Grown-Up Wine

The other day I mentioned to two of my colleagues that I enjoyed doing the blog posts on food so much that all I can imagine for future posts now involve food and recipes.  They suggested that I do my next few blogs on one of my other loves...wine. 

I responded, "Then people will really think I am a wine-o!"

Beth then replied, "Well it isn't like you are hiding your love of wine.  There are pictures of you and your mom with wine. You and your boyfriend with wine. You and your cousin with wine. You and your family with wine." I had to laugh at her very true observation.  I guess she had a point.


While I could care less about any other types of alcohol, I love wine because of the stories behind it.  I appreciate the experience of discovering a new bottle.  The process of selecting it and tasting it. You really savor wine and it is its own culture. However, I am far from an expert. I know what I like but why I like it and what I know about it would probably make most wine experts cringe.  But my friend, Josh, who is far more a wine expert than I am, explains to me that the wine world is embracing a new attitude.  Now it is more acceptable to just drink what you like and  not so much of sticking to the old rules. You know the rules, red with red meat and white with fish or poultry.  I never eat red meat but I like red wine so out with those rules! I will have my spaghetti with meat sauce (turkey meat) and red wine, thank you!

Still, writing on wine is an intimidating subject. People study wine for a lifetime and spend hours developing a heighten sense of taste to truly enjoy every aspect of wine. There is a language for wine and I just don't know all the words but I do know what I like.  And hearing this, Marla, encouraged me to write such a blog on just what I liked because she would love some new ideas of what to try.  Her sister recently told her that she needed to discover some "grown up" wines.  I am not sure that I would classify my taste as sophisticated enough to be grown up but I can make some suggestions. I am probably in the later adolescence of my wine development thus far so I can tell you what I like and why but don't expect the expert touch.

What I would fill my wine rack/wine refrigerator with if I had one: (feel free to buy one as a gift for me if you would like)

Barefoot Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc - This brand of  wine is always my good, inexpensive standby.  This brand has even won numerous awards and it is always consistently good!

Middle Sister Drama Queen and Rebel Red - I am really getting into the blends of wine lately and these two have quickly become my favorite! I would love to try the other ones but right now I think these are the only two in Mississippi. The website is a lot of fun too so check it out: http://www.middlesisterwines.com/

A to Z - I first tried A to Z Pinot Grigio at The Waltz on The Square in Oxford. I thought part of the reason I fell in love with this wine was from the atmosphere. I love The Waltz bar because sitting in the cozy yet cosmopolitan and artsy environment makes you feel as if you are about to walk out on a busy NYC street. You just feel happy...then again maybe it was the wine.  However, when I tried a bottle of A to Z at home, it was just as good and it was my introduction to how amazing Oregon wines are. Now this region is the home to my favorite wines. The only thing I don't like about A to Z is missing the cork experience.  It has a screw cap and I love the sound of opening a new bottle of wine. 

I recommend trying any of the Oregon wines. I haven't found one yet that I don't like.  Here is a website that I came across on the Oregon wine regions:
http://www.oregonwine.org/Discover_Oregon_Wine/About_Oregon/

Others I like and ones you can include when you buy me a wine fridge are:

Kendall Jackson

Yellow Tail

Hob Nob

Liberty School

Cupcake

Beringer

Francis Coppola

Eco Domani

Mirrassou

Naked Grape

Of course all of  the above is an inexpensive selection but I haven't reached the point in my wine development or my career development where I can afford much more expensive. If you would like to send money so I can review more expensive wines, feel free to do so.  Until then I will keep trying out the more inexpensive varieties.  I do have a lot more to learn and that means more to try!  I think I might need to go read a wine magazine with, of course, a glass of wine.  Cheers!

Weekend Breakfast

There is something special about weekend breakfast.  I love to plan a bigger breakfast to lazily enjoy on a Saturday morning. The weekend breakfast is a luxury that the rush during the week doesn't allow.  I know other families feel the same.  I have been in the grocery store on a Friday night and once overheard a father ask his children what did they want for their Saturday breakfast.  I could tell that the weekend breakfast was a special tradition the way the children excitedly responded with ideas. Although my favorite example of the weekend tradition has to be my good friend.  When he was living an hour and a half away from home during law school, he was known to wake up early and drive home on a Saturday morning. He would walk in to the kitchen just as his dad was starting the breakfast.

The following recipe has become my favorite go to recipe for breakfast or tailgating.  If you are having a large crowd this dish goes a long way and it seems to please everyone.  So much in fact that after I made it for my boyfriend's family they declared it a tradition.  Have a great weekend y'all!

Sausage Sin
1 pack of regular Jimmy Dean sausage
1 pack of spicy Jimmy Dean sausage
2 blocks of cream cheese
2 cans of crescent rolls

Brown sausage.  Drain grease after the sausage is done and then mix in the cream cheese.  Spray non-stick spray into baking dish and unroll the first can of crescent rolls on the bottom creating a bottom crust. Spread the sausage and cream cheese mixture on crescent roll dough.  Top with a the remaining can of crescent rolls. Bake at the temperature on the crescent roll package until top dough is done.

