Hamburger Hot Dish Casserole

One of the benefits of being a member of MyBlogSpark is the opportunity to review new products and services and participate in giveaways, surveys and events. Recently I have had several opportunities to participate in surveys for cover selection on a couple of upcoming fall cookbooks for Betty Crocker and Pillsbury - the ones that you see on the magazine racks and at the checkout stand. In exchange for participating, I was given a copy of the cookbook. I always go with my first instinct when selecting a cover, because frankly that is exactly how I buy these on the newsstand. If the cover doesn't catch my eye right away, I don't even give it a second glance, much less purchase it.

This recipe is an adaptation of one found in the Pillsbury Classic Pot Pies & Casseroles Cookbook for September 2009. This issue is loaded with lots of pot pie ideas I hadn't thought of before, lots of yummy casseroles, and some really cute Halloween ideas, so be on the lookout for it on the newsstands. As fast as this summer has flown by I have a feeling that winter will be here before we know it!

 

I used the Barilla Plus rotini pasta and instead of a large can of tomato sauce, I used a smaller one and added in beef broth. I like the addition of beef broth with browned ground beef sometimes - it just seems to enhance whatever dish it is used in. I also increased the salt, added some additional seasonings - including my beloved Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning - and made a few other adjustments.

This is a very simple casserole and tasty - The Cajun loved it, went back for seconds, and later in the evening, even thirds! Once you have the casserole mixed up and ready to go in the oven, be sure to taste and adjust the seasonings to your preferences.

6 servings according to the cookbook. They haven't met The Cajun apparently, so if you have hearty appetites in your house, you'll probably want to double it.

 

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Hamburger Hot Dish Casserole
From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

3 cups of uncooked rotini pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 of a medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pound of ground beef
1 can of Rotel, or regular diced tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can of tomato sauce
4 ounces of beef broth (1/2 of that can)
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon of Slap Ya Mama, or your favorite
   Cajun seasoning, or to taste
1 tablespoon of dried parsley
1 cup of shredded cheddar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously salt a pot of water for the pasta and cook according to the package directions.

In a large skillet, add the olive oil. Saute the onion until softened but not browned; add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Add the beef and cook until browned, breaking the meat up well. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, sugar, salt, Cajun seasoning, and parsley. Add in the cooked and drained pasta and cook until tomatoes and pasta are thoroughly warmed through.

Turn out into an 8 x 8 square glass baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until bubbly. Remove foil, sprinkle evenly with the shredded cheddar and return to the oven for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Source: http://www.deepsouthdish.com

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Twice baked potatoes, stuffed with crabmeat.

Crab Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes

Every year, on the weeend near the 4th of July, Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi (Mississippi's West Coast) hosts their church bazaar, the annual Crab Festival, though these days it has grown to be such a large event that it's not really a little church function anymore, but rather a very important coast event. The festival has been held since 1984.

There are rides for the kids, all sorts of vendor booths, raffles, cash drawdowns, live entertainment, and of course lots of food. Besides the usual fair foods, you'll find loads of seafood dishes and of course, many of them made with crab.

One of the most sought after foods at the festival every year are the crab stuffed potatoes and while I don't say that mine can stand up to the ones those ladies make, I do have to say these are super yummy. A take on twice baked potatoes - just creamy and delectable with an unexpected surprise of seafood. Lump crabmeat is the best, of course, but the pouches or cans work just fine too, and of course, you can omit the crab altogether and have a mighty fine twice baked potato that can stand all on its own.

Here's how to make them.

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Comeback sauce. A cross somewhere between a rémoulade sauce and Thousand Island salad dressing, this is one sauce that can be claimed as a Mississippi original.

Mississippi Comeback Sauce

Comeback Sauce, which also has some, shall we say, rather interesting alternative spellings, was birthed in the 1930s at a Greek restaurant, The Rotisserie, located in Jackson, Mississippi. Known back then as simply their house dressing, it very quickly caught on and has earned fame, spreading across the city to other restaurants and eventually across the south. Comeback Sauce is truly the queen mother of all Mississippi condiments.

Completely versatile, Comeback Sauce can be used as a burger condiment, as a sandwich spread {it is super duper yummy good on a fried baloney sandwich with caramelized onions on Whitewheat bread, oh my...}, smeared alone on simple plain saltines, used as a salad dressing, as a dip for crudités, fried green tomatoes, boiled shrimp, fried shrimp, raw, steamed or fried oysters, fried pickles, fried mushrooms, onion rings, french fries, well, just about anything really! It's a basic all around sauce that once you try, I'm sure you'll fall in love with.

