Our Table

These's just a little bit of excitement in the air around here. After being worked on for the past year, our Reynolds' family cookbook, Our Table, is nearing completion. It includes 250 delicious recipes our family has made and loved throughout the years. Some of them are well-loved dishes that have been handed down through generations of family members. Others are new favorites that current family members have found and added to collection.  Here is one of the newer recipes that we have learned to love so much that we included it in the cookbook.  If you love peanut butter cookies, you will love these.  They are kind of a peanut butter oatmeal sandwich cookie.  I found the original recipe on Broma Bakery's blog and absolutely loved it.  But of course I could not leave well enough alone and came up with a slightly different twist on the original.  I came up with the new version after we compiled the recipes, so I am giving it to you here, exclusively!

Half-way to Heaven Peanut Butter Cookies

Cookie:

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. vanilla

1/2 c. honey roasted peanut butter

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 egg

1 1/2 c. quick oats

1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/2c. brown sugar

1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

Filling #1:

1/2 c. confectioner's sugar

1 c. smooth peanut butter

or

Filling #2:

1/2 c. confectioner's sugar

1 c. chocolate hazelnut spread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In medium bowl, mix oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, mix butter, both sugars, egg, peanut butter and vanilla.  Pour oat mixture into peanut butter, stirring just until mixed.  Using a teaspoon sized scoop, place rounded balls of batter on a parchment covered baking sheet, leaving an inch between each one.  Pat each ball of dough down so they form small flattened circles.  Bake for 8 minutes.  Remove to wire racks and cool.  When cool, choose your filling, mix the two ingredients together and spread on one cookie.  Top with another cookie to form a cookie sandwich.

Fun In Franklin...Part 3: A Sweet Ending!

So, how did our visit to Franklin end? After we stuffed ourselves silly at Saffire, Kelly had one more treat in store. At least it was one more treat for me. As I said earlier, I had to leave before the rest of the group, but I was not about to leave without this last sweet stop. Kelly told us about the cutest candy shop called, Honey's...

 Not only does Honey's have every kind of candy imaginable, it also has ice cream, malts, shakes and baked goods. Honey's is the kind of place you want to have your child's five year old birthday party. There is a reason we use the phrase, "like a kid in a candy store". And let me tell you, there is not a kid on the planet who would not love Honey's.

 I was way too full from the spread at Saffire to get any ice cream, but I did leave with a couple of fun candies. Do you remember Zotz? 

When I was a kid it was one of those candies I just could not resist. For those of you who have never had a Zotz, it is a hard fruit-flavored candy with a sour fizzy center. When you first pop a Zotz in your mouth, you are pretty clueless as to what is about to happen. It just seems like a fruity, hard piece of candy, but when enough of the outer shell melts or if you bite into it, you are in for a fizzy surprise. Think candy with an Alka-Seltzer center. It is a bit of a shock when all the fizzing starts. When I was in jr. high, I loved Zotz, so I felt pretty sure my boys would like them, too.

 The next thing that caught my eye was some jars of salt water taffy. The taffy was wrapped in wax paper and there were several different flavors. The one I just couldn't resist was a maple bacon flavor. It was just intriguing enough for me to grab a few pieces to take home. So, I filled my little sand bucket...that is the shopping basket of choice at Honey's...with a handful of maple bacon taffy and three flavors of Zotz, watermelon, cherry and strawberry.

Every Jelly Belly flavor imaginable!

 While I was making my selections, Martha Jo and Buh were sampling some of the ice cream. Holly was filling up a bucket with some candy for her children. She found some cute Lego shaped candies she thought her little boy would love. We were all mesmerized by the colorful, glittering jars covering every table and shelf in the shop. Honey's is truly magical. If you take a trip to Franklin, be sure to visit Honey's. It truly was a very sweet ending to our fun in Franklin!

This place is magical!

