Southern Foodette

A Gritty Concoction!

2011-09-19T13:23:00.003-05:00

Hey yall!! Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. Been a little busy down here on the Island. I think this post should make up for it nicely. A couple weekends ago I found a cute little restaurant for breakfast that had Creole grits on the menu and let me tell you, they were SO good!! I couldn't wait to get home and try them out for myself. They turned out even better than the ones that I had at the restaurant. They are so creamy and just down right GOOD!! Hope you like it.

To start, you will need to prepare 1 1/2 cups of grits. Quick or regular is fine. Follow package directions. You will need to end up with 4-5 cups when cooked.

Dice about a pound of sausage. the lady at the restaurant used breakfast sausage, but I chose to use Conecuh this time. Any kind of sausage or meat in general would be good.

Chop up an onion and some garlic.

Saute the sausage until it's done

Add the onion and garlic and saute for a few minutes until tender. Remove from heat and place in a bowl.

In the same pan, melt 6 tablespoons of butter.

Add 4 heaping tablespoons of flour and combine.

Slowly add about 2 cups of milk and whisk until creamy.

Grate an 8 oz block of sharp cheddar cheese

Stir the cheese into the sauce.

Drain 2 cans of Rotel. I prefer one regular and one hot.

Add the sausage and onions to the sauce.

Add the Rotel.

Add the grits.

Stir to combine and serve.

These will make you hurt yourself!! I have completely outdone myself this time. The best thing about them is that they are even better the next day. I'm already thinking about how to make them even better! When I figure it out, I'll let you know. Anyway, yall try it out.

Sorry for the picture quality! I left my big camera at my office and had to use my iPhone.

Head Case

2011-06-14T16:09:00.000-05:00

Ok so for Mother's Day I bought my mom some new cookbooks, but they have since made their way to my house. I found a couple recipes for hog's head cheese in one and I decided to try it out. I'm not really a huge fan of the stuff, but I figured if I made it, I would like it and low and behold, I did. Kinda feel like Sam I Am. Anyway, this recipe doesn't use a hog's head, thank goodness, but it does use pig's feet. I will go ahead and tell you that I didn't pick off any of the meat from them. Sorry. Not my cup of tea. They did make great treats for the dogs though. Now, enough of this....Lets get started!

First, mix 3 packs of unflavored gelatin with 2 cups of boiling water and let sit.

Cut a 6lb pork shoulder into cubes and place in a big ol' pot

Lay the pig's feet on top

Cover with water (This is when I figured out that I need a bigger freaking pot! LOL)

Chop 3 cups of green onions

Cut 2 onions in to pieces

Mince some garlic

Add half the green onions, all of the onion and garlic to the water

3 Bay leaves

Salt, pepper, cayenne and Tony's

Add to water

Bring to a boil and let simmer for 2 hours

Chop up a cup of carrots

Cup of red bell pepper

After 2 hours, remove feet and meat.

Strain and reserve the liquid

Chop up the meat into small pieces, or do like I did and jsut break it up with the tongs.

Bring the remaining liquid to a boil and add the rest of the green onions, carrots and red bell pepper.

Add the gelatin (which looked like I was dumping a jellyfish into the pot) and adjust the seasonings. Let boil for 10 mins.

Ladel into loaf pans and place in fridge to set overnight

Unmold. I think it looks pretty!

Slice into pieces or place on a plate to serve with crackers.

However you decide to serve it, I can tell you that it is GOOD stuff!! Already know what I want to do with it next time to make it better, but for a first go round, I didn't think it was bad at all. Mitch took some back to Louisiana and it didn't last too long. Guess that's good! Mom, Dad, Nanny, Grampa and even JW liked it! Hope yall try it out!

Sorry for the delay :(

2011-05-17T19:59:00.000-05:00

Don't want you to think that I forgot all about you, but a nasty virus killed my computer and wiped out ALL of my pictures. As soon as I get up and going I'll start postingagain. I have so catching up to do!! Hope you all have a fantastic week!!

Love to all,
Sjon

Deep Fried Goodness!!

2011-04-18T16:51:00.000-05:00

Hey yall!! Hope all is well. Sorry it's been a little while since I have posted. Been a little busy lately at work, keeping the roads hot from here to Louisiana and trying to soak up some rays. Lord knows my white legs need all the sun they can get! I have been cooking though. Just have to make some time to catch up on my posts!

So, Mitch and I were talking the other day about his family in Texas and the kinds of foods they eat over that way. He was telling me about a place that has stuffed, deep fried avacados and how good they are, so, of course I had to try it out myself. In Texas, they take a whole avacado, remove the seed, hollow it out, stuff it with meat, batter and deep fry it. I chose to do mine a little differently.

Lets get started!

First you will need to make some pico de gallo

Chop some onion

Remove seeds and chop some tomato

Remove seeds and membrane from a jalapeno and mince

Mince some garlic

Chop some cilantro

Add salt and pepper

Mix together, cover and refrigerate (This stuff smells SO good!!!!)

Chop up a few artichoke hearts and set aside

Peel, devein and chop some shrimp

Shred a block of white cheese

Prepping the Avacados:

Cut avacados in half

Remove seed and the skin. Remove some of the avacado, making the seed hole bigger.

Dust each half with flour, place in plastic bag and freeze

Making the Batter:

3/4 cup of room temperature beer

3/4 cup of flour

2 egg yolks

2 Tbs oil

1 1/2 tsp salt

Mix together, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours

Stuffing:

Saute the pico de gallo. Reserve just a little bit for the sauce.

Add the artichoke hearts

Add chopped shrimp, salt and pepper

Remove and place in a seperate dish

Saute a little of the pico de gallo

Add white wine and cream. Bring to a boil and reduce heat.

Add cheese. Adjust with salt and pepper. Cook until thick.

Remove avacados from the freezer

Stir the batter and dip the avacados

Fry until golden

Remove from oil and stuff with the shrimp mixture

Top with the wine/cheese sauce and garnish with some cilantro

OK, I was so freaking full that I could barely move!! They were SO good!! Mitch had 3 halves. I did good to finish 2. You can stuff these things with anything you can think of and make it your own. I will definately be making these agian!! Maybe with something a little spicer and more Texas like.

Thinking Green

2011-03-15T10:24:00.009-05:00

So, I went to my Nanny's house the other day so JW could spend some time with her, and as usual, she loaded me up with goodies from her garden and freezer. Came home with collards, cabbage, deer sausage and ground up deer meat. On the way back to the Island, I stopped by Greers and picked up some ham hocks and took a few pictures of some of the stuff they sell there. They have anything from chocolate flavored red wine to chicken feet and pork brains. Kind of cool, if you ask me. I like going in the Vietnamese grocery store too. Talk about some funky stuff in there!! Wooooo!! LOL

Alright, enough chit chat....Let's get to cooking!

In a large stock pot, place the ham hocks on the bottom and fill with water until they are covered by about 5 inches of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for a hour.

Start by washing and separating the collards into single leaves.

Remove the vein and stack the leaves.

Cut down the length once and then the width a few times.

Coarsely chop up 4-5 cloves of garlic.

Remove the ham hocks from the water and let cool then remove the skin and cut the meat off the bone and chop. (I gave the skin and bones to my dogs and they loved it!)

Add the seasonings to the pot. I used salt, Tony's and red pepper flakes.

Add the greens, meat and garlic.

I love how green they turn when you first put them in!

Let boil for 45 mins.

Load your bowl up and dig in!!

Note: It's a little spicy and there is really no reason to add pepper sauce, unless you just want to. Let me just say that that was some gooooooooood stuff right there!!

I'm Just Ducky, Deer!

2011-02-03T08:55:00.014-06:00

Told ya I'd be back! Let me just tell you that I have started a new chapter in my life and I can't wait to share it with all of you. My friends have completely inspired me to get my butt back in the kitchen and do all the things that make me happy, so....I am! Hope you all like it, because I really haven't been this happy in a very long time.

A few weeks ago I made my first trip to South Louisiana to go duck hunting. After freezing my butt off going to the camp in the Hanko boat and feeling seasick for the rest of the weekend (don't ask), we got some ducks! My friend, Mitch, cleaned them and brought them home to the Island along with some deer sausage he had made from a deer he had killed earlier in the season. So, I decided to make some duck and deer sausage gumbo! Lets get started!

Wash the ducks really well and remove all pellets.

Place them in a pot, cover with water and add 5 bay leaves, a tablespoon of Italian seasoning, and 3 cloves of crushed garlic.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for a hour.

In the mean time, start chopping the Trinity (onion, celery and bell pepper)

Garlic

Green onions

Deer sausage

Now the fun part! Making the roux! 1 cup oil and 1 cup flour

Cook over medium heat until chocolate brown. Do NOT stop stirring or it will burn and you will have to start all over because the roux is the MOST important part! Yes, your arm will want to fall off when you are finished, but hey, that's the price we pay for making something awesome!

Add the Trinity, garlic and a little Tony's. This is when you put your face of the pot and take it all in!! Smells SOOOOO good!!!

Stir it all around until everything is coated.

Your ducks should be done by now.

Remove and let cool. Strain and reserve the broth.

Add the sliced deer sausage, 1 teaspoon of cayenne, 1 teaspoon of black pepper and 4 chicken bouillon cubes.

Add 12 cups of broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for a hour.

Debone the ducks and chop the meat into small pieces. Add them to the pot and let cook for 45 mins.

Add the green onions and let cook for another 30 mins.

Boil your desired amount of rice.

Now, I made this on a Saturday, but we were going out with some of our friends so I let it cool down and stuck it in the fridge. If you have made gumbo before, you know that it is ALWAYS better the next day!! So, Sunday I made some rice and topped it with the gumbo and OMG, it was SO FREAKING GOOD!!!! For Mitch to say it was the best duck gumbo he has ever had, is saying a lot! Mom ended up being a gumbo thief and took pot and all to her house for them to eat. LOL Oh well, just means I'll have to make more next time! Y'all try it out!

Sorry I didn't make it all pretty. I was hungry!!

Pretty cool to see it from begining to end, or at least I think so!

Been a LOOOOOOONG time!!

2010-12-07T08:40:00.002-06:00

So, who has missed me? I sure have missed my blog, that's for sure!! I'm seriously going to try and get back in the swing of things here very soon. Hope you haven't given up on me just yet! I have a new camera and everything!! WOOOO HOOOO!! In the mean time, I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!!

Shrimp Casserole

2009-11-18T06:37:00.000-06:00

Everyday I thank goodness that I live on the Gulf coast! We are so lucky to have such good friends in the seafood industry that I don't think I have actually ever paid for shrimp, crab or fish. Just last week a friend of my dad's gave him a huge cooler full of shrimp. I mean nice, big shrimp that normally one would pay an arm and a leg for! Of course he passed some along to me.

After peeling all of the shrimp, I found this recipe for shrimp casserole and just had to try it out.

Preheat oven to 350

Cook 1 1/2 cups of rice.

Chop 3 celery ribs,

4 green onions,

2 garlic cloves and an onion,

and a green bell pepper.

Once everything is chopped,

melt a stick of butter and saute the veggies for about 10 mins or until soft. Season with salt and pepper.

Add 2 cans of cream of celery (Winn Dixie didn't have cream of shrimp) and 1 1/2 lbs of shrimp. I chopped my shrimp into smaller pieces since they were so big.

Add the rice and mix together. Place in a 13x9 greased, casserole dish.

Top with Italian seasoned breadcrumbs and Colby cheese. Bake for 25 mins.

Let cool and serve!

I think this casserole may show up at Thanksgiving. The rice was perfect, shrimp were really fresh and when mixed with the veggies and soup, it was a great combo. It was nice and creamy and makes you want to eat the whole thing in one sitting, but I didn't.

Now that I have shrimp coming out of my ears, I will have to figure out what to do with them. I'm kinda thinking about egg rolls, but I haven't decided yet. Maybe taco's? Wish me luck!

So Good, but So Bad

2009-11-17T17:45:00.007-06:00

The other night JW and I were starving so I decided to throw something together with what I already had on hand. There wasn't much to choose from, but I made do with some cheese, potatoes, green onion, garlic and butter.

Wash 3 red potatoes and cut into small pieces.

Boil until tender and drain.

Chop up a green onion and a garlic clove.

Melt some butter and saute the onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the potatoes.

Top with cheese.

In another pan, fry some eggs.

Place the potato mixture on a plate and top with the eggs. I'm not a big fan of runny eggs.

JW and I shared, but I really could have eaten the whole thing by myself. I put ketchup on mine and it just sealed the deal. Hot sauce would be good too. Try it out and let me know what your think! Put your own spin on it.

Below is a recent picture of my babies. Hayden is growing too fast and JW is such a wonderful big brother!

Pork Roast with Navy Beans

2009-11-17T12:41:00.005-06:00

Tis the season for a big bowl of beans! There is nothing like a beans with a side of cornbread on a cold day. My favorite beans are Navy beans cooked real slow with a ham hock, just like Mama make it, but I found this recipe and I thought I would give it a go. I didn't use the fennel seeds. For one, I'm not paying $7 for a jar of fennel seeds when I only need a teaspoon or so.

Let's get started...

You will need to rinse and pick over the beans. Cover them with water and let them soak for 8 hours. Drain.

Preheat oven to 275

Now for the pork roast.

Chop up some fresh sage (from my Mama's garden), 3 garlic cloves, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.

Rub all over the roast.

Put the beans in a dutch oven and place the roast on top.

Add 4 cups water, more sage, 5 minced garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves, salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil. DO NOT STIR THE POT! You can shake the pot, but if you stir, the casing will come off of the beans. Put the top on and place in the oven for 4 hours.

Remove from the oven and take out the bay leaves.

Shred the meat, mix together and serve.

I made this last Friday, which was an all day affair, and and the house was smelling SOOOOOO good. Later that night we had some friends come over and it was gone before we knew it! It was enough to feed 6 people and that included 3 people having seconds. Try it out and let me know what you think!

