Make Mother's Day Memories with "A Well-Seasoned Kitchen"

May 2010

Make Mother's Day Memories!

Greetings!

This Mother's Day holds so much meaning. During the past year, I've had the pleasure of bringing "A Well-Seasoned Kitchen" to home cooks everywhere, many of whom are moms, who treasure creating meals to bring their families together. Just as meaningful, I've enjoyed sharing how my mom Sally and I co-wrote our cookbok to celebrate our family and the love we shared for cooking.

Mother's Day also brings a point of reflection. I lost mom last summer, and I miss her dearly. Yet, I'm given comfort every time I cook one of her recipes or share her special stories from the kitchen. In honor of Sally, I'm pleased to share this month's menu with you as it was one of her favorites.

Here's to our moms and all that they do!

Lee

Lee Clayton Roper

P.S. "A Well-Seasoned Kitchen" makes the perfect Mother's Day gift! She'll love the cookbook for the recipes and treasure it for the touching stories and kitchen inspiration.

Make Mother's Day memorable with a scrumptious menu

My Mom Sally

Every mom, in her own way, makes time to nurture her family. Whether she's packing lunches for little ones, running the kids to the next activity or doling out advice to her grown children, moms are important figures in the family. That's why on Mother's Day, we take time to show her how much we care and appreciate her efforts.

To nurture your mom this Mother's Day, prepare this elegant yet simple menu. From the Caviar and Artichoke Bombe to the Grilled Tuna main course to the last bite of the White Chocolate Lime Mousse Tart, she'll feel special, appreciated and wow-ed! (And, you'll have the satisfaction of treating her to something special that was easy to prepare.) As always, you'll find the entire menu on our website.

Start with a Decadent Bite

Caviar and Artichoke Bombe

Treat Mom to a Mouth-Watering Main Course

Grilled Tuna with Roasted Red Pepper Butter

Risotto Cakes

Lemon-Dijon Green Beans

Cheese Rolls

End with a Sweet Treat

White Chocolate and Lime Tart with Strawberries

Secrets from a seasoned kitchen: Picking fresh fish

Fresh Tuna Steaks

Knowing how to choose fresh fish is an important skill for the seafood cook. Unless you caught the fish yourself, you'll never really know how long your fish has been out of the water. But, buying fresh fish is easy if you know what to look for. Here are tips on choosing fresh fish fillets.

--Look for vibrant flesh. Fish fade as they age. So, if your fish has skin, the skin should look as good as it would on a whole fish - shiny and metallic.
--Give it a sniff. Your fish must pass the smell test. Fish shouldn't have a pungent aroma.
--Look for liquid. Any liquid on the meat should be clear - not milky. A milky liquid indicates the first stage of rot. Yuck!
--Give it a press. If your fishmonger will allow you, press the fillet with a finger. It should be resilient enough that the indentation disappears. If your fingerprint remains, move on.

Adapted from Before You Buy Fish or Seafood.

Missed a tip from a previous month's issue? See them here!

It's a winner! Our cookbook receives critical accolades

We won! We're proud to share that "A Well-Seasoned Kitchen" has received the top award in the Living Now Book Awards competition from the Jenkins Group Publishing Service Company.

The cookbook received a Gold Medal as it is representative of great books that "imagine change and give us the knowledge we need to make change happen." The Living Now Book Awards are intended to promote newly-published lifestyle books that will help readers enrich their lives in wholesome ways. Read more!

A cookbook that celebrates family and food

"A Well-Seasoned Kitchen" is a recipe treasury for all cooks who cherish creating delicious meals to nourish relationships with family and friends. The cookbook was written by Lee Clayton Roper and her mother Sally. The Claytons have long been known for effortless style and smart sensibility when it comes to home cooking and entertaining. So, when Sally began to suffer from the effects of osteoporosis and memory loss, it was natural for Lee to to engage her mother through memories of their shared times in the kitchen. The result of their effort is "A Well-Seasoned Kitchen," a cookbook of classic recipes for today's contemporary cook.

The hardcover cookbook includes 186 recipes, planning menus and helpful tips on 272 pages that feature delicious photos of some of Sally and Lee's favorite dishes. Renowned food photographer Laurie Smith, whose pictures have appeared in Saveur, Food & Wine and many other esteemed publications, shot the photos for "A Well-Seasoned Kitchen."