Kids under 10 are welcome and free! (nominal fee if you want us to pack lunches for them and to participate in the feast)
**Please Note: Each person who attends receives a free Foray Bumper Sticker, Lunch, Feast, and link to the on-line foray video. Mesh bags will be available to purchase if you need one.
What is Included
Levena prepares a special outdoor picnic lunch with sandwiches, dozens of snacks, fruit, veggies, and drinks. (if you have special dietary needs, we will try to accommodate).
Chris gives a seminar teaching you all about morels and other wild edible mushrooms and plants!
There will be a huge Foraged Feast including numerous plant and mushroom appetizers, soup, fried morels, and the pasta entree with chicken, brats, and steak! (if you have special needs such as vegetarian, dairy, or gluten free, simply email me your request and Chris will be happy to accommodate you!)
There are Hotel Rooms available near our hunting spots, or camping is also available, (details will be emailed after you register).
Everyone who registers will receive a free foray bumper sticker!
A link will be emailed to an online video of our Mushroom Hunt, Feast and Festivities to Cherish for years to come!
The Feast cooked by Chris Matherly and Levena Holmes! A complete itinerary will be emailed after you register and will include all locations, what to bring, etc.
Where
To be held near Nashville, IN
When
April 25th, 2018
Cost
Per Person – $75.00
Registration
Register and pay right here online or feel free to call me personally
For more information: 478-217-5200; chrismathe@aol.com
Glamorous and globetrotting, Natalie Morales, West Coast anchor for the Today show, could easily be forgiven for ordering take-out for family meals. But Morales, who with her sisters helped her mom cook almost every night when growing up, believes good food can bring a family together.
“I’m a busy mom always on the go and the way we connect is around the dinner table, where we have conversations and talk about what’s going on,” she says.
Morales also finds chopping and sautéing as therapeutic and relaxing after her busy work days which often start at 3 a.m. The meals she prepares are an amalgam of her life experiences, one that she captures in her just released cookbook, At Home with Natalie: Simple Recipes for Healthy Living from My Family’s Kitchen to Yours (Houghton Mifflin 2018; $30).
“I’m Brazilian and Puerto Rican and an Air Force brat–we lived in Central and South America and I spent ages 12 to 17 in Spain,” she says “Now, getting to try new foods is one of the great parts of my job.”
Indeed, Morales who recently was in PyeongChang covering the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, spent her spare time there sampling Korean barbecue.
“For me, food is the foundation of a culture and tradition–you get a real idea of the country when you’re eating their foods,” she says. “I remember going to Cypress–best night ever–I ended up dancing on the table and so did whole crew. I went to Chile to report on 33 miners trapped 2,300 feet underground for over two months and was there when they were rescued. There was all this food on the tables waiting for them and sitting and eating helped us break through the barriers.”
Morales says she was inspired to write her cookbook after watching chefs such as Giada De Laurentiis, Bobby flay and Ina Garten demonstrate how to cook on her show.
“Their recipes were easy enough for me to do and that inspired me to create a book with simple, but exciting recipes,” says Morales. “The book is also a way of honoring the legacy of my own family by including dishes I ate when I was young.”
These include her late grandmother’s recipe for ropa vieja—shredded meat, peppers and onions (she’s modernized it by using a slow cooker) and the chicken empanadas her mom makes.
“These are all part of my heritage,” she says. “I wanted to pass that on.”
Ifyougo:
Ifyougo: Natalie Morales book signing
When: Wednesday, April 18 at 8 p.m. EST
Where: Anderson’s Bookshop, 26 S. La Grange Rd. in downtown La Grange
Cost: Tickets required and can be ordered at nataliemoralesandersons.brownpapertickets.com; $34.00 ($36.18 w/service fee).
This ticket admits one and includes a copy of the new book and admission to the signing line.
FYI: (708) 582-6353; andersonsbookshop.co
Ropa Viejo
Serves 6 to 8
1½ pounds flank steak
Sazón seasoning, such as Goya Sazón (see note below)
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced1⁄2 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
½ cup thinly sliced green bel
l pepper
1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon ground cumin
½ bottle beer, such as a pale ale
Tabasco sauce (optional)
1 cup halved pimiento stuffed Manzanilla olives (optional)
Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
Season the flank steak with Sazón, then put the meat into a slow cooker. Layer the onion and bell peppers on top. Add the crushed tomatoes, broth, tomato paste, vinegar, garlic, oregano, and cumin, stirring to combine.
Pour in the beer and a splash of Tabasco, if desired. Spoon and stir the seasoned liquids over the beef and vegetables. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours or High for 4 hours. Toward the last hour, add the olives (if using).
When done, shred the beef using two forks. Top with cilantro and serve.
Notes:
Sazón is a Spanish seasoning found in Latin aisle (Goya makes a popular version)or if you can’t find it, a combination of salt, pepper and garlic salt will do. If you prefer a crispier ropa vieja, you can sear the flank steak first in 2 tablespoons olive oil before placing it in the slow cooker.
Summer Berry Tarte Tatin
Serves 6 to 8
DOUGH:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and chilled
¾ cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
¼ cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch of salt
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons ice water
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (this makes the crust flakier)
FILLING:
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces fresh strawberries, halved
8 ounces fresh raspberries, half chopped and half left whole
4 ounces fresh blackberries
In a large bowl (or in a food processor, but it’s quick and I think a bit better by hand), combine the butter, flours, sugar, and salt, using your fingers, until the butter is distributed throughout, smaller than pea size. Add the egg yolk, ice water, and vinegar and stir using a spatula or wooden spoon, until the dough has just come together—do not overwork it.