Defining My Own Flavor

Being raised in a Southern family of cooks, I have incorporated their recipes as well as created my own. I gravitate to making dishes that I consider festive and special.  I want a lot of flavor and just like my mother, I need tang.  If you eat what I cook, be ready for dishes made with onions, celery, bell peppers, and garlic because I just don't understand how savory food exists without at least two of those ingredients. 

I realize as I  write this blog entry, that I have unknowingly inherited the just a little of this or a lot of that style of cooking when it comes to my own creations.  I will try my best to describe quantities and cooking times but I can only promise approximations for the measurements in these recipes.  So I wish you good luck and if you can't figure them out, just give me a call. If I like you enough, I might actually cook one of them for you!

I AM JUST A PLAIN OL' WHITE GIRL
My former co-worker and sweet friend, Lisa, came into my office one day pouting.  She was getting ready to leave our school for another job and I assumed she was sad because she would have to leave my wonderful daily friendship. Not quite.  The conversation kind of went like this:

Lisa:   Casey, I am sad.
Me:   Why Lisa?
Lisa:   Because when I leave here I probably will never have another Hispanic friend.
Me:   (Pause as I thought for a second and then realized). Lisa, I am not Hispanic.
Lisa:  Yes, you are!
Me, laughing at this point:   No, Lisa I am not.
Lisa:   Yes you are, Casey!
Me:    Lisa, white girls can have dark brown hair and not be Hispanic.
Lisa:  You mean to tell me that you are just a plain ol' white girl???

Yes, I am a plain ol' white girl. Although I would hardly describe myself as plain, I lean more to the dramatic in my life.  But sadly, I didn't fill Lisa's cultural need for a Hispanic friend.  Thankfully, she still talks to me even though I am just a white girl.

But I love Latin inspired food.  I have played around with both Mexican and Cuban recipes.  I still haven't really mastered the Cuban style foods but I am working on it.  But I think I have mastered the fajitas.  At least that is the most requested dish I make so either no one likes anything else I cook or this dish is really good!  I like to think it is the latter.

Chicken Fajitas (The following makes enough for about 4 - 6 people or leftovers for two the next day!)

7 to 8 chicken breast tenders
1 large golden onion
3 green bell peppers
5 or 6 roma tomatoes
Garlic
Chili powder
Cumin
Olive oil
Salt
Black Pepper

Heat the pan with a little bit of olive oil.  Brown chicken breasts and then cut into small chunks.  Slice onions and bell peppers into fajita style slices.  Saute onions, peppers, chicken in olive oil (just drizzle lightly all over). Add garlic (about 1/2 tsp) and salt to taste.  Sprinkle black pepper (about 1/2 tsp).  Then completely coat the chicken and veggies with a lot of chili powder (everything should look red so be generous!).  Add cumin but remember cumin goes a long way so about 1 TBSP.  Cook for about 15 minutes (until onions and peppers start to soften). I usually add a little water at this point (about 1/4 cup or less) to avoid sticking and having to add more oil. Sliced the tomatoes in long slices and add to the pan.  Dust a little more chili pepper, cumin, and salt into the pan. The tomatoes take the least time to cook so I add them last.

Serve with whole wheat tortillas, homemade guacamole, sour cream, and shredded cheese.  And if you really want to eat them like I do, add some Louisiana Hot Sauce!

BORN IN LOUISIANA, RAISED IN MISSISSIPPI
I am very fortunate that I can claim two states that are culinary stars as my own.  Although the following recipe might make any Cajun cringe, I still love it and that is all that matters!  However, I do consider myself an expert in red beans and rice which has been consistently my favorite food since childhood.  Some people's favorite foods come and go throughout their life. Not me. I have stayed a true red beans and rice lover. I have eaten this dish everywhere. Some wonderful and some not so good. The best, besides mine of course, that I have had so far is in Jackson, MS at Que Se Ra.  The restaurant has won awards for this dish so go check it out when you get a chance.

I say all this to have you understand that I know red beans and rice before you read what I do to mine because some of you "true dry beans people" out there may be raising your eyebrows.  I don't use dry beans.  It isn't that I don't like them but when you work all day and want to eat this particular meal fast on a weekday night, corners have to be cut but not at the cost of taste. I promise! 

Red Beans and Rice

2 cans of light red kidney beans (Bush's)
1 can of pinto beans (Bush's)
Sausage (I am a healthy eater so I typically choose turkey but sometimes I splurge on a different one)
Garlic
Onions
Peppers
Creole seasoning
Olive oil
Lousiana Hot Sauce
Brown rice

Empty the three cans of beans including liquid into a large mixing bowl.  With a potato masher, press the beans down until at least half of them have been mashed.  (This is an important step because you will still get the creamy texture that comes from dry beans and it does seem to add more flavor). Slice the sausage into bite size diagonal pieces.  Saute in olive oil sausage, onions, peppers, and plenty of garlic (at least a TBSP).  I sometimes throw in some celery to honor the trinity of cajun cooking.  Saute until onions become transparent. Add beans and just a slight dusting of creole seasoning.  Turn down heat and simmer for about 20 or so minutes. Stirring often to avoid sticking.

