Knox Mag Food Fun

One of the things I will miss most about the demise of Knoxville Magazine is the shared love that Janet Testerman and I have for food. We often joked that if we had our way, it'd have been called Knoxville (FOOD) Magazine. We sneaked in a food story (and cover) whenever we could. I think our bias for local food and locally-owned restaurants was pretty clear. No apologies there.

But did you know? In all of those stories we did about picnics, tailgate parties, brunches, holiday parties, whatever occasion might call for a party...there were no professional stylists involved. It was just us.

The food? We cooked it. The recipes? Those were ours. The photo shoots? We raided our shelves and closets for props. The locations? Our homes and those of our friends. Our budget? Less than nothing. The fun we had? Immeasurable.

Our love of food bonded and  fueled us--in front of the camera and behind the scenes. So, it's no wonder that when Janet came over to my place to work today, as has happened so often, we had a lunch of leftovers we just couldn't wait to share with each other.

First up was Janet's chicken tortilla soup. I think cilantro is often overdone; this soup had just the right cilantro-flavor.

And then there was the Short Rib Stew with Pumpkin and Cranberries.

And I added my Marinated Shrimp and Oranges.

We are the fun and food loving women who've brought you Knoxville Magazine--and that's what we're having.