Dump the dough onto a floured surface and form it into a disc; add more flour or water, if the dough seems too sticky or too dry. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Make the filling: In a small saucepan, stir together the sugar, 1 tablespoon water, the lemon juice, and vanilla over medium heat. Stir gently until the mixture simmers and cook until it is the color of a light caramel, being careful not to let the syrup get too dark, about 5 minutes. Carefully stir in the butter and continue stirring until the sauce is smooth. Pour the caramel syrup into an 8- to 10-inch oven-safe skillet, pie dish, or cake form, tilting it to coat the bottom.
Arrange the strawberries, whole raspberries, and blackberries in a concentric pattern over the bottom of the dish. Fill in the gaps with the chopped raspberries.
When the dough is sufficiently chilled, roll it out into a circle that is about 1 inch larger in diameter than the skillet or dish.
Lay the dough on top of the fruit filling, then tuck the sides inside the pan or baking dish. Using a paring knife, cut four 1-inch slits across the top to release steam as it bakes.
Bake the tarte until it is lightly browned and the berries are bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 15 to 20 minutes.
Take a large round plate and place it on top of the tarte tatin. Over the sink, hold the plate and tarte dish or pan together tightly and flip them over quickly. The idea is to keep the juices as much on the plate as possible and the berries in place. Serve with a dollop of crème fraîche, light whipped cream, or frozen yogurt.
To find Matt Millar’s new restaurant The Southerner, veer off the beaten path from busy downtown Saugatuck, Michigan with its lovely 19th century buildings housing a collection of the coolest shops, restaurants, wineries and galleries. Instead follow the curving road paralleling the Kalamazoo River towards a one-story rambling building set far back from the road. Painted an almost too-bright yellow, there’s a large smoker in the side yard and window boxes brim with colorful flowers. It’s here that Millar, a two-time James Beard Award finalist recreates the Appalachian roots of the families like his who migrated north in mid-1900s to work in Michigan’s auto industry.
Millar is famous in this section of Southwest Michigan, known for The Journeyman, his first restaurant located in Fennville about 15 minutes southeast of Saugatuck where his menu was crafted around the foods from this area—whether it was organically raised pork or cheeses made from goats who feed on raspberry brambles. He then was the executive chef at Reserve, the uber trendy and vastly popular restaurant located in an old bank in downtown Grand Rapids.
The Southerner opened about two years ago and the restaurant’s buzz keeps getting stronger with write-ups in the Wall Street Journal and Bon Appetit magazine. The interior is a fun, casual place—think a friend’s summer cottage. Large windows over-look the river as it flows towards Lake Michigan. Tables and chairs don’t match, neither does the delicate china used as dinnerware. An old-fashioned phonograph is set on a table by the entrance to the bar and the kitchen is open so you can watch Matt and his crew works.
Go there in the winter and it’s easy to get a table, warm weather is different and unless you’re really early count on waiting. But that’s okay, they have a great wine, beer and cocktail list.
On a busy summer night, the restaurant sells hundreds of pounds of their wonderful fried chicken (Matt shared the recipe) which takes over 12 hours just to marinate. Two great appetizers to try while it’s cooking are the house-made pepper jelly with locally made goat cheese and a rather spicy pimento cheese spread both served with Saltines.
The following recipes are courtesy of Matt Millar.
Nana’s Fried Chicken
Marinate the chicken:
1 fryer chicken, about pounds, cut into 8 pieces
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons fried chicken rub (recipe below)
Toss everything together in a container which will hold everything in close quarters.
Refrigerate for 12 hours.
Make the dredge:
3 cups White Lily flour (not self-rising)
3 tablespoons fried chicken rub
Stir together well. Place the rub in a large bowl. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk, shaking off excess, then coat in the dredge.
Move the pieces to a pan fitted with a cooling rack and let them rest for a half hour to give the flour a chance to adhere.
Heat about an inch of peanut oil in a cast iron skillet to 350 degrees. Add the chicken pieces and fry without fussing for about 12 to 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked about two thirds of the way through. Flip the chicken and continue frying until it reaches 170° degrees. Remove to a pan fitted with a cooling rack and rest 10 minutes before eating.
Fried Chicken Rub:
This makes more than you will need for the recipe but keeps well in a sealed jar.
2 tablespoons Cayenne Pepper
1 tablespoon granulated onion
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon mustard powder
2 teaspoons dried savory
Pepper Jelly
Makes 1 quart
3 medium bell peppers
2 red serrano peppers
4 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
Puree the peppers in a food processor and add them to a medium, non-reactive sauce pan.
Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then turn the heat down enough to avoid burning or boiling over, but enough to still maintain a gentle boil.
Cook until the mixture thickens to the consistency of a fruit jam, about 45 minutes.
You should be able to run a spoon across the bottom of the pan and leave a clear trail behind it for a moment. Strain the solids out and chill completely.
Serve with cream cheese or, use one of Matt’s favorites our favorite, chevre or fromage blanc from Evergreen Lane Creamery in Fennville, Michigan. This works great with Saltines.
The pepper jelly is perfect on laminated biscuits (that’s why I’m sharing the recipe below), the type where you can just pull apart the layers, meaning more area to spread butter and jam.
Laminated Biscuits
2½ teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons sugar
¼ teaspoon baking soda
3½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces, plus more, melted, for brushing
1 cup chilled buttermilk
Preheat oven to 425°. In a food processor, pulse baking powder, salt, sugar, baking soda, and 3½ cups flour to combine. Add chilled butter and pulse until largest pieces of butter are the size of a pea. If you don’t use a food processor, use your hands to mix the flour mixture and then add the butter and mix quickly until the butter/flour mixture is the size of peas. Be careful not to handle the dough too much.
