Home At Last! with Patty Gironda

Traveling with Home At Last! is one of the joys of my life and last week's adventure on Sapelo Island didn't disappoint!  I've been around seafood my whole life-fishing for alligator gar in the bayous of Louisiana, stringing rotten chicken necks in crab traps along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and fishing off the back of my dad's boat for any delicacy that might happen to swim by! Sampling the seafood of the Georgia coast was an exciting prospect and I was eager to sample the local favorites including Sapelo Clams prepared in a Geechee recipe of Clams and Gravy! Our new friend and featured cook, Cornelia Walker Bailey, shared her secrets for cleaning, chopping and cooking the clams in a simple, straightforward dish!  Cornelia shares that the fresh clams can easily be stored in the freezer for future use! Once brought to room temperature the clams open and can be cleaned and prepared in your favorit...

I'm back! I just had to run outside and make sure the sky wasn't falling! It started out an ordinary day.  Made breakfast for our guests at Casa Bella B & B.  Business as usual. Our satisfied guests departed after hugs and promises to see us next year. Ron and I celebrated with a swim and made a quick decision to head to Atlanta, I had a shopping list compiled for Buford Farmer's Market that included provisions for  a big weekend ahead at our B & B and an upcoming episode of Home At Last! It wasn't a long list.  . .but it provided us with a good enough reason to get out of town.  I love Tuesdays at the market-they sell huge mixed bags of hot and mild peppers for ridiculous prices!  I make hot sauce and stuffed Mexican peppers on the grill. My surprise came when I suggested that we enjoy sushi at the market and Ron agreed. (He's not a huge sushi fan, although his tastes have shifted aft...

Orzo Pasta Salad with Fresh Baby Spinach Blueberry Ketchup Eager to experience a recent gift of Applewood-Smoke Bacon Burgers from Pine Street Market, I saw a chance to create a few of our family favorites. Ron loves blueberry ketchup and I adore Orzo Pasta Salad with Baby Spinach and vine-ripened tomato. My fiery blueberry ketchup with minced garlic and shallot added wonderful texture to the pork with a little heat and sweet! The smokey pork burger was lean and flavorful but called for a strong, sweet flavor! The smooth orzo with mild flavors and fabulous texture kept everything grounded and well-balanced! The final side that put it all over the top was a light summer salad of sweet, juicy Valencia orange slices with paper-thin slices of red onion and a homemade blueberry vinaigrette with a nod to the traditional by use of a scant teaspoon of stone ground mustard. All in all, a perfectly grown-up July 4th picnic menu! Happy Fourth of July, y'all! Stay safe!

Creamy Greek yogurt, smokey seared-lamb seasoned with traditional Mediterranean flavors and a secret ingredient in the hummus make these authentic-tasting gyros perfect Fall fare! I take great care in readying my infrared grill for the Fall grilling season . . .scraping down the grates, cleaning and polishing the stainless steel and finally, checking for back-up cannisters of gas to fuel my wonderful grill! This is my first meal of the season! Grilled pocketless pita, savory lamb seared in my favorite black skillet on the grill and one of my favorite things in the world. . . Tzatzike sauce with seeded cucumbers and tomatoes. Our grilled pocketless pitas are smeared with a wonderful Greek hummus that is light and airy with so much flavor and fiber! I remember the first time I sampled the fluffy hummus at Atlanta diner. I was struck by the creamy, garlic-y goodness of the garbanzos! I was determined to learn the chef's secret! If you take a look at the middle photo note that the ...

We've enjoyed the company of young guests this past two days and promised to make all their favorite breakfast foods on this last morning.  The family, (Mom, Grandma, Griffin and Lili) have enjoyed their morning family time and breakfasts have been leisurely and fun. Griffin, an 11-year old "grown-up" wanted a vegetarian breakfast sandwich-an easy request with whole-grain English muffins, sliced cheese and fresh tomato.  Of course we have to serve a sweet course and today's treat took full advantage of this season's sweet, flavorful strawberries!  One of the best seasons I can remember in years.  We made a morning version of a pioneer biscuit shared with me years ago by an aunt living in Colorado. Easy, no fail biscuits that are fluffy and buttery.  I added two tablespoons of powdered sugar for a slightly sweeter biscuit and double-baked them for a little extra crunch!  The strawberries were macerated overnight with my homemade black curran...