News for January 14th 2010

Barber Motorsports to be Site of only IZOD IndyCar Test

The IZOD IndyCar Series’ only major pre-season test will take place at the Barber Motorsports Park road get over this winter, with the chronic oval test moved back to May.

In new years the championship has held check on both ovals and road track prior to the toughen , but this year’s calendar bounce off with four uninterrupted road/street courses, with the first oval date not coming until the Indianapolis 500 at the end of May.

The Barber test will take place on 24-25 February. The Alabama follow has twice held IndyCar determine in previous , and will join the championship calendar for the first time this toughen, when it entertain round three of the series on 11 April.

The oval test moves from first-string Homestead to Kentucky Speedway, and will be a one-day session on 4 May, during the gap between round four in Long Beach and the start of Indy 500 practice.

Indy Racing League competition president Brian Barnhart said the test transfer were designed to save money for IndyCar aggroup.

“The way the 2010 plan change hands allowed for the opportunity for our group to focus their pre-weaken plans on the road and street cut through events to open the season,” said Barnhart.

“By modify the oval testing portion to in-weaken Open Test furnish, teams have the of confine their equipment in road traverse trim until they are ready to focus on the oval portion of the schedule, including the month of May at Indianapolis.”

In addition to the open examine, IndyCar aggroup are also allowed six nonpublic test days and can gesture their mileage grant if they reply Indy Lights team.

The IRL has also announced single opposite winter tweaks, including a bid of the horsepower increase on hand via the Honda raise work and a $27,000 reduction in the cost of a full-season engine lease.

Edited: January 14th, 2010

“The Alabama Guide” offers in-depth look at the State

“The Alabama Guide: Our People, Resources, and Government” is available at the Governor’s Mansion Gift Shop (334-241-8824) the Goat Hill Museum Store in the Alabama State Capitol (334-353-4969), and in bookstores across the state.

From the article “New book offers in-depth look at Alabama” by Alvin Benn in the Montgomery Advertiser:

Nearing the end of his first term, Gov. Bob Riley was attending a meeting in Tennessee when someone slipped him a book detailing the history of the Volunteer State as well as other interesting tidbits. Impressed by what he read, Riley felt Alabama should have the same thing and turned to one of his top aides to ask a favor. “We need one of these,” Riley told John Harrison, then the director of the state Department of Economic and Community Affairs and now superintendent of state banks. “Let’s do one.” Work began in the fall of 2006 and the book slowly began to take shape as writers, researchers and editors focused on their roles in what was becoming a major project. Three years in the making, Alabama’s version of Tennessee’s book is finally out and is just what the governor wanted. He couldn’t have been more pleased, either.

“The Alabama Guide: Our People, Resources and Government” is a humdinger and ought to be on a book shelf in every home in the state. Nearly 700 pages long and weighing four pounds, the guide touches on a wide variety of topics including politics, civil rights, the Civil War, the arts, sports, industry, education and a list of elected officials complete with color photographs of each one. There’s also a section containing a long list of state boards and agencies, the purpose of their creation, “snail mail” addresses, e-mail contacts and telephone numbers. The hardcover sells for $39.95, while the price of the paperback is $24.95. What separates Alabama’s guide from many of those prepared by other states is its readability. In short, it won’t put readers to sleep. “Other states have similar books, but they are somewhat dry,” said Ed Bridges, who directs the state Archives and History Department. “Some I’ve seen look more like textbooks.” Riley wanted the most experienced people available to prepare the book and Alabama couldn’t have come up with anyone better than Bridges to help guide it to completion. A Georgia native who has become an entrenched Alabamian and is proud of it, Bridges gathered together a talented group that included archivists, historians, researchers, a book publisher, college professors and others to help produce what Riley requested.

Randall Williams, who publishes the Montgomery-based New South Books, was hired as a part-time state merit system employee. He spent countless hours working on “The Alabama Guide” when he wasn’t at his primary business a few blocks away. “I’ve published about 400 books, but this project was something special,” said Williams. “For one thing, I learned just how extensive state government is and how it touches most people in Alabama in one way or another.” A 15-page listing includes state agencies beginning with the Compensation Department to the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame Board. It’s followed by regional organizations, state courts and legislators. It’s got birth and death rates, census figures, lyrics to the state song, city and county officeholders and even the Alabama creed and coat of arms. “What this book does is help people find something they might need,” said Williams. “It also puts a face on agencies such as licensing and regulatory boards that might provide help.”

Bridges personally wrote the 133-page “Historical Alabama” section. It’s an in-depth look at the state and is filled with photographs, maps, charts and other illustrations. “What helped me to better understand Alabama was the fact that we may be close to 200 years old, but we’ve also had more than 14,000 years of human occupancy,” said Bridges. “It’s a fact that is buried in our soil.” Produced by the state Department of Archives and History and distributed by the University of Alabama Press, the book has been selling fast and more printings are expected to be approved to keep up with the demand. “The governor wanted something to leave with economic prospects to present a nice view of our state,” said Bridges. “We are very happy to have produced such a professionally polished book.” Bridges said he is particularly pleased that so few negative comments have greeted publication of the guide. He credits Williams with helping to produce something that has drawn such a positive reception from the public. Williams designed the cover and handled many other duties as he worked to complete the project. “This is the most informative overview of Alabama in one place that I’ve ever seen,” said Bridges. “Randall took a technical, complex presentation and translated it into something readable and interesting.”

Edited: January 14th, 2010

Birmingham Restaurants Show Case their Favorite Recipes

With thanks to those who so graciously shared, the following is a glimpse at a handful of recipes that appeared in the Food Detective column in 2009.

