Everything You Never Knew You Wanted To Know About Hominy

MOLINE, IL/ September 16 2013 - Miss Mamie's Restaurant and Bar in Moline is hosting a food tasting on Thursday, September 26th beginning at 6:00pm. Miss Mamie's will be introducing a quintessential Costal dish to their menu; Polenta with Sautéed Shrimp Fra Diavolo, better known as Shrimp & Grits.

In addition to Shrimp & Grits, Miss Mamie's will feature several appetizers, cocktails, and desserts to give guests a feel for the possibilities of what could go with this exciting new entrée.

Reservations are limited to 50 people and the cost is just $30.00 per person. All proceeds and donations from this event will go to a scholarship for the Scott Community College Chef Apprentice Program.

Miss Mamie's' Chef and Owner, Mike Osborn, wants to bring this fresh, new Costal Cuisine to the Quad Cities. "This event offers local foodies a chance to be the first to taste a new entrée, as well as several other selections. Our launch party will highlight a Southern specialty with a Midwestern base." Grits are small, broken grains of corn, and Iowa and Illinois have produced the largest corn crop for almost two decades.

To reserve your spot at Miss Mamie's' Food Tasting, call 309-762-8336, reservations are limited.

The Food Tasting event is a piece of their new, fresh look that was introduced earlier this year. Miss Mamie's has made some dramatic renovations to their restaurant, as well as incorporating their new look. These changes compliment the rich tradition of entrees this restaurant has been known for throughout the area, while adding an upbeat and relaxed flair to your experience.

About Miss Mamie's: Miss Mamie's Restaurant and Bar is located it Moline, Illinois.  We define fresh as locally sourced steaks, cut in our kitchen. The best seafood we can buy. Crisp salads with house-made dressings. Original entrees crafted by a culinary chef and offered at a good value in an established, locally owned Quad Cities restaurant. Our restaurant and menu embody a casual coastal flair you won't find anywhere else in the area. There's something for every food mood and flavor lover, so let us take care of your current craving, whether it's salad or steak, sandwiches or seafood.

About Mike Osborn: Miss Mamie's' Chef/Owner, Mike Osborn, is a Quad Cities native who has been in the restaurant field his entire professional career.  Mike trained at the most prestigious culinary school in the U.S., the Culinary Institute of America, and he has cooked in private clubs throughout the Country and owned a bagel chain. In 1995, Mike became the head chef at Miss Mamie's. He helped open another location in Davenport, which is now Mo Brady's Steakhouse, and in 2007, he purchased Miss Mamie's Restaurant & Bar and Mo Brady's Steakhouse. Mike has always been serious about food. He takes care to select just the right ingredients, cook them properly and create excitement on the plate.

September 14 - Scott County Extension Office presenting s program on composting 10:00

Fresh local dew kissed apples. Nothing but goodness. You just have to try some.   Saturday Sept 21st (next week) Bring the Kids, you're all Invited! This will be a great fun activity for the whole family.  We provide the cupcakes and all the supplies you bring the smiles and laughs!  Bring your camera and have memories to share!  Starts at 10:00 on the deck area and lasts as long as the cupcakes hold out. What a difference a week makes, all those buds starting to open. Look at all of those gorgeous Mums! Each of the plants have tons more of buds on them and will bloom into even a bigger vibrant bouquet. Several vendors have a large selection, so come and get them. They would look great at your house!

High blood pressure ran in Dee Louis-Scott's family, along with a talent for preparing delicious, beautiful meals that kept everyone at the table for hours.

"I hear many families with a history of medical problems who say they can't do anything about it because it's 'genetics,' " says Louis-Scott, author of "Believe in the Magic," www.mattiefisher.com, an inspirational biography of her late mother, Mattie Fisher.

"But for families like ours it wasn't just 'genetics.' It was also handing down treasured family recipes for great-tasting foods loaded with unhealthy fats and salt."

After a frightening emergency room visit during which mother and daughter learned Fisher's blood pressure was an alarming 240/180, Louis-Scott's mom made changes. For starters, she cut most of the sodium out of her diet.

"The first time she made collard greens without ham hocks or salt pork, they tasted awful," Louis-Scott says. "But she kept experimenting and after a few tries, she had a healthy version that tasted good!"

A year after starting to monitor her sodium, Fisher's weight had dropped from 250 pounds to less than 200.

Louis-Scott shares this story because she sees that many families, especially African-Americans, are prone to preventable, diet-related chronic health issues.

She offers these suggestions for some new family traditions:

• Explore complementary and alternative medicine traditions, which often include a dietary component. "I'm a big believer in the mind-body-spirit connection," Louis-Scott says. "If you find an integrated approach that works for you and your family, you'll have a much easier time making lifestyle changes." She practices many of the elements of Ayurveda, an ancient natural healing system that originated in India. It starts with a questionnaire to determine your body type, or dosha - Vata (airy); Pitta (fiery); Kapha (earthy). Once you know your body type, you learn which foods, exercises and lifestyle elements will best support your health.

• Cut back on sodium without cutting back on flavor. You'll be surprised by how much you don't miss mega-amounts of sodium in your food. People generally don't detect a 25 percent reduction in sodium, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Some tricks for reducing sodium intake: When buying frozen or prepared foods, check the nutrition label. If one serving has more than 1 milligram of salt for each calorie, put it back on the shelf, Louis-Scott says. Skip the fat-free salad dressings, which usually have more sodium to make up for the reduction in fat. (And a little bit of fat won't make you fat!) Avoid or limit popular high-sodium foods such as pizza with meat toppings, catsup, hot dogs and white bread.

• Establish fun new weeknight traditions, like Meatless Taco Tuesdays. Like adults, children are more apt to accept and even embrace change if they're invited to participate - and if it's fun. Instead of a rushed fast-food meal on a busy school night, make it Meatless Taco Tuesday. Come up with some recipes for vegetarian tacos or fish tacos (hint: you can get lots of great ideas online) to prepare together. Or, older kids can take turns being the Tuesday taco chef. Who can come up with the tastiest original combination? "Another idea is to explore new vegetables at the produce stand," Louis-Scott says. "When was the last time you had a turnip? Have the kids help you pick one new vegetable to try each week. You just might discover flavors you never expected to love!"

Today, Louis-Scott points out, developing a chronic condition such as diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease can be as financially devastating as it is physically.

"At some point, one generation needs to say, 'It's time to stop passing down these traditions and create some new ones,' " she says.

About Dee Louis-Scott

Dee Louis-Scott is retired after working 30 years as a federal employee. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. Scott has co-chaired the Black Family Technology Awareness Association's Youth STEM Fair for nine years; its mission is to encourage studies in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math curriculum in urban communities. Twenty years since the death of her heroic mother, Mattie Fisher, Louis-Scott honors her life, which was experienced in a time in American history when it was a double-curse to be a black woman.