Though ingredients now vary a bit from region to region, most contain some mix of mayonnaise, ketchup, chili sauce, Worcestershire sauce, onion and garlic ... to start. From there, it is your own creation really, so feel free to experiment and decrease, increase or add ingredients that sound good to you. With all due respect to those who author the recipes containing only mayonnaise, ketchup and a lot of black pepper, that is not a true Comeback Sauce.

Mississippi Comeback Sauce has a more intense, layered profile and has a little bit more to it than those three ingredients! I like to use the Thai sweet chili sauce when I have it, for the extra kick, but plain chili sauce is fine too. I also prefer my sauce smooth, so I use garlic and onion powder, but feel free to exchange that for fresh if you prefer. Just be sure to mix it up ahead of time and give it time for the flavors to marry in the fridge, because it only gets better. Aptly named, it really is so good you'll "comeback for more."

Throw in chopped up boiled egg and a bit of sweet pickle relish and you'll have yourself a mighty fine, kicked up Thousand Island dressing.

Heinz Chili Sauce is a tomato based product, containing tomato puree, onion, garlic and other seasonings.

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Recipe: Mississippi Comeback Sauce

©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

Prep time: 10 min |

Yield: About 4 to 6 servings

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Ingredients

• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of chili sauce
• 1/4 cup of ketchup
• 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon of spicy mustard
• 1 cup of mayonnaise
• 8 turns of the pepper grinder
• Couple dashes of hot sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama)
• 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
• The juice of 1/2 of a lemon

Instructions

Put all of the ingredients in a blender and process until well mixed. Store in fridge. Use on everything!

Source:  http://www.deepsouthdish.com/

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Posted by Mary on August 27, 2009

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Sliced okra is dipped in buttermilk and then dredged in a lightly seasoned mixture of cornmeal and flour, then deep fried to crispy perfection.

Southern Deep Fried Okra

I have been asked several times how I do my fried okra, so I've finally gotten around to picking some up and cookin' it. Oh the sacrifice.

We use okra a lot down south as a thickening agent in gumbo. I believe that and boiled - yes, with that gooey, buttery, slime and all - are the only two ways that my Mama ever used okra when I was growin' up.

Me, I love okra cooked up just about any way you can think of - stewed down with fresh garden tomatoes and sweet onion, roasted or pan fried, plain with a just bit of olive oil and seasonings, boiled and tossed with butter and salt, and most certainly fried.

Fried okra is another one of those fried foods that I prefer to deep fry over pan frying. Deep fried foods absorb much less oil and produces that crispy end product that I love. Despite the fact that we do fry a lot of things in the south, I just do not do greasy. I also don't care for okra simply passed through cornmeal so I run them through a bit of buttermilk first.

Okra not in season? Grab a bag of precut okra from the freezer section! Excellent as a side dish, alone as a snack, and really good as a salad topper, or try it dipped in some yummy Comeback Sauce.

Here's how I make my fried okra. Enjoy!

Click Here to Read More & to Get Recipe »

A favorite egg salad, made very simply with the addition of shrimp, green onion, celery and mayonnaise. Serve in a tomato, as a sandwich, or stuffed into a tomato. Light and delicious!

Shrimp and Egg Salad

Today's post is a 4-in-one. They sort of all went together so rather than reserve them for different days, I thought that I would post them all together at the same time. Click each link below to visit them all.

First we have Absolutely Perfect Shrimp & Crab Boil, followed by a yummy Easy Cocktail Sauce and a Speedy White Rémoulade Sauce for dipping, and then well, what else does one do when one has leftover boiled shrimp?

Maybe Shrimp Remoulade? Or some Pickled Shrimp? Maybe Marinated Shrimp? Or a pasta salad with shrimp, like Shrimp & Macaroni Salad and Shrimp with Bowtie Pasta, both perfect for leftover boiled shrimp. Dang y'all. I'm hungry! All of those are excellent choices of course, but truly one of my most favorite things to do is to make a very simple Shrimp & Egg Salad!

This is one thing my Mama made often because she loved it so much. In fact, I think that when she made it, she actually tried to hide it from us kids! Course... that never worked. Not with me anyway.

So, this is her way of making Shrimp & Egg Salad, though mostly down south we really just refer to this as Shrimp Salad. Very simple, but oh, so good.

My favorite way to eat this is simply spread on saltines, but it is a great sandwich filling and very well received as tiny crust trimmed, finger sandwiches at a party. It is also excellent on those mini croissants, but, it's equally good on top of a bed of nice mixed lettuces and served with some fresh garden tomato wedges on the side.