Nabeel’s Cafe’s Grilled Shrimp-Penne Pasta

3 cups penne pasta
Salt, to taste
4 soup spoons (approximately) extra-virgin olive oil
2 ounces sun dried tomatoes, chopped
4 to 5 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled Greek feta cheese (may substitute French feta)
16 medium-size shrimp, grilled
Couple pinches oregano
Pinch of salt and pepper
Dash of white wine
Sprinkle of Reggiano Parmigiano cheese, grated (may substitute Greek Myzithra cheese, available at Nabeel’s Market)
Chopped parsley, for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste

Add pasta to boiling water; add salt and a little extra-virgin olive oil.
Cook until al-dente. Drain; set aside. In a medium saute pan add olive oil at medium heat.
Add shrimp and sprinkle with oregano, a pinch of salt and pepper and a dash of white wine. Saute until shrimp begin to change color.
Add chopped sun dried tomatoes, chopped basil, feta cheese and shrimp.
Saute until feta melts and shrimp turn pink. Add penne pasta to saute pan; stir and toss a couple of times.
Place in a plate and sprinkle the Reggiano or the Myzithra cheese over it. Sprinkle chopped parsley.
Serve with a glass of red wine.
Serves 2.

Nabeel’s Cafe in Homewood shared its recipe for grilled-shrimp penne pasta, which a reader had described as “tasty and fresh.”

The entree, according to cafe founder John Krontiras, is made from a recipe that came from his Italian-born mother-in-law.

James K. Jones, chef/owner at Kairos Kafe and Kairos Katering on University Boulevard, divulged the secret for Chocolate Krackle, his restaurant’s “most popular dessert.”

“It’s a very simple recipe,” Jones said, adding, “Indeed, it is addictive,” he admitted, explaining the origins of the dessert’s original name, “chocolate crack.” Butterfingers, he explained, provide the dessert’s little krackle.

Full Moon Bar-B-Que makes a tidy business of satisfying people’s sweet tooth. Cooks at the restaurant daily bake 200 dozen Half-Moon cookies, and by the next morning all those cookies have been devoured.

A toll-house cookie dipped halfway in melted Hershey bar, the cookies are made from a recipe that originally belonged to Mrs. Pat James, wife of the restaurant’s founder who operated only the Southside location. When sharing the recipe, David Maluff, who owns the restaurant with his brother, Joe, said, “People love the cookies, not just with their meals but for special occasions like Valentine’s, Christmas, Halloween, anything.”

Jim Dolan, owner of the Irondale Cafe, shared the recipe for chicken and dumplings which have been served at the restaurant since the 1930s, long before Birmingham-born, actress-author Fannie Flagg immortalized the eatery in her book, “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.”

George Sarris, owner Sarris Cafe in Pelham, provided his recipe for green beans. The steam table at the eatery daily is laden with meat entrees plus vegetables, salads, burgers and desserts.

“There’s really nothing much to making them,” Sarris modestly said of the beans whose recipe includes a twist reminiscent of his Greek roots.

Ashley Mac’s owner and namesake Ashley McMakin, with locations in Bluff Park and Cahaba Heights, let readers know how to make her coconut-caramel pie which a reader had described as “heavenly.” The recipe, she explained, came from a friend of her mother’s.

Asked about the lasagna served at Giano’s Italian Restaurant in Vestavia City Center, chef-owner John Giangrosso explained that he has “been making the lasagna so long, I can practically do it now with my eyes closed.”

The recipe, he said, is one that he refined during the 18 years he operated a restaurant by the same name in the now-razed section of Wildwood.

Pinecrest Restaurant at Lake Guntersville State Park in Guntersville, divulged its formula for corn chowder that is made from a recipe that the resort’s Food and Beverage Manager Wylie Poundstone used when he was working as a chef at Brennan’s Restaurant in Houston, Texas.

As high temperatures blanketed the Magic City, Paul Clark revealed his recipe for watermelon salad.

The salad “has been wildly popular,” reported Clark, who is executive chef at Moe’s Original Bar B Que, which he owns with brothers Eric and Kevin Witherington. Clark first makes the salad with the onset of watermelon season and ends when watermelons no longer are sweet, usually in October.

In response to a reader’s request for “a great guacamole recipe to use for Cinco de Mayo,” La Paz Restaurante in Crestline Village shared its formula for what the restaurant’s General Manager Ellen Prince described as “a very popular item, as it is a healthier option to cheese dip.”

Baumhower’s Wings restaurant shared its recipe for black-and-blue sauce that typically is served with ribeye steaks.

“It’s a really simple recipe,” owner Bob Baumhower said. The sauce’s taste, he explained, can be varied to personal taste by adjusting the amounts of blue cheese, sour cream and horseradish.

Wayne Salem, owner of Salem’s Diner in Homewood, provided the details of his Philly cheese steak sandwich. The sandwich was propelled into fame when Craig Ferguson mentioned it on his show, CBS’s “The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson.” The talk-show host reported that at Salem’s he had discovered “the best Philly cheese steak sandwich I’ve ever tasted, and I’m including Philadelphia.”

Edited: January 14th, 2010

Alabama Crimson Tide will celebrate National Championship Saturday at Stadium

The University of Alabama will celebrate the Crimson Tide’s 2009 National Championship on Saturday, Jan. 16 at 2 p.m. in Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Alabama Tourism Department congratulates the Crimson Tide for bringing home the National Championship Trophy and invites you to see where Crimson Tide football got its start by visiting the Paul W. Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa. Information on Tuscaloosa area attractions, events, and accommodations can be found on the Tuscaloosa Convention and Visitors Bureau’s website at www.tcvb.org. More information on the BCS National Championship celebration at the University of Alabama is available online at http://uagameday.com/football/whats-new.php. For more information on the Paul W. Bryant Museum please see http://bryantmuseum.ua.edu/

Edited: January 14th, 2010