Southern Comfort Foods

Southerners love comfort food...wait what am I saying, we eat food for comfort! How do we define comfort food? For most of us, it's what we grew up eating. These are the dishes our Grandmothers & Mothers made everyday or maybe just on special occasions. Regardless of where you are from, you have your own definition of comfort foods.


Just saying "comfort foods" makes my mouth water for mashed potatoes & gravy, fresh green beans & new potatoes or chicken & dumplings. My Southern grandmothers were such great cooks, they put love into everything they cooked & that's the secret to comfort foods. 


Last week I found two new side dishes that have joined the ranks of our families comfort foods. I reviewed "If You Can't Stand The Heat" by Robert Medina several weeks ago. The BBQ Shrimp were beyond delicious! If you feel the need to salivate over a computer image, read my blog post about these little treasures.

Last week I tried Green Beans with Fried Sage & Cheese Grits from "If You Can't Stand The Heat".
The green beans are an easy recipe but they definetly need to be fresh if available. Green beans, bacon,butter, & more great ingredients make these delicious for sure! I had never fried fresh sage, so I may have gotten it a little overdone..notice I don't say I burned it! Regardless it was still good & had great sage taste. This recipe called for applewood bacon, this is a key ingredient. The bacon added so much flavor & the applewood was really great. Don't just use a plain bacon if you want to experience the beans at their best! It is defiantly a go to side dish for lots of meats. We had it with BBQ Chicken & Blue Cheese & Chive Smashers.
 
Blue Cheese & Chive Red Potato Smashers

Serves 4

Serving size : 1 cup
8-10 medium sized red skinned potatoes
4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
2 tsp. dried chives or 2 T fresh chives, depending on what’s available
½ cup half & half
1 T butter
¼ tsp. salt (blue cheese is very salty, so taste & add more if needed)
½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper (can be omitted)

 Wash potatoes & place in a pot, I prefer the rustic look of leaving the skins on but you can peel if you want to.  Add cold water to cover the potatoes well, add the chives now to the water   Place pot on stove at high heat & bring to a boil. Boil until potatoes are fork tender, about 10-15 minutes.  Check often because all potatoes are different depending on type & freshness.

While potatoes are cooking, in a smaller saucepan mix together the half & half, butter, & salt. Bring to a medium heat, but do not boil. Add the blue cheese & stir well to blend. Add the cracked black pepper. Turn off heat...

When the potatoes are fork tender, drain them well in a colander. I always put the drained potatoes back into the pot I cooked them in, it’s still warm & that helps keep your potatoes warm until you are ready to serve.  Just be sure the pot has no water left in it, it needs to be dry, don’t wash it out though!  

Add the cheese & milk mixture to the hot potatoes. I prefer a hand masher for these, but an electric mixer would work okay, just don’t want to over mash or they become creamed potatoes. Mash until well mixed with the milk mixture. Taste & add salt & pepper to your taste. 
To serve you can sprinkle some fresh green onions & cracked black pepper on top!

                                                                                                                                     
I must admit only a few years ago I learned to eat grits. My mom never cooked grits because her mom didn't. My dad's mom did but they were simple grits that I will admit I never acquired a taste for. Granny always added blackstrap molasses & butter to grits. Blackstrap molasses is an acquired taste & not one that a child is happy to experience. If we complained of feeling sick because we didn't want to do something, she would reach for the blackstrap...we recovered very quickly from our ailments!

This may look like chocolate but it's bittersweet blackstrap molasses!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molasses

As an adult I love molasses, blackstrap is hard to find but I buy all they have when I do find it! Granny would be so proud to know I not only enjoy it ,but according to her I should be the healthiest person on the planet!

Robert Medina's Cheese Grits from "If You Can't Stand The Heat" are why Southerners love grits!
They are decadent, full of whipping cream, butter & cheese. I didn't have whipping cream on hand so I used fat-free half & half. I will say that if using the whipping cream makes it better then I couldn't stand it. The recipe calls for sharp white cheddar cheese, I used chipotle cheddar in my grits. They were delicious, creamy & full of spicy flavor. That's what Southern cooking is...making substitutes when you don't have something in the fridge or cabinet. I am now a grit lover thanks to Bob! Now when I have to go to the gym an extra day a week I will remember it's all worth it for the grits!

John & Paula's Whipped Pies...oh my!

Okay, to start this blog post I will confess, I love sweets & hate to cook them. I just don't follow rules very well & baking is just full of those pesky directions. I can do it, I will do it, but I don't enjoy it as much as savory dishes. When a person who doesn't like to be pushed into a mold is told to measure 1/16th tsp of something we get a little crazy...what will 1/16th of a teaspoon really do to a dish? So when I see a dessert recipe that makes my life easier & is fun to make then I really like it! When it tastes incredible & you want to hide it from others..then you really love it!

Robert Medina's new cookbook "If You Can't Stand The Heat,A New Orleans Firefighter's Cookbook" is coming out on July 12, 2011. This great cookbook can be ordered at Barnes & Nobles or Amazon online. If you only get one cookbook this year, then this is the book to get.

