Southern Boy Dishes

06/18/2013 07:55 AM

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No-Knead Bread with a Trio of Spreads

We entertain in our home fairly regularly and when I’m shopping and planning for a meal, appetizers are sometimes an afterthought. Thirty minutes before guests arrive I’m scrambling to find some before dinner noshes, most often consisting of cheese, crackers, and olives. Boring, right? This post reflects my creative efforts at serving dinner company something a little more interestin

Southern Boy Dishes

06/13/2013 04:47 AM

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Blueberry Banana Scones

We’re not big breakfast eaters during the week, but weekends sometimes call for something baked and delicious to accompany our morning cappuccino. I posted a pear and cheddar scone recipe a few months ago and as I was fantasizing about how good they were, I started looking around the kitchen to see what what ingredients I had at hand. The blueberries in my freezer and ripe bananas in my fru

Southern Boy Dishes

06/10/2013 07:51 AM

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Skillet Roasted Chicken

Is it just me or do weekends seem to end before they begin? This was a busy one for us and before I knew it, it was Sunday afternoon. After an exhausting couple of days, I was determined to have some down time. Sunday’s a “school night” and there’s just something special about spending Sunday evening at home with family and a great meal. Last night’s menu was an old

Southern Boy Dishes

06/05/2013 10:10 PM

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Broccoli and Farro Salad with Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette

Farro might just be my new favorite grain. The first time I tasted farro, I was struck by the texture. I savored the sensation of the chewy kernels as they rolled around my mouth, slightly resisting my bite but yielding into a burst of nutty and earthy flavor. What I realized is that texture is one of the characteristics I like most about food. Obviously, taste and aroma are important but texture

Southern Boy Dishes

05/30/2013 08:51 AM

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Strawberry Shortcake

Along Lemon Icebox Pie, I think Strawberry Shortcake is the one of the ultimate desserts for this time of year. This recipe in particular makes me a happy guy! I love the combination of the tartness and sweetness of the strawberries; the smooth whipped cream; and the warm, crumbly, buttered biscuit. I’m not sure how you can top this treat for a summertime dessert. Nowadays, you can find str

Southern Boy Dishes

05/26/2013 10:17 AM

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Lamb Kabobs with Tzatziki Sauce

I’ve been at it again on the grill this week. I can easily get into a rut with grilled chicken, pork, steak, and fish so in an effort to create some variety in our diet, I’ve created Mediterranean flavored lamb kabobs. I always associate rosemary with Mediterranean dishes and it’s a perfect compliment to lamb. We have several big festivals during the year in Atlanta and I have to admit one

Southern Boy Dishes

05/24/2013 10:04 AM

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Fried Okra with Buttermilk Herb Sauce

I would be remiss if I didn’t post a fried okra recipe on a blog about southern food. So… here it is! I think we all fondly remember food from our childhood and the ultimate comfort meal for me would include fried chicken, black-eyed peas, creamed corn, and collard greens. My mother and most southern cooks would almost always serve fried okra with traditional meal such as this. During

Southern Boy Dishes

05/20/2013 07:49 AM

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Lemon Icebox Pie

If you live in the deep south and have ever attended a covered dish supper or a church social, I’m sure you’ve encountered a lemon icebox pie. Similar to key lime pie, this dessert shares common ingredients with its cousin. There is nothing original about this recipe so I can’t claim creative rights. I’m sure every mother and grandmother in the south has a recipe similar t

Southern Boy Dishes

05/17/2013 06:22 PM

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Spring Risotto with Lemon Garlic Shrimp

Springtime is, by far, my favorite season. I’m sure that there aren’t any more beautiful cities in the spring than Atlanta, Georgia. Ornamental cherry trees, dogwood trees, and azaleas abound! I love seeing things bud and bloom and show signs of life after the cold days of winter. I, along with all the flora, seem to come back to life in the spring. In Mississippi, where I was raised,

Southern Boy Dishes

05/14/2013 07:45 AM

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Asparagus Soup with Lump Crabmeat

I love the challenge of having a dish at a great restaurant and recreating it at home. We dined at one of our favorite restaurants on Friday with our good friends, Brenda and Julie, and I started dinner with a delicious and beautifully presented asparagus soup. I knew the minute I tasted it that I wanted it in my culinary repertoire. In this post, I’m sharing my version of the soup that I

