A nice, thick highly seasoned, no beans, ground beef chili.

Homemade Stovetop No Bean Beef Chili

Gotta love a good pot of chili and personally, I love all kinds. With beans, without beans, spicy, not so spicy, I'm not one to argue that there is only one kind of chili. Let's enjoy them all!

Unlike a crockpot version I have, where I recommend a leaner ground beef to avoid having your chili be floating around in a lot of grease all day, I do recommend browning off ground chuck for this chili. You can, of course, prepare this in your slow cooker as well. Just brown off the ground beef, add everything to the slow cooker and let it cook all day.

By the way, if you like beans in your chili, by all means add them! When I make a chili with beans, I usually add the canned red kidney beans, but use chili beans, or use whatever bean you like. Rinse and drain before adding to reduce the sodium. Don't get overwhelmed by the list of ingredients - it's all veggies and seasoning, and flavor y'all, and, most of it is just basic pantry stuff you probably have on hand anyway.

Here's how to make it.

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Crabmeat Au Gratin

I picked up some crabmeat the other day, thinking that I would cook some pan fried crab cakes. Then decided nah, didn't want crab cakes ... maybe a casserole instead, but changed my mind again before I finally settled in on doin' an au gratin. Cheese. Now that appealed to this Lenten sweets deprived little ole me. Oh yeah!!  That's how I cook - never much on planning ahead, I mostly just cook on the fly.

I adapted this recipe from one in Best of the Best from Bell's Best Cookbook (say that 4 times fast) which is a compilation of recipes from the TelecomPioneers of Mississippi. The purchase of one of their cookbooks helps with Pioneer projects such as Habitat homes and building playgrounds and supports their other educational and health related projects ... just in case yer interested.

Anyway, I know the picture pretty much looks like a big blob of gooey, cheesy globness, but it really is delicious! But I mean, it is crab ... how could you go wrong?

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Crabmeat Au Gratin
From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

1 pound of crabmeat
1 stick of unsalted butter
1/2 of a medium onion, minced
1 stalk of celery, minced
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1 (12-ounce) can of evaporated milk
3/4 to 1 cup of half and half
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
8 ounces of Velvetta, Cheez Whiz or other
   processed cheese food

Pick through the crabmeat to check for and discard the shells. Put into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 8 or 9 inch square baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until tender. Stir in the flour a little at a time until fully incorporated; cook for 5 minutes. Slowly add the evaporated milk and half and half until fully incorporated. Quickly stir in the egg yolks and then the salt, pepper and cayenne. Cook for another 5 minutes. Mixture will be fairly thick.

Pour the mixture over the crabmeat and gently fold it in until well combined. Transfer mixture to the baking pan. Microwave the cheese on medium heat just until cheese is pourable. Pour over the top of the crab mixture and using a spatula, gently push the cheese to evenly cover the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until top is browned. Serve with a nice garden salad, and steamed broccoli or other non-starchy veggie.

Source:  Adapted from Best of the Best from Bell's Best Cookbook

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Southern Slow Stewed Chicken

This traditional stewed chicken dish begins with a browned, cut up chicken, that is slow cooked in a roux based gravy.

Southern Stewed Chicken

This Southern Stewed Chicken recipe begins with a searing of the chicken, then a roux based gravy is prepared, to which the chicken is returned and slow simmered. It's somewhat similar to my Chicken and Gravy, except that the chicken is not floured. It's a simple southern dish created with layers of flavor and that's one reason that it's so good!

If you've arrived here from a search for Chicken Stew, I have two versions to share with you. One is a super easy, fast to the table, shortcut version and the other is the longer, homemade, stewed version made from stewing down a whole chicken. Both are delicious!

Click Here to Read More & to Get Recipe »

Creamy southern pralines are a simple candy confection, made from boiled sugar and nuts, and are a holiday tradition.

Southern Pralines

The Cajun came home the other day with a handful of pralines that his Mama has sent him home with when he stopped by for a visit with her on his way to a meeting. Now I don't honestly know how many he started off with between his Mama's and his meeting, but trouble is, see, me. Me, the sugar junkie, got into 'em that evenin' by mindlessly munching on them while I was busy putting a recipe into the blog. Well, before I knew it, those few that did make their way to the house, well... they were gone! Yikes!

