These irresistible Angel Biscuits are a cross between a yeast roll and a fluffy buttermilk biscuit. They live up to their name, baking up as light as an angel’s wings!
"Old Christmas" - A Southern Tradition
On December 18, a friend and I were having a conversation about the Twelve Days of Christmas and she casually said it was too late to do anything to honor the tradition. I thought for a moment on whether I should correct her that the Twelve Days of Christmas were actually AFTER the traditional Christmas Day of December 25th. I decided to graze over the issue as to not be rude and correct her (it’s a southern thing). This conversation led to me asking several friends and collogues how they interpreted the Twelve Days of Christmas - the end result was that most people assume it is the twelve days leading up to Christmas.
Residents of North Carolina (and the south) are known to celebrate Christmas twice - traditional Christmas on December 25th and “Old” Christmas January 6th. The Twelve Days of Christmas is the period of time in Christian theology that marks the span between the birth of Christ and the coming of the Magi, the three wise men (also the shift from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar which shaved 11 days off of September in 1752). As a child, I remember my grandmother leaving her Christmas decorations up until “Old” Christmas, because that is what her parents did when she was a child - however, for many southerners, it’s “business as usual” after December 25th.
While some families are decorating the tree during trick or treating, other families celebrate the traditional ways of “Old” Christmas. There are various traditions of Old Christmas throughout North Carolina. For some, the Christmas tree isn’t decorated until Christmas Eve. Once the children go to bed, Santa brings a tree, presents, and goodies. This is where leaving the decorations up until Old Christmas comes into tradition.
Old Buck - Rodanthe, NC
In the small Outer Banks town of Rodanthe, the center of the celebration is around Old Buck, an odd, mythical bovine beast. The Old Christmas festivities in Rodanthe start in the afternoon on the twelfth day. There is a huge oyster roast, music, and a full day of celebrations. Once night falls, locals assemble in at the old schoolhouse, now the community building. After prayer, a drummer will beat a ceremonial drum and the strange creature Old Buck, powered by two young islanders hidden under part of his hide, will make his debut. The beast frolics up and down the aisles, prancing and chomping - causing giggles and squeals from children and adults alike.
Based on legend, Old Buck was a wild bull that swam ashore from a ship wreck, found the local cows to his liking and made Hatteras Island his home. He is said to be able to connect the dead past with the living present, allowing a moment to remember Christmases through the years, when departed loved ones were present. Local folklore says that Old Buck was shot and disappeared into a sparse piece of woods on the island, but he reappears and has been crashing Rodanthe Christmas parties since the 1940s.
Breaking Up Christmas - Western NC
In the mountains of North Carolina, one Old Christmas tradition that has lived on is Breaking Up Christmas. In the old days, winter was slow time of year, and people continued to celebrate the entire twelve days of Christmas. They would take turns “Breaking up Christmas”, by hosting music, dancing, and dinners at one another’s homes. The host family would move furniture outdoors, cook a huge meal, and the musicians would set up in the doorway to make room for dancing. (For this part, I envision a youthful Scrooge at ol’ Fezziwiggs dancing and having a good time).
A fiddle tune was written to “Breaking Up Christmas" to honor the tradition:
“Hooray, Jack and Horray John,
Breaking up Christmas all night long.
Way back yonder, a long time ago,
way down yonder alongside the creek,
I seen Santy Claus washing his feet.
Santa Claus come, done and gone,
Breaking up Christmas right along.”
One way experience "Old Christmas for yourself, visit the Old Stone House in Granite Quarry, NC during the holidays. The building, built in 1766, is the oldest in Rowan County. Visitors can tour the house and watch costumed guides demonstrate old time customs, listen to period music, and see how a colonial Christmas was celebrated.
You can also enjoy oysters and experience Old Buck each January in Rodanthe, at the Community Center!
Triple Chocolate Cheesecake
Every year my son, Noah wants me to make my classic cheesecake with raspberry sauce for his birthday. This year, he changed things up and requested chocolate cheesecake. After a lot of surfing the web and a little tweaking, I created this Triple Chocolate Cheesecake that was a huge hit with guests. I hope you enjoy!
Ingredients
Crust:
16 chocolate sandwich cookies (like Oreos)
1/4 cup melted butter
Cheesecake:
10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted (I used chocolate chips)
4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 eggs
Ganache:
5 ounces semi sweet chocolate (again I used chips)
3/4 cup heavy cream
Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Crush cookies in a blender or food processor until it forms fine crumbs.
In a large bowl, combine cookie crumbs and melted butter until the crumbs are fully coated in butter.
