Spicy Shrimp Fajitas with Sour Cream

Weeknight cooking doesn’t have to be boring, pre-packaged, or microwaved.   Yes, you’re tired from a long day of work, but with a little advanced planning a satisfying and fresh dinner can come together in minutes.

What’s the trick? Organization. The less time you have to cook during the week, the more organized you need to be. I suggest planning out a week’s worth of meals in one sitting.  I make a chart that includes each day of the week and then fill in what I will be eating for each day.   I then pull together any recipes that I’ll be using and go day-by-day to compile a grocery list. Continue Reading

In a promotional video for the CNBC show “Crowd Rules,” Tim (left) and Brian Helfrich talk about their business. Click to watch the video.

Summit Coffee’s Brian and Tim Helfrich will be on national TV next week, on a new CNBC program called “Crowd Rules.” They’re after a big chunk of change that will help them expand their downtown Davidson coffee bar.

You may have seen signs on the windows a few weeks back warning that filming was going on and to think twice about entering if you didn’t want your mug on video. Turns out that was a CNBC film crew working on the upcoming episode. Tim and Brian also have been up to New York for the studio portion of the show. Continue Reading

A crowd gathered at the Sunrise Grill truck in the Oak Street Mill parking lot Wednesday. (David Boraks photo)

Ron Pope (left) and Kevin Sheil of the Sunrise Grill, a Cornelius based food truck. (David Boraks photo)

By DAVID BORAKS

A crowd gathered around the Sunrise Grill & Sandwich Co. food truck Wednesday in the parking lot at the Oak Street Mill, helping to kick off a new weekly offering in Cornelius: Food Truck Wednesdays: Lunch in the Lot.”

Cornelius native Matt Sorensen was among the diners. “In all my years, Cornelius sure has changed a lot. I think it’s good,” he said, as he waited for an order of Asian zucchini. Continue Reading

Quinoa Burger (Nikki Sawyer Moore photo)

I’ve long been intrigued by quinoa. It’s got a great story. Cultivated high in the Andes of South America over 5,000 years ago, quinoa is a whole grain that is a complete protein with all eight essential amino acids. It cooks quickly, which, combined with its nutritional benefits, have resulted in me keeping a bag of it as a staple in my pantry. The only problem: I’m not head-over-heels in love with quinoa’s taste. I find it a little bland.

Before you cry slander, hear me out. I’ve given it a fair shake. I’ve made quinoa pilaf and added the distinctive spiral-like grains to salads and soups. Yet when I stand in front of my kitchen cabinet, I’ll reach for time-consuming brown rice, chewy Farro, or bulgur wheat ahead of quinoa every day of the week. Or I did until I came up with this recipe for quinoa burgers. Continue Reading

Strawberries at the Davidson Farmer’s Market.

Davidson Farmer’s Market hosts its annual Strawberry Shortcake Day fundraiser this Saturday, May 11, with proceeds going toward the market operations. The event runs 9:30 to 11am (or until supplies last) at the market next to Davidson Town Hall. They’ll have homemade strawberry shortcakes for $5 each. Continue Reading

The former Midtown Sundries on Lake Norman could become a new restaurant soon. (David Boraks photo)

The vacant Midtown Sundries on Lake Norman in Cornelius could get new life as a waterfront restaurant soon in a deal being put together by Brickhouse Tavern owner Nick Lyssikatos. Meanwhile, Fireside Bar & Grill has opened up in the former Pelican’s Patio site on West Catawba Avenue. And several area restaurants are offering specials for Mother’s Day and other special events this weekend. Continue Reading

Ginger, rosemary and lemon sweet tea.

Last weekend a client asked me to make a non-alcoholic drink for a party.  I did a little research and stumbled across this recipe for a non-alcoholic spritzer on theKitchn website.   It was everything you would want in a drink:  full of flavor, refreshing, and interesting enough to not miss the alcohol.