So boil some eggs, or try my new favorite way of steaming them, and make this lovely shrimp and egg salad - maybe stuffed into a nice ripe tomato, for lunch!

My shrimp salad stuffed inside a gorgeous tomato.

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Recipe: Shrimp and Egg Salad

©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

Prep time: 10 min |Inactive time: 2 hours |

Yield: About 4 to 6 servings

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Ingredients

• 1 pound of seasoned, cooked shrimp
• 3 boiled eggs
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped
• 1 whole green onion, sliced
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, or lemon pepper, to taste

Instructions

Rough chop the shrimp and place into a medium sized bowl. Peel and chop eggs, add to shrimp. Add the celery and green onion. Taste, season with salt and pepper and mix well. Add additional mayo if needed, and adjust seasoning as needed. Cover and refrigerate to let the flavors all meld together.

Serve as a sandwich spread on fresh bread, as a spread on saltines, center a scoop on a bed of mixed baby greens, surrounded by chunks of fresh garden tomato, or just stuff the insides of a nice fat tomato. Yummy!

~Cook’s Notes~

Shrimp Seasoning Note: If you're using precooked or raw frozen shrimp, melt a tablespoon of butter in a skillet and add the thawed shrimp. Saute until the shrimp turns pink, or if already cooked, just to warm through. Sprinkle with some Slap Ya Mama or other Cajun/Creole seasoning and a bit of Old Bay seasoning to give it a bit of flavor punch.

Please look for Wild American Shrimp in support of our American fishermen where you shop. Much of the prepackaged frozen shrimp you see in the stores are inferior foreign imports! The less often we buy cheap, foreign imported shrimp, and the more often we look for and buy shrimp marked with the Wild American Shrimp seal, the less expensive it will become! The quality can't be matched anyway - it's worth the extra cost.

Source: http://deepsouthdish.com/

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Posted by Mary on August 24, 2009

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Speedy White Rémoulade Sauce

Well, with all that nice, spicy boiled shrimp, classic cocktail sauce is a common condiment to use for sure, but I thought another sauce was in order. One of the best to accompany boiled shrimp is a good rémoulade.

There are many different ways to make a rémoulade sauce, even with the two versions I am familiar with - one, like this, the mayonnaise-based version is the more classic, French version, and then there is the Louisiana-style, tomato-based version, which I am also endeared to. It takes a few additional ingredients to whip up a proper red rémoulade sauce though - at least it does to do one in Commander's Palace style, which in my opinion would be the proper style!

This round, I was simply looking for something speedy, to dip some of that lovely boiled shrimp in.

Even within those two camps of white and red, there is still room for variety. Some folks like pickles in the classic sauce, likening it to more of a tartar sauce and I also do, when I am eating fish. Some folks like capers, some, even anchovies! The white goes well with most seafood, is fantastic with beef and pork, and it even makes a great sauce for fried green tomatoes.

Sshh.... don't tell anybody, but after the photos, I added just a bit of ketchup and a few dashes of hot sauce to a serving to make sort of a "cheater" red rémoulade ... but I figured that in proper blogger fashion, I'd better keep the post authentic to the recipe. Feel free to make yours in the cheater fashion also, if you're so inclined, because the tang of the ketchup is indeed most excellent, especially with boiled shrimp. We'll get to the proper red in due time.

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Speedy White Rémoulade Sauce
From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

1 cup of mayonnaise
3 green onions, sliced
2 tablespoons Emeril's Kicked Up Horseradish Mustard*
1 teaspoon of dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

Mix all ingredients together, cover and chill.

*Can substitute 2 tablespoons of regular Creole mustard, plus 1 teaspoon of prepared horseradish.


Source: http://deepsouthdish.com

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Mississippi Comeback Sauce
Jalapeno Cream Sauce
Spicy Mustard Sauce

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Easy Cocktail Sauce

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Perfect for raw oysters, boiled shrimp or any fried seafood, such as fried shrimp, southern fried catfish, or even deep fried oysters.

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Easy Cocktail Sauce
From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

1 cup of chili sauce
1/4 cup of prepared horseradish
Juice of one lemon
Couple dashes of hot sauce
Pinch of kosher salt
8 turns of the pepper grinder

Combine well.

Source:  http://www.deepsouthdish.com

Check These Out Too!

Mississippi Comeback Sauce
Jalapeno Cream Sauce
Spicy Mustard Sauce

.

Absolutely Perfect Shrimp and Crab Boil

A nicely seasoned boil for shrimp or crabs.

