You've Got To Taste This

By Contributor Matthew Groves

Crawfish wasn’t on my radar until I moved down south (or further south, having grown up in Tennessee) to study nutrition.  My college in Birmingham, Alabama had a crawfish boil every year, but I wasn’t a fan.  Those beady eyes looking back at you is bizarre, right?  And all that work for just a bite of meat wasn’t worth it to me. So on that day every year, I passed on the crawfish and went with chicken, always a safe choice in my mind.  But then, a funny thing happened; I moved again further south to the Mississippi Gulf Coast and began to develop a taste for the pint-sized red crustaceans.

Check out those ruby beauties in this Crawfish Boil recipe.

During my foodservice rotations at a hospital, I started to really enjoy crawfish.  The sous chef made crawfish etouffeefor a hospital event that was to die for.  The seasonings he used really brought great flavor to an otherwise bland meat.  I had it again, this time paired with shrimp and crab meat as a topping for seafood bread.  That became my new favorite dish, and I probably ate four toast-size pieces.  From then on I was sold, looking for and ordering crawfish at every restaurant that served my new little friend (which isn’t hard to find on the coast).

Check out this top-rated Hot Crawfish Dip recipe.

My sister came down and, being a food dare-devil like myself, wanted to try a crawfish recipe.  What do ya know, there was crawfish festival going on.  We watched in awe as freshly boiled crawfish, potatoes, and corn overflowed from buckets onto the picnic tables lined with newspaper.  The highlight was the crawfish cook-off, when amateur and professional chefs competed for the coveted trophy made out of beer cans; classy, I know. 

Can you guess the secret ingredient in this Canjun Crawfish Cornbread. Hint: Crawfish!

It was nice to go around and taste the different entries and then vote for your favorite.  My pick was one of the spicier ones.  I asked the chef what he used and, even though it was a top secret special blend, I could definitely taste the cayenne pepper.  It took my sister a few tries to nail the technique of getting every morsel of meat out of their cage-like bodies, but she eventually became a master.  Her favorite was a milder one with hints of garlic powder. 

With the summer coming up, I’m looking forward to laying on the beach (studying for my registered dietitian’s exam) and tons of crawfish.

What’s your favorite way to prepare crawfish?  Tell us below and check out these recipes.

I’ve come to the conclusion that nobody actually enjoys running a long-distance race. We marathoners and half marathoners are masochists disguised as runners, because, let’s face it, your body doesn’t really want to run 13.1 miles, nevermind 26.2. 

I suppose there are those freaks of nature out there who truly enjoy those grueling miles and run their last mile faster than I run my first. Yes, I hate you.  But there is one thing I I truly love about running distance races (besides finishing them), and that is the food and eating involved in training and running.  When you burn off 2,000 calories on a long run, you get to eat an awful lot without any guilt or worry about your waistline. 

There are so many differing opinions on proper nutrition during training, pre-race, and post-race, and everyone’s body and stomach react so differently. Every runner and running guru has his or her own opinion, and it’s hard to have any hard and fast rules. But after working in running stores during college, having hundreds of conversations on this topic with new and experienced runners, joggers, and walkers of all distances, and finally figuring out what works for me, here are mine:

1. Eat as much frozen yogurt as possible post-long run, because it is DELICIOUS and fairly nutritious. The people at the froyo place that I frequent know my name, and I am so embarrassed at the amount of yogurt I purchase I am now forced to grab two spoons to make it seem like I’ll be sharing with someone when I get home. I’m not and soon it will be three spoons.
2. Steak is your best friend and cows’ gift to humanity (or was that froyo?): Pre-race with lots of carbohydrate goodness. Post-race with some sort of bacon-rich accompaniment because you just ran really, really far, and bacon is the best reward for any accomplishment.
3. The morning of the race is key, and my go-to is lots of peanut butter slathered on half of a bagel. Most of the time I only eat a quarter of it, but something is better than nothing (my usual breakfast—I know, most important meal of the day, but I already said I was a masochist). Also, COFFEE! If you normally drink coffee (oh wait, that’s what I have for breakfast) then race day is not the morning to skip it.
4. Rule number four: Twizzlers. People love their GU and their Chomps and their Shot Bloks and PowerBar Gel for fuel during a race, but my secret weapon is Twizzlers. This childhood treat is something that just works for me and tastes a whole lot better than some of those other options.
5. The most important lesson I’ve learned is not to drastically change your diet right before a race.
   Lots of greasy, salty Chinese food before the Chicago Marathon taught me to just say “no” to Kung Pao Chicken and Lo Mein. Now, I stay away from anything fried and slathered with sauce, and, if I order something indulgent not normally a part of my diet, like pancetta macaroni and cheese, I’ll share it and not completely gorge. However, come talk to me post-race and you better not put your fork anywhere near my pancetta. It’s all mine! 

