When: Saturday, January 28, 2012

Time: 12:00pm until 3:00pm.

Where: HSSCG, 4627 US Highway 17 North, Brunswick, GA

After several years of fundraising and construction, the new Humane Society building is open! On Saturday, January 28, 2012 from 12-3, the Humane Society will host a Grand Opening Celebration! This event is open to the public and will give everyone a chance to see the new Adoption and Community Center, visit adoptable pets and get a sneak peak at some of the new programs. Guests will enjoy the sounds of Michael Hulett in the main lobby, have refreshments provided by Coca Cola, award winning Barbeque from Brunswick’s Right on Q, and try a sweet specialty from Kristen Kramer at Halyards.

Pam Mueller, Author of the Kiska Trilogy about Kiska the Cat and “Hello, Goodbye, I Love You” and “Aloha Crossing” based on the adventures of the dog, Aloha, will be in the Education Center signing her award winning books. There will be activities for children throughout the event and pet & family friendly dogs are welcome to join us too!

While visiting, anyone can register to win some great prizes from our past, present and future business supporters like Golden Isles Bracelet Company, Viola’s, Island Dog and more! The location remains the same at 4627 US Highway 17 North in Brunswick. Come celebrate the Grand Opening and experience why something extraordinary happens when you visit your NEW Humane Society of South Coastal Georgia!

Serves 30 as an appetizer.

Ingredients:

• 5 pounds medium fresh Georgia shrimp
• 5 medium Vidalia onions quartered into bite-size wedges
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups cider vinegar
• 1 large bottle of capers and juice
• 2 lemons cut in thin slices
• 3 firm tomatoes cut into bite-size wedges
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
• 1 tsp. salt

Cooking Instructions:

Boil shrimp for 3 minutes. Drain immediately. Peel de-vein, wash and drain well. In deep, flat pan, layer shrimp, onion, lemon & tomatoes, repeating until all is used. Mix all remaining ingredients thoroughly and pour over shrimp and onions. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours. Stir or flip at intervals throughout that time. To serve, lift onions, lemons, tomatoes and shrimp from marinade and serve from a glass bowl with toothpicks.

Located on the pier end of Mallory Street in the charming Pier Village of St. Simons Island, Zuzu’s has an oceanfront view of the sparkling water and the pier. They serve up a great hamburger with hand cut fries. They also have a good hotdog. This is by far the best ice cream shop on the Island. Stop in for a cup or cone of hand-dipped ice cream and draw up a stool in front of the expansive window. You can people watch as passersby envy your ice cream. If you’re a little shy and don’t want to drip ice cream in front of everyone, there are plenty of booths where you can enjoy your ice cream or opt for a sandwich, salad, or cool drink. Or take your treat outside on a stroll along the pier. But eat it quick before it melts! And their lemonade is always a hit during the summer months! Zuzu’s is a delightful beachfront diner.

Inside Zuzu's

We tried this out, and had fantastic results.

Ingredients
1 pound beef filet
2 medium onion
1 green pepper
8 ounce of sliced portabella mushrooms
1 green pepper
¼ cup vinegar
3 tablespoons water
½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons of “My Spice Sage” Italian Dressing Seasoning Base
Juice of one large lemon

Make the Marinade

In a glass jar, add the vinegar and water with Italian Dressing Base. Mix thoroughly. Add olive oil and lemon juice and mix again and set aside.

Cube Tenderloin

Cut the tenderloin steak into 1-inch to 1 ½-inch cubes. Add the cubes to the marinade bowl. Cut the onion in half and peel apart. Cut the green pepper open and clean out the seeds. Cut the pepper into 1-inch squares (or as close to square as you can). You can leave the sliced portabella mushrooms whole. Marinade the veggies in Italian dressing with the tenderloin. Let it rest for 24 hours in the fridge, stirring when you can. Then remove from the refrigerator and let it come back to room temperature. Let it sit at room temp for 30 minutes to an hour.

Skewer
We like to alternate between onions, tenderloin and peppers, as they add great flavor to the meat while cooking. We also throw the mushrooms in every now and then. The onion, peppers and meat play well with the mushrooms. Put the left over marinade in a jar.

Prep the grill

If using gas, heat the grill on high for 15 minutes prior to cooking. If cooking on coals, it is best to use natural hardwood charcoal. Add enough coals to cook over a high heat for 12 minutes.

Grill ‘em

Place the kebabs on the hot grill directly over the flame or coals. Keep the lid open since we are cooking on direct heat. Grill for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating 180 degrees every 3 minutes. Pour leftover marinade on kebabs during each rotation. Cook meat until desired level of doneness. Remove the kebabs from the grill and let them rest for 3 or 4 minutes before serving.

Angel’s Café is one of the best sandwich and salad restaurants in Brunswick, Georgia. Angel’s is located on Cypress Mill Road in the Shops at Cypress Mill. Angel’s Café is open weekdays from 10:30am – 2:30pm. They have a very wide variety of salads, wraps and sandwiches and two to three fresh soups each day. For the money, you cannot beat it. I normally get the soup and sandwich for around $6.00. I think they make some of the best tuna salad in the area. I also recommend the Italian sandwich and the steak sandwich. Their pasta salad is also very good. Angels is usually pretty crowded but thre is rarely a wait for a table. Don’t miss this super lunch spot in Brunswick!

