Real Women of Philadelphia Contest Hosted By Paula Deen

Last night I had the pleasure of going to the Lucas Theater to watch Paula Deen announce the winners of the Real Women of Philadelphia Contest. This contest, sponsored by Kraft, was an on-line competition hosted by Paula Deen looking for women across the country to submit their recipes, all using Philadelphia Cream Cheese. There were four groups of women last night in which Paula was announcing the winner from each group. Each winner was chosen by Ms. Deen along with an expert panel that consisted of the infamous Aunt Peggy, Robin Ross (Group Manager at Kraft's Culinary Center of Excellence), and Lori Lange (RecipeGirl.com).

The evening began with a very amusing introduction by Paula Deen talking about how she got her big break thanks to having self published a cookbook and the help of a good rain storm. I have to say, she came across as so warm and likable with a wicked sense of humor. The audience was in fits of laughter at her self-effacing and witty humor.

During the introduction, I spotted none other than Paula's Michael in the middle balcony. If you look hard you can see his trademark beard. It was so cute seeing him sitting in a prime location looking on at his beloved Paula.

The first round brought us the four finalists in the Side Dish category.

The winning dish was Mandy Heaston of Seattle with her recipe for Asparagus and Parmesan Cream Pastry.

Next up were the four Appetizer finalists.

The winner of this category was Caryn Ross of Oklahoma City with her Sassy Tailgate Sandwiches. These cute little ham & cheese sandwiches looked like a fun staple perfect for not only tailgate parties but picnics too.

At one point of the evening, much to Paula's surprised, she was joined on stage by a group of the "Real Women of Philadelphia" for an energetic performance that she jumped right into join in. Let me tell you, she might catch a lot of flak about eating a ton of butter but that lady can shake her money maker with the best of them - and did!

Round three brought us the four finalist in the Entree category.

Sheila Cutchlow of Washington, D.C. was the winner of the Entree category with her Joy Bundles and Rice. Upon being presented with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers, she was greeted on stage by her beautiful daughter. It was so moving to witness their genuine joy at winning along with their strong bond. I have to say this left me a little choked up.

Last but not least were the four Dessert finalists with their sublime submissions.
Winning with her recipe for French Apple Cake, KC Quaretti Lee of Venice, Florida took the cake in the dessert category. Being a Sarasota girl with family in Venice, I was secretly pleased to see KC take the title.

All in all it was an amazing night. The recipes looked superb and I'm sure it was a very tough deciding on a winner from each category from so many fantastic dishes. Each of the winners receives the opportunity to create a cookbook with Paula Deen along with $25,000 cash. Not bad, eh? The projected didn't end last night either. Starting in July, we can submit our recipes to be included in this cookbook! Keep an eye on this page or Paula on Facebook for upcoming information on how to submit.

I've Moved! From the Suncoast to the Hostess City of the South

Hello friends, it's been a while. The past several months have been a whirlwind. So many things have been going on; some great, some not so good. The biggest thing was a welcomed relocation to my favorite area of the country. Yes my friends, I moved 400 miles north-east to live the South! Left behind is my beautiful hometown of Sarasota for the lovely historic city of Savannah, her islands, gorgeous salt marshes, and the Lowcountry. This change has also brought on a renewed desire to pick up where I left off with Artichokes and Lemonade. Yes, there will still be recipes to come, but please stick with me as I share some new discoveries in my freshly adopted home town. I hope you enjoy what you see and keep me company as I explore and get acquainted with this gorgeous area of the US. The food of this region completely inspires me, so I'm sure there will be no shortage of good things to post.

Fancy a Cuppa Up Top of Java Dawg's Double Decker Coffee Shop Bus?

Several weeks ago the most popular coffee vendor at the Sarasota Farmers Market turned up in a 1978 English Double Decker Bus! Java Dawg's Double Decker Coffee Shop Bus is a great place to grab your morning Cup of Joe while enjoying a bird's eye view of the market. It is a very welcomed addition to my favorite market.

