Hey Some Kinda Good followers! 2015 is full of promise and all things new. I’m super excited to tell you about a few major changes that have happened in my life in recent months–I’ve moved from the coastal plains of Southeast Georgia to the South Carolina coast, my left hand has a shiny new friend and my career has grown LEAPS and BOUNDS after a very longtime coming. Take a look at my “news!”
We got engaged on December 20, 2014.
New Ring
1) Allow me to begin with the most exciting of all. My good lookin’ proposed over the holidays in his native Savannah at a quaint and perfect local Italian restaurant. I said YES and we couldn’t be happier! May the wedding planning commence.
New Job
2) I’ve accepted a brand new job in my absolute dream location! It’s an incredible opportunity and I’m thrilled to be back in the health care field working as the Director of Marketing & Public Relations for a wonderful hospital system in the South Carolina Lowcountry.
The view from my second floor balcony. Beware of gators!
New Home
3) I’ve relocated from Statesboro, Georgia to Charleston, South Carolina. I have to pinch myself every few seconds while walking around my two bedroom apartment (sneak peek below). I find myself saying out loud throughout the day, “I live here now. I really live here!” I love my kitchen; it has a breakfast bar and lots of cabinet space. As many of you know, Charleston is full of award-winning restaurants and celebrity chefs. It will take me a lifetime to discover all it has to offer and I will enjoy every last-minute of it, especially sharing my food finds with you! As I get to know Charleston, I welcome your favorite restaurants, coffee shops and hangouts. Have you been? What beach do you recommend? What are the top places I should check out? I haven’t met anyone yet who doesn’t love the Southern, coastal city. In other news, my final Statesboro Herald food column will run on Sunday, February 15. ‘Boro locals, there’s a special message from me to you there…don’t miss getting your copy.
Having a glass of wine and reading a good book in the open air is a welcomed way to unwind at the end of a long day.
I live only a few miles from the beach, so my bedroom reflects that!
I’ll be spending lots of time in my beautiful kitchen this year!
Ewok seems to be adjusting well to his new lifestyle. He LOVES his pet playground!
It was the famous American baseball player Babe Ruth who said, “It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” It’s true what they say about perseverance, and hard work really does pay off. 😉
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.
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.
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.”
The line for lunch on a Saturday at Lee’s.
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.
The dining room at Lee’s.
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.
Home cooking at Lee’s Restaurant in Statesboro, Georgia.
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.
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.
Rebekah’s Glazed Double-Chocolate Pumpkin Bundt Cake is the perfect dessert for holiday celebrations.
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”→
I love the tradition of carving pumpkins in October, and roasting the pumpkin seeds afterwards is just icing on the cake. Crunchy and a great snack with a seasonal beer, using the seeds is a special little take away from the festive and fun activity.
Rinse the seeds in a colander to get rid of all the pulp.
I’ve gone crazy with various seasonings in the past, but I find salt, pepper and olive oil to be the best combination.
Eat the seeds alone or sprinkle on top of a salad for added texture. You can also toss them into homemade granola, garnish your soup with them or even use them in baking! Check out these 21 Delicious Things to Do with Pumpkin Seeds from BuzzFeed Life. You can also learn what’s new and beneficial about pumpkin seeds by visiting the World’s Healthiest Foods website.
Hope you’re enjoying the fall season as much as I am. Have fun with this recipe, and happy fall, y’all!
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds
2-3 tablespoons of Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Place pumpkin seeds in a colander and rinse off all pulp. Pat seeds dry with paper towels, then place them on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle seeds with salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil. Use your hands to toss the seeds around until they’re evenly coated. Roast in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Best enjoyed with a festive beer.
Do you have a favorite way to enjoy pumpkin seeds? I’d love to hear about it!
My ride during Oct. 4 – 11 on Carnival Cruise lines.
During the first week of October, I forsook my fall traditions – The Luke Bryan Farm Tour, the Georgia National Fair, Homecoming at Old Richland Baptist Church and the Georgia Southern University Homecoming football game – to sail the open seas on the Carnival Liberty. During my seven-day cruise vacation to the Western Caribbean, I didn’t write, cook, work or blog, but…I ate, and what a gastronomic experience it was. This was my second cruise, the first one I’d ever taken with Carnival Cruise lines, and while the food experience varied depending on location in the ship, dinner was the meal I anticipated most, brunch made my heart sing and late night dessert from room service was worth every calorie.