Shrimp and Crab Boil

Seriously. This is the absolute perfect shrimp and crab boil recipe. I swear! Well, I think it is anyway. Now first, let me get this out of the way - this is more about the boil seasoning, than it is about the boiling. You can boil the tiniest of shrimp, or the super colossal ones with this same boil. The mixture here will do somewhere between 3 to 5 pounds of the larger shrimp, a larger quantity of the smaller, but the soaking time will vary accordingly. So test your shrimp and remove them when they are done.

Now I realize a lot of you don't buy your shrimp raw, and many of you buy them already cleaned and cooked, but... some of y'all are from 'round this part of the country I know, and let me tell you, I've tried for years and years, all different recipes, combinations, methods, seasonings, timing, whatever, to get to this recipe, so trust me on this one. This is the one. And of course, if you're having to buy your shrimp frozen, you can buy them raw in the shell and season them like this.

Here's how to do it.

Click Here to Read More & to Get Recipe »

Coconut Key Lime Pie with Minty Whipped Cream

A Key lime pie made with cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk and Key lime juice in a coconut graham cracker crust and served with minty whipped cream.

Coconut Key Lime Pie

From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish
Published: August 21, 2009

Coconut Key Lime Pie. I love lime. I absolutely love it. Pair that up with some sweetened condensed milk and I am in heaven.

Traditionally Key lime pie contains egg yolks and is unbaked, though that is rarely done these days, since most fillings with egg are now baked. Some say that baking the pie completely changes its flavor and texture though and use pasteurized egg yolks to squelch the fears of using raw eggs in an unbaked filling. Key lime pie also sometimes has an egg white meringue on top, though I prefer mine plain with only a dab of whipped cream.

This recipe simplifies all of that and skips the eggs altogether, relying on the reaction between the acids and the sweet milk to provide adequate thickening. But, there is also a pleasant surprise of coconut in the crust.

If you can't find Key limes, just substitute regular Persian limes. Key limes are more aromatic and acidic - just a bit more tart than regular limes. Freshly squeezed juice is best, but if you can't find either types of limes, look for bottled Key lime juice.

Do take the time to make the minted whipped cream because it is amazing with this pie. Garnish each serving with a bit of lime zest, or a lime twist, or just eat it naked. It's a refreshing pie, perfect for winding down the dog days of summer.



Prep time: 20 min , plus overnight to set
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min , plus overnight to set
Yield: 1 9" pie (8 servings)

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Coconut Key Lime Pie
with Minty Whipped Cream
From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

1 sleeve of graham crackers, crushed
1 cup of sweetened coconut
6 tablespoons of unsalted pure butter, melted
1 (8 ounce)package of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 (14 ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup of Key lime juice (about a dozen Key limes)
Minty Whipped Cream, recipe below
Lime zest and/or toasted coconut for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the crushed graham crackers and coconut; add the butter and stir together with a fork until crumbs are well coated. Pour into pie plate and spread evenly. Press crumbs into the bottom and sides of pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until just lightly browned. Set aside to cool. Can also use a store bought graham cracker crust.

Combine the cream cheese and condensed milk and beat on medium speed until well blended and smooth. Turn to low and slowly add the lime juice, mixing until fully incorporated. Pour filling into cooled crust. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Garnish before serving.

Minty Whipped Cream
From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

1 cup of heavy cream
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of mint extract

If you have room, stick your mixer bowl and whipping attachment in the freezer for a few minutes to get them both very cold. Add the cream to the bowl and whip on medium high until it begins to thicken slightly. Reduce speed and sprinkle sugar into the cream, add extract. Beat until stiffened.

Note: Key limes are only authentic if they are grown in the Florida Keys. Summertime is the peak season for them, generally June through August, though you can find what is referred to as "key" limes from Central America and Mexico other times of the year, as well as Texas and California grown "Mexican" limes. Check your supermarket juice section and the area where they keep cocktail mixers for bottled Key lime juice. To substitute, for every cup of fresh lime juice needed, you'll need roughly 20 to 22 Key limes, or 8 to 12 regular (Persian limes).

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Images and Full Post Content including Recipe ©Deep South Dish. Do not repost elsewhere without explicit permission. All rights reserved.
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Cube steak dressed up with a coating of seasoned bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese, browned and topped with pizza sauce, baked and then sprinkled with a bit more Parmesan.

