Miss Vetra’s Strawberry Cake

Joyous summertime in the South. The sounds of tree frogs chirping, cicadas humming and the gentle buzzing of the streetlights illuminating the path home after a long day of play. The smells of sticky honeysuckle, rain-soaked streets on a hot, humid day, and tomato vines in bloom. The taste of ice-cold watermelon; fresh shucked corn, milky and sweet; and the intoxicating aroma of sugar soaked strawberry cakes fresh out of my grandmother's oven.

Layer cakes are a “thing” in the south; they are meant to shock and awe, to win the crowd. You had best believe that if Miss Martha June shows up to the family gathering with a layer cake that she is throwing down the gauntlet and she did not come to play.

Most families in the south make layer cakes which are specific to not only the region but to their families. To make a layer cake is not a simple thing; it takes patience, a certain level of skill and will power. Also, the recipes are almost always guarded and held within the family.

It is a badge of honor if you were chosen, the one who not only makes the cakes, but guards the recipe and decides early on who will be the next family member to carry on the tradition. My grandmother, Miss Vetra, chose me to be the keeper of the family recipes.

Strawberry layer cake was a cake that Miss Vetra was known for, not only within our family but within our community. Many a birthday, church picnic or club meeting were graced with Miss Vetra, snap purse in one hand and strawberry cake filled Tupperware cake carrier in the other hand, smiling and loving like she did. Miss Vetra was a boss and she did not come to play most days, but she was never boastful or mean–a proud and strong southern woman who knew she made some damn good cake.

As a child I was pretty much in tow to all of these events and unbeknownst to me was being trained as a strong southern woman and taught to make this cake as the keeper of tradition, which makes the information that I almost lost this recipe downright shocking. But alas, it's true, which is why I have decided to share this recipe with all of you, in the spirit of family and tradition and the memory of Miss Vetra. It will not be lost, but loved and carried down with the generations as you make memories within your own families and share in the communion of friends.

This cake hits all the notes of an old school southern strawberry cake. During the period of literal years that I had misplaced my grandmother's handwritten recipe, I searched low and high for another recipe that had not only the taste but the color and texture of the strawberry cake I longed for from my childhood. I could never find one, some were better than others but none were the same. Upon finding her recipe I laughed out loud reading the ingredients–none of the things as a chef that I thought should be in the cake were actually in the cake. Never in a million years would I have known that she was using a lemon cake mix as the base, because that is crazy! But sometimes crazy is what makes the world go round and just what we need.

This cake is neon pink on the inside, sticks to your fork moist, exploding with strawberry flavor and so sweet that you will be running through the house barefoot screaming whoopee.

It's genius and it's perfect. Who would have known that sweet, in-the church-every-Sunday-Miss Vetra was actually practicing witchcraft in her kitchen.

Well played, Miss Vetra, and thank you.

Love, Dixie Belle.

Miss Vetra’s Southern Strawberry Cake

Makes 10 Servings

Cake Ingredients

1 box Duncan Hines lemon cake mix
3 TB all-purpose flour
1 (6 oz.) package strawberry Jello mix
¼ tsp salt
½ cup water (room temperature)
½ cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs, beaten
1 (16 oz.) package frozen strawberries, thawed and drained

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.. Lightly spray two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together cake mix, flour, Jello mix and salt. Add water, oil and eggs and whisk until batter is smooth. Do not over mix.

Fold in strawberries until evenly incorporated.

Divide mix evenly between prepared pans.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool for 1 hour on a cooling rack.

Frosting Ingredients

¾ cup butter, softened
¼ cup of shortening
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup strawberry jam
1 drop red food coloring

Directions

Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, cream butter and shortening on medium speed until smooth. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on low and blend until sugar is incorporated. Scrape down the sides again and add 1 more cup of the powdered sugar, jam and food coloring and turn the mixer on low and whip 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy.

Frosting the cake instructions:

Apply a layer of frosting in between layers of cake and then crumb frost the cake with a thin layer of frosting. Place cake in the fridge for 30 mins-1 hour to let the frosting set up.

Remove and using a spatula, apply remaining frosting to sides and top as desired.

Notes

This is a very sweet cake, so feel free to adjust the amount of sugar in the frosting to your personal taste. If you prefer it less sweet, taste after adding the two cups of sugar and continue to add more sugar gradually until it hits the desired sweetness.

Crumb frosting simply means applying a thin layer of frosting to the cake which collects most of the crumbs and gives you a smooth base to frost. After the crumb coat sets up, the remaining frosting will go on smoothly, resulting in a cleaner cake.

Christmas Cookies: Baking Ordinary Into Extraordinary

We love this time of year when, for a few weeks at least, we get to relax our dietary standards and enjoy a little extra sweetness in our lives.

Whether it’s baking with the kids to fill their time off from school, for a cookie exchange to surprise your friends and family with individualized presents, or to impress Santa on Christmas Eve while he struggles to assemble little George’s bike – cookies become common around many houses during the holidays.

But just because they are ordinary doesn’t mean that they can’t be extraordinary.

We here at GTC love to collaborate during this time, as well. We celebrate our diversity as cooks, each with her own approach and strengths. This year, we set out to find and share some delicious cookie recipes with you.

From all of our houses to yours, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a very happy holiday.

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 FROM DIXIE

Miss Vetra’s Old-Fashioned Fruitcake Cookies

My grandmother made Christmas cookies and candies beginning the week after Thanksgiving and continuing all the way through December until Christmas Eve. As much as I remember my own joy as the house began to fill with the warm smells of cinnamon and chocolate, I remember the joy of our friends, family, and neighbors as she handed out small tins filled with divinity, gingerbread, frosted sugar cookies, and fruitcake cookies to name a few. The mix would vary from year to year, but these four were always included.

So much of my modern-day adult Christmas celebration is filled with nostalgia and memories from my childhood. Nothing screams nostalgia like Miss Vetra’s Fruitcake cookies filled with those delightful neon-colored candied fruits, winter nuts, and a little booze.

Fruitcake, in general, gets a really bad rap—most people have never had a really good, old-fashioned liquor-soaked fruitcake made by a delightful Methodist grandma.

My grandmother’s cookies embody all of the best things about fruitcake but in cookie form.

Miss Vetra’s Old-Fashioned Fruitcake Cookies

Makes 2 dozen cookies

1⅔ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
½ tsp cloves
½ tsp baking soda
½ cup butter, room temperature
½ cup Crisco
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, beaten, room temperature
1 TB orange marmalade
1 TB brandy or dark rum
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 ½ cups candied fruit cake mix
½ cup chopped dates
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped pecans
24 pecan halves

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In medium bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, salt, cloves and baking soda. Set aside.

In large bowl or bowl of stand mixer* bowl cream together butter, Crisco and brown sugar until light and fluffy, roughly 5-7 minutes. 

Add in egg, orange marmalade, brandy and vanilla; mix on low until just combined.

Slowly add in flour mixture to creamed butter mixture, one cup at a time on lowest speed until completely incorporated.

Stir in candied fruit mixture and chopped walnuts by hand, using a wooden spoon.

On cookie sheets,  drop tablespoons of cookie dough mix in 3 by 4 pattern. Press one pecan half in the center of each cookie.

Bake for 15-17 minutes until cookies are golden brown. Cooking times may vary slightly depending on your oven.  Remove from oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack using a spatula, let sit for 30 minutes before serving.

*I prefer a handheld mixer, but a stand mixer works just fine.

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FROM MAGGIE

Chocolate Cookies with Crushed Peppermint

We have arrived at the season of nostalgia, and I am happy to swim in it—especially if it’s filled with sugar and chocolate! The sea salt chocolate cookies at Lucia’s in Linden Hills, where I did my externship in Minneapolis, were one of my favorite things from the bakery. The triple chocolate cake and pumpkin bars were nothing to turn your nose up at either, but we can talk about those another time.

Now that Lucia’s has closed, I have to make the cookies myself. It’s cool, though; they’re easy enough, even for non-bakers like myself! Since it’s the holiday season, I thought I’d mix it up and replace the flaky sea salt topping with crushed peppermint. Just put a few hard peppermint candies or mini candy canes in a freezer-weight zip-top bag and hit ’em a few times with the smooth side of a meat mallet or a heavy rolling pin. Don’t over-crush, though – you wanna see that red and white stripe in the bits of candy topping.

Here’s to reveling in all that nostalgia and eating sweets with abandon! Happy holidays!

Chocolate Cookies with Crushed Peppermint

Makes 4 dozen cookies

Cookies

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
12 TB unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp flaky sea salt (such as Maldon brand)
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Topping

1/4 cup water
3 TB sugar
2 TB crushed hard peppermint candy

Into medium bowl, sift flour, cocoa, and baking soda.  

Place butter in bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat on medium speed 2 to 4 minutes, until very soft. Add brown sugar, the 1/4 cup sugar, the 1/2 tsp salt and vanilla. Beat 2 to 4 minutes longer on medium speed, until creamy.

Add flour mixture. Mix on low speed just until incorporated. Dn not overmix. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in chopped chocolate.

Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. Divide dough in half; place one half of dough on another piece of parchment paper. Using paper to keep dough from sticking, roll each half of the dough into a 12-inch log. Roll up each log and place in freezer 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oven to 325°F. Line two half sheet pans (18x13-inch rimmed baking sheets) with parchment paper. In small saucepan, make the simple syrup: combine water and 3 remaining TB sugar and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 2 to 4 minutes, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; cool slightly.

Working with a sharp chef knife or bench scraper, slice each log into 24 rounds, reshaping dough as necessary. Place cookies in 4 by 6 pattern on pans, leaving 1 inch between each. 