Well, I felt so bad that I decided I'd better make some more. For him of course. To make up for the ones from his Mama that I ate.

Okay. It coulda had somethin' to do with havin' a desire for a few more myself. I admit it. They truly can be a bit addictive. See, for me, I don't necessarily crave sugar, but... once I start, I do have a bit of a problem with stopping. But, I'll leave that up to you to test for yourself!

Now just in case you don't know, Southern Pralines are a simple candy confection, made from boiled sugar and nuts. Generally down south, where pralines are found everywhere - and especially most often around the Christmas holidays - from gas stations, to grocery stores, to the corner jyp joint, to the bakery, that nut is gonna be pecans. And, just like pecans - where depending on where you're from that might be pee-can or puh-con, pralines might be pronounced one of two ways. Down my way, we've always pronounced it praw-leen, though some folks are known to pronounce it pray-leen. Either way, no matter how ya say it, they shore are delicious!!

So that brings me to that very important question. Is it PEE-CAN or PUH-CON?  Paula Deen calls them pee-cans and I have even seen her correct a guest or three on her show a time or two who said it "wrong" in her opinion. Well... I can't say that there's a right or wrong way, but I can say that when I was a young gal, the first time I ever said pee-can in front of my Mama, well she very promptly corrected me and said it was rightly pronounced puh-con, because a pee-can was what you kept under your bed at night to prevent ya from having to make a night run to the cold outhouse. I never made that mistake again. Not that I ever even have used an outhouse, thank ya Lord.

In all fairness, I'll have to first say that I am the first to admit that I am no candy maker, so mine never really turn out perfect looking, but that's okay because they sure taste perfect, so if you're not a perfect candy maker, don't worry. You can do this too.  Anyway... as most candies do, we start off with a mixture of sugar. A slight warning. Might as well follow that "rule" that if it's raining or looking like rain, don't make candy because it may or may not set. Don't know 'twether or not that old wives tale is true I've never  but let's just not mess with it, okay?

Put 2 cups of sugar, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup of light corn syrup, 2 tablespoons of butter, and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda in a heavy bottomed large saucepan. Stir together and put that over medium heat.

In the meantime, go ahead and clear off a spot on your countertop and lay out some sheets of waxed paper or parchment paper. Sorry about the bottle, but I needed it to help the camera to focus on something that wasn't white. We'll need that here in a bit anyway.

Gently stir the ingredients over medium heat and using a wooden spoon, cook until the sugar has all dissolved.

See that crystalization building up on the side of the pot? Ignore it. Dont scrape it down into the pot, or you'll risk crystalizing your pralines, which will produce a grainy praline as opposed to a creamy praline.

The mixture is just beginning to get heated well and the sugar is dissolving.

Continue cooking. You'll see the mixture bubble up nearly to the top of the pot - just keep a watchful eye and a gentle occasional stir on it, adjusting the heat down slightly if needed, but keeping it at a bubbling boil. As you see, the sugar mixture is just beginning to darken.

Keep cooking and occasionally giving the mixture a gentle stir. The mixture is darkening substantially.

Boil until you reach a temperature of 232 degrees. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla extract, and begin beating the mixture until it's nice and smooth.


Stir in the pecans. I generally like to use pecan halves that are sightly broken up.

Stir the pecans in quickly as mixture will begin to thicken up fairly fast.

Drop by spoonfuls into piles on those sheets of waxed paper you laid out earlier. Now ain't ya glad you did that? I usually use two spoons, one to scoop and the other to push off the scoop spoon. The number of pralines you end up with will depend on how large you make your plops. Since I'm not the most expert candy maker by any means, my plops are usually fairly hefty, so I end up with about a dozen and a half.

Continue until you have used up all of the sugar mixture to create these lovely little pools of candy. They start off a bit dark, but as they set up, you'll see them begin to lighten up. See how this piece is already beginning to lighten?

Now ... how 'bout you go make some too!!