Southern Boy Dishes

05/11/2013 06:28 PM

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Farro Caprese Salad

I think you all know by now that I love to grill. If the weather cooperates, I’m firing up the grill several times a week and the menu regularly includes salmon, steak, pork chops, or chicken. I’m always on the hunt for the perfect side dish for whatever is coming off the grill and this dish might just be that perfect side. Farro (pronounced FAHR-oh) is an ancient whole grain that is

Southern Boy Dishes

05/08/2013 07:34 AM

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Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes with White Chocolate Icing

I’m really not sure you can beat the combination of blueberries and lemon when it comes to desserts. Add white chocolate to the mix and it’s over the top. I haven’t posted a dessert recipe in a while and as I was pondering what I should make, this recipe immediately came to mind. I adapted this cake recipe, which I’ve made several times, as cupcakes and I was very happy wi

Southern Boy Dishes

05/02/2013 07:50 AM

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Buttermilk Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

I guess since I write a blog about southern food, it was high time that I posted a biscuit recipe, so here it is! As a child, I vividly remember homemade biscuits on my grandmother’s table at almost every meal. She always had sorghum molasses on the table and my favorite way to eat a her hot biscuits was topped with a generous amount of butter and molasses. I regret that I never got her rec

Southern Boy Dishes

04/27/2013 06:02 PM

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BLT Salad

Spring has finally arrived in Atlanta and warm days always draw me outside to my patio and grill. This time of year, I cook several meals a week on the grill and this week New York strips were on the menu. Give me a grilled piece of meat paired with a salad of some kind and I’m a happy boy. This salad, a twist on a classic summer sandwich, is always a hit. I particularly like the … Co

Southern Boy Dishes

04/23/2013 09:05 AM

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Vietnamese Summer Rolls

We’re back from an amazing vacation to Asia and finally, a week later I’m over the jet lag! Stops in Thailand, Vietnam, and Hong Kong proved every bit the adventure that I had hoped for. There were many facets to the trip, but of course food was at the top of my list. This southern boy has always loved Asian food, but after visiting this part of the world, I have a renewed appreciati

Southern Boy Dishes

04/01/2013 07:45 PM

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Grilled Apple and Gruyere Cheese Sandwich

I think I’ve got a little bit of a theme going on with fruit and cheese. Last week I posted Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza and this week I’ve got another great fruit and cheese combo for you. I’ve got to tell you that if you like grilled cheese sandwiches, the addition of apple really takes this simple sandwich over the top! Over the last few weeks we’ve been trying to drop a f

Southern Boy Dishes

03/28/2013 07:36 AM

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Kale Salad with Slivered Almonds and Pomegranate Vinaigrette

When I looked at the photograph that I took for this post, I realized that I was three months late for the perfect Christmas salad! As Christmasy as it looks, it’s makes a beautiful and healthy accompaniment to any meal any time of the year. I love eating foods that are vibrantly colored. As a rule, fruits and vegetables that are deep and vibrant in color are full of vitamin and nutrients.

Southern Boy Dishes

03/25/2013 07:22 AM

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Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza

My sweet mother turns 90 on April 11. We love her dearly and we wish her a great birthday! Jim and I are traveling to Asia next Friday and we will be out of town for her actual birthday, so we celebrated her day early this year. My cousins and my brother came to Atlanta for a pre-birthday visit and then we traveled to Mississippi for the celebration. While the brother and cousins were here, we in

Southern Boy Dishes

03/20/2013 07:41 AM

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Baked Eggs with Spinach and Mushrooms

Sometimes, breakfast for dinner hits the spot. We were late getting home last night and I wanted something for dinner that was quick and easy. I had all the ingredients for this recipe in the fridge and in less than 30 minutes dinner was ready. This nutritious dinner was just the ticket. I’ve made creamed spinach as a side dish for years and the addition of eggs made this dish a complete me

Southern Boy Dishes

03/15/2013 04:36 AM

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Cedar Plank Salmon with Lemon Dill Aioli

Spring is finally making an appearance in Atlanta. We usually enjoy 70 degree days staring in February, but this year we’ve been stuck in the 50s for weeks. The last several days have given me hope that spring is in fact coming and we can start cooking and eating outside. During the spring and summer months, my grill or Big Green Egg becomes my primary cooking device. We consume a fair amou

