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Domestic Diva: Healthy Black Eyed Pea Salad

14 Sunday Oct 2012

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I’ve been remiss in my blogging and I know there’s no excuse. I’ve been busy and it is football season.  I’m also getting back on the healthy foods band wagon after taking a break for our trip to New Mexico last month. That being said, I went to an Irish BBQ yesterday for a friend whose parents were over from the Emerald Isle.  (Lets not debate that what they call BBQ, we call grilling or a cook out – seriously, its cultural.)  I wanted to bring something healthy, yet southern.  All of the ingredients can easily be substituted for others within the same genre, to your taste.

Healthy Black Eyed Pea Salad:

  • 2 cans plain black eyed peas OR 1 container (pint) of fresh black eyed peas from the grocery veggie section if you can find it.
  • 1 can of whole kernel corn or 1 cup of frozen roasted corn (Trader Joes has a great version) defrosted.  Fresh corn is ALWAYS best, but I didn’t feel like cooking, roasting, shucking, etc.
  • 1 bunch of green onions, diced fine
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced finely
  • 1 purple onion, diced finely
  • Grapeseed oil (or Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1/2 of a bunch of fresh cilantro (you can also use parsley) finely diced
  • Smoked paprika
  • Sea Salt or Kosher Salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper

If you are using canned vegetables, pour them into a colander and rinse them with cold water.  Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and carefully fold with a wooden spoon (you don’t want to mash the beans).  Slowly add small amounts of the oil and vinegar till you get a light coating (you don’t want more than 2 inches of liquid at the bottom of the bowl) and then add in your seasonings to your taste.  I love smoked paprika (I even add a little shake of cayenne pepper b/c I like it spicy) but if that isn’t your thing, you can use Adobo Seasoning (and leave OUT the salt as this seasoning already has salt in it) or use your own personal choice of seasonings.  Onion powder and garlic powder would be good.  Stir it all up till its seasoned to your taste.  This recipe is also MUCH better the next day so its a perfectly healthy make ahead side dish (or a very healthy dip if you serve it with baked Tostitos Scoops).

You can use any kind of bean for this.  I love black eyed peas, but I also make a more of a “latin flair” version with black beans (I use adobo, chipotle, etc. to flavor it).  Using canned ingredients in the colder months gives you the opportunity to serve a fresh, light side dish even in the coldest months.  I made a big batch of this yesterday and took a big bowl to the BBQ, then reserved 4 servings for myself to take to lunch as a side dish.

The Ultimate Southern Foodie Wedding Gift

11 Wednesday Jul 2012

Posted by in Cooking, Friends, Southern

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So some of you know that I have some awesome friends in Denver, Colorado.  I truly enjoy working from my company’s offices up there because Denver itself is an amazing city. However, one of the reasons I enjoy my trips even more because I get to spend time with the gal who should have been my sorority Big Sister? More importantly, she has been a wonderful friend, mentor, and inspiration to me over the years. So when she got married, I was stumped.  What in the world should I get them for a wedding gift? They were both highly successful people. They pretty much got everything on their registry and I wanted to give them a unique gift.  So finally, on my last visit, tragically breaking etiquette by being over a year late with my gift AND breaking the rules even more by asking what she’d want…we had a break through. Denver Doll (her blog name, folks) told me that she always loved it when I brought them Southern food like grits when I came to visit.  Could I send them a few things?  Her husband loves to cook. I think he might be the biggest foodie I know. Our last visit, he showed me his new curing cabinet – to cure his own meats.  How amazing is that?  So suddenly, I had my gift.  I would give them the Ultimate Southern Foodie Wedding Gift!

I took to the web (Twitter, ahoy!) and started asking.  I needed to find things that were portable and could be shipped.  But what to send?  VOILA:

