Lee Magazine - December / January 2013 by Lee Magazine

LEE M

THE TASTE OF THE SOUTH DAVID BANCROFT GROWS HIS OWN RESTAURANT

VOLUME 5 • NUMBER 6

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For the smart, savvy Alabama woman Publisher: Beth Snipes Editor: Jenni Laidman Design and Photography: Beth Snipes Marketing Consultants: Regina Lynn Duck Judy Simon Kolayah KeeVan Web Designer: Brock Burgess Distribution: John Snipes

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Contributors Food: Health: Brawn: Garden: Home: Momitude:

Heida Olin Dr. Lee Sharma Lisa Gallagher Patti Householder Jacquelyn Dixon Kelly Frick

334-332-2961

LEE M

219 S. 8th Street Opelika, Alabama 334-332-2961

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contents

December 2012/January 2013

Food

A New Take on Cookie Traditions

10 Garden

Fragrance and Color

12 Brawn

Take A Stand and Save Your Life.

14 Momitude

Resolutions for Mom and Kids

16 Health

Lift a Glass to a Happier Bladder

18 Home

Panache in a Small Space

20 COVER STORY

Davidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Little Acre in Auburn

26 Calendar

Plenty to do in Lee County

12 10 Cover by Beth

Snipes

Reinventing The Classics and All That Jazz

Cookies! Cookies! Cookies!

By Heida Olin

love cookies. Oreos and Fig Newtons? Bring ‘em on. Homemade chocolate chips? Even better. Animal crackers? Love ‘em. But let’s not stop with these classics. I love trying new cookie recipes and taking basic recipes, like the one for my standard oatmeal cookie, and dolling them up. Cookies are a year ‘round treat, but holidays provide an extra incentive to try something new. Of course, we have our favorites. Who doesn’t love chocolate chip cookies? And I’ve been told my brownies are to die for. But you’ll flip over this peanut butter cookie, and for these pistachio crisps. The blondie recipe had people begging for an encore last time I made it, and don’t overlook the oatmeal cookies. Why not eat them for breakfast instead of a bowl of oatmeal?

OUTSTANDING CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIE I thought I had chocolate chip cookies down to an art after making the same terrific recipe for years, but I was wrong. This cookie recipe has cropped up on so many websites that I had to try it. You know what? It was better than my time-tested favorites — no contest. 1 ½ cups pastry flour 1 ½ cups bread flour 1 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt

6 LEE MAGAZINE

2 sticks butter, softened 3/4 cups granulated sugar 1 1/4 cups golden brown sugar, packed 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 11.5-ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk both flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and set aside. With an electric mixer, cream the butter with the sugars, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Follow this with vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture until just combined. Gently stir in the chocolate chunks; be careful not to over stir. Refrigerate this dough at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours. Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet, keeping the cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake until lightly browned but soft, 12 to 15 minutes. Slide the parchment

F O O D with the cookies onto a wire rack to cool. This recipe should make 4-dozen large cookies.

CRISPY CRUNCHY PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES Because there are so many people with peanut allergies, I rarely make these cookies to share. But they remain my favorite bedtimewith-milk cookie. For some reason the, crunchiness of this cookie keeps me from eating handfuls —an easy thing to do with classic peanut butter cookies. But they’re luscious, and after eating just a couple, I’m ready for my long winter’s nap. 1 cup flour ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 1 stick butter, softened ¼ cup granulated sugar ½ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed 1 large egg 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 cups Rice Krispies ½ cup chopped peanuts Sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt, and set aside. With an electric mixer on high, cream the butter and sugars in a large bowl. Lower the mixer speed to medium, and add the egg, peanut butter, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir on low speed until the flour is incorporated. Fold in the Rice Krispies and peanuts. Place sugar for rolling in a small bowl. Form the dough into 1 1/2 -inch balls, then roll each ball in the sugar. Place the dough balls on parchment-lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Gently press the cookies with the back of a fork to create classic hatch marks, or dip the base of a small juice glass in sugar and use it to flatten the cookies. Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks. This recipe makes about 4-dozen cookies.

RED VELVET CHEESECAKE BROWNIES I make the best brownies in the world. Well, that’s what my family tells me. But when I saw this recipe I was so intrigued by the Southern charm of the red velvet brownie topped with a cheesecake layer, I couldn’t resist. 1 stick butter 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped 1 cup sugar 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 ½ teaspoon red food coloring 2/3 cup flour ¼ teaspoon salt 8 ounces cream cheese, softened 1/3 cup sugar 1 large egg 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Line an 8-inch-square baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking oil. Microwave the butter and chocolate in a small, heatproof bowl for two minutes. Stir with a fork until very smooth. Set aside to cool. When you can hold the bottom of the bowl, it’s cool enough to use. In a large bowl, whisk sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and red food coloring. Add in the chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Batter should be red. If you want a brighter red, add an additional ½ teaspoon of food coloring. Add flour and salt to the mix and stir until everything is just combined, with no streaks of dry ingredients. Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly. To prepare cheesecake layer, in a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth. Drop dollops of the cream cheese mixture onto the prepared brownie layer. Gently swirl the two batters with a spatula. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until brownies and cheesecake are set and the edges are lightly browned. Cool in the pan in the refrigerator before cutting. You’ll get 12 medium-size brownies from this batch.

PLATINUM BLONDIES I consider blondies and brownies cookies. My theory is someone was in a hurry to get the cookies done and decided to make one big cookie in a pan, and now we have cookie bars. These blondies are even better the second day if you can make them last that long. 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract 2 sticks butter, melted 11-ounce bag white chocolate chips 8 ounces roasted, salted macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugars, and vanilla until smooth. Use a rubber

Continued next page LEE MAGAZINE 7

spatula to stir in the melted butter. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture until just combined. Stir in the white chocolate chips and nuts. Spread the batter in the prepared pan and sprinkle coconut over the top, pressing it in lightly. Bake until the top of the blondie is golden and set, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely on a rack before cutting. Depending on how you cut these, you can get 16 to 24 blondies from this recipe.

a parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. This recipe makes 4-dozen cookies.

PISTACHIO CRISPS Try serving this cookie alongside a mild cheese or with a fruit dip. It’s not a cup of cocoa kind of cookie, but it’s a nice complement to a glass of wine.

1 stick butter, softened ½ cup shortening ½ cup granulated sugar ½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 egg 3 tablespoons milk 2 teaspoons lime zest 1 teaspoon vanilla 3 cups flour 2 teaspoons poppy seeds ¾ cup finely chopped pistachio nuts

NUTTY FRUITY OATMEAL COOKIES Cookies made with an ingredient as healthy as oatmeal can get a bad rap. But these are chock full of tasty wonderfulness.

