It’s pawty time! Bring your furry friends and enjoy an evening of delectable Mediterranean cuisine and heartwarming fun- all while supporting the Greater Birmingham Humane Society (GBHS). Pooches on the Patio, hosted by Vino, will be Thursday, Sept. 19th from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Meet adoptable pups from GBHS and enter to win exciting prizes. For reservations and more information, visit www.vinobirmingham.com or call 205-870-8404.
Special Feature
Whether you are looking for a family friendly restaurant to visit or a space to host a reunion or party, Jefferson’s Hoover, is a great local option. Restaurant Manager Lauren Grisham explains that they like to describe Jefferson’s as a family friendly sports restaurant. “Our focus is a fun, family-friendly environment with food that everyone craves. We’re the place that will please the whole family when mom stops on her way home from work,” Grisham says adding that kids eat free on Sundays.
The very first Jefferson’s opened in Jacksonville, Ala. in 1991. Soon after Grisham’s father, Glynn, opened several other Jefferson’s locations and purchased the Hoover franchise in 2020. Grisham attended Jacksonville State University (JSU) and spent many hours in the original Jefferson’s location. “My family owns the Hoover restaurant and I operate it. I never thought when I was attending JSU and eating at Jefferson’s all the time, my life would be Jefferson’s. But here we are,” Grisham reflects. Since the restaurant is family-owned and operated, there is a big focus on being a family destination. With a large menu, there is something for everyone in the family to enjoy. “We’re known for our wings and oysters, but our chicken tenders also have a fanbase of their own,” Grisham shares. Also available are burgers, salads, wraps, seafood, sandwiches, and more. She adds that their burgers are hand-pattied every morning, and the chicken tenders and shrimp are hand-breaded. “Our food is noticeably fresh and never frozen.” Grisham emphasizes that the Jefferson’s team realizes that everyone has a busy schedule and that they strive to give customers fast and friendly service. “People don’t have a lot of time. Everybody’s on a schedule and we strive to get our lunch out in 20 minutes or less.”
In addition to a spacious dining room, Jefferson’s also has a separate room to accommodate larger groups. “Our party room can be used for events, graduation parties, birthday parties, showers, engagement parties, class reunions, and more,” Grisham explains adding that “the event room is free to use but we ask that you eat with Jefferson’s.” The restaurant also has a large catering menu. Food can be catered in the party room, delivered off-site or ready for you to pick up to take with you. “We know that people are entertaining larger groups these days. Even if you’re hosting at home, Jefferson’s can help out with the cooking so you can focus on enjoying your company.” If you want to dine in, grab a meal to go, or host a gathering, Jefferson’s is ready to serve you. Located off Valleydale Road in Hoover, the restaurant is open daily from 10:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. To learn more, visit www.jeffersons.com/hoover.
Watch the video below to learn about the history of Jefferson’s and more.
The Home Front
One branch of my family arrived in the Alabama Territory in 1818. I am so thankful my ancestors realized that Alabama was our family’s promised land. Writing my cookbooks that celebrate the culinary heritage of Sweet Home Alabama has given me a beautiful gift. As I researched and wrote the stories, I was able to look back over the lives and times of my family since Alabama became a state in 1819. What I found in my family is what many of our Alabama families have embedded in their DNA: fortitude, grit, and determination along with a heaping helping of hospitality.
I found out who we are through our stories and recipes. When my Great-Grandma Parker passed, I was gifted with her rolling pin. It’s a treasure to me. I display it proudly in my kitchen. The secret of the rolling pin? It gives me strength every time I look at it. When my son was shipped off to defend our country, I thought so often about my Grandma Parker and the God-fearing strength she needed to cope with her son missing in World War II for eighteen months. I looked at her rolling pin often, and it gave me strength. I said to myself, “If Grandma Parker made it through that, then I can make it through sending my son to war in Afghanistan.” I’m happy to say that both our soldiers returned home to the warmth of home and their momma’s kitchen. Grandma Parker even had her hands in her dough bowl making biscuits for her family when she found out that her oldest son was still alive and coming home. So, you see, food is at the heart of our homes.
When thinking of my ancestors and the times they went through, both good and bad, I have hope. Hope that my children and grandchildren will learn where they came from, and what our Alabama families have been through, both the triumphs and the hard times. I hope that this knowledge will propel them into the future and sustain them with the certainty that we are Alabamians and that we will prevail and gain strength as we gather around our tables, love one another, and break bread together. As I cook with my grandchildren in my Alabama kitchen, as the flour flies, so do the family stories.