Transfer to a large bowl and gradually drizzle buttermilk over top, tossing with a fork as you go to incorporate. Knead mixture a few times in bowl until a shaggy dough forms (mixture will look a little dry), then turn out onto a clean surface and pat into a 1″-thick square.
Using a knife or bench scraper, cut dough into 4 pieces. Stack pieces on top of one another, sandwiching any loose dry bits of dough between layers, and press down to flatten. Lift up dough with bench scraper and dust surface with flour. Roll dough into a 1″-thick rectangle, trimming the border so the edges are clean. Divide into a 4×3 grid to make 12 biscuits (don’t reroll scraps). Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing 2″ apart; freeze for 10 minutes.
Brush the tops of biscuits with melted butter and the place in hot oven. Reduce temperature to 400° and bake biscuits until they’re deep golden brown on the bottom and golden on top about 20–25 minutes.
Note: Unbaked biscuit dough can be made one month ahead. Freeze, uncovered, on baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a resealable plastic bag. Do not thaw before baking but add a few minutes to baking time.
Choose Chicago, in partnership with the Illinois Restaurant Association, announces the return of James Beard Eats Week, taking place April 27–May 7, 2018.
Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz of the Boka Restaurant Group which includes Girl and the Goat are finalists in the Outstanding Restauranteur category. Photo courtesy of the Boka Restaurant Group.
“Chicago proudly sits at the head of the culinary table,” said David Whitaker, Choose Chicago President and CEO. “Eats Week represents both a unique opportunity for visitors and residents alike to explore and appreciate the city’s world renowned chefs and restaurants, as well as celebrate Chicago hosting the annual James Beard Awards by experiencing special dishes and menus.”
Inspired by James Beard, known as the “Dean of American Cookery,” James Beard Eats Week is an 11- day culinary celebration featuring more than 130 restaurants offering offer an inspired menu or dish in honor of the culinary legend. James Beard Eats Week precedes the 2018 James Beard Foundation Awards Gala to be held on Monday, May 7, 2018 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
“Eats Week has become an annual tradition in celebration of the James Beard Awards,” said Sam Toia, President & CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association. “Not only does it allow local chefs to honor the legacy of the iconic James Beard through special dishes and menus, but it also provides food lovers with a festive opportunity to try something new at more than 130 restaurants citywide.”
Every restaurant taking part in James Beard Eats Week makes a $100 donation to the James Beard Foundation Scholarship Fund, which directly supports aspiring Chicago culinary students.
2018 James Beard Foundation Book Awards Finalist in the Health and Special Diet category.
The James Beard Eats Week program raised $13,600 in 2017 through program donations. The James Beard Scholarship Fund was established in 1991 and has awarded more than $7 million in financial aid to more than 1,850 recipients nationally. Last year, the James Beard Foundation established a James Beard Foundation Greens chapter in Chicago.
JBF Greens events are for ‘foodies under 40’ —food lovers between the ages of 21 and 39. Greens get to discover the newest restaurants, chefs, and culinary trends, all while enjoying great food and drinks. Greens events include walk-around tastings, multi-course dinners, wine tastings, and hands-on cooking classes and demonstrations. The James Beard Foundation’s mission is to celebrate, nurture, and honor chefs
Featured image at the top of the post courtesy of James Beard Foundation. Copyright Kent Miller.
Sharing his life story and his struggle with food was the inspiration behind Judson Todd Allen’s recently released “The Spice Diet: Use Powerhouse Flavor to Fight Cravings and Win the Weight-Loss Battle” (Grand Central Life & Style 2018; $27). Indeed, when Steve Harvey wanted to lose weight he turned to Allen, who helped him drop 30 pounds. Even more impressively, Judson himself shed more than 100 pounds and has managed to keep it off.
“Since I was little, I struggled with weight and telling people about my journey is very empowering for me,” says Allen, a finalist in Season 8 on the “Food Network Star” and executive chef of Taste 222 restaurant in Chicago’s West Loop. “It’s something that many people go through and this book allows me to help others.”
Allen graduated from the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences and then earned a bachelor’s in food science and nutrition at the University of Illinois at Urbana. This background gave him a unique perspective on food and later, studying at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and then traveling throughout Europe sampling a myriad of cuisine, solidified his perspective that the use of spices can create foods so compelling and flavorful that they can overcome our need for sugar and salt.
Citrus such as lime and lemon or lemons zest produce a taste effect that’s similar to salt says Allen, the CEO and Executive Chef of Healthy Infused Cuisine, LLC., a premium cuisine company that provides customized personal, private and event chef services and catering to clients who desire healthier food choices that don’t compromise taste.
“It’s all about balancing,” he says, noting that using spices, herbs, fresh ingredients, cutting out things and using alternatives works when it comes to creating tasty food that doesn’t have unnecessary and unhealthy ingredients. “I balance vinegar’s acidity with sweetness using honey or agave. It all gives a level of flavor that keeps you from cravings for salt. One of the things about most diets is you have these cravings and we all know cravings are hard to overcome. If we want to have a healthy life-style change we need foods that we will always want to eat.”
One of the cravings Allen, who was born and raised in Chicago, remembered and wanted to re-imagine was the marvelous food his grandfather, a New Orleans native, cooked.
“One of his favorite dishes is fried fish and grits,” says Allen. “It is only fitting that I re-create the delectable taste of his favorite dish in a healthier version, because he is my inspiration for being a chef. Early on in my attempts to change my eating habits, I figured out the best way to achieve the fried fish effect without the deep-frying and calories. By incorporating healthy nuts with the perfect spice blend and other flavor enhancements, I cracked the code with this recipe.”
Photo credit @wellnessmats
I learned so much from him writes Steve Harvey in the book’s introduction.