Serve over brown rice.  I garnish my own personal bowl with a layer of hot sauce. Que Se Ra covers theirs with shredded cheeses (also very good!).









My specialities
red beans and rice
chicken fajitas

Friends and Food

Mary Lea's Tomato Cups
For the longest time, my mother and I have always wanted to belong to a bunco group.  About two years ago, we found six other ladies that wanted a once a month giggle game fest as well.  We decided on the second Thursday of every month and that each host would provide a light meal before we started the game.


The kick off to bunco began with our first hostess, Mary Lea,and that was the night that the rest of us discovered The Tomato Cup.  I think the phrase "light meal" was thrown out after she served these appetizers because we each ate at least the amount of two meals in tomato cups.  And from then on, not only does our group play bunco but we also try to outdo each other with the meals we prepare.

Fortunately for me, Mary Lea supports our love for the tomato cups and they have made many appearances at other events from Halloween parties to 4th of July parties.  This year she wanted to make something different for our annual 4th of July party but when she found out how disappointed my mom (and me) were, she is once again making our favorite! Only 20 more days until tomato cup time...but I am not counting or anything.

THE Tomato Cups
1 can rotel
1/2 c. mayo
3 green onions chopped
1 tsp. basil
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 pkg. real bacon bits
 2 pkg. pastry cups (phyllo shells)

Combine all ingredients. Fill shells. Bake @350 for 10 minutes.

Toni's White Chicken Chili
Every year for Christmas, my boss (and friend) throws her staff a chili party as her Christmas present to us.  She makes a red chili and white chili with all the fixings.  The chili party is where I discovered The White Chicken Chili.

My mother is known for her chili and now I am known for my white chicken chili (aka Toni's White Chicken Chili). The first time I made it, I didn't know that I was suppose to drain the chili peppers and with me not fearing hot stuff, I loaded it down with chili and jalapeno peppers. Needless to say I was the only one who could eat it.  Now I adjust the peppers so that while it is still hot, others can enjoy it.  I still argue the point of hot chili is to warm you on a cold night from the inside out but non-hot eaters don't agree. So I just keep a jar of jalapenos next to me.

White Chicken Chili
3 cups cooked chicken breast 
2 14oz cans chicken broth
3 cans of white beans (canelli and navy beans)
1 chopped onion
1 4oz can chopped green chilies
1 4oz can diced jalapeno peppers
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 cup of Monterrey Jack Cheese

Saute chicken breast in oil until cooked. Remove chicken and saute onions until tender then add to the onions: jalapenos, chilies, cumin, and garlic. Saute for about three minutes. Add the chicken, beans, and broth. Cook for about 30 minutes. Add 1 cup of Monterrey Jack Cheese for thickening before serving.

Beth Ribelin's Taco Soup
I have been making this taco soup since 1998.  While this soup is great any time of the year, there is something about October and this soup that just goes together. It has since become my October tradition.  However, I first had it in on a very frigid day in January when I was in the process of moving.  Mrs. Beth made it for all of us involved in the move to have something while we worked.  I remember being so cold and the soup was the only thing that finally warmed me. I thought she couldn't have made anything more comforting for that day. 

My boyfriend doesn't like taco soup because most recipes are very soupy so he was hesitant to try mine until he saw the hearty meat and veggie mixture.  This version is almost like a chili with a few different spices and ingredients.

Taco Soup
2 lb. ground chuck (I use turkey now)
2 onions, chopped
5-6 ribs celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cans stewed tomatoes 
2 cans pinto beans
2 cans white shoepeg corn
1 can rotel tomatoes (maybe 2)
1 envelop taco seasoning (maybe 2)
1 envelop ranch salad dressing
Tortilla chips

Brown meat. Add celery, onions, and garlic. Cook until tender. Drain grease. Add tomatoes, beans, corn, and seasonings. Cook about 45 minutes. Serve over chips.


Merrill's Shrimp and Grits
I grew up in South Mississippi and somehow had never even heard of Shrimp and Grits until I moved to Oxford. Now I travel back down south and see it everywhere, I have no idea how I missed this dish.  Anyway, I have now discovered it and that is all that matters. But don't be fooled - not all shrimp and grits are created equally.  By far, the best version I have ever had was at Merrill and Josh's wedding.

Not long after their wedding, I could not get this dish off my mind. Boyfriend had just bought some shrimp from a friend who had gone shrimping so I got the recipe from Merrill and we did our best to recreate this dish.  I have to say that we recreated it (or at least came so very close). Except at the wedding we were given little dishes of the very rich food, however when we made it ourselves we served up huge bowls. Not a good idea. This stuff is rich and is meant to be consumed in small quantities!  So eat slow and savor.

