November 1^st will mark the debut of my new cookbook – a journey among the Georgia fields, farmhouses, and families that kindled my passion for Southern cooking.  Along the way, you will also meet local artisans who are responsible for keeping our local foodways and farming traditions alive and learn how to incorporate these fresh offerings into everyday meals.

In the meantime, I will be giving you a sneak peak of my cookbook from recipes to a behind the scenes video of the making of Southern My Way.  Today, I share with you one of my favorite summer recipes, Bourbon Peach Bread Pudding with White Chocolate Sauce. Peach season in Georgia is coming to an end, so this weekend is a perfect time to savor the taste of summer with this simple dessert.

Southern My Way is now available for pre-order. Click here to reserve your copy today before it hits the shelves (this link will direct to you to the Fire & Flavor store where you can easily add Southern My Way to your shopping cart).

Recipe:

Bourbon Peach Bread Pudding with White Chocolate Sauce

I could go on an on about the show, but now, back to my 4^th of July best side dishes. These recipes combine fresh ingredients with the traditional comfort sides we all know and love. Check your local market for the best of the best in tomatoes, peaches, and fresh corn. This is truly my favorite time of the year when it comes to seasonal ingredients.

Georgia peaches are at their peak and the tomatoes and basil in my garden are going crazy.  I love it!  I just bought some fresh feta and mozzarella from my local market and a good rosé, and that is all I need to finish the menu.  My Grilled Peach and Arugula Salad with Ricotta Salata is a perfect side to barbequed chicken along with Chilled Summer Squash Orzo Salad.  Light, cool and fresh, these recipes are truly a nice introduction to summer.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful 4^th of July.  Hit your local market, pour yourself a glass of wine, and start cooking for your family and friends. What better way to enjoy the evening!

Perfect Side Dishes for 4th of July Celebration:

• Grilled Peach and Arugula Salad with Ricotta Salata
• Chilled Summer Squash Orzo Salad
• Roasted Green Beans with Tomatoes and Thyme Vinaigrette
• Grilled Potato Salad with Basil Salsa Verde
• Grilled Southern Potato Salad
• Homemade Barbecue Sauce

Stuffing the blossoms is actually easy, and you can do it with almost any cheese such as ricotta, goat cheese, or even gorgonzola.  I kept things simple and combined softened goat cheese with fresh basil and baked the blossoms instead of frying.  I could eat an entire plate full!  They taste almost better than the squash, so now I won’t feel as bad picking them.

I served the squash blossoms alongside a cool bowl of Cucumber Gazpacho and grilled, local shrimp.  Yes, local shrimp from the gulf.  Every time I turn on the news I am saddened by the oil spill that has devastated much of Louisiana’s coast.  As one of my seafood buyers was saying earlier this week, the gulf is huge and only 30 percent of the waters have been affected by the spill.  There are still plenty of coastal estuary and good shrimping so all the more reason to support our shrimpers and this dying industry.  Don’t shy away from buying local – these hard-working fishermen need more support now than ever.  The government is heavily regulating the industry to insure we are all buying the highest quality shrimp.  Look at your alternative – shrimp from Asia?

Recipes:

Chilled Cucumber Gazpacho

Goat Cheese Stuffed Squash Blossoms

Now that I am a mom I can appreciate even more the hard work that goes into being a mother.  I am still amazed that my mom could pull off elegant meals every night, raise three children, and work.  The kitchen was the center of our home and we were always asked to help prepare dinner, set the table, or  clean up.  I realize now  how important that was and it has played a big roll in my desire to feed my own family healthy, tasteful meals.

If you are planning a tribute to your own mom this weekend with a home cooked meal then try this delicious spring menu.

• Chilled Avocado Soup
• Artichoke and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken
• Endive with Strawberry Vinaigrette

Our farmer’s market here in Athens opens tomorrow so don’t forget to check your area.  For a listing of local farmer’s markets check out this link    APPS.AMS.USDA.GOV/FARMERSMARKETS

I must apologize for having not posted a blog a in a while.  I have been busy writing and shooting a new cookbook that is due out this fall.  Stay tuned to more details this summer…it is going to be a beautiful book.  I hope all of you have a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend and I promise not to be such a stranger.

Peter dropped by our house one evening holding a baking pan of homemade brownies, still warm from the oven.  Peter and my husband dove in with their hands, ignoring the pre-cut brownie squares that Peter had made earlier.  I thought my husband was going to make himself sick – eating right out of the pan.  Peter rambled off the recipe from memory and Davis quickly jotted it down on a scratch piece of paper.

The recipe has sat in my spice drawer for months and every night when I cook, I glance down at the chicken scratch list of ingredients.  Somehow, I have refrained from making this decadent dessert because I know that when those brownies come out of the oven, Davis and I will easily consume the entire pan in just a few of days.  What makes it even harder to resist is that the ingredients for the brownies are so short and simple – I always have them on hand.

