Home Cookin' Illustrated
Georgia Artists on Food, Art, and Their Inspiration
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
I
Home Cookin’ Illustrated
(Excerpted)
My mom was an expert at making large, filling and tasty meals for my dad, my two brothers and me (Dave, Dan and Doug – Mom had a thing about D’s). ...
... (S)ome of my fondest childhood memories are of spending days with Mom in the
kitchen as she baked bread and made the best cinnamon rolls EVER. Or making
soup with her, or making cookies, or helping with the canning and freezing, or
watching her turn a bunch of leftovers into a casserole, or helping roll out
egg noodles, or helping knead and roll the dough for potato dumplings … and on
and on.
I also remember watching cooking shows with her on television, Julia Child to be exact, sometimes even trying to “cook” along with the television show, me with mixing bowls, wooden spoons and measuring cups, stirring up imaginary French cuisines. ...
... My
first real memory of cooking something all by myself is probably from my first-
or second-grade years, when I was 6 or 7. I was receiving the Weekly Reader
magazine and there was a recipe for Peanut Butter Creams, which was a no-bake
concoction that, after I made them, my older brothers charmingly referred to as
looking like baby poop, which in truth, what else would a combination of peanut
butter, sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips look like?
Peanut Butter Creams
Ingredients:
1
cup powdered sugar
1
cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter
1
cup chocolate chips
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
Method:
In
a large mixing bowl, stir everything together, cover and chill in the
refrigerator until it is firm. Then, drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper, chill
again until firm and serve.
Brace
yourself for the “big brother” remarks and enjoy.
... I
should mention that just as I started early with cooking, I was writing early
as well, first keeping a journal inspired by an early reading of “Harriet the
Spy” with the same kind of repercussions poor Harriet suffered when the wind
caught my notebook and scattered the pages all over the playground and
eventually into the hands of my friends and schoolmates.
A
couple of years later, in about the fifth grade and at a larger school, I tried
starting a school newspaper, which I painstakingly wrote and designed by hand
in pencil, complete with pictures and graphic elements. While my English
teacher applauded the effort and gave me extra credit for it, I couldn’t
convince anyone that we should run off copies (mimeographs in those days,
blueish-purple ink that gave you a slight buzz if you sniffed the still-wet
pages) and distribute them throughout the school. ...
... I
might have attended culinary school right out of high school if not for a
cranky chef at the local steakhouse where I was a bus boy who talked me out of
it. So, instead I went to college on poetry and journalism scholarships, and
wrote, designed, photographed and edited the college paper as well as the literary
magazine. ...
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Doug Janousek, Union Point’s
resident personal chef and cookbook author, is excited that his
his long-awaited art and recipes book, Home Cookin’ Illustrated, is ready.
The book features interviews with the participating artists, personalized menus and recipes, and original artwork.
“I think the concept for this book is really different and intriguing,” he said. “Talking with the artists and getting their take on food, as well as on their art was just amazing.”
The artists include painters from
Augusta to Athens, Eatonton, Union Point, Greensboro, Watkinsville and Oxford
who work in acrylics, watercolors, pastels, oils and a variety of mixed media.
Janousek created personalized menus for each artist and came up with his recipe versions from a variety of cuisines including a Mediterranean mezze, or buffet, for Union Point artist Anne Jenkins; an Irish-inspired menu for cover artist Lillie Morris of Evans; a Hungarian/Slavic styled menu for Lake Oconee area artist Mev Rozsman, as well as several other food styles like Low Country South, Southwestern fare and his upscale tasting menu, “33 Bites to Fulfillment,” he served last Spring at The Washington Grass Inn with executive chef Gloria Slaughter.
Lake Country artists include Jenkins of Union Point and Rozsman, as well as Cameron Hampton of the Hampton Fine Art Gallery, Jan Whyllson, Nan McGarity of the Historic Mill Studio, Judy Phlegar and Gail Vail.
Also taking part in the project is Darlene Simmemon of Eatonton, Will Eskridge of Athens, JoAnn Kolbus of Watkinsville, Margaret Warfield of Oxford, and from the Augusta area, Gail Smith and Lillie Morris of the Broadstrokes Gallery in Evans.
Rounding out the book is a chapter and menu with Matt Garofalo of The Oconee Cellar. Matt provides wine pairings for most of the menus as well as tips on how to do a tasting in your own home.
About the Author
I have been cooking since I was a youngster, with Mom as my first and in many ways best teacher. She taught me the importance of making sure no one leaves the table hungry, which means that the food needs to not only look good and smell good, but taste good, too.
My formal education began with earning my bachelor of science in Journalism and English with a minor in political science, graduating cum laude in December 1984.
Journalism has taken me all around the
In 2004 I arranged my life to change careers and attend the Le Cordon Bleu program at
At OCA I learned the classic French techniques to go with the recipes I have been honing over the years. I use the freshest ingredients possible and strive to make my meals as wholesome and good tasting as possible.
For the last several years I have also worked as a freelance food/recipes columnist, as well as a personal chef in
In 2006 I coordinated a cookbook with several other personal chefs, acting as editor/publisher/co-writer (Twelve Seasons Under the Florida Sun available at www.shop.homecookinbooks.com).
And I’ve now completed Home Cookin’ Illustrated, my second cookbook, where I created personalized menus for a number of