“Being able to make a lifetime commitment to healthy eating depended on getting to the root of my issues with food. He showed me how to ‘cheat on my favorite foods by substituting healthy ingredients and spice combinations without sacrificing any of the flavor or texture. He was a stickler for portion control,” he continues. “After a while, I didn’t notice that I was eating less, because my food was so delicious and satisfying.
“A few outstanding dishes left a lasting impression on me. His Special Fried Chicken, which was organic chicken marinated in a crazy blend of spices and crusted with pecans and fresh parsley, looked just like pieces of dark golden fried chicken, but it was baked in the oven in a healthy way. I also appreciated his creativity when he made a healthier version of cornbread, one of my favorites, by using cauliflower, jalapeño, and other ingredients for a comparable yet brand-new experience that was totally satisfying. Given my long days, I really appreciated the snacks, especially his health bars. The recipes are all in The Spice Diet.”
Judson Todd Allen will be cooking and talking about his cookbook at Read It and Eat on Thursday, April 5 from 6:30 to 8:30 CT. 2142 North Halsted Street, Chicago, IL. (773) 661-6158; readitandeatstore.com
The following recipes are courtesy of Chef Judson Todd Allen
New Orleans Pecan-Crusted Catfish
Serves: 6
Serving size: 1 fillet
Calories per serving: 292
This recipe works with just about any type of fish. If catfish is not your cup of tea, then swap it out for halibut, cod, red snapper, sword fish or salmon.
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
4 tablespoons Bayou Cajun Spice Blend, divided (recipe below; you can reduce this amount if you have sensitivity to heat)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
6 (5-ounce) catfish fillets or almost any other kind of fish, deboned
Lemon wedges, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the pecans, cheese, 3 tablespoons Bayou Cajun Spice Blend, parsley, lemon zest, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
Place catfish fillets on the lined baking sheet. Brush the fillets with the remaining teaspoon of olive oil and rub in 1 tablespoon of the Bayou Cajun Spice Blend. Massage the oil and spice on both sides of the fish.
Spread the pecan crust liberally over the top of each piece of fish.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until the crust is dark golden and the fish is flaky and moist. Serve with lemon wedges.
Bayou Cajun Spice Blend
Yield: 1/4 cup
“Cajun cuisine is the food of my ancestors,” says Allen. “I love it. Let the good times roll! When I think about catfish now, I think about this blend. It works well with any white- fleshed fish, shrimp, or poultry, and brings vegetables to life.”
2 teaspoons freshly ground white pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
Mix together all the ingredients in an airtight container and store in a cool, dry place away from heat and light.
The Ultimate Tuna Salad
Serves 4-6
Serving Size: 1 Cup
Calories Per Serving: 257
3 (5-ounce) cans albacore tuna in water, drained
1/2 English cucumber, diced
1 teaspoon capers, drained
2 avocados, pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/2” cubes
In a large serving bowl, combine the tuna, cucumber, capers, avocado, onion, fresh herbs, tomatoes and Cajun Spice Blend. Add the lemon juice and olive oil and toss the salad.
Chef Judson’s Sweet and Sour Dill Pickle Cashews
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Sour Dill Pickle Spice Blend (see recipe below)
2 cups raw unsalted cashews
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a bowl, mix the honey, lime juice, olive oil, and Sour Dill Pickle Spice Blend together. Add the nuts and coat them fully.
Spread the nuts on the lined baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature. Nuts can be stored in an air – tight container in the pantry for 6 to 9 months, in the refrigerator away from strong smelling food up to a year, and in the freezer for 2 years.
Sour Dill Pickle Spice Blend
Yield: about 1⁄3 cup
Dill and lemon is a familiar combination, and the garlic in this blend adds another layer of flavor. I use it on salmon and delicate fish like sole or flounder. This blend is not overpowering. It’s great in a broth – based soup. It also pairs well with shellfish.
2 tablespoons dried dill
3 tablespoons lemon pepper
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
Mix all the ingredients in an airtight container and store in a cool, dry place away from heat and light.
Imagine strolling through Paris with a friend, one who knows the greatest little patisseries, cafes, outdoor markets and shops tucked along winding cobbled streets. Together the two of us try on amazingly chic designer dresses at La boutique Didier Ludot and amble through the courtyard gardens and gaze at the Swedish art work at Institut Suedois located in the Hôtel de Marle, a 16th century mansion in the heart of the central Marais district.
We order small plates of fantastic food amidst 19th century murals of clowns at the appropriately named Clown Bar, considered one of the city’s finest restaurants. After stopping to admire the Eiffel Tower, we trek even more before stopping to reward ourselves with ice cream at Berthillon Glacier. We are, definitely, Parisian insiders.
Wait—don’t have a friend in Paris? Don’t even have tickets or plans to go sometime soon? Well, Rick of Casablanca told Else they’d always have Paris and for the rest of us, before we get there, we’ll have the recently released Paris in Stride: An Insider’s Walking Guide(Rizzoli 2018; $27.50), co-authored by Jessie Kanelos Weiner, a Chicago gal who grew up on the Northside and Sarah Moroz both of whom have lived in Paris for the last decade. Charmingly illustrated with over 150 of Weiner’s delicate watercolors, the book curates walking itineraries the authors put together to go beyond the typical guidebooks.
“We wanted to put together walking tours of a timeless Paris, the type of Paris that will always be the same,” says Weiner. “We wanted something that wasn’t too text heavy, a book that was a jumping off point to see what you want to see, one that wasn’t prescriptive but takes you down the side streets.”
Paris is Weiner’s passion and wandering its streets is what she loves to do.
“It’s a city based on pleasure,” she says, “and one with many beguiling things along the way.”
