Carol’s Comfort Foods

In early March on our way to Orlando Florida to see an NBA game, we detoured around to Savannah, GA for an overnight stop.  Since we had very little time, we spent most of the day at the Savannah River riverfront, watching the boats, enjoying the nice warm weather and browsing in all the little shops.  It was an impromptu journey, so going to Paula Deen’s Lady & Sons restaurant was out of the question, as were the quaint carriage rides through the various squares.  However, my son insisted that we look up the Savannah Candy Kitchen over on the riverfront.  He had fond memories of grazing through this candy store while on a class trip to Savannah two years ago.  I honestly thought it would be a candy store, full of sugary, hard candies, the type that you see in many tourist destinations around the country.  We located the shop, just about where he thought it would be and reluctantly, I agreed to go in and look around.  What a surprise! 

The Savannah Candy Kitchen is an old fashioned candy shop that makes much of its delectable candies right on premise.  Display case after display case featured interesting candies, with a window where you could watch the signature pecan pralines being made and snack on warm samples.   

Yes, around the perimeter, there were the requisite hard candies that you can find most anywhere, but the focus of the shop was the wonderful homemade pecan pralines.  Now, as you have probably experienced, in many shops, pecan pralines can be an overly sweet candy with a somewhat “grainy” texture.  I could never understand why Southerners thought these were so great.  Well, after tasting (and of course buying) some of the pecan pralines from the Savannah Candy store, I can understand why Southerners love their pecan praline candy!  Warm, or not so warm, these beauties are light, smooth and creamy with just the right amount of sweetness and of course, chock full of Georgia pecans.  They are delicious and utterly addictive.  Not a hint of the “grainy” sugar taste that I had experienced with all the other pralines I had sampled elsewhere. 

Another favorite are called “Gophers” and resemble what are also called “Turtles” in most parts of the country.  Again, they were chock full of pecans and creamy caramel and topped with milk chocolate.  They, too, were fresh and delicious.  However, for my money the pecan pralines are the star of the store.  Luckily, the Savannah Candy store has an online store where you can order the pecan pralines and many of their other candies and have them delivered to your doorstep or to a fellow praline lover as a gift.  

Although our trip to Savannah was short and certainly warrants another trip back to really explore the city fully, I left there with a new found respect for the Southern pecan praline and a “to go” box of them tucked in my suitcase.

Confused about the terms that are cropping up in the produce section of your local supermarket or when you wander around a farmer’s market?  I sure have been – sustainable, local, and organic.  What is the difference?  I found this simple explanation in the April 2009 issue of Better Homes & Gardens.

Sustainable – The goal of sustainable agriculture is to be profitable and meet the needs of the human consumer while maintaining environmentally sound practices.  Sustainable agriculture also addresses quality of life issues of the farm worker and their communities.

Organic – The USDA has defined organic foods as those produced using sustainable agricultural practices with no synthetic fertilizers, conventional pesticides or bioengineering.   The USDA “Certified Organic” seal signifies that a product is made with at least 95% organic ingredients.

Natural – The FDA has not established formal guidelines for the use of the term “natural”.  Generally, to use the term natural on product labels the product must not contain any added color, artificial flavor or synthetic substances.  The use of “natural” does not speak to how the products ingredients are grown or produced.

Local – This is a unregulated term that generally indicates that the product was produced locally (within a 100 mile radius).  The advantage of buying locally is that it supports your local economy and given the close proximity, the foods should be fresher.

To learn more about sustainable agriculture visit these sites:

·        www.farmtotable.org

·        www.localharvest.org – (includes listing of organic restaurants throughout the country - my favorite is Farm255 in Athens, GA)

·        www.cityharvest.org

·        www.chefscollaborative.org

Yield:  2 quarts

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large carrots, cut into chunks

2 celery stalks, cut into chunks

1 medium onion, halved

1 garlic bulb, halved

Reserved chicken bones

2 quarts cold water

4 sprigs of fresh parsley

2 bay leaves

PREPARATION

Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to stockpot and heat for approximately 30 seconds.  Add the vegetables and sauté for 3 minutes.  Add reserved chicken bones, water and herbs.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer and allow stock to simmer for approximately 1 hour.  Remove from heat and strain stock to remove any solids.  Use immediately or place in an airtight freezer container for later use.

