Evelyn's Blog - Taste of Gourmet

Art After Hours next Thursday evening....

It'll be a Valentine's Party with Chocolate EVERYWHERE! 
Sydney Parker will be our featured artist.....her paintings are fun, inspirational, loving....you just have to see her unique style and her wonderful prices!  For a child's room, your kitchen (where I hope you love being) for the den or a lake house or a dorm room...  Ya'll plan to come after work and enjoy visiting, some music, some shopping, some sipping and just enjoy the PARTY!  February 11 from 5 to 7 at The Crown.... in downtown Indianola.  Ya'll come!

It may be that everyone's on a "diet" after Christmas....but the Fabulous Four Dessert Pack is tremendously popular right now!  Of course it's on our Half-Price Customer Special list .....so it's only $16.00 when you purchase at least $40.00 of other products!  And these four are truly Fabulously Delicious!

The Fabulous Four includes:
One All-American Apple Cake that you can make with fresh or canned apples, or pumpkin, or grated carrots, or pineapple, or bananas!  All good...but my favorite way is with the fresh apples!

One box of Toffee Crunch Cheese Cake Ball and there are two mixes in the box!  Make one to use as an "icing" for your Apple Cake and use the other just to dip with Honey Graham Crackers, or Wheat Thins!  I love the salty-sweet taste with Wheat thins. (Or just eat it with a spoon...it's just like eating New York Cheese Cake!)

One box of Mississippi Mud Cake that is so rich and dark and yummy!  I rub the top with a little confectioners sugar for that beautiful black/white contrast!  Sometimes I sprinkle chopped pecans on top of a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of Royal Fudge Sauce...but that's almost TOOOOO good!

AND One box of Southern Praline Pie....the picture is on the Home Page of www.tasteofgourmet.com if you really want to get hungry!  Add some pecans if you choose to the batter before baking, or top with a scoop of ice cream and some Caramel Pecan Sauce! 
NO WONDER....the Fabulous Four are so popular....I'm starving just writing about them! 
What shall I cook for our "after supper dessert"tonight? 
I'm making Apple Cake at The Crown again tomorrow!  The smell coming out of the kitchen.......YUM! 

Soups are simmering all over....

Soups were the food focus for Art After Hours last night and our guests loved sampling the White Chili, the Black Bean Chili and the New Orleans Beef that I served with Garlic Herb Cheese Grits...(just like Grillades and Grits from New Orleans.)  It was COLD and our hot soups were a hit!

AND the orders coming in on the website and through Consultants are hugely (is that a word?) soups and breads!  I can't even count how many Creole File Gumbos have been shipped in January!  Maybe people are stocking up on Gumbo for Super Bowl Parties and for Mardi Gras....I'm in love with my Gumbo too...and Jen eats a cup almost every day for lunch at The Crown!

Southwest Soup is the St. Jude product of the Month so those are really rolling out the door too!  Someone asked me at The Crown yesterday...."Is the Southwest Soup really spicy?"  Her husband doesn't like hot...hot foods!  And the answer is NO!  It has a little peppery heat but the combination of peppers is flavorful...not super hot!  I sometimes put a little cooked thin spaghetti in....then it's so much like my mama's vegetable beef soup.  Be sure and look at the Recipe Page on the website for Southwest Soup! It's FULL of good ideas!  Keep those kettles of soup simmering...we are in for a long winter! 

Happy New Year...

What a way to bring in the first week of 2010....with an arctic blast EVEN in Mississippi!  We just aren't used to 8 degree weather and frozen pipes and ice on the mud puddles!  That fireplace in the living room is going full blast right now!

And the very best part of cold weather is putting on a pot of soup...the aroma drifting all through the house....and sitting down to a hot steaming bowl of wonderful soup.....that took 3 minutes to get going on the stove!  Our soups make cooking and eating well...sooooo simple! 

Southwest Soup was cooking today here in the Plant....with a loaf of Bayou Beer Bread and everybody loved it. And as usual....the Creole File Gumbo was the most popular soup at The Crown!  People do know how to keep warm....hot soup will do it every time!   Do you have boxes of Taste of Gourmet soups in YOUR pantry right now?   Order some today and keep warm ALL winter long!  Our Soup Collection can even be Half-Price!