So ends the story of our Franklin fun.  It was over way too fast and we all want to come back and see more of what Franklin has to offer.  I know Kelly has lots more ideas up her sleeve.

Three Friends and a Fork and the whole family give Honey's 3 Sweet Yums UP!

Fun in Franklin...Part 2

Back to our Franklin Girls Only Getaway...
After stuffing ourselves at Puckett's Boathouse, our caravan, led by Kelly, made our way Kelly's house.  Along the way, I had my own audio tour, thanks to Kelly.  She pointed out all the sights along the way.  There were several, but two that stood out were Dolly Parton's house and Trisha Yearwood's house.  I thought it was amazing that these two homes, along with the homes of many other superstar country artists, were sitting right on busy highways.  I would have thought they would have been in secluded spots visible only by helicopter.

After we got to Kelly's house and visited a little while, we started feeling the effects of our busy day and and all the driving, even though none of us are terribly far from Nashville, so we quickly moseyed on to bed.  We wanted to get a fairly early start the next morning because I was going to have to leave earlier than the rest of the gang.  I wanted to be able to cram as much into my visit as possible. After a good night's rest, we were ready to get going.

Pretty chandelier at The Factory in Franklin, TN.

Our first stop of the morning was The Factory, in Franklin.  Luckily, our trip to The Factory was, again, along the route decorated with the homes of Nashville's favorite sons and daughters, so there was lots to see along the way.  As we drove by Dolly's house, I got a better view in the daylight and also saw a tour bus parked just across the street from the home.  Speaking of Nashville tour buses, Linda Ruth told us she and a group of her friends are coming to Nashville to take a tour called NashTrash.  Now, if you know me at all, you know I was intrigued by just the sound of the name!  So...I googled it.  Here is what I found out.

NashTrash is a Music City tour all in it's own category.  First of all, the bus is bright pink. Secondly, the tour guides are two comedy queens known as the Jugg Sisters.  The tour combines comedy, music and gossip as it wends its way through the city.  Because I cannot let Linda Ruth have all the fun and because I hate being left out of any kind of fun excursion, I am saying right here and now...I WILL be going on a NashTrash tour at some point in the future.  You let me know if you also want to flash your trashy side and go with me.  I know I can count on Lu...she has played just about every trashy character in every play she has been in at Northeast Alabama Community College... and she plays them very well, I might add.  The girl is a natural for this tour! Here's a link, if you want to check it out!                                                                    NashTrash Tour

Buh had fun pushing the stroller for a sweet baby.

Back to our current adventure.  We all pulled into the parking lot at The Factory and made our way inside.  Here is what I learned.  Stoves used to be manufactured at The Factory.  As you go through the main doors, you see several examples of old stoves that were once made here.  Some local businessmen got the idea to turn the old factory  into a shopping mecca filled with stores, restaurants and classes.  I saw art stores and shops where you could paint your own picture or decorate and fire your own clay pottery.                                                                                                                                                                 There were several unique gift and clothing shops and a number of different places to eat.  Kelly had already picked out a lunch spot for us and, I have to say, she did a good job.  We were dining at a casually upscale little restaurant called Saffire.  According to Saffire's own website, the restaurant aims to put a unique twist on dishes made with locally grown products and produce. Judging by the dishes we tasted, I would say that Saffire is staying true to that goal.

We started our meal with an appetizer called, A Devil of an Egg.  I was drawn to this dish for a few  reasons.  First, I am a true Southerner when it comes to deviled eggs....I LOVE them!  Secondly, these eggs were smoked.  I have never had a smoked egg, but I was intrigued. Finally, the eggs were topped with Louisiana hot sauce and Rooster pepper remoulade.  Now I have no idea what a Rooster pepper is, but, at the mere mention of hot sauce and remoulade, I am ALL in!  When our eggs were delivered, I was even more excited to see that they were accompanied by pickled carrots and onions.  Let me tell you, it was a match made in heaven...even for a dish named Devil!  The creamy yolks were divine along with the smoky egg whites, spicy remoulade, vinegary hot sauce and crunchy pickled veggies.  Oh, yeah...I would go back to Saffire just for those eggs!