Steak Parmesan

Steak Parmesan is a real family-pleaser that comes together quick, so you can get it prepped, cooked and on the table in under 45 minutes. I usually do 4 cube steaks, leaving leftovers for the two of us. For a family you'll probably want to do at least 6 to 8 cube steaks and increase some of the ingredients just slightly. This also works fantastic with a sprinkling of mozzarella on top, instead of the additional Parmesan.

I served this with a side of parslied potatoes - just simply peeled and chopped potatoes, that have been boiled, then drained and tossed with melted butter, salt and pepper and parsley - and a mixed garden salad. Pan roasted potatoes would also be nice. Easy, simple, and quick. Dig in and enjoy. Adapted from a Southern Living recipe.

Click Here to Read More & to Get Recipe »

Mississippi Mud Bars

Now, what kind of Mississippi gal would I be without eventually getting around to posting a recipe for Mississippi Mud Bars? Well, with all this rainy weather here lately, I got in a baking mood and needing to use up some miniature marshmallows, I thought it'd be a great day to get around to making my recipe, so here ya are!

Truth is, Mississippi Mud desserts show up in a variety of presentations - as a cake, or a pie, or like here, bars. And of course, as usual, it is made in as many different ways as there are cooks, but always involves chocolate, nuts, marshmallows, and chocolate frosting. I make my Mississippi Mud Bars using my basic standby brownie recipe because it is the perfect gooey back drop as the "mud," which I then top with the marshmallows and a powdered sugar chocolate frosting.


Personally, I love scratch brownies because they are a breeze to make, and I almost always have all of the ingredients in the house. You can, of course, easily substitute your favorite packaged brownie mix here. Traditionally, Mississippi Mud is most often made using pecans because of their abundance here, but you can leave them out or substitute walnuts instead. You can also toast the pecans beforehand if you like, but it's totally optional.

This is a very decadent, rich dessert and definitely not low fat, but truly a chocoholics dream. And... now that it's in the house... off to practice that mantra, "all things in moderation." Enjoy!

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Mississippi Mud Bars
From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

3/4 cup Hershey's cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup canola oil, divided 1/3 cup at a time
1/2 cup boiling water
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 handfuls of pecans or walnuts, chopped
3 cups of miniature marshmallows
Chocolate Frosting, recipe below

Stir cocoa and baking soda together. Blend 1/3 c. veg. oil into cocoa until well mixed and shiny.

Add boiling water, stir until thickened.

Add in sugar, remaining 1/3 c. oil, and eggs, stirring until smooth. Add flour, vanilla and salt, blending completely. Add nuts. Pour into a lightly greased 13 x 9 metal baking pan and bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

Sprinkle marshmallows on top and return to oven for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and spread marshmallows evenly over the top. Carefully spread the frosting over marshmallows but don't fret if you draw a bit of the marshmallow into the chocolate frosting. It's fine!

Cool and cut into squares.

Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup of butter, melted
1/3 cup cocoa
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 (1 pound) box of powdered sugar, sifted

Combine ingredients and beat at medium speed until well blended; increase to high speed and beat until frosting reaches spreading consistency.

Source: http://deepsouthdish.com

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I have discovered that Mississippi Mud Bars are amazingly enhanced with a bit of peanut butter smeared on top of a square. Try it!



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Carottes Glacées - Glazed Carrots from Julia

Strips of carrots slow boiled in beef stock with a little sugar and plenty of butter.

Glazed Carrots

Everybody has heard of, and probably had, some kind of glazed carrots made using brown sugar, or honey, or maple syrup, or oranges, or a combination of any of these wonderful flavors - especially around the holidays. But Julia's glazed carrots are pure, unadulterated, simple and just delicious.

Oh my gosh ... if I could have rolled around in these carrots I swear I would have, they were that good. Even The Cajun, my primary taste-tester, commented during dinner, not once, but several times, about how delicious these carrots were, and that's quite a compliment coming from a meat and potatoes man!

A pound and a half of carrots, slow boiled for nearly an hour in just under two cups of beef stock, with a couple of tablespoons of sugar, enough to enhance the natural sugars of the carrots without making it overly sweet, and of course, butter, plenty of butter, all reduced to a syrupy glaze. That's it - beef stock, sugar and butter - and the resulting flavor is amazing. Just before serving, you lightly toss the carrots so that they all glisten from the sauce. These are a perfect side dish for Sunday dinner - grilled or pan-seared steaks, baked ham, pot roast, chicken fried steak, country style steak, roasted chicken, pork roast, smothered pork chops - or really just about any main dish.

Click Here to Read More & to Get Recipe »

Weekend Cocktails - Lemon Drop

If I keep doing this weekend cocktail series, I guess I'm going to have to invest in a basic bar set, because frankly these are what I'm using for shaking and straining.

