Whitney Miller Masterchef

Getting Back to the Basics

2012-03-05T09:21:00.000-08:00

My mom and I have been preparing more "from scratch" meals for our family. We did a lot of cooking from scratch before but even more now because my dad was prescribed prednisone, a steroid. My dad has a neuromuscular disease, Myasthenia Gravis. He had a MG crisis because of a reaction to a new medication he was taking which put him into the hospital. After being treated with IVIG for several days in the hospital, he was released. His neurologist switched his medication of Mestinon and prescribed him a low dose of prednisone. The worries that my mom and I have always had about the one day he might have to take prednisone were the side effects. Diabetes, osteoporosis, and increased appetite are some of the effects. This steroid can also make a person retain water resulting in gaining weight uncontrollably. My mom and I are very concerned with all of the side effects. We want to do whatever we can to help combat these effects.

This is where the "from scratch" cooking began. We knew that sodium would be a big concern so we decided to try and use as little salt in our cooking as possible. This also meant a change in the canned, prepackaged, etc. products we use. You might think that it wouldn't be hard to flavor foods without salt but it is. So, I put my creativity to use. Tasting herbs and spices and determining what pairs well with them has challenged me. If you watched me compete on "Masterchef," then you know I like a challenge. Tasting a vegetable organically without seasoning it and determining whether it has a natural sweetness, bitterness, etc. is an important step. Sweet potatoes have a natural sweetness and when baked versus microwaved, the sweetness is enhanced. Rutabagas like sweet potatoes have a natural sweetness. I like to cube them, toss in walnut oil, and roast in the oven with sage, and walnuts. Spices that would pair well with the rutabagas or sweet potatoes are cinnamon and cardamom. There is black and green cardamom. Green cardamom is traditionally used in Indian baking for sweets. Black cardamom imparts a smoky flavor and is used in garam masala for curries.

I sliced some fingerling potatoes and roasted them off in the oven with olive oil, pepper, garlic, and rosemary. The product was crispy oven-baked fingerling potato fries. The next step would be to reach in the refrigerator for ketchup but not when you read the sodium content per serving. My mom pulled out a 8 oz. can NO SALT ADDED tomato sauce and decided she would quickly prepare some homemade ketchup. Adding sweetness with about 1/4 cup natural, no sugar added apple juice and 1 Tbsp. sweetened dried cranberries (there are naturally sweetened dried cranberries like pomegranate which is what we used) in with the tomato sauce in a small saucepan. Cook the mixture over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then process the mixture and the result is a naturally sweetened ketchup. If you like a little more sweetness, add honey.

In my cookbook, Modern Hospitality, I designed an essentials section. It features everything from a homemade buttermilk herb dressing "ranch," blackened seasoning rub, miracle marinade, olive salad, pimiento cheese, turnip green pesto, and sun-dried tomato and cranberry ketchup. The miracle marinade is perfect for flavoring anything from meatloaf, steaks, hamburger patties, and more. The olive salad is a quintessential ingredient in a muffuletta, traditional New Orleans sandwich, and can be tossed with pasta for a quick pasta salad. The pesto is a great on its own with olive oil and focaccia bread for dipping. It can also be used as a spread for sandwiches like paninis.

Cooking from scratch gives me a sense of empowerment. The first time I made homemade ketchup was actually by accident but when the result produced a smooth texture and sweetness like ketchup, it was exciting.
All of my essential recipes are found in the back of my cookbook behind the drinks section. Signed copies of my cookbook are available now on my Open Sky page at www.opensky.com/whitneymiller

Dubai

2012-02-27T18:47:00.001-08:00

International Gulfood Show 2012

The Gulfood show provided me the opportunity to travel to Dubai. I was asked to be one of the speakers for the Food Leaders Summit. I couldn't believe I was in the line-up of speakers including Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi (UAE Minister of Foreign Trade), Sanjeev Chadha (president of PepsiCo Middle East & Africa), and many others. It was a great learning experience about entrepeneurs, different cultures' products, imports and exports, and more.

One of the presentations I really enjoyed was given by the president of PepsiCo in the Middle East & Africa. PepsiCo owns Lays potato chip company which I think I remember him saying is one of the largest snack food companies in the world. The slide from his presentation shows a popular potato chip in Thailand. Their nori seaweed flavored potato chip represents 30% of Lay's sales worldwide. I can't imagine the flavor of this chip. He also discussed the marketing behind the different country's flavored potato chips for example Russia's mushroom and cream potato chip. He explained of how some German's memories include foraging for mushrooms and taking them to make the traditional mushrooms and cream sauce. The Lay's company knows what it is doing when it comes to marketing.

After the Gulfood show, my mom and I were able to explore Dubai.

From shopping at the Gold Souk for scarves, tuniks, shoes, and more to....

riding a wooden boat on the Dubai creek. This was a very relaxing experience and not an image I associated with Dubai. I thought of the big city and then the desert. How wrong was I.

The Dubai creek is home to many ships that import and export goods from the docks.

Everything from produce, dry goods, beverages, and more are imported into Dubai.

Speaking of food, while in Dubai I was able to sample different cuisines including Turkish, Arabic, Indian, and Lebanese. One thing that defines each cuisine is their "bread." This picture is of bread from a Turkish restaurant. I love the Indian naan!
Hummus was very popular across the board in all the cuisines. At my mom and my hotel, hummus was offered for breakfast. Something else that was very popular was fruit juices and I loved it! Instead of the typical orange juice for breakfast, our hotel offered fresh pineapple juice along with orange and apple juice. The juices also extended beyond breakfast. On about every menu, I could choose from watermelon, strawberry, pineapple, pomegranate, lemonade, and more. Since alcohol is not allowed, restaurants offer mocktails. I remember a really good mocktail I had consisting of grapefruit juice, lime, strawberry, and grenadine. I can taste the sweet, tangy, and sour flavors jumping off my taste buds just thinking about it.

http://youtu.be/Hp35w1rai8E Click on the link to view one of my videos from my trip.
Dubai was such an exciting experience and I have so much more to share including videos from my trip. Stay tuned!

Taste of New Orleans

2012-02-11T18:32:00.000-08:00

After watching John Michael, my nephew, getting recognized as a Duke in his Day Care's Mardi Gras Ball, my sister, mom, and I ventured to a new place for lunch in New Orleans.

BBQ Shrimp (view my recipe below)
I looked up Freret Street because my mom remembered seeing a story about it having good restaurants. High Hat restaurant, described as a mix of Mississippi Delta and New Orleans cuisine, received a lot of good reviews so we made a decision to go there. We started off with one of the dishes recommended, the bbq shrimp. The rich sauce was flavorful and the shrimp cooked perfectly. The best part is dipping the toasted bread into the sauce to "sop it up." We also tried their tamales (very popular in the delta) for appetizer. I am usually not a tamale fan but they were good.

Southern Burger with pimiento cheese (my recipe below)

Like the old sports song that was played at many of my dad's basketball games sang, this is the Main Event! Their pimiento cheese and burger is raved about in many online reviews. We knew that we had to try it. The burger was cooked just how I ordered, medium well (slight pink center). The ooey gooey pimiento cheese was perfectly melted on top of the patty and sandwiched between a buttery toasted bun. The fries that accompanied it were good too.

My mom, sister, and I also shared the vegetable plate of braised greens, sweet potato salad, okra and tomatoes, and cornbread. The sweet potato salad was the first I have ever tried. All the vegetables were seasoned well.

On our way back to my sister's house, we saw the sign for Haydel's bakery. My sister mentioned one of her friends gets her king cakes there. The line out the door intrigued us to stop and go in. We didn't want to pay $13 for a medium king cake if we didn't know how it tasted so we ordered some desserts from the case. I went straight for the chocolate eclair and cannoli. My sister chose the mini red velvet cake and heath bar cookie. We grabbed a chocolate milk to share and we were on our way. When I was little my mom would take my sisters and I to get donut holes and chocolate milk as a treat. It is a memory I treasure.

When we got home I sampled the treats.

The chocolate eclair was my favorite! I didn't care too much for the cajun cream cheese filling in the cannoli. It was too heavy. I also sampled the slice of king cake that we were given before we left. It was soft and had a slight cinnamon flavor. I imagine it would be really good with a filling.
Today was a fun day with my mom and sister. I cherish the times we get to spend together.

BBQ Shrimp

BBQ shrimp are commonly served in New Orleans restaurants with their heads and tails still on. I have made the eating easier and more “dignified” by using peeled shrimp. However, you may still catch me sopping up the sauce with French bread (in the most elegant way, of course!)

8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

¾ cup chicken broth
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 ½ Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
3/8 teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 pound large shrimp, peeled & deveined
Combine all the ingredients except the shrimp in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until the mixture has reduced and thickened slightly, 4 to 6 minutes
Add the shrimp and cook until just barely opaque throughout, about 3 minutes. Serve hot.
Serves 4

“Spicy” Pimiento Cheese Plain Pimiento Cheese

¼ cup cream cheese, softened                                   4 oz. ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese                         ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese                               ¾ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise                                                     2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. chopped pimientos                                       1 Tbsp. chopped pimientos
1/8 tsp. salt                                                                   pinch salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper                                     1/8 tsp. cracked black pepper
Pinch cayenne

Depending on which cheese you are making, first process the cream or ricotta cheese until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the remaining ingredients until combined.

Makes about 1 ½ cups

Eating my way through NYC

2012-02-03T19:35:00.000-08:00

The Lobster Place
My mom and I ventured to Chelsea Market on 9th Avenue. Chelsea Market http://chelseamarket.com/retail/ is full of all kinds of eateries and markets. The smell of fish and seafood hits you as you walk into The Lobster Place.

Get over the smell and make your way to the back of the seafood market to place your order. My mom ordered the slider sampler which included a lobster roll, tarragon shrimp slider, and crab club slider. The crab club slider was my favorite! The combination of fresh crab salad, bacon, and avocado was mouth-watering.
Also available was a soup station featuring five or more soups. I took a cue from the crowd gathering around the clam chowder. I ladled the creamy potato and clam filled chowder into a paper soup cup. It was everything I hoped it would be. This popular New England chowder found in the north is not easily available in the South so it makes it even more of a treat.

The Filling Station offers metal containers of olive oils and vinegars for sampling and purchasing as well as numerous flavored salts. The espresso salt tasted like espresso and then my taste buds were hit with a punch of salt. There were also vanilla, bacon, and smoked salt.

My mom sampling the balsamic vinegars and olive oils
My favorite olive oil was the chipotle olive oil. There were smoky notes and a lingering heat. My mom liked the fig and pear balsamic. You could say it was finger-licking good ha ha!

Chelsea Market is definitely a food emporium offering anything and everything your taste buds desire. Stay tuned for more great NYC food finds!

Super Superbowl Food!

2012-02-02T18:59:00.000-08:00

Mac N' Cheese is the quintessential comfort and indulgent food. My cauliflower mac n'cheese gives you the comfort without feeling like you are indulging. This makes a perfect side dish to hamburgers, bbq chicken or pork, or own its own.
Cauliflower Mac N'Cheese
8 cups cauliflower florets (1 head of cauliflower)
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups skim milk
½ cup heavy cream
3/8 tsp. table salt
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (4 oz.)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Toss the cauliflower florets in the olive oil on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the kosher salt and ¼ tsp. of the pepper. Roast until fork-tender and lightly browned in spots, 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven but leave the oven on and reduce the temperature to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thickened, 2 to 4 minutes. Whisk in the heavy cream and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in all but 2 Tbsp. of the cheese, the table salt, and the remaining ¼ tsp. pepper. Stir until the cheese melts, then cook, stirring often, until thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.

Place the roasted cauliflower florets in an 8x8 inch glass baking dish or four 10 oz. ramekins. Pour the cheese sauce over cauliflower. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 2 Tbsp. cheese.

Bake until the cheese is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm.
Serves: 4 ppl
*Recipe courtesy of Modern Hospitality

Sweet and Spicy Coleslaw
The tangy sweet and heat vinaigrette in this coleslaw will have your tastebuds jumping. This would be a great topping for fish tacos or pulled pork bbq.
Sweet & Spicy Coleslaw
½ head purple cabbage, stalk removed, halved, sliced thinly
¼ red onion, sliced thinly
Sweet Jalapeno & Pecan Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup pecan halves, toasted
¼ cup sugar
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh jalapeno pepper
3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
¾ tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp. celery seed
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

To prepare the cabbage: Combine the cabbage and onion in a large bowl.

Combine the pecan halves, sugar, pepper, the vinegars, lemon juice, celery seed, salt, and pepper in a blender. Blend to combine. Remove the cap from the center of the blender’s lid. With the blender on low, drizzle in the olive oil until combined.

Toss the cabbage mixture with the vinaigrette. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Serve.

*Recipe courtesy of Modern Hospitality

If you live or in NYC, come by Bloomingdales on 59th Friday, Feb. 3 from 2-5:00 p.m. to watch me demo the above recipes and sample the dishes. Also get your copy of Modern Hospitality signed.

Fingerling Potato Skins

Stuffed in these bite size potato skins is my spicy and cheesy pimento cheese. Your friends will be impressed by the presentation.

Fingerling Potato Skins

18 (about 1 lb.) fingerling potatoes

1 Tbsp. olive oil

½ tsp. kosher salt

Spicy Pimento Cheese recipe (see below)

Preheat oven at 400 degrees.

Place fingerling potatoes onto a baking sheet. Toss potatoes in olive oil and salt. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Slice the potatoes lengthwise. Scoop out the pulp. *Tip: use a metal ¼ tsp. measuring spoon. Reserve pulp for another dish.

Place the potatoes skin side up on the baking sheet. Bake for 6-10 minutes. (depending on size of potatoes)

Turn potato skins over. Spoon ½ heaping tsp. spicy pimento cheese into potato skins. Bake for 2 minutes or until cheese melts.

Spicy Pimento Cheese

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. pimentos
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients until combined.

No Name Bars "Too Good For Words"

I put a twist on my no name bar recipe by incorporating different ingredients. By adding cocoa powder, I have turned the no name bars into a fudgy brownie. One of my favorite bar cookies is a magic cookie bar or some call it a hello dolly. The main ingredients are coconut and chocolate. I added in coconut into the no name batter then swirled chocolate ganache. You will definitely want to try my no name bars and any of these variations.

No Name Bars

Crust:

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, melted

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Filling:

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

2 large eggs

4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9 inch baking dish.

To make crust: Mix the melted butter and sugar together in a medium bowl. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until combined. Stir in the vanilla. Spread the mixture into bottom of the baking dish. Bake for 5 minutes.

To make the filling: Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs and mix until combined. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla. Stir in the confectioner’s sugar and mix well. Spread the mixture on top of the crust.

Bake until set, about 38 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before cutting into squares.

Chocolate No Name Bars: add 3 Tbsp. cocoa powder to the crust and 1/4 cup cocoa powder to the topping

Coconut Pecan No Name Bars:

½ cup sweetened shredded coconut

¼ cup pecan pieces

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 Tbsp. heavy cream

Stir in the coconut and pecan pieces into the topping. Spread the topping mixture on top of the crust.

In a small saucepan, stir the chocolate chips and heavy cream until smooth. Pour into a small bowl and chill until thickened.

Spoon two lines lengthwise a few inches apart from each other in the pan. Using a knife, swirl the ganache into the coconut batter.

I put milk chocolate to the test!

2012-01-28T14:17:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day and chocolate go hand-in-hand. Have you ever wondered what it the best kind of milk chocolate without buying and testing them all? Whitney to the rescue!! I went in to this taste test with the idea that I was going to love it but what I learned is that I prefer dark chocolate 100%. I will explain to you in detail why......and here we go ($ indicates level of cost)

First on the list is Cadbury milk chocolate. The label indicates that the chocolate is velvety smooth and I would have to agree. The chocolate is very smooth and creamy. I would say it was the creamiest chocolate. In terms of flavor, it was memorable. $$

Second is Ghirardelli milk chocolate. Ghirardelli's chocolate imparts a caramel, malt flavor. Again, I did not taste the cocoa but more cocoa butter. $$$

Next is Lindt milk chocolate. It literally melted right away in my mouth. The flavor was that of caramel. I didn't get a rich chocolate flavor like the label suggests. It tasted more like milk and caramel. $$$

Last but not least is the famous Hershey's milk chocolate. I left this one to last because I didn't think this one would be too memorable. I thought of it as a cheaper commercial grade chocolate but I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of flavor. Hershey's milk chocolate was the only milk chocolate bar that actually tasted like chocolate and not just milk and sugar. My mom and sister, Leslie, helped me in the taste testing and without knowing what kind of chocolate she was tasting, my mom guessed Hershey's. It really has a distinct chocolate flavor. This is definitely the perfect chocolate for a smores.
$
So, what does this all mean? If your Valentine loves chocolate and you are wanting to buy him or her some this year, I would suggest buying dark chocolate. If you have a sweets lover on your hands, then he or she would probably love any of these. Choose which one of these sound appealing to you and enjoy!