Shrimp and Grits
Dry white wine
Green onions
Garlic
Bacon
Butter (a good bit but not quite as much as Paula Deen
Tabasco
Creole seasoning
Heavy cream
White cheddar cheese
Grits
Shrimp

The sauce: In a nonstick pan, put about 1/2 cup heavy cream, about 1/2 stick butter, and a few splashes of white wine (cook it down for awhile). Towards the end of cooking add the garlic ( a good deal of garlic), green onions, and about two shots of Tabasco.

The Shrimp: Shrimp can be boiled or sauteed (either will work). Merrill adds her shrimp to her sauce to get the flavor of the shrimp into the sauce after the sauce is done.

The Grits: Cheese grits are a must. Use white cheddar cheese to make the grits.

The Finish: Garnish with bacon, green onions, and more cheddar cheese.



Beth's Orange Candies
My graduate assistant Beth is known as the chef of the career center.  She makes everything.  And makes something or several somethings almost every day.  I like to cook but I believe Beth really can't and shouldn't go a day without cooking.  Cooking is one of her defining personality characteristics.  That and working out non-stop - a helpful combination. We, at work, really benefit from both of her passions. She cooks for us and teaches us Zumba.

Recently, she brought in Orange Candies. I don't eat very much sugar and I have to admit I was hesitant to eat this dessert but I tried one and I am so glad I did!  The flavor instantly reminded of me my great-grandmother, Mama Lack's, orange pound cake but in a little bite size ball.  I never knew Mama Lack but my mother has made this cake for me in the past so of course this little candy immediately reminded me of family.

Orange Candies
6 oz orange juice concentrate - this is half of the regular container
1 box powdered sugar
1 stick butter (melted)
11 oz vanilla wafers-crushed (The kind that comes in a bag)
1 c. chopped nuts (I use pecans)
Sweetened coconut

Combine all ingredients except coconut and roll into 1 inch balls. Roll balls in coconut and chill.

My Family's Cooking

Uncle Tommy's Gumbo
This past year while searching for a gumbo recipe, Mom told me to look in our old church cookbook from Jackson. She thought she remembered that there were several good recipes in that particular one.  We have had this book since I was 5 and I am now 32 but we haven't used it in quite some time. I opened the browned book to find several gumbo recipes.  You see,  I grew up Episcopal before I became Catholic and Episcopals in Mississippi are known for their gumbo and take the making of gumbo very seriously.  Almost as seriously as a true Cajun (almost). 

I read out a few recipes but only one stood out.  "That is the one we want!" my Mom said enthusiastically after I finished reading it. I looked down again at the recipe and was surprised to see a familiar name.  Call it family instinct but my mother had just chosen her brother's gumbo recipe. Underneath the recipe read Tommy Lack as the contributor. Uncle Tommy if you are reading this post, please feel free to make me some of your gumbo some time soon! I know I obviously have access to the recipe but I would prefer a bowl with your own touch!

Chicken-Sausage Gumbo (As seen in Bread & Wine, Favorite Recipes of All Saints Episcopal Church)
1 stewing chicken, cut up
1 lb. smoked sausage, cut up
1/2 c. cooking oil
1/2 c. flour
1 c. chopped onion
1 clove chopped garlic
1/2 c. celery, chopped
1/2 c. bell pepper, chopped
1/2 c. green onion tops
Salt and pepper to taste
Red pepper to taste

Boil chicken until meat falls off the bones. Reserve stock. Make a roux adding flour to hot cooking oil. It is necessary to stir constantly, keeping heat low until flour is a reddish golden brown. Add chopped onion and stir until it becomes transparent. Add roux to chicken stock; add sausage, chicken and remaining vegetables, salt, pepper and red pepper to taste, stirring often to prevent sticking, adding more water as necessary. Let cook about 1 hour. Serve with rice.

Aunt Martha's Brown Rice Casserole
When I was little, I did not like Mama Chris's dressing at our holiday meals. I know you must think I was a family disgrace after reading about the honored position dressing has in our family but I was a kid! However a side dish that I absolutely loved was my Aunt Martha's Brown Rice Casserole. I loved it so much in fact that my mother began to fix it as a regular side dish in our house after getting her recipe.  Thinking back, the three things that I love that my Aunt Martha makes would be her date balls, the zucchini bread, and of course the brown rice casserole! 

Brown Rice Casserole
3/4 stick of butter
1 med. onion
1 c. uncooked rice
2 cans undiluted beef consomme
2 (3 oz.) cans whole mushrooms
1/2 tsp salt

Melt butter in skillet. Add chopped onion and saute until transparent. Add the rice and salt. Stir the mixture well then place the mixture into a casserole dish.  Add the consomme and mushrooms with the liquid. Cover and bake in 325 degree oven until rice is puffed and tender (about an hour).

