I’ve always been a fan of a great at-home bar. I strongly believe it’s a must-learn life skill to mix up classic cocktails, and as an avid host, it’s important to provide an array...
Looking back on Easter as a child, I remember how excited I was to dig through my Easter basket. Full of chocolate bunnies, malt ball Easter eggs, Peeps, golden coins, and my favorite Cadbury...
Lets be honest, salads can be boring. So I’m always trying to think outside of the box to come up with salad recipes that I’ll thoroughly enjoy, but are beyond easy to make. Enter...
Lets be honest, salads can be boring. So I’m always trying to think outside of the box to come up with salad recipes that I’ll thoroughly enjoy, but are beyond easy to make. Enter...
results for Two unabashed romantics, Capucine and David Gooding founded Juliska in 2001 with a collection of 40 historic Bohemian glasses – since then the company has blossomed to one of the leading home brands in America. Juliska is not about trends; it’s about loving life and living well. Juliska today is made up of an inspired group of individuals committed to providing beautiful things for the home. We are inspired by the gathering of family and loved ones over food, passionate artisans, and centuries of European design.
Yesterday we launched Part I of our exclusive “get the look” sale with Joss & Main, sharing looks from my home, specifically the living room and office. Today, I’m breaking down my favorite items picked directly from my loft and bedroom, including the coveted hand stool and a bed you’ll want to wake up in every morning.
Again, for good measure, the details are as follows: Joss & Main is a premier members-only site that offers limited-time sales on some of the world’s best brands for your home and your life. Each day, they kick off curated events that run for 3-7 days and once something is gone, it’s gone. And heed my warning, it will be gone; I let out quite the scream when I didn’t snag these fast enough. Our sale will last one full week, and Joss & Main has done an amazing job curating my exact decor items that I’m coveting and created an overall inspired feeling about some great decor. Happy shopping. Truly, MKR
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I’m here to tell you that an at-home Asian meal is 1,000x better than takeout. (And I love my takeout.) I’m sure that comes to you as no surprise, though, since homemade is almost always better. But if you’re reluctant like I was until recently about tackling a great homemade Asian dinner, this entire week is for you. I’m always trying to expand my horizons in the kitchen, and I immediately knew it was time to try my hand at my favorite type of takeout, Asian. And I’m not going to lie, I was especially inspired after peeking at this amazing dinnerware collection.
Sure over the years I’ve tried my hand at at-home asian. A stir fry vegetable dish here, some spicy shrimp dishes there, and I’ve definitely picked up a few tricks of the trade and favorite sauces along the way. When in doubt go Kung Pao. But for this spread, I wanted to push outside my comfort zone with some favorite restaurant dishes I’ve never tried tackling. For me that meant homemade vegetarian ramen, spicy vegan lettuce wraps (served on the perfect platter) and a lemongrass gin fizz cocktail with mint.
The vegetarian ramen recipe proved to be probably the simplest dish EVER to make…it’s really just noodles and broth with a whole lot of flavor. The spicy vegan lettuce wraps seriously can rival my beloved order from P.F. Changs, and the lemongrass mint cocktail is as refreshing as it is beautiful (especially in these festive gold tumbler glasses).
After making this feast, I’m convinced that takeout truly pales in comparison. I’ll be sharing a recipe each day, and starting today with my simple Asian-style grilled vegetables. Though I’ve got to be honest, I’m not sure there’s a need for an actual recipe, that’s how easy they are. All you need is a little toasted sesame oil, sesame seeds, and my favorite indoor grilling pans which are, side-note, a kitchen must for me. When I don’t want to brave the weather or take the time to heat up the grill, these pans are the solution. Anyway, let’s get our noodle on! Truly, MKR
Perhaps one of my favorite things about good food (besides of course, eating it) is finding out more behind the apron and what chefs themselves are craving and cooking up at home. With food that’s just as drool-worthy as it looks, I’ve just got to know the whole story! This is exactly what inspired today’s drop-dead-gorgeous feature of a favorite local hotspot of mine, White Oak Kitchen & Cocktails and the guy your tastebuds need to thank: Executive Chef Todd Richards.