At www.tasteofgourmet.com  Our Customer Special is this:
When you place an order for $40.00 or more, you can choose ONE of Three Combo Packs for Half-Price!

Soup Collection: $27.50  ($54.95)
Black Bean Chili, Southwest Soup, Potato Soup, Corn Chowder, Gumbo and Creamy Delta Bisque
Bread Collection: $14.50 ($28.95)
Bayou Beer Bread, Tomato Basil Beer Bread, Roasted Onion Garlic Quick Bread - 2 mixes in each box!
Fabulous Four Desserts $16.00  ($32.00)
All-American Apple Cake, Toffee Crunch Cheese Cake Ball, Praline Pie, Missississippi Mud Cake

It's Black Bean Chili at our house tonight!  I NEVER get tired of eating our soups! 

Food was yummy at Art After Hours!

We had a great time last night "partying in Indianola" as Jennifer put it on her emails about the event!  Lots of people starting to shop for Christmas and just enjoying the music, visiting with the artists and with each other!  We had a great menu at The Crown too for some new Holiday Food Ideas from Taste of Gourmet!

Cranberry Apple Crunch using fresh apples, pecans (last night I used almonds but I've decided I really like pecans best!) and our Cranberry Chutney!  Other recipes for Chutney are on the website and Chutney is our St. Jude Product of the Month for November! 

Brunch Bread - I baked two breads using a Sprite (for sweetness) and layered the brown sugar bag into the dough!  Swirled it around a little with a knife and sort of "glazed" it with a bit of butter before I baked it! It was so good!  Even stone cold!  But I forgot to drizzle the icing on it.....and it was still yummy! 

Suddenly Cheese Dip - Using one of my Salsa mixes, cream cheese, sour cream and cheddar...the recipe makes a huge amount and it doubles easily too!  It was a huge hit with tostito rounds and it refrigerates for days....or it would have if we hadn't eaten every single bit last night!

Pumpkin Cake iced with Toffee Crunch - Use a small can of pumpkin instead of apples in my All-American Apple Cake mix - then spread the top with a little Toffee Crunch...or a lot!  So fresh and so good and very "Autumny"....is that a word?

Chipotle Torta - It's a new thing and simple and delicious and pretty!  Just layer "slices" of cream cheese (cut horizontally) with a little Chipotle Sauce, sprinkle with finely shredded Cheddar or Mexican cheese...and keep layering to make an appetizer "cake."  Garnish with chopped tomatoes and more cheese!  Serve with crackers or flour tortillas in wedges!

Chocolate Truffle Tarts - Make the Chocolate Truffle Cheese Cake Ball as directed and pop a teaspoon in a tiny filo tart shell from the grocery store!  Make a variety for a party using the Toffee Crunch and Lemon Almond too!  And it taste so richly chocolate!

Wasn't much left last night to send home with Brantley Catlette....we try to feed our musicians well during and after the event!  Don't miss the NEXT Art After Hours in Indianola - Thursday December 3rd from 5:00 to 7:00!  Ya'll come!

Who needs tartar sauce.....

Who needs Tartar Sauce when there is Deliciously Dill Dip?  We've been in Maine with our son Kevin's family eating Haddock a lot!  Grilled and in sandwiches...and loving the fish (even though Catfish is my FAVORITE fish of course!) 

But I was so hungry for our Dill Dip to smear on my sandwiches and dip the scallops in.....I almost had Jennifer fed ex some mixes to me in Saco so I could put a tub in my purse when we went out!  That Dill Dip made with mayonnaise and sour cream is just GOOD!  It's the top selling Dip at The Crown too....Tasting is believing!

Saveur Magazine featured The Crown...

Ben Nims wrote a piece called Southern Glories in the October issue...including 6 restaurants in Mississippi and their "specialty!"  I was so excited that Ben included The Crown...you can look at it on-line at www.saveur.com ... but I just have to quote him too...

In Ben's words, "To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi," said the native son William Faulkner.  The best way to do that, if you ask me, is to eat.  Here is a cross-section of Mississippi's soul-stirring culinary landscape."

Then he wrote, "The Crown.  The Catfish Pate and Catfish Allison (a whole filet gratineed in a scallion cream sauce) have kept this Indianola restaurant going strong for 33 years."  The article is short and oh, so sweet and I love every word Ben wrote!  He's eaten with us...lots of time...so he knows what he's talking about.  No "hearsay" for Ben! 

