Terrific discovery in Bulls Gap

What a happy accident that I stumbled across Yoder's Country Market in Bulls Gap, TN, this week. I was way off my travel route, when I pulled into this parking lot and went in to ask directions. I was greeted by friendly staff, and a delight for the eyes (and stomach!)

The market is Cracker Barrel meets Trader Joe's -- country charm and quirkiness, with exceptional products you can't easily find at your "regular" grocer. The shelves were full of various jams, jellies, nuts and candy. And there was a line five deep at the deli, where customers considered various meats, cheeses, chicken salad, and more. I was amazed at the variety and selection of baked goodies/sweets, and the rows of fresh-baked breads.

The staff was gracious with directions, and a fellow shopper helped lead me back in the right direction. Truth is, the right direction is to beat a path back to this market's front door. I am already planning a return visit with my family, for some lunch and a fun shopping spree.

Grilled steaks for the weekend

With Memorial Day three days away, I thought I would post a favorite grilling recipe to share. Second in popularity only to the Don Farris marinade (a terrific two day marinade for London broil), this is the way my dad usually grilled rib-eyes when I was a child.

You’ll need:

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Salt and pepper

I used New York strips for this recipe, but my favorite steak is a rib-eye. This marinade will make anything taste good. Mix all the ingredients in a glass dish, then add the steaks and turn to coat.

Let the steaks marinate for a couple of hours or overnight, refrigerated.

Grill them to desired doneness – we love ours about medium, which takes about 5-6 minutes per side. Practice makes perfect, so get cracking!

They had the skills to pay the bills

Simply put, the Beastie Boys are one of my all-time favorite groups, and I have been torn up over the death last week  of Adam Yauch (MCA, at right above). I remember the rush of excitement my friends and I felt over the "Ill Communication" album (1986) and dancing to Brass Monkey at one of the first big, high school parties my parents let me attend. I can’t begin to name a favorite song – I love them all and can probably sing or rap the lines to any of them. Sabotage; Hey Ladies; Paul Revere, Hold it now, hit it; Shake your rump; No Sleep Til Brooklyn; Girls; Sure Shot, Body Movin’…. The list goes on and on. The Beasties were funny and smart, a fact that always set them apart to me. (Remember Boomin' Granny?)

If you are a fan, you will love this: http://shop.beastieboys.com/accessories/

Yes, along with T-shirts, albums, mugs and stickers, you can buy a set of poseable dolls of the group. Sure, the price is steep ($750) but the money goes to charity. Looking at photos and listening to various songs has made me smile – this post about the dolls literally made me laugh out loud. This group’s music has always made me feel happy -- when I was 16 and today, as a mother of two teens!

Here is a great take on Yauch's life from Rolling Stone: It explains how the band evolved, their lifetime friendship, efforts to raise awareness about social problems, and all the fun they had along the way.

2012: Hannah's junior prom

My beautiful daughter enjoyed prom on Saturday; her family had a terrific time seeing her and her handsome date all dolled up. I sure do love this beautiful girl!!

Barbecue chicken soup

For all the recipes I post on this blog, the truth is this: It's rare that I cook from a specific recipe. Almost always I improvise something on the fly, based on my preferences and what I have on hand. Like many of my recipes, I came up with this dish after pulling things together from the cabinet and freezer.


But this soup, with tender chicken, plenty of veggies, and smokiness from some added barbecue sauce, is a keeper! If you love Brunswick stew, you will want to try this one, too. Most cooks probably have these ingredients on hand at any time, so consider this dish when you need a new recipe and you don't want to go to the store.


Barbecue chicken soup


3 chicken breasts, diced
16 ounce bag frozen, mixed vegetables
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 quart water
¼ cup barbecue sauce
½ teaspoon crushed basil
Salt and pepper

In a medium skillet, brown the chicken pieces in oil. Place the chicken in a 6-quart slow cooker.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. Cook on low for 8 hours.

This dish had a great flavor, thanks to the barbecue sauce and the crushed basil. I grew fresh basil last summer, and then dried the leaves for use all winter. Be sure to plant some basil this year, so you can enjoy it fresh all summer (and so you can dry the leaves when the weather turns cold.) Here’s how to harvest and dry basil, step by step.

Spinach: The incredible shrinking vegetable

I grew up watching Popeye fight with Bluto, romance Olive Oyl, and (YUCK) eat spinach from a can. Don’t get me wrong – I love spinach, but canned spinach is a crime against vegetables. How canned spinach gave Popeye such pep is beyond me. The best spinach is always fresh; in a pinch (or a cooked recipe) frozen spinach will do. I would have to be starving to death to eat the canned stuff.

On Easter, I brought home an enormous bag of fresh spinach from my parents’ garden. My dad picked the leaves on Sunday morning in Norfolk and I was putting the bag in our fridge in Bristol by dinnertime. We have had spinach salad and sautéed spinach all week. Spinach is high in fiber, a terrific source of iron, and contains antioxidants that protect eyes from cataracts and macular degeneration. Spinach commonly contains pesticides -- bugs, moths and other critters love it, too. Eat spinach you have grown yourself or that you know was not treated with pesticides.

Wash spinach is a large basin with plenty of water. The leaves tend to be sandy, so wash in at least two changes of water. If you have a salad spinner, this is a great contraption for drying the leaves. Spinach shrinks dramatically when cooked, so be sure to prep plenty. An interesting fact: Spinach is native to central and southwestern Asia.

Here is a simple and delicious method I love that make great use of fresh spinach.

Sautéed spinach
1 teaspoon oil or butter
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
Salt and pepper
2 quarts fresh spinach, washed and torn in pieces

Heat the oil or butter over medium heat, in a large sauté pan. Add the chopped garlic. Once the pan is hot, add the spinach. If there is more spinach than pan, wait a minute or two until the spinach wilts and add more. You don’t have to cook spinach to death. Just warm it until it wilts, add salt and pepper and serve. Serves 3-4 (or one hungry husband who loves spinach!)

Friday fun: Back to the 1980s

I've been swamped with work lately, and I've neglected new posts for this blog. Since it's Friday, and the weather is gorgeous, I thought it would be fun to post some of my favorite songs from the late 1980s-early 1990s.

One of my all-time favorites is Let the Music Play by Shannon. I remember dancing to this at a homecoming dance in high school!

No one can resist the bass in this one by Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock: It Takes Two.

And here's one from Bobby Brown's early solo career: Every Little Step. I sang every word while working on this post. This song is from 1991, just a smidge out of the 80s!

Happy Friday, friends! Get outside and enjoy this beautiful weather!