BeachBilly Bites

Hearty "Perfect" Chili: Traditional and Vegetarian Versions

2012-11-19T18:09:00.000-05:00

Hearty chili cooked in an electric skillet

I love chili. I don't often make it, but when I do, it's an event! I've tried various concoctions over the years and believe I've now found the perfect combination of ingredients. The following is a very hearty chili recipe. The tomatoes and sweet peppers give the initial flavor a certain sweetness which is readily followed by a spicy hotness.

My friend says that it's the "perfect" amount of "spicy". If you like spicy foods, eat it alone. If you need to tone down the amount of spice, eat it with saltines or sweet corn bread. Or throw a dollop of sour cream into the chili. It is easily balanced. That works out in my household. The youngest children can tame the "hot" while the adults can enjoy the spicy aspect. Perfect!

This recipe can be made with or without meat (we have vegetarians in our household) and I will include both versions below.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground beef, browned and2(15.5 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
2 (15.5 ounce) cans pinto beans, drained
2 (15oz) cans crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
6 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 1/4 teaspoons hot pepper sauce

Instructions:

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions; cook and stir until they start to become soft. Add the green peppers, red peppers, garlic (and tofu if using vegetarian alternative below). Cook and stir until vegetables are tender.
Pour the beans into a pot and set to Low. Stir in the vegetables and tomatoes. Add ground beef. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, oregano, vinegar and hot pepper sauce. Bring to a boil. Stir and reduce heat low; simmer, covered, 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

(Options: I use an electric skillet instead of a pot, cover and cook at 200°F for about 20 minutes. Then leave on warm until we're ready to eat. Another option is to cook for 6 hours on low in a crock pot.)

Vegetarian Alternative:
Substitute the ground beef with1 (14 ounce) package firm tofu, drained and cubed.

Printable Recipe

Happy Cooking!

10 Ways to Keep Cool this Summer

2012-07-10T23:50:00.001-04:00

Summers in the deep south are hot and humid. Below are a few ideas for simple meals, cold desserts and iced drinks to help cook things down a bit.

1. Make a fruit salad. Gather some favorite summer fruits and make a fruit salad. Serve with cottage cheese, yogurt or sherbet. Or just enjoy it au natural.

2. Make Gazpacho. Turn the season's bounty of ripe tomatoes, fresh green peppers and crisp cucumber into a cool, refreshing soup.

3. Stir-fry dinner. This is quick way to make dinner and not heat up the kitchen so much.

4. Smoothies. Fresh fruit and ice make a refreshing breakfast, lunch or pick-me-up.

5. Make popsicles. Bettter yet, make fruitcicles.

6. Have a picnic dinner. Make sandwiches, potato salad and all the other picnic fixin's. Spread a blanket out in the living room and enjoy!

7. Cook early. If you get cooking done early in the morning while the temperatures are lower, you won't heat the house so much later in the day.

8. Root beer floats! And who doesn't love those?

9. Use the grill. Cooking outside keeps the house cooler and adds some variety to your meals.

10. Sweet Iced tea. 'Nuff said.

What other foods, drinks or tips do you have for keeping cool? Please share in the comments.

Happy Cooking!

Pasta with Northern Beans and Tomato Sauce

2012-07-01T15:46:00.001-04:00

This is a very simple, inexpensive recipe. The time it takes to prepare depends on you. If you choose to use canned beans it will take less than 30 minutes. I chose to make my beans first. It's packed with fiber and protein and is a great alternative to using ground beef. It works well for a vegetarian meal! The following is enough to serve 4 although in my home we serve 6.

Pasta with Northern Beans and Tomato Sauce

Preparation Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

12 ounces pasta, your choice, freshly cooked (Penne is probably best but I used Spaghetti)
4 tablespoons olive oil
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 (32 ounce) can tomatoes, chopped or diced
1 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 (30 ounce) can Northern beans, rinsed, drained (white beans)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
grated Parmesan Cheese

Instructions:

Cook pasta according to package directions.
Heat oil in heavy, large skillet over medium heat.
Add garlic and saute until golden, about 2-3 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes and cook 5 minutes.
Add parsley, basil and oregano and simmer, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.
Add beans and cook until heated, about 5 minutes.
Add salt and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes.