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Recipe: Southern Pralines

©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

Prep time: 5 min |Cook time: 25+ min |

Yield: About 1-1/2 to 3 dozen

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Ingredients

• 2 cups of granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups pecans

Instructions

Combine first 5 ingredients in a heavy saucepan; mix well. Cook over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves; cook until mixture reaches soft ball stage (232 degrees). Remove from heat; add vanilla and beat until creamy. Stir in pecans. Drop from a spoon onto waxed paper; let stand until firm.

Makes about 1-1/2 to 3 dozen, depending on how large you make 'em!

Source: http://deepsouthdish.com

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Fried Chicken Seasoning Blend

This seasoning blend is my take on the KFC copycat seasonings that can go with any good Southern Fried Chicken.  Add a buttermilk marinade to make it Southern Buttermilk Fried Chicken, if ya like.  Simply add buttermilk to a large bowl and sprinkle it with hot sauce - enough to just give it color, or as much as you want! Add the chicken (brined or not) to the buttermilk, let marinade in the fridge a couple of hours to overnight. When you're ready to fry, remove the chicken, shake off the excess buttermilk, and dredge it in a mixture of seasoned flour and fry.

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Chicken Seasoning Blend
From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon thyme
1/2 tablespoon oregano
1/2 tablespoon sage
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ginger

Mix together.

Source: http://deepsouthdish.com

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Almond Joy Cake

Almond Joy Cake is one of the most popular searches on my site and it's no wonder really. Chocolate cake, topped with a layer of gooey marshmallow and coconut cream, that is topped with a creamy layer of chocolate and almonds, and more crunchy almonds on top - it's really rich and decadent I promise ya.  If you like Almond Joy candy bars, just like all the other namesake cakes of candy bar fame that are out there, you're gonna love this cake too. And yeah, y'all... it uses a mix!  Now that said, some mixes are much sweeter than others. Together with the sweetened coconut, the marshmallows, the sugar, the butter, the chocolate, this is quite a rich cake, so keep those serving sizes in mind. A ice cold glass of milk is a must with Almond Joy Cake.

Of course, this is not an original recipe of mine - it's been around awhile. It's just the way that I put it together. So let's get on with it! The cast of characters - A chocolate cake mix (and the eggs, oil & water for that - not pictured), evaporated milk, sugar, marshmallows, sweetened coconut, sliced almonds, butter, chocolate chips, vanilla extract. (See, I do use some generic products sometimes!)

In a mixing bowl, add the eggs, water and oil to the cake mix.

And prepare it according to the package directions. Pour into a 9 x 13 inch cake pan and bake.

When cake is done, set it aside to cool.

In a medium sized saucepan, add 1/2 of the can of evaporated milk and 1/2 cup of the sugar and bring to a boil. Don't continue to boil it, just bring it to a boil. Reduce the burner to low and remove pan from the heat.

Add the marshmallows and return pot to the burner.

Stirring the marshmallows in until they are thoroughly melted and smooth.

Add the coconut and mix together. Remove from the heat.

Mixture may be a bit sticky, but drop it in dollops spread out all over the top of the hot cake and use a spatula to gently & quickly push the mixture out over the entire surface of the cake, taking care not to tear into the cake. It doesn't have to cover perfectly but try to spread it the best you can.

In a separate small saucepan, add the remaining evaporated milk, 1/2 cup of the sugar and 4 tablespoons of butter.

Bring mixture to a boil. Again, you only want to bring it to a boil, not continue boiling it.

Turn the burner down to low, remove pan from the heat and add the chocolate chips. Stir to mix in well and melt the chocolate chips, placing the pan back on the burner to prevent mixture from thickening too quickly - only if needed.

Mix until fully melted and smooth. Add in the vanilla extract.

Stir in 3/4 cup of the sliced almonds.

And immediately pour onto the cake, carefully pushing the chocolate out to the edges ...

... until the cake is covered.

Take the remaining 1/4 cup of sliced almonds and scatter across the top of the cake. Let cool completely.

Slice, serve and totally enjoy ... yum!  Make it for your family this weekend, you'll love it. 

