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Char

Online Recipes – The Good, The Bad, The Ugly!

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Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Photo credit: Jody Horton, courtesy Chronicle Books

From Yahoo Food’s Cookbook of the Week: Brown Sugar Kitchen

Ok – it’s time, I have to say it!  I am sick and tired of everybody and their brother thinking they have to critique every recipe someone puts online! Cooking and trying new exciting recipes is a wonderful thing, but to be a true foodie, you need an open mind as well as an open mouth! For example, a few minutes ago, I saw a yummy looking photo with a caption on yahoo.com of “Killer Buttermilk Fried Chicken”. When I clicked the link it took me to a page featuring a new cookbook by a chef out of West Oakland, CA Tanya Holland. Her cookbook is called “Brown Sugar Kitchen” and it’s full of great recipes!

All that is great,  except immediately after the feature is the comments section! People who simply have to have something to say are putting in their “2 cents” about how all the ingredients she uses are not necessary and how the cooking process is not the one they use and how and why you should follow their advice and do this and that instead of simply trying the recipe as it was given. One of my pet peeves is the comments sections after a recipe where people actually are proud to tell you how they didn’t follow the recipe – instead they added this or omitted that.

My point is, if you didn’t follow the recipe and you changed over 25% of it, then maybe you should just feature yours instead of commenting on someone else’s.  These are the same people who would tell Colonel Sanders that 11 herbs and spices were FAR TOO MANY and unnecessary to make Kentucky Fried Chicken and all he really needs is salt and pepper!  Come on, can’t we open our mind as well as our mouths and at least try something BEFORE we criticize it? You might even learn something!

I went to culinary school when I was in my 50s and I learned LOTS of stuff that I didn’t know even though I’d been cooking for years. Tanya Holland says that she grew up eating her Mom’s fried chicken but years later learned a new preparation method for chicken that “rocked her world”.  I guess my point is, “can’t we all just get along”? The point of online recipes, food blogs, cookbooks and the like is to share what we know with each other. Yes, you can make changes to what you learn, you can turn it upside down and make it your own – no problem. Just don’t do it at the expense of other people’s feelings and hard work.

Who are we to tell someone that “all those ingredients are not necessary”! Unless you try it, how do you know? Maybe what you think you know, based on what you’ve been doing is being improved immensely but you’ll never know it because you won’t even try any other way. OK – everybody, take deep cleansing breaths and repeat after me, “I’ll try not to criticize things that I haven’t tried”!  That’s all I ask!  Comment away, but please don’t be so one minded about things that you won’t even consider another way! Like my mom used to tell me and my sisters, “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”!  I inserted the article below for your viewing pleasure. I left the comments out – for the same reason :)!   Congratulations Chef Holland and blessings to you and yours!

 

Our Cookbook of the Week: Brown Sugar Kitchen

Food Editor

Julia Bainbridge

Our Cookbook of the Week: Brown Sugar Kitchen

Yahoo Food’s Cookbook of the Week: Brown Sugar Kitchen: New-Style, Down-Home Recipes from Sweet West Oakland (Chronicle Books)

The Team: Brown Sugar Kitchen and B-Side BBQ executive chef and owner Tanya Holland, food writer Jan Newberry, and photographer Jody Horton.

The Restaurant: Brown Sugar Kitchen, which opened in 2008 in gritty West Oakland, California. (Diners will wait in line for nearly two hours if at the end of it they find this pot of gold: buttermilk fried chicken and cornmeal waffles.)

The Cuisine: Soul food, baby. Though she grew up in New York, Holland’s roots are in the American South; her mother is from Louisiana and her father, Virginia. Beyond the renowned chicken and waffles, you’ll find shrimp and grits, gumbo, and pulled pork on the menu—and in the book.

Who Should Buy It: Lovers of salt, sweets, the South, and soul.

Who Shouldn’t: Anyone on a juice cleanse.

Must-Make Recipes: Cornmeal Waffles with Apple Cider Syrup, Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Creole Gazpacho, Dirty Rice, Sweet Potato Scones with Brown Sugar Icing, Westside Julep.

Noteworthy: Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon, who lives in Berkeley, wrote the book’s foreword. “I believe that I could be hauled back from the gates of the Underworld by the prospect of a bowl of Tanya’s shrimp and grits,” he writes.

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Original article on Yahoo Food location: https://www.yahoo.com/food/buttermilk-fried-chicken-98838171056.html

The Best Soul Food Potato Salad, Southern Potato Salad & Country Potato Salad!

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Mommy's Potato Salad
Yield: 5 pounds

My Mom's Potato Salad

Mommy's potato salad is the stuff of legends!  I've eaten a lot of potato salad over the years but none as good as my moms! It's simply the best! It's the kind of potato salad that will make you want to eat it with barbeque, baked ham, turkey and stuffing, greens and cornbread with all the trimmings! Definitely goes with chitins and did I say fried chicken? Definitely goes great with fried chicken! It's also the kind of potato salad that people get a bowl of and sit down and eat all by itself! It's that good!