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  • Basic to Brilliant, Y’all:  By Virginia Willis – Its signed.  She’s a fabulous Southern chef who I’ve had the privilege to meet.  Not only is she gracious and kind, but she’s one hell of a cook.  I attended a dinner at Restaurant Eugene  (a recent James Beard winner!) to celebrate the launch of this cookbook and knew this needed to be in the care package.
  • Garden & Gun Magazine:  Absolutely my favorite magazine.  I love it so much, I wrote a blog about it and joined a Secret Society.
  • Charleston Blood Mary Mix:  It won the Best of the South award in Garden & Gun Magazine and my a good friend from Mobile, AL swears by it in his Hangover Bloody Mary’s.
  • Emily G’s Jams and Pepper Vinegars:  She’s a local Atlantan who has a great, quality product.  I always have a supply of her jams in my pantry for special occasions.  The pepper jelly makes a great “cooling” appetizer just simply served over cream cheese with sturdy crackers.  The pepper jellies can make any green or even steamed brussels sprouts taste divine!
  • Cafe Du Monde Beignet Mix and Chicory Coffee – I think these speak for themselves.  Courtesy of the Great State of Louisiana.
  • Bourbon Barrel Foods:  Bourbon Smoked Salt, Bourbon Smoked Paprika, and Bourbon Smoked Sugar – simply some of the best spices I’ve ever used.  The paprika really makes any recipe stand out.  Try it in homemade pimiento cheese!  YUM!  I’ve also included 3 of their custom Bourbon sugars.  I’m a HUGE fan of them in baking, drink mixing, or using them paired with the spices as rubs for pork chops.
  • Fried Green Tomatoes from the Whistle Stop Cafe – Alabama.  I loved the book!  I can’t send the fried green tomatoes from South City Kithchen that have a thin layer of goat cheese on the tomato before they are fried…but I can send a decent mix!
  • Bruce’s Sweet Potato Mix:  The Sweet Potato Pancakes at the Highland Bakery here in Atlanta are always on our list.  They are so rich, we normally order a serving to share at the table as dessert.
  • Carroll Shelby’s Chili Mix:  A personal fave.  I know they are in “Chili Country” in Colorado, so I’ll just say this is a good standby for a rainy day!
  • Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix: No good Southern Woman would go without this in her pantry.
  • Phickles Pickles from Athens, GA:  Perfectly paired with your Bloody Marys!  I love the picked okra, beans, asparagus, and carrots.  Healthy and delicious!
  • Wickles:  Wickedly sweet and hot pickles from Alabama, these are favorites of anyone who likes spicy and sweet.
  • Priester’s Pecans!  A bucket of roasted and salted pecans, pecan meal, pecan maple syrup, pecan divinity, and pecan pralines.  When I told these folks about the gift, they called me back and made suggestions.  The cheese straws were their suggested addition for y’all.  Such sweet people!  Of course I called the one near Auburn!
  • Duke’s Mayonaise:  A truly Southern staple.  When Auburn Sis lived in Baltimore, she had to find this in the “foreign foods” section at the grocery store!
  • GRITS:  Auburn Sis found out about your gift and insisted on including the Speckled Heart Grits from Callaway Gardens, our little botanical sanctuary down near Columbus.  Truly wonderful.  I also included a bag of the traditional stone ground that you’ll need to soak before you cook.
  • Louisiana fish fry and Hush Puppy mix!
  • Sorghum!
  • Natur Almond Butter – the BEST Almond Butter I’ve ever had.  It sells out all over Atlanta.  I had to go to 3 different specialty food stores before I found some.  I met the owners last year when they were first starting out. Its her Grandmother’s recipe and its fabulous.
  • Fox Brother’s BBQ sauce – Award winning and a local favorite.
  • Carolina Treet Mustard style sauce – My other favorite style of barbeque, South Carolina style!
  • Merililly Pepper Jelly – Just because!
  • Savannah Bee Company Orange Blossom Honey – My uncle was a bee keeper in central Florida when I was a little girl and the smell of orange blossoms still trigger scent memories for me.  I personally believe Orange Blossom Honey is the best of all honeys.  Its incredibly sweet and fragrant.  Far more than clover honey or other honey types.
  • Truffle Salt – Because they asked.

I had so much fun creating this gift and I truly hope my friends enjoy it. It arrives tomorrow, SHHH!!

Domestic Diva: Penne a la Vodka

24 Sunday Jun 2012

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I’ve been making this recipe for years now, refining, tweaking, and I’m pretty happy with the results.  Its a special occasion dish, because the sauce itself is a labor of love.  But its worth it.  I normally serve it with chicken (preferably brined – see previous brining post – w/ basil and garlic for 2 hours before baking in the oven) and a caprese salad with homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

Penne A La Vodka

Ingredients:

  • 2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 TBS butter
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup of vodka
  • 2 shallots, minced
  • 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes (optional – if you like it spicy!)
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
  • Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste (you’ll want to add the salt slowly over time to see how the flavor develops).
  • 1 or 2 tsp of sugar (depending on your taste)
  • 1/2 cup of heavy cream
  • 12 ounces of penne pasta, cooked al dente
  • 1-2 large bunches of fresh basil (about 20-30 leaves), sliced into a chiffonade (little ribbons)
  • 1 loaf of crusty bread (italian or french) lightly toasted

Heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat.  Add the oil, butter, garlic, shallots, and red pepper flakes and sauté until the shallots are transparent.  Add the vodka and reduce it down by half (about 5-10 minutes) and then add the chicken stock and tomatoes.  Bring the sauce back to a simmer and reduce back down again by half (this will take 20 minutes at least, more if you’ve doubled the recipe.  Once the sauce is reduced down by half (use the sides of the pan as a measuring gauge – and the sauce will be much thicker – this is a very important step, you have to let the sauce reduce down) add your salt, pepper, and sugar to taste.  I normally add about a tsp of kosher salt at a time to prevent from over salting.  Let the sauce continue to simmer while you make your pasta according to the box directions.  When the pasta is done, drain it thoroughly and set it aside.  Add the cream into the pasta sauce and allow it to come back up to a simmer.  Remove it from the heat and add your basil leaves.

Toss the pasta and sauce with some sliced chicken (I just brine mine the night before  and bake in the oven till its cooked through) and serve with crusty bread.  YUM.

Cook’s Note:  I would never suggest using cheap vodka for this recipe. The general rule of thumb is that if you wouldn’t drink it, you should definitely not cook with it!

Domestic Diva: Perfect Pork Chops

18 Monday Jun 2012

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So last night, I whipped up a big batch of brine and brined some bone in thick cut pork chops, 2 split chicken breasts, and some smaller chicken breasts.  I made the pork chops for dinner tonight and…my hand to God…they were be best I’d ever eaten.  I have to document this so I don’t forget it either!

Perfect Pork Chops:

Ingredients:

  • 2-4 Thick Cut Bone In Pork Chops (1-1.5 inches thick)
  • 4 quarts water
  • 3/4 cup kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup packed Splenda brand brown sugar mix
  • Bay leaves (approximately 6)
  • 20 black peppercorns
  • 5 large sprigs of rosemary

Bring the water, salt, and splenda to a slow simmer till the salt and sugar dissolve, then bring the water to a boil.  Add the seasoning and let the mix get down to room temperature.  Make sure to let the brine get down to room temp before putting in your pork chops. Cover securely and let them sit in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours (I let them go over night and took them out of the brine as soon as I got up). Pat the pork chops dry.  Store in a safe container until you’re ready to cook.  Let the pork get down to room temperature before you cook it.

Pre heat your oven to 425 degrees. Make sure its nice and hot!  Using an oven safe pan, spray with high heat cooking spray (regular Pam or Olive Oil will burn!) and sear the pork chops on both sides for 3-4 minutes each till a nice golden brown crust forms. Put a pat of butter on top of each chop and put them in the oven for 7 minutes (skip this step if you’re doing this low fat – I’m doing low carb right now so a little butter is allowed).  Remove right at 7 minutes and let sit for 5 minutes.  They will be perfectly lightly pink inside.  Enjoy!

The portions above make a LOT of brine (enough to brine a whole large chicken!) so you can cut them in half if you want.

Brining: **Key here, do NOT go over times for brining! You will have super salty meat.**

  • 6-8 hours for the pork chops (I did it over night)
  • 2 hours for split chicken breasts
  • 1 hour for the small chicken breast cutlets
  • Whole chicken: Over night
  • Small game hen: 2-3 hours

Domestic Diva: Roasted Pecan Banana Bread

05 Monday Mar 2012

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I posted this recipe on AllRecipes.com a while ago and its gotten rave reviews.  I’m not afraid to post it on my own blog, verbatim, with my own notes because its MY recipe.  So, my favorite banana bread?  Yeah, this is it!

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups very ripe, mashed bananas
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup light butter, at room temperature

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Spread the pecans onto a baking sheet, and toast until the nuts start to turn golden brown and become fragrant, about 45 minutes. Watch the nuts carefully as they bake, they burn quickly. Once toasted, set the nuts aside to cool to room temperature.
  2. Raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray 2 mini loaf pans with cooking spray.
  3. Combine the toasted pecans, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In a large bowl, mix the bananas, sugar, eggs, vanilla and coconut extracts, lemon juice, and butter together with a fork or an electric mixer on low speed. Stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture, and pour the batter into the prepared loaf pans, filling them about 3/4 full.
  4. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a loaf comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let the loaves cool in the pans for 5 minutes before turning out onto a rack to finish cooling. Wrap cooled loaves in plastic wrap.