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Almond Joy Cake
From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

1 box of chocolate cake mix
1 (12-ounce) can of evaporated milk, divided
1 cup of sugar, divided
3-1/2 cups of mini marshmallows
3 cups of sweetened coconut
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups of chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup of sliced almonds, divided

Quick Note: If you skipped the tutorial above and you've never made this cake before, it is rich! Some mixes are particularly sweet to begin with, but we're adding in sugar, marshmallows, coconut, butter and chocolate chips. Serve it up in modest portions and with an ice cold glass of milk!

Prepare the cake in a 9 x 13 inch baking pan according to the package direction. Set aside to cool.

In a small saucepan, stir together 1/2 of the can of evaporated milk and 1/2 cup of the sugar; bring the mixture just up to a boil, but do not allow the mixture to continue boiling. Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the marshmallows until they melt and are well incorporated. Add the coconut, stir well and then spread this on top of the warm cake. Mixture may be thick; drop in dollops and use a spatula to push the coconut layer out as evenly as possible.

Note:  You can leave the burner on low and move the pot on and off of the burner as needed, to either loosen or thicken the mixture.  Taking it off the burner will allow it to set a bit, if you need it to thicken slightly, while putting it back on the burner temporarily will allow it to warm and thin out to be more spreadable. This applies to the chocolate mixture below as well.

In a separate small saucepan, combine the remaining evaporated milk, 1/2 cup of the sugar and the 4 tablespoons of butter and bring mixture just up to a boil - but do not let it continue to boil. Remove from the heat, stir in the chocolate chips and stir until melted and smooth. Add vanilla. Add about 3/4 cup of the almonds, stir and pour that over the coconut layer. The mixture should be fairly thick, but if it gets too thick, return it to a low burner briefly, stirring until it returns to a spreadable consistency.

Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of almonds over the top and let cool completely before cutting.

Source: http://deepsouthdish.com

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Recipe Tips:

The chocolate layer should not melt off the under layer of the marshmallows and coconut - if it does that probably means the mixture was too hot. Remember that both times the mixtures are only brought up just to a boil, but not allowed to boil.  When you spread the chocolate on it (and it should be more of a spread, rather than a pour) it should be hot, but not scalding hot. You only want it hot enough to keep it pliable for spreading. By removing it from the burner to add in the chocolate chips, vanilla and almonds, it should cool down just enough to thicken and be read to spread.

That is what the purpose of moving the pot on and off of the heat in the tutorial is about - to let whichever mixture you are using either thicken or loosen up. Taking it off the burner will allow it to set a bit, if you need it to thicken slightly while putting it back on - such as if your marshmallow mixture gets too thick to spread. 

Keep in mind that depending on the brand of cake mix used, one might find this cake with the added ingredients to be sweet.  I used Betty Crocker brand here and don't recall it being too overly sweet, but generally speaking, I do find most cake mixes too sweet for my personal taste. You can of course do a homemade cake from scratch instead of using a mix.

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A little Trinity, a few key seasonings and you'll have a homemade sloppy joe that'll beat any canned version hands down.

Homemade Sloppy Joes

Whenever I serve these, The Cajun says "this is my most favorite food of all."

Okay, while he does indeed say that, truly it's a bit of a stretch, because he actually says that about a lot of my cookin'... what can I say? The man just loves to eat and gotta love a man like that... but I admit, a good ole homemade sloppy joe sandwich is one of our favorites for sure. I have nothin' against the canned stuff, cuz it sure can be fast and pretty good too, but like most everything else, of course there is nothin' quite like homemade, I don't care who you are!

Good news is that this freezes great, so next time you stock up on sale ground beef, go ahead and make up a double or triple batch over a weekend, serve one that day and then split up the rest for the freezer and it'll be just about as easy as opening a can on one of those weeknight rushes for dinner. Just delicious - I hope you give it a try!