Pretty darned sophisticated, huh?!

Well, I guess that would be what you call southern ingenuity! Make do with what you have. So, please also forgive my use of the margarita glass for what clearly should be in a martini glass. I'll try to redeem myself on the next martini glass worthy drink.

Y'all know I love lemonade, so I guess you could say this is like lemonade on steriods. Perfect for the summer cocktail collection but pretty strong stuff that makes for a very loooooong sipping drink for me. This one will last me all night. Happy weekend y'all!

Lemon Drop
Posted at http://deepsouthdish.com/

Couple scoops of ice
6 ounces citrus vodka
2 ounces of triple sec
Juice of two lemons, reserve rind for garnish
1 tablespoon of simple syrup, or to taste
Lemon candies and/or lemon curls for garnish

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the vodka, triple sec, lemon juice and simple syrup and shake well. Strain into chilled martini (or margarita) glass and garnish with lemon candies and a lemon curl, if desired.

Grandma Mac's Homemade Chicken Spaghetti

I've been thinkin' about my Grandma Mac a lot here lately. I was looking for a document on an old desktop PC that I rarely use anymore, and I ran across a letter I'd written to my Grandma when she went to stay with my aunt in Alabama, shortly before she died. She had started having a bit of dementia by this time and I had written the letter in that manner, "remember that they are in Japan" and "this is Rosalie, my aunt, Mama's sister." I was still working then, no Hurricane Katrina had passed our way, my sister in law Teresa, who later died just before her 40th birthday from breast cancer, was still living then, and we had just finally sold my parents house, several years after they had both passed. A lot has happened in just a few years.

When I was packing up my Mama's china at her old house, one of the last things I packed up, I wrote a little short story about the experience when I got home, and I had sent a copy of it to my Grandma. Packing up that china was an emotional moment - one day I'll post that story over on My New 30 and you'll see what I mean. There were a lot of memories behind that china. Anyway, I had also sent her several pictures of family and typed the letter in large print so that she hopefully could read it on her own if she wanted to. Seeing that letter made me smile but also sad at the same time - does that make sense? I miss visiting with my Grandma and chatting over coffee and pound cake.

So ... with her on my mind, I decided to give Grandma's chicken spaghetti another spin. This recipe is as close as I've been able to come to duplicating her recipe, though there's still that something that is missing that I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe it's just as simple as bein' Grandma's touch, I don't know, and even though this is very close, ya know I'm gonna keep on tryin'! In my heart of hearts, I know she's up there smilin' down on me for even tryin' and I'm sure she'll even forgive me for the times I make it with anything other than a hen. Sure do miss ya Gram.

Now ... first, this is not the chicken spaghetti casserole that is combined with cheese and baked. This is a true tomato based sauce similar to its meatball and meat sauce cousin, so no cheese! This is also a 'from scratch' homemade sauce - meaning it is made with fresh tomatoes - not canned tomatoes, meaning, well, it takes just a little more prep and time, and for some of you that might mean that it's a weekend dish. In my opinion, it is totally worth it! Course you can substitute canned tomatoes if you need too. But heck, while tomato season is winding down, why not use up some of those garden fresh babies? You'll notice the difference in the flavor, trust me.

I prefer this spaghetti with vermicelli noodles, because that's how my Grandma made it, but any spaghetti noodle you happen to have on hand will work. I hope you give this a try - it really is yummy! Enjoy.

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Grandma Mac's Homemade Chicken Spaghetti
From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

1 small hen, boiled - reserve broth
3 large tomatoes, skinned & chopped (about 1-1/2
   to 2 pounds), juices reserved
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 of a Vidalia or yellow onion, chopped
1/2 stalk of celery, chopped fine
1 clove of garlic
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of fresh basil, chopped
1 can of tomato sauce
1 tablespoon of sugar
Couple shakes of dried parsley flakes
Couple shakes of Italian seasoning
Couple dashes of Cajun seasoning, optional
Couple shakes of poultry seasoning
2 bay leaves
Up to 2 cups of broth left from the hen, or substitute chicken stock
1 pound package of angel hair, vermicelli or spaghetti noodles

Boil the hen in salted water until meat is cooked through. Reserve 2 cups of the broth, set hen aside to cool. Once cooled, debone and shred the meat; set aside.