Enjoy!!!

The January Kitchen Challenge

02 Monday Jan 2012

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Everyone has New Years resolutions. Yes, I do too…but thats not what I’m going to blog about (scared ya, didn’t I?).  No, I’m going to blog about a little challenge that has slowly snuck up on me over the past year and needs to be rectified. I love to shop for sales and that doesn’t exclude the grocery store.  Yet I live alone (well, Shug doesn’t count as a human mouth to feed, although he’d certainly like to think so!) and shop sales. Slowly, my refrigerator and pantry have gotten stocked (and FULL). And things start to go bad. And I can’t have that.  So I’m issuing myself a challenge.  For the month of January I will not eat out. I will only buy perishables at the grocery store (milk, eggs, yogurt, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, etc.) and cook from my refrigerator and pantry.

Think I can do it?  We’ll have to see!  I think I can, but I’m going to have to be pretty creative. I’m definitely going to have to plan ahead for some meals because I know I won’t have everything I need for some recipes and I’ll have to improvise.  But I look forward to having room in my freezer and in my pantry in February!

The challenge is on this week! First up, New Years Day leftovers! We had Bourbon Grilled Pork Loin, my Wilted Winter Greens, Truffled Mashed Potatoes, Paula Deen’s Corn Casserole, and Black Eyed Peas.  I’m going to feast this week!!!

Domestic Diva: Basil Pork Rub

28 Wednesday Dec 2011

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Mom and I just made a delicious pork loin with a wet rub I whipped up in the kitchen. I liked it so much I decided to blog it so I will remember it in the future!

Basil Pork Rub:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup light olive oil

1.5 tsp dijon mustard

2 TBS “basil in a tube”

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1 tsp sugar

1.5 tsp kosher salt

The zest of one lemon

The juice of half the lemon

Mix all together in a small boil. Pat the pork dry and smear on all sides.  Let sit in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, if not overnight for the most flavor.  We used a center cut piece of pork.  Cook as you desire. We cooked in the oven until the center of the pork was just slightly pink.  It was PERFECT.

Domestic Diva: Bourbon Pumpkin Bread with Roasted Pecan Bourbon Sugar Glaze

22 Thursday Dec 2011

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I first discovered this recipe via a post on Twitter. Someone posted a link to a website called GoBourbon.com (I wish I could remember who it was, because I would thank them!).  I was intrigued.  I love bourbon. I followed the link and discovered a recipe for Bourbon Pumpkin Bread and made some for a tailgate. It was good but it needed a few tweaks.  The 2nd time, I personalized the recipe and added MORE bourbon (everything is better with MORE bourbon).  I had more friends and co workers ask for this recipe after I brought the loaves to work and to parties than anything else I’ve ever made.  I guess you could say it was a hit!!

Bourbon Pumpkin Bread with Roasted Pecan Bourbon Sugar Glaze

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 1 15 ounce can pumpkin
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/3 cup bourbon whiskey
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon clove
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 loaf pans with Pam for Baking.
2. In a very large bowl combine sugars, oil, water, pumpkin, bourbon, and eggs.
3. In a smaller bowl stir together the flours, spices, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
4. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients adding a little at a time and making sure to avoid lumps.
5. Pour the mixture evenly between both loaf pans.
6. Bake for 45 minutes.  Check the loaves with a toothpick. The toothpick should come out clean and remove the loaves from the oven.

Glaze:

1 cup of confectioners sugar, 1/4 cup of bourbon, 1/4 cup of chopped roasted pecans

While the loaves are cooling, whisk the confectioners sugar and bourbon together in a small bowl. Once your icing is thickened but not stiff, add in the pecans.  Pour the glaze over each loaf while they are still warm and spread lightly with a spatula or pastry brush.  I also add about a tablespoon of Bourbon Vanilla Sugar immediately after the glaze is on the loaves (it will dry FAST).

These loaves are best the next day.  Once cooled, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let them sit on the counter over night. They are delicious on their own, but if you want to go over the top, you can serve them with whipped cream cheese icing.

