On August 16th, 1977 the King of Rock & Roll passed away in Memphis. I was a young boy of 12 vacationing in Hawaii with my parents. I distinctly remember the news coming over the radio and all the Elvis music that followed. I was not a huge fan but I did especially like the song Moody Blues. I had a pink two record compilation hits album that I had played quite a bit. I was not totally conscious of death at that young age. It just seemed to me that he was still pretty young to have died.

I have always been fascinated with the eating habits of the King. The recipes seemed outlandish and almost made up. Living in the South has taught me quite a bit about Southern food and various food traditions. I have had this peanut butter and banana sandwich and it is outstanding! Don’t knock it but be sure to try it. It is so easy to prepare and not the least expensive. As you honor Elvis this week, put on some great early Elvis and make a few sandwiches for the family. Enjoy!

2 large ripe bananas

1 cup peanut butter

6 slices white bread

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1. Peel and mash the bananas in a medium bowl. Combine the peanut butter with the bananas and mix well.

2. Toast the bread lightly and spread the mixture on three of the slices; top with the remaining three slices.

3. Melt the butter in a large skillet and slowly brown the sandwiches on both sides until golden brown.

Recipe courtesy of:

Rolfes, Ellen and Elvis Presley Enterprises, Graceland's Table: Recipes and Meal Memories Fit for the King of Rock and Roll. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2005.

Photo courtesy of ew.com.

The Tom Collins cocktail was supposedly named for a bartender at a London restaurant named Limmer’s. Regardless of the name, I have always loved this cocktail because of the interplay between lime juice, simple syrup and club soda. It is a tangy, refreshingly bold cocktail that seems to kick start a good mood. Tell me you do not get into a better mood when this cocktail goes down the hatch. This seemingly old-fashioned delight is back in favor largely due to continued exposure on the AMCs cable television show Mad Men.

I flat out love the show. In my circles, I am known as a fuddy duddy who is mentally stuck somewhere between 1940 and 1965. I can picture Don Draper or Roger Sterling enjoying this cocktail while they plot and plan their latest machinations. 1960’s cool. Sophistication. Narrow ties and pillbox hats. It seems to me that this era was the last can-do era of the United States. We were powerful and we knew it. We wanted to get things done and we did. Go to the moon in ten years. No problem. End poverty. Please! Nothing was out of our reach. Our cars were big, our ambitions were large and we were # 1. Our dress was ultra chic and we knew how to have a good time. Work hard and play hard. Build it big. Reach for the stars. The United States was at the nadir of civilization. Then Dallas came and it seemed the dream was lost. I have always maintained that America changed for good when President Kennedy was murdered. You can chart the beginnings of the decline from that day forward. Everything after November, 1963 became muddled and out of focus.

Mad Men allows us to travel back and get a taste of what that time really was all about. When the next episode shows again on Sunday night, go ahead and mix up a few of these Tom Collins cocktails and drift back in time to a place forever gone.

2 fl oz (60 ml) gin

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon simple syrup

5 to 6 fl oz (150 to 180 ml) club soda

1 lemon wedge, for garnish

1. Pour the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup into a shaker two-thirds full of ice cubes.

2. Shake well.

3. Strain into an ice-filled Collins glass.

4. Pour in the club soda.

Add the lemon wedge.

Recipe courtesy of:

Foley, Ray, William-Sonoma: The Bar Guide (Williams-Sonoma Lifestyles). New York: Time Life Books, 1999.

Photo courtesy of amctv.com and the Mad Men Cocktail Guide.

It must have been over 100 degrees in Georgia today. It was hot, hot, and even more hot. I did not think one person could sweat as much as I did today. Fortunately, I opened the Sunday paper today and found this outstanding popsicle recipe inside. It seemed to be the perfect way to somehow, someway combat the heat which I knew was coming. I took a quick jaunt over to Publix and was fortunate to have found all the necessary ingredients.

This is a fabulous popsicle recipe. The two varieties of peaches blend to form an outstanding taste. Tangy, smooth and quite different. Chamomile has been popular herb since the Egyptian empire ruled the known world. It often is used by Arabs in oil form. Chamomile has been know to settle a nervous stomach, increase appetite, and as a blood cleanser. Beyond all that, it is really wonderful to use and enjoy. I had never heard of New York City’s People Pops. I went on their wonderful website and read some of their blog postings which were very well done. I am going to have to remember them when in New York City again. The recipe was a hit with the family and it really did cool us down for at least a few minutes anyway. I hope you will enjoy and let me know what you think about this incredible popsicle treat.    

