www.roanoke.com

Source: Amazon.com

As luck would have it, I received a fascinating cookbook about wild game in the mail just AFTER my venison column ran earlier this month. But that sure didn't stop me from flipping through "Wild About Game" by Janie Hibler, the author of "Dungeness Crabs & Blackberry Cobblers." I just love the fact that this wild game book was written by a woman.

"Wild About Game" includes 150 recipes for everything "from alligator to antelope to venison and wild turkey."  And while it might initially sound like something that wouldn't be all that useful to the average cook, consider that any recipe for duck, goose, turkey and other fowl could probably be tweaked for use with storebought poultry. And the bear, buffalo, venison, elk and moose recipes could be made with beef instead.

The book also has recipes for accompanying dishes like wild mushroom gratin, sweet apple jam, cabbage with bacon and wild rice and new potatoes with capers and garlic. But I'm going to share a buffalo recipe and challenge you all to try and find some real buffalo meat. If you can't find it at the Natural Foods Co-op or one of the grocery stores, try the Brush Creek Buffalo Store in Riner at 1-800-382-9764.

This recipe has an accompanying recipe for tomatillo salsa, but this isn't exactly the best time of year for tomatillos, so if you can't find enough that look good, pick up a jar of salsa verde, such as Pace, and just use that instead.

Have a great weekend!

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Not your coffee mug, your good-looking face!

Those who have commented recently on the Fridge Magnet blog may have noticed that your comments are being paired with a pretty snowflake design. Mine, though, shows a teeny picture of my face. That's my "avatar," and anyone else who wants to share a picture (of anything, really - it doesn't have to be you) with their comment can do that pretty easily.

Just go to the Web site Gravatar.com, sign up for free (using the e-mail address that you use most frequently on this blog) and download the picture you want. Your face, your dog's face, your tomato plants, your favorite cup, whatever!! If you do this correctly, your avatar should show up the next time you leave a comment on the Fridge.

If you don't want to do this, the snowflakes are awfully pretty, too. Your comments are what count to me!

This year, instead of using the plain black day planner I usually use, I decided to go with "Paula Deen's 2009 Calendar." The space for writing in appointments is smaller, but the planner makes up for it with some delicious Paula Deen recipes and tips.

I found one of the January tips pages particularly interesting. It's "The Well-Stocked Pantry," a list of items that everyone should have on hand most of the time to be prepared for cooking. We've talked about similar topics on this blog, but I thought Deen's list was particularly helpful and I had fun going through it and marking off what I have in my kitchen as we speak. If it was a quiz, I would have done fairly well. Out of 58 items, I currently have 45 on hand.

Check out the list and report back with your number. And if you know a young person who is just starting out with their first kitchen, send them this list! I will put an asterisk next to the items I had, in case you guys are interested.

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The Red Hen in downtown Lexington

Howard and I had a lovely date last night at the "Sample of the City" event in downtown Lexington. It reminded me of how quaint and lovely Lexington is while opening my eyes to some dining options I had previously not considered.

Roanokers may think of Lexington as a far drive for a weeknight - I admit to brushing it off myself from time to time - but the zip up and down I-81 went fast and gave us a chance to unwind and recap the events of our days. We left about 4:45 p.m. (the event started at 5, so we were about a half-hour late getting started) and made it home before 9 p.m.

Our first stop on the restaurant tour was The Red Hen. I admit to being very curious about this new establishment, which is situated in a tiny, red building that has been completely renovated on the inside and out with beautiful wood accents. The Red Hen almost exclusively uses local ingredients, and last night was no different. Chef Tucker Yoder served up a tasting plate of fresh grass-fed beef tenderloin over grits with brown butter powder. On the side was a golden beet risotto that proves beets can truly provide a golden opportunity when they are in the right hands! This restaurant is a MUST TRY. But the seating is very limited and the prices are on the high end, so make it a special occasion or at least make reservations.

Next stop: Bistro on Main, where we were served beef tips in a mushroom and red wine sauce over rice with diced tomatoes. The ambiance at Bistro was nice, though a bit less warm and inviting than some of the other eateries we visited. The flavors in the dish were enjoyable, but the beef could have been more tender. I don't know what cut they used, but it felt like flank. At that point, though, I was probably spoiled by the beef at The Red Hen. The star at Bistro was the beer bread, which was soft on the inside with a crunchy, sweet crust on the outside. If they had given us any more than they did, I might have been in trouble.

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Head over to your local Panera Bread restaurant tomorrow morning for free cups of new light and dark roast coffees and samples of their new breakfast sandwiches and Strawberry Granola Parfait. While you're there, drop a dollar in their Community Breadbox. The money goes to the Southwest Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank.

While it's cold and cloudy (and preparing to dump some form of nasty precipitation on us), let's think about summer. Ahhh, summer. Time to grow and harvest big, plump, juicy tomatoes still warm from the sun.

