Tag: featured

Savory Recipes

Onion, Feta, & Fig Tarts

Featuredby Lindy Moody1 Comment on Onion, Feta, & Fig Tarts
Onion, Feta, & Fig Tarts

I cannot say that this recipe is a traditional southern one, like most of my posts are. But maybe you will find it so delicious that it will be incorporated into your traditions or celebrations.

The idea behind this recipe is simple: using farm fresh, seasonal, sustainable, and local ingredients.  A tenant which can be said to be southern. Edna Lewis and so many other inspriational southern cooks just like here based their kitchens around this idea.

Truly, there is no better food that what is local to your area and what is in season.

It is finally fig season. It lasts a very short time, but if you are lucky enough (like I was) to source fresh figs you buy them all up. Unlike my husband, I was not lucky enough to grow up with a giant fig tree close by which produced an abundant amount of the unique fruit. My mom preferred her peach tree.

As for the feta, it is locally sourced from Bootleg Farm. Savannah’s beloved goat farm which produces fresh goat cheese. Read more about them Here.

A quick carmalization on some onions and I had a winning recipe. Buttery puff pastry sits at the base for these ultra savory and slightly sweet seasonal tarts.

You can eat these savory puff pastry tarts on their own or pair them with dinner. I will post later detailing what I did with these little beauties.

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Onion, Feta, & Fig Tarts

Serving Size: 12 Tarts

A close up of the baked tarts

Ingredients

  • 1 Box of Frozen Puff Pastry
  • 1 Pound of Fresh Figs
  • 1 Large Onion, peeled and thinly sliced.
  • 4 Ounces of Fresh Feta

Instructions

  1. Thaw the puff pastry for approximatley 30 minutes.
  2. While the puff pastry thaws, carmalize the onion.
  3. In a medium pan over medium-high heat, heat a tablespoon of olive oil.
  4. Once the oil is heated, put the sliced onion into the pan then add salt and pepper.
  5. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until caramlized. Set aside once cooked.
  6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  7. Unfold the thawed puff pastry, and slice into 12 rectangles.
  8. Fold the edges of the puff pastry over then pinch the ends together. This will create a slight well in the center.
  9. Place the prepared pastry on two baking sheets.
  10. Fill each well with crumbled feta, then carmalized onions, and finding with a topping with two slices of fresh fig.
  11. Bake for approximatley 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
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An overhead photo of the warm tarts

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Recipes

My Mama’s Meatloaf

Featuredby Lindy MoodyLeave a Comment on My Mama’s Meatloaf
My Mama’s Meatloaf

Every southerner has certain foods that are quintessential nostalgia. Growing up most southern mothers had a select few recipes that were rotated around their weekly dinners. My mom’s favorites were meatloaf, salmon patties, vegetable soup, roast in the crock pot–my favorite was her meatloaf.

Without hesitation she passed down the recipe. Recanting, a dash here and a pour there…without many measurements. I wrote down her recipe, which was scant on direction, and treasured it. She gave it to my at least five years ago, and it has taken just that long to get the recipe close to how she makes it. I still have yet to perfect that special something that comes only when a family member makes your food.

So yes this is my mother’s recipe but with a few liberties (or at least some tips I found useful along the way).

Meatloaf is a budget friendly meal. One pound of ground beef is relatively cheap at the grocery store and can be stretched by adding a few ingredients to make a hearty family supper. My mom always served hers with mashed potatoes and those little sweet green peas. I like to eat it leftover between two slices of toasted bread and a slathering of mayonnaise.

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My Mama's Meatloaf

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Yield: 4-6 people

My Mama's Meatloaf

Ingredients

  • 1 Pound of Organic Ground Beef
  • 1 Package of Lipton Onion Soup Mix
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 6 Ritz Crackers, crushed into crumbs
  • 1 Slice of Stale Bread, cut into small cubes
  • 1/2 Onion, diced
  • Pinch of Salt and Pepper
  • 1 Small Can of Tomato Paste
  • 1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire
  • 1/2 Tablespoon of Brown Sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.
  2. In a mixing bowl combine the ground beef, egg, crackers, bread, Lipton onion soup mix, onion, 1/2 of the tomato paste, and salt and pepper.
  3. Mix together well, until everything looks combined.
  4. Place mixture into a small loaf pan and smooth the top. Lightly pack it down to make sure everything sticks together.
  5. Take the remaining tomato paste and mix in the brown sugar and worcestershire.
  6. Pour the tomato paste over the top of the meatloaf and spread evenly.
  7. Bake for one hour.
  8. Serve while still hot.
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Recipes

Cajun Meat Bread

Featuredby Lindy MoodyLeave a Comment on Cajun Meat Bread
Cajun Meat Bread

Most southern food is bone sticking and hearty. A style that can be contributed to the economics of survival.

This recipe is not different. A full loaf of bread is stuffed with meats, cheeses, and vegetables before being baked off. The result is a spicy gooey filled bread that acts as the perfect appetizer for any party.

This is a dish that I have eaten since I was a little girl, even considering it is difficult to find many versions of it in cookbooks or online.

Everyone in my family loves it. It originates from my Aunt’s mother, Mary Joyce, who is Cajun through and through. It is one of those items that is always present at family gatherings – especially large ones. A fact that is evident by the size of the portions used in the original recipe that was given to me:

IMG_4393.jpg

Personally, I do not cook for 80-100 people. I have a small family. So, the challenge with recreating this recipe was doing so in a way that would feed a smaller group. Lets say 10-12 people.