The recipes are easy & they are pure Southern style, with a true Cajun flare that makes you hear Zydeco music in your head! Well, maybe I'm listening to it on You-Tube right now, but....you get the point!

Cajun & Creole food are two individual styles of cooking, although they both share many of the same foods. Creole foods are strongly influenced by the French settlers that tend to be more refined & celebrated. Cajun food is rustic, real & can accommodate changes to what is available.

Robert's cookbook includes many different foods; Enchilada's, Venison Tenderloin Marsala, Smoky Barbeque Pork Ribs, Cedar-Smoke Salmon, & Lasagna a la Lori just to start... It's not all about Cajun & Creole, just about good food cooked for those you love! That's what makes a true cook happy & that's what we like to do in the South...feed people & see them smile!

Robert's recipe for John & Paula's Whipped Pies on page 327 is my new favorite sweet addiction. It is so easy to make & looks like you worked all day making it. It's only 5 ingredients, stirs up in one bowl & pours into a graham cracker pie shell. Chill it while you sleep & it's ready to go! You will look like you worked all day on it. If you're nice, tell others how you made it, if you're not so nice...tell them it takes more than a few hours to make & let them be in awe of you! That isn't lying, it has to chill overnight doesn't it?

The recipe is for a pineapple pie, but you can make it with lots of different canned fruits or pie fillings. I am dreaming of a Chocolate Blueberry Whipped Pie in my future soon. I will resist the urge to hide it from my family...hope it works!

"Barbeque Shrimp" ...there should be a support group

The new cookbook by Robert Medina doesn't fail to deliver on it's promises! His "Barbeque Shrimp" is addictive. I made this recipe yesterday & just can't stop think about it!

New Orleans Barbeque Shrimp is cooked in a huge skillet at your stove top. It's like a swimming pool of delicious butter, garlic & spices for those shrimp to take their last swim.  

Start with the biggest ,freshest, head-on shrimp you can find. Colossal 10 count are the best if they are available. Don't waste your time using frozen shrimp or those who have lost their little heads. This dish should only be made with the real thing..head-on huge shrimp.  I promise you will be glad you did.




These are 10 count head-on fresh Gulf Shrimp



Rinse shrimp in cool water
then place in colander to drain.
Don't remove the heads!!
Now prepare their pool...

Add Shrimp to their swimming pool!

                                                                                   

There is something to be said for less words are more!

This meal is meant to be shared with friends. In the South when we have a crawfish or shrimp boil, we cover the tables with newspapers for easy clean-up. I think this dish calls for that too, that way everyone can feel comfortable shelling and stacking the heads and shells while eating. Must have lots of crusty french bread to dip in this wonderful pool of garlic, spices, & butter!

Please don't just scoop up those heads & shells and say good-bye yet. Throw them in a pot of boiling water and any remaining juices & make some of the best shrimp stock you ever tasted. I'm the proud owner of three quart jars full of this liquid gold, what a nice reward after this great meal!

"If You Can't Stand The Heat" will be released July 12, 2011. It is available now for pre-order at Barnes & Noble online. You don't want to miss owning this cookbook.

Shrimp Boats have arrived in Nebraska...

Okay...so the shrimp came by UPS air, but that didn't sound as exciting as Shrimp Boats arriving in Nebraska. Although if you would have seen me waiting by the door for the UPS truck this morning,you would have thought I had won the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes!

When the man in brown walked up to the door with that white cooler my heart started to beat faster. Those of you from the South that are displaced elsewhere get it; those of you from everywhere else may be confused.

Southerners love their food & connect it to most everything else in their lives. We don't eat to live, we live to eat. Now that doesn't mean we can't wait to get up & eat that bowl of oatmeal. I've never stood by the fridge waiting for a head of lettuce to make it's appearance! Now if that lettuce is going on a grilled burger with guacamole & smokey chipotles...we might get a little more excited.

I was lucky enough to live on the Gulf coast of Texas for a few years & learned to eat lots of kinds of seafood. My favorite thing in the world was going to the shrimp boats to buy my shrimp fresh. There is nothing in the world like the taste of fresh Gulf shrimp!

When I received this gift of home today, it almost brought tears to my eyes just looking at the outside of the cooler. Sexton's Fresh Shrimp Destin, Florida is sitting on my kitchen table & I know the best shrimp in the world is only some packing tape away!

These shrimp are huge! Shrimp are classified by number of shrimp per pound. The shrimp you get at the chain (think Red..) seafood restaurants are about 26-30 count at the best. That means there are 26 to 30 shrimp in a pound. Boiled or cocktail shrimp are usually 41-50 count. This website has lots of great information on shrimp, check it out
http://whatscookingamerica.net/ShrimpTips.htm


The shrimp resting in my fridge are 10 count. The extra blessing is they are head on!

Yes, we want the heads when we boil or saute shell-on shrimp, just not when we fry a shrimp. If you have heads on shrimp & want to fry them, save the heads & shells for making shrimp stock or gumbo. The head has lots of flavor & fat that will just blow you away when used in stock.

