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TIDBITS by Sharon Thompson

  • Enter your cake; it might be the best in town

    By Sharon Thompson

    If you bake cakes and they don’t involve a mix, you could win some cash.
    A Best Cake in Town ­contest will be held at the Lexington Lions Club ­Bluegrass Fair on July 10. The categories are plain (pound, angel food); ­chocolate (iced); favorite (any kind not listed); white layer cake (iced); jam cake (caramel iced), cupcakes (iced), cake decorated by a professional, and cake ­decorated by amateur.
    Entries will be accepted from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Ag Expo Center at Masterson Station Park.
    For more information or entry forms, visit my blog at Kentucky.com or go to www.lionsclubbluegrassfair.com or call the Fayette County ­Cooperative Extension ­Service at (859) 257-5582.

    Louisville-bound
    The Southern Foodways ­Alliance’s annual field trip will be to Louisville this year, July 11 to 13. Participants will tour the Kentucky ­Bourbon Trail, Muth’s ­Candies, Bourbon Barrel Foods and Shuckman’s Fish Co. & Smokery.
    The Blue Grass & Brown Whiskey field trip also will feature classes, including:
    ■ Spoonbread school, led by Edward Lee, chef at 610 Magnolia.
    ■ Bourbon, led by Julian and Preston Van Winkle, father-son distillers at Pappy Van Winkle bourbon.
    ■ Oak Room chefs Todd Richards and Dwayne Nutter will lead a discussion on the cooks profiled in Blue Grass Cook Book, originally compiled by Minnie Fox and published in 1904. Toni Tipton Martin, who wrote the introduction to a 2005 edition, will attend.
    ■ Nancy Russman, a local chef and educator, will talk about Benedictine spread, a Louisville favorite, named for the late caterer Jennie Benedict.
    ■ Slow food leader Mark Williams will take guests on a farmers market tour.
    ■ Greg Haner, proprietor of the 1884 vintage ­Mazzoni’s Café, will share the lore of rolled oysters, favored in local barrooms.
    ■ Sarah Fritschner, retired food editor of the Louisville Courier-Journal, will moderate a panel on the small Kentucky farm. Joining her will be Ivor Chodkowski of Grasshoppers, a local food-distribution company, and Mary Berry-Smith, who with her husband, Chuck Smith, operates Smith-Berry Winery in New Castle.
    Registration is $405 for non-members and $365 for members. For application forms, go to www.southernfoodways.com.

    Contest winners
    At the annual Fort ­Harrod Beef Festival earlier this month in Harrodsburg, barbecue teams competed for trophies and bragging rights at the Kentucky Beef Cook-off. Here are the ­winners:
    Professional division
    Steak: High Mountain BBQ, first; Dunn’s BBQ, second; Darnell’s Pig Roast, third.
    Brisket: Darnell’s Catering, first; Dunn’s, second; High Mountain, third.
    Chili: Big Sam’s Pig Paint, first; Darnell’s Pig Roast, second; Darnell’s Catering, third.
    Back-yard burger: Dunn’s, first; High Mountain, second; Darnell’s Pig Roast, third.
    Amateur division
    Steak: Holy Smokers ­(Immanuel Baptist Church), first; Fifth Third Bank, ­second; Community Trust Bank, third.
    Brisket: Brother’s BBQ, first; Blue Man Dewey ­(Coleman’s), second; Up in Smoke (Wausau Paper), third.
    Chili: Camo Cooking Co., first; Cornishville Cookers, second; Up in Smoke, third.
    Back-yard burger: Camp Cooking Co., first; Up in Smoke, second; ACT Team (Trisler), third.
    Youth division
    Steak: Paige Anderson, first; Nick Yeast, second; Jordan Newsome, third.
    Back-yard burger: Nick Yeast, first; Abby Readnour, second; Trey Darnell, third.
    People’s choice
    Camo Cooking Co., first; Dunn’s, second; Farmer’s National Bank, third.
    Traveling trophies
    Bank: Community Trust Bank, first; LNB Bank, second; Cheesebankers in Paradise (State Bank & Trust), third.
    Industry: Up in Smoke, first; Old Skool BBQ (Trim Masters, Inc.), second; Crushed Stone Cookers ­(Mercer Stone Co.), third.
    Overall winners
    Camo Cooking Co. first; Cornishville Cookers, second; The Brotherhood, Bruner’s Chapel Baptist Church, third.