During my first test run of the condensed version of this recipe, I realized that the original recipe was missing some important instructions. A lack of instruction can easily be attributed to the fact that May Joyce has made this time and time again, so writing down all of the finite details was not something she needed to do. She has them all memorized.

To fill in the gaps, I did a little digging.  I found a recipe for creole meat bread by Emeril Lagasse, click here.

There is a large difference in creole and cajun food. Creole food is the result of many nationalities who settled in New Orleans. In many creole recipes you will find inspiration from West African, Spanish, Haitian, French, and many other cultures.

Cajun food comes from the Acadian people and has a French influence. You will find Cajun food primarily outside of the city…where my family lives.

Comparing the two, although one cajun and one creole,  helped fill in some of the gaps.

I present my version of meat bread. Of course it will never be good as the original I ate growing up. It is not easy to include the love that is thrown into every family recipe that is made for you, instead of by you.

For another Louisiana inspired recipe, click here.

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Cajun Meat Bread

finsihed sliced and plated meat bread

Ingredients

  • 1 Pound of Ground Beef
  • 1 Pound of Andouille Sausage, cut into small squares
  • 1 Large Onion, peeled and diced
  • 1 Large Bell Pepper, seeded and diced
  • 2 Jalapeno Peppers, seeded and diced
  • 2 Cloves of Garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 Tablespoon of Hot Sauce
  • 1 Teaspoon of Cajun Seasoning
  • 2 Small Cans of Mushrooms
  • 1 Cup of Shredded Cheddar Cheese
  • 1 Cup of Shredded Swiss Cheese
  • 1 Cup of Shredded Parmesan Cheese
  • 4 Balls or Loaves of Frozen French Bread Dough
  • Salt and Pepper to Taste

Instructions

  1. Start by removing the dough from the freezer to allow it to defrost.
  2. In a medium skillet, over medium heat, brown your ground beef. Breaking it up as it cooks.
  3. Once browned, remove the beef from the skillet and leave the grease in.
  4. In the leftover grease, sauté your onion, bell pepper, jalapenos, and sausage. Cook until everything is nicely browned. In the last two minutes of cooking, add in the garlic. Cook until the garlic is fragrant.
  5. Remove pan from the heat and set it aside to allow the mixture to cool.
  6. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  7. Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the ground beef, hot sauce, Cajun seasoning, drained mushrooms, and all of the cheese. Mix until well combined.
  8. Taste the mixture, and add salt and pepper as needed.
  9. Assemble the bread by placing one of the dough balls on a well floured surface. Roll out the dough until approximately 24"x12". The measurements are not exact, and have some wiggle room.
  10. Place 1/4 of your mixture into the center of the rolled out dough, and spread evenly. Leave a 1/2 inch border at the edges of the dough.
  11. Fold the corners over, then gently roll up the filling and dough. You will roll from one long edge to the other.
  12. Pinch the end of the roll into the dough to create a seal. If the dough does not seal, an egg wash will do it.
  13. Place the rolled loaf on a sheet pan, seam side down.
  14. Continue preparing the loafs until all of the loafs are filled and rolled.
  15. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until nicely golden brown on the outside.
  16. Some of the filling may ooze out, and that is okay.
  17. Slice and serve while warm.
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Recipes, Sweet Recipes

Key Lime Pie Poke Cake

Featuredby Lindy MoodyLeave a Comment on Key Lime Pie Poke Cake
Key Lime Pie Poke Cake

As you probably guessed, Key Lime Pie (and key limes) come from the Keys. Many southerners consider the Florida line to be the official end of the south, but it is south of the Mason-Dixon so it counts.

When key lime pie is done right (i.e. made with key limes) it can be magical. Refreshing yet sweet, and creamy and cool.

All of the traditional Savannah restaurants offer some version of key lime pie on their dessert menu. When I speak of traditional Savannah restaurants I am referring to the ones that have been around forever, like the Olde Pink House or Garibaldi’s.

Since summer has officially begun in Savannah, it felt natural to make a southern dessert that is inspired by the season. Note: it is not officially summer, but when you live this deep in the south, the heat makes it feel like summer arrives early.

And to be completely honest, I did not feel like making a pie crust so baking a version of the dessert without a pie crust was my approach for this one. What is just as good a pie crust? Cake!

The base flavors/components for key lime pie recipes are always the same, key limes, graham cracker, and meringue. This recipe includes all of the essential components. A graham cracker cake, key lime pudding, toasted meringue, and a graham cracker crumb.

As for a poke cake, the concept is simple. Bake a one-layer cake in a cake pan and once it is cool poke holes into and pour something delicious over the cake. I finish my version off with a slathering of meringue and a blow torch.