Turkey Salad Sandwich

2009-11-13T06:37:00.000-06:00

TGIF! Sooooooo glad it is Friday! This will be my last turkey post for a while! I still have the drumsticks, but they have a new home in my freezer. At least I haven't wasted any of it. I am a huge fan of chicken salad and it is just about the only way I can get Mark to eat mayonnaise so why not use turkey instead?

To start, you will need to finely chop some celery and green onion.

Remove the meat from the 2 turkey thighs and chop into small pieces.

Add a chopped up boiled egg and 1/4 of green bell pepper chopped.

Mix with mayonnaise, salt, pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning.

Toast some white bread. Load it up with turkey salad. Add some chips and enjoy!

To tell the truth, I wouldn't have been able to tell you if it was turkey or chicken, if I hadn't made it myself. It was really good and a nice change for Mark to take to work for lunch. Try it out! There are tons of different recipes for chicken or turkey salad. I just make mine up as I go.

Hope you all have a great weekend! Be safe! Love to all...

Turkey Chowder

2009-11-11T06:08:00.001-06:00

Happy Veterans Day! It is Wednesday and we are still overrun with turkey! I am determined to use all of the meat that I can so I'm not being wasteful. It's kind of cool outside so I decided to make a nice hearty chowder. The recipe is super easy and only takes a few mins to cook. Hope you like it!

Chop up an onion.

Saute the onion in 2 Tbs of butter, salt and pepper, until tender.

Chop up half of one leftover turkey breast.

To the onions, stir in 2 (10 3/4oz) cans of Cream of Potato soup

3 1/2 cups of milk

1/4 tsp of ground red pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 5 mins.

Add the chopped turkey.

Stir in 1 cup of shredded Monterey Jack cheese.

Add salt and pepper to your liking and serve. I guess I could have topped it with some green onions or chives to make it pretty, but I forgot. Sorry. I'll try harder next time. ;)

You just can't get any easier than that! Let me tell you, this chowder was AWESOME!! You can use all kinds of meat or seafood for this recipe. I was going to use some shrimp, but that was before I cooked a whole turkey. I think next time I may use bacon, and cheddar cheese instead of Monterey Jack and throw in some green onions at the end to make it a nice potato soup. Try it out and let me know how you like it!

Roast Spatchcocked Turkey

2009-11-09T08:04:00.005-06:00

It is now November and that means it's turkey time! Turkey's are on sale at just about every grocery store you go to. My Nanny found a turkey BOGO and so she gave me one to fix. Having never cooked a turkey before, I was a little nervous. I don't really have a great track record when it comes to roasting poultry. For some reason, I just can't seem to get it all the way done. My Martha Stewart magazine came in the mail a couple weeks ago and I found a recipe for a roast spatchcocked turkey that proclaimed one can cook a 12lb turkey in just over an hour. Sounded good to me!

Pre-heat oven to 450

After removing the bird from the plastic that it was wrapped in, I took out the giblets (yuck) and the neck (double yuck). Wash the turkey in cool water inside and out then pat dry with paper towels.

Place the bird breast side down and cut along both sides of the backbone to remove it. This is easier said, than done. I just did not have the hand strength to cut with my kitchen shears, so I enlisted Mark to help.

After removing the backbone, flip the turkey over and break both sides of the breast bone to make it lay flat. Again, our counter is too high for me to put enough weight on it to break the bone so I had Mark do that part too. I'm only 5'2 (if that) so I would have had to get a step stool out for me to be able to do it myself, and I don't have a step stool. Thank goodness for big, strong husbands!

In a bowl mix together some oil, salt, pepper, Old Bay seasoning and some garlic powder. Martha's recipe only called for salt and pepper, but I felt the need to make it my own and add a some more flavor to the mix.

Place the turkey on the biggest cookie sheet (with a lip) that you have. I could use a bigger one, but I did the best i could with what I had.

Rub the bird down with the oil/spice mixture.

Tuck the wing tips under and put it in the oven for 45 mins.

After 45 mins, baste the turkey with the juices in the pan, then rotate the pan 180 degrees and cook for another 25 mins or when your meat thermometer reads 160.

Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest before carving.

To carve, cut off the wings and legs. Cut the drumstick from the thigh. Remove both breasts from the bone. OK, so I didn't take any pictures of this process because my hands were covered in turkey juice.

Slice the breast into pieces and serve!

I just heated up some green beans and made some cornbread stuffing from a box. I know, I know, not really what you want to hear from the Southern Foodette, but after a long weekend at the camp, I was too tired to cook from scratch. I do plan on making some cornbread stuffing soon!

I have to say that the turkey turned out GREAT! It was juicy and the skin was nice and crunchy and the spices were awesome! We will be eating turkey all week. I ate one of the wings as a midnight snack last night with some hot sauce. Soooooo gooooood!

Try it out! This is a great way to speed up Thanksgiving dinner and it is easy enough to do during the week. I'm going to try a chicken next. You could use this same process for any kind of poultry or game bird.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

2009-11-06T20:59:00.007-06:00

Hey Y'all! The Southern Foodette is back! Sorry to leave you hanging, but life has been a bit hectic here lately with the new baby and all. I'm glad to say that we are falling into a nice schedule now and I am finding the time to get back in the kitchen for some home cooked meals instead of heating up frozen stuff.

Fall is here that can only mean one thing at our house...soft air pellet guns! We are planning on going to the camp tomorrow for some fun with friends. Since I am the one that brings the food, I decided to make some chicken and sausage gumbo. I would make seafood gumbo, but I would end up being disappointed because it wouldn't be anywhere near my Mama's gumbo!

To start with you will need to slice a pound of andouille sausage into 3/4 inch pieces.

Cook them in a dutch oven for a few mins and remove, reserving the oil.

Next, brown 4 bone in split chicken breasts on each side for about 5 mins and remove.

Add a little bit more oil to the pot and whisk in 3/4 cup of flour. Yes, we are making a roux!

Keep whisking until it's about the color of chocolate. I don't like a really dark roux, so mine isn't that dark.

Stir in the Trinity (chopped onion, celery and bell pepper). Cook for about 8 mins.

Slowly pour in 2 quarts of hot water and bring to a boil.

Add the chicken, 2 bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, Creole seasoning, thyme and some hot sauce. Reduce the heat and cook for an hour. (Would have had a better picture, but Hayden was crying)

Remove the chicken

Add the sausage and cook for 30 mins

Add 4 chopped green onions and cook for 30 more mins

Cut up the chicken into pieces

Add to the pot and cook for 5 more mins.

Don't forget to remove the bay leaves before serving!

Spoon the gumbo over some rice and enjoy! I'm going to cook my rice in the morning before we leave, so, sorry there is no picture of it plated. I hope you all enjoy this recipe! I know we will. There is nothing like a gumbo to warm you up on a cool, fall day/night in South Alabama!

Peek A Boo

2009-10-20T21:23:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone! I'm still here! I promise. Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while but I hope to start back real soon. Miss Hayden Lee Chapple Boltz made her grand entrance September 17 and she weighed in at 7lbs, 6ozs, 20 inches. We are so glad that she is here and we are enjoying every minute. JW is the best big brother!

When I get some time to slow down I will catch you all up on what has been cooking in the Southern Foodette kitchen. For now, please enjoy a picture of my beautiful babies!

Dirty Thoughts

2009-07-30T12:48:00.004-05:00

The other night I had a craving "flung" on me, as Bo would say, for some dirty rice. Since I didn't have chicken livers or gizzards (which I LOVE when they are fried) and I only had 2 parts of the trinity (onion, bell pepper and celery), I had to wing it. I actually love to make changes to recipes and make them my own, but I have been know to go overboard. You are reading the blog of someone that has ruined chicken and rice, TWICE. Ask Mark. He won't let me live it down. Guess I will have to tell you about that at a later date.

Anyway...here goes nothing.

Get some water boiling for the rice.

Chop up and onion, bell pepper and garlic. Throw then in a skillet with butter and top with Italian and Creole seasoning.

Saute until soft.

Add a pound of ground beef and cook until brown.

Add some cooked rice, 2 cups of chicken stock and 2 bay leaves. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper and more Creole seasoning.

Let simmer until all of the liquid is absorbed.

Remove the bay leaves and serve!

Let me go ahead and say that this turned out SO good. I didn't go overboard on anything and I would make this over and over again. Maybe next time I'll use some Conecuh sausage. My boys loved it and Mark even took some for lunch the next day. Hope you try it and like it. We did!

Shrimp Overload

2009-07-09T09:49:00.006-05:00

As you know, I reside in Mobile, AL, just a few miles from Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Living on the coast means fresh seafood year round! Thankfully we have TONS of friends in the seafood industry and they love to share their catch with us. From shrimp and fish to softshell crabs, they drop stuff off all the time. Shrimp are in season at the moment and a friend dropped off 50lbs for my parents who in turn split it when the rest of the family. There were some nice big ones, but mainly it was small shrimp. I'm not complaining though. They were right off the boat and FREE!

The big boys were calling my name!

After peeling them, I decided to marinate them for a little while.

Then throw them on the grill.

Serve with a splash of lemon juice.

After de-heading and peeling the little ones, I put some in the freezer and fried the rest.

For the batter, mix flour, salt, pepper and some Ole Bay seasoning.

Roll them in the flour.

Toss them in a skillet with hot oil and let fry until golden.

Drain and serve.

Talk about a feast! There were no leftovers, of course. Mark and I almost fought over the big boys, but there was plenty to go around. JW loves fried shrimp (who doesn't) and ended up eating most of the small ones.

Hopefully later in the season we will get some bigger shrimp. They have been small this year and not many to choose from due to fresh water draining into the Bay. Fingers crossed that it will get better for our shrimpers. I will go without before I buy shrimp from overseas. Now is the time to support your local seafood, meat, grain and vegetable producers!

Pineapple Salsa

2009-06-30T11:05:00.005-05:00

I hope you are all enjoying your summer! We finally got some rain down here after 3 weeks without even a drop! It has cooled off a little but it still seems to be too hot for this time of year. Usually around August it get so hot you can't breath and are compelled to run around with the least amount of clothing on as possible. For some reason June has been almost unbearable.

June 21 this year was not only my mother's birthday, but also Father's Day. Mom wanted to spend the day at the camp and have lunch so we all pitched in to fix something to bring. I fixed mac n cheese and pineapple salsa. The salsa idea came from a Pampered Chef party I went to at Crystal's house. The lady used a really cool pair of kitchen shears with 2 blades that they called a salad chopper to chop up all of the ingredients, but she had to cut them into smaller pieces to begin with so why not just chop it all up the first time instead of messing up another utensil?

Anyway....you will need a pineapple, tomato, cucumber, red onion, cilantro, lime, jalapeno, salt and pepper.

Cut up the pineapple into small pieces.

Peel the cucumber. Scoop out the seeds and chop into small pieces.

Mince about 1/4 of the red onion.

Remove the seed from the tomato and chop.

Remove the seeds and membranes from the jalapeno then mince.

Add all of that to a bowl.

Top with chopped cilantro.

Add the juice of one lime, salt and pepper.

Mix together and serve with tortilla chips.

It was a hit on a hot summer at the camp. Mark isn't a fan of pineapple, but he ate some anyway. I think next time I will add some cumin or chili powder to it to give it a little something extra. Try it out and let me know what you think. I will be making some L.A. caviar soon so stick around for that!

No, I haven't bought a new battery for my camera yet. Yes, I took the pictures with my iPhone. Sorry. It is still on my list of things to do.

Greek Pasta Salad

2009-06-15T11:02:00.004-05:00

Well, summer is here whether you like it or not! Mobile, Alabama only has 2 seasons: Hot and Hot as Hell. We have just begun the "Hot as Hell" season and it will only get worse. I happen to love hot weather, just not while I'm pregnant. There will be no ice cold Coors Light or deep sea fishing trips for me this summer. I had to take my wedding rings off and a ring that my Nanny gave me because my fingers were swelling. It's not from the foods that I eat, it's from the HEAT! Now every time I go somewhere I feel the eyes go strait to my left finger to see if I'm married and pregnant or just knocked up. Just because I live in Theodore, doesn't mean I have to act like it!

Hot weather means it is cold food season as well. Salads, pasta salads, cole slaw, potato salad, gazpacho...you get the picture. I am a huge fan of pasta salad so I decided to make a Greek pasta salad.

Start by using a box of Italian style pasta salad mix from a box. Boil the pasta and drain.

While that is going, chop up some cucumber, grape tomatoes and red onion.

Add some black olives and feta cheese to the mix.

Top with some Parmesan cheese, croutons, salt, pepper and some Greek seasoning.

Toss with some chopped Romain lettuce, refrigerate and enjoy!

I skipped the whole "refrigerate" part because I was starving and I am highly impatient. Since my boys are anti-salad, I ended up eating the whole thing by myself. You won't hear me complain about it though. It was so good! A great way to cool down on your lunch break.

Sorry about the picture quality. Yes, I took them with my phone, again. Still haven't bought a battery for my camera but it is on my list of things to do.

If you haven't noticed, there is a new widget on my blog for donations. I'm not begging, but please donate! Any amount is greatly appreciated.

Red Snapper and Fried Green Tomatoes

2009-06-10T10:34:00.006-05:00

Last week was the opening day of red snapper season so Mama and Daddy went deep sea fishing with Doug and Carol Pridgen on their charter boat "Movin On Up." They had a wonderful time while I "held the fort down" with JW. I would have LOVED to have gone with them, but someone has to be at the office and I'm terrified I may slip and fall on the boat. It has been done before. At least they shared some fish with me. We are so blessed to live on the Gulf Coast and so close to fresh seafood year around.

Along with the fresh red snapper, Mama send a few green tomatoes from her garden at the camp. I love fried green tomatoes! I even tried out for the movie when I was younger. My family and I have been eating at The Original Whistlestop Cafe or the Irondale cafe for decades. You can't eat there and not order fried green tomatoes. I am not a huge fan of red tomatoes and I probably never will, but I will eat a crate of green tomatoes in a heartbeat!

