Georgia On My Mind

Today is National Georgia Day. Instead of singing the praises of the great state of Georgia, I thought it might be fun to learn about a particular place. So I picked a city I was unfamiliar with, and did a little exploring.

Welcome to Alpharetta Georgia. For a place just a stone throw north of Atlanta, I was very much surprised. While we all know I am not a fan of cities, Alpharetta might just be worth a visit someday. Just keep in mind, with all its small town charm, Alpharetta is part of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area.

The story of Alpharetta begins in the 1830s, following the removal of the native Cherokee people. Under the Indian Removal Act, the Cherokees living in Georgia and the Carolinas were forcefully moved to what is now Oklahoma, creating the Trail of Tears. In Oklahoma along this trail are rocks that look like roses. The Cherokee believe the rosestone rocks were created when their women wept as they walked along the trail. Where their tears fell, a rosestone sprang up from the ground. My father (part Cherokee) brought back one these stones when he was in Oklahome. He knew I would appreciate its history. I display it with pride in my home as a part of my native past.

Pioneers flooded into the newly vacated lands along the Cherokee Trail that stretched from the Northern Georgia Mountains to the Chattahoochee River. One of the area’s first permanent landmarks was the New Prospect Camp Ground or Methodist Camp Ground. The camp was erected beside a natural spring near what is now downtown Alpharetta. It later served as a trading post for goods among settlers to the area. Up until 1858, Alpharetta was known as the town of Milton. On December 11, 1858, the city of Alpharetta was chartered. It served as the county seat of Milton County until 1931, when Milton County merged with Fulton County to avoid bankruptcy during the Great Depression.

There are a number of quaint tales about how Alpharetta got its unusual name. Once such story says the city took its name from a variation of a fictional India girl, Alfarata, in a 19th century song “The Blue Juniata”. Written in 1844, it was one of the most popular parlor songs of its time. The song was even referenced by Mark Twain in his autobiography and recorded by Roy Rogers in 1937. It’s about an Indian girl who sings the praises of her warrior while she travels along the Juanita River. Personally, I like that story.

Others say the name is derived from the Alpha, the first letter of the Greek alphabet. If true, that would be sad since it has no romance whatsoever. And let’s face it; we all like a little romance.

Today Alpharetta offers an array of family activities. There are several historical walking tours. The first Saturday in October, downtown Alpharetta hosts the Scarecrow Harvest. The streets are lined with 100 scarecrows to celebrate the fall spirit.

There’s a seasonal Farmer’s Market at the Village Green in front of City Hall. It’s open ever Saturday from April through October with fruits, vegetables, local honey and mush more. Who doesn’t enjoy an outdoor market place?

Alpharetta is all about outdoor family fun. There are parks to explore and adventures to be had at every level from the unskilled (that would be me) to the really adventurous. It’s a strolling, biking, fishing paradise.

Outdoors not your thing? That’s okay. There’s plenty of shopping, dinning and even an Amphitheatre with both lawn and VIP lounge seating. They even create an ice skating ring for the holidays for those of you still looking for something special outdoors.

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I thought it would be nice to end our visit to Alpharetta Georgia with some of my favorite Southen Flavors.

Georgia On My Mind Menu
Oven Fried Buttermilk Chicken
Baked Pasta Shells with Velveeta Cheese
Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits

Georgia Peach Cobbler

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Oven Fried Buttermilk Chicken
8 Bone-in Dark Meat Chicken Pieces
1 cup 1% Buttermilk
1/4 cup Sour Cream
1/2 teaspoon Hot Sauce
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder, divided
2 teaspoon Salt, divided
2 teaspoon Black Pepper, divided
2/3 cup Flour
1 teaspoon Paprika
1 teaspoon dried Thyme
1-1/2 teaspoon Cornstarch
Cooking Spray

Place chicken pieces in a gallon-size zip lock bag. Place bag in a casserole dish to prevent any leaking that might happen.

Whisk together buttermilk, sour cream, hot sauce, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Pour buttermilk mixture into the bag.

Seal and turn to evenly coat. Allow chicken to rest in the fridge for 2 hours (up to 8 hours in fine). Turn half-way through the marinating time for even coating. The longer the chicken soaks in the buttermilk, the better.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, add a wire rack and lightly spray rack with cooking spray. Add flour, paprika, thyme, cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper in a pie tin, whisk to blend. Remove the chicken from the marinade bag, shake off excess marinade. Dredge chicken, once piece at a time, in the seasoned flour, coat well.

Shake off excess flour and place chicken on the prepared rack. Repeat with remaining chicken. Throw out the remaining marinade and flour mixture.

Lightly spray tops of chicken with cooking spray – as in a very fine mist. Let chicken rest for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, position oven rack in the center of the oven, heat oven to 425-degrees. Bake chicken undisturbed for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, close door to maintain heat. Turn chicken over, turn pan around and return to oven. (This will ensure even cooking). Continue to bake another 20 minutes or until cooked through. Turn chicken one final time, shut oven off and hold chicken in the warm oven until ready to serve.

