Hot Dish Review

Few things can compel a girl to change her eating habits faster than spotting that skimpy bikini in the lingerie drawer a week before a beach vacation! Happy (official) Summer!

Always looking for low-calorie snacks that mimic my favorite calorie-dense treats, I discovered a lighter version of Starbuck’s Javachip ice cream, using Weight Watchers Giant Latte Bars.

With only 90 calories per bar, they are made with low-fat ice cream and coffee. It’s not a super-nutritious product, full of hard to pronounce crap, but it tastes indulgent. I cut the ice cream off the stick and top it with light Cool-Whip. Then I chop a chunk of dark chocolate for chips and sprinkle them on top. Voila!

The total calories are only around 150, depending on how much chocolate I use. Not bad at all.

Something sweet to cool us off in this record heat! News from Caryn at Melissa Libby & Associates:

Slow Food Atlanta Hosts Fifth Annual Ice Cream Social

Bring Your Own Spoon!

ATLANTA (June 2, 2011) — Slow Food Atlanta is hosting its Fifth Annual Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social fundraiser on Saturday, June 18, at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. From 12:30 pm. to 2 p.m. Slow Foodies and ice cream fans alike will have the chance to taste their way through dozens of delicious homemade ice creams and sorbets from some of Atlanta’s favorite chefs and home cooks.

This year’s participating chefs come from some of Atlanta’s most well-known restaurants including Spice Market, Morelli’s, YEAH! Burger, Rosebud, Cakes & Ale, High Road Craft Ice Cream, Parish, Miller Union, Murphy’s, Canoe and Five & Ten.

All guests will get the opportunity to vote for the most delicious homemade, not-necessarily-traditional flavor. Winning categories include “Fan Favorite,” “Favorite Classic Flavor” and “Favorite Innovative Flavor”.

Ice cream makers are asked to create an original ice cream or sorbet flavor using local, natural ingredients where possible. Last year’s event drew in almost 200 ice cream lovers of all ages. This year newcomers like Morelli’s, Spice Market and High Road Craft Ice Cream are sure to provide even more unique and delicious flavors.

Tickets for the event are $15 each (children ages 5-10 are $5 and children under five are free), and will earn Slow Food fans a taste of each flavor and a ballot. Proceeds benefit the Atlanta chapter of Slow Food International and the Peachtree Road Farmers Market.

Attendance is limited, so guests are encouraged to buy their tickets early. Tickets are available online or at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market on Saturday, June 4 and Saturday, June 11. In the event of rain, this year’s Ice Cream Social will be moved inside to St. Philips Cathedral.

To help reduce unsightly waste, attending guests are encouraged to bring a spoon from home. $1 compostable spoons will also be for sale for those that forget their spoon.

Sometimes me and LC are just too lazy to leave the house. Like that night a couple of weeks ago after a particularly grueling nap. Sleeping makes me hungry! So I suggested ordering delivery. We both love spicy food so Thai was the perfect choice. Top Spice is nearby and they regularly put menus at my door.

I always order basil rolls as an appetizer. We also decided to try the basil lettuce wraps, a dish that sounds like the traditional Thai dish called larb, made with ground chicken and spices and served with big leaves of lettuce to wrap around the flavorful meat.

From fiery green papaya salad served at a dive in New York to Bangkok style “street food” in a swanky local restaurant, my experience with Thai food is pretty extensive. I often order a Malaysian curry from Top Spice, made with shrimp, okra, and onions or spicy basil sauce with seafood, extra hot. But on that night I had to compromise, so we tried the pork pad prik. Gotta love the name.

Described as “spicy hot”, the dish was an unimpressive mix of peppers, onions, and mushrooms in a sauce that left me yearning for the sweet hotness of spicy basil or the smooth burn of curry. We tempered the heat with plain white rice. They do offer sticky rice, but unfortunately, only as a dessert, with mango. I’ve had it….trust me, you do not want it.