Creativity in Presentation

2012-01-24T18:37:00.000-08:00

White Chocolate Bread Pudding (recipe below)

Today I demoed my White Chocolate Bread Pudding recipe from my cookbook on the WLOX news. I like to serve the white chocolate bread pudding with a white chocolate sauce and fresh raspberries or a raspberry coulis (sauce).

I could not get raspberries fresh or frozen at my local grocery store. I decided to stop at a grocery store on my way to gulfport to buy raspberries. As I got closer to the news station, I did not see a grocery store around. I didn't want to serve the white on white dessert by itself without a pop of color. I drove to a gas station just past the news station to look for anything that I could use. I put my creativity to work in the convenience store. I looked for anything berry related from jellies to juices.

And this is the cliff hanger.........

What do you think I used to give my bread pudding a pop of color and elegant presentation?

Write in the comment section of my blog about what you think I used from the convenience store. A randomly chosen person will win a Ghirardelli heart box of chocolate squares. Perfect for your Valentine! Contest ends Friday night at midnight.

To portion control this dessert, spoon the bread pudding mixture into 2 greased muffin tins. Bake the bread pudding for 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly then run a knife around the individual bread puddings and transfer to dessert plates. Enjoy!

White Chocolate Bread Pudding

Sometimes bread pudding can be thought of as a “heavy” dessert. My recipe with its special ingredient of light and airy French bread is not the usual “dense” bread pudding. And, the taste of delicious custard and warm white chocolate sauce will leave you wanting more!

7 oz. French bread, crust removed & cut into 1” cubes (about 8 cups)

3 large eggs
7 large egg yolks
½ cup plus 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
3 ½ cups half-and-half
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. heavy cream
1 cup good- quality white chocolate chips
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract

White Chocolate Sauce

1 cup good quality white chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9- inch glass baking dish.

To make the bread pudding: Place the bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to the baking dish.

Whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, and sugar in a large bowl.

Combine the half-and-half and 1 cup of the heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until hot, about 7 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly add hot milk mixture to the egg mixture.

Melt the white chocolate with the remaining 2 Tbsp. heavy cream in a small saucepan over low heat.

Pour the white chocolate into the egg mixture, stirring occasionally. Stir in the vanilla.

Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve over the bread cubes. Lightly press the cubes into the milk mixture to submerge them. Bake until the bread has absorbed the liquid and is lightly toasted, about 40 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

To make the white chocolate sauce: Melt the chocolate with the heavy cream in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally.

Serve the bread pudding warm with white chocolate sauce drizzled over the top.

Serves: 8 to10

Fishing for Some Good Recipes?

2012-01-24T08:14:00.000-08:00

I am always interviewing people that I meet whether at the nail shop, grocery store, etc. about what kinds of foods he or she likes to eat, what kind of recipes he or she would like more of, etc. While getting my nails done last week, I asked the guy painting my nails what he likes to cook. He said he likes to cook fish but he doesn't know how to flavor or cook fish except a couple ways. This got me motivated to create a fish recipe. My go-to fish is catfish mostly because it easy to come by where I live.
I wanted to take catfish which is a flaky fish that takes on flavor easily and infuse the most flavor into it.
I did this by marinating it and baking the catfish in collard green leaves.

Collard Green Wrapped Catfish

1 cup canned coconut milk

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. lemon zest

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. fresh or dried dill, chopped

1 tsp. sea salt

1/8 tsp. white pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp. grated fresh ginger *get a ginger root & freeze to always have on hand

6 fresh collard green leaves, washed and stem removed

1 lb. catfish fillets (about 3 large fillets), cut into half

In a large zip top bag, mix together all of the marinade ingredients. Place the catfish fillets in the bag and shake to coat the fillets. Seal and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a glass baking dish, place each catfish fillet in the collard green leaf.

Fold the two sides of the collard green leaf down and then fold the top and bottom sides down.

Place the folded side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the rest of the catfish fillets.

Bake the catfish fillets for about 16-20 minutes.

The catfish is done when the fillets flake apart with a fork.

I would recommend serving the catfish with rice, a slaw and/or potato salad. Make this catfish dish your own by using spices you have on hand or that you like.

Inexpensive and Creative Meals with Chicken and Rice

2012-01-19T07:21:00.000-08:00

I love putting my cooking skills to the test. The past couple of weeks I have been in the kitchen with my mom creating plan-ahead meals that are both simple to prepare and economical.
The protein of choice was chicken. For $6.30, I got 4 on-the-bone chicken breasts. You get so much more chicken for the money compared to buying skinless and boneless chicken breasts. As I was deboning two of the chicken breasts, I showed my mom what is called the chicken tender. If you don't know, there is a slim piece of chicken located under the breast which is called the "tender".

Using the two breasts, I cubed the raw chicken and then marinated them in Indian spices. I put a little Southern twist to the marinade by using buttermilk instead of yogurt. The inspiration for this dish came from a trip to Little India in New York; I was with my mom and we had eaten at a wonderful Indian restaurant on the recommendation of an acquaintance. Afterward, we discovered a spice market near the restaurant. I was like a kid in a candy store and couldn't resist buying several spices and spice blends. I used a Chicken Tikka Masala spice blend for this recipe. The spice blend cost $6 for a 3 ounce package. I only used 2 Tbsp. for this recipe which at the most is 1/6 of the package, about $1 for the 2 Tbsp. The spices in the packet included the following: paprika, coriander, red pepper, cardamom, onion, garlic, cumin, black pepper, ginger, mace, and fenugreek leaves. Fenugreek leaves have a celery like flavor. I am gradually building a spice collection so that I can put together more of my own blends (I love to be creative and make them my own.) Also, even though these sound like a lot of spices to make an Indian dish, these same spices are great to use in marinating proteins and seafood. In addition, many are used in my own blackening and BBQ spice recipes. After researching fenugreek leaves, I learned that the flavor was similiar to celery. Sometime in the future, I am going to try cutting the leaves off of celery stalks and drying them to use instead of fenugreek leaves. (I will let you know how it turns out.) To save money on spices, search discount places such as Big Lots, Ross, TJ Max, and Marshalls. World Market offers a large variety of spices at a reasonable price.
Chicken Tikka Masala
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 Tbsp. fresh finely grated ginger
1/2 Tbsp. sea salt
1 Tbsp. tikka masala spice blend
2 chicken breast, deboned and cubed about 1-1 1/2"

Combine all of the ingredients together in a plastic zip-top bag. Refrigerate for about 2 hours.
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained *regular diced tomatoes can be used
1 Tbsp. spice blend
2 Tbsp. chicken broth
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup half-and-half
1 Tbsp. ground almond *optional
marinated chicken
In a large cast iron skillet, saute the onion in olive oil over medium heat for 4 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, spice blend, and chicken broth. Reduce the heat to med-low and cook for 8 minutes. Stir in cream, half-and-half, ground almond, and chicken. Cook for about 16-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked, stirring occasionally. Season with salt to taste and serve.

The tomato cream sauce is so good! I understand how naan bread is used to eat many Indian dishes. My family and I wanted to sop up the sauce (it was finger licking good). In the South, a type of gravy or sauce can be seen served over rice. My mom and I decided that a rice cake, similar to a grit cake, would be a unique way to serve the rice.
Crispy Rice cake
1 ¼ cups vegetable broth
1 ¼ cups chicken broth
1 cup Jasmine rice
1 large egg, beaten
Pinch of Sea salt and ground pepper

Panko bread crumbs
Pinch of Sea salt and ground pepper
Canola oil

Bring the two broths to boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the rice. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked.
Pour the rice into a medium bowl. Add the beaten egg. Stir. Add the salt and pepper.
Form the rice into about 3-inch patties.
Pour the panko bread crumbs onto a plate and season with salt and pepper. Coat the patties in the panko.
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add enough canola oil to barely cover the bottom of the skillet. Once the skillet is sizzling hot, place the panko coated patties into the skillet. Cook one to two rice cakes at a time for about 1-2 minutes on each side. Carefully transfer the rice cakes onto a paper towel-lined plate. Add more oil and repeat the process with more rice cakes.
Be creative with mix-ins such as diced mushrooms, chopped green onion, etc.

Rice is a great item to add to any meal because it is cheap. It doesn't have to be just rice though. With a little creativity, my mom and I have transformed boring rice into a crispy rice cake.

To accompany this meal, I cut broccoli crowns into florets. My mom then cut the stalks into strips. (Tip: The stalks are often thrown away, but if they are peeled and cut, they are great to incorporate in dishes.) To prepare, heat a non stick skillet over medium heat. Add 3 Tbsp. olive oil, 2 garlic cloves, crushed, broccoli, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the broccoli just becomes fork tender.

This whole meal cost about $9 to prepare. I already had the spices. I used half of the package of chicken which cost $3.15. I already had the rice and I only needed 1 cup of the jasmine rice. The individual broccoli crowns were cheaper than buying a large head of broccoli.
My family loved the meal! My sister and my dad were able to prepare their lunches for the next day with the leftovers. So the $9 meal fed 4 ppl dinner and 2 lunches.

I added spices to the other two raw on-the-bone chicken breasts, drizzled olive oil over the chicken, and added chicken broth to the bottom of the glass baking dish. I baked the chicken that night to use for dinner the next day.

Quick and Easy Ways with Entrees

2012-01-10T13:11:00.000-08:00

The writing and posting of this blog was delayed because of my little helper.

John Michael, my nephew, decided he would help me type my blog and hit a key that locked my cursor. After panicking for a few minutes, I called Dell for support. Thirty minutes into the phone call, I was talked into believing that the simple problem was a huge problem that consisted of a virus, software defects, etc. This can be all simply solved for the small price of $400. What? Excuse me but did you not hear me say that my nephew pressed a key and the only problem I am experiencing is my cursor being stuck. I would have just hung up but I had given him access into my computer to "fix" the problem. I am surprised I was left with any hair on my head after the conversation because I wanted to pull it all out. This stress was not worth it. I got off the phone and called a guy who is great with computers, and he fixed my stuck cursor by simply pressing a lock/unlock button on my keyboard. Are you kidding me? That was all it took! Thank you Lord for taking away my worries and solving my problem.
And this is where my blog began, I have walked in the shoes of my older sister, a new mom, for the past two days. I have stayed in the kitchen more than ever and not for cooking purposes but warming up bottle after bottle for my nephew. My beauty sleep has consisted of a beauty baby staring at me while I feed him his early morning bottle.
These shoes are hard to fill! I have learned how to creatively design menus based on transforming one protein into multiple meals.
Yesterday, I bought two whole chickens for $8. The first chicken I roasted for meals this week and the other I froze for another week.

I rubbed spices under and on top of the skin, stuffed the cavity with lemon and herbs, and placed cut vegetables in the bottom of the dish.

Roasted Chicken

1 Whole chicken

2 Tbsp. lemon-pepper seasoning

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. sea salt
½ lemon
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh sage
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion, sliced
2 carrots, cut into pieces
2 celery stalks, cut into pieces and stalks reserved

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.

Wash and pat the chicken dry. Place in a 8x8-inch glass baking dish.

For the rub, mix lemon-pepper seasoning, garlic powder, ground thyme, and sea salt in a small bowl. Rub spice mixture over the outside and under the skin of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the lemon, bay leaves, sage, and the tops of the celery stalks. Drizzle the olive oil over the top of the chicken. Place the vegetables in the bottom of the glass baking dish. Place in the oven and reduce the heat to 400 degrees. Bake for an hour and a half, basting the juices from the chicken halfway through the baking time.

I baked the chicken in the morning and gave my dad the drumsticks along with some roasted vegetables from the night before for his lunch.

For dinner, I sliced the chicken breast and served it with a turnip au gratin and Southern layered salad. Then for lunch today, my mom and I made chicken quesadillas. We served with it a pea guacamole. For more creative ways to use your roasted chicken, check out my upside down chicken potpie and southern Zuppa recipes in my cookbook.

Simple and Economical Meals

2012-01-08T21:05:00.000-08:00

I have wanted to experiment for a while on making pulled pork using a pork tenderloin. What I love about pork tenderloin is that it an economical choice. I bought a package of pork tenderloins at the grocery store for $11. I have bought them for cheaper than that before too. A package includes two tenderloins. This is a steal because that could mean 2-4 meals for a family of 4.
In my cookbook, I bacon wrap a pork tenderloin and top it with a cranberry-rosemary glaze. The pork tenderloin is so filling that a small piece is all you will want. I have served one bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin to 5 people and there were still some left. Amazing!

Ok back to the pulled pork.....I decided to make a rub for the pork. I didn't want to do a mexican or bbq spiced rub but a rub that would compliment the pork flavor. Here is the recipe-
Southern Pulled Pork Tenderloin
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat and silver skin
1 tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. hickory smoked salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. ground thyme
¼ tsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. canola oil
½ onion, sliced
1 cup apple juice

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
With paper towel, pat the pork tenderloin dry.
In a small bowl, combine the next six ingredients. Rub the spice mixture on the pork.

Add the canola oil to a large cast iron skillet. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, place the tenderloin in the skillet. Cook for about 1 on each side to form a crust and seal in the flavors. Remove from heat.

Top the tenderloin with the onion slices. Pour the apple juice in the skillet then cover the skillet with aluminum foil.
Bake for 8 hours. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Using two forks pull the pork apart.

Let me introduce you to hickory smoked salt if you are not familiar with it. I discovered this salt after reading an article in Southern Living magazine. It was a little difficult to find but I have found it at specialty kitchen stores and health food stores. What I like about it is that it imparts a smoked pork flavor but with out the fat. I use this spice to flavor my sauteed brussel sprouts, leek, and green apple dish.
What is simple about this preparation is that I put the pork in the oven at night and woke up to an amazing aroma coming from my oven. The pork was ready.

Now for the best part! I got two meals for four people with this one pork tenderloin. That is about $2.50 per meal.
I cut the amount of pork in half. For lunch, I added my favorite bbq sauce to the meat for bbq pulled pork sandwiches.

Then for dinner, I served the pulled pork in a taco form. I call it Southern Carnitas.

Eat it with a fork or...

with your hands!
I served the pork in a homemade thin corn cake.
Pork tenderloin is not only an economical choice but it is also a healthier choice because there isn't any fat on it like a picnic pork shoulder. I don't have to remove the layers of fat and pick out the meat. All you have is the flavorful pork.
Try this recipe and share with me what you think. Enjoy!

We are all a Little Nutty

2012-01-05T11:58:00.000-08:00

As I was eating my "nutty" acorn squash muffin this morning, I was thinking about my family. What I love about my family is that we can all be a little nutty. Let me give you a sneak peak into our nut house. Ha ha!

My dad loves watching Swamp people and Storage wars. It is on our tv so much that my family has adopted some of the popular saying. You can't say yep in my house without my dad following it up with a Yuuup! I love the auctioner's wife and how she says folks. She says it all the time on the show. It is one of my favorite things to say especially when I imitate her. ha ha!
My dad got a swamp people shirt from someone at his work and on it is Troy's popular quote which is choot em' (shoot it). What do you guess but that my dad loves to say this as well. haha! It is quite comical. Impersonations are my dad's specialty. since I was a little girl, my dad would do donald duck, goofy, elvis, and other personations. It always made my sisters and I laugh.

When my parents, sisters, and I say that we love each other, we say I luv you. It isn't pronounced love but luv. We don't get off the phone with each other without saying it. We have a closeness that I wouldn't trade for anything even if we are all a little nutty. Haha!

I hope you have a great day! If you can spend some time with your family today, do something fun or just sit around talking and laughing.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine..." proverbs 17:22

“Nutty” Acorn Squash Muffins
4 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup cane sugar (or granulated sugar)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
¾ cup baked acorn squash
1 large egg
1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk
3 Tbsp. whole milk
3 Tbsp. raw agave (you can use honey)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Pecan Topping:
½ Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. cane sugar
¼ tsp. cinnamon
¾ cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 11 muffin liners.
Set the melted butter aside to cool slightly while you mix the dry ingredients.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.

In another mixing bowl, mash the baked acorn squash until smooth. Beat in the egg with a whisk. Add the slightly cooled butter, whisking constantly. Whisk in the buttermilk, milk, agave, and vanilla until incorporated.
Using a rubber spatula, fold in the dry ingredients in 3 intervals into the wet. *Folding the ingredients in will help to produce a light muffin. Do not over mix!
Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, fill the muffin liners with batter.

