Feastin'

Friends, it's been way too long since I've posted anything.  Shame!  So, I figured I should at least put something out there for Turkey Day tomorrow.  If there's anything Southerners know how to do well, it's cooking a mess of delicious food to enjoy with family and friends, in celebration of our country's beloved gluttonous holiday.

I came across a yummy sweet potato recipe recently and made it as a side dish for dinner one night.  I had a bit of leftovers, so decided to use it to make my own on-the-fly version of a sweet potato casserole.  (Back story:  Aubrey's Thanksgiving party at preschool is today, and the parents are bringing dishes to share.  I needed something gluten-free and kid-friendly, and had to whip it up in a pinch because he originally wasn't going to school today since my parents are in town.  But plans changed, and I was super thankful that he could still go and party with his buddies!)  So, I got to cooking at 7 am, but this was pretty easy.

I used my leftover Orange-Glazed Sweet Potatoes (recipe below), layered them with some slices of baked apple (recipe following the first) and topped it all off with a light layer of marshmallows, and baked it up in the oven until everything was gooey and melty.  YUM!  I highly recommend trying out the sweet potatoes, and perhaps you'll  find Thanksgiving inspiration in the casserole.  Gobble gobble!

Orange-Glazed Sweet Potatoes (Southern Living)

Ingredients

• 6 medium sized sweet potatoes
• 1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. orange zest
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Peel potatoes, cut into 1 inch thick slices; arrange in a single layer in 2 lightly greased 13x9 inch baking dishes.
2. Stir together brown sugar and next 5 ingredients; pour over potatoes.  Cover with aluminum foil.
3. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until fork-tender.  Uncover and bake 5 more minutes or until glaze becomes syrupy.

If making this casserole, apples can cook at the same time as the potatoes.  Peel and thinly slice 4 gala apples, and place them in a baking dish.  Drop in two pats of butter, a sprinkling of brown sugar and cinnamon, and cook for about 30 minutes, or until tender.  Stir once halfway through.

Once sweet potatoes and apples are cooked, layer the apples over the sweet potatoes and top with marshmallows.  Bake for about 10 minutes, or until melted. 

Weekend Breakfast: Strawberry Oven-Puff Pancake

Speaking of strawberries, this recipe is a favorite of mine this time of year, when they are in peak season.  This makes the perfect weekend breakfast, served along with some hot, crispy bacon.  Heaven!  The "pancake" is similar in texture to a popover, but the dish itself is surprisingly filling.  I originally found the recipe on the "Rita's Recipes" blog, and I have adapted it.  Enjoy!

Strawberry Oven-Puff Pancake

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 pint strawberries, sliced
• powdered sugar, sifted

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425.  Melt butter in a 9 inch pottery pie plate in the oven while it preheats, until butter is melted and bubbly.
2. Whisk together eggs through vanilla.
3. Remove pan from oven and add the batter.  Do not stir.
4. Return to oven and bake about 18-20 minutes, until puffed high and golden.
5. When pancake is done, remove from oven and fill the center with the strawberries.  Generously sift powdered sugar over top.

Summer Soul Food: BBQ Chicken and Easy Peach Cobbler

A funny thing happens when you live on a tropical island, where there are no seasons to speak of and it is perpetually 83 degrees and sunny.  I've found that there is no way to guage time here, and the holidays and events that happen throughout the year, which you just instictively do back home based on Mother Nature's mood swings. 

For me, living in the Southeast for the last 30 years meant these things...the heat of the summer and that signature thick, humid haze signals fresh veggies from the garden, gorgeous blooms from the yard, barbecues and days spent by the pool.  When the weather cools in the fall, you get excited to wear sweaters and boots again, to pick apples and pumpkins, and to sit in the backyard at night by the firepit with friends and a  good glass of wine.  The winter (or any time the temperature falls below 60 degrees in South Carolina) is a time to hibernate inside in front of the fireplace, and at least buy a cute coat for the times you do venture out.

So checking my calendar I realize that it is almost the end of June and the July 4th holiday is approaching.  And something in me craves food from the grill and fruit pies.  So last night I cooked in a way that made our insides happy, but not without a touch of nostalgia for my grandmother, who was the ultimate Southern home cook.  My memories of her always include a hot, steamy summer kitchen, fresh butter beans, chicken and dumplings, cobblers, and foods she had canned herself.  So during this time when I've been missing home, I think of her and want to cook like her, and miss her dearly.