Press the cookie mixture in the bottom of a 9” springform pan (MUST be springform for it to turn out correctly) Double wrap the bottom of the springform pan with foil, sealing it tightly to prevent any leaking. - set aside
Melt the 10 ounces of chocolate in the microwave or using a double boiler until smooth. Set aside.
In a large bowl mix cream cheese and sugar on medium speed, until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Turn the mixer to low and add the sour cream and cocoa powder; mix well, scraping sides of the bowl as necessary. Add in the melted chocolate and then the eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until mixed. Pour the filling over crust and spread evenly.
Bake for 60-70 minutes or until the center is almost set. The center will still jiggle while the edges will be set.
Remove from the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool at room temperature for at least an hour. Leave it in the pan and do NOT loosen sides.
Melt the chocolate and heavy cream in a small bowl in the microwave - stir until smooth (I do this in 15-second increments to be sure not to burn the chocolate.
Pour the ganache on top of the cooled cheesecake.
Cover the springform pan and transfer the cheesecake into the refrigerator to chill for 6 hours or overnight.
Release the sides of the springform pan and remove it before slicing.
OPTIONAL - top with chocolate shavings and/or garnish with whipped cream, strawberries, or raspberries.
TIPS - Do NOT open the oven at all during the cooking time. When the 60-70 minutes is up, turn off the oven and crack the door - let the cheesecake remain in the oven another 15 mins. This will slowly adjust the cheesecake to the air and will reduce cracking. Remove from the oven to cool completely (about an hour - an hour and 1/2 before pouring on the ganache). I personally have better success with cheesecakes not cracking with cooking them in a larger toaster oven. I think the smaller oven size allows less airflow and helps with cracking (my opinion, not facts).
October 10, 1934 - FDR appoints Nation's First Archivist - NC Native, RDW Connor
October 9, 1983 - Richard Petty Stripped of Winston Cup Points at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Richard Petty - October 9, 1983
Richard Petty won the Miller High Life 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1983 with left-side tires on the right side of the car, and an engine that measured 381.983 cubic inches against a maximum allowable limit of 358 cubic inches. Petty was docked 104 points, stripped of prize money, but the victory was allowed to stand, amidst great complaints from his rivals.
Petty denies knowing his engine exceeded the cubic-inch displacement allowed, however later his engine-building brother, Maurice Petty, confessed to placing wax in the cylinders to trick NASCAR inspectors.
Richard Petty – 200 wins
The King was a seven-time Cup champion (1964, ’67, ’71, ’72, ’74, ’75, ’79) who won the Daytona 500 a record seven times and won a hat-tipping 27 times — including 10 straight checkered flags — in 1967. He still leads the pack in the #1 spot for the most NASCAR cups series with 200 wins!
North Carolina State Fair - Blue Ribbon Sweet Potato Biscuits
INGREDIENTS
2 cups of sifted all-purpose flour
2/3 cups sugar
2 TBSP baking powder
1 -1/2 TSP salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes
1/4 cup milk
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Grease a baking sheet and set aside.
Sift dry ingredients together.
Make a well in the center.
Add Shortening, potatoes and milk.
Mix until a soft dough forms.
Add more flour as needed if dough is too sticky.
Roll out dough and cut using a biscuit cutter.
Place on baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes
YIELD: 15 to 18
HINT:
These have a lovely orange color and a denser texture than most biscuits. These do not brown as readily as other biscuits, so watch them as they bake to make sure the edges do not burn.
“My mom could makes biscuits as fast as somebody else could take bread out of a wrapper.”
North Carolina State Fair - True Pound Cake Recipe - Blue Ribbon Winner 1993
INGREDIENTS
3 cups sugar (sifted)
3 sticks of butter
8 eggs
3 cups of flour (sifted twice)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease and flour a loaf or bundt pan. Set aside.
Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time. beat well after each addition.
Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and cool in pan slightly before inverting on plate to finish cooling.
YIELD: 12 to 16 servings
HINT:
NEVER substitute margarine (or “light” butter) for the butter in a pound cake. Do not test cake for doneness until it has been baking for at least one hour.
“Everybody was looking at me when I won, so I just said ‘You don’t know how long I’ve tried to get that blue ribbon!’”
Folkstone Inn - Lemon Soufflé Pancakes with Blueberry Compote Recipe
A bed and breakfast for four decades, the Folkestone still preserves its 1920s mountain farmhouse charm.
The Folkestone’s innkeepers have created a friendly, comfortable atmosphere — from the broad front porch looking toward the mountains!
