Muscadine Pie at The Lakewood

Wild Muscadine Grapes. (Photo from the Web.)

One of my fondest memories of childhood was eating Muscadines, the wild grapes that are native to the Southeastern United States.  In the woods near our house was a wild vine that had grown high up into a tree, and in September and October the fragrance of these delicious deep purple grapes wafted into my play area.  The vines were too far up to reach, but when the ripe grapes fell the ground would be covered.  The grape has a thick skin that can be discarded and there are seeds inside the fruity flesh ( I usually spit out the few seeds but eat the thick skin which I'm sure has the most nutritional value.) 

A recent review in the News and Observer of The Lakewood, a restaurant in Durham, featured one of their desserts, Muscadine Pie.  I knew I had to try that.  Laura and Anthony both have October birthdays so to celebrate we had dinner at The Lakewood last night.  The restaurant is located in a building that was once The Davis Baking Company.  That seems fitting since owner Phoebe Lawless is well known for her baked goods at her other restaurant, Scratch.  Much of the original building has been retained, including the tin ceiling, and there is outdoor dining on the roof.  The somewhat contemporary tables and decor suited my fancy.  I was intrigued by the wooden bird sculptures on the shelf at the edge of the wine glasses and asked Anthony to go over a get an artsy photo.  He's an excellent photographer. 

Roof top dining at The Lakewood. (Photo by Anthony Benson.)

Anthony's artsy photo with my Iphone. (Photo by Anthony Benson.)

I was tempted to order the Muscadine Pie first, but there were so many other interesting choices on the menu, I resisted.  We shared a small plate of their smoked blue fish dip with homemade potato chips.  I recommend this!  A side of charred beets with NC apples and dilly ranch dressing was also shared. (We were attempting to sample several of their offerings.) Equally good.

Smoked blue fish dip with homemade potato chips.  

Laura and Anthony both ordered the Bavette steak with long cooked broccoli, seared lemon gnocchi, and olive oil hollandaise.  I ordered the BBQ Pamlico shrimp with crusty baguette. The large shrimp were served with heads on (as they do in France) and with a spicy broth perfect for sopping with the bread.  It was a bit messy to eat, but they provide a slice of lemon and a wet napkin for cleaning your hands as you finish. 

Bavette steak with seared lemon gnocchi. (Photo by Anthony Benson.)

Pamlico shrimp with crusty baguette. 

Time for dessert.  Laura is on a low carb diet and resisted dessert, but Anthony and I shared desserts.  The Apple Scrap funnel cake with sesame caramel ripple ice cream was good, but finally the piece de resistance, the Double crust Muscadine Pie with creme fraiche ice cream and candied pecans was even better than I could have imagined.  Absolutely delicious!!!!

Funnel cake with caramel ice cream. (Photo by Anthony Benson.)

Muscadine double crusted pie with creme fraiche ice cream  and candied pecans. 

As we were eating our desserts, two children at a table near us were served the most delicious looking drink.  It was pink with a grape on the edge of the glass.  I asked the waiter about it, and when she replied that it was a Muscadine Soda, I immediately ordered one.  This drink from the children's menu, was the perfect nightcap to this Muscadine featured meal.

This Muscadine Soda garnished with a Muscadine grape was beautiful and tasty.
(Photo by Anthony Benson.)

I hope Muscadine season lasts a bit longer and I hope Lawless keeps the Muscadine Pie on the menu, because I'm going back!

Read Patricia P.'s review of The Lakewood on Yelp

I Am Freeking* Out

Freekeh

We have been trying new grains in our diet recently---quinoa (which is actually a seed not a grain), bulger wheat, and farro.  And yesterday in the News and Observer there was an article about an ancient grain, freekeh, with a recipe for a salad using it.  I was able to find freekeh at Whole Foods.  I like this new to us grain.  I can see that it will be a good substitute for rice in soups, salads, and others dishes.

Here's the recipe for Freekeh, chickpea salad:

1 cup freekeh
1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1 cup thinly sliced celery, plus 3 tablespoons chopped leaves
1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, more to taste
1/2 teaspoon lightly toasted cumin seeds, ground, more to taste
1 garlic clove, minced or puréed (optional)
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

HEAT a medium-size heavy saucepan over medium-high heat and add freekeh. Toast in the dry pan, shaking pan or stirring, until freekeh becomes fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.

Toasting freekeh in dry pan.

 Add 2 cups water and salt and bring to a boil.

Add water and bring to boil.