Place pasta on plate and pour the bean-sauce over pasta. Top with grated Parmesan cheese and serve with garlic bread.

Serves 4

Printable Recipe

Happy Cooking!

Menu Plan Monday: On the Cheap

2012-02-06T14:49:00.003-05:00

One way to create an inexpensive menu is to coordinate the ingredients so that you'll have few things to purchase. The following is one such example. Notice that there are a few recurring ingredients: Pork, Chicken, Cream, Balsamic.. and this makes for an inexpensive shopping trip!

This week, I'm swiping recipes from all over (Thanks you, Pinterest!!). I have no time to think right now. So enjoy these recipes! Let me know if you tried any.

Dinner Options: (I write out 7 days of menus and decide which one I am in the mood for each day.)

#1: Pan-Roasted Chicken With Lemon-Garlic Green Beans

#2: Baked Three Cheese Tortellini with Tomato Cream Sauce and Asparagi alla salsa Suprema

#3: Double Crunch Honey Garlic Pork Chops, Roasted Green Beans with Mushrooms, Balsamic, and Parmesan, Dinner Rolls

#4: Chicken Fettucine Alfredo, Broccoli and French Bread

#5: Grilled Chicken Tenders, Brown Rice and Peas

#6: Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin, Mashed Potatoes and Carrots

#7: Greens Cranberry Walnut Salad

What does your menu look like this week?

Check out the other Menu Plan Monday posts!

Happy Cooking!

If It Ain't Broke....

2011-12-11T23:36:00.010-05:00

Some people learn lessons quite easily. Others never learn their lessons. I am somewhere in the middle of this spectrum. I do learn, but I seem to make a mistake a few times before I have my 'Aha!" moment. Tonight was just such an occasion.

I decided to make chicken tenders for dinner. Usually, I use the same coating on chicken tenders as I do on fried chicken. It's a no-fail and everyone loves it. Tonight, however, I decided to try someone else's recipe.

That's when the trouble started.

Honestly, I was sure this would be a very simple thing. I printed the recipe, pulled out the ingredients and began to make the dinner. I placed the slices of chicken breasts in buttermilk to marinate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, I tackled the Au Gratin Potatoes. Boil, slice, white sauce, cheese., pop in the oven...DONE! Time to cook the chicken.

Flashback Moment
At this point, I want to point out that this is the second time I have veered from my own fried chicken recipe. The first was in June 2010. I tried a recipe from a popular TV cook and followed the step-by-step directions. I had company over. I also had promised some to my neighbor at the time (she loved my fried chicken meals and begged for them all week long). The chicken was cooked. And it was awful. I'm tellin' you.. I could have poured salt directly from the container into my mouth to attain the same flavor and effect. Let me express, too, my underwhelming joy at serving my friends and neighbors what was the equivalent of a container of Morton's with some meat in it. I've been afraid to try any more recipes from this particular cook. I'm sure there are some wonderful dishes in there, but once bitten..

Return to the Present

Once again, I decided to try a chicken recipe from another popular TV cook. Since I've made a few other dish recipes this person's collection that were beyond perfect, I thought something as simple as chicken was a sure shot. I was wrong. The coating didn't want to adhere to the chicken. If I forced it to adhere, it fell off during the cooking process. The flavor was bland despite what seemed to me like too much "seasoned salt".

My son (a cook) tried to step in and help. He found that we could make the coating stay on the chicken if we forcefully pressed it into the chicken (not the other way around). I also added my spices to that batch. That batch turned out "OK" as far as the coating remaining on and the flavor being good. Still, the coating wasn't magnificent. The recipe had stated that it would be "crunchy" but it failed to mention that the crunching may very well be your molars. I'm just sayin'... this was some pretty solid coating to chew. The kids couldn't bite into it at all. They had to "peel" their tenders in order to eat them.

I'm finished experimenting with fried chicken recipes. Cookies, cakes, veggies, that's one thing. But when the main course is ruined and you have spent an hour ruining it, you're sort of stuck eating it. There's no time to make something else.

Out of the Mouths of Babes
Lorelai, my 8 year old, is always at my side during the cooking process. She had already done her part and was watching my son and me battle this chicken. She said, "I don't get it. If you like your recipe and it's easy, then why do you need to try someone else's anyway? Just make yours then you know it'll be good."