Since everyone is so different, my rules probably won’t work perfectly for you, or maybe only one or two will. The most important thing is to try out different things while you’re training. Keeping a food journal doesn’t hurt, either. That way you’ll know if pizza and beer are the perfect things for you pre-race (you lucky duck). Or if that run the morning following a big fried chicken dinner with all the fixin’s was hellish, you’ll know to opt for something lighter, like a salad with grilled chicken.

What are your rules for eating for a marathon? Or any distance running? 

As promised, here are a few tidbits from our trip to the Georgia Mountain Eggfest in Hiawassee, Georgia!

The first cooks we met on Saturday were this couple, known on the GreenEggers forum as "Spring Chicken" and "Spring Hen".  They whipped up all sorts of deliciousness made from sausage and bacon, including "Magnum Loads" made from ground sausage wrapped in bacon.  My favorite quote from them: "The grease drips out, and all that's left is what kills you."  

Being Auburn fans ourselves, we were delighted to see this group of die-hard War Eagle fans all decked out in their orange and blue for the Eggfest.  They  served up some delicious pork loin, wild turkey breast, and "Gator Eggs" - essentially jalapenos stuffed with a spicy, creamy filling.

There were plenty of women manning Eggs at the Eggfest!  Since an Egg maintains heat so well and is easy to light, I personally think it's a great way for women to learn to grill.  

We just loved these bacon-wrapped pickled watermelon rinds!  Simple and delicious.  Simply wrap a half a slice of bacon around a pickled watermelon rind, sprinkle with Cajun seasoning, and cook at 350 until the bacon is crisp.  Yum!

The boisterious North Georgia Eggers drew quite a crowd with these funnel cakes cooked over a Big Green Egg!!

If you want to check out an Eggfest for yourself, Big Green Egg maintains a list of upcoming festivals.

Recently I've been awash in wonderful friends announcing pregnancies or having babies. Not having kids myself, I can't really offer them advice or first-hand experience, but I can help fill their fridges, and freezers, too, if I'm really good.

People all over the world show up with food when a life even happens. Deaths, wakes, births, marriages, job loss, graduations... events both joyful and somber bring out the inner cook in all of us, longing to fill our friends if not with peace, than at least with casseroles.

These days, showing love through food is getting easier. Multiple online "care calendar" sites allow you to invite friends and family to sign up for specific days. These sites allow the receiver to pick the days they'd like meals, note preferences and allergies, and write a thank you to those who visit the site. Food bringers can check out the calendar, pick a color-coded day that works for them, and browse what others are bringing so that the pile of lasagnas doesn't grow three-deep in the freezer in one week.

Let's be honest, if you get three Zucchini Eggplant Lasagnas, you'd be happy! See more make-ahead lasagna recipes.

The real question is, what should you bring to a new mom? What kind of foods do new moms need? In a word: Easy.

This weekend, I showed up at a friend's home with two foil casserole dishes, one filled with room-temperature lasagna, the other with piping hot cobbler. In a basket, I'd packed bagged salad (complete with croutons, dressing, and cheese), baked bread, and a gallon of sweet tea; sure, the sugar might keep the baby up, but the mom was grateful!

When you're organizing a meal for a new mom, here are some things to consider:

1) Allergies! If they didn't mention any, send a text or email to ask.

2) Think about foods you've dined on together in the past and don't go too wild with the menu. Fish, for example, can be a difficult thing to select for someone else.

3) Pack the food in disposable containers. If you do feel the need to take a fancy platter, mark your name on the bottom of it and be ok if it never returns. New moms aren't insensitive, not in the least; sometimes keeping track of all the generosity can be difficult. To be safe, go disposable or buy cute plastic containers that the family can reuse later.

4) Don't forget the sides! A casserole is easy and hearty, but something fresh goes a long way. Add in bagged salad, a simple side dish, or even a little fresh fruit. A two-liter of soda or a gallon of tea also helps, as she'll have something she can offer other visitors.

5) Plan to drop off the meal, not to dine with the family! If you're invited to stay, wonderful, but plan to leave shortly thereafter. New moms are tired!

6) When selecting a recipe, consider doubling it and taking two, one for now and one for later. I like to deliver my casseroles at room temperature so that they can go directly into the oven, fridge, or freezer.

7) Write the instructions on the lid of the casserole. Bake? Broil? For how long? Sharpie will do!