Nachos Mexican Restaurant & Cantina just opened its doors a couple of weeks ago on St. Simons Island. We went for dinner recently and it was slammed—which is a good sign. There was only one table available when we arrived.

I rate my Mexican restaurants by their “Chile Rellenos” and the ones at Nachos were probably the best I have eaten. The two huge poblano peppers were stuffed with Mexican cheese, dipped in egg and skillet fried and topped with a sauce that was out of this world. They were served with refried beans, rice and corn or flour tortillas.

Nancy had the “Chicken Nachos Supreme” which were also very good. The menu is extensive with many unique Mexican dishes. The staff was very friendly and nice. Our waitress told us that the owners, Jorge & Nacho, had been partners in Los Arcos that recently closed in Brunswick and reopened on the Island. We were very pleased with our first meal at Nachos Mexican Restaurant & Cantina and sure we will have many more great experiences there. We are glad to have this Mexican restaurant on the Mid-North part of the Island.

Nachos is located on Frederica Avenue, in the Brogens North shopping center.

“Tides of Fear” by Anne B. Jones

Set on St. Simons Island, Georgia

Book signing January 10, 2012

12:00 to 2:00

G J Ford Bookshop in Shops of Sea Island

Which is the more dangerous predator? A shark? Or a man? St. Simons Island becomes the scene of panic as bodies are washed ashore. First blaming the deaths on sharks, police soon realize the predator is human. A killer stalks tourists, luring and drowning his victims as easily as he eludes discovery. Tides of Fear, set on the shark-infested Georgia Coast, includes the hunt for a serial murderer with water as the crime scene. Tides of Fear author, Anne B. Jones, has been compared to Thomas Harris and Jeffrey Deaver ‘without the slice and dice.’ The book includes a gripping plot, well-developed characters, and insights into profiling and other forensic subjects. Tides of Fear is unusual because of its use of water as a crime scene with underwater crime scene analysis. The book is based on the author’s doctoral research related to violence. Author Bob Mayer calls it “Jaws with a serial killer.”

by Guerry Norwood

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) plus 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup green chopped onions
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 quart of half & half
• 1 pint oysters, shucked, drained and reserve liquid
• Salt and cayenne
• Fresh black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped finely chopped parsley

In a large saute pan, melt the 4 tablespoons butter. Stir in the flour, stirring constantly and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onions and celery and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the half & half and oyster liquid. Season the mixture with salt, cayenne and black pepper. Bring the liquid up to a simmer. Simmer the liquid for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the oysters, garlic and parsley. Bring the liquid back up to a simmer and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the oysters curl. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and remove from the heat. Ladle the soup into the terrine.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 pinches saffron threads
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 20 raw jumbo Wild Georgia Shrimp

 Directions

1. In a medium nonreactive bowl, whisk together the olive oil, saffron, lime juice and garlic.
2. Add shrimp and toss to coat.
3. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
4. Prepare grill to a medium-high heat.
5. Push shrimp onto 4 metal skewers, allowing the excess marinade to drain off.
6. Grill until just opaque in the center, about 2 minutes per side.
7. Serve and enjoy!

Marinate:

Skewer and Grill:

Yum!

by Guerry Norwood

Nancy and I recently made a day trip to Little St. Simons Island with a small group of Sandpipers, which we recently joined. Sandpipers is a social club designed to offer as little or as much activity as a member chooses, from Dining In and Dining Out to several group meetings throughout the year. There are Sandpiper excursions both locally and farther afield and special interests such as book club, bridge, and kayaking.

Little St Simons Island is a private barrier island just off the Georgia coast which is prized for its unbothered natural beauty, gracious hospitality and secluded worlds-away appeal. Our Little St Simons day trip started at the Hampton Marina at 10:30 where we took at 15 to 20 minute boat ride down the Hampton River to Mosquito Creek. When we arrived at Little St Simons we met our naturalist tour guide Ben Morrison. Ben has been working on the Island for the past four years and is very knowledgeable.  We got on an open-air flatbed truck with bench seats across the back. With binoculars in hand, we headed out with Ben for a very informative tour of the undisturbed Maritime Forrest. Ben made frequent stops for us to view different aspects of the Maritime Forrest, while he explained the natural essence of Little St. Simons Island. Along the way we were able to spot a bald eagle nesting.

We returned to The Lodge at 1:00 for a hearty lunch of low country southern specialties. After lunch we took off for the beach for an afternoon of shell hunting on seven miles of private beach. We then returned to the Hampton Marina around 4:00 that afternoon. We all experienced what Southern Magazine described, “There are few places on the planet where beaches are without condos, and roads are without cars and night sky are only lit up by the shine of a billion far away stars. If you like that sort of thing, Little St Simons is as close to perfect as any place can get.”