    Here’s what’s cooking
    Here’s the Quick Take recipe I prepared Friday on WKYT-TV’s 27 Newsfirst at Noon. My cooking segment airs between 12:35 and 12:40 p.m. Fridays on WKYT, then becomes available on ­Kentucky.com at 1 p.m.
    Peppered halibut steak salad
    1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
    1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
    11/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
    4 6-ounce halibut fillets
    3/4 teaspoon sea or kosher salt
    Cooking spray
    Variety of lettuce greens
    Salad dressing of choice
    Prepare grill to medium-high heat. Combine first 3 ingredients; rub over halibut. Cover and let stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Sprinkle fish with salt. Place fish on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side, or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve on lettuce greens with your favorite dressing. Makes 4 servings.
External Link »  Flavors of Kentucky Sharon Thompson's blog

  • It's good to be back home

    By Sharon Thompson

    Back Home Restaurant got its start in the trunk of a car.

  • Chard as tasty as it is versatile

    By Jim Romanoff

    Swiss chard doesn't usually win popularity contests in the produce world.

  • Kentuckian honored for her Irish collection

    By Sharon Thompson

    Falling in love with the land and people of Ireland is common after a first visit, but Viki Pidgeon fell harder than most.

  • And they all stayed happily ever after

    Bed and breakfast suits its name and its owner

    By Sharon Thompson

    There are houses in the Bluegrass that naturally radiate warmth, friendliness and charm and some of those are destined to become bed and breakfast innsThe beauty of the Amsden-Haupt House at 277 Rose Hill Avenue was meant to be shared with the world, and Elise Buckley-Snoddy knew it the minute she completed a tour of the house.

  • cookbook

    Kentucky inns share their best recipes

    By Sharon Thompson

    The cover of the new cookbook from the Bed and Breakfast Association of Kentucky shows a lovely formal table setting, but the inside photographs of rocking chairs on porches are most welcoming.

  • Let's hear it for a red, white and blue fruit pizza

    Tartlike dessert makes a perfect Fourth of July treat

    By Kathy Manweiler

    I needed a fresh dessert to serve at a Fourth of July party, so I created this mini fruit pizza that's low in fat and calories.

  • Viva sangria in the summer

    By J.M. Hirsch

    Traditional sangrias are luscious, bold blends of fruits, wine and spirits, often served in pitchers or punch bowls. But this wonderfully refreshing summer drink from Spain and Portugal leaves plenty of room for improvisation.

  • Maker's Mark café gives visitors an edible option

    By Sharon Thompson

    LORETTO — It takes years to make the quality bourbon for which Maker's Mark Distillery is known. It took ­decades for the distillery to provide a place for ­visitors to eat.

  • British eateries aren't just for breakfast anymore

    London trails only Tokyo and Paris for the most Michelin-starred restaurants

    By Patti Nickell

    LONDON, England ­— English novelist L. Somerset Maugham is credited with saying that to eat well in England, you must have breakfast three times a day.

  • For the fourth, cupcakes that pop

    Topped with tingly candy, they're fireworks for the mouth

    By Patrick Decker

    Inspired by the colors and crackles of Fourth of July firecrackers, these miniature cakes are studded with flecks of color and go down with a bang, thanks to a sprinkling of totally retro Pop Rocks candy.

  • Vegetarians can always find a good meal on the Web

    Sites offer recipes that cover the gamut from Asian to zucchini

    By Steve Petusevsky

  • It's easy to make potato salad on a whim

    Make it fast with ready-to-go ingredients

    By J.M. Hirsch

    The trouble with potato salad is that it's hard to make on a whim.

  • Juice up lemonade, iced tea with fruit flavors

    You can juice up your lemonade and iced tea

    By Sharon Thompson

    A glass of sweet tea or lemonade reminds us of porches and summer nights.

  • recipes

    Iced tea and lemonade recipes

    Lemon-berrypitcher punch

  • New items: cookbook, kettle chips, chocolates

    Be on the lookout for these new items

    By Renee Enna

    Seeing the "Light'

  • Clean gas grill before and after cooking

    By Marcia Borucki

    If you're cringing at the thought of cleaning your gas grill, you're not alone. Who knows what might be lurking under that vinyl cover — or how much of your last ­barbecued meal might be clinging to the food grates.

  • Peanut sauce subs for mayo in pasta salad

    Spicy peanut sauce makes a perfect substitute in chicken salad

    By J.M. Hirsch

    Unable to handle ­another summer of mayo-­sodden pasta salads, I started to tinker.

  • Cookbook builds on its legacy by adding Abe

    By Sharon Thompson

    In 1987, the Springfield Woman's Club published A Tasting Tour Through ­Washington County. It has been reprinted several times.