Well, it is Valentine’s Day and I am giving in to my craving.

Make these brownies your own and top them with butterscotch chips or white chocolate just before baking or serve them warm with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.  Look for a good quality cocoa powder such as Droste Cocoa and my all-time favorite vanilla extract - Nielsen-Massy Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract (avoid imitation vanilla).

Recipe:

Peter’s Decadent Brownies

On the Friday after Thanksgiving, Rusty arrived at the farm with a trailer load of sugar cane from Pelham, Georgia.  Over the years, my dad has collected all the tools and equipment necessary to make old fashioned cane syrup.  He has a cane press which squeezes the juice out of the sugar cane and a large cast iron syrup kettle that is built over a brick fireplace of sorts.  Making syrup is an all day event and takes lots of friends, good food, hard work, and really good scotch to get through the day and into the evening.

Rusty, my dad, and Mr. Edward, started early Friday morning and all the sugar cane was pressed by lunch time.  The rest of us just watched and pitched in whenever we were needed, but for the most part we just hung out and exchanged stories. Exhausted from chasing cows, the boykin spaniels  bedded down in the pressed sugar cane scraps for an afternoon nap.  My sister-n-law, Leslie, who is an excellent cook, brought freshly ground buffalo meat from Ted Turner’s ranch.  She made some fine bison burgers, a nice change from all the turkey we had the day before.

After pressing the sugar cane, we started with about 80 gallons of pure cane juice.  Rusty poured it into the large cast iron syrup kettle that was set over a fire.  By reducing the cane juice for several hours, a rich, dark syrup is made.  Using mesh strainers with very long handles, the impurities are skimmed off the surface of the cane juice.  Once the syrup reaches 210°F it is poured through a strainer in order to achieve a silky smooth syrup. The strainer is usually nothing more than a cloth baby diaper stretched across a wooden frame and stapled around the edges.  After straining, the syrup is hand bottled, labeled, and ready to go.

Like honey, I use cane syrup as a natural sweetener in many dishes.  Of course it tastes best just drizzled over  homemade biscuits, but I do love to  use it in baked goods, salad dressings, and marinades.  The flavor is so rich, unique and delicious.

While at the farm, my mom makes a fresh batch of homemade biscuits every morning.  After a few hands on lessons from our mom, my  siblings and I have  mastered the technique.  They truly are heaven on a plate.

You can get a personal lesson from my mom by viewing the video link to the right.  Give them a try and once you get the hang of it – you will be able to make them with your eyes closed.  You must have a bottle of cane syrup on hand to enjoy them to the fullest and no, Aunt Jemima does not do the trick.  We don’t sell our small batch syrup, but you can buy a bottle or two (plus some really good sausage) online at Stripling’s which is just up the road from our farm.

Recipes:

• Homemade Biscuits
• Granola sweetened with cane syrup

Over Thanksgiving my husband and I took a quick trip down to Thomasville, Georgia which is just an hour from my parent’s farm.  You would never guess that in such a small, south Georgia town there could be an award winning goat cheese farm just off the main highway.  Jeremy and Jessica Little were kind enough to take some time of there busy schedule of filling holiday orders, milking goats, and overseeing the production of their amazing cheeses, to show Davis and me around the farm.

At Sweetgrass Dairy the day starts with milking the goats.  There are about 150 on the farm, but of course not all are producing milk at the same time.  The pure white goat’s milk is stored in large stainless steel vats and used within 48 hours of milking to ensure the freshest cheese.  Cow’s milk, which Jeremy and Jessica use to make some of their cheeses, is a creamier yellow color due to the butterfat content and comes straight from Jessica’s parent’s dairy just down the road.

Sweetgrass offers a variety of goat and cow’s milk cheeses and has even won 1st place at the American Cheese Society’s annual competition for their soft-ripened cheese, Green Hill.  Constantly experimenting with new flavors, Jeremy offered me and Davis and quick taste of some of their latest creations – which were amazing to say the least!

On our drive back to the farm, Davis and I stopped at the Sweetgrass Dairy Marketplace which is located just a mile or two towards town.  There you can taste a variety of the cheeses from Thomasville Tomme, a raw grass-based cow’s milk cheese with buttery characteristics to the Asher Blue Cheese, a combination of cow’s milk and goat’s milk with a rich blue cheese flavor I fell in love with.  The store offers many other items we found hard to resists such as the house made sausage and delicious cow’s milk yogurt that Jessica’s brother has begun producing.  They also have a great selection of wines for sale and each one has a cheese pairing recommendation.

