Rusty Gold

Cinnamon. Nutmeg. Clove. All of the flavors that remind me of the Christmas season bottled with a hint of fizz. Some friends introduced us to Windy Hill's Rusty Gold hard apple cider. Its spicy, not-too-sweet taste is a perfect compliment savory dishes.

Not only is Rusty Gold delicious but Windy Hill grows their own apples and ferments their cider in nearby York, SC. The Windy Hill cider collection also features ginger, strawberry and peach-infused ciders. Sip one on its own or check out their cider mixology suggestions for a unique holiday drink. Cheers!

Weekend at Lake Rabun

I grew up going to the mountains in northeast Georgia. My grandfather built a cabin on Lake Burton when my dad and his brothers were young and the family has spent summer holidays there ever since. So the mountains seemed like a fitting place for everyone to get together for my parent's 40th wedding anniversary.

Since our place isn't winterized, we stayed on near-by Lake Rabun at the Lake Rabun Hotel for the weekend. The leaves were changing and the weather was simply perfect.

Rustic and homey, the hotel's cottage, where most of the family stayed, came complete with dried okra decorations and delicious peanut butter cookies in the afternoon.

 

The Hotel's award-winning chef, Jamie Allred, cooks up a mean breakfast each morning for guests using local ingredients. I'm still drooling over the creamy, stone-ground grits and the awesomely thick bacon.

Some of the featured farms Allred works with to create his delicious dishes include:
Chattooga Belle Farms
Flat Creek Farm & Dairy
Gibson Farms
Leah Lake Farms
Ladybug Farms
LoganBerry Heritage Farm
Osage Farms
Springer Mountain Farms

You can also find local mountain produce at the Simply Homegrown Market in Clayton during the warmer months. If you're ever near North Georgia, I highly recommend stopping by the Lake Rabun Hotel for a bite!

Chocolate Espresso Shortbread

Southerners love butter. It's just a fact. We pretend to be healthy but every southern cook knows, if you want something to taste good, you have to use the real thing. Some people swear they can't taste the difference between butter and so-called substitutes. Then again, some people can't tell Coke from Pepsi ;)

Shortbread requires real butter. And lots of it! It's my go-to cookie because it's so versatile. You can add just about any flavor or topping to this buttery, no-too-sweet dessert.

 

My go-to basic shortbread recipe is similar to Ina Garten's.  

What You'll Need:
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup Sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter
Pinch of salt
Dash of almond extract (Vanilla works too)

What to Do:
Use a stand mixer to form the dough, creaming the butter and sugar before adding the extract and flour. You can roll the dough out and cut it into fun shapes or you can spread it in a 8x8 pan. If you're cutting out shapes, you'll want to chill the dough first. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

The best part, though, is the topping. I melted dark chocolate and spread it over my cooled shortbread. I dusted the chocolate-coating with cinnamon and espresso powder and cut the shortbread into rectangles for easy snacking. You could also top them with chopped, toasted pecans or hazelnuts.

Be warned. These are highly addictive. You might need to double the recipe.

  

Ho Cakes Re-imagined

Fried cornmeal and buttermilk. What's not to love? In the south, we fry corn every way you can imagine. Well, almost. In an attempt to be a bit more sustainable, the boy and I have turned Meatless Monday into meatless Tuesday and Thursday. I'm constantly scouring my recipe books for new dishes that don't incorporate meat. I'm a huge fan of black beans, so I thought I'd combine them into a classic southern dish.

 














The result? Black bean and corn ho cakes. Here's the recipe:

What You'll Need:

2 cans black beans, drained

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 small (8.75 oz) can sweet corn, drained

2 tablespoons vegetable oil or bacon grease

1 large egg

1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)

Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and cumin, to taste

Oil for frying

What to Do:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Batter should roll slowly off your spoon. Add buttermilk if too thick. For each cake, drop 2 heaping tablespoons of batter into hot oil. Cook cakes over medium-high heat about 4 minutes per side or until brown and crispy. 

Try serving them over a bed of greens or rice and a dollop of sour cream. Eat up!

Garden & Gun's Made in the South Awards

If you don't subscribe to Garden and Gun magazine, I highly recommend it. It's thoughtful, eye-catching pages appreciate southern culture in a whole new way. Every year they honor southern artisans with their Made in the South Awards. As you might guess, I'm especially excited to see their food picks.

 

You can check out the food category winner, Nature's Harmony Farm, here. The runner's up are also pretty awesome. Honeysuckle gelato anyone?

 









  

(Photos from Garden and Gun)
 

Holiday Baking: Quick and Easy

This is totally cheating. I'm talking semi-homemade, from a box, didn't have to think about the recipe kind of cheating.  It's almost embarrassing to put this on a food blog. But these little babies are so good I had to share. 

 





















Here's the secret: Trader Joe's Deep, Dark Gingerbread Cake and Baking Mix. Make according to the box directions and add mini dark chocolate chips. Bake in a mini muffin tin and you have 24 adorable holiday treats in less than 30 minutes. 

Of course, you could always use your favorite gingerbread cake recipe but if you need a quick gingerbread fix, I highly recommend cheating. 

Limoncello

Sour. Tangy. Lip-puckering good. I have loved lemons and all things sour since I was a little kid. I used to suck on the lemons from my parent’s sweet tea (although my dentist now tells me this probably wasn’t good for my teeth!). 

Given my life-long lemon obsession, I’ve been dying to make my own Limoncello. For those of you not familiar, Limoncello is a traditional Italian spirit made by infusing grain alcohol with lemon zest and mixing it with simple syrup. I’m not italian, but ever since I tried Limoncello in Italy while in college, I can’t seem to get enough of the stuff. 

Fortunately, Limoncello is pretty easy to make, although it does take a while. Zest 10 lemons. Funnel zest into a clean bottle. Pour in 750 ml of vodka or Everclear. Steep at least a month at room temperature, shaking gently every day. Add simple syrup to taste (about 4 cups). Steep for at least two more weeks. Chill well before serving.

A few tips. Avoid zesting the pith (the white part). It's bitter and will make your Limoncello tatse funky. Speaking of zesting, pick firm lemons and use a good zester. Trust me. I now have hand cramps from my old dull one. Finally, use a spirit with high alcohol content. The higher the proof, the less alcohol and more lemon you'll taste.

Assuming this batch turns out well, I'm planning on decanting my Limoncello into smaller bottles for Christmas gifts. Check back in December to see how it tuns out!