Conch Fritters

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I really hate clutter- so much so that I throw things away by mistake and then rage around the house looking for them later but that is neither here nor there.  So this past Christmas, instead of giving Walker some toy or thing that will just clutter up his room,  we very selflessly gave him a trip, and last Friday, Corby, Walker and I went down to Atlantis in the Bahamas for the long weekend.  See what I mean- super selfless.  It was such a drag to leave to cold for 3 days to sit in the warm sun by the most spectacular blue water.  Anything for the kids, right?  We had the best time.  My brother and sister also joined in on the “no stuff” Christmas for Walker and gave him excursions while we were down there, so one morning he swam with the dolphins and the next we went snorkeling through the “ruins” of Atlantis.  Of course, while we were there we had to try some local food, and what better than conch.  Here is a great recipe for conch fritters- a little taste of the Bahamas.  Walker absolutely loved them- enjoy!

Conch Fritters

Ingredients:

1 quart oil for frying
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
ground cayenne pepper to taste
seasoned salt to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chopped conch meat
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Dipping Sauce:
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large pot or deep fryer to 365 degrees.
In a bowl, mix the flour, egg, and milk. Season with cayenne pepper, seasoned salt, salt, and pepper. Mix in the conch meat, onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic.
Drop the batter by rounded tablespoons into the hot oil, and fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
In a bowl, mix the ketchup, lime juice, mayonnaise, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Serve dipping sauce on the side with the fritters.

Tomato Pie- Real Southern Charm

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In the last two days, trailers for new television shows about South Carolina have been aired.  Please, please, please do not believe that South Carolina is anything like what is depicted in these shows.  The first one I saw (and I have been hearing about this upcoming show for a while) is called Southern Charm and will be airing on Bravo on March 3rd.  To be honest, I almost threw up when I saw the trailer, as it is so ridiculous and has absolutely NOTHING to do with Charleston or anything remotely like “Southern Charm”.  The second show is from the producers of Jersey Shore, which should tell you something right there.  It is called Party Down South and is filmed in Murrells Inlet.  This show is actually not even worthy of comment.  Now that I have had my say about the ridiculousness of these shows and how they are in no way a representation of what South Carolinians are like, I do have to say that I can’t wait to watch them.  Dirty reality shows can be so entertaining.  To combat my icky feeling about these shows and to remind myself that we have many, many wonderful things I love about this state, here is a delicious and very traditional South Carolina dish- Tomato Pie.

Tomato Pie

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 (10 ounce) can refrigerated flaky biscuits

3 tomatoes, thinly sliced

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt-free garlic and herb seasoning blend

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.
Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Place celery, onion, and green pepper into the skillet, and saute until tender.
Press biscuits into the prepared baking dish to form a crust. Layer with the tomatoes. Top with the sauteed vegetables.
In a medium bowl, mix Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, and salt-free seasoning blend. Spread evenly over the vegetables.
Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until bubbly and lightly browned. Cool 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Butterfinger Bark

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I think I have said this before, and it should really come as no surprise since I am in love with baking and desserts, but I have a ridiculous sweet tooth.  This attribute fortunately did not get passed down to my son Walker.  He likes candy, but he could really go either way on it.  I will occasionally buy him a Kit Kat at the gas station, and while he seems excited and very appreciative, sometimes he will just hold onto it and I will find it not eaten in his room later.  If you give me candy, it is eaten immediately.  Walker also usually sticks to one thing that he likes for a while and then moves onto the next.  He was a big fan of oreo Hershey bars for a while, and then Kit Kats.  The other day in the grocery store I asked him if he wanted anything, and he came back with a Butterfinger bar which was a little surprising since he has never chosen that before.  I love Butterfingers but only the little bite ones- I can’t eat a full bar- well ok I could but would prefer something else.  However, in high school, I used to get soft serve with Butterfinger all mixed together in one of those “blasts”- it was my favorite thing for all of junior year.  I came across this wonderful blog Cookies and Cups (www.cookiesandcups.com) and they had posted a recipe for homemade butterfinger bark.  It uses candy corns which is really awesome, so I can’t wait to try it!

Butterfinger Bark

(from www.cookiesandcups.com)
Ingredients:

5 cups candy corn
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
20 oz chocolate for melting, divided in half

Directions:

Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Melt 10 oz of chocolate over double boiler or in microwave,according to package directions.
Spread the melted chocolate on the foil lined baking sheet, approximately 11″x15″. DOn’t worry too much about the exact measurements, you just want it to be a thin layer.
Place baking sheet in fridge to chill quickly, about 10 minutes.
In a large microwave safe bowl melt your candy corn, 1 minute and then stir, then in 30 second increments until melted, stirring after each 30 seconds.
Immediately stir in peanut butter. Mixture will be very thick. Use those muscles!
Spread it on top of chilled chocolate.
Place this back in the fridge for another 20 minutes, until chilled.
Melt the remaining chocolate and spread it on top of the peanut butter layer.
Chill again at least 20 minutes.
Cut into triangle shaped pieces.

