Road Trip to Jekyll Island!

Dear Readers,

Thanks for hangin' in there over the past few days without your usual VV fix - I've been enjoying a little family vacation down on Jekyll Island - one of Georgia's beautiful coastal islands. We drove down there and surprised our 2-year-old and 4-year-old nephews. It was a blast.

This was my first trip to Jekyll. When I was young, my family would normally drive to Savannah, Georgia or Amelia Island in Florida during the summer - I can't believe we were missing out on this amazing place. Jekyll Island is a Georgia State Park. If you're into a laid-back, bare-bones beach scene (and I certainly am), then this is a great place to vacation.

But back to food . . . here are a few of the highlights from our road trip through Georgia!

We stopped for lunch on our way down in the town of Wrens, Georgia at an Amish restaurant called The Dutch House.

I'm here to tell ya, the Amish know what they're doing when it comes to food! Everything is fresh, from scratch, with high quality ingredients. Fried chicken, sweet potato casserole, and macaroni and cheese for me!

And a VV road trip through middle Georgia wouldn't be complete without a quick stop in Vidalia, Georgia - the sweet onion city!!

Sadly, their main street office was closed when we went by, but we peered in the windows anyway.

We also tried to stop by the Vidalia Onion Committee office to say hello to our friends there, but alas we gave up and hit the road for the beach.

Georgia shrimping season was at its peak when we arrived on the island, so there were tons of shrimp boats out and about, and lots of great meals filled with fresh local shrimp!

The island also has a neat little candy store that our nephews loooove to frequent. The Sweets Shoppe is housed in a historical building near the Jekyll Island Club, a historic Georgia resort frequented by the rich and famous during the 1890s. As you can see from the chimney, this used to be the Boiler House.

The little boys love these island-themed candies the best - they are white chocolate tinted with pastel colors and cast in the shapes of sea creatures.

And the nearby Jekyll Bookstore is home to a wide variety of cookbooks featuring recipes for Georgia coastal cuisine. It took great self-restraint on my part not to buy every book on this table:

One more store that's worth a stop is the Commissary. It features a collection of local gourmet food and gifts, including this tasty tin of cookies I bought for my parents to enjoy!

Thanks for letting me share a little bit of my journey with you. I'll be back to regular blogging tomorrow!!

Vidalia Victuals WINNER!

I'm happy to announce the winner,
selected by you dear readers,
of the first annual Vidalia Victuals Contest.

Cooks Like a Champion
Caramelized Vidalia Onion and Goat Cheese Grits!!

Congratulations, Courtney!

Courtney's recipe got 217 out of the 719 votes cast in the contest, making her the winner of our Vidalia Onion Prize Package!!!

I must say, the hubs and I really loved this recipe. We even ate the leftover grits underneath some grilled shrimp for dinner the next night, with some corn on the cob on the side. It was pretty freaking awesome . . .

To see the results of all our wonderful entries, please click here.

I'd like to thank everyone who submitted recipes, who drooled over our finalists' creations, and who voted in this fun contest.

I also appreciate the support received from the Vidalia Onion Committee in beefing up our prize package with some fun Vidalia items! I encourage you all to check out the Sweet Times Recipe Contest being hosted by the Vidalia Onion Committee. Entries are being accepted through August 14, 2009, and they are giving away some big cash prizes!

Our Community Supported Agriculture "CSA" Farm

This is an exciting week in the Vintage Victuals kitchen - it's the first week that we got a basket of produce from our Community Supported Agriculture ("CSA") farm.

Maybe you've heard about the CSA movement, maybe you haven't. Either way, here's the skinny. A CSA farm operates a lot like a corporation. In the fall, you pay upfront to buy a "share." The farm uses the money to buy seeds and equipment for the following growing season, and then shareholders reap the dividends throughout the summer as the farm harvests each phase of produce. At our farm, a share gets you one huge basket of produce that you can pick up once a week. Starting around Mother's Day every year, we start picking up weekly baskets from our farm, packed with fresh veggies, greens, herbs, and fruits.

CSAs are considered part of the "green" movement for many reasons. First, many CSA farms are use organic farming methods. What's more, buying locally-grown produce helps the environment because it reduces the amount of pollution that results from shipping food over long distances. Finally, CSAs provide fresher, less-processed food resulting in better nutrition for our bodies.