The barbecue chicken is my own recipe that I just throw together and cook in the crock pot, so here it is, and please excuse the lack of technicality.  As I've said before, slow cooker recipes for me are loosey goosey, and they always turn out just fine.  But don't miss the peach cobbler recipe below.  This one tastes like childhood to me, and was so good my husband said it was worthy of a "food-gasm."  So umm, try to control yourself.  Happy summer and happy cooking!

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts
• 2 cups ketchup
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• dash of Worcestershire
• dash of hot sauce
• 2 tbsp.  Montreal steak seasoning
• 2 slices uncooked bacon

Preparation

1. Combine ketchup through seasoning, in a large bowl, and to taste.
2. Spoon some of sauce into slow cooker, enough to coat the bottom.
3. Place chicken breasts in the slow cooker, top each breast with 1/2 slice bacon, and pour remaining sauce over top to cover.
4. Cook 4 hours on high.

Easy Peach Cobbler (adapted, Southern Living)

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup all-purpose flour 

2 cups sugar, divided

1 tablespoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

1 cup milk

4 cups fresh peach slices

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ground cinnamon or nutmeg (optional)

Preparation

1. Melt butter in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish
2. Combine flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt; add milk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter over butter (do not stir).
3. Bring remaining 1 cup sugar, peach slices, lemon juice, and vanilla to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly; pour over batter (do not stir). Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.
4. Bake at 375° for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve cobbler warm or cool.

* Note:  I halved this recipe and used unsweetened, vanilla flavored almond milk instead of regular milk.  You do not need dairy milk for this if you are lactose-free.

Strawberry Glaze Pie

Aloha friends!  We just got back from our whirlwind 10-day trip to the mainland, and had a blast with our families in Virginia and South Carolina.  It really made me miss home, especially this time of year when we would be boating, enjoying some fresh local peaches, strawberries and tomatoes, gardening in our backyard, and all the other fun festivities of summer in the South. 

My parents are both great cooks, and really spoiled us with all the comfort dishes we love.  Ribs, cornbread, fried chicken, slaw, and strawberry EVERYTHING  (Forest Gump moment here... strawberry cake, strawberry pie, strawberry ice cream!)  And speaking of strawberry pie, my mom's recipe has been one of my all-time favorites ever since I was a little girl, and now it's a summer tradition that I make it too at the peak of strawberry season.  (And Aubrey loves it, with homemade whipped cream!)

A dear friend requested the recipe for the pie this week, so this one is for Katie B., who I miss so much!  We were so blessed to see her and her two sweet babies during our layover in DFW, for breakfast and catching up after nearly a year since her family's move to Texas.  Needless to say, we are both missing our former lives in South Carolina, but embracing the change that God had planned for us.

(And also shout-outs to my Greenville friends who we got to spend time with, and my long-time friend Kimberly who surprised me all the way from NYC for my 30th birthday!)

This pie couldn't be easier to make, and it is full of flavor and deliciousness.  And since I love y'all so much too, here is my mom's recipe for Strawberry Glaze Pie, which will be made every summer in my house for years to come.  Ahh, the sweet taste of childhood!

Strawberry Glaze Pie

Ingredients

1 c. water
1c. sugar
1 qt strawberries, cut into halves or quarters, to preference
3 tbsp. cornstarch

Preparation

1. Pre- bake pie crust according to directions. Set aside. 
2. In a pot, mix cornstarch with sugar. Add water and 1 cup of the sliced berries and cook until clear (may be pink, depending on berries.). Let cool.
3. Fill bottom of cooled pie crust with remaining berries. Pour glaze mixture over the berries. Chill before serving.

Two Potato Salad

This is my new favorite potato salad, and it's perfect for the hot months ahead!  It's gluten-free and dairy- free, so it's a lighter version of our mayo based favorites.  I love potato salad as much as the next Southern girl.  I'm embarrassed to admit, but the three foods my mom always makes sure to have when I come to visit are (in no particular order) chocolate tarts, country ham (and preferably with homemade sweet potato biscuits), and Mrs. Marshall's brand potato salad.  Cue Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie."  Ah well, who's counting calories anyway?!

