DECOR &CUISINEPujiu Belly-Atlanta

Fantastic Eats

Home Works | Design 101 | Mind Matters

Lemonade with a twist

summer 2019

Southern State Home Solutions | General Contractors4290 Bells Ferry Road | Ste. 134-71 | Kennesaw, GA 30144

770-882-4861www.southernstatehomesolutions.com

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CONTENTS

Decor Cuisine

Home Works Collecting

Mind Matters MasterPeace Living

Contractor’s Expo Southern State - Home Solutions Comfort Eagle Roofing

Dream Home Atlanta Real Estate

Fantastic EatsPujiu Belly, Atlanta

Recipe FilesSummer Favorites

Java SmackA Buzz About Coffee

Culinary DelightsLemonade

Top ChefVagn Neilsen Proof of the Pudding

Design 101 Arranging furniture

4

5

8

10

12

13

14

15

16

6

Decor&Cuisine 3

My mother had at least 30 bowls in her kitchen. They were different shapes and sizes made from glass, porcelain and crockery. She was always looking for a “new good bowl”. As a kid I couldn’t un-derstand her obsession, but when I grew and had a family of my own, the value of a “new good bowl” became clear. I began gathering bowls of my own and before I knew it, my collection rivaled my mom’s. I had stacks of utilitarian bowls buried under my cabinets and the antique, glass bowls were beautifully arranged on my baker’s rack and cookbook shelves. When I see a unique bowl in someone’s kitchen, I

can’t help but wonder where it came from.Was it a gift or did they find it in a spe-cial boutique or flee market? Maybe it belonged to their grandmother. What I do know is that it’s special and has probably held the ingredients for many culinary creations. My mother’s mag-nificent bowl collection now lives in my kitchen and they remind me of the many years she and I made Christmas cookies and birthday cakes together in her kitchen. Check out the history of bowls and maybe it will spawn a new collection in your kitchen.

Collecting

Bowls and their uses: Small bowls are perfect for making fresh baby food or holding a small sal-ad while trying to find that pre-baby figure. A wide, deep bowl is necessary for mixing cake batter or marinating lots of chicken for the grill and a decorative bowl is the best for holding fruits and nuts.

Home Works

Decor&Cuisine 4

Decor&Cuisine 5

Train Your Brain to Conquer Clutter In Just 15 Minutes a Day

www.masterpeaceliving.com

Is clutter pulling you under? There’s an undertow to clutter, pulling you away from your best thinking, your best performance, and even your best health.

To create a de-cluttering habit and to put a big dent in your toughest clutter-spots, you need just 15 minutes a day for 21 days. They don’t even have to be consecutive days, as long as you schedule four or five sessions during a work week. Then, take the weekends off!

Start by identifying the one, horrible clutter-spot that icks you the most. The dreaded place. Imagine that place clean and organized. If you get an immediate sigh of relief, start there! We’re looking for the “Whew!” factor.

Then set a daily 15-minute appointment over the next 21 days. Use your phone alarm and act like these appoint-ments are non-negotiable. Pretend you’ll have to pay a huge fee if you fail to show up (like if you missed a doc-tor’s appointment).

When the first appointment time comes, set a timer. Work for 15 minutes and then stop. It’s not the end of the world if you go longer, but the point is you don’t have to. Just do the 15 minutes and consider yourself a rock star for the day.

For effective brain training, do not sabotage yourself with negative self-talk. Give yourself credit every day you keep an appointment and watch how you begin to naturally avoid clutter in the first place.

Now just rinse and repeat for 20 more days. Of course, if you finish cleaning and organizing that first clutter-spot before the 21-day cycle ends, start on another spot. Keep your 21-day commitment. And then, celebrate!

You are well on your way to conquering the clutter habit. To help secure the habit, pick new clutter-spots and keep going for a couple more rounds of 21 days. Soon you’ll have built a new, clutter-busting routine into your lifestyle. Keep going!

For more of my thoughts on decluttering and the brain, click here.

Create Some De-Cluttering Fun!Give your best friend $100 and tell them they get to keep the money if you don’t keep your 21 decluttering appointments. At the end of the 21-day cycle, use the money on a special reward. Spa treatment, anyone?

