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Ole Biloxi Bread

2011-03-29T14:58:00.000-05:00

Welcome back! First, I want to thank you for reading my blogg! I never expected that on average one hundred people a day would be reading my writings and for that I want to thank you again!

I am going to share with you my recipe for seafood bread. I have been holding onto recipes because I want to be able to supply you with a picture of the finished yummy. Due to time and budget I have been unable to cook everything that I want to write about, so from here on out, I promise not to hold on to my recipes and if you make them please send a picture of your finished yummy to share.

I made Seafood bread for the first time last summer, when it was too hot to boil seafood outside. I have eaten many versions of this recipes and the majority use mayo for the cream base of your seafood bread. I was cooking this dish for some friends who do not like mayo, so I decided to replace the mayo with Alfredo sauce. The Alfredo sauce gave the bread a whole new flavor and is not as tart as if you were to use mayo. Alright let’s get to the kitchen and make some of this yummy bread!

You will need:

1 Loaf of French bread

2 Jars of your favorite Alfredo sauce

1 Large bag of Italian blend shredded cheese

1 Large vidiala onion diced

½ Cup of green onions cut

3 Minced garlic cloves

2 Cups of mushrooms cut

2 lbs of seafood (I use one pound lump blue crab meat and one pound crawfish tails)

2 sticks of butter

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Pepper

I recommend picking through the crab meat to make sure there are no shells and also washing your crawfish tails prior to cooking.

First you are going to melt ½ stick of butter in a skillet and sauté one chopped valdial onion, 1/2 cup of cut green onions and 2 cups of cut mushrooms. Cook these until tender.

Next, you are going to pour Alfredo sauce, garlic cloves and everything that is in your skillet into a med size pot. Once the Alfredo sauce is heated add one cup of Italian cheese and heat until bubbly. Now you are going to add crab meat and crawfish tails. You are going to cook mixture on med-low until sauce is heated.

Now you are going to split your French bread (cut like making a sandwich and then cut making two pieces of bread). Next, you are going to melt one stick of butter with 1 tsp garlic and 1 tsp onion powder and brush on the outside and the inner part of the bread.

Spread heaping amounts of your Alfredo mixture onto your bread. Now you are going to sprinkle the remaining Italian cheese, garlic powder, onion powder and Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning ontop of the cheese. Cook bread on 350 for ten minutes. After the bread is heated, broil the cheese until brown and bubbly.

Let the seafood bread sit for 15 minutes before cutting. When cutting this bread I found that a pizza cutter was the best utensil to use for cutting this bread. I hope you enjoy this recipe and please let me know if you have any questions at all.

Enjoy yall!

Backwoods Belle

Spring is here yall!

2011-03-29T10:39:00.000-05:00

Hey y’all! I hope everyone is doing well. Spring is finally here and everything is blooming and growing here in the south. I have so much that I want to do and write about. My great hubby tilled the dirt for my garden yesterday afternoon and I cannot wait to get in it. Our soil at home is not the best soil; it is sandy and loamy. This will be the third year that we have planted a garden. The first year all of the plants produced mini-veggies. The second year did better and we were able to harvest from our garden, but the garden still did not exceed my expectations. Gardening is hard work I tell you, especially when it is hot out and the humidity is 100%. My plans this weekend for my garden is to weed, weed, and weed it until there are no weeds. Then, I am going to till cow poop into my dirt and water and wait another week before I plant. I am going to plant bell peppers, squash, tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, green onions, banana peppers, cucumbers and corn. These are the type of veggies that we eat the most.

With the cost of everything going up, I thought that it would be good to plant a garden and can my pickings. With that being said, I am going to write about canning your own pickings and give you ideas on gifting canned pickings. Last week my hubby brought home a can of green tomato relish and this was by far the best relish I have ever put in my tummy.

I have also been doing research on the Mayhaw berry. Mayhaws grow best in moist soil near creek bottoms and river banks. The fruit ripens in late April through May and this is why the tree got the name Mayhaw. This berry is most commonly used to make jellies, jams and syrup. The taste of the Mayhaw berry has been compared to a crab apple. This weekend, Deb-Jean and I are going to set out on foot to find this delicate berry so we can make jelly, jams and syrup. As soon as we locate these trees, I will post pictures and recipes on making your own yummies!

