Let's give Alton Brown a great birthday present

To contact us Click HERE
Alton Brown tweeted to today what he would like for his birthday this year...

His tweet got me thinking about how to help even more. Remember the little fundraiser we did for Monterey Bay and Heifer International? I was happy to report of the $300 we raised. So I thought, why not try to help out this cause for AB's birthday here too.

I've been wondering what to do with this site in light of the new developments with Alton and his social media forray. In my current poll a lot of you have said you enjoy the news and reports of his events. So, if you have ever enjoyed anything on this site or got anything, please donate. It will be great to have the wonderful readers and Alton's fans banning together to bring in another good amount of money for another worthy cause. This would mean a great deal to me as well as AB.

So here's what I want to do.

Donate what you can, but remember PayPal takes a percentage 2.9% + $0.30 USD here's a chart to figure in the fees if you would like to include that.

Then I will send the whole pot to Samaritans Purse from all of AB's fans for his birthday.

Update
As of June 13, the birthday fund raiser is complete.
We ended with $100 to donate to the organization for Alton's birthday.  I have contacted them and am waiting to find the best method to send the money


Thanks to all who participated!

Alton Brown and Tennessee Aquarium's Serve and Protect Project

To contact us Click HERE

Alton Brown will help the Tennessee Aquarium with their new sustainable seafood endeavor later this fall. The "Serve and Protect" project will raise awareness and promote local and sustainable seafood choices.

At the main event on Sept. 22, Alton will conduct a demo with recipes he's developed for the project.Tickets for the event are $150, which includes the demo and a dinner. They are available at the Aquarium's website. To make your reservations, visit here.

Wolfgang Puck's Spago House Dressing

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An easy salad of spring greens, grape tomatoes, thinly sliced zucchini and shaved cheese comes to life with the sophisticated flavor of a dressing from Wolfgang Puck.Put it together in a few minutes!Wolfgang Puck's Spago House DressingFrom the kitchen of Wolfgang Puck
PRINT RECIPE
Servings:6
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon sherry wine vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 small shallot, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup walnut oil*
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Directions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the balsamic and sherry or red wine vinegars, the Dijon mustard, minced shallot and minced thyme. Slowly whisk in the oils and when emulsified, season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate in a covered container. It will keep for three weeks to four weeks. When ready to use, whisk again.

*Recipe Note:  My husband has a dislike of walnuts so I did not use the walnut oil but rather used all olive oil.

Gina Neely's Collard Greens

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This is the only collard recipe you will ever need.  It's that good - smack your grandma good.


The Wife and I recently started a supper club with three other couples, and we volunteered to host the inaugural gathering.  We selected the theme "Fall in the South."  On the menu was crisp roast pork, pimiento potatoes gratin (recipes to come) and these collards from Gina Neely. The collards were a hit.  People who didn't like collards raved about these, and they were called "the best I've ever had" from an expert North Carolinian.

They were the perfect balance between sweet, savory with some heat from the red pepper flakes. These are hands down the best collards I've ever tasted.

Gina Neely's Collard Greens

5 bunches of collards
4 cups of salted water
4 large smoked ham hocks or shanks
1 cup sugar
salt
1 teaspoon red paper flakes (or more depending on how hot you like it)

Wash the collards, remove the stems and cut into one inch strips.


In a large stock pot bring 4 cups of salted water to a simmer and drop in the ham hocks.  Cover and let simmer for about 90 minutes.


Remove the ham hocks and set aside until they're cool enough to handle, then shred the pork off the bone.


Add the collards to the pot - yes it will be A LOT, but they cook down pretty quickly.


Using tongs, turn them every minute or so.   Let them cook down until there is enough room to add the remaining ingredients.


Add the meat from the ham hocks, sugar and pepper flakes, and give them a few turns with the tongs to combine.




Let the collards simmer away for another 90 minutes or so, and you'll be rewarded with one of the best southern sides you've every had.


Enjoy!

Jaques Pepin's Pound Cake

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Let me start by saying that The Baby is a total carb queen.  When she won't eat her vegetables, chicken nuggets, etc., she'll always take a bite of bread, muffins, donut holes or cake.  That being the case, The Wife and I always try to keep some kind of baked goods around the kitchen, be it The Wife's pumpkin muffins, biscuits or a cake.  So when I saw this recipe in an email from Food and Wine, I made a mental note to make it next time we were in need.

This is a simple recipe to throw together at the last minute.  It comes together quickly, and is dense, buttery and sweet.

Jacques Pepin's Pound Cake

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup milk - at room temperature
2 1/2 cups flour

In a stand mixer, combine the butter, vanilla, salt and sugar.  Beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Beat in the milk.  Beat in the eggs, two at a time. Sift the flour over the batter, and whisk until smooth.


Scrape the batter into a bundt pan, and smooth the surface.


Bake the cake for 1 1/2 hours - or until the top is cracked and brown, and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.


Remove from the oven, and let the cake rest for 10 minutes before turning on a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy!

Let's give Alton Brown a great birthday present

To contact us Click HERE
Alton Brown tweeted to today what he would like for his birthday this year...

His tweet got me thinking about how to help even more. Remember the little fundraiser we did for Monterey Bay and Heifer International? I was happy to report of the $300 we raised. So I thought, why not try to help out this cause for AB's birthday here too.

I've been wondering what to do with this site in light of the new developments with Alton and his social media forray. In my current poll a lot of you have said you enjoy the news and reports of his events. So, if you have ever enjoyed anything on this site or got anything, please donate. It will be great to have the wonderful readers and Alton's fans banning together to bring in another good amount of money for another worthy cause. This would mean a great deal to me as well as AB.

So here's what I want to do.

Donate what you can, but remember PayPal takes a percentage 2.9% + $0.30 USD here's a chart to figure in the fees if you would like to include that.

Then I will send the whole pot to Samaritans Purse from all of AB's fans for his birthday.

Update
As of June 13, the birthday fund raiser is complete.
We ended with $100 to donate to the organization for Alton's birthday.  I have contacted them and am waiting to find the best method to send the money


Thanks to all who participated!

Alton Brown and Tennessee Aquarium's Serve and Protect Project

To contact us Click HERE

Alton Brown will help the Tennessee Aquarium with their new sustainable seafood endeavor later this fall. The "Serve and Protect" project will raise awareness and promote local and sustainable seafood choices.

At the main event on Sept. 22, Alton will conduct a demo with recipes he's developed for the project.Tickets for the event are $150, which includes the demo and a dinner. They are available at the Aquarium's website. To make your reservations, visit here.