My QVC Experience

There's just a little somethin' somethin' I gotta say before we get back to our regularly scheduled program here of sharin' recipes and memories and talkin' about products I love and other stuff, and that's my still unbelievable journey with my first cookbook in a town called West Chester in the state of Pennsylvania on live television.

LIVE television y'all.

Deep South Dish Homestyle Southern Recipes Cookbook

Deep South Dish Homestyle Southern Recipes Cookbook

Just a quick reminder for those of y'all who have been after me for years to publish a cookbook you could hold in your hands... the day is finally here!

This Sunday, April 19th, 2015, between 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST, will be my on-air appearance with David Venable on "In the Kitchen with David" for the exclusive launch of Deep South Dish Homestyle Southern Recipes on QVC. You'll get your book ahead of everybody else!

Easy Greasy Product Review

A brand new, redesign of the old kitchen strainer, you'll find yourself reaching for the Easy Greasy time and again!

Back when I was originally scheduled to appear on QVC with my new cookbook, I heard from another gal who was going to present a product there close to the same time as me. We got to chatting and when she explained what her product was, I was intrigued, so she sent me one. Y'all know how much I love a good kitchen gadget, and Michelle is the inventor of this clever redesign of a commonly used kitchen item she calls Easy Greasy.

A boneless prime rib roast made with a rub of olive oil, herbs, spices and seasonings and served with an au jus. Offer an optional sour cream horseradish sauce at the table.

Boneless Prime Rib Beef Roast with au Jus

Most people are terrified of cooking a prime rib roast at home and for good reason. It is a very expensive cut of meat if you mess up!

I actually felt the same way for a very long time and I didn't try to cook one myself because I was so intimidated that I'd ruin it.

But, it's also a delicious cut of meat, so it's worth the effort, and, if you follow these four essential rules, you'll have a perfect, and impressive, holiday roast.

 

Most often simply called a trifle today, punch bowls cakes were once all the rage in the South. Made here with layers of angel food cake, a creamy filling, strawberries and whipped cream, it is a delicious well-received and beautiful presentation for any gathering.

Punch Bowl Strawberry Lush Angel Cake

Punch bowls have a long history in the South and this dessert is a perfect one to ring in spring. Back in the day before hiring a caterer was the norm, families provided all of the food and labor for big parties and family events, and every family had a treasured punch bowl, almost always one that had been passed down a few times.

Chicken Pot Pie Casserole with a filling made of pre-cooked chicken, cream soup and chicken broth, mixed vegetables and a few herbs and seasonings, topped with a biscuit batter.

Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

Those of y'all who've been around here awhile know that I love my homemade, from scratch two-crust, chicken pot pie.

It's classic, the way a pot pie should be, and it quickly became both a fan and family favorite. This batter topped recipe is just a tad bit quicker version for when time is running short.

Cajun style sticky chicken, made with boneless, skinless thighs, seared in butter and oil, then caramelized with brown sugar and finished with a rich, trinity enhanced roux.

Cajun Sticky Chicken

Rouse's Market is my favorite grocery store here, hands down, and they often have the large bags of chicken thighs or leg quarters at a great sale price. Recently, it was the large packages of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, so I picked them up with this recipe in mind.

You've likely heard of all sorts of "sticky chicken" recipes around the net ranging from the rubbed and roasted, rotissiere style like I have here on the blog, or the ketchup, honey and soy sauce version, and there's even a version with pineapple, something akin to my slow cooker version, along with a wide range of variations.

Instant Pot/Electronic Pressure Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

Homemade chicken noodle soup, made from a whole chicken in an electronic pressure cooker.

Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

If you've been a friend of this blog for any amount of time, you already know that I love my food cooked the old-fashioned way - in the oven or on the top of the stove, low and slow. It's part of the whole process that birthed this recipe website to begin with - connecting to my Mama and Grandma through cooking, after Hurricane Katrina changed my entire career path overnight.

There's just something magical that happens with that low and slow process that makes you understand the whole emotional connection to our past while cooking for someone in the present, and how it literally explodes the flavor in a dish that just doesn't happen any other way.

Sausage and Peppers Stew with Onions with Beans

A quick skillet stew of sausage with peppers and onions, tomatoes, barbecue sauce, and beans.

Sausage and Peppers Stew

I love this quick take on classic sausage and peppers with onions, adding in beans, making it much more filling and satisfying. It's kinda like if you took beanie weenies and sausage and peppers and married them.

I've used Italian sausage here, but you can use any kind of Italian-style sausage like chicken or turkey, or even a good andouille sausage, and I've also used those gourmet hot dogs that come with the steak packages you get as a gift at Christmas.

Nutritional Factoid: Did you know that while most canned beans are very high in sodium, draining and rinsing them gets rid of nearly half of the sodium level? And, just so you know, it also helps to reduce some of those gas-causing sugars too.

UPDATE SAVE THE DATE! The Deep South Dish Cookbook is Almost Here!

I am so excited to share with y'all that my cookbook, Deep South Dish Homestyle Southern Recipes, is just about here! Isn't the cover pretty? For those of you wondering "where's the beef?" it's representative of one of our favorite Southern dishes - the vegetable plate - and is actually one of my personal photos and all of my personal recipes! The publisher thought that it was a perfect cover for a spring launch and so do I. Don't worry though - there's plenty of meat protein dishes inside and a few of them are even featured on the back cover too! (Fried chicken anyone?)

Never in a million years when I lost my job - and frankly my entire career - to a hurricane named Katrina, did I have any idea that I would find myself where I am today ... and now a published cookbook author too. No matter how down and out things seems folks, never give up. He might just have bigger plans for you too.