Lamb of Leg

Ready to roast!

For the UUCA Passover seder, I made roasted leg of lamb for my side dish. I used this recipe, although I smeared a mustard garlic aioli instead of the grainy mustard. I ended up having to cook it quite a bit longer than the recipe specified, although I turned down the temperature after the hour was up. The flavor turned out great and it was fun sticking the garlic and rosemary into the meat.

Shorty's Pizza

On Friday I tried Shorty's Pizza, a place I've been meaning to check out for awhile. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, but I promise to return soon and post pics then. We started with the guacamole appetizer, which was very fresh avocado mixed with pico de gallo. The flavors were vibrant and I liked the flatbread/chips served with the guac - lighter than traditional chips but still very tasty. Next we tried two kinds of pizza - we were having a hard time deciding so the waitress told us for $1 extra we could do half and half on a large pie. We tried 1/2 "Tina Turner" - caramelized onions, raw onions, gorgonzola, goat cheese, toasted walnuts and 1/2 "Declan McManus" - potato and pesto with roasted tomato and goat cheese, aged balsamic drizzle. Both were quite good, with a thin, charred crust. Our favorite was the Declan McManus, which I could definitely go for again soon! For dessert we tried the warm chocolate chip cookies with homemade whipped cream. While nothing was wrong with this dessert, it didn't overwhelm us (probably becuase I make chocolate chip cookies so often!) and I wouldn't get it again. Overall, a great place. I look forward to trying more of their specialties and returning for more good pizza!

Passover 2009

Matzoh - what it's all about!

Seder plate.

I attended two Passover seders this year, one at the home of a family friend and the other at the UUCA. I was lucky enough to recite the Four Questions in Hebrew at both events! The dinner prepared by family friends was truly delicious, especially the lamb and the homemade macaroons (recipe below).

Gefilte fish, ordered from a local Jewish deli.

Joanne's fabulous matzoh ball soup.

Lamb with spinach and brussels sprouts.



Passover cake with berries and whipped cream.

Homemade almond macaroons.

Sephardic-Style Macaroons
From The New York Times Passover Cookbook - adapted from Eva Capsouto

3 cups (15 oz) blanched almonds
1 cup sugar
3 large egg whites
Confectioners' sugar for dusting

If necessary blanche the almonds by putting them in boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove, drain and peel. When cool, grind them in a food processor. Preheat the oven to 325. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium bowl, mix the ground almonds, sugar and egg whites. Drop from a teaspoon onto the cookie sheets, leaving 1/2 inch between macaroons. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until light brown. Dust with confectioners' sugar when cool. Makes two dozen macaroons.

McDonald's Now Offering McCafe

Hot drink selection includes mocha, latte, cappucino and hot chocolate.

I'm not a big fan of fast food. Or chains. However, I am also not a big fan of paying $5 for a coffee and I do sometimes get a real craving for an iced or hot mocha. When I was offered some coupons to try (and have my readers try) McDonald's new McCafe drinks, I accepted. If you'd like a free coupon, please contact me or if you know me in real life, just ask! As soon as I try one, I will update with my opinion.

Cold selection includes iced latte and iced mocha.

Sunday Night Pasta at Shaun's

Your basic spaghetti and meatballs.

I've heard a lot about Shaun's from various sources, but had never been, partially because it's a pretty expensive place for an everyday meal. Now on Sunday night, a special offer: salad, choice of pasta and gelato for $12/per person. I thought I read someplace that garlic bread was also included, but none was seen on our visit. The meal was fine, but nothing memorable, although I liked the ear shaped pasta (Orecchiette) that went with the pork and broccoli rabe dish (below). The salad (not pictured) was very simple, with lettuce and sweet onion in a buttermilk ranch and the small serving of chocolate and vanilla gelato was tasty.

I suppose the main reason this offer is appealing is that you can dine in the same space with people paying $50+ for their meal while you fork over only $12. To me, though, if I'm dining at such a place I'd rather try their best, and for simple pasta I'd rather stay at home or visit Figo, where at any time you can choose your own $12 meal that includes salad, pasta and dessert! I would definitely like to try Shaun's again sometime, but I will wait for a special occasion rather than going again for the Sunday pasta special.

Orecchiette with pork, broccoli rabe and garlic.

Chocolate and Vanilla gelato.

Family Brunch on the Porch

Eggs with onions and feta and sausages a la Craig.

So after our wonderful dinner on the porch, we repeated with brunch on the porch the next morning. We stopped by Alon's, one of my favorite bakeries, for some bread and pastries. If you're not on a budget, this is a great place for breads, all kinds of pastries, cakes & cookes, CHEESE, soups, sandwiches and more formal dinner fare, already cooked and ready to be heated and eaten. They also have a new, larger Dunwoody location near Perimeter Mall that includes all of the above as well as homemade chocolates, gelato and a coffee bar. Both locations have some seating indoors and out (although it is limited at the Highland location). They also prepare special foods for Jewish holidays, like gefilte fish and matzoh balls for Passover and special challahs for Rosh Hashanah. The semolina bread and the almond croissants (pictured below) are two of my favorite Alon's items!

