Food that feeds the Soul

If you love to cook, you most likely have recipes you have cut out from magazines. I have a binder that I place these little jewels in so I can find them. Keeping all my recipes on a file in my computer just isn't me. I am a sensory type person, I like to feel the book in my hand. I do have a computer file for recipes I find on the Internet although it's almost enough to put a cook into sensory overload!


Feeding those I love delicious and healthy foods make me feel successful. Southern food has gotten such a bad rap for being deep fried and full of calories. Cooked correctly it can be a very healthy diet. I know the term Healthy Southern...may make you laugh! My challenge is to prove that Southern style cooking is healthy, delicious & easy to cook.


I am working on a cookbook and would love to hear from others on what they think is Southern style cooking. If you are from the South you know we are a melting pot of so many different cultures. Our table is blessed with Mexican, Creole, German & many more home style foods. We all come back to the table for the food that feeds our souls.

Grilled Chicken & Spinach Roulade with Williamson Bro's Honey BBQ Sauce

Contrary to popular belief we Southerners really do know how to cook things with style, even on the grill. The days of backyard cooks only producing meats that are so tough you could let the dog use them for a chew toy are over! We cook with style & class now...even if we do hang out at Bass Pro shop or Cabela's discussing the best wood pellets or wood for smoking. Also never think it's just the men doing this, we ladies are a force to be reckoned with!

To continue my review of Willamson Bros. Bar-B-Q sauces I created a new recipe to showcase their Honey BBQ sauce. After opening it & tasting it ...my cook's mind went into high gear. I like this one because as a whole, it's incredible, but the honey taste is so smooth on the tongue. It has a gentle mustard flavor, very mild but it blends so well with the honey. I taste the chili powder, garlic & spices but nothing is overwhelming to the palate.

After tasting the sauce I choose to make a chicken thigh stuffed with spinach & smokey provolone cheese. I marinated my boneless, skinless chicken thighs in pecan liquid smoke & seasoned them well with New Southern Pantry's Rustic Chef Seasoning.

I let my meats marinate overnight usually, but if you don't have that long, an hour or so will work.  Remove them from the fridge about 15 minutes before you get ready to roll them. Never put meat straight from the cold of the refrigerator on the grill. it will greatly change the cook time & make your food either under or over cooked. Neither is a good option!

Roll the chicken thighs with a stick of cheese & about 2 tablespoons of chopped spinach inside. Wrap a piece of bacon around the outside and secure with a wooden toothpick.

I cooked these on a direct medium high heat on my Weber gas grill. I cooked them about 4-5 minutes on each side then tested for temperature.They should cook to an internal temp of 180 degrees. Invest in a good stick style thermometer if you don't have one. You will need to check the temperature at least once, but probably twice. All grills cook different depending on type & also on the thickness of the thigh. 

Before placing my roulades on the grill I brushed the top side with Williamson Bro's Honey Bar-B-Q sauce. I didn't brush the bottom to prevent the initial side from sticking to the grill due to the sauce. I also brushed the bacon that is wrapped around the chicken thigh with BBQ sauce to caramelize it.

After cooking for about 4 minutes I turned the chicken over & brushed the top with sauce. You need to continue to baste the roulade while cooking to keep it moist. Chicken is so easy to dry out on the grill at this heat so don't hold back on the sauce!

These made a delicious dish out of simple chicken thighs, spinach, cheese, & bacon. So easy & so elegant looking when plated



And when you add the delicious Williamson Bros Honey BBQ sauce, it's an elegant dinner to serve for any occasion! I like to heat the BBQ sauce to serve on the table also if someone wants to add more. There is just nothing worse on warm chicken than cold sauce!

Slicing into this Chicken Roulade shows the melting cheese & the spinach. You can use any type of hard cheese in this dish. I think a cheddar with grilled red onions would be delicious. That's the fun of cooking, no rules...just try it!

Visit Willamson Bros Bar-B-Q to order this great sauce. You won't be disappointed if you like real Southern BBQ with full flavored sauces.

http://www.williamsonbros.com 

For the New Southern Pantry Rustic Chef Seasoning we used to marinate the chicken, visit our website.

http://www.newsouthernpantry.com

Williamson Bros Classic Carolina BBQ Sauce

Slow Smoked Pulled Pork & Williamson Bros Classic Carolina BBQ Sauce

about to join this crusty bread to become a Carolina styled sandwich!