Hoosier Craft Beer and Wine Salesman Brings it Home
Tiny Town Issues its Highest Honor to Brad Brookbank
******************************
Story, Indiana. Since its founding in 1851, Story has had no mayor, no board of commissioners, no town counsel, and certainly no election commission to oversee the peaceful transfer of power to such non-existent offices. Yet, despite the dearth of government, democracy thrives in this tiny southern Indiana hamlet.
If one were compelled to identify the seat of real power in Story, it would be the Tavern located in the basement of the old General Store, where town residents and overnight guests huddle to share news, gossip, and solve the world’s problems. And on April 1 of each year, “town elders” a/k/a tavern regulars, who by default comprise Brown County’s cognitive elite, confer to elect a “Village Idiot”. “It’s a tribute to the fermentation process” says Rick Hofstetter, the Story Inn’s co-owner and town’s only employer.
The balloting consists of submissions to the tavern’s bartender, Ann Johnson. “We have only one requirement for voting for, and being elected to, this esteemed position: at some point in your life, you must be a customer here” she explains.
This year’s “Idiot” accolades falls to Brad Brookbank, a salesman from 450 North Brewery/Simmons Winery in nearby Columbus. One may deduce that Brad is no stranger to his own wares.
For three consecutive years, Brad has been presenting Simmons’ wines at the Indiana Wine Fair, a large public event held at the Story Inn each spring. After loading a trailer with product, Brad hitched it to his truck, not paying attention to the fact that it had the wrong size ball hitch. Predictably, the trailer detached itself from the truck when Brad reached cruising speed on I-65, careening into a ditch. There were no injuries, but a total loss of product, and some hard questions from the Indiana State Police. “We had several cases of our Merlot in that trailer” he says, ruefully.
Brad has also been an occasional presenter at beer dinners hosted by the Story Inn. After one such gathering, Brad retired to one of the Story Inn’s cottages, where he decided to draw a hot bath. Upon discovering that the tub was not equipped with jets, he decided to improvise—by emptying a fire extinguisher into the tub. “I thought it was just air in those things” said he, upon being confronted with a prodigious mess.
The Story Inn’s cottages are all close together, linked by foot paths. While attempting to find parking near his cottage, Brad drove his car down one of those foot paths, and nearly into a creek. The next morning, he discovered the error of his ways, but could not locate his car keys. He eventually found them—under the vehicle. He was three hours late for work that day.
On another visit to Story, Brad concocted a practical joke for some friends staying in another cottage (one that was equipped with an outdoor hot tub). He hopped a privacy fence to steal the woman’s bathing suit, only to discover that the people staying there were strangers, and not a bit amused.
Brad celebrated New Year’s Eve at the Story Inn in Bacchanalian fashion, and at midnight, joined patrons in front of the Inn who were setting off conspicuously large rockets (known as “RGS Black Widow Artillery Fireworks”, and probably illegal). For reasons unknown, Brad reclined on the sidewalk, placed the stem of the rocket in his mouth, and lit it with a cigarette. The ensuing shower of sparks ignited his facial hair.
“This is the kind of stuff you see at fraternity parties” observed an incredulous Ann Johnson.
Brad’s victory, though well-deserved, was by no means assured, as competition for “Idiot” became fast and furious. Runners-up included a local resident and tavern regular (name withheld by request) who proved adept at, quite literally, recognizing a “diamond in the rough”. She received one nomination for allowing her pug dog to eat a diamond earring and, not to be “de-turd”, successfully retrieved it from her back yard. She received a second nomination for owning a pug dog in the first place.
Former Village Idiots made gallant efforts to reclaim the title. “The rules do not prevent someone from winning a second term, but that has never happened” observes co-owner Jacob Ebel. Jacob received his first nomination ever, for spending five fruitless days in a tree stand during hunting season, possibly because he refused to turn off his cell phone.
In 2010, Dani Ham was elected “Village Idiot” for igniting her own hair on fire while attempting to tame her coiffure with hair spray while smoking a cigarette and driving a car. “I multitask”, says she, by way of explanation. This year, Dani found two uncashed paychecks, dating back to her “Idiot” award, in the glove box of an old Buick.
Former Idiots Stan Smith and Lou Melillo combined forces in an apparent effort to re-make the movie “Dumb and Dumber”. The duo backed Stan’s truck to Stan’s house to move furniture, and quickly discovered that the truck had become stuck in the mud. Their efforts to extract the truck proved to be futile, but they trashed Stan’s yard in the process. Then Lou (re-named “Loo” at his 70th birthday) discovered that Stan had left the parking brake on.
Loo won “Idiot” accolades in 2012 for, among other things, dropping his wife Holly on her head while attempting to flip her over his back (the couple has remained married for 50 years—any coincidence?).
Holly Melillo’s head injury may well have done permanent damage. She received a nomination from Loo for losing her cell phone. After fruitless minutes searching, Loo had the bright idea to call it, which he did, whereupon Holly discovered that the phone had been tucked in her bra where she always keeps it.
Ricky Sawyer (Village Idiot 1999—for flipping a truck on its inaugural drive home from the dealership) received a nomination for dropping a pair of tongs into the Story Inn’s deep fryer—and then reaching for it. (Remarkably, he suffered only minor injury.) Thomas Kennedy f/k/a Thomas Doane (Idiot, 2008—for falling asleep in the median of a public highway) received a nomination for legally taking his wife’s name (Kennedy), and then getting a divorce.
Rick Hofstetter (2006 Idiot—for selling desiccated horse turds) made an impressive run for a second term, allowing his Toyota Prius to idle in the driveway for three consecutive days without noticing, possibly because he had allowed his dog Snow to eat one of his hearing aids. By late summer, Rick’s Birkenstocks had become so befouled that bartender Ann Johnson used them to start a campfire. By one extraordinary account—impossible to independently verify—Rick found a tick attached to a most private part of his anatomy.