Bake 12 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking. Transfer pans to cooling racks and let cool at least 5 minutes.

Use pastry brush to "paint" cookies with the simple syrup, then sprinkle with crushed hard peppermint candy*.

* You can top the cookies with 2 TB flaky sea salt instead of the peppermint candy.

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FROM MARY MARGARET 

Santa’s Favorite Cookies

My husband’s greatest weakness is chocolate chip cookies, so I’m always sure to have these around on Christmas Eve for “Santa.” Here, I’ve tweaked the classic Toll House cookie recipe to include a few of his favorite things, including dark chocolate, craisins, and rolled oats.

Santa’s Favorite Cookies

Makes 8 dozen cookies

½ cup craisins
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup white sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs 
1 TB vanilla 
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp hot water 
2 cups rolled oats
1 package dark chocolate chips or chunks (12oz)
1 cup toasted, chopped pecans 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Cover craisins in hot water to plump. 

In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream sugars and shortening. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well. 

Sift flour into medium bowl; add salt. In small bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add flour mixture and dissolved baking soda to the mixture in stand mixer; mix on low speed until just combined. Add rolled oats, chocolate chips, drained craisins and pecans. Mix on low speed until incorporated

Place tablespoons of dough on prepared cookie sheets, spacing at least 1 inch apart. Bake in batches for 12 minutes. Remove while warm and cool on racks.

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FROM DEE

Nut-Free Linzer Cookies

As a person with nut allergies, I bake tons of cookies and treats that I never get to eat! Back in our active-duty days, the holidays were always an exciting blend of cultures and traditions. European friends introduced me to Linzer cookies. They were absolutely beautiful, and I was so sad that I couldn’t taste them because they were made with ground almonds or almond flour. 

So, I went looking for an alternative and found this recipe from Cathy Roma at whatshouldimakefor.com. Problem solved! The lemon zest can be doubled, and the raspberry and lemon are a match made in Heaven, and the two acids complement the rich buttery flavor of these cookies perfectly. I have also used apricot preserves just for another color on a cookie tray. Raspberry is traditional, but making your own traditions can be wonderful, too. This is a low-yield cookie (2 dozen completed cookies), but they are worth every minute of effort. Happy Holidays!

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FROM CAM

Gingersnaps

I am not much of a baker of sweet things. I can churn out rolls and loaves of bread, but my Kitchenaid must think it queer when I attach the flat beater and crank it up to make a batch of cookies. I love a good commercial gingersnap, so for this Christmas baking project, I chose the beloved, crispy and spicy cookie that so many people love. I found a great recipe from King Arthur flour.

I love the flavors here. The balance of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves is spot on. The ginger range is from 1 - 2 teaspoons, and I chose the more conservative 1 teaspoon, and it was plenty. I used solid vegetable shortening, as the recipe did not specify, and while the cookies came together, the batter was crumbly. I was worried it would impact the final product, but alas, they turned out perfectly moist. And I don't have any real baking tools - like a cookie scoop - but getting them to the 1-inch ball size wasn't difficult. You roll the balls in cinnamon sugar, and they flatten out when you cook them. I love, too, that you can choose between a softer cookie with a crispy exterior or the more common crisp-throughout version just by adding 2 minutes to the bake time.  

So, for some great flavor bang from what seems to be almost a no-fail recipe, give this one a try. And Merry Christmas!

The Holy Grail: Detroit Pizza

Detroit, Michigan: the grittiest city in the United States. To know Detroit is to love Detroit. You gotta have a lot of heart, pride, and strength to fight everybody all day, every day.

Detroit has been through some rough years between the car industry pulling out and leaving her for dead and decades of mismanagement and bad choices by the powers that be.

But folks, I am here to tell you loud and clear that the city of Detroit is far from dead. You don't have to look very far to see that her heartbeat has been fueled and fed by the people and the food. She is making a comeback like champions do - a "hold my beer" moment of epic proportions.

Community feeds itself literally, figuratively, and spiritually as we come together to break bread at the table. This is always the way. 

Food brings people together, feeding not only our bodies but our minds and our souls. Each of us brings something different to the table, a favorite dish from grandma, a memory or a story, identifiers of who we are and where we come from. 

In every community and culture, the table exists in some form, a place of generosity, unity, and love where we are our best selves. Detroit embodies this spirit at all her tables, and she welcomes you to sit, share and eat.

The food scene in Detroit is intense. A homage to the people and places where their families' stories began. The table is set with food from all corners of the world.

No dish says this more than Detroit Pizza. A Hot Rod version of Sicilian pizza, it hits hard and fast and leaves a lasting impression. By all accounts, the first Detroit Pizza was made by Italian immigrant Gus Guerra in 1946 at the bar Buddy's Rendezvous. Gus wanted to add a version of Sicilian pizza to the lineup, a dish he remembered from sitting at his grandmother's table. Sicilian pizza is square or rectangular in shape, so how to do this?  

At the time, car production was happening across the city of Detroit. In every factory was a small steel utility tray used for transporting small parts, nuts, screws, etc. Buddy thought the trays might work for his pizza as they were plentiful, square in shape, and made of steel which conducts heat extremely well.

The rest is history.

Detroit Pizza was officially born, and in my humble opinion (and Chicago, I apologize in advance), it is, in fact, the Holy Grail of Pizza. 

The crust, oh the crust … light, airy, yeasty focaccia bread, saturated with extra virgin olive oil, the slightest bit of chewy goodness in the center, the perfect bite of crisp on the outside. The entire crust is encased with caramelized and slightly burnt cheese that oozes like molten lava down the sides and into the corners, awakening all of your senses and whipping your taste buds into a state of euphoria. Covered with garlicky pepperoni, sweet Italian sausage hinted with fennel, the earthy undertone of oregano, and the humble and pure tomato sauce. Ingredients joined together in holy matrimony for all time. Hallelujah and amen, brothers and sisters. This is Detroit Pizza. It ain't gonna be easy, but it is gonna be great, just like the city of Detroit.

*This recipe and process will take 3 days. I like to start the dough on Thursday and make the pizza on Saturday. Plan. Like all great things, it takes time. 

Dough Ingredients

3 cups 00 flour
¼ cup semolina flour
1 TB sea salt
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp active dry yeast
1¾ cups warm water
2 TB extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing pan on baking day

Dough Directions

In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients (both flours, salt, sugar, and yeast), and whisk together to fully incorporate all ingredients.

Pour warm water over dry ingredients and begin stirring until flour is fully incorporated and a sticky dough starts to form. You may need to add a touch more water than the recipe calls for, depending on the day. Once the dough is ready, we will transfer it to another container for the rise.

In a large plastic bowl or container, add the olive oil. Using your hands, rub the olive oil all around the bottom and sides of the bowl or container. Transfer the dough to the greased container and roll around the bowl, making sure to completely coat the dough.

Cover the bowl tightly and place in the fridge for a minimum of 8 hours (overnight) or preferably for 2 days.

The 2-day rise is what will give you the closest texture to authentic Detroit Pizza.

Tomato Sauce Ingredients

1 can crushed tomatoes (28 oz.)
2 cloves chopped fresh garlic
2 TB tomato puree or paste
4 TB extra virgin olive oil
4 TB good red wine
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
6-8 whole fresh basil leaves
1 TB granulated sugar
1 tsp dry oregano
1 tsp sea salt (kosher salt can be substituted)
½ tsp ground black pepper
Pinch (roughly ⅛ teaspoon) dried red chili flakes

Tomato Sauce Directions

Add all ingredients to a saucepan (use a big enough pan that the sauce has room to cook and move) and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. You are cooking just enough to get all the rawness cooked out of the canned tomatoes and let the ingredients come together.

Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container overnight if using the next day.* Sauce can be used on the same day if desired.

.*I prefer to make the sauce 1 day ahead because the flavors pop after sitting overnight.

Ingredients/ Toppings for Pizza

12 slices of large pepperoni
4 oz. raw sweet Italian sausage
6 oz. block of Mozzarella cheese, shredded using a box grater
6 oz. block of Monterey Jack cheese, shredded using a box grater
3 oz. White cheddar cheese, shredded using a box grater.
1 ½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 10 x 14 Detroit Rectangle Steel Pizza Pan - if you want to make this pizza properly, then you must have one of these pans, and it must be steel, not aluminum.
Extra virgin olive oil for greasing
Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, to taste, optional*

*I always have a small wedge of Parm or pecorino in my fridge. As soon as my pizza comes out of the oven, using a Microplane or small cheese grater, I grate the cheese over the entire pizza. But this step can be omitted per your taste, and you can use as much or as little as you like.

Pizza Instructions

Pull out pizza dough and let it sit for 2 hours before using. You need the dough to be at room temperature so it will be easy to work with in the pan.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees for 30 minutes prior to cooking the pizza. If you have a pizza stone, place it on the middle rack during preheating. If you do not have a pizza stone, do not stress. You may have to cook your pizza for a slightly longer time, but it will work.

While the oven is preheating, get sauce on the stove at a low temp. You do not want it to cook but to loosen up slightly and be warm all the way through.

In a large bowl, mix grated cheeses evenly. Set aside.

Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the pan, and using your hands, rub all along the bottom and sides of the pan, completely covering.

Dump pizza dough, including all the olive oil, directly into the center of the pan. Using the tips of your fingers and working from the center out to the edges, pat dough out ( like you were playing the piano) until dough reaches the edges and corners. Be patient, and just keep pressing gently until the pan is covered.