Perfect with creamy Mac and Cheese and Buttermilk Biscuits.

Baked Pasta with Velveeta Cheese
2 cups Elbow Macaroni or Pasta Sea Shells
12 oz Velveeta Cheese
1/3 cup Milk
Fresh Black Pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350-degrees. Spray a 1-quart casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and coon until tender, abut 10 minutes. Stir the pasta as it cooks to prevent clumping together.

While the past cooks, cut cheese into small cubes, about 1/2-inch square. Set aside. Gently warm the milk in a medium saucepan over low heat. Once the milk is no longer cold to the touch, add the cheese. Stir frequently, continue to simmer until the cheese is completely melted and the mixture is smooth.

Remove from heat. Stir in pasta and season with a little fresh pepper. Spoon the pasta and cheese into the prepared casserole dish. Bake in the heated oven for 20 minutes or until heated through.

If desired, garnish with a little more fresh pepper just before serving.

Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits
6 tablespoons Butter
2 cups Flour
1 tablespoons Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 tablespoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Buttermilk, well chilled

Heat oven to 450-degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

Cut butter into small pieces. Place butter on a plate, place in the freezer to chill well. White the butter freezes, prepare the dry ingredients.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade, measure flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Pulse several times to combine well.

Add frozen bits of butter to the dry ingredients. Pulse a few more times, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Transfer flour mixture to a large mixing bowl. Create a well in the center of the crumb mixture.

Add buttermilk to the well. Gently stir until a dough is formed. It should be slightly sticky or tacky. If too sticky, add a bit more flour. Gently stir, taking care not to over-work the dough or the biscuits will be tough.

Lightly flour a cutting board. Lightly flour a 2-1/2 inch round biscuit cutter and set aside. Turn dough out onto the floured work surface. Pat dough into a rectangle about 8-inches long. With the long side facing you, fold the right side toward the middle, then fold the left side, creating a tri-fold of dough. Rotate the dough a quarter turn, pat into the same size rectangle. Repeat the tri-fold, then rotate, pat and fold again. The more this is repeated, the more layers there will be in the biscuit. Three times should be a nice point to stop.

Pat dough down into a rectangle one last time, about an inch thick. With the floured biscuit cutter, cut biscuits from the dough with a straight downward push, do not twist. Combine left over scraps, pat down to an inch thick and cut again. You should have 8 biscuits.

Note: If there are leftover scraps after a second cut, discard as the dough may be overworked.

Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, barely touch one another. This will help biscuits to “climb” as they bake.

Place in the heated oven and bake for about 12 minutes or until golden brown and baked through. Serve warm, with honey butter for a real southern treat.

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No Georgia Supper would be complete without a fresh peach cobbler.

Georgia Peach Cobbler
Peach Filling
8 medium fresh Peaches
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
Pinch Nutmeg
2 teaspoons Cornstarch

Heat oven to 425-degrees. Line a large rimmed baking with foil. Place the pan on the lowest rack in the oven. This will catch any overflow from the cobbler as it bakes and keep the kitchen from filling with smoke. Unless, of course you like smoke and a messy oven.

Quickly blanch peaches to remove skins. Slice peaches in half, remove stone then slice into thin wedges, abut 9 cups or so of fresh peaches. In a large mixing bowl, combine peach wedges with lemon juice. Toss to coat in juices. Add both sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg and cornstarch. Stir to combine.

Pour peach filling into a 9-inch by 13-inch casserole dish. Place in the heated oven to bake undisturbed for 10 minutes. While the peaches are baking, make the crust.

Crust Topping
1/2 cup Boiling Water
12 tablespoons Butter
2 cups Flour
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Brow Sugar
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Bring water to a boil. Maintain a nice, steady simmer. Place butter in the freezer to chill well. Grate a few pieces at a time until all the butter is chilled and grated. Keep cold.

Mix flour, sugars, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Toss the grated butter into the flour mixture. Little lumps of butter is fine. Stir in the boiling water, just until crust is combined. Set aside to make cinnamon finishing touch.

Cinnamon Sugar Finishing Touch
1/3 cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Cinnamon

In a small bowl mix sugar with cinnamon, set aside.

Remove the peach filling from the oven. With the use of a small cookie scoop, drop the top curst mixture over the peaches. Once covered with blobs of crust, finish with a sprinkling of the cinnamon sugar.

Return cobbler to the oven, bake until top is golden and a tester inserted into the crust comes out clean, about 28 minutes.

Cobbler is best served warm with a scoop of ice cream.

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Do not seek to become lazy, but to imitate those
Who through faith and patients
Inherit what has been promised.
Hebrews 6:12