Brad captured “Idiot” honors from local artist Brad Cox, who demonstrated his mechanical ineptitude when he drained both the engine oil and transmission fluid from his wife’s car, and refilled the crankcase twice, leaving the transmission bone dry. When his wife called to report problems, he dismissively accused her of driving the car into a creek. (The car sustained extensive engine and transmission damage, incidentally.)
Brad Brookbank will receive a $100 gift certificate, which he will most certainly spend in the Story Inn’s Tavern. He will hold the title of “Village Idiot” until March 31, 2019.
Memorable quote:
“Moments last a second; Story lasts a lifetime; the Story Inn’s Village Idiot lasts forever.”
Dancing bunnies, singing rabbits, a cotton-tail waving from the engine room and a Bunny Patch with over 4000 Easter eggs—it’s going to be that kind of Easter celebration for those taking a ride on the many Easter trains near and around Northwest Indiana. So go ahead and hop aboard.
Saturday, March 31 at 11am and 1:30pm; Boarding 20 minutes before departure
Easter Bunny is joined by Quack the Duck, Story-Telling Princess and Bo-Bo the Lamb on a 90-minute ride aboard a vintage train decorated for the holiday. Stories are told, by the princess of course, while bunny and his friends offer each child a chance to choose a toy from their baskets.
Easter Bunny Express: French Lick Scenic Railway, French Lick, IN; (812) 936-2405; indianarailwaymuseum.org
March 25 at 4pm
Board vintage railroad cars for a trip to Easter Egg Field. Here passengers disembark to hunt for more than 4000 eggs and have their photo taken with the Easter bunny. Proceeds from the Easter Bunny Express go to benefit Goody B’s Teen Center.
Easter Train: Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum, North Judson, IN; (574) 896-3950; hoosiervalley.org
March 31 at 10am, 12:30pm, and 2:30pm
This hour-long excursion crosses the Kankakee River at English Lake and then returns to North Judson for a stop at a park to hunt eggs and meet the Easter bunny who will be handing out candy and a bag of toys to every child. The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum has one of the largest collections of working railroad signals so take time before or after the ride to stop by (admission is free). Visitors are invited to touch the museum’s C&O 2789 steam locomotive and take stroll through the museum’s grounds with its displays of rolling stock, engines and memorabilia of railroad history. Purchasing tickets online is recommended as trips have sold out in the past.
Cotton Tail Express: The Old Road Dinner Train Experience, Blissfield, MI; 888-GO-RAIL-1 (888-467-2451); murdermysterydinnertrain.com
Saturday, March 31 at 10am & 12:30pm; boarding is 15 minutes before departure.
Visit with bunny, color pictures and enjoy doughnuts and juice on a 90-minute ride on an antique train. Reservations are required.
Mr. Bunny will be on hand to say hi, pose for photos and hand out candy filled eggs on a one-mile ride through Waterman’s Lions Community park.
Whitewater Valley Railroad, Connersville, IN; (765) 825-2054; whitewatervalleyrr.org
March 31 at 10am, 12pm, 2:30pm & 4:15pm.
Grab your basket and board the Indiana’s longest scenic railroad, for their 18th annual Easter Bunny Express. Departing from Connersville Grand Central Station, enjoy the two-mile trip to the Easter Bunny Patch, meet the Easter bunny and search for his golden egg. Reservations are recommended. Train operates rain or shine. The egg hunt is open to ages 8 and under.
This December I received a notice on my Google calendar that Leila Edwards’ birthday was coming up. It was a painful reminder because Leila, who was a friend, had died in September when her husband shot and killed her and then himself. Anyone who knew Michael Watkins, her husband, couldn’t imagine him doing that, but he’d been very ill with cancer and they were divorcing and, well, there are some things that are unfathomable. Michael and Leila’s son, Ben Watkins was in the house, but not harmed and is now living with his grandmother, Donna Edwards, in Miller Beach, a small community east of Gary, Indiana on Lake Michigan where the Watkins had lived as well.
Ben has always been a dedicated cook, who first started cooking when he was around three and was making food several days a week at the family restaurant when he wasn’t competing in spell bowl, math bowl, chess club or repairing broken bikes for kids in need through the Ken Parr Build a Bike program in Miller Beach.
The family was well-known in Miller Beach not only because of the restaurant, which is now closed because of the deaths, but also since Leila Edwards was a noted artist and jewelry maker who sold her creations in a store downtown. Besides that, she was a very active volunteer at Discovery Charter School in Chesterton, which Ben attends.
With all this sadness, I was really surprised and extremely happy to get a text from my niece, Linda Simon, who is a good friend of the family, that Ben, now 11-years-old, is a contestant in this season’s MasterChef Junior which premiered two weeks ago. Ben so impressed judges Gordon Ramsay, Christina Tosi and Joe Bastianich that he was one of the 24 contestants earning white aprons and a chance to go on to the next level.
The winner gets $100,000 which would be so important to Ben. The Miller Beach community has been wonderfully supportive, holding fundraisers and starting a Go Fund Me (gofundme.com/love4ben) to raise money for his education, maintenance and health care but, as we all know, raising a child is expensive.
MasterChef Junior airs at 8 p.m. Fridays on Fox so if you get the chance tune in and root for Ben whose future dream is to be a professional chef or scientist (he excels in math and science at his school).
You may enjoy this recipe, one of many he has shared with me over the years. He created it himself when he was in third grade, because, he said, “I like all three things and so I thought about putting them together — a layer of chocolate chip cookie dough on the bottom, crushed Double Stuf Oreos in the middle, covered with a layer of brownie batter and then baked.”
