Corn Bread Dressing from this Northern Chick

Ok, being a "Northern" kind of gal, we always have Sausage & Bread Stuffing and not Corn Bread Dressing at Thanksgiving, but that doesn't mean we don't like it .. it just means at Thanksgiving it has to be Sausage & Bread Stuffing.  Everyone has their favorite, right?  However, tonight I made Southern Corn Bread Dressing to go with a Whole Roasted Chicken.  Oh I know just about everyone has a recipe, but this is what I did ... it is easy and YUMMMO!!!

Ingredients

Cornbread
1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup oil
1 cup milk

Method
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Bake the corn bread in a 9x9 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven, cut into cubes and cool.

Dressing
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 tbls. butter
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups chicken stock (make your own)
2-3 tsp. poultry seasoning or dried sage (I used dried sage from our Kitchen Garden)
1 tsp. thyme leaves
1 tsp. course-ground black pepper
Salt to taste
Drippings from roast poultry

Method
Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat; add celery and onions and saute' until onions are translucent.  Remove from heat.  Crumble cooled corn bread into a large mixing bowl.  Add all other remaining ingredients and stir until combined.  Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish.  Bake in 350 oven 30 minutes. About 20 minutes into baking, top with some drippings from the roast poultry, stir and continue baking another 10 minutes.

Serve as a side dish with any kind of poultry, and a little gravy ... delicious!

 

Roast Chicken rubbed with Fein Tasting Foods "Everything Rub," Corn Bread Dressing, and Roasted Radishes with Sugar Snap Snow Peas.

 

 

Enjoy,

Mary

 

 

Homemade Tomato Salsa for Canning

When I think fresh tomatoes, I always find myself thinking of salsa!  Spicy, tangy and delicious served beside grilled chicken or beef, as a dip with Tostito chips, on top of tacos and more.  In fact I think just about everyone is a Salsa connoisseur, having at least one Salsa they particularly enjoy.  This simple tomato salsa is easy to do with garden-fresh veggies from your local farm or farmer's market.

Ingredients

5 lbs of tomatoes

3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and stems removed, chopped

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup lemon juice

2 teaspoons dried oregano or cilantro

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

2-3 tsp hot sauce (Texas Pete or Tabasco)

2 teaspoons salt

1-2 teaspoons sugar (to taste)

1 - 6-oz. can tomato paste (adds body)

 

Method

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add whole tomatoes and blanche a few minutes or until skins begin to split; immediately plunge tomatoes into ice water to prevent them from cooking more.  Peel and dice tomatoes; place in a colandar to drain juices.  Meanwhile, put the remaining ingredients in a large sauce pan; add drained tomatoes.  Over medium-high heat, bring mixture to a low boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.  Ladle hot salsa in to canning jars (regular pint or wide-mouth pint), cover with seals and rings and process in a hot water bath canner 15 minutes.

 

Yield:  5-6 pint jars

 

Please Note:   The only change you can safely make in this salsa recipe is to change the amount of spices and herbs. Do not alter the proportions of vegetables to acid and tomatoes because it might make the salsa unsafe.  Since tomatoes are a borderline acid / low acid fruit - adding lemon juice helps processing according to the specified times (determined by the USDA) in the water bath canner.

• Do not substitute vinegar for lemon juice, but you can substitute lemon juice for vinegar. Lemon juice is more acidic.
• Do not reduce the amount of lemon juice or tomatoes.
• Do not add extra peppers, onion, or garlic. You can reduce the amount of peppers, onion, or garlic.
• You can substitute one type of pepper for another. For example bell peppers, yellow peppers, banana peppers, chili peppers may all be substituted 1 for 1.
• The key is not increasing the amount of low acid ingredients in relation to the amount of high acid ingredients

Enjoy,
Mary


 

Perfectly Grilled London Broil

    From Wikipedia ... London broil is a North American beef dish made by broiling or grilling marinated flank steak, then cutting it across the grain into thin strips. The origin of the name is obscure; ironically, the dish is unknown in the English city of London. Many American butchers label a cut of meat "London broil." This is confusing as the term does not refer to a specific cut of meat, but a method of preparation and cookery. The cut of meat traditionally used is flank steak, but in recent years butchers have labeled top round roast as London Broil.
   
    Since the London Broil does originate from a tougher cut of beef, it must be marinated to help break down those tough fibers, therefore making it more succulent and tender. We really like London Broil grilled. It goes equally well with summer side dishes such as potato or pasta salad, but also delicious with cream cheeese mashed potatoes and grilled or steamed veggies.