4 ripe yellow peaches

2 ripe white peaches

3 fresh chamomile flowers or 2 chamomile tea bags

1/4 cup honey

Juice of 1/2 small lemon

Pinch kosher salt

1. Clean, halve, and pit 2/3 of peaches. Puree them—skin included—until the mixture is nearly smooth.

2. Stir honey, lemon juice, salt, and 3 finely minced chamomile flowers (or 2 Tbsp of dried leaves from tea bags) into the pureed peaches.

3. Coarsely chop remaining 1/3 of peaches and combine with puree.

4. Add honey to taste. Make pops a tad sweeter than usual—they lose some sweetness after freezing.

5. Pour into popsicle molds or 3-oz. Dixie cups.

Add wooden popsicle sticks if needed; freeze.

Makes 10 delicious pops.

Recipe courtesy of New York City’s Pops. Recipe and photo courtesy of Parade Magazine. July 25th, 2010 issue. 

Unbeknownst to many, eggplant is actually a member of the potato family. It can be enjoyed grilled, hot or cold, barbecued, deep fried, roasted or sautéed. Eggplants are inexpensive and can be purchased all year-round. When selecting eggplant, choose the ones that are lighter in weight and have firm, unblemished, shiny skin and green, fresh-looking leaves and stalks. You may find that heavier eggplants have bitter seeds. For our purposes today, we will be grilling eggplant. Roasting eggplants can be messy but is definitely worth the effort as the grill aroma will add immensely to the taste of the eggplant. Here are a few grilling tips for grilling eggplant that you can use next time you have that grill fired up.

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July 11th, 2010 is the highly anticipated World Cup final between traditional European soccer powerhouses Spain and the Netherlands.  Neither team has ever won the World Cup championship outright so history will certainly be made on the pitch on Sunday. This mega contest gives Foodcreate the opportunity to highlight the amazingly diverse cuisine of Spain and the work of a celebrated chef named Jose Andres.

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Father’s Day is THE day set aside once a year to really honor your dear old dad! Last year my lovely daughter gave me the surprise of a lifetime by making me a batch of these yummy oatmeal cookies. They were so good that I have been requesting them throughout the year. There are two great benefits of this oatmeal cookie recipe. First off, they are only 92 calories per cookie. Secondly, they are no-bake! Terribly easy to make and extremely tasty, I cannot recommend these cookies enough. Make a batch and surprise your dad as he wakes up on Sunday. Have a cold glass of milk ready and watch the smile grow from ear to ear. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads worldwide!  

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Father’s Day is Sunday, June 20th. Men seem to have a burning desire to become masters of the grill. Our sense of manliness absolutely depends on how we grill, what we grill, and making sure that EVERYBODY loves the final product. If you happen to be in that category, I have a wonderful grill recipe that will make you a hero whenever you put on the apron and strike that match or load that charcoal.

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This is a crazy new take on the quintessential Deviled Egg recipe! You'll be amazed at how scrumptious these are and how quickly they will vanish. I believe eggs are one of the best and most healthy foods that you can consume. As a matter of fact, China produces the most eggs, at about 160 billion per year. The United States has about 280 million hens which produce more than 65 billion eggs per year. A hen can lay about 250 eggs per year.

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Parmigiano Reggiano has been made for centuries in one area of Northern Italy, the rolling hills and green pastures comprising Reggio Emilia, Parma, Modena and portions of Bologna and Mantua. Conditions in this Italian region are ideal for the production of this outstanding cheese. This area boasts unbelievably rich countryside and a cool climate. The cheese is made in small batches using artisan methods which are passed down from generation to generation. Parmigiano Reggiano dates back almost 800 years. It is crafted by artisans and carefully aged and cared for. Each cheese wheel carries proof of its authenticity. During production, the future rind is impressed with the number of the “caseificio” or cheese house, production date, and pin dots forming the words “Parmigiano Reggiano.” These pin dots guarantee gthat the cheese was made under regulation of the Consorio del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano, conforming to its stringent standards of quality. After one year of aging, each wheel that passes the test is branded with an oval certification mark and left to finish aging. What a process! 
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If you have read my prior blog posts, you will recall that I am a big fan of nuts period. Last weekend I was in Marietta, Georgia. Marietta is a wonderful city which combines old world Southern charm with new world commerce and economic activity. This city has grown spectacularly in the past 30 years. The city of Marietta was named for Mary Cobb, the wife of U.S. Senator and U.S. Supreme Court Judge Thomas Willis Cobb. Marietta has a rich Civil War history. General William Tecumseh Sherman invaded the town during the Atlanta Campaign in the summer of 1864. In November 1864, General Hugh Kilpatrick set the town ablaze, the first strike in Sherman’s March to the Sea. The Marietta Confederate Cemetery is also located in the city. Actress Joanne Woodward, Country singer Travis Tritt and Food Network personality Alton Brown all hail from Marietta, Georgia.  
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