To prepare the pecan topping, mix together the butter, sugar, cinnamon, and pecans in a small bowl.
Divide pecan topping amongst each muffin.
Bake muffins for about 18-20 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Enjoy!
Makes 12 muffins

These are not too sweet so you can sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top after the pecans. Also dried cranberries would be great mixed into the muffins.

Begin your new year with a fresh and organized start!

2012-01-03T15:15:00.000-08:00

Begin your new year with a fresh start!
My mom and I worked on making our kitchen more functional for quick and easy meal preparation.

Accessibility is everything! We added a utility cart to organize and store appliances, tools, and ingredients like potatoes and onions. By hanging a paint roller drip tray on the side of the cart, we could hang hooks to store mearsuring cups and spoons. This is very important to me because it cuts down on the amount of time I would be looking for these items in drawers.

By storing some of my appliances on the cart, I can free my counter space for other items. I stored my highly utilitzed dry ingredients of sugar, flour, and cornmeal in large glass canisters. I also have my cookbooks in easy access.

On my both sides of my stove top, I have items that help me bring my meals together easily. On the left, I have my cutting board, knives, and wooden spoons. On the right side, I have a silver tray holding a glass container of sugar, a glass dish of sea salt, a pepper mill, and a three piece glass divider storing my oils of olive, pecan, and canola. I absolutely love my oils right at my fingertips.

My newest addition to my kitchen is my refrigerator. Today my refrigerator was delivered and I can't wait to organize all of my produce, condiments, etc. into it. Out with my parents 17 year old refrigerator and in with this stainless steel beauty. I am especially excited about the refrigerator drawer. It is like Christmas all over again for me!

Luck and Prosperity for 2012!

2012-01-01T12:43:00.000-08:00

Do you and your family enjoy the tradition of eating black eyed peas, cabbage, and sometimes ham and cornbread on New Years? I grew up with my mom preparing my family this meal on New Years.

Field Peas with Okra and Andouille Sausage pg. 76

I love black eyed peas and field peas so much that I put a recipe in my cookbook. I used field peas but you can substitute them for black eyed peas. To me, the difference between them is in the texture. Field peas are creamier.

Braised Cabbage and Onions pg. 64

The braised cabbage is so flavorful because the cabbage soaks up the chicken broth as it cooks. This year I actually prepared "little cabbages" brussel sprouts this way.

Along with ham, I had to make my crunchy and moist castiron jalapeno cornbread. I placed a pat of butter on my slice of cornbread and took a bite. I got a surprise ha ha! While I was eating it, it was like biting into popcorn. There were bits of crunchy pieces and not in a good way. So what happened was...when I was making the cornbread, I used a combination of fine and coarse cornmeal unlike what my recipe calls for which is just the fine. Adding the coarse cornmeal was a bad choice lol. Lesson learned!

Overall, the meal was great and it brought a few laughs. Hopefully it will bring my family and I luck and prosperity this year. I have never been one to say I am lucky. I say that I am blessed which is so true and speaks to my faith.

He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. " Matthew 17:20

I pray you have a blessed and happy New Year!

You Can Do It!

2011-12-29T09:04:00.000-08:00

Thinking about the New Year approaching, I want to encourage you to do something that you have always wanted to do. My younger sister, Brittyn, has always wanted to go sky diving so for her birthday this year she went. This wasn't something my dad necessarily agreed with but my grandpa (my mom's dad) was backing her up. He went sky diving for his 70th birthday.

She loved it!

If sky diving isn't for you, like it isn't for me ha ha, then maybe it is a project that you want to begin.

My parents and I have always wanted to turn our backyard into a relaxing haven. This past week we did a DIY on our backyard.

First, we removed a stump by burning it and then taking an ax to it.

Then, we leveled the ground as best we could to prepare for the stone fire pit. My dad and I stacked the stones and topped the fire pit with a top from a metal fire pit. My mom and I filled large pots with plants such as chard and decorative cabbage. My dad filled the areas around the pots with pine straw he raked from a friend's yard.

Next, we painted the patio furniture with Rustoleum brown hammered textured paint and I painted the rusted fire pit top with Rustoleum black heat proof paint. We poured lava rock around the base of the fire pit and used decor pieces and pots for tables. My mom found the decor pieces and pillows from Ross and Dirt Cheap. You don't have to spend a fortune to make something look good.

We are still adding more to the space like red square pavers around the fire pit so more pictures to come!

Fuel up before you begin your project with my lightened up sweet potato-banana muffins. Great way to use leftover baked sweet potatoes or your leftover sweet potato casserole (if you use the casserole, reduce the sugar amount in the muffin).

Sweet Potato- Banana Muffins

4 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup cane sugar (or granulated sugar)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. cinnamon

½ cup baked sweet potato

1 medium very ripe banana
1 large egg
1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk
3 Tbsp. whole milk
2 Tbsp. raw agave (you can use honey)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Pecan Topping:
½ Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. cane sugar
¼ tsp. cinnamon
½ cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 11 muffin liners.
Set the melted butter aside to cool slightly while you mix the dry ingredients.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.

In another mixing bowl, mash the sweet potato and banana together until smooth. Beat in the egg with a whisk. Add the slightly cooled butter, whisking constantly. Whisk in the buttermilk, milk, agave, and vanilla until incorporated.
Using a rubber spatula, fold in the dry ingredients in 3 intervals into the wet. *Folding the ingredients in will help to produce a light muffin. Do not over mix!
Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, fill the muffin liners with batter.

To prepare the pecan topping, mix together the butter, sugar, cinnamon, and pecans in a small bowl.
Divide pecan topping amongst each muffin.
Bake muffins for about 18-20 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Enjoy!
Makes 12 muffins

Food, Fun, and Fellowship

2011-12-26T16:27:00.000-08:00

I can't remember if I have given one of my other blog post with this title but those three words describe my Christmas.
I woke up Christmas morning and made breakfast with the help of my dad. Biscuits, white gravy, bacon, and my dad's fluffy scrambled eggs rounded out the menu. This big breakfast was supposed to hold us off until our big feast at dinner. Didn't quite do it lol

On to opening presents...I didn't have any idea of what I would be getting because I didn't really ask for anything. I was very excited to see this gift-

It is a spherification kit.

Spherification is the culinary process of shaping a liquid into spheres which visually and texturally resemble caviar. This is the wikipedia definition of what the kit will do. I am very excited! I can't wait to start experimenting with it.

My dad was excited about his Frogg Toggs (hunting rain suit). He has no excuses now. He is suited up and ready to get a big buck!

Now to the food....

This was just a few dishes of the many. On the menu- smoked ham, turkey, dressing, gravy, roasted parsnips, turnips, carrots, and rutabagas, carrot souffle, sautéed brussel sprouts, leeks, and green apple with candied pecans, hassleback sweet potatoes, and turnip green pesto with homemade rosemary focaccia bread. Sounds like a lot I know but we ended up having 21 people over our house. My oven was runnin and gunnin and so was I lol.

I had a great Christmas! I am truly blessed!

A little Goes A Long Way

2011-12-23T18:06:00.000-08:00

Listening on the radio this week to KLOVE, the radio show hosts have shared stories of people who have paid off other people's layway payments. One person paid 60 people's layway payments. How cool is that? I mean I was blown away when I heard that. I don't know many people who could afford to do something like this but thank the Lord for those who can.

Do you take the time to put in change into the Salvation Army bell ringer's bucket? Have you helped out a family in need?
I encourage you to do what you can to help others during this Christmas season. It isn't too late!

My mom and I had the best time choosing jewelry, headbands, hair accessories, and more for two girls that we supported from our church's urban ministry this Christmas. In the years past, my sisters and I chose angel tree children to support. I always enjoyed knowing that I could make a child's Christmas special.

A nonprofit organization that is close to my heart is Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America. My dad was diagnosed with the neuromuscular chronic autoimmune disease, myasthenia gravis in January. It is an uncureable but treatable disease. When he was first diagnosed it was a very difficult time for my family. We got through the first couple of months through a lot of prayer. He has recently undergone surgery to have his thymus gland removed. He recovered well and is doing a little better. What we have learned with this disease is it to take it day by day. He has some good days and some bad days.
By supporting Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America, I can help increase research for a cure, increase awareness of the disease, increase support for those who have it, and more.
Read this article from MGFA's newsletter about Zach Knowles's, Legend Car Series driver, dad and my dad- http://www.myasthenia.org/CommunitySupport/ZachKnowlesandWhitneyMiller.aspx

Do you have a charity that is close to your heart?
Include your name and email address with your answer.

I will donate to the randomly chosen person's charity. I will donate a dollar for every comment given on my blog to that charity. Spread the word to your friends and family to visit my blog to help make a big difference.
I will choose on Christmas day.

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! Remember Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

DIY Last Minute Christmas Presents

2011-12-20T07:55:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh! I don't have a Christmas present for ____________.
Don't you worry because I have just the quick and easy DIY present for you. You can customize this gift for anyone; a child, boyfriend, sister, aunt, dad, friend, co-worker, etc.

Caution! What you are about to read may shock you.
1. Go to your local hardware store and purchase a vent cover (numerous sizes available)
2. Choose the recipient and customize the Vent-A-Thought, Vent-A-Bling, etc.
3. If desired, paint the whole vent or paint designs such as words, polka-dots, etc.
4. Simply thread the ribbon through the slats of the vent.
5. Pull the ribbon through the skrewer holes at the top and the bottom. Be sure to leave enough ribbon length at the top to use as a hanger. Make a knot at the bottom holes.
6. Attach magnets to the back of the vent for another use such as displaying Vent-A-? on your refrigerator or filing cabinet.
7. So versatile! Use magnets to display pictures, messages, hang knecklaces, etc. Use mini close pins to clip recipe cards, pictures, etc. Ribbon is great for clipping pacifier holders, pinning brooches (jewelry), and securing notes. Hang the earrings on the vent slats.

Voila!

Vent-A-Thought

Vent-A-Bling

If I can do it, so can you!

I want to help you quickly put this together so that you can gift it to your loved one or friend.

Today's Gift: An e-gift card for $10 at Lowes

Today's Question: Have you made a homemade gift for your friend, family, etc? What was it?

Include your name and email address with your answer.

Big Family Breakfast

2011-12-19T07:31:00.000-08:00

My family started a new family tradition a few years ago. As my sisters and I got older, we didn't care to get up really early to open presents. Once everyone awoke we would all get in the kitchen to make a big breakfast. My dad mans the egg station with his famous light and fluffy scrambled eggs. My mom makes the grits and white gravy for the biscuits. Brittyn, my younger sister, cooks the bacon and I make the biscuits and anything else we decide to have that year.

I am not that big of a breakfast eater so on a every day basis, I do not eat a big breakfast but I look forward to my family's Christmas morning breakfast. I have a fantastic muffin recipe that I created Sunday morning. I was craving a peach crumb muffin. My mom and I had an awesome one at a bakery in New York City. I decided I was going to recreate that muffin and I did even better. The muffin's moistness and light texture was a unique component because most muffins are dense. The crumb topping is crunchy and sweet. Yum!

My peach crumb muffins would be a great addition to your family's breakfast. Maybe your family will want to join in my family's tradition of preparing a big breakfast on Christmas.

Peach Crumb Muffins
4 Tbsp. melted butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cane sugar (or granulated sugar)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 large egg
1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk
3 Tbsp. whole milk
2 Tbsp. agave nectar (you can use honey)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
about 1 cup medium cubed peaches (I used thawed frozen peaches)
Crumb Topping:
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 11 muffin liners.
Set the melted butter aside to cool slightly while you mix the dry ingredients.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.

In another mixing bowl, beat the egg with a whisk. Add the slightly cooled butter, whisking constantly. Whisk in the buttermilk, milk, agave, and vanilla until incorporated.
Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, fold in three fourths of the dry ingredients into the wet. *Folding the ingredients in will help to produce a light muffin. Do not overmix!
Add the peaches into the bowl with the rest of the dry ingredients. Toss to coat peaches. Fold the peaches and rest of dry ingredients into the muffin batter.

Fill the 11 muffin liners with batter.
To prepare the crumb topping, mix together the butter and sugar with your hands until incorporated. Stir in the flour, cinnamon, and pecans.
Top each muffin with the topping.
Bake muffins for about 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Enjoy!
Makes 11 muffins

Today's Gift: I am extending Saturday's gift to today because my blog didn't get posted until late so I am giving you all the opportunity to win my New Orleans package

The beignet mix and coffee will be a perfect addition to your family's Christmas breakfast!

Today's question: What is your favorite breakfast item?

Include your name and email address with your answer

*Friday's blog post will be a very special one! More info on it later on*

Fun Time Family Time

2011-12-17T13:28:00.000-08:00

Hi Yall sorry I have been away. The past week I have spent it with my family. My mom and I spent a few days helping my sister with John Michael, my nephew. Last Saturday, my parents, my sister, and I took John Michael to the aquarium. I know at 3 months he didn't really know what was going on but he did seem to like the pretty colors of the fish.

Penguins

The New Orleans's aquarium wasn't only John Michael's first time but also my dad's. The boys had fun!

Any time my family and I are in New Orleans, which we is a lot now because my sister and her husband live there, it is our tradition to go to Cafe du Monde`. I grew up eating beignets there. Hot, lightly fried dough covered in powdered sugar is to die for. If the wind is blowing just right, it is inevitable that we will have powdered sugar all over us. Haha! My family and I love to wash our beignets down with chocolate milk.

Don't worry I did bring you a souvenir from New Orleans.

Today's gift-

You can enjoy Cafe du Monde` beignets and chicory coffee from the comfort of your home.

Today's question- What is one Christmas tradition you and your family have?

Include your name and email address with your answer.

Cookie Swap

2011-12-12T15:25:00.000-08:00

Flourless Oatmeal Cookies

This picture was taken at my bake sale I had several years ago to support Share Our Strength in their National bake sale campaign to help end childhood hunger.

This is one of my favorite cookie recipes. I came up with it after trying a flourless oatmeal cookie at a cafe in La Jolla, CA. My family and I were on vacation in San Diego and after a day of kayaking,

we grabbed lunch at a cafe called The Cheese Shop. Their oatmeal cookie was sooooo good! When I got home I was still dreaming of this cookie and that is where the experimentation began. I got into the kitchen to try to perfect that cookie. When I looked in our cabinet, we didn't have any rolled oats. All we had were some packages of oatmeal. I decided to be creative and use the dry oatmeal to prepare the cookies. The end result was perfection. I achieved the crunch on the outside of the cookie and the chewiness on the inside.

I have made these for many different occasions. I like to decorate them by sprinkling sliced almonds and then chocolate drizzled on top or with just the chocolate drizzle. They are the best oatmeal cookies EVER!

I have never shared this recipe with anyone so you are the first to know my secret! Shhh!

Flourless Oatmeal Cookies

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

3 packets maple & brown sugar oatmeal

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

In a mixing bowl, combine the melted butter and set aside to cool slightly.

In another mixing bowl, combine oatmeal, both sugars, and salt. Stir the mixture together.

Whisk together the cooled melted butter, vanilla, and egg. Using a large or wooden spoon, stir the oatmeal mixture into the butter mixture.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat.

Using a small ice cream scooper or small spoon, drop the chilled dough onto the paper or mat. Separate the dough balls a few inches from each other to give the dough room to spread. Flatten the dough balls slightly.

Bake for 11-14 minutes or until the edges brown nicely and the center of the cookies are medium brown. (The cookies will continue to cook on the baking sheet). Allow the cookies to cool for about 5 minutes. Using an offset spatula, gently remove the cookies by working the spatula around the edges of the cookie.

Decorate with sliced almonds and drizzling of chocolate if desired.

Makes about 1 ½ dozen cookies

Prepare these cookies and share them with your friends and family!

I would love for you to share your favorite cookie recipes with me.

Merry Christmas!

Don't Hide the Veggies

2011-12-10T10:03:00.000-08:00

My mission is to highlight the flavor of vegetables and not hide them into foods.
I got to share my mission through writing an article for an Atlanta based magazine- Flavors.

View the article by clicking on the link. http://flavorsmagazine.com/spotlight.html

A healthy treat that the kids will love this Christmas is my Snowman Apple.

Snowman Apples
4 small Granny Smith apples
4 popsicle sticks
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
2 Tbsp. honey
1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
4 large marshmallows
pretzel sticks (arms)
fruit leather (scarf)
raisins (buttons)
candy coated sunflower seeds (nose & eyes)

Wash and dry apples. Secure sticks into apples.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt peanut butter and honey. Stir to combine.
Coat apples into peanut butter mixture and place on paper plates or squares of wax paper.
Now let the kids have fun decorating their snowman. Place the marshmallow through the stick (this is his head). The rest can be up to the kids.