  • Shrimp: Easy to cook, even easier to overcook

    Simple marinade turns shellfish into tropical delight

    By J.M. Hirsch

    Aside from overcooking, it’s hard to go wrong with shrimp.

  • Have a slice of flax

    Banana bread recipe adds healthful omega-3

    By Jill WWendholt Silva

    Have you been lax about getting your flax?

  • New Orleans now has more restaurants than before Katrina

    By Patti Nickell

    It didn't matter that he had no staff and no customers other than rescue workers, reporters from around the world and the few stragglers who hadn't either evacuated or been run out of town by the National Guard. There he was day after day, cooking up pots of jambalaya and red beans and rice, and doling them out free of charge to grateful customers.

  • Eat what you can't see at "Lights Out Dinner'

    Sharon Thompson

    Eating what you can't see

  • Be deviled

    Here are some creative ways to dress up hard-cooked eggs

    By Jill Wendholt Silva

    At first glance, hard-cooked eggs might appear rather bland and one-dimensional. But add a wink of caviar or a nudge of gorgonzola to the filling and you’ve got yourself some deviled-may-care whimsy. We invite you to pop a few of these good eggs, but hurry: You know they’re always the first to go.

  • Renowned chef prefers to play with his food

    By Mike Hale

    In an age when chefs attract paparazzi and hire image consultants, Michel Richard exudes humility, despite a résumé that places him in every intelligent conversation about the world’s top culinary minds.

  • Menus from old restaurants stir up memories

    By Sharon Thompson

    A restaurant manager runs off with the register receipts; another ­restaurant's namesake gets arrested; feather boas and polyester suits catch on fire (a bad bananas Foster incident); and a notorious rogue cop gets shot on the steps of an upscale restaurant.

  • In cookbooks, Q is for quinoa

    Tiny, versatile grain is a nutritional powerhouse

    In most cookbook indexes, the “Q” section is tiny or nonexistent. Not so, however, in The Complete Whole Grains Cookbook by Judith Finalyson (Robert Rose, $24.95). The reason: quinoa.

  • It isn’t strawberry season yet, but don’t let that stop you

    Spring can bring a longing for fresh, seasonal fruit, especially with strawberry season just around the bend.

  • Tea for 200 means thousands of pieces of finger food

    That means 3,250 pieces of homemade finger food for Richmond auxiliary's event

    Often, our fast-paced schedules don't allow time to relax and enjoy time with friends.

  • New fad: spray-on pancakes

    Aunt Jemima meets Reddi-Wip

    By Michelle Locke

    SAN FRANCISCO — You want pancakes, but adding water to powder and stirring it seems like too much effort. Enter Batter Blaster, the pancake you just point and spray.

  • Ham: bone up

    There are many choices, so make sure you know which you want

    Serving a holiday ham might seem like an easy choice. Until you get to the grocer.

  • A few tweaks make Italian favorite better for you

    Bread-crumb coating cuts down on oil absorption

    Eggplant is like a sponge: The more oil you add to the pan, the more fat it sucks up. Coating the eggplant with bread crumbs or batter helps to provide a barrier.

  • This candy is hard, but it's not difficult to make

    Try it in an Easter mold

    Despite its name, hard candy is easy to make.

  • A meal in hours

    Slow cookers are easier than ever to use

    By Sharon Thompson

    The slow cooker is the quintessential wedding gift. The price range is great — $29.95 to $249.95 — and it’s a useful addition to anyone’s kitchen. The small appliance works on a low or high temperature setting, and some even have programmable timers that switch to warm when the food is done.

  • COOKBOOK

    Natchez native accessorizes her menus

    By Sharon Thompson

    Regina’s Table at Twin Oaks is a coffee-table cookbook that will surely be smudged with flour and butter before long.

  • Have a full slice of this cheesecake

    Lighter ingredients don't sacrifice flavor

    By Jim Romanoff

    Cheesecake is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, but it’s hard to be pleased with the amount of fat in many classic versions — usually more than 30 grams a serving. Happily, a delicious lighter cheesecake is possible.

  • Salsa adds some spice to ground chicken burger

    Just be sure to use breast meat only to avoid additional fat

    Spicy tomato salsa gives these light, juicy chicken burgers a hint of the Southwest. Coleslaw is a perfect side dish, and making it is a breeze when you start with a package of shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix, available in the produce section.

  • Festival features my cookbook, corn

    By Sharon Thompson

    I will be signing copies of my cookbook, Flavors of Kentucky, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Sweet Corn Festival at Evans Orchard and Cider Mill in Georgetown. For more information go to www.evansorchard.com
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