A friend of mine just moved from New York to our southern city, Roanoke, Virginia. We took her out to lunch and explained the particular things that a lady must do to be a true southern lady. One was to say “Bless her heart” and “y’all” with a southern accent and to have a very…
appetizers
Better Than Butter Ham Biscuit Recipe ~ Grand Prize Winner Colavita Olive Oil
Many folks have asked for my Virginia’s Best Ham Biscuit recipe – I won the “Better Then Butter Colavita Olive Oil Recipe Contest” with this recipe – the grand prize: a trip for two to Italy with the Colavita Bicycle Racing Team where I met the Colavita brothers. Enjoy! I made these southern ham biscuits…
Sundowners, Africa’s Cocktail Hour
On our recent safari trip to Africa our game drives began just as the sun was rising. Sometimes I felt like we were waking up the animals. I loved watching the lions stretch and yawn just like my pet cats at home do, but on a much larger scale. The mornings were chilly…40 degrees Fahrenheit…
GUINNESS HAM CHEDDAR CHEESE CROQUETTES WITH HORSERADISH AOILI
Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day ~ this is a fabulous pairing ~ Guinness Ham Cheddar Cheese Croquettes with Horseradish Aoili and Guinness Blonde. Even if you are not a regular beer drinker, you will LOVE this pairing. To make this even more delightful, you and make the croquette batter today and fry them…
Haku Smoked Shoyu Seared Scallops And Firecracker Shrimp
I wish you could have smelled the aroma of this smoky soy sauce in my kitchen as I was searing the scallops ~ it was heavenly! As promised here is one of my favorite recipes using the Haku Smoked Shoyu Soy Sauce that I bought at Fresh Market (also available on-line). This is a SUPER…
Sparkling Holiday Champagne Dinner
Champagne Thought Of The Day ~ The Whisper Of Love The sound of air slowly releasing from the Champagne bottle when de-corked is called ‘the whisper of love’. To hear this noise, place your thumb on the muselet, the wire cage that fits over a bottle of Champagne, and gently turn the bottle left. (Under…
For Bourbon Lovers On Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving gives us the opportunity to use earthy, rich, spicy flavors in our food and cocktails. Think smokey, honey, cherry, bourbon and a twist of winter citrus in front of a roaring fire. First, the appetizer… Spicy Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms With Aged Gouda Cheese Sauce Makes 10 appetizer servings (2 stuffed mushroom caps per serving)…
Enjoy Special Club Champagne With Chili-Lime Crab Salad
One of my favorite Spring recipes by Sue Zemanick, Food and Wine Magazine (with a few little twists that I enjoy with this salad). I chill appetizer bowls and appetizer forks in the freezer for serving this salad. Chile-Lime Crab Salad With Tomato And Avacado 4 servings 5 tablespoons fresh lime juice 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil…
Fresh Pear Bellini With Cassis Blueberries + Sparkling Wine For The Holidays!
Fresh Pear Bellini Garnished With Creme de Cassis Blueberries For the Cassis Blueberries: Make the frozen Cassis blueberries the night before so they have time to marinate and freeze. 1/2 cup Creme de Cassis 1/4 cup caster (very fine) sugar plus a little sugar for sprinkling on finished berries 6 ounces fresh blueberries Place blueberries…
Celebrate National Deviled Egg Day ~ November 2, 2017
Bacon and Balsamic Deviled Eggs Follow this easy recipe (originally published in The Roanoke Times ~ Gretchen Mckay Pittsburg Post Gazette – TNS) to make the most delicious Deviled Eggs… Bacon and Balsamic Deviled Eggs 12 hard-cooked eggs The original recipe called for 1/2 of the amounts of the following ingredients. I doubled the amounts…