Ben Watkins’ Chocolate Chip Cookie and Oreo Brownie Bars
Cookie Layer:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
24 ounces chocolate chips
Mix butter with sugar until creamed. Add eggs and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl mix flour mixture and baking soda. Add to creamed butter. Fold in chocolate chips and spread evenly on the bottom of a greased 9×13-inch pan.
18 to 24 Double Stuf Oreos, crumbed.
Spread crumbled Oreos evenly over the top of the chocolate chip cookie dough.
Brownie Layer:
4 ounces unsweetened Baker’s chocolate
¾ cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
Place chocolate in microwave and melt. Melt butter, stir in chocolate and sugar. Stir in eggs one a time and vanilla. Add flour. Mix thoroughly. Spread evenly on top of chocolate chip cookie dough and Oreos.
When I arrive in the new bourbon tasting room at the historic Beaumont Inn, there are already set-ups of four bottles of bourbon with empty glasses in front of each. Master Blender Dixon Dedman, who with his parents own the inn which has been in their family since 1917, is famed for his bourbon tastings as well as his revival of the bourbon his great great grandfather, Charles Dedman, who in 1880 started up what would become one of the largest distilleries in the state, until before Prohibition shut it down.
In other words, Dedman is a bourbon expert and I am someone who in my college days mixed the spirit with diet cola. But not this evening. Dedman is going to teach me how to taste the “terroir” of bourbon meaning the type of land here—limestone rock and natural springs that give a special flavor to the wheat, corn and rye used to make bourbon. There is, I note, no diet cola anywhere in sight.
“When they char the barrel it releases the sugars and caramelizes it,” Dedman says as he pours Pappy Van Winkle, a 20-year old bourbon named in tribute to Julius Van Winkle by his grandson and great grandson who are carrying on the family tradition.
That’s important because Pappy Van Winkle is a wheated bourbon which means it contains no rye and thus gets its flavor from the interaction with the barrel.
“Focus on where you’re tasting it,” he says. “That’s how you build your palate.”
Because it’s wheated, which means, Dedman tells me, you can taste it in the front of your mouth.
Pappy Van Winkle has almost a cult like following says Dedman.
“When they’re going to release it, people sit in their cars in front of liquor stores for two days to get a bottle,” he says.
At this point, I know I can’t ask for a can of diet cola.
The next taste is a sip of Four Roses Al Young 50th Anniversary. Now I remember Four Roses as a cheap bourbon—the kind you do mix with soda pop particularly at college dorm parties but its roots go back 130 years. The brand was allowed to languish and almost disappeared until Al Young, Senior Brand manager with 50 years of experience in the bourbon biz, was allowed to bring it back to its glory. He has several blends which are based on patented yeast strains he’s developed. The taste of this bourbon comes from the yeast strains and rye and Dixon says to pay attention to its finish on the back on the mouth.
When Dixon was working on developing Kentucky Owl he wanted to emulate the complexity of Four Roses. Later this month, he’ll be releasing his Kentucky Owl Batch # 7, the seventh of his limited release bourbons.
“It’s an 11-year old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey and it’s exactly what a Rye Whiskey should be,” Dixon writes on Kentucky Owl’s Facebook page. “I put this blend together and bottled it at 110.6 proof. It’s a full-flavored rye perfect for the coming fall weather.”
Barrel aging can produce bourbons with a high proof count but then before they’re bottled, they’re watered down to around 80 proof. But Dixon wasn’t about to do that to Kentucky Owl.
“It’s full flavored,” he said about this batch of Kentucky Owl and it sure was. “You can’t hide anything in barrel proofed whiskeys.”
Later, when I’m in the dining room ordering dinner—the Classic Beaumont Inn fried yellow leg chicken, beaten biscuits, country ham—I glance at the bourbon list. I read that Dixon’s Batch #6 costs $40 a glass and am glad I didn’t ask for a diet cola. Not just because I would have looked stupid but also because I had begun to get a sense of how to appreciate a great bourbon.
But the Beaumont Inn is about more than Kentucky Owl. It was built in 1845 as a girl’s school and was bought by Dixon’s great great grandmother in 1917. Two years later she turned it into an inn. Many of the recipes on the menu and in their cookbook have been favorites since they first opened including, fried green tomatoes, house made pimento cheese, traditional Kentucky Hot Brown, corn meal batter cakes with brown sugar syrup and the General E. Lee Orange Lemon Cake.
The latter, my waiter told me, was such a favorite of the general that he carried the recipe in his breast pocket. I guess that was in case anyone asked if they could bake a cake for him. I, of course, had to order that despite being a northern girl, and it was delicious—very light with a distinct sugary citrus taste. The lightness I discovered later was because the cake flour used in the recipe is sifted eight times.
The food at the Beaumont Inn is so good that a few years ago they won the James Beard America’s Classic Award which is given to “restaurants with timeless appeal, each beloved in its region for quality food that reflects the character of its community. Establishments must have been in existence for at least ten years and be locally owned.”
The inn itself is beautiful, all polished wood and thick carpets, antique furniture and the timeless grace of a wonderfully kept three-story historic mansion with an exterior of red brick and tall white columns. Located in Harrodsburg, the oldest city in Kentucky, it sits on a rise on several rolling, beautifully landscaped acres. I mentioned Duncan Hines a few weeks ago when I was writing about Claudia Sanders Dinner House in Shelbyville, Kentucky well, Duncan was here quite a bit too and I can see why.
“Now write this down for the people in Kentucky,” he told a reporter back in 1949. “[Say] I’ll be happy to get home and eat two-year-old ham, cornbread, beaten biscuits, pound cake, yellow-leg fried chicken, and corn pudding. And you can say what I think is the best eating place in Kentucky: Beaumont Inn at Harrodsburg.”