2 sticks butter, softened 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed ½ cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1½ cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon dry ginger ½ teaspoon salt 3 cups rolled oats 1 cup chopped dried apricots 1 cup chopped dates 1 cup dried cranberries 1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt together. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix until incorporated. Slowly stir in oats, apricots, dates cranberries, and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto 8 LEE MAGAZINE

In the bowl of an electric mixer combine butter and shortening. Add sugars, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Beat in the egg, milk, lime zest, and vanilla until well incorporated. Stir in the flour, poppy seeds, and pistachios. Divide dough in half and shape into logs for slicing. Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut chilled logs into ¼-inch slices and place 2 inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake until edges are lightly browned, about 8 minutes. This recipe makes 6-dozen thin cookies.

SPICY ALMOND COOKIES These cookies remind me of the spicy windmill cookies with slivers of almonds. You don’t need the shape to have the same snappy flavor. 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened 1 cup sugar

1 large egg 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 4 oz thin sliced almonds (1 cup)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger in a small bowl. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a standing mixer (preferably fitted with paddle attachment) or 6 minutes with a handheld. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and sliced almonds and mix until just combined. Drop cookie dough in 1-inch balls onto a parchment-lined jellyroll pan and refrigerate for at least an hour. Press each cookie lightly with heel of your hand or us a cookie press on each dough ball. Bake until very lightly browned around the edges, about 8 minutes. This recipe makes 4-dozen cookies.

PEPPERMINT SPRITZ COOKIES All the spritz cookies remind me of my Oma. She could crank out a bunch of these and we’d eat them as fast as she could bring them out of the oven — behind her back of course. 1 cup butter, softened 2/3 cup sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon peppermint extract 2 ¼ cups flour 1 cup powdered sugar 2 tablespoons cream ¼ cup coarsely crushed starlight mint candies

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar until very pale and fluffy about 3 minutes on medium speed. Add the egg, vanilla, salt, and peppermint extract; beat until incorporated. With your mixer on low, stir in the flour until well mixed. If the dough is very soft, refrigerate about an hour until firm. Place dough into a cookie press and place each cookie about 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, the edges should be only slightly golden. Cool completely. In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and cream to make an icing to drizzle. Place the icing in a small plastic bag and snip off a cornerto drizzle the icing over the cooled cookies. Sprinkle the cookie with crushed peppermint. Makes about 6-dozen cookies -lm

Heida Olin is a local caterer and educator. You can reach her at heida@lee-magazine.com.. Please visit her blog at www.lee-magazine.com

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Daphne

Winter Daphne & Tea Olive

Add a dash of color this winter and enjoy a fragrant sweetener

By Patti Householder

t’s winter and things can look so bare, but I have two plants in my landscape that add a dash of color. And I love them for another reason: Their blooms produce a wonderful fragrance. They are the tea olive (Osmanthus species) and winter daphne. Tea olives grow from six- to thirtyfeet tall and just as wide, depending on the species and cultivar. The intensely fragrant blooms are creamy-white, pale to deep yellow, or orange, appearing in either spring or fall, depending on the cultivar. These showy clusters are made up of many small individual flowers. 10 LEE MAGAZINE

Tea olives, with dense holly-like foliage, make a wonderful hedge. But it’s also possible to create a tree shape by removing lower limbs. The flowers form on new growth, so put off any pruning until February, before new growth begins — that is, unless your tea olive is the Delavay (Osmanthus delavayi). This native blooms in the spring and should be pruned after it flowers. But they’re a low-maintenance plant, generally requiring little pruning, and attracting few pests. Tea olive will grow in sun to partial shade, although morning sun is better. Once established, it is fairly drought

tolerant. Plant tea olive in well-drained, slightly acidic soil. Amending our clay soil with compost, manure, or peat moss should provide the right growing medium. Winter daphne (Daphne odora) is a small shrub that blooms with heavenly scented, variegated white-pink-rose flowers from February to March. It is much harder to find in our garden centers; I found mine at the Home Depot in Phenix City several years ago. It has a compact growth habit, rarely growing higher than about four feet, and it’s very particular about where it lives. In fact, one of my master gardener

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friends told me she’s been unable to grow it successfully. It likes shade, although it may tolerate some early morning or dappled sunlight. It must have excellent drainage. It will not tolerate our acidic clay soils, which hold water. So gardeners must dig out the clay and replace it with a loamy soil mixed with coarse sand and fine pine bark. The area must drain well and not act as a bowl that will hold water. The plant requires a neutral pH — between 6.5 and 7. So expect to add lime to decrease acidity. When I started my two plantings of winter daphne several years ago, the only thing I knew was the plants required shade. I planted one in my back yard, where I have very large established trees. I amended the clay soil, but I didn’t do much more. I think the tree roots take up the excess moisture, keeping my daphne happy. The other planting is on a hillside terrace, which also has many large trees. I water the daphne when I see them drooping due to lack of rain. I’ve learned that it can be planted in containers. I had not thought of this, but this is a simpler way to provide the right growing conditions. I will be on the lookout for another daphne to try in a container in my courtyard, where I have plenty of shade. You can plant both of these plants now, as long as the ground is not frozen. The best time for planting is fall, but January and February are fine too. Just remember to keep them watered until the roots are well established. Whether it’s the easy-to-please tea olive or the picky daphne, both plants are worth the effort. -lm Master Gardener Patti Householder is a member of the state Master Gardener Association board and a past president of the Lee County Master Gardener program. She lives in Waverly.

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B R A W N

Public health recommendations exhort us to exercise thirty to forty minutes a day. But that may not be sufficient if uninterrupted sitting characterizes the rest of the day.

Seat of Wisdom A Standing Order for the Chair Bound Worker By Lisa Gallagher

y sister Susan was a real estate appraisal editor and a good one. She was so fast and accurate that her company allowed her to work from home. Yay! Right? Who wouldn’t want to work from home? Well, bad news: Her job relocation increased her chance of dying within three to fifteen years. 12 12 LEE LEEMAGAZINE MAGAZINE

Susan didn’t have to get dressed and go to an office. She got up, grabbed a cup of coffee, and walked ten steps to her home office. She worked eight hours and then was free to watch TV, talk on the phone, or read a book. She was sitting way too much, without interruption. She easily reached what science writer David DiSalvo

calls the sitting-equals-death threshold. He reported in Forbes magazine that anyone in the forty-five and older population – Sue’s age range – was forty percent more likely to die if they sat eleven hours or more per day, compared to those who sat four hours or fewer. Several factors work synergistically to

make sitting lethal. When we’re sedentary, we store fat instead of burn it, and the enzyme responsible for fat breakdown — lipase — nosedives in response by ninety percent. In addition, electrical activity in the large muscles of our legs decreases the longer we sit, triggering a metabolism sit-down strike. Alarmingly, our insulin sensitivity drops twenty-four percent, and that can lead to Type 2 diabetes. If the accompanying increase in cardiovascular disease risk wasn’t enough, newer findings link sitting to increased risk of breast and colon cancers. Public health recommendations exhort us to exercise thirty to forty minutes a day. But that may not be sufficient if uninterrupted sitting characterizes the rest of the day. A new Northwestern Medicine study found that women who exercise regularly sit just as much as the non-exercisers. And in both, the risk of developing chronic conditions rose as they sat. Exercising is still great, but hopping out of your chair frequently during the day

