It’s that time of year when I start getting impromptu invites from friends who’ve cleaned off their patios and decks and have people over to share good food, good conversation and verygood drinks. I hate showing up empty-handed, and it’s not always time- or cost-effective to cook something to share with a crowd. That’s when I reach for one of my favorite cocktail recipes. It’s easy to make yet still unique enough to spark some conversation around the drink itself.

What is this springtime spirit, you ask? None other than the beloved Brazilian beverage: the caipirinha.
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Yes. It’s officially spring, but the weather in Atlanta apparently only got the first part of the memo. The sun is shining and the mulberry trees are beginning to bloom, but the temperature is toying with me. One minute it’s almost 70 degrees, the next it’s dipping into the 30s.

While waiting for the rest of spring to show up for good, I decided to whip up one last hearty stew of the season - a gumbo. It’s the perfect dish for beating the brrrs and more importantly it gave me a headstart on spring cleaning my fridge.

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Ahhh, brunch…the breakfast of slackers.

Hands down, brunch is my absolute favorite meal (or mix thereof) – just another manifestation of my decidedly dualistic nature, I guess. But there’s also an implied indulgence in brunch that I think is what really makes me love it. When you sit down for brunch, you’re saying to the world, “Yeah, I was too lazy to get up for breakfast, so what? I can still have my (pan)cake and eat it too!”

Throughout the South and especially in Atlanta, Sunday brunch is a hallowed weekly ritual, kind of like Saturday feijoada for Brazilians. As such, there are several restaurants throughout the city that are well-known for their take on this holiest of hybrid meals – many of them don’t even bother serving dinner. Two of my favorites are The Flying Biscuit and J. Christopher’s. The Flying Biscuit’s hallmark is obviously their made-from-scratch biscuits, but to me their French toast – with raspberry sauce and honey crème anglaise – is the show-stealer. The roasted potato skillets at J. Christopher’s are a perennial favorite of mine primarily because they’re the egg-less alternative to an omelette (I don’t really like eggs, and only eat them hard-boiled or hard-poached). And both places serve turkey or chicken sausage – which for some reason is still a restaurant rarity these days, though I can’t understand why.

Since it’s my favorite meal to eat (and to cook) I have a pretty good assortment of brunches I love to prepare. So I thought I’d share one of them that features my takes on the dishes mentioned above.
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The holidays mean two things: parties and food. Unfortunately, it also means parties that you’ve got to bring food to. The thought of having to come up with something to bring to a potluck gathering can be more stressful than a Black Friday shopping trip. So I thought I’d share some recipes that are: quick, easy enough for even a novice, cheap, and not the same old boring, pre-packaged stuff everybody else is gonna show up with.

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