Sugar & Spice by Celeste

*** I was so excited when I opened the July/August 2008 issue of Cooks Illustrated magazine. I saw this recipe and knew that I had to try it...especially with all of the fresh summer produce that's available. I got to visit the Trussville Farmers Market recently, where I bought some beautiful veggies...yellow squash, red tomatoes, green tomatoes, and heirloom tomatoes. So, this was the perfect time to make this gratin. If you're ever in the area, you should definitely stop by Andy Kemp's booth. He's with A & P Farms out of Gallant, AL and Starkville, MS. He had a wonderful assortment of fresh produce...at great prices! He even let me sample an heirloom tomato...I had never had one! The Trussville Farmers Market is open from 2 - 6 on Tuesdays (across the street from the Trussville Antique Mall). The mixture of squash, zucchini, and tomatoes in this dish is delicious...and very healthy. You'll REALLY enjoy this one! I'll certainly be making it again.*** I...

***I can't believe I haven't made a single post since July 20th...I apologize! Things have been extremely busy at work. So busy, that I only had time to actually cook dinner one night last week...I know, that's pretty bad, huh? Our dinners consisted of fast food and restaurants. I spent every evening working on a ginormous project for work. I finished it today...but now I get to start on another one! But, I've got some great recipes coming up, so please don't stop reading! After next Tuesday (the due date), I should be finished with these big projects (at least for a little while). After such a busy week, I think it's only suitable that I post one of my favorite drinks...quite the stress-reducer...lol. The "Bahama Mama" has always been a favorite of mine. It reminds me of sitting on the beach in the Bahamas, watching the sunset....Ahhh, to be there right now! Here it is...there are tons of different ways to make these. This recipe is one of the simples...

***This cobbler is one of the best I've ever had...thanks to a secret ingredient that I discovered while making the Danish Pastry Braid . Okay, okay...I'll tell you what it is...cardamom. Now, it isn't the cheapest thing on the spice aisle (although it still isn't THAT expensive, don't worry!), but it's worth every penny in my opinion. You've got to give it a try if you've never used it before. It does have somewhat of a strong flavor, so use it sparingly the first time around. It goes perfectly in baked, fruit desserts...among many other things. Last week, I happened to have some fresh Clanton peaches and a pint of beautiful blueberries. I got to thinking that a peach and blueberry cobbler would be perfect. I found THIS recipe over at Not Quite June Cleaver ...absolutely delish!*** Ingredients: 1 stick butter, halved 1 cup self-rising flour 1 cup sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 1 tsp. cardamom 1 cup milk 4 ripe peaches, sliced 1 pint blueberries Directions: Prehe...

***Here's a second yummy recipe from the Everday Food: Great Food Fast Martha Stewart cookbook. It was quick and easy to make, and the cream sauce was just right.*** Ingredients: 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 ounces each) 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup dry white wine, or chicken broth 1/2 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon dried tarragon (or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh) Directions: Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; saute until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes, turning once. Transfer to a plate; keep warm. Pour wine into hot skillet; cook, stirring, until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Whisk in cream, mustard, and tarragon. Cook, whisking, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Pour any accumulated chicken juices into sauce. Right before serving, drizzle cream sauce over chicken. Source: Everyday Food: Great Food Fast by Martha Stewart Liv...

***Wow...this was good! I recently got the Everyday Food: Great Food Fast cookbook by Martha Stewart Living magazine . I have to say that I really love this cookbook. When it comes to cookbooks, I am a photo kind of girl. I like a lot of pretty, color photographs to go along with the recipes. This book doesn't disappoint. There's a beautiful photo for every single recipe...and there's 250 recipes! They are arranged in the book by season, which is really nice. And to top it all off, all the recipes are pretty simple and most of them can be prepared in about 30 minutes. It has quickly become one of my favorite cookbooks. This recipe caught my eye. It seemed like an interesting combination...chicken and cranberries. I couldn't find fresh cranberries, so I had to use dried cranberries from a bag. However, they worked good too! This dish was a little sweet and savory all in one. It went especially well with the mashed sweet potatoes posted below...like I said in that post,...