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Key Lime Pie Poke Cake

Key Lime Pie Poke Cake

Ingredients

  • For the Cake:
  • 8 Tablespoons of Unsalted Butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 Cup of Granulated Sugar
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 1/2 Teaspoons of Baking Powder
  • 1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda
  • 1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
  • 1/2 Cup of Whole Milk
  • 12 Graham Crackers, processed into crumbs
  • For the Pudding:
  • 4 Limes or 12 Key Limes
  • 2 Cups of Whole Milk
  • 1/2 Cup of Heavy Whipping Cream
  • 2/3 Cup of Granulated Sugar
  • 4 Eggs Yolks
  • 4 Tablespoons of Cornstarch
  • 4 Tablespoons of Unsalted Butter
  • 1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
  • For the Meringue:
  • 4 Egg Whites
  • 1/2 Teaspoon of Cream of Tartar
  • 1/2 Cup of Water
  • 1 Cup of Sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a square baking pan by greasing it and coating in flour. Set aside.
  2. Cream together the sugar and butter to start making the cake batter. Once combined, cream for approximately 4 minutes on medium speed or until butter is light and fluffy.
  3. In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Set aside.
  4. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining wet ingredients.
  5. With the mixer on medium, pour in 1/3 of your dry ingredients, followed by 1/3 of your wet ingredients, and continue until all of the ingredients are fully combined and well mixed.
  6. Pour the cake batter into the prepare cake pan. Bake, on the middle rack, for 30-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  7. Allow the cake to cool while you prepare the pudding.
  8. First zest half of your limes, then set the zest to the side.
  9. In a small bowl, combine the milk for the pudding, the heavy cream, and the juice from all of the limes. Set aside.
  10. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and limes zest. Whisk together. Next add in the egg yolks and whisk to combine.
  11. Slowly whisk in the milk mixture and stir until smooth.
  12. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick. This should take approximatley 10 minutes. The mixture will coat the back of a wooden spoon.
  13. Remove the pudding from the heat and whisk in the butter until it is melted and combined.
  14. Allow the pudding to cool while you prepare the meringue.
  15. In a small sauce pan, combine the sugar and water. Stir to dissolve sugar. Turn the stove to medium-high heat.
  16. Cook the sugar until it reaches 240 degrees Fahrenheit.
  17. While the sugar is cooking, combine the egg whites and cream of tartar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk on medium speed until soft peaks form.
  18. With the mixer on low, carefully and very slowly pour the cooked sugar down the side of the mixing bowl.
  19. Once the sugar syrup is fully poured in, increase the mixer speed to medium and whisk until stiff peaks form.
  20. Assemble the cake by poking holes into the cake with the handle of a wooden spoon.
  21. Pour over the lime pudding, spreading until the pudding fills all of the holes.
  22. Finish by gently spreading the meringue over the top of the cake. You can toast the meringue with a torch.
  23. Optional: Top each slice with a sprinkle of graham cracker crumbs.
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Recipes

Bourbon & Butterscotch Eclair Cake

Featuredby Lindy MoodyLeave a Comment on Bourbon & Butterscotch Eclair Cake
Bourbon & Butterscotch Eclair Cake

I assume you are asking yourself—how is an Éclair Cake southern?

The cake itself is not southern, but its source is. For many of us southerners, especially older generations, beloved recipes were sourced from community cookbooks. A community cookbook is just that, a collection of local recipes submitted by locals and compiled by a local a organization (the Junior League is a popular source) or a church. Each recipe contains the name of the submitter and a blurb about the recipe. Readers will usually multiple variations for one type of recipe. You may find three different recipes for pimento cheese. And almost always the finished book is spiral bound.

In my childhood home there was one community cookbook that my mom sourced everything from: Dogwood Delights. You will notice that this book was put together by Atlanta’s Telephone Pioneers of America. My mom worked in Atlanta for BellSouth when I was a child. I remember going to the big city of Atlanta and eating at the Varsity on special days I was allowed to go to work with her.

Every time we made red velvet cake for Christmas, the book came out of the cupboard. Luckily, my grandmother was kind enough to give me her copy as a source of inspiration. So when I make red velvet cake there is only one place to go.


Often times when I am looking for a source of inspiration in a bake or covered dish I want to bring to my next family gathering I pull out my old, dusty copy.

For me, and for so many, community cookbooks are a conservation of history. A memento of time, experience, and culture of a community. Generations of experience are contained in-between two covers which makes for a great resource to young and old cooks alike.

Although community cookbooks provided a wealth of information to homemakers and small town cooks (because they were popular long before the internet), so many of the submissions lack direction. If you are experienced baker or cook like me, it is no problem to fill in the gaps but not every person in the kitchen has that experience. For those who do not know to cream together your butter and eggs when making the batter for a cake, the gaps can be tricky.

My intention is to not only preserve the recipes so many southerners rely on, but to update them into a modern form. By update I do not mean changing the dish into something totally different, I mean raising it into its adult self.

Let this first recipe be the example. I found this recipe by thumbing through and liked it. As I mentioned before, there were about 10 different versions of the cake listed.

A picture of the original recipe
As you can see, this recipe calls for a bunch of premade items. Instant pudding, frozen whipped cream, etc. An update is simple, make everything you can from scratch…within reason. I will not be making homemade graham crackers.

I made a homemade bourbon butterscotch pudding out of homemade caramel, a homemade ganache for the top, and a homemade whipped cream. The southern in me felt the need to splash in bourbon instead of rum for the butterscotch.

Ta-dah! This community cookbook submission is brought into the 21st century.

Go out and find your own community cookbook. A good place to start is an old bookstore or my favorite—a yard sale.