To create their bountiful farm-to-table gourmet breakfasts, they use farm fresh eggs from their own chickens and their breakfast meats are house-cured and smoked at the Folkestone. Everything they serve is locally grown in season, much of it at the Folkestone. Toni’s homemade jams are made from local fruits and are guests’ favorites.
While they are surrounded by a wealth of vacation activities and attractions, one of the most popular is just a short walk from the Folkestone. It’s the Great Smoky Mountain National Park’s Deep Creek Recreation Area, with three pristine waterfalls, hiking and walking trails, native trout fishing and tubing down Deep Creek.
Bryson City is one hour west of Asheville, just three hours from Atlanta and Charlotte, and two hours from Greenville, Knoxville and Chattanooga.
Ingredients
2 Cups – AP Flour
2 Tbsp. – Sugar
1 tsp – Baking Soda
1 tsp – Baking powder
½ tsp – Salt
2 – Eggs (separated)
1 ½ Cups – Buttermilk
2 tsp - Lemon Zest
3 Tbsp. – Lemon Juice
¼ Cup – Melted Butter
Instructions
Mix all dry ingredients together.
In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks, buttermilk, lemon zest, lemon juice and butter.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then mix wet into dry until smooth. Do not overmix.
Whip egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold into batter.
Lightly oil a griddle or cast iron pan over medium heat. Pour approximately 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake.
Brown on both sides. Serve immediately with warm blueberry compote.
Blueberry Compote
3 Cups – Fresh or frozen Blueberries
1/3 Cup - Sugar
1/3 Cup - H2O
Simmer all together 10 minutes or until desired consistency.
Award Winning Pasta and Pizza puts North Carolina on the Culinary Map
The alarm clock screams out, you roll over, stretch and take a glimpse at the clock. IT IS 6:15am!!!! You leap out of bed, wash your face and throw a pop tart in the toaster. You yell for the kids to put on their shoes and get in the car in an effort not to be late for school (hopefully they aren’t still in their PJs). You sit at the same red light as it changes three times, your iPhone is already buzzing with notifications on every app from Facebook to Gmail and your boss is texting you to not forget donuts for the morning meeting.
We tend to go through the motions of our day, rushing through the “golden arches” for lunch and driving home thinking what we can quickly throw together for dinner before basketball practice tonight. We are all guilty of being caught in this cycle through our days and meals as if to be on autopilot - sometimes we need a reminder to SLOW DOWN.
It is well known that Italians are well versed in the gioie della tavola, or “the joys of the table”. Perhaps the first thing people think about when they think of Italy is the joy, warmth, and magic created around the Italian dinner table! The dinner table is one of the most enduring images and metaphors in Italian art, celebrated in their greatest paintings and films from the Renaissance to present day! The table is where life slows down, drama and celebrations unfold, and familial bonds and battles are forged. The deepest ties of love and friendship are developed and strengthened around the dinner table. Italians understand the magical synergy that is created when the joys of conversation and intimacy commingle with the pleasures of beautiful food and drink.
If you have had the blessing of exploring and experiencing Italy, you know the food is AMAZING and can attest to how dinner is a time to be surrounded by loved ones, enjoy life and good food! If you haven’t traveled to Italy, you’re in luck, the experience may be a little closer than you think.
Nino’s Cucina Italiana is tucked away amidst the hustle and bustle of the busy streets of Greenville, NC in a beautiful little cove off of Red Banks Road. Salvatore Passalacqua, Pietro Passalacqua and Massimo Mannino have brought the wonderful experience of a true Italian meal to Eastern North Carolina.
Born in Sicily, Italy, brothers Salvatore and Pietro moved to Brooklyn New York with their family when they were young boys. Their father, Nino Passalacqua, came from humble beginnings in Italy, where he worked in a bakery with his father. Once he arrived in New York City, Nino worked in a landmark deli in “Little Italy” known as the “Italian Food Center”. Famous for its bread, focaccia and pizza, it’s still on the corner of Grand and Mulberry Street. Nino baked bread all day long to ensure sandwiches in the deli were made from quality, fresh bread.
Although he loved working at the Italian Food Center, Nino knew he had to focus on the future of his family. In 1983, he opened his own pizza shop in Brooklyn. Following his plan to build a legacy, Nino taught his family everything he knew about food and business.