April is the perfect time to gather family together and make fresh strawberry pound cake. Where to get the perfect farm fresh strawberry? Seek out our Alabama u-pick strawberry farms near you at www.sweetgrownalabama.org. Cooking with your children and grandchildren is the time for passing along those family stories. And getting them out into the strawberry patch is a great adventure that will turn into a sweet pound cake and a sweet family memory.
Our Favorite Fresh Strawberry Pound Cake
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour a Bundt pan. Sift together 2 ¼ cups of flour with baking soda and salt. Mix in lemon zest and set aside. With mixer, cream butter and granulated sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in 1 Tablespoon lemon juice. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the yogurt until just incorporated. Toss in the diced strawberries in the remaining flour and stir into the batter. Pour in the prepared Bundt pan. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake for 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Turn out on a wire rack and cool completely. Whisk together 2 tablespoons lemon juice with the powdered sugar. Drizzle over the cake.
This recipe can be found in my best-selling cookbook, Happiness is Homemade, Y’all available on Amazon.
-Danna Standridge
Author of Happiness is Homemade Y’all! and 2024 Sweet Grown Alabama Ambassador
Read her faith story at www.birminghamchristian.com/issues.
Join her in the kitchen on Facebook and YouTube.
The Home Front
When you think of chocolate, you may think of love, friendship, and happiness in a delightful concoction that brings joy. That is most especially true in February. On Valentine’s Day, we show our love by giving chocolate to our beloved. And we know that chocolate has health benefits, and it’s a strong antioxidant.
Chocolate is also beneficial for bringing peace and comfort to those partaking in it. Taking care of ourselves all through the year involves coping mechanisms for the ups and downs of our lives, whether teaching or raising little ones, taking care of a family member, or holding down a job. Back in the day when I taught high school students, chocolate was more than my friend, it was a strategy for coping with the joyful yet sometimes tumultuous life in the classroom. If a fellow teacher had a bad day, or if I was feeling a bit of stress, these brownies were quickly mixed up and thrown in the oven. My brownies have saved the day many a time for me and my fellow teachers, family, and friends. Can a brownie do all that? While a brownie is just cocoa, flour, sugar, and butter, it can be a vehicle to show compassion to your fellow man when you bring them a plate of your homemade brownies. To see their eyes light up, and to feel the lightening of their burden is priceless. And, I always say, a well-fed world is a happier place to be.
A few years ago, my husband and I were blessed to visit a cacao plantation on the island of Tobago. We learned the agricultural aspects of growing, harvesting, and processing the cacao bean and even tasted the raw cacao bean. And here are my thoughts: the Good Lord gave us the cacao bean to enjoy, and I’m going to do it with gusto! Every cook needs one spot-on brownie recipe in their arsenal and The One-Spoon Cocoa Brownie is mine. Why one spoon? All it takes to mix this is a spoon and a bowl. Remember, the Good Lord loves you (He gave us chocolate, didn’t He?), and I love you too… and I love brownies.
One-Spoon Cocoa Brownies
Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
2 tablespoons water
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/3 cups self-rising flour
3/4 cup cocoa
Instructions: With a spoon, stir together sugar, butter, and water. Stir in beaten eggs and vanilla. Add flour and cocoa and stir until blended. Spread the thick batter into a greased 9″×13″ pan. Bake at 350° for 18-25 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out slightly sticky. Cool and enjoy! This recipe can also be found in Danna’s best-selling cookbook, Happiness is Homemade Y’all available on Amazon.
Watch the video below to see BCF Publisher Laurie Franklin in Danna’s kitchen where she learned to make Danna’s delicious brownies.
-Danna Standridge
Author of Happiness is Homemade Y’all! and 2024 Sweet Grown Alabama Ambassador
Join her in the kitchen on Facebook and YouTube.
Here’s to Your Health
There are many different opinions on how often we should eat a meal nowadays. Should we eat three times a day, six times a day, or should we do fasting? I believe that depending on your goals your routine for eating may look different. Just because something works for someone else doesn’t mean that will work for you. I do believe that there is one principle for eating that we as Christians can implement specific to our routine that is Biblical and also good for our body. It is called fasting. We must understand the Biblical principle of fasting and how it can be a great practice for us physically and Spiritually.