Serves 4

Today's question- What vegetable do you not like but would be interested in trying prepared in a new way?
Please include your name and email address.
Today's gift- I will create a dish using the vegetable the winner suggests.

Heavenly Hostess

2011-12-09T07:55:00.000-08:00

Do you like to entertain? I love hosting parties! I enjoy planning the menus then spending time in the kitchen preparing the food. For a holiday like Christmas, it is fun creating appetizers, desserts, etc. that are special to this holiday. I have made pinecone shaped and decorated cheeseballs and cheeseballs shaped like presents. You can prepare cookies shaped like holly, reindeer, etc. Those are some fun ideas but if you want to present your food in a swanky (my definition- a little more upscale) way. Use creative serving pieces like serving dips in large martini glasses or soups in shot glasses. One of my favorite serving dishes is a cast iron skillet. This is not just a Southern thing! I had a meal served in a cast iron skillet to me in New York City. I love to prepare mini cast iron skillet chocolate chip cookies ala mode.

For a less calorie ala mode topping, serve frozen homemade vanilla whipped cream on top.

Not only does the food need to look good but so does the hostess. Today on OpenSky, I have a special going for Heavenly Hostess aprons. Click on the link to view the special- http://t.opensky.com/TuHqOWdj2a5eAALO/TuFwU3SIBV9K8KXBAbc16
These aren't your run-of-the-mill aprons either. They are beautifully designed and they are also very special to me because on the tag is engraved the same scripture that I have in my cookbook which is 1 Peter 4:10. "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others..."
Cynthia Wadell, the designer behind these gorgeous aprons, has this to say about her aprons- "I wanted the elegance and quality of the aprons that my grandmother wore with such grace during holidays and special occasions - they always looked so elegant and festive!”

Her aprons are also designed with not just looks in mind. She also wanted aprons that were comfortable and fit well.

"As a full figure woman, the aprons in the market place just don’t “cut it”, or should it be said, don’t “cover it”. There is not a single company making aprons with all sizes of women in mind." -Cynthia

Cynthia's business is also mission minded. She works with an educational center for women in Kenya.

Read all about her business's mission on her site- http://heavenlyhostess.com/about_us.html

Speaking of the hostess looking good as she/he cooks, she/he also needs to look good as he/she cleans. Today's gift is this festive pair of Santa cleaning gloves, great for cleaning all of those dishes from entertaining. Also included is this elegant wooden spoon glammed up with a sleek silver handle.

Today's question- When you host a party, do you make it all my scratch or have it catered? Catered can mean grabbing foods from Sams and Costco.

Include your name and email address with your answer.

Personalized Gifts

2011-12-08T08:01:00.000-08:00

Do you need help with your Christmas shopping this year? I have an idea for you.
Create a personalized gift for your friend, co-worker, or family member! This is also a great gift for the guy who has everything or who you don't know what to buy for, like my dad. My sister bought my dad one with the Boston Red Sox emblem and his name on it.

My parents and I at the Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park a few years ago!

There are sports emblems, collegiate, hunting, and fishing designs available too!

I have always loved to receive a personalized gift whether it was my initials or my name imprinted on a bag, cup, and other items. One of the personalized gifts that I carry around with me on every road trip is my Tervis tumbler. It was gifted to me by a friend as a thank you present. She not only personalized it by printing my name on the tumbler but also picked out a tumbler with me in mind.

On Masterchef, I was deemed the pastry princess. My friend got this princess tumbler for me with that in mind.

If you are not familiar with Tervis tumblers, what makes them unique is that they can hold both hot and cold temperatures for an extended amount of time. You can come back 10 minutes or so later and your glass of sweet tea isn't watered down. Condensation and sweating are reduced. I love this because if you leave the tumbler on a table, you won't find a pool of water when you come back. They are also microwave, freezer, and dishwasher friendly. I think this is the best feature!
On www.tervis.com, first choose your design, tumbler shape & size like a mug, and if you want to personalize it with a name or message.
Right now, Tervis has a special discount on their bestseller tumblers. You receive 25% off!

Today's question- Have you ever received a personalized gift; what was it?
Remember to include your name and email address with your answer.

Today's gift- I will create a peronalized 16 oz. tumbler just for you!

Caffeine

2011-12-07T16:08:00.000-08:00

What helps start your day? Is it coffee or a coke? Does that burst of caffeine running through your body help give you energy?
Well maybe I should have tried something to jump start my day in a positive direction. So it all began early this morning after I dropped my nephew off at daycare. I got back to my sister's house and quickly got dressed to go to my cookbook signing. I loaded up my vehicle with my purse and makeup bag then started my vehicle to warm it up. Before I ran back inside to grab a few more things, I pressed the "unlock" or so I thought button. This is where my day took a turn for the worst. I had accidently pressed the lock button. Ahh! I wanted to pull my hair out! So it gets worst because my phone was in my vehicle and there is no one that I could get to help me. The only thought that came to my mind was that I could go to the front gate at the base (my sister and her husband live on an army base) and get help. As I am waiting for the base's cop to arrive, I Tango my younger sister. Tango is awesome especially if you don't have your phone. After dreadfully waiting for what seemed forever, the cop finally showed up. Did I mention that my signing is in 30 minutes. The Lord was watching over me because the cop was able to open my vehicle and I was on my way.

Have you ever had a day like this? There is a song by Francesca Battestelli called This Is The Stuff.
http://www.francescamusic.com/songs/stuff
Listen to this song, the lyrics are really good! "I lost my keys in the great unknown and call me please because i can not find my phone....This is the stuff that drives me crazy, this is the stuff that has been getting to me lately, in the middle of my little mess, I forget how much I am blessed...."

Music helps get me in a good mood. I think this would be a good start to my day. When I used to commute to school, I would listen to KLOVE, a Christian radio station, and it would really start my day off right.

If coffee is your quick fix for jump starting your day, then I have the thing for you. My gift today is a $15 Starbucks gift card.

Have you had a day like this?
Share it with me in the comment section, to have your chance to receive this gift.
Don't forget to leave your name and email address.

Two Peas in a Pod

2011-12-06T10:43:00.000-08:00

I am asked a lot about how I came up with all of the recipes in my cookbook. Well it takes being inspired and having creativity. I get inspired to create recipes by experiences such as eating at a restaurant or talking with people about their favorite foods. I also get inspired from my favorite food combinations like sweet potatoes and peanut butter. I love both of the ingredients but would you really think about combining the two???? Well, one day I decided to slather peanut butter on my baked sweet potato instead of butter. I loved the flavor! So when I was working on my cookbook, I thought back on that flavor combination and knew that it could work in a dessert. And that is how my Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Blondies were born (created).

These are perfect for gift giving!

Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Blondies

Unsalted butter, for greasing baking dish

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. baking soda

2/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

2 cups packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup cooked and mashed sweet potato

2/3 cup peanut butter

2 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan with unsalted butter.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda into a small bowl.

In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter and brown sugar. Stir in the beaten eggs, sweet potato, peanut butter, vanilla, and cinnamon until combined. Add the flour mixture and mix well.

Spread the batter evenly in the baking dish. Bake for 18 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Cut the blondies into squares or desired shapes.

Serves: 8 to 10

This recipe along with other great Southern inspired and entertaining recipes are found in my cookbook- Modern Hospitality: Simple Recipes with Southern Charm.

My question and gift today go hand-in-hand.

Question: What is your favorite flavor combination?

Remember to include your name and email address with your answer.

The gift today is that I will create a special recipe for the winner using his or her favorite flavor combination.

Christmas Cards

2011-12-05T10:58:00.000-08:00

This year my mom and I wanted to be creative with our Christmas card. We decided to spell out family using objects from our kitchen to form the letters. The kitchen is the hub of our home. Friends and family love to gather around fellowshiping and having fun.
I have always looked forward to holidays like Christmas because I love getting in the kitchen with my whole family as everyone has apart of preparing the feast. My dad's part is to carve the turkey. He also hovers over the condiment platter while Brittyn puts out black olives. He loves them! I like the little gherkins. Leslie, my older sister, prepares the deviled eggs and Brittyn, the youngest, also decorates and sets the table.
My mom and I team up with preparing the turkey, ham, and sides. My mom's specialty is preparing Great Grandmother Adele's cornbread dressing and giblet gravy. I usually handle the desserts. That is where I like to really show off. One year I received a creme brûlée kit with a torch for Christmas. I made creme brûlée, eclairs, and more that year.

So my question today is What objects would represent your family?
Be sure to include your name and email address with your answer.

Today's gift is an e-gift card for Walmart worth $15 so that you can design and order your family's Christmas card to send to your friends and family. It cost me only $20 for 50 cards.

Christmas Traditions

2011-12-04T12:47:00.000-08:00

Me at my great grandmother's gathering eggs

On a regular basis, breakfast is not thought much of by my family and I. We usually grab yogurt, fruit, granola, cereal, or toast and are out the door. There are a few occasions where we give breakfast more attention and one of those times are on holiday mornings like Christmas. When my sisters and I got older and we wanted to sleep in versus get up early to unwrap gifts, my family decided that we would open presents and then have a big breakfast. This way we could enjoy the process of opening presents and visiting with each other, instead of rushing the process and jumping straight into the kitchen to prepare a feast. So we prepare our big Christmas meal at dinner.

On our menu is usually biscuits and gravy, my dad's fluffy scrambled eggs, grits, bacon, and sometimes pancakes. My dad loves pancakes with blueberry syrup. We make our blueberry syrup by mixing thawed blueberries (we always have blueberries in the freezer from where we picked them in the summer) and syrup then heating it until the syrup is warm.

This morning I woke up early and decided I wouldn't make my dad wait until Christmas morning to enjoy pancakes and his favorite blueberry syrup. No! I would make him some this morning.

I had my pecan oil on hand and decided to use it in place of canola oil in the pancake batter. Pecan oil has health properties better than olive oil, canola oil, etc. and has a high smoke point which means you can cook at high temperatures with it. To me, the flavor isn't distinctive of pecans so you can use it for multiple uses.

Today's gift is a bottle of pecan oil

For your chance to win the pecan oil, answer this question-

Do you say (syrup) seer-up or sir-up?

Be sure to include your name and email address with your answer.

The winner is chosen through random selection. I total the number of people who commented and put that number into www.random.org The site gives me a random number which I use to determine the winner.

Ho Ho Hot Chocolate!

2011-12-03T10:43:00.000-08:00

No matter how you serve it, milk or white chocolate or hot or cold (frozen), I love it!
The top picture is my mom and I at Vosges in Soho, NY having a hot white chocolate infused with lavender and vanilla. It was smooth and fragrant.
Below that picture is me indulging in a frozen hot chocolate at the famous Serendipity 3 in New York.It was pretty delish but I will caution you that you have to spend like $9 a person on your total order. I think they have several people who have just wanted to come in for the frozen hot chocolate like my mom, sisters, and I. I would save the trip there and make it at your house.

Ok so a little trivia or maybe it isn't trivia for you but it was new for me. Did you know that there is a difference between hot cocoa and hot chocolate? Hot cocoa is made from cocoa powder, sugar, and milk. Hot chocolate is made from melting chocolate in hot milk.
I have always called it hot chocolate. I never said I want hot cocoa. So the question I am posting today is- Do you say hot cocoa or hot chocolate?
Don't forget to include with your answer, your name and email.

The gift today is Hot Chocolate on a stick from Sweetnuzz. It is a set of 6 variety package which includes milk or dark chocolate and flavors such as original, almond, and peppermint. Each are individually packaged which means you can enjoy one or two and gift the rest or keep them all for yourself. Haha! Serve homemade marshmallows with your cup of hot chocolate. Try my agave marshmallow recipe in my cookbook- Modern Hospitality: Simple Recipes with Southern Charm.

23 Days Til Christmas

2011-12-02T08:18:00.000-08:00

My Christmas list every year has included cooking equipment and tools. My friends thought I was a little weird asking for things like a blender and stand mixer for Christmas. When I try to remember at what age my love of cooking began, I can't because I only remember always wanting to be in the kitchen.

What I love about Christmas is that it is a time to think about others. I have been blessed with my talent for cooking and especially love using it during this time of year. I believe sometimes the best gifts are those that are handmade vs. store bought. The thought and time put into homemade cookies, candies, breads, and cakes take your gift to special level. Ok so maybe I am being partial because I love when my neighbors bring over a plate full of candies and cookies. I have a sweet tooth!

Not all your Christmas goodies have to be full of butter and sugar though. I gave a Christmas nutrition/cooking class last year to a group of kids. We made snowmen apples. These weren't your normal caramel apples. Instead of caramel covered apples, melted peanut butter covered the apples and then finished with an avalanche of coconut snow. The kids decorated their snowmen with pretzel arms, candy coated sunflower seed eyes, and raisin buttons. This is a guiltless treat for both young and old.

To kick off December and the countdown to Christmas, I want to do something special for all of you. Beginning today, I am giving away a gift every day until Christmas. Your chance to win is easy. Simply either comment on my blog post or answer a question if I post it on my blog. Each winner will be randomly selected. Can't wait to hear from you!

Please include your name and email address so that I can contact you!

What is your favorite Christmas treat?

Answer and you could win a $25 William Sonoma Gift Card

Life Is Never Boring

2011-11-26T11:22:00.000-08:00

If you have an aunt or relative like my Aunt Guy (I'm not quite sure why we call her that but we do) then you understand how your life is never boring around him or her. Aunt Guy is care-free, confident, risk taker, and I could go on. Let me also add in that she loves karaoke. You will understand why I added that part in later.

It is the night after Thanksgiving and my mom and I were pulled away from our Black Friday shopping, which didn't include getting up before the sun or beating anyone down to get a sweater that was on sale. We chose to shop at our favorite discount stores- Ross's, TJ Max, and Marshall's. So we were called to go eat dinner with my dad, Aunt Guy, and Wawa aka grandma. We met my aunt at my Wawa's house and piled into the car to go eat. My mom and I both looked at each other wondering where they had decided to eat. My aunt is at the wheel chauffeuring us to our unknown destination. After 20 minutes and signs that we had crossed over into Mississippi from Memphis, TN, we began inquiring about the restaurant.
"Aunt Guy what is the name of the restaurant"- me.
"Well I'm not sure but my friend recommended it to me." -Aunt Guy.

That satisfied our curiosity enough for the moment until 10 minutes down the road she declares that she can't find the restaurant. After a stop into a convenience store for directions and a phone call to the restaurant, we got pointed into the right direction.
"What kind of food does the restaurant have?"-me
"Well I think they are supposed to have good burgers and chicken tenders"- Aunt Guy
You can probably fill in what my mom and I were thinking then.
"Look for the restaurant its called Barbwire"- aunt Guy.
I didnt even have time to process it all before we drove by a shack with a sign that read Barbwire Bar and Grill. We all looked at each other like I dont't think I want to go in. Aunt Guy convinced us to go in and give it a try. We open the bar covered door, walked in, and sat at one of the many open tables. A rendition of some country song was being sung by a girl with a microphone.
I jokingly told my Aunt Guy I know why she wanted to come here because they have karaoke. She has been known in the past to bring her karaoke machine to family functions. If the surroundings weren't already a clue that we should get the heck out of dodge, we asked the bartender/waitress for a menu. She gave us a look like why?? then found a menu and handed us the piece of paper.
We peered through the haze of the smoke filled room at the short menu of burgers and chicken tenders. My aunt chockingly explained to the waitress that her brother (my dad) has a breath problem (allergic to smoke) and we won't be dining with them this evening. We swiftly escaped from the table and headed towards the door.
With the scarcidity of women in the place, one disappointed older gentlemen exclaimed "why yer leaving?" With one foot out the door and fresh air ahead, we didn't stop to reply.

Needless to say Barbwire wasn't exactly what we had in mind for a family dinner. We all laughed off the experience and headed to our next destination that included a few turn arounds and dead ends along the way.
Cracker Barrel never looked so good as we pulled up at 9:00 p.m.

As I reflect back on Thanksgiving and the dinner I shared with my family, I am thankful for the people God placed into my large extended family.

I am thankful that we can laugh together and have a good time. "A cheerful heart is good medicine..." Proverbs 17:22. I pray we as a family continue to have many more laughs and good times.