Wedding Reception Brunch

What type of wedding reception is right for you?  When you envision your wedding reception, do you dream of sunrise at a beautiful beach or the mist rising from the mountain tops?  If you are planning a sunrise wedding ceremony, you’ll need to develop a menu for your wedding reception brunch. 

Whether your wedding ceremony is on the beach or at the top of a mountain, you’ll want to serve your guests a wonderful breakfast or brunch after the ceremony.    Traditional wedding brunches include classics such as quiche, frittata and Eggs Benedict.  Setting up omelet and French toast stations are welcomed by your guests, along with a nice selection of fruits, muffins and breads.  If your budget allows, carving stations with ham, turkey or beef tenderloin will add a touch of luxury.  Drinks should include Mimosa’s, Bloody Mary’s, Bellinis and of course don’t forget great coffee, teas and juices.

Here’s a sample menu from my upcoming book Simple Wedding Reception Menus for Your DIY Wedding. 

Sunrise Brunch Menu

Brunch Basics

Omelet Station

Cinnamon Bread Custard with Fresh Berries

Ham, Leek and Three Cheese Quiche

Carving Stations

Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Gorgonzola Sauce

Roast Turkey Breast with Cranberry Conserve

Breads

Mini Blueberry Muffins

Homemade Cheese Danish

Lemon Ginger Scones

Buttermilk Biscuits with Goat Cheese and Chives

Desserts

Wedding Cake or Cupcake Tower

Mini Cheesecakes with Fresh Raspberries

Beverages

Peach Bellini’s

Mimosa’s

Bloody Mary’s

Coffee, Tea, Juices & Imported Water

Aren’t these cute?  Amazing what you can do with a couple of cupcakes.  My daughter and I made these last night using two types of cupcakes and the directions from a wonderful book entitled Hello Cupcake by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson.  It has step by step instructions on how to make some awesome cupcakes.  Most of the designs use cupcakes as the foundation, but much of the detail is created with candies, cookies, decorating sugars, cereal, and the like. 

Overall, the author gives very detailed and easy to understand instructions in completing each cupcake design.  The author states that most of these cupcake designs can be created with tools that you already have in the home and she particularly stresses that Ziploc bags work well as a pastry bag.  She is correct in that many of the tools that are needed to complete the custom cupcakes are things that you readily have at home, however I would disagree that the Ziploc bags are an adequate substitute for a pastry bag. 

My daughter and I attempted the Ziploc bag piping and found that it did not come out as nice as using a regular pastry bag and tips.  We abandoned the Ziploc technology about half way through the project, so our panda’s facial feature are not as clean as we would have liked for them to be, however we piped on the claws and I think you can see the difference. 

By all means, try the Ziploc bags, however if you are going to be making lots of custom cupcakes, I would recommend purchasing a regular pastry bag and tips and using those for the detailed piping work.  For convenience, you can purchase plastic disposable pastry bags that will work just fine with the coupler and tips that come with a standard pastry bag.      

When you allow your little ones to help you in the kitchen, along with having a great time, children receive lots of extra educational benefits in spending time baking with you.  Consider these:

1.   Math – baking offers children an opportunity to sharpen their math skills.  Whether your child is helping you measure out ½ cup of oil or determining how many sticks of butter equal ½ cup, the math skills that they are learning in school are being put to use in a very practical, real life manner.  What better way to solidify these skills, than by baking a chocolate cake!

2.   Culture – If you try different dessert recipes from around the world and discuss them as you work together, your kids will learn about the customs, holidays and language of the dessert’s country of origin.  Perhaps this would include some special recipes that you brought back from your travels in other countries.

3.   Organization – Getting ready to bake requires preparation – reviewing the recipe, determining the ingredients that are necessary, checking the pantry to make sure all ingredients are on hand and compiling a shopping list for those ingredients that need to be purchased.  All of these steps will develop your child’s organizational skills and patience.

4.   Following Directions – Baking is a process and certain steps must be followed in sequence to ensure the desired result.  You can help your kids read the recipe and follow the instructions step by step in baking a dessert.  You can also ask them questions during the process like “what would happen if we frost the cake before its cooled?” 

