 This summer, I've found myself with a lot more time to reflect. (A broken foot and a self quarantine in the midst of a global pandemic will do that a person.) I've been looking back on how much has happened since we kicked off 2020 in what was an usually chilly, Georgia January. There's been some big moments in my life in the last six and a half months. I took a once in a lifetime trip to Ireland with the love of my life.🇮🇪I spent weekend at the beach with some of my favorites. 🏖I was able to spend some quality time with my parents and my family at the lake. 🚤I learned how to celebrate holidays, birthdays and welcome new babies into our family in a whole new way while we practiced social distancing. 🍰I transformed my catering business into a mass production of cookie kits while we navigated a mandatory quarantine. And on top of all that, I broke and healed the fifth metatarsal in my right foot. 🦶🏻  Like everyone else, I've had my faire share of ups and downs in 2020. I certainly didn't expect to spent 8 weeks of the summer on weight restriction from a broken foot but just like being faced with a pandemic - I had to learn to adapt to the circumstances. I gathered up scraps of fabric and made face masks so we could go to the grocery store and I borrowed a knee scooter so I could transport a glass of water from the sink to the kitchen table. 😅🚰 Even though restaurants in Georgia have started to open up their dining rooms, we are still eating the majority of our meals at home. We've ventured out for drinks and the occasional pizza but other than that, we're still gathering around our own kitchen table every night. I'm not complaining because I really do love to cook and I've discovered some great new recipes. This grilled chicken was a really delicious. It was WAY better than any grilled chicken that I've been served at a restaurant. 😉  Grilled Chicken with Soy Sauce Tare Tare 1 cup mirin 1 inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced thin 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed 6 dried shitake mushrooms 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup soy sauce Chicken 3 pounds split chicken breasts 1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges 4 scallions, thinly sliced
 Transfer chicken to a plate and squeeze 2 lemon wedges over it. Top with scallions and drizzle with 3 T. reserved tare. Let chicken rest 10 minutes before serving.
Just a side note - do NOT throw away those delicious shitake mushrooms from the tare. They are DELICIOUS! Chop them up and put them in some soup or toss them on a salad - just don't let them go to waste. Ciao!
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 Lake Life. I could get used to it. Fishing, boating, tubing, kayaking, swimming and skiing. 🚤 Summers on Lake Erie are special. The water activities are amazing but then there's the flying, the beach fires, the brewery visits, bike rides, trips to the ice cream store and my mom's gourmet meals too. 🍦Needless to say, we come come from the lake exhausted and with slightly bigger waistlines every year. 😅#worthit
Easily one of the best weeks of the year. Not so much because of all the fun activities but because of the people that we get to share that week with. I think I appreciated the time that we got to spend with them even more this year because we'd been in quarantine.  Our sweet Valdosta kids brought a big bag of fresh Georgia peaches to the lake this year.🍑 There's nothing like a peach that's so fresh and sweet that it just explodes with juices that run down your arm with the very first bite. I'm not normally a fan of messy food - but fresh from the orchard peaches are the exception. 😉 I bought some Georgia peaches at the farmers market when we got home from our trip and they were good but not nearly as freshly picked peaches we had at the lake. (Everything tastes better at the lake.) Even though I was a little disappointed in my fruit purchase, I didn't want them to go to waste so I decided to make some Peach Blueberry Pies. 🥧 Turns out, all my ho hum peaches needed was a flaky, buttery crust and a little bit of sugar. 😂  Peach Blueberry Pie All-Butter Double-Crust Pie Dough 1/3 cup ice water 3 tablespoons sour cream 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into little cubes, chilled Filling 4 peaches, peeled and sliced 1 cup blueberries 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest a pinch of salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom 3 tablespoon all purpose flour 1 tablespoon cornstarch Egg Wash 1 egg yolk 1 tablespoon heavy cream
 let it sit in room temperature for 30 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.
In case you're wondering why there's more than one pie pictured here, it's because I made 2 peach blueberry pies. One mini and one giant. We added a scoop of vanilla ice cream to the mini pie and shared it while it was still warm. 😋 I wrapped and froze the bigger pie before I baked it. I defrosted and baked it a few days later and it was a little juicier than the mini pie but I'm not convinced that that had anything to do with the fact that I froze it. 🥧
Ciao!  I did a little research into the origins of Hot Chicken and I what I discovered was quite interesting. Nashville’s now-famous hot chicken dates back to the 1930s. According to local legend, an anguished woman was seeking revenge on her significant other for his wandering eye so she doused his chicken with cayenne pepper, hoping it would cause him to feel some of the pain and distress that she was experiencing. 🍗 Her plan backfired, it turned out, he loved the chicken so much that he decided to open a restaurant that featured that same fried chicken covered in sweet and spicy sauce. Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack still stands today in downtown Nashville and is currently helmed by the original owner’s great-niece, André Prince Jeffries. 😂 I don't know this wife's name and I certainly don't agree with her strategy but I can relate to her use of food as a form of passive aggressive revenge. One time I served chili to my unsuspecting husband for 4 days in a row as an expression of my displeasure about a situation. 😅Cruel and unusual punishment by my standard but what I didn't count on was the fact that he just really loves chili and was happy to eat it day after day. (after day) 🙄 Admittedly, the use of repetitive meals as a way to take umbrage against a situation was not my best decision but I can't even imagine a level of aggravation that would drive someone to spice their significant other's food with the intention of causing intestinal distress. It sounds more like a movie plot than real life. I don't know if the legend about Nashville Hot Chicken is real but it certainly makes for a good story.  Traditionally, Nashville Hot Chicken is served with sliced white bread and pickles - Chick Fil A style. I've never had true Nashville Hot Chicken but based on everything that I've heard about it - I'm sure I would love it. I'm a fan of spicy as long as I'm informed ahead of time about what to expect. Nashville Hot Chicken is a bucket list food but in the meantime, I decided to make my own version at home. Since I've never tasted the original, my homemade hot chicken is bound to be the best I've ever had. 😂 I opted for a less traditional Hot Chicken recipe. One that uses baked instead of fried chicken and the addition of honey to balance out the spiciness of the sauce. I'm not sure that Nashville Hot Chicken purists would approve of my version but it's got my stamp of approval.  Hot Honey Chicken 1/4 cup honey 1/4 cup Frank's Red Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon cumin 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 Tablespoon canola oil 2 Tablespoons butter 2 teaspoons lime juice 3 scallions, sliced thin
 Sprinkle with scallions and serve.