Sharing two appetizers and one entree saved room for dessert so I could not resist an all-time favorite, green tea ice cream. Although I love red bean (azuki) ice cream even more, most restaurants on this side of Buford Highway do not serve it. I retrieved the big container of the light green stuff from the freezer and topped it with whipped cream, then proceeded to eat every bite.

Yes, the food was hot indeed but it was the company that made the evening sizzle.

Baseball is more than just sport. It has proven to be a pivotal force in the history of our country, putting African Americans in positions of adoration and respect at a time when discrimination was commonplace.

Working closely with the Atlanta Braves, my company was invited to attend the Major League Baseball Beacon Awards that took place on May 14th at the Omni’s Grand Ballroom. The Civil Rights Game was played the following day at Turner Field.

This year the award was given to Ernie Banks, Carlos Santana, and Morgan Freeman, three men that have made a difference in promoting civil rights throughout their lives. LC and I made our way to our table where a salad awaited each guest’s arrival. Wine was poured by attentive servers.

Desserts were already presented, providing a temptation throughout the ceremony. Or perhaps it was the proverbial carrot dangling in front of us, intended to keep us awake for numerous speeches. Unfortunately, the facility was air-conditioned to a fridgid 55 degrees, making all the ladies wearing dresses shiver uncomfortably the entire time. If that didn’t keep us awake, nothing would, not even the promise of sugar.

Dressed with a slightly sweet citrus vinaigrette, I was very impressed with the salad composed of field greens, poached pear, herbed goat cheese, and candied pecans. The greens were mostly frissee….my favorite!

Every civil rights leader made an appearance, from Rev. Al Sharpton to Rev. Jesse Jackson. But it was keynote speaker Rev. Joseph Lowery who’s words were both inspiring and entertaining.

Beatifully presented entrees arrived, seared beef tenderloin served with potatoes au gratin and sauteed haricot verts and baby carrots. Serving beef to hundreds of people is tricky at best. Some like it rare, some like it well, but everyone likes it their way. So how is it possible to make a beef dish that will please a crowd? Make sure the meat is tender! This thick cut was well-done yet juicy. Accompanying sides paired nicely.

When we finally made it to dessert, I was somewhat disappointed. Creme fraiche topped with fresh berries filled a cup made of white and milk chocolate. Although it was pretty, the dessert’s downfall was the overpowering flavor of lemon in the creme fraiche which didn’t work with the chocolate and berries.

From the diverse attendees to the well-executed dinner, the event was a success, but it would have been much more enjoyable if I was wearing a parka.

After spending a few hours at the Inman Park Festival, me, LC and his folks had a bite to eat at Pure nearby. Not surprisingly, LC had a sweet tooth and wanted to stop by Paolo’s (click here for my previous full review) for some gelato on the way home.

I knew it was a recipe for certain disappointment, having just returned from Germany where the best authentic Italian gelato can be found on every corner, like at Eiscafe Capri, a stone’s throw from my Oma’s haus.

Paolo’s is so quaint, just like a little gelato shop one might find in Italy. But I have always found the product to be too sweet, too rich, too American. Yet I continue to hope that someday the gelato will magically improve, but alas, it never has.

We went in, mesmerized by the display of gelato flavors behind the glass case. My favorite, stracciatella, was not available so I ordered a cup of cappuccino. LC tried a couple of mini cones and we got a cup of pistacchio for his Dad, which in hind sight, was probably the best flavor on offer.

As for me, my cappuccino was just like any other coffee flavored ice cream. Not bad, just not the light, icy texture of gelato in Europe. I’ve often thought it is the difference in ingredients available here that makes it impossible to duplicate, although it could also be America’s taste for fat and sugar that overrides the need for authenticity.

In the end, Paolo’s makes good ice cream, but it simply isn’t gelato to me.

1025 Virginia Avenue 404-607-0055

From the time I was a small child until just a couple of years ago, a visit to Germany meant coffee and cake every day, promptly at 3:00pm. I would gorge myself on several servings of Omi’s traditional homemade cakes.

Me, eating cake? Yes! But traditional German cakes are nothing like the common American variety one might find at Walmart. My favorite kind are made on a thin yeast crust, topped with sliced black plums, apples, or (my all-time favorite) schmand.