5.   Responsibility – Give kids age specific tasks and responsibilities when you bake together.  Young, preschool children can be taught to wash fruit or participate in kneading some dough.  Older children can break and beat eggs, measure out ingredients and frost cakes or cookies.  They all can take part in the clean-up process.  Giving your kids some responsibilities in the baking process can teach them about completing projects and the importance of cleaning up after project.  These lessons can be valuable in completing school projects and the ongoing tasks of getting them to clean up their room as they get older!

Review of slow cookers that are out there on the market by Cook’s Illustrated.   Gives a thorough review of each and makes recommendations at the various price points.

Ever wonder what part fats, sugars and other ingredients play in creating the perfect cookie?  Consider: 

Fats

The fats used in cookies can include butter, shortening or margarine.  Since butter melts the minute it hits a hot oven, cookies made with butter will spread more than those made with margarine or shortening.  Taste is also a factor in the butter versus shortening/margarine debate.  Most experts generally will prefer butter over margarine or shortening when it comes to baking, typically it will give you a better flavor to your baked goods.

If you decide to use margarine, make sure that you use the stick type of margarine, not the margarines that come in a tub.  The tub type margarine contains oil and are too soft for baking.  What about salted versus unsalted butter?  It really doesn’t make a difference, whatever you happen to have on hand.  Just be aware that salted butter has about ¼ teaspoon of salt, so adjust you’re the salt in your recipe accordingly.

Sugar

Recipes specify what type of sugar to use in your cookies.  All sugars will bring sweetness to the cookie, but different sugars will add different qualities to the cookies.  White granulated sugar produces the crispiest texture, while brown sugar adds color and will produce a more “chewy” cookie.  Using powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar in a cookie recipe will reduce the amount of flour that is needed in a cookie and thus producing a light and airy cookie.  The “Mexican Wedding Cookie” is a fine example of this concept.  Lots of butter, powdered sugar, ground nuts and very little flour, produce a melt-in-your-mouth cookie.  Specialty sugars such as turbinado or coarse crystal sugars can be used to add a great crunch to the outside of cookies, but should not be substituted for granulated or brown sugar in a cookie recipe.

Flour

Bread flour, pastry flour and cake flour are all used frequently in baking.  However, most experts agree that for cookies, all-purpose flour yields the best results.  In terms of all-purpose, there are two varieties – bleached and unbleached flour.  For years there has been a debate regarding what type of all-purpose flour, bleached or unbleached, yields the best cookies.  There doesn’t appear to be any evidence that one or the other type of flour is better for making cookies.

Baking Soda and Baking Powder

Most cookie recipes require at least baking soda or baking powder or both.  Which one depends on the other ingredients in the cookie.  Baking soda usually produces a crisper cookie and requires an acidic ingredient such as cocoa, buttermilk or molasses to activate it.  Baking powder, which produces a more “chewier” cookie does not.

Flavorings

Vanilla is a typical flavoring that is added to lots of cookies and baked goods.  The most common varieties are pure vanilla extract and imitation vanilla extract.  There is a significant cost difference between pure vanilla and the imitation vanilla extract.  If possible, use pure vanilla extract in your cookies, it definitely adds a much better flavor to your cookies.

Source:  McClatchy – Athens Banner Herald – December 10, 2008

I love to make soups and although I tend to use chicken or vegetable stock most of the time, occasionally I’ll be making a beef stew or beef vegetable soup and need to add some beef stock.  In the past, I have been reluctant to use it, as most of it was loaded with sodium and tasted horrible.  Thankfully, most manufacturers have started to offer lower sodium varieties in all of their stocks, including beef stock.

Recently, when I was at the store and wanted to pick up some beef stock for a stew I was going to make, I noticed a new brand on the shelf “Bold Stock” from College Inn.  I decided to give it a try, instead of the regular beef stock that I would normally use in my stew.  The variety that I picked up was “Beef Sirloin” flavor and the label said that the stock was made with select beef, carrots, celery and onion and would provide a more intense flavor for sauces, risottos and soups.

I used the Bold Stock in my beef stew, instead of my usual stock.  It did indeed provide a more intense beef flavor to my stew and this was accomplished without a heavy sodium taste.  However, there was a distinctive “sirloin” flavor to my stew, one than I don’t get using the normal beef stock.  Although, on the label it says “beef sirloin” flavor, somehow I didn’t think that it would be quite as pronounced a sirloin flavor as it was in the dish.  Mind you, it didn’t taste bad at all, just different and not expected. 

