Who loves Brunswick Stew? I do?

Did you catch that question mark right there beside the I do? That is because I am not sure if I love Brunswick Stew. I know, a girl from one of the States that lays claim to creating Brunswick Stew and I am not sure I like it. And while I am clearing the air, I don't like corn sticks.

Hushpuppies? L-O-V-E!!!

Corn sticks- No way Jose!

 

So why am I posting a recipe about Brunswick Stew if I am unsure I like it? Three words- Mother-In-Law. She requested it for Sunday lunch and I obliged. And the most awesome thing is how easy it was to make.

 

The recipe is pretty simple and  crock pot friendly which just inched Brunswick Stew up a notch on the love measure.

 

 

 

1 lb of  boneless skinless chicken thighs (you can certainly use breasts but thighs stand up better the slow cooker.)
1 lb boneless pork shoulder (I used the leftover pulled pork from a pig-pickin that I had frozen. Oh Yeah!!!!)
1 large yellow onion, sliced thin

1 celery stick
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 lb potatoes- cut into 1" cubes
15 oz corn (you may use canned or frozen)
15 oz butter beans
2 cans tomato, okra, butter bean mix*
3 cups of chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste

 

*In my original recipe, I had a 15 oz can of tomatoes in addition to the 2 cans of the mix. That made the stew a little to tomatoey for my taste. But it was still delicious to my M-I-L so go for it you love tomatoes.

 

 

Put tomato paste in your slower cooker crock and enough of the stock to mix. Add onion, celery, potatoes, corn, red pepper flakes, butter beans, tomato/okra/butter bean mix and remaining stock. If you are using canned corn and butter bean, drain before putting into crock. Add your pork and chicken on top of this mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put the lid on and leave it be for 4-5 hours on high or 7-8 on low.

 

 

 

 

Before you are ready to serve, scoop out chicken and pork and shred with forks and add back to the stew. But don't be surprised if  it falls apart while you try to scoop it out. That means it is perfect. Just shred it in the crock.

 

No time for pretty, I was hungry!

 

 

Serve this with corn bread and everyone will love you. And if you want to get crazy, put a piece of corn bread in your bowl and serve the stew over the corn bread. That is a bowl of something good!

It's official, I am a Brunswick Stew convert.

 

Keep it Sassy!

 

love-j

The "It`s got what in it?" Biscuits

These biscuits are light and flaky on the inside and with a little crunch on the inside. I made these yesterday and ate three right from the pan. I may have even growled as my hubby tried to take one. I make no excuses. Do not come between a Southern woman and her warm from the oven biscuits.

They also have a surprising ingredient- 7Up. Yes indeed, you read that correctly. 7Up is an ingredient in the biscuits and they are divine. What makes them even more extra special divine is how easy they are. No cold lard, cold flour etc., six simple ingredients that make biscuits worth growling over.

Here is what you need-

Preheat your oven before you begin mixing your ingredients.

2 cups cake flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1tsp salt
1/4 cup butter (cold and cut into small pieces.)
1/4 cup full fat plain yogurt
1/2 cup 7Up

Now before go any further, if you already have a batch of the homemade biscuit  mix on hand or even store bought, you can cut this down to 3 ingredients.

2 cups biscuit mix
1/4 cup full fat plain yogurt
1/2 cup 7Up

If using ingredient list one, mix all the dry ingredients together (flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt). Using two forks or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it looks like a coarse meal.

Add the yogurt and 7Up and  mix until well combined.

Turn out onto a floured surface. I use my Silpat, it makes clean up a breeze. Roll out using a rolling pin and fold over into an 8x8" square. With a sharp knife cut into 9 equal sized squares. Grease a 9x9" pan. Place the biscuits in the pan (they may be touching) and bake until golden. 15-20 minutes. These biscuits are not large biscuits. They may even be called dainty. But the size helps with the moderation aspect since they are so easy you may make them, a lot!

Eat hot from the pan after you pull them out of the oven. Or you could do the polite thing and serve them, on a plate, at the dinner table.

Nah...

If you are using a biscuit mix, start with the: Add yogurt and 7Up and follow the rest of the steps.