Southern Boy Dishes

03/11/2013 01:07 PM

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Spaghetti Squash with Shrimp, Broccoli, and Red Pepper

If you’re wanting to limit carbohydrates in your diet, spaghetti squash is a great way to go. I’ve been making this dish for years and I always circle back to it if I’m craving pasta but trying to lose a few pounds. If you’ve never seen spaghetti squash, it is an oblong, hard, and yellow winter squash. When cooked, the flesh of the squash separates into strands and resembl

Southern Boy Dishes

03/08/2013 08:27 AM

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Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Many variations of stuffed cabbage exists in cultures around the world. Typically, they consist of cooked cabbage leaves wrapped around a variety of fillings. My first exposure to them was with Jim’s family. He comes from a Polish Italian family and they called this classic Polish dish golabki (gaw-WOHMP-kee) which means “little pigeons”. They are considered by Poles as the ulti

Southern Boy Dishes

03/03/2013 09:09 PM

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Sweet Potato Bisque with Maple Cinnamon Creme Fraiche

I’m a little late with this post. Sweet potato bisque has been on my to-do list for months now and I’m just getting around to it. I typically think of this as an autumn soup, but it’s better late than never, right? The weather has been really cold in Atlanta the last couple of days, so the timing of this soup was perfect. Bruce and Felix came over for dinner last night and I gri

Southern Boy Dishes

02/27/2013 09:07 PM

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Crab Stuffed Shrimp

We’re fortunate enough to live in a large city with a fantastic farmer’s market where we have access to an wide array of fresh seafood. I’m always up for seafood and considering that we’re going on a cruise to Asia in a month, and we’ll be in bathing suits, and we’re still fighting to lose those 10 pounds we gained this winter, shrimp and fish are making regula

Southern Boy Dishes

02/25/2013 04:40 PM

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Breakfast BLT

My favorite morning meal is a breakfast sandwich of some kind…maybe be a breakfast burrito, a croissant with egg and sausage, or a panini with scrambled eggs and cheese. When I’m shopping at Whole Foods I can’t resist the bread section and this weekend I grabbed a loaf of sourdough hearth bread, knowing that a breakfast sandwich would be on the weekend menu. My Mom served bacon,

Southern Boy Dishes

02/18/2013 09:47 PM

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Roast Chicken with Vegetables

I recently bought a rotisserie for my gas grill and I’ve been chomping at the bit to use it. I had a whole chicken in the refrigerator and was hoping for a semi-warm day this weekend so I could get outside and fire up the grill but to no avail. This morning the temperature only reached 28 degrees so I gave up and decided to roast the chicken. Actually, roasted chicken is a great weeknight m

Southern Boy Dishes

02/14/2013 12:05 PM

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Pan Fried Catfish with Edamame Succotash and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Most towns in Mississippi are home to at least one “catfish house”, a restaurant which specializes in fried catfish and steaks. Saturday night social life in small town Mississippi centers around these restaurants. If you want to see your friends, you go to the catfish house and mostly likely they’ll be there. Whenever we visit my parents in Mississippi, we always make an appe

Southern Boy Dishes

02/11/2013 11:53 AM

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Duck and Sweet Potato Gumbo

As I’ve mentioned in another post, I have ties to Louisiana and Cajun country. My mother’s sister and her family lived in south Louisiana where we visited every summer. It was on these childhood trips that I was exposed to and developed a love for Cajun cuisine. My cousin Delia is a fantastic cook and has been a big influence on me over the years as I developed my cooking skills. This

Southern Boy Dishes

02/08/2013 07:39 AM

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BLT Stuffed Potatoes

Potatoes are one of those foods that are like a blank canvas and clearly are one of the most versatile foods in our diet. If I had to pick a favorite potato preparation it would have to be French fries. I remember a trip to Amsterdam years ago when we bought French fries, or “Vlaamse frites” as they call them in Amsterdam, from a street vendor. They were served in a paper cone with ma

Southern Boy Dishes

02/05/2013 09:04 PM

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Ginger, Honey, and Lime Glazed Pork Chops

Jim’s brother and sister-in-law sent us a package of pork chops from Allen Brothers for Christmas this year. I’ve had mixed results with mail order meat, but I have to say these pork chops were of superior quality. When I opened the package and saw the chops, I knew I wanted to do something special with them. You really can’t go wrong with a marinated, grilled, and glazed piece