Pre heat the oven to 350.

Wash off the fish fillets, pull out any remaining bones and pat dry.

On an oiled and foil lined cookie sheet, lay out the fish and sprinkle with salt, pepper, Mrs. Dash and Old Bay seasoning.

Top with some butter and bake until the fish is white and flaky (about 15-20mins).

While the fish is cooking mix together some mayonnaise, creole mustard, green onions, garlic and some Old Bay seasoning making a remoulade to go with the fried green tomatoes.

Wash and slice the green tomatoes.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and let them weep for a few mins.

In a bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper and Old Bay seasoning.

Get some oil good and hot in a cast iron skillet. Dredge the tomatoes in the flour mixture, dunk in milk and dredge again. Carefully lay them in the oil to fry.

When they are golden on each side, remove to a paper towel lined plate.

When the fish is ready, remove and top with lemon juice.

Top the fried green tomatoes with some remoulade sauce and enjoy!

Needless to say, we didn't have any leftovers for Thibodeau to feast on. I think one of the best parts of this meal is that I didn't have to buy anything. Hopefully they will be making more fishing trips soon. I really would like to make some ceviche with some grouper. When I made it last year I didn't tell anyone that it was fish until it was all gone. Even the non-fish eaters loved it. I'll keep you posted!

Fettuccine Alfredo with Grilled Chicken

2009-05-27T08:21:00.005-05:00

Hey guys! Sorry it has been a while since I posted anything. Last week was horrible!! I was working on 3 contracts plus I had a client come in from out of town and everything literally fell apart. Oh well. You have to keep your head up and keep going forward. Hopefully something good will happen soon.

Now for the food...

So, last week I had a hankering for fettuccine Alfredo and I decided to make it rather than buy it frozen or order some from Pizza Hut. I will tell you that I did cheat a little, but I am not ashamed and I encourage you to cheat sometimes to. It's just easier.

Start by pounding a couple of chicken breast flat.

Season with salt, pepper and a little Cajun seasoning. You don't have to, but why not?

Throw the chicken on the grill and cook until it is done.

While the chicken is cooking, get some water going for the fettuccine noodles.

Heat up a jar of Alfredo sauce on the stove. Add some Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

Drain the noodles and mix with the sauce.

Cut the chicken in to cubes.

Top the noodles with the chicken and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Let me just go ahead and tell you that it was SO good. I had never used the sauce from a jar before, but after doctoring it up, it was pretty tasty. My recommendation is that you try it out as soon as possible. You won't be sorry.

Nanny's Squash Casserole

2009-05-15T08:56:00.007-05:00

Happy Friday!! Did you know there is only 2 weeks of school left? This school year has flown by so fast. What is sad is that when school starts in the fall, I will still be pregnant. Oh well. I have big plans for the summer with JW. Lots of beach days, Baybears games and trips to the Explorium and museum just for starters. Hopefully there will be trips to Birmingham so we can harass the BGUP and everyone else for a couple days. Guess we will have to see...

Now for the food.

My Nanny has had a garden every year since way back when and she always loads us up with fresh veggies. One of my favorite dishes that she makes is squash casserole. The other day she came in the office and brought squash and green beans so of course I asked her to make me some squash casserole and wouldn't you know, she did. Not only did she make it for me, but she also wrote down the recipe for me. Since I had all this squash and the recipe, I decided to make it myself.

Wash your squash real good and drain.

Chop up an onion.

Cut up the squash.

Add onion and squash to a skillet with some water and let steam until for tender.

Drain and mash it up a little.

Mix together some milk, cream of mushroom soup and 3 beaten eggs.

Stir in the mashed onion and squash.

Pour half of the mixture in a small (9x9) casserole dish and top with breadcrumbs and cheddar cheese. Nanny sometimes uses crushed up crackers if she doesn't have breadcrumbs.

Add the remaining mixture and top with more breadcrumbs and cheddar cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30 mins or until it has set.

I seriously could eat this stuff everyday. If you are not a squash fan, don't worry, it doesn't even taste like squash. It tastes like butter to me. Even my boys love it and they are not big veggie eaters.

I'm just glad that Nanny wrote it down for me. That means that I can pass it down to my kids when they want it. Now if I could only get Mama to write down her massed potato recipe, I would be good to go. What are your favorite family recipes?

Danish Wedding Cookies

2009-05-11T09:46:00.005-05:00

Good Morning! I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend! I know I did. My boys and I spent Saturday and Sunday on Dauphin Island and we had a ball. Saturday we hit the beach for a little while then went to mom and dads to swim and eat supper. Sunday we walked on the beach early in the morning but had to cut it short when JW was stung by a jellyfish. We then spent the rest of the day floating in the pool and watching Scooby Doo. That evening we ate supper with my parents before heading home to get ready for the school and work week ahead.

Saturday morning I got up and decided to make some cookies for my Mama, Nanny, mother in law and JW's Godmother. Mama's favorite cookies are the Danish wedding cookies, so that is what I made.

Start by sifting some flour and a little bit of cinnamon.

Melt 2 1/2 sticks of butter

Chop up some pecans.

Sift some powdered sugar.

Mix everything together with a little vanilla extract.

The dough will be thick.

Form into 1 inch balls and bake at 350 for 10-12 mins.

Let cool slightly

Roll them in powdered sugar.

When they have cooled all the way, roll them again in powdered sugar.

So, as you can see I did not burn the house down trying to bake these cookies for my Mama. I am not a huge fan of baking, but I was pleased that they came out so well. My next baking adventure will be some lemon cookies I made a couple years ago, but I have to find the recipe first. What is your favorite cookie? I love snickerdoodles! If you have a great recipe for them, please share.

Grillin Time!

2009-05-06T09:20:00.004-05:00

It is that time of year!! Time to fill up the propane tanks or break out the charcoal and get your grill going. We love to grill out. I bought Mark a very nice gas grill a few Christmases ago and it is awesome. It is a 3 burner with a griddle on the side and a large cook space. You can fit a ton of food on it so it's great for when we have people over.

Seeing that I was in the grilling mood, I decided on kabobs. Pork kabobs to be exact.

Soak some wooden skewers in some water to keep them from burning.

Cut a pork tenderloin into cubes

Place them in a bag with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, pepper and olive oil. Place in the fridge.

While the meat is marinating, cut up some potatoes into strips and place in a plastic bag.

Add some salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Spread out on a cookie sheet and pop them in a 350 oven for 10 mins, flip them over and cook for another 10 mins.

Turn the grill on. Remove the meat from the fridge and start putting it on skewers with a piece of onion in between meat cubes.

Place on the grill and cook until they are done. Only turn them one time.

Take the potatoes out when they are finished. In a sauce pan, melt some butter and add garlic, Parmesan and of course, Italian seasoning. Pour over the potatoes and serve.

I also had a pack of the steam and serve veggies that you pop in the microwave, so I fixed those as well.

When everything is done there is only one thing left to do...dig in! The meat was super tender and the onions were nice and sweet. The potatoes were out of this world and the veggies hit the spot.

I'm sure for the rest of the summer I will have many postings that involve the grill. What are your favorite things to grill? I really want to try out some grilled pizza. I'll let you know how that works out.

Did you notice a difference in the picture quality? I finally bought a new battery for my camera! I'm still learning to use it, but it is better than my phone for sure.

Monkey Bread

2009-05-04T09:36:00.004-05:00

Saturday I woke up entirely too early so I washed some clothes and decided to cook breakfast. I have been wanting some monkey bread for a couple weeks now. It brings back memories of when my mom used to make it. What I really like about it is that it is so easy to make.

Combine some white sugar and cinnamon.

You will need 2 cans of jumbo biscuits (not flaky) and cut them into quarters.

Grease a bundt pan and pour some pecans in the bottom.

Toss the biscuits in the sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Start layering the biscuit quarters and sprinkle each layer with pecans.

Melt a stick of butter in a sauce pan, add some brown sugar and bring to a boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved.

Pour over the biscuits.

Bake at 350 for 30 mins.

Let cool for a few mins, then put a plate over the biscuits and flip.

You can either pull it apart or cut into pieces. How ever you decide, it is good! This is a great recipe to let the kids help with. JW was too busy watching Saturday morning cartoons to even pay me any attention. Try it out for yourself and let me know if you like it. Leave out the pecans if you want. Next time I'm adding blueberries. I'll probably make a savory version soon so check back for that.

Baby update:

My boys and I have decided on a name for the baby and it is.........Victoria Lee. Victoria is for my uncle who recently passed away and Lee has been a family name dating back to the 1900's. Lee is my grandmother, aunt and my own middle name so I really like it. We are going to call her Tori. What do you think? I love it!

Chicken and Orzo Casserole

2009-05-01T11:00:00.006-05:00

Happy Friday everyone!! Yesterday Mark and I found out that we have a little girl on the way!!! I am so excited! We are all excited! Now I can start picking out girly stuff and looking forward to pageants, cheerleading and dance classes. Mark is already saying that he will turn her to the dark side, but I hope not. Lets hope she will have blond hair and blue eyes like JW.

Now for the food...

Pre-heat the oven to 350

Boil 2 chicken breasts for 12 mins or until they are done. Reserve the water used to boil the chicken.

Chop them into pieces.

Boil 2/3 cup of orzo.

Thaw out and drain a package of chopped spinach.

Mix together a can of cream of mushroom, 1/2 cup of mayo, 2 tsp lemon juice, pepper and spinach.

Drain the orzo when it is ready.

Add chicken and orzo to the cram of mushroom mixture and pour into a small casserole dish.

Top with shredded Monterrey Jack cheese and Italian breadcrumbs.

Bake for 45 mins or until bubbly.

All I can say is YUM!! Even JW ate all of his portion. It was so good. Try it out and let me know what you think. Pictures were taken with my phone. The battery died on my camera.

Chicken Wraps

2009-04-29T08:32:00.004-05:00

Sorry about not blogging on Monday. Sunday we went to St. Vincent's Spring Festival where JW shot paintball's, rode a train, jumped in the inflatable jumper and played numerous kid games, while we watched and laughed and had a great time. One of JW's friends gave him a fish that was won when they played the ping pong toss game, so of course we kept it. WE headed to Wal-mart when we left the festival to pick up about $30 worth of stuff for the new fish (who JW named Fishy). While we were there JW asked if he could play with my phone, which is not unusual. I have an iPhone and there are games on it just for him, but when he started playing with it, the unexpected happened. IT DIED!! I have all of my family, friends and clients numbers in my phone. Along with pictures, email addresses, addresses and everything else that makes my life easier. Monday when I got to work I called Apple to see if they could help me fix it. They have very nice people that work there and were a big help, but my phone was still dead. I even took my sim card out and put it in my old iPhone, but it wouldn't work either. Apple decided that I needed a new phone, so they sent me out a box to ship mine in and they would send me a new one. Tuesday when I left the house for work, I decided to take my iPhone cord from the house and try to restore my phone again. This time it worked! Thank goodness! 2 days without a phone is not my idea of a good time. This is my busy season and I have clients calling me right and left on top of emailing me. It was very frustrating, but I'm glad my phone is fixed. I feel much better now that I vented some.

Now for the food...

Saturday my boys and I went to Mark's friend, Kelly's house to go swimming. Before we went to his house we stopped by Wendy's and ordered some of the grilled chicken wraps. They were very good and not too filling. Last night I decided to make my own wraps.

Start with 2 chicken breasts.

In a plastic bag or between some plastic wrap, whack them until they are nice and flat.

Season with salt and pepper.

Cook them in a skillet or on the grill until they are done. Cut into strips, lengthwise.

Shred some lettuce.

Grate some cheese.

Break out the honey mustard or make your own.

Warm the tortillas in the microwave for a few seconds.

Top the tortilla with lettuce, chicken strip and honey mustard.

Add some cheese.

Make as many as you want and enjoy. They were so good and would be even better for lunch or a snack.

Try them out. I will be doing different variations of them as the summer goes on. Steak and blue cheese with sauteed onions would be awesome! How about pork with grilled peaches? Sounds good to me.

Monday sucked but it could have been worse. My brakes could have gone out on my truck, oh wait, they did. Hopefully my week will be better. I can't wait for tomorrow when we find out what sex the baby is! I'll let you know...

Oven Fried Chicken and Bacon Green Beans

2009-04-24T10:12:00.005-05:00

Thursday night, JW and I had supper with my parents on Dauphin Island. Mom fixed fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green peas. All of which are my favorites! Sunday night, after a great weekend with my boys, I decided to cook some oven fried chicken and green beans. I was going to fry the chicken, but I didn't feel like making a huge mess. Plus I'm sure there were some calories cut by cooking them in the oven.

Pre-heat oven to 400

You will need some breadcrumbs, flour, Old Bay seasoning (or any Cajun seasonings), Italian Seasoning, salt and pepper. Combine all of the ingredients in a large zip top bag.

After washing the chicken, pat it down with paper towels and cover with butter (may have made up for some calories there).

Add chicken to the bag, one piece at a time, and shake to coat. Place them on a foil lined baking sheet that has been covered with cooking spray. Bake for an hour.

You may have to cover the chicken with a foil tent after a while to keep it from burning.

While the chicken is cooking, break out the bacon. Cut into small pieces and cook until crispy in a sauce pan.

Remove and drain when it is done. Pour off some of the bacon grease, but not all of it.

Add a can of green beans with the juice and let simmer for 15 mins or so. You can use more beans if you need to. It just depends on how many people you are feeding.

Remove the chicken from the oven.

Top the green beans with the cooked bacon. Grab a piece of chicken and enjoy. My neighbor, Claire, showed me how to do the green beans. I don't fix them like that all of the time, but they sure are good!