Next get the skin off of the tomatoes. Don't skip this step! You'll end up with inedible tomato skins cluttering up your sauce. Bring a pot of water to a boil; set aside a separate bowl of ice water. Lightly cut a crosshatch into the skin of the bottom side of the tomato. When the water comes to a boil, carefully add the tomatoes and let them boil for a minute or three or until the skin begins to crack and separate. Remove the tomato and plunge it into the ice water bath to stop the cooking process and cool the tomato. Once cooled, peel off the skins and then chop the tomato, reserving all of the juice that accumulates.

Prepare pasta to al dente according to package directions. Drain, rinse and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the chopped onion, celery, garlic and salt, saute for about 5 minutes or until veggies are tender. Add the tomatoes, basil, tomato sauce, sugar, parsley flakes, Italian seasoning, Cajun seasoning, poultry seasoning; bring to a boil. Add bay leaves, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour or until reduced and thickened. Stir in the chicken and enough broth from the stock you reserved from the hen (or use a commercial chicken stock) until it reaches the desired consistency. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until heated through.

Note: This is a fresh, fairly light sauce recipe. If you prefer a heavier sauce to pasta ratio, you'll need to increase the sauce portion.

Shortcut this: Use a rotisserie chicken, canned whole tomatoes, and commercial broth to speed things up. You'll probably need at least one large can (28 ounce/1 pound 12 ounce), drained, then chopped, retaining the juices.

Source:  http://www.deepsouthdish.com

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A little different from how I make my fried corn, here fresh corn is stewed down in bacon drippings and cream, a great side dish anytime.

Southern Style Creamed Corn

This creamed corn is perfect made with freshly shucked sweet corn, and especially Silver Queen variety, when it's available and in season, the kernels shaved straight off the cob, and juiced of the milk, ummm-ummm, some kinda good. But when you don't have any corn on the cob handy, two cans of drained whole kernel corn or even a bag of frozen corn (try the shoepeg corn) both make mighty adequate substitutes. For fresh corn, you'll want just about one ear or so per serving.

You can also remove about half of the corn from the skillet, pulverize it in a blender, then return it to the skillet if you want a more traditional creamed corn. I don't bother because I like it this way just fine and ya don't have to worry about it spreadin' out all over your plate this way {which The Cajun just hates}. Some Southerners do a dish similar to this and called it Fried Corn, but to me that's a whole 'nother corn, but it's another delicious option too.

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An old fashioned chicken pot pie, made with a thick & creamy roux & veggies, encased in a flaky double crust.

Old Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie

A couple of food bloggers here recently near about apologized for posting dishes that they had been having tastes for, but that some people might consider a fall or winter dish. I don't even remember what it was now, but that doesn't matter. What struck me was that, well, if I have a taste for a certain dish, a craving if you will, I'm gonna make it, no matter the time of year! It's just silly I tell you, because frankly, Down South, we have pretty much one season 90% of the time. Hot.

Such was the reason for me making a chicken pie - something that I suppose some folks would consider to be a dish more geared toward the latter part of the year. I still have plenty of chicken in the freezer and for several weeks now I have simply been craving a chicken pot pie! So I finally got around to making one, and I could care less whether it's August or not. Who cares! I had a taste for it, and that's all the reason I need to cook something.

Now unlike some folks, y'all know I don't have a thing against condensed soups. Heck, they are a Southern Staple in many casseroles, including in this southern cook's collection, and rightly so! They make a quick and easy sauce. But just like a banana pudding made with homemade custard versus one made with pudding, while both are good, you really can't beat the homemade custard, I don't care who ya are.

And that's what makes this chicken pie so darned good, a fresh roux, seasoned just right, and finished with some good chicken stock and half and half. {whispers} Sssshh.... don't tell nobody, but this recipe has actually beat out a few grandma recipes. When I don't make my own homemade pie crust - which frankly is pretty darned easy with a food processor - I also only use the Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts - no generic in this kitchen - been there, done that. Unlike the generics, Pillsbury pie crusts are reliable, consistent and simply an excellent product, tender & flaky and instantly available. Speaking of pie crusts...

Have y'all seen these press/pat in the pan pie crusts? Well, I have to say that I did try those a couple times and no offense to those of you who love them, but that was about the worse possible excuse for a pie crust that I've ever seen. I suppose if you're just looking for something to hold your pie up it's okay, but to me, if a pie crust isn't tender and flaky, it ruins the whole recipe! You can take the extra step to make your own if you're up to it, of course.