In other words, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Lesson learned.

Happy Cooking!

Menu Plan Monday: December 5, 2011

2011-12-05T00:25:00.007-05:00

I had sort of an overwhelming weekend. So my Menu is "dinners only" and the rest I'm playing by ear.

Dinner Options: (I write out 7 days of menus and decide which one I am in the mood for each day.)

#1: Vegetarian Spinach Lasagna
#2: Orange Chicken and Veggies Stir Fry
#3: Vegetarian Barley-Bean Soup and Cornbread
#4: Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Glazed Carrots and Sauteed Green Beans
#5: Grilled Chicken Tenders, Brown Rice, Peas and Fried Apples
#6: BBQ Chicken, Au Gratin Potatoes, Broccoli
#7: Sloppy joes, fruit, veggies & chips

Would you like me to post the recipe for anything on this list? Which one?

What does your menu look like this week?

Check out the other Menu Plan Monday posts!

Happy Cooking!

Grandma's Chocolate Pie Recipe

2011-11-30T00:39:00.007-05:00

This chocolate pie recipe is the most-requested of all my recipes. Not only does everyone ask for the recipe, I have friends who ask me on a regular basis to make them chocolate pies. It's my grandma's recipe. She gave me her cookbook when I was 20. Inside the covers, she wrote down her personal recipes. She's gone and now I'm the grandma and I'm sharing our recipe with you.

Grandma's Chocolate Pie

Ingredients:

9-inch pie crust

Filling:
4 tablespoons of cocoa
3/4 cups of sugar
5 tablespoons of flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 cups of milk
2 egg yolks, beaten slightly
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1 tablespoon of butter

Meringue:
5 egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
10 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

Bake pie crust (use your own recipe or use a store-bought and follow directions on package)

Mix sugar, flour, salt, cocoa, eggs and milk with a whisk. Cook while stirring on medium until it bubbles and thickens, about 5 to 10 minutes. If it becomes lumpy, just beat out the lumps.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and butter. Pour filling into baked crust.

Cool for 2 hours or up to 24 hours.

In a metal or glass bowl, beat egg whites at high speed with a mixer until frothy. Add cream of tartar and beat whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating at high speed for 2 to 4 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla extract and beat just until blended.

Spread meringue on top of filling; bake until meringue is lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Printable Recipe

Happy Cooking!

Lee Anne's Tiramisu Balls Recipe

2011-11-25T15:01:00.004-05:00

Please allow me to introduce you to Lee Anne. She's the 3rd of my 5 children, the creator of the family label of "beachbillies" and she loves to bake. I mean loves to bake. She hopes one day to open her own coffee house serving coffee drinks and pastries. That is her dream. The reason I'm introducing her to you is because yesterday she went on one of her baking binges. She made some pies and Tiramisu Balls.

Meet Lee Anne

Today I'm sharing her recipe for Tiramisu Balls. So here goes...

Lee Anne's Tiramisu Balls Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes plus refrigerating Makes: 36 balls

Ingredients:
1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened
60 vanilla wafers, finely crushed (about 2 cups)
4oz dry coffee
12 squares of semi-sweet baker's chocolate, melted
Shredded white chocolate for decorating

Method:
1. Mix cream cheese, cookie crumbs and 3oz. of coffee until well blended

2. Shape into 1-inch balls. Freeze 10 minutes.

3. Mix semi-sweet chocolate and remaining coffee.

4. Dip balls in chocolate mixture.

5. Place in a single layer on shallow pan which is lined with wax paper. Sprinkle with shredded white chocolate.

6. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until they are firm.

Printable Recipe

Do you have a favorite dessert you like to make?

Happy Cooking!

Recipe for Hushpuppies

2011-11-11T02:43:00.000-05:00

I've been on a seafood kick this week. I don't know why I always forget how much I love shrimp! I go months even years without eating them but when I do, boy do I eat them!

Tonight, a friend emailed to ask for my Hushpuppies. Perfect! My next post! I know everyone has a different recipe and here's mine. Maybe you could share yours? I'm all for trying different versions.

Hushpuppies

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp minced Jalapeños
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt

Additional Ingredients:
Oil
Water

Method:
1. Heat oil to 375F (or medium high heat).

2. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.

3. Add just enough water make a thick batter. (Too thin and you'll have hard hushpuppies!)

4. Dip 2 tablespoon-sized spoons into water. Using the spoons, scoop the batter and into hot oil. Fry 3-4 minutes or until they're golden brown. Drain on paper towel lined plate/tray.

What are your favorite seafood dishes?

Printable Recipe Here

Happy Cooking!

Hamburger Stew

2011-11-09T16:17:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I make Irish Stew by substituting hamburger meat. It's something my grandma occasionally did and, although I'm not sure of her reasons, I do it when there's a lack of time or perhaps not a great choice of stew meat at the market. I love making it for a Sunday dinner in the Fall.

I might add that growing up, Irish Stew was just called "Beef Stew". It wasn't until I did an internet search, as an adult, that I learned that beef stew was brown and had no tomato sauce in it. (No wonder canned beef stew was different!) So the following is my recipe for Hamburger Stew. The recipe nearly the same as Irish Stew but there's less work involved.

Hamburger Stew

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour 50 minutes

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs ground beef or sirloin
6 large garlic cloves, minced
6 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
4oz tomato sauce
15oz can of diced tomatoes (undrained)
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
3 pounds potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled carrots
1lb of frozen mixed vegetables
Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Method
1 In a large pan, brown ground beef. Drain fat. Add beef stock, tomato sauce, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaf. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

2 While the meat mixture simmers, melt butter in another large pot over medium heat. Add potatoes, onion and carrots. Sauté vegetables until golden, about 20 minutes. Set aside while meat continues simmering for the remainder of the hour.

3 Add meat mixture to pot of potatoes, carrots and onions. Add frozen veggies. Simmer uncovered until vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Yield: Serves 6-8.

Printable Recipe Here

Happy Cooking!

Menu Plan Monday: November 7, 2011

2011-11-07T00:36:00.006-05:00

Short and Sweet.. here is my week of meals. I do not list them by day of the week for a very good reason:
How do I know what I'll want to eat on Thursday? Yeah..I don't. So I just make out a menu..fill it in for the week and X out a meal when we use it. In 7 days, I'll do it all again. Usually I post a #whatsfordinner on Facebook or Twitter once I do know what I want. Easy peasy. So I'll list according to meal category.

"Fruit" means any fruit -bananas, berries, citrus, etc. I try to keep a variety on hand.

Breakfast Options: (Coffee comes standard with these. It is my reason for getting out of bed.)

#1: Eggs, Bacon, Biscuits and Gravy (I'll admit..this is usually a Sunday thing)
#2: Whole grain cereal, fruit, yogurt
#3: Oatmeal, fruit or juice, toast
#4: Bagels, cream cheese, juice
#5: Bacon and egg sandwich
#6: Cinnamon-Banana Oatmeal, milk
#7: Cereal, juice, yogurt

Lunch Options:

#1: Turkey and provolone sandwich with chips and juice
#2: Peanut Butter and Banana on whole wheat tortilla, choice of drink (juice, water, milk)
#3: Baked potato topped with pinto beans, salsa, sour cream served with fruit and choice of drink
#4: Hummus and tomato on pita served with fruit and drink
#5: Salad topped with strawberries and walnuts and served with Greek yogurt and drink
#6: Egg salad on pita bread, orange slices and drink
#7: Ham and provolone sandwich served with chips and drink

Dinner Options:

#1: Hamburger Stew and Cornbread (probably a Sunday dinner)
#2: Pioneer Woman's Sour Cream Noodle Bake
#3: Buttermilk Chicken Strips, mac-n-cheese, baked beans
#4: Harvest Chicken Stew
#5: Lemon Pepper Tilapia, Broccoli, Apples with Cottage Cheese
#6: Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Glazed Carrots and Dinner Rolls
#7: Roast Chicken with carrots and potatoes and served with biscuits

Ta-da!!

Do you see anything for which you'd like to see the recipe?
What does your menu look like this week?

Check out the other Monday Menu Plan posts!

Happy Cooking!

Fried Apples

2011-10-15T21:44:00.004-04:00

Fried apples are one of my favorite things to make this time of year. They're in season. We're all in the mood for the warm spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon. So what better dish to kick off the Autumn season?