REDUCE heat to low, cover and simmer 20 to 25 minutes or until water has been absorbed. Turn off heat and uncover. Place a clean dish towel over the pot and return lid. Let sit at least 10 minutes.

Remove pot from heat, add clean dishcloth and top and let sit for 10 minutes. 

Uncover and allow freekeh to cool another 10 minutes.
While freekeh is cooling chop herbs.

Parsley, mint, celery, and scallions.

COMBINE freekeh, chopped herbs, celery, scallions and chickpeas in a large bowl and toss together.

Mix freekeh, chickpeas, and herbs together.

In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, cumin, garlic, salt and olive oil; toss with salad. Taste and add more lemon juice if desired.

Dressing. 

Serve right away or let sit for up to 1 hour before serving.

Ready to eat. 

Yield: 6 servings.

This is a nice combination of flavors, and it is rich in protein and fiber.  I added the dressing to each individual salad and not to the whole bowl because we will have four servings left over, and I don't want the ingredients to sit in the dressing.  The dressing can be added to each serving just before it is ready to eat.  I'm glad to have found another good grain to add to our diet.   

* I don't mean freaked out.  

If you would like to learn more about freekeh check this out.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2015/02/03/4527286_try-freekeh-an-old-grain-getting.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy

Vegetable Corn Chowder

The veggies in the chowder. 

I'm always glad to get the Wednesday issues of The News and Observer and The New York Times, because in both newspapers a section is devoted to food and cooking.  This week in the N&O there was a recipe for Vegetable Corn Chowder from the popular cookbook 100 Days of Real Food, by NC blogger Lisa Leake.

Now that the weather is getting cooler, I am beginning to think of soup for supper.  Here's the recipe:

Veggie Corn Chowder

3 tbs butter

2 tbs flour

1 medium onion, diced

3 large carrots, peeled and diced

3 large stalks celery, diced

5 cups corn kernel, (fresh, frozen or canned)

1 tsp salt (I omit this)

Cayenne pepper to taste

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

2 cups milk (or half and half)

Melt  the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour and keep whisking until the mixture darkens but does not burn, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the onion, carrot and celery and stir occasionally until the vegetables soften, 5 to 6 minutes.  Add the corn, salt and pepper and cook stirring for 2 to 3 minutes.

Pour in the stock and milk and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer 10 minutes, until thickened.

Transfer half the soup to a blender and puree.  Add pureed soup back to the pot.  Ladle into bowls and serve warm, or you can freeze in individual portions for later. 

Yield 6 servings

Dice the carrot, celery and onion.

Three cups of corn kernels. 

Two cups of chicken broth. 

Mix the flour with the butter. 

Add the veggies and corn. 

Add the broth and the milk and simmer. 

Ready for supper. 

We enjoyed a bowl of this for supper the other day.

3 bags in 3 days

Cartoon by Amber Waite from her blog Voluntary Simplicity is a Lifestyle

I'm starting small.  Dan and I realize that we have a lot of decluttering to do.  This recent article in the News and Observer inspired me to try this but on a very small scale---3 bags in 3 days and then I could start over for another 3 days, etc.

Day One:  A bag full of books that will go to a library. 

A bag of books ready for a library.

This was a really big bag and it weighed a lot.  We have lots of books we need to purge.

Day Two:  Fabric and shoes.  I've had this fabric around in the garage that we are redoing using it to cover the fronts of shelves, and we are going to put doors on those shelves so this fabric had to go.  I need to go through my shoes again though and get rid of more.

Fabric and shoes ready to take to the thrift shop.

Day Three:  Magazines and Newspapers.   I tend to keep magazine thinking I will need to read them again, but I've decided to stop that.  If there are things in the magazines like recipes, I will remove them from the magazines and then recycle the magazines along with the newspapers.

A bag of newspapers and magazines ready to put in the recycle bin. 

I'm sure these three bags must total at least 30 lbs of less clutter in the house now.  So at least I've made a start at this 3 bags in 3 days decluttering mission.


Maybe when 3 bags for 3 days becomes a habit, I will expand to a longer span, perhaps 7 bags in 7 days.  Slowly but surely we will declutter. 

Names for Change

UMD logo from their website.

Urban Ministries of Durham is a nonprofit organization that cares for Durham's homeless and impoverished neighbors by serving as a comprehensive service provider of food, shelter, clothing and supportive services for over 6,000 men, women and children annually. They welcome guests with mental illnesses, active addictions, and those seeking outside employment.

An article in today's News and Observer featured  a very unusual fund-raising program UMD has going.  McKinney, a Durham advertising agency, created SPENT an online game based on surviving poverty. 

