Roanoke, VA ~ Dr Pepper Capital of the World

I’m a Pepper, he’s a Pepper, she’s a Pepper, we’re a Pepper! Would you like to be a Pepper too? Here’s a link to this 1970’s Dr Pepper commercial that includes this “Pepper song” proving that my generation is the coolest generation ?!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvCTaccEkMI

The commercial featured David Naughton, but Dr Pepper ended its relationship with Naughton after he appeared nude in An American Werewolf in London. (according to Wikipedia)

From the brand that has always celebrated its originality, here is the original Dr. Pepper. Dr. Charles T. Pepper was born in Montgomery County, Virginia, in 1830. That’s right, the man that this delicious drink is named after is from right here in Virginia! He later earned a medical degree from the University of Virginia and served as a surgeon for the Confederacy in the Civil War. After the war, Pepper settled with his family in the town of Rural Retreat, where he practiced medicine and opened Dr. Pepper’s Drug Store. According to legend, it was there where he employed Wade Morrison, who would later become the co-founder of Dr Pepper.

The period (full stop) after “Dr” in the Dr Pepper logo was discarded for stylistic and legibility reasons in the 1950s.

Skewered Dr Pepper Glazed Pearl Onions and Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Sauce

Makes 30 appetizers

Dr Pepper Glazed Pearl Onions:

12 ounces Dr Pepper

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup white vinegar

2 tablespoons lime juice

30 small pearl onions, peeled according to package directions

Combine Dr Pepper and soy sauce in a sauce pan and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes to reduce the liquid by half. Remove from heat and add vinegar and lime juice. Stir to combine. Pour the liquid over the pearl onions. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.

For the beef tenderloin cubes:

3/4 pound beef tenderloin

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon garlic, chopped fine

1/2 tablespoon black pepper

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Cut the beef tenderloin into 1 inch cubes and place in a bowl.

Combine salt, pepper, garlic and butter. Pour butter mixture over the beef cubes and toss to combine.

Evenly spread the coated beef cubes on a baking sheet. Broil beef cubes until the cubes are cooked to desired doneness (3 to 5 minutes).

Skewer a pearl onion and a beef cube on a small bamboo skewer. Repeat until all pearl onions and beef cubes are used.

Horseradish Sauce:

Mix 1/2 cup mayonnaise with 1/2 cup sour cream. Add 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish and stir to combine. Chill sauce until service.

Serve the skewers on a platter with the horseradish sauce for dipping.

Here’s a recipe for Outrageous Cherry Dr Pepper Cake from The Slow Roasted Italian:

http://www.theslowroasteditalian.com/2015/06/outrageous-cherry-dr-pepper-cake-recipe.html

Saturday Session – Saturday afternoon my father would bring home a case of Dr Pepper (glass bottles with the metal pop tops). He was the Producer/Director at WDBJ 7 – the CBS affiliate that produced Saturday Session sponsored by Dr Pepper. We loved this special treat!

Roanoke, Virginia, Dr Pepper capital of the world.

“Drink a bite to eat at 10, 2, and 4 o’clock,” was the slogan for an ad campaign for Dr. Pepper that began in 1927. A study that year authored by a Dr. Walter H. Eddy “found that human energy dropped to its lowest point at 10:30am, at 2:30pm and again at 4:30pm daily.” J.B. O’Hara of Dr. Pepper asked Tracy-Locke-Dawson Inc. (an ad agency), to design a campaign around that information. The agency held a contest, and Earle Racey, one of their copywriters, won with his “10-2-4” idea–the idea being that drinking the sugary, caffeinated soda at 10am, 2pm, and 4pm would perk you up and get you through those impending energy drops a half-hour later. The slogan has endured in one form or another ever since.