Festival of Lights! (with a side of fries!)

Last Saturday we were part of a SPY expedition (St. Peter’s Lutheran Church Youth). We took about 25 teenagers to Charleston to see the James Island County Park’s Holiday Festival of Lights. It is a very cool thing to see. It takes about 30-45 minutes to drive though the park to see the lights. You can also park and do other Festival things (Gift Shop, Sand Sculpture, Trolley Ride, etc.) This was the first time the Youth Group has been to it, and it was a big success.  Next year we'll factor in a bit more time on the ground.

Before we went to the Park, we had to feed the group. So we took the chaps to Jack’s Cosmic Dogs on Folly Road! Think of a roadside diner you might have run across in the 1960s on the Space Coast of Florida. Great Place and great dogs! Blue Cheese slaw, hand cut fries, draft root beer! We had a blast and they gave us an incredible deal!  Many Thanks to the folks at Jack's!

Catfish Anyone?

Occasionally, for various reasons, we have a catered lunch at our corporate offices. Even though we are in the South, we have a whole lot of Non-Southerners. (which, generally speaking, is not a Bad Thing) So, in an effort not to Freak Anybody Out, usually our menus consist of pretty standard vanilla items. Usually it is baked chicken, or fried chicken strips, or pizza, or something Italian. Green Beans frequently show up. Lots of Salads with breadsticks. Good food, but you get the idea.

This time, however, we went out on a limb, or rather a Pirogue, and had kind of a New Orleans’s theme. We had Cajun Fried Catfish, Chicken and Andouille Sausage Jambalaya, Cole Slaw and Fried Okra. It was great! We got some folks from Belly’s Southern Pride in Lexington to come out, and they actually fried the stuff in the parking lot! From one of committee members who helped plan it:

“There were more than a few "skeptics" about the fried fish BEFORE they actually saw it cooking downstairs.....then, after they saw how great it looked they decided to try it! Well....needless to say, the fish is gone!”

I was very happy to see people jumping in to try it, and heard lots of comments about how good it was. Maybe soon we’ll have them soppin’ potlikker with big ole pieces of cornbread! (Well, maybe that will take a while!)

Next week: November is Pimento Cheese Awareness Month.

Righteousness at the Beach

Recently, Alice and I spent a week at Surfside celebrating our 25th Anniversary. The last time we did that we played "Test Kitchen",  trying out all kinds of new recipes.  We did a little bit of that this time, but we're really trying to watch what eat, so we behaved, mostly, by eating lots of fruits and veggies.  Here's what we did with an eggplant:

Pretty Gouda Eggplant Sandwiches


Slice a bell pepper into strips, with about ½ cup of onion in strips. Stir fry this until it is slightly browned and the peppers are somewhat wilted.

Take 4 slices of eggplant, sliced about 3/8 ths of an inch. A table spoon of garlic oil in the pan. Sprinkle about 1/8 teaspoon of salt in the pan. Heat over medium stove. Add eggplant, sprinkle salt on top of eggplant and cook for about 5 minutes on each side. You want it browned but not really caramelized.

On toasted buns or bread, place a slice of hot eggplant, add some of the peppers and onions, and then a slice of Smoked Gouda cheese, top with another slice of eggplant. Add bun top or another piece of bread. Allow this to sit for 30 seconds so the cheese gets kind of gooey. ENJOY!

Eggplant Eggs

Eggplant, sliced about 3/8 ths of an inch. A table spoon of garlic oil in the pan. Sprinkle about 1/8 teaspoon of salt in the pan. Heat over medium stove. Add eggplant, sprinkle salt on top of eggplant and cook for about 5 minutes on each side. You want it browned but not really caramelized.

Take 1 slice eggplant, offset one slice of gouda, then another slice of eggplant, then a poached egg. Sprinkle with a few grilled onions. Enjoy with a slice of Benton’s bacon!  Look! You just had a veggie for breakfast!