Try it out and tell me what you think. I still love fried chicken first and foremost, but since I had just eaten Mama's fried chicken, I didn't want my taste buds complaining. Also, I left the skin on. You can remove it if you want to, but who really wants to do that? For the beans, you can always add some onions and garlic. I do that sometimes when I don't have bacon.

My Favorite Sandwich!

2009-04-22T09:02:00.004-05:00

I will never forget the first time I had a BLT. I was spending a weekend with my aunt in Huntsville, I guess I was around 12, maybe older, anyway, she ran down the the store near her house and picked up 2 BLT's for breakfast and I have been hooked ever since! I am a huge fan of bacon and mayonnaise. However, I am not to thrilled about tomatoes, but the combination is perfect.

The key to a great BLT is great ingredients. First of all, DO NOT BUY CHEAP BACON!! It is a sin in my book. (It's up there with "don't buy cheap toilet paper or cheap ketchup." There is a difference!) Microwavable bacon should be banned and the inventor beaten with a frozen slab of pork. Second, use quality mayonnaise. I prefer Duke's or in a pinch, Blue Plate. As for the tomatoes, I like mine sliced paper thin so I don't really have to taste them. What I really prefer is a fried green tomato instead of a fresh one, but they aren't in season yet. That will defiantly be on my blog whenever I can get my hands on some!

Now for the sandwich...

Start by cooking some bacon. I use Wright's bacon. It's thick and meaty and oh so good.

Go ahead and throw some bread in the toaster. I use white bread and only white bread. Wheat would be another sin in my book.

Slice your tomato to your preferred thickness.

Wash some lettuce and have it ready for action.

When the bacon is done, take it out of the skillet and onto a folded paper towel.

Add some mayonnaise to your toast.

Start assembling.

Cut in half and enjoy. I know I did. The only thing that would make this better is a glass of sweet tea and a little basil in the mayonnaise. Since I am expecting, that means no caffeine for me and I was out of basil. There will be a next time. You can count on it! What is your favorite sandwich?

Sorry the pictures aren't that great. I had to use my phone because I broke my digital camera, but fear not, I maxed out my Target card buying another one!

Biscuits and Gravy

2009-04-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hey Ya'll! I'm back! Sorry to leave you hanging for a week. JW's school was out all week for spring break and in this house that means one thing.....BEACH TIME! We absolutely love going to the beach and our favorite hang out spot is Dauphin Island (click on this link to see me riding my pony during Mardi Gras and for DI info). If you have never been, come on down, you won't want to leave. Dauphin Island is a barrier island off the coast of Alabama. There are no red lights, fast food, putt putt golf or bungee jumps but it does have beautiful beaches and a boat load of history. My parents live on the East end of the island near Fort Gaines and our house is closer to the west end, within walking distance to the park and beach. Located about 45 mins from our house in Mobile, it is a great place to spend weekends and relax.

Mark and I actually met on the island 8 1/2 years ago at a bar called the Pelican Pub. I won't go into that at this time, but it is a good story. We have been together ever since so I guess you can find true love in a bar!

Anyhoo, JW and I hung out on the beach and at the park all week. Mark had to work during the week but we did spend Easter weekend down there with my family and gorged ourselves on ham, mashed potatoes, cole slaw, deviled eggs and stuffing. It was wonderful. Even the Easter Bunny came to see JW. Sorry, no pictures of the food. I was too busy stuffing my face. Remember, I am pregnant.

Now for the food....

Saturday before we loaded up my truck to head to the island, I made breakfast for my boys. I wanted something that would be filling since we would probably have a late lunch, so i decided on biscuits and gravy with scrambled eggs.

Pre-heat your oven to what your biscuits call for. I like to use canned biscuit because it is fast, easy and not messy. Place them on a cookie sheet and pop them in the oven when it is ready.

Brown up 1/2 pound of ground sage sausage in a large skillet.

Drain and pour off some of the fat in the skillet.

Melt some butter in the same skillet used for the sausage.

Add some flour and let it cook for a few mins.

Whisk in some milk, pepper and Italian seasoning. Stir until the gravy is thick but pourable.

Remove the biscuits when they are ready.

Whisk together some eggs with some salt and pepper.

In another skillet pour in the eggs to cook.

Remove to a bowl when the eggs are finished cooking.

Split a couple biscuits in half, top with the sausage gravy and enjoy.

If you have never had biscuits and gravy, then you must have them before you die. There is something about a buttery,fluffy biscuit and creamy gravy with chucks of sausage that just warms your soul. I love it. Try it out. If you are not a fan of sage sausage, you can use regular or hot. The sage sausage has a better flavor to me.

Cheeseburger Pizza

2009-04-08T09:24:00.005-05:00

So the other day I was thinking about what to cook for supper. I went ahead and thawed out some ground beef in the hopes that an idea would come to me. Not wanting to do the usual spaghetti or meatloaf so I opted for the combination of 2 favorites: Pizza and a cheeseburger.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Spread out some canned pizza dough on a cookie sheet.

Bake for about 10 mins and remove from oven.

While the dough is baking, brown your ground beef and drain.

Mince some onion.

Saute the onion until it is soft.

Squirt some mustard on the dough and spread it around.

Top with the cooked ground beef.

Sprinkle with onions.

Top with some shredded cheddar cheese and pickles.

Bake for another 10-15 mins. Cut into squares and serve.

I like to top mine with ketchup! We didn't have any leftovers. I love making pizzas at home. It is super easy and super cheap. I'll have to share a couple of our favorites with you later on. Hope you enjoy this unique pizza. What is your favorite pizza?

Corn Dogs and Mashed Potatoes

2009-04-06T09:14:00.004-05:00

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you had a great weekend. Saturday we took JW to a classmates birthday party at the skating rink. Let's just say that he get his skating abilities (or lack thereof) from his dad. I hate to admit, but I laughed so hard it hurt. He could barely stand up much less actually skate. It wasn't long before he said screw it, I'm playing somewhere else. Hopefully his Aunt Meagan will be able to teach him how to skate soon.

Sunday:

JW and I made chocolate chip pancakes and enjoyed every one. Mark missed it. He had a late night so he slept late. Around lunch we went downtown to the Gulf Coast Explorium and had a ball. That was then followed up with some cheap Mexican food and a long nap. The only thing that would have made the weekend better is a walk on the beach. Maybe next weekend.

Now for the food....

Corn dogs have been one of my favorite foods since I was knee high to a grasshopper. I love living in Mobile because there is always some festival, carnival, cook off, music event or something going on and that means corn dogs are not too far behind. Can you really go to the fair, Bayfest or Mardi Gras parade without getting a corn dog? NO you cannot not! They are simply irresistible. Smother it in mustard and you are ready to go.

To start with you will need a pack of good hot dogs and some skewers. Insert 2 skewers in the middle of the hot dog.

Rub cornstarch all over the dogs so that the batter will stick.

Mix together some flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, baking powder and ground mustard.

Combine an egg with some milk.

Add the milk and egg to the dry ingredients and mix well. Dip the skewered dogs in the batter.

Place them in the hot oil, making sure that all of the dog is in the oil at some point.

Remove when they are golden. Insert dirty remarks here.

Now for the potatoes...

My Mama makes the best mashed potatoes in the world! I have tried, many times, to duplicate her recipe, but it never comes out like hers. Instead, I have changed it and made it my own. I am not too proud to admit defeat.

Start by cutting up some Yukon gold potatoes.

Boil them until they are tender.

Drain them and add some butter to the pot.

Press them through a ricer. If you don't have one, stop what you are doing and go get one. You will thank me later.

Add some milk, garlic powder, pepper and mayonnaise to the potatoes and stir together. Yes I said mayonnaise. You can't taste it, but it makes it so much better that you won't be able to live without it.

Grab a couple of corn dogs and a scoop of mashed potatoes and enjoy.

Caution:

If you decide to use the skewers for the corn dogs, the ends are pointy and sharp. Be smarter than me and cut them off. Obviously I had a brain fart.

BBQ Pork Chops

2009-04-03T09:31:00.002-05:00

I guess you can tell that we like pork chops in the Southern Foodette house because it seems like we have them every week or so. They are so versatile. You can bake them, fry them, stuff them and so on. This time I decided to bake them.

Pre-heat the oven to 350.

Put the chops in a casserole dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Top with sliced onions and garlic.

Pour some BBQ sauce on top. I use Stubb's, of course.

Bake for about 30 mins.

I served these with some green beans from a can. I didn't show you that because I didn't fix them like I normally do, with bacon and all. When I get around to fixing them I will let you know. Don't forget to spoon some of the juice, from the bottom of the dish, over the chops. Yummmm!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Check out Monsters vs Aliens in 3D whether you have kids or not, it was great and very funny. Hopefully we will be hitting the beach!

Super Easy Lazy Supper

2009-04-01T10:26:00.005-05:00

I really didn't feel like cooking a big meal a few nights ago. You know even the Southern Foodette gets lazy every now and again. I try to keep stuff on hand that doesn't require a lot of effort to prepare like raviolis, tortellinis and tortellonis. I always have spaghetti sauce and Parmesan cheese too.

Ricotta and Spinach tortellonis are what I had in the pantry.

I also had a jar of good quality spaghetti sauce.

Boil some water

Add the tortellonis.

Drain and add sauce.

Top with Parmesan cheese.

How easy is that? Super easy I tell you!

Even when I am feeling lazy, I still try to cook something or make a sandwich instead of relying on fast food. Over the weekend we ended up grabbing some fast food from McDonald's but it was not good at all. When I met my husband, Mark, almost 9 years ago, he was a fast food junkie and still was until about 6 months or so ago. That night I got the biggest complement ever (food wise) from my husband when he threw his half eaten food away and said "you have spoiled us with your home cooking. I don't even want this crap anymore." I just about fell out in the floor. Even JW didn't want his happy meal food.

There is the proof that your family does benefit when you cook at home even when you are lazy. And you end up saving money!

Pot Roast Leftovers #2

2009-03-30T09:19:00.004-05:00

One of my followers on Twitter was telling me what he does with his leftover pot roast meat so I decided to share it with you.

Start by cutting the leftover meat into strips.

Throw it in a pan with cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Add some water and let it simmer until all of the water is soaked up.

Break out the handy dandy quesadilla maker. Mine happens to be a wedding gift from my attorney. It has lasted 6 years and I love it! I wish I had 2.

Shred some cheese and have the salt and pepper. You will also need some flour tortillas.

The first quesadilla I made was for JW. He didn't want any meat so he got a cheese quesadilla. Place one tortilla on the quesadilla maker, top with cheese, salt and pepper. Top with another tortilla and close the lid. Let cook for a few mins, remove quesadilla and slice into triangles.

Master JW was served on his favorite Spiderman plate, of course.

The next ones were made for Mark and I. Place one tortilla on the maker, add cheese, salt, pepper and meat. Top with another tortilla and close the lid. You don't have to spread the cheese all over the tortilla either. It will spread once it warms up.

When it's ready, remove, slice and serve. Sour cream and salsa are perfect to serve with this.

There are tons of ways to make this your own. Chicken and cheese, steak and blue cheese, veggies and cheese. Whatever you like. Its easy and tastes really good. In the past we have had people over for Mexican night and let everyone make their own quesadilla. That is why I need 2. If you don't have a quesadilla maker then use a skillet, but you will have to flip it over to cook both sides. You could even use one tortilla and just fold it in half. Have fun with it, whatever you do.

Coming up this week: Super easy raviolis and BBQ pork chops!

Pot Roast Leftovers #1

2009-03-27T08:26:00.004-05:00

Before I start this blog about the leftovers I thought I would share my morning with you. It is a stormy and nasty morning here in Mobile, AL. We got up, ate breakfast, got dressed and ready to hit the road only to find out that The Queen, my SUV, has a major flat tire. Like the rim was sitting on rubber in the driveway flat tire. My options now are to drive my husbands toy, the mustang, or my husbands big Bubba truck. I am not a fan of the mustang because it is a standard and after 2 knee surgeries plus the rain, we would not get along today. Bubba truck it is.

I'm 5'2. Mark is 6'5. This truck is huge! I literally have to jump to get in it and that is no fun when you are pregnant. I have to put one foot in the truck, hold on the the steering wheel and jump with the other foot. All of this is being done in the pouring rain. Once inside, I have to rearrange the mirrors and the seat so now I'm 10 feet in the air (not really) and 2 inches from the steering wheel because my legs are too short to reach the pedals.

Now, we are on the road to JW's school and when we pull in there is no one to help the kids out of the cars, so I have to get out, walk around the truck, remove JW and kiss him goodbye for the day then go back around to the drivers side and jump in. Did I mention that it was still raining?!

I finally got to work, parked, got out and immediately landed in a puddle, of course. Now my pants, shoes and socks are wet. I can't wait to find out what the afternoon brings! Now to blog about leftovers...

Wednesday I showed you how to make a pot roast in which i had a ton of leftover meat. Today I will show you 1 way to use them. Monday I will show you another.

Start by chopping up some meat in small cubes.

Chop up some onion.

Dice up some potatoes. You can use the bagged hash browns from the grocery store if you would like or some leftover french fries.

Get some butter going in a big skillet.

Throw everything in there together. Add salt, pepper and parsley.

Cook until the potatoes are soft. Stir in some milk and serve.

This is what I would call a pot roast hash. I thought it was excellent and even took some for lunch the next day.

I also made some mac-n-cheese, but you have already seen that made before. At least this time you get to see the end result.

Try it out. Use what ever meat you have left over. I think ham would be awesome. Corned beef would be even better!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Hopefully Mark will have had my tire fixed by the time I get home today so I won't have to drive the Bubba truck anymore. Here's to dry feet!

A Better Pot Roast

2009-03-25T08:13:00.004-05:00

The other day when I was at Winn Dixie they had beef roasts on sale, buy one, get one free, so of course I had to take them up on that offer. I put one in the freezer and the other I decided to make a pot roast with. I wasn't in the mood for a traditional pot roast with carrots and potatoes so I switched it up a little bit. I hope you like it. I know we did!