Ingredients
1 - 2-3 lb. top round roast (or flank steak)
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
2-3 tbls. worcestershire sauce
2-3 tbls. prepared mustard
2 tbls. minced garlic
1/2 tbls course-ground pepper

Method
Combine all ingredients, except beef, in a bowl, whisking to blend.  Pierce beef at 1" intervals with the tines of a fork.  Place beef in a large zip-loc bag and  pour in marinade.  Seal bag and lay flat in the refrigerator, evenly distributing the marinade over the beef.  Chill at least 24 hours, or up to 48 hours, turning bag ocassionally.  This will insure the beef is equally marinated.  Before grilling let it sit out for 30 minutes on your kitchen countertop to bring to room temperature. This insures more even cooking.
On your grill, over high heat, sear London Broil 2-3 minutes per side, reduce heat to medium-off-mdium on a 3-burner grill and continue to cook approx. 6 minutes per side or until internal temperature is 125-130 (medium rare). Be carfeul to not overcook as the meat will continue to cook some while resting.  Allow London Broil to rest for 10 minutes after cooking to allow juices to redistribute. London broil should be sliced across the grain to break muscle fibers and lessen tough texture.

*Note - marinade can be made up to one week in advance and stored in your refrigerator.

Enjoy,
Mary

Farm Trip Day to Willard Farms and Middle Sparrow Ranch

    Let me start by saying "I love my local farms/farmer's!"  They are all unique, quirky in their own way, wonderful, full-of-life, hopes & dreams people who are simply trying to provide the best they can for you and me!  They want to give you a great product, and work tirelessly to insure you, the consumer, receive the best.  They are NOT "Big Farms" or into "Big Farm" business, but rather people just like you and me ... working to make a living while enjoying immensely what they do.

   
A few of us get together from time to time to visit some of our local farms, and there are so many to choose from here in South Carolina.  We've already had a "farm to table" lunch at Old McCaskill Farm and a tour at Sunny Cedars Farm (pastured pork) with my friend Russell Singleton.

   
 Today we had lunch at Willard Farms to check out the strawberries and their famous "Original Willard Burger," a 1/3 lb. burger cooked your way (voted one of the "Top 5 Burgers" in SC), with a side of hand-cut fries ... yes, I did say hand-cut fries.  All of this was prefaced by an overview of their farming practices by Jay Willard.  

   
 After lunch, we headed northeast for a tour at Middle Sparrow Ranch to see/meet Alice and taste her wonderful raw milk cheeses (oh ya, they are GOOD)! 

   
It takes a special person to be a farmer, and I have great respect for them all. I will proudly support them as much as I can ... I mean, after-all, it's a win-win; they can farm, I can enjoy their products ... cook up more delicious food ... real food ... Yep!  I'm happy with that!

 

 Welcome to Willard Farms ...

Strawberries from Willard Farms

 

 

 



Jay Willard explains his farming practices to us in the
comfort of the Market/Restaurant at Willard Farms

 

Mushroom Garden

 

Loads of Willard Farms products to choose from

 

 

And here is the FAMOUS, "Voted One of The

Top 5 Burgers in SC" ... 1/3 lb. Original Willard Burger

complete with home-cut French Fries!  In a word ... YUMMM!

And, yes ... I ate it all!

 

 

Many thanks to Jay and his parents for their hospitality

 

 

 

Next stop ... Middle Sparrow Ranch

Welcome to Middle Sparrow Ranch!  Raising grass-fed

Jersey cows for their Raw Milk and Raw Milk Artisan Cheeses

 

So cute!

 

 

Alice had a platter of her cheeses ready for us to sample!

 

Yummmm!

Alice explaining the cheese making process!  The large vat

in the rear of the picture holds 130 GALLONS of milk!  WOW!

 

Cheese, cheese and more cheese! 
Cheddar, Monterey Jack and  Farmer's

Coming soon ... Gouda

Yummm!  Soooooo good!

 

 

I'm ready for the next Farm Trip Adventure ... coming soon ...

 

 

Enjoy,

Mary

 

 

 

 

 

 

Northern Italian Meat Stuffed Shells

My family loves all kinds of Italian food, from spaghetti to lasagna, but we were never a fan of cheese stuffed shells, so I didn't make them until I discovered these meat stuffed shells.  Wonderful flavor, easy to do, makes a nice Sunday dinner.  Serve with some hard rolls and a side salad for a complete meal.