Then on the same page in  "Ask a Local, Amy Evans, an oral historian from Southern Foodways Alliance in Oxford, Mississippi answered the question, "Why is Catfish so popular in the state?"  with..."we raise more of it than any other state. At restaurants you find it broiled, fried, barbecued; we even have Catfish Pate."

Our Catfish Pate of course.  Thanks to Saveur and Ben and Amy.....we do love our Catfish in Mississippi and in Indianola...and we do love to eat ...especially at The Crown!  Ya;ll come eat with us!

Indianola on Saturday....Art and Music at the Museum.....

Help us Celebrate the First Anniversary of Indianola'sB.B. King Museum on Saturday, September 12!  

Art at B.B.'s is going to be wonderful!   Over 30 Artists will be exhibiting in the Open Art Market at the B.B. King Museum!  There will be live music all day on three stages at the Museum, Face Painting, Food, lots of Fresh Produce, Plants, Jellies and Pickled Okra from our Market Vendors PLUS this talented array of painters, potters and photographers from 10 to 2:00! 

 

At 7:00 pm...there is a special showing in the Museum of B.B.'s performance in 1983 with Austin City Limits!  We're really excited about that too!  We're so proud of the Museum and want you to enjoy every part of the town and the the activities that day!

 

And just think of the great "one of a kind" gifts you can buy for Christmas...and listen to live music while you shop!  It doesn't get better than that!  Just look at this list of the Artists coming and make your plans to be in Indianola on Saturday....and of course I want you to come to The Crown for Lunch....We'll be serving our yummy Catfish Cakes.......See you there!

Eva Champion                 Kappy Russell

Charles Chapin                Kathy Davis Day

Daryl Simpson                 Brenda Yants

Beth Long                        Susan Gilbert

Anna Woods                    Barry McWilliams

Lee Washington                Paul Canonici

Sydney Parker                 Jack Catlette

Susan Sheridan                James Blumenburg'

Garden Park                     Charles Herring

Lei Ann Parker                 Shea Hitchcock

Claire Boyles                    Katrina Nesbit

Laurie Noble                     Grady Robinson

Susan Steen                    Mary Jo Ayres

Brenda Barnett                 Lucy May

Lizzie Oglesby                 Laurie Fisher

Memorie Dixon                 Amy McCullough

It's the Pickled Black-eyed Peas.....

That's the WINNING new product so far!  Lots of orders for our new "Southern Tradition"....our new chow-chow, our new old-fashioned picalilli, our new yummy Pickled Black-eyed Peas!  

I've been watching WHO is buying them In The Crown....just out of curiosity!  I've seen older ladies here for a reunion, taking the Peas back to Texas!  A man from Indianola, just buying them to enjoy with his supper.  A young couple planning to serve them at a tail-gating party this weekend.  It's one of those things that is NOT going to sit on the shelf waiting for a special ocassion!   Our Peas are going to get open and eaten!  I love that!  Have you ordered yours yet?

 

Check out the website for a list of all the New Products.....and come into The Crown for a Taste of our new favorite....Pickled Black-eyed Peas!

 

I hope you are all coming to Indianola on Saturday for the Open Air Market's Art at B.B.'s Art show at the B.B. King Museum!    It's Indianola's celebration of the First Anniversary of the opening of the Museum....live music ALL DAY long at The Museum and an Art Show you'll really enjoy!! 

Come to Art After Hours....it's fun!

Art After Hours is THIS Thursday
September 3rd
from 5 to 7 pm
 
The Crown's Featured Artists will be: 
Susan Love - Greenville Jewelry Maker
and
Dawn Whitfield with hand-formed pottery
and
Eve Pugh Champion - Belzoni - with her paintings.
Alan Jones will be playing and singing at The Crown!

 The B.B. King Museum will be open as well and Brantley Catlette is playing at the Museum until 7:00

It's a fun evening - relaxed - great things to look at, nibble and good conversation!  Bring the Family to Indianola for Art After Hours!  You don't have to get dressed up...just come right from work or a meeting!
Always the First Thursday of each Month!  Ya'll come!

Food is also an Art Form!   Come to The Crown for a nibble!