Happy Memorial Day y'all!

We are celebrating Memorial Day all weekend here at 'The Roost'!

I'm still thinking about the message at church yesterday...about honoring those who serve or have served our Country in the Armed Forces and remembering those who have given up their lives to protect us.

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
John 15:13

There are over 2,700 crosses planted in the ground up at the Village Square where I live in Tradition, Florida. Each cross represents an American soldier in the Armed Forces who lost their lives engaged in the fight for freedom between World War 1 and today, who resided in Florida. You can visit Take Time to Honor to read more about this memorial.

Last night, I made a simple dinner of Sate Chicken and served it over white rice. I served a bowl of fresh greens with Vidalia Onions, cucumbers, and tomatoes, and some french bread. Oh...and iced sweet tea!

I used my Taste of Gourmet 'Great Grilling Marinade' and it was wonderful. This Marinade is inspired by the flavor of Indonesian Sate grilled at street markets in the Orient and now served in fancy Thai restaurants. I marinated the chicken in the 'Great Grilling Marinade' for about 3 hours, then threaded the pieces onto the water-soaked skewers. I baked these in the oven at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. Easy peasy y'all!

The Marinade is also great to serve as a dipping sauce for the cooked meat! The 'Great Grilling Marinade' is the Taste Of Gourmet Product of the Month. A $1.00 donation will be given to the St. Jude Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee for a every bottle you purchase. A 12-oz bottle is only $8.95 and one tablespoon of the Marinade is enough to marinate 2 chicken breasts:) You can order the Marinade from me here.

I'm still obsessed with the 'Sweet Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette'. It is soooo delish y'all!

I chopped up some cucumbers, tomatoes, and Vidalia Onions...then poured the 'Sweet Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette' over it and served that over the mixed greens. Yum, yum y'all! You can also order this vinaigrette from me here. It's $8.95 for a 12-oz jar and is must-have for the Southern hostess!

Well, Miss Coco is decked out for the day! We are probably gonna stay home and have some vege burgers, vege baked beans, and potato salad...with some iced sweet tea, of course!

Hope y'all have a wonderful day!

Vidalia Onions

The Vidalia Onion is a sweet onion which was first grown in Vidalia, Georgia in the 1930's.
It has the distinction of being called "the world's sweetest onion." It is also the official State Vegetable of Georgia.

And...did y'all know that you can't grow Vidalia Onions in your backyard? No ma'am, there is a legally definied region of South Georgia where Vidalia Onions can be grown or sold.

Available from late-April to mid-November, these sweet onions are a great source of vitamin C and dietary fiber; they are fat-free and low in calories, with no sodium and no cholesterol. They taste fabulous when served with salads, sandwiches, or burgers. You can bake the Vidalia Onion* and I have included a great recipe below.

Southern Tip: It's Vidalia with a long "I", pronounced "VI-dalia" not "ve-DAY-lia".

Last night I made a fresh salad with mixed greens, cucumber, tomatoes, and vidalia onions. I served the salad with the Taste of Gourmet Sweet Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette and french bread and olive oil dip. This creamy and slightly sweet & lightly peppered Vinaigrette is an old-fashioned favorite for salads and dipping vegetables. It is also a perfect topping drizzled over sliced fresh tomatoes...oh-so Southern!

You can order the Sweet Vidalila Onion Vinaigrette online at my Taste of Gourmet site here.

Of course, there is a Vidalia Onion Queen! The pageant was held on April 16, 2011 in where else?...Vidalia, Georgia. Here's the Queen and her Court...

(L-R) Junior Miss Vidalia Onion Angela Robertson, Miss Onion Seed Nora Grace Mercer, Miss Vidalia Onion Amanda Lawler, and Miss Spring Onion Calista Brogdon.

I love a Southern beauty pageant y'all!!!

Remember, you can order the Taste of Gourmet Sweet Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette here. Every Southerner has their favorite recipe for a dish with Vidalia Onions...this one is mine and I can't wait to prepare it!

Recipe for Vidalia Onion Pie:
1 cup crushed saltines
1/4 cup melted margarine
2 cups thinly slicled Vidalia onions
2 tbsp margarine
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 eggs slightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
3/4 tsp salt

Mix saltines with the melted margarine. Press into 9" pie plate. Saute the onions in 2 tbsp margarine until tender, but not brown. Pour into crumb crust. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over onions. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

Thank you for visiting with me and I hope that y'all are enjoying this Vidalia Onion season!