Aunt Margaret's Ambrosia
My Aunt Margaret was our family's self-proclaimed non-domestic type.  I remember her sitting in the kitchen with her charm bracelet tinkling as she would say to my mother, "Susie, I am just not domestic like you are."    Really my Aunt should have been saying, "I am so smart! I announce I am not domestic and I don't have to wash dishes." Brilliant really.

My Aunt was domestic in her own way.  She loved to have beautiful things in her home and was constantly trying new decorating ideas that she found in magazines. I remember one time she saw a magazine picture of a home with a wall covered in family pictures. This idea inspired her to do her own wall of family pictures. Thinking about my family as I write this blog, I understand where I get my love for pictures. We are all obsessed with photos because of the stories they tell and the memories they sustain.


But my Aunt was being honest in that she wasn't inclined to cook and clean in the daily domestic sense. I think she just didn't want to be bothered with the mundane mess that can make up daily life. I understand completely! Why have boring when you can have special?  She wanted special.  She wanted regal.  And she was just that.

But what she did  prepare that was special, she did well.   Her specialties were Irish Stew and Ambrosia.    When researching Ambrosia recipes, I came across one close to hers that described Ambrosia as a Southern favorite. After reading over it, I think I need to make this dish soon! In honor of my Aunt and all her beautiful eccentricities that make my life richer now, here is a special Ambrosia recipe found on southernfood.about.com.

Ambrosia (This recipe with coconut is a Southern favorite.)
1 cup orange juice
3 medium oranges, peeled and sectioned
1 can (8 ounces) pineapple chunks, undrained
1/2 cup seedless red grapes, halved (I think she used raisins)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Combine juice, orange sections, pineapple, and grapes, stirring gently to blend. Refrigerate until serving time. Fold in coconut and pecans just before serving.



Christy's Broccoli Rice and Sausage Casserole
As the phone calls start flying around the country during the holidays for Mama Chris's dressing recipe, Christy  always receives a call from my house for her casserole recipe.  Mom wrote it down several years ago but we always seem to lose it. No worries because by losing it then a phone call can be made where we exchange recipes once again and catch up.  Thankfully even with the distance separating us,we do get to talk a lot but every excuse to talk is a good one. Maybe I need to go lose that recipe again....


Christy's version of this casserole is my favorite because of the sausage in it.  You get the added kick or my mother's much needed tang in food.  However, I have to say that I have never had anything Christy has made that I don't like. She is a wonderful cook.  I even ate beef for her and I don't eat beef but it was Christy's cooking so I made the rare exception.


Broccoli Cheese and Sausage Casserole
2 boxes of frozen chopped broccoli (2 boxes)
1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup and add a little milk
1 Onion
1 roll of Regular Sage Jimmy Dean Sausage (Gold Pack)
Top with lots of shredded cheddar cheese

Steam broccoli and cook rice. Mix together with soup and milk. Fry sausage and saute onions.  Mix all items together.Top with cheddar cheese. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees or until ready.

Jenny's Corn Dip
When I moved to Jackson from Hattiesburg to start a job after graduate school, I lived with my cousin Jenny and her family for about two weeks until my apartment was ready. It was October and the weather was just starting to get a cool chilly feeling in the air.  I came home one night to Jenny making Cowboy Stew with an appetizer of Corn Dip.  I fell in love with this dip and it has become one of my go to recipes for tailgating or any kind of party.  If you don't have friends, you will after making this recipe!  This recipe just makes people happy.  Try it. Enough said.

Hot Corn Dip
2 cans mexicorn
About 1/2 to 3/4 cup of sour cream
About 1/2 to 3/4 cup of mayonnaise
Sliced black olives to taste
Diced jalapenos to taste
At least 1 cup (or more) of sharp cheddar cheese (whatever your cheese amount preference)

Mix all the ingredients together in a baking dish. You may have to play a little with the amount of sour cream and mayonnaise. The mixture will need to be slightly soupy going into the oven. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 to 45 minutes.  The mixture should be thoroughly heated and bubbling.  Serve with Frito chips.

Christy and me...Cousins and Champagne!

Jenny with me, Thanksgiving 2010

Laughing with Aunt Martha, Thanksgiving 2010

Family of shutterbugs! Jenny and Uncle Tommy with their cameras.

Brother and Sister, Thanksgiving 2010

Margarita Monday

Photo courtesy of vivideats.blogspot.com

 Happy Monday Y'all!  Congrats on making it through the first day of the week. I think we should celebrate Mondays so that we don't dread them.  In honor of a celebratory Monday evening, below is my boyfriend's famous Margarita recipe.  I guarantee if everyone dubbed Mondays as Margarita Mondays people would greet colleagues in the morning with, "Yay! It is Monday!" instead of, "Ughhhh Monday!"

Boyfriend is a great cook and has a few things he is known for especially his chili. However he is keeping the chili recipe to himself with the possibility of entering and winning a chili cook off one day.  But he did agree to share his Margarita recipe. I am also including another one of my faves that he makes.  Very simple but so delicious and the perfect side for a summer cook out! Cheers y'all on this Margarita Monday!