Consequently, I would recommend this product, if you are looking to really enhance a beef dish and want a fairly intense “sirloin beef” flavor in it.  If not, and you are trying to achieve a milder, beef flavor to a stew or soup, I would stick with the regular low-sodium beef stocks that are offered by a number of food manufacturers, including the regular College Inn brand. 

If you live in Northeast Georgia and are looking for a shared kitchen space to launch your culinary business, visit MyKitchenYourKitchen.com and let us know what your needs are by taking my quick survey. 

I found this chart on the King Arthur Flour website and thought it clearly spelled out the various stages of cooking sugar.  When combining sugar and water and cooking it to various temperatures, the sugar reacts in different ways and serves as the basis for making any number of candies.  As the holiday seasons approach, I thought this would be a handy chart to have in the kitchen as you make those special candies and fudges.  You can identify these stages by using a candy thermometer or by certain physical characteristics that the sugar will display will cooking.

This set teams up two of my kitchen favorites, Caldrea Dish Soap Liquid and handcrafted Pot Scrubbies, all tucked into a black wrought iron type kitchen sink caddy.  Your choice of either Basil Blue Sage or Ginger Pomelo fragrance and 2 scrubbies in either black or navy paired with soft yellow.  

Caldrea dish soap liquids are made from essential oils, are earth friendly, clean great and smell divine!  The scrubbies are handcrafted and made to last.  If you’ve never tried them, once you have, you’ll never use those other plastic scrubbies again!  This is a perfect way to keep your sink essentials organized or as a practical hostess gift.  

Price:         $27.00 + $7.00 shipping (USPS - Priority Mail)

Includes:   1-16 ounce Caldrea Dish Soap Liquid

                    2 - Pot Scrubbies

                    1- Black Wire Sink Caddy

Choices

Basil Blue Sage w/navy and yellow scrubbies  Ginger Pomelo w/black and yellow scrubbies

This is a very old family recipe that has been handed down from my Grandmother Verna. Great for the fall, when you’ve made homemade applesauce.  

INGREDIENTS

2 cups unsweetened applesauce

2 cups granulated sugar

½ cup butter

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon cloves

2 teaspoon cocoa

3 ½ teaspoons baking soda

3 ½ cups flour

1 cup raisins

1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

PREPARATION

Preheat oven – 350 degrees F

Prepare 9×13x2 inch baking pan

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Mix in the baking soda into the applesauce and then add it into the butter mixture.  Fold in the sifted dry ingredients.  Modify the amount of sugar in the cake, dependent on the amount of sugar in the applesauce.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Serve with good vanilla ice cream and drizzle with warm brown sugar sauce.

BROWN SUGAR SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

1 cup brown sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups water

2 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

PREPARATION

Combine all ingredients and bring slowly to a boil until thick.  Serve warm over cake. 

On your way to Asheville, North Carolina from Atlanta, you’ll come across the small town of Waynesville, North Carolina.  Snuggled in the Smoky Mountains, Waynesville lies within a few miles of some of Western Carolinas favorite tourist spots like Maggie Valley and Cherokee.  In response to the active tourist population, Waynesville has developed a wonderful Main Street shopping area where you can stroll up and down and visit many art galleries, specialty shops and of course, The Mast General Store.  Mast General Store truly has something of interest for most everyone.  It’s brimming with three full floors of clothing, shoes, small kitchen wares, housewares, regional foods (jams, jellies and syrups) and furniture.  It really does have the feel of an “old time” general store with it’s “creaky” hardwood floors and wooden display cases and shelves.  Founded in the late 1800’s the store has maintained it’s presence in Waynesville and expanded to other mountain areas like Knoxville, Tennessee.  Once you’ve finished browsing, head down Main Street to Miller Street and make a left, where you’ll find “The Sweet Onion” restaurant.  It’s a casual, but upscale restaurant tucked away on Miller Street, about a block off Main.  I’ve had dinner there several times and each time, have been pleased with the food and service.  The menu is varied and has lots of “comfort foods”, like macaroni & cheese, garlic mashed potatoes, but also has an ample variety of steaks, seafood, salads and sandwiches.     