Happy Spring!

Backwoods belle

Onions, Sausage and Beans oh my!

2011-03-25T15:10:00.001-05:00

Welcome back yall! I hope everyone is doing well! Today I am going to share with you the basics of cooking red beans and large lima beans. There are a lot of ways to make a yummy pot of beans and I am going to give you want you need to customize your own recipe.

There are two types of bean eaters. Some people like thin beans and some people like thick beans. It is very important to determine what type of bean eater you are. I will explain later in the recipe of why this makes a difference.

You will need:

1lb of dried beans

1 Large onion diced

1 Cup of green onions cut

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 16oz pack of smoked sausage cubed

Water

Salt

Pepper

Onion Powder

1 Large pot

When cooking beans it is very important to soak them in cold water for at least 8 hours. There are two ways to soak your dried beans, the quick method and the long soak. I recommend using the long soak because this allows more time to de-gas your beans and the softer your beans get the less time you will have to cook them. A quick is when you bring your beans to a quick boil and then take them off of the heat. This method only takes one hour to complete but, will cause extra cooking time. After soaking your beans it is very important that you wash them thoroughly.

Next, in a pot you are going to add your clean beans, diced onions and green onions. I feel that everyone seasons differently and you know what is too much for your taste buds. With that being said, season your beans with salt, pepper, and onion powder. Bring the beans to a boil and then reduce to medium heat.

Once the beans are soft, add your cubed smoked sausage or your preferred meat. If you are a thin bean eater, your cook time from here will be less. Once the sausage is cooked and you have the consistency you want in your beans, serve over rice. The longer you cook your beans the thicker they will become. You can also smash beans and use this as a thickening agent. Next, you want to taste your beans to see if more seasoning will be needed. When I am cooking the large Lima beans, I add Crystal’s hot sauce to them before serving.

You can also change up the meat source. When cooking my beans sometimes I used sausage or ham chunks. The ham chunks can normally be found near the bacon in your grocery stores. Please message me if you have any questions. I did not include the cook time on the beans because it will vary, depending on how thick or thin you would like them. The beans are done when they are soft and when the beans reach the consistency that you like.

Enjoy my friends!

Backwoods Belle

It’s a doggy’s world!

2011-03-25T11:51:00.001-05:00

Hey yall! Hope everyone is doing well! I’m excited to share this story with you as I will be introducing you to each one of my babies. For those of you that know them, then you will agree that they are very special dogs. It’s so funny that I have a dog in each stage of life; I have a puppy that is four months old, an adult that is two years old, and a paw-paw who is eleven years.

On an October afternoon in 1999, I was blessed with the greatest gift, my first puppy which is a woman’s best friend. Little did I know that this adorable little fur ball would be with me for eleven years. While I was cooking in the kitchen, someone knocked on my door. When I opened the door, there was my hubby holding a very small puppy. I have never seen a puppy like this before, as Red Heelers were not a popular breed. From the moment that my eyes met his, I knew that I was his mommy. My hubby named this puppy Rudy, after Rudy Ruettiger, because this puppy was the runt of the litter.

Fast forward eleven years and now he is paw-paw Rudy. He is grumpy, honoree, stiff and just a Grinch but we still love him. He still loves to chew on tennis balls, catch carpenter bees in the spring and hunt. Rudy has plenty of stories that he could tell if he could talk. Rudy has been attacked by a Russian Bore, swam in Katrina, he has been in jail a few times. But his greatest story of all is titled Adventures of a Couch Potato!

My next nugget that I want to share with you is Josie Wells. Two years ago on a summer afternoon, my hubby called and said “run bath water I’m bringing home a puppy and she is covered in fleas”. My husband is not known for picking up stray dogs. When he was on his way home from work that afternoon, he saw a car stop on the side of the road and they threw out a frail puppy. The hubby put the pedal to the metal and was unable to catch up with the car. So he turned around and went back to the puppy, when he opened the truck door, she jumped in.

