just another day at the office

what a peach!

What a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Franklin, Tenn! I can't believe in the middle of August the temperature was in the low 80's all afternoon. Ahhhh. My sweet husband-to-be decided to pull out the grill and smoke some ribs. I went to the farmer's market and got purple hull peas, fresh squash, okra and peaches. He wanted to prepare it all and, if I do say so myself, I have trained him well. It was wonderful. He even made us a dessert of caramelized peaches and vanilla bean ice cream. Such summery goodness.

is anything better than brown butter?

My fiancé and I were watching the Cooking Channel today and saw an episode of French Food at Home that made our mouths water. We immediately decide to make this for dinner. Halibut with brown butter, crushed chickpeas with olives and Roasted cumin carrots. We actually used flounder and not halibut because they didn't have halibut at the grocery. We added chopped capers to the brown butter sauce too. We also added sauteéd spinach with bacon and homegrown Cherokee Purple tomatoes from our garden. It was such a yummy dinner!

wedding day brunch

Recently, I had the opportunity to prepare a brunch for a local bride and groom on their wedding day. They brought along about 170 of their nearest and dearest. If I do say so myself, I put together a truly scrumptious feast! It really turned out well. Here is the menu for the event along with a couple of party pics. enjoy!

Hors d' Oeuvres Italiano!

I've had several requests for antipasti platters and other Italian appetizers. I love any dish that involves an artichoke. Here are some recent party preparations...

 Antipasti

 Large Antipasti

 Bruchetta bar featuring tomato basil, white bean & artichoke, and roasted thyme mushroom bruschettas.

 These are little mozzarella & basil with marinated tomato skewers

This is a pesto drenched goat cheese ball topped with roasted pine nuts. Also served with herb cream cheese stuffed grape tomatoes and toast points.

Prosciutto wrapped melon & breadsticks

Sundried tomato & pesto goat cheese torta

organic farmer in the city

I was determined to get a little garden going this year, even if my yard is very small and doesn't get full sun. It is working out quite nicely! I am so excited about my tomatoes! And I think they are just getting started. My cherry tomato plant is nearly 8' tall. Basil, parsley, chives, rosemary, thyme! So nice to be able to cook fresh! My bruschetta recipe is so simple, but it will knock your socks off. Try it while everything is still in season!

BRUSCHETTA: Slice and toast a french baguette. While still warm, rub with garlic cloves and sprinkle with salt & pepper. In a bowl combine 3 or 4 large ripe diced tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic,  a handful of chopped fresh basil, 2 tablespoons each of extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar, salt & pepper to taste. Serve tomato mixture in the bowl with the toast on the side. Let your guests serve their own so the juices can soak into the bread, but don't stick around long enough to mess up that CRUNCH of the crisp bread! YUM!!