On a recent visit, we started off with the Black Bean Cakes, that are corn meal crusted cakes gently fried and topped off with a sweet corn and avocado salsa and dollops of ancho chili lime cream.  For entrees, our vegetarian group opted for the Peanut Pad Thai which was a sauté of bok choy, green onions and peppers with rice noodles, tossed in a Thai peanut sauce.  On the menu there were other pasta dishes like Ranch Fettuccine Alfredo or Pasta Sienna with artichoke hearts, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and basil that will satisfy the vegetarians in your group. 

I ordered the Country Fried Steak, a hand-cut and pounded sirloin steak that’s breaded and fried to perfection.  They top it off with a cracked black pepper gravy.  It was delicious and you could really tell that this was an actual steak that had been pounded down and breaded, as opposed to the “mystery” meat that you often get when you order a country fried steak in a restaurant.  All these entrees come with garlic cheddar biscuits and a choice of two side items, like garlic mashed potatoes, broccoli salad, Gouda scalloped potatoes, grits, mixed sautéed vegetables or macaroni & cheese.  You can substitute a house salad for one of the sides, for an additional cost.  Of the sides, I particularly liked the Gouda scalloped potatoes, they were nice and creamy, with just a hint of the Gouda cheese.  The portions are ample and there always seems to be a need for a “to go box”.        

To end the meal, we shared several of the desserts including: Southern Pecan Crème Brulee, Dutch Chocolate Cake, and Caramel Apple Crisp.  All were good, but I think the favorite was the pecan crème brulee.  The custard was smooth and creamy and contrasted well with the topping of candied pecans and caramelized sugar.  It added just the right amount of crunch to the otherwise smooth custard base.   

Overall, I would recommend that if you’re traveling near Waynesville, North Carolina, stop in and enjoy this charming little town and the great food at The Sweet Onion.

Entrees average - $12.00-14.00

Everyone is conscious today about minimizing their fat intake.  Many of you do not deep fat fry at all.  However, if on occasion you do deep fat fry, here are some helpful tips to remember on how to obtain the best results and do so in a safe manner:

1.   Choose the type of oil that you use to fry carefully.  Just any type of oil will not do when it comes to deep fat frying.  Some of the best oils that you can use are:  peanut, safflower, sunflower, canola or grape seed oil.  All of these have relatively high “smoke points” which means that they will not break down at deep fat frying temperatures.  Grape seed oil is particularly popular with chefs, as it retains the original flavors of the food that you are preparing and has a relatively high smoke point of 320 degrees F.

2.   When you are frying, use a deep skillet or pan and allow for at least 2 inches at the top of the pan.  This will allow space for any bubbling oil when you add food into the pan.  Always add your oil to a cold pan – don’t heat the pan and then add the oil!

3.   Normal frying temperatures are between 350-375 degrees F.  If you are going to do any amount of deep fat frying, it’s a good idea to purchase a deep fat fryer thermometer.  If you don’t have a thermometer, you can drop a 1” cube of bread into the oil and it should brown within 1 minute.  If so, you have an oil temperature of about 365 degrees F.

4.   When your frying, don’t overcrowd the pan.  Only fry in small batches.  If you overcrowd the pan, it will reduce the temperature of the oil and instead of frying your foods, the oil will be absorbed into the food, causing it to be soggy.  As you finish your small batches, the fried foods can be held in a 200 degree F oven, while you finish frying your other batches. 

5.   Make sure the foods that you are frying have been patted dry before adding them to the hot oil.  If you are frying breaded or coated foods, let them sit awhile and absorb the coatings, before frying, this will avoid a lot of splattering and your foods will fry better.

6.   When you are deep fat frying, this is not the time to wander away from the stove.  You need to stay by the stove and regulate the heat as necessary to ensure that the oil doesn’t get too hot.  Once your food is cooked, remove from the pan with a slotted and drain on paper towels.

7.   Don’t reuse oil, as it may retain the flavors of your previous foods and after it has been heated, trans fats may have started to form.  Cool it completely and then discard appropriately.

8.   Other safety tips to remember are:

a.    If your oil starts to smoke or catch on fire, cover it immediately with a pan lid. 

b.   Keep any water away from the hot oil.