mac and cheese – Fervent Foodie

January 1, 2015 1 Comment

Last month, I spent a good bit of time working on five healthified southern recipes for Our State Magazine’s online food blog. For me, recipe development starts with research. I look at recipes online, brainstorm, bookmark, flip through cookbooks, and talk to my foodie friends, all the while scribbling down notes and ideas. Then comes the testing. I lay out the ingredients and get to work, jotting down notes (usually on the back of some random envelope from the recycle bin) as I go, tasting and adjusting continuously.

Obviously, one of the perks of developing recipes is eating the wares. Well, after you’ve snapped approximately 3,000 photos of each dish, that is. Normally, I incorporate whatever recipe I’m working on into my weekly meal plan. No sense in wasting food! But, at the time of this healthy southern recipes project, I also happened to have a a whole ham to cook for the North Carolina Pork Council.

Want to throw a successful holiday party? Just add ham.

Whisky River {Charlotte, NC–restaurant review}

November 15, 2012 6 Comments

Whisky (no “e”) River, owned by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (yes, the NASCAR king), is located in the EpiCentre, just down the road from the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Despite the NASCAR connections, don’t come to Whisky expecting to see a bunch of rednecks drinking Busch Light. Instead, you’ll find “club casual” digs– it’s two parts rock and roll and one part country with a splash of southern hospitality. The country innuendo is slight: cowhide backs on the bar stools, a mechanical bull, and the occasional country song pouring from the speakers. There are also servers dressed in tight fitting tops and barely there Daisy Dukes, a uniform that surprisingly only applies to the female employees. What gives, Dale? Overall, the vibe in Whisky River is more night club than country western, and that’s exactly what Mr. Earnhardt was shooting for.

Whisky River offers a full drink menu–beer, wine, and cocktails–and has two sprawling bars, seating for over 200, a VIP lounge, plus plenty of room for dancing. Further solidifying its ultimate entertainment venue status, Whisky partners with Kiss 95.1 as the official pre and post party venue for many big name concerts and sporting events uptown.

5 Healthified Southern Dishes plus HAM!

Whisky River {Charlotte, NC–restaurant review}