I discovered this dish at a backyard barbecue recently, made by a friend who is on a strict gluten-free and dairy-free diet.  I just like it because it tastes good!  I have made it a couple times at home, and this last time, I accidentally picked up the local purple sweet potatoes instead of yams.  My excuse being, I was running through the store in my typical Supermarket Sweep fashion, only this time Aubrey was out of control (ie.  jumping out of his seat in the cart, landing like a cat on his feet, sending the cart flying into the wine racks... awesome.)  So, I was surprised to cut open the potatoes at home and find them to be purple inside, but I really liked them as an alternative to the yams.  While the sweetness is unique to the purple variety, it still works really well.  So, Hawaii friends, either kind will work.

This recipe comes from the Gluten Free Goddess blog, which I have been reading lately to find new recipes.  We are not trying to convert strictly to gluten-free at this point, but Karina has some great recipes that are fresh and healthy.  Check out the recipe here, and scan her blog while you're at it!

http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2008/07/two-potato-salad.html

Miss Patty's Best Ever Salsa

Soon after we moved in, our sweet neighbor "Miss Patty", as Aubrey calls her, brought us an orchid plant and a mini mason jar of her homemade salsa as a welcome gift.  A woman after my own heart.  What began as a friendly gesture, turned into an addiction.  The salsa was the best I have ever had, and I could not stop eating it once I got started.  She brought me some more every so often, and if a few weeks went by, I found myself wondering when my next fix would arrive.  Usually her kitchen window is open, and if I happened to hear her food processor going in the afternoon I would get all excited hoping it was the good stuff.

I took it to a friend's house recently and everyone there loved it too.  So that was good, it was not all in my imagination!  (And just FYI, this is coming from someone who could have cared less about salsa before... not usually my go-to snack.)  I assumed that she made it from all fresh ingredients straight from the farmers' market, because I know she goes there every Saturday to get her produce.  So you can imagine my shock when I asked for the recipe and she said, "Oh it's so easy... Just a bunch of stuff from cans."  Say whaaaa?!  I'm intrigued.

Other than the cilantro and onion, it's true, everything else comes from a can but it still has a super fresh taste.  You have to use the specific brands though, so don't deviate.  I made some for our Cinco de Mayo festivities, and am pretty sure this will become a permanent fixture in my fridge. 

Miss Patty's Best Ever Salsa (Courtesy, Best Ever Neighbor Patty)

Ingredients

• 1 sweet onion
• 1 large bunch of cilantro
• 7 3/4 oz. can El Pato tomato sauce
• 7 oz can Herdez Salsa Casera
• 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes

Preparation

1. In food processor, blast onions, cilantro and tomatoes. 
2. Mix in tomato sauce and salsa casera.
3. Serve!

Chocolate Crepes with Orange Sauce

Once a week, an "EMFH" night shows up on our dinner board.  "Every Man For Himself" is a necessary night off from cooking for me, and the best way for us to clear out the fridge of this week's leftovers. 

Last week, I decided to spice up EMFH night with a fun dessert.  I found a recipe for chocolate crepes, and made my own orange sauce to go with them.  I had never made crepes before so I had some anxiety about this because they are very delicate, but they tasted great... I almost didn't share them with anyone.  (Flash to my fantasy world... a totally spotless and quiet home, with beautiful white furniture, and me eating chocolate crepes all by myself on my gorgeous couch that does not have crayon on it....sigh.)  But seriously, I love my family.

I may make this a habit around here.  A fun and easy dessert on EMFH night is great motivation to eat leftovers!  Or maybe I'll just skip dinner and go straight to dessert...

Chocolate Crepes with Orange Sauce (Adapted from cooks.com)

Ingredients

• 6 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 c. skim milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vegetable oil

For Orange Sauce

• 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Preparation

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor until well blended.
2.  Lightly coat small non-stick skillet with oil and heat to medium high.  Reduce heat to medium low.  Drop 1/8 batter into skillet and cook 30-40 seconds on each side until the top of crepe has dull surface and the edges begin to curl.
3. In a small saucepan, combine Orange Sauce ingredients and whisk together until well blended.  Heat to boiling, and then turn down to a simmer.  Let simmer for a few minutes, and remove from heat to cool slightly.  Sauce should be consistency of pancake syrup.
4. Serve crepes on a dessert plate, with sauce drizzled on top, and sprinkled with sifted powdered sugar.