Meals & Deals in Southwest Virginia

Cookbook Giveaway!

Jul 30, 2010 Cookbook Giveaway 23 Comments

My desk is a mess -
I have too many books.
It’s causing me stress;
I’m getting weird looks.

Before the stack topples
and somebody cries,
I’m picking a cookbook
and offering a prize.

OK, that rhyme was lame. What rhymes with topples, anyway? Bopples? Sam Zien, a.k.a. Sam the Cooking Guy has included much better writing in his latest cookbook, “Awesome Recipes & Kitchen Shortcuts.” He’s pretty funny, actually. In the introduction, he wrote, “Whether it’s using a deli-roasted chicken for a fake pulled pork sandwich, combining previously frozen pasta with sour cream and chili sauce for a really quick dinner or busting out a tub of premade pesto for about a jillion things — hopefully it’ll get people cooking.”

This is not a cookbook for the hoity-toity. It’s for real folks who go home from work quite regularly and think, “Why did I forget to thaw out the *&%$# chicken?” If you are one of those folks, leave a message on this blog post sometime over the weekend, before 9 a.m. Monday, for a chance to win this new cookbook.

Authentic Filipino recipes

Jul 29, 2010 Recipes, Restaurant news 7 Comments

Lumpia, the Filipino version of egg rolls.

I receive a couple of different Asian restaurant magazines in the mail from time to time, and although I know they are targeted to restaurant owners, I still enjoy flipping through them. One is in Chinese, though, so I can’t do more than look at the pictures. The Asian Restaurant News magazine, however, is in English and always features some nice content.

The cover story in the latest issue is about a Bristol, Va. restaurant called Tokyo Japanese Steak House. It is located at 28 Commonwealth Avenue in Bristol, and the interior shots make me want to go — they have a neat indoor pond with a curved, black and red wooden bridge crossing it.

Also in this issue of the magazine is an article about Filipino cuisine by a writer named Niphon Goodyear. I don’t know a lot about this cuisine, so I was fascinated to read about the influence of the Spanish and Chinese on Filipino food. “Similar in many ways to SE Asian cuisine, Filipino cuisine throws many for a loop due to the lack of spices used in recipes and the presence of cheese in many meals,” Goodyear wrote.

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Local Roots to reopen soon

Jul 28, 2010 Restaurant news Leave a comment

FRIDAY UPDATE: The folks at Local Roots have decided to hold off opening until Aug. 3. There will be no soft opening tonight. Wait until Tuesday to check it out. Sorry for any confusion. END UPDATE.

UPDATE: Apparently, Local Roots owner Diane Elliot told our retail reporter, Jenny Kincaid Boone, that they are going to be open starting this Friday, July 30. I guess Aug. 3 is the official opening date and July 30 is some kind of “soft opening.” So go whenever you want. END UPDATE. I received a press release today from Wagstaff Worldwide, the PR company representing Local Roots Restaurant (formerly Local Roots Cafe). The cafe, which was formerly located beside the post office on Grandin Avenue in Roanoke, closed earlier this summer in order to relocate to a space across the street and closer to the Grandin Theatre. Here is the content of the press release:

(ROANOKE, VA; July 28, 2010) – Summer in Southwest Virginia brings the arrival of a variety of indigenous ingredients – tomatoes, peaches, corn, and the growth of one of the area’s favorite restaurants! Opening on August 3^rd, beloved neighborhood mainstay Local Roots Café will open down the street at a new location as Local Roots Restaurant.  Local Roots will continue to celebrate the absolute best of the region, from locally-farmed vegetables and meat to the handcrafted dining room tables produced by area artisans.  Located in Roanoke’s Historic Grandin District, the restaurant will be a direct reflection of the natural beauty of the area, combining contemporary culinary sensibilities with rustic Virginia charm.

“The Roanoke area is such a wonderful collection of amazing farmers, food, and culture, and we are so excited that we have a restaurant that combines all of the area’s wonderful qualities,” says Local Roots owner Diane Elliot.  “Local Roots honors what is sustainable for the guests, the farmers and the planet; it’s a place where neighborhood and community members can come to connect.”

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I scream, you scream..

Jul 28, 2010 Front Burner, Recipes 11 Comments

Photo by Kyle Green l The Roanoke Times

Thanks to everyone who contributed thoughts to make this a fun column! – LN

My grandparents owned a country store in Goshen, and when I was about 5 years old, we drove from Colorado to stay with them for the first time in my life.

That little store was packed with all kinds of sundries, but I remember two things most vividly: the clinking of Coca-Cola bottles in their cooler and the ice cream freezer beside the cash register.

For the rest of his years, Papa occasionally told of how my eyes “got as big as saucers when she saw all that ice cream.” He treated me to an orange Push-Up when I was good, and I’d try to slurp it all down before it dripped on the seat of his rusty blue Jeep.

Every July, I receive press releases about National Ice Cream month. This year, it put me in the mood to reminisce.

When I asked my blog readers about their favorite ice cream memories, many involved grandparents. Quite a few others involved fathers who chose to bond with their kids — sometimes without Mom’s knowledge — over a cone or milkshake.

I guess there’s no better way to spoil a child than with the ultimate sweet treat.

Reader memories were also sprinkled with the names of local ice cream parlors long gone and, in some cases, long forgotten.

To continue reading this column, click here.

Here are the links for a Goat Cheese Ice Cream recipe and a Ginger Ice Cream recipe.

Writing this column totally made me want to buy an ice cream maker. Anybody have recommendations?