has previously uncounted health benefits. Here are some tips to limit sitting that will help you feel better now and help stave off disease in the future. rink water. You will walk to the water cooler and to the restroom. Limit sugary drinks and feel energized by your good hydration level. Set your smart phone to remind you to take regular stretch breaks. Don’t hit “ignore.” If you like gadgets, consider buying a pedometer or other device that tracks activity. Buy one for a friend and start a competition. If you’re a dog lover, let your pup be the best activity reminder ever. Your furry buddy knows what she’s talking about, so don’t ignore her requests for exercise. You’ll both be better for it. Not everyone is ready for this major commitment, but if you are, the benefits are many. Listen to music while walking. You will walk longer and possibly faster. Wear comfortable walking shoes

whenever possible. You will be much more likely to take the stairs or to pop out of your office chair to meet with a coworker if your feet aren’t killing you. If you are able to walk or bike to work, you’ve got it made! Turn off the TV. If this is too extreme, put a recumbent bike or treadmill in front of it and use them as intended (you don’t need another coatrack). Fidget. The movement is good for you. Susan quickly felt the effects of her supersedentary job. The back pain, weight gain, and the threat of rising blood pressure led her to ditch the editing and go back to real estate appraisal. She’s up and out the door every morning looking at houses and only a third of her time is spent typing. She also adopted Chewy, a Shih Tzu–Terrier mix who loves to visit his doggie friends along the boulevard every day. Turns out, Chewy makes a heck of a coach. -lm Lisa Gallagher, director of the Fitness Center at the Opelika Sportsplex, is a wellness coach, personal trainer, and group fitness instructor. You can contact her at lisa@ lee-magazine.com

DEAR RHONDA, I will be turning 45 this year and I am starting to consider having a facelift. I am not in really bad shape, just some expression lines and some droopiness that I am sure was not there last year. I would like to leave surgery as a last resort. Can you offer any other suggestion before I go under the knife? Signed, Way Too Much Expression for 45!

Dear Too Much Expression We have a new facial this month at Stewart Dermatology called a MicroCurrent Facial. This facial is the only non-invasive treatment that will give you a ‘lift” without surgery. As the body ages, facial muscles and surrounding tissue weaken causing the skin to sag and droop. The MicroCurrent Facial is a non-invasive approach that helps to restore elasticity and bring a more defined, toned and youthful appearance to the skin. This cutting edge technology uses equipment that efficiently delivers low frequency electrical currents that work in harmony with the body. The currents gently and

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M O M I T U D E

Things to improve in 2013

Babies No More A TO-DO LIST FOR MOM AND KIDS IN 2013 By Kelly Frick

2012

was a monumental “mom” year for me. My daughter officially became a teenager. My son reached his double-digit birthday milestone. Emma now prefers seeing movies with her friends — not her parents. John decided he did not need to hold mom’s hand as he walked anywhere, at anytime. Both of them “needed” me less. Unless it was for money. Or a ride somewhere. Part of me celebrates that fact. They are growing up, becoming more independent. That’s what I’ve been nurturing them to do for years. Part of me is sad. I look back at photos of them from the early years and wish I could have just one more day to cuddle a chubby-cheeked toddler in footie fleece pajamas. But 2012 also taught me that I need to change my expectations and parenting skills as my kids get older. We spent the past year in too many screaming matches, 14 LEE MAGAZINE

triggering too crying jags (many of them mine), and too many slammed doors. So the kids and I have made a list of things we are going to improve in 2013. Here’s our list. Perhaps a few of these will resonate with you.

We will respect each other’s space. Two things happened in 2012 that made this an imperative: John refused to knock before barging into any room, including the bathroom, and we have one bathroom door with a broken lock. The result: Screaming, followed by chase scenes, accompanied by object throwing. Emma, on the other hand, decided that because she and I wear the same shoe size, she could use my closet as a shoe lending library. The third time I couldn’t find my black flats, I lost it. Of course, if you asked Emma and John, I too often threw out old papers or magazines from their room in the name of “picking up.” (I hate clutter.) So we all have some work to do in 2013.

We will not call each other names. This seems like what you tell kindergartners. But kindergartners WANT to be nice. Teens and pre-teens don’t. When I overheard my son call his sister the “B” word, I was ready to pounce until I realized he called her that in response to the family-unfriendly name she called him. I thought my brain would explode. We had a long discussion about being polite to each other. During the talk, Emma said, “I don’t like when you call me a slob.” Point taken.

We will keep each other better informed. We had waaaaaay too many last-minute cupcake buying sprees, permission forms sent in on the last day possible, and changes of plans because two children “forgot” to inform their parents of school and sports events. And to be fair, I too often didn’t tell the kids I’d be out of town for work until the morning I was leaving.

Moores Mill Family Medicine

Charles J Veale, M.D. MIND . BODY . SPIRIT . HEALTH

We treat the whole you!

My husband bought a 2013 calendar, put it on the fridge with a pen attached, and mandated that every Sunday we all must fill in the boxes.

We will laugh at each other’s jokes. No, Dad is not always funny. But it makes him feel good when we chuckle at the same joke he tells every time we order Chinese. Rolling our eyes and groaning just brings everyone down. And some day, you’ll look back on that joke and realize it is funny. And you’ll feel bad that you didn’t laugh at it every time. Even if it was just to make your father (or in my case, husband) happy.

We will honor bedtime traditions. As the kids have gotten older, their schedules busier, and my husband’s and my work requiring some laptop time in the evening, bedtime was becoming a wave at the bottom of the stairs. One night as I was putting laundry away, John said, “Mom, do you think you could tuck me in tonight?” Wow. Talk about feeling like a bad mom. I, of course, did. Spent extra time talking and cuddling too. I realized even Emma could really use some quiet time with me at the end of the day. Every night for the first ten years of parenthood, I said prayers and read books with the kids. Why did I ever let that stop? Some things SHOULDN’T change. No matter how old your kids get. Wish us luck. I don’t like New Year’s resolutions, but in this case, I really hope they stick. -lm Kelly Frick is a writer and mother of two.

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H E A L T H

Flush With Health Hold The Cranberries: The

Truth About Bladder Infections By Dr. Lee Sharma

One of the most common diagnoses in women is a urinary tract infection. The urinary tract, which includes the urethra (the tube that carries the urine out of bladder), the bladder, and the kidneys, grows irritated and inflamed in the prolonged presence of bacteria. It’s smart to know the risk factors for these infections, and to adopt practice to reduce or prevent them. When bacteria ascends the urethra and stays in the bladder, a bladder infection can follow — for most physicians, the terms urinary tract infection and bladder infection are interchangeable. Sexually active women are more prone to these infections because intercourse can push bacteria into the bladder. Although urinating after intercourse is often advocated as a way to decrease your risk of infection, research into the question is inconclusive. In other words, don’t count on it. One good preventive: Wiping from front to back after a bowel movement. It decreases the risk of pulling bacteria from the rectum toward the urethra. Women in menopause are prone to urinary tract infection. The bladder, like the vagina, is sensitive to the estrogen decline inherent in menopause, and consequently may not empty completely. This gives bacteria more time to colonize the bladder. In fact, once the monthly estrogen deposit shuts down for good, urinary tract infections can occur without the usual symptoms — the feeling that you need to urinate or discomfort during urination. Urinary tract infections may occur because you’re not drinking 16 LEE MAGAZINE

Happy Holidays A recent analysis from a center in Scotland concluded that cranberry juice holds no benefit in the prevention of bladder infections, no matter if you drink it by the teaspoon or the gallon.