When the hubby got home he had a little puppy that looked like a bag of bones. She was starved and her little sprit was gone. We bathed her and got all of the fleas and ticks off of her and wrapped her up in a towel. That night my hubby told me that she was just a loaner and we had to find a home for her. That night I fell in love with this puppy and she has been my sunshine ever since.

Over the next few weeks she put on weight and she got her sprit back. She is my love muffin and my princess JoJo. Josie’s hobbies are: dressing up, playing with her brother, hunting rabbits at night and loving everyone.

My newest addition to the family is Toby Waylon. Toby is a mini Rat Terrier and is a bundle of joy! He is the easiest puppy that I have ever raised. Toby loves to play with his big sister Jojo and loves to aggravate his paw-paw Rudy.

When I decided that I was going to add another puppy to our family, I did a lot of research and I wanted something small but with a lot of personality. Boy, did I pick the right breed to get because he has everything I was looking for. When I went to pick out the puppy, I was looking for a dark chocolate Rat Terrier with green eyes. The litter was split between dark chocolate and light chocolate Rats. I looked at four puppies and I was unable to make a connection with any of them. The breeder had one last puppy and he was in the kennel feeding. When she handed me this puppy he stared into my eyes and from that moment I knew he was mine. I went back several times before we brought him home and every time I did, he looked at me like he was my baby and he was just waiting to go home.

I hope you have enjoyed meeting my babies. Please look forward to many more stories of them. Have a great weekend everyone!

Sincerely,

Backwoods Belle

What I see through my eyes.

2011-03-23T08:24:00.006-05:00

Hey y'all! I wanted to share some of my pictures that I have taken over the past few years. These pictures are my all time favorites! When I look at these pictures, it brings me back to that day when I took the picture. I take pictures because I enjoy seeing those little moments that you never want to forget about.

The legend of the Dogwood tree.

2011-03-23T07:28:00.001-05:00

Have you ever been driving through the country and noticed a Dogwood in the spring time? If you have, then you know why I am writing this as they are so beautiful this time of the year. What you may not have heard of is the legend of the Dogwood. In this article I am going to share this legend with you and also share some pictures of this beautiful tree. After reading this I hope that you fall in love with them as I have.

The history behind the Dogwood is that the name Dogwood came from Dagwood because the stems of the tree are very hard and was used to make daggers and arrows. You can find the Dogwood almost anywhere in the United States other than places that are too hot and too dry. It is to be said, that the pioneers used the Dogwoods limbs as a tooth brush. The pioneers would remove the bark and fray the end of the stick using it to brush teeth. The berries that form in early spring are mild toxic to humans.

The legend of the Dogwood was shared to the hubby and I one spring as the flowers were blooming. I was so amazed of the flowers from the Dogwood. From that day on, I look forward to spring time when they show their beauty. I enjoy driving around in the afternoons taking pictures of them. I have noticed that they tend to grow in pods and in ridges, here in south Mississippi.

Legend has it, that the Dogwood was known in the Roman days as a very strong wood. The Dogwood was much like an oak tree and stood tall and strong. This wood was used to carry out executions on, due to its strength. The Dogwood was used to build Jesus’s cross and this distressed the Dogwood. Jesus sensed this distress, in the tree and the crucified Jesus said to the tree, "Because of your sorrow and pity for my sufferings, never again will the Dogwood tree grow large enough to be used as a gibbet. From here on out, it will be slender, bent and twisted and its blossoms will be in the form of a cross -- two long and two short petals. In the center of the outer edge of each petal there will be nail prints -- brown with rust and stained with red -- and in the center of the flower will be a crown of thorns, and all who see this will remember.”

It is ironic how the tree blooms in early spring and before Easter the flowers die and then it is just a crooked tree in the woods that does not stand out, but is always there.

Legend of the Dogwood

~ Unknown

In Jesus time, the dogwood grew
To a stately size and a lovely hue.

'Twas strong & firm it's branches interwoven
For the cross of Christ its timbers were chosen.