The first thing to understand is that there are times for fasting and times for feasting. Fasting and feasting at the right time is key to living in balance. We tend to feast all of the time. We are continually eating and celebrating. Don’t get me wrong, I love celebration and I LOVE good food. There is nothing wrong with feasting as long as it is at the right time. Feasting and fasting balance each other in such a great way and can be used to benefit our health. In Luke 5: 33-35, Jesus is questioned about why his disciples do not fast. Fasting was very common back in those days and was often done in a legalistic way so that the participant could look more spiritual to others. Jesus replies to these questions by asking a question, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.” Jesus explains that there is a time for fasting and a time for feasting. If we do each of these in the right timing, there will be great joy and reward.
When you feast, make your feasting about others. Whether it’s enjoying something someone made you, or making something you know someone else will enjoy, use feasting as a way to bring people together, instead of making it primarily about ourselves and getting what we want.
Fasting can be a tremendous asset to our lives. The biblical principle of fasting is throughout the bible. Not only is it good for our spirit, it turns out that there is a massive benefit to our health as well. Historically, our ancestors have fasted for thousands of years, many of them by necessity. Our bodies’ ability to store up energy for later has been a key in how humans have survived throughout history. We have not always had an abundant supply of food like we do in America. People had to fast until they could find and kill their next meal. Now current studies are showing us all of the benefits that fasting can bring to our body. Fasting can help give our digestive system a rest so that it can process food efficiently. It can help our bodies be efficient at regulating blood sugar by making sure we are not insensitive to insulin and glucagon, which means no more blood sugar crashes. Fasting can even help us fight sickness by making sure all of our energy goes to keeping us healthy instead of continually digesting food.
Overall, fasting is a tool that God has given us. It may be helpful to try implementing intermittent fasting into your weekly routine once or twice. Do your research to find a routine that will work for you and your goals and always make sure to check with your doctor to make sure you are being safe!
-Ashton Tate, founder
Glory to Glory Fitness
The Home Front
The Christmas trees are decorated, the lights are twinkling, a plethora of packages are on everyone’s doorsteps, and homes are buzzing with friends and family. It’s that time of year again to think about what you’re going to serve your guests that will wow them and leave their bellies full of cheer. If you’re looking for a decadent, buttery dessert that will be an unforgettable finish to any holiday meal, then Pecan Pie Bread Pudding is the answer. This unique twist on a classic dessert will bring on all the holiday joy!
Pecan Pie Bread Pudding Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
Prepare an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish by lining it with parchment paper and spraying well with a nonstick cooking spray. Place all bread pieces into the baking dish. Pour melted butter over the bread. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, granulated sugar, maple or vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the pecans. Then, pour evenly over the bread pieces. Use a rubber spatula to move the bread pieces around in the dish until all pieces are coated in the syrup mixture. Bake at 350 F for 30-40 minutes or until set and golden. Serve warm topped with whipped cream or hard sauce! If you’re looking to make your own whipped cream, check out my homemade whipped cream recipe here.
5 more holiday treats to serve your guests this season.
1. No-Bake White Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy. This recipe couldn’t be easier & makes for a great homemade gift to friends and family.
2. Ashley Mac’s Famous Red Velvet Cake Recipe. Red velvet cake is a holiday favorite, and this recipe is next level.
3. Peppermint Coffee Punch. This sweet drink is a fabulous treat to serve guests at any holiday party & can be put together in no time.
4. Sparkling Cranberry White Chocolate Cake. This cake looks like Christmas on a plate!
5. Homemade Egg-Free Eggnog. Eggnog is a must-have, and this recipe will have you going back for seconds and thirds.
-Jamie Tarence
Whether celebrating on Veterans Day Eve or Veterans Day, Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille salutes United States veterans this year with two specials.
As a token of appreciation for U.S. active and former military, Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille salutes U.S. veterans by offering one Pork Chop Friday lunch to U.S. veterans and active military on Friday, Nov. 10 from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. when accompanied by a guest purchasing one dinner or lunch entrée. The Pork Chop Friday Lunch includes a lunch-cut portion of Perry’s famous pork chop served with whipped potatoes and homemade applesauce.
Additionally, veterans are eligible for a Veterans Day Early Dinner 3-course Military Menu for only $39 on Saturday, Nov. 11 from 4 to 6 p.m. for dine-in service only. Perry’s Military Menu includes three courses with six mouthwatering choices for each course. The dinner starts off with a choice of soup or salad, followed by a choice of entrée including options like a 6-oz. Filet Mignon, Perry’s Famous Pork Chop (lunch-cut), Chicken Oscar, 6-oz. Chargrilled Salmon, Vegan Skillet Chopped Steak or Gulf Fried Shrimp, complete with choice of dessert or substitution of an individual side.
