First course

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The recipe for this German Chocolate Upside Down Cake from Cook of the Week Judie Garrett is one of many things you will find in today’s Daily Journal food section and here at djournal.com. A story in today’s Daily Journal newspaper tells how first-class airline passengers can say goodbye to mystery meat. In the latest effort to lure customers and create buzz, airlines are serving up gourmet menus cooked up by celebrity chefs. Also, read the first food blog post here below.

OK, here we go with the first blog. And I’m going to start with a question, which I’ll eventually get to.

I had lunch Tuesday at Las Margaritas with DJ sports writer Gregg Ellis and photographer Deste Lee and the conversation eventually turned to restaurants Tupelo doesn’t have (yet).

Gregg is particularly fond of Jason’s Delis, which he says have THE best salad bars and sandwiches. There are a couple in Memphis, one in Jackson, Tenn., and at least one in Birmingham and in Jackson, Miss.

Next, he started talking about a restaurant called Ted’s Montana Grill that serves fabulous aged steaks. (The “aging” process is quite disgusting and we don’t need to discuss it here, but Gregg said his steak was the best thing he’s ever put in his mouth.)

But what Gregg really misses and is looking for, much to my chagrin and distaste, is liver and onions. This was one of my mother’s favorites. When I was growing up, she often took me to Morrison’s restaurant on liver-and-onion day so she could get her fix. (I always had meatloaf.)

So the question is: Where can you find good liver and onions in Northeast Mississippi? We figured some mom-and-pop place might serve it on Thurs-Fri-Sat nights. If you can help, holler.

And now for a recipe. As I mentioned in my Food & Dining column in today’s Daily Journal, Leanne Davis, a registered dietitian at the Wellness Center in Tupelo, gave a healthful cooking demonstration last week. She prepared Flatout Pizzas, a snack mix and this Quick Lemon-Berry Trifle.

Leanne used fat-free milk, fat-free pudding and light whipped topping to further reduce sugar, fat and calories.

When I made it at home a few days later, I also made a few changes. I used 1 percent milk, reduced-fat vanilla wafers and regular vanilla pudding, because I’m not a big fan of lemon pudding. I bought a container of fresh blueberries, raspberries and strawberries at Kroger and they worked perfectly. I also halved the recipe, because there were only five of us, and I served it in clear acrylic cups.

I wish I’d made the full recipe now. My kids were sad and droopy because there were no seconds/leftovers.

Quick Lemon-Berry Trifle
2 1/2 cups cold milk
2 (3-ounce) boxes lemon instant pudding
2 cups thawed whipped topping, divided
4 cups mixed berries, divided
42 vanilla wafers

Pour milk into a large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes. Beat with a wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. Gently stir in 1 1/2 cups of whipped topping. Reserve 1/4 cup of berries and set aside.

Arrange 21 wafers on the bottom and up the side of a 2 1/2-quart clear serving bowl. Spoon one-third of pudding mixture into prepared bowl; cover with half of remaining berries. Top with layers of half of remaining pudding mixture, remaining 21 wafers and remaining berries. Cover with layers of remaining pudding mixture, remaining 1/2 cup whipped topping and reserved 1/4 cup berries.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Makes 16 (1/2-cup) servings. Each serving has 150 calories, 4.5g fat, 5mg cholesterol, 29g carbs, 18g sugar, 1g fiber and 2g protein.

Click here for other stories from today’s food section including a profile of Cook of the Week Judie Garrett and her recipes.

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