Thanksgiving, Family, and Fellowship

2011-11-22T09:57:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving has been one of my favorite holidays because it is centered around food, family, and fellowship. For my family, it has been a tradition for the past several years for my dad's side of the family to all come together. I love the almost 40 people family gathering. You know we have to have a lot of food to feed this many people. It is like a Sunday pot luck in which everyone brings their favorite side dish or dessert. We always have one of my aunts bring the turkey and one of my grandmas bring the ham.
I have been contemplating this week on what I will prepare. I have decided to make a dish I created with brussel sprouts, one of my favorite vegetables. It is my Sauteed brussel sprouts, leeks, and green apple dish with candied pecans.

Sautéed Brussel Sprouts, Leek, and Green Apple with Candied Pecans
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
About 10 large fresh brussel sprouts, sliced thin
1 leek, sliced thin
1/4 granny smith apple, halved and sliced thin
½ tsp. hickory smoked salt
Candied Pecans (recipe below)

Melt butter in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add sprouts, leek, and apple slices to skillet. Season with salt and cook for 8-10 minutes. Gently toss vegetables during cooking time to coat in butter and oil and prevent from cooking on only one side.

To finish, top with candied pecans and serve immediately.

Candied Pecans

2 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. cane sugar
¼ cup pecan halves, cut in half lengthwise

Over medium-low heat, bring water, sugar, and pecans to a simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves. Continue simmering for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sugar and water should turn into syrup. Using a fork, remove pecans onto wax paper to cool.

I am also going to be creative with my other new favorite vegetables- turnips and rutabagas. I am going to make my roasted rutabagas and turnips with walnuts and fried sage.

Roasted Rutabagas and Turnips with walnuts and fried sage

1 small rutabaga, peeled and cubed into ½” cubes
5 medium turnips, peeled and cubed into ½” cubes
¼ cup thinly sliced yellow onion
4 Tbsp. walnut oil
½ tsp. sea salt
14 fresh sage leaves
1 Tbsp. chopped walnuts, toasted
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the rutabagas, turnips, and onion on a baking sheet. Drizzle walnut oil over the vegetables. Sprinkle sea salt over vegetables.

Julienne 8 sage leaves and sprinkle over vegetables. Toss vegetables together to coat.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, stirring a couple times during baking.

Spoon the vegetables on a serving dish.

Top the roasted vegetables with walnuts.

For the fried sage, add olive oil to a sauté pan. Heat over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, place the sage leaves in the oil. Fry for about 30 seconds then remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
Place the fried sage leaves on top of the vegetables and walnuts. Serve warm.

This year I am very thankful and blessed to have such a wonderful family. I know this Thanksgiving will bring a lot more smiles and laughs.

Some of my family at last year's Thanksgiving Day meal

I know what I am preparing for Thanksgiving, do you? I want to answer all of your Thanksgiving day food preparation questions. I am going to be on my blog tonight at 9:00 p.m. Central time. You ask the questions and I will do my best to answer them. Can't wait to speak to you tonight!

Waffletastic Meal

2011-11-14T17:32:00.000-08:00

Chili Con Carne Waffle (chili served over a cornbread waffle), BBQ Pulled Pork Waffle, and Caramel Apple Waffle

My mom and I were walking around and shopping in NYC this past weekend when we walked up on the Wafels and Dinges Truck. http://www.wafelsanddinges.com (Follow them on twitter to find out where they are located in NYC when you are there)
You should have seen the excitement on my face. Every time I am in NYC, I am on the look out for this truck.
My first thought was "shucks we haven't eaten lunch yet". I have only eaten one of their waffles for dessert. I remembered though that Thomas Degeest (the founder/owner of Wafels & Dinges Truck) had facebooked me and told me about one of his waffle creations in which was inspired by his travel to Biloxi, MS. The waffle I am talking about is his BBQ Pulled Pork Wafel topped with coleslaw and a coolickle (pickle prepared in coolade).
My mom and I were intrigued and decided to order that and their special of the day- Chili Con Carne Waffle. And don't forget dessert! We had their special which was Caramel Apple Waffle. It was good but it had me longing for their deThrowdown Wafel which is what Thomas competed and won with against Bobby Flay. It is a liege (special Belgium dense and chewy waffle) topped with spekuloos spread (gingerbread spread) and whipped cream. Just one bite will bring you back for another and another. It left me in euphoria! ha ha!
Go find the Wafel and Dinges Truck! You won't be disappointed!

Ok so I am really feeling like you need to be able to taste it too! Leave me a comment about what toppings you would love to have on a waffle. I will randomly select from the comments for one of you to receive a jar of Spekuloos Spread. Leave your name & email for me to contact you. You have until this Friday- Dec. 18th to leave your comments.

No Name Bar? Too Good For Words

2011-11-08T10:14:00.000-08:00

What makes cooking and baking fun for me?
I love being creative in the kitchen. I am one that gets bored easily. I can never cook the same thing over and over. One recipe that I have been experimenting with in my kitchen is my No Name Bars. (Recipe in my cookbook- Modern Hospitality: Simple Recipes with Southern Charm)

How do you know what will work well with this recipe?
I think of what it taste like which for me its a mix between a chess square/cheesecake. Then I think of the flavors I like and how I can infuse them into this recipe. I love nuts and chocolate.

What did you come up with?
Well my love of chocolate went into over-drive so my first variation is a Chocolate Pecan No Name Bar which taste like a decadent brownie.
My second variation is a Coconut Pecan No Name Bar which taste like a Magic Cookie Bar (graham cracker crust, coconut, pecans, and chocolate).

For an elevated presentation, I cut the bars into triangles. To do this, simply cut them into squares and then in half diagonally.

The bars can also be cut into circles.

Which can be served like this......

Serve this decadent Chocolate Pecan No Name Bar warm topped with orange whipped cream at your next dinner party or Thanksgiving dinner.

Chocolate Pecan No Name Bars

Crust:
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Filling:

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
¼ cup pecan pieces

Orange Whipped Cream
¾ cup whipping cream, cold
3 Tbsp. confectioner’s sugar
3/8 tsp. orange zest (you can use navel orange, Satsuma, etc.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9 inch baking dish.

To make crust: Mix the melted butter and sugar together in a medium bowl. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until combined. Stir in the vanilla. Spread the mixture into bottom of the baking dish. Bake for 5 minutes.

Bake until set, about 38 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before cutting into squares.

To make the whipped cream: Beat the cream using an electric mixer in a large cold bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the confectioner’s sugar. Fold in the zest. Cover and refrigerate.

To serve, cut the bars into desired shape and top with orange whipped cream.

Serves: 8-10 ppl

Trick or Treat

2011-10-30T12:06:00.000-07:00

Trick

Treat

What are you going to prepare for your Halloween treats?

One of the things that I love about fall is seeing nature's bounty. Pecans and pumpkins are some of my favorites that are plentiful this time of year. For example, my parents and I were walking near our house the other day and saw lots of pecans that had fallen from the trees and were just ready to be gathered. As I cracked some open with my hands, I discovered that it was like dipping my hand into a Halloween candy bag: sometimes pulling out a treat and sometimes a trick. For me, the treat would be a piece of chocolate and the trick- licorice which I do not like. But in this instance the treat was a meaty, delicious pecan and the trick was a dry, crumbly pecan.
*Tip: meaty pecans usually weigh more in the shell than dried ones

Pumpkins are not only for carving but also great in savory and sweet treats. For a simple yummy pumpkin dessert, I swirl spiced pumpkin puree in my No Name Bar batter. What are No Name Bars you might ask? Well they are a mix between a chess square and cheesecake. I call them no name bars because they are too good for words. Ha ha! Clever huh! One of the desserts found in my cookbook- Modern Hospitality: Simple Recipes with Southern Charm.

Pumpkin No Name Bars

Crust:

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, melted

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Filling:

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

2 large eggs

4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar

Swirl:

1/4 cup pumpkin puree (can pumpkin can be used)

pinch of pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9 inch baking dish.

For the swirl: Mix pumpkin puree and spices. Spoon two lines lengthwise of the pan, a few inches from each other. Using a knife, swirl the pumpkin into the cream cheese batter.

Bake until set, about 38 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before cutting into squares.

For more Halloween treats, check out my other blog posts. My Grown-Up S'mores will melt-in-your- mouth and bring you back to your childhood. You will also love my cream cheese pumpkins with cranberry chipotle sauce.

Enjoy! Happy Trick or Treating!

Fall For Acorn Squash Donuts

2011-10-23T21:31:00.000-07:00

Fall For Acorn Squash Donuts

Acorn squash, similar in flavor to pumpkin, is a versatile vegetable which is great in multiple preparations. You might ask, "Why would my mom and I think to use acorn squash in a donut?" Well, we have had donuts on-the-brain. My mom came with me to Missouri last week for Springfield Grocer's Taste of the Ozarks. One night we were craving something sweet and excited to discover a sampler of cinnamon-sugar donuts on the dessert menu at the hotel restaurant. They were so good that it was hard to only eat one bite.

So what do you do when you are at home and craving a donut? For us, this is when our creative juices start flowing. I had baked a whole acorn squash a couple days ago on a baking sheet with some sweet potatoes. I ended up not using the acorn squash that night so I put it in the refrigerator for another day. Remembering that I had the baked acorn squash in the refrigerator, I pulled it out to add to the donut batter.

My mom whipped up the batter and pulled out our nonstick donut pan which she found at ROSS, one of our favorite stores, a great place to find clothes, shoes, decorating items, kitchen supplies, and much more at a discounted price.

The smell of cinnamon and spice....and everything nice ( ha ha!) captured my senses as the donuts baked in the oven. Once out of the oven, my mom first dipped them in butter and then into a cinnamon-sugar mixture.

This dessert recipe was too good to keep to ourselves so we want to share it with you. It would make a creative and different fall dessert for Thanksgiving. Let the "kids" get creative and roll the donuts in anything from toasted coconut and pecans to dipped in melted Nutella.

Baked Acorn Squash Donuts

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. all spice

1/3 cup canola oil

½ cup light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

¾ cup mashed acorn squash

¼ cup low fat milk

¼ cup vanilla yogurt

Coating:

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

½ cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a nonstick donut pan with cooking spray.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice in a medium mixing bowl. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, acorn squash, milk, and yogurt until smooth. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until just combined.

Using a tablespoon, spoon the batter into each section of the donut pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

While the donuts bake, melt the butter in small bowl. Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in another bowl. Remove donuts from the oven and cool for a few minutes. Dip each donut in the melted butter and then in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Serve donuts warm.

Makes 24 donuts

Warm up with my Grown-Up S'mores

2011-10-19T22:38:00.000-07:00

Cold weather isn't something that South Mississippi encounters too often but we are just now getting a taste of it. It doesn't take much for me to start breaking out the hot chocolate and marshmallows to warm up. Check out my homemade hot chocolate and agave marshmallow recipe in my cookbook-Modern Hospitality.

Snap, crackle and pop are the sounds of bon fires on cold fall nights. My family and I love to host bon fires for family and friends. My mom and I scavange in our closets for wire coat hangers to skewer marshmallows. I love sandwiching my toasted marshmallow between chocolate and graham crackers.

To satisfy my s'mores craving, I created a s'more that can be enjoyed both inside and out. This isn't just any kind of s'mores though. Try not to drool as I describe the layers of flavor in my Grown-Up S'more. A warm, chocolatey, gooey, mini molten lava cake sits atop a graham cracker then topped with a torched marshmallow.
To create this masterpiece, I spoon my Molten Lava Cakes for A Crowd (recipe found in my cookbook- Modern Hospitality) batter into a mini muffin pan. Bake for about 3 minutes on 400 degrees. Center of the cakes will be slightly gooey.

Allow to sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, using a mini square cookie cutter, cut mini squares into graham crackers.
Run a butter knife around the sides of the cakes. To unmold, place a baking sheet on the top of the muffin tin and flip over. Place a molten lava cake atop a mini graham cracker.
Cut large marshmallows in half. Place a marshmallow half or a mound of mini marshmallows on top of the molten lava cake.

Toast the marshmallow with a torch. *If you don't have a torch, place marshmallow halves on a baking sheet (cut side up). Bake on 450 degrees until lightly golden brown.

If you think this s'more is already over-the-top, wait until you hear what I created for Mississippi's Stennis Space Center's 50th Anniversary Gala. I was asked to create a special dessert for the occasion. When I think of NASA, I think of rockets and fire. I automatically thought of s'mores and fire. I created a Rocket S'more.

Toasted Tang flavored homemade marshmallow atop a molten lava cake and graham cracker crumble.

Trick or Treat!

2011-10-13T10:05:00.000-07:00

I think my dad enjoyed taking my sisters and I trick or treating just as much as we enjoyed going. We would sit in the back of his "little brown truck" as we liked to call it and go through the neighborhoods around our small town knocking on each door. Our Halloween costumes were chosen from a tub full of assorted costumes. We would pick an outfit and add our own special touches to complete the finished look. My older sister dressed like Pippy Longstocking one year and I remember her long pig tails and carefully placed freckles on her face.
My favorite costume was when I dressed up like Pocahontas. I was the cutest little thing or at least that is what my mom told me. Ha ha!
So back to the trick or treating! When it comes to candy I was the kid that looked for the good stuff and I haven't changed. I am in love with the all natural candy Hammond's candies home makes.
I have hand selected several of their candies to offer you at a special price. Click on the link http://osky.co/q3qM5n

Pumpkin Lollipop made with all natural pumpkin flavors.

Piggy Back filled with nuts and caramel and Mitchell's marshmallow covered caramel

Fall Treats

2011-10-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

What I love about this season is the colors of fall... the ambers, browns, and burnt orange. From decorating to preparing fall themed foods, I enjoy it all. My mom and I make a good team when it comes to entertaining. She loves to decorate and I prepare the food.
This past Sunday I had a cookbook signing at the B.I.O Bridal Expo in Hattiesburg, MS.

I wanted to share with the soon-to-be brides some easy entertaining tips. I prepared a couple samples from my cookbook. In the theme of weddings, I displayed my Cream Cheese Ring into a wedding cake.

This was so easy to prepare! Just like instructed in my cookbook, press softened cream cheese into a plastic wrap lined spring form pan. With the back of a spoon, smooth the cream cheese. Cover with plastic wrap and let set up in the refrigerator. After a couple of hours, unmold the cream cheese and remove the plastic wrap. Place the cream cheese cake onto a serving plate. For the decoration, I whipped softened cream cheese and placed it into a piping bag with a star tip. Pipe cream cheese stars onto the top of the cake. Then press toasted pecan or walnut pieces into the side. *Tip: use pistachios for Christmas.
Served in mason jars is the cranberry chipotle sauce.

For the table decoration, my mom took large and small glass square boxes and filled them with stick bundles. She covered the table with burlap squares and caramel colored tulle fabric.

A fun way to present this recipe is to smooth softened cream cheese into a pumpkin silicon mold. Allow your kids/grandkids to help you in the kitchen by doing this. To easily unmold the cream cheese, *Tip: Freeze the cream cheese in the mold for a couple hours. I learned this from experience. The cream cheese will stick to the mold if you just refrigerate it.

Place them on a baking sheet and store in the refrigerator. Make these pumpkin cream cheeses ahead of time. To serve, place pumpkins on a serving platter or individual plates. Serve with cranberry chipotle sauce. (Recipe can be found in my cookbook- Modern Hospitality: Simple Recipes with Southern Charm)

Have fun entertaining this fall and stay tuned for more great simple and fun recipes/ideas!

Step Out Of Your Comfort Zone

2011-09-21T10:35:00.000-07:00

Playing it safe isn't always good. This can be said when you are cooking or going out to eat. For example, my mom and I were recently in New York City.

I conducted cooking demos from my cookbook for Women's Health magazine's "Are You Game" event. We asked some of the ladies at the event for suggestions for dinner. One of the ladies shared with us about an Indian restaurant that she loves! I knew what my mom's first reaction would be. Mom- "I don't know about Indian food." I reminded her that she has had Indian cuisine before and liked it.

Have you ever wondered what the contestants ate while filming for "Masterchef"? Well, we ate whatever was available at the hotel. That got old after a while so we decided to order in one night. Faruq suggested we order from his favorite Indian restaurant. I can't think of the name now, but anyway I had never had Indian cuisine at this point. I decided that I wouldn't order anything off the menu but would just try a little of everyone else's food. Faruq ordered plenty of extra food especially naan, Indian bread. I loved everything I tried! I couldn't remember the names of anything except saag paneer (or creamed spinach). I decided to order Indian food from the same restaurant when my parents and I were in Los Angeles last. They enjoyed it!