Pre-heat the oven to 350

Cut up an onion and some garlic cloves.

You will need some salt, pepper and seasoned salt to rub all over the roast.

Get a large skillet with some oil in it super hot and sear the roast on all sides.

While the roast is searing, mix together some red wine, cream of mushroom soup, beef bullion and Worcestershire sauce.

When the searing is complete, remove the meat and place in a roasting pan.

In the skillet used for searing, saute the onions and garlic for a few mins.

Top the roast with the onions.

Cover with the wine/soup mixture, cover with foil and bake for 2.5 hours. Oh, and add 2 bay leaves before you put it in the oven. Make sure you remove them before you serve. They are a choking hazard!

Before the roast is done, boil some noodles. I used egg noodles but you can use whatever you would like. Let the roast rest for a little while before you slice.

Top the noodles with sliced meat and pour some of the sauce from the roasting pan.

My boys and I loved it! The meat was so tender and the sauce on the noodles was sooooo good. I only sliced enough meat for us to eat right then, so we had lots of meat left over. Check back to see what I did with them.

Try it out and let me know what you think about it. You don't have to use noodles. I just wanted to do something quick and easy.

Fish on Friday

2009-03-23T09:16:00.007-05:00

If you are Catholic then you should know that it is customary to eat fish on Friday during Lent. My boys are Catholic and I went to Catholic school for a few years, so we try to abide by this tradition.

I really do not like to fry fish in the house, but we were out of propane for the grill and I already had the fish thawed out. The fish is question was cod. I prefer cod over catfish any day. I am not a fan of dirt flavored fish.

After cutting the fish into small pieces, I covered them with seasoned flour.

While the oil was getting hot, I cut up some broccoli (fresh from my Nanny's garden), sliced some onion and chopped up some garlic.

As the fish began to fry I sauteed the onions, garlic and broccoli in sesame oil. I also added some soy sauce to give it flavor.

The cod was perfectly golden, flaky and delicious. Serve with ketchup and lemons and you are set!

Sorry for the lack of pictures. For some reason, my mind must have been wandering while I was cooking. A friend on Twitter said that babies have a way of sucking your brain cells out of you head and down to them, so I am going to stick with that.

Oh, BTW...my boys hate broccoli. The only reason why I cooked it was because my Nanny gave it to me and I didn't want to waste it. I made them eat at least one bite but you would think I was trying to kill them. I ended up eating most of it. I thought it was good.

Maybe next time we will pick up a fish dinner from the booster club at JW's school. My house won't smell like fish and I won't have complaints about broccoli!

Breakfast of Champions

2009-03-20T08:21:00.004-05:00

Wednesday's blog featured what Mark and I cooked for supper on Saturday. Today I will show you what I did with the leftovers.

Almost every Sunday morning I get up and cook breakfast for my boys. It is a tradition that I take great pride in. This Sunday I broke out the leftovers, some eggs and cheese and got to work.

To start with I cut up the remaining fries into small pieces like country style hash browns.

Saute some onions in a little bit of oil.

Add the cut up potatoes and cook for a few mins.

When they are finished, top with freshly shredded cheese.

I am a scrambled egg fan, so while the potatoes were cooking I got the eggs going in another pan.

When they were done, top them with a little cheese as well.

Have you ever had a chicken biscuit? I love them so I heated the leftover biscuits and chicken. The key to a good chicken biscuit is mayonnaise and pickles!

I know what you may be thinking, but don't knock it until you try it. I just wish I had better biscuits, but that just means that I will have to make some from scratch. That means sausage gravy will have to made as well. Now I'm hungry for breakfast!

To complete those hash browns you will need to smother them with ketchup! You can even add some to the scrambled eggs or even some salsa. By using the leftovers, I don't have to feel guilty about throwing food in the trash or feeding it to Thibodeau (even though he loves it). You can't beat that. What are your breakfast traditions?

Everything is Better Fried!

2009-03-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

Saturday evening, after spending the day on beautiful Dauphin Island, we dropped of JW with Mawmaw (Mark's mama), came home and cooked supper. I had some uncooked chicken leftover from the curry chicken pot pie so we decided to do chicken fingers. I also had some potatoes and a new baking mix that Mama got me that we tried out too.

My boys: Mark, JW and Thibodeau the bulldog

Get some oil going on the stove so it is nice and hot when you are ready to use it.

Mark rarely helps me in the kitchen so when he offered, I took him up on it. I got him to cut the chicken breasts into strips, batter them and start on the biscuits. I even got him to clean out the dishwasher!

Before we start on the chicken, I cut the potatoes into strips (Mark came back and cut them smaller) for the fries and placed them in cold water until the oil was ready.

In small batches, fry them until they start to turn golden.

Remove from the oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Now for the chicken...

You will need some flour with salt, pepper and Old Bay mixed in it for the batter.

Start by covering the chicken in flour, dip in egg and then cover in flour again.

When the oil is ready, fry them until they are golden. It only takes a few minutes.

While I was frying away, Mark was making the biscuits with the new baking mix. He did an ok job, but I failed to tell him to flour his hands before kneading so he ended up with dough stuck to his hands begging me to help him.

After kneading and rolling out the biscuits, I cut them and placed them on a cookie sheet.

Them baked them until they were golden. They looked like rolls instead of biscuits but we ate them anyway. They tasted like biscuits at least.

When everything was ready, we feasted until we couldn't eat anymore.

The chicken was awesome and the fries were a little soggy from sitting there but they were good anyway. I put the leftovers up, cleaned the kitchen and watched movies with my hubby for the rest of the night. There is nothing like a quiet night at home all curled up on the couch with your loved one. I missed my little buddy, but it was nice still.

A Twist on a Classic

2009-03-16T08:29:00.005-05:00

My Mama has been making chicken pot pie for years and years, so when she told me that she made some over the weekend I knew I had to have some. Knowing that if I tried to make mine like hers that I would most likely be disappointed, I gave mine a twist by using curry. I love curry. I am a huge fan of Asian food and red, green, yellow, and masaman curry is at the top of my list. The only thing I don't like about it, is the way it makes your house smell after you cook with it, so I opened all of the windows and lit a candle. That seemed to do the trick.

To start with, pre-heat the oven to 350.

This recipe calls for chicken broth and cooked chicken. Kill 2 birds with one stone by boiling a couple chicken breasts for a little while. By doing so, you get your broth and cooked chicken.

While the chicken is boiling, chop up an onion and some celery.

When the chicken is done, chop it up and reserve 1.5 cups of stock.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and saute 4 cups of frozen veggies until they are golden. Remove to a bowl until they are needed later.

Warm up some milk and the chicken stock in a small sauce pan and get some butter going in the skillet where the veggies were.

Saute the onion and celery in butter, and add more butter when they are finished.

Stir in some flour and curry.

Whisk in the warm milk and stock until all of the flour is incorporated and creamy.

Season with salt, pepper and parsley.

Add back the veggies and chopped up chicken and stir together.

Pour into a casserole dish and top with biscuits. I used canned, but you can always make your own. Spread them out some to cover the veggies and chicken.

Bake until the biscuits are golden.

Enjoy! I really loved this twist on a classic. My husband, Mark, must not have heard me say curry because he looked at me with a funny expression on his face after he took the first bite. I asked him if he liked it and he said he did but that there was something weird about it. After I told him curry was in it, he had 3 helpings, so I guess he really did like it.

I took the leftovers for lunch the next day and gave some to Mama. She said it was good but that it was spicy. I don't know about spicy but I do know it was really good. Try it out. Make it your own. Change the crust. Use different veggies or even, leave out the curry. Just have fun in the kitchen.

Favorite Snacks

2009-03-13T08:00:00.002-05:00

I'm sure you know by now that I am expecting our 2nd child in September so there is a LOT of snacking going on at our house. I have had been craving cheese by the blocks which is weird because I was not a big cheese eater before. Chocolate is also at the top of my list and bananas. What really floats my boat are Cheez-Its and M&M's or Cadbury Mini Eggs. Yes you have to eat them together, or at least I do.

I have really graduated in the food department with this pregnancy. When I was pregnant with JW I had to have chocolate milk and Vienna sausages smothered in Tabasco. I know, gross. At the time though it was wonderful.

Last night before bed I wanted a banana and some toast so I made a banana-mayonnaise sandwich. Don't judge me monkey! It was AWESOME! I have been eating banana-mayonnaise sandwiches since I was a little girl. I normally don't toast the bread but I wanted toast this time.

Spread a heap of mayonnaise on each side.

Top with sliced banana

Enjoy! You can use peanut butter if you want. I used to do one side peanut butter, one side mayonnaise, top with banana and sprinkle with rice cereal and chocolate syrup. Heaven! I may have to do that tonight.

Add a handful of Cheez-Its.

And a few Hershey Kisses and my snack is complete.

I think this may be the reason why I have gained 10 pounds in the first trimester. I don't care. I'm happy, healthy and hungry. Who is really going to tell me no?

Best Pork Chops EVER!

2009-03-11T08:53:00.005-05:00

I bought some very nice pork chops the other day at Winn-Dixie and I decided to fix them last night. I also bought some golden potatoes but I couldn't decide on mashed or roasted so I asked JW. He said roasted, which is awesome because they don't take long to prepare.

Go ahead and preheat your oven to 350 and then we will prep the pork chops.

Get the chops out and pat them on both sides with a paper towel, just to remove some of the moisture.

Season with a mix of Cajun seasonings, seasoned salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Dredge in flour, then a beaten egg.

Coat with Italian seasoned breadcrumbs.

Brown is a skillet for 5 mins on each side.

Put them in a baking dish, cover with foil and let cook for 30 mins.

While the chops are in the oven, wash your potatoes and cut them into pieces.

Season them with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and garlic powder.

Toss them in olive oil and spread them out on a cookie sheet. Put them in 15 mins after the pork chops.

Now for the sauce. You will need some milk, white wine and a can of cream of mushroom soup. Mix together and pour over the pork chops after the 30 mins is up. Recover with foil and bake for another 30 mins.

Your pork chops and potatoes should be done at the same time.

Who doesn't like meat and potatoes? The chops are so tender you can cut them with fork and the potatoes are so wonderful you won't want ketchup with them. We will be having leftovers tonight! You know you really could do something great with the leftovers for breakfast. Just add cheese and eggs. Maybe next time. How do you like your meat and potatoes?

Garden Update

2009-03-09T07:50:00.003-05:00

Saturday JW and I got up early and drove down to the camp to help Mama in the garden. In the past few weeks, the garden has come a long way. The onions are looking good all neat in their rows. The sweet peas are blooming and climbing. Even the strawberries have joined the party by producing fruit. Our salad mix is coming in very well and is almost ready to eat. It is almost time to thin back the turnips.

Mama and I planted some red stem spinach, tomatoes, tomatillos and more flowers on the other side of the garden area. JW planted his sunflowers and giant pumpkins. I can't wait to see how they turn out. We moved the fence so we have a bigger area to plant more veggies and herbs. Speaking of herbs, the place where I planted my seeds kind of washed away, so I'm not sure if they are going to make it or not. There were a few little green sprouts coming up, but it is too early to tell what they will turn out to be.

So far the fence has proven to be effectively keeping the deer at bay. Tracks can be found all along the edges but not inside, so that is a good thing. I will leave you with some pictures of the baby broccoli, strawberries, sweet peas, rutabagas and onions.

I almost forgot, but we did have lunch while we were at the camp. I hat a no frills turkey sandwich, but my Daddy had a tomato sandwich with mayonnaise, salt and pepper. I am not a big fan of this Southern treat, but my parents and grandparents love them. I need a little lettuce and bacon to go with mine. They are beautiful to look and I am told as the summer tomatoes ripen, the sandwiches get even better.

Having a garden is a great way to go green and save money on groceries. You don't need a huge garden to make a difference. Try growing herbs in a window box or planter on your porch. How are you going green?

Beef...It's whats for dinner!

2009-03-06T08:36:00.004-06:00

It has been a looong time since I have had a good steak so when I saw T-bones on sale at Winn-Dixie, I had to jump on it. They were huge and only $7.00!! I know. I couldn't believe it either. While I was there I picked up some salad and baking potatoes to complete the meal.

At home, I got the steaks out and let them come to room temperature, then salted and peppered them. Mark, my husband, got the grill going since I am terrified of propane. I hate the "whoosh" sound the grill makes when it first ignites. There is enough bleach in my hair that once it catches fire, I wouldn't have any left! Lord have mercy...lets not even go there.

Back to the steaks.

Once the grill was screaming hot, Mark threw them on for 4 mins on each side. He even got the grill marks all pretty.

Staying far away from the grill, I put the potatoes in the microwave, shredded some cheese and put the salad in bowls. I also set the table and got the butter and steak sauce out.

When everything was done, we sat down at the table and had a wonderful (and cheap) steak dinner. The freshly grated cheese on the potatoes with butter was awesome as well as the ginger dressing on my salad.

I think we all are trying to save as much money as we can nowadays and what better way than eating at home? We had a quality meal that would have costs us mega bucks at a restaurant AND we can eat in our PJ's if we want to. When I cook for my family and friends, it means that I care about them enough that I would risk burning my hair just to feed them. That is love right there! Just kidding, but sitting down at the table together for a wonderful meal is a great way to spend time with family and friends. So, save some money and catch up on life with those you love, eat at home.

Pimento Cheese

2009-03-04T09:24:00.004-06:00

Last weekend I decided to go see my Birmingham family, including the Foodimentary Guy. Almost every time I visit I end up cooking or bringing stuff that I made just for them to enjoy. K-Tilda loves my pimento cheese so I proceeded to make her some. There is nothing like pimento cheese in the world! Or at least my world. I love it. Just give me some crackers or white bread and I can go to town.

To get started you will need a couple blocks of cheese, I use sharp cheddar and Colby. You will also need some onion, cayenne, Worcestershire sauce and mayonnaise.