For those who don't have millions to donate to some worthwhile cause and have their name attached, SPENT allows anyone for a small donation to attach their name to everyday items needed by folks served by UMD. 

So I decided to play the game today, and I donated an amount that allowed me to have my name attached to a Teddy bear.  This is the text that accompanied this option:

"Being homeless can be troubling, scary and flat out traumatic for anyone, especially a kid. Unfortunately, some of the children we serve don’t have a plush companion to comfort them in times of trouble. There aren’t a lot of constants for a kid living on the edge, but lend your name to this teddy bear and make sure a child in need has a cuddly friend they can always count on."

My name added to this Teddy bear. 

Then I decided to make a donation to honor Dan and put his name on an item at the UMD. Since Dan is so fond of oatmeal himself I thought I would put his name on a donated box of oatmeal.  Here is the text that accompanied the oatmeal:

"Let’s be honest. Even the most interesting of oatmeal is still oatmeal. But when food is scarce in your home and you get to bring home a box of oatmeal, make it for your family and for once act like a “normal” family on a “normal” morning, dull ol’ oatmeal becomes something pretty special. Want to help this boring oatmeal fulfill its bold potential? Give it your name."

Dan's name added to this oatmeal.

If you would like to make a donation to this worthy cause and get your name attached to something that is extremely important to those less fortunate, go to this website:
https://www.namesforchange.org
or view this video:

Charlotte Olympic 56, Raleigh Broughton 53

Congratulations to Olympic.* 

The 4A High School Boys' Basketball Championship game was played in the Dean Dome on Saturday night  March 16, 2013.  It was a very close game and although Broughton from Raleigh lost we are very proud of our CAPS.  They played a tremendous game against an excellent team from Olympic in Charlotte. 

Chris Brickhouse.

Devonte Graham.

James Hemphill.

Zach Palmer.

Chase Johnston.

Coach Jeff Ferrell.

Hold your heads high.  You made a great run this year!

 This Broughton Team will always be champions in my eyes.  To quote Michael Jordan, "You didn't lose the game, you just ran out of time!"  I love these guys, especially my grandson Zach.

* All photos from the News and Observer by Ray Black III. 

Broughton High in Elite Eight of 4A High School Basketball

Great support from the Broughton students. (Photo by Greg Mintel.)*

With a comeback in the last quarter, the Broughton High Boys' Basketball Team moved into the regional finals of the State 4A playoffs by defeating, Apex (50 to 42) on Friday night.

Devonte' Graham, the star player, goes up for a layup.Devonte' has signed with Appalachian.  (Photo by Greg Mintel.)

James Hemphill shoots a free throw. (Photo by Greg Mintel.)

The students "salute" when James shoots a free throw.  James has signed with Navy.  (Photo by Greg Mintel.)

Cameron Gottfried hit several 3-pointers.  (Photo by Greg Mintel.)

Coach Ferrell. (Photo by Greg Mintel.)

Grandson Zach Palmer playing defense. (Photo by Greg Mintel.)

Grandson Zach Palmer shooting a 3-pointer. (Photo by Greg Mintel.)

It was an exciting game!  Good luck to the Caps in Fayetteville next week in the Regionals.

*All photos by Greg Mintel of the News and Observer.  

Broughton Boys Cap 8 Tournament Champs 2013

Broughton scored one more to make it 67 to 58.

On Friday night the Broughton High School Boys Basketball team defeated Leesville to win the Cap 8 Tournament.  I'm an avid fan of this team and have been for four years.  My grandson Zach, a senior, is on the team.

My grandson, Zach, number 20. (Photo by Greg Mintel, N & O)

Brickhouse or "Brick" as we call him. (Photo by Greg Mintel, N & O)

Cam Gottfried shoots a 3-pointer. (Photo by Greg Mintel, N & O)

Chase Johnson. (Photo by Greg Mintel, N & O)

Devonte, our star player, has signed with Appalachian State. (Photo by Greg Mintel, N & O)

Coach Ferrell. (Photo by Greg Mintel, N & O )

James Hemphill has signed with Navy. (Photo by Greg Mintel, N & O)

Zach goes for a 3 pointer. (Photo by Greg Mintel, N & O)

Zach's friends made Zach "face masks". (Photo by Greg Mintel, N & O)

A proud GrandPat with grandson Zach. (Photo by Claire Salisbury)

GrandPat between Devonte's step-dad (left) and Jamie's dad  We three always together behind the bench. (Photo from the N & O, Greg Mintel.)

I'm looking forward to the state playoffs. I'll be right there behind the bench.