It may not be too early to think this way. Gary Ibson, the founder of TomatoFest.com (a great site for buying heirloom tomato seeds), has already sent out a list of what are expected to be the most popular heirloom tomatoes this summer. If you are planning your garden, take note:

Brandywine (pink)
Paul Robeson (purple/black)
Aussie (red)
Julia Child (pink)
Cherokee Purple (purple/black)
Black Cherry (purple/black)
Kellogg's Breakfast (orange)
Gold Medal (yellow/red striped)
Aunt Ginny's Purple (purple/black)
Carmello (red)

The Brandywine and Cherokee Purple were also popular last year, I believe. Black tomatoes like the Cherokee are beautiful in many dishes. If you haven't grown any, give it a shot.

What are you dreaming of planting in your garden this year?

1. Grill out while we're getting a break from those Nordic temperatures.

2. Try a restaurant that's new to town. Some choices: Pomegranate in Troutville, The Golden Moon off Colonial Avenue beside Heavenly Ham, Geonetti's on Campbell Avenue in downtown Roanoke, Cafe Asia beside the new Kroger in Bonsack, Alejandro's No. 2 on Williamson Road out near Hollins.

3. Try a restaurant that's new to YOU. Recommendations: Hollywood's on Williamson Road, the Cat & Owl Steakhouse in Alleghany County, Benjamin's in Forest, Va., Town House restaurant in Chilhowie, Journey's End Restaurant at the Davis Bourne Inn in Independence or The Summit in Christiansburg.

4. Buy last minute tickets for "Sample of the City" in Lexington on Monday evening. The cost is $25 per person, which includes tastings at eight different restaurants in downtown Lexington. Call (540) 463-5375.

5. Make plans for the Super Bowl. If you plan to host friends at your house, look for my cost-cutting recipes in Wednesday's column. It might not be too early to make reservations for Valentine's Day dinner, either.

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The space beside Heavenly Ham near Towers Mall has been empty ever since The Seafood Company vacated it in February 2008. But despite the fact that a "Seafood" sign still hangs on the side of the building, it is actually an Italian/Mediterranean restaurant that has now opened in the available space, according to the building's owner, Frank Guilfoyle.

Guilfoyle, who also owns Heavenly Ham, sent out an e-mail today about the new restaurant, The Golden Moon.

"No, it is not a Chinese restaurant, but an Italian/Mediterranean place," he wrote. "The owners formerly operated Tito's on Brambleton Avenue and opened their restaurant here about ten days ago."

I believe Tito's was located in the old Mexican restaurant up on U.S. 221 (Brambleton Avenue). I never got a chance to check it out when it was there. Did any of you go?

Guilfoyle says the new restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. They have a kids' menu and have applied for their ABC license. Guilfoyle described the restaurant as reasonably priced with tasty food. Of course, the only way to find out for ourselves whether we like the place is to give it a try! If you beat me to it, let me know what you thought.

Oh, and Guilfoyle said the seafood sign will soon be replaced with a sign for the new restaurant. So don't be confused. Think spaghetti, not crabcakes.

Photo from Amazon.com

Congratulations to Jennifer Nichols, who just won my random drawing for "Entertaining Simple" by Matthew Mead. Jennifer won by submitting an inexpensive appetizer for chili dip, which calls for just a block of cream cheese, a can of chili and hot sauce to your taste. As a nice twist, the dip can be served in a bread bowl.

Thanks to everybody who submitted recipes for the contest. Even if you didn't win, we all won a little bit by collecting a few new ideas for the next time we're headed out to a gathering and looking for a quick, easy, inexpensive hors d'oevres to take along. My Super Bowl column next week will feature two of the recipes that were submitted: Jennifer's chili dip and Amy's cheesy olive bread (which came from the Pioneer Woman Web site).

As long as I'm talking about great Web sites, I've got one you should all check out. Reader Win Hunt alerted me to this site, which is called TasteSpotting. When you go to the site, you will first be greeted by a screenful of beautiful photos of food. If you see something that looks good to you (um, everything) all you do is click on the photo to get recipes. If you need to work up an appetite or find a great recipe, TasteSpotting should be another stop on your tour around the Web. But don't forget to come back to the Fridge Magnet!

Don't forget that if you'd like to win a copy of Matthew Mead's "Entertaining Simple," you can enter by sending me a recipe for a cheap, easy appetizer! Just leave the recipe as a comment on this blog by 5 p.m. today. I will announce the winner tomorrow!

Also, get this craziness: One of the two finalists in the Duke's Mayonnaise jingle contest is originally from Bedford, Va.! I do not want to influence your voting, so I'm not telling which one it is until after the contest is up. But y'all are smart. You can probably figure it out for yourselves.