A fork full of finished cake

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Bourbon & Butterscotch Eclair Cake

Presentation of the entire finished cake in its dish

Ingredients

  • For the pudding:
  • 1 1/3 Cup of Dark Brown Sugar
  • 1 Teaspoon of Salt
  • 1/2 Cup of Water
  • 3 Cups of Heavy Cream, divided
  • 2 Cups of Milk
  • 4 Tablespoons of Cornstarch
  • 4 Large Egg Yolks
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • 6 Tablespoons of Unsalted Butter
  • 4 Tablespoons of Bourbon
  • For the rest of the cake:
  • 1 Box of Graham Crackers
  • 10 Ounces of Dark Chocolate
  • 1 Cup of Heavy Cream

Instructions

  1. First make the butterscotch pudding.
  2. In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, water, and salt. Heat over medium-high heat and cook the mixture, without stirring, until it is dark brown. This should take 8-10 minutes.
  3. Whisk in 2 cups of cream and the milk, stir until fully combined. Bring the mixture back up to a boil.
  4. While you bring the mixture back up to a boil, prepare your eggs.
  5. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, and cornstarch.
  6. Temper the eggs by adding on spoonful at a time of heated milk mixture into the egg mixture, bringing the eggs up to the temperature of the milk. Stirring as you add.
  7. Once eggs are tempered, pour the heated egg mixture into the medium saucepan.
  8. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook the custard, stirring constantly, until it is thick and coats the back of a spoon. This should only take a few minutes.
  9. Once thickened, whisk in the butter and then the rum.
  10. Set aside to let the pudding cool for at least one hour before using.
  11. Once the pudding is cool make the remaining cake.
  12. Heat one cup of heavy cream, over medium heat, in a small saucepan.
  13. Place the dark chocolate into a mixing bowl, then pour over the simmering cream.
  14. Let sit until the chocolate melts.
  15. While the chocolate melts, whisk 1 cup of heavy whipping cream into whipped cream. You want a firm whipped cream.
  16. Fold the whipped cream into the cooled pudding, a 1/3 at a time.
  17. By this time the chocolate should be melted, whisk together the cream and chocolate until a smooth and shiny ganache forms.
  18. Now you are ready to assemble the cake.
  19. Place an even layer of graham crackers into the bottom of a 9x9 cake pan, or similar dish of your choice.
  20. Next pour in 1/3 of the pudding mixture. Layer with more graham crackers, then the next 1/3 of pudding. Add another layer of graham crackers and then the final layer of pudding.
  21. Finish the cake with a top layer of graham crackers, then pour your genache over the top layer of graham crackers.
  22. Allow the cake to set in the fridge for several hours before serving.
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Recipes

Bananas Foster Monkey Bread

Featuredby Lindy MoodyLeave a Comment on Bananas Foster Monkey Bread
Bananas Foster Monkey Bread

Travel is the best way to draw inspiration in life. For me traveling means exploring the food of the city I am visiting. I spend hours of research mapping out my food journey to ensure I eat only the best the city has to offer. Oftentimes the result is overindulgence over a short period of hours.

Two weekends ago I found myself in New Orleans. One of my favorite southern cities of all time. I am lucky to have family in Louisiana which gives me more than enough legitimate reasons to explore the land of endless sugar cane fields. If you have never visited, I strongly urge you to add NOLA to your short list of destinations. Wrought with history and culture, the French influenced city has no shortage of things to see and do. Live music in every bar, towering historical buildings, and more voodoo shops that you can stand. I have been many times yet I have never seen the same thing twice.

Louisiana a state that is know for the origin of Cajun cuisine which is heavily influenced by Creole cooking with French technique. Technically, Cajun food did not start in Louisiana, but through immigrants who eventually settled in the state. And yes, there is a large difference in the Cajun and Creole, which I plan on breaching in a later post.

For now I would like to spend a little bit of time focusing on the Creole and French side of the state. The city folk, those in New Orleans, cook Creole food, unlike the country folk who cook Cajun. Since I spent time in the city, everything I ate could be considered Cajun—even the non-Cajun food—and here is why:

If you have ever visited New Orleans it is easy to see that the town is a culmination cultures created through the settlement of immigrants, which is still occurring today. There are more restaurants that a visitor could reasonably conquer, all of which are a different—even if only slightly. Restauranteurs present patrons with their interpretation of local food, adding in their own influences and ideas. This is a practice that has been occurring in NOLA since before my time. The food of our ancestors is not the food of our towns as we now know them.

A world-wide known dessert is the perfect example of the evolution of the food in NOLA. Bananas foster was created in New Orleans at famous New Orleans restaurant Brennan’s by Chef Paul Blange. Today you can still visit Brennan’s and try the food that has been nominated for multiple James Beard Awards. The recipe was created in 1951 and even published by the New York Times in 1957. The concept is simple: smother ripe bananas in butter, sugar, and liquor then set it aflame.

Although widely considered a traditional southern dish, by no means it is so in the literal sense of the word. The recipe was not contemplated until the mid 20th century. When comparing so many dishes that are said to be traditionally southern, bananas fosters is much younger than say hoppin’ john, which can be dated back to the 19th century.

This dish epitomizes both Southern and Louisiana cuisine, ever progressing into new fare that features a nod to the past. So why not draw inspiration from a City and State that has drawn culinary inspiration from it’s inhabitants, landscape, and visitors, and create something totally new from already known and loved recipe (also my husband begged me to make monkey bread, so the idea was streamline).