I recommend a nicely chilled glass of Chardonnay with this chicken. I'm fairly certain that you won't find wine at Prince's Hot Chicken Shack but it was a nice addition to this meal. If you're a beer drinker - by all means - open up a nice hoppy brew. Either way - enjoy! Ciao!  Is there any more perfect food than macaroni and cheese? Hot, gooey, melted cheese blended in perfect harmony with your favorite pasta. If I had to describe macaroni and cheese, I would use words like consoling, warming, comforting, invigorating, restorative and heart-warming. (Also words that I've used to describe my husband, by the way.) 😳😬😂 A big dish of baked macaroni and cheese acted as a beautiful main dish for a lot of busy nights when my kids were little. It's a Davis family favorite for sure. It's also a great side dish for almost any main course. I can't even think of a chicken, beef or fish dinner that I wouldn't want to serve alongside a heaping helping of creamy macaroni and cheese.  There are a lot of different ways to make a great macaroni and cheese. You can make it on the stovetop, in the oven, in a crock pot or even with an instapot. I've seen recipes for macaroni and cheese with pumpkin, chorizo, cauliflower, lobster, eggs, bacon and pear. As if that didn't offer enough mac and cheese possibilities, there are endless cheese choices to make when it comes to creating a unique macaroni and cheese. Are you a blue cheese, gruyere, cheddar or a spicy jalapeno cheese fan? Macaroni and cheese dishes are as unique as each and every family who eats it. As for my family - we love super cheesy and creamy, oven baked macaroni and cheese. I like to combine a couple of different cheeses to create more depth of flavor and a dash or two of hot sauce is my favorite way to "kick it up." 🤫  Macaroni and Cheese Casserole 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 1 cup shredded American cheese 4 teaspoons cornstarch 2 cups elbow macaroni 1 cup heavy cream 2 cups water 2 eggs 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 2 teaspoons hot sauce 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper
 Put pan under broiler until top is browned. Serve.
Disclaimer: You can't make this recipe just once. When you make this macaroni and cheese for you family - they WILL love it and you WILL have to make it over and over again. Macaroni and cheese is the ultimate comfort food and everyone has their own favorite version. This one is mine. Enjoy!
Ciao!  There's a theme to our dinner menu this week and that theme is based on a spongy, purple and delicious vegetable. EGGPLANT!!! 🍆(Yes, I know that it's a fruit, but I feel better about eating ridiculous amounts of it when I label it a vegetable.) 😂 Our eggplant based menu happened by accident really. It all started when I spotted a basket of the absolute cutest mini eggplant at the farmers market that I couldn't resist. Needless to say, they came home with me. Then I found a giant eggplant at the grocery store that had my name all over it soooo... they found their way into my shopping cart too.
It's Eggplantpalooza Week! I'm making eggplant parmigiana pizza, eggplant pecorino, eggplant meatballs and Pasta alla Norma. Pasta Norma is the kiss of Sicilian summer. It’s a composition that sings of seasonality, when tomatoes and eggplant are at their peak and my garden is overrun with fresh basil. I have a borderline unhealthy obsession with this delicious pasta dish flavored with eggplant. I used to order it on a regular basis at a local Italian restaurant that we visited frequently. Their pasta Norma was beyond delicious. Rich tomato sauce loaded with golden eggplant blanketing perfectly cooked tubes of pasta and topped with a pile of freshly grated Italian cheese. I was devastated on the day that I found out that the establishment that made the Pasta Norma that I adored so much, was closing. 😢 With all this beautiful eggplant in the house, there was really no excuse for me not to make my own version of Pasta Norma this week. After all, there's really nothing bad that can happen when you combine fresh eggplant, tomato sauce and cheese.  Pasta Alla Norma 5-6 mini eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes Kosher salt 3 Tablespoons olive oil 3 garlic cloves, mined 2 anchovy fillets, minced ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes 1 pound penne 6 tablespoons chopped fresh basil 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3 ounces parmesan cheese
 Sprinkle with parmesan before serving.  What other eggplant recipes do you have that I need to know about? Send me your recipes. I like everything from warm eggplant dips to grilled eggplant in my salad. If you've got a great recipe that you want to share - I'd love to see it.
Ciao! |