Lavender Sage

A few weeks after finding Lavender Mint at the Farmers' Market, I found Lavender Sage!!! The taste is a bit stronger than traditional sage, and it really does smell of a lovely combination of lavender and sage. Every week I so look forward to what exciting things await to be discovered at My Mother's Garden. What could it be next week: Lavender Thyme???

Morton's Market Has True French Macarons!!!

This was a very excited discovery for me. Ever since my first taste last October in France, I have been obsessively searching for macarons. Imported from France, these were slightly stale, but are more than adequate to fill my craving until I can next return to France. Morton's charge $1 per macaron, which isn't bad considering I was paying €1 each in France. The lemon has been the best, least stale flavor of the ones I've tried so far. Fingers crossed that they keep them in stock, or better yet, start making their own!

Downtown Sarasota Farmers' Market

Every Saturday morning, you'll find me starting my weekend at the Farmers' Market at Main St. and Lemon Ave. This is the time I look forward to the most during the week. Stocking up on my week's produce, having (in my opinion) the best cup of coffee downtown at C'est la Vie, and being surrounded by happy people with their dogs puts a smile on my face. Here are a few images of my favorite market this year. If you are ever in the area, this Saturday market is a must!

A Moment of Zen on Your Breakfast Plate: Buddha Belly Doughnuts

There is a new breakfast contender on Main Street: Buddha Belly Doughnuts. Located across the street from the Hollywood 20 cinema, Buddha Belly serves breakfast and lunch. The coffee is good and the Bavarian cream doughnut, even better.

Supporting Local and Independent Businesses is good karma.

Places I Eat: The Columbia Restaurant ~ St. Armands Circle, Lido Key

Opening in 1959 on St. Armand's Circle, the Columbia Restaurant has been serving Sarasota the best Spanish/Cuban cuisine in a cosmopolitan Mediterranean setting in Lido Key. If you were coming to Sarasota for a few days, the Columbia Restaurant is a must!

Our favorite tipple to start with is always a pitcher of their Sangria de Cava. Cava, Spain's version of Champagne, makes a lighter more sophisticated version of the well loved Spanish drink.

You can order from their extensive Tapas or Entree menus, but I seem to stick to my favorite in the summertime: If eating inside, I always start with a cup of their Spanish Bean Soup. This soup has a ham/chicken broth base and is loaded with Garbanzo beans, diced potatoes, ham, and Chorizo sausage.Inside our out, I always have their signature "1905 Salad". This is an absolute must as a starter if ordering an entree, or a refreshing, very satisfying main dish salad. On a hot day, there is nothing better than to sit out on their patio and watch the world go by. While the Columbia are very generous to post some of their recipes on their website and have a cookbook (James - hint, hint) - nothing can duplicate the experience of actually dining at one of the Columbia's seven restaurants.

Bodegas Berberana Rioja Viña Alarde Reserva ~ A Great Summer Red

Once the temperatures start soaring, I tend to put away red wine until Fall. The scorching Florida heat paired with extremely high levels of humidity completely put me off red and instead I search for chilled, fruitier, lighter wines. That was until I discovered Bodegas Berberana Rioja Viña Alarde Reserva (2006). Tempranillo isn't a grape that I often tried, but this bottle will definitely have me exploring other labels. Florida obviously has a strong Spanish/Latin history, and Sarasota certainly has no shortage of that flavor. I suppose it is only natural that a Spanish wine would suit our summer climes.

The predominant flavors were black cherry and plum, but had subtle notes of tobacco, which made it the perfect pairing for our evening...

We had half a Cuban cigar from a recent trip to Ybor City, so decided to finish is off on the lanai with an Uno marathon. The Latin Jazz and Salsa program on WMNF provided the perfect soundtrack for the evening.

Spring Certainly Smells (and Looks) Sweet

This time of year is absolute heaven. Not too hot, the humidity isn't too heavy, and the sunsets are stunning. Angel Trumpets, Variegated Ginger, Jasmine, Dogwood, Gardenia, and Magnolias are in bloom, once the sun sets, the scents are the strongest - giving us more of an excuse to go for an evening stroll.