Many recipes call for canned biscuit dough. I believe that fresh is best, so my recipe makes the dough from scratch.

If you draw any inspiration from this post or recipe, I hope you take the idea of bananas foster and add it into a something to create a brand new dessert…or savory dish. I would love to hear about what you come up with!

The finished loaf turned out from the pan

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Bananas Foster Monkey Bread

The baked bread cooling in the pan

Ingredients

  • For the Dough:
  • ⅔ Cup of Warm Whole Milk, no higher than 110°F
  • 1 Tablespoon of Sugar
  • 1 0.25 Ounce Package Dry Yeast
  • 3¼ Cups of Flour, divided
  • ¼ Cup of Butter, melted
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • 1 Teaspoon of Salt
  • For the coating:
  • 1 Cup of Light Brown Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon of Cinnamon
  • For the Bananas Foster:
  • 4 Very Ripe Bananas, peeled and sliced
  • 4 Tablespoons of Butter
  • 1 Cup of Firmly Packed Light Brown Sugar
  • ½ Cup of Heavy Whipping Cream, room temperature
  • 3 Tablespoons of Bourbon
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 4 ripe bananas, sliced

Instructions

  1. Start by making the dough.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, pour in the milk then sprinkle over the yeast and sugar. Let sit for at least 10 minutes until the yeast is bubbly.
  3. With the dough hook attached, turn the speed to low. Pour in 1 cup of flour, mixing until combine. Next the melted butter, and finish 1 cup of flour.
  4. Mix in the eggs, then finish with the remaining flour and salt.
  5. Once dough is fully combined turn the speed to medium and kneed for 3-5 minutes. A soft dough should form and pull away from the sides of the bowl.
  6. Coat a large bowl with cooking spray. Place the dough in the bowl, coat with spray, and allow to rise, covered, in a draft free place for one hour or until double in size.
  7. In a small bowl, combine the topping sugar and cinnamon. Mix until combined then set aside for later.
  8. Prepare your bananas fosters. In a medium sauce pan, over medium-high heat, add brown sugar and butter. Cook for approximately 3-5 minutes until mixture is an amber color.
  9. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream, salt, and bananas. Stir to fully coat bananas. Set aside and allow to cool.
  10. Prepare a bundt pan by coating it in cooking spray.
  11. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  12. Once dough has doubled, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently shape dough into a ball.
  13. Pinch off one inch pieces, roll them into a ball, then dunk them into the cinnamon sugar mixture.
  14. Start assembling by placing a small amount of bananas fosters mix into the bottom of the pan.
  15. Create a layer of dough balls in the bottom of the pan, then coat in your bananas fosters. Continuing layering dough and sauce until the pan is full.
  16. Bake until golden brown, 35-40 minutes.
  17. Let cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before turning it out.
  18. Eat!
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Recipes

Georgia Brunswick Stew

Featuredby Lindy MoodyLeave a Comment on Georgia Brunswick Stew
Georgia Brunswick Stew

Today marks the day that I institute some changes for my blog. Lately I have been very inspired to learn more about the history of Southern cuisine, which forms the basis of my food history and influence.

I cannot list one specific reason as to the inspiration, but a slew of events accumulated over the last few months that pushed me here. Getting an invite to the private screen of Netflix’s Chef’s Table episode on our local chef, Mashama Bailey, was the starting point.

Next came the discovery of the Southern Foodways Alliance (here is there website) which documents the history of southern cuisine. I quickly became a proud member.

Not long after I visited with my dad and my Uncle Dusty (who is Cajun) and naturally fell into conversations about food of each of their regions. It seems as though I always fall back on or lean towards making food that has roots in the south.

Finally, I have realized that as a food writer in Savannah, I should educated myself more on the food I am writing about as to bring my readers some knowledge of their region.

To implement this change, I am going to start with a dish that I ate all the time growing up. When you live in certain parts of Georgia, semi-rural, there are only so many restaurants available. Most are chain restaurants like Long Horns or McDonalds, so the legitimate food selection is scant at best.

Birthdays and certain holidays resulted in eating out at the ‘fancier’ restaurants or the local mom and pop restaurants that the entire family loved. On our short list of go-tos was Wallace Barbeque, a shack of a BBQ restaurant that serves pulled pork by the pound with a bowl of vinegar-based barbeque sauce on the side. It is loved so much by my family that anytime my Uncle Dusty visits Georgia from his home in Louisiana, Wallace Barbeque is his first stop.

Like any good Georgia barbeque restaurant, Brunswick stew is readily available on the menu. As a result I have eaten gallons and gallons of Brunswick stew in my lifetime.

Brunswick stew is a hunter’s stew which combines any meat that is available, sometimes even squirrel, with any vegetables that are locally available. The result is a bone sticking stock that is chock-full of sustenance.

It is also important to note that Brunswick stew recipes change by the region. Georgia’s versions is traditionally sweeter due to the use of a barbeque sauce poured in the stock. Virginia’s version just uses a tomato base.

A good point of reference for the difference in each region’s Brunswick stew is the Southern Floodway Alliance’s Community Cookbook. It lists a recipe for North Carolina Brunswick Stew. I could not find one for Georgia. Instead of using a sweet barbeque sauce like in my recipe below, the recipe calls for the combination of ketchup, vinegar, and sugar.

