George Washington was born at his father's plantation on Pope's Creek in Westmoreland County, Virginia, on February 22, 1732. Over six feet tall, athletically built, and red haired in his youth, he was also charming, persuasive, and dignified. President Washington is normally depicted in marble or stiffly posing in numerous famous paintings. Sometimes what is lost is the fact that Washington was a real flesh and blood man. Mt. Vernon was the beloved plantation that George and Martha Washington loved and lived in for many years. When George Washington lived there, Mount Vernon was an 8,000-acre plantation divided into five farms. Each farm was a complete unit, with its own overseers, work force of slaves, livestock, equipment, and buildings.

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It was the late former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt who first gave national recognition to Warm Springs, Georgia when, in 1924,  he visited the town's naturally heated mineral springs as treatment for his polio related paralysis. Georgia State Parks recently refurbished the pools and, although they are now mostly empty, a touch pool still exists where visitors are welcome to feel the actual warm spring water and listen to information about its' history. The warm springs maintains a constant 88 degree temperature year round and flows at approximately 914 gallons per minute.

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Tomorrow, October 12th, is Christopher Columbus Day in the United States. We celebrate Columbus as the seafarer whose voyages across the Atlantic Ocean led to European colonization of the North American continent. Columbus is thought to have been born in Genoa, Italy in 1451. The four voyages Columbus made on behalf of Queen Isabella 1 of Castile initiated Spanish colonization in the New World and led to direct contact between Europeans and the Native American population. Today, Columbus is a noted figure undergoing much debate and discussion. The facts of his four voyages cannot be denied. Columbus did land in the modern day Bahamas on October 12th, 1492.

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In case you missed it, Constitution Day was celebrated this past week. Constitution Day (Citizenship Day) is an American federal observance that recognizes the ratification of the United States Constitution and those who have become U.S. citizens. It is observed on September 17, the day the U.S. Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution in 1787.

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September 13th is Grandparent's Day. I will assume that many of you were not even aware of this day of honor. I realize this day is not as big as Mother's Day or Valentine's Day in the card buying, gift giving realm of business and life. The all consuming media that bombards us every hour and minute of the day may not have mentioned this fact at all in the past few days.

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Scientists at the Newcastle University’s Center for Life have issued a new report showing that bacon is the new hangover miracle drug. This study found that bacon was most effective when united with bread in sandwich form. The protein in bacon supplies the body with amino acids, which the brain needs to restore the neurotransmitters damaged by alcohol. Bread’s carbohydrates give the body energy to start and get moving. Combine the two and beat back that nasty hangover spell.

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We are the Peach State. On New Years Eve we watch in fascination as the Peach drops while counting down to zero.  There are at least 40 Peachtree streets in Atlanta alone. The ubiquitous Peach is all over the state of Georgia. I like the Peach for those reasons and for a variety of health reasons. If you want to eat a delicious, succulent and healthy fruit, the Peach is your fruit of choice. Peach harvest is at the peak production right now. Fresh Georgia peaches are available only 16 weeks each year, from mid-May to August. The time to enjoy them is now!  Here are some fast Peach facts:

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Last week France celebrated Bastille Day on July 14th, 2009. The news of that celebration brought to mind a recipe that had caught my eye in the book written by Mireille Guiliano entitled: "French Woman Don’t Get Fat." I always seek recipes that are easy and economical to prepare. In this day and age, we all seem to have less time to cook and less money to spend on ingredients. I had bookmarked that recipe because it seemed so nice and simple. The recipe in her book is called Champagne Au Chicken.

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I always thought that I would have travelled more than I have up to this point in my life. With a wife, children, home, career, bills, etc., I seem to have stalled on many of the dreams of travel that I held as a youngster. When I was a young boy, I wanted to travel all around the world and back. I loved to read about Lawrence of Arabia, Aristotle Onassis and other globe-trotting businessmen and explorers. These men travelled all over the world and experienced so many wonderful events and different cultures. That is what I wanted to do. This is not a post about regrets because I did travel a little but not as much as my dreams had foretold. Instead of being sad or melancholy about this, I actually have found a way around  the situation. Now when I am interested in a country or region and I find it hard to travel there, what I now do is grab a few cookbooks and  prepare a meal that spotlights that particular area or region.  

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If you ask someone from another part of the country or from overseas about Southern cuisine, you may receive a few standard answers. Fried Catfish. Barbeque. Okra. Fried Chicken. Those food items are most associated with this region of the United States. You normally would not think of diner fare being here in the South. Over the weekend I was pleasantly pleased to have visited a diner right here in a suburb of Atlanta. The name of the diner is the Marietta Diner and it was fantastic.  

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