Back to NYC! So my mom said let's do it. We should go to Bhatti Indian Grill for dinner. The restaurant is located in the heart of Little India. The ambience is quaint and chic. We ordered

Tandoori Chicken

from bottom to top: Saag Paneer (creamed spinach), Gobhi Mussalam (cauliflower in an onion-tomato sauce) & Tamatarwala Jheengha (shrimp in a tomato gravy)

Butter and Garlic Naan

The Tandoori Chicken was so packed with flavor. It has to be the most flavorful chicken I have ever had. Then I dipped into the spinach, cauliflower, and shrimp dishes. I almost don't have words to describe how good all of those dishes tasted. The shrimp had a spice to it that made you want more. The cauliflower had a butter flavor and the spinach was creamy and delish. I used the naan to sop up any sauce left on my plate. Sheetal shared with me that traditionally Indian cusine is eaten with your hands using naan.

I left Bhatti Indian Grill with inspiration to use some of their flavor combinations in my own cooking. So I did just that.
I decided to prepare pork chops for dinner last night but I wanted to pack in a lot of flavor into them. I combined several spices with plain yogurt, lemon juice, crushed garlic and ginger, and salt. I allowed the butterflied pork chops to marinade in the yogurt mixture for about 2 hours. Meanwhile, I prepared my stuffing which was cubed green apple, green tomato, and leek. I sauteed these ingredients in butter over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until the green apples were soft. I then seasoned the vegetables and fruit with salt. I removed the pork chops and wiped off the excess marinade. I stuffed each pork chop with the green apple mixture and secured with toothpicks.
You want to be sure to grease your grill pan and heat it over medium-high heat. Once hot, I placed the pork chops into the grill pan (toothpicks sticking up). After 5 minutes, I removed the toothpicks and carefully flipped the pork chops over. Cook the pork chops for another 5 minutes. I removed the pork chops from the grill pan and placed into a baking dish. Lastly, I brushed the rest of the marinade over the pork chops and baked them in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 15-18 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pork chops.
Voila! Dinner is served!

Spice marinated pork chops stuffed with sauteed green apple, green tomato, and leeks
served with sweet potato cakes

Fun, Food, and Family

2011-09-14T22:03:00.000-07:00

September 9th was my younger sister, Brittyn's 22nd birthday. Birthdays in my family are a big deal. I wasn't going to miss spending her birthday with her so I flew Britt to Dallas so she could spend the weekend with my mom and I. I wanted to make this birthday extra special for Brittyn since last year friends and family were gathered around watching one of my episodes of Masterchef on her birthday. This year it was going to be all about her.

I first surprised her with a limo ride to dinner.

After having asked several people their advice on a restaurant to go to for dinner, we finally decided to go to Tillman's Roadhouse in the Bishop Arts area in downtown Dallas. The restaurant had also just been featured on Food Network.
Immediately upon walking into the restaurant, I knew this was going to be a fun place.

The decor is rustic but chic.

So lets move on to the most important part, the FOOD!

You are immediately served complimentary truffle butter popcorn. If this was any indication of what was to come, I would be a happy girl.

When I am struggling over what to order at a restaurant after reading a menu, I like to ask the waiter/waitress for their recommendations. I did this at Tillman's and was told to be sure to order the trio of fries.

From left to right, chili dusted purple peruvian, smoked salt sweet potato fries, and parmesan black pepper kennebec served with homemade ketchup and horseradish pickle mayo.

I am not a french fry fan but these fries were good. I especially liked the sweet potato fries.

Chicken Fried Steak-
roasted garlic mashed potatoes, poblano cream gravy, bacon lardons, haricot vert, cherry tomatoes

Creamy and silky smooth mashed potatoes coated my taste buds with the most wonderful flavor and texture. Then the steak component of the chicken fried steak, isn't just any kind of steak but a filet. Served alongside was green beans which wasn't just your run-of-the-meal green beans. These green beans had good flavor.

Having grown up eating what I call country fried steak, this was the best I have ever had!

And that was it........just joking you know me better than that. A meal isn't complete without a little dessert and this one was extra special.

Served tableside was their S'mores.

Everything is homemade from their marshmallows to their graham crackers.

Choose from maple, orange, and coffee marshmallows

Then toast your marshmallow over the open flame and sandwich between chocolate and graham crackers.

And Enjoy!

They were finger licking good!

You can create this same amazing treat at home using my Agave Marshmallow recipe in my cookbook. Have fun flavoring your marshmallows with your favorite flavor!

And the night wouldn't be complete without the waiters singing happy birthday to my sister, Brittyn on her special birthday!

Dallas- A city full of great food and fun

2011-09-12T09:24:00.000-07:00

My trip to Dallas included two cookbook signings, the first at Neiman Marcus Willowbend's Fashion's Night Out and the other at Preston Royal's Barnes and Nobles. By the way, if you are in the area, I have signed copies of my cookbook at the Barnes and Nobles.

Jennifer from posh mom- poshmom.blogspot.com and I at Fashion's Night Out

When I was not signing cookbooks, I was eating my way through Dallas/Plano. Located close to our hotel was Kent Rathbun's, known for beating Bobby Flay on Iron Chef, restaurant- Japsers. After having heard a few recommendations, one being from a woman in the bathroom of our hotel ha ha!, we went for dinner. Jaspers considers its style of food to be Gourmet Backyard Cuisine. From first glance at the menu, I knew I would be in for a treat. My mom/traveling companion/assistant and I started off with their caesar salad. The waiter told us how their caesar dressing was given some kind of award for being the best. It was a good start to our meal too! For our entree, we shared their slow smoked baby back ribs with ancho barbeque sauce and creamy "baked potato" salad. We also ordered a side of their bourbon creamed sweet corn.

photo from http://www.jaspers-restaurant.com/
Smoky, rich tomato bbq sauce covered by fingers and lips with flavorful goodness. Ribs should only be eaten by hand, even in nice restaurants. It's the only way ha ha!
The potato salad was killer! Creamy sour cream coated potatoes with crunchy bits of bacon was the perfect compliment to the ribs. This potato salad was very addictive!

Bourbon Creamed Sweet Corn (Sorry for the color of the pic it was taken outside)

We had to order the corn because it sounded unique and what is better with ribs and potato salad than corn. This was the Best Thing I Have Ever Ate- Corn! It wasn't creamed style corn but sweet kernels in a light creamy sauce. The hint of Boubon gave the corn another level of flavor. On top of the corn was thin strips of fried potato. I could have dove into this cast-iron skillet, it was that good!

We loved it so much that we went back for lunch the next day. I flew in my sister for her birthday and I knew she would love the food.

Flourless Chocolate Torte with Orange Marmalade

Happy 22nd Birthday Brittyn!

P.S. Check back for more great food from Dallas

Modern, Fresh Twist on Comfort Food

2011-09-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

How can I put a modern, fresh twist on your favorite food?
After reading your comments, I chose to put a modern,fresh twist on the comfort food- meatloaf. Sometimes meatloaf gets a bad rap. It doesn't have to be flavorless ground meat topped with ketchup.

After a lot of brainstorming, I came up with pesto and mozzerella cheese stuffed meatloaf topped with roasted tomatoes.

Pesto and Mozzarella Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf topped with Roasted Tomatoes

2 (1.2 lb.) packages ground turkey *can substitute ground chuck

1 whole egg, beaten

1/3 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

¼ cup milk

½ tsp. sea salt

¼ tsp. cracked black pepper

Pesto *see recipe below

¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 medium tomatoes, sliced ¼“

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine ground turkey, egg, breadcrumbs, milk, ¼ tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Mix until combined.

Spoon half of the turkey mixture into a 8x8 glass baking dish and form into an oval loaf. Spread the pesto over the loaf then top with mozzarella cheese. Top with the remaining turkey mixture. Form the mixture over the pesto and mozzarella and seal completely.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and layer tomato slices over the turkey loaf. Sprinkle with ¼ tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Drizzle olive oil over tomato slices.

Bake for another 15 minutes. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Serve warm.

Spinach Pesto

1 cup packed fresh spinach

1/2 cup fresh basil

1 Tbsp. chopped walnuts

1 garlic clove, peeled

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

2 Tbsp. basil olive oil *can substitute extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp. finely shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the walnuts on a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes.

Place the spinach and basil in a food processor. Add the toasted walnuts, garlic, salt, and pepper. Process until it begins to form a paste, about 2 minutes. With the processor running, drizzle in butter and olive oil. Add the parmesan cheese and pulse two or three times. Season to taste with more salt and pepper. Transfer the pesto to a small bowl.

Makes about 1 cup.

Being creative in the kitchen is what cooking is all about for me. Have fun in the kitchen! Serve my cauliflower mac n'cheese (from my cookbook- Modern Hospitality), a modern, fresh twist on mac n'cheese, with this meatloaf for a great comfort meal.

Enjoy!

How can you give your favorite dish a modern and fresh twist?

2011-08-19T11:52:00.000-07:00

In my cookbook, Modern Hospitality, I take Southern cuisine and put a modern, fresh twist on it. My passion is to inspire others from kids to adults to get in the kitchen and have fun cooking.
Recipes like my turnip green pesto, bacon-wrapped stuffed brussel sprouts, and crispy coconut bites (grits for dessert) are creative ways to use common ingredients. I hope they inspire you to want to try and cook them.

Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Brussel Sprouts

Crispy Coconut Bites with Chocolate Sauce

What is your favorite dish?
How can you give it a modern and fresh twist?
I want to answer this question for you.
Submit in the comment section of this post, what your favorite dish is and why you would want me to put a modern and fresh twist on it. (Include the name of the dish and the recipe) I will choose one dish and create an original modern and fresh recipe of the dish just for you! You have until next Friday to submit your recipes. I can't wait to hear from you!

Special Days are Birthdays

2011-08-18T09:56:00.000-07:00

In my family, birthdays are always a special occasion. My favorite part is that you can decide where you want to go eat on that day. This was always a very special time for me because I could choose an expensive restaurant because this was my birthday present from my parents. For my 17th birthday, I was an Emeril fan and so I wanted to go to his restaurant Emerils in New Orleans. I loved the experience! I even had the chance to tour the kitchen which I was so fascinated by.

For my 18th birthday, I went to the Royal Sonesta's restaurant in New Orleans for their Sunday brunch. This place became a favorite birthday spot for my other family members as well. I could have skipped the breakfast/lunch items and could have dove into the desserts right away. The presentation of the desserts is what fascinated me. I especially loved their banana fosters, eclairs, and pecan pralines.

Ok so enough about me. My dad's birthday was yesterday and I asked him where he wanted to eat for his birthday, in the back of my mind I already knew his answer. He told me that he wanted me to cook for him. Me- What do you want me to cook?
Dad- I love your Mexican egg rolls
Me- Ok but that can't just be the meal. (He loves these things and I never make them.) I will do that for an appetizer.
Dad- You are the Masterchef. Surprise me with the rest of the meal.
Me- Ok sounds good

So, I call my mom.
Me- Mom what do you think dad would want for dinner.
Mom- He loves to order steak when we go out to eat.
Me- Ok I will prepare filet mignon. (I am also thinking to myself now Mom are you saying steak because you like it too. ha ha!)
Mom- sounds great!

Luckily I am in Hattiesburg because my small town does not offer filet mignon in its grocery stores. I go by the Lil' Butcher Shop and pick up my dad a 10 oz. filet and also 2- 8 oz. filets and a 5 oz. filet. I decided to marinade the filets in my Miracle Marinade (recipe found in my cookbook- Modern Hospitality: Simple Recipes with Southern Charm). I let them soak for a hour in the refrigerator. I then pat them dry so that I could get a good sear on the filets. You want to make sure you begin with a hot grill pan. (I used a Lodge castiron grill pan. I found it for $20 at Target) I preheated my pan on medium-high and drizzled canola oil in the pan to coat the bottom. Sear each side of the filets for 2-3 minutes, depending on thickness. I then put the grill pan in a preheated 400 degree oven. Again the cooking time depends on the size and thickness of the filets. For the 5 oz. filet, it took about 4-5 minutes. This produced a medium filet.

To serve the filet mignons, I caramelized onions and sauteed baby bella mushrooms.

He was a very happy man. I might as well have put a candle in his filet because he was too full for birthday cake.

Baby Shower

2011-08-14T22:09:00.000-07:00

My mom volunteered to make my older sister, Leslie's baby shower cake. Decorating cakes is one of my mom's many creative talents. It seems as though anytime my mom makes and decorates a cake that she ends up spending several hours working on it. These hours usually range from 9:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. I can be found with my hair "on top of the world" (a high pony tail) with her in the kitchen.

After hours spent in Babies "R" US in Mandeville, LA shopping for and testing strollers and car seats, we made the long trip home. That long trip included having to go over the never ending Causeway bridge (Guinness World Record for longest bridge over continuous water in the world at 23.83 miles). My mom and I brainstormed on how we could decorate the cake without spending hours doing it. Have you been there before?

"Mom what about making chocolate decorations instead of using fondant, which would take forever to do" -me. This was the best idea if I do say so myself.

To add to the cake decorations, I made animal cupcakes. For the lion cupcake, I used the #233 decorating tip to make their orange mane and a Wilton chocolate candy for their face.

For the monkeys, I topped chocolate frosting with a tan chocolate candy for the monkeys' faces then piped white frosting eyes. For their tail and ears, I filled a zip top bag with melted chocolate and snipped the corner. Then piped tails and ears onto wax paper. Using a toothpick, make a hole in the cupcakes and insert the tails.

Lion and Monkey Cupcakes

My gift to my soon-to-be nephew. He will love his Aunt Whitney!

I love my sisters and my mom! There may be a little friendly competition between Brittyn and I on who will be the favorite aunt. Ha ha!

What to pack in your kids lunches?

2011-08-12T09:36:00.000-07:00

It wasn't too long ago when I was fixing my own lunch for school. My parents both worked at my town's high school, my mom an English teacher and my dad a coach/athletic director. Since they were running around like myself to get ready for school EARLY in the morning, my mom gave the responsibility to my sisters and I to prepare our lunches. My mom was always concerned though that we ate healthy. She would buy us fruit, cheese, and other things to pack in our lunchbox. Sometimes my younger sister, Brittyn's fruit wouldn't get eaten but rather she would sell it to her friends. Ha ha! She was a little entrepeneur at a young age. I definitely know she is in a good field with majoring in marketing.

So with the start of school, I want to share with you a few modern Back-To-School lunch options to pack in your kids lunchbox.
Let your kids play with their food! Yes, I did say play with their food. With my vegetable skewers, you can skewer on vegetables and cheese. I know what you are thinking. Danger! Skewer? This skewer is edible. By cutting thin sticks out of broccoli stalk, you can make the perfect skewer.

Broccoli stalks really work great and taste good because they are sturdy and have a neutral flavor. I have skewered cherry tomatoes and mozzerella cheese onto my broccoli skewer.

Broccoli stalks are also really good dipped in peanut butter. Now, when it comes to purchasing peanut butter, I want it to be healthy but also taste good. I don't like the kind where you have to stir in the oil. That kind of grosses me out. My favorite natural and flavorful peanut butter is Skippy Natural Peanut Butter. You can view the ingredients on the back and it list- peanuts, salt, and sugar. You have to have the little bit of sugar to give it the flavor of like Jiff but without the hydrogenated oils (bad stuff!).
*Tip: spoon peanut butter into a zip top bag. Kids can tear a hole in the corner and squeeze out the peanut butter.

What kid doesn't like chips? I like chips too but not the kind of chips you are thinking about. I make homemade sweet potato and green apple chips. These aren't your typical deep fried chips either but instead oven-baked until perfectly crisp. The secret is to use a pizza stone. The pizza stone absorbs the moisture and makes whatever you put on it crispy. To make the thin slices, use a mandoline. Heat the pizza stone in the oven on 400 degrees. After 5 minutes, pull it out of the oven and place your slices on it. Lightly spray the tops with cooking spray. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until crisp. Sprinkle sea salt on top. Remove to an air-tight container or for immediate enjoyment, serve on a plate.

Emile Henry Flame Pizza Stone is my favorite pizza stone. I want to share with you a way to purchase it at a special price. If you haven't heard of OpenSky, it is a shopping community of chefs, trainers, actors, etc. that want to share with others the products that we love. It is easy to follow me on OpenSky, all you have to do is go to http://t.opensky.com/TkT5omdj2c1NAAEG/TkOoIpxiiHQFdXIgA22b9 and click follow me. Then type in your email address and that is it! You won't receive tons of emails but every Friday I offer a product at a special price and you will receive an email about it.

I hope your kids love these quick and easy snacks for their lunches! Share with me your tips so that I can pass them along to others.

Does Lighter Mean Better?