A few substitutions and a few don`t dos.

All Purpose flour may be used. I prefer cake flour because it makes a more tender biscuit.

You may use sour cream but in either case do not use fat free. It needs to be the full on fat version.

You may use the lemon-lime soda of your choosing but do not use diet. It makes for bad biscuits!

If you prefer a more crumbly biscuit, think a store bought biscuit mix biscuit, increase the amount of yogurt or sour cream to 1/2 cup.

These biscuits are an easy way to keep it Sassy!

love-j

Happy New Year! A little early?

Well if we can start celebrating Christmas in October, I can celebrate New Year`s in November. Well it was`t so much New Year`s but the soup I make after our New Year`s Day lunch.

We are a soup family in the winter. My hubby loves it and thanks to the slow cooker, soup makes my life easier. And there is nothing better than on a cold, dark evening opening my door to the smell of soup simmering in the crock pot. It makes me feel like my house is giving me a big old welcome home hug. And yesterday I wanted one of those hugs in the form of New Year`s Soup.

This soup is normally made with the leftovers from our New Year`s Day lunch. In the South that consists of a pork roast, blacked peas and collards. AND the best thing of all the pot liquor from the collards. We are expecting cold weather tomorrow and I was craving this soup and knew it would be perfect for that first really cold NC day. So I decided to try it from scratch and the results were pretty tasty. There is even some left for the actual cold day!

I did forget one step - soaking the black eyed peas overnight but here is the simple fix. Put them in a pot and add enough water to cover about 1/2 an inch higher than the beans. Bring to a soft boil, once boiling turn the heat down and simmer for 10-15 minutes. This should not add extra prep time. Do this first before you start putting the soup together and your  timing will be spot on.

Here is what you need-

10 oz of fresh collards

A note about the fresh collards- They should be easy to find this time of year. I see pre-washed bags in the produce section all the time. If not, use frozen. You can use any green variety you prefer but I would avoid baby spinach. It may not surviving the long cooking time without disintegrating. If you use frozen, I do not have an exact measurement. Add as much of as you would like. However, if you can find fresh, use them. They add depth and flavor to the broth that cannot be beat!

16 oz  sausage (You may use link and slice it into links or bulk and crumble it. I prefer hot but mild or medium are perfectly fine!)
1 medium yellow onion chopped
1 tbsp oil
1cup of dry black eyed peas *sorted
1 14.5 oz can of tomatoes
1 15 oz can of corn
2 beef broth bullion cubes
3 1/2 pints stove top/ 3 pints slow cooker of water (I use a pint mason jar to measure. It`s how grandma did it and we do not question the grandma.)
Salt and pepper to taste

*Sorted means that you have sifted through the beans to make sure there are no rocks in them and that any disagreeable beans have been picked out.

You can make this on the stove top or in the slow cooker. I will be honest, the two versions do taste different from slow cooker to stove top. I find slow cooker flavors a little more muted than stove top due to the slow cooking time. A splash of lemon or vinegar helps brighten the flavor of slow cooked soups and stews. A little lemon juice (1-2 tbsp) added to this before serving and stirred in well really adds to the flavor. But this step is not necessary.

Layer your greens in the bottom of your crock. This step is EXTREMELY important. If you don`t add them first, you may have a hard time getting everything to fit.

Brown your sausage and onion in a skillet with the oil. Your sausage will render fat so the oil may seem unnecessary but it is a precaution to prevent burning. Drain. I just scoop my out with a slotted spoon letting as much fat drip as possible when time to add it to the crock.

If you soaked your beans overnight, drain them and add them to the crock if there is any remaining water. If you simmered them, add the beans and water to the crock. You may drain these as well but I like to use that liquid. If you use the simmered bean water adjust your water from 3 pints to 2 1/2.

Add the sausage and onion. The heat will help wilt  the greens making a little more room. Add the remaining ingredients to the crock. Cook of low for 7-8 hours or high for 4.

