Soaking it all in

I love a good spicy shrimp marinara. The other day I happened to have some Marinara sauce left over and decided it was a good time to put that to use. I had some frozen Colossal shrimp that I purchased from Walmart. I prefer the ones that are frozen, yet still have the shell on. They've already had the vein removed so no extra work needed to clean them. The best thing about these is that I can use the amount of shrimp I need for one serving (or more) and keep the rest frozen for future use. I picked out 6-7 shrimp. I placed them in a bowl of water to defrost (usually takes only 25-30 minutes). Since these shrimp were going to be over rice (or pasta, your choice) prior to cooking I went ahead and peeled them entirely. I sprinkled the shrimp with Old Bay and Louisiana Spice rub. I pan seared the shrimp really quick to let the flavors sear into the shrimp. Just about a minute. I poured about a cup of the Marinara sauce I had into a sauce pan and heated it up on medium-low....

There is no doubt that summer has arrived. The temperature outside is blazing, the kids are out of school, and the pool parties, beach trips and barbecue cookouts are in full swing. The Fourth of July is just around the corner, and while we certainly want to celebrate everything that Independence Day stands for (meaning our freedom and not the Will Smith movie and its sequel), it is also a time to gather around with family and friends and enjoy a typical American favorite — a hot dog. I am partial to the all-beef franks made by either Hebrew National or Nathan’s. They always seem to take me back to my youth. Hanging out on South Beach with a group of 20 or so people rocking out to Fleetwood Mac, Billy Joel or Elton John tunes. When you’re young and on a budget, burgers and hot dogs are the way to go in feeding the masses. We would get there early, around 7 a.m., set up a bunch of blankets and create a semicircle of chairs so we could socialize. At the end of the semi-circle of c...

Guten Tag, everyone. I know I can't be the only person who is already OVER the summer heat and looking forward to the fall and winter. October happens to be my favorite time of year for two reasons...HALLOWEEN and BEER! Yesterday I got a hankering for some German food so I went to Zum Rosenhof during my lunch break and chomped down on a mushroom Rhamn schnitzel. And each and every time I have lunch there it brings back some great memories especially when they hosted Oktoberfest! Man, downtown Hinesville was sure a hopping place (ha, get it, as in beer hops … but I digress), at least for two years in a row in October 2009 and 2010. For those two years, the entire community crowded into Bradwell Park for Oktoberfest celebrations that were put together by the Hinesville Downtown Development Authority, Fort Stewart’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation and, of course, Zum Rosenhof German Restaurant. For an entire weekend, downtown transformed in to Bavaria. It was amazing. Ziggy ...

Bar-B-Que shrimp, Bar-B-Que shrimp! Oh man I loves me some Bar-B-Que shrimp! If you follow my columns then you know one of my favorite places to visit for the food is New Orleans. Crawfish Etouffee, red beans and rice, gumbo and jambalaya. YES PLEASE! But it’s not always possible to travel to NOLA on a food whim. Although I wish I could. So I often try and replicate some of my favorite NOLA treats at home. And I’ve failed often at recreating the scrumptiousness that I’ve tasted while in the Big Easy. Maybe it’s because in NOLA you can have authentic beignets at the world famous Café’ Du Monde on Decatur Street in the heart of the French Quarter with the Mississippi River just feet away. Oh Yeah, all covered with powdered sugar and washed down with their Chicory coffee Au Lait. It’s difficult to even come close to the Po’ Boys served in the Mid-City district at Parkway subs, which has been serving up the classic Crescent city sandwich since the early 1900s. It’s hard ...

I originally wrote this story for the June / July issue of Liberty Life Magazine published in 2015. The mere thought of losing the love of his life sparked a complete turnaround in Herbert Stacy’s daily routine. The owner of Stacy’s Florist in Hinesville says he was devastated when his wife, Donna, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006. “We’ve been married 28 years. We met on a blind date … and got engaged on our eighth date,” Donna Stacy recalls. She joked that she thinks he proposed quickly because he was tired of driving to Atlanta, her home at the time. “We were a little bit older when we got married, had our children later, and it’s been wonderful,” she says. With sons Adam and Scott Stacy all grown up now, the loving couple were enjoying their lives, staying busy running the store that’s been in Stacy’s family since 1976. The news of Donna Stacy’s health condition was an unexpected jolt. “I am doing very well now,” Donna Stacy says recalling the difficult time her fa...

I miss being young and scaring my family during summer vacations. Oh and I miss the foods we ate during our outings. Our favorite destination was a place in Marathon Key called the Salty Dog Motel. This place looked like something right out of the 1950s. We used to go there often during the early 1970s. The motel sign was this huge motley looking mutt wearing a sailors’ cap and an eye-patch covering one eye. Every room was an efficiency suite, meaning it had a mini kitchen and living area in addition to the bedrooms and bath. AND IT WAS CHEAP! The best thing however was the Olympic sized pool, complete with a 33 foot tall diving tower. I loved swimming. My dad used to call me his little frog because I was always in the pool. There was one time, I was maybe 7 or 8 years old, when my brother Frank started showing off his diving skills. He started off at the diving board on the lowest point of the tower. He bounced once, twice, and then flew in the air and splashed perfectly into the...

Hey folks, I’ve missed sharing some foodie fun with you these past few weeks. It’s been a whirlwind merry-go-round around here. My recent promotion was a humbling experience and also a blessing. It is also a new chapter and a welcomed challenge in my life which I look forward to. After receiving the promotion, I did what any true foodie would do and SPLURGED. I treated myself and cooked a true surf and turf dinner - a Rib-eye steak and lobster tail. It was a massive and decadent. I savored every bite, after all I earned it baby! I went shopping too. Of course I had to buy a few new outfits as well as get my nails done. Why not? It’s what managers do right? Heck I was on cloud nine. It felt great to be recognized and appreciated after years of hard work. And it’s great to work at a place you enjoy being at and the people you’re surrounded by. But just as I was savoring a new highlight in my life, something happened that shook me and every foodie I know to the core. Famous ...