Beyond the green, there are lots more reasons to belong to a CSA farm. We love being able to support the farmers in our community. We also enjoy the crazy varieties of vegetables that we get from the farm - lots of obscure veggies and heirloom varieties. They are loads of fun to cook with, and the produce from the farm tastes so much fresher and more flavorful than anything you can find in a grocery store.

Our farm co-op is family operated. Hubby's mom and dad have belonged for years, but this is only our second or third year taking part in the goodness.

So read on to find out more about our baskets and our farm! And get excited because the next several months are going to be full of recipes with great produce!

~ First Basket of the Season ~

Every week, we bring an empty basket to the farm,
and we trade it for a full one, like this.


They always attach a tiny chalk board
listing the contents of the basket for the week.


We also get a dozen farm fresh eggs with the basket.

~ The Barn ~

~ Out in the Gardens ~





Pole Beans


Garlic




Kale


Broccoli




Cauliflower


Okra




Bunches and bunches of beautiful greens!


~ In the Shade of the Fruit Trees ~
Not just veggies - we get some fruit through the summer, too!

Peaches


Pears


Raspberries

~ The Chicken Coop ~
The basket also comes with farm fresh eggs.
We save our egg cartons throughout the rest of the year
and bring them to the farm to be re-used.

And what's a farm without a faithful hound to guard the chicken coop? Here is Copper, the beagle, who has a little house next to the coop. And, yes, he is named after the dog in the movie The Fox and the Hound.

~ Back Toward the Flower Beds ~
No basket is complete without a small bouquet of fresh-picked flowers.
They have beds and beds packed with gorgeous blooms.

Bachelor Button


Pink Iris




Johnny Jump-Ups

For more info on CSA farms or to find a farm co-op in your area, this website is a great resource.

Vidalia Victuals Contest

I'm so pleased, dear readers, to announce this interactive Vintage Victuals blog event.

Every year, hubby gets about ten 20-lb. bags of Vidalia Onions from his rotary club. They "sell" them as an annual fundraiser. However, we usually end up giving them away to our friends, eating onions morning, noon, and night, and still allowing some of these tasty little guys to go to waste.

But this year, we came up with a way that you, dear readers, can help us out. An on that note, I'm excited to announce the first annual Vidalia Victuals Contest!

Well, the Vidalia Onion crop is officially in! It's a happy time for Georgians and onion-lovers all over the South. If you're looking for these babies in your local grocery store, be sure to look for the "Vidalia" on the sticker, as shown in the pictures here.

Here's how the Vidalia Victuals Contest will work.

1. Submit your all-time favorite vidalia onion recipes to me (either by commenting on this post or by emailing me) by Monday, May 11, 2009 at 11:59 PM. In any cases of duplicate recipes, then I will accept the one that was submitted first. Limit one recipe per person, so pick your very best recipe!
   
2. Then, the hubby and I will select 10 recipes that will advance to the Final Round. These recipes will be selected based on their creativity, their southern-ness, and their ability to showcase the distinctive Vidalia flavor.
3. I will make these 10 recipes (using our oodles of onions), and post a big round-up featuring all ten of them: pics, links to original recipes (if they are found online), all the goodies.
   
4. Then, YOU, dear readers, will vote for the winner of the Vidalia Victuals Contest. The winner will not only receive fame and glory being featured on the VV blog, but will also be the proud owner of a Vidalia Onion Prize Package including fresh Vidalia onions, some of our favorite locally-produced gourmet Vidalia sauces/dressings/relishes from our local country store, and some great goodies straight from the official Vidalia Onion Committee.

Good luck!

Update:
Be sure to also enter your Vidalia Onion recipe in
the Vidalia Onion Committee's
"Sweet Times with Vidalias" Recipe Contest!
Win major cash prizes.
Submit your entries by August 14, 2009.

I know I'm going to be entering this one!!!

Spreadin' the Blogger Love

Thanks to Mrs. Southern Belle for the Blog Award! You rock, Candy! Thank you for thinking of me!

Here are the rules: These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement.

Our hope is that when the ribbon of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

I choose . . .
1. Brown Dog Boutique Blog
2. Good Things Catered
3. Project Prom Queen
4. Danni's Soap Box
5. Finding Serendipity
6. A Fraction of Love
7. The Perfect Pallete
8. The Budget Conscious Bride

All of these ladies blog from the heart, and I have been thrilled to get to know them better - online and off!

Bake Sale Basics

I have complied some great recipes I've gotten from other food bloggers that they recommend for bake sales. I also added a few recipes from my fellow bloggers that looked extra good! Thanks to my contributors, and thank you to our volunteer bakers, too!