Seeing the distress at this use of their wood
Christ made a promise which still holds good:

"Never again shall the dogwood grow
Large enough to be used so

Slender & twisted, it shall be

With blossoms like the cross for all to see.

As blood stains the petals marked in brown
the blossom's center wears a thorny crown.

All who see it will remember me
Crucified on a cross from the dogwood tree.

Cherished and protected this tree shall be

A reminder to all of my agony."

Happy Spring yall!

Backwoods belle

Confessions of a dirt cheapaholic

2011-03-22T10:10:00.004-05:00

Hey yall! I hope everyone is doing well! If you are from the gulf south, you have heard, seen, or shopped at a Hudson’s Dirt Cheap. We will call this store DC for short. Dc is a liquidation store and they receive merchandise from stores that are going out of business, fire damaged, returns from department stores and things that the other stores cannot sell. There are several kinds of shopping styles, and in order to be a dirt cheapaholic, you have to have the ability to get in and dig. I promise that your finds will be well worth it and your treasures will be grand! I have purchased Vanity Fair and Vera Wang bra’s for $5.00 each, men’s Chaps dress shirts for $5.00 each, make-up for .$25 cents, Halloween costumes for my fur babies for $2.00. But my grandest find of all, a king sheet set for $10.00! It does take time to find these treasures but you have to stick with it and just dig! I recommend going to www.ilovedirtcheap.com and registering to receive emails of when new stock is in. Once you start shopping on a regular basis at DC, you will see a pattern of when certain items come in and you will notice that the percentage off will go down over time. When a new shipment is put out, I never shop that new shipment until it is 70% off the true value price. The majority of the time when a new shipment is put out it is marked down to 50% off only. When shopping in DC, you have to watch the starting prices as in my opinion that these prices sometimes can be raised above true value.

When purchasing electronics or anything that is powered, ALWAYS plug it in and make sure that it works. One day I purchased a digital antenna and did not test it, because they had a ton of them and I thought, surely they would not sell faulty antennas. The antenna had an amplifier that had a 12 volt plug. When I went to plug my treasure in, the plug would not fit into the outlet on the antenna, I attempted to try several other plugs and all of them did not fit. I paid $7.00 for this antenna and had to take it as a loss, as there are no exchanges or returns. Also when purchasing anything that has parts make sure that all of the parts are included. I purchased a kit that taught you how to belly dance. It was supposed to include an instructional DVD, a red shawl, an instructional book and chimes that go on your index finger and thumb. This little treasure was so cute that I had to buy it and the price was right! I had been watching an inventory of text books, coloring books, early educational books and how to books. When I got home and opened my box, the DVD was missing and I was very upset. I am the kind of person that has to see something to learn it. I can’t just read a book without pictures and learn how to do it. After these two purchases, I vowed to myself that I would never buy anything that was not tested and examined to make sure it has all of the parts.

Another confession I have is that, I shop at more than one DC, five to be exact. When you add more stores than one, you are able to see the pattern of how merchandise comes in. For instance, the DC at home just received a new shipment of drug store merchandise. These types of shipments are my favorite to shop. One day, I found hair supplies marked down to 70% off, at the DC near the hunting camp. I decided to sit on it because the discount was not large enough and the inventory was big. Two weeks later, I decide to go to the DC at home to see what all they had. I was glad that I passed up the hair supplies two weeks ago, because they were marked down to 90% off!

Clothing is priced in a dollar amount instead of a percentage, as most merchandise. Majority of the time clothing will start off at $10.00 and will go down as low as .25 cents. While shopping at the DC at the hunting camp, I found Chaps men’s button up dress shirts at $10.00 and then found the same shirts at the DC at home $5.00. How, do you ask? Well it is simple. When DC purchases merchandise from the sellers, they purchase it by the truck loads. How long it sits on the floor, decides how low the price gets marked down. I have found identical pair of blue jeans be priced different and that is because one has been sitting longer than the other. It makes no sense, I know, but it works. How can you tell what is priced what? Do you recall the plastic piece that holds a price tag to a piece of clothing? This is what DC uses as price tags for clothing. The piece of plastic is attached to some part of the clothing. Each price level is a different color, so pay very close attention to your colors. While shopping for clothes and shoes, make sure to examine each item and make sure that the zippers work, no missing buttons and all seams are intact.

