Food gifts are always welcomed gifts and each year on Christmas Eve, I like to bake something delicious to give to my friends and family. Continue reading “Give the Gift of Food: Double-Drizzle Pecan Cookies”
Pecan Sugar Cookies Made Easy
If you’ve ever been to the Cracker Barrel gift shop, you may have noticed the Gooseberry Patch line of cookbooks. This recipe for Pecan Sugar Cookies is taken from the Christmas in the Country edition and is one of the easiest and most tasty cookie recipes I’ve ever made. Continue reading “Pecan Sugar Cookies Made Easy”
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Statesboro Cooks Showcases Host Rebekah Faulk’s Holiday Menu
I’m very excited to share with you our new episode of Statesboro Cooks, highlighting my Holiday Inspired Menu Featuring Pastured Pork Tenderloin. In the 30-minute program, I host and serve as an executive producer with my friend, Tyson Davis. If you’re in the Statesboro area, you can catch the show on local cable, Channel 99, at 7:30 p.m. 7-days-a-week throughout the holidays. If not, check it out on YouTube at the link below! I hope you’ll make these recipes, and thank you for watching.
Statesboro Cooks is a Georgia Southern University multimedia communications team production. To see the previous episode I hosted, watch here.
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Holiday Cheese Ball with Sweet Heat
The cheese ball. What a great concept…a ball of cheese. Who wouldn’t want to eat that? Continue reading “Holiday Cheese Ball with Sweet Heat”
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A Christmastime Family Tradition at The Old Home Place
At the end of a long dirt driveway lined by 26-year-old pine trees in Middle Georgia, sits The Old Home Place, where my family has celebrated “The Cookin’” each Christmas for more than 30 years. Continue reading “A Christmastime Family Tradition at The Old Home Place”
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Inspiration for Your Christmas Table Décor
A well dressed table is like a well put together outfit. It makes the kitchen feel complete and invites conversation. Y’all know how I feel about Table Talk and Family Ties, and no holiday would suffice without a properly outfitted place to dine. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve seen some really over-the-top centerpieces, and just like Ina Garten says, “When people start talking about tablescapes, that makes me crazy.” My style is mindful of the budget and inspired by nature, with a few items from around the house. In this post, I’ll provide you with a few tips for creating a sophisticated and simple ambiance this holiday season, using my kitchen table as an example.
My table is square, so I used a long table runner right down the center of it. I gathered a few jars of varying heights from my cabinets, like jam and Mason jars, then staggered votive candles on either side of them down the length of the runner. Instead of purchasing flowers, which can be costly and require upkeep, I opted to trim a few stems from my holly berry plant in the yard. I divided the berries and some greenery among the jars. The berries cost me nothing, and they coordinate with my Christmas china and the table runner perfectly!
I layered some of my tree trimmings in between the candles and jars, then tucked in little red and gold ornaments to give the table that extra special touch. Pine cones or acorns would also be fun to include.
Don’t forget Santa and Mrs. Claus! My festive salt and pepper shakers make an appearance every year after Thanksgiving. “He sees you when your sleeping, he knows when you’re awake…”
These are the most important things to remember about table decor:
1) Always use unscented candles. You don’t want artificial scents competing with the food.
2) Centerpieces should be conversation friendly. Use either low centerpieces like my jars or tall, slender and clear vases that don’t obstruct conversation. There’s nothing like sitting down to a meal and not being able to see the person across from you. Awkward.
3) Leave your guests with room to breathe. If you’re dining family style, be sure to leave room for casserole and side dishes, and the main course. An overcrowded table feels cramped and stressful.
The only thing that will make this table better is good food and good company. After all, that’s what it’s all about!
How is your table decorated? What tips would you add to my list?
Happy entertaining and Merry Christmas y’all, from me and Ewok.
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Timeless Food that Tastes Like Home
Lee’s Restaurant
Statesboro, Georgia
In a little brick building on the side of West Jones Ave. in Statesboro, Georgia sits Lee’s Restaurant, a slice of soul food heaven off the beaten path and a point of pride for those seasoned Statesborians in-the-know. In the same location since 1967, the Lee family has been satisfying hungry palates with their down home, Southern cooking for centuries, serving up what they describe as “soul food made with a lot of love and care.”
When you walk into Lee’s, you pass through the dining room to get to the buffet line. There, you wait your turn to place an order. There is no hostess stand or lobby area, but the employees greet you with kindhearted sincerity and genuine Southern hospitality. If you choose to dine in, you simply take your plate and find a seat.
Blue and white checkered flooring and an eclectic mix of tables and chairs make up the open dining room. Ceiling fans, a mix of silk and live plants and a quaint fire-place add character to the atmosphere. The chairs may have a few rips in their cushions and the tablecloths may not match, but what the restaurant lacks in decor, they more than suffice for in flavor of food.