Sprinkle dried oregano over the entire crust. Cover the entire crust with the grated cheese mixture, and this is KEY: make sure you sprinkle cheese all along the edges and corners so that when it cooks and melts, it will "burn" on the outside of the crust. This is one of the main things that will give you a true Detroit crust.

Cover the crust with pepperoni slices. Layer sweet Italian sausage, tearing off tiny little knobs as you go. A small bowl of warm water to dip fingers in as you work with the sausage helps immensely with the stickiness.

Take a large spoon and dot tomato sauce across the top of the pizza. You do not want to spread the sauce out; leave it as is.

Slide the pan into the oven (on a pizza stone, if using) on the center rack and bake for 20 minutes. Every oven is different, y'all, so you may need slightly less or slightly more cooking time. You are looking for dark crispy edges, melted lava-like cheese, and sausage bubbling clear juice. Then once you have determined the pizza is cooked, turn your broiler on high and cook for up to 5 more minutes until the cheese begins to bubble and is lightly browned. The broiling helps to ensure the entire surface of the pizza has an even melt with the cheese, which gives the texture that stringy pull we all look for in pizza, especially pizza right out of a pizza oven to the table. Just be sure to watch vigilantly during this step and pull out before it gets too dark.

Pull the pan out VERY carefully, your pan and oven will be screaming hot, and the chances of getting burned are high.

Set pan on the stove, and grate the Parm or pecorino over the top if desired. Using a spatula, lift the entire pizza out onto a cutting board, and using a pizza cutter, slice in squares. Serve immediately and rejoice in this beautiful thing you have just created. It only gets easier the more you make the pizza.

Notes: 

* I normally get someone to hold the cutting board when I lift pizza out of the pan. It can be tricky until you get the feel. Go slow your first time, and let the pizza cool a little if you need to. Another technique that works is holding the pan with good oven mitts on, slightly tilted over the cutting board, and using the spatula to slide out of the pan onto the board.

*Detroit Pizza uses a cheese referred to as "Brick Cheese," which is usually mixed with Mozzarella. Brick cheese is very hard to source in the south. However, with a little mixing and matching, I have developed a cheese blend with the proper consistency and a flavor that is very close. If you can find Brick cheese in your area, I recommend using it in place of my cheese mix for authenticity.

The Small, But Mighty, Peach

The last thirty years of my life have been devoted to my passion for food. I have been on a culinary journey to discover, learn, and create all things beautiful within the realm of food. Whether it be family, friends or community, food is one of the things that brings us together in spirit and space. 

Throughout my journey one of the things that I have discovered is that the simplest foods are, more often than not, the best foods. 

Pure ingredients showcased with seasonal, fresh, and regional items are the items that sing on their own and speak to us to create something beautiful and delicious. 

Mississippi is in full-blown Spring at the moment, and nothing speaks to me in Spring more than fresh peaches.

We show up and show out at our local farmers markets. Sun-ripened field grown tomatoes, okra, yellow squash, cucumbers, watermelons, sugar sweet corn, peas, beans, watermelons, cantaloupes, and peaches. Simply put, there is no other region in America that can rival the produce we grow in the South.

The first peaches are just beginning to come into season and, while they are small, they pack a punch. The smell of a perfectly ripe peach is intoxicating and tends to work us Southerners into a frenzy. The anticipation builds for that first bite of the first peach of the season.  You don't care that sticky peach juice will cover your face, arms and probably ruin a perfectly good shirt.  

When word hits the street that the peaches are in, you run – don’t walk! - to the local market to beat our beloved grandmas to the prize. There’s nothing like getting snaked on by a sweet little grandma for that last basket of peaches. She will knock you down without a second thought.

When picking out the perfect peaches the first thing you should ask yourself: “Does it smell like a peach?” You should be able to smell the sweet aroma of ripe peaches as you near the produce bin. No smell? Then, folks, just keep moving, as these are suspect, and you will experience feelings and emotions of great loss and disappointment if you bite into a mealy and tasteless peach. Go toward the light, or the smell, in this case.  

We are very fortunate in North Mississippi to have Cherry Creek Orchards out of Pontotoc, and you should have no trouble finding these delectable little fruits at the farmers’ markets, produce stands, or directly from the source.  

I would be remiss in my duty as a peach lover and a Southern chef if I did not also mention Chilton County, Alabama peaches, which are always good, but are exceptional this year, and again, you should have zero trouble laying hands on them during peach season. 

One of my favorite things about peaches is the versatility they offer the home cook. Of course, they are great for desserts - seriously, who does not like peach cobbler? 

But you can also make bruschetta with goat cheese, a peach gazpacho, a Havarti and prosciutto grilled cheese with fresh peaches, or an endless array of peach salads. 

Peach and halloumi salad is the recipe I am going to share with you. Halloumi is a semi-hard cheese made from a mix of sheep and cow’s milk. It has a chewy texture and a natural saltiness. It is readily available in bigger grocery stores. You will love this salad: it's simple, quick, and delicious.

Peach and Halloumi Salad

Ingredients

6 Genoa salami slices
1 package Halloumi cheese, about 8 oz., sliced in ½ inch slices
3 peaches, peeled and sliced
6 kalamata olives, pitted and sliced in half
½ small red onion, sliced paper thin
6-8 sugar snap peas, sliced in half
1/2 small Fresno chili, diced extra small
2 TB extra virgin olive oil
4 TB aged balsamic vinegar
Fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 charred lemon (see Notes)

Instructions

1. Crisp Genoa salami slices in small skillet like you would bacon. Crumble the crisped slices.

2. Take a large sauté pan and heat on medium high heat. Place Halloumi slices in a dry pan and cook until golden on one side. There will be a little moisture; don't panic. Flip over and do the same for the other side. 

3. Take Halloumi slices out of the pan and place directly on a nice serving platter. Line them down the center of the platter or any way you like, as long as the cheese is the first item on the platter. 

4. Next, place the sliced peaches along the sides of Halloumi, and sprinkle with olives, onion, peas, Fresno chili, and the crumbled, crispy Genoa. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle cracked black pepper over the dish. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over the top and place charred lemon on the side. 

NOTES: 

For charred lemon, simply slice a lemon in half and place sliced side down in a hot skillet until lemon develops a lovely caramelization. Doing this with the lemon wakes up the flavor and brings all the juice out of the lemon.

Make this platter literally right before you sit down to eat. Be sure to have all ingredients completely prepped and ready to go before cooking the Halloumi cheese, as you will assemble the salad on the serving platter immediately after you heat the cheese.

The Peaches used in this photo are Chilton County Peaches.

Kalamata Olives were used for this dish, but a pitted Cerignola green olive would make a great substitution if you prefer a less salty olive.

Leave the Salami off and you have a beautiful vegetarian side.

Do not use any salt in this dish.

Encourage your guests to use a squeeze of the lemon as it will not only wake up the dish but their palates as well.

A Few of Our Favorite Things

As 2021 draws to a close, we here at Grab The Corkscrew are looking back over the year and counting our blessings. 

We are certainly thankful for our group of writers, our blog turning two last month, and all of the wonderful readers! 

In the spirit of giving, we present to you some of our favorite things and pray that 2022 brings us all a renewed enthusiasm for cooking, dining, and sharing, and for love, the core of it all.

Cheers … 

Wine & Spirits

Franco Serra Barolo – It is no secret I love wine (red, white, rose, you name it!), but I have definitely refined my tastes over the years, and dry Italian reds are definitely some of my favorites.  Our wine rack is always stacked with several bottles of this Barolo.  Reasonably priced at around $35 per bottle, it will not break the bank and yet is a quality full-bodied red, which pairs excellently with meats and cheeses. (Amanda)

Campo Viejo Rioja - Buddy and I found this inexpensive Spanish red wine that we love. It’s fruity and perfectly smooth, but not sweet. Prices range from $10 - $20. If you try any of the older reserves, let it breathe for just a few minutes before pouring. If you cannot find the Campo Viejo, look for any Spanish red that is made with a tempranillo grape (key ingredient), in particular those from the Rioja region, though the blends are delicious, too. (Cam)

Broadbent Vinho Verde - I always keep an extra bottle of this light, refreshing white in my refrigerator. This Portuguese table wine is a blend of green grapes that’s perfectly spritzy and dry at the same time. At around $10, it’s the perfect price point for serving to friends over brunch or a fish dinner. I jokingly call this my “mama wine.” Because of its low alcohol content, you can enjoy a few glasses without feeling worse for the wear. (Mary Margaret)

Segura Viudas Brut Heredad Reserva Cava - This is the ultimate “bring a bottle of wine” choice for the holidays. If you haven’t seen this thing … you have to check it out. It’s a standard 750mL bottle of Spanish sparkling, but the actual bottle is decidedly fat, with an embossed metal base that’s super sexy and looks like it costs way more than $21. It also just happens to taste great, too! (Maggie)

Moet and Chandon Champagne – I confess.  I’m fancy.  Cannot deny it.  There is always something sparkly and chilling in our refrigerator (no matter the time of year), and 9 times out of 10 it is going to include a bottle of this champagne.  Everyone should have a good bottle of champagne on hand; for special occasions, if nothing else. Sometimes after an especially long day, though, it is nice to pop a cork on this fruity (and much too easy going down) bubbly spirit. (Amanda)

Cooking & Food

Better Than Bouillon bases - I grew up cooking with those cute, square cubes of bouillon for soups, stews and the like, but the Better Than Bouillon bases are far and above a better solution for home cooks who like to tweak recipes. These bases are a paste, allowing you to dictate the flavor intensity as you see fit. The brand offers a number of flavor profiles (some Vegan, too) but I always keep beef, chicken and vegetable on hand. (Mary Margaret)

