Baked Beans

Growing up, my paternal grandmother, Polly, was known for her baked beans. We usually had them at our Easter meal at their house, accompanied by white bread sandwiches with homemade baked ham, potato salad, assorted "col'drinks" and lemon icebox pie. After stuffing ourselves, my sister and I impatiently awaited permission to go out in the front yard and hunt the eggs our parents had hidden in the creeping phlox that swept across the front of the property. More than once, we also found some "spring peepers" - the summer's singing frogs. (Always picked them up gently and put them right back - mom would've had a fit to find one in our pockets!)

Polly's beans are probably the best baked beans I've ever had. They're sweet, not overly smoky or onion-y like some homemade baked beans, and *should* retain the shape of the spoon when cooked correctly. (Thanks Joe B. for coining that reference last night - so, so true!) Mix up a batch and try them for yourselves!

2 regular-sized cans of pork and beans
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup ketchup
2 T. yellow mustard
1/2 lb. bacon, cut into small pieces.

Mix all together in a big bowl, turn out into an oblong baking dish (9x13 works great), and cook at 350 for an hour.

Summer Slaw

My maternal grandmother used to have a big fish fry at least once a summer, complete with homemade slaw, baked beans, sliced homegrown tomatoes, deviled eggs, sweet tea, banana pudding and crappie fried light as air. We'd sit outside on weathered, barn-red picnic tables, chase each other around the yard with sparklers and catch lightning bugs after dinner. It was one of those memorable experiences you don't really think about until you're older, and hope to someday recreate.

I've never been a good fish-fryer, but could manage the rest well enough, save the homemade coleslaw. One day, a hankering for my MeMe's coleslaw snuck up on me, and I called her for the recipe - thinking all this time that making homemade slaw was a difficult and time-consuming endeavor. Pshaw! With only 4 ingredients, her peppery vinegar-based slaw is simply awesome with pulled pork barbecue, fried fish, burgers, or country vegetables. It takes less than 5 minutes to put together, unless you shred your own cabbage, and will instantly transport you to a back yard glittering with lightning bugs, real metal sparklers and the 4th of July.

1 head cabbage, finely shredded
OR
2 small or 1 large bag pre-shredded angelhair coleslaw mix
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup white vinegar
dash of salt
pepper to taste

Put the coleslaw greens in a deep bowl. Measure out the vinegar in a measuring cup, add the sugar, and mix with a fork until slurry. Pour vinegar/sugar mixture over the coleslaw, add a little salt, and pepper to taste. I usually use at least 1T. of pepper but keep tasting to see how much works for you. Mix it all up, set it in the fridge overnight, and mix again about an hour before serving. Make sure to use a slotted spoon! Should serve 6, but don't count on it.

Check out Gollum's blog for other Foodie Friday recipes!

Skillet Coffee Cake

I love me some Skillet Coffee Cake! Technically, you're supposed to slice it into miniscule, dainty little wedges and serve at bridal teas and baby showers. However, I like to slice off a big hunk to go with a steaming mug of coffee on the weekends. It is so stinkin' good - try it!

Additional note: This recipe was originally printed in "Cotton Country Cooking", first published in 1972 by the Junior League of Morgan County, Alabama to raise money for local charities. Cotton Country is practically the Bible of Southern cooking, and my family's business, Decatur Printing, printed the very first edition!

SKILLET COFFEE CAKE

3/4 C. butter
1 1/2 C. sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 C. flour
1 pinch salt
1 t. almond extract

For topping, mix together: 1/2 C. sliced almonds with 1/4 C. sugar

1) Preheat oven to 350° F

2) Melt butter and add to sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add flour, salt almond flavoring mix well. Line a cast iron skillet with 2 layers of aluminum foil extending up over sides, and spray foil with nonstick cooking spray (Pam). Pour batter into lined skillet.

3) Sprinkle topping mix on top (duh!) Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, allow to cool, remove from skillet and foil slice and serve warm.

* I have substituted vanilla flavoring for the almond extract, and pecan halves for the sliced almonds with excellent results!

Quick Chicken Quesadillas

Don't you just hate it when you're hungry and don't want to wolf down a whole bag of Pringles by yourself? I usually hit this stage around 6 pm when the Bean is attached to my leg, the house is a wreck, and TJ's no where to be found. So what's an industrious girl to do? Create a new recipe, of course! Check out this remarkably tasty concoction. . .

1 12.5 oz. can cooked chicken in water, drained
1/3 white onion, finely chopped (I use my mini chop food processor and do the onion and mushrooms together)
1 small can mushroom stems and pieces, chopped
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 flour tortilla
palmful of shredded cheese
olive oil

Put the drained chicken in a small nonstick skillet and break it up with a fork. Add the onion, mushrooms and poultry seasoning, then heat over medium until onions are cooked and translucent, stirring every now and then. Remove chicken mixture from the skillet and wipe the skillet down with a damp paper towel. Put a teensy bit of oil or melted butter in the bottom of the skillet and swirl it around. Put the tortilla in there, spread some chicken mixture over HALF of the tortilla, then top the chicken mixture with the cheese. Fold over the other half of the tortilla to make a half-moon shape, and cook on one side until golden brown. Flip, and cook on the other side until it's equally golden.