We southerners eat Fried Apples with breakfast (great with or in oatmeal!) or as sides with dinner. They're the perfect compliment to pork dishes.

Fried Apples

8 medium apples*, sliced to wedges (keep skins on as the vitamins are just beneath the skin)
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Melt butter in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat.
Add apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Sauté 15 minutes until apples are tender.

Most people choose to make them very soft like apples for apple pie. Overcooking kills both vitamins and flavor. If you cook just as instructed above, you'll find that they're not syrupy-sweet but have a delicious blend of the spices, sugar and the natural apple flavor.

*I like using McIntosh apples because of their mingled shades of red and green. It makes for a very presentable dish for guests.

Click for Printable Recipe

Happy Cooking!

Out with the Old and In with the New

2011-07-03T23:50:00.003-04:00

Short version of a long story: I have a new kitchen! Wait..it gets better! The kitchen came with a 3-bedroom house attached to it! Awesome, right? I thought so. But the focus today is the kitchen. After all, this is a cooking blog. So I wanted to share that new kitchen with you. I think it's important, however, that you see the old kitchen in order to truly understand my excitement. So here it is in all its glory....

My old kitchen

Pathetic, isn't it? Granted, it did serve the purpose, but it drove me crazy. This picture was taken the day I signed the lease. Once I had all of my things on those counters, it was a pain in the rump. Imagine to the right of that sink, a dish drainer. That left everything to the right practically unusable. So all that was over there was a coffee maker and crock pot. To the left of the sink, I had my bread basket, canisters, knives, cutting board.. you get the picture. CROWDED!

And now I have a beautifully large kitchen.


Stove area

This would be the cutting-board and bread-making area.

Coffee spot and crock pot

Utensils and spices (by the way..these are a FEW of my spices, believe it or not,
I have an entire shelf in a cabinet dedicated to spices

TA-DA! The Kitchen!

Can you understand my excitement, now? I am so thrilled to wake up to this kitchen! Coffee in the morning; cooking in the evening with Lorelai. I'll even admit that I don't even mind washing the dishes anymore!

So what do ya think?

Happy Cooking!

Traditional Smothered Chops

2011-06-22T20:35:00.001-04:00

Smothered pork chops is a traditional Southern food. It's quite flavorful and the onion gravy is delicious on rice. Optionally, some serve it with mashed potatoes or grits.

Traditional Smothered Chops

Ingredients

4 Pork chops
1 cup Flour
BeachBilly Seasoning
4 tablespoons Oil
1 small, thinly sliced Onion
2-3 cloves Garlic, minced (or 1 tspn of ready-made minced garlic)
1 cup chicken broth and 1 cup water mixed together
Salt and pepper

Lightly season pork chops with BeachBilly seasoning. Pour flour into a bowl. Coat each pork chop on both sides in the flour Shake off excess flour. Set aside the flour.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the pork chops on both sides and set aside.
Add more oil to the skillet if necessary, reduce heat to medium-low and add the sliced onions and garlic. Sauté, stirring frequently, until the onions are beginning to brown.
Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the flour over the onions, stir in well and cook for 1-2 minutes (until it begins to darken). Whisk (to prevent/remove lumps) in the broth/water mixture. Bring to a boil in order to thicken. Add more broth/water, if needed, to prevent gravy from becoming too thick. Add salt and pepper to taste. Personally, I find that it's salty enough with nothing further needed.)
Reduce heat to low. Add pork chops back to the skillet. Immerse them in the gravy. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Click for printable recipe

Happy Cooking!

Simple Corn Casserole

2011-06-21T22:24:00.001-04:00

Although I do a lot of cooking from "scratch", I love the simplicity of this corn casserole. More importantly, my family loves the taste! It is wonderful served with BBQ Ribs!

Simple Corn Casserole

3 ears of corn (or, if you'd prefer, 1-15 oz can whole kernel corn)
1 (15 oz.) can creamed corn
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
1 stick butter, melted
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil the ears of corn 10 minutes then shave the corn into a bowl. (Of course, you may skip this step if you're using canned corn.)

In a bowl, mix all ingredients except the cheese. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 casserole dish or baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove from oven, add cheese to the top and bake another 10 minutes.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe

Do you have any special ingredients that you add to your corn casserole recipe?