Before serving, stir the soup well to make sure everything is mixed together. I usually do this about halfway through the cooking process if I am at home, adding an additional 30 minutes of cooking time. Or if I am making this during the work week, I stir at as soon as I walk in the door and let it continue to cook before we eat at 6:30. If you stir halfway through, the ingredients may not be done and you need to add extra cooking time because removing the lid even for a few seconds brings the temperature down.

Stove top-

In a dutch oven, brown your onion and sausage. Scoop as much fat as possible out. Add your collards and remaining ingredients. Stir, put the lid on and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

The stove to soup will have a thicker consistency than the crock pot soup. Even with a lid there will be some evaporation.

Serve with *biscuits to sop up the goodness and you will have a happy belly!

I serve this with 7-up biscuits which I will be posting today. My wonderful, kind taste testers said putting the biscuits in the soup made it even better. And I do what they say because they are AWESOME!

Keep it Sassy!

love-j

Sausage Balls, Sausage Balls. Wherefore art thou Sausage Balls?

If you ask my hubby what he wants for his last meal the first words out of his mouth are Sausage Balls. He asks for them all of the time but those babies are a bear to make. They are are not difficult, it`s just a big ole pain to roll those suckers. In the words of of the hubby, he is an eater not a roller. And that ladies and gentlemen is why he gets them only 3 times per year.

So, how do you solve the Sausage Ball dilemma? You make bread. Cheesy, sausagey, stick to your ribs bread. Just in case you are not familiar with sausage balls, they are raw sausage, biscuit mix and cheese mixed together, rolled into balls and baked. That is it. So how hard would it be to make bread using those same ingredients? The answer- not very! Happy Dance! Happy Dance!

The other great thing about this recipe is it is perfect for soup/salad night. It is a more dense, heavy bread. This great when you have a soup that does not call for a lot of meat or a budget that doesn't allow for it. It is also perfect for salad nights. This bread has the heft to keep you full.

1 lb sausage (I use country sausage we get from a local store in my hometown and remove it from the casings. Use your favorite bulk sausage.)
3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1 egg
1 tsp crushed red pepper (You may certainly add more if you prefer it a little more spicy or use spicy sausage.)
2 tsp salt
2 cups of homemade biscuit mix (2 cups flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, 12 tsp salt and 2 tbsp shortening or oil) or store bought if you prefer
2/3 cup of milk
1/4 cup of mayonnaise

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Crumble sausage into a large skillet and brown.

While sausage is browning, grease a 9x5 bread pan. Do not skip this step!!! And grease liberally. Since this is a heavy bread, it will stick.

Drain sausage on a paper towel and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, beat egg and add cheese, red pepper, salt. Add biscuit mix, milk and mayonnaise. Stir.

Add sausage to the mixture. Mix until blended together.

Bake for 40-45 minutes. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes and serve.

Sausage balls for supper! Hey this recipe got me the ummm ummm dance and hubby doesn`t pull that out for everything.

Keep it Sassy- j

Homemade Biscuit Mix

I am all about ease and convenience. With that said,  most of the time ease and convenience come at a price. Processed foods do make life so much easier but sometimes the ease is not worth it. I am not sure I want to eat stuff I cannot pronounce or that has a reputation for being bad for you. Unless it`s pie, pie I`m okay with...

I have searched for short cuts and easy tips that will keep things simple and as healthy as possible. And I promise that this biscuit mix is almost as simple as opening the box of the store bought kind. 

1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp shortening, oil or melted butter

Using a whisk, mix the dry ingredients together.

Cut the shortening into the dry ingredients. If using oil (I have had great luck with olive oil) or melted butter, disperse as much as possible.

Mix well. Use the same amount as you would of the store bought biscuit mix.

I have read that this will keep for four months if stored  in a tightly sealed container in a dry place. I only make enough at a time for what I need. If you don`t feel comfortable storing it like this, you may keep it in your refrigerator.

Pecan Pie

Pecan Pie is one of my most favorite things in the whole world. It is so tied to the Holidays that is should be called Christgiving or Thanksmas Pie.

