Harvest Dinner....Farm to Table

The First Harvest Dinner at City Roots
Notice the Tractor in the background...priceless!

Sooooooooo, this is what I did last night....your jealous, right? I would be if I were you:)  Because it was truly an amazing dinner event.

My friend, Vanessa Driscoll from the green event planning company, The Southern Greenie,   116 Espresso and Wine Bar, Executive Chef Ryan Whittaker, City Roots Farm Manager, Eric McClam have come together and created a unique and fun dining experience for Columbia’s very first Harvest Dinner! I am here to  tell you  "It did NOT disappoint!"

City Roots Farm, everyone mingling while drinking their American Harvest Beet Juice Cocktails

I got to spend time with my bestie, Christie, and eat, drink, and be merry. Who could ask for a better night. Ahem...we all know this girl loves to eat, and have a glass of wine or in this instance a beer (or 3:;) with her meal. These sorts of Slow Food affairs are popping up all over the country, and I am so excited and lucky that there is an event like this so close to me.

The tablescapes were simple, clean and just plain pretty. 
Simple white plates with over scale napkins.  My kind of table!

Eating amongst the veggies.

What is a farm without a Baby Pig??...lets hope this little runt escapes his fate like our dear Friend Wilber...this little one week old was just grunting away, and was quite the mascot!

A true Farm to Table meal, served Family Style with a long table of 50 people.  You get to pass the big platter of food, chat and really get to know the people sitting with you.

I was lucky enough to sit next to City Roots Fam Manager, Eric McClam and chat about Farming, tractors, and Microgreens, and Heirloom tomatoes.

Microgreen salad served family style.

1st course....Dolmades wrapped in Baby Turnip Greens with a MicroGreen Salad.

Pulled pork with veggies and German spaetzle.

The Chef Carving the Pork Belly...I had a front row seat:)

I mean really, talk about KNOWING where your food comes from...we got to sit in the fields where some of our meal was harvested...much of the meal was represented by the very people who either Harvest or Raise the food we were eating...or know very much about where it came from.  We had everything from a Micro Green salad to a Pork Belly roulade (via Righteous Ranch) with Dirty Rice, and each course was paired with a different New Belgium Beer. 

 I did not get a photo of the Desserts, but the girls from Pink Magnolia furnished the dinner finale.  Including cupcakes, apple pie, and cookies. They were delicious too, and I would be remiss if I didn't at least mention that I ate my fair share:)

I am salivating just remembering....as the sun set, my belly was full, and I was happy as a clam. After the meal, some people congregated around a fire by the farm building and chatted about food and traditions.  And quite frankly, that is what it is all about.....Food bringing people together... A night that I hope to enjoy again soon.

Sooooo, if you are in town, you must go to Harvest Dinners  get your tickets, because they are starting to FLY out the door:)

Have a great weekend, ya'll.  I am so inspired to pull out the table into the yard and have a harvest meal myself....yay Fall!

FLANtastic!

I have to admit, the flowers from yesterday's post were for a reason...I had the flagship meeting of a few friends for our new Supper Club.  Here is how it works...The Hostess picks a cookbook, and makes the main course and everyone picks a dish from the book to make and bring.  I picked Alice Waters The Simple Art of Food.  Such a great cookbook... simple food is the best food. It was so much fun, and all of the Food was Delish.

Not being a real cookbook follower myself (I make things up as I go along, go figure:)) it was fun to go by a recipe...I made a few things I never had before...Pork Carnitas, Homemade Tortillas, and FLAN!  You would think the Flan would be where I failed, but it Turned out!!!!  It was amazing that this little flan made it thru, when they say take it out when jiggly, they mean jiggly!  I made the caramel, did the water bath, and thought I had failed big time when the water bath boiled over into the flan...but I just trudged on, thinking it would be a Huge mess when I turned it out onto the plate....I think I shreaked..."Oh, my gosh!" when all of the sauce fell out on top of the jiggly custard!  But, evidently that was how it was supposed to be.   Feeling so good about myself, I might try out for Next Food Network Star!

