Oh...the Treasures Found

The second weekend of every month treasure seekers traverse the highways to arrive at the Atlanta Expo Center for the Scott Antique market. It is a treasure trove of interesting people, amazing finds and really great food. This weekend, I was among the masses, and here are some of the more interesting discoveries of the day....

A very scary mask...and yes folks that is real fur.

A painted wooden cutout of clowns in a car....

...that had a painted back

Yes, that is a plaster lobster in a lobster trap. I'm not sure what it is doing to Miss Piggy, but I kind of don't want to know

I'm not sure what was with these mushrooms, but they kept popping up EVERYWHERE!

And then there were the Chairs...

The Extra Large one would be comfortable for a giant...

...and the extra small one, too tiny for a child

Do you have an urgent need for a signage for your insane asylum? Well, there were plenty...

And that was just a small taste of the joys of the antique market this weekend. What treasures did I actually bring home? you ask. Well, about 10 lbs of junk jewelry (broken earrings and broaches) for crafty purposes I will share with you later ....

Dinner Parties are Rockin'!

Yesterday evening a rousing young group gathered at the 'ole homestead for a night of food and fun. We had a blast and the food was absolutely delicious. Since everything turned out so amazing, I thought I would share the recipes to what was served. The salad and pot pie recipes originated from the November 2010 Bon Appetit , but I put sort of my own spin on them.

Delightful Apple Pear Salad

1 bag of mixed greens
1 bag of Waldorf salad mix without the dressing
2 apples, sliced
2 Bosc pears, sliced
Blue Cheese

For the Dressing:
1 shallot, diced
4 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
5 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk. Toss salad ingredients together with dressing in a large bowl.
Serves 5

Mushroom Lentil Pot Pies with Gouda Biscuit Topping


Filling:
1/2 cup lentils
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
7 ounces fresh mushrooms ( mix of wild and baby bella), sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoons tomato paste

Topping:
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 Tablespoons Semolina flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons chilled unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup Almond milk
3/4 cup grated Gouda cheese ( about 3 oz)

Filling:
Pour 3 cups of water into a large pan, add lentils and salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered for about 30 minutes or so or until the lentils are cooked. Drain, conserving about 2 cups or so of the lentil water, and set both aside for later.
Heat 1 Tablespoons of the oil in a large pan on medium- high. Add mushrooms and let sizzle for about 3 minutes. Add your other Tablespoon of oil, chopped onion, carrot and herbs. Cook for about 4 minutes. Add  your minced garlic, wait 30 seconds and lower the heat. Toss in the flour and cook for another minute. Mix in the rest of your filling ingredients and the lentil water (but don't put in the lentils quite yet). Cover up that deliciousness and cook until the potatoes are fork ready (15 minutes). Make sure you stir enough that nothing gets stuck to the bottom of the pan. Feel free to add a bit of water if the mix looks too dry. Mix in the lentils and divide between 4 large ramekins. Feel free to do this ahead up to two days ahead of time.
Topping:
Get your oven preheated at 400* F. In a food processor bowl combine the dry ingredients. Add the butter and pulse until you get a coarse texture. Add your milk and pulse until a dough ball forms. On a lightly floured surface turn out the dough and hand mix in the cheese. Divide into four even pieces and form into flat disks. set these on top of your filled dishes and place the ramekins on a baking sheet.
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the biscuit portion comes out clean.
Serves 4 ( I doubled the recipe so I could have leftovers..yum!)

Baked Apples


3 Apples ( cut in half horizontally  and scoop out the core - should form a stable cup)
6 pats of Butter ( use a good Irish butter for best results)
Dark Brown sugar
Cinnamon
Ground Cloves

Preheat your oven to 400*F. In a round cake pan set your six apples, evenly spaced. Place a pat of butter on each apple and top with a mound of dark brown sugar. Lightly sprinkle ground cloves over your apples. Generously top with cinnamon. Bake for 45 minutes or until a delicious sugar crust forms on the apples and they are fork tender. Serve topped with vanilla ice cream.
Makes 6 apples


I started out the night with crackers, good cheeses and grapes and served some yummy wine with these.
Enjoy!