Southern Boy Dishes

02/04/2013 06:57 AM

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Braised Collard Greens with Cornbread

This post takes me back to my Mississippi roots where greens of any kind were a staple at our dinner table. Collard, mustard, and turnip greens were all a regular part of our diet. My grandfather had a huge garden when I was a child and a “mess” of greens would often arrive at our house in his vegetable basket. The classic southern cook would chop the greens and boil them for an hour

Southern Boy Dishes

01/31/2013 09:17 AM

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Greek Skillet Pizza

Making pizza is a great weekend food project. You can make the dough very quickly and let it rise and rest in the fridge while you run errands and do other weekend activities. When you’re ready for pizza, rolling out the dough, adding toppings, and baking takes no time at all. And if you double the dough recipe, you can keep the dough in the refrigerator for several days or it will keep in

Southern Boy Dishes

01/28/2013 08:53 AM

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Trace’s Key Lime Pie

Last weekend we traveled to Seaside, Florida with our good friends, David and Trace, for the 30A Singer Songwriter Festival. The festival hosts many great singer/songwriters including Suzanne Vega, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shawn Mullins, and Lucinda Williams. We also heard some fantastic music from artists I was not familiar with, such as Daphne Willis, The Shadowboxers, a great band from Atlanta,

Southern Boy Dishes

01/23/2013 10:48 PM

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Tortilla Soup

I like to keep Mexican food on our regular rotation for dining out. For some reason, though, I don’t make much Mexican food at home. We’ve had a cold snap in Atlanta, so today I was in the mood for a hearty soup with a little spice. I always enjoy tortilla soup when we’re having Mexican food, so this is my version of this delicious liquid treat. Jim is a lightweight when it comes to spice, so

Southern Boy Dishes

01/20/2013 09:23 AM

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Salmon in Crazy Water (Acqua Pazza)

I realize that I just posted a fish dish, but it’s January and we gained several pounds through the holidays, so this is my attempt to pull back the reins a bit. My “go to” meal when I’m trying to drop a few pounds usually revolves around chicken or fish. So, bear with me as I try to lighten things up before our cruise vacation in April. This and the last post are not R

Southern Boy Dishes

01/17/2013 07:48 AM

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Tilapia en Papillote

En papillote, a French term meaning “in parchment”, is a method of cooking in which the food is put into a folded pouch and then baked. The pouch is typically made from folded parchment paper, but other material, such as a paper bag or aluminium foil, may be used. The parcel seals in moisture to steam the food. I have cooked fish and chicken this way for years and on weeknights, it

Southern Boy Dishes

01/14/2013 02:59 PM

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White Bean Dip with Pita Chips

We had a dinner party last night. It seems that every time we have friends over for dinner, the appetizers are an afterthought and we end up putting cheese, crackers, and olives out for our guests for before dinner snacks. This time I wanted to try something a little different. I love beans of all kinds and I don’t make them nearly enough. Beans are so versatile and varied and I’m com

Southern Boy Dishes

01/10/2013 07:25 AM

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Split Pea Soup with Ham

During the Christmas and Easter seasons, Trader Joe’s sells hams. I’ve been eating ham all my life and I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve had any better ham than theirs. I make an effort to buy one every year when they go on sale. This year was no exception and I bought one to have around the house for the holiday. After several days of eating ham in every imaginable wa

Southern Boy Dishes

01/07/2013 10:01 AM

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Pimento Cheese

Whew! The holidays are over and I’m finally getting back to the blog. In six weeks, we celebrate Thanksgiving, an anniversary, two birthdays, Christmas, and New Years. Something had to give and unfortunately it was the blog, so I apologize to my regular followers. However, I’m back at it and you’ll see regular new posts again. Pimento cheese made an appearance at every church fu

Southern Boy Dishes

12/12/2012 06:58 AM

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Smashed New Potatoes

We spent a relaxing weekend in the North Carolina mountains with Bruce and Felix, so I didn’t get much cooking and blogging done. It was a weekend of great friends, great wine, and great food. We watched The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and if you haven’t seen it, you should. Fantastic movie! I was hoping to have a main course to post this week, but the dish I made Monday night was not

Southern Boy Dishes

12/07/2012 08:24 AM

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Pecan Encrusted Salmon with Delicata Squash Risotto and Sauteed Spinach