Langres Super Stinky Cheese - I’m officially obsessed with this cheese from Champagne. It’s so stinky I’m required to warn my husband before I open it. No one else in my house wants to share it with me, and I am so fine with that. Traditionally served with Champagne (another classic example of that whole what-grows-together-goes-together adage), Langres is delightful on a thin wafer cracker or toasted baguette, with a couple of Picholine olives to help cut through the intense, luscious creaminess. Oh, and it’s beautiful too. (Maggie) 

Yucatan Guacamole in a squeeze bottle - We keep this in the fridge to use as a condiment on sandwiches and as an addition to salads/dressings. You can find it in the refrigerator section at Wal-Mart next to the sour cream. Because it’s a squeeze bottle, you can squirt some out without air getting to the rest and turning it brown. The avocado content makes it pretty healthy and can raise HDL levels. And it’s delicious. (Cam)

McCormick Gourmet Organic Za'atar Seasoning - My favorite go-to ingredient in my home kitchen these days: The Lawry`s of the Middle East. This interesting little spice blend has earthy notes of thyme, oregano, and sumac. Sumac has a subtle, lemony flavor that brightens this savory spice mix. It’s great for use on roasted turkey, chicken, or fresh vegetables. Mix it with a healthy dose of kosher salt and cracked black pepper, and you have a bold steak rub. Or add into your favorite vinaigrette for salads. Readily available on any spice aisle of any grocery. (Dixie)

Frontera Green Chili Enchilada Sauce - This mild enchilada sauce is my favorite pantry ingredient for stretching leftovers. I can’t stand to waste good protein, but I’m usually tired of it after two meals. With this enchilada sauce, I simply chop any leftover pork/chicken/beef and fold it into a tortilla with cheese, black olives, red onion, and whatever else is in the fridge that needs to be eaten. This 8 oz. package works perfectly for 6-8 enchiladas and freezes beautifully. (Mary Margaret)

Lucini Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Very rarely do I cook with anything except extra virgin olive oil.  It is more expensive than regular olive oil, but it is much healthier for you and does not leave food heavy and oily tasting.  This brand is about $20 per bottle, and I defer to it because it is available in most supermarkets no matter where you live.  Made 100% from Italian olives, it automatically elevates most things I cook. (Amanda)

La Costena Diced Chipotle Peppers - Keep a jar in the fridge to add a little heat and smokiness to any soup or sauce. Add to your heat preference, but about a teaspoon per cup of liquid will perk your tastebuds up. (Cam)

French’s Crispy Jalapeños - Everyone knows about French’s Crispy Fried Onions, but there is a jalapeños version that makes a fantastic topping for your casseroles, soups, chili, and salads. Add them to a charcuterie board, and your guests will love the little spicy accent. The heat is perfect. The crunch is great. (Cam)

Philadelphia Cream Cheese – Yes, this is a very Basic B*#%! item, but it is never NOT in my refrigerator. Having guests over last minute? Throwing a holiday party? Going someplace and need to bring a dish? I defy you not to find hundreds of easy recipes, which use this ingredient, and, let me tell you if there are people in the world who do not like cream cheese I have not met them yet. If I did, I am not entirely sure we could be friends. The loveliest thing about cream cheese, though, is that it almost stands on its own as a dish. Quite often, appetizers requiring this ingredient do not require a dozen other items as well, and it helps take the stress out of cooking.  Am I right, or am I right? (Amanda) 

Bella Sun Luci Sundried Tomatoes - Wal-Mart sells a julienne cut that’s not packed in oil, and they are fantastic in sauces and salads. The flavor is so concentrated, and the texture so meaty, I keep a bag in my pantry at all times. (Cam)

Tools

Half Sheet Pans - The workhorse of my kitchen, half sheet pans are great for baking cookies, making nachos, cooking off a whole pound of bacon, roasting vegetables, and more. Big enough to fit a small spatchcocked turkey, the half sheet size is perfect for home cooks, but also a standard size for when you want to steal recipes from your favorite restaurant which uses whole sheet pans. You just halve the recipe and you’re in business. And you can get 2 of these guys for $12 at Sam’s Club, so you won’t feel bad about putting them through the wringer. Sam’s also sells the quarter-sized sheet pans for smaller tasks so I have a bunch of those as well. (Maggie)

Pre-Cut Parchment Paper Sheets - To keep those half sheet pans looking great longer but more importantly, to be able to rinse them instead of scrub them, find a place to keep some of these pre-cut parchment sheets. They’re 16 x 12 inches, meaning they fit nicely in those 18 x 13-inch half sheet pans. And with the precut sheets, of course, you don’t have to cut them, but also, they don’t roll up on you like cut parchment from a roll does. I have a dedicated drawer in my kitchen that perfectly fits a 1000-sheet box that I buy every couple of years from a restaurant supply store, but for a smaller level of commitment, here’s a 200-sheet pack from Amazon that comes in at a reasonable $14. (Maggie)

Plastic Quart Containers - Ubiquitous in restaurant kitchens, these players should have their own dedicated place in your home too. They’re dishwasher safe, microwave safe, freezer safe, and reusable. And the best thing about these is they come in quart, pint, and cup sizes, but each size uses the same size lid. They stack easily and are easier to dry and store than their Ziploc or Glad counterparts. (Maggie)

De'Longhi Livenza Deep Fryer with Easy Clean System - I just purchased my second deep fryer. After 10 years, the handle for my original Fry Daddy broke, and I couldn’t find a replacement. I decided to upgrade to this baby and I’m very happy with the results. It holds more oil than my last one (it says it holds 1 gallon but it actually holds slightly more) and it has a little spigot that lets you drain off the oil instead of pouring it out of the top. I usually drain off cooled oil into the container it came from, so the spigot makes swift work of that, without the need for a funnel. Plus, almost all of it fits in the dishwasher. It’s the best. If you don’t ever fry, you probably don’t need a countertop deep fryer. On the other hand, if you had your own, you might end up frying a lot more. Also, perhaps off-topic: let’s talk about air fryers. If you’re thinking an air fryer is in any way similar to a deep fryer, get ready for school: an air fryer is a tiny countertop convection oven. It is excellent for heating and re-crisping pre-cooked frozen food (pizza rolls, chicken nuggets, tater tots) and it reheats many leftovers very well, but it will not provide you with yummy fresh Pommes Frites or old-fashioned fried chicken. You can’t use it for things that are battered, like tempura. And fat provides flavor. There I said it. Sorry to proselytize for regularly bathing your food in artery-clogging peanut oil, but holy crap does it make it delicious! (Maggie)

The Ninja Foodi - We have a rule about not bringing new items into the house and kitchen unless something goes out the door at the same time, so I have resisted the Instapot and Ninja cooking trends over the last few years. Well, I got married and a dear friend gave us a Ninja Foodi as a wedding present. It has changed so much about cooking for me. The ability to air fry and pressure cook easily has opened my eyes to a whole new world. I will admit that, at first, I was intimidated by the number of functions. It evenly sautes, slow cooks, pressure cooks, air fries, broils, steams, and much more. Favorite dishes: Morning Star black bean burgers, carnitas, HamBeens soup, and any dried bean dishes. I’ll never go back. (Cam)

Techniques

Homemade Garlic Oil - Something that has been a handy-dandy thing for me, and that I’ve done for the last 30-something years, is to keep a small pan on the stove, preferably a pretty one, full of garlic oil. Simmer fresh, peeled garlic in your favorite oil until it’s soft. Both the roasted garlic and the oil have tons of different uses. Replenish as needed; no need to refrigerate. (Trish) 

Homegrown Dried Sage - ‘Tis the Season! During the holidays there are a few things I MUST have! I want it to “smell” like Christmas! I want it to “look” like Christmas. And above all, I need it to “taste” like Christmas. Once I have all of those things in place, it begins to “feel” like Christmas! The #1 item for me is homegrown dried sage. My husband grows sage in the summer in our tiny garden. We dry tons of it and put them in pretty jars for family and friends. It’s a must-have for me as I prepare the Christmas Dressing. The amazing thing about sage is the aroma will fill the house and is a perfect pairing with Christmas music! (Sylvia)

Melons and Memories: Watermelon Lemonade

Greetings, friends and neighbors! Hoping everyone`s summer has been filled with sunshine, fun and fellowship.

August is gearing up to be August. As a born and raised Southerner, August is the month I dread the most. The summer heat and humidity are kicked in full-tilt boogie, the homegrown tomatoes are winding down, the flip flops have flipped their last flop.

A strange shift in the universe takes place in and over Water Valley as the last bottle rocket is fired and the rocket's red glare slowly fades into the lingering smoke left behind from July`s celebration of Independence.

Here in Water Valley Mississippi, thoughts go from red, white, and blue to green and red. 

The decorations are brought down from dust covered boxes in the attic corner, the blinking and twinkling lights are untangled and checked, flags of a different variety are unfurled, giant lawn ornaments are staked, and wooden door hangings are hung from every front door in town.

If you thought I was shouting out Christmas in July, well, folks, you would be wrong. 

My adoration and reverence are directed towards a celebration of community - The Watermelon Carnival.

The Watermelon Carnival is one of the many ways we show love and pride for our community and town. 

Residents of our tiny Southern town welcome visitors from across the state to enjoy all things watermelon.

Y`all let me just go ahead and tell you that none of us come to play when it is Carnival time. This is one of those “get right or get left” moments. You best believe that all the grandmas are going to have the husbands, the sons, and all the whippersnapper young folks out mowing, trimming, raking, and sweeping.