Our table-mates were from Florida, Nebraska and Savannah, Georgia.
Allow me to introduce you to my new friends and table-mates for the week. From left: My good-looking boyfriend, Kurt, Brandon, Christina, David and Sarah. From right, that’s me, Christy, Scott, Will and Courtney. Y’all know my philosophy, good food and good company…that’s what it’s all about!
Living the good life in Cozumel, Mexico.
We made four stops during the week: 1) Cozumel, Mexico, 2) Belize, 3) Mahogany Bay/Roatan Island in Honduras and 4) Costa Maya, Mexico. In Cozumel, we lounged in hammocks under the palm trees and were serenaded by three natives and their guitars while eating the best guacamole ever in an entertaining little restaurant called Three Amigos.
A love song!
Fresh guacamole with homemade tortilla chips
Chicken quesadilla…Some Kinda Good!
Coca Cola Light! Reminded me of other European travels.
In Belize, we sipped rum from a fresh coconut and took a 2-hour tour of the city and countryside. Our ferry-boat also broke down in the Atlantic-Caribbean Coast and we had to return to Belize and catch another ferry back to the ship. In Honduras, we swam in the ocean in the pouring rain, and I got my dad a souvenir–a rosewood guitar pick.
Now, this is vacation! Good times in Belize.
In Costa Maya, I tried a native beer called Sol (tasted similar to a Corona) and I bought my mom a hand-carved wind chime.
Now, let’s get down to the food. Dinner time for us was 8:15 p.m. each evening. Throughout the week, I enjoyed most the lobster and grilled shrimp. My other favorites were Lobster Bisque, Shrimp Cocktail, Alligator Fritters and fresh fish. I ate a lot of seafood–after all we were on the ocean. Here’s a photo gallery of some of the plates and beverages I managed to capture photos of before scarfing them down.
LOBSTER!
Lobster with Shrimp over orzo pasta.
Walnut Spinach Salad with Blue Cheese
The best dessert I ate!
Something chocolate, lol!
Alligator Fritters
Salmon, mashed potatoes and broccoli
Pasta with mussels and scallops
Cheesecake
Jumbo Grilled Shrimp
I don’t remember what this is.
Prime Rib with a twice baked potato
Green Beans with bacon
Salmon and Cauliflower
My handsome, enjoying dessert.
A Kahlua shot. Awww yeah!
A key lime dessert.
A Grand Sunset drink from the bar.
Divina, our fun-loving, attentive server!
Brunch was served only on days at sea in one of the most elegant dining rooms with big windows. On our first day of travel, we ordered spicy bloody marys and indulged in the French croissants with whipped butter.
Kurt enjoying his bloody mary.
Eggs Benedict with corn beef hash and sausage
Blueberry Pancakes…comfort food at its finest!
A made to order omelet with crispy bacon.
The blessed bread basket. That butter was out of this world.
One night, just for fun, we ordered cheesecake and chocolate cake from room service.
Chocolate cake with chocolate mousse
Cheesecake with raspberry sauce and fresh whipped cream
If you ever take a cruise with Carnival, I highly recommend spending your money on what will be one of the most exquisite and mind-blowing dining experiences you’ll ever have: “The Chef’s Table.” A private dinner with a seating of only 13, you’ll get a tour of the kitchen and one-on-one time with the Chef de Cuisine of the entire ship, along with unlimited wine. I regret to say that I didn’t have my camera on the Tuesday evening of our event, but I’m excited to share the menu we experienced and our group photo with you.
The attention to detail, from the correct spelling of my name on both the menu and my place card to the presentation of the plates was absolutely stunning. Chef Singh is one amazingly talented and detail oriented chef. Every week, he and his team cook thousands of dishes for multiple nationalities representing countless cultures. I have so much respect for the man! I was introduced to so many new concepts and flavors. Air pillows and passion caviar anyone? I left completely inspired, really full and a little tipsy.
By far, the highlight of our cruise food experience.
After all that food, we still managed to look this good. Thanks Carnival Cruise lines for a vacation to remember!
Owning the cruise ship in our red elegant evening attire.
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