If you've enjoyed this recipe, please share with others!

Happy Cooking!

Mama's Natural Apple Pie

2011-06-20T01:28:00.001-04:00

Today was rather challenging. I had my mind set on making apple pie. First I ran to the store to pick up a few things: batteries for the camera, allspice and cornstarch. I brought back much more than that only to realize I had forgotten the batteries. So I made a second trip to the store. Then just as I was about to put dinner on and get to work on the apple pie, I realized that I was missing ingredients for the dinner!

Chalk it up to poor planning. I should have taken inventory yesterday and those 3 trips would have been avoided today. Oh well. I managed to make the pie. The only downfall was that by the time I had the final product created, I had lost all my natural lighting and had no choice other than to use a flash. So my "final product" photo doesn't look as nice as it should.

I think you'll find this to be a very good, somewhat healthier apple pie. Uh oh! Is that groaning I hear? Trust me: Healthier doesn't mean yucky! I will eventually post the old fashioned sort of pie we're all accustomed to eating... yum! But, I want to share this particular recipe because it is actually pretty amazing. Not only does it maintain the natural flavor of the apples rather than overwhelming the tastebuds with sugar; but it also "piles" so well that neither cutting it nor picking up a slice by hand results in the pie "spilling"!

Mama's Natural Apple Pie

Prepare pie crusts
(or purchase ready-made crusts)

Ingredients

10 apples
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
dash of salt
1/4 Cup Apple Juice
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Roll one pie crust out into pie plate.

Peel and slice or chip the apples into large mixing bowl.

In separate bowl, combine all sugar, corn starch, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Stir to blend.

In another bowl, combine apple juice, lemon juice and vanilla. Stir to blend.

Pour dry and liquid ingredients over apples and stir well. Pour into pie crust.

Brush crust with melted butter and sprinkle Cinnamon Sugar over the top.

Place in oven and bake 15 minutes at 425degrees. Remove from oven and cover entire pie with foil. Cut slits in center of foil and peel back so the outer edge of pie is covered (sort of like a bursted open Jiffy Pop). This is to prevent the edges from burning. Reduce heat to 375 and bake for 45-55 minutes or until golden brown.

Note: Again.. the lighting on the final product (first photo at top of page) is pretty bad. So is this one. But I did want to show you this piece of pie. I actually cut the pie and picked it up with my hand without losing any filling.

Click here for a printable version of the recipe

Happy Cooking!

Flaky Pie Crust

2011-06-20T00:43:00.002-04:00

Flaky Pie Crust
Prep Time: 1 hour 15mins

The secret to a flaky pie crust is to work with very cold butter. Cut the butter into cubes and freeze, at least 15 minutes but it's best if frozen for over an hour. If you know that you're going to make a pie "tomorrow", then freeze the butter overnight.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup (a stick and a half) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/2 cup of all-vegetable shortening (8 Tbsp)
6-8 Tablespoons ice water

Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Cut the butter and shortening, a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is crumbly and contains small chucks of dough (see photo). Add water one tablespoon at a time. You don't want the mixture too "wet", so only add 1TSP at time. Pinch some of the crumbly dough and if it holds together, it's ready. If the dough doesn't hold together, keep adding water, a tablespoon at a time until the mixture just begins to clump together.

Remove dough and place in a mound on a clean surface. Divide the dough into 2 balls and flatten each into 4 inch wide disks. (Do not over-knead the dough.) Dust the disks lightly with flour, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate for at least an hour. These can be kept in refrigerator for up to 2 days.

When ready to make your pie, remove from refrigerator. If dough is too stiff, you may let it sit for 5-10 minutes at room temperature before rolling. Sprinkle a little flour on work surface and sprinkle a bit on top of the disk of dough. Using a rolling pin, apply light pressure while rolling outwards from the center of the dough Dough is the correct size when you place your pie pan/tin upside down on the dough and the dough extends the pan edges by 2 inches all around.