***I must have been in a holiday sort of mood the other night, because I made sweet potato puree and chicken with a cranberry sauce....it almost felt like Thanksgiving...hah. Anyway, this is one of my favorite ways to prepare sweet potatoes. I found THIS recipe over at 101 Cookbooks , and used it as inspiration...I did change it up a little bit. And did you know that the sweet potato ranks #1 in nutrition?? I found the following info @ http://www.foodreference.com/ : "The reasons the sweet potato took first place? Dietary fiber, naturally occurring sugars, complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. The sweet potato received a score of 184; the vegetable ranked in second place was more than 100 points behind with a score of 83. The numbers for the nutritional sweet potato speak for themselves: almost twice the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A, 42 percent of the recommendation for vitamin C, four times the RDA for beta carotene, and, when eaten with...

***This is an incredibly easy dinner idea. I found this in the new "Southern Living" Homestyle Cookbook . The prep was quick and the results were very good!*** Ingredients: 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 2 tablespoons milk 5 cups cornflake cereal, crushed (about 2 cups crushed) 6 boneless pork chops (about 3/4-inch thick) 2 teaspoons lemon pepper 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 large lemon, halved Garnish: halved lemon slices Directions: 1. Stir together eggs and milk in a shallow dish. Place cornflake crumbs in a separate shallow dish. Sprinkle pork evenly with lemon pepper, salt, and garlic powder. Dip pork chops in egg mixture, and dredge in cornflake crumbs. Place chops on a lightly greased rack on a baking sheet. 2. Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes or until done. Squeeze lemon juice evenly over chops, and garnish, if desired. Source: "Southern Living" Homestyle Cookbook

***I recently got a great cookbook called " Southern Living Homestyle Cookbook." I highly recommend it...it's wonderful. One of the first recipes that I've tried in the book is this broiled mahi mahi dish. I was very pleased with the results. As I've mentioned before, Brad and I love Greek-style food, and this is certainly in that category. It's packed with flavor...from the tomato/onion mixture on bottom, to the tender fish and cheese sprinkled on top...you'll definitely enjoy this one!*** Ingredients: 2 medium onions, sliced 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 1/4 cup white wine 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided 1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided 6 (6- to 8-ounce) mahi-mahi fillets 1 (4-ounce) package crumbled feta cheese Garnish: lemon slices Directions: Sauté sliced onions in hot olive oil over medium-high heat 8 minutes or until tender. Add chopped tomatoes, ...

RED, WHITE, and BLUEberry cupcakes! Brad and I had a fantastic day yesterday, celebrating the Fourth of July. We got to explore a place called "Old Cahaba" in Selma, AL. I've included some info HERE . The first state capital of Alabama was established at "Old Cahawba" in 1820. Today, only ruins remain, but you can't help but imagine what took place there as you walk through the historic old town. One of the neatest things is that the Cahaba River and Alabama River flow into each other right next to Old Cahaba. My favorite thing was walking under the huge, beautiful mossy trees. They are massive in size, and look so beautiful with the breeze flowing through their branches. Here's a photo that Brad took in Selma during one of our visits... Now, on to the cupcakes! I had a batch of the red velvet cupcakes from Sprinkles Bakery in my pantry. Sprinkles is a famous bakery out in California, and I adore their mixes...you can find them at Williams-Sonoma. I got...

***A few months ago, I had lunch at this wonderful little cafe in Huntsville, AL. I can't remember the name of it, though. I ordered their "Chicken Georgia." I thought the combination of peaches with chicken sounded different, but really good. They served a chicken breast smothered with a delicious mixture of peaches and pecans. After Googling "Chicken Georgia" I just couldn't find anything that was like what I had in Huntsville. Paula Deen has a Chicken Georgia recipe on The Food Network's site, but it had mushrooms and just wasn't what I was looking for. The following recipe comes very close! You would think that the peaches and pecans would make this dish too sweet, but the basil and garlic really keeps it on the savory side. Enjoy!*** ***Also, I am so excited to enter this recipe into Joelen's Fruit Frenzy blogging event! Be sure to check out her awesome site at: Joelen's Culinary Adventures .*** Ingredients: 1 Tbsp EVOO 1 teaspoon salt...