Shred your own cheese. This is very important! The already shredded stuff from a bag does not taste as good as freshly shredded cheese. Trust me on this one. If you do not agree, then use the pre-shredded cheese next time.

Next comes my favorite ingredient......MAYONNAISE!!! I love Duke's mayonnaise. I had to use the light Duke's this time because they were out of regular.

You will need to drain the pimentos before you add them to the mix. I also picked up the sliced pimentos instead of the diced pimentos, but that is OK for me. If you want them smaller, chop them up.

This next ingredient is the key to a well flavored pimento cheese, grated onion. I was iffy the first time I added it, but it is just wonderful.

To finish it off, add some cayenne and Worcestershire sauce. Go easy on the pepper unless you want it nice and spicy. Really you are using it for flavor and a little zap on the end.

Mix everything together and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

Crackers, chips, bread and veggies are the best tools for eating this masterpiece. I have also put some in a baking dish and heated it in the oven to be served hot.

If I ever open a restaurant I will have pimento cheese and pimento cheese sandwiches on the menu. I hope that you try this out. Make it your own. DO NOT buy the orange colored concoction in plastic tubs from the grocery store. Unless you know it is locally made, don't go there.

BTW: I ended up leaving K-Tilda's pimento cheese in Mobile. That's OK though. Now I get to eat all of it myself. Sorry K. I will make it up to you.

Ultimate Leftovers

2009-02-27T08:00:00.005-06:00

When I made the BBQ Bakers a few days ago, I had a ton of meat left over that needed to be put to good use. I also found some leftover corn tortillas that needed to be used as well. Not wanting to be wasteful, I decided on BBQ nachos. I know it is not the normal thing to do with leftovers, but I'm here to try new things and share them with you.

First you will need to get some oil ready for frying and make sure you have some room in your arteries for what's to come.

Cut the corn tortillas into quarters.

Fry them until lightly golden.

Remove and sprinkle with salt.

Remove the leftover meat from the fridge and microwave it for a few seconds to loosen it up.

Put the chips on a cookie sheet and top with meat.

Pour on the BBQ sauce.

Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Broil for a few minutes but do not leave it by its self. It will burn before you know it!

Remove and enjoy! I like to top mine with sour cream and extra BBQ sauce.

Hopefully you will have a chance to try these wounderful nachos soon. Your family and friends will love it. Talk about something great for watching ball games or just when your friends come over. Feel free to jazz it up some too. Red onions and jalapeno peppers would be an awesome addition. Make it your own! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

A picture is worth....

2009-02-26T10:44:00.004-06:00

Since Mardi Gras is now over with, I decided to change my profile picture. What you are left with is vintage Southern Foodette. This was taken some time in the 80's but you knew that. Who wears gold dresses now a days? Check out that hair! I know you are jealous! Did you notice my two front teeth? Yes, they are fake. I had lost them just a week or so before the pageant (eating a candied apple at the fair) so Mama had new ones made for me. Fact: She still has them! They did the trick and I ended up winning.

Most of my childhood weekends, holidays and summers were filled with beauty pageants and dance competitions. My Mama dragged me all over the South with my hair teased to Jesus and enough makeup on to make Tammy Faye Baker jealous, all for me to strut my stuff in front of some judges in the hopes of winning a crown, trophy and sash. No, I was not forced to do this. I wanted it is bad as she did and sometimes more.

There is no telling how much money she spend on custom made dresses and sportswear. On top of dance lessons, hair appointments, modeling coaches, voice coaches, interview coaches, shoes, makeup, dance costumes, food, gas and hotel stays. I loved every minute of it. I didn't really enjoy sleeping with rollers in my hair or waking up at the crack of dawn to drive to the next pageant, but it was worth it. I was good and there's no doubt about it. I was highly trained and I made my family and myself proud.

The self confidence that you get from competing, whether it be sports or pageants, children need that to survive later in life. If you put the work in, try your best and feel like you succeed even when you fail at a young age, then I believe you are less likely to be a basket case when you are older.

Thank you Mama for pushing me and supporting me. The Southern lady that I am today is because of you. I know my manners, how to talk to people, how to carry myself and how to make friends with anyone because of you. If the child that I am bearing now is a girl, I hope I can offer her the same life as you gave to me.

I will be posting random, vintage Southern Foodette pictures along the way. I think you may get a kick out of it. I know my brother will.

Love to all. Back to cooking....

BBQ Bakers

2009-02-25T08:34:00.004-06:00

Recently our favorite BBQ joint, JR's, closed down leaving our BBQ cravings to go untamed. When JR's was open, we would always order the stuffed baked potatoes that oozed with butter, sour cream, cheese, meat and BBQ sauce. They hit the spot when you had a hangover and we just perfect for lunch or dinner. After weeks of agony, I decided to make my own BBQ. Having never tried to do this before, I was a little nervous about how it would turn out, but I knew I had to give it a shot. Since I don't have a smoker, I decided to roast it in the oven.

You will need some salt, pepper, dark brown sugar, paprika, cayenne and a 6lb pork shoulder roast.

Mix all of the seasonings together and rub them into the roast. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

When your 2 hours are up, break out your dutch oven, apple juice, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire, liquid smoke and garlic powder.

Mix all of those ingredients in the Dutch oven and add the roast.

Cover with foil, put the lid on and pop it in the oven for 5 1/2 hours. You will need to baste the roast every hour.

What you end up with is super tender meat that just falls off the bone. The meat is so tender that you can shred it with your fingers to go on top of the potatoes.

The last hour you will need to get your potatoes to baking or if you are me, put them in the microwave after you have pierced them with a fork all over and sprinkled with salt.

Cut open a potato and break up the inside some. Add butter, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, meat and BBQ sauce (Stubb's) on top. Make sure you leave the sauce on the table because you may feel the need to use more. I know I do.

I hope you all enjoy this tasty treat. Yes it will put you one step closer to a heart attack, but who cares? It's worth it! Try it out and let me know what you think. Friday I will show you what do do with the leftovers!

Conecuh Dogs

2009-02-23T09:22:00.006-06:00

For Christmas this year we received a huge gift basket full of Conecuh sausage from Southern Building Structures owner, Mike. If you know me, then you should know that I love Conecuh sausage and I can eat it just about 24 hours a day. Out of the 3 flavors they offer, I love the hot and spicy. Mark likes the original and my parents like the Cajun flavor. I have a freezer full of sausage and a big slab of bacon in the freezer from this one Christmas gift so I have been trying to use the sausage as much as I can.

I really wanted a Conecuh dog with some onions on it and Mark wanted me to do some beans and rice so I did both, sort of. I didn't have any beans but I did have some black eye peas so I kind of ended up with hoppin john instead of beans and rice.

I started by cutting up some onions. Chopped for the hoppin john and sliced for the dogs.

While the onions are sauteing, you will need to start some rice.

When the onions are nice and soft, add some small pieced of sausage to the pan and let cook for a little while.

Break out the griddle and get it hot. I only have an electric griddle so I am jealous if you have one built in. Please don't rub it in!

When your griddle is hot, slap your sausage pieces (that you have spilt down the middle) on there to cook and don't forget the onions.

Back to the hoppin john. Drain and rinse your peas and add them to the pan with a little chicken broth.

When your rice is done, add some to the peas and sausage. You may have to add more broth, but you don't want it to be watery.

Now for one of my favorite parts. Drench a hot dog bun with mustard. Add sausage and more mustard down the middle. Top with onions. Put some hoppin john on the side and devour! Mark likes to put some on top of his dogs, but you don't have too.

I hope you all have a chance to enjoy some Conecuh sauage one day. If you cannot buy it in your neck of the woods, you can order it online. Everything is better with Conecuh sausage. No camping trip, cook out or hang over would be complete with out it!

New Addiction

2009-02-20T09:10:00.007-06:00

My wonderful bookkeeper, Rhonda J, found some okra chips at Fresh Market and brought them in to the office for everyone to share. BIG MISTAKE! I cant get enough of these things. I even looked for a recipe, but I can't find one. I did find out that they are "vacuum fried." Meaning they are deep fried and then the oil is sucked out of them. If someone could show me how to do this I would be really grateful.

After they are vacuum fried, packaged and shipped to your local Fresh Market, what you end up with are these wonderful, sort of crystallized okra pods that are crunchy and irresistible.

They look a little like thinly blown glass, but they have the flavor of traditional fried okra without the batter.

I think you can order them online from Fresh Market or you may be lucky enough to pick some up at your local location. I'm serious about someone showing me how to make these. I have got to have more and more and more okra chips!! Try them out and let me know what you think. WARNING: They are addictive!

SIDE NOTE:

Dear Food Network and the Travel Channel,

Where have your manners gone? Why is it that some of your hosts cannot take appropriate bites of food, chew with their mouths closed and not talk with a full mouth? My Mama would slap me, even today, if I did that. What kind of image is that sending to viewers? With all of the bad stuff going on in the world today the least we can do is use good manners. Taking huge bites of food does not make it taste any better. I don't want to see your food swirling around in your mouth while you are chewing and talking. That is the grossest thing ever. Andrew Zimmern, if I hear your jaw pop one more time I'm going to scream. Will someone please teach these people some manners?!!!

How do you feel about it?

Baked Spaghetti

2009-02-18T08:36:00.004-06:00

Years ago when Mark and I first got married I started making this super easy dish and he has loved it ever since. I sometimes make this for our friends when they come over. I have also delivered this meal to loved ones that are sick, just had babies...ect.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and put some noodles on to boil. It doesn't matter what kind of noodles. I used elbows this time but I have used spaghetti before.

Start by sauteing some minced garlic in a little olive oil.

Chop up some pepperonis.

Brown some lean ground beef and add the pepperonis. You will want to drain off the fat. I forgot to this time.

Pour some spaghetti sauce on top and let simmer for a few mins. Add some fresh Parmesan and stir together.

Drain the noodles.

Add some of the sauce mixture to coat the noodles. Pour into a 9x9 casserole dish and spread the remaining sauce on top.

Top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Let bake for 15-20 mins.

I like to serve mine in bowls. There is something about seeing a heap of meat and noodles in a bowl that makes you want to inhale your food. They are also great for when you curl up on the couch in front of the TV for a midnight snack. Not that I would know anything about that....I'm just saying it would be a good idea.

You don't have to use just ground beef for this. I have used some Italian sausage and salami before. Try it out. Make it your own. This stuff is so good that you really shouldn't count on leftovers.

Mudbugs

2009-02-16T08:34:00.003-06:00

Saturday Mama called me to say that Tina, a lady that works for us, brought us some boiled crawfish. I can never say no to crawfish so I raced down to our store to pick them up. There is nothing like a hot summer night with friends, family, beer and a ton of crawfish. I know it's not summer yet and I can't have a beer, but any time is a good time for crawfish.

I poured a few out in a bowl so I could snack on them while watching the tube. If you have never eaten them, have no fear, I will teach you how to get the meat out.

Select one of the "bugs" to eat.

Separate the head from the tail. Squeeze the head a little and suck all of the juices out. Don't cringe, just try it at least once. If you don't like it, then don't do it again. I happen to think that is the best part. Insert dirty jokes here.

Throw the head away. Pick up the tail and peel off the first joint of the shell. Pinch the bottom of the tail, put the meat in your mouth and pull the rest of it out of the shell. You can peel off all of the shell and pick the meat out with your hands, but the first way is the fastest, I think.

You don't get a lot of meat out of the tail so you have to eat at least a hundred or so before you get full. Ok so not really a hundred, but it seems like it. Most people will boil corn, red potatoes and sausage along with the crawfish so if you are not a mudbug fan you will at least have something to eat.

I hope that you all have a chance one day to enjoy these spicy little crustaceans. You will not be disappointed. Make sure that you wash your hands good when you are finished. Cut up some lemons for your lips, that will be on fire, and for your stinky fingers. If you don't know where to buy them, just call Buddy Grass Seafood at 251-443-7291 and ask for Tina. She will be happy to help you out.

Buddy Grass Seafood

2585 Hamilton Blvd

Mobile, AL 36605

251-443-7291

Not Yo Nacho

2009-02-13T08:00:00.001-06:00

For the past few days I have been wanting some nachos. Not just any nachos, but loaded to the gills nachos. Who wants just chips and cheese? Please, that is for amateurs. Deciding that I could save some money, I made my own version of nachos.

I wasn't in the mood to navigate through layers of single tortilla chips so I opted for corn tortillas. If you bake them for a few mins before you load them up they wont get soggy.

Then I sauteed some onions for the refried beans, from a can (that smell sort of like dog food). When that was done I mixed them together.

After mixing the taco seasoning with water, I browned my lean ground beef.

The seasoning was "hot and spicy" so I poured it through a small strainer and into the meat since my boys do not care for the "hot and spicy."

When the meat was ready, it was time to start construction of the nachos. I smeared on the beans and onions, topped that with the seasoned meat and loaded it down with cheese. I love pickled jalapenos, so i put some on top of mine.

These babies make me long for a margarita in the worst way! Look at that gooey cheese and tell me you aren't hungry now. Now break out the sour cream and salsa and dig in. If you wanted to make them smaller they would be great for a get together. I'm sure some of you are saying that they are toastadas. Call them what you will. I call them good!

There was a great BBQ restaurant here in Mobile that closed not to long ago that had the best BBQ nachos. They fried their own chips, topped them with pulled pork or chopped beef and cheddar cheese. We used to drench them with BBQ sauce and fight over who got the last chip. Looks like I may have to try that out at home. When I do, I will share it with you.

How do you like your nachos?

Picklefish?

2009-02-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

As some of you may know, the Southern Foodette has a bun in the oven. This means only one thing. I AM HUNGRY! I seriously could eat 24 hours a day, but a girl needs her beauty rest.

Saturday morning I was watching a show about pizza on the Travel Channel and that set off a craving for pizza in the worst way. This was not a craving for chain pizza places. This had to be a one of a kind joint. I decided that Picklefish would be perfect. After loading my boys into the truck, we were on the way. Picklefish is not close to our house in any way. Located across from the University of South Alabama, it is about 20 mins from our humble abode. Needless to say, Mark was thrilled about that. He's a chain fan, go figure.