Ingredients

  • 3-5 lb potatoes (Idaho or russet), peeled and cut into medium dice
  • 6 boiled eggs, diced (reserve 1 eggs whole)
  • 1/4 c Kraft sandwich spread
  • 1 c Miracle Whip
  • 1/2 small jar sweet pickle relish (4 oz)
  • 20 - 25 Spanish/pimento-stuffed olives, diced
  • 3 ribs of celery, diced
  • 1/2 c granulated sugar
  • 1/8 c yellow mustard
  • 1 Tbsp onion powder
  • 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Boil potatoes till tender (15 - 20 minutes) - test a couple of pieces to determine doneness.
  2. Drain and let cool.
  3. Combine all of the above ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
  4. Add more sandwich spread and miracle whip if needed.
  5. Chill potato salad then taste for seasoning. It will taste different after it's chilled and the flavors have married.
  6. Slice the reserved boiled egg in a single layer over the top and sprinkle with paprika.

Notes

Some small jars are 4 oz others are 8 oz depending on the brand. When in doubt use half, you can always add more if needed.

Remember when adding extra mayo/sandwich spread, less is more. You can always add more after the salad has chilled, just before serving if needed.

© Char
Category: Sides

My mom and my sister, Becky.

Collard Greens & Corn Bread

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collards.and.crnbrd_edited-1

Collards to Go, Thanks

Collard greens and corn bread with nothing else needed thank you! Ok, maybe some hot sauce and vinegar, but that’s it!

Collards are a complete meal or the perfect side with the right amount and type of meat used to season them.  Some of my favorite seasonings are ham, ham hocks, smoked turkey wings, salt side (salt pork), smoked turkey tails, etc! My seasoning of choice right now is smoked turkey. It’s tasty and lower in fat than a lot of the tradional seasonings.

Fall Back

Here in Western PA it’s fall. That means early mornings are chilly even though the weather heats back up during the day. I love fall weather, sweaters, boots and football baby!

It’s still a little early for garden grown collards, because I was taught that you don’t eat them till the first frost! Since we’ve already had a couple of mornings in the high 30’s & low 40’s we’ll cheat just a little bit! 🙂  A quick trip to the farmer’s market, grab some collards, then back to Sweet Mother’s Kitchen!

Collard Greens & Corn Bread
Note: The baking soda in the recipe helps to tenderize your greens. Smoked turkey gives you a healthier dish than using traditional ham hocks without sacrificing flavor! The honey butter glaze that you liberally brush on the cornbread eliminates the need to spread butter on individual pieces of cornbread! It’s yummy – win – win!!!
Ingredients
  • 3-5 pounds of collard greens
  • 1 – 1 1/2 pounds of smoked turkey parts (wings, tails, legs or necks)
  • 1Tbsp. red pepper flakes
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 2Tbsp. chicken or turkey base
  • 1 large yellow onion – chopped
  • 1c chopped red, yellow and green sweet peppers
  • 1Tbsp. creole seasoning or other season salt
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 quarts chicken broth
Instructions
  1. Add 2 quarts of chicken broth to a large, heavy stock pot
  2. Add base, onion, peppers, seasoning salt
  3. Add the smoked turkey parts to the pot and bring to a boil
  4. Skim the foam off that rises to the top & discard, turn down to simmer
  5. Cook meat  20 – 30 minutes
  6. Wash greens and remove stems
  7. Roll and cut collard leaves into 1/2″ strips
  8. Add greens to seasoned meat and broth
  9. Add baking soda and onion powder
  10. Cook an additional 1 1/2 hours or until greens are tender
  11. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with vinegar and hot sauce and don’t forget the corn bread!
  12. Enjoy!
Cornbread
  1. 1 1/4 c AP flour
  2. 3/4 c yellow corn meal
  3. 1/2 tsp salt
  4. 1 c milk
  5. 1 large egg
  6. 1/4 c oil
  7. 2 tsp baking powder
  8. 1/2 c granulated sugar
  9. Mix all ingredients together and pour into a greased cast iron skillet or baking pan
  10. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and sides pull away from pan
Glaze
  1. Melt 1/2 stick of butter on stove top or microwave
  2. Add 1/4 c honey to melted butter and mix thoroughly
  3. Brush on top of hot corn bread as soon as it’s removed from the oven
  4. Be sure glaze is brushed along sides of bread pan also

Old Fashioned Fudge – The Real Deal

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This is a recipe for authentic old-fashioned fudge given to me by a young woman who I worked with in Atlanta. It was her Grandmother’s recipe and her Grand told her to write it down and give it to me! I am talking authentic, real, no marshmallow fluff, no condensed milk, no chocolate chips, fudge! Made from scratch. Once you taste this fudge, you’ll know why I added “the real deal” to the name. It’s real fudge like your grandmother used to make (if you were lucky). My grandmother didn’t make fudge but my best friend Beverly’s mom did and it was the bomb! These instructions are from Mimi so she recommends the wooden spoon. I guess you could also use a candy thermometer to know when you’re at the soft ball stage but I like Mimi’s way of dropping some of the candy into cold water till it forms a soft ball so that’s what I do!