The Flan...just removed from the dish....didn't know that there would be so much sauce...THAT was a  surprise!

Mmmmm, mmmmm!

Here are some more stars of the evening....really it was ALL good, and I was more busy eating than taking photos.  I think I got most of it, except the beans and rice...which were excellent too and should have gotten a photo!

Sangria Anyone....this is great because it can be made by the glass instead of a huge vat!

Preparation of the Delicious Rice.

Yummy Guacamole....in my old vintage orange serving pieces.  I bring them out for mexican meals!

Is your mouth watering yet....Gazpacho....perfect in this heat!

A Nice big Carnita Burrito with ALL the fixins...and my attempt at Tortillas in the Background....
Made for better dippers than Burrito wraps.  Thank goodness I had a back up!

I love to set a table....going with the theme of simple and in-season, I picked the Black Eyed Susans as my centerpiece.  Determined to use what I had, and tired of my same old place mats,   I decided to use the cardboard seperators from the tons of paper samples that I have gotten, they were the perfect size....I KNEW they would come in handy some day.

I love a good Bird's Eye View

Burlap and Cardboard. and white china...Can you get any more simple??

My mother-in-law gifted me 5 vintage monogrammed Dinner Napkins with her maiden name initial "B".
I think that any monogram is pretty, even if it isn't your own.

Just another view.

So, I didn't get organized yesterday, but I managed to be a part of a Real Simple meal that was Simply Delicious!  AND to top it all off, I made FLAN....it was all just FLANtastic!  Ha, ha!  Can't wait for our next get together in September.

I love a good soup.

my soup display at Thanksgiving.

 It has been unusually cold here lately.  I mean, we southerners aren't used to it.  I am really not complaining, because I am  happy to wear my scarves and gloves that rarely get used.  When we have cold weather like this I love a good soup.  I came across a recipe when I was planning for Thanksgiving, and actually used it.  (We had an Oyster Roast and Soup Midday instead of the normal appetizers, and it really turned out well)

Anyway, I wanted to share the recipe because it is just the perfect hearty soup for these blustery busy days.

It was delish with a little bit of Champagne.

Elwood's Ham Chowder
(taken from the Nov. 2002 Martha Stewart Magazine)
5 quarts

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound Virginia ham, cut into ˙-inch
pieces
2 large onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
(about 3 cups)
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 bunches collard greens (about 1 pound),
stems discarded, washed, and roughly
chopped
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes with juice,
roughly chopped
7 cups homemade or low-sodium
canned chicken stock
2 cups homemade or low-sodium canned
beef stock
8 medium red potatoes, cut into ˙-inch
cubes (about 6 cups)
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf
parsley
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
(optional)

Mise en place

1. Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium-low
heat. Add the ham, and cook until it starts to release
juices, about 2 minutes; do not brown. Add the
onions and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until
soft, about 10 minutes.

2. Working in batches, if necessary, so as not to
overcrowd the pot, cook the collard greens, tossing
frequently with tongs, until thoroughly wilted. Add
the tomatoes and juice, chicken and beef stocks,
potatoes, thyme, and parsley. Bring to a boil, and
reduce heat to a gentle simmer; cook, stirring and
skimming any foam from the surface occasionally,
until the potatoes are easily pierced with a paring
knife, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from heat; season
with salt, black pepper, and hot pepper sauce, as desired.
Serve hot. 

 

It is REALLY good with the tabasco!  

One thing I love about my kitchen

photo by moi

My old steel crank windows.  Since the evenings have gotten cooler we have been eating outside more...and I crank out the window and talk to the kids in the yard while I cook dinner.  When dinner is ready I pass the plates through the window and into the hands of eager helping children.  It makes my heart skip a  little beat.  I plan on painting the window frames black....what do you think?????