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Dr. Lee Sharma is a board-certified gynecologist in private practice. Trained at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, she lives in Opelika with her husband Shash, children Sam and Rachel, and her puppy Ryker.

May you have walls for the wind a roof for the rain drinks bedside the fire laughter to cheer you those you love near you all that your heart may desire

VOLUME 5 • NUMBER 5

enough water. Lessened fluid intake means lower urine volume, which means less need to void, which all adds up to more time in the bladder for the bad guys, who multiply into an infection. Drink more water, and you’re more likely to flush the bacterial visitors. Many pin their hopes on cranberry juice. Drink enough of it, the theory goes, and your bladder will be too acidic to host a bacterial population boom. But the thinking is flawed. To begin, this home-remedy is rarely accompanied by a recommended dose; how much cranberry juice creates the unfriendly environment is never specified. Second, a diet high in acid, including juices, coffee, and soda, actually irritates the bladder to replicate the symptoms of a urinary tract infection. Third, the availability of cranberry extracts and pills further confuses the issue. There isn’t a sentence of research supporting the use of these items. And the studies that look at drinking juice bring no reason for optimism. A recent analysis from a center in Scotland concluded that cranberry juice holds no benefit in the prevention of bladder infections, no matter if you drink it by the teaspoon or the gallon. But that doesn’t mean there is nothing you can do. The solution is quite simple: Drink more water, maintain good hygiene, and save the cranberries for a side dish. -lm

from the staff of Lee Magazine

August/September 2012 FREE

H O M E

It’s the one room all our guests use, and it’s a perfect place to be super creative with an unexpected design twist. The small space keeps costs to a minimum, even if you decide to go upscale on the materials. Establish a design theme for your powder room, a visual connection to your home’s architecture. For example, a country house or lake cabin could be casual with rustic metal mirrors, unique cabinet knobs, and even hardwood paneling. Here are two powder room changes you can do yourself from opposite ends of the design spectrum: fancy Crackle Finish Woodwork and cabin-treatment Hardwood Wall Covering.

By Jacquelyn Dixon

HARDWOOD WALL COVERING Using pre-finished wooden flooring, you can create a nifty cabin look in your vacation place. I recommended prefinished flooring. It’s thin and relatively easy to work with. Plus there’s no staining or sealing required. The flooring fits together tongue-and-groove. You’ll need wood flooring, a nail gun, a compound saw, a level, a pencil, a rubber mallet, a stud finder, and baseboard molding to encircle the floor and the ceiling.

By Jacquelyn Dixon

Hardwood wall

STYLIN’ IN THE POWDER ROOM SMALL ROOM CAN PACK A DESIGN WALLOP By Jacquelyn Dixon  I like restrooms. No kidding. When I’m on vacation or visiting a new restaurant, I always check them out. Several times, they bring on a Wow! And that’s a good thing. I snap photos to record the unique fixtures, chic finishes, and interesting design 18 LEE MAGAZINE

ideas I find. OK, your average high-class commercial restroom probably wouldn’t translate well in the master bath. But there is one room that can really benefit from these high-design ideas: Your half bath – the powder room.

Start by measuring the walls to determine the square footage you need to cover. Multiply length times height for total square footage, and then add ten percent to that for wastage. That’s how much flooring you’ll need.

the panel will be held in place by base molding). Then work from left to right, making sure each piece ends on the center of the stud. STEP THREE: Once you’ve circled the room with the bottom row, set a second board atop the first. Use your level with each board to make sure it’s not at a slant. Fit the tongue of the second board into the groove of the board below it, and tap it in place with a rubber mallet. Nail this board as you did in the lowest row. STEP FOUR: Cut molding to the length of each wall, and use a nail gun to affix it at the floor to the walls and at the ceiling.

CRACKLE FINISH WOODWORK Enhance the gloss of your powder room with bold metallic wall covering highlighted with crackle finish woodwork in the same metallic colors. It’s so easy! You can work with the present trim color — this is what will peek through the cracks. You’ll need crackle glue, a narrow paintbrush, metallic paint or glaze in the color of your choice. STEP ONE: Brush crackle-finish glue along the trim in horizontal strokes. Let it set about an hour; it will be tacky to touch.

STEP TWO: Brush on metallic paint. It will start cracking before your eyes.

STEP THREE: If you want an aged look, let it dry 24 hours, Crackle finish

Photos by Jacquelyn Dixon

STEP ONE: Using the stud finder, locate all the studs. Measure from the center of one stud to the center of the next, and mark the centers at intervals from floor to ceiling. Using a level, draw a line from the floor to the ceiling. STEP TWO: Using a compound saw, cut a length of flooring so it will stretch horizontally from one corner to the next. Working at floor level from one corner, with the tongue end of the flooring pointing down, place the board and use a nail gun to nail through the groove at the top of the panel and into the stud. Place a nail at every stud. (The bottom of

than wipe on a dark water-based glaze. Let it set a few minutes, then wipe it off gently with a soft cloth. The glaze stays behind in the crevices.

Your local hardware store carries these products. Make sure you read the direction before starting. You will have a blast and amaze your guests of your newfound talents. Powder rooms are the ideal stages for special effects. Their small scale allows you to indulge in luxury materials that you might not dare otherwise. Remember you don’t need size to have style. -lm Jacquelyn Dixon is a licensed contractor with fifteen years of experience, who builds custom homes and reinvents existing ones in the Auburn/ Opelika area. Jacquelyn can be reached at: reallifebuilders@gmail.com

True Grits

David Bancroft to Plant “Acre” With the Soul of Southern Cooking

neglected lot sits next to the Shell station at the intersection of Glenn Avenue and Gay Street in Auburn. Over the years, a couple trees took root there and grew. Later, someone built a wooden shed, and then abandoned it, leaving a “No Trespassing” sign on its door. Aside from the Auburn football fans who use the lot for free home-game parking, it remained unused and uninspiring. Then David Bancroft took a good long look, and this summer, he bought the overgrown acre. The chef at The Clubhouse at Auburn University Club envisioned the neglected plot full of peach trees instead of kudzu, herb gardens instead of weeds, and a Southern gourmet restaurant named — what else — Acre. Right now a sign announcing the restaurant is the only hint of Bancroft’s dream, and there remain a few hurdles to jump, including the final bank OK, before he can break ground on the four-thousand-square-foot restaurant. Still if everything goes perfectly, he could be open by July.