I am making "Barbeque Shrimp" tonight from the cookbook "If You Can't Stand The Heat" by Robert Medina. I'll let you know tomorrow if I survived without going into a shrimp coma. If you have eaten BBQ shrimp, you know there is no grill involved. It takes a bath in butter & oil with other goodies thrown in. The sauce is just begging to be dipped. The crusty french bread is patiently waiting for it's swim!!!!

Chicken & Andouille Jambalaya Review

Living in the South brings many joys, but one of the greatest is our relationship with food. We love to talk about what we are cooking, what we just ate & what we are planning to eat later! For some of us the word obsessed would define our culinary viewpoint!


East Texas enjoys sharing the culture of Louisiana with our lakes, rivers & foods! I love Creole or Cajun food but to really know how to make it right you have to learn from a pro. Chefs like Paul Prudhomme & Emeril Lagasse made Cajun cool, but Robert Medina's new cookbook makes it accessible to everyone. His skill of writing & explaining step by step is great for the experienced cook or the novice.


Last evening we had the best Jambalaya I have ever eaten. Now lots of people say things like that, but first of all...I've eaten Jambalaya in many places.  If it's ever on a menu I try it, most of the time I am not overly impressed. Unless a restaurant is an authentic Cajun place, they have no idea what they are doing! They throw things together and make a jumble-yaya!! My favorite was from a restaurant in Houston that was based in Louisiana...need I say more.


To make this experience with a new recipe review interesting, I let my 25 yr old son take the lead in making this recipe. He makes great chili, grills burgers, & can make cornbread like a champ so I thought it was time he stretched and learned a little Cajun flavor. I think it's so important to teach our children to cook, giving them more freedom to be in the kitchen. My son has been in the kitchen with me for years & he can really cook, now if he just cleaned as well..


                                                                                                              


Last night we made Chicken & Andouille Jambalaya from Robert Medina's new cookbook "If You Can't Stand The Heat"  This recipe is simple, has common ingredients, & goes together with little effort. Most recipe items will be in your pantry, vegetable tray or spice cabinet. He uses chicken thighs, andouille sausage, onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, green onions, rice & spices.

Various spices for Flashover Seasoning

In Roberts cookbook he gives the recipe for his Flashover Seasoning; a blend of wonderful spices that are purely Cajun through & through! It can be used on anything that needs a little kick!

Flashover Seasoning

Chicken & Andouille Jambalaya

 Most Jambalaya recipes are about the same, but this one has a twist. The chicken skin is removed and rendered to get the oil to cook the jambalaya. I have been cooking for many years & have never fried chicken skin! It worked like a dream & extracted the chicken fat very nicely. This is what makes this recipe different from all the others I have ever tried. I will say I think it's the key to this jambalaya and can not be changed if you want the authentic taste. Let me tell you, you want this taste! This is the best jambalaya I have ever eaten, hands down.

This Thursday we will be cooking "Mexican Spaghetti" from our featured cookbook, yes Mexican...see Louisiana & Texas are cooking cousins! Also sometime this week I am making the Apple Bread Pudding..and hiding it from my family!!

Next week's Monday review will be "Both Right & Lite Red Beans & Rice" If your not familiar with Red Beans, they are usually served on Mondays in restaurants in the south. I have to go hit the gym now..think I'm going to need it!

"If You Can't Stand The Heat" will be released July12th 2011. Can be pre-ordered from Barnes & Nobles online now. You won't regret it if you love great food that's easy to cook!

"If You Can't Stand The Heat" A New Orleans Firefighters Cookbook

Some of the best cooks I know should be called chefs just by virtue of experience and the quality of their food. I started my journey in this food world working under a cook who should have been handed a honorary culinary degree. Usually these degrees are conferred as a way of honoring a distinguished contribution to a specific field, or to society in general. My mentor, Miss Pearl loved to cook, produced great food, & touched the center of people's being..their souls. If this is the definition of Honorary Chef then Robert Medina has earned the title "Firehouse Chef"

There is a hidden secret in the firehouses around the country, the great food made by those who serve & protect us 24 hours a day! The meals are big, hearty & filling. Such incredible dishes could be found on a menu at your favorite restaurant, but are being cooked while waiting for the next fire alarm to sound. We think we have trouble cooking with kids & dogs running through the house!

http://youtu.be/a7WxWPq24Yw

It is my great pleasure to be reviewing "If You Can't Stand The Heat" A New Orleans Firefighters Cookbook. This cookbook is written by Robert Medina, a retired firefighter for the New Orleans fire department. He brings us the delicious New Orleans fare, Italian, Mexican, & Thai, but also just down home Southern cooking. This book speaks to my heart and reminds me of why we Southerners love to feed those around us...cause we love cooking & cooking right!

I will be cooking the Chicken & Andouille Jambalaya first, and then when I find artichokes that look edible, I am making the Stuffed Artichokes. I can't wait to cook my way through this book! Oh & the Apple Bread Pudding.....it may have been sent directly from Heaven!

Thanks Bob for trusting me to review your cookbook & also for writing it so well. It not only has fabulous recipes but is a great read to boot! For everyone looking for this cookbook to add to your collection, it will be released on July 12th 2011.
Can be pre-ordered at Barnes & Nobles online now.