Not a blade of grass will be out of place come carnival weekend.  We show up and show out as a community because when company comes you put on your Sunday best and bring out the good silver.

The week of the Watermelon Carnival is, hands-down, my busiest week as a business owner.   The BTC will be jumping every moment of every day. In my restaurant The Dixie Belle Café, we will showcase watermelon all week long.

As a chef, it is one of my favorite weeks of the year because it not only allows me to think out of the box but forces me to use all my experience, skills, and imagination to create beautiful food focused on watermelon.

If you follow me as a chef, then one of the things you associate with me is that I personally use food to speak to you on a different level. The Southern child who hung on my grandmother's apron strings and watched her cook is the core of who I am as a chef. My own memories are triggered each day I walk into my kitchen to cook, and I want to trigger those same memories with you, the customer.

Memories, smells, and tastes of our Southern childhoods and days past where we sat together at a makeshift table adorned with fried chicken, peas, tomatoes, cornbread, and watermelon. A table where stories were shared and love was given and received as we shared a meal in the summer heat.

One of the things always on my family's Southern table was lemonade. This Southern summer elixir is also one of the things I serve every year in my cafe for the watermelon carnival.

Watermelon lemonade, of course.

Nothing beats the heat like an ice-cold pitcher of lemonade. And nothing screams “Southern” like lemonade; we do it, and we do it well.

The Watermelon Carnival is the Water Valley community inviting you to come sit at our grandmother's table. All things watermelon will be served as an August breeze slices through the summer heat.

We will tell you the stories as we watch our local farmers bring in giant watermelons hoping to break the state record, and we will share in the memories of people and carnivals past as we create new memories together.

Here is my recipe for Dixie Belle Watermelon Lemonade. Southerners like lemonade super sweet and super tart. Feel free to adjust the recipe to the way you enjoy lemonade.

And Happy Watermelon Carnival 2021! If you are around this weekend, come enjoy the fun!

Dixie Belle’s Watermelon Lemonade

2 1/2 cups sugar (feel free to adjust to your personal taste)
8 cups water
4 1/2 cups red watermelon, cubed
12 large lemons, juiced (roughly 1-1½ cups)

Directions

Make a simple syrup. In a small pot, add water and sugar, turn heat on low, and cook until sugar is dissolved. Once sugar is completely dissolved, turn off heat and set to the side.

While the water sugar mixture is cooking, puree fresh watermelon in a blender. Do not overcrowd. Small batches work best, and sometimes it is necessary to add a touch of water, depending on your blender.

After the melon is pureed, you will want to skim off the foamy top with a ladle. In a serving pitcher of choice, mix pureed watermelon, lemon juice, and simple syrup. I like to float thin slices of fresh lemon and fresh mint as a garnish. Serve over ice.

Hope Springs Eternal

Hello, beautiful people of the page! Well, Ice Apocalypse of 2021, that was something to talk about for sure. Hoping all of you came through unscathed; it was definitely EPIC by Mississippi standards.

My little town and surrounding areas were shut down for a solid week. It is so rare that we get significant winter weather this far south that we just do not have the equipment and resources that other areas have to keep the infrastructure up and running.

With this being said, HUGE shout out to our city, county, grocery and first responders who showed up every day and tried to make sure things were as good as they could be during this tricky time.

Power stayed on, gas was flowing, our mainstreets and areas of travel were clear and it was really nice to see neighbors coming together and taking care of each other as a community.

Needless to say, once the layers of ice and winter precipitation melted and the last snow covered roof was only a memory, the next logical thought was that of Spring on the horizon. A time of rebirth and life and hope.

Warm days filled with sunshine, color and smile-filled flowers peeking through the wintered ground, chirping birds in budding trees, and the hum and chirp of tree frogs and cicadas singing the people a spring song.

This time last year, as spring was beginning to come alive and we were all starting to think about our hopes and dreams for the upcoming year, the world was suddenly turned upside down by a global pandemic.

None of us were prepared for the tragedy and loss that we would experience in our personal lives, with our loved ones, the loss of more small businesses than I can even begin to count and the uncertainty of what the future would hold. Hope quickly turned into fear and loss.

If you had asked me any other time before 2020 of my feelings of being a business owner in small town America, I would have told you how lucky and fortunate I feel to have been given the gift in my life of The B.T.C. Old-Fashioned Grocery here in Water Valley.

Be The Change. B.T.C.

B.T.C. is a woman-owned business on a bustling Mainstreet in a community where dreams are still possible, and life is, in fact, like a fairy tale - more days than not. If you asked me that same question pretty much any time last year after April, I would have told you it was a nightmare of epic proportions and filled with never ending disaster and that I wanted to quit.

The B.T.C. was the dreamchild and vision of my business partner Alexe van Beuren. I came into the picture about a year after the store was opened. I will not bore you with the story of how we came to be because it has been told a thousand times.

Our business is a labor of love filled with many hard days filled with work but also filled with joy, love, and hope. A place for everyone filled with many treasures in our grocery and delicious food in our cafe. A place for fellowship and community.

When it became clear in March 2020 what we were actually dealing with concerning COVID-19, the decision was made to totally close the cafe for a brief period due to safety concerns for the public. Quite frankly, it was the most gut-wrenching decision I have ever made. The cafe is my dream and a part of what makes me who I am. I had no idea if we would ever re-open this part of the business again.

My business partner and friend Alexe made the decision to keep the grocery open, motivated by a need to service her community during this dark time. For the record, this meant putting herself at great risk to go out into the world and source the products that she needed to deliver groceries to the front porches of people who were scared and sick.

Alexe is a strong person in general but this time filled with dread and stress and fear took a great personal toll on her - like most of us - so if you see her tell her “thank you,” because she did it for the good of her community and put her own needs to the side, 

We made it through last year, opened the grocery up to the public, and reopened the cafe for curbside service and pick up.

Now, once again, spring is upon us, and as a nation, we are in a much different place than the March of 2020.

Vaccines for COVID-19 are rolling out at a remarkable pace. Businesses are starting to re-open, and there are life and hope in the air. The rebirth and rebuilding are beginning, and we are starting to believe that we just might make it as a community.

We lost my father-in-law Laurence Harker to a COVID-related illness. Laurence was one of the sweetest, kindest and gentle humans I have ever known. Laurence was also not a quitter and had the mindset that when things get hard, you meet them head-on and push through.

We are pushing through, and while his loss is great, I think of him often because he loved the B.T.C., he loved me and he loved food.

Laurence would be pleased to know that we are keeping on keeping on and that once again we have hope in our hearts for a spring filled with life.

Please support your local businesses during this time of rebirth. Local and small businesses across the United States need you more than you know as they try to recover from the devastation of COVID.

Be kind to one another, help your neighbor, give more than you take from your community, and remember: Be The Change.

For anyone who experienced loss during this horrible time, my heart goes out to you, and I pray that you find peace as recovery begins and we try to live again.

Fry Me A River of Cheese

Well, y’all, 2020 is officially done. It was a doozy, for sure, and one we will all be talking about from our front porch rockers as we sip on whiskey filtered through sausage balls.

Happy New Year to each and every one of you loyal friends and foodies tuning in to our blog!

In Mississippi, when the cold, wet days of January set in, so does the punch drunk hangover feeling from the holiday season and the urge to hunker down and hibernate. 

Mississippians don't do well in the cold, gray weather that is winter in the South. We just don't. Folks are hard core grumpy, like get-off-my-lawn grumpy, and we look for little tidbits of joy and comfort to soothe the bitter cold that cuts through your skin like a knife on a 55 degree day. 

Brrrrr.

Hear me loud and clear when I say to y`all that there are fewer things more comforting and soul soothing than ooey, gooey, stringy, warm and melting cheese encased in a super crispy and crunchy breading that has been dancing in a pool of hot love; that is code for a deep fryer, in case any of y`all were wondering.

That's right, friends and neighbors, I speak of the beloved, revered and sacred fried cheese. Hallelujah and amen. 

Who doesn't like fried cheese, I ask you? I mean, I am sure there are “those” people somewhere, but they are not in my world.

Not eating fried cheese and not liking fried cheese are two totally different things, folks. Be suspect of those in your inner circle who do not like fried cheese.  Let them know you see them with the occasional raised eyebrow, and in extreme cases, the stank eye.

I believe in my whole heart that it's one of the questions you should ask people when you are in the getting-to-know-you stage: 

“Do you like fried cheese?” 

“No.” 

“Well, it was nice getting to know you, tell your mama and them I said ‘hi’.” 

Some things cannot be compromised on in life.

Fried cheese sticks are so easy to make, I am going to give you a no-fail recipe than can be executed with very little labor/prep and as a low-cost investment, and that is guaranteed to not only lift you into the heavens away from the January Grumps, but will also feed any angst-ridden teenagers who refuse to take the trash out. 

Trust me, they will gladly take the trash out if you feed them these little molten lava sticks of love.

Now before I give you this recipe I want to warn you that we are going to use string cheese -  that's right, string cheese.

If you are going to do any eye rolling, huffing and puffing, then now is the time to go ahead and get it out of your system.  

String cheese is a beautiful thing and is a versatile food item to keep in your fridge. (At a later date we might need to delve deeper into the Odyssey of string cheese.)

There are so many uses for this little cheese beside the obvious one of peeling away the layers and shoving into one's mouth with wanton abandon. 

You can thank me later, and all apologies will be accepted.