Left to right: Nino Passalacqua, Massimo Mannino, Salvatore Passalacqua, and Pietro Passalacqua
In 2006, Massimo and Salvatore left Brookyln and opened “Marabella Italian Restaurant” in Washington, NC. Later, in 2009, they opened “Marabella Old World Pizza” in Greenville, NC where their brother Pietro soon joined. They make traditional, award winning pizza the way it’s made in New York and Italy.
For the last 7 years, Salvatore and Massimo have competed with the United States Pizza team, along with approximately 20 teammates. They compete all over the world in places like Las Vegas, Spain, China, Chicago, San Diego and Atlantic City sharing their recipes and expertise. These are typically two day events, where the first day they make a dish from a list of given ingredients and the second day they make a dish using ingredients they can bring with them. One competition, Salvatore brought arugula and when he was ready to use it, it had wilted. During the 40 minutes he had to make the dish, he had to run out to a nearby store and buy more arugula.
Recently Salvatore earned the title “Pasta Maker World Champion 2018” in the North East Pasta Show Down in Atlantic City, NJ. There were over 140 participants in all categories and roughly 20 chefs competing for the title. Day one he made Cavatelli alla Contadina and on the second day Salvatore took a leap of faith, introducing a non-traditional recipe he created, that is on the Nino’s and Marabella’s menu, the Saltimbocca di Pollo. This is a delicious, lightly fried filet chicken breast in a sweet orange cream sauce, topped with prosciutto, provolone cheese and raisins, served with pasta and broccoli. I was lucky enough to try this dish on a recent visit. One bite and I felt like the food critic, Ego on Ratatouille when he takes one bite of Remy’s dish and goes back to his childhood - I am quite sure for a minute I was sitting in a café in Italy enjoying a fabulous meal - truly it is a “must try” dish on the menu!
These competitions allow Salvatore and Massimo to put Nino’s Cucina Italian and Greenville, NC on the culinary map! Last year, in 2017, Massimo won “Pasta Maker World Champion” and “Pizza Maker World Champion” in the same competition. They travel and share their amazing chef talents with people from all over the world.
Pietro Passalacqua and Massimo Mannino accepting the March of Dimes “People’s Choice” Award.
The Nino’s Italian Cucina team aren’t just winning awards across the globe, but back home too. This dynamic team was just awarded the “People’s Choice Award 2018” at the March of Dimes Signature Chef Auction.
Now, over 75 years of an Italian family tradition in baking and cooking from three generations has culminated in Nino’s Cucina Italiana. Their Italian dishes are centuries old recipes handed down in their family throughout the years. They prepare all of their food daily – making fresh dough, sauces, mozzarella cheese, pasta and their delicious meatballs in-house. Not to mention their cannoli, words can’t describe exactly just how memorable these are.
Nino’s Cucina Italiana is a tribute to their father, Nino. He still travels constantly to all the locations to make sure everything is done “Nino’s Way”, with quality food, personality, and love! Salvatore, Massimo and Pietro are opening a fourth location in Winterville, NC later this year.
When you are at Nino’s you will feel like family. You will be surrounded by family photos that tell the story of their life from Italy to Greenville! You can even sit on the corner of Grand and Mulberry Streets (a small recreation of a piece of their past). Take the time out of your day to sit down, as a family and let Salvatore, Pietro and Massimo prepare your authentic Italian meal. Don’t rush, don’t look at the clock and leave your cell phone in the car. Enjoy a bottle of Nino’s wine, talk about life, laugh, and have DESSERT !! Si Mangia – LET’S EAT!!!
Hatteras Crab Cakes
Ingredients
1 lb of Fresh jumbo lump NC crab meat
2 teaspoons onion
2 Teaspoons celery
2 Teaspoons sweet bell pepper
1 Egg Yolk
2 Tablespoons Duke’s Mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons Whole Grain Mustard
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt
Fresh Cracked Pepper
Juice of I Lemon
Directions
In two tablespoons of Olive Oil, sauté two teaspoons each of onion, celery and sweet bell pepper, sprinkled with salt and fresh cracked pepper until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.
Gently mix all ingredients except olive oil and lemon juice together, being careful not to break up large crab meat lumps. Once mixed it should have the consistency of a lightly dressed crab salad, slightly moist.
Add 2-3 Tablespoons of Panko bread crumbs. Form mixture into golf ball sized balls and flatten out, slightly.
Heat one Tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil over medium-high heat. Cook 3-4 minutes on each side. Add olive oil to pan as needed but be careful not to add too much. Lightly sprinkle finished crab cakes with lemon juice
This recipe was featured in a cooking demonstration at the 2013 Outer Banks Seafood Festival. Courtesy of Cafe Pamlico Chef Forrest Paddock