Thursday Nights at Fontaine's

Finding a restaurant with a food special is always fantastic, especially when the food is actually good. The Thursday night happy hour special (between 4 - 7pm) at Fontaine's in the Virginia Highlands allows you to catch discounts on oysters from the raw bar, peel and eat shrimp and crab legs.  Like many restaurants in the Va-Hi neighborhood there is no parking lot attached and parking is street or lot where you can find it. Since parking is always crazy in this neighborhood, even on a Thursday, it would be smart to be parked by 6:30pm (at the latest) to beat the full dinner rush.

The decor is fun and quirky and the staff are friendly with a sense of humor. We were placed in a small side room just left of the door that was dominated by a large Chihuly-like light fixture in the ceiling.

Now to the food. The seafood on special was very fresh; in fact, there was much consumption of it at our table. You'll want to wear a shirt you don't care much about, or tuck a napkin into your top because you'll want dig in and make a mess of yourself with these crab legs. Other seafood was also exemplary. The seafood po'boy with fried scallops was devoured quickly, as was the lobster bisque soup. The calamari was granted a thumbs up, but was set aside in favor of the next course.

Those who are not particularly fond of seafood or are vegetarian, and are dining with a group take note: they offer extensive non- seafood options. The spinach - artichoke dip was rather good; you'll almost want to make a meal of the baked dip with its crusted gooey melted goodness with contrasted ricotta cheese, spinach and artichokes served with the usual crispy tortilla chips. It was really good, but not much different than the usual spinach artichoke dip, other than the addition of ricotta cheese.

They offer a vegetable plate with a large number of interchangeable options including: two types of beans and rice, fresh veggies and fried goods (ps - the hush puppies are amazing and they serve them with honey!). For those of the salad persuasion, they also offer a really good house salad that is chock full of mandarin oranges and pecans. For those from the New York state area, apparently their poppyseed dressing is the same type that transplants have trouble finding.

One thing disappointing, however, was the key lime pie. If you love a very tangy, sour key lime pie, you are in luck, but be forewarned; I mean very sour.

Overall, this place is pretty great for a Thursday night happy hour, or even for dinner any day of the week.

PS-As a vegetarian all non-vegetarian reviews were given by the food-lovers with great taste in my party; I give no guarantees for the sentiments expressed on seafood.

Brown Soda Bread

I think it may be a general agreement that almost absolutely everyone loves freshly baked bread. Most of us don't have hours to wait while it rises twice and then bake it. The solution of course... is soda bread. Totally delish and super quick. And if someone has a yeast allergy...all the bread you can eat...

I found this recipe on the 'net and switched it around a bit. Oh, and if you want a vegan loaf; I tried this with almond milk instead, and it is just as good.

Brown Soda Bread
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teas. baking soda
3/4 t salt
2 1/4 cup milk ( you may need less depending on humidity, etc)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.Sift together everything except for your milk into a large bowl. Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients and slowly stir in the milk, 1/4 cup at a time until it forms a ball. Knead for a few minutes to make sure all your flour is incorporated and to get the gluten going. You want bigger air pockets a la french bread? knead some more. Divide the bread in half and form into loaves. Put into two separate greased loaf pans. Pop 'em into the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. When it's brown and crusty and makes a hallow sound when you thump the bottom, you are in business. Let cool for 10 minutes or so before discharging them from their pan.

Smother with butter or your substitute of choice. Yum.

Interesting find of the day!

Ever wonder what to do with the labels from your apples? Well here is the perfect solution. Today, folks we have for you a way to keep track of the apples you are eating.
Yep, a board just for apple labels. I was rather amazed myself.

I'm sure the seller wouldn't care if you used it for other fruit as well.



http://www.etsy.com/listing/58548022/an-apple-a-day-letterpress-calendar

Eat your heart out...or apple...