These garlicky biscuits also came out for us to enjoy while we were waiting on our food.  I love a garlicky biscuit and these were so good!

Now on to our entrees.  We studied the menu, placed our orders, but while our dishes were being prepared, we got a happy surprise.  Saffire's amazing manager brought over two bonus dishes for us to sample...Creole shrimp and grits and hot chicken salad.  We loved both of these innovative dishes.  The shrimp was fresh and expertly cooked, the grits the creamiest I have ever had and the Creole tomato sauce was delicious!  The hot chicken salad was so creative!  It was spicy fried chicken piled on top of crispy greens, shaved celery and carrots, dill pickles, crumbled blue cheese and creamy blue cheese dressing.  Think buffalo wing salad.  I loved the pickles in the salad.  They added just the right amount of vinegary bite to the salad to offset the rich blue cheese.

After tasting those two wonderful dishes, our entrees arrived.  Linda Ruth, Holly and Buh did what I usually do and ordered the blackened mahi mahi tacos.  There were three reasons I passed on the tacos.  First, mahi mahi is not my most favorite fish.  I generally prefer a more delicate, less meaty fish.  Second, I had shrimp tacos the night before. Finally, with Linda Ruth, Holly and Buh ordering tacos, I decided to choose something else in the interest of providing a full review.  They all enjoyed the tacos which were served with crunchy shaved red cabbage, red onion, and cilantro all rolled up in grilled tortillas, and nestled alongside seasoned rice, black beans, pico de gallo, sour cream and sliced avocados.  Sounds like a winning combination to me! I believe Buh also enjoyed a cup of gumbo and some grilled asparagus.  The wait staff at Saffire was super accommodating and willing to make substitutions.  

                              

Patty chose the New South Caesar salad.  This creative twist on a traditional Caesar salad started with torn romaine lettuce topped with country ham, farm cheese crostini, buttermilk Caesar dressing and Blackstrap molasses drizzle.  I heard her tell the manager that the salad was wonderful.  It looks good, doesn't it? We were joined for lunch by an old friend of Patty's who now lives in Nashville. Patty's friend, Debbie,  enjoyed a bowl of gumbo.  It looked very dark and rich...like someone took time to make a really good roux and it was full of shrimp, crab, crawfish and andouille sausage.  Yum!

Even though I broke tradition and did not order the fish tacos, I managed to hold true to another expectation.  My grilled chicken sandwich was served with another of my favorites...sweet potato fries.  It was a great chicken sandwich, juicy, not dry and well seasoned.  It came with two sauces: honey mustard and barbecue sauce.  The fries were delicious.  Between the sweet potatoes at Puckett's and the sweet potatoes at Saffire, I figure I got my vitamin A for the week.

Somehow I missed getting pictures of Martha Jo's grilled cheese sandwich and Kelly's Caesar salad and grits, but they both enjoyed their selections.  Janet and Emily had ordered shrimp and grits before we received our complimentary dish, so they just got more of that wonderful concoction.

I know I promised this would be a trip in two parts, but there was just too much to tell, so I'm going to have to finish this up in Part 3 of our Franklin adventure.  The last stop is so sweet, you won't want to miss it!

Three Friends and a Fork and this fun group give Saffire Three Enthusiastic Yums UP!  If you visit Franklin, head over to The Factory and enjoy a delicious meal at Saffire.  You will not be sorry.  Be sure to tell Saffire's wonderful staff that Three Friends and a Fork sent you!

