Welcome to the Taste & Savor Blog

Everyday with Marcus and Lisa
Another fun appearance on Everyday With Marcus and Lisa. Kathy came along to assist me - and boy was it nice to have help. Marcus and I made 3 appetizers in less than 10 minutes - and had lots of laughs... Here are the quick, easy and delicious! recipes for those of...
Dragon Boat Atlanta
I had the pleasure of attending the 2009 kickoff meeting of Dragon Boat Atlanta on Sunday afternoon. It's a group of breast cancer survivors and supporters who want to increase the awareness of breast cancer, share the belief that there is quality of life after breast...

Perfect Soup and Sandwich
Headed over to Roswell today to check out a new lunch spot. Tough to find and tucked away at the end of a long street of restaurants and cafes is Artisan Bakery. The great news is that it is worth the hunt. My friend and I both chose the daily special, a shrimp and...

A Slice Well Worth the Drive!
Who doesn't love New York Pizza? Eureka! We've discovered an authentic New York slice here in Atlanta. Well...not exactly Atlanta. Alpine Bakery lives in Alpharetta - about a 30 minute drive from the city. We celebrated the warm weather today by cranking up the bike...

Risotto Champs
What do you do with a group of foodies who not only love to cook, but work in the food biz? Challenge them to an Iron Chef Competition! This corporate group took the job of preparing risotto seriously, and came up with lots of good ideas. Cajun-Asian Shrimp Risotto...

Have it Your Way!
Here's a delicious twist on customization. How would you like to pick up what looks good to you at the fish counter, take it right over to a cook who will grill, blacken or fry it in front of you. Instant satisfaction - Whole Foods has got a great idea! Not only can...

Iron Chef Risotto
Happy Birthday Toni! I taught a fun cooking class last night at Cooks Warehouse here in Atlanta. Paul threw a 5oth party for his wife Toni. We had an iron chef competion. Even the "non cooks" did a great job - take a look at the evening's results.
Organic or Natural, What Does it All Mean?
I receive lots of questions about eating "Organic" when I teach cooking classes. I thought I would give you a quick run down of some of the things you may want to think about when choosing groceries. First of all some quick definitions:Organic: In the United States,...
Brining
I had lunch with a friend the other day, who told me she had just discovered brining. Brining is a cooking method that uses aromatic spices and salt to flavor meat and encourage moisture retention. In other words, the science of salt allows the turkey, (even the white...

Rosemary Gift Tree
If you are a subscriber to my weekly news short: The Friday Four, you received my Favorite Wines Gift List this week in your email. But here's another foodie gift idea perfect for this time of year. It's from a chic florist here in Atlanta - but you could recreate it...
Tips for Enjoying the Holiday Season
Because I LOVE to eat and drink, I always try to read lots of healthy tips and tricks this time of the year. Here's a link to a list that I found particularly helpful - so I am passing it on to you all. Scroll down the page til you find the blog for Wednesday Dec 3....
Planned Over Turkey
Planned-overs is what we called our left-overs when I was growing up. And what better word to describe Thanksgiving Dinner? We are still eating turkey sandwiches in our house, but when the bird resembles a carcass here is what I am planning:Southwestern Turkey Black...

Birthday Blog
Each year before my birthday, I spend hours looking through cookbooks and cruising the net. No "bought" cakes for me, I enjoy trying to decide what decadent indulgence I am going to make almost as much as eating it. So this year I decided to go retro and back to the...

Food Styling for Your Holiday Parties
Who doesn't like talking about making food delicious AND beautiful? Last night at the Cooks Warehouse, we created yummy hors d'oeuvres and used beautiful platters, fresh fruit and veggies for presentation. The food was truly "Picture Perfect" Congrats to all five...

Regional Produce in the Fall
Mike and I headed North last weekend with our friends Peter and Rebecca. On the way we stopped at the Tomato House. What fun! Lots of regional foods, and rooms full of hot sauces, chili jams and relishes. As a big fan of local produce, I was thrilled to talk to some...

Fall Day in Newnan
"Didn't know you picked, Jimmy" the women beside me said to a guitar player. "Oh yes ma'am, yes ma'am I sure do!" was his reply. And then the group started playing. We stood in the square of Newnan for over an hour listening to a rag tag group of excellent musicians...

Healthy Holidays at Piedmont Cancer Wellness Center
Don't you love the LAUGH sign on the wall? We all need to be reminded of that more often... I am passing on a couple of pictures from a super class this week at the Piedmont Cancer Wellness Center. The group was just wonderful - asking LOTS of good questions,...

New Orleans in Douglasville
Wowza. I don't think I have ever BEEN to Douglasville before. But I learned that I should have - and you should too, if you want wonderful Cajun and Creole food cooked by a family from New Orleans. We hopped on the bike the other day and headed west from Atlanta in...

A Trip to Malaysia
Do you enjoy Malaysian food? If you're a fan of Thai food - Malay food will make you happy, too! My friend Carrie and I headed up the highway 75 corridor to Penang. Malaysian food is similar to Thai, and combines elements from Indian and Chinese cuisines. Coconut...

Pumpkinfest
We set off on a motorcycle ride to North Georgia last weekend. I am so enjoying the new motorcycle, I had forgotten how much fun it was to ride. It was typically beautiful fall weather here - clear, crisp and in the high seventies. We stopped by Pumpkinfest, and I...