Hot sauce, pepper sauce and mustard condiments sit on each table, along with a handy roll of paper towels.
Fried fish, fried chicken, meat loaf and liver are a few of the meat choices.
Diners may select their choice of a meat and three or a vegetable plate.
Green beans, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese and corn on the cob are just a few of the side options featured on the buffet.
The buffet includes a wide variety of mouth-watering dishes, timeless food that to those of us blessed enough to be from the South, tastes like home. The sheer smell takes me back to my grandmother’s kitchen and transports me to Dinner on the Grounds during Homecoming at my Baptist church. There are pork chops, liver, neck bones, fried fish, stew beef, meat loaf, macaroni & cheese, rice and gravy, green beans with potatoes and ham-hock, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob and fried okra. Dinner is served with your choice of roll or corn bread, sweet tea or lemonade. Here you won’t find a soft drink machine or even a vegan or vegetarian-friendly menu offering tofu and gluten-free options. What you see is what you get, and what you get is pure, Southern gold.
My meat and three with a dinner roll and sweet tea hit the spot. This is the kind of meal that is indigenous to a place, the kind you long for when traveling outside the boundaries of Dixie. It is a delicacy–a plate most Northerners envy and can only aspire to duplicate. It is a flavor and taste many cooks never quite master, one that requires no culinary education, but yet a deep-rooted connection to the foodways of a land. This is a meal that should never be taken for granted. The price for this plate was $6.92 including the tea. Priceless.
Lee’s Restaurant is open for lunch Tuesday – Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. I sure love the “Go Big Blue” shout out on their outdoor sign. Any business who supports my Georgia Southern Eagles and serves up fine food such as this, is a place I’ll return to again and again. With Google reviews like “Best southern cooking around!” and “Don’t let the decor fool you,” take a little detour and see for yourself. Lee’s Restaurant is Some Kinda Good!
New to Some Kinda Good?
Thanks for stopping by! If you like this post, you may also be interested to read about a few of the other local restaurants and bakeries I’ve reviewed. As the Statesboro Herald food columnist and a Georgia Southern University alumna, the ‘Boro is a second home to me. Be sure to like Some Kinda Good on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter and Instagram, to keep up with all my latest, local food discoveries.
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Join Me at “Cook and Care” For a Good Cause
When you combine great food, good cocktails and a worthy cause, that’s my kinda party! I’ve been invited to appear as a celebrity guest judge at “Cook and Care,” an annual culinary and mixology competition benefitting the Children’s Advocacy Center of Lowndes County, Inc. (CAC), and I’d love for YOU to join me there! Presented by the Exchange Club of Valdosta, the event is being held at Quail Branch Lodge, 7601 Zeigler Rd. SE, in Lake Park, Georgia at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 17.
Come watch as local chefs and mixologists review their mystery baskets and compete in a friendly rivalry to create the best 3-course meal and two cocktails for a panel of judges. You’ll enjoy a specially designed menu provided by Jessie’s Eat & Treats and live music. You can also bid on items up for auction:
- Kaleidoscope Gallery & Emporium painting
- Elli’s Boutique gift certificate
- JT Vinson custom-tailored sport coat
- Davis Creation’s saltwater pearls
- Bourbon Basics workshop for 24 people provided by Valdosta State University’s Dr. Bill McKinney and First Lady Dacia Charlesworth
Meet the Judges
On the judge’s panel, I’ll be joined by award-winning cookbook author Warren Caterson and Dave Snyder, owner and executive chef of Halyards Restaurant Group of St. Simon’s Island. Click on each photo to get to know your judges!
Warren Caterson of Vilano Beach, Florida is a chef and full-time writer who studied at the Southeast Institute of Culinary Arts. He is the award-winning author of “Table for Two – The Cookbook for Couples,” “Table for Two – Back for Seconds” and the upcoming “Cooking Outside the Lines – Musings of an Extemporaneous Chef ” (Winfield & Scott Press).
Rebekah Faulk (that’s me!) is a bonafide food enthusiast who demonstrates her passion for all things culinary as the Statesboro Herald food columnist and the mind behind Urbanspoon’s Top Georgia Food Blog, Some Kinda Good. She was a contestant on Season 2 of ABC’s The Taste and hosts “Statesboro Cooks,” a local 30-minute cable cooking program produced by students in Georgia Southern University’s Department of Communication Arts.
Dave Snyder, owner and executive chef of Halyards restaurant group of St. Simon’s Island, is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont.The Georgia Association named Dave a finalist for Restaurateur of the Year in 2012 and selected him as one of four chefs to represent Georgia Restaurant Association’s Georgia Grown program in 2013.