Gently fold dough in half. Lift up the dough and place it so that the folded edge is along the center line of the pie dish. Gently unfold to cover pan. Do not stretch the dough.

a. If you are only making a single crust pie, use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough to within 1/2 inch of the lip of the dish. Tuck the overhanging dough between the dough and the pan along the edge of the pie dish. Use your fingers in a pinching motion, or the tines of a fork to crimple the edge of the pie crust.

b. If you are making a double crust pie, roll out the second disk of dough. Gently place onto the top of the filling in the pie. Use a kitchen scissors to trim the overhang to an inch over the lip of the pie tin.. Pinch the edges of both doughs together and fold them inward towards the center of the pie. (It makes a pretty decoration!)

Use a sharp knife to cut vents into the top of the pie crust, so the steam has a place to escape while the pie is cooking.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe

Happy Cooking!

Southern Fried Chicken

2011-06-13T20:36:00.011-04:00

I started considering, yesterday, what recipe should be my first. It's a given, really: Southern Fried Chicken. When I think Southern Food, I think fried chicken. It's also a part of my favorite meal. It brings back memories of Sunday with the family at my cousin's Grandma's house in Perry, FL. The memories are good ones: A house full of adults laughing and talking, the smell of chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans wafting through the house; the sound of a screen door slamming as kids ran in and out; laughter in the yard as we played among the planters, chicken coop and swing set. Yep.. it's a good memory. So today I share with you my fried chicken recipe.

Southern Fried Chicken

Photography today is courtesy of my 13-year-old daughter, Alexis.

Ingredients:
3lbs whole chicken cut up
2 cups of flour
3 eggs
1/2 of a small onion
BeachBilly Seasoning
1 quart vegetable oil (or can of shortening if hydrogenated oil doesn't bother you)

Directions:

In a large pot or kettle, fill about half full with oil or shortening and toss in the a few pieces of the onion. Heat to about 350 degrees.

Pour flour into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs.

Starting with the dark meat (because it takes longer to cook) dip chicken into the egg, then coat in the flour. Dip into the egg again and apply the Beachbilly Seasoning to the chicken. (until it looks like the chicken is almost coated in pepper) and then coat in the flour again.

Place the chicken into the oil. Do not over-crowd the pot.

With EACH NEW BATCH…Repeat the process of coating, seasoning, adding onion and cooking. It is VERY important that you do not coat the chicken until just before putting it into the pot.

Place on paper towel-lined plate.

Dark meat takes 15 minutes to cook.
White meat takes 10 minutes to cook.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe

So there ya have it.. Southern Fried Chicken courtesy of a Beachbilly!

Please let me know if you try this and how you liked it. Do you have favorite ingredients for your fried chicken recipe? Please show some love by leaving a comment below.

Happy Cooking!

Here I Am!

2011-06-12T14:56:00.006-04:00

So here I am making my first post on this cooking/recipe blog. I've had a difficult time deciding whether to blend all of my blogs together into one or keep them separate. I'm still not sure what I want to do. I don't want to make a transition that would cause difficulty for my current subscribers, yet, I think it would be neat to have everything in one place. Ah well. We shall see where this leads.

By way of introduction..
For those who do not know me, my name is Michelle and I cook. I also clean but that's not really relevant here. There is a "Meet Michelle" page up there in the upper right corner.I do love cooking and I am a Southerner born in Tennessee, raised in Tennessee, Florida and Georgia. Southern food is what I know.

I have 5 children, 4 of whom love to cook. My son cooks just about anything and managed a kitchen for a few years.. My 21-year-old daughter loves making desserts (you'll find her recipes on this blog too). Her specialty is Tiramisu. Alexis, my 13-year-old just likes experimenting. But the person who spends the most time in the kitchen with me is my 8 year old, Lorelai. Her favorite thing to do in the kitchen is chop veggies. I have no idea why but she likes it and I let her do it (supervised of course!)

How this site came to be...
Many of the times that I post my menus on Facebook, I receive a request for a recipe. Therefore, I've done a lot of sharing of menus and recipes there. It's been suggested, repeatedly, that I build a site to share my cooking adventures with others.

VOILA! Here it is!

I guess this means I need to hone my photography skills. Sure I'm good at getting photos of nature and kids.. but food? It's an entirely new endeavor! So bear with me as I learn food photography!

I'm also interested in learning from YOU and receiving your feedback. In the meantime, I am off to make my first meal for a series of recipe posts!

Happy Cooking!