Regardless of the region, the modern Brunswick stew features two meats, pork and chicken. Gone are the days where most southerners used what they caught or what was readily available on the farm to cook. The surplus of local supermarkets has made placed cheap meat in every home.

The recipe below is merely a starting point. I based my recipe on the countless bowls of Brunswick stew I ate growing up. You can switch out the vegetables, lookup versions from other regions or just throw in anything that suits the moment.

A big pot of hearty brunswick stew and slices of bread

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Georgia Brunswick Stew

On overhead view of the big pot of stew and bowls

Ingredients

  • 1 Pound of Smoked Pork Shoulder
  • 4 Boneless and Skinless Chicken Thighs
  • 1 16oz Bag of Frozen Lima Beans
  • 2 32oz Boxes of Chicken Stock
  • 1 Sweet Onion, peeled and diced
  • 2 14oz Cans of Stewed Tomatoes
  • 2 14oz Cans of Creamed Corn
  • 3 Medium Russet Potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1 Cup of Sweet Barbeque Sauce, or more to taste
  • Salt and Pepper to Taste

Instructions

  1. I start this recipe by saying that everything is to taste. Add more barbeque sauce at the end if you preferer a sweeter more pungent barbeque flavor. As for the chicken stock, I start with one box then add more towards the end of the recipe to get the stock thickness I desire.
  2. Place a heavy bottom soup pot or a Dutch over over medium heat, and pour in one tablespoon of olive oil. Sautee the onion until caramelized and translucent.
  3. Place in your chicken thighs, then pour over enough chicken stock to cover the chicken.
  4. Bring the chicken stock up to a boil, then reduce the heat down to medium-low. Cover the pot with a lid and cook the chicken thighs for 30 minutes.
  5. After the chicken has cooked, pour in your remaining ingredients. Turn up the heat as long as necessary to bring the stew back up to a simmer. Once at a simmer you can reduce the heat back to medium-low.
  6. Add as much chicken stock as necessary to get the stew to your desired thickness.
  7. Salt and pepper to taste.
  8. I cook the stew for at least one hour to allow the potatoes to soften. The longer you allow it to cook the better it gets.
  9. Serve with sliced white bread or cornbread.
  10. *For an even easier version, combine all of the ingredients into a crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours.
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https://epicuropedia.com/2019/04/11/georgia-brunswick-stew/

If you do not feel like making stew at home, here is my recommendation on a good local bbq spot.

Recipes

Apricot Roasted Chicken

Featuredby Lindy MoodyLeave a Comment on Apricot Roasted Chicken
Apricot Roasted Chicken

There are often extremely difficult moments in life—days during which you feel as though you will not be okay. In the end, time will heal almost everything, but waiting seems impossible.

In those moments, food plays an important role for many. Personally, I gravitate towards homecooked meals that warm and ease my soul.

Two weeks ago I made the difficult decision to let go of my dog and best friend of 13 years. Although I know it was the correct decision to ease her suffering, it was the most difficult decision I have ever had to make. My friends and family really stepped up to be there for my husband and I. The showering of food (and booze if I am being honest) kept my home full while my heart was empty.

I cannot think of a more soul warming meal than roasted meat and a couple of sides. A meat and two or three (or four) is a staple southern meal. Growing up, dinner most nights included meatloaf, country fried steak, pot roast, salmon patties, or pork chops.

So when you go through something difficult you often lean towards bits of nostalgia—the good moments. A full plate of love-filled food is a plate full of nostalgia for me. A lot of my childhood consisted of sitting in the kitchen with my mother as she cooked me dishes from the heart.

Although she never roasted chicken like this, I think this recipe is easily one that you can add to your repertoire of food to cook and share with others. The preparation calls for an arrangement of vegetables at the bottom of your roast pan and a slathering of sweet sticky apricot preserves. The result is a juicy home roasted chicken with a slight Asian flare.

I am going to leave this recipe here because it is my hope that you share a homecooked, heart-filling meal with friends or family. Even if you are not going through your own battle, and just want a good meal, this dish will serve you well. Now get in the kitchen and make memories.

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Apricot Glaze Roasted Chicken

Apricot Glaze Roasted Chicken

Ingredients

  • 1 Whole Chicken
  • 1 Bunch of Fresh Thyme
  • 1 Jar of Apricot Jam
  • 2 Yellow Onions, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 Lemon, halved
  • 6 Cloves of Garlic, peeled
  • 2 Cups of Chicken Broth, and more as needed
  • 1/3 Cup of Red Wine Vinegar
  • 1 Cup of Dried Apricots, sliced in half
  • 5 Tablespoons of Butter
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Olive Oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Prepare the chicken by patting it dry with paper towels.
  3. Sprinkle salt and pepper into the cavity of the chicken then stuff the chicken. Add in one half of the lemon, half of the whole fresh thyme sprigs, two cloves of garlic, one half of one onion, and approximately six dried apricots.
  4. Coat the chicken in juice from the remaining lemon and in olive oil, rubbing them into the skin. Generously sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper then tie the legs together with cooking twine.
  5. In the bottom of the roasting pan place the remaining onion, apricots, and thyme. Pour the chicken broth over the vegetables.
  6. Finely chop the remaining garlic, and sprinkle approximately 3 cloves worth over the chicken broth.
  7. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables in the roasting pan.
  8. Place the roasting pan on the middle rack in the oven to roast.
  9. You will initially roast the chicken for 15 minutes at 450 degrees before turning the temperature down.
  10. While the chicken initially roasts, prepare the glaze.
  11. In a small saucepan combine the jar of apricot preserves, butter, red wine vinegar, and remaining chopped garlic. Mix until everything is combined and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the glaze from the heat.
  12. After the initial fifteen minutes has passed, reduce the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and baste your chicken with its first coating of apricot glaze.
  13. If the pan ever becomes dry, add in more chicken stock.
  14. Glaze the chicken every 15 minutes, cooking the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
  15. Once the chicken reaches the desired temperature, remove it from the oven and allow it to rest before serving it.
  16. While the chicken rests, create a sauce to serve with it.
  17. Combine any drippings from the pan with the remaining glaze and heat in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
  18. Reduce the sauce until it reaches the desired thickness or is reduced to approximately half. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste
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https://epicuropedia.com/2019/03/21/apricot-roasted-chicken/