Easy Fried Cheese

12 string cheese pieces removed from the plastic and cut in half for a total of 24 pieces
¼ cup flour, all-purpose
1 TB cornstarch
2 large eggs, beaten
1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup buttermilk
½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp dried oregano
2 cups Canola oil

Instructions

To begin, you will need 3 bowls. (I use medium-sized bowls; you do not want ingredients to be crowded for breading).

In one bowl, mix flour and cornstarch together and set aside. 

In the second bowl, mix buttermilk and beaten eggs. Set aside. 

In the third bowl, mix Panko breadcrumbs, basil, parsley, and oregano. Set aside.

For the breading process, begin by tossing cheese in the flour mix, shaking off excess flour, and dip in bowl #2 with egg mixture, shaking off excess, then bowl #3 with breadcrumbs, making sure to coat completely. I do this process in 3 batches because you do not want to overcrowd the bowls.

Set coated cheese sticks aside on a small plate or baking sheet lined with parchment paper. If you do not have parchment paper, wrap a plate or sheet in plastic wrap. Make sure to keep a little space in between each stick - you do not want them touching. Put cheese uncovered in the freezer for 30 minutes to flash freeze.

When ready to cook, use a smallish but deep pan to heat oil to 360 degrees and ready a plate or tray with paper towels to drain. 

Once the oil is to the proper temperature, gently place sticks in small batches one at a time. For me, I like to cook them just until you see the first drop of cheese beginning to poke out from the breading.  Using a slotted spoon or tongs, place fried cheese on paper towels to drain. Do not overcook, or all the cheese will ooze out. 

You will want to heat oil back to 360 each time before frying - do not let the oil get too hot or too cool. The temperature is very important in proper cooking.

Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce. I always go with Marinara and Ranch. Whatever you like is fine.

I make my marinara from scratch, but it is absolutely not necessary. This is a personal preference and adds extra steps and cooking. Open up a jar of your favorite sauce, heat it up and enjoy. Cooking should be fun and about what you like to eat. 

Enjoy! And when life gives you cheese - fry it! - because you can!

Notes : 

Buy a digital thermometer with a probe. They usually run around $12.00-$15.00. Trust me when I say this will be your best friend for frying and also for baking, where exact temperatures are important.

When frying anything, be careful when adding the items to the oil. You want to be close to the oil and gently lay whatever you are frying into the oil. If you are too high, the grease will splatter, and you will be a helpless burn victim with a huge mess to clean up. A slotted spoon works great for this. You can lower the spoon into grease and gently roll it off the side.

Do not overcrowd the oil. Patience is important, and you will be rewarded.

 When frying, you want to have enough room for whatever you may be cooking to be able to “dance” in the pan, never touching. 

Overcrowding also drops the temperature of the oil too quickly and will give you a soggy breading. 

The Hotty Toddy Chili Bowl

Come September, down here in the landmass of Mississippi, the blood starts pumping, and our minds switch from lazy afternoons spent under shade trees to rustling leaves with whiskey rivers and punch bowls waiting to be filled.

Now, in other places, fall means a break in the heat of summer with cool and crisp mornings, candy corn colored leaves dancing in the air before gently falling to the ground. The arrival of Mums sold from the local 4-H, cinnamon brooms, and all things pumpkin spice.

In the South, the arrival of September has a different meaning to most folks. This is a hallowed time, you start to get your mind right, and the focus quickly shifts from flip flops, deviled eggs, and sweet tea in the fridge - it shifts ... to football. Specifically, SEC football and all things SEC  football.

Preparations begin for tailgating - tablecloths must be ironed, the silver must be polished, and the whiskey must be stocked.

For me, I grew up in Oxford, five minutes from the University of Mississippi, and five minutes from The Square. That means that I support the Red and Blue and all things Manning, and if you know me, then you know I am a ride or die fan.

We do our tailgating on sacred ground - The Grove. No joke - we do not come to play. When you show up in The Grove, you need to be ready to show out. Your family honor is on the line.

When my wife and I were looking at dates for our wedding in September, the first thing we did was check the football schedule - I am not even kidding y’all. No one wants to be the rube who schedules their wedding on the Saturday of a home football game. The people closest to you will be “blessing your heart “ for years to come because you did not have the good sense to check the football schedule before picking a date to marry your beloved.

We were not going to be The Ones … just saying.

Tailgating is a source of pride for all the SEC schools; we just do it just a little different, and we really try to kick it up a notch. Football is religion, and in the same way, you wouldn't show up to church without a quarter or two for the collection plate, you don't show up empty-handed at the tailgate without some food or a bottle of whiskey.

Again, you do not want to be The One.

Sadly, I do not attend many tailgates in my older years. But make no mistake, I still respect the game and value the importance of chandeliers hanging from canopy tents in The Grove.

A pot of chili will be your best friend for this occasion. It can be cooked the day before (and it's actually better if it sits overnight ), and it carries well. Go buy a cheap pot with a lid that can be abandoned at the tailgate after the whiskey takes hold.

Warm chili and cool weather go together like Earth Wind and Fire. Trust me when I say your tailgating family will respect your game for actually bringing something that was cooked.

Have fun, enjoy the moment and the atmosphere, make new friends, and drink all the whiskey,  pull for your team, just leave the tiger tails and the cowbells at home!

Hotty Toddy Chili

1 lb. ground chuck
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, whole
1 whole cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
1 can Ro-tel diced tomatoes with green chilis
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato puree
Juice of 1 fresh lime
1 bottle or can of your favorite beer
1 package of your favorite chili spice mix
Hot Sauce to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

Put ground chuck, onion, jalapeno, and cinnamon stick in the bottom of the pan and brown on low heat the same way you would for tacos. Do not drain. Once the onions are soft, and the beef is cooked all the way through, add all remaining ingredients. Stir well to mix, cover with a lid and cook on a low simmer for 4 hours. You will want to stir every 20 minutes or so to make sure beans do not stick to the bottom of the pot. If you need to thin it out to your liking, just add a little chicken stock or water. Garnish with avocado and sour cream or any of your favorite chili toppings!

The Janky Wheel Summer and The Not Janky Turkey Burger

Summertime 2020 was epic, one for the record books. In my mind, I will always think of it as the "janky wheel" summer. 

COVID-19 kicked in full-tilt boogie. Instead of grills, bikinis, and tiki torches, we searched for hand sanitizer, toilet paper, ground beef, and normalcy.

What is more normal than whipping the old Chevy truck down to the local grocery and loading up the janky wheel cart with some burger fixin's? Maybe only the purchasing of toilet paper for our homes.

For a brief window in time during the summer of 2020, these items were unavailable due to the virus sweeping our nation. I don't know about y'all, but for me, this was a "What-the-actual-Hell" moment. 

I remember thinking to myself as I pushed my empty and creaking janky wheel cart through the store, that I would be damned if I were going to be denied the small pleasure of summertime hamburgers. With all the crazy happening in the world, it would not be hamburgers - or the lack thereof - that tipped me over the edge.

Something had to be done. It was time to use all my Southern woman, turn-the-water-into-wine, hard-scrabble resilience into a plan of attack.

Two things happened almost simultaneously. Firstly, I realized that I may, in fact, be the crazy person you hear Southerners talk about trotting out on the front porch for the world to see. And second, it occurred to me that I was flinging ground turkey into my janky wheel cart with wanton abandon.

Never in my life have I been a fan of turkey burgers, especially in place of a real 100% all-beef burger. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I possessed a deep and loathing hatred of the turkey burger and that even speaking it aloud into the universe, it rolled off my tongue with a little spit. 

I am not opposed to turkey being a healthier option in our daily lives, but I am opposed to food that does not taste good.

Up until this point, I had never had a turkey burger that tasted good. Please hear me, People of the Page, when I say to you that life is just too short to eat bad food.

After much soul searching, profanity, and necessity-being-the-mother-of-all-invention, I was able to create a recipe for turkey burgers that not only passes as edible but will get that slapping arm and foot-stomping reflex crunk-up.

I am thrilled to share it with y'all and to say that even in the darkest of times, there is hope. Good exists in the worst of situations, and as long as we keep pushing that creaking janky wheel cart forward, we are going to be alright.

Not Janky Turkey Burgers

Ingredients

1 lb. package ground turkey (look for 85-15% ratio)
8 oz. package mushrooms (I like baby bellas, but any mushroom is fine), chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1- 5 to 6 oz. container of blue cheese crumbles (if you do not like blue cheese you can leave out or cut back on amount)
2 heaping TB ketchup
1 TB chopped garlic (glass jars in the produce section)
1 TB Worcestershire sauce
1 TB red wine
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 egg, beaten
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
Olive Oil
Lawry's Seasoned salt

Directions 

Heat a skillet or saute pan with just enough olive oil to cover the bottom (2-3 tablespoons). You want it hot, but not smoking. Add onions and mushrooms; cook until onions are translucent. Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes; add the entire mixture to a food processor (do not drain the oil) and pulse until mixture is fine but not a paste.

In a separate bowl, add all the remaining ingredients and mix well with hands. Once thoroughly mixed, add mushroom mixture and combine well.  The mixture will seem a little wet to you, and that is fine. If you want the burgers to have a texture close to a beef hamburger, add just a little more Panko. Patty out just like you would a regular hamburger.

To cook, I use a hot cast iron skillet with just a touch of olive oil in the bottom. Sprinkle both sides of each burger with the Lawry's seasoned salt.

The burgers will form a nice crust, so do not worry - they are not burning. These need to be cooked all the way through since we are using turkey and cooking times will vary.

Use any bun you like and dress with any topping you like. There are no rules. It should be fun to make and taste good.