I’ve been wanting to make something with winter squash this fall and have just gotten around to it with this post. Most of the winter squash can be a bit of a pain to prepare. They are usually very hard and difficut to peel and cut. Recently, I read that delicata squash can be cooked without peeling and that got my attention. I decided to try a risotto made with this variety of squash. Cutt

Southern Boy Dishes

12/04/2012 07:03 AM

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Fava Beans with Red Onion, Pecorino, and Lemon Vinaigrette

It’s only been in the last couple of years that I have become a huge fan of fava beans. I was aware of them for years, but I didn’t really know how to prepare them. Many people heard of them in the 1991 move, Silence of the Lambs, when Hannibal Lector stated, “A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.”. Not an image I wa

Southern Boy Dishes

11/27/2012 07:17 AM

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Sweet Potato Casserole

It’s not really Thanksgiving without sweet potatoes. I know many people must have mashed potatoes, but the sweet variety are much more important to me. This was a fairly traditional Thanksgiving foodwise, so this is my version of a traditional sweet potato casserole (or souffle if you want to be fancy). I’m not a fan of too much spice in sweet potatoes. I like a bit of cinnamon and th

Southern Boy Dishes

11/25/2012 10:46 AM

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Green Bean Casserole

As I mentioned in my last post, I decided on traditional sides for this Thanksgiving. I’m sure that every American has at some point eaten the traditional green bean casserole made with canned green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and canned fried onions. This classic was a staple on our holiday table when I was growing up. I love green beans and I enjoy casseroles, so this is my homemade ve

Southern Boy Dishes

11/23/2012 09:03 PM

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Cranberry Glazed Cornish Game Hens with Sausage, Pear, and Leek Stuffing

As I mentioned in my previous post, my family is in Atlanta for Thanksgiving. Being relatively new to the blogging world, I learned a lesson that will serve me very well going forward. I’m still not sure I have it all worked out, but I will give it some thought in the future. I’m sure as most of you would understand, if you put forth the effort to plan, shop for, and cook a huge feast

Southern Boy Dishes

11/22/2012 10:33 PM

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Pistachio and Cranberry Crusted Goat Cheese

Okay, so I was running a little behind getting Thanksgiving lunch (which turned into a mid afternoon dinner) ready so I had to put a snack together to keep the troops’ blood sugar in check and to insure that the glasses of wine didn’t get anyone too tipsy before dinner. I am constantly looking at food magazines and cookbooks and I saw this appetizer in one of them a while ago. I alway

Southern Boy Dishes

11/22/2012 09:58 PM

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Shrimp, Avocado, and Mango Salad with Green Goddess Dressing

My family is visiting for Thanksgiving and I decided that a Wednesday prelude to a total food orgy on Thursday should be a fairly healthy salad. Does anybody remember Green Goddess salad dressing? I’m old enough to remember that it was all the rage in the 70s and 80s. It’s a great dressing but it was sidelined by Ranch dressing later in the 80s. I’m all for a revival of Green Go

Southern Boy Dishes

11/17/2012 11:15 AM

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Italian Wedding Soup

I’ve always wondered how Italian Wedding Soup got its name, so I did a little research and found the answer. The term “wedding soup” is a mistranslation of the Italian language phrase “minestra maritata (“married soup”),” which is a reference to the fact that green vegetables and meats go well together. I’ve been a little heavy on the butter and cre

Southern Boy Dishes

11/15/2012 11:14 AM

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Ham, Asparagus, and Gruyere Open-Faced Sandwich

We vacationed in the Baltic Sea region a few years ago and Copenhagen was one of the highlights of the trip. We lunched one day in the Nyhavn district of Copenhagen. According to Wikipedia, Nyhavn is a 17th century waterfront, canal and entertainment district. Stretching from Kongens Nytorv to the harbour front just south of the Royal Playhouse, it is lined by brightly colored 17th and early 18t

Southern Boy Dishes

11/12/2012 04:10 PM

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Apple Dumplings

We used to have a cabin in Blue Ridge, Georgia. During apple season, we always visited Mercier’s Orchard. Mercier’s grows apples, but they also have a country store where they sell their apples, along with a variety of other things from gifts to freshly baked goods to ciders, jams, and jellies. In the back of the store, they have a tasting area where you can sample any of the many var

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