With a little planning and frequent trips to DC, you too will become a dirt cheapaholic. These tips that I have shared are just some of the few that I have noticed while shopping at DC and are solely my opinion. Now that you know my secrets, DIG IN!

Happy Digging

Backwoods Belle

Finding a man at Wal-Mart

2011-03-19T17:41:00.009-05:00

Hey yall! Hope everyone is doing well! So by now you know I am a very married woman! I have been in a relationship with my husband for 12 years, and in this time I have never been picked up on, until a trip to Wal-Mart on a Friday winter night.

The hubby and I were on the way to the hunting camp for a getaway weekend and we always stop at Wal-Mart before we get to Gods country. We were pulling the four wheelers on the trailer and the hubby decided to sit in the truck. As I walk into the garden section, I notice that there are a lot of men just wondering around; I thought to myself "the wife must have made him come to Wal-Mart and he's wasting time!" As I speed walk to the sporting goods section, I come upon my first item on the list, deer corn. I forgot to explain my attire for the afternoon; I am wearing blue jeans, a camo shirt and a camo jacket, while carrying a camo purse.

As I'm tossing the forty pound bags of corn in my buggy, a man gently smiles and asks "hey perrty lady do you need some help with that corn?" I smiled and said, "No thank you, I got it." I turned around and as fast as I could, I loaded up four more bags of deer corn into my buggy. As I took off for the other side of the store, I thought that surely that man was just being nice and not trying to hit up on me. I finally made it to the other side of the store and loaded my buggy up with spirits for the hubby, when I noticed a man lurking. I avoided making all eye contact but, he followed me to the chip isle. As I'm picking out the chips this man says, "That is a nice purse, where did you get it?" I replied "at the Mossy Oak outlet in West Point." His stare felt like it was piercing through me and I could not escape from his wrath, as he kept talking to me. Finally, when I was able to escape from him, I kicked it in high gear and finished my shopping and was back at the truck in less than ten minutes.

When I got in the truck my legs were burning and I could barely catch my breath. The hubby and I discussed what happened to me in Wal-Mart and the answer was obvious. Could it be after 12 years I was being picked up on in Wal-Mart?

The experience that I had on that Friday winter night gave me the idea to observe the men in Wal-Mart and come up with a dating guide for women. If men can pick up women in Wal-Mart, why can women?

First things first, when dressing for a trip to Wal-Mart you must dress as you normally do. You want to let the guy know what you’re all about by dressing normal. Next you will have to plan your attack. Number one important rule is to always pick out two departments that you would want to scope out for a man. I will help you out with this by giving you examples. For instance, if you want a man that likes to work in the yard, go to the garden section, if you want a sportsman go to sporting goods, if you want a man that is up to date with all the latest and greatest electronics, go to the electronic section. Try to stay away from cosmetics, lingerie, crafts and the condemn section.

When entering your department of choice, make sure that you walk in with confidence and have a look on your face like you know something no one else does. Give the department a quick look. Identify the men who are married and the men that you are not interested. There are men out there doing the exact same thing you are doing and these men will stick out. Next, pick out three men that interest you and walk buy each one of them making eye contact. Hot tamale is when you both make eye contact at the same time. If you receive a hot tamale, make this man your top priority. Approach the isle that he is in front of and gently say “excuse me” and take the merchandise and put it in your buggy. More than likely this item is going to be an item that you do not need, and you will be able to get rid of it when you check out.

If he is on the hunt he will make a comment to you and if he is not interested then he will ignore you. Once this interaction has taken place, go ahead and finish your shopping. If you made an impression on this man, he will come looking for you.

By now I am sure you are probably asking yourself “what does a married woman know about finding men in Wal-Mart”. Well I never said I was an expert at it however; I have spent an enormous amount of money at Wal-Mart and enough time in Wal-Mart to know the patterns of men on the hunt for a woman.

I hope you enjoyed this story! I must say that this story was the funniest one of all to write!