Now Bring Us Some Figgy Pudding

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I have always wondered about figgy pudding- what is it?  I do very much like the line in the Christmas carol about it, demanding figgy pudding is just kind of funny to me.  So, of course, I googled it, and while I don’t think it will make it into the holiday repertoire of traditions, it does sound interesting.

Figgy Pudding

Ingredients:

16 ounces dried figs
1 3/4 cups milk
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon grated orange peel

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a a medium saucepan, heat milk and chopped figs over medium-low heat but do NOT bring to a boil. Cook for 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally. The the milk will soften the figs.  In a medium bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.  In a large bowl, beat eggs one minute on high. Reduce speed to low and add butter, bread crumbs, orange peel, and warm fig mixture.  Slowly incorporate flour mixture. Beat until just blended.  Pour the mix into the greased bundt pan. Level top as much as possible. Cover the mold with a piece of aluminum foil greased on one side, greased side down.  Place the mold in a roasting pan and place on oven rack. fIll with hot tap water 2 inches up the side of the mold. Bake for 2 hours or until the pudding is firm and it is pulling away from the side of the bundt pan.  Remove the pudding from the water bath. Remove the foil and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before unmolding. Invert bundt pan onto a serving plate and remove mold. It should come away easily.   Serve with a hard sauce.

A Lesson in Chocolate

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This past Saturday, we were invited to a friend’s house for a chocolate-making lesson, which might be the best kind of lesson ever.   Chefs Mark Gray and David Vagasky have started Cacao’s Artisan Chocolate in Charleston (www.cacaoscharleston.com), and their chocolate is really, really amazing.  They sell their chocolates in Southern Season in both Charleston and Chapel Hill, as well as online.

We had the best time learning all about chocolate (you should never refrigerate it) and tasting many different flavors of truffles, chocolate caramels, chocolate strawberries, etc.  The sugar high was pretty epic. Walker was at the other end of the counter, right by the chefs, and much to his delight and my half-hearted dismay, he ate his weight in samples.  At one point, Chef Gray gave him a piece and said, “It will melt in your mouth.”  Walker ate the piece, and with delighted surprise, he exclaimed, “It melted in my mouth, it really melted in my mouth- right then!”

So, if you are looking for a super special and delicious gift, look no further than Cacao Chocolate- just divine.

Peppermint Kiss Cookies

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My sister-in-law is an excellent baker.  She makes the best chocolate chip cookies, brownies, etc, and she is incredibly generous with her baking.  I am not sure where she finds the time as she is also a lawyer.  We went to an oyster roast this past weekend with her and my brother, and she brought for the hosts a mason jar filled with peppermint brownies on the bottom and ginger snaps on top all tied with a pretty ribbon and hand made note card.  I brought nothing (except Michelob Ultra Light in my purse because I knew that they would only have dark fancy beer to drink- pretty classy of me).  Anyway- they were giving us a ride home before they were headed to another party where she had another mason jar filled with treats, and fortunately, they were both tired, so at the last minute decided not to go to the other party, and we got the mason jar!  So, one I should be better about hostess gifts and two, I looked up some ideas for baked gifts, and these peppermint kiss cookies (from www.raininghotcoupons.com) looked like they would be great.

Peppermint Kiss Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
1 cup softened Butter
1 tsp Peppermint Extract
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Egg
3 cup Flour
3 Candy Canes
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 cup chopped Candy Cane Hershey Kisses
Sugar (to roll cookies in)
36 unwrapped Candy Cane Hershey Kisses

Directions:

Place candy canes in food processor and pulse until they are completely crushed.
Make sure you have room in your refrigerator or freezer for your cookie sheet.
Combine powdered sugar, butter, extracts and egg in large bowl.
Beat until fluffy at medium speed.
Combine flour, crushed candy canes, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl.
Add flour mixture to wet mixture and beat until well blended (mixture will be kind of dry).
Stir in chopped kisses.
Shape dough into 1 inch balls; roll in granulated sugar.
Place 1-inch apart on cookie sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes in 350 oven until firm up and set.
Remove from oven and immediately press a Candy Cane Kiss in the center of each cookie.
Place cookie sheet into the freezer or refrigerator to keep kisses from melting.

Nutella Mug Cake

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I did not grow up with Nutella, and  I actually only tried it about two years ago.  It was ok, but I didn’t love it.  I have never bought Nutella nor made anything with Nutella and to be honest, I don’t really get it.  Is it healthy chocolate because friends I know who are real health nuts feed their children Nutella sandwiches- which is just a chocolate sandwich right?  However, I think I will change my tune because this Nutella Mug Cake looks so easy, so yummy and you can just make one when you need a chocolate fix and top it with ice cream, whip cream or whatever you desire- so perfect.