“For me, the concept is about being sustainable on my own acre. The goal

my roots and highlighting some of the best of the bounty we have in Auburn.”

David Bancroft can't resist the Long Island cheese pumpkins grown on Randle Farm

is to create an edible landscape — to plant things I could eat and use in the restaurant,” Bancroft said. “The theme will be creative Southern food, but I want it to be competitive with some of the top restaurants in the country while sticking to

STORY BY ALLISON CLARK

e wonders for an instant if he’ll ever reach the same level as other competitive Southern-cuisine restaurants, but he quickly waves the thought away. The self-taught chef moved from Texas to Auburn to attend college — both of his parents are Auburn University graduates. It wasn’t until the summer after his sophomore year that he had his first taste of cooking, and even then, it was the kitchen that found him. He was born in Mobile. When he was four, his family moved to San Antonio, Texas, when his father took a position with the Methodist Healthcare Systems. But Alabama still helped shape him. He remembers family vacations at his Grandpa Kennedy’s cattle farm in Hartford, in southeastern Alabama along the Florida border, where he and his two older brothers helped grandpa on the farm.

PHOTOS BY BETH SNIPES LEE MAGAZINE 21

“As a child I would ride on the back of my grandfather’s pickup truck across the pastures to help feed the cattle,” David remembers. “He loved driving to the chicken houses to show off his birds, then driving over to the fish hatchery to show where he was raising tilapia and catfish.” Working on the farm gave David an insider’s view of how animals are raised for food; it gave him a feel for the cycles of planting and harvest.

n 2001, David became the fourteenth Bancroft to attend Auburn, following his older brothers to the university. (The sixteenth is in school now.) In his first year, David pledged Beta Theta Pi and decided to major in marketing. But marketing seemed less alluring after the summer after his sophomore year when he got a job on a thirty-person barge houseboat — sort of a charter fishing barge — in Breton Sound in the Gulf of Mexico, some forty-five minutes by pontoon plane from New Orleans. “Every single thing you had to do in a house and every single thing you do as a deck hand, we had to do on the barge,” he explained. In two-week stretches he trawled for bait, washed clothes, and made beds. The rest of the time he made meals for the fishermen. “There was a cook, and I was very nosy and I volunteered to get up with the cook every day.” He cooked the freshest of the fresh, cleaning and filleting fish pulled from the Gulf just hours before; making gumbo, trout chowder, grilled redfish, and jambalaya. When David returned to Auburn that fall, he would hunt on family farms with his fraternity brothers, even driving the thirteen hours to his grandfather’s place to fish, and hunt duck, turkey, and deer. David’s fraternity put him in charge of the kitchen, where he prepared food for the annual rodeo, and the crawfish boil. “Any type of fraternity event, I cooked. We did catfish fries, crawfish boils, shrimp boils, low country boils, smoked Boston butts, and barbecue. 22 LEE MAGAZINE

“I was cooking all the time, and [fraternity brothers] were always hunting and getting fresh things from relatives, like collard greens,” David said. Cooking for large numbers at fraternity events convinced him that “Maybe I had what it took to be in the restaurant industry.” n 2005, just as Bancroft’s junior year began, he got a call from The Amsterdam Café, where he had applied earlier for a summer job. He took the job. A few months later, he was promoted to sous chef, and around his one-year anniversary, he took over as executive chef. His father had been skeptical of David’s new direction. The Amsterdam experience made him a convert. “It escalated so fast,” Bancroft says, still sounding surprised.

friends’ mothers, preparing fresh fish on the fishing barge, and roasting venison and turkey he’d shot himself gave him a hint about what needed to change at The Amsterdam. He started looking around for ideas. That curiosity took him to the Highlands Bar and Grill in Birmingham and its owner Frank Stitt. “I looked at their menus and noticed people’s names listed,” he said. The names of local farms were attached to various ingredients. “I was thinking, ‘Where do I buy this and find these people?’ ” He started searching Lee County for new food purveyors, looking online, talking to everyone, and simply driving around. His search led him to Randle Farms, 200 acres in Beauregard, down Society Hill Road,

Bancroft prepares a meal at The Clubhouse at the Auburn University Club.

“I was offered the position of chef, and he [his father] allowed me to stop school and pursue this career.” He was a senior. Quitting made him the only Bancroft to start Auburn and not graduate. “I was being offered this executive chef position at a restaurant that didn’t have any obstacles to slow me down, that needed something to happen, that needed fixing, that needed a vision,” Bancroft said. It was irresistible. And his experience cooking collard greens grown by his

where the Randle family has raised sheep and produce since 1975. ach Randle and his father Frank remember the day four years ago when David pulled up to their farm. He saw the grazing sheep, the thriving crops, and thought, “This is it.” Frank Randle, Zach’s father, calls that first meeting “serendipitous.” David was good far the farm, too, Zach said. “David would come get blueberries from us and make homemade blueberry ice

For Bancroft, Southern Cooking is inseparable from locally grown, fresh ingredients.

cream,” Zach said. “He’d pass it out for free on the farm, and advertise for Amsterdam as well as our product.” Zach runs the farm’s Community Supported Agriculture program, a kind of subscription service for locally grown, in-season produce. And the Randles were just the start. “I realized we have these untapped resources — families in the Auburn area that are growing for other families, primarily, but are also selling,” David said. “It has that storytelling element. They do blueberry picks and harvests, and to me cooking is all about the flavor, breaking it down and getting reconnected with what food was supposed to be.” Transforming the menu at Amsterdam was not easy. David began by removing just a few of the frozen foods from the menu and replacing them with fresh-ingredient dishes. The resistance was immediate. “Mostly the customers were upset, but some of the serving staff was upset also because they had to appease the unhappy customers,” David said. “It caused a bit of a turmoil, but I stuck to my decision and

kept progressing forward, testing newer and fresher ingredients.” avid’s co-worker and Amsterdam’s restaurant manager at the time, Paul Willis, stood by him while people adjusted to the change. Willis said he was inspired by what David was able to do. “He was a little frustrated because he put heart and soul into these dishes, and some people just wouldn’t even try it and wouldn’t come back,” said Paul, now operations manager for Tailgate Guys. “I saw him take it with a grain of salt and remember what he was doing it for. He’s really good at motivating people with food; he always is onto something new and looking for the next thing.” He went onto prove the soundness of his ideas, increasing Amsterdam revenues significantly every year for five years. “The owners were believers. My dad was a believer. My girlfriend-then-fiancée-thenwife became a believer,” he said. (He’d met Christin the summer after his junior year at a fraternity event. They were married in 2008. Their son Walker was born July 26, 2011.)

