At George’s Lowcountry Table in Athens, Georgia, you can get two dozen oysters for $12 on Tuesday. I like my oysters raw, but they also chargrill them.

Wordless Wednesday: Oysters at George’s Lowcountry Table #ww is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

During the Windows Champions event in Seattle, we were treated to a wonderful dinner at the Palace Ballroom and entertained with a cooking demo (that was more of a cooking philosophy session) by restaurateur extraordinaire, Tom Douglas. Tom is a wonderful storyteller and inspirational as a man who passionate about good quality food and loves what he does for a living.

The evening’s menu included:

• Caramelized Rapini & Fontina Grilled Cheese
• Dahlia Bakery Breads
• Carrot Handpie with Shaved Washington Asparagus Salad
• Apple Wood Grilled Pork Loin with Shrimp Fried Barley and Green Onion Confit Sauce
• Maple Éclair with Rhubarb Green Apple Sorbet

While Tom talked with us, patiently answered our questions, and got us a round of tequila(!) he casually mentioned that his famous coconut cream pies cost $40 because they’re amazing. To prove this, he had his staff go to his bakery to pick up a pie. It was as delicious as he claimed! So if you’re in Seattle, make sure to check out any of his establishments. I guarantee that you’ll love them as much as I did!

Wordless Wednesday: Dinner at Tom Douglas’s Palace Ballroom in Seattle #WindowsChampions #WW is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

During the Windows Champions event in Seattle, we were taken to the home office of Allrecipes.com to try out the Allrecipes Windows 8 app and do a little cooking. We had a great time making (and drinking/eating) mojitos, Vietnamese spring rolls, crab cakes and an apple fold-it-up dessert while we tried out the Allrecipes app on our Samsung ATIV Odyssey™ (Verizon) Windows® Phones, Surface tablets, and Windows 8 laptops.

Wordless Wednesday: Cooking at Allrecipes.com with the #WindowsChampions #WW is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

With summer nearly here, that means it’s time to hit the road, the beach, or the trail. Instead of stopping for fast food or a convenience store on the way to your summer destination, bring a healthy snack along, preferably one that doesn’t need refrigeration like homemade trail mix. This recipe can be made gluten free by omitting the Cheerios and adding two more cups of your favorite variety of Gluten Free Chex. (Note that Wheat Chex and Multi-Bran Chex are not gluten free.) If you or your children have nut allergies, omit the Planters Energy Mix and use pine nuts or sunflower seeds. Or you can add more dried fruit, raisins, or shredded coconut. Get the kids to help you make some Healthy Trail Mix, especially if they want custom blends without coconut or with more of their favorite dried fruit – or chocolate!

You can find coupons for Cheerios, Chex, Planter’s Energy Mix, and more at everydayhealthyvalues.com. You can also connect with Everyday Healthy Values on Twitter @Evrydyhealthval and Facebook at facebook.com/EverydayHealthyValues.

Healthy Trail Mix

This is a great snack for hiking, hanging out at the beach, taking to summer camp, or with you on family car trips.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Cheerios (any variety)
• 2 cups Gluten Free Honey Chex
• 2 cups Gluten Free Corn Chex
• 2 cups Gluten Free Rice Chex
• 2 cups raisins and/or dried fruit pieces
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 2 cup Planters Energy Mix Nut-Rition Mixed Nuts

Directions:

1. Combine ingredients together in large bowl.
2. Store into plastic zipper bags or airtight containers.

On the go this summer with some Healthy Trail Mix is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Last week, the folks from Microsoft took us Windows Champion bloggers to Pikes Place Market in Seattle to take pictures with the Samsung ATIV Odyssey™ (Verizon) Windows® Phone. The Pikes Place Market is just as wonderful as everyone says it is. I could have spent the whole day there eating, touring the food stalls, shopping, and taking pictures. My husband, Paul, would have been all over the seafood, cheese and mushrooms! I nearly fell over to find that several produce vendors were selling ramps that I had been looking for in Athens, Georgia. If only I could have figured out a way to take them home!

For you camera phone nerds, the Samsung ATIV Odyssey™ (Verizon) Windows® Phone has a rear-facing camera, and a 5.0 megapixel AF with LED flash. I was impressed with the camera phone’s picture quality and how easy it was to take pictures with once I got used to the Windows 8 touchscreen interface.

Wordless Wednesday: Pikes Place Market #WW #WindowsChampions is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Are you a golf fan traveling to Jacksonville to view THE PLAYERS May 6-12? If so, you’ll be interested to learn about the addition of several new social venues at THE PLAYERS that will give fans  chance to cool off in the shade, grab a drink and some delicious local food, and watch the likes of  Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, and defending-champion Matt Kuchar on large LED video boards.