 

Mimi’s Old Fashioned Fudge – The Real Deal
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1 pan
[b]mixture can be formed into a soft pliable ball when dropped into ice cold water [/b]* Mimi uses pecans, I use toasted walnuts so use your favorite nut or no nuts at all… whatever floats your boat!
Ingredients
  • 3 sticks butter
  • 4 cups sugar
  • 1/4 c (heaping) cocoa
  • 1/4 c corn starch
  • 1 c evaporated milk
  • dash of salt
  • nuts **
Instructions
  1. Using a wooden spoon, stir butter, sugar, cocoa and salt over heat
  2. Add milk and stir until sugar is dissolved
  3. Cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly to soft ball stage*
  4. Remove pot from heat and sit in an ice bath
  5. Add cornstarch and beat, stirring constantly
  6. Add nuts if desired and continue to beat until thickened
  7. Spread mixture into a square pan (9×9 – 10×10 – etc) and cool
  8. When completely cooled, cut into squares – enjoy!
Serving size: 1 piece

Sweet Potato Butter – A Honey Hush Recipe!

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Sweet Potato Butter on Biscuit

Sweet Potato Butter on Biscuits

Sweet potato butter is something that I have had on my mind for a long time. I knew I wanted to make it, even though I didn’t know if anyone else had done it or if I’d be a sweet potato butter pioneer! Well I have found a couple of recipes online but I haven’t found any that are made with just sweet potatoes – they all use apples, apple juice, apple cider, or apple something! So needless to say, I’m not really following their recipes cause I’m not adding apples to my sweet potato butter!

The first time I made it, I was so in love with the taste of it and so glad that I had finally made it! When trying to describe it all I could come up with was “honey hush”! “Honey hush” was one of my favorite relatives, Aunt Winnie’s, favorite sayings.  I can remember her talking to someone (usually on the phone) and when they would say something that she was intrigued by, tickled by, or impressed by, she would say “Honey Hush”!

I can still hear her saying it and to honor her, I have a “Honey Hush” category for my site. My Aunt Winnie was one of my greatest cooking influences after my mom! Dishes that are particularly fabulous, like sweet potato butter, will be given the special category designation of “Honey Hush”! It’s kind of like saying “shut the front door” or “shut up” today, but with so much more pizazz and sass! Honey Hush!!!

I promise you there were no apple products harmed (or used) in the making of this sweet potato butter! :).

Sweet Potato Butter – A “Honey Hush” Recipe!

Prep time:

Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1 to 1 1/2 pints
This sweet potato butter is great slathered on biscuits, toast, muffins, or whatever you want to eat it on! It’s also an excellent addition to a food gift basket or care package and it makes a special treat for the holiday or special occasion breakfasts! I prefer using fresh sweet potatoes but in a pinch use whatever’s handy! And before you ask I don’t know why every other recipe you see for sweet potato butter adds apples or apple juice or apple cider or apple something! I don’t see any recipes adding sweet potatoes to apple butter so I really don’t get it! I’ve been eating sweet potatoes all my life and I can tell you that they don’t need any help from apples, they can handle flavor all on their own! I love sweet potatoes!
Ingredients
  • 5-6 medium sweet potatoes (3# bag), boiled in skin till done
  • 1 C granulated sugar
  • 1/2 C packed light brown sugar
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp allspice
Instructions
    1. Cook sweet potatoes in their skin, until done. Puree in a food processor until smooth.
    2. Combine sweet potatoes in a mixing bowl with spices, and sugar, and mix to combine.
    3. Transfer mixture to a crockpot.
    4. Cook on a low simmer for 2 to 3 hours until reduced and thickened.  This is to remove the excess water from the sweet potatoes. Stir often during the simmering process to make sure it’s not sticking.  Remove from heat and cool.
    5. Transfer to sterile storage containers and cool.

Serve with homemade biscuits, toast, or your favorite bread, crackers, etc.

Will keep 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator. Can also be canned or frozen.

Serving size: 1-2 tablespoons

Note: I folded a couple tablespoons of sweet potato butter into a bowl of vanilla ice cream the other night and all I can say is, “honey hush”!!!