Lemon Pepper Garlic Salt

Salt Preserving! There are a host of ways to use salt. I have several ways that I used it, but this recipe is a quick one that only takes an hour or so to complete, start to finish. I decided to infuse salt with citrus and herbs. 

1. 1 lemon
2. 2-4 cloves garlic*
3. 1/4 tsp course black pepper, or more to taste
4. 1 cup kosher salt

1. Zest lemon in a bowl. Mix salt in with the lemon.
2. Juice the lemon and add to the salt. Run the garlic through a garlic press and add it to the salt also. Mix the salt, lemon zest, lemon juice and garlic. Use a fork or your fingers to work the salt as much as possible.

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. Pour the lemon salt evenly in a shallow oven-proof dish, lined with parchment paper. Place in the oven for about an hour to dry out the salt. (When it's done, it will be rock hard with no moisture left.) Prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon to provide ventilation for proper drying.
2. Wait for the salt to cool and use a fork, wooden spoon or your fingers to break up salt.
3. Store the salt in small jars.

*I use 2 large cloves or 4 small, depending on their size and the strength of garlic you desire. Add or subtract the amount you want.

Salt Cured Egg Yolks

I am participating in a year long Food In Jars Mastery Challenge hosted by Marisa from Food in Jars, and the February challenge was Salt Preserving! There were a host of ways to use salt. I have several ways that I used it, including this method of salt curing egg yolks! Salt curing egg yolks, solidifies and preserved the yolk. There is no definite "shelf" life, but in the recipe/instructions I followed, the author commented that he had some he had stored up to a year. The yolks were still good.

There really isn't a need for a recipe. You just need a container, eggs, salt and cheesecloth. I followed the instructions provided by Hank Shaw of Hunter~Angler~ Gardener~Cook. It is a very simple process. The hardest part is waiting which takes patience, something I am short on sometimes! 

Separate the yolks from the whites.
(Save the whites for another recipe.)
Pour a bed of salt, and nestle the yolk in the salt.

Cover completely with salt, cover loosely

and refrigerate for a week.
I put a lid on the bowl and only sealed one side.

After a week in salt, the yolk is firm,
but still a little sticky.
I brushed the salt off of the yolk, wrapped it in cheesecloth
and hung it from a shelf in the refrigerator.

The second egg is much darker than the first!

I rinsed this one, wrapped it in cheesecloth
and hung it from a shelf in the refrigerator.

I didn't rinse the first cured yolk

before completing the drying process,
so you see some salt in the yolk.

Rich Grated Cured Egg Yolk
I sprinkled some on some buttered toast.
Some suggest sprinkling over pasta like cheese.
Delicious!

Lemon Pepper Garlic Salt

I am participating in a year long Food In Jars Mastery Challenge hosted by Marisa from Food in Jars, and the February challenge was Salt Preserving! There were a host of ways to use salt. I have several ways that I used it, but this recipe is the quickie recipe that only takes an hour or so to complete, start to finish. I decided to infuse salt with citrus and herbs. 

1. 1 lemon
2. 2-4 cloves garlic*
3. 1/4 tsp course black pepper, or more to taste
4. 1 cup kosher salt

1. Zest lemon in a shallow oven-proof dish.** Mix salt in with the lemon.
2. Juice the lemon and add to the salt. Run the garlic through a garlic press and add it to the salt also. Mix the salt, lemon zest, lemon juice and garlic. Use a fork or your fingers to work the salt as much as possible.

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. Place the lemon salt in the oven for about an hour to dry out the salt. (When it's done, it will be rock hard with no moisture left.) Prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon to provide ventilation for proper drying.
2. Wait for the salt to cool and use a fork, wooden spoon or your fingers to break up salt.
3. Package up the salt in small jars.

*I use 2 large cloves or 4 small, depending on their size and the strength of garlic you desire. Add or subtract the amount you want.

**Next time, I will use parchment paper to line the dish, since the salt and liquids harden to the bottom of the dish and can be hard to remove.

The Potato House Fries

If you are from my area and have been to the Sumter County Fair, you know exactly what I'm talking about when I mention the Potato House! Many people wait every year for the fair to come to town around the end of September, beginning of October, so they can sample all the fair foods! My favorite was always the french fries at the Potato House. Long, straight, square cut, deep fried potatoes that are perfectly salted and served with your choice of condiments. Whether you are a purist and like them oh natural, or you like malted vinegar or ketchup, it's up to you! Just step up and get your cone of fries and move on to the fixin's table!

These potatoes are deep fried in a large batch and fried for about 4-5 minutes or until floating and golden brown. There is not time to fry them at a low temperature and then re-fry them at another temperature! Drop 'em. Drain 'em. Wrap 'em and serve 'em! That's how they roll!