Kathryn Leslie is a certified professional life coach specializing in helping smart, capable women eliminate negative self-talk, unwanted emotions, and self-defeating behaviors. She welcomes you to learn more at www.MasterPeaceLiving.com or by email at KathLeslie@MasterPeaceLiving.com.

By Kathryn Leslie, CPLC

Contractors Expo

Decor&Cuisine 6

Kurt and Marty began Southern State Home Solutions from their desire to bridge the gap between home owners and their property’s value. Kurt began his career as a General Contractor in New York 25 years ago and Marty, a Georgia native has been in the home renovation business for 20 years. Their combined knowledge of residential home design and con-struction has made them leaders in the industry. Quality craftsmanship, a reliable well managed crew plus integrity are the values that create supe-rior work. Southern State Home Solutions is ready for all residential con-struction projects, but they specialize in home remodeling, vintage renova-tions, basement build-outs, floor plan redesign (creating open floor plans), kitchens and bathrooms. They also build decks and patios, complete sid-ing (Hardie certified) and window replacements. Kurt and Marty work with quality roofing specialists for roof replacements and repairs. Flip-ping a house from old to new is their passion and quality is their mark. Call or email for an estimate. 770-882-4861, southernstatehs@gmail.com.

770-882-4861 www.southernstatehomesolutions.com Serving Metro Atlanta

Decor&Cuisine 7

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Decor&Cuisine 8

Dream Home is brought to you by The Atlanta Real Estate Market

Atlanta has one of the most sought after housing markets in the country. This fabulous, metropolitan, peach of a city offers more house for the dollar than almost any other place in the country. These beautiful homes are decorated to the hilt and show-off the refined style that truly is the new south. Follow us in every issue

and see what DECOR&CUISINE’S DreamHome has for you.

Decor&Cuisine 9

Design 101

Decor&Cuisine 10

Arranging Furniture,It’s Easy!

The tools • a large sketch pad • construction paper (yellow be-

cause you can see your marks)• a sharp pencil• a flexible tape measure• scissors • a ruler

Arranging furniture in an existing space can be tricky. It’s hard to visualize the after when the before is in your way. The idea of moving all that furni-ture around the room, from spot to spot, over and over with no clear vision seems impossible, right? What if I told you there was a way to see the vi-sion without the heavy lifting? Well, there is. It’s an old school interior de-signer’s technique that really focuses on scale and proportion. Determin-ing the correct placement of furniture in a room is key to maximizing and beautifying a space. Here’s how it’s done. Begin by measuring the perimeter of the room. If the room is 18 x 15 feet, make your sketch 18 x 15 inch-es. Converting feet to inches allows you to draw a room to scale. Make sure when you draw the measure, you make a thick line or an X where furniture can’t be placed such as fireplaces, HVAC vents, electrical outlets, windows and doors. After you have the floor plan, measure the furniture and keep the same scale. A 6-foot sofa is now a 6-inch sofa. It’s important to keep the scale the same. Draw the furniture on construction paper first, then cut out the shapes. (keep it simple with rectangles, circles and squares). Now, you can place the paper furniture in the paper room and rearrange it as many times as you like. After you decide on a room design, you only need to move the real furniture once. I hope this project is helpful and fun. Happy decorating!

Would you help if you knew children in your

neighborhood were hungry?

They are.The Statistics

3 in 5 Georgia children receive free/reduced lunch475,450 people in MUST’s service area are “food insecure”

In the 7 counties MUST serves, food insecurity averages 14% the populationCobb ranks only 68% of 100% on a comprehensive child wellbeing index.

For more information: PO Box 1717 • Marietta, GA 30061 • 770.427.9862 • mustministries.orgLike us on facebook · Follow us on twitter

© 2018 MUST Ministries. All rights reserved.

