Food | Nibby Priest -Life On Purpose

Looking for a Summertime Treat in Henderson KY?

Posted on June 1, 2010 Written by Nibby Priest

You are invited to visit the Grand Opening of Frozen Oasis, Henderson’s newest Shaved Ice Stand!

Located close to Dairy Queen on Green Street, Frozen Oasis will tempt your taste buds with 22 standard flavors and 23 mixed flavors. You can even order your own custom mix!

John Hodge and friends will be happy to help you! We hope you will consider stopping by to check us out.

Yours truly thinks they are really good!

Look too for Wathen Lane Vegetables -another summer time venture by the Hodge family and neighbors.

What is your favorite place in Henderson KY to get something cool and refreshing during the summertime?

Family Easter Lunch 2010

Posted on April 3, 2010 Written by Nibby Priest

The Menu is planned groceries procured, guest invited and the table is set.

Our Menu:

Sunday Roast Chicken with Lemon Essence

Rosemary-Panko Crusted Potatoes

Strawberry Salad with Georgia Pecans & Feta cheese

Snap Pea Sauté with fresh Morels & Jicama

Deviled Easter Eggs (made by my fathers cousin Margaret)

Sourdough Yeast Rolls (made by my mother)

The Classic Spices of Mary Carrot Cake & Fresh Fruit Salad

What a way to celebrate this Joyous time of Christ Resurrection- Easter!

What is your family Easter menu?

Oh by the way . . . the iPad arrived today! Really messing with my Easter lunch cooking plans.

Mezzaluna Poppy Seed Dressing

Posted on December 19, 2009 Written by Nibby Priest

The recipe for a deliciously sweet dressing for baby spinach, mixed salad greens or fresh fruit.

Personally, I think it is best with spinach, mandarin oranges, sliced toasted almonds and a thinly sliced red onion.

1.5 Cups of White Vinegar
1.5 Cups Sugar
3 tablespoons poppy seed
1 tsp salt
tablespoon dry mustard (a powder)
1 tablespoon graded white onion

Mix all ingredients above together in Blender
Blend in slowly 3 cups of Canola Oil

This recipe makes a lot, but will be consumed quickly.

Mezzaluna was a restaurant on the riverfront in downtown Henderson KY owned by Diane Utley. Mezzaluna opened it November of 1994 and closed the last of September 1999.

All my life I appreciated great food from a mother who cooked three meals a day. But it wasn’t until Diane Utley opened Mezzaluna in 1994 that I became a total foodie.

Diane taught me that good food does not have to be fussy or complicated to be good. Oh how Henderson Kentucky was blessed to have Mezzaluna for those few short years.

Diane and Mezzaluna introduced me to many foods that have become staples in my cuisine. Some of them are:

*Chicken Marbella
*Beef Medallions
*Chicken Marsala
*Crab Cakes
*Merlot Wine (GiGi Diane’s mother really taught me that)
*Pesto and all the wonderful things you can do with pesto
*Mixed Greens (probably in 1994 it was the first time I saw them)
*Black Bean Salad

Since Mezzaluna closed there has been no other restaurant in Henderson Kentucky that served up the kind and quality of food that Mezzaluna did.

What was your favorite thing to eat at Mezzaluna’s ?

A Regional Tradition: Burgoo

Posted on October 25, 2009 Written by Nibby Priest

Burgoo is tradition in Henderson Kentucky and other parts of Kentucky. When I was in grade school one of the events that would take place every fall would be the annual Fall Burgoo at East Heights School.

The school itself was a rather unique when it opened in the fall of 1974. It was one of the first schools of its kind to have all open classrooms. That over the years has been changed but one thing that has stayed the same is the fall burgoo fundraiser.

The recipe of Homer Taylor has been used for years. I noticed a Garner in the crowd. Is the Homer Taylor recipe been replaced or converted into a Ralph Garner recipe?

The multiple kettles of burgoo are a total sell out. Today I was there at 8 am to learn that I had to wait in line till 10 am to buy my one gallon of burgoo. There were no presales. It would have been nice to be able to pre-purchase.

Today was the first time in several years that I bought some East Heights Burgoo, like I remember from my youth- it is the best!

There is a restaurant in downtown Henderson that claims to have some really good Burgoo too: http://www.downtownsandwichshoppe.com

The burgoo kettles in Henderson County are passed around from organization to organization to use as fund raisers- I do believe that the East Heights School and the Homer Taylor recipe is the best in the community.

Watch the quick video about what burgoo is:

Thank you Stacy P for being a good sport and letting me video you!

Have you ever tried Burgoo?

Who has your favorite recipe?