Sincerely,

Backwoods belle

And thirty years later!

2011-03-16T08:23:00.000-05:00

It took me thirty years to figure out what "I'm supposed to do!" I have always had a free spirit, creativity, and lots of imagination. From a very early age, I can remember playing outside and creating things. When I was growing up, we lived on a creek and this is where my first stove was made. I took bricks and made an underground stove. Every year in the fall when the yellow stink ditch flowers would bloom I would take a pine cone and stick the flowers in it. It would create a beautiful yellow stink ditch flower ball. I would bring them home and my mother would put them outside every time. I still make these today and now understand why they go outside as they are loaded with chiggers!

Some people would call me a story teller! There is nothing boring about my life and there is nothing that I would hide. I love going to work on a Monday morning and sharing what happened over the weekend. When I tell my stories, people listen and this is where creating a blog came in to mind. I would have never imagined that starting this blog would give me the answer that was looking for! What am I suppose to do you ask? Write! Yes, there is A LOT that I still have to learn, but when I write it just pours out of my fingers! I love writing about my life experiences and the little things that make me happy. If you’re reading this, then that means that your interested! Please come back and check me out often! There are three articles that I am working on now and I think you will like them! The titles are: Chronicles of a Dirt Cheapaholic, Wal-Mart dating 101, and How to Make Fresh Arrangements.

Happy Reading

Backwoods Belle

Cherry Heaven

2011-03-15T08:46:00.003-05:00

Hey yall! I hope everyone is doing well! This recipe was passed on to me from a very dear friend.

Mrs. Maggie is known for her big hugs, warm smile, and the best gumbo ever! Mrs. Maggie’s recipes are easy, quick, and always taste like you spent hours in the kitchen. We will keep the easy part to ourselves; never tell your secrets to your guest! This dessert is very rich and I recommend serving with coffee or milk.

You will need:

1 Egg yolk

2 Cans of cherry pie filling

3 Cans of crescent rolls

2 Packs of cream cheese

1/2 Cup sugar

3 Tbsp melted butter

1 Cup of powdered sugar

1 Pyrex baking dish greased

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.

Alright yall, let's get to cooking! First, you are going to roll out one can of crest rolls in the bottom of the baking dish and press the seams together.

Next, combine the cream cheese, egg yolk, and sugar together and cream until smooth. Now you are going to smooth the cream cheese mixture over the crescent rolls. After the cream cheese is smooth, spoon the canned cherry pie filling on top of the cream cheese. It is very important that you do not mix the cherry pie filling with the cream cheese.

Now you are ready to add the top layer of crescent rolls. This step is where you can get creative. You want to cover the entire top with a crescent roll layer. You can roll out the crescent rolls and create whatever shapes and designs you would like to make. Once covered, brush melted butter atop. Now this baby is ready to go in the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.

I like to make a quick sugar glaze to dress up the top of the dessert. To do this, combine the powdered sugar and water until you get the consistency that you want. Once your dessert has cooled, place the glaze atop.

This dessert is also great cold. When the dessert is chilled, it will form nicely and make for easy eating. You can cut into little squares and serve as a finger dessert.

I hope yall enjoy this yummie!

See you in the kitchen!

Backwoods Belle

Inshore Slam

2011-03-11T15:23:00.003-06:00

The alarm went off on a summer morning at 4:30 am, as I rolled over I thought how nice it would be to stay in the bed. Then the plans for the day had me up and moving. You see, today was the perfect day to catch the big one. The marine forecast was perfect; 1-2 foot seas out of the south, turning to a light chop in the afternoon and zero percent chance of rain. Where were we headed? We were headed due south to the La marsh.

As we drove south, the sun was barely peaking up from the horizon. Once we were in the boat, the sea spray woke my senses and the smell of the gulf relaxed me. The gulf that morning was like glass and the water turkeys were everywhere. The bait fish looked like rain drops on the water. The birds were working and filling there bellies. I thought to myself "this is a day I pray for all year"!