On our recent visit, everything was different. Omi wasn’t there to make her fall-off-the-bone schweinebraten or pflaumenkuchen. In fact, days went by without a sliver of cake or splash of coffee, save for my Sensio Presso each morning.

At the assisted living house where Omi now resides, they have a cafe’, so one day me and Mom split a piece of streusel topped chocolate torte and enjoyed coffee with her. The tables were decorated for Easter, in fact, there were eggs on trees all over town. In Deutschland, Easter decorations are nearly as abundant as Christmas decorations.

On another occassion, a relative drove us to the neighboring town of Wetzlar to shop at the mall, The Forum, where we met up with him for cappuccino and a cherry torte at Cafe’ Bohne.

But the best was yet to come. While retrieving brotchen from the freezer in the cellar for our breakfast the next morning, I stumbled upon a section of frozen cake. It was zwetschenkuchen, the slang term for pflaumenkuchen, or plum cake, made by my cousin Iris. Awesome!

We let it defrost as we spent the day with Omi, then stopped by Eiscafe’ Capri on the way home for my favorite gelato and an extra helping of whipped cream for the cake. We made some coffee and savored every bite of the cake.

Having learned how to make yeast cakes properly from Omi, my cousin offered to bring my very favorite, schmandkuchen, on her visit with her two daughters. It was our last day in Germany. We spent some time with Omi, then came home for kaffee und kuchen.

Iris made the schmandkuchen round, covering the surface with a thin layer of schmand, creating a dense, cheese-like texture when baked.

Omi always made it in a large rectangular shape, sprinkling the dough with sugar then randomly dropping big spoonfuls of schmand on top. The result was utter perfection. Browned areas of yeast cake with crunchy sugar interspersed with smooth and creamy indentations of schmand.

Some things will never be the same.

This is one of my favorite places on earth! I kid you not. When I travel to Germany, I look forward to eating real Italian gelato at this family-owned cafe’ almost as much as Omi’s “schmand kuchen” (more on that later).

Located on the main street in our tiny town of Solms, Eiscafe Capri makes authentic gelato with milk rather than cream for a lighter, less caloric frozen treat than ice cream.

It also seems to have less sugar. Gelato makers in the U.S. tend to make the mistake of Americanizing the traditional recipe, adding more sugar. I’ve often wondered if we can even duplicate gelato in the states given the difference in available ingredients.

On our first full day in Germany, the weather was beautiful….warm enough to wear flip-flops! I was practically giddy as we took a seat outside at the cafe’. She ordered an alcoholic beverage (what!) and I got my favorites….stracciatella (chocolate chip) and nuss (hazelnut) with whipped cream. And I mean real whipped cream. They don’t even put any sugar in it.

After that day the weather took a turn for the worse. I had to wear boots every day and only had the chance to visit the cafe’ once more before we took off, back to the U.S., where the climate is warm and the gelato is, sadly, not the real thang.

This should be the standard for all air travel….after enjoying a snack and drinks in the Sky Lounge, take a leisurely stroll to the jet where you can casually slip on your comfy socks and sip a little champagne.

First Class, now called Business Elite, on Delta is the ultimate in comfort on overnight flights, providing noise cancelling headsets and fully reclining seats. And then there’s the food. You know all the clinking of silverware you hear when you are in coach? Yeah, that’s First Class getting real food while you are removing the plastic wrappers and foil from your TV-dinner-like meal (more on those later).

Flight attendants in First Class take your order before you leave the ground. It’s cute that the options are in English and German….my first taste of my native language in quite some time. Celeb chef Michelle Bernstein designed some of the swanky dishes.

There is a choice for the first course, however, generally you get both. We had rosemary duck breast and couscous salad with dried fruit and almonds….indeed! Of course the duck was well-done, but the flavor of the dish was nice and I always love dried fruit with duck. Pumpkin bisque soup, “Kuerbiscremesuppe” auf Deutsch, the other appetizer choice, paired nicely with the duck and couscous.