We walked in and found a suitable table. The super nice server took our drink order and I had to order an appetizer, I was starving after all. The spinach artichoke dip was calling my name from the menu.

As the server was placing our drink and app order, we scanned the menu for pizza. I, of course, wanted one of EVERYTHING! Figuring that we didn't have the funds to complete that task, we ordered 3, 10 inch pizzas. Cheese for JW. BBQ chicken pizza for Mark and Buffalo chicken for me.

While waiting for our pizza, the spinach artichoke dip came out. It was so good that you could bathe in it. the bread was buttery and crunchy and all around tasty. As you can see from the picture, I was too busy stuffing my face to take a picture as soon as it came out.

JW's cheese pizza was the best just given its simplicity. The crust was spot on and the cheese was very cheesy.

Marks BBQ chicken pizza was great but would have been better without bell peppers. It really took away from the flavor.

The Buffalo chicken pizza was a nice surprise. The sauce was tangy, not sour, so that was great and the cheese was not just mozzarella, but blue cheese crumbles as well. The one thing that I would change would be the fried chicken. I think grilled or roasted would have been more flavorful.

Picklefish has been a staple in Mobile for years and years. There were many hearts broken when the Dauphin St location closed. After a long night of partying on Mobile's version of Bourbon St, it was nice to sober up with a few slices of pizza. At least they are still open on Old Shell Rd. If you are ever down this way and are searching for pizza, give Picklefish a try.

Picklefish

5955 Old Shell Rd

Mobile, AL 36608

Sowing on Sunday

2009-02-09T07:49:00.003-06:00

Yesterday my Mama called me to ask if we would meet her at Lowes to pick out some veggies and herbs for the garden at the camp. The camp is a 28 acre parcel of land we own that fronts Mobile Bay and Fowl River. It is just a wonderful place to kick back and relax on the weekends. After picking out what we needed and making a list of the veggies we forgot, Mama and JW (my four year old son) to the camp to get started.

My husband, Mark, and I drove over to Winn-Dixie to pick up something for lunch for everyone. After deciding on ham and cheese and bologna sandwiches with chips, we were on our way.

Earlier in the week my Daddy tilled the area that Mama had picked out for the garden and set the poles around it for the fence that would be put up to keep the deer out. Mama had already mapped out where she wanted the HUGE variety of veggies and herbs to go so all I had to do was hoe a row and plant the seeds.

In the center of the garden we planted some potted herbs such as oregano, sage, rosemary and one more that I can't remember. JW planted his strawberry plant in the center.

On one side of the garden Mama planted Georgia collards, Romain lettuce, cabbage and broccoli.

On the other side we planted Vidalia onions, red onions shallots and turnips.

Near the onions I planted a variety of herbs such as basil, dill, tarragon, thyme and so on.

We also planted a salad mix area that has mesculin, spinach and radishes.

After planting all of that we were worn out. We will be planting lots more veggies like carrots, lots of peppers, tomatoes, beans, leeks, potatoes and garlic. I will keep you posted on the progress. Hopefully we can keep all of the critters away from our veggies.

Gardening is one of the reasons why I love living in the South. My mother and grandmother have always had gardens and tons of plants in the yard. Only certain people are born with green thumbs and they have it. If it wasn't for them I would know nothing about the joys of growing your own produce. I will be taking a trip to Nanny's garden soon and I'll share that with y'all too. Keep in mind that Mama and Nanny are the ones calling the shots as far as gardening goes. I killed an aloe plant. No green thumb for me!

Oh Brother Where Art Thou?

2009-02-06T08:00:00.000-06:00

Shrimp and Grits has been a Southern staple for many, many, many years. The combination of juicy Gulf shrimp and creamy grits is enough to bring a grown man to his knees. I decided to make this dish because one of the local shrimpers brought me some beautiful red shrimp straight off the boat. These beauties are best when they are fresh.

I started by de-heading and peeling the shrimp. I don't mind doing it. It is sort of therapeutic in a way. I then sprinkled them with salt and pepper.

While the shrimp were hanging out together I got the grits started. All you need is to bring water, chicken broth and half and half to a boil. Whisk in the grits and reduce the heat.

Go ahead and get some bacon cooking until it's crispy. You will also need to slice some mushrooms, mince some garlic, chop green onions and split a lemon.

When the bacon is finished, crumble it into pieces. Saute the mushrooms in the bacon fat.

While the mushrooms are cooking, add cheddar and Parmesan cheese, butter and hot sauce to the grits. Mix together until creamy. Put a lid on and keep warm.

Add the green onions to the mushrooms.

Dust the shrimp with flour, add them and the garlic to the mushrooms and onions. Stir in some chicken broth, hot sauce and lemon juice, making sure you get all of the pieces off the bottom of the pan.

Spoon cheese grits into a bowl. Add shrimp mixture and top with crumbled bacon.

I think I may have died and gone to heaven! The creamy grits, crunchy bacon and sweet shrimp are so good together I could "eat it for breakfast," as my dad would say. He also says he could eat raw oysters on his corn flakes, but I will save that for a later blog.

There are many recipes for shrimp and grits. I hope you find one you like and try it out. I bet you will be eating grits from here on out too. By the way, DO NOT use quick grits. Use the real deal original grits. You will thank me later.

If you didn't know, the Foodimentary Guy is my big brother. I think it is funny that all of my blogs make him hungry. It is also amusing to me that he begs for leftovers, but sadly, there were no leftovers this time. Sorry Foodimentary Guy. I know you are starving now! You might want to wipe the drool off of your computer.

Oh Deer

2009-02-04T08:00:00.002-06:00

As you may know, I reside in the great state of Alabama. This means that we have plenty of wildlife and plenty of hunters. I, nor my husband, are hunters so when I want deer meat, I have to ask around. My friend Yano Serra came into my store last week and had fresh deer meat in a cooler in the back of his truck. He so generously gave me a whole ham that I in turn had my grandfather process for me. When Grampa brought it back the next day, I was ready to put it to good use.

I started by tenderizing it, or as I call it, "beating the crap out of it." I then dusted it with salt and pepper and got my skillet ready.

While I was waiting on the skillet to heat up, I stared some rice and minced some garlic.

In a sauce pan I sauteed my garlic in butter until soft.

My skillet was ready for the deer meat, so I threw it in there to brown on each side.

When my garlic was soft I added a can of diced tomatoes, red pepper flakes and oregano. I let that simmer until the meat was finished.

When all of the elements were ready I scooped some rice onto a plate, topped with the deer meat and poured the sauce on top. Talk about good!

Some people will tell you that you need to soak your deer meat in milk overnight to neutralize the "game" taste, but I like the way wild game tastes. You do have to tenderize deer meat very well in order for it to not be rubbery and tough.

If you have never tried deer meat, you need to. It is an acquired taste, but you at least have to give it a shot. If you can't find it anywhere, just ask around. I'm sure someones brothers, cousins, uncle knows a guy, that knows a guy that can get you some deer meat.

Downtown Treat

2009-02-02T09:33:00.004-06:00

Last week Mama and I had some running around to do and we found ourselves downtown at lunch time. Mobile offers many wonderful places to feast for cheap. I suggested that we eat at the Bicycle Shop on Dauphin St. It is not really a sit down restaurant. It is more like a bar that offers a fair amount of food. The building itself resembles a clean bar in New Orleans with more TVs. There are windows that open up onto Dauphin Street for maximum people watching, but not then day we went. It is "winter" in Mobile so when it is 50 degrees, it is COLD!

We sat in a cozy little booth and ordered some fresh guacamole to start with. What we got was not the nasty green mush you get from your local Mexican restaurant around the corner. This was a heaping bowl of creamy avocados cut into big chunks, tomatoes, cilantro and garlic with homemade tortilla chips. It was sensational. I was so wrapped up in consuming that little slice of heaven that I forgot to take a picture of it. Sorry.

After we all but licked the bowl the guac came in, we ordered our lunch. You order everything separately from a dry erase board behind the bar, so I ordered 3 tacos. 1 mahi mahi, 1 seared tuna, and 1 shrimp. Mama ordered the crawfish quesadilla. When our plates came out, mine looked like taco art and Mama's looked like a masterpiece.

Out of my three little art pieces, the shrimp was the best. Second was the mahi mahi and third was the tuna.

The tuna was topped with a chipotle sauce, green onion, and avocado. I wasn't pleased with the sauce. It was a little off for my taste.

Though the mahi mahi was a bit overcooked, but it was still wonderful. The crunchy cabbage and radishes was a nice contrast to the spicy an soft fish.

My hands down favorite was the shrimp and it was perfect! Nicely cooked shrimp with a sweet and spicy chutney on top was such a tasty combo.

The crawfish quesadilla that Mama ordered was also perfect. The mixture of cheese, crawfish and avocado was so good that had we not been so full, we would have ordered another one. Maybe two.

The end result was just a few spots of food on an otherwise empty plate.

If y'all should ever make it down to Mobile sometime, stop in the Bicycle Shop and give it a try. They also have a nice selection of beer and a fully stocked bar. 661 Dauphin Street Mobile, AL 36602 Liquid, the restaurant next door has the best sushi in town so try it out too.

Sorry about the picture quality, I took them with my phone. Believe it or not, there were other people eating there, but we were all sitting along the wall watching TV.

Wrap It Up!

2009-01-30T08:00:00.000-06:00

My husband was looking at my Southern Living magazine the other day when he found a recipe for skillet burritos. He hardly ever asks me to cook something in particular, so when he asked me to make them for him, I was kind of taken aback. I can't tell you how many times I ask him what he wants to eat for supper and his answer is always "it doesn't matter" or "whatever."

It turns out that this is a super easy recipe that tastes great and it portable, so it is great for lunch the next day.

Start by making the dipping sauce. You need sour cream, onion, pickled jalapenos, Dijon mustard, cilantro and lime zest.

Mix it all together and put it in the fridge until the burritos are done.

You will need a can of Mexicorn (drained), a can of back beans (rinsed and drained), cheddar cheese and cooked chicken breast, chopped.

Mix the filling together.

Spoon in the middle of an 8 inch tortilla and fold like a burrito.

Heat skillet and brown on each side.

Cut in half and serve with lime jalapeno sauce and salsa.

I had 2, my husband ate the rest. They are really good. That sauce is awesome and I'm happy that he requested that I make them. Now if I could get him to request more foods for me to cook....

Try it out. Change the fillings. Try a different cheese. That is what I'm going to do next time. I'm thinking breakfast burritos!

Cold Weather Comfort

2009-01-28T09:16:00.005-06:00

Is there anything like a nice bowl of chili to warm your soul when it is cold outside? I think not! Fiery chicken chili is one of my favorite chili recipes in the world. I make this when friends come over, when we are going to the camp and when it is cold outside. The first time I made this for our friends, they had never had chicken chili before. Now I get requests for it often.

When I started making this chili, I didn't have a dutch oven, so thanks to my big brother and T-Fin, now I do. I love it! Along with the dutch oven you will need boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chipotles, oregano, cumin, onions, garlic, salt, paprika, pinto beans and tomatoes. Lets get started...

Cut up the chicken thighs into bite size pieces. Chop the onions, mince the garlic and mince 1 chipotle pepper. Don't forget to drain and rinse the pinto beans.

Saute the onions and garlic with the herbs and spices until onions are soft.

Stir in the chipotle and 1 TBS of adobo sauce.

Add the chicken and let cook for 5 mins.

Mix in the beans, tomatoes and another TBS of adobo sauce, if you want to. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered for 30 mins.

Uncover and simmer for another 40 mins.

Serve in a bowl with sour cream, cilantro, cheddar cheese and green onions. Avocado would be good on top too. For parties and get togethers, just put the chili in a crock pot on low, put the toppings in bowls and let your friends and family top their chili the way they want.

Give it a try and let me know what you think. If you want the recipe, just ask. Hope you all have a great day and stay warm!

Dauphin Island Mardi Gras 2009

2009-01-26T10:28:00.007-06:00

Saturday was the start of Mardi Gras in Mobile. The Krewe De La Dauphine rolled down the crowded streets of Dauphin Island as thousands of people waved their arms in anticipation of catching beads, stuffed animals and Moon Pie's.

Since I didn't get to ride my pony this year, my husband and I decided to invited friends over to our house on the Island for our own Mardi Gras party. I figured that finger foods would be the way to go so I only really "cooked" one dish, the rest was either mixing stuff together or throwing stuff in the crock pot. I bought some chips and salsa too, can't forget that.

Bright and early Saturday morning Thibodeau, my bulldog, and I walked down to the beach for some pre-parade relaxation. When we got back to the house and everyone had breakfast, I got started on the party food.

I started with the meatballs since they take the longest to thaw out. All you need is 2 bags of traditional meatballs (not Italian), 2 bottles of BBQ sauce (I use Stubb's) and a crock pot.

Put the meatballs in the crock pot, drown them in BBQ sauce and crank up the heat to high for a couple hours. CAUTION: These suckers are hot when they are done so be careful!

I then let some cream cheese soften on the stove for the chicken spread and corn dip.

The chicken spread is just a big can of white meat chicken, drained, a packet of ranch dressing mix, and a block of cream cheese mixed together. Stick it in the fridge until it is time to serve.

My world famous corn dip is everyone's favorite. 3 cans of Mexicorn, drained, 2 TBS of minced pickled jalapenos, Tony's and cream cheese.

Melt the cheese on the stove, add corn, Tony's and jalapenos. Stir together until creamy. Put in a bowl and serve with chips.

I found some little cheeseburgers at the grocery store so I grabbed some of those and a meat and cheese tray. Of course there was little food left after the parade which is great because I hate leftovers.

