In addition to being the unofficial kick-off to the beginning of summer, next weekend’s Memorial Day holiday marks the beginning of another very important time of year – Barbecue Season.

For many, myself included, Memorial Day acts as the opening bell for months of early Saturdays filled with slow roasting meat and hickory smoke, and smokers and Big Green Eggs across the city will get their official dust-off of 2013. Of course, at my house, The Egg is a year-round fixture, but this is the beginning of the high-season.

Me? I’m trying to justify to my wife that I need a special “big smoker” since she won’t let me build a permanent in-ground brick pit in the back yard. Because sometimes, especially if we are entertaining a large enough group, even a BGE won’t cut it. I mean, how else am I supposed to smoke another whole hog next weekend if she thinks the cinder-block pit I used last time was too much of an eye-sore? On a regular ole’ smoker?

Please…. I think I need one that I can …

Continue reading Countdown to barbecue season »

courtesy of West & Mill

It’s sneaking up on us. Mother’s Day is just around the corner. Have you made plans for mom? Here are a few suggestions to get you planning. We won’t tell her that you needed a little nudge!

Tea

Roswell Teahouse: Tea will include a choice of soup like the signature cold cherry soup, light sandwiches, blueberry scones with lemon curd and desserts including the apple strudel. Mom will also choose a bottomless pot of tea to accompany her delectables. Seatings at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. 108 Magnolia St., Roswell. 770-643-5813. $26 adults, $15 children under 11.

West & Mill: Tea time will include a three-tier tray of sandwiches, petit fours and scones. In addition to tea service, tea-based cocktails will also be featured on Mother’s Day. 2-5 p.m. 1000 Marietta Street, Atlanta. 678-974-8953.

Brunch

103 West: This Buckhead Life Restaurant will once again serve it’s annual mother’s day brunch buffet complete with piano entertainment. The buffet includes a …

Continue reading Make a plan for Mother’s Day at one of these spots »

Recipes from each of my grandmothers to be printed on towels

Mother’s Day shopping can be a challenge. We all know you can’t get mom a vacuum cleaner or anything that smacks of domestic chores, but here’s an item you can get: kitchen towels. Yes, we’re walking a fine line here, but trust me.

There’s a nostalgic component to these towels that negates any accompanying objectionable household expectations. No one would expect mom to actually use them. The towels are printed with your handwritten recipes. Or, in my case, my grandmothers’ handwritten recipes.

A quick Google search will provide you with a number of do-it-yourself methods for creating these on your own. And while I consider myself somewhat crafty, printing on linen and iron-on transfers sent me straight to Etsy where I found someone to print them for me.

You’ll be able to find a number of places that can create these custom towels, using a variety of methods. I prefer the ones printed directly on linen.

There’s still …

Continue reading Mother’s Day gift idea: recipe-printed kitchen towels »

Alon's

At Thanksgiving, they were cornmeal with a molasses buttercream and Christmas brought peppermint with dark chocolate ganache filling. Such has been my recent obsession with macarons (not to be confused with coconut macaroons).

Making macarons requires a little skill, practice and definitely patience. If that’s a challenge that doesn’t tempt, you can find macarons at several bakeries throughout the metro area.

Here’s the scoop on where to get these gluten-free goodies around town. They might make a nice alternative to chocolates for your Valentine this year.

Alon’s

Alon’s has one of the most extensive collections of macaron flavors ranging from the simple almond to a bluish-purple black currant. Well puffed, the macarons have the hallmark crisp crust and sticky interior. Fillings are generous and not overly sweet. Try the creamy-filled coconut macaron. You’re welcome. $1.99

Douceur de France

This bakery/cafe, with locations in Roswell and Marietta, serves two kinds of …

Continue reading Macaron obsession: where to get them in Atlanta »

Piece of Cake (Becky Stein)

About this time last year, I posted a list of Atlanta restaurants offering special menus for Valentine’s Day and suggested that reservations should be made soon. I mentioned that I’d tried to make a reservation at one spot that no longer had availability.

One of the commenters (“Steven”) wrote, “Shocked that a food blogger would suggest going out on Valentine’s day. One of the best days of the year to stay home and cook.”

While I do love to cook, I also love any excuse to go out. I admit I also have a hang-up about celebrating holidays on their actual date. I’ll be going out again on Feb. 14 this year. But that’s me. Do you go out on Valentine’s Day?

I surveyed a few individuals working in various capacities in the food industry to see how they celebrate Valentine’s Day. Here are their responses:

I take my wife out either a few days before or a few days after Valentines Day, to avoid the masses. You get better tables, and servers aren’t so slammed …

Continue reading Stay home or go out for Valentine’s Day? »

file photo

If you plan to commemorate Valentine’s Day with a special meal out, Atlanta restaurants stand ready to help you celebrate. Here are a few spots with special menus for the holiday.