So if you are in the south Georgia area I would recommend stopping at the Sweetgrass Dairy Market, but if you are not then you can easily purchase their cheeses on the website or swing by your local Whole Foods Market to see what selection of fine Sweetgrass Cheeses they have to offer.  The next time you order cheese at a restaurant, even if you are at the famous Per Se in New York, there is a good chance you are probably enjoying a little Sweetgrass Dairy treat.

With New Year’s Eve just around the corner, I highly recommend trying Stuffed dates with Sweetgrass’ Asher Blue Cheese for an easy appetizer.  Their fresh goat cheese is also a delicious substitute if you can’t get your hands on the Asher Blue.

Recipes:

• Blue Cheese Stuffed Dates
• Butternut Squash Salad with Honey Goat Cheese Dressing
• Lemon Goat Cheese Pasta

Sweetgrass Dairy Marketplace

For store and restaurant locations click here

There are so many things I would like to share with all of you this month – including some of my favorite southern, foodie gifts for the holidays.  One of which is made right here in Athens, Georgia.  Rebecca Wood, a local artist, handcrafts beautiful ceramics for serving, baking, and setting your holiday table.  She starts with southern red clay and transforms it into a serving bowls, scalloped edge plates, and other unique shapes.  Once the clay is dried in a 2000°F kiln, the glazing and painting begins.  Rebecca’s colors and patterns are all inspired by nature and in each piece you will find a reflection of the south from dogwoods to hydrangeas.   If you are from Athens, then you are all too familiar with her gorgeous pieces, but if you are not – then you just have to visit her website www.rwoodstudio.com.  Rebecca’s pieces are not only perfect for your holiday dishes, but make a special Christmas gift with southern roots.

Anytime I go home for the holidays, my mom greets us with delicious appetizers and a nice glass of wine.  This year she made a Parmesan Artichoke Dip that was creamy and flavorful, but a little lighter than the traditional dip.  Of course I came right back to Athens and whipped up my own batch for some guests.  I baked it in one of Rebecca’s casserole dishes which, as always, got more attention that the food!

Meet Rebecca Wood and see how her pottery is made by clicking on the video link at the top right.

Recipe:

• Creamy Parmesan Artichoke Dip

For most people, especially my husband, brussel sprouts are not top on the list of vegetables, but by thinly slicing them you can create ribbons that make a beautiful dish and may even fool some of your guests.  Seasoned with lemon juice, walnuts, and Pecorino cheese, they are delicious!

Whether you are serving Thanksgiving dinner or just a simple fall supper, Wild Rice and Sweet Potato Salad is full of flavor with a maple orange dressing and dried figs.  I love chopping up leftover turkey and tossing it in the mix for a quick lunch.  And while we will never do without our traditional cornbread dressing, the Sausage and Artichoke Stuffing will be a little something different to add to our table.

My husband and I will be heading to south Georgia and our new son will experience his first quail hunt on my parent’s farm.  We are looking forward to helping my dad with his annual Cane Syrup making and on Wednesday we’re getting a personal tour of Sweetgrass Dairy, an award winning goat cheese farm right here in south Georgia.  So, next week I will be taking a break from blogging, but follow me on Twitter and Facebook for a sneak peak at the farm, goat cheese and more.  I am sure I will have some fun stories when I return and I can’t wait to introduce you to Bill, Kate, and Alice (two mules and the most humorous man you will ever meet!).

Recipes:

• Brussel Sprouts with Lemon and Pecorino
• Wild Rice and Sweet Potato Salad
• Sausage and Artichoke Stuffing
• Chocolate Pecan Pie
• Sour Cream Rolls

Their son, Sam Beall, began busing tables at Ruby Tuesdays at the age of 12 and later went on to study at the California Culinary Academy.  With his dream of turning Blackberry Farm back into a working farm, Sam took jobs throughout California at vineyards, creamerys, and the world famous French Laundry. Today, the 32 year old chef, works with a team of chefs and staff to create seasonal dishes using produce and fresh cheeses all grow and made right on the farm.

As I flipped through the book, one recipe stood out among all the others.  Call me strange, but I love kale and most of all – buttermilk.  Growing up, if there was leftover cornbread in the frig I would be happier sitting down to a snack of cornbread soaked in buttermilk then I would warm brownies.  So the Kale Salad with Buttermilk Dressing was a must try for me.  Needless to say, I loved it and it may just become my new coleslaw!

As Thanksgiving approaches my tastes buds are ready for fall inspired dishes such as Sam’s Stewed Spiced Apples and the Dried Cherry and Cranberry Sauce.  If you want to know how to deep fry a turkey – this book is for you.  In addition to the seasonal recipes, the book is filled with beautiful photography  from Spring to Winter which also makes it the perfect book for the coffee table.

• Recipes:
• Kale Salad with Buttermilk Dressing
• Oven Roasted Kale
• Dried Cherry and Cranberry Sauce