The flavor of the drink , which is primarily composed of sparkling water, comes from a simple syrup infused with orange, lemon, and rosemary.  It’s yummy stuff and stored in a mason jar in my fridge, it didn’t last long.  Before the week was out,  I found myself in need of making another batch. Continue Reading

John Baker is getting ready to move his Davidson Beverage Co. next door after a vacancy opened up at South Main Square. (David Boraks photo)

Davidson Beverage Co. in South Main Square in Davidson is celebrating its first anniversary this week by planning for a move. The specialty beer store and tasting room plans to move at mid-month into more visible space facing South Main Street. The move was made possible by last week’s closing of Legacy Supply Co. Continue Reading

Southern caviar incorporates black-eyed peas and veggies. (Nikki Sawyer Moore photo)

Beans are a pantry staple in my house. Economical and a good source of protein, they can be kept around in canned and dried form.  Canned beans in particular are good in an emergency when the pantry is bare and people are hungry.

Heated with a few seasonings one can serve them atop rice, throw them into a salad, or blend them into a quick dip.   Canned beans compared to dried beans are a time-saver, but they are also more expensive and often contain a high amount of sodium.  I justify the higher price based upon convenience, and I cut the sodium by always rinsing canned beans under water before serving.  This simple step can reduce the sodium count by up to 50% and makes me feel better about taking the shortcut. Continue Reading

Mussels with white wine, shallots and tomatoes. (Nikki Sawyer Moore photo)

I typically advocate a jump right-in approach to cooking.   After all, more often than not, it’s a lack of confidence on the part of the cook that gets them in trouble.   The nervous back and forth between the dish on the stove, rapidly charring before them in a most undesirable way, to the recipe, where they search for answers.  When should I remove it from the skillet?  Is this golden brown?  Has it been exactly 3 minutes?  Is it normal for it to be smoking this much?

Most people would benefit from relying on their own instincts a bit more.  Despite our personal cooking skills, most of us know what burnt looks like and most problems in the kitchen are easily solved with a little commonsense.  With that being said, there are some things that need a bit of prior knowledge on the part of the cook in order to be approached with confidence.  Mussels are one of these things. Continue Reading

Meatballs on Main, which operated less than a year in an old house on North Main Street in Cornelius, closed abruptly on Tuesday, leaving behind unpaid employees and surprised customers. Continue Reading

Market goers tasted a bit of North Carolina scuppernong wine from Fiddlers Vineyard of Cherryville. More photos below. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Last Saturday, April 6, was opening day for another season of the Davidson Farmer’s Market, with sales shifting from twice a month to weekly for the spring and summer season. Continue Reading

Stir-Fried Long Beans (Nikki Sawyer Moore photo)

With sizzle and steam this fragrant recipe yields a side dish of intense flavor in minutes. You briefly sauté ginger, garlic, and shallots before you add the long beans (or green beans) to the wok or skillet. Add the sliced green onions and toss everything together just long enough for the long beans to sear in spots before you add chicken broth, soy sauce and a pinch of sugar to the wok. Cover the dish and let it steam until the beans are crisp tender before serving as an accompaniment to your favorite Asian meal. Continue Reading

Barbee Farms will be back again this year. These carrots were from a previous year’s crop. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net file photo)

Vera Samuels will give cooking demonstrations at the market’s opening day Saturday.

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

Eight new vendors ranging from food trucks to poultry and vegetable farmers to a scuppernong winemaker will join the Davidson Farmer’s Market for the 2013 spring and summer season. After a winter of twice-monthly tailgate markets, sales shift back to a weekly schedule this Saturday, April 6, from 8am to noon at the market ground next to Davidson Town Hall.

Shoppers will find a slightly revised layout, with the same popular features as past years, including cooking demonstrations (with a new roster of chefs), live local music, and kids’ activities, along with new workshops on gardening and composting. Continue Reading

Vegetarian Pad Thai with baked tofu (Nikki Sawyer Moore photo)

Stir-frying requires a bit more from the cook than your average culinary technique. It demands organization and a hefty amount of prep work. Dinner happens in a flash with lots of sizzle and steam. The aftermath, lots of prep bowls, mere minutes ago filled with a little bit of this and some of that, need a bit more attention.

My husband cringes when it’s Asian night in our home. The dishwasher of our partnership, he dutifully cleans up after every meal, and I, in gratitude, try to clean as much as I can as I go. On Asian night however, it’s all saved for the end. My bowls of ingredients, carefully lined up in the order in which they will go into the dish, are quickly emptied into a blistering wok and then stacked haphazardly by the sink as the house fills with the aroma of ginger, garlic, and soy. Continue Reading