4 large Russet potatoes, peeled
Vegetable oil
Kosher salt

Cut the potatoes lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, then cut each slice lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick fries. Put the fries in a large bowl of cold water.

Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed medium pot over medium heat, or in a tabletop deep fryer, to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside.

Drain the potatoes and fry them, in batches, turning frequently, until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon or spider skimmer and drain on clean paper towels. Season immediately with salt and serve hot. The pictured potatoes are also sprinkled with fresh Parmesan Cheese!

Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob

I don't know what it is about the taste of fresh corn... on the cob! There is nothing like it! I've never grilled or roasted corn. Our grill is on the fritz again, so I decided to try oven roasting some. I left mine in a little too long so watch yours closely. 20 - 25 minutes should be plenty of time. 

4 cobs of fresh corn
1/2 stick of butter
1/4 tsp of you favorite seasonings per ear ( I used garlic powder, onion powder and basil)

salt and pepper
Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 °F.

Remove husks and silk from corn and rinse off. Place ears on foil sheets, dot with pats of butter, and sprinkle with seasoning, salt and pepper (and cheese if you want). 

Bake for 25 minutes, or until soft and steaming.

Seasoned Potato Wedges

My family loves potatoes. The hubby is a meat and potatoes kind of guy. I love to bake and fry potatoes. We actually had potato wedges for lunch today... the hubby is home with a backache. This was the perfect treat for him. I like to try and get more flavor when frying, so I made up this simple coating. It turned out awesome!

4 potatoes, (I used Yukon Gold) cut into wedges
1 cup flour
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Oil for frying

Heat oil to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine flour and seasonings. 

Add potato wedges and toss.

Remove from flour and gently place in hot oil. The oil must be up to temp or the coating will boil away.

Cook until golden brown and floating on the surface of the oil.

Yummy!

Stuffed Biscuits

Yesterday, I found a 4 pack of canned biscuits that I had bought for the party the other week and never got around to 'whatever' I planned to make out of them. I can't even remember anymore! Maybe Monkey Bread... Hmmmm! Never mind! I made these last night instead...

I did two versions... Chicken Bacon Ranch and Greek Feta and Black Olive

Chicken Bacon Ranch Stuffed Biscuits

Canned Refrigerated biscuits, 10 per package
1/2 cup diced, cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup shredded colby jack cheese
1/4 cup crumbled bacon, or more to taste :-)
1/4 cup ranch dressing, or enough to bind the mixture
a sprinkle of basil
Kosher salt & pepper

Greek Feta and Black Olive Stuffed Biscuits

Canned Refrigerated biscuits, 10 per package
1/4 cup diced, cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup Feta crumbles
1/4 cup black olives, diced
1/4 cup Greek Dressing... I suggest The Black Peppercorn's Greek Salad Dressing. It's the best I've found so far! Awesome!

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In two separate small bowls, mix the fillings and set aside.

Working one batch (flavor) at a time, open a can of biscuits, working one at a time. With your fingers, flatten the biscuit to about 3 or 4 inches across. Put about a teaspoon of filling in the center. I closed them two different ways.

For the Greek Biscuits, I folded them in half and closed them with the tines of a fork.

For the chicken bacon ranch, I flattened them and brought all the edges together over the filling making a ball. I prefer this method and will make them all like this next time! Bake them for about 10 minutes, take them out and brush them with some melted butter with minced garlic in it and sprinkle with Kosher salt. Pop them back in the oven for a minute or two.
 

Greek Stuffed Biscuits 

Chicken Bacon Ranch Stuffed Biscuits 

 Inside the Chicken Bacon Ranch

Inside the Greek Feta... YUM!

Baked Tomatoes

Ever hear of the southern dish Tomato Pie? This recipe has the same basic flavors without the crust. The ingredients can be changed to your taste and can be used as an appetizer, side dish or even a main meal, when you add sausage or ground beef. You can even add rice instead of meat for a vegetarian meal.

6 medium tomatoes
Kosher Salt
1/2 cup homemade breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup Mozzarella or Cheddar Cheese
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Kosher Salt
Pepper
1/2 tsp Basil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash the tomatoes and trim off the tops and cut a small flat spot on the bottom so they will stand up in the pan. Hollow out each tomato using a small knife or a spoon leaving the outer shell in tact. Sprinkle the inside with Kosher salt and sit up-side down on paper towels to drain out some of the moisture. Chop up the pulp you scooped out of the tomatoes and place in a medium size bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Stuff each tomato and top with a little extra cheese. Place in a baking dish and bake for 20-30 minutes.



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Fried Okra !!!