He also invented his signature Shrimp & Grits Savannah at The Amsterdam. t took a bit of tweaking before he came up with the right combination of flavors and textures for the perfect shrimp and grits. “The first thing for any Southerner to know is that it all starts with your grits.” His grits come from Oak View Farm in Wetumpka. At first, he served the grits in a martini glass with blackened shrimp hooked to the rim. “We kept breaking the martini glasses. We were going through like a case a week. We realized pretty quickly that this was a safety hazard,” Bancroft said. His inspiration for their final form was polenta. “I’d been frying polenta for years. I thought, why can’t I just do that with grits? We take our grits, load them with smoked Gouda cheese, form them into cakes, and deep fry them” – like cheesy grits croquettes. “That’s what sets them apart.” When David left Amsterdam in 2011, he took the philosophy of fresh local ingredients with him to Auburn University Club Clubhouse restaurant. There he

LEE MAGAZINE 23

David Bancroft is all about locally grown everything, but you'll find his recipes will work fine even if you aren't quite sure where the pig in your pork was raised. (Although knowing where ingredients come from tells you about more than its former zip code.) These recipes will take you from appetizer to dessert. If you're in a hurry, you have our permission to start with the dessert. Just invite us over to share it.

STRAWBERRY-WALNUT SALAD

Plans for Acre, which Bancroft plans to open this summer.

spikes traditional dishes with Southern creativity, featuring menu items such as gulf shrimp and crawfish pasta, a half-pound burger with sharp cheddar and beer battered onions, and a plate of roasted fall vegetables — a vegetarian option that changes with the seasons. Coming to The Plains didn’t take the Lone Star out of the man. Texas makes appearances in in his Shiner Bock beer-braised Texas brisket with smoked poblano grits and topped with a pomegranate demi-glace, or his lobster chile relleno. cre will undoubtedly include some Southwestern flare, but his goal is to create unique Southern cuisine supplied from his own plot of ground. “When I think of Acre, I think of open farmland or hunting land; I definitely don’t picture downtown and asphalt,” David said. “We will have fruit trees, rosemary shrubs, bay laurel trees, and even our own Toomer’s Oaks.” When the restaurant is running successfully, Bancroft says, he’ll go back to AU and finish his degree. He’s no longer interested in attending culinary school, but he wants to keep the family record of AU graduates unblemished. “I’ve been fortunate enough to meet a lot of really superb chefs. I’ve reached out to a lot of them, and placed people with the top chefs around the South. So I’m already building my network.” But an Auburn degree would put an end to the family teasing. Everyone, including his two grandmothers, say he needs that degree. David’s former co-worker, Paul, can’t wait to see the restaurant take off. “David’s got a lot of talent, and he’s really unique because he’s self taught and not classically trained. His knowledge of food is excellent, and that is a testament to his dedication,” Paul said. “I know he can go toe-to-toe with the best chefs in the area, and since he’s always looking for the next best thing, there’s no way he could fail.” -lm

Allison Clark lives in Auburn and works as a freelance writer and office manager. She graduated with a degree in journalism from Auburn University. 24 LEE MAGAZINE

1 pound baby spinach 1 pound sliced strawberries 10 ounces bleu cheese crumbles 10 ounces crumbled bacon 10 ounces candied walnuts *Sherry-honey vinaigrette

Divide spinach equally among salad bowls and top with strawberries, bleu cheese, bacon, and walnuts. Serve vinaigrette chilled.

SMOKED GOUDA & ROSEMARY STUFFED PORK TENDERLOIN 2 pounds trimmed and rolled-out pork tenderloin, approximately 2 loins

Pork Loin Spice Rub ¾ tablespoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon garlic powder ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Stuffing 10 ounces smoked Gouda, grated 4 Sister Schubert rolls, crumbled ½ cups basil, chopped 1 rosemary sprig, minced 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon allspice 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Pre-heat oven to 425°. Add Gouda, bread crumbs, fresh herbs, olive oil, allspice, and salt to a mixing bowl. Using your hands, crumble the mixture together until the olive oil is mixed evenly through the stuffing. Roll out one pork loin on prep surface lengthwise from left to right. Divide the stuffing in half. Spread half the stuffing mix onto a loin, starting 1 inch from the top edge. Distribute evenly and press gently to tamp it down.

Begin rolling the pork back from the bottom to the top. Tress the loin tightly with butcher›s twine. Repeat the process with second loin. Place each roast onto greased baking sheet. Sprinkle spice rub evenly onto both pork loins. Bake in oven for 18-20 minutes or until center temperature reaches 150°. Remove from oven and allow pork to rest 5 minutes before removing twine. Slice roast into desired thickness and serve with hash and jam.

FALL VEGETABLE HASH 1 small butternut squash, ½-inch dice 2 small sweet potatoes, ½-inch dice 1 carrot, diced 2 shallots, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon olive oil ½ teaspoon allspice 2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup sugar 3 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups heavy cream 3 cups milk 3 small baked sweet potatoes

Streusel Topping 1 1/2 cups crushed pecans ½ cup sugar 1 cup brown sugar 2 tablespoon flour ½ stick cold butter 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt

For streusel: Add ingredients to a mixing bowl. Crumble the mixture twith your hands until the butter is even incorporated into the streusel. Keep chilled or at room temperature.

For Bread pudding: Preheat oven to 400º. Tear the rolls and Heat oil in skillet at medium heat. Add squash, potatoes, carrots, allspice, and salt and sauté for 4 minutes. Add shallots and sauté 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Remove from heat and place in serving dish.

MANGO-CHILI JAM 1 cup frozen mango 2 jalapenos, diced 2 garlic cloves, diced 1 tablespoon olive oil ½ cup white wine vinegar 1 tablespoon sugar ¾ cup water ½ tablespoon kosher salt

Heat oil in small sauce pan. Add jalapenos and garlic, and sauté gently for 20 seconds. Add mangoes, vinegar, and sugar and simmer for 5 minutes. Add water and salt and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat and puree mixture until smooth.

croissants into silver dollar-sized chunks and place in a large mixing bowl. Add brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Peel baked sweet potatoes, crush into small pieces, and add to bread mix. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk eggs and sugar together until smooth. Add vanilla, milk, and heavy cream and whisk. Add the custard base to the bread and fold gently, being careful to neither crush nor squeeze the bread, until custard is incorporated into the bread. Let bread pudding rest for 15 minutes. Spray coating on one 2-inch deep baking pan, and spread bread mixture into the pan evenly. Crumble streusel topping over the top layer. Bake for 35 minutes or until bread pudding rises slightly in the center. Remove from oven and top with caramel sauce. Return to oven until caramel bubbles slightly — 5 to 10 minutes.

WHISKEY CARAMEL SAUCE

SWEET POTATO BREAD PUDDING

1 pound light brown sugar ½ cup whiskey 1 cup heavy cream 1 tablespoon kosher salt ½ pound unsalted butter

10 Sister Schubert Rolls 5 croissants ½ tablespoon kosher salt 1 cup brown sugar Dash of nutmeg

Add sugar and whiskey to sauce pot. Simmer on low for 4 minutes. Be careful not to turn heat too high, which could ignite the whiskey and burn the sugar If alcohol ignites, cover quickly with pot lid to douse flame. Add cream and salt. Simmer until liquid is reduced by 1/4. Whisk in butter. Serve warm. LEE MAGAZINE 25

calendar WHERE

December/January

AUBURN CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY, 479 East

LOUISE KREHER FOREST ECOLOGY PRESERVE,

Thach Avenue, Auburn. Hours: Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 2-6 p.m. Information: 501-3190.