2011-07-04T07:48:00.000-07:00

As I was shopping in the produce section of the grocery store, I came across the avocadoes. Not just one variety but two? Hmm...SlimCado...I am intrigued. On the SlimCado's label, it states that it is lite, 35% fewer calories, and 50% less fat. I decided to grab both the SlimCado and Hass avocado to compare them and here are my results.
SlimCado vs. Avocado
Watery Creamy

Very light flavor Strong flavor

Pale yellow flesh Pale green flesh

In this case, lighter did not mean better. In my cookbook- Modern Hospitality: Simple Recipes with Southern Charm, I have lightened up some Southern classics.

For me, lighter can not mean bland. I like flavorful foods without any exceptions or substitutions. I lighten up foods by either using olive oil vs. butter, skim milk dairy products, and baked vs. fried.
When I am sauteing, roasting, or grilling I like to use olive oil to cook and flavor my vegetables and proteins. My favorite roasted vegetable is brussel sprouts. Yes, I did say brussel sprouts. If you have never had roasted brussel sprouts, you do not know what you are missing. Caramelization from the roasting of the onions and brussel sprouts brings out the natural sweetness.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

I have never been a fan of the taste of low fat cream cheese or low fat sour cream but I do like to use skim milk dairy products like skim milk, part skim mozzerella cheese, and part skim ricotta cheese. One of my recipes that I use skim milk in is my cauliflower mac n'cheese. I have lightened up classic mac n'cheese by using roasted cauliflower instead of pasta and skim milk to make my creamy cheese sauce.

Cauliflower Mac N' Cheese

I think you can achieve the flavor and crisp texture of fried foods without deep frying. I like to either pan fry or oven-fry foods.

Pan-fried crab cake with sweet & spicy coleslaw

Summer is the perfect time to lighten up your dishes. I hope you will like trying the recipes in my cookbook to achieve this.
Have a great 4th of July with your friends and family!
Tomorrow, July 5th is the release of my cookbook. I hope you will be inspired to spend time with friends and family in the kitchen any time to share good food and fellowship.

Happy Eating Healthy Living

2011-06-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

Think about the best meal you have ever had or your favorite foods? How does it make you feel?

Whether it's a sweet juicy slice of watermelon, crisp tart piece of granny smith apple, or creamy smooth morsel of chocolate, food makes me happy. It isn't just about enjoying these foods but the memories behind them.

If you ever visit my great grandmother during the summer, you would find one or more watermelons at her house. It wouldn't take much for me to be able to convince my great grandma to let me crack one open. Even though it was just the two of us, we could make a dent in it. With its naturally sweet candy like flavor, why would you ever want to cover it up? My grandma would say it's better with salt sprinkled over it. Yuck! I could never bring myself to partake in this act. Sweet and salty I do like, whether popcorn & chocolate or salted caramel, but not salt and watermelon. No matter our differences, the smiles on our faces could never be erased.

I get really excited when I can share my passion for food with others. When I was asked to speak to a weight loss group and share my healthy cooking tips, I immediately began thinking about what helpful tips I could share.
Because of my love for food, I have come up with ways I can enjoy it without feeling guilty.
.
These are my cooking tips I shared with them and want to share with you.

Cooking Tips:

-Use olive oil for sautéing, oven-baking, grilling

-Use unsalted butter when needed in cooking to control salt amounts in dishes

-Quality ingredients Count!

Good quality vs. poor quality

-balsamic vinegar (use for preparing a quick & healthy salad dressing)

-chocolate chips (Ghirardelli- rich chocolate vs. Nestle-waxy cheap flavor)

-Be creative with VEGETABLES!

-Roast vegetables to enhance their flavor. Ex- brussel sprouts, zucchini, squash, etc.

-Use a pizza stone to crisp vegetables for chips Ex. Sweet potatoes, kale chips

-Use a pizza stone to prepare oven “fried” vegetables Ex. Squash, zucchini, etc.

-Use vegetables to make a healthier low fat dip. Ex. Butterbean hummus

-Pile on the vegetables onto your pizza to fill you up without adding extra calories

-Prepare a pesto out of herbs, spinach, or other greens. Use it for a dip or as a

condiment

-To sweeten desserts or drink, use cane sugar which is natural, unrefined, and contains nutrients.

Happy Eating is easy and Healthy Living is even easier with my cooking tips!

Share your thoughts and tips with me.

Traveling Palate

2011-06-15T23:04:00.000-07:00

My mom:
Who wants to read about someone who gets to the airport two hours ahead, stands in line, and makes it to the plane on time? Maybe me!...Just once I would like to be that person.

Instead, it is a mad rush to park, trying to park as close as possible to the main floor elevator level. Hmm, let me see....what number is that?...4? - Oh no, no parking on 4! None on 5? What's left? The last floor..the roof...ha, ha! The girls and I jerk our bags from the trunk of the car and hit the ground running...my hands are full and believe it or not, I am still trying to stuff one more item in the case as I roll along! Struggling to juggle luggage, purses, computer cases as we race along...pulling down skirts, pulling up tops, I'm suddenly hit with a thought; " I forgot to wear socks!" I grimace as the words roll through my head, "Security! security! I hate to take my shoes off!"

Once in the airport, we ride the escalator stairs to reach the second floor only to see a long, long,line..."No, no, please don't let that line be ours, spilling out of the roped maze into the seating lobby!" We walk quickly past and then stop to ask, only to be told to go back to the last. " Rats! Guess it was ours, just our luck!". Standing in line, we pray, "Go fast!!!!"

Whitney (me)- I had a feeling that we needed to be at the airport early. I still remember the time when my mom and I had to run barefoot with our shoes dangling in our arms through the airport until we reached the inside of our plane. We had not even had a second to spare to put our shoes on after security. We sighed in relief and exhaustion as we MADE IT to the plane! ha ha. I don't want to go through that again. That will be our famous last words!

Back to you (mom):
I haven't had my caffine today, no stanima to stand in line or consider my dilema of needing to board in 15 minutes. No way that I'm going to even be at the front of the line in 15 minutes, much less boarding. What is that? A PJ's coffeehouse? I leave my luggage with Leslie and powerwalk to get my caffine fix. I'm just grabbing sugar packets when Leslie yells, "Mom, we're in the wrong line!" My heart drops. I feel sick.. "Oh brother!" I can only pray that the next line is miraculously shorter as we speed walk, whizzing past people, headed to what feels like the end of the earth! Finally, as we reach the line, we breathe a sigh of relief, only a few people in line. God is so good! But, wait! What does that sign say? There must be some mistake! No liquids ! I can't take my coffee...that I just bought, haven't even tasted! The guy at the desk tries to be kind saying, "Just drink fast..maybe you can at least have a few sips before you have to go through security." I take a gulp of .hot liquid...no sugar, no cream ..despairingly, I let the paper cup slip through my fingers into the dark chasm of the nearby trash can.

We board. We leave. We arrive. Here we are at the hotel in Philadelphia, starving, ready for lunch. Staring out of the window of our hotel, I cannot believe my eyes. I see a sign that says Reading Terminal Market, just a stone's throw away from our hotel. From my research, this is the place to go, and I already have my list of places to hit...Somewhat overwhelmed, Whitney, Leslie, and I stand in the opening of the market..There are food signs everywhere;.what will it be? Dessert first at Bassett's, known for the best ice-cream, or Oprah's recommended mac 'n cheese at Delilah's. Already I feel at home, comfort food.....Southern food.... cornbread and collard greens.

What will we choose? What other great food discoveries will we make? Tune in again to read the next saga of our trip and our reviews of the food finds at Philadelphia's Reading Terminal Market.

Plenty of Southern food here, especially with gardens overflowing with vegetables such as squash and cucumbers. Here is one more creative recipe using common summer vegetables.

Roasted Squash Dip with Baked Pita Chips

White Squash:

2 medium sized white squash

1 – 2 Tbsp. olive oil

Yellow squash:

4 small yellow squash, sliced

1 – 2 Tbsp. olive oil

Pinch salt & pepper

Filling:

1 clove garlic, grated

2 Tbsp. finely diced onion

1 Tbsp. olive oil

4 oz. cream cheese

¼ cup mayo

¼ tsp. Worcestershire sauce

¼ tsp. lemon juice

3 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

¼ cup grated Gouda cheese

Pinch cayenne pepper

2 Tbsp. Italian Panko crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the two white squash bottom side up on a baking sheet and brush olive oil over it. Bake for 30-35 minutes. After baking, let cool slightly then using a sharp paring knife, cut a circle “lid” halfway down through the squash. Remove lid then spoon out the seeds from inside of the squash. Set aside.

*Can be done ahead of time and refrigerated until the next day.

Toss yellow squash slices with 1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil on baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes or until soft enough to mash.
Meanwhile saute’ diced onions and grated garlic in olive oil.
In medium mixing bowl, combine softened cream cheese and mayo. Add sautéed onions and garlic. Then, stir in the parmesan cheese, grated Gouda cheese, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and pinch of cayenne pepper. Lastly incooperate the roasted mashed squash into the cheese mixture. Stuff the roasted white squash “bowls.” Top with Italian Panko crumbs. Place squash "lids" skin side down on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve with baked pita chips.

New Recipe Ideas for Common Vegetables and Fruits

2011-06-08T14:15:00.000-07:00

Mary (my mom) as guest blogger:
There is something so satisfying about taking nature’s bounty straight from the source to your table. This morning I poured myself a measure of oat cereal (I confess I used to eat them for fun, but now I am actually thinking about how the oats help the heart and cholesterol counts. Boy, this makes me feel old!) and headed out to the blueberry bushes to pick some treats to top it off. I was worried about them being too dry because of the lack of rain so far this summer, but I was pleasantly reassured as soon as I spooned in the first mouthful….ummm…sweet! Nothing like standing in the sun, taking in the fruits of your labor! Now, I am really inspired. I have lots of blueberries. My mind is spinning. What can I do with them? I love being creative and coming up with new ways to cook fruit and vegetables. I am already thinking of roasting them to see what flavors it brings out and possibly pairing them with some grilled fresh pineapple. Steering away from my first thoughts of salsa, I decide to go with a light summertime dessert of fresh fruit over frozen Chantilly cream.

*Whitney's insert: Why frozen chantilly cream and not ice cream you might ask? Well because chantilly cream is basically whipped cream flavored with vanilla. Not only is it simple to prepare but it has less sugar than ice cream and has a light and fluffy texture when frozen. Splenda could be substituted for confectioner's sugar. This could be a great dessert for someone who has diabetes or someone watching their sugar or calorie intake.

Summertime blueberry & pineapple dessert

1 cup fresh blueberries

2 cups fresh pineapple, cut into 1” thin pieces

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place blueberries on a baking sheet. Roast in oven for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a grill pan on the stovetop on medium high heat. Place pineapple pieces on hot pan until grill marks form. Turn until lightly grilled on both sides.

Place a large scoop of frozen Chantilly cream in a dessert glass. Top with grilled pineapple pieces and spoon over roasted blueberries with juice. Enjoy!!

Frozen Chantilly Cream

1 cup heavy cream

2 ½ Tbsp. confectioner’s sugar

¼ tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla bean seeds

Beat heavy cream until soft peaks form. Gradually add in 2 Tbsp. sugar. Beat until combined. Fold in vanilla bean paste or seeds. Place in a freezer safe container or freezer bag. Freeze until firm.

My counter today is literally covered with squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes, and this does not include the bucket of freshly dug potatoes on the back porch. My blessings runneth over. A friend of mine brought these over yesterday from her garden…true Southern hospitality. Now, my challenge is to find different uses for these common garden vegetables that are so abundant at this time of year.

Sometimes I am driven by my taste buds. Today, my tongue wanted something salty and I remembered the gift of a pack of Benton’s bacon in my fridge. Instantly the idea of a play on bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches came to mind. Within minutes, the wonderful aroma of bacon cooking filled the kitchen as I sliced ripe, juicy red tomatoes and washed romaine, Boston Bibb, spinach, and arugula lettuces (Everybody in my family likes different lettuces for different reasons. My husband is on a special diet so his “bread” will be Boston Bibb lettuce, and my oldest daughter is pregnant and needs to raise her iron level so she is adding spinach to her sandwich.) Last, but not least, my final twist on ingredients is to add my oven-fried squash and peppers to the sandwiches. I came up with this idea after seeing fried green tomato sandwiches; however, I wanted to use the vegetables I had on hand. My need for heat was satisfied with the addition of the peppers. For a lighter bread serving, I chose to serve the ingredients stuffed into pita bread and flavored with a spread of lemon aioli.

Light & Crispy Oven-fried Squash and Peppers

2 medium yellow squash, sliced

2 jalapeno peppers (I use whatever is in abundance, but I like a little heat.)

¼ cup AP or self-rising flour

1 cup panko bread crumbs (I like Italian style.)

½ cup skim milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spray a pizza stone with oil and leave in oven until hot.

Toss squash and peppers in flour. Dip in milk. Coat in panko crumbs.

Place on hot pizza stone and spray coated squash and peppers with oil. Cook until lightly brown.

Hospitality

2011-05-26T08:42:00.000-07:00

"Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality." Romans 12:13

This verse resonates in me on a daily basis. I can honestly say that I don't always act on it but after this past weekend of helping to prepare meals for the Pleasant Grove's tornado victims and volunteers,
the word hospitality takes on a new meaning to me.

I was very blessed with the opportunity to go to Pleasant Grove, AL. I saw how a good warm meal comforted the victims and volunteers. One of the tornado relief workers my mom spoke to said that he has worked in other states for disaster relief, but wasn't always able to enjoy home-cooked meals and to sit down and relax and fellowship with others. This is "southern hospitality."
With donations from several people from my town and the local area including Mrs. Debra, The Winborns, Ms. Maggie Smith and family, Mrs. Linda Hawkins and other ladies in the Poplarville Woman's Club, teachers and staff at the Poplarville schools, teachers and staff at Pearl River Central, Grandpa Larry and Nancy, etc. we were able to provide supplies and prepare meals. Some of the dishes included smoked beef and vegetable stew, spaghetti and meatballs, Poplarville blueberry pancakes (Thank you Misty for picking the blueberries), tres leches cake, and peach cobbler.

One of the things that really touched me was that two college guys who live in Pleasant Grove came to help. One of the guys had lost his house in the tornado and he was still willing to serve.

Through this experience, I have learned that special touches go a long way. Home-baked cookies were really appreciated amongst the volunteers and workers.

After this experience, I was encouraged to show hospitality more to others. I found this plate at a dollar store and thought this would be a great way to spread hospitality.

I am issuing a Hospitality challenge to all of you. This is how it works. Do something for others; it can be both big or small. Invite someone to dinner at your house, invite someone to lunch after church, bring someone a baked good, prepare dinner for a friend and bring it to him or her, or do something else in which you can help someone in need. This doesn't just have to mean cooking and food. Cooking is my talent and this is the way I can show hospitality but you can mow someone's lawn, babysit, etc.

I have begun this challenge myself. I filled this plate with my pecan pralines and gave it to a secretary at my dad's work. She has always been really nice to give my family vegetables from her garden. What was neat was that I didn't know that earlier that day she had given my dad a bag of squash from her garden. I received hospitality from her the same day I showed it to her.

The second plate I filled with my No Name Bars. They are like an ooey gooey bar. I went to my neighbor's house last night and took them to him. He told me he would bring me the plate back. I told him that's ok but to read the plate after he and his family had eaten the treats. After reading the message, hopefully he will fill the plate and forward hospitality to someone.

Share your stories of how you show hospitality on the comment section. Post pictures on my facebook page Whitney Miller-Masterchef. I would love to hear from you!

Vegetables in Training

2011-05-15T21:51:00.000-07:00

While looking around Cracker Barrel's gift shop, I found this cute garden stake sign that said "Vegetables in Training." I thought how fitting this sign would be in my garden. My dad and I have always wanted to have a big garden that overflowed with vegetables. One year my dad used an antique manual tiller that we had to till up our soon-to-be garden spot. I came behind him and dropped an assortment of vegetable seeds. My dad and I were exhausted but excited about what tastey vegetables would come from our hard work. Our dreams were soon washed away from a hard rain that washed some of our seeds away and the other seeds didn't produce but a few vegetable plants.
This year we decided to plant small vegetable plants instead of seeds. My mom and I ventured to the garden store to purchase our garden's plants. I couldn't contain myself and began grabbing various plants including eggplant, red bell pepper, yellow squash, and zucchini. My eyes scanned the various tomato plants. I didn't know there were so many different kinds especially the hybrid tomatoes. I filled my shopping cart with yellow boy, heirloom, big boy, grape and cherry tomato plants. I am not even a cucumber fan but a lemon cucumber plant peaked my interest.

Since helping my mom and dad excavate, cover plants with dirt, and water them, I have been watching them grow every day. The progress is exciting!