Margarita

1 Can Frozen Bacardi Margarita Mix

1/2 or 3/4 can of tequila (Use the Mix can to measure) (Jose Cuervo Gold or better)
    

1/4 can triple sec

 Put in blender with ice and pulse till slushy

Serve in a kosher salt rimmed glass by first wetting the glass edge with some triple sec and then dipping the rim into the kosher salt. The triple sec gives the drink the extra kick and tang!    

 
 ***Basically it is the Bacardi recipe with triple sec added

Just Grilled Squash and Zucchini

(Note: Boyfriend named the recipe for me this afternoon so I could put it in the blog. I think it is the perfect title - leaves no guessing! Got to love guys because they always get straight to the point!) 

Fresh Yellow Squash

Fresh Zucchini

Italian Dressing

Very important to slice squash and zucchini on the bias so you have large pieces. Marinate slices in Italian dressing for 15 minutes to 1/2 hour.   Grill veggies over a medium to medium-low heat until they are soft (but not too soft!).   Note: The squash cooks a little faster than the zucchini so put the squash a little to the side of the heat.

Another great place to have a Margarita on Monday!

 

 

My sweet guy at one of our favorite restaurants: The Shed. 

The above picture was taken in Destin. We have also been to The Shed in Hattiesburg and the original one in Ocean Springs.  We like to get fed at the shed! Yum! Check out the website at theshedbbq.com  but I am warning you to be prepared to start craving barbecue. When you do go I recommend the potato salad which is the only type of potato salad I have ever liked and that is saying a lot for this reformed picky eater.  But until you can head to the shed, enjoy Margarita Monday!

My Sweet Mother's Cooking

City Grocery Balcony, July 4th Weekend 2009

Most of us love our mother's cooking.  Unfortunately being Southern doesn't guarantee that you have a mama who can cook.  Fortunately that is not my case. My mother inherited her cooking abilities from previous generations and then added her own flavor to create her array of signature dishes. My mother is very much like me in her love for restaurants but when she wants to cook, anyone who is lucky enough to be around will enjoy an amazing meal.

Choosing just a few of my favorites that my mother makes is quite hard to do but the following come to mind as the food she is known for. Most importantly, my mother is also known for never having a dull meal.  She will always say, "I need a little tang." Translation: There better be tomatoes around somewhere!

I loved ketchup as a child but that was the only tomato based food I would eat so my mother made accommodations for her picky eater. She always fixed me a different meal when she made chili and spaghetti.  We would have big family dinners and I remember my family so perplexed that I was eating Hormel Chili while they ate homemade chili.  Or I would have plain, buttered spaghetti and a hamburger patty to the side (with ketchup!) when my family ate spaghetti and meat sauce.  Eventually I grew out of that phase and now won't even touch Hormel chili! What was I thinking???

WHAT'S FOR DINNER? SPAGHETTI WITH MEAT SAUCE!
Mom says that she must have come here knowing how to cook spaghetti because she can't remember when  she learned how to make it.  She just remembers it being the main meal she knew how to cook.  She was telling me yesterday when she was about 18, her boyfriend at the time would joke to his friends, "If we ever get married, I will ask someone to come to dinner and say we are having spaghetti." He would continue to say he would always know to tell potential dinner guests they were having spaghetti because that is the only thing she knew how to cook.  Mom said he was weird so she broke up with him but thankfully kept making the spaghetti and many other things contrary to what he thought!

Meat Sauce for Spaghetti
1 lb ground beef (Note: we use ground turkey now)
1 medium onion - chopped
1 green bell pepper - chopped
2 cloves garlic - diced
1 teaspoon oregano
1 to 2 bay leaves
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 small can (6 oz) tomato paste
2 cans (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 to 2 cups water as needed
Salt to taste and a little red cayenne pepper

Brown ground meat - add onions, peppers, and garlic.  Saute until onions and peppers are done. Add spices, tomato sauce, paste, and water. Cover and simmer for at least 1/2 hour, possibly longer. Serve over spaghetti or angel hair pasta.

This recipe can be increased if cooking for a larger group like a large Southern family supper!

  
SOUTHERN GIRL COOKS IN DENVER
When my mother was 18 she moved to Denver for about a year and took a cookbook from Mississippi to Colorado with her.  This was the first time that my mother would be taking care of her own place and learning how to cook more than spaghetti.  She remembers that she came across a recipe in this book called Chili con Carne and has been using this recipe for the last forty-one years.  To me, it is the taste of home. Recently, I thought it was important to me that I learned these recipes. I want to be able to make them exactly how my mother cooks them because other dishes may be delicious but nothing tastes like home the way your own sweet mother does them.

Chili con Carne (No more Hormel for me!)
1 lb ground beef (Note: we use ground turkey now)
1 medium onion - chopped
1 medium bell pepper - chopped
1 to 2 cloves garlic - diced
2 to 3 Tbsp chili powder
1 large can diced tomatoes (Hunt's)
2 to 3 8 oz cans of tomato sauce (Hunt's)
2 cans dark red kidney beans (Bush's beans)
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown ground meat, add onion, peppers & garlic. Cook until onions and peppers are done. Add tomatoes, sauce, chili powder, and beans. Cover and simmer for at least 1/2 hour or longer.