Fresh semolina bread from Alon's.

Poppyseed danish, cranberry scone and almond croissants from Alon's.

Family Dinner on the Porch

Yours truly was in charge of "munchies" - from left center: goat gouda, homemade hummus (frozen and defrosted from a couple of weeks ago), marinated mushrooms, fresh mozzerella and olives from Whole Foods olive bar, seeded faltbread and in the center, sesame honey cashews from the Morningside Farmer's Market.



Joanne & Craigs fabulous rosemary lemon grilled chicken.



Yummy grilled veggies.



Chickpea couscous salad with a hint of cinnamon.



The full plate. For dessert we had strawberry shortcake (below).

Homemade Individual Strawberry Shortcakes

Over the weekend I had the urge to make strawberry shortcake for my family while they were in town. I perused several recipes and cookbooks before choosing to bake homemade cream scones to go with the homemade whipped cream and sliced strawberries tossed in sugar that I believe make strawberry shortcake truly delicious. I toyed with making biscuits instead - and as anti-boxed-mix as I am, Bisquick actually makes very tasty biscuits for shortcake. Still, I'm glad I tried this scone recipe. The best thing about these scones is that they are very easy and quick to make because you substitute heavy cream for the butter and egg. While I believe a traditional scone made with butter may have a slight advantage taste-wise to the cream scone, these were pretty darn good. These would be great with a few chocolate chips or dried berries mixed in. Here is the recipe from "Joy of Cooking."

Cream Scones
Preheat oven to 425
Mix the following:
2 c. all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Add in:
1 1/4 c. heavy whipping cream

Stir until moistened. Knead a few times in the bowl and gather the dough into a ball. Transfer to cookie sheet or stone or granite/stone countertop. Pat the dough into an 8 inch round about 3/4 inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Transfer to cookie sheet or stone if not done already.

Sprinkle with granulated sugar and cinnamon (if desired) and pop into the oven. Bake 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

Hot cream scones fresh from the oven.

The finished product.

JCT = Still Awesome

Avocado, goat cheese, pistachio and beet salad.

With family in town, we headed for JCT Kitchen, one of my (now) favorite special occasion restaurants and a good place for a nice, but not too expensive lunch. All of the food we ordered as well as the always tasty, crusty bread with apple flavored butter, was fabulous. Somehow I neglected to photograph the shrimp & grits (probably because I was too busy lapping it up) - needless to say, this version is the best I've ever tasted. It included crusty bread for sopping and a soft cooked egg on top. The flavors blended perfectly to form a tasty, gooey mess. Top recommendations from this evening: avocado and beet salad, shrimp & grits, scallops, coconut cake and doughnuts with ice cream. JCT offers a special Sunday supper for $24/person that I'm dying to check out. I'll let you know when I do!

Creamy cauliflower soup.

Oyster fry with fried lemon slices and green beans.

Duck with duck meatball and gnocci.

Scallops - these were cooked perfectly and came with some killer scalloped potatoes.

Flounder special - tasty but a little too salty.

Braised short ribs - delicious meat.

Rum sopped coconut cake.

Meyer lemon doughnuts with espresso ice cream - my personal favorite!

Gingerbread with lemon curd.

I love it - a Lemonhead dispenser at the door!

Zaya in Inman Park

Zaya, located on Highland Avenue in Inman Park.

Last Wednesday my friend and I checked out Zaya Mediterranean Cuisine. Everything that I tasted was good, especially the simple field greens salad with gargonzola, walnuts and raisins. I would like to come back and try some of the grilled meats another time. We were served pita bread with an interesting dip that I think contained crushed pomegranate seeds. This place has a small patio, which is a nice feature, especially as we venture into the warmer months!

Field greens salad with a delicious pepper jelly vinaigrette.

Vegetarian platter with eggplant mousaka, stuffed grape leaves, spanikopita and yogurt salad.

Churros = Happiness

Churros, fresh from the fryer.

Following our weekly yoga class, somehow it was decided that we needed churros (Mexican fried dough treat rolled in cinnamon and sugar) and we needed them immediately! Luckily I knew just the place and our yoga instructor, Elizabeth, knew enough Spanish to ask for a fresh batch - try saying "fresco". We opted for the plain kind, as opposed to the kind with cajeta (sweetened carmelized milk) and they were oh so delicious. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to have the person working there fry up a FRESH BATCH! Don't take the one that's been sitting around in the cabinet. Trust me. Below are some shots of other available goodies.