Recipes

Double Cookie Birthday Cake

Featuredby Lindy MoodyLeave a Comment on Double Cookie Birthday Cake
Double Cookie Birthday Cake

I am positive after reading that title you are asking, “What the heck is a double cookie birthday cake?” It is a creation from my own head. A vanilla cake stuffed with eggless cookie dough then coated in a cookies and cream icing, i.e. double cookies.

The idea started with last years birthday celebration for my husband. His all-time favorite cookie is a snickerdoodle, so I made him a triple cookie birthday cake. It was literally three different layers of cookie smothered in a salted caramel buttercream icing.

My Triple Cookie Cake recipe can be found here.

For his birthday this year, I wanted to keep the theme going for my husband. So instead of three layers of cookie, I made three layers of classic vanilla cake; the cookie portion would come in with the icing and stuffing (making it only a double cookie cake).

To finish it off? An optional drizzle of creamy rich chocolate ganache and a big ball of cookie dough.

The finished result is a classic vanilla birthday cake that everyone knows and loves jammed with those nostalgic cookie flavors of your childhood.

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Double Cookie Birthday Cake

Double Cookie Birthday Cake

Ingredients

  • For the Eggless Cookie Dough:
  • 3/4 Cup of Packed Brown Sugar
  • 1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, softened
  • 1 Cup of Chocolate Chips
  • 1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
  • 1 Cup of All Propose Flour
  • 2 Tablespoons of Whole Milk
  • For the Icing:
  • 2 Sticks of Butter, Softened
  • 4 Cups of Powdered Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup of Heavy Cream
  • 1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
  • 1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
  • 1 Sleeve of Oreos, crushed
  • For the Cake:
  • 2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, softened
  • 2 Cups of Granulated Sugar
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract
  • 2 Cups of Cake Flour
  • 1 Cup of Buttermilk
  • 1 Teaspoon of Salt
  • 1 Tablespoon of Baking Powder

Instructions

  1. Start by making the cake layers. Grease and flour three 8-inch cake pans then set them aside until ready to use.
  2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  3. In you stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This takes approximately 3-4 minutes.
  4. In a small bowl mix together the wet ingredients; the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla.
  5. In a separate small bowl sift together the dry ingredients; the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  6. Starting with your wet mixture, pour in 1/3 and mix over medium speed until fully combined.
  7. Next add in 1/3 of your dry mixture, mixing until combined.
  8. Continue adding in your wet and dry mixture, alternating, until your finish with the final 1/3 of your dry mixture. Mix on medium speed until the batter is fully combined.
  9. Divide your cake batter evenly between the three cake pans.
  10. Bake the cake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  11. After baking, allow the cakes to cool completely before assembly.
  12. While the cake layers cool, create your eggless cookie dough.
  13. In your stand mixer, on medium speed, beat together the softened butter and the brown sugar until light and fluffy. This should take 3-4 minutes.
  14. Add in the flour, milk, and vanilla beating until combined.
  15. Add the chocolate chips, mixing in by hand.
  16. Set the dough aside until ready to use.
  17. Make your icing by creaming the butter in your stand mixer.
  18. Gently pour in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Mix fully before pouring the next portion.
  19. Once the icing is nice and whipped, pour in the salt, milk, and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until fully mixed.
  20. Finally, pour in the crushed oreos and mix until the oreos are incorporated throughout the icing.
  21. Assemble your cake by spreading a layer of icing between the first two layers, the cookie dough should go in the middle, and another layer of icing over the top layer.
  22. Any leftover cookie dough can be used to decorate the top of the cake.
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https://epicuropedia.com/2019/02/28/double-cookie-birthday-cake/

Recipes

White Chocolate Mousse Tart + Pink Peppercorn Strawberry Sauce

Featuredby Lindy MoodyLeave a Comment on White Chocolate Mousse Tart + Pink Peppercorn Strawberry Sauce
White Chocolate Mousse Tart + Pink Peppercorn Strawberry Sauce

Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope your day is filled with joy and love–even if that means cuddling your dog a little extra.

I did not plan on posting for Valentine’s Day. That all changed when I watched the latest episode of Kids Baking Championship. I watch almost any baking show available.

On the last episode, the challenge was to create a tart with crazy ingredient. Pink peppercorns were one of the ingredients given to use. So, laying in bed, watching these kids kill it in the kitchen I thought, “I can do that!”