I first became enamored with Chef Todd at my first AFWF experience; the man is a legend on the Big Green Egg. If any of you follow on Snapchat (username WAITINGONMARTHA), you’ll know I love me some Big Green Egg grilling. And after seeing his smoking demo on the rooftop, two Food & Wine Festivals ago, and discovering his cold smoking techniques (FYI cold smoking is simply a way of infusing a smoked flavor without cooking the food, ie. smoking a block of cheese), I couldn’t wait to try it on my own at home.
A self-taught chef, Todd became the Executive Chef of White Oak Kitchen & Cocktails almost a year ago. His background as Executive Chef at Ritz-Carlton Buckhead, Chef at The Shed (where he was recognized as a James Beard Best Chef semi-finalist) as well as Concept Developer for One Flew South (the top rated airport restaurant in the US) have lent amazing experience and a strong footing for Todd to blow it out of the park at White Oak Kitchen. Everything that comes out of his kitchen is truly satisfying, yet totally approachable and unpretentious (there’s nothing worse than ordering a bizarre dish that just stares at you from the table, am I right?!). Chef Todd simply knows what people want and gives them that.
Chef Todd will be back at the festival this year, hosting a Vegetable Versatility class on Saturday, June 4, where guests will explore the wide range of flavors, textures and colors that vegetables can embody in both a Caribbean and Southern palette. I’m already mapping out my itinerary while at the festival (since it really is the most wonderful time of the year), and this class is one I won’t be missing! Until then, I caught up with Chef Todd to pick his brain about his favorite dish at White Oak, what he REALLY loves to cook at home, favorite sip & more, which you’ll find below. And please tell me I’ll be seeing all of you at AFWF16?! Cheers! Truly, MKR
WOM: Tell me a little bit about your rooftop garden; what are you growing? TR: Our primary items we are growing right now are hot peppers, okra, Thai basil, radishes, turnips and greens. We have a few specialty items as well such as shiso, & nasturtiums. Blueberries have just started as well.
I do grow some items at the garden at home as well. We planted 8 tomato plants as well as cucumbers, mild peppers, eggplant thus far.
WOM: Favorite dish on the White Oak menu right now? TR: My favorite dish of the moment is the carrots glazed in ginger. There are 2 versions of this dish. The first is a side item. We glazed the carrots with carrot juice, ginger, fermented black beans and herbs. The carrots are placed on carrot puree and garnished with pea shoots and micro shiso. The second version is garnished with tuna.
WOM: Favorite food or dish to cook?
TR: I enjoy working the fish/meat station the most. I love how precise you have to be cooking those items. Finding the exact spot to sear fish on the plancha or ensuring there is enough seasoning on meats to get the perfect crust is always exciting. Also adding traditional techniques like finishing meats over charcoal is always special.
WOM: Favorite food or dish to eat?
TR: My favorite everyday item to eat is soft scrambled eggs. My favorite gourmet item to eat is uni and/or caviar. My favorite vegetable is broccoli. My favorite meat is chicken followed by duck. Especially duck cooked with duck eggs. Got a thing for eggs I guess.
WOM: Favorite libation? TR: Champagne. What else goes better with caviar, uni and scrambled duck eggs…Maybe that’s why I have it for breakfast.
WOM: How are you participating in AWFW this year? TR: I’m very excited to do the class on southern sandwiches. We serve a collard green sandwich at the restaurant currently. It’s the part of the southern cuisine that I don’t think gets enough credit in its sophistication.
WOM: Anything or anyone your looking forward to seeing at AFWF this year? TR: I’m looking forward to seeing the cognac class with Miles Macquarrie and Kelly Thorn. I’m not familiar with the use of cognac in cocktails and can’t wait to see what they come up with.
Photography, Kathryn McCrary for Waiting on Martha | This post was in collaboration with Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, a brand we love and adore. All opinions are 100% our own.