The burger in the photo is dressed with a blueberry chipotle mayo (½ cup mayo, 1 chipotle pepper-pureed, and a tablespoon or so of blueberry jam), honey bacon strips, shredded lettuce, thin-sliced peaches, and pickled red onion.

Homegrown Love in Water Valley

The humble Mississippi homegrown tomato: pure, honest, and sacred. The essence of a Deep South summer.  Good tomatoes are one of the things that unifies us Southerners. Despite the many differences we can have on religion, politics, and who makes the best fried chicken - we can all agree on the importance of homegrown tomatoes.

Bless-your-heart church ladies; seersucker wearing city lawyers; bar stool perched townabouts; and Slim the Crappie Man are all willing to risk heat stroke and possible limb loss - as copperhead snakes are known to love a good tomato patch - to grow the perfect tomato.

I actually know a local lawyer who straight up got tagged on the ankle by his "pet" copperhead while weeding his tomatoes in the garden one summer evening. No worries - he was fine. It was a flesh wound and did not slow his roll one bit: the man was back in the tomato game the next day. 

What's a little snake bite compared to boasting rights and chest-puffing with the menfolk over fertilizer at the local feed and seed? Or the shameless lovestruck gaze coming from the beloved blue-haired old ladies on the baking aisle at the Piggly Wiggly? Risk versus reward, people.

At The B.T.C. Old-Fashioned Grocery in Water Valley, we sell Hal Vaughn's tomatoes. The average Hal tomato weighs in at 1 pound. They are fleshy and meaty, red-ripened in the field after being sun-kissed before being handpicked by Hal himself. I call them "love apples."

There is an intoxicating aroma that fills the room, awakening all your senses into a state of euphoria as you run a knife through the fleshy skin: the first tomato sandwich of the year.  It can only be described as ambrosia - food of the gods.

Have you ever seen a sweet little grandma put a full-on linebacker move on one of the local church deacons as she uses her grocery cart as a weapon?   I have, during tomato season and specifically to get one of Hal's Love Apple Tomatoes.

The BTC sells on average 1500 - 2000 pounds of Hal's tomatoes each year, and, by "year," I mean the month and a half that is tomato season. It's no joke. I wonder if Hal knows he has a following of gangster grandmas that would rival Beyonce's Beyhive.

A frenzy happens each year at the BTC when Hal starts bringing his love apple tomatoes into the store for us to sell. Folks in Water Valley know his truck, and they also know that Hal grows the best tomato in the State of Mississippi and probably some of the best in the country.

I would push all my money to the center of the table to bet on Hal's tomatoes at any fairground, festival, or backyard tomato growing contest. The old-timers say "scared money never wins" - a classic Southern saying. 

Clearly, whoever came up with this adage must have been holding one of Hal's tomatoes in his hands as he spoke those words.

A Salad in Hell's Kitchen

The long hot summer is upon us, and if you live or have lived in the South for any length of time, then you know that when summer hits ... it brings the pain.

If you ever want to know what it feels like to stand on the threshold of hell, come to Mississippi in August.

Summer is my least favorite season; people always give me the stank-eye when I say this, but it's the God's honest truth. I have spent the last 25 years in a hot-ass kitchen with temperatures that reach well over 100 degrees. Yes, your body adjusts, but it's pretty miserable, especially in July and August.

When I get home after working all day in Hell's Kitchen, I really do not want to cook or eat for that matter - it's hard to have a desire for food after your lips have melted off like a wax figure in Madame Tussauds museum.

But my wife's gotta eat, y'all, and feeding her dinner is the least I can do after I come home grumpy and smelling like hot garbage. 

Salad is always the go-to in our house during the summer, not only because it’s light, but because it's so versatile - you can literally put anything you like on a salad. There are no rules, there is no salad police, just you and your giant wooden bowl waiting to be filled. You are free to explore the entire grocery store, not just the produce aisle, and put anything you damn well like on your salad.

When making salad as the meal, I try to create a balance of colors, flavors, and textures: sweet, salty, sour, spicy.

Different lettuces or greens, fruits, nuts, cheeses, proteins - the world is your oyster.

Here is a recipe for a basic summer salad. Looks great on any table, carries well (just keep your dressing separate and ice well) and, most importantly, tastes great.

Enjoy!

Summer Salad

Ingredients:

1 bag baby spinach
2 peaches, cut in wedges
1 homegrown tomato, cut in wedges
1 cup salted, roasted, shelled pistachio nuts
1 8 oz. log goat cheese
¼ lb. sliced thin prosciutto ham
½ cup dried cherries

Directions:

Layer salad any way you like, feel free to adjust the recipe to the ingredients that suit your palate - if you don't like pistachios, add walnuts. If you have dried cranberries instead of cherries, go for it. No prosciutto? Add grilled chicken or shrimp. You can do it! Make a sexy salad!

Note:

For a dressing choice, it has been my experience that most folks have a particular style of dressing that is preferred in their household. A light red wine vinaigrette works great and green goddess is my personal go to for this particular salad. But remember there are no rules, so if you like Thousand Island - and really who doesn't like Thousand Island - then go for it because it is your salad!

Tame the High-Strung: Blue Hair Boogie Chicken Salad

The years I spent as a chef at The Downtown Grill in Oxford taught me many things about cooking and food. It also taught me many things about life and people – specifically, Southern Bridge Ladies.

Bridge Ladies were part of the core group of Grill regulars. Y’all! Some of these women were a stone-cold trip and high maintenance – Lord, have mercy. 

There are two things that will tame a group of high-strung, bless-your-heart Bridge Ladies on any given day: gin and good chicken salad - or as I like to call it - Blue Hair Boogie Salad.

The most cutthroat Southern WASP can be made to purr like a kitten with the correct ratio of these two items. The formula is two parts gin to one part Boogie Salad. If, by chance, it’s cold and rainy, add Captain’s Wafers to ensure a calming, trance-like state.

Making good chicken salad takes some time, guys, so if you are looking for a quick fix then this is not the recipe for you. But if you are ready to dig in and make chicken salad like your mama and them did, with a little extra effort, then I salute you with the recipe of my grandmother and the one we use at the BTC in Water Valley.

Blue Hair Boogie Salad or Dixie’s Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (use a good quality hen; I go for a medium-size bird)

Chicken poaching ingredients:
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 bay leaves
1 large sweet yellow onion, quartered
2 carrots, cut in half
2 outside stalks celery, cut in half
2 lemons, cut in half
6 whole peppercorns
1 tablespoon salt

Salad ingredients:
4 boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1 cup sweet gherkin pickles, rough chopped
1/2 cup celery hearts with leaves, finely diced
2 cups mayonnaise
2 lemons, juiced
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 dash Tabasco
Salt to taste 

Directions:

In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, add chicken with poaching ingredients. You want to turn the heat up to medium and let the hen come to a slow and gentle boil. An angry, raging pot spitting chicken broth on your wall and stove does nothing but make the chicken salad dry. You want to cook the chicken until a leg will come off with a gentle pull. At this point take the entire pot off the stove and let it cool down for about 30 -45 minutes. Making the chicken salad while the bird is slightly warm – it’s one of the things that puts the boogie in the salad.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, you want to carefully remove and put into a separate bowl (use a big bowl so you will have some room to work). I use a strainer with a handle that so I can scoop the bird out of the pot and into the bowl. Hopefully, your bird is falling apart so do not try to lift out with tongs or you will be a helpless burn victim. Also, reserve your stock. It will make excellent chicken and dumplings or soup; just strain well and freeze for a later date.

Pick the hen clean, discard bones and skin.

The next step is a key step and what will give you the texture that you want for an old school Southern blue hair boogie chicken salad. Using either a handheld mixer (which is my choice for this) or a KitchenAid stand up mixer (using the whisk attachment), give it a quick once or twice around the bowl on a low speed. This will shred your chicken for you!

Then add remaining ingredients. Put on some gloves and mix it by hand.

For the mayo, I like to add it a little at a time until it gets to the texture I am looking for. Just know that when you refrigerate the salad, it will absorb some of the mayo, so always make sure you have enough to keep it moist; no one likes dry chicken salad. Sometimes it’s going to take a little less than 2 cups and sometimes a little more. It just depends on which way the wind is blowing.

Also, add enough salt for your particular comfort level, but please - in the name of all good things - add a little because again, who wants bland chicken salad? No one! That’s who.

This chicken salad will hold up to 7 days in the fridge, but really, y’all, if the boogie salad is still in the fridge after 7 days, you should not have wasted your time, and clearly there was no boogie to be had.

Enjoy! And remember, Bridge Ladies like to Boogie just like you.

One final word. I came to be quite fond of the DTG Bridge Ladies as time went on during my tenure as their chef. Many of them have gone on to their next adventure, and I will always chuckle as I remember the stories. I hope that in my bless-your-heart-blue-hair days, I can still be a pistol like these ladies.

Notes

• Please use only Hellman’s Mayo or Duke’s as anything else would be Yankee blasphemy.

• My preferred Gherkin pickle is Mt. Olive.

• Celery hearts are the inside light green center in a bunch of celery.

Tarasque: Cooking with Dragon’s Fire

Tarasque: a mythical, dragon-like creature who brought about fear, destruction and death to villages in the hills of Provence, France, until the creature was eventually tamed with hymns, prayers and kindness by Saint Martha - the Patron Saint of cooks. 

The image of the Tarasque appears on the original cover of the Joy of Cooking - a book that most cooks refer to as "The Bible of Cooking.” Tarasque is also, hands-down, THE BEST restaurant in Oxford, Mississippi.