I can make a meal off of okra... cooked anyway! Fried, Sauteed, Okra and Tomatoes, Succotash over Cornbread... anyway! Okra made like this recipe, to me, is like eating potato chips or even popcorn! No one can eat just one!!!

16 oz bag of cut, frozen okra, thawed
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder (optional)
Oil for frying

Heat oil to 350 degrees.
Mix the corn meal, flour and seasonings in a plastic bag. Place the okra in the bag, in batches. Seal the bag and shake to coat. Only coat as much as you are frying in one batch. Otherwise the coating will get soggy. Make sure the oil is up to temp before adding okra, or the coating/breading will fall off. Gently place the okra in the oil with a slotted spoon or spider strainer. Cook until golden brown. (This only takes a couple of minutes, so watch closely) Remove from oil and place on paper towels or butcher paper. Don't pile the okra up to much or it will get greasy on the bottom.

I added a cheeseburger as a side for my okra meal!

LOLOLOLOL

Oven 'Fried' Chicken

Well, it's hot... darn hot here in the South! The kitchen table is hot enough to proof bread! The hubby decides that he wants fried chicken! REALLY?!?!?! That raises the kitchen temp another 10 degrees, at least! So I did some research and came up with this Oven Fried Chicken recipe. I did give him the choice whether I tried this or went ahead and toughed out the heat and deep fried it. He did give in to the oven recipe :-) He brought home 6 chicken thighs. I would have used a whole fryer cut up country-style, but use whatever cut of chicken you like with this recipe.

6 chicken thighs
1/3 cup butter or margarine**
2 cups flour
Salt, to taste (I use about 2 tsp Kosher)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. While oven is pre-heating, trim the fat off the pieces of chicken and make sure all pieces of feathers are pulled out. Mix flour and spices in a gallon size zip-loc bag.

**Important... Put butter, or margarine in a large casserole dish and melt it in the oven. The butter and the dish must be hot!

Place the chicken, skin side down, in the dish. Bake for 35 minutes, then turn chicken pieces over. Bake 15-20 minutes longer or until done and well browned.

My plate with mashed potatoes and green beans :-)

Cooking Rib Eyes in the Oven

My grill is history. It is just plain worn out, and I have rib eyes to cook. This is how I did them after some research. 

My Dad always had a stick of butter in the frig that was just for steaks. When he flipped the steaks on the grill, he folded back the paper on the butter and with his hand, rubbed the end of that stick all over the steak. Those were the best steaks in the world. Lightly seasoned and perfectly cooked!

• 
  
• 1 boneless rib eye steak, per person
• Vegetable oil, to coat
• Worcestershire Sauce (optional)
• Kosher salt
• Ground black pepper
• Garlic powder
• 1 T butter

• Place a grill/griddle pan in the oven
•  and heat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• Bring the steak to room temperature in a plastic bag.
• I went ahead and added my seasoning,
• oil and Worcestershire sauce to the bag
• and let it sit until room temp.

I didn't get a picture of this step... it moved to quickly!

But this is the best way to clean the pan after searing... 

just add some water to the hot pan and place it back on the stove.

Use a wooden spoon to loosen bits from the bottom.

• While the oven reaches temperature, place a skillet on the stove over high heat. Coat the steak lightly with oil and Worcestershire (if desired) and sprinkle both sides with a generous pinch of salt. Grind on black pepper and sprinkle lightly with garlic powder.

When the skillet is very hot, place the steak in the middle of the hot, dry skillet. Cook 30 seconds without moving. Turn with tongs and cook another 30 seconds, then put the steak straight into the oven on the grill pan for 2 minutes. 

Flip the steak, place a dab of butter on top,

and cook for another 2 minutes.

(This time is for medium-rare steak. If you prefer medium, add a minute to both of the oven turns.)

Remove the steak from the pan, cover loosely with foil

• and rest for 2 minutes. Serve whole or slice thin and fan onto plate.

Serve with a nice tossed vegetable salad

and maybe a baked potato or steak fries.

French Bread Pizza

For those that don't know... the hubby has 2 kidney stones, and we have been in and out of the hospital all week. He stayed overnight Friday and is scheduled for lithotripsy tomorrow morning. Friday night, I came home and fixed a quick supper for Elliott and me. We didn't have much of anything in the house, since I hadn't been grocery shopping in a while. I had an old loaf of french bread, some sauce in the freezer and mozzarella cheese in the frig.

I zapped a couple of cubes of sauce...I had made a batch of sauce, put it in popsicle molds and popped them in a zip-loc bag for later use. I hollowed out the bread a little and spread on the sauce. 

I dumped on the cheese and topped it with Basil and Kosher salt. 

 It baked for about 15 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

Mmmmmmm!!! 

Nice little supper!