Fried Green Tomato Yumminess

It has been raining for...well forever it seems.  My tomatoes are not getting any sun and therefore are staying green.  I decided to use them before "The Flood" and made this awesome salad!  Oh my gosh, so freakin' yummy.

contents: baby arugula, pan fried green tomatoes with cornmeal & pecan breading, grilled chicken breast, goat cheese, and a spicy peach chutney dressing.

I dipped the tomato in the peach chutney mixture and then in the breading before pan frying and tossed the arugula in the remaining chutney mixture.

I will post the full recipe soon.

Next I'll have to try that recipe my mom sent for green tomato pie.

Top Chef Bento Edition

The Decatur Book Festival and the Slow Foods USA Eat Ins were a huge hit. Thanks to all the folks that showed up to make it such a success!  If you have not yet, please visit the Slow Foods website and show support for healthier food in schools.

Pictured here are: State Representative Stephanie Stuckey Benfield with her adorable kids, THE famous Leslie Grant - Chickin Feed, Josh Viertel – Pres. of Slow Food USA, Julie Shaffer – Founder & Former Pres. of Slow Food Atlanta chapter, Me, and Eli Kirshtein- Top Chef extraordinaire. And in the middle is Judith Winfrey of Love is Love Farms and the Slow Food Atlanta chapter leader. Photo courtesy of Donata Renfrow.

It was great to talk with folks that visit the blog and to meet several new people. Eli from Top Chef even came by the booth to purchase a bento! I am pretty certain it was for the tall and lovely young lady that was with him. He even posed for a picture! Speaking of Top Chef, you know Richard (Blais that is) that adorable daughter of yours could use a bento box…on the house for my favorite Top Chef contestant ever. (Sorry Eli, not sure how your season turns out yet).

Hmmm…maybe Bravo should host a Top Chef: The Bento Edition! One of the challenges could be to prepare a lunch bento with one baby strapped to your back while watching a toddler that just ate a pound of chocolate. I would totally watch that!

Rainy Day Tutorial

Okay, so I finally got around to doing a tutorial, woo hoo!  Sorry for the picture quality, it was a rainy and dark day.

I typically trace/draw a picture on parchment paper and then use this as my guide to cut out cheese, sweet potato, tortillas, or whatever else is easily cut into shapes.

Once the jeep bodies have been cut out I use a pastry tip (straws the like work just as well)  to cut out circles for the tires and headlights.  In this case I have used fruit leather for tires (olives work as well for more savory sandwiches) and cheese for headlights.

I then "glue" the finished jeep to the sandwich.  You can use honey, jam, sun butter, peanut butter, anything that is edible and sticky!

For the alligator carrot, I slice the carrot thin and then cut the top at an angle for the head.  I then cut a zig zag design in the snout to make his mouth.  Lastly I cut a bunch of small zigzags down his back.  You can also add feet as I have done here.

Here is the finished product. Another camp day bento safari style.

contents: baby banana, zucchini bread elephants, veggie booty, corn, cheese giraffe, alligator carrot, watermelon, blueberries, sunbutter and jam sandwich with spinach tortilla jeep

I used some mini cookie cutters for the giraffe cheese and the elephant.