Fun in Franklin...Part 1

Our niece, Kelly, has a pretty impressive zip code.  I mean, when you have Dolly Parton and Trisha Yearwood for "neighbors", that is a bit out of the ordinary, right?  So, all it took was a text message from Kelly, suggesting a family girls' getaway, to get us all headed toward Rocky Top. Our mildly scattered family was coming in three cars, from three different directions.  Janet and Martha Jo were coming from west Tennessee.  Martha Jean, Linda Ruth, Patty and Holly were leaving from Arab and I was headed north-west from Scottsboro.  Emily, our niece who also lives in Nashville, was meeting us as well.

                           

Our first destination was Puckett's Boathouse in Franklin, for dinner.  As luck would have it, and against all odds, I was the first to reach Puckett's.  I am documenting this in case anybody accuses me of always being last.  I was FIRST!  Everybody else arrived pretty soon after, with the exception of the Arab car.  They got caught up in a traffic jam, which probably helped secure my first place finish. 

Puckett's Boathouse began life as Puckett's Grocery back in the 50's. Locals could stop by, pick up their groceries and fill up the car with a tank of gas.  Over time, the little grocery that could began serving meals.  The meals were so popular, the owners realized the business was really more restaurant than grocery store, so Puckett's Restaurant was born.  With five locations and incarnations in and around Nashville, Puckett's has really evolved.  The Boathouse is the Puckett's restaurant that specializes in seafood.

Once we all were seated and had time to look over the menu, we decided to start with an appetizer of shrimp and grits hushpuppies.  Oddly, the outstanding part of this entree, in our opinion, was not the hushpuppies, but the coleslaw and mango pepper relish that accompanied the hushpuppies.  It was so good, it was the criteria on which I based my entree selection.  (More about that later.)   

                            

As I mentioned, Puckett's Boathouse is primarily a seafood restaurant, so most of our entrees featured seafood of some kind.  I say most, because there is always an exception.  Our exception was Kelly's  and Ava Reed's grilled cheese sandwiches.  Hey!  It's what they like and it was a girls' party...we get what we want!

                           

Martha Jo ordered a shrimp poboy with onion rings that looked really crunchy and wonderful.  The bun was packed with crispy, fried shrimp and was accompanied by a creamy remoulade sauce.  

                             

Buh (that's what we all call Martha Jean) and Janet ordered perfectly marinated and grilled Sanibel salmon topped with some more of that sweet mango pepper glaze and served with rice pilaf and sautéed fresh veggies.  

                            

The grilled Mahi-Mahi, chosen by Emily and Linda Ruth, was equally well received. The grill marks on both of those fish dishes were gorgeous!

                             

Patty's Sandestin Salad with grilled shrimp almost tempted me, but in the end I chose something else.  (More about that later.)  The delicious looking salad was made with crunchy iceberg and romaine lettuce topped with black bean and corn relish, pico de gallo, tortillo strips, homemade guacamole, and drizzled with a citrus vinaigrette dressing.  Patty said it was really good, with her only criticism being that the citrus dressing might have been a tad too citrusy for her taste. I'm not sure I have ever had anything that was too citrusy for me!

  

                             

 Holly ordered the shrimp and grits.  She enjoyed them very much.  The shrimp were large and fresh, the grits creamy and swimming in a spicy barbecue sauce.

                           

So, what did I end up with.  Well, as I mentioned before, I really liked that creamy slaw and sweet, spicy mango pepper relish that came with our hushpuppies, so I could not resist when I saw that the grilled shrimp tacos also came accompanied by those two yummy concoctions.  I know what you must be thinking if you have read any of our previous blog posts..."She always gets shrimp tacos!"  While I will be the first to admit I have written more than my share of shrimp taco reviews, it really was the coleslaw and relish that got to me this time.  And the fact that the tacos were also paired with another of my personal favorites, sweet potato fries, really sealed the deal. But, I do love some good shrimp tacos!

                          

Our visit to Puckett's Boathouse was a great way to kick off our adventure in Franklin and over into the Brentwood suburb of Nashville.  Next up, the Franklin adventures continue with a trip to The Factory, Saffire Restaurant and Honey's Candy store. Stay tuned!