3100 Highway 147 North, Auburn. Hours: 8

JAN DEMPSEY COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER GALLERY, 222 East Drake Avenue, Auburn.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Admission: free. Information: 501-2963.

a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission: free. Information: 707-6512. TELFAIR PEET THEATRE, at the corner of

Samford and Duncan avenues. Tickets: 8444154 or http://goo.gl/Osvn. Information: 844-4748Â or theatre@auburn.edu.

JULE COLLINS SMITH MUSEUM OF FINE ART,

AUBURN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

901 South College Street, Auburn. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 4:45 p .m. Saturday. Admission: free. Information: 844-1484.

714 East Glenn Avenue; Auburn 334-887-7011 auburnchamber.com OPELIKA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

LEE COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY, 1140 Ware

Drive, Auburn. Adoption hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Drop offs strays or pick up found pets: Tuesday through Sunday, 8:30 to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Information: 821-3222; lchs@leecountyhumane.org.

601 Avenue A, Opelika 334-745-4861 www.opelika.com EVENT CENTER DOWNTOWN 614 North Railroad Avenue, Opelika 334-705-5466 www.eventcenterdowntown.net

LEE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 6500

Stage Road (Highway 14), Loachapoka. Hours: Second Saturday of every month, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Information: 887-3007, webmaster@leecountyhistoricalsociety.org.

26 LEE MAGAZINE

WHEN

200 South Sixth Street, Opelika. Hours: Monday and Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Information: 705-5380

LEWIS COOPER JUNIOR MEMORIAL LIBRARY,

ONGOING THROUGH DECEMBER 23: Ju-

Christmas in Camelot. Life-size Christmas decorations light up more than fifty homes each night for this drive-through event; daily at sundown, Camelot subdivision off Rocky Brook Road. ONGOING THROUGH JANUARY 5: Art

Interrupted: Advancing American Art and the Politics of Cultural Diplomacy, art assembled by the U.S. State Department in 1946 to represent American painting of the time, Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts. ONGOING

THROUGH

JANUARY

Christmas Light Show at National Village, 2809 National Village Parkway, on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, Opelika, nightly, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Formerly hosted in Auburn, the attraction features 185,000 lights and has attracted more than thirty thousand viewers in past seasons. Information: www.nationalvillage.com or 749-8165. ONGOING THROUGH JANUARY 26:

1072 Society Exhibition, art considered for purchase by the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art 1072 Society, named in honor of the intial purchase of thirty-six paintings in 1948 for $1,072.

bilee Farm, 4371 Alabama Highway 169, Opelika, has Christmas Trees, Pony Rides, and Petting Zoo, Thursday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Information: 750-3619.

ONGOING THROUGH JANUARY 26:

ONGOING THROUGH DECEMBER 31:

EVERY MONDAY: Story Time, 10 a.m., for

Modern Art in the Permanent Collection of the Jule Collins Smith Museum, including work by Roger Brown, Howard Finster, William Zorach, and Maximillien Luce.

continued on page 28

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1001 Andrews Road. 1001 Andrews Road. 1001 Andrews Road. Opelika, ALOpelika, 36801 AL Road. 36801 AL 36801 1001 Andrews Opelika, Phone: 334-705-5560 Opelika, AL 36801

Phone: 334-705-5560 Phone: 334-705-5560 Duration: 8 Weeks Phone: 334-705-5560 *Register by Dec 21st (10 student minimum) Trainer: Kolayah—KeeVan st *Register by Dec 21minimum) (10 student by Dec 21st (10 student minimum)minimum) ster by Dec*Register 21st (10 student Trainer: Kolayah—KeeVan Trainer: Kolayah—KeeVan

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calendar continued children five and younger, Lewis Cooper Junior Library, 200 South Sixth Street, Opelika. Information: 705-5378.

is 3 p.m. each day and at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on December 22. Admission: $25. Reservations: 321-3116.

ONGOING, second Saturday of every

DECEMBER 15: Auburn Christmas Bird

month: Lee County Historical Museum, 6500 Stage Road, Loachapoka, features blacksmiths, spinners, gardeners, lunch, and other activities, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The Whistle Stop Pickers dulcimer group meets at 1 p.m.

Count, pre-dawn to 5 p.m., bird counters participate for as long as they want surveying bird varieties within a 7.5 mile radius of Publix Shopping Center, Moores Mill Road. Final tally, 302 Funchess Hall, AU Campus, 5:30 p.m. To participate, contact Professor Geoff Hill, curator of birds, Museum of Natural History, ghill@auburn.edu.

Institute at Auburn University Winter Meeting and Information Fair, 8:45 a.m., Lexington Hotel; program, “The Tuskegee Airmen,” 10 a.m.; new member orientation, 11:30 a.m. Information: phone: 844-3105 or olli@auburn.edu. JANUARY 16: Poetry Workshop. Chil-

dren ages eight through fourteen are invited to the Live Poets Society to learn about poetry and how to create it, 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Auburn Public Library, 749 East Thach Avenue.

ONGOING THROUGH DECEMBER 31:

JANUARY 19: AORTA Auburn Classic

Half Marathon & Children’s Half Marathon, through the University campus, 282 Thach Concourse, Auburn University. Information: 321-8525.

Petco pet adoptions, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m..

Registration for Winter Reading Program. Children receive a prize from the treasure chest for every hour spent reading. At the end of the program, all children who meet their reading goal win a grand prize. The program ends February 28. Auburn Public Library, 749 East Thach Avenue.

FIRST FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH: Ope-

DECEMBER 13: Annual Children’s Holi-

lika Unplugged, opens 4 p.m. and music begins at 7 p.m., Event Center Downtown, 614 North Railroad Avenue in Opelika. Admission: $5, free to songwriters.

day Party. Crafts and games for children three to eleven, 6 to 7 p.m., Auburn Public Library on 749 East Thach Avenue.

ONGOING every Saturday in December:

Cooking Class, Holiday Tour d’Italia, Arricia private dining room, The Hotel at Auburn University, 6:30 p.m., learn to cook Italian favorites and enjoy a three-course meal. Admission: $125 per person. Reservations: 321-3179.

JANUARY 23: St. Louis Brass Quintet

performs 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., Goodwin Recital Hall. Admission: $10; $5, students, available at door forty-five minutes before the performance.

e f g h

JANUARY 24: Gordon Watkinson, who has

15:

15: Children kindergarten through high school seniors make snowflakes, penguins, and other chilly creations during the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts Art Club: Winter, 10a.m. to 11a.m. Registration required: 844-3486. Admission: free. DECEMBER

DECEMBER 14-16 AND 18-20: A Christ-

mas Carol, Opelika High Theatre Society performance, 7 p.m. all nights except the December 16, 3 p.m. matinee, Opelika Center for the Performing Arts, 1700 LaFayette Parkway, Opelika. Admission: $5, students; $7, nonstudents. Pay at the door.