Finally fruits of our labor!
Speaking of fruit, I also planted some strawberry plants.
Using my strawberries, I created a cupcake recipe. It is called a Balsamic Strawberry "Short" cupcake. In the summer I love making strawberry shortcake and so I created a cupcake version. The addition of a good quality thick balsamic gave a slight acidic, sweet and tart component to the dessert. While in New Orleans shopping on Magazine Street, I found a shop called Vom Fass. They sell a balsamic that is rich, thick, and sweet. It is called Aceto Balsamico di Modena "Maletti." The great thing about Vom Fass is that you can sample their oak barrel stored olive oils and balsamics before you purchase them.
Without further ado my cupcake recipe:

Balsamic Strawberry “Short” Cupcakes

“Short” Cupcakes

1 stick butter – room temp

1 cup granulated sugar

1 ¼ cups cake flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

2 large eggs, separated (room temp)

¾ cup whole milk

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Balsamic Strawberries

3 cup sliced strawberries

3 Tbsp. good quality balsamic vinegar*

Whipped Cream

2 cups whipping cream

½ cup confectioner’s sugar

Balsamic vinegar (garnish)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners.

In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.

In a mixing bowl, whisk butter until creamy consistency. Slowly add in sugar until incorporated. Beat egg yolks one at a time in a small bowl and whisk into butter and sugar mixture.

Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.

Alternately add dry ingredients and milk into butter mixture, being sure to start and end with the flour mixture. Whisk batter after each addition. Lastly, add vanilla. Fold in beaten egg whites. Fill 20-25 cupcake liners a little more than half full. Do not over fill. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire baking rack.

In a bowl, toss strawberry slices with balsamic vinegar.

Using a hand mixer, beat whipping cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Add confectioner’s sugar and beat until combined.

To assemble cupcakes, arrange strawberry slices onto cupcakes and top with whipped cream. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over whipped cream. Serve immediately.

Yields: 20-25 cupcakes

Southern Food Revolution

2011-04-13T23:24:00.000-07:00

I was inspired for the name of this post from a comment someone posted on my facebook of my Southern Chips. He said "Southern without it being fried. Someone is starting a food revolution." My Southern Chips are made from Mustard Greens which I toss in olive oil and salt and bake until cripsy.
His comment inspired me to post some of my Southern recipes that are on the healthier side. I want to show others that Southern food doesn't have to mean using a pound of butter and deep frying.

I made kale chips for the first time this week. I tried them at Hundred Acres restaurant the last time I was in New York. After making the kale chips, I decided that I could substitute mustard greens for kale. Mustard greens have a similar flavor to kale. My Southern Chips (Mustard Green Chips) are a healthier alternative to potato chips. This is a fun way to get your kids to eat their greens.

Southern Chips (Mustard Green Chips)

3 cups chopped mustard greens, washed & dried

1 Tbsp. olive oil

¼ tsp. kosher salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a bowl, toss mustard greens, olive oil, and salt. Place onto a baking sheet.

Bake at 300 degrees for 16 minutes.

Let cool slightly and carefully remove from baking sheet.

Serve.

Brussel Sprouts, "little cabbages" as my mom likes to call them, is a vegetable that not very many people are a fan of. I can say I have converted many "finicky eaters" to brussel sprout fans. As I was in line one day to pay for my groceries, the lady behind me asked me what I was going to do with the brussel sprouts. I described to her how I was going to roast them in the oven. I toss brussel sprouts and onion slices in olive oil, salt, pepper, and minced garlic. I then roast them in the oven on 400 degrees for 30 minutes. The result is carmelized sweet brussel sprout goodness. Needless to say, she and the lady behind her got out of line to get some brussel sprouts.

So I have a new recipe using brussel sprouts. It is Sauteed Brussel Sprout, Leek, and Green Apple with Candied Pecans. The combination of ingredients is unique but works so well together. The flavors are slight bitterness from the sprouts, sweetness from the leek, apple, and candied pecans, and slight tartness from the apple. All the flavors and textures make for a great tasty dish. So without further ado I present my brussel sprout dish......

Sautéed Brussel Sprouts, Leek, and Green Apple with Candied Pecans

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

About 10 large fresh brussel sprouts, sliced thin

1 leek, sliced thin

1/4 granny smith apple, halved and sliced thin

½ tsp. hickory smoked salt

Candied Pecans (recipe below)

To finish, top with candied pecans and serve immediately.

Candied Pecans

2 Tbsp. water

2 Tbsp. cane sugar

¼ cup pecan halves, cut in half lengthwise

Did you know that brussel sprouts grow on a stalk?

Easter

2011-04-07T23:37:00.000-07:00

What I love about holidays are that I have an excuse to bake a lot of sweets ha ha! I have a big sweet tooth. Easter is coming up soon. I am looking forward to Easter this year because last year I was filming Masterchef. I really missed spending Easter with my family.

My family's Easter lunch has always been spent at my great grandmother's house but the past few years my great Aunt has hosted the lunch. There is always a lot of good food and fun fellowship. I like to contribute delicious springtime desserts to my family's Easter lunch. This year I am planning on making cupcakes. What I love about cupcakes are that they are easy to decorate and transport.

Speaking of decorating my favorite "icings" are glazes and whipped cream. One of my new cupcake creations is Balsamic Strawberry "Short" Cupcake. It is a light flavorful vanilla cupcake topped with strawberry slices, tossed in sweet balsamic vinegar, and "iced" with homemade whipped cream. Not only do I like the top of my cupcakes to look impressive but I like to present my cupcakes in impressive liners. When it comes to liners, Sutton cupcake liners are my number one choice. They come in so many colors and patterns but the best part is that when you bake your cupcake in Sutton liners, the colors and pattern shows up. Every cupcake liners I've used will fade after baking. This is frustrating and disappointing after I pick out cute liners to use and then you can't even tell what the cute design looks like. Look at this cute design of Sutton's Scroll in turquoise & red. I want my cupcakes to look their Sunday best no matter what day of the week I make them.

You can serve my Balsamic Strawberry "Short" Cupcake at your Easter lunch. When you order a sampler pack of Sutton's cupcake liners on my Open Sky account, you will receive my cupcake recipe.
http://shopopensky.com/whitneymiller/offer/cupcake-baking-cup-sampler-pack Click on the link to follow me and purchase now!

Food is a big part of my family's Easter lunch but fellowship is too. I have a large extended family. There are usually more than 30 people at our lunch. It is always so much fun and entertaining whether we are flying kites or cheering the kids on in their fun activities. One year my younger cousins did something called "Mutton Bustin" or sheep riding. This was the funniest thing I have ever seen! ha ha!

Fun times are always found at my family's Easter. I am really looking forward to spending Easter this year with my family.
The most important thing to me is my Faith and family. Easter is a time to remember what Christ did for us on the cross and then rose on the third day. Thank you Lord for loving me enough to die on the cross to save me from my sins.

Traveling Palate

2011-04-05T09:38:00.000-07:00

I have been so blessed with all of my travels lately. In the month of March, I went from California to Chicago and then to New York. One of my favorite things about traveling is the opportunity to experience food from the different cities.

I was in Chicago for the 2011 International Home + Housewares Show. I was honored to have been asked to do a cooking demo on the main stage.

http://www.encodi.com/quickview.jsp?fileId=969f47f43b0c1b5176b60337c85c5fd8
Click on the link above to view my demo!

Other chefs doing cooking demos were Rick Bayless (Top Chef Masters), Paula Deen, Michael Symon (Iron Chef), Cat Cora (Iron Chef), Guy Fieri (Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives), and Curtis Stone (Top Chef host, America's Next Great Restaurant). I was very star struck at meeting Guy Fieri and Curtis Stone. I was among many women waiting in line to get my cookbook signed my Curtis. He is so CUTE!
I was even able to go to Curtis's premiere party for his America's Next Great Restaurant show.

So back to restaurants I visited in Chicago. Graham Elliott (one of the Masterchef judges) set my family and I up to a 19 course meal at his restaurant. I enjoyed the Caesar salad- gem lettuce+ brioche twinkie + white anchovy and "lobster" atlantic monkfish + cheddar hushpuppy + slaw vinaigrette.

Chicago pizza oh my! How I now love Chicago style deep dish pizza. I ate at Lou Malnati's Pizzeria. My favorite pizza was the "Malnati Chicago Classic". The crust was crisp and crunchy, tomato sauce was so fresh and flavorful, and the sausage was surprisingly, to me, good. I am usually not a sausage fan but I could tell their sausage was homemade and it was good.

Art Smith's restaurant Table Fifty-Two was really good. It was a comforting Southern style meal that reminded me of home. I felt like a celebrity in which the table we sat. I was told Lady Gaga and President Obama had sat at the table we were seated. His fried chicken was delish! I tried the side of three cheese mac which was served piping hot out of the wood-fired oven.
Now on to dessert, my favorite part of the meal which I always save room for ha ha!
We were treated with real Southern Hospitality. We were given a taste of every dessert on the menu. They were as follows Art's Hummingbird cake (huge slice, really good), Southern Pecan Pie (loved it & I'm not a pecan pie fan), 12 Layer Chocolate Cake (my dad's favorite), and Bananas, Bourbon & Bacon (very unique).
Thanks Chef Art for a wonderful meal!

One suggestion for Chicago travelers, go in the summer! I know I will be making another trip.

Well I have ran out of time and room to include all the wonderful restaurants I ate at in New York so this blog post is to be continued......

Spring is in the Air

2011-03-29T18:23:00.000-07:00

Mississippi has been having some great weather lately. I have been enjoying every minute of it,
whether it is setting up a table and enjoying my lunch outside or planting a potted herb and vegetable garden. This year I am trying to turn my brown thumb into a green one ha ha! I decided to plant my vegetable and herb plants in pots. I like to be able to move the plants around my yard if I need to. Our backyard has spots that are sunnier than others.
One garden fresh vegetable I love is tomatoes. I have planted red and yellow tomatoes and cherry tomatoes as well. In the summer a fresh tomato sandwich with a little mayo, salt, and pepper is simple but so delicious. I also love a good BLT.
In the South, a vegetable that is easy to grow is squash. Squash also grows bountifully. I am always trying to come up with recipes using squash. My grandmother gave me her recipe for squash pickles. I had not heard of anything like it. I decided I would take her recipe and make it my own. I use cane sugar which is better for you than granulated sugar because it is unrefined meaning it contains essential nutrients and minerals.
You will love my recipe for squash pickles and want to make and serve it all spring and summer long.

Squash Pickles

About 4 cups sliced small yellow squash

1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
salt
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup cane sugar
¼ tsp. ground mustard
1 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. mustard seed

Layer squash and onion slices on a baking sheet. Sprinkle salt over vegetables and let stand for 1 hour. Place vegetables in a colander. Lightly rinse and drain. Then place vegetables onto a layer of paper towels. Pat dry.

In a medium saucepot over medium heat, add vinegar and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add seasoning. Add squash and onions.

Bring vinegar to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl to cool on counter for 1 hour.

Spoon into mason jars and refrigerate.

Serve squash pickles with your favorite sandwich.

Agave Marshmallow Treats

2011-02-06T19:43:00.000-08:00

Growing up, hot chocolate meant Grandma mixing cocoa powder, sugar, and milk in a large pot on the stove. Today, my family still enjoys a cup of hot chocolate as a "comfort" drink in the wintertime.
Especially after coming in late at night after a ballgame, we loved a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows floating on top. It seemed to warm from the inside out.
However, over the years, the method of making it changed. It became easy to tear open a package and heat a cup of water.

Since my dad has been ill, more than ever, I want to make sure he does not miss out on the comfort foods and treats like hot chocolate and marshmallows so I decided to make them using real chocolate (semi-sweet or dark chocolate) bars and a combinations of milks. I used natural sugars, agave and Stevia, to sweeten the marshmallows.

HOT CHOCOLATE

3 oz. quality semi-sweet chocolate

¼ cup turbinado sugar

Pinch of salt

¼ cup of boiling water

1 1/4 cup skim milk

1 cup whole milk

¼ tsp. pure vanilla extract

Combine the chocolate, sugar and salt in a small saucepan. Stir in the water until chocolate and sugar melts. Bring this mixture to a slight boil, stirring occasionally. Stir in both milks and heat until hot. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Serve with marshmallows.

Homemade Marshmallows

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

½ cup cold water

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

¼ tsp. powered stevia extract

¾ cup light agave

1/8 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Spray with a non-stick cooking spray, the bottom of a 12x9x2-inch pan.

Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Sprinkle cornstarch onto the bottom of the pan

In a medium saucepan, combine cold water and gelatin, mix until dissolved. Add stevia, agave, and salt. Mix well, then heat to almost a boil.

Pour the warm syrup into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on high speed until mixture has doubled in volume and forms stiff peaks, about 15 minutes. Add vanilla extract and beat to combine, a few seconds.

Scrape marshmallow cream into the prepared pan and spread with a damp rubber spatula. Let stand uncovered for 3 or more hours.

To make cubes, dip knife in hot water and cut marshmallow into 1-inch cubes.

Take the agave marshmallow recipe and make gluten-free rice krispy treats with gluten-free brown rice krispies. Enjoy!

Simple Pleasures in Life

2011-01-30T21:38:00.000-08:00

Gluten-Free Brownies

One simple pleasure in life is gathering products from nature, taking them home, and using them as ingredients in recipes. Doing this reminds me of the many pioneer stories that I have read. Recently, my family and I were out walking in our neighborhood and amused ourselves by stopping to pick up pecans that had fallen in the street. Some of them we cracked right away to test. A few were thrown away because they were dried in the shell, but most of them were a light golden brown, meaty, and delicious. And of course, along the way, my dad would give us a lesson in the different types of pecans. Some were long and skinny, and some were big and fat. Dad said one type was a seedling pecan. The good pecans were taken home, the shells were cracked, and the "meat" extracted. These pecans were the basis for my dessert of gluten-free brownies. (Brownies, by the way, are one of my family's favorite desserts.)

This was my second attempt at making gluten-free brownies. The first batch was immediately trashed after I tried it. In the first batch I used mostly white rice flour which produced a grainy textured brownie. The reason I baked with the white rice flour is because besides sorghum flour, that is the only gluten-free flour I have at the moment.

After researching natural treatments for myasthenia gravis (an autoimmune disease my dad was recently diagnosed with), I found that a diet of no white flour, white sugar, red meat, etc. can help people with the disease. Since my dad's diagnosis about two weeks ago, I have been cooking for him and my family using natural ingredients. I use agave to sweeten oatmeal, homemade lemonade, fruit desserts, etc. I have also experimented with Stevia.

When preparing for baking the brownies, I decided to use cane sugar. Cane sugar is better because it is the raw sugar that hasn't been refined. I didn't have a fine ground cane sugar but I decided to use the cane sugar I had. Next time, I will use a fine cane sugar because it melts easier and gives a smoother texture.

With my second successful batch, I used a combination of flours. My choice for the combination came from the gluten-free flours I had at my house as stated earlier. I used white rice flour, sorghum flour, and cornstarch. You might be wondering how I would know, a newbie gluten-free baker, what combination to put together. I searched online for ingredients needed to make gluten-free brownies. I didn't have many of the gluten-free flours needed. One ingredient was almond meal. The site stated to use blanched almonds and process them in a coffee grinder. Since I don't have a coffee grinder I decided to use my food processor. Then the instructions stated to sift the ground almonds. After frustratingly sifting the ground almonds, I only ended up with a tablespoon of almond meal (fine ground almonds). The rest of the ground almond pieces were too large. After all my work, I was not going to discard my one tablespoon of almond meal.

One ingredient that I added in this batch that I didn't in the first was the baking soda. This ingredient is an important component in order to achieve the cracked topping of the brownie.

And this is the recipe for my second attempt at a Gluten-Free Brownie.

Gluten-Free Brownies

5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (I recommend Ghirardelli)

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

1 cup cane sugar (fine)

1 Tbsp. almond meal

¼ cup brown rice flour

¼ cup sweet sorghum flour

¼ cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 8x8 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a medium sauté pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until melted. Let cool slightly.

Beat eggs in a mixing bowl. Stir in sugar.

Gradually add chocolate mixture into egg mixture until combined, stirring constantly.

In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients: almond meal, rice flour, sorghum flour, cornstarch, salt and baking soda; whisk together. Stir in the dry flour mix into the chocolate mixture, until combined. Add the vanilla, chocolate chips, and pecans.

Scrape into the baking dish. Smooth batter with the back of a spoon.

Bake for 36-40 minutes. Depending on how fudgey you like them.

Enjoy warm fudge brownies!