Domestic Diva: Roasted Brussell Sprouts with Chicken & Apple Sausage

07 Wednesday Dec 2011

Posted by in Cooking, Entertaining, Southern

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I bought a pound of fresh organic brussel sprouts yesterday at Whole Foods and pondered how to make them without bacon. I’d never made them without animal fat being a prime flavor note.  I tweeted a question out to some amazing ladies like Emily Robinson and Chef Virginia Willis and they responded with kind words and inspiration.  I made a hybrid recipe of the ones they sent me and I hope I made them proud.  I chose to follow Emily’s basic recipe for roasted brussel sprouts with inspiration from Virginia Willis.  I used Granny Smith Apples and tied them to my main dish, Chicken & Apple sausage.  It was DELICIOUS.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Chicken & Apple Sausage

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound of fresh brussel sprouts
  • 1 Granny Smith Apple
  • Olive oil (approximately 3 tablespoons)
  • 1/2 Tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 Tsp bourbon smoked sea salt like this one from Bourbon Barrel Foods
  • Balsamic Glaze (approximately 2 teaspoons) like this one from DeLallo
  • 3 tablespoons lightly shaved parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup roasted pecans, rough chopped
  • 1 package of Aidell’s Chicken & Apple Sausage

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. While the oven is pre heating, clean and prep your brussel sprouts and apples. As you are oven roasting, make sure your apples and brussel sprouts are about the same size. The smaller brussel sprouts can be left whole, while the largest should be cut in half.  In order for the whole brussels to cook well, lightly cut the bottom with your knife in a small X pattern about 1 – 2 millimeters in.  It should just pierce the bottom of the sprout and make sure the “hard part” is going to cook as fast as the tender leaves above.  On a large baking sheet, toss your sprouts and apples in the olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes, depending on the power of your oven.  Every 10 minutes, gently shake the pan to rotate the apples and sprouts so they cook evenly.

While the sprouts are cooking, cut the chicken & apple sausage at a bias, approximately 1/4 inch thick each.  When the sprouts have about 5 minutes left to cook, gently sauté the chicken & apple sausage slices in a large sauté pan over medium heat.

When the sprouts are done, add the balsamic vinegar, parmesan, and roasted pecans.  Lightly toss.  Serve the brussel sprouts & apples with the sausage placed on top.

Easy, delicious, and healthy!!

**Yes, you can make your own Balsamic Glaze but if you’ve already worked 12 hours, like I do most days…you don’t have the time or energy to reduce your own Balsamic glaze.  The store bought kind will do in a pinch.

Domestic Diva: Wilted Winter Greens

01 Thursday Dec 2011

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A few years ago, Girly Friend, Mr. UGA and I started a New Years Day tradition of getting together to cook an amazing meal. I unofficially began doing the sides, which are now my official OFFICIAL duty. I love collard greens, but I hate the smell of them cooking all day and frankly I don’t have time for them (and the black eyed peas are using the slow cooker!).

What to do?? Why not wilt those greens? Mr. UGA has declared this to be one of the only ways he will eat greens. Big compliment, from him!

Wilted Winter Greens

Ingredients:

    • 3-4 thick slices of thick cut smoky bacon
    • 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
    • 2 large garlic cloves, crushed or minced
    • 1 sweet red onion, finely diced
    • 3 Tablespoons beef stock
    • 4 Tablespoons good balsamic vinegar (I prefer at least aged 10 years)
    • 1 large package of store bought greens – we like to use mustard greens or Kale (we have also mixed in collards, Kale is the least bitter and wilts down best)
    • 1/2 cup roasted pecans, lightly chopped
    • 1 tsp kosher salt
    • 1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
    • 1 tsp sugar or 1 TBS molasses

Heat a large skillet (preferably one that is deep – 2 inches minimum) over medium heat. Cook your bacon until crispy (not burned!) and remove the bacon and set it aside. Reserve the bacon grease in the pan and add your olive oil. Saute your garlic and onions for 5 minutes or less (until they are softened). Stir in the beef stock and balsamic vinegar. Don’t let the stock and vinegar cook down, immediately add your greens and mix together. Stir fry for about 3 minutes until the leaves are coated. Cover and let cook for a few more minutes (until leaves are wilted and tender). Add your salt, pepper, and sugar (or molasses). While the leaves are wilting, crumble/chop your bacon. Once the greens are fully cooked, remove from heat and add the bacon and pecan pieces. Serve immediately!

The molasses really enhances the flavor of the balsamic vinegar, but if you don’t have any on hand sugar will work.

Enjoy!!

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