A fun trend I've seen popping up on Pinterest is make-ahead slow-cooker meals, entire meals in bags (including meat, veggies, and sauce) that are ready for the freezer. This gives the new mom a one-dish dinner ready to go, just pour the frozen contents of the bag into the slow-cooker in the morning, and dinner's ready that night. If you do go this route, consider two things:

Prep Slow-cooker Sloppy Joes through Step 1, then pack them with the directions for Step 2 written on the bag. Tell the new mom she can use the recipe for dinner the next night, or freeze it for later in the week.

1) Don't show up with an uncooked slow-cooker dish at 7pm on the day you signed up to bring dinner. They're likely counting on something they can eat that evening!

2) Write on the bag exactly what the recipe is, what to make with it (rice, or a salad), and the slow-cooker information, like the heat and the cook time.

Most of all, remember that the new mom (and her family!) is so excited to see you, show off her little one, and enjoy a night off from cooking dinner. Now go get some baby cuddles on your calendar.

When you're asked to bring a meal to a new mom, do you have a go-to recipe?

Food Network Star was a nail-biter this week!  Contestants competed against their team members in a "Chopped" dessert challenge.  When Alton's team opened their baskets, they found Hershey's Kisses, kumquats, graham crackers, and pancetta. 

Martie Duncan made Indoor S'mores (you can find the recipe on Martie's site).   MyRecipes fans will remember Martie's s'mores bar (pictured) from her Backyard Campout Party. 

All of the contestants were cooking right up to the final seconds of the challenge. Judge Alex Guarnaschelli nervously pleaded,  "Martie, please plate your food!"

SPOILER: Team Alton did a great job, but Martie faced the Producers Challenge this week along with Josh and Nikki. Josh was sent home. The judges recognized Martie's "genuineness" and storytelling skills.  

Watch the repeat of the show Wednesday evening.  And keep voting for Martie!

And if you can't get enough s'mores, check out the collection of s'mores recipes at Sunset.com.

Are you headed to the beach for the Memorial Day Weekend?  If the price of gasoline has taken a bigger piece of your vacation budget than usual, you might consider cooking at the condo or the beach house instead of going out to an expensive seafood restaurant.

Recipe: Shrimp Boil

We've created the perfect recipe playlist for your beach weekend and it includes recipes for seafood appetizers, main dishes, tropical desserts, and, of course, your favorite beach cocktails.  Just click the link to Recipe Collection: Beach Recipes, and you can save the whole collection to your recipe file.

 Let's set the stage:  You're in your beach chair, wriggling your toes in the sand and waiting for the sunset. In your hand is a Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri that you whipped up in the blender before you headed down to the beach.  After an appropriate amount of time has passed lolling on the beach, you head back up to the beach house for some crab dip and crackers, and maybe another daiquiri or a frozen lemonade cocktail.

Recipe: Frozen Lemonade with Coconut Rum

Who's in charge of dinner tonight?  If you are, what about a shrimp boil or just some peel-and-eat boiled shrimp?  Cook everything in one pot, spread some newspapers on the picnic table for serving, and you're good to go.  Easy cleanup and the eating is fine.

End the evening with a slice of key lime pie and a walk on the beach.  You're in paradise. Are you packed yet?  You supply the cooler, beach towel and sunscreen. We'll supply the recipes. Let us know which one you loved the most.

Recipe Collection: Beach Recipes

Last weekend I finally got around to planting herbs in the pots on my deck.  As always, I get a little overwhelmed when I go to buy herbs as I have fantasies of an elaborate and gorgeous herb garden in my backyard. In reality, I have 6 pots.

It's just that the herbs at the garden shop are so tempting!  The aromas of the chocolate mint and the lemon balm, the cuteness of the delicate thyme leaves, the fresh sweetness of basil, and the beauty of those gray-green sage leaves.   They all seem to be calling to me, eager to go home with  me and live vibrantly in my pots.   How can I decide?

I go through this every year and end up coming to my senses and following my self-imposed guideline: Do I REALLY love it and will I use it in my recipes? If you have limited space and limited time, this is a good guideline to follow when you're planting herbs to use in the kitchen.  Think about the types of recipes you make most often and the herbs and seasonings that are usually called for.  Then go in that direction.  Of course, if you're wanting to branch out into some new cuisines, then you should plant at least a couple of herbs that you'll use as you explore new flavors and ingredients.  For example:

French recipes: thyme, tarragon, lavender
Italian recipes: basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary
Mexican recipes: cilantro, basil, mint  (you might also want to plant some chile peppers!)
Middle Eastern recipes: mint, parsley, basil
Thai recipes: lemongrass, cilantro, basil

Since I love Mediterranean food, I've planted basil, oregano,  thyme and mint.  The rosemary I planted a couple of years ago has grown into a large bush and makes me very happy.