Yet Another Sarasota Icon Has Disappeared

For as long as I remember, we've always had a camera shop on Main Street. This shop has seen me through High School classes and various stages of photography. Now there is a a prominent spot on the corner of Main Street that is empty. The front of the shop is missing the familiar sign, but its iconic name, for the time being, still graces the alley way. Some times it is hard to embrace change.

Boniato, or Cuban Sweet Potato

In my weekly quest to try something new from the Farmers' Market, I stumbled upon something I have never tried before: Boniato - or Cuban sweet potato. This is a white fleshed sweet potato. A fellow shopper had mentioned that these were quite rare and we were lucky to have found them, but upon some further research, they apparently grow year round in Florida. The week after I purchased them a colleague of my mom's had brought some in to work from her garden. They must be a next "up and coming" product on the local market.The flesh was not quite a moist as a regular sweet potato, and maybe a bit fluffier once cooked. It wasn't as sweet as a regular sweet potato, but I really liked the light flavor. I cooked them the same as you would cook a regular sweet potato. Once cooked, I mashed with a fork, drizzled with olive oil, then sprinkled with sea salt and basil.

One thing I did discover is that they start to discolor once peeled, so it is best to put into water right away.

James wasn't really impressed, but I look forward to having them again.

Happy Easter

Hope you are having a lovely day enjoying the beauty of Spring. We had our first Easter feast yesterday, and are preparing for our second today. The sun is shining, the flowers are in bloom, the butterflies are fluttering, and it truly is beautiful day.

Kohlrabi Rémoulade

My challenge to myself every week at the Farmers' Market is to buy a vegetable that I've either never tried or have never used before. These gorgeous kohlrabies caught my eye a few weeks ago and I just had to have them. Now, this was not my first time eating kohlrabi, but I hadn't had them since I was in about the 12th grade, so it was still new enough. While kohlrabi translates to "cabbage turnip" and is related to the cabbage, it actually tastes more like broccoli. There are different varieties ranging from green to purple.I did a search on-line and found many lovely recipes, but as it is getting hot in Florida, I wanted to come up with something cooling, so made Kohlrabi Rémoulade. Not only was it reminiscent to my trip to France a few months back, it also similar to the Celerica Rémoulade I've been making like crazy since they've been in season.

This recipe easy to make, had such a lovely flavor and was very refreshing. I hope you enjoy...

* 2 medium Kohlrabies
* 6 oz mayonnaise - Dukes or freshly made
* 6 oz Greek Yogurt
* 2 tsp Dijon mustard
* 1 good pinch of Herbes de Provence
* celery salt

~ Combine the mayonnaise, Greek Yogurt, mustard, herbes de Provence, and celery salt (to taste).

~ Peel the kohlrabi. I find it useful to cut into wedges before cleaning. You can use a potato peeler, but as there is a fibrous layer beneath the purple skin that needs to be removed, I used a knife and was able to cut them both off in one go.

~ Next - grate the kohlrabi. A large standing cheese grater works nicely. The bits that were too small to grate didn't go to waste as I just cut them into fine strips, which added a nice texture to the shredded kohlrabi.
~ There is a ton of water in the kohlrabi, so as I was shredding I would squeeze out the water and had a towel in the bowl to absorb the access liquid. You could also line a colander with a towel and allow the water to drain. It is very important to drain as much of the water as possible so that your dish is not too soggy. It seemed like such a waste of nutrients, so I used the kohlrabi water on my herb through.

~ Once completed, mix the kohlrabi and sauce in a bowl. If you find it a little too dry (depending on the size of your kohlrabi) - mix in another tablespoon or so of mayonnaise. Refrigerate over night - it will taste so much better the next day once the flavors have time to meld and penetrate the kohlrabi.
We were both completely impressed with the outcome: it was such a cool, refreshing, easy to make dish that will definitely become a staple in our Florida home. This was James' first exposure to kohlrabi, and he was really impressed.