As we approached the marsh it was obvious that the wildlife that calls the marsh home was awake. My hubby decided that it would be best to run to Isle Au Pitre, and it was a good thing he did. After working my line for what seemed like hours, there was finally a fish on it! I was after flounder and letting your bait sink to the bottom and slightly bumping it was the best way to catch a yummy flounder. As I reeled my line in, the fish was not giving up and put up a fight. My heart was pumping and my adrenaline was in full force! As the fish started to show his self, it was obvious that I scored on that yummy flounder. After this catch, my good luck turned off as fast as it turned on.

We set out a little further north to Creole Gap and this was going to be our last drift of the day. “The specks are on the bar!” my hubby yelled. The heat was on to catch one of these delicate fish. As soon as my DOA hit the water, it went straight down, and it was on! As I fought this speck to the boat, he was jumping out of the water and showing his will to live. Once to the boat, it was clear this was a keeper!

My husband yelled from the front of the boat “Bae you should go for an inshore slam!” An inshore slam is where you catch a flounder, speckled trout, and a red fish all in one day. Immediately, I made this my goal. I changed my fishing lure and started fishing for the monster red fish. The afternoon went by as we drifted north and once again the fish turned off. While I was taking a break, I looked up to the blue cloudless sky and prayed “Dear God, please bless me with a red fish.” As soon as I was done praying, I went back to fishing, working my bait perfect, and as hard as I could. Then, I noticed my line was very heavy. Could it be an oyster, crab, or a sting ray? My mind wondered off on all the possibilities of what was on the other end of the line. To my surprise it was a stick! Yep, a stick! Boy did I feel like a joke was being played on me!

After catching the stick we decided to make this our last cast as the sunset was not far away. As my bait hit the water, I prayed once again that I would be blessed with my inshore slam. I worked the bait slowly and avoided getting tangled in the grass bed that I was fishing on top of. Then, out of nowhere, a fin to “the” red fish appeared. The red fish was after a crab and this was my last opportunity to get him in the boat. I reeled as fast as I have ever reeled before and casted right in his path. The red fish was on my line and this was it. I’m finally going to have my inshore slam that I have worked so hard for over the past seven hours.

As we packed up for the ride back to the inland, I was excited to get home and take my picture with all three of my fish. The ride back to the boat dock was a smooth ride and the dolphins were out playing in the surf from the boat. The ride was so peaceful and I was so exhausted from being in the sun that I laid my head back on the center console and thought to myself, just how powerful prayer really was. He was on my side the whole time and it was already planned for me to get out of the bed at 4:30 am on that summer Saturday morning.

Martha May's Dumplins

2011-03-11T12:04:00.002-06:00

Hey yall! This recipe holds a very special place in my heart. Martha May is my grandmother and boy does she know how to cook a mean pot of dumplings. My Grandmothers Dumplings is the fix all for a scratched knee, runny nose, or a broken heart. There was just something about having a bowl of dumplings from Maw Maws that made everything better.

You will need:

Water
4 Chicken Breast (with skin and bone)
1 Medium onion cut
1/2 Cup of green onions cut
3 chicken bouillon Cubes
3 Cups of self rising flour
1/4 Cup of veg oil
1 Cup of whole milk
Salt and Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder

The kitchen items we will use for this recipe are:

Large boiling pot
Rolling pin
Pizza cutter
Aluminum foil
Measuring cup

First, we are going to start with the chicken broth. This broth will hold your entire flavor for your dish. Wash chicken breast and place into a large pot and cover chicken with water. Next, you’re going to add your green and white onions, 3 chicken bouillon cubes, 2 tsp salt, 2 tsp pepper, 1 tbsp of garlic powder and 1 tbsp onion powder. If this seems to much, season to your taste. After all of your ingredients are in for your broth, bring to a hard boil and reduce to a simmer and put a lid on it! Once the chicken is completely done, remove the chicken and place on plate to cool. Once chicken is cooled, remove the chicken meat from the bone and throw away bones and skin. I take a little extra time with this step to avoid bones and cartilage from being in the broth. Once the chicken is cleaned, shred the chicken and place back in the broth and return to a boil. Now it’s time to taste your broth and season to fit your taste buds.