Nutella Mug Cake

Ingredients (makes 2 servings):

1/4 cup self rising flour

1/4 cup white sugar

1 egghttps://thesouthwillrise.com/wp-admin/post-new.php

3 tbsp vegetable oil

3 tbsp milk

2 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp Nutella

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Stir self-rising flour, sugar, egg, vegetable oil, milk, cocoa powder, chocolate-hazelnut spread, salt, and vanilla extract together in a large mug until batter is smooth.
Cook in microwave oven on full power until the cake has risen in the mug and is set in the center, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes.

Turkey Cupcakes

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I can’t believe it is Thanksgiving week already!!  We are headed up to the mountains tomorrow, and thanks to Mother Nature, it looks like it will be absolutely freezing up there with hopefully some snow.  My sister and her family are driving down from New York, and Walker can’t wait to see his cousins.  He is especially excited because we bought my two nieces Rainbow Looms as an early Christmas present and as a good way to take up a lot of time in the house when it is too cold to go outside.  Walker, as a ten year old boy, does not want a Rainbow Loom for himself, but he is super excited to play with his cousin’s new loom.  If you have not heard of a Rainbow Loom- it is the new fad way to make bracelets out of little rubber bands.  I am amazed at the huge amount of add ons that you can buy for your Rainbow Loom- loom cases, extra bands, carry cases to carry you loom case- it goes on and on.  In addition to the Rainbow Looms, I was digging around to find fun kitchen projects for the kids, and these Turkey cupcakes looked perfect. (Picture from FamilyFun Magazine and recipe from www.spoonful.com)

Turkey Cupcakes:

First, make cupcakes according to the directions of your favorite box brand and frost with chocolate icing.

Ingredients for Decorations:

3 oval shortbread cookies
6 to 10 candy corn pieces
White icing
Black decorators’ gel
Red fruit leather (fruit roll ups work well)

Directions:

Frost the cupcake, then press in a cookie head and 2 cookie wings.  Press in a row or two of candy corn tail feathers.  To make an eye, add a small dot of white icing to the head, then add a dot of black decorators’ gel for a pupil.  For a beak, cut the white tip from a piece of candy corn and press it in place.  To make the wattle, cut a 1-inch square of fruit leather. Roll it into a tube and stick it in place over the beak.

Cornbread Stuffing with Sweet Potato and Squash

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My entire family is spending Thanksgiving together up in the mountains.  Granted there are only 11 of us, so it is not that huge, but we did want to make Thanksgiving as easy as possible- especially on my mother who usually does everything.  So take the load off of her for a year, my brother in law is making the turkey, my brother and his wife are on dessert, and I am on the side dish and salad (my mother is making the stuffing because hers is the best and we as children would rather not mess at least that up).  My brother, sister and I of course agree on what the side dish should be since we all grew up with the same one every year- sweet potato pie.  However, our spouses have different traditions in their families and hence different ideas on what the side dish should be.  I found this recipe and while it says stuffing, it seems like more of a casserole, and it seemed to include a lot of different flavors and ideas, so maybe I will go with this.

Cornbread Stuffing with Sweet Potato and Squash

(from www.myrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen diced onion, red and green bell peppers, and celery
2 small garlic cloves, pressed
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2 medium-size sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
3 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
2 teaspoons Creole seasoning, divided
2 (14-oz.) cans low-sodium fat-free chicken broth, divided
1 (8-oz.) package cornbread stuffing mix
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup chopped pecans
Garnish: fresh or dried sage leaves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Sauté frozen onion mixture and garlic in 1 Tbsp. hot oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat 2 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Stir in squash, next 5 ingredients, 1 tsp. Creole seasoning, and 1/4 cup water. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes or until squash and potatoes are tender. Stir in 1 can chicken broth.
Remove from heat; cool 15 minutes. Stir together stuffing mix, egg, and remaining 1 can chicken broth and 1 tsp. Creole seasoning in a medium bowl. Fold into cooled squash mixture. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
Bake, covered with aluminum foil, at 375° for 25 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with pecans; bake 20 minutes or until dressing is thoroughly heated and pecans are toasted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish, if desired.

Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking

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I can’t wait to go to work on Tuesday, November 19th.  I work at the Charleston Library Society, and on that day, we are hosting Nathalie Dupree and Patricia Moore-Pastides for an event showcasing the new book Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking by Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubart.  Here is a description of the book:

“Through more than 600 recipes and hundreds of step-by-step photographs, Dupree and Graubart make it easy to learn the techniques for creating the South’s fabulous cuisine. From basics such as cleaning vegetables and scrubbing a country ham, to show-off skills like making a soufflé and turning out the perfect biscuit-all are explained and pictured with clarity and plenty of stories that entertain. Traditional Southern recipes and ingredients are also given modern twists to make them relevant for today’s healthy lifestyle.

With more than 750 recipes and 650 variations, making a perfect piecrust, a heavenly biscuit, mouthwatering vegetables, or crispy fried chicken is attainable for any home cook. The recipes and directions are easily accessible to kitchen novices as well as seasoned cooks-there is plenty here for everyone.”

I am so excited for this event and to get my copy of this cookbook, especially just in time for Thanksgiving!  For information on this event, go to www.charlestonlibrarysociety.org.