Frank Stitts!

One good thing about shopping this time of year is...well, not much.  BUT!  Last night as I headed to the mall, I knew of an event at Williams Sonoma that was going on, and I happened to make it just in time--imagine that!  Frank Stitts came to talk and cook and sign his latest book Bottega Recipes.  I love Bottega so much and this was going to be a treat to meet the chef who has single-handedly brought rich, regionally grown food to our Southern table.  I loved hearing him discuss the local dairy near Anniston where he gets his milk/dairy products, and the farm that he has developed where he has goats, chickens to grow his own sources of food.  I find that a really cool thing, and I love when people take pride in where they live, and take the local area and let it burst with pride, that which can grow and thrive.  We can truly enjoy to the fullest where we live.  I thought it was funny and true, how he very nicely implied that any restauranteur who uses precut, pre-chopped garlic is not...he never said, but he meant that there's no excuse! I agree.  There is no excuse for not cutting your own cloves of garlic for your fresh pasta.  He went on to say that it is is best used within a half hour that it is cut.  I learned alot, and really enjoyed his being in our area.  I felt really excited about my girls night out at Stitts' Bottega after Christmas that I am planning.

Southern Flavor

Last week when my sister and her family were visiting Alabama from their home in Minnesota, Claire and I were able to enjoy a day in Birmingham together visiting some fun places.  It was just a great time for sisters to go and do on their own and share some good time.  We did.  The highlight of my day was getting to share with Claire a wonderful place to eat for dinner.  So we set out on 280 and exited on Highlands to end up at none other than Bottega.  One of Frank Stitt's fine restaurants--see his awesome coffee table cookbook that, like his recipes, celebrate the fullness of the South.

 I've eaten there a few times, but this evening's meal was the best I'd ever had--sumptuous crab cakes and pizza graced with chicken, pesto and other delicious herbs. Who would think the simple house salad could be so good--so fresh? The wine was divine as well.  It always makes me so proud to show Claire the things in Alabama that I love and cherish--the downhome-ness, the beauty, the truly Southern style and culture that exists here that I think she might forget sometimes or simply has never known in living so far away.  It was a great day of fun experiences and sharing sweet time together.