On another "culinary" note....

Recipe for Singapore Lettuce Wraps

 

 

I made a new dish.  Do you ever use recipes on the back of the product box?  I don't usually, but I was looking for something a little bit different (and on the advice of a friend) went for it.  With a little twist of my own of course.  I HAVE to suggest the New College Inn Thai Coconut Curry Culinary Broth.  Yummo!  I made the Singapore Lettuce Wraps with Rice and Chicken. My twist was....my own marinade for the chicken, and added mandarine oranges, and red onion to the wrap and I must say it was a good Monday meal, not heavy, but filling, and with just enough  flavor.  The kids even ate it.  So I have to say, I might be looking on the back of all of the my product boxes, turns out the recipes can be good!


Oh, and just another little thing.  I received my first giveaway package on Saturday from the lovely Patricia from PVE Design.  It made my day!

You still have time to sign up for my giveaway.  See the sidebar.

The Recipe for Shrimp and Grits

My Shrimp and Grits

 Shrimp and grits is a staple meal in South Carolina, originating in Charleston.  If you go to an event, more than likely shrimp and grits is on the menu.  Almost every restaurant on the South Carolina coast worth it's salt has a version.  This is mine.

Shrimp and Grits for a Crowd. (serves 12)
Ingredients
For the sauce
8 links of andouille sausage diced
3 onions small dice
2 shallots small dice
3 cloves of garlic crushed and diced
1 cup of flour
4 cups of good chicken stock
1 cup of cream
1 tbsp. of dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste

For the shrimp
3 lbs of shrimp
coating of seasoning (I use emerils)

GRITS
Did you know that in 1976, South Carolina declared grits as the official state food?  For those of you that don't like or have never had grits, I am here to tell you it can be delish, IF done right.  Throw away the boxes of instant grits, quick grits, and all that yucky stuff.  Go for the REAL stone ground grits. 
(use the package instructions, but use 1/1 ratio of water and milk example If it calls for 4 cups water use 2 cups water 2 cups milk)

THE SAUCE
Saute the andouille sausage until the fat is rendered, then add the onions and shallots, saute for a couple of minutes unit translucent, add the garlic for 1 minute, then the flour for another minute.  Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, the sauce should thicken a bit.  Then add the cream, salt, pepper, and thyme.  Bring to a simmer. Simmer until ready to serve. Adjust seasoning to taste  Or can be made the night before and reheated.

THE SHRIMP
Meanwhile, Season the shrimp, put on baking sheets, and pop in a 350 degree oven.  Bake until done.  Here you can either add to the sauce, or leave out for your guests to add as many shrimp as they want.  Your choice, delish either way!

THE GRITS
The way I get my grits to be super creamy is to use the 1/1 ratio of water and milk example If it calls for 4 cups water use 2 cups water 2 cups milk)  Something that adds a delishise touch is to cook a couple ears of corn and take the corn off the cob,  and add to the grits, really, really good.

I prepped everything the night before

These are the grits

This is what grits looks like when cooking.

There you have it.  Shrimp and grits.  Easy and good, and once you taste it you will see what all of the fuss is about.

A Luncheon Success.

Isn't the sterling beautiful??  Not mine, borrowed.

Do we ever grow out of tea parties?  I think not:)  When I was asked to help host a luncheon for a friend's very special birthday, I said "But of course!", not only to celebrate a milestone in a friend's life, but to have an opportunity to get all girley and bring out the "good stuff", get dressed up, make fun food, and have a cocktail at 10:30 in the morning (something I don't ever indulge in, thank you, especially on a Monday!!!)

I spent all  weekend preparing, cleaning, sewing (an opportunity to get those drapes up in the dining room!), preparing linens, ironing, all over frooffing of the house.  The the fun kind of preparing, not the drugery of everyday.  I HAD GUESTS!  This is my element, and I LOVE it!  To coin a new friend's word I was was all around Zhushing (even got a new dress for the occasion!) My husband says I am channeling Martha, I just might be, what is so wrong with that!

