Miller's Cafe, Cream Coffee

Until I moved to Tennessee, the only thing I knew about fried green tomatoes was that they made for a darn good movie...

and an even better book. Then I went to this place...

Miller's Grocery in Christiana, Tennessee. And I had these...

actual fried green tomatoes. Eating one is, to use a Southern colloquialism, a religious experience. They are crispy outside, soft inside, salty, sour, and piping hot. They are everything that is best about Southern fried food - they are unique and comforting at the same time. They are only available when green tomatoes are in season. Like today, for instance, when I met some friends for lunch at Miller's.

Everyone was excited to eat at Miller's because they all love it - and they know I love it. They were surprised when I - who have lost so much weight and try to eat so healthy - ordered the fried green tomato appetizer. You should have seen them when I ordered the Country Fried Steak with sawmill gravy, mashed potatoes, and fried okra. I told them I will bike the whole Greenway to work that off and it will be worth it. I wish so much that I had the presence of mind and self control to take a picture when my entree came out. Unfortunately, I was deeply involved in a conversation about Michael Cunningham and began inhaling my okra before I remembered to reach for my camera. I guess that means I have to go back for more pictures. Darn.

I did get a picture of my dessert. That is a mud bar. It is amazing. Brownie on the bottom topped with nut and marshmallow filled fudge frosting. Every year Miller's is voted best place to get dessert by the readers of Tennessee magazine. Can you see why?

After my amazing lunch, I came home to do a little cooking...

(two pans of bread and one pan of green beans not pictured) for the homeless shelter. My Sunday school class was providing Friday night dinner, and I offered to do the cooking while they helped with the funds. After all of that heavy food, I needed something light and creamy. So I used drinksmixer.com, and found this.

Cream Coffee from drinksmixer.com
Equal parts
coffee brandy
rum
milk
strong coffee


A good day over all. To end it...

"Goodbye" by Hootie and the Blowfish- the Friday song randomly chosen for you by my Zen DJ.

I hope you have a lovely Saturday. If you happen to be at the Murfreesboro Farmer's Market on the Square or the U2 concert and Vandy - we just may run into each other.

Random Recipe Challenge - Cappuccino Mousse - 6 points

I always have so much fun with the Random Recipe challenge, hosted by Dom at Belleau Kitchen. Somehow, it always ends up being a bit of a trip. This month's challenge was to flip to a random page in your most recently gifted cookbook and make the recipe thereon.

I am lucky that the book my husband gave me a few weeks ago is a real gem.

The All New Good Housekeeping Cook Book is not exactly new; it was published in 2001. Stone picked up a copy, along with two other great cookbooks, at our favorite used bookstore (you can imagine that being married to a librarian means often being surprised with new books). This is the kind of "Bible" cookbook that you could cook from for the rest of your life and be quite happy. It is my new "go-to" cookbook for fail safe recipes.

I was completely thrilled when the recipe I opened to was "Cappuccino Mousse". It is difficult to explain how much I love and depend upon coffee. I guess the word would be addict.

My relationship with coffee started at an early age. My mother and father used to give an endless number of dinner parties. After the meal, my mother would always go around with a tray displaying delicate cups filled with tempting smelling coffee to offer her guests. I wanted a cup so badly; they smelled like heaven and all of the adults seem to really enjoy them. When I was seven, my mother got rather tired of me begging for a cup and decided that her problem would be solved if she let me have some. After all, what seven year old likes coffee? I did. I loved it. From that point on, coffee was a special treat. (Until college, when it became a complete necessity.)

I had a great time making this recipe. It was very easy to follow and I always find whipping cream fun to cook with. The coffee brandy that I used for the liqueur smelled divine and will find itself into many a cocktail later, I am sure. The only downside was waiting overnight for the mousse to set.

Cappuccino Mousse
1 envelope plus 1 tsp unflavored gelatin
1/3 plus 1/2 cup milk
1 cup espresso or very strong brewed coffee
1/2 cup plus 1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp coffee-flavored liqueur
1 1/3 cups heavy or whipping cream
pinch ground cinnamon

1. In a small saucepan, evenly sprinkle gelatin over 1/3 cup milk; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in coffee. Place over low heat, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes, until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat; add 1/2 cup sugar, stirring until dissolved. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk and liqueur. Transfer to large bowl.
2. Place bowl in a larger bowl of ice water. With rubber spatula, stir just until mixture mounds slightly when dropped from spoon, about 15 minutes. Remove from water bath.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, whip 1 cup cream on medium speed until soft peaks form. Fold 1/3 of cream into coffee mixture until well blended. Gently fold in beaten cream. Spoon mixture into 8 coffee cups or 6 oz custard cups. Cover and refrigerate until set, 4 hours or up to overnight.
4. Just before serving, in a small bowl, beat remaining 1/3 cup cream, remaining 1 tsp sugar, and cinnamon until stiff peaks form. To serve, spoon dollop of whipped cream into each mousse.
5. Yields 8, 6 point servings
 
The recipe calls for 8 coffee or custard cups. I don't have eight matching anything in my kitchen, so I used a variety of containers.

The taste was amazing. It had the flavor of a really good latte, with a consistency as light as a cloud. The danger is that it is so light that you are tempted to have seconds....and thirds, which would be quite bad for the waistline.

I am so glad that I took this challenge. This recipe was great as a breakfast dish and would be lovely for a dinner dessert as well. It will definitely become part of my regular rotation. My love affair with coffee goes on. Love affair plus coffee - that makes me think of those dramatic Gold Blend commercials that I used to see on tapes people sent from America. Does anyone else remember these?

Thank you, Dom, for another adventure in cooking.

Spiced Coffee - 0 Points

Stone has been under the weather for over a week. He is suffering so much from allergies that the doctor gave him steroid shot. I thought that a bit of spiced coffee might help clear out his head and make him feel better. Despite the fact that I am not ailing, I did have a couple of cups myself and thoroughly enjoyed them.

Spiced Coffee
1 level scoop coffee grounds
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp cloves
1 tsp dried orange peel
pinch cayenne pepper

1. Fill coffee maker with water for 10 cups. Place spices in coffee filter and turn on machine.
2. Yields 10, 0 point servings

I had been on hold for what seemed like a thousand years for the last Steig Laarson book, The Girl Who Played with Fire. I have had mixed feelings about this series. Many people recommended the books to me, but not one of them warned me about the graphic scenes of sexual abuse and torture. If I had been warned, the books might have been less gut wrenching. At least, I would have been better prepared. This was my favorite of the series; I loved the courtroom drama, learning about the Swedish legal system, and delving into the minds of newspaper editors. I wish Mr. Laarson had lived long enough to know how much he is loved by readers worldwide and to share more of his talent with us.

You will not be hearing from me this Friday. Thanks to an FYI from the fabulous Rebecca, I will be participating in this amazing event. Please click this link to learn more.