Antebellum - Special menu of sweet corn soup, foie gras, filet mignon and dark chocolate truffles. 770-965-8100. $65 (add $20 for wine pairings).

Aria – Four-course menu by chef Gerry Klaskala offered on Valentine’s Day. 404-233-7673. $90.

Kyma – Five-course prix fixe menu with a wine pairing option. 404-262-0702. $72 (wine pairing adds $30).

Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails – Three-course menu with items like piquillo pepper crab bisque, pan-seared diver scallops and molten chocolate cake. 770-817-0161. $60.

No. 246 - Four course menu showcasing dishes including cauliflower custard, wood-roasted foie gras, and butter-poached Maine lobster. 678-399-8246. $55.

P’Cheen International Bistro & Pub - Three-course menu starting with an oyster aphrodisiac. Other courses include options like …

Continue reading Atlanta restaurants with special Valentine’s Day menus »

Bread memberships from H&F Bread Co.

Looking for a Valentine’s Day gift for your foodie? You’ve got three weeks. Let me share one of my all-time favorite gourmet gifts: cheese of the month club. It was a gift I experienced anew with each shipment and one I wouldn’t mind receiving again (*hint, hint, dear hubby*).

If you’re looking for a way to treat your Valentine, here are a few Atlanta-based food-of-the-month clubs to consider.

Pie

It may sound too good to be true, but it’s not. Pie Shop is now offering one-year subscriptions. Each month, a new flavor exclusive to subscribers will be announced. Members can choose to receive that pie or one of the current menu selections. Subscribers also receive a significant discount on their pie each month, paying $20 per pie instead of the $30-35 retail cost. Yearly subscriptions cost $240.

Bread/pastries

Get a monthly bread box subscription to H&F Bread Co. Each month, you’ll receive one of the bakery’s traditional selections along with …

Continue reading Gourmet Valentine’s Day gifts »

submitted by Amber Hancy

We’d like to thank those of you that shared photos of your gingerbread creations with us. Feast your eyes on our local gingerbread talent!

The photo above was submitted by Amber Hancy. What started as a house turned into a village, complete with a nativity scene and stained glass candy windows. She made a plan and took three weeks of evening work to complete the project. Everything is edible, including the snow.

Amber wrote,”This is what makes the holiday so special to me, and I hope that everyone will enjoy a little sweetness in their lives this holiday season.”

_____

The next house was made by Christine Chandler and her two six-year-old boys.

submitted by Christine Chandler

This edible treat comes from Scotty Lawson. He said it was “Madison’s first try.” Could have fooled me!

submitted by Scotty Lawson

A Cook and Her Books sent this photo our way. She said her sister-in-law brings a gingerbread house each Thanksgiving. They add more candy to the …

Continue reading Gingerbread on parade »

Have you been wondering where you are going to spend your first meal of 2013? If you can drag yourself out of bed, here are some great brunch spots to ring in the New Year.

Rosebud

From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Jan. 1, The Angry Chef, Ron Eyester, will serve up a spread of traditional New Year’s Day classics for brunch from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. The special brunch menu will include smoked pork loin, black-eyed peas, and collard greens, as well as the regular Rosebud brunch menu. 1397 North Highland Ave, Atlanta. 404-347-9747. $$

Del Frisco’s Grille

Buckhead’s newest casual steakhouse will be serving a New Year’s Day brunch featuring a special “Morning After” cocktail, made up of coconut vodka, coconut water, lemon sour, and a splash of sprite. They will serve their regular brunch menu as well. 3376 Peachtree Road, Atlanta. 404-537-2828. $$

For a movie and a meal, there’s CineBistro in Brookhaven. (Photo by Phil Skinner, pskinner@ajc.com)

CineBistro

If you feel like …

Continue reading New Year’s Day brunch specials »

A class set of gingerbread houses on the way to be decorated by five-year olds.

We know you’re out there baking and decorating gingerbread and we’d love to see your handiwork. Today’s the last day to submit your photos to our Facebook page. Just post them right on our wall.

Add a note to your post to give us a little information about your house and design. If you’re submitting a photo of your child’s gingerbread house, let us know your child’s name and age.

If you aren’t on Facebook but would still like to share a photo of your house, email your photo to Jenny.

Our dining team will choose our favorites and share them on the Food and More blog on Dec. 21. Anyone who submits a photo will be entered into a drawing for a prize.

On a similar note, has anyone been to see the entries in the Trailer Park Gingerbread contest at the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club? Photos from past years are interesting, to say the least.

–by Jenny Turknett

Continue reading Last call for gingerbread house photos »