Local Flavor Recipes

Now that Spring has sprung in the Bluegrass, it seems like we're getting ready for lots of entertaining: Easter, Derby Brunches, dinner after the Races. I decided for more of local flavors, I'd share here two of my favorite recipes from Creating a Stir that might be good to make at an event you might be hosting this Spring.

Creating a Stir has to be the best cookbook I've ever had! It was published by the Fayette County Medical Auxiliary in 1999 and has literally become my cooking Bible. I've yet to make a dish from it that hasn't become a house favorite. The book is also peppered with anecdotes about famous Kentuckians that add to the flavor! I love to give this book as a closing gift to people relocating to Lexington and it's a great graduation gift or wedding shower gift.

Always getting rave reviews from the book is The Feta Cranberry Walnut Salad

A bunch of mixed greens (about 8 people’s worth)

½-1 cup of craisins
1 cup of crumbled Feta
½-1 cup of chopped walnuts (I toast these but putting them in a little skillet with about a tablespoon of butter and then browning them)

Dressing is:
½ cup of vegetable oil
¼ cup of cider vinegar
¼ cup of chopped onion (chop very fine)
¼ cup of sugar (I’ve used splenda before but don’t really recommend it)

½ tsp. of paprika
¼ tsp. of ground mustard
¼ tsp of celery seed
1/8 ground pepper


Spinach Salad recipe is a

Baby Spinach for about 10 people
Sliced fresh strawberries (typically I use about 2/3 to a whole one of those plastic containers they sell strawberries in at Kroger)

Dressing
½ cup of sugar
¼ cup cider vinegar
½ cup vegetable oil
1 ½ teaspoons of minced onion
¼ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp paprika
1 tab. Poppy seeds
2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds (I literally “toast” these in the toaster oven now as I always burn them if I broil them)

Whisk all of those together but put the poppy seeds and sesame seeds in last.

These are the basic recipes from Creating a Stir (I’m writing them from memory so there might be some slight variations that I’ve added over the years)

Enjoy and Happy Spring!