9/29/2022 0 Comments Baked Potato SoupI've been making this hearty soup since we lived in Phenix city and it's always a favorite.This soup has been a part of our Christmas tradition for many years. It's so easy to make and perfect for a Christmas Eve dinner at home because it gets your belly full to sleep and wait on Santa.
Baked Potato Soup Serves 6 and can easily be halved. Cook time varies from 20 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes depending on how the potatoes are prepped. I prefer baking them but you can also microwave them. Ingredients
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9/29/2022 0 Comments Creamy Sundried Tomato TortelliniThis delicious dish is so easy to make , but tastes like you're dining out! It is one of those meals that I tend to forget about, but when I make it it's always a hit. And it's SO simple too!
Creamy Sundried Tomato Tortellini Serves 4 and takes less than 15 minutes to make Ingredients
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Love, 9/29/2022 0 Comments Perfect Rice (Everytime)Rice doesn't always need to just be a part of another dish, it stands alone very well. There's nothing more comforting than hot white rice with butter, salt and pepper. I remember being very young and Grammy making me a bowl of hot buttered rice and I sat in my PJ's in front of the TV. I thought it was just about the greatest thing ever.
Cooking rice can be so intimidating! There are so many types of rice and it's so easy to accidentally over or under cook rice. This technique works every time for me. I am including a stove top option as well as instant pot. Most recipes will tell you to use a 1:2 ration for rice to water. Since I rinse my rice I adjust for this extra moisture. Note: I prefer using Jasmine white rice, but also like using long grain rice. Cooked white rice serves up to 4 and can be doubled or halved
Instant Pot Directions: This is my preferred method for cooking rice. Place rice in a strainer or collander and rinse well. This will remove the starch from the rice and keep it from getting too mushy. I use a small sifting strainer for this and just let the water run over the rice for a minute. You can also soak the rice and then rinse, but be sure to get as much water off the rice as possible. Add rice, water and salt to the instant pot and close the lid making sure your rubber seal is intact. Turn the vent to lock in place. Press the rice button and then subtract 2 minutes from the cook time. Once the instant pot has counted down, manually release the steam by placing a thick towel or oven mit over the valve and turning to open it. Once the valve releases open the lid and stir rice. Stove top Directions: Place rice in a strainer or collander and rinse well. This will remove the starch from the rice and keep it from getting too mushy. I use a small sifting strainer for this and just let the water run over the rice for a minute. You can also soak the rice and then rinse, but be sure to get as much water off the rice as possible. If cooking on the stove top, bring your water and salt to boil in a pot that is 3 times as high as the water reached. Add the rice turning the heat down to medium - medium to high so that it doesn't boil over. Once boiling, cover your pot with the lid and do not remove the lid until your rice has cooked for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow your rice to rest with the lid on for another 2-3 minutes. If you remove the lid too soon you will lose much needed moisture so as tempting as it is, leave that lid on. When it's time, remove the lid and fluff rice with a fork. Love, 9/29/2022 0 Comments Savannah Red Rice RecipeWhile this is one of my favorite things to make and eat, it isn't such a hit with everyone! 😬Savannah Red Rice is a traditional southern dish that some compare to red beans and rice. I personally think they are VERY different but I also don't like RB&R. Savannah red rice is packed with bright smokey flavor and a touch of heat. When I am not feeling well, this is one of the first things I crave as comfort food. This dish gets a bad rep in our home because there was a time in 2020 when I was very sick and it is literally all I ate. Every. Single. Day. Hopefully enough time has passed that this one can get some air time again.
Like most of my favorite recipes this is a version of another recipe that I liked but tweaked over the years to make it exactly what I wanted. I first made a version from my beloved Mrs. Wilke's cookbook. I didn't care for the addition of bacon and bell pepper so over time I got it to exactly how I like, and I have to say I think it's so much better. (gasps). My version is very similar to my Shrimp Etouffee that I also love to make. Note: I always use Conecuh brand sausage when available because not only is it delicious, but this is a brand from Alabama that we love to support. Savannah Red Rice Serves 6-8 people and can easily be halved Ingredients:
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This dish keeps well in the fridge for a few days, but doesn't freeze well sadly. Love, 9/29/2022 0 Comments Kirsten's "Salsa"Salsa that isn't really salsa that Kirsten never actually makes 🤔![]() Kirsten's "Salsa" This is hands-down one of my favorite things to make and enjoy and is always a crowd pleaser! Years and years ago we were visiting my Bestie Kirsten in Charlotte and she made this dip for us. I was completely hooked! Many people call this poor man's caviar but I think that's a dumb name, so it's always been called "My Salsa" or "Kirsten's Salsa". It's perfect for any season, but especially summertime. It makes a huge amount so it's great for a party or gathering and keeps well in the fridge for up to a week. Ingredients
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Love, Pair this gooey sandwich with Tomato Basil Soup for the perfect mealA grilled cheese is just a grilled cheese, right? Wrong! I have always taken my grilled cheese making very seriously since it was the very first thing I ever cooked as a kid. My Aunt Jo Anne taught me years ago to melt the butter in the pan first and then sort of swipe the bread around the pan to get the butter on the bread. I personally prefer using softened (salted) butter to smear on the bread but there really is no wrong way to begin making a grilled cheese. However, just in the past year I think I have truly perfected my grilled cheese! Here are a few tips to get the grilled cheese of your dreams:
PS: If serving with my tomato basil soup, cut the grilled cheese into slices or squares for dipping! Love, 9/29/2022 0 Comments Tomato Basil SoupTomato Basil Soup & Grilled Cheese make the most amazing combinationHurricane season is here which means the weather went from 89 a few days ago to 65 today. That is basically winter weather for us! With the cooler weather comes warmer meals at home! I love soup weather so much that I've been known to cut the AC down so that it felt more Chili appropriate. 😬😂
Hands down my absolute favorite soup recipe is my tomato basil soup. It is seriously the easiest thing to make, takes about 5-10 minutes total and tastes like it's from a lovely little bistro! While this tomato basil soup is great alone, I must insist it be paired with at least 1/2 of the perfect buttery grilled cheese. Honestly it takes longer to make the grilled cheese than the soup but it's all worth it, I promise. This soup will keep for several days in the fridge. I don't recommend freezing, you probably can, but there's a very slim chance any will be leftover. Tomato Basil Soup Recipe serves 4 and can easily be doubled! Ingredients
Love, 9/28/2022 0 Comments Granny Little's Oatmeal Recipe![]() I chose Granny's Oatmeal as my first recipe to share on the blog because it's one that isn't only delicious, it's very sentimental. My Granny Little (My Dad's mom) used to make this for me each time I would visit her. At risk of sounding cheesy, one bite of it wraps me in warmth and love! I loved making this for y'all when you were little on a cold rainy evening. Breakfast for dinner was always a hit! This recipe is about as far from healthy as it gets but it's so good and definitely one to make when you need a little comfort food. Granny's Oatmeal Recipe Serves 2 Ingredients
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I would be remiss to share this recipe and not share the story that I ALWAYS tell when I cook this. Once I was staying with my Granny and she made me oatmeal and topped with milk as usual. She wasn't eating any herself so she didn't realize she had poured sour milk on top until later in the day when she went to get a glass of milk. She immediately realized it was rotten and remembered I had it for breakfast. She felt so bad and went on and on about it and how she couldn't believe I didn't say anything. It was pretty awful but I didn't want to hurt her feelings or embarrass her at all. That was me as a kid in a nutshell, I wanted everyone to be happy even if it meant drinking sour milk. I definitely grew out of that and will never forget her telling me I should always speak up! I hope you enjoy making Granny's Oatmeal! Love, 9/28/2022 0 Comments What's for dinner?![]() In my past (and sometimes present) life I was a Food Photographer. I've recently entered into a bit of an early retirement due to my health which has left me with extra time on my hands. For quite some time I have wanted to photograph my own recipes. Nothing extravagant just things our family loves. Now that I have the time I want to do this here on the blog. I would love to say that each recipe will be expertly prepared and photographed but I don't want that pressure on myself, I want to enjoy the process and know that these recipes and tips are kept someplace for years to come. I once thought I would self publish the recipes to give as gifts to the kids, and maybe I still will, but I plan to follow the outline I had created for this sticking with the title, "What's for dinner?". I LOVE cooking. I always have. a-kid-a-kitchen.htmlThere's something about creating a meal for someone you love and seeing them enjoy that brings me an immense sense of joy and satisfaction so I think this will be a fun project. Below is part of the outline I wrote some time ago and saved in my notes app. I don't know that this will get used, but it makes me smile so I wanted to add it here. For fun I added a song recommendation for each section. 😂. There are a couple missing.
Below are the sections and recipes I would like to document: Desserts Flag cake Dump cookies ✨ Four layer delight Pecan pie Strawberry pie ✨ Grammy and Emma’s brownies Grammy’s peanut butter cookies Apps AKA “football food” Bruschetta Kirsten’s Salsa Pigs in blankets ✨ Pizza rolls (very important) Buffalo dip (opening day for college football) Chicken Fried chicken ✨ Chicken parm Chicken spaghetti BBQ chicken ✨ Franks red hot chicken ✨ Chicken noodle casserole Pork Pork chops (Grammy) Oven Ribs ✨ Savannah red rice Spaghetti carbonara (Bacon & Egg Spaghetti) ✨ Creamy Sundried tomato Parmesan pasta Italian pork parmesan sandwiches Soups and chilis Baked Potato Soup ✨ Tomato basil Soup Chili Beef Pooler poutine Lomo Saltado Pepper steak ✨ Walking tacos (Kirsten) Mexican pizza (Kirsten) Lasagna ✨ Meatloaf Daddy’s giant burger (Hear that mooing?) Spaghetti Sides Broccoli casserole Squash casserole Mac and cheese ✨ Outback noodles ✨ Fried green tomatoes Mashed potatoes ✨ Potato casserole Baked beans Breakfast Granny’s oatmeal ✨ 7 up biscuits ✨ Uncle Mac’s biscuits ✨ Grits ✨ Breakfast burritos Sausage and egg skillet ✨ Breakfast skillet Avocado toast Tips and tricks section Playlists Memories Brown butter Always Saving pasta water The Grilled chees-el Why unsalted butter is from the devil himself Special Disney section Bread pudding from Ohana Tray Potstickers ✨ Alcoholic dole whips because dreams really do come true Bananas (pro tip: you don’t eat it you just hold it and cry) Margaritas (pro tip: Drive to Epcot and buy there) Le Cellier martini (pro tip: best served in a plastic cup) Egg rolls (pro tip). Make sure Toby sits in the middle of the table when eating these so as not to miss anything) Nachos (trigger warning: do not eat around anyone with diabetes unless there’s ample seating) Tobys Japanese (yum yum sauce included) 7/28/2022 0 Comments Tips & TricksWhile I enjoy cooking and believe that it should be fun, I can be pretty serious about some things. I strongly believe that certain aspects of cooking cannot be rushed and shortcuts can result in lack of flavor. That said, there are some tips and even shortcuts that can result in more flavor in less time.
Here are a few of my favorite tips, I will add to this from time to time.
Love, |