Now we are going to make the dumplings. This is a very messy step but, one thing that I enjoy is getting flour everywhere! It is a big mess to clean up but, you can put your heart into it when you’re not worried about making a mess! :)

So, first we are going to lay out aluminum foil on the counter to help with an easy clean up. Next, you’re going to pour one cup of self rising flour on the aluminum foil and dust your rolling pin with the flour.
Now here comes the tricky part. Pour two cups of self rising flour into a mixing bowl, 1/4 cup of vegetable oil and enough milk to make the dough wet. You cannot mess this step up because if the dough is too wet you can add more flour; and if too dry add more milk. How do you know if it is too wet you ask? If the dough sticks to your hands when you knead it, then it is too wet. If your dough is crumbly then it is too dry; and you want to add milk to it. Now, we are going to put the dough ball in the loose flour that you placed on the aluminum foil. Knead the flour until it forms a tight ball, cut ball into four equal pieces, and set three of the dough balls aside.

At this point your chicken and broth should be at a boil.

Roll each dough ball out until dough is thin, dust the dumplings with flour, and cut into bite size pieces with pizza cutter. Next, you’re going to divide your cut dumplings into three different batches. You will be unable to place all of your dumplings in the pot at the same time.

Carefully place dumplings into the boiling broth and try to avoid from stirring them but, you do need to push them down into the broth with the back side of a spoon. Once your first batch of dumplings sinks to the bottom, you’re going to add the reminder of the dumplings repeating the process two more times.

Once all of your dumplings are added, reduce heat to a simmer and place lid on pot. Simmer the dumplings for 20 minutes until done.

****Some people like thick dumplings some people like thin dumplings. If you like thick dumplings simply add a thickener. I do one cup of milk with 3 tbsp of flour and wisk until flour is combined with water and add to your dumplings.

Now sit back, kick your feet up and smell the healing powers of Martha May's dumplings :)

Enjoy!
Backwoods Belle

A lil bit more about me

2011-03-10T16:03:00.000-06:00

Hey yall! Welcome back! I hope everyone is doing well. So I wanted to go into more detail about my passion for cooking. My passion for cooking started when I was a wee girl. You know the chubby girl with the dirt face. The smells that would come from the kitchen would just amaze me. How could you use a dab of that and a pinch of this and come up with a dish that warms your heart and fuels your soul?

I'm from the Deep South, where everything is considered "soul food". The south consists of so many different types of food and that’s why we are called the melting pot. Where do I fit in the "melting pot"? I'm smack dab in the middle of it!

There are two people that have fueled my passion for cooking, my dad and mother in law. My father is a rajin Cajun and loves everything spicy, bold and on top of rice. My mother in law is a country cook. She can take four ingredients and turn it into a four coarse meal. The combination of my father and my mother in law has made me the ultimate rajin Cajun soul food cook!

All of my recipes have stories and history behind them. I hope to knock your socks off with my recipes and warm your soul with the stories that have been passed down to me. I promise to fill your bellies and keep your family and friends coming back wanting more!

Happy Cooking
Backwoods Belle

Country as a Turnip Green

2011-03-08T15:15:00.001-06:00

Okay I must admit that I do not eat turnip greens but, I am as country as one! My adventure started in Morgan City, La at 10:10 PM on September 6th, 1980. My love for life and all things country started at an very early age. I was always the little chubby girl with the dirty face or the girl that you saw playing in the ditch making mud pies for her family. I have always been in love with all things outside. The outdoors leaves so much to the imagination and that is one place that i am not lacking in!

So a little more about me. I met my best friend, lover and my partner in life on October 7th 1998, in the local supermarket parking lot on a Friday night. It was love at first sight. Fast forward and we have been married for eight years now . We have no human kids, but we have been blessed with three wonderful fur babies! I will go into great detail about them a lil later.

Bobby and I moved up to Gods country three years ago and have enjoyed every minute of it. My home is a warm place where everyone is welcome. We spend our free time doing whatever makes us happy. Bobby and I live life to the fullest and have no regrets.

My goal for this blog is to share my life adventures, yummy recipes and my love of all things animals!

Sincerely,
Backwoods Belle