Kitchen remodel- before and after

Jul 27, 2010 Kitchen experiments, Random musings 17 Comments

Since my regular blog readers saw some photos of my kitchen in mid-remodel and had to listen to me complain about all of the sanding and staining and polyurethaning, I figure it’s only fair that I share the before-and-after slide show now that it is finally finished.

We completed this remodel on a tight budget. We did not want to remove the cabinets entirely because we didn’t want to spend that much money on a house that is not our “forever home” and may never sell for enough to justify all that work. But we wanted to give the cabinets a new look without simply slapping a coat of white paint over the old, scuzzy finish. So we got ourselves roped into sanding down the lot of them, restaining them a colonial maple color and adding new hardware.

We also got a new laminate counter, ripped out some old, fugly fake brick back splash and had a new tile back splash put in. We replaced the sink and outlet covers. Still need to find a new light fixture for above the sink, replace the old ceiling fans and do some touch-up painting, but you can see that it’s quite the makeover! Thanks for the advice along the way.

Sushi at the lake

Jul 26, 2010 Restaurant news Leave a comment

Something fishy is going on down at Smith Mountain Lake: A new grill and sushi bar has opened in Moneta! Check out details here on the Blue Ridge Business Journal blog, The Ticker.

Got squash? Make casserole!

Jul 26, 2010 Recipes 3 Comments

Cheesy and yummy squash casserole

After last year’s measly harvest, it seems local gardeners are having better results with their summer squash and zucchini plants this year. Mine aren’t doing squat, but that’s certainly no barometer. I’ve seen squash piled up at the farmers markets and on other people’s counters.

My favorite way to eat squash or zucchini is simply sauteed with onions and garlic, sometimes with a handful of fresh tomato chunks thrown in at the very end. But that can get old after several meals. Last night, I decided to crank up the air conditioning and make a squash casserole, so I dug out a friend’s recipe that I’ve had stuck in my scrapbook for years but have never actually tried. It features steamed cubes of squash, sauteed onions, a sauce of sour cream, dijon mustard and egg, and cheddar cheese on top. It was quite tasty. I will steam the squash a bit less and chop it up in smaller pieces next time.

I’ll share that recipe below, or you can find and print it from the recipe database here. But I’ve seen so many different recipes for squash casserole that I wonder if anyone else out there has one to share? I’m in the mood to keep experimenting with this dish.

Note: I’m having technical problems with the stupid kitchen slide show. It seems destined to never see publication. I’ll post it as soon as possible.

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Friday food news!

Jul 23, 2010 Food news, Restaurant news 10 Comments

New restaurant in Grandin? Photo courtesy Amanda DeHaven.

Howdy readers! Today I’d like to share several exciting announcements.

* First, blog reader Amanda DeHaven was cool enough to snap a photo of what appears to be a new Italian restaurant in the works on Memorial Avenue in Roanoke near The Village Grill. It’s located in a little red building next to the convenience store across the way from Norberto’s. Judging by the sign (left), it’s going to be called Jimmy Sardines Italian Pizza Shop.

* Second, So Salem reporter Miranda Adkins got the scoop on that new Cuban restaurant opening in Salem at the corner of South College and 7th Street. She’s got some pictures and an interview with husband and wife team Cuban Geronimo Martinez and Marily Hernandez on her blog right here.

* Last but not least, I am very pleased to announce that the Fridge Magnet blog has won an award from the Association of Sunday and Features Editors! In our newspaper category (90,000 circulation and under), the blog won 2nd place in the annual Excellence in Features Writing contest. Thanks to all of you, my readers, for making the blog so lively and fun.

Stay tuned — later today on Monday, I’m going to finally post that slide show of before and after pictures from my kitchen remodeling project.

New Italian restaurant?

Jul 21, 2010 Restaurant news 17 Comments

Lindsey Nair l The Roanoke Times

Lookee what I saw when I went out to pick up my Paul’s salmon cake special for lunch today. Well, OK, Paul’s is on Franklin and this is at 24 Church Avenue, in the former Howard’s Soup Kitchen location. An eagle-eyed colleague had seen the sign going up Monday and told me about it. So I made a detour.

I peeked in the windows and it looks like the space needs a bit of work. When I learn more, I’ll post.

I guess my husband, Howard, might have to abandon his dream of re-opening Howard’s Soup Kitchen.

Front Burner: Good food for a good cause

Jul 21, 2010 Front Burner, Recipes, Restaurant news Leave a comment

Pinto bean tarts are just one treat you'll find at 2nd Helpings Cafe on Williamson Road. Photo by Stephanie Klein-Davis/The Roanoke Times.

In 2007, Nick Saphonchak thought he’d be spending the rest of his life in prison.

After years of drug and alcohol addiction, his lifestyle had finally caught up with him. He lost his Lynchburg home. His wife, who had stood by him all those years, left with their son in tow.

But after eight months in jail, sympathetic court advocates and the Rescue Mission of Roanoke gave Saphonchak a second chance.

Today, at age 58, he is a success story. He graduated from the Rescue Mission’s intensive rehabilitation program and has been clean and sober for four years. He and his wife reunited and renewed their vows, and he got a job as a cook for 2nd Helpings Cafe, an eatery the mission opened last year to raise money for its programs.

He said he wants to keep this job as long as he is able.

“I owe my life to the Rescue Mission,” he said. “I’m the poster child for the older people. God has given me back everything that I lost, little by little.”

On July 2, the cafe celebrated one year in business, and a mylar birthday balloon still floated lazily above the front counter last week. A lot of Roanokers probably have never heard of 2nd Helpings Cafe, but it will not — and should not — remain a secret any longer.

Continue reading this column here.

Find recipes for Pinto Bean Tarts and 2nd Helpings Cheese Slaw in the recipe database on PlateUp.roanoke.com.