Tarasque is owned and operated by John and Lauren Stokes . There are no neon signs or flashing lights, no two-for-one well drinks, no cheese dip. Only sublime food made from scratch, sourcing local and seasonal ingredients by Chef John and his small, loyal Tarasque gangsta kitchen posse.

Tarasque is a small Italian Cucina located in an unassuming house on Jackson Avenue which was once owned by the Kiamie family in Oxford. The set menu is loaded with delicious pasta dishes, my personal favorite being the Rigatoni. The man daily makes his own Italian sausage with just the right amount of fennel and roasted fresh red peppers just for this dish.

Most restaurants in the modern world have decided this is too labor intensive, so they opt for flavorless sausage without a soul, and canned peppers.

John came up the "real" way in the business, starting at the bottom as a dishwasher, working his way up through the ranks in some of Oxford’s best kitchens. He is an old school chef in his cooking style, but he has a new-school mindset in the way he runs his kitchen.

John understands food is beautiful, should be treated with respect, and first and foremost, be delicious and taste good. The difference between average and ordinary is attention to detail; it's what takes a dish to the next level and creates an experience. He does not cut corners.

Let me just say again – Tarasque is THE BEST restaurant in Oxford, Mississippi.

Sourcing local and seasonal ingredients whenever possible means the Tarasque small plate menu is in a constant state of evolution. Let me be clear, the average chef does not have the ability or the mindset to change menu items daily. We are creatures of rhythm and habit and one of the things that makes us tick as cooks is routine. Just ask my business partner, Alexe - I drive her crazy at the BTC with all my processes and routines.

You have to get to a point with your craft where you have the confidence in yourself and the food that you cook to start fresh every day, just because today was the day the turnips really spoke to you. I respect John’s chef game because it’s strong and because John puts a piece of himself on every plate.

Simple. Pure. Humble. Delicious.

Run, don't walk, next time you are in Oxford to Tarasque, and visit Chef John Stokes and his baby – Tarasque. Sit at a table made of reclaimed wood from the legendary Kiamie Bowling Lanes and settle in for an experience, not just a meal.

Tell the chef that Dixie sent y`all and that you heard he cooks with the dragon’s fire.

Don’t Borrow Trouble, Folks: Eat Your Peas and Greens

Congratulations! If y’all are reading this post then you survived Christmas and all of the joy which comes with the season - outlet mall present snatching, ugly Christmas sweaters,  nonstop Christmas songs on your favorite radio station, sausage balls galore and enough eggnog to keep the Christmas spirit flowing as you gather with family to commune over ham, pie and remember the baby Jesus. I salute you!

New Year’s Day is a holiday near and dear to all Southerners’ hearts. It involves all our favorite things - reflection, new beginnings, traditions, superstitions and food. Southerners are far more complex humans than the average person realizes, and each one of these things will have a seat at the table on New Year’s Day. 

The traditional Southern meal for the first day of the new year will consist of black-eyed peas for luck; cabbage for prosperity; hog jowl for health (not kidding, you gotta love the South); and greens for money.

Superstition dictates this is what should be on the plate or we are inviting the fates to wreak havoc on any given day throughout the year. Black-eyed peas are African as are most "Southern" vegetables. Their cultivation dates back 5,000 years, and peas were brought to the United States during the transatlantic slave trade, and I figure that some of the folklore and superstition surrounding New Year’s day traditions comes from Africa as well. 

Don't borrow trouble, folks. Cook the peas and the greens and know that you did everything you could to ensure a safe, happy and prosperous year and hopefully a fresh start with cousin Beulah after the Christmas fruitcake incident of 2019.

Ah, Reflection: Where have we been? Where are we now? Where are we going?  

My Southern roots run deep as a chef, and I feel strongly that I have a responsibility to stay true to those roots, to respect the ingredients and to encourage people to learn about Southern culture.

Food brings people together, opens conversations and provides a window into cultures and traditions that may be different than your personal experience. It`s the perfect day and the perfect plate for me to remember where I come from, why do I want to cook the things I cook, and how I can take something old and turn it into something new.

Last year, I made Ramen using collard greens, hog jowl, cabbage and black-eyed peas. 

This year, I will pull out my cast iron skillet for a batch of cornbread to go with the mess of greens and the pot of peas stewing on the stove all day, and I will remember the smells and aromas of my grandmother’s house on this special day: black-eyed peas, collard greens, cabbage and pork fat - or goodness and love. The house where I learned to cook and learned to love.  

Those memories will inspire me to create and cook beautiful food in my restaurant and my home, using simple ingredients while paying respect and honoring those who came before me and showing love to my community and to my south.

Happy New Year!

To Jell or not to Jell: Dixie’s Cranberry Sauce

My childhood Thanksgiving memories are filled with many things that still make me smile as turkey day approaches each year: Charlie Brown`s Thanksgiving - I always longed to have the turkey served with a side of popcorn from a ping pong table with the family dog; Macy`s Thanksgiving Day Parade - I still make my wife watch the entire thing with me each year; and jiggly, alien-like cranberry sauce out of a can. My grandmother always served it on a silver platter atop iceberg lettuce. Who knew that's actually what the good silver is reserved for - .99 cents a can cranberry sauce.

Growing up in deep south Mississippi in the 70`s, making cranberry sauce with fresh cranberries was not an option. I was well into adulthood when I discovered that this mythical fruit does exist and that you could make a fresh version of the jellied, straight out-of-the-can sauce I grew up with in my Southern house.

My grandmother made everything from scratch, and she loved food. In today`s food culture, she would have been designated as a “foodie.” We made special trips to Memphis and Tupelo to eat at new and interesting restaurants that were getting out of the box of Southern food. I could order anything I wanted, the only rule being it had to be a dish or food I had never had before. She would have loved driving the family T-Bird down to Big Star to load up on fresh cranberries during the holidays. The recipe I created to use in my restaurant for Thanksgiving and the holiday season was made with her memory in mind and our family Thanksgiving table.

Just for the record - I love all cranberry sauce. I feel strongly that each one has its place at the table. Food should be fun, and you shouldn't feel guilty because you REALLY like cranberry out of a can. There is no shame in that game, folks. Food Made With Love.

Dixie’s Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

2 bags fresh cranberries (12 oz. each)
2 cups white sugar
1 cup water
1 cup apple cider
1 orange (cut in half)
1 small lemon (cut in half)
2 large cinnamon sticks
1 1/2 slices of peeled ginger
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice

Directions

In a medium pot, add all ingredients. Squeeze juice out of orange and lemon, then add citrus shells into berries. Cover with a lid. Cook slow and low, stirring frequently. I like to bring it to a just boil stage and then turn it down to low. Usually cooks about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Notes

• You can adjust sugar to make it as unsweet or sweet as you like for your taste. Just add more or less sugar. Also feel free to use a sugar substitute if you have a family member with dietary restrictions.

• The cranberry sauce can turn into napalm during the cooking process, so keep the lid on the pot which will ensure that you do not become a helpless burn victim on Thanksgiving Day. Also, it will save you from scrubbing cranberries off the walls in your kitchen well after the Fourth of July.

• Feel free to serve canned cranberry sauce on the table next to your homemade version, if for no other reason but nostalgia. There are no rules for holiday cooking except that you do what makes you happy, drink the wine and eat ALL the cranberry sauce.

Turkey Time Is Here: Miss Vetra’s Cornbread Dressing

The holiday season is upon us, and it’s turkey time – or, more importantly - it’s dressing time. Cornbread dressing is the Holy Grail of the Southern holiday meal. Let’s be honest: any long lost cousin twice-removed on your mama’s side can make the turkey, but not just anyone can make the dressing. It takes soul, love of food, and respect for the generations (past, present and future).

If you are asked to make the dressing, then you, my friend, are the keeper of the Holy Grail, which means you have a responsibility to make sure it’s not dry and has flavor. Let’s be frank here. You will most likely be using a family recipe that still has dirt around the edges from when your great grandmother unearthed it from the ground after the Yankees left town. No pressure.

Here is my Grandmother’s recipe for cornbread dressing with a few tips to make sure it’s perfect every time.

Miss Vetra’s Cornbread Dressing

Ingredients:

1/4 cup (1/2 half stick ) unsalted butter
1 small onion, minced
4 celery hearts (with leaves), minced
1 small green bell pepper, cored, seeded and minced
6-8 cups chicken stock
1 (10oz) can cream of chicken soup
4 eggs (large), lightly beaten
1 heaping tablespoon dry rubbed sage
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 recipe of cornbread, use your family recipe

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9 x 19 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, celery and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until soft, about 10-15 minutes.

In a large bowl, crumble the cornbread in small pieces and add the cooked vegetables, soup, stock, eggs and dry spices (salt, pepper, sage). Mix well. You may need to add a little less stock or a little more stock depending on the texture of your cornbread. You want the mixture to be wet but not soup. Pour the dressing into the prepared baking dish.

Bake until golden brown on top and with a slight jiggle in the center or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, usually about 45 minutes. Be careful to not over-bake. Let the dressing sit for 30 minutes before serving.

Tips:

• Make sure the mixture is moist before baking. If it’s dry before you cook it, then it’s going to be dry after it is cooked, and that is an offense to the entire family.

• Under no circumstance use poultry seasoning which is like putting ketchup on caviar.

• Taste it before you add the eggs, this way you will know if you need to adjust the seasonings.

• It’s better if you make a day ahead, and let sit overnight and then bake the next day.

• Whatever recipe you use for cornbread make sure it calls for bacon grease and buttermilk which is the goodness and love. Never use cornbread out of a box.

• Now get out there and make your family proud, and remember that it’s your dressing which will make aunt Betty’s dry turkey taste like turkey, helping keep the family relations on track.