Basic Blondies

Dark Double Chocolate Cookies

Chocolate Dipped Rice Krispy Hearts

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Bittersweet Brownies

Caramel Glazed Blackberry Jam Cake

Coconut Macadamia Bars

Mini Chocolate Orange Chunk Cakes

Pumpkin Granola Grabbers

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Black & White Red Velvet Cookies

Monster Cookies

Peanut Butter Fudge

Sunday Morning Blueberry Muffins

Easy Apple-Bran Muffins

Cranberry-Walnut Bread

Banana Trail Mix Bread

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

M&M Cookies

Alton Brown's "The Chewy"

Chocolate and Regular Rollout Cookies

Soft Chocolate Chip cookies

Raspberry Cupcakes

Chocolate cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pina Colada Cupcakes

Blueberry Lemon Basil Cupcakes

Chocolate Banana Caramel Cupcakes

Chocolate Marshmallow Bars

Oreo Brownies

Apple Spice Bars

M&M Treats

Sugar Cookies

Chocolate, Toffe & Pecan Blondies

Lemon Ricotta Muffins

Pumpkin Muffins

Cowboy Cookies

Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies

Cappuccino Biscotti

Blueberry Banana bread

Cinnamon Apple Bars

Peanut Butter, Oatmeal & Chocolate Chip Cookies

Coconut-Lemon-Almond Cake

Chocolate-Chunk Hazelnut Blondies

Lemon Bars

Vanilla Lime Bites

Snickerdoodles

Almond-White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Muddy Buddies/Puppy Chow

Honey-Nut Granola Bars

Chocolate Truffles

Grasshopper Bars

Snickerdoodles

Peanut Butter and Jelly Shortbread Wedges

BBFCCCC (Best Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies)

Kreativ Bloggers

Recently, my friend over at Mrs. Southern Belle tagged me for the Kreativ Blogger Award! I was so touched and honored - I love it when bloggers can cross genres and recognize all sorts of creativity and inspiration. Thanks Mrs. Southern Belle!!!

Here are the award rules: List 7 things you love, and then pass on to 7 bloggers that you love. Be sure to tag them to let them know that they won!

I love . . .

1. . . . finding creative inspiration in my friends and my everyday life.
2. . . . cooking and baking with organic ingredients.
3. . . . learning something new every single day.
4. . . . my incredibly supportive husband, who says he loves every dish I make.
5. . . . my mom and my grandmother, who taught me how to bake.
6. . . . my dad who makes the best chocolate chip cookies of all time.
7. . . . my brothers, who have always been there for me when I needed someone to lick the cream cheese icing off of the beaters.

I tag . . .

Brown Dog Boutique - custom stationary, treat-kits, and other tips for dog lovers
My Bottle's Up! - a real-life, touching, and hilarious story of motherhood
O'Shea Designs - her hand-made greeting cards are gorgeous
Deals, Steals, and Heels - my shopping guru always has creative ideas
Good Things Catered - she may be on hiatus for lent, but she still rocks!
HauteCakes - order some designer cupcakes, serving greater Atlanta
Life Chef's Food for Life - a fellow Atlanta food blogger, very cool

Great American Bake Sale

Vintage Victuals is proud to be participating in Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale!

We'll be participating in a bake sale being held on
Saturday, April 11, 2009
from 11 AM to 2 PM
in Jefferson, Georgia.

The City of Jefferson hosts a HUGE Egg Hunt that day hosting kids from all over Northeast Georgia. We will be set up right next to the festivities. (Heaven forbid any child go without a sugar high on Easter weekend, right?)

Proceeds from the Great American Bake Sale go directly to grants for organizations that feed hungry children in after-school and summer programs, when they may not be able to get three square meals a day. We are working in connection with the Jackson County Boys and Girls Club to ensure that the money raised in our community will go to our neighbors in need.

So, local readers, please email jeffersonbakesale@gmail.com if you would like to participate in this great event! And check out our team's website here for more of the nitty gritties!

And far-away readers, never fear because you can participate, too! Please consider donating to our group on our team's website or think about hosting your own bake sale! Click on the banner at the top of this post to learn more about how you can get involved with this great project.

I will be doing a BIG round-up post here on VV with pictures from the bake sale, plus recipes for those contributors who wish to share their treats with my readers!

Finally, I ask that if you are a regular reader who wants to suggest a great bake sale recipe, please post a link to the recipe in a comment on this post!