If you haven't grown herbs before, it's easy!  Most herbs require a good bit of sun and well-drained soil, but talk to the experts at the garden shop for specific information about the herbs you are planting.

What herbs are you this year?  Do you have any tips for beginners?   For more information on cooking with herbs:
11 Herbs Every Cook Should Use
7 Ways with Fresh Basil
Superfood: Mint

This past weekend, I headed up to north Georgia with my husband and our 3 year old daughter to check out the Georgia Mountain Eggfest - basically a gathering of so-called "Eggheads" - folks who absolutely LOVE their Big Green Eggs! In just its second year, this particular Eggfest is already the second largest in the country, at around 100 cooks and over a thousand "tasters". Although Brent and I own an Egg and have been cooking on it for almost 3 years, we'd never attended an Eggfest before.

The weekend kicked off with a "meet and greet" on Friday night. Folks gathered at the Anderson Music Hall at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds, asked to bring either a covered dish or some meat for the Egg. We brought a couple packs of free-range, organic venison sausage (read: fruits of the 2011-2012 deer season) and our newfound Canadian Egghead friend we had met over breakfast at the hotel cozied it up next to his "peameal bacon".

Eggs lined up in the fairgrounds for the next day's festivities:

Anyone who owns an Egg knows that transporting them could be nerve wracking at best. Loved seeing this "grate-n-krate", which makes taking an Egg on the go relatively easy for anyone with a trailer hitch.

It was really neat to see all the excitement everyone had over getting together around a shared - and very tasty! - passion! We left the meet and greet fired up to cruise through the fairgrounds on Saturday, stuffing ourselves with Egg fare.

Stay tuned for more great recipe finds from the Eggfest!

Martie Duncan, Food Network Star contestant and host of "Martie Knows Parties," is ready to get married to the pastrami at Katz's Deli.  (If you've been to Katz's you can understand the sentiment.)

On this week's episode, the Food Network Star contenders led culinary tours of New York neighborhoods and prepared dishes inspired by local restaurants and markets.  Team Bobby took on Harlem, team Giada toured Arthur Avenue in Little Italy, and team Alton explored the Lower East Side. 

Martie made puffed pastrami sandwiches inspired by her visit to Katz's. The judges enjoyed Martie's story and liked that she used the pastrami that Katz's is famous for and made it work for home entertaining.  And I've heard that the tour bus audiences said Martie was the most memorable tour guide!

If Martie is your favorite finalist, vote for her today!

SPOILER: Judson from team Alton and Kara from team Bobby were the bottom two contestants and Kara was sent home.

Find Martie's recipe for Ham and Cheese in Puff Pastry appetizers (her inspiration for the puffed pastrami) on her blog.

By Contributor Matthew Groves

Growing up in rural middle Tennessee, I loved the beginning of summer.  Finishing school, the start of baseball season, and going to sleep away camp were all things I looked forward to, but my favorite thing about mid-May was the strawberry festival.  I’m talking a parade, queen, carnival, the whole nine yards.  Everywhere you turned, strawberries were there.  From selling them in the back of a truck bed to pick-your-own patches on the side of the highway, these sweet berries were readily available. I remember picking berries in the garden behind our house and coming back in with my face all red and juice running down my shirt.

Hello, gorgeous. Meet the irresistible Strawberry Tallcake, loaded with juicy strawberry flavor.

Strawberry season in the south runs from early- to mid-May until June.  Fresh strawberriesare also available from California from January until November and Florida in December through May.  Originally, I loved the berries for the taste, but the more I dove into my studies of nutrition, I began to appreciate the ruby-red berries for their nutritional content.  Berries in general are rich in phytochemicals.  They serve as antioxidants, helping fight free radicals produced by cell death and damage.  They are also great anti-inflammatory agents, and studies have shown their benefits being linked to lower risks of cancer, with research in breast and colon cancer.  New studies have demonstrated strawberries to be beneficial in reducing the risk of type two diabetes and controlling blood sugar levels.

Could you resist this Fresh Strawberry Meringue Cake? I think not.

Strawberries are my favorite fruit, no matter how you fix them.  Jam, pie, cobbler, or shortcake, I love strawberries.  I might be a little biased with Tennessee berries being my favorite, but no matter where your berries come from, I’m sure they’ll taste great in these strawberry dessert recipes.