Reservations and a military I.D. are required to receive these special offers. Reservations must be made by calling 205-968-1597 or online at www.PerrysSteakhouse.com. Each U.S. active or former military patron must be accompanied by one paying guest that orders one lunch or dinner entrée. Perry’s Senior Menu does not qualify as a dinner entrée for this offer. The complimentary meal is only available to U.S. active and former military. This offer is only available for dine-in. It does not include tax and gratuity and is only good for Veterans Day Eve Lunch and Veterans Day Early Dinner, Friday, Nov. 10, 2023 from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., or Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023 from 4 to 6 p.m.
For more information, please visit www.PerrysSteakhouse.com.
Grab your pup and get ready to PAWty! Vino, Birmingham’s premier Mediterranean restaurant, is hosting its annual Pooches on the Patio event to celebrate its 12th anniversary on Thursday, September 14 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. and will benefit the Greater Birmingham Humane Society (GBHS). Vino will be featuring classic Vino dishes along with its regular menu. Guests are invited to bring their dogs and join the celebration, and the GBHS will also be onsite with adoptable dogs. Reservations are strongly encouraged and can be made by calling 205-870-8404 or by visiting www.vinobirmingham.com.
The Home Front
Once I discovered the best way to make hard-cooked eggs, I’ve never looked back. I spend a lot of time making hard boiled eggs, but I don’t boil them anymore. What cooking method do I use instead? Steaming. If you want your hard-cooked eggs to peel easily, steaming is hands down the best way to do it. The shells slip right off the eggs with no effort.
Have you ever had a bowl full of hard-boiled eggs that you needed to peel for deviled eggs? If so, then you know they are maddening to peel! The shells break into tiny pieces, cling to the egg, and almost never come off easily. I’ve had to eat or toss many an egg because the whites had pit marks all over from difficult peeling. If you are a creature of habit, this might sound like an odd method to cook eggs, but it couldn’t be any simpler. All you need is a steamer basket, a saucepan with a lid, and a timer.
Here’s how to make hard-steamed eggs.
You can allow the eggs to sit for about half an hour, or you can refrigerate until you’re ready to peel them. The shells will come off easier than you can imagine.
My technique for peeling hard-cooked eggs. Gently tap the egg all over until tiny cracks cover the surface. Then hold the egg under running water and start peeling, gently squeezing the egg if needed to make it “pop” out of the shell.
How to use hard-cooked eggs. You can use hard-cooked eggs for cobb salad, egg salad, and avocado toast. My personal favorite way to use them is for my “Wicked Deviled Eggs” recipe on the Family Savvy blog since it’s perfect for summer.
-Jamie Tarence
Mission Makers
Whether a person lacks food, clothing, or other resources, The Grace Place seeks to meet their needs for God’s glory. The Bessemer, Ala. ministry has a simple mission. “We exist to gather resources and give them away for the glory of God,” explains The Grace Place Director Jason Leight.
The ministry mainly distributes food and clothing, but they also give away household items to people who are in need due to house fires, storm damage, and more, says Leight. The pastor at Eastern Valley Baptist Church, Leight has been the director of The Grace Place for almost three years. He has been involved in ministry in the Bessemer area for 25 years. “I was called by a friend of mine asking if I’d be interested in leading the organization during Covid-19.” He passionately jumped in and helped The Grace Place continue its mission safely continue its mission and grow to meet the demand brought by the pandemic.
Leight shares that the ministry mainly operated with non-perishable food items since they didn’t have a refrigerator. Due to increased demand, Leight started to look for a used refrigerator to meet the growing need of the community but felt the Lord tell him to wait. Sharon White, a volunteer of The Grace Place, went to be with the Lord in April. She requested that her friends and family donate to The Grace Place in her memory. “A few donations started coming in and then more and more,” explains Leight. He reached out to the family to share his gratitude and thought that the donations could go straight to purchasing the much-needed refrigerator. “I thought the donations might pay for a quarter or half of the cost, but they exceeded the needed amount, and I was able to buy an even bigger refrigerator,” exclaims Leight.
The Grace Place is always looking for volunteers like Sharon White was. “Volunteers make The Grace Place happen,” Leight shares. The process to become a volunteer is simple. “There are so many ways to volunteer here including online work, sorting donations, and more.” To learn more, visit www.thegraceplaceonline.com.
-Melissa Armstrong
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