Catering For Diplomats With MadJon & Southern Comforts Foods Beauford Stew

D.C.-based diplomats say goodbye to Aiken

Hello to all my foodies friends out there in web land hope all is well.  Here is a article that was written for us when the D.C. Diplomats visited Aiken and I had the honor of ch-effing for them with some good old Southern comfort foods and help from a friend of mine named Tim O'Briant, he helped me with cooking the Beau-ford Stew which is a great favorite from the low country of South Carolina.  We had to make it with Turkey Sausage instead of a pork sausage product which hey smoke flavor is smoke flavor to me and we cooked it in Beer and Chicken Broth from my recipe.  It was a treat loved by all.  We also made Greens with Smoked Turkey necks.  Black Eyed Peas and Corn Bread, also a Southern Favorites.  I made Peach Pies as well.    A good time was had by all and then I remember we got on a train headed for Washington D.C. after the catering for my son's 40th birthday celebration.  Now that's another story which I'll save until later.   I want to also thank Donna Ritter for picking me to do the ch-effing for this group of great people who I know are new friends of Aiken. This article was written by: Rob Nova.

As the visiting Washington-based diplomats prepared to leave Aiken on Sunday morning, New Zealand wing commander Allan Jenkinson expressed a sentiment shared by several other ambassadors, attaches and their spouses."The whole time we've been in Washington, we were looking for the opportunity to see what the real America is all about it," he said. "Washington is a very provincial and transient city, with people coming in and out."The weekend visit included a Lowcountry Boil and shag lessons at the Aiken County Historical Museum, the Aiken Trials and a visit with Cot Campbell and Dogwood Stable. The Lowcountry Boil was provided by Eileen Hudson, known professionally as Madjon.The weekend event was coordinated by part-time Aiken resident Donna Ritter, a volunteer with The Hospitality and Information Services (THIS), which provides assistance to diplomats and their families living in the Washington, D.C., area. Ritter and her husband Martin hosted a dinner of fried turkey and other Southern dishes Saturday, furnished by Allen Willing.The countries represented include Fiji, Germany, France, Switzerland, Malta and several more."I think they have gone home extremely excited and want to repeat this visit next year," Ritter said. "They called it the most unique visit ever. They're not naive; they know that Washington doesn't represent American culture. I felt they have seen the real-time America now."Several of the couples have visited extensively in mostly large U.S. cities. But few have been to the deep South and wanted to experience the hospitality.Another unique aspect was the opportunity to stay with host families, an effort coordinated by Aiken resident Lyn Kenney. She did a great job of matching the hosts with the visitors, Ritter said.Hank and Jen Smalling played hosts to Madagascar ambassador Jocelyn Radifera and his wife Erna."We talked about all the things going on in the world," said Hank. "We enjoyed getting to know the feelings they had about being here. They appreciated the hospitality and the kindness and how people took care of them."But diplomatic work didn't take a holiday this weekend. Radifera was on the Internet Sunday at 4 a.m., getting the latest information on the political turmoil in his country.Doreen Merkel, wife of European Union minister counselor Bernard Merkel, said with a smile that the weekend provided a different political experience."Where we hang out tends to be very left wing," she said. "Here, it's more Republican. In Washington, we're nothing, just little tadpoles. But here, we're the big fish in a small pond, and it's amazing to be given this great big honor."Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com

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MadJon's Shrimp Boil

Fresh Large Shrimp                             1 pound, 16 ozs. Water                                                    Cover the shrimp for boil, 2 quarts maybe Lemon                                                    1 Cut in half and juiced Celery                                                    1 stalk, broken in half Onion                                                     1 small onion, diced Fresh Garlic                                            4 pods crushed Bay Leafs                                               3-4 leafs whole Black Pepper kernels                             2 tsp. whole black pepper Old Bay                                                   2 TBSP  kernels Mrs. Dash’s                                              2 TBSP Tabasco                                                   4 dashes, please

DIRECTIONS

Place the water into a pan and add the bay leafs, lemon juice with lemon thrown into pot, celery, onion, garlic, pepper corns, Mrs. Dash’s, old bay, and tobacco.  Bring the water and mix to a boil and then let it simmer for about 15 minutes to blend your spices.  Then clean and wash your shrimp and pour into the pot and boil for about 5 minutes or until curled and nice and pink. You may use this as a garnish or as a appetizer if you wish.  Enjoy.

That's it for this blog and I say Happy Trails to you until we meet again.  Come watch the cooking shows at aikenstandard.tv and you may also buy any of the season's shows at this site.  Come like my fan page on face book.  See ya, MadJon.