Taste of JAX, located between 11 green and 12 tee at THE PLAYERS, offers foods from local, favorite restaurants, a covered, centrally located bar, upgraded restrooms, and videoboards to keep up with the tournament. For those of you trying to eat healthy or  gluten free, there are several restaurants to chose from such as:

• Indochine – Thai and Southeast Asian cuisine from one of downtown Jacksonville’s most popular locales, plus gluten free and healthy options
• Metro Diner – Classic American fare with low-calorie and gluten-free options
• Pele’s Wood Fire – Modern Italian-American cuisine where pizza is the signature dish

THE PLAYERS’ concession stands also showcase some of the most creative dishes the region has to offer in addition to including vegan and gluten free items:

• Sawgrass Sliders: well-seasoned mini-burgers
• A Vegan Fare menu: a lineup of vegan offerings not seen at other golf events, including a Black Bean Patty Melt, Chick’n Salad and Hummus Supreme
• Gluten free dishes: include the Avocado Power Lunch, Ham and Cheese Panini and a BSR Sandwich (Turkey Bacon, Spinach and Red Onion)

One dish that will be served at THE PLAYERS that caught my eye was the Mayport Shrimp with Grits and Fried Green Tomatoes, which features fresh shrimp prepared in neighboring Jacksonville. This would be a fun dish to make for brunch to enjoy while watching THE PLAYERS at home. Or save it for the following weekend for a Mother’s Day brunch!

Mayport Shrimp with Grits and Fried Green Tomatoes

Serving for 4

Grits ingredients:

• Stone ground quick grits
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Granulated garlic, to taste
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Prepare grits as directed on the package for 4 servings.
2. Add seasonings into water when grits are added.
3. Add cheese at the end and keep warm.

Shrimp ingredients:

• 1 pound 16/20 Local Shrimp, peeled and cleaned
• Blackening seasoning, to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-14 ounce can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• 4 ounces ham, diced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
• 1/4 pound butter or buttery spread
• 4 cups white wine
• 1/2 red tomato, diced (for garnish)
• 1 green onion, chopped (for garnish)

Directions:

1. Season shrimp with blackening seasoning and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large sauté pan add garlic, cook until light brown.
3. Add ham and peas, cook until crispy.
4. Add shrimp and wine. Reduce wine by half then stir in butter. Shrimp are done when they turn pink. 

Fried green tomato ingredients:

• 1 green tomato, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups panko bread crumbs, plain
• Blackening seasoning, to taste
• Canola oil

Directions:

1. Slice tomato. Place flour in a small bowl, place eggs in a small bowl, and place bread crumbs mixed with blackening seasoning in a small bowl.
2. Heat enough canola oil in pan to cover tomato slices to 350 degrees.
3. Dip sliced tomato in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs.
4. Fry tomatoes in canola oil until golden brown. Cut in half before serving.

To plate:

1. Place grits on plate, top with shrimp mixture and some of the sauce from the pan.
2. Serve each plate with 3 halves of fried tomato. Then garnish with diced red tomato and green onions.

Recipe and pictures used with permission.

Eating well at THE PLAYERS: Mayport Shrimp with Grits and Fried Green Tomatoes is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

The National and Ciné's Dinner & A Movie happens three nights a week, Sunday through Tuesday. It’s a great way to try out celebrity chef Hugh Acheson’s The National restaurant for a reasonable price. Plus it makes a great date night since the Ciné movie theater is just next door. You can check out the latest Dinner & a Movie menu here and the Ciné movie schedule here. Make sure to make reservations by calling 706-549-3450. The National is at 232 W Hancock Ave. in Athens, Georgia.

Wordless Wednesday: Dinner & a Movie at The National in Athens, Georgia #ww is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

We adore the Local Republic and anytime we’re near Lawrenceville, we try to stop there for a meal. The restaurant fills up quickly, so try to get their early – like before 6 pm – even during the week. They have an amazing craft beer selection, and their specials are terrific no matter if it’s fish, wild boar, or beef. However, my favorite is a small plate of chicken liver – so delicious, so good.

Local Republic - 225 West Crogan Street, Lawrenceville, Georgia 30046, 678-205-4782. Open Mon-Thu 11am–10pm, Fri-Sat 11am–11pm, and closed Sundays.

Wordless Wednesday: Dinner at the Local Republic in Lawrenceville, Georgia is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

At the Food Blog South 2013 conference, the food was provided by Saw’s Soul Kitchen, Jim ‘n Nick’s Bar-B-Q, Southeast United Dairy Industry Association, Juban’s (alligator and frog leg gumbo!) along with awesome beer at the Good People Brewing Company.

While I was there, I also had a a mixture of Greek and Southern food at lunch at Johnny’s Restaurant in Homewood, AL and breakfast at Over Easy in Birmingham, AL (purple grits with Gouda, eggs over easy and gluten free toast – wow!)

Wordless Wednesday: Food Blog South 2013 Food #Alabama #FBS2013 #wordlesswednesday is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

I wanted to point out the picture of the Southern mansion on the left and the three pictures above it. Those pictures are taken at the Boone Hall Plantation, which was the setting of Halle Berry’s first movie, Alex Haley’s Queen. It’s a must to visit if you’re ever in Charleston, South Carolina.

Wordless Wednesday: Christmas in Charleston, SC #wordlesswednesday is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!