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Oeufs Pochés in Honor of Julie & Julia - Poached Eggs

How to Poach an Egg

Fill a large skillet with 2 inches of water and add 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Have a bowl of cool water at the ready. Bring the water in the skillet to a boil, reduce heat to a very low simmer and keep it at a simmer.  Break one egg at a time in the water and using a spatula, immediately push the outsides of the white over toward the yolk. Add additional eggs and repeat. Once the first egg has been in the water for 4 minutes, lift it out of the water with a slotted spoon and check it - the white should be cooked and the yolk still soft.

Still holding the egg on the slotted spoon, dip it quickly into the cool water to stop the cooking and to rinse any vinegar residue, then keeping it on the spoon, dab it on a paper towel to dry. Serve immediately or if preparing ahead, store in refrigerator.  To reheat, use a slotted spoon to dip into hot salty water for 30 seconds, drain and serve.

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Thanks to all of you for coming on over with me from the My New 30 blog to launch this sister blog Deep South Dish, the new home for all the recipes & food-related posts. The most recent giveaway for a copy of the 40th Anniversary Edition of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1,by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck, closed yesterday and the lucky winner is girlichef!! Contact me with your info - full name, addy and a phone number is needed! Congrats!!

I am so excited to be giving this cookbook away! Had it not been for all the pre-release publicity for this movie I would have never bought this cookbook. I would have continued thinking that this manner of cooking was intended only for very serious chefs - the kind who attended classes at very prestigious and very expensive overseas cooking academies - and not for well, a housewife like me.

And that would have been sad because this cookbook is a wonderful piece of work, written exactly as Julia intended: to teach "servantless Americans" the art of French cooking. Written for those of us who love to cook, it is as relevant today, perhaps even more so, as it was in 1961 and I absolutely adore this cookbook. I am sorry that I did not already own it all these years, but... I am thrilled that one of you will soon own one yourself!

On Friday, The Hubs and I went to see the movie, Julie & Julia. And yes, I told him that once we got there, if he preferred to go and see one of the action movies that was also playing about the same time - GI Joe or G-Force for instance - I would not be at all upset. He chose to go to see Julie & Julia with me {what a good husband}. As we purchased our tickets, the gal at the ticket booth assured us that there were lots of men coming to see the movie already and sure enough the theater was loaded with couples. I have to say that I think the men laughed the loudest and the hardest, because when it comes down to it, this was simply a funny and delightful movie that I cannot wait to see again.

The idea for the movie was draw in part from Julia Child's corroboration with Alex Prud'Homme on the book My Life in France,and the book by the blogger we have pretty much all heard about by now, Julie Powell, who cooked and blogged her way through Mastering The Art of French Cookingand then wrote her own book later, Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen more reasonably available right now in paperback as Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously.

Now, from what I understand the Julie we see on the big screen is a bit different than the Julie in real life and you know what? That was okay with me.

I don't know the Julie in real life, but I liked the Julie that was portrayed on the screen. That Julie could be me. Or you.

I understood her. I got what she meant. And I liked her. I'm sure that was the intent in softening up the character anyway. To me, this movie was my introduction to the real Julia Child, and the fact that one of my favorite actresses of all time, Meryl Streep played her and played her well, sealed the deal. I loved Julia in this movie. I loved Julia with Paul. In fact, I loved this movie so much, that I rushed home and uploaded My Life in Francestraight to my Kindleso I could start reading it right away!

As a foodie/food blogger, even if one of the common country and very UN-gourmet kind of folk, I felt connected to both of the central characters. To Julie for feeling lost and somewhat broken, but for loving writing and for seeking a purpose in her life one day at a time - by blogging about food. I so get that. To Julia, who won my heart when she responded "To eat!" when her husband asked her, "What do you like to do?" during a conversation over dinner where she was contemplating what to do with herself while there in Paris. That is so me. I love the entire process of food - developing & creating recipes, shopping for ingredients, putting it all together, the smells, the textures, the visual aspects, and of course, to then taste and eat the creations. This is me.

I smiled & laughed so much my face hurt. And, there were times that I cried. You are told very often in your life, to be happy in your career you must seek your passion. I knew immediately, when my eyes welled up in the near opening of the movie, that food was my passion. And despite the fact that I spent more than 20 years building a career and working my way through promotions in the legal field - it only took several hours for a hurricane named Katrina to whisk all of that away from me, at a turning point in my life when I was just about to hit 50. But you know what? I learned that Julia was also in her 50s before she really pursued her passion.

There is hope for me yet.

If you are a food blogger, or just a foodie, go see this movie. It's funny. It's entertaining. It'll be a great escape from real life. Even The Hubs said it was a Good Movie, and except for one "F" bomb and a risque reference by "Julia" to a certain part of the male anatomy, it's thankfully, pretty clean fun too.