Beaumont Inn
The food here is real Kentucky fare–Weisenberger meal from a seventh generation mill not far from here, Meacham hams which the Dedmans bring to maturation in their own aging house—a process that takes several years and, of course, Great Great Grandpappy’s Kentucky Owl.
The following recipes are courtesy of the Beaumont Inn Special Recipes, their cookbook now in its sixth edition.
Corn Pudding
2 cups white whole kernel corn, or fresh corn cut off the cob 4 eggs 8 level tablespoons flour 1 quart milk 4 rounded teaspoons sugar 4 tablespoons butter, melted 1 teaspoon salt
Stir into the corn, the flour, salt, sugar, and butter. Beat the eggs well; put them into the milk, then stir into the corn and put into a pan or Pyrex dish. Bake in oven at 450 degrees for about 40-45 minutes.
Stir vigorously with long prong fork three times, approximately 10 minutes apart while baking, disturbing the top as little as possible.
Country Ham Salad
6 cups chopped aged country ham
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1/2 cup chopped purple onion
1.5 cups chopped sweet pickle
2 chopped hard boiled eggs
2 tablespoons of whole grain mustard
Hellman’s Mayonnaise to your liking.
Note: This is great on crackers, finger sandwiches with a thin slice of homegrown tomato, toasted open faced sandwiches with tomato and a melted slice of your favorite cheese or as an appetizer – toasted crostini, ham spread, thin slice of homegrown tomato topped with shredded parmesan cheese run under the broiler.
Corn Meal Batter Cakes
1 cup corn meal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons bacon drippings or shortening
Sift meal, soda and salt together. Add beaten eggs, then buttermilk. Beat until smooth. Dip a tablespoon of batter (or a bit more) onto a greased hot griddle. Let brown on bottom, then turn quickly and lightly to brown on other side. Serve with Brown Sugar syrup.
Makes about 10-12 good-sized cakes.
Brown Sugar Syrup
2 pounds light brown sugar
3 cups cold water
Mix sugar and water well. Bring to a hard boil for 10 minutes. Do not stir after placing over heating element as stirring or agitating will cause syrup to go to sugar
General Robert E. Lee Orange-Lemon Cake
9 Eggs, separated
a few grains salt
2 cups cake flour, sifted twice before measuring
2 cups white sugar, sift 6 times
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 lemon, juice
Grated rind (yellow part only)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Beat egg yolks to creamy texture; beat egg whites until stiff. Add baking powder and tartar to flour and sift six times. Mix all ingredients together. Divide batter into four greased 9-inch cake pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Turn cakes upside down on a rack until cool.
Spread Orange-Lemon Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Store in refrigerator until serving time. Garnish with orange slices and fresh mint leaves if desired.
Orange-Lemon Frosting
¼ pound butter, softened
3 egg yolks
2 (16 ounce) packages powdered sugar, sifted
4 oranges, rind of, grated
2 lemons, rind of, grated
4 tablespoons lemon juice
6-8 tablespoons orange juice
Cream butter; add egg yolks and beat well. Add powdered sugar and grated rind alternately with juices, beating well.
Original “Robert E. Lee” Cake
Twelve eggs, their full weight in sugar, a half-weight in flour. Bake it in pans the thickness of jelly cakes. Take two pounds of nice “A” sugar, squeeze into it the juice of five oranges and three lemons together with the pulp; stir it in the sugar until perfectly smooth; then spread it on the cakes, as you would do jelly, putting one above another till the whole of the sugar is used up. spread a layer of it on top and on sides.
638 Beaumont Inn Drive, Harrodsburg, KY. (859) 734-3381; beaumontinn.com
To find Matt Millar’s new restaurant The Southerner, veer off the beaten path from busy downtown Saugatuck, Michigan with its lovely 19th century buildings housing a collection of the coolest shops, restaurants, wineries and galleries. Instead follow the curving road paralleling the Kalamazoo River towards a one-story rambling building set far back from the road. Painted an almost too-bright yellow, there’s a large smoker in the side yard and window boxes brim with colorful flowers. It’s here that Millar, a two-time James Beard Award finalist recreates the Appalachian roots of the families like his who migrated north in mid-1900s to work in Michigan’s auto industry.
rned to Allen, who helped him drop 30 pounds. Even more impressively, Judson himself shed more than 100 pounds and has managed to keep it off.
“We wanted to put together walking tours of a timeless Paris, the type of Paris that will always be the same,” says Weiner. “We wanted something that wasn’t too text heavy, a book that was a jumping off point to see what you want to see, one that wasn’t prescriptive but takes you down the side streets.”
Dancing bunnies, singing rabbits, a cotton-tail waving from the engine room and a Bunny Patch with over 4000 Easter eggs—it’s going to be that kind of Easter celebration for those taking a ride on the many Easter trains near and around Northwest Indiana. So go ahead and hop aboard.
Cotton Tail Express: The Old Road Dinner Train Experience, Blissfield, MI; 888-GO-RAIL-1 (888-467-2451); murdermysterydinnertrain.com
The family was well-known in Miller Beach not only because of the restaurant, which is now closed because of the deaths, but also since Leila Edwards was a noted artist and jewelry maker who sold her creations in a store downtown. Besides that, she was a very active volunteer at Discovery Charter School in Chesterton, which Ben attends.
When I arrive in the new bourbon tasting room at the historic 
But the Beaumont Inn is about more than Kentucky Owl. It was built in 1845 as a girl’s school and was bought by Dixon’s great great grandmother in 1917. Two years later she turned it into an inn. Many of the recipes on the menu and in their cookbook have been favorites since they first opened including, fried green tomatoes, 