Fixin some cornbread

SOUTHERNERS LOVE THEIR CORNBREAD

There isn't a meal that doesn't welcome a pan of hot cornbread, unless you are on one of those low carb diets which never last too long in the South.  However, my family is a very health conscious Southern bunch hence the turkey substitutions in the previous recipes. We rarely fry foods or eat sugar. We don't eat beef.  And we drink lots of wine - that is of course for heart health only!  I know wine consumption is a difficult practice to acquire but it is all in the name of health.Therefore, in the name of health, cornbread is a rarity in our house but a special treat when we do have it.

Drinking wine in the name of health!

I love my mother's cornbread.  It is so good that when eaten right out of the oven there is no need to even add butter to it. My Uncle Tommy use to always tell her she needed to open up a cornbread restaurant. I am still learning how to make it because I don't get that much practice. I made it for the first time this past Christmas and was very proud of myself.  It is probably going to be time for me to try another pan soon!

First time I made cornbread! Complete Southern set-up: cornbread, hot sauce, and wine (there was other food not pictured)!

Cornbread
2 cups self rising corn meal
1 egg
1/4 cup oil (usually canola oil)
1 cup buttermilk (possibly a little more)

Preheat oven to 425 to 450 degrees. Mix all ingredients well. Grease a heavy iron skillet with some oil and heat. Pour mixture into hot skillet - bake until golden brown on the top (usually about 25 minutes).

Mama Chris's Cooking



Mama Chris, Thanksgiving 2010

 Every family, regardless of origin, has food traditions passed on from the previous generations to the next.  Over time new favorites are added while some of the staples remain the same.  For me, tasting food that has been done exactly the same way in my family over many years is the definition of comfort food.  The smells and tastes of certain dishes have the power to instantly bring up memories and the feelings associated with those memories. Stories are created around these dishes. In my family these stories are often recalled and told as we prepare the dish, or in some instances attempt to make the dish.  While we eat, we remininise about all the times we have shared the food over generations of our families.   I have come to realize that we are a stereotypical Southern family of storytellers so maybe you all aren't talking about your food and memories.  But to us, food is just another catalyst to tell a great story.

In my family my grandmother, Mama Chris, was the one responsible for teaching us how to cook and passing on traditional family recipes.  Two that instantly come to mind when I think of the foods she is known for are her biscuits and cornbread dressing. 

FLUFFY OR FLAT BISCUITS?
If anyone in my family has yet to master my Mama Chris's biscuits they haven't told me.  The rest of us need the required measuring utensils.  My grandmother is skilled in just using her eyes and her hands.  She has happily shown anyone who asked how to make them but we have a difficult time understanding just exactly how much is a  good amount or just a little of something.  You would think that with measurements so vague quality would be hit or miss but her biscuits never fail to be consistently good.

But then again she has had a lot of practice. When she was 12-years-old, her mother was sick for a short time and could not prepare the biscuits for their family. Since biscuits were a daily breakfast food in her home someone needed to make them. Mama Chris tells about her father pulling her aside during this time to teach her how to make the biscuits.

When I asked Mama Chris to give me the recipe for this blog, she stayed true to the family characteristic by telling stories. The moral of one story was to use self-rising flour.  She remembers being quite proud of her baking ability after she became skilled at making biscuits.  She tells about going to spend the night with her friend Polly who's mother, Mrs. Beulah, was out of town.  A young Mama Chris proudly tells Polly's dad, Mr. Ollie,  that she will take care of the biscuits for the morning.  Mr. Ollie gets up the next morning to slice the meat for the breakfast and Mama Chris begans the biscuit preparations. She said they looked beautiful as she put them in to bake.  But unknown to Mama Chris she had been taught to make biscuits with self-rising flour. The Ainsworths used only regular flour.   She remembers being incredibly embarrassed because she had been so proud to show off her biscuits only to have her beautiful biscuits come out flat with no taste.  Mr. Ollie laughed it off. However, Mama Chris never forgot and self-rising flour became a staple for her.

For the rest of us, we can make biscuits but need a recipe. Martha White Self-Rising flour has a recipe on the package that is very close to my grandmother's but it has measurements.  Good luck to any of you who are brave enough to attempt the following recipe written in my Mama Chris's own words. It is important to note that when sharing these recipes with me she proudly told me they didn't own cook books.   She said, "These two recipes are not from any cook book, just from long ago cooking from scratch."

Old Fashion Biscuits
Flour
Shortening (Crisco)
Buttermilk

Put flour in mixing bowl. Hollow out space in flour, put in shortening about 1 cup. Pour buttermilk gradually while mixing flour in the shortening.  Then start bringing flour from edge of mixture and gently fold into a mound pinching up the sides, a ball of dough should be forming. Roll into small balls and drop into greased baking pan.  Bake at about 450 degrees until brown.  Mama Chris concluded the recipe with, "I always like to put a bit of butter on top of the biscuit dough - pat lightly, made them brown pretty."