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Pralines & Cream Oatmeal

Here's another one for The Oatmeal Chronicles - or How to Make Your Oatmeal More Interesting. I started off trying to create one thing and then thought about this instead. Oh my gosh was this a delicious treat!! Don't prepare the topping until right before you need it though, because if you do boil it too long it will eventually harden like candy once it starts cooling. You want it warm and pliable as a topping. This topping is also a great accent for just about anything sweet - try it drizzled over Greek yogurt, cake, ice cream or cheesecake!

Pralines & Cream Oatmeal
Posted at http://deepsouthdish.com

Praline Topping

4 tablespoons of Land O'Lakes unsalted butter
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of heavy cream
2 tablespoons of light corn syrup
1/4 cup of chopped pecans
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Melt the butter in the microwave using at least a 2 cup measure. Stir in the brown sugar, cream and corn syrup and return to the microwave, heating on high for about 1 minute, stirring halfway through. Stir in the pecans, return to the microwave for about 1 more minute or until bubbly. Set aside to cool.

Oatmeal

3/4 cup of Quaker old fashioned oatmeal
pinch of salt
1-1/2 cups of water
Heavy cream to drizzle
Drizzle of honey
Tiny pinch of chopped pecan for garnish

Combine the oatmeal, salt and water in a large microwave safe bowl, between 2 and 4 quarts to allow for expansion. Stir together well and microwave on high for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on your microwave, or until oatmeal is creamy.

Spoon oatmeal into serving dish and drizzle it with cream around the outside edges and a bit on top. Spoon praline topping in the center and drizzle a bit of honey on top. Garnish with a pinch of chopped pecan.

One of the most popular recipes on the site, this casserole gives a feeling of good ole chicken & dumplings, but in an easy casserole form.

Chicken and Dumpling Bake Casserole

This Chicken and Dumpling Bake may not be real photogenic but it is simply delicious and another one of those foods that proves you can't judge a book by its cover. While the name may be the same, this version is of course, a casserole, and not technically exactly like good ole old fashioned chicken and dumplings. To me, however, it provides a consistency and flavor similar to the more labor-intensive homemade version, but in a super-easy form, especially if you are using leftover chicken or a rotissiere chicken from the grocery store. If you are cooking fresh chicken, especially if you are using boneless, skinless chicken you want to just slightly under cook it when you poach it, since it will essentially continue cooking in the oven.

You'll note that there is (purposely) no salt included in this recipe. That's because between the cream of chicken soup and the chicken stock, there is really plenty of salt to flavor the dish, so don't add any to the recipe till you taste it. I don't find it to need any other seasonings either, but certainly add any of your favorites that you like either in the casserole or in the broth if you're adding in vegetables. I generally prefer mixed chicken in most chicken casseroles, but I'm still working through an abundance of chicken breasts from my freezer, so that's what I used for this post. Use whatever you have. This casserole is a great family pleaser - hope you give it a try.

Here's how to make it. Enjoy!

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Fresh Gulf shrimp, cooked in a spicy Creole tomato sauce and served over a bed of hot steaming rice.

Shrimp Creole

Folks down here make shrimp creole in all sorts of ways - some are very thin and soupy, others are thick and much more dry - but without a doubt all include The Trinity. I think that mine falls right in the middle, a little on the thick side but not dry. And, true to many of our seafood dishes along the Gulf Coast, this one has a goodly little kick to it, not so much to burn your mouth or take over the flavor of the dish, though you might just clear out your sinuses a bit, so adjust those spicy seasonings down if you want to tone down the heat.

Here's how to make it - enjoy!

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Grits Cakes

Remember those yummy garlic cheese grits we made last weekend? Well, we're about to turn these into some awesome grit cakes! Talk about good. Give 'em a try ... they are fantastic!

First preheat your deep fryer to 355 degrees, or heat oil in a large skillet. In a medium bowl, mix up some flour with salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning.

Get out the container of leftover grits.

And slice off some of it.

Shape it however you want. I cut mine into squares and then triangles.

Dip them in the flour.

And fry! Only takes maybe 3-4 minutes or so. Be sure to drop them or just set them in the basket with some space between them because you don't want to touch them for that first minute to avoid breaking them up. You'll know when they are done when they start floating and look golden brown.

Total yum!
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