Being from Texas, we didn't smoke as much pork butt as we did beef brisket. I will never forget the first time I tried to make a pork butt/shoulder. I watched someone pull that delicious looking meat & knew it would be no big deal, I'm a cook, worked in restaurants...well I was so wrong! No one told me you have to do it while it is extremely warm...hot to be exact. Also no one shared with me the fact that this is best done with your God given forks..your fingers. So the first pulled pork we had was hideous & I swore to never try that again. 

Fast forward about 5 yrs, ate at a BBQ joint in Kentucky & had a Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich. When it came out it had green stuff falling out the sides of it. I soon realized it was Cole Slaw...on my meat. No respectful Texan would ever throw wet veggies on perfectly good smoked meat that was slathered in BBQ sauce. I was pretty sure they would take my native Texan card for doing that.

Being the polite Southern girl that I am (no comments) I smiled at the waitress & in my head was trying to figure out how to take that Cole Slaw off the sandwich & make it into what it was..a side dish. My husband picked up his sandwich/salad in his hand & proceeded to take a huge bite. I watched as juices started to run down his hands like a broken pipeline! BBQ sauce mixed with Cole Slaw dressing...oh this couldn't be happening!

Now being polite is very important to me, especially in public, so I took a small bite to try to look hungry. First bite was hard to swallow, but when my brain got the signal that what I had just eaten may have been a little bit tasty, I took the next bite. The rest is history! Carolina style pulled pork sandwiches are one of my favorite things to make & eat.

Carolina Style Bar-B-Q Sandwich

Beautiful Williamson Bros Classic Carolina Sauce on Pulled Pork

make a Carolina Styled Pulled Pork Sandwich very authentic!

Williamson Bros Classic Carolina BBQ sauce is unique with a sweet mustard taste, full of spices & a little vinegar undertone. I really like the touch of bay leaf, it lingers after the other flavors mellow. Just a great sauce, not too sweet & just perfect for smoked pork butt. Can't wait to try it on some new dishes, I think a red potato salad may be on the drawing board with this one!

 http://www.williamsonbros.com/  

Try some of their sauces , I have three more to review next week, so watch for the new blog posts!

Williamson Bros BBQ Sauce

I always feel so honored to review a company's product on my blog. When you develop an item, it becomes so personal to you. When you put your families name on every bottle, that ups the game even more.

Williamson Bros.Bar-B-Q of Marietta Georgia were so very gracious to send me a gift pack of their BBQ sauces to review. I was so excited when I got the box from UPS, I had to open it right away. I know this is silly...sentimental...& totally Southern but it was like getting a little bit of home in Nebraska.

This company had it's beginning's when two brothers & one employee opened a Bar-B-Q place in Marietta Georgia with little money but lots of good food! That was in March of 1990 & they have three locations now serving great Southern BBQ.

Williamson Bro's Roasted Garlic B-B-Q Sauce

New York Strip Steaks patiently waiting !

When I opened the Roasted Garlic B-B-Q sauce, the aroma of garlic was intoxicating! I will admit, I immediately got a piece of bread & poured some on it right then. I expected a strong flavor of garlic, but what I got was a smooth, smoky, slightly sweet taste. The roasted garlic with the other ingredients was an incredible blend of seasonings & the sweet/savory mix was just right. I have never had a BBQ sauce that had garlic as the star, but this one should get an Academy award! It had the best garlic flavor & it just opened up my cooks brain to all kinds of uses for this delicious sauce.

Holding back my need to hide the bottle in the fridge, I poured about half a cup in a bowl, handed my husband the bbq brush & steaks & followed him to the (my) Weber grill. I cook my steaks on high direct heat & use a flipper to turn them. Never...Never...Never use a fork to turn meat on the grill please, when you pierce the meat all those wonderful juices go right down the grates...So use a flipper or tongs if you must.  Our steaks were a little more than an inch thick so we cooked them on both sides for about 2-3 minutes to get a medium pink center. The grill has to be smoking hot when you put them on to sear the meat & lock in those luscious juices!

Husband brushing the steaks, me giving unwanted directions!

After placing them on the grill we brushed them with a liberal amount of Williamson Bro's Roasted Garlic BBQ sauce. When we turned the steak to the other side we give it some of that wonderful garlic love too! 

The quality of a BBQ sauce shows when it doesn't burn on the grill

The temperature of my grill in this photo is about 500 degrees, the sauce is shiny & not burning

Great grilling techniques & high quality products produce the result you are looking for everytime. Williamson Bros BBQ sauce didn't burn, scorch, or change flavor as some sauces do. It produced a steak that had deep flavor, smoky after tones & sweet garlic notes that will be a dinner we will all remember for a good while.