Easy ways to give1. Write a check and mail to address below2. Donate online at www.mustministries.org. You can sign up to be a

monthly donor, too! Become a MUST Valuable Partner (MVP)!3. Donate on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mustministries

Your generous contribution will help us serve 6,000 children a day in seven counties:

Bartow • Cherokee • Cobb • Douglas • Gwinnett • Fulton • Pickens

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Pujiu Belly

In 2018, Atlanta experienced a record breaking year for rain. For a south-erner, it’s hard to keep a smile when the sun doesn’t shine. I have found the best way to fix the gloom of nasty weather is to EAT! I find the trend-iest restaurant and chow-down! In mid-January, my husband and I met our oldest son at a cool little place off 10th street in Atlanta called Pujiu Bel-ly. It’s a Korean-Chinese Gastropub. Parking was a bit of a challenge

mostly because of the monsoon we were experiencing that evening, but what a surprise. The atmosphere was laid back and comfortable with a touch of GA Tech memorabilia and lots of smiling faces enjoying good conversation and some of the best Asian food I’ve had in long time. The meal started with a cold beer, some sparkling water and Pot Stickers. They were filled with pork and herbs and cooked to perfection. Not too greasy and not too dry, just perfect. My hus-band enjoyed a vegetable bowl topped with a fried egg and my son partook in the octopus balls. We were eating from each other’s plates and ordered more. Our waiter was the best. He was knowledgeable, courteous and a great conversationalist. We have since returned with friends and family and the food and service are consistently the same. Outstanding!

Decor & Cuisine 12

FantasticEats

Culinary DelightsLemonade-

with a twistLemonade is the quintessential drink of summer. Nothing beats the heat like a tall frosty glass of fresh lemonade. Well, maybe a tall frosty glass of sweet tea, but we’ll save that for another issue. Back to lemonade. Interestingly, it’s not just for lemons anymore. Using citrus of any kind can leave your lips puckered and taste buds delighted. All though store bought is easy, it can be too sweet and is full of chemicals, so fresh is best.It all starts with simple syrup which is equal parts (2 cups each) granulated sugar and water combined and brought to a brief boil. After the syrup cools to room temperature, add 2 cups of fresh squeezed lemon juice and 1 quart of water. 1 whole lemon sliced into 6 pieces with seeds removed and1 stem of fresh mint. If you want to create a more exotic version of lemonade, use 1 cup of squeezed lemons and 1 cup of squeezed limes or grapefruit. You can also combine the lemon juice with orange juice. Garnish with fresh berries and rosemary.

This beverage can take girls night to a whole new level by adding a shot of vodka or rum. Serve in a beautiful glass over ice and enjoy the lazy days and nights of summer. Cheers!

Decor & Cuisine 13

Decor&Cuisine 14

Chef Vagn Neilsen

My love for exquisitely prepared food began when I worked for Proof of the Pudding Catering in Atlan-ta. I had always enjoyed cooking and was thrilled when my meals turned out the way I had planned. For those with any experience in the kitchen, you know what I mean. My palette went in a whole new direc-tion after my first tasting of food pre-pared by the renowned Corporate Ex-ecutive Chef, Vagn Neilsen with Proof of the Pudding Catering. Honestly, I was blown away and realized I could never go back to the ordinary now that I had been exposed to the extraordinary. Chef Vagn Neilsen has prepared food for intimate dinner parties, to are-na gatherings for thousands and the food is delicious and perfectly exe-cuted every time. He began his ca-reer in Denmark before he left for the United States (Atlanta Georgia)

in 1975 on a foreign exchange program.He began as Sous Chef at the Midnight Sun restaurant and was quickly pro-moted to Executive Chef. After that he joined in a partnership running the kitchen at the Anchorage house which was one of the finest restaurant in Beaufort, South Carolina at that time. He returned to Atlanta in 1984 and was serving as the Executive Chef in an upscale restaurant when he was pur-sued by Proof of the Pudding. For over 25 years, Vagn Neilsen has overseen Proof of the Puddings kitchen and it’s staff as Corporate Executive Chef. Un-der his guidance, Proof of the Pudding has earned a reputation for excellence. Their quality and dependability are unsurpassed thanks to the creativity and leadership of Chef Vagn Neilsen.

Contemporary | TraditionalEXTRAORDINARY!

Top Chef

www.proofofthepudding.com

Java Smack

Decor&Cuisine 15

is Coffee talk!Join us for some JavaSMACK in DÉCOR&CUI-SINE as we explore local coffee houses and hear the unique stories about these passionate entrepreneurs. In this issue...we begin, appro-priately, with the origin of coffee.

Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from roast-ed coffee beans which are the seeds of the ber-ries from coffee plants. The “Genus Coffea” is native to tropical Africa and Madagascar. The plant was exported from Africa and distrib-uted around the world and coffee plants are now cultivated in over 70 countries, primari-ly in the equatorial regions of South America, Southeast Asia, India and Africa. The two most commonly grown are the highly regarded Ar-abica and the less sophisticated but stronger and hardier Robusta. Once ripe, coffee berries are picked, processed and dried. Dried coffee seeds (referred to as beans) are roasted in vary-ing degrees which creates the different flavors. Roasted beans are ground and brewed in near boiling water to produce coffee as a coveted beverage.

JavaSMACK will share the stories behind the trendiest coffee bistros and delicious coffee recipes.

Here’s something simple and refreshing – whether you like your coffee strong or mild, black or sweet, adding a fresh sprig of pepper-mint will boost your pleasure. Enjoy!

Decor&Cuisine 18

A Summer Recipe Files

Cook-Out

Decor&Cuisine 19

Grilled Chicken Legs15 to 20 chicken legs (skin removed) Place the chicken legs in a large mixing bowl and cover with 1/4 cup of DECOR&CUISINE’S BBQ Rub (ingredients listed below) Toss the legs until completely covered with the rub. Drop ½ cup of Mayonnaise in the bowl. With a large mixing spoon, turn the mayonnaise all over the chicken legs. Fire up the grill to a medium heat. Place all the legs on the grill at the same time. Turn the legs every 5 to 10 minutes and cook until the internal temperature of the meat is 165 degrees. DECOR&CUISINE BBQ Chicken Rub 1 Tbs. Cumin1 Tbs. Paprika1 Tbs. Powdered Garlic1 Tbs. Powdered Onion1 Tbs. Chili Powder1 Tbs. Brown Sugar1 Tbs. Kosher SaltCombine all ingredients in a plastic or glass container, cover with a lid and store.

Coca-Cola Baked Beans2- 20 oz. cans of plain baked beans com-pletely drained.10 oz. of freshly opened Coca-ColaPlace your drained baked beans in an alu-minum baking pan. Pour the Coca-Cola over the beans and mix with a wooden spoon. Cover the pan with a sheet of alumi-num foil and set on the top rack of the grill while the chicken legs cook. If you prefer to use the oven, set to 375 and bake for 20 -30 minutes. The beans are ready when they are bubbling and the sauce is thick.

Easy Southern Potato Salad8 - 10 Russet Potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks (give or take)1 small sweet onion diced¼ cup sweet pickle relish1 cup Real Mayonnaise2 Tbs. Yellow Mustard½ tsp. paprikaBoil the potatoes until tender, drain and place the potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add the diced onion, sweet pickle relish and paprika. Mix these ingredients together with the mayo and mustard. Salt and Pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

BBQ Corn on the Cobb6 – 8 ears of corn½ stick real butter softened1 Tbs. DECOR&CUISINE BBQ Rub.Boil the Corn on the Cobb as usual. Let the corn cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Mix the BBQ Rub and the softened butter together. Place each piece of corn on a compatible sheet of aluminum foil. Spread a pat of the butter mixture on the corn and wrap the foil tight-ly around the corn. Place the corn on the grill for about 5 minutes. Remove from the grill and keep wrapped until ready to serve.

Grilled Peaches and Ice Cream4 ripe peaches, halved and pitted1 stick butter, softened¼ cup brown sugarCanola oil sprayUsing a wooden spoon, mix the soft butter with the brown sugar. Set aside.Heat your grill to medium-high heat. Cover the cut side of the prepared peach halves with Canola Spray. Place the sprayed sides face down on the grill. Cook until the peaches are tender and have visible grill marks. Remove the peaches from the grill, set each peach in a desert dish and spread at least 1 Tbs. of the butter mixture on each peach. Place a scoop of creamy, vanilla ice cream on top of the peach. WOW!