Tickets include entry to the show, along with hors d’oeuvres and complimentary cocktails from 6:30 – 7 p.m. Now available for purchase, individual tickets are $40 or $75 per couple. For more information and to purchase tickets, email cacdevelopmentcoordinator@gmail.com or call 229.251.1999. Check out the buzz surrounding the event in this article published by the Valdosta Daily Times: Competition Heats Up for the CAC.
The CAC is one of more than 800 Children’s Advocacy Center’s across the country, a 501(c)3 organization that provides initial forensic interviews and therapy at no cost to families for children who have been physically and sexually abused, neglected or a witness to domestic violence. Serving an additional five counties in South Georgia and accredited through the National CAC, the Center provided more than 1,515 therapy sessions to 471 sexually and physically abused children in 2013.
See you there! Join the conversation on social media using #CookAndCare.
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Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
The Whistle Stop Cafe
Juliette, Georgia
“After Ruth died and the railroad stopped runnin’, the cafe shut down and everybody just scattered to the winds. It was never more’n just a little knockabout place, but now that I look back on it, when that cafe closed, the heart of the town just stopped beatin’. It’s funny how a little place like this brought so many people together.” – Ninny Threadgoode, Fried Green Tomatoes
On a beautiful fall day recently, my mom and boyfriend, Kurt, ventured to have lunch at the Whistle Stop Cafe, made famous by the 1991 movie “Fried Green Tomatoes,” a comedy-drama based on the novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg. Though the movie plot is set in 1920’s Alabama, the filming took place in Juliette, Georgia. It’s one of those films that every Southerner can relate to; every character in the movie is identifiable as one’s own family member. The cafe was everything I’d imagined it would be: country with a wide front porch complete with rocking chairs and large ferns, inviting in a way that reminds you of a simpler time and place, and authentic with a menu that proclaims Southern culture and cultivates deep-seated food memories in the hearts and minds of every diner.
We drank sweet iced tea served in Mason jars with big wedges of lemon and bit into the crunchy, highly anticipated Fried Green Tomato appetizer to the tune of Hank Williams Jr.’s “Country State of Mind.” The hand sliced green tomatoes were battered and fried to perfection, and you could see flecks of black pepper in the coating. Served with made-from-scratch radish sauce, it tasted much like a spicy Thousand Island dressing, though the waitress was tight-lipped with the recipe. We placed our orders — Country Fried Steak with mashed potatoes and gravy and Brunswick stew for Kurt, Yard Bird Tenders with collard greens, grilled squash and zucchini for mama, and the Fried Green Tomato Burger featuring Swiss cheese, lettuce, onion, bacon and radish sauce, with sweet potato fries for me. What I loved most about the menu was how the Fried Green Tomato was elevated — featured in an appetizer, a salad, a sandwich and on a burger, the restaurant’s name is not in vain. Prices ranged around $9 an order to $22 for a full rack of Smoked Baby Back ribs.
Country Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Brunswick Stew
Yard Bird Tenders with Collard Greens, Grilled Zucchini and Squash
Fried Green Tomato Burger with Sweet Potato Fries
Sweet Iced Tea served in a Mason Jar with lemon – the way it should be.
Fried Green Tomato Burger with Sweet Potato Fries and House-made Radish Sauce
For dessert, we split a slice of seven layer lemon cheesecake with vanilla bean ice cream. The cake was moist and light, with tangy sheets of lemon filling between each layer. Other dessert options included peach cobbler, pecan cobbler, apple dumpling and chocolate bread pudding.
7 Layer Lemon Cheesecake with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Cheers to good food and good company!
The once general merchandising store-turned-cafe still contains an antique file system loaded with old yellow tickets from the past along with the meat block, cash register, meat scales, wood heater, safe and other items used from 1927 to 1972. Movie memorabilia and local history also adorn the walls. Folks sit on bar stools at the u-shaped counter top in the center of the restaurant, or in tables and booths. The floors squeak and ceiling fans keep the air flowing.
The wait staff wear t-shirts that say, “Get Fried at the Whistle Stop Cafe,” and bustle about welcoming tourists and locals.
If you’ve never seen the movie, watch it. If you’ve never read the book, read it. And if you’ve never eaten at the cafe, plan a trip. You’ll be glad you did.
Good food and good company, that’s what it’s all about!
Get my recipe for Farm to Table Fried Green Tomatoes.
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Easy Glazed Double-Chocolate Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Fall baking is one of my favorite past times, and whether you’re baking this cake for fun or for Thanksgiving, it’s sure to please. My Glazed Double-Chocolate Pumpkin Bundt Cake starts with a boxed cake mix and is filled with classic fall spices. Continue reading “Easy Glazed Double-Chocolate Pumpkin Bundt Cake”
Some Kinda Good® 