Williamson Bro's B-B-Q sauce can be found online at
http://www.williamsonbros.com

When you order this sauce & it arrives at your front door, even if your not from the South...you'll still feel the Southern style BBQ love, I promise!
Watch for our reviews of the other 4 sauces soon!
Thanks again to Williamson Bro's BBQ for introducing me to their products!

Mesquite Charred Corn & Poblano Salsa

This recipe is for a cold salsa made with mesquite smoked fresh corn, poblano peppers, garlic, fire roasted tomatoes, cilantro & spices. I added chipotle in adobo sauce for ours, we like it a little kicked up!

This recipe requires the following ingredients:

• 4 ears of fresh corn
• 2 large poblano peppers
• canola or olive oil
• 1 pod of garlic
• 2 Tsp mesquite liquid smoke
• 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1 15oz can chopped fire roasted tomatoes, or fresh if you have them
• 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (leave out if you don't like the heat!)
• 1 tsp Texas Chili Blend, or your favorite chili powder
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 cup mesquite wood chips
• salt to taste

Mesquite Charred Corn & Poblano Salsa

• Shuck & remove silks from corn, rinse corn & poblano peppers & pat dry
• Rub corn & poblano peppers with oil, place in plastic zip bag with 1 tsp mesquite liquid smoke
• Let rest in fridge for 1 hour
• Soak mesquite wood chips in hot water with 1 tsp mesquite liquid smoke added . Soak 1 hour
• Drain wood chips. Heat gas or charcoal grill to high heat. Place wood chips in smoker box.
• Rub oil on outside of garlic pod
• When smoke is present, remove garlic & poblano peppers from plastic bag & place on center of grill
• Turn center burner to medium low to char for 2 minutes on each side, this should char the flesh, if not leave it several more minutes until it is charred
• Once the pepper is black, turn off center burner & cook corn & peppers over indirect heat to continue the smoking process
• Place garlic beside corn to smoke
• Limit how much the grill is open to retain the most smoke you can.
• Smoke for 15 more minutes at low heat
• Remove from grill on to a heat proof dish & let it cool on the kitchen counter.

• When corn has cooled to touch, remove corn from the cob by standing it on the flat end in a large bowl.
• Begin with knife at the top & cut from the cob, turning after each cut.  
• Continue to cut until all corn is off

                           

• Poblano peppers will char black, then you need to remove the charred skins, veins & seeds. Try to remove as much as possible.
• Slice into small strips, then chop into bite size pieces.
• Add to corn in bowl



• Roasted garlic will squeeze out of the papery skins without much effort
• Discard the papery skins then chop or mash & add garlic to salsa



• To the corn, poblanos, & garlic, add the chopped red onions, tomatoes, cilantro,chopped chipotles in adobo sauce & seasonings
• Add salt to taste.
• Finish by squeezing the juice of the lime over the dip
• Stir well to blend
• Cover with plastic wrap & place in fridge to chill at least 1 hour for the full flavor blend.
• Serve with your favorite chips. Great on taco's or burritos. Also a great topping for taco salads

"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.

My Kitchen Favorites

We all have our favorite tools in the kitchen. I have several that I use everyday that make my life so much easier. When your kitchen is your favorite room in your house you should have toys that make you happy!

This is a Bodum Milk Frother and I use it every morning of my life. It is battery operated and really makes your coffee taste like an expensive latte. My favorite treat is adding a little cocoa powder, cinnamon & Stevia to my coffee with about 1/2 teaspoon of half & half. I don't use the fat free because of the added sugar. I use a whole bean coffee that is good quality. Coffee beans should be dark & shiny. A powdery coffee bean is only good for one thing...putting in a candle holder & using for decorations! Store coffee beans in a ceramic or vacuum sealed container. Do not freeze your beans, refrigerate your beans or store them in the sunlight. The 4 enemies of coffee beans are moisture, air, light, heat.

Grinders for beans can be purchased in your big box discount stores or home stores. The choices are simple: grinders or burr grinders. A regular coffee grinder is inexpensive and works great. I use a Hamilton Beach from Target and it works great. They are cheap enough that when I wear it out..I just chunk it and get another one. I grind a lot of coffee..alot! My grinder lasts about 2 years and a new one is less than 3 lattes at a coffee shop. The burr grinder is more expensive but produces a finer grind if you want Espresso or Turkish coffee. I'm wired enough on what I make, so haven't tried that one yet.

I came to my love of coffee later in life. I lived in the South and it was so hot all year round that I never felt the need for a warm drink. When I moved to Nebraska I learned that coffee was the drink of choice to keep your insides from freezing. Now I love it and can't get enough of those shiny beans whirling around in my grinder. Put away the ground coffee and take a walk on the wild side of life!