Decor&Cuisine 18

Hawaiian Skewers12 to 14-inch bamboo skewers6 boneless chicken breasts1 16 oz. can pineapple chunks1 jar of pearl onions2 red bell peppers1 bottle of prepared teriyaki marinadeSalt & PepperStart by soaking 8 skewers in water. This will prevent them from burning on the grill. Prepare the boneless chicken by cutting each breast into 2-inch cubes. Place the cubed chicken pieces into a large pot of boiling water for 2 minutes (this will allow all the ingredients to cook at the same pace once on the grill). Drain and place into a large mixing bowl and cover with a ½ cup of prepared teriyaki mari-nade. Set the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours turning every 30 min-utes. Drain the pineapple chunks, pearl onions and place in a mixing bowl. Wash, core and slice the red peppers into 2-inch pieces and put them in the bowl with the pineapples and onions. Pour the other ½ cup of teriyaki marinade into the bowl making sure all is covered in the marinade.Begin the skewer stack by piercing a pineapple and moving it up the skewer until 2 inches remains at the top of the skewer. Then add an onion, a chunk of chicken, then a pepper. Repeat until you have about 2 inches of skewer at the bottom. This should make approximately 8 skewers. Carry the skewers to the grill on a large cookie sheet. Using a tong, set each skew-er a on medium heat grill. Cooking time is about 5 to 7 minutes on each side. chicken should be 165 degrees when finished. Serve over a side of steamed white rice or bed of riced cauliflower.

Grilled New York Strip Steak, for Two2 1-inch thick New York Strip SteaksSalt & Pepper2 Tbs. real butter, separatedSet each steak on a cutting board. To taste, sprinkle with salt & pepper. Directly grill over high heat with an open lid. 4 minutes on each side. Remove from grill and place on a clean cutting board and spread 1 Tbs. of butter on each steak. Deli-cious!

Grilling Favorites Recipe Files

Decor&Cuisine 19

Baby Back Ribs 1 full rack of baby back ribs2 lemons1 cup kosher salt2 Tbs. black peppercorns2 bay leavesBBQ sauce for glazingPlace the ribs in a large stockpot filled with enough cold water to cover. Squeeze the lemons into a bowl and strain the juice into the pot; add the lemon rinds as well (remove any seeds). Add the salt, peppercorns and bay leaves, bring water to a boil. Boil until the ribs are slightly soft but not falling apart, about 25 min-utes. Light the grill for medium-high heat. Lay the ribs on the grill, meat on the bottom with the fat side up. Cook for 10 minutes with the lid closed; open the lid and brush with the sauce and grill for another 3 minutes with the lid open. Ribs should be at least 165 degrees in the center. Be careful not to char the meat, you want the meaty to gently fall apart when served.

Grilled Salmon1 ½ lbs. salmon fillets½ tsp. lemon pepper½ tsp. garlic powder1/3 cup soy sauce1/3 cup brown sugar1/3 cup water¼ cup vegetable oilSprinkle fillets with salt, lemon pepper and garlic powder to taste. Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, water and oil. Marinate the fish in soy mixture for 1 hour (fish will quickly absorb marinades). Remove from the marinade. Grill on medium heat for 5 minutes per side. The center of the fish should flake with a fork when done. Serve with steamed or lightly grilled, fresh asparagus.

Grilling Favorites

ColorBOX Publications & Graphics, LLC 4290 Bells Ferry Road | Ste 134-71 Kennesaw GA 30144 770-217-5612

Decor&Cuisine Magazine is posted quarterly. All matters regarding editorial and advertising should be emailed to info@colorboxpublications.com. The publisher has checked for accuracy to the best of ability. Colorbox Publications & Graphics is not responsible for deletions or inaccuracies. No part of this pub-lication can be reprinted or reposted without permission from the publisher. Copywrite 2018 by Color-BOX Publications and Graphics, LLC. All rights reserved. Product of the United States of America.

cuisine noun [kwa-,zeen]

1. manner of preparing food2. cooking style used in France

3. the food prepared

The art of cooking and the joy of entertaining are the reasons we break bread.

Bon Appetit!

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DECOR&CUISINE

decornoun [de-cor \da-’kor]

1. a staged setting2. layout of interior furnishings

Decor is your home, your taste, your interest. Let us entertain your decorating

senses.

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