Anyway, on to the good stuff.

It all started with an invitation to set the color scheme...being a fan of navy and green I thought, what the heck? This is a design I did a while ago, and I thought it oh, appropo. 

THE INVITATION

THE TABLESCAPE

I just scored quite a few beautiful linens at an auction ($17.50 for a lot, woot!!) so it was fun to bring them all back to life. (the process on another post).  This table is a mix and match of old and new, fine linen and scraps.  I had an old piece of navy blue fabric, and I just ironed the ends under, something I have done tons of times to get color to a table without spending $$$.  The green is a cloth that has tons of spots on it, but with the overlay, and the plates, no one but me ever knew:)  Also, not everyone has full sets of silver, I know I don't.  So we mixed and matched, borrowed from mothers and mother-in-laws, and made it work.  You will find that friends and family are more than willing to let you use the good stuff.  At least it is being used and brought out of closets, and it comes back clean and polished!

Photos by moi.

Note to self remember to bring chair down from upstairs bottom right (luckily we had a noshow:)

Bring the party outside too, it didn't hurt that it was beautiful outside too.  The doors were opened and the conversation could flow freely, and every one was comfy and felt part of the party.  Just as I had imagined it when we added the porch off the dining room.

THE FLOWERS

I have a local wholesale florist that I like to work with, they have a big cooler and you just pick what you want. (my dream would be to go to the flower markets of chelsea, but Branhams in Columbia, SC works well too.  I spent $38 on flowers.  I bought 6 stems of mini hydrangeas, and 2 bunches of stock.  Keeping it simple and fresh and low.  Luncheons or dinners are not the times to bring out HUGE arrangements. No one likes to try to peer thru foliage at the person across the table from them!  I used silver juleps (2 borrowed one from moi,) and 3 vases I got for $14 at pier one.  It brought the element of blue to the table that was missing.  Very simple and pretty if I do say so myself.

 Notice the drapes in the background...funny how they have green and blue in them.  I told you I have been having a green and blue moment lately:)

We used little sterling peppers and salt cellars with the tiny spoons.  The tiny details. 
Borrowed.  But who doesn't like to use a salt cellar??

THE FOOD and DRINK

You can't have a luncheon without food. There is no need to blow a gasket when it comes to the menu. We broke up the tasks and it was totally doable.  A little bit of prep the night before, and 1 hour of cooking before and voila the food is done!  I will post these recipes later, really perfect for a luncheon.

Salad with Gorgonzola, pears, and candied pecans
(plated before the guests arrived)
Shrimp and Grits
(a southern favorite, if you haven't tried it you must!)
Cheese Biscuits
(the ones from the side of the bisquik box)
Fruit Salad
(yummy, yummy)

BIRTHDAY CAKE
(made by a guest who makes delish cakes as her gift)

Water
(with and without gas)
Mimosa's with Blood orange
Lemonade

We plated the salad before guests arrived, and it was already dressed...who wants to mess with dressing?

A little bit for everyone.  Having sliced lemons in the lemonade was another detail.  Having the mint although not used, made the drink tray really pretty.  We had regular water in glasses on the tables.

and coffee of course.!

No pictures of the shrimp and grits or cake, I put my camera down and forgot to take pics.  Sorry:(

I have to say the guest of honor was, well, honored.  You could tell she felt really special.  Every girl likes to be the princess at a tea party, and this was just the grown up kind.  The kind you really dream of when you are a little girl.    It doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg, I spent a total of $50 a little more than I would have spent on a gift, but the smile on my friend's face when she walked in the door was worth every ounce of effort...and the camaraderie I feel when doing this with friends is awesome, even cleanup is more fun, we chatted up a storm while polishing silver the day before and doing dishes after the party...and NOW our silver is polished and my house is clean, and I couldn't have done any of it without my friends.

THE END.