Merlotsé. Let me think about it… So about the thyme…At first I made regular raspberry frosé, and it was delicious. But I thought a hint of peppery thyme might…
eat. drink. bemerry. repeat.