Every little thing we do has an effect on others, so take just a moment to reach out and help stop hunger for the children in our communities. Thank you for all your love and support!

The envelope, please . . .

First, I'd like to thank everyone who participated in VV's First Giveaway, which celebrated my first 100 posts. I love hearing from my readers on the blog, via email, and in real life, too! This blog has been such a fun way to connect with you all, and I feel very honored to be able to share my favorite recipes with you all.

I am pleased to announce that the results of VV's First Giveaway are in, and the lucky winner selected by Random.org is . . .

#24!!!

Comment #24 comes from Bekkah who said...

I think my favorite family recipe is my grandmother's chocolate chip cookie recipe. She makes them with cinnamon and they always come out perfect.

March 18, 2009 2:21 PM

Congratulations, Bekkah! I think you will really enjoy The Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking - it's a great resource for bakers of all skill levels. Please send me an email at vintagevictuals (at) gmail (dot) com to claim your prize!

Thanks to everyone who participated in my first blog giveaway. Family recipes bring up such treasured memories with loved ones who are always in our hearts. I really enjoyed reading all your responses, dear readers, and I look forward to another 100 posts with you all!

My very first blog award!

Holy cow, I can't believe how much this whole blog thing has taken off! I started this mainly because I wanted one place where I could put all my family recipes and share them with my friends. Now, I have over 5,000 hits on my page, everyone I know wants to talk about my latest recipes, and I've even been nominated for an award!

Kristen from Le Petit Pierogi, Ashley from Senora Espanola, Shawna from Daily Deliciousness, Melslat from Chi-Town Cooking Creations, and The Milkman's Wife from Milk & Honey have all very generously nominated me for the Lemonade Award and the Fabulous Blog Award! They all think my blog is fabulous and refreshing, like lemonade!

Here are the "rules":
First, add the logo in your blog.
Next, add a link to the person who gave you the award.

Then, nominate 5 other (refreshing…like lemonade) blogs of your choice.

Finally, leave a message for your nominees in their blogs, informing them about the award.

So here are my 5 fabulous nominees:

1. Adventures Are Better Together - fun and creative, vintage-approved recipes! Check out her strawberry-pretzel salad: it doesn't get much more vintage (or southern) than that!
2. Danni's Soap Box - an inspiringly eclectic collection of yoga poses, healthy eating, and inspired introspection.
3. Skinny Food by Amy - food that is packed with flavor, but not with calories - Weight Watchers friendly, too!
4. Jules in the Kitchen - fellow ATL-dweller who posts simple but delicious recipes - check out her taco chili!!
5. Carrie in the Kitchen - super-cute food blog with great down-home recipes! She has a recipe called "Dorito Chicken" and a recipe for Chick-fil-A nuggets - need I say more?
   

Please check out these amazing blogs - they are definitely some of my favs.

I've also been tagged by TogetherBetter over at Adventures are Better Together!

So here are seven random things about me:

1. I lived for 4 months in Montana by myself, bar-tending at a "resort" on an Indian reservation outside of Glacier National Park.
2. My wedding bouquet was modeled after my grandmother's very unique cascade bouquet.
3. I was an English major even though I scored an 800 on the math section of the SAT.
4. I have played the piano since I was 2 years old, the flute since I was 10.
5. My favorite book of all time is Crime & Punishment.
6. If I had to eat one food for the rest of my life, it would be macaroni and cheese.
7. Against all evidence to the contrary, there is an innate goodness in human kind, and I believe in this, strongly, every day of my life.

Here are my seven tagged people:

I included some non-foodies in this one!

1. Deals, Heels & Steals - my friend Hayley's shopping blog - rockin' deals, secret coupons, and fashion tips GALORE!
   
2. Finding Serendipity - my friend Eva's wedding blog - check out the amazing invites she designed!
3. Mrs. Southern Belle - my friend Candace's hilarious blog about laughter, crafting, cooking, and life as a newlywed southern gal.
4. O'Shea * Designs - my cousin Katelyn's blog of her handmade greeting cards - she is super talented and amazingly creative! She even designed our save-the-dates for our wedding!
   
5. To Newelywedism and Beyond - my friend Laura's quirky wedding blog about being an engaged, yet non-girly, yet super stylish girl. :-)
6. The Budget-Conscious Bride - my friend Jen's blog about how to have a super-chic wedding at a super-low cost - did I mention she's an amazingly talented musician and singer as well?!?
7. A Fraction of Love - my friend Logan's blog which chronicles her absolutely beautiful crafting - check out her gocco skills.