Telling stories


WANT TO UPSTAGE THE TURKEY?
The other recipe that deserves an honor higher than any turkey or ham at our holiday table is her Cornbread Dressing.  In our family, the meat is the side to the dressing.  When my grandfather was still alive and they would travel to whichever one of us was hosting the holiday dinner he had the honor of carefully carrying the huge pan in to the house.  They were always greeted with celebratory status as they walked in with the dressing.

Now my family is scattered around the country so around the holidays the annual phone calls start as we try to remember exactly how to make the cornbread dressing.  Below is the much loved recipe.  You Southerners will understand when I say we are a no-sage family.  For you non-Southerners, there are two types of families in the South.  The no-sage versus the sage.  And by the way, for clarification for my Yankee friends, do not confuse your stuffing with cornbread dressing. It is not, nor ever will be, the same food. And no it isn't even similar.  Still confused?  Would you ever say that bread pudding is the same thing as fruit salad? Never because it is not the same thing.

Now that you are clear that we are a no-sage family you must understand that this spice is quite a big deal. In the South, the sage families, will always say, "Just a touch of sage is all you need." To a no-sage family, just a touch in the cornbread dressing has the potential of ruining it or at the very least significantly changing it.  Therefore if you want to make the following recipe do not attempt to change any of the following steps including adding sage - not even just a touch!



Cooking

 Warning: Looks deceptively simple but very easy to mess up if the steps are not precisely followed.

Again in Mama Chris's words:
Cornbread Dressing

1 good size pan of cornbread (don't put sugar in your cornbread -ever)
3 slices of loaf bread
1 cup cracker crumbs
2 boiled eggs
1 big onion
4 stalks of celery
Broth (chicken or turkey)
Salt and pepper to taste

Best to bake cornbread a day or two ahead. Best for bread slices to be a day or two old. Boil diced onions and celery ahead of time. Crumble crackers, cornbread and loaf bread into a large mixing bowl. Dice boiled eggs. Mix all ingredients with plenty of broth (my note: dressing will appear moderately soupy - enough broth is key to having a moist dressing after it has been baked). Pour into a large baking dish and bake at 400 until brown edges show up.

She concluded that anyone cooking these recipes should just use their imagination if you want larger amounts. Anybody hungry yet? Happy bread baking!

Southern Cooking Y'all

While brainstorming ideas for my next post, I typed in my Google search box: "blog ideas" and hit search.  I found several possibilities but the one suggestion that really excited me was to pick a theme and write on that theme every day for a week.  I loved the idea of a daily writing challenge but what theme?  Well I guess food is never far from my mind because it didn't take me long to come up with an idea - Southern Cooking. 

I never would have declared myself a foodie until recently. I use to be anti-cook because I wasn't going to be found in the typical "woman's" place, also known as the kitchen.  No way. If you wanted food around me then I could tell you with expert wisdom where the best restaurants were and describe a majority of the menu in detail.  In a very strange way, not agreeing to cook on a daily basis was my way of declaring my female independence. I know it was a very, "I am woman hear me roar" mentality.  But everyone has to have their hangups and that was one of mine. Plus I was busy and therefore food could be found in someone's else kitchen. Preferably a restaurant with a good ambiance.

But something changed a few years ago.  I added a new interest because while I still love to eat out, actually preparing the food became intriguing to me.  And finally I felt like it was not just seen as a woman's job. For example, some of my favorite food network shows featured fabulous male chefs.  That is when I let my little secret out...I can cook.  And, here is the best part,  people actually eat what I cook and like it!  I just chose not to cook unless there were lights on trees and pretty packages with bows wrapped under those trees. Yes, I was a holiday cook. Until now.

I love to cook. I love to talk about food, find new recipes, make people happy with food, and of course I love to eat it.  I adore cookbooks, especially Southern ones.  And I find myself several times a day talking about food with my co-workers, family, and friends. My boyfriend and I even joke about ourselves because as we eat one meal we usually are deep in conversation about what else? Other foods we want to try! 

Don't get me wrong, I still love to eat out - a lot.  And I don't like to ever have to cook but most of the time cooking has become a celebration to me.  I can turn on some music and pour a glass of wine and make the experience a celebration even on a regular, possibly mundane, week night.  So my theme for a week beginning this Saturday will be Southern Cooking. I will be sharing my favorite Southern recipes as well as any memories associated with those recipes or cooking in general.  As my love for cooking has grown, I have learned another thing about my culture that makes the experience of preparing food much more than a previously assigned gender role. Cooking as a Southerner goes beyond merely feeding the family or friends, it is a sign of pride and most importantly, a way of celebrating our heritage and love for one another.  I hope you enjoy my upcoming food entries and I would love to hear some of yours! Okay, I am fixin' to go make something good!