* This would be GREAT with leftover Thanksgiving turkey, shredded, and a little cranberry sauce on top. Fancy, fancy!

Egg Muffins

We have recently discovered a wonderful, easy recipe for the most fabulous little Egg Muffins! Since TJ is limiting his carbs, these are perfect to keep in the fridge for breakfast on-the-go. They also freeze well for up to a month. Seriously, he loves them and they are very quick and easy, plus very adaptable to different flavor combinations. (Combos will be listed at the end of this post)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a muffin pan with two foil muffin liners and spray generously with Pam or similar cooking spray.

Add fillings of your choice till about half full, then top with your choice of cheese to be 2/3 full.

Beat together 10-12 eggs with a little milk (like 1-2 T.), season with salt and pepper, and spoon into muffin cups. We fill about halfway, then let it settle a few minutes, and add more to fill to the very top.

Bake for 30 minutes. "Muffins" will be tall and poufy when you take them out, but will fall within a few minutes like a soufflé.

Store in zip bags in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze for up to a month.

Suggested filling combinations:
• crumbled bacon with chopped tomatoes and bleu cheese
• cubed ham with finely chopped apple and havarti
• taco seasoned shredded chicken with chopped onion and mexican blend
• pulled pork barbecue with a hearty cheddar
• smoked salmon with a little onion, cream cheese and capers
• tiny cubes of leftover steak with diced fresh mushrooms and swiss

Keep on mind that you can always add veggies and fresh herbs of your choice! See what unique flavor combinations you can come up with - and enjoy being a mad kitchen scientist!

Foodie Friday - Chicken Stuff

I'd thought I'd posted this before, but since it was mentioned in the Husband MeMe I posted on my other blog, I figured I'd better put it in this one. It's also my Foodie Friday post, so check out Gollum's blog for more tasty recipes!

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 10 oz. package frozen broccoli flowerets
2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise (you can use heavy or lite mayo, just not fat free)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1.5-2 cups bread crumbs
black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350. Boil the chicken cubes in water until done. While chicken is cooking, cook the frozen broccoli in the microwave for 3-5 minutes until defrosted and slightly cooked. Drain the broccoli and layer it in the bottom of a square baking pan. Chicken will probably still be cooking, so go ahead and mix up the cheese, mayo and soup in a mixing bowl and add black pepper to taste. After chicken is done, drain it and create a layer of cooked chicken on top of the broccoli. Spread the cheese/mayo/soup mixture over the chicken to create the final layer. Top with bread crumbs and squirt the top of the casserole with some spray butter or margarine if you have any. Bake for 30-35 minutes until crumbs are toasted and casserole is bubbly around the edges.

Since this is a rich one-dish meal, side dishes (if you choose to serve them) should be light and refreshing - good choices are a crisp green salad, congealed salad, or fruit.

Lamb Stew with Olives - Emeril's Way

Back in my more adventurous days, I liked to cook "weird food" for kicks. Somehow, I stumbled on this recipe for a Moroccan Lamb Stew with Olives on foodnetwork.com and, I have to say, it's awesome. I have a "thing" with cooking lamb around Easter because lamb has been a historical and Biblical symbol of Christ. I only make this recipe once a year mainly because it's really hard to get good lamb in Alabama unless you special order it from your meat market, and also because all those spices can get really expensive! However, if you have a good number of them already in your pantry, I will be calling the meat dept. at Publix to order some lamb this week - maybe they'll order a little extra for you too!

1 pinch ground saffron
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1 T. minced garlic
1 T. salt
3 T. olive oil
3 lbs. lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into cubes like stew meat
1 cup grated yellow onions, rinsed and squeezed dry
more black pepper
3 cups chicken stock
2/3 c. chopped parsley
1/3 c. chopped cilantro
1 lb. crack green olives, drained & pitted
3-5 T. lemon juice
cooked couscous

In a small food processor, combine the saffron, ginger, 1 tsp. black pepper, cumin, paprika, garlic, salt and 2T. oil. Process until smooth. Place cubed lamb in a big bowl and toss with the spice mixture to coat evenly. Heat the remaining 1T. oil in a cast iron pot over medium and add the lamb to sear 2-3 minutes. Stir in the onions, season with additional black pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the stock, add herbs and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours. After an hour and 45 minutes, heat oven to 450. After the 2 hours have passed, use a slotted spoon to remove the meat and put it in a shallow ovenproof serving dish and cook until the meat is slightly crisped, about 15-20 minutes. While the lamb is in the oven, it's time to re-focus on the sauce. Remove any scum that has risen to the surface of the liquid. Add the olives, increase heat to high, and boil for 10 minutes until it's like a really thick gravy. Stir in lots of lemon juice and reseason if necessary.

Spread the couscous in the bottom of a large, pretty serving dish, top with the cooked lamb, then pour the olive gravy over the top. This dish is very rich, and seldom makes it to the refrigerator as leftovers.

* Tips and Tricks: To pit the olives quickly, smash them with the flat side of a broad knife then just pick out the pits and discard.