                         

Three Friends and a Fork and all of the ladies in our family give Puckett's Boathouse 3 Girly Yums UP!

My, Oh, My! Amaretto Pie!

Yum

Note: This post was originally written soon after Three Friends and a Fork visited Mt. Vernon Restaurant in Chattanooga, TN.  For some reason I never posted it and it just sat in my drafts.  As I was cleaning up the blog this morning I noticed this post, thinking it didn't have any labels attached to it.  When I got all the labels attached and hit a button thinking I was just updating an old post, I realized this post was way out of order...not at all where it should be in terms of when I wrote the darn thing.  So anyway, here it is...my attempt at making an amaretto pie Mt. Vernon style.  It sounds like I just did this when you read the post.  I didn't.  This was meant to be posted last year.  The things you find when you are cleaning up! 

I did it!!  I have been wanting to try my hand at duplicating Mt. Vernon Restaurant's Amaretto Pie since Three Friends and a Fork visited Chattanooga weeks ago.  Yesterday was my day.  First I searched for some cream pie recipes that I thought might work.  I decided I wanted to use mascarpone cheese in my pie.  Why?  Well, not necessarily because I thought Mt. Vernon used mascarpone, but simply because I HAD mascarpone!  That's a good enough reason, right?  I knew if I found a cream pie that used cream cheese, I could easily substitute mascarpone, but first I had to find a recipe that I thought would work with amaretto.  A coconut cream pie, minus the coconut,  seemed like a good bet.  I found a recipe at A Spicy Perspective, that  sounded wonderful...creamy and light, just like Mt. Vernon's pie.  This pie called for instant vanilla pudding, but I only had the cook and serve variety, so I was already having to make changes beyond leaving out coconut and adding amaretto.  Sigh!

I started with my old faithful pie crust recipe, but this time added sliced almonds like the one at Mt. Vernon.  Here is the crust recipe. It will make 2 crusts, so you can save half for another recipe.

2 cups all purpose flour
1 t. salt
2/3 cup vegetable shortening
5-6 T. ice water
1 c. sliced almonds

Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl.  Cut in shortening until it looks like cornmeal.  Add ice water and almonds and stir until dough forms a ball.  Divide in half and roll out on a floured surface with a rolling pin.  Place in pie plate and poke holes all over bottom and sides of crust with a fork.  Brown in oven at 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool completely.

Now for the filling.  Here is what I used.

1 (5.1 oz.) box of vanilla pudding (I recommend the instant variety to save you the step of cooking the pudding)
1 (15 oz.) can cream of coconut
1/2 c. coconut milk (you could use regular whole milk here if you don't have coconut milk)
12 oz. mascarpone cheese
2 c. heavy whipping cream
3 T. amaretto
1 t. almond extract
3 T. sugar
1/2 c. toasted sliced almonds


Because I did not have instant pudding, I needed to cook my pudding, If you have instant pudding you can skip the cooking step. Mix the vanilla pudding with the cream of coconut and coconut milk in a medium saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens and comes to a rolling boil.  Pour into a glass bowl and refrigerate until the pudding is cool and thick.   If you are using instant pudding just mix it with the cream of coconut and coconut milk and chill.  While your pudding cools, whip the heavy cream with the amaretto, almond extract and sugar until the cream is thick and forms peaks.  Pour into a glass bowl and refrigerate.

Whip cream, amaretto, almond extract and sugar.

Now beat the mascarpone until light and fluffy. Slowly mix in the cooled pudding mixture.  Fold in half of the whipped cream and pour the entire concoction into your cooled pie crust.  Top with the remaining whipped cream.  Sprinkle toasted almonds on top.

I have no idea how Mt. Vernon makes their pie.  They probably use a cooked custard, but this version is really good and is very similar in taste and texture.  I can now have my amaretto pie fix even when I can't be in Chattanooga.  I hope you will give it a try and tell me what you think.