Having already had two glasses of champagne, I chose the 2006 Chateau Beaumont bordeaux to have with my meal. Mom tried a South African chenin blanc that was similar to a good sauvignon blanc.

The second course was a large salad of mixed greens with yellow peppers, pecans, and blue cheese with balsamic vinaigrette. Nice and fresh.

Given the choice of grilled beef tenderloin with shrimp scampi or crab cakes, both me and my Mom chose the latter. For me, it was the fact that all meat is cooked well-done and I prefer beef medium-rare. Plus, the crab cakes came with baked spaghetti squash and braised leeks. Braised leeks!

The entree was very well-executed, with two meaty crab cakes and those meltingly delicious leeks. There was a bit too much nutmeg in the spaghetti squash though. And Mom complained about the copious mound of lemon aioli that sat between the two cakes.

Next was the cheese course or dessert. Actually, I have been known to have both, but this time Mom got the cheese and I got the ice cream sundae made with vanilla ice cream, strawberry sauce, chopped nuts, and whipped cream….very traditional.

After a second glass of red wine, I watched the Oscar winning movie The King’s Speech. It was awesome, but left only a couple of hours to try to sleep.

The next thing I knew the smell of coffee filled the cabin and we were awakened from our slumber to be served yet another meal of scrambled eggs on English muffins topped with melted cheese, spinach, served with Canadian bacon and a croissant. No doubt they feed you well in First Class!

Arriving in Frankfurt, the city of my birth, always causes me to reflect on the years that have passed since my last visit. So much has changed! Am I on the right path? I can see myself in one or two years, landing in Frankfurt once more. Then I will know the answers to all the questions I have now, but there’s always a list of new ones.

There is nothing German about funnel cake. However in Helen, the faux Bavarian village in the North Georgia mountains, the land of motorcycles and mullets, liverwurst and lederhosen, it is strangely appropriate.

Sprinkled with powdered sugar, topped with some gloppy fruit goo, whipped cream, ice cream, or all of the above, it is practically mandatory to eat one of these fried monstrosities in the carnivalesque atmosphere of Helen.

After years of avoiding this white trash temptation, I finally vowed to give in the next time I went tubing. And that was last weekend. B and I joined my Mom for lunch at Old Heidelberg, feasting on the best wurst with good kraut and over-spiced, over-cooked red cabbage, drank several Corona Lights, then braved the chilly waters of the Chattahoochee in the bright pink tubes.

We bailed early, getting out of the river across the street from my parents’ house, just in time for bison burgers! Chef Billy burns my Dad’s just the way he likes it but B and I prefer our burgers medium. They were perfect and juicy topped with double cheese and all the fixin’s.

Finally….time for funnel cake! Granny’s Famous Funnel Cakes is a Helen tradition, having stood in the center of town for many years. You can watch as the dough is literally piped into the vat of bubbling oil with a funnel. It is truly awe-inspiring (see photo).

B and I wanted to keep it simple, ordering our large funnel cake with powdered sugar and whipped cream. She got Georgia peach ice cream on the side.

Like a super-crispy doughnut, what’s not to love about this treat? A chick from Ooltewah and one from Ellijay, we know good white trash when we eat it.

Every time I see those bright bunnies and chicks, I think of making these….an inevitable Easter re-run.
Want to add a little white trash to your Easter celebration this year? Try this twisted yet fun take on s’mores! The idea was taken from an Easter party favors segment on the Today Show. The ingredients for s’mores bars, arranged in Mason jars, included colorful Peeps….check ‘em out!

I just substituted hot pink bunny Peeps in place of regular marshmallows in this recipe.

How to:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place graham crackers on a baking sheet. Put a thin piece of chocolate, either milk or dark on top of each cracker. Then place a Peep on top of the chocolate. Any color will do. You can use chicks instead of bunnies, of course. (I was drawn to the hot pink bunnies!) Bake for 4-6 minutes, then make each one into a sandwich with an additional graham cracker.

Careful, the Peeps are hot! They will ooze out of the edges when you take a bite. Surprisingly delicious.