Strawberry, chocolate, and a little spice from peppercorns just seemed like the perfect Valentines combination. So the stars aligned, and this recipe would be the perfect one to post on Valentine’s.

Also, I knew my husband would love it. Two birds, one stone.

The tart itself is nothing crazy–simple dark chocolate pate sucree (crust) sits on the bottom with a swirled airy white chocolate mousse to full it. The crazy comes in with the sauce for the top, cooked down fresh strawberries with pulverized pink peppercorns.

Pink peppercorns work perfectly with fruit because they are much more floral than normal black peppercorns. They also have less of a peppery bite.

Finished tart ready to be served

This is not a beginners recipe so as always I want to give you a few tips to help:

  • Creating a light mousse only takes a few ingredients and proper technique. You use both meringue and whipped cream. To create a perfect meringue use room temperature egg whites and ensure there is not even a fleck of egg yolk in the whites.
  • Folding is how your incorporate meringue and whipped cream into the chocolate. Folding is not like whisking or stirring. To fold you gently cut down the middle of your mixture with a spatula, then fold over one half of the mixture over the second half. Repeat until everything is blended.
  • Always chill your tart shell before rolling it out, fit the shell to the tart pan once cooled, and also chill again before baking it once it is fit into the tart pan. This will prevent shrinkage.
  • Always poke holes with a fork in the bottom of the tart dough to prevent it from puffing during baking.

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White Chocolate Mousse Tart + Pink Peppercorn Strawberry Sauce

A slice of tart with sauce on top and a bite taken out

Ingredients

  • For the Crust:
  • 1/3 Stick of Cold Butter, cut into cubes
  • 1 1/3 Cups of All Purpose Flour
  • 3 Tablespoons of Dutch Process Cocoa Powder
  • 1/2 Cup of Powdered Sugar
  • 1/8 Teaspoon of Salt
  • 1 Large Egg
  • For the Mousse:
  • 6 Ounces of Good White Chocolate
  • 1 1/4 Cups of Whipping Cream
  • 2 Large Egg Whites, room temperature
  • 1/2 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
  • 1/8 Teaspoon of Cream of Tartar
  • For the Sauce:
  • 1lb of Fresh Strawberries
  • Juice from 1/2 Lemon
  • 1 Tablespoon of Pink Peppercorns
  • 1/4 Cup of Sugar

Instructions

  1. First create the tart dough.
  2. In a food processor combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Pulse until the ingredients are combined.
  3. Next add in the cold butter. Pulse the mixture together for approximatley 15 seconds or until the mixture resembles chunky sand. You want the butter to be in shape of various sized pebbles.
  4. Add the egg into the food processor and mix until combined.
  5. Pour the dough out onto a floured surface and form it into a ball. Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and allow it rest in the fridge for one hour.
  6. While the dough chills, create your mousse.
  7. In a double boiler over medium heat, combine 1/4 cup of the whipping cream with the white chocolate.
  8. Stir continually until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Once smooth, set aside to allow it to cool for at least 15 minutes.
  9. Next make your merigue by combining the egg whites and cream of tarter in a stand mixer. Beat the egg whites on medium speed until stiff peaks form.
  10. Place the meringue in a seperate bowl, and then clean the mixing bowl.
  11. Make the whipped cream by combining the remaining heavy whipping cream and the vanilla extract in the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix on medium speed until stiff whipped cream forms.
  12. In a large bowl, fold 1/2 of your meringue into the white chocolate until it is fully incorporated. Fold the remaining 1/2 of meringue into the mixture.
  13. Next fold 1/2 of your whipped cream into the merigue and white chocolate mixture until it is well combined. After fully combined, fold in the remaining 1/2.
  14. Cover and allow the white chocolate mousse to rest in the fridge while you finish the tart crust.
  15. After the tart dough has chilled for one hour, place your dough on a well floured surface. With a floured rolling pin, roll out your tart dough into a sphere that is two inches larger than the tart pan you plan to use.
  16. Place the tart dough into the pan and pressing it in. You want to form the dough to the pan completely then trim off the ends. Poke the bottom of the tart pan with a fork.
  17. Place the tart pan in the fridge to allow the dough to cool while you preheat your oven. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  18. Once the oven is heated, line the dough with parchment paper then fill it with pie weights.
  19. Bake for 20 minutes.
  20. Allow the crust to cool completely before filling it.
  21. While the crust cools, create your strawberry sauce.
  22. Rinse, hull, and slice your strawberries into large chunks.
  23. Place the strawberries into a small saucepan along with the sugar and lemon juice.
  24. Heat the mixture over medium heat until it reaches a boil.
  25. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the strawberries to cook for 20 minutes.
  26. While the strawberries cook, grind or pulverize the pink peppercorns into a course powder.
  27. After 20 minutes is up, remove the strawberry sauce from the heat and stir in the pink pepper. Set the mixture aside to cool.
  28. Finish the tart by smoothing the white chocolate mousse into the chilled tart shell. Then, allow it to set up in the fridge for at least one hour.
  29. Slice and serve the tart with the stawberry sauce.
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https://epicuropedia.com/2019/02/14/white-chocolate-mousse-tart-pink-peppercorn-strawberry-sauce/

A close up of the tart