A few years ago I found my family`s secret. Our Thanksgiving pie was an Edwards` Pie . Now considering my family`s name is Edwards, I never caught on that when asked if it was homemade the answer was simply "It`s definitely an Edwards` pie." They had been serving us pie from a box! My grandmother would be appalled unless it was her idea and I refuse to believe such heresy.  Sneaky huh? That`s my people.

But is is really good pie but I promise a pecan pie is not difficult to make. AND you can freeze it just like an Edwards`!

There are several variations o Pecan Pie. My favorite is:

1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup light Karo syrup
1/4 cup molasses (too much molasses and it has a mineral taste)
3 eggs
1/4 cup of butter
1 cup of pecans
1 tsp vanilla
*pinch of salt

Here are two others from an old church cookbook that I have tried and really liked. I think you have a little wiggle room with the types of sugar and corn syrup but not the amounts.

1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup dark corn syrup
3 eggs
1/4 cup butter
1 cup of pecans
1 tsp vanilla
*pinch of salt

OR

1 cup sugar
1 cup of Karo Syrup (it did not specify dark or light so I used the light I had on hand)
3 eggs
1 cup pecans
1 tsp of vanilla
*pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Beat eggs and sugar together. Add corn syrup, butter (if using) salt and vanilla and mix well. Stir in pecans. Add to unbaked pie crust.

Bake for 50-60 minutes.

The problem with Pecan Pie is waiting. It needs to be cool enough for the center to be set. If you cut too soon all of the goodness will run out.

*I have figured out that a pinch of salt equals approximately 1/4 tsp. I think, maybe, okay sure.

If you want to freeze it, wait until it is completely cool and wrap with Saran. I know you know this but do not flip it over. Set your pie on top of the Saran and come over the sides. I recommend 2-3 layers. Slide in a large ziptop bag and freeze pecan side up. It should keep for 1-2 months. Pull it out and let it thaw. Once thawed you can heat in a 325 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes to warm it up.

Keep It Sassy- j

I heart kale!

I have an affinity for green leafy vegetables. It started with my baby bottle and liquor. Hey- before you start assuming bad things, I am talking about pot liquor. The delicious juice left in a pot after cooking Southern Greens. And that delicious broth was put in my baby bottle to keep me healthy especially when my grandma thought I looked peaked (beginning to look a little under-the-weather). I could eat them every day but some times cooking them for long periods of time isn't an option. That is when I break out the skillet and enjoy braised kale.

Yummy Yummy Kale

12 oz Kale
1 medium onion
1 jalepeno
1 yellow pepper
1 tbsp oil
1 chicken bouillon cube
3/4 c water
1/2 c red wine
salt and pepper to taste

Okay before we go any further, I have a confession to make. I did not use the onion pictured above or the oil. I cut into that onion and well, let's just say it was cute on the outside and a hot mess on the inside. YUCK! So I substituted a red onion which you will see in the pictures below.

As for the oil, there was a mason jar of bacon grease in the refrigerator. I feel nothing else needs to be said. :)

That is the great thing about a lot of the recipes I have been working on, the have flexibility. If you read and think this would be better adding this or that, try it. And if it works, let me know so I can steal it... ermm, I mean borrow your idea.

Preheat your skillet on medium heat, especially if using a cast iron. I normally put my skillet on the heat while I am slicing my onions and peppers. Add the oil/grease when you begin heating your pan.

Another slight change from the picture above, you will notice the yellow pepper did not make it in the pot.
P-I-C-K-Y   H-U-B-B-Y
I ate it as a snack.

Once sliced, add the onions and jalepeno and cook until soft.

Break up the bouillon cube and sprinkle over the onion and jalepeno. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes, add 3/4 cup of water and scrape the yummy bits off the bottom of your pan.

Add your first batch of greens. Eyeball it. Fill the pan as much as possible with a lid being able to fit. As that batch wilts down, add your second batch and continue this process until you can fit all the kale in your pan with the lid on.

Pour the wine over top and braise until tender. You can omit the wine if you prefer and use more water or broth. I like the complexity in flavor the wine brings as well as the touch of sweetness.

This is a great side with any meal or in a bowl right by itself. Tonight it was a side for steak and roasted potatoes but I only went back for seconds on the kale.

Keep it Sassy!

love-j