DECEMBER 20: Music for the holiday DECEMBER 15 & 16, 19-22: Children can

bring their teddy bears for sandwiches, sweets, cocoa and tea at the Teddy Bear Tea in Piccolo inside The Hotel at Auburn University. Children receive a free bear. Tea

28 LEE MAGAZINE

al Show, showcases the latest wedding trends, The Hotel at Auburn University, Dixon Conference Center, 241 South College Street. Information: ben.taylor@qantumofauburn.com or 745-4656.

Downtown Auburn Christmas Parade, 10 a.m., North College Street in Auburn. Information: 887-7011. DECEMBER

DECEMBER 12, 19: Italian Christmas

JANUARY 20: Qantum of Auburn Brid-

season at the Holiday Musicale, 6 p.m., Auburn Public Library, 749 East Thach Avenue. All ages welcome. JANUARY 14: Osher Lifelong Learning

photographed some of the most significant examples of Bauhaus architecture, presents the opening lecture in the multi-disciplinary project at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts, Bauhaus twenty-21: An Ongoing Legacy, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. JANUARY 24-26: Dance by Design, a cel-

ebration of dance inspired by AU Theatre scenic and lighting designer Fereshteh Rostampour, featuring choreography by Adrienne Wilson and guest artists Karola Lüttringhaus and Duane Lee Holland, with the student dance ensemble, 7:30 to 10 p.m., Telfair Peet Theatre. Tickets: $15; faculty, staff, seniors, non AU students, $10; AU

continued on page 30

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students, free. Box office hours are noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; box office reopens 6 p.m. for weekday performances, and opens ninety minutes before curtain for weekend performances. To purchase by phone: 844-4154.

tings with Bauhaus-design furniture and objects, Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. JANUARY 26 THROUGH MAY 18: The

Painter’s Subjects — Landscape, Figure, Still Life: Selected works from the collection of Dwight and Helen Carlisle, examining traditional genres of landscapes, figures and still-life paintings, including the works of William Glackens, Sir John Lavery, and E.A. Taylor, Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts.

FEBRUARY 7: Teen Café at Auburn Public

Library features a Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball, 6:30 p.m., with games, food, crafts, and more for children in grades six through twelve. Wear a mask to enter the Mardi Gras King and Queen competition.

JANUARY 29: Spanish Film Club: Before JANUARY 26: Tony-award winning actor/

singer Brian Stokes Mitchell performs, A Night on Broadway, 7:30 p.m., Opelika Center for the Performing Arts. For tickets: eastalabamaarts.org JANUARY 26: Alabama Newspaper Hall

of Honor, ceremony to honor inductees to the Hall of Honor, 3 p.m.-5 p.m., Draughon Library Reading Room. Information: 8449991; lodenke@auburn.edu. JANUARY 26: Dr. Cory Mixdorf, guest art-

ist, trombone recital, with Joni Chan, piano, 3 -4:30 p.m., Goodwin Recital Hall, AU. Tickets: $10; students, $5, sold at door 45 minutes prior to admission.

Opening Night (Antes del Estreno), 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Jule Collins Smith Museum. JANUARY 30: Pangaea Chamber Play-

ers, comprised of Oklahoma State University Music Department faculty members, perform 7:30 to 9 p.m., Goodwin Recital Hall, AU. Tickets: $10; students, $5, sold at door 45 minutes prior to admission. JANUARY 31: AU Concert and Jazz

Bands Concert, 7:30-9 p.m., Auburn Performing Arts Center. Admission: Free. JANUARY 31: Spanish Film Club: Chico, 6

to 8 p.m., Jule Collins Smith Museum. Recital, with Josh Pifer, piano, 7:30-9 p.m., Goodwin Recital Hall, AU. Tickets: $10; students, $5, sold at door 45 minutes prior to admission. FEBRUARY 5: Matthew Hoch, Faculty

haha, 10 to 11 a.m., for kindergarteners to high school seniors, Jule Collins Smith Museum. JANUARY 26 through May 4: Bauhaus

twenty-21: An Ongoing Legacy, a multidisciplinary exploration of the architectural school founded by Walter Gropius, including the photography of Gordon Watkinson, who has documented a dozen of the most significant Bauhaus examples, and room set-

30 LEE MAGAZINE

and Opelika High School Jazz Band, 7:30 to 9 p.m., Opelika Performing Arts Center, 1700 LaFayette Parkway. Tickets: $10; students, $5. Information: 844-4165, music@ auburn.edu. FEBRUARY 13: Poetry Workshop. Join the library and the Live Poets Society as they learn to create limericks. 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Auburn Public Library, 749 East Thach Avenue. FEBRUARY 13: Matthew Wood, Faculty

FEBRUARY 4: Bill Schaffer, Faculty Horn

JANUARY 26: Art Club: Bauhaus Brou-

FEBRUARY 12: AU Jazz Band Concert

Voice Recital, with guest artist Michelle DeBruyn, soprano, and Yien Wang, piano, Goodwin Recital Hall. Tickets: $10; students, $5, sold at door 45 minutes prior to admission.

Trombone Recital with Adrienne Wilson, piano, 7:30 to 9 p.m., Goodwin Recital Hall. Tickets: $10; students, $5, sold at door 45 minutes prior to admission. FEBRUARY 14: Children’s Valentine’s

Party, crafts, and games, for children ages three to eleven, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., Auburn Public Library, 749 East Thach Avenue. FEBRUARY 16: Dandy Dads Dinner

FEBRUARY 6: AU Faculty Jazz Concert,

Dance at the Opelika SportsPlex. A special night of dining and dancing for fathers and their daughters. The evening includes a meal, corsage/boutonniere, activities, and entertainment by DJ Ozz. 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tickets: $30 per couple. Call the SportsPlex for more information: 334.705.5560

7:30 to 9 p.m., Goodwin Recital Hall. Tickets: $10; students, $5, sold at door 45 minutes prior to admission.

Send calendar info to: editor@lee-magazine.com

DADDY+

FEBRUARY 5: Spanish Film Club: Marim-

bas From Hell (Las Marimbas del Infiern), 6 to 8 p.m., Jule Collins Smith Museum.

LOVE

DANCE

DADDY+DAU Enjoy an evening of dining, dancing and fun! A special night out for fathers and daughters of all ages. Special entertainment by Ozz.

DAN Dandy Dads Dinner Dance

LOVE

Please call Saturday, February 16th 334.705.5560 6:00-8:00 p.m. for more information Opelika Sportsplex

DANCE

LOVE +DAUGHTER

Admission: $30 per couple, $5 for each additional daughter Includes: Meal, corsage/boutonniere, activities and entertainment.

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