Ingredients
1 1/2  lbs ground beef

1 large onion, diced                           

1 clove garlic, chopped (or use 1-2 tsp. jarred, minced garlic)                           

8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded 

4 ounces 5 or 6 cheese Italian cheese blend, shredded                          

1/2 cup Italian style breadcrumbs

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (or dried parsley flakes)

1 egg, beaten

2 - 14.5 ounce can tomato sauce

1 - 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes, drained

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1 box jumbo pasta shells, cooked and drained

salt and pepper, to taste

1/3 cup dry red wine (optional)

 

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Boil water for pasta with a little salt and oil added

Meanwhile in a large skillet brown ground beef with onion and garlic; drain and cool

Cook pasta in water approx. 9 minutes or until easy to handle but not completely cooked through (this makes them easier to stuff and they won't tear apart so easily)

While pasta is cooking, combine meat, mozzarella cheese, Italian cheese blend cheese, bread crumbs, egg and parsley; season with salt and pepper

Spray a 13x9 inch pan with cooking spray and cover bottom with about 1/3 of the tomato sauce and 1/3 of the  petite diced tomatoes

Stuff cooked, drained shells (I got about 22-24 shells stuffed from the box) with the meat mixture and place in rows in pan on top of sauce.  Pour remaining sauce and diced tomatoes evenly over top of shells.  Splash the 1/3 cup red wine evenly over all; sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese and more 5 or 6 cheese Italian blend cheese.

Cover and bake in  350 oven one (1) hour, uncover and continue to bake 10 more minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.  Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

 

 

Enjoy,
Mary
 

 

Spicy Cajun Beans

I really like almost all kinds of beans and typically make Ham Stock for 15-Bean and Ham Soup or Ham and Veggie Soup.  I've also made Creole Beans, and Boston Baked Beans or Homestyle Barbecue Baked Beans, but this was a first for me making Spicy Cajun Beans.  I had a bag of dried 15 beans with Cajun seasoning sitting in the pantry, so I was contemplating what to do with them, when I came up with this recipe.  Super easy, using common pantry staples, some sliced Polish Sausages and you have a meal. Add a side of corn bread and you have dinner!

Ingredients
1-20 oz. bag 15-Bean Soup Mix with Cajun Seasoning ( I used Hurst's)
3 quarts water
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large onion, diced
1-14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup mild salsa
32 oz. chicken stock (make your own)
1-2 tsp. garlic powder
1-2 tsp. course-ground black pepper
2-4 tsp. chili powder
1-2 tsp. red pepper flakes
4 links skinless Polish Sausage, cut into bite-size pieces (may omit if desired)

Method
Add beans and 3 quarts warm water to a large stock pot.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer one (1) hour or until beans are tender; drain and rinse with cold water and set aside.  In stock pot, add 1 tbls. oil and heat over medium heat; toss in celery and onion and saute' until onion is translucent.  Add diced tomatoes, salsa, chicken stock and spices; return drained beans to pot and simmer until heated through.  Immediately add four (4) skinless Polish Sausages, cut into bite-size pieces.  Continue to cook 10 more minutes, or until heated through. Serve with corn bread, if desired.

*Note - you could also used Smoked Sausage or Keilbasa, if desired

Enjoy,

Mary

Beer-Battered Fried Shrimp

Oh I just love seafood, all kinds of seafood; lobster, shrimp, clams, oysters, swordfish, snow crab legs, blue crab, and more!  I especially love fried clams, but not being in the north (my personal opinion is the best fried clams are from Maine), we have to settle for other kinds of seafood. Here in South Carolina, we are very fortunate to have an abundance of fresh seafood, especially shrimp.  I love to buy them fresh from my favorite source, then we eat some right then, and freeze some for use another time ... shrimp scampi, steamed shrimp for peel 'n eat Shrimp (my grandsons favorite), shrimp cevichi, shrimp creole, smoked sausage and shrimp over pasta,  shrimp cocktail and more.  This recipe for Beer-Battered Fried Shrimp has taken a few years to perfect, but I think it's there now and we all love it.

Ingredients
2 cups self-rising flour
1-2 tsp. garlic powder (or more to taste)
1-2 tsp. course-ground black pepper (or more to taste)
1-2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning (or make your own)
1 - 12 oz. bottle or can beer (any kind)
1-2 lbs. large shrimp

Method
Mix flour and next 3 ingredients together; reserve about 1/2 cup flour mixture and set aside.  Meanwhile whisk in beer to the remaining flour mixture and let batter sit 30 minutes or so (it will get a little bubbly).  Whisk batter again, just slightly right before using. Dredge shrimp, a few at a time, in reserved flour mixture and dip shrimp in batter, allowing excess to drip off; immediately place in hot oil (350-375 degrees - do not overcrowd fryer) and fry several minutes or until batter is puffy and shrimp are cooked through (approx. 3 minutes).  Keep shrimp warm in 200 degree oven while frying the remaining shrimp.  Serve immediately with you favorite sauce. 

Notes - This batter is very light and delicate so it doesn't overpower the shrimp at all.

Cocktail sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
1-2 tsp. horseradish
1 tsp. lemon juice

Tartar sauce
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tbls. pickle relish
1-2 tbls. minced onion (optional)
dash or 2 of Worcestershire sauce

Remoulade Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons lemon juice
3 teaspoons chopped parsley
1 tablespooon Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon horseradish
1 dash paprika

Enjoy,
Mary