If you have never been to Mardi Gras, then Dauphin Island is the perfect place to get your feet wet, literally. The parade's on the Island are very family oriented. There is no flashing of certain body parts and there's not people shoving you and fighting over throws like they do Downtown. We will be at it again next Saturday when the Island Mystics roll, but just remember that the KDLD is and will always be the "big dogs" on Dauphin Island.

See you Saturday and if not then, then we will hopefully see you next year! Happy Mardi Gras!

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

Loafing Around

2009-01-23T08:00:00.000-06:00

I have been wanting some good meatloaf for the past few weeks so I found a great recipe on Cooking Light called BBQ meatloaf. What a perfect combo, meat and BBQ sauce. I had almost all of the ingredients at home, except for the meat. I like to buy meat the day I need it. If it goes in the freezer, it may never come out unless it is being trashed 6 months later.

Before we get started, preheat oven to 350.

I bought 1.5 pounds of lean ground beef and dumped it in the bowl.

Then I added 1 tablespoon of Stubb's BBQ sauce. If you have never had Stubb's before, run out and get it! They don't sell it in all of the stores, so you may have to do some store hoppin'. It has just the right amount of spice and twang to it. LOVE IT!!

Also added was mustard, onions, chili power, garlic powder, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs and 2 egg whites.

Mix it all together my hand, breaking up the meat as you go.

Drop it into a greased loaf pan and top with BBQ sauce.

Let it bake for 1 hour. Take it out and let stand for 10 mins. Cut into 12 slices. The serving size is 2 slices.

I'm served this with green beans, but that is for another blog. I know, mashed potatoes would be wonderful, but I was out of potatoes. If you have any leftovers, which I doubt, you can always take 2 pieces of white bread, spread some BBQ sauce on them and put the meatloaf in between. Great midnight snack!

Tried and True

2009-01-21T08:00:00.001-06:00

One of my husband's favorite meals is Chicken Parmesan. I started making this for him years ago while we were still dating. Though it may not be a Southern dish, I figured I would share it with you any way. This is a super easy recipe for new cooks to try. Seriously, it takes no brains whatsoever.

All you need to get started is boneless, skinless chicken breasts, spaghetti sauce, noodles, Italian breadcrumbs and mozzarella cheese.

Pre-heat oven to 400

Get the water boiling for the spaghetti.

You will need to pound out the chicken breast to about 1/2 inch thickness using a meat mallet and a plastic zip top bag. You don't have to close the top and clean up is easy.

Season the breasts with salt, pepper and a little garlic powder. Cover with breadcrumbs.

Place chicken in a casserole dish or large roasting pan. Cook for 15 mins.

Remove chicken and smother with spaghetti sauce and mozzarella cheese, put back in oven for 10 mins.

Drain the spaghetti.

Heat remaining sauce in a sauce pan to go on top of the noodles.

Put the oven on broil until the top is brown. Don't walk away from this one. The broiler can go from friend to enemy in like a minute. Trust me.

Top the noodles with sauce and a piece of chicken. I like to shave some Parmesan to finish it off.

If that is not good, then I don't know what is. I hope you enjoy it. I know we did. You will notice that I did not fry anything. I really like the way the baked chicken tastes. Besides that, it is a lot easier on the waistline.

Lazy Sunday Supper

2009-01-19T08:00:00.000-06:00

Sunday is "lazy" day at the Southern Foodette house. I got up and threw some canned cinnamon rolls in the oven, turned on cartoons for the four year old and vegged out on the couch most of the afternoon. I did wash a few loads of clothes, so I wasn't that lazy. By that evening I was not in the mood to cook a fancy Sunday meal. I knew I had some Conecuh sausage in the freezer, onions, canned pinto beans and rice. Figuring I could make something quick and easy with what I had on hand, I got started.

While the sausage thawed in the sink, I got the rice going so it would be finished when I needed it.

Then I chopped the onions (with my sunglasses on) minced the garlic and sliced the sausage while my pan was warming up.

While the sausage and onions we hanging out in the skillet sauteing, I grabbed my beans, that were already washed, drained and ready to go.

Mixing in the beans, I added some chicken stock and Cajun seasonings and let that simmer for a little while, soaking up the flavors.

I don't like to mix my rice in with the other ingredients, so I put some in the bottom of a bowl and spoon the bean mixture on top. Make sure you add some salt and pepper to the rice before you top it and don't forget to pour some of the juice on there.

Talk about comfort food. I was feeling better after the first bowl. There are any number of ingredients you can use for this recipe. All kinds of meats and veggies my be substituted. Try it out and let me know what kind of spin you put on it.

Traveling Mac

2009-01-16T08:00:00.000-06:00

Is there anyone out there that does not like macaroni and cheese? If so, stop reading now and come back tomorrow. There nothing like a creamy mac n cheese that just came out of the oven with a golden crust of cheese on top. I'm making myself hungry!

I came across a recipe for a pasta bake with cream of mushroom. I tried it. Liked it and then made it my own. Instead of cream of mushroom, I use cheddar cheese soup. I am not big on making things that call for canned soups but trust me, this is the exception.

I started this recipe for my Mama. She is the one that taught me how to cook and I believe it to be an honor when she askes me to make something for her. She said that she has been craving some good mac n cheese, but my dad doesn't care for it too much so she won't make it for herself. That is why it is called the "Traveling Mac." I have to drive about 45 mins to take it to my Mama. It is also great to take to parties and get togethers with family and friends.

First boil enough macaroni, I use elbows, to make 3 cups. Oh and while you are at it, preheat the oven to 400.

While that is boiling, mix together the cheddar cheese soup, 8oz of the 4 cheese blend, black pepper to taste, 1/4 cup parmesan and a cup of milk.

When the noodles are done, mix everything together and pour into a greased a casserole dish, then bake for 20 mins. I like to sprinkle a little parmesan on top before it goes in, but you don't have to.

This batch will be traveling to Dauphin Island, AL to be enjoyed by my wonderful parents. One for now and one for later. Mama will have to bake it when it gets there. Sorry no picture of the golden masterpiece. Guess you will have to make your own now.

I hope you all enjoy this as much as my family and I do. It really is awesome. Make it your own. Try different cheeses or something. Be creative! Let me know how it turns out!

Moon Pie Bienville

2009-01-14T09:18:00.000-06:00

I do believe that this is one of the coolest recipes ever! It is sort of a cross between a trifle and banana pudding. I love both. I didn't repeat the layers to make it more trifle-ish, but I'm sure you can if you want to. Especially if you have a pretty trifle bowl to put it in. Note to self: buy trifle bowl.

In the last blog I left off with the conundrum of figuring out what flavor Moon Pie to use. I finally settled on banana.

Start by mixing vanilla pudding with 1/2 cup less milk than the directions call for.

Mix 1/4 cup of sour cream with sweetened condensed milk, then blend with the pudding.

Fold in 12oz of whipped cream

Cut Moon Pies into bite size pieces and arrange on the bottom of a casserole dish.

Top with sliced bananas.

Spread pudding mixture on top.

Refrigerate overnight.

One word: YUMMY!! I hope you all try this recipe sometime. Try it out on all of your friends and family. Let me know how it turns out! Don't forget the other Moon Pie flavors!

RC Cola and a Moon Pie

2009-01-12T09:57:00.001-06:00

The Moon Pie was invented at the Chattanooga Bakery in 1917 by Earl Mitchell, Sr. Originally it was a snack for the coal miners to put in their lunch boxes. A Moon Pie consists of 3 graham crackers with marshmallow filling, then dipped in chocolate. There are many flavors to choose from like vanilla, strawberry, banana, orange, lemon and of course, chocolate. This little slice of heaven is about the size of a hockey puck or you can get the mini pies that are available during Marid Gras.

The Moon Pie has a long running history here in Mobile. Why even on New Years Eve we raise a giant lighted Moon Pie as the countdown begins. Every Mardi Gras float that cruises down the streets of Mobile will be throwing beads, cups, stuffed animals and of course, Moon Pies, from every side. Some choose to start eating them right there on the sidewalk, and some will take them home to munch on later, or give them to their children for a treat. Not all are Moon Pie fans. There are many a pie that lay swashed in the road or trampled on the sidewalk never to be enjoyed as they should.

I have always loved Moon Pies. There is nothing like a Coke in a glass bottle and a banana Moon Pie. I know you are suppose to have a RC Cola, but I prefer Coke. I am one of the people that likes to take the pies home to eat later. If you microwave them for a few seconds and they get all gooey, then you put ice cream on top!! YUM! In the paper every year they have recipes that use Moon Pies so I will be trying out the Moon Pie Bienville. I'm thinking this will be similar to our traditional banana pudding but with a twist. Now to figure out what flavor Moon Pie to use.....I think banana!

Check back later to find out how it turns out!

A Royal Mess

2009-01-08T09:49:00.009-06:00

In the last blog, I had just put the dough for the king cake in the fridge for sit overnight. All I could think about yesterday was if the cake was going to turn out right. Is the dough to sticky? Did I let it rise enough? Did I follow instructions correctly? That kind of stuff. I am telling you guys, and I have told you before, I DO NOT BAKE!!

When I got home I took the dough out. I had to pry it out of the bowl and onto my floured counter top. I formed it into a ball and then rolled it out with my rolling pin. So far, so good.

Then I mixed the filling together. Brown Sugar, roasted pecans, cinnamon, allspice, salt and Steen's Pure Cane Syrup (which smells odd). I spooned it onto the dough and then I folded it width wise. Yes, I said "width." Thanks to my loving husband, he corrected me. I had to unfold it and spread the filling all over again. Not so good.

Finally I folded it length wise and rolled it up. Shaped it into a circle. Brushed it with an egg wash and popped it into the oven for 30 mins.

The glaze was no problem what so ever! Powdered sugar, lemon juice and water.

The house was smelling wonderful and cinnamoney, but in my mind I knew that this was NOT going to turn out the way I wanted it to. And I was right! I took it out of the oven and stared at the crusty bread looking, oozy mess of a king cake. My heart sank a little at the sight of it. It really did smell good though.

Figuring that if I slapped some glaze and sprinkles on it, at least it would look better. There are no amount of sprinkles to save this cake! It helped a little, but not enough. I made my husband try it first since he was full of encouraging words like "it looks like a donut" and "you folded it wrong." Surprisingly he liked it. He wasn't too crazy about the lemon glaze, but at least the cake and filling tasted good. Then the real judge tried it. If the 4 year old likes it then I guess it's not that bad. He said it was, in his words, "really, really, super good!" I almost started to cry.

I guess you can't win them all. At least I tried and I didn't fail completely. I will not be baking again for a VERY long time. Good luck if you are planning on making a king cake at home. I'm sure you will do far better than I did.

Next up in the Southern Foodette world is....Moon Pie Bienville (no baking required)!

King Cake in the Making!

2009-01-06T20:23:00.000-06:00

Ok guys, I have not burned down the house yet, but I did get started on the king cake. I went down to my local Winn-Dixie and picked up all of the ingredients that I didn't already have at home. I arranged them all on the counter and picked up the recipe for review before I started. This is when I found out that the dough has to be made first and then sit overnight in the fridge. Great, I thought, since I wouldn't have to do this whole thing in one day. As I mentioned in my first blog, Gearing up for Mardi Gras, I am not an avid baker. I can bake cookies without burning them and that is about it, so this is a BIG undertaking for me.

I started by heating up some water to 115 degrees so that I could dissolve the yeast with it. It was suppose to stand until "frothy." Does that mean covered in bubbles? I wasn't sure so I called my Mama. She was a big help! When in doubt, CALL MAMA!!

Next I had to mix the salt, sugar and orange zest with milk and then add it to the yeast. I love my microplane. It is one of the coolest kitchen gadgets ever!

Then it came time for me to sift the flour and cinnamon together and beat 2 eggs. The eggs went into the mixer first and then the flour mixture. Adding the flour was an absolute mess. Yes, it was on low, but that did not keep it from flying all over the place.

While that was all kneading together in the mixing bowl, I got the cold butter out and diced it into small pieces. Then I added it slowly so it wouldn't heat up and melt while incorporating. It didn't take long and it all came together.

After transferring it to an oiled bowl and covering with plastic wrap, I let it rise for an hour. This is when I started to panic. I couldn't tell if it was rising so of course, I called Mama, again. She calmed me down and said to make sure it was in a warm place. I moved it to the top of the microwave and that did the trick.

When I was confident that it had risen enough, I punched it down in the center, covered it again and put it in the fridge. I have a question though, was the dough suppose to stick to my hand? Oh well...I'm sure I will find out tomorrow if it is going to work or not.

Wish me luck!! I'm going to knead it.....I know, corny....

Gearing up for Mardi Gras!

2009-01-04T20:32:00.000-06:00

This week I will be doing something that I don't normally do, but in the spirit of Mardi Gras, I thought I would give baking a shot. I will be trying my hand at making a King Cake. King Cake is a staple down here in Mobile and along the Gulf Coast. There are many varieties of fillings but most are the same shape, icing and sprinkles.

History of the King Cake

The King Cake is believed to have originated in France around the 12th century. These early Europeans celebrated the coming of the three wise men bearing gifts twelve days after Christmas calling it the Feast of the epiphany, Twelfth Night, or King's Day.

The main part of the celebration was the baking of a King’s Cake to honor the three Kings. The cakes were made circular to portray the circular route used by the kings to get to the Christ Child, which was taken to confuse King Herod who was trying to follow the wise men so he could kill the Christ Child. In these early King Cakes a bean, pea, or coin was hidden inside the cake. The person who got the hidden piece was declared King for the day or was said to have good luck in the coming year.

Twelfth Night also signifies the beginning of the carnival season which ends with Mardi Gras Day. The bean, pea and the coin have been replaced by a small plastic baby to symbolize the Christ Child. The person who gets the baby is expected to carry on the carnival festivities by hosting the next King Cake party.

I have my recipe in hand, thanks to Emeril, and my grocery list made out. Just keep your fingers crossed, wish me luck and check back in the next couple of days to see if I have burned down the house!