From a nutritional standpoint, the kohlrabi is high in fiber, magnesium, potassium, thiamin, vitamin B6, and is very high in vitamin C. It is also naturally low in fat, sodium, cholesterol, and calories.

Sarasota Polo Club at Lakewood Ranch

The past few weeks have been a complete blur... from the Murder Mystery Night, to the Highland Games, to various work projects that have kept me busy to our car shopping, I've not had very much time to post let alone to sit back and breath. This all changed on Sunday when I took some time out to catch a Polo match with my friend Terri, leaving the guys behind for a girlie day out.

The Sarasota Polo Club at Lakewood Ranch is located at the east end of University Parkway and has been around since 1991. Open to the public every Sunday, for $10 per person you can enjoy the most refined tailgating experience in the area. People in my town take their Polo tailgating very seriously. There are themed menus and contests, we're not talking your average football fare. Terri and I opted for a vegetarian spread of Olives, Goat Cheese, Asian Red Cabbage Salad, Tabbouleh, and Pitas. This kept us going for the first 5 chukkers of action...

... during the sixth, and last chukker, we enjoyed some lovely chilled Pimm's. We weren't toasting victory as our team lost, but it was a very nice day indeed.

Sarasota's Highland Games and Celtic Festival ~ 2009

Saturday was the Scottish Heritage Society of Sarasota's Highland Games and Celtic Festival. The Sarasota British Club have had a stall the past three years where I have been serving complimentary samples of my favorite version of Pimm's Cup (recipe below).

Pimm's No.1 is a Gin based beverage that is the color of tea and has a citrus/spice flavor. It is a popular summer drink in England, famously served at Wimbledon and the Henley Regatta, giving it the reputation of being an upper class drink. Fortunately, you don't have to be in England or even a member of the upper class to enjoy Pimm's. In the US, Pimm's No. 1 can be found at most larger liquor stores. (In the SRQ area, I've found it at Norman's, ABC, the Bottle Shop on St. Armand's, and Coastal Liquors). Sprite or 7-up is traditionally used in the UK, however, I think it is much nicer with Ginger Ale. It is absolutely divine with Jamaican Ginger Beer.

It was an action packed day featuring various competitions...... including the infamous Tossing of the Caber...

... and there were three different Scottish bands parading around adding to the atmosphere. There were definitely more bag pipes than you could shake a bridie at! Mr. Jack R. from Ohio even gave us our own private performance including a lesson on how the bagpipe works. It was really fascinating to learn that melted bee's wax is used to coat the inside of the leather bag, stopping air from escaping and enabling it to fill with air for the bagpipe to play.

I'd be lying to say that the food wasn't one of my favorite things. James and I always look forward to sharing a portion of the Curry Chips. Other highlights are Fish & Chips, Deep-fried Mars Bars, Scotch Eggs, Sausage Rolls, Meat Pies, and a new discovery to us this year: Shepherds Pie in a little pastry dish.
Late in the afternoon I spotted this Bald Eagle sitting in a tree close by. It stayed there for ages. The sounds of the bagpipes and Celtic bands on the main stage must have been a welcomed change from the airplanes that are usually taking off from the airfield.

The event is wrapped up in the evening with a Ceilidh. I'm sure Emily from Thoughts and Biro Sketches would approve!

Here is my version of the summer time classic, Pimm's Cup:
* Mix together in large pitcher 1 part Pimm's No. 1 with 3 parts Ginger Ale.
* Add to each glass 1 slice of orange, 2 slices of strawberry, 1 slice of halved cucumber and 1 sprig of mint.
* Add a little ice to each glass and top up with Pimm's mixture.
* Enjoy, but be careful, consumption can cause "Creeping Paralysis". So pleasant to drink and seemingly so innocuous it catches up with you in the end! (that warning came from the father of Terry Sweeney who is the current Past President of the club and husband to Audrey, the eloquent hand model holding the Pimm's in the photo above)