Roasted Broccoli, Cauliflower and Red Onion

I know many of you have seen me mention PBC on my Facebook page. Most of you know that that's my home church, Pinewood Baptist Church, and I feed our Wednesday Night Supper crowd. We have recently grown to a group of about 75 or so. This past Saturday, the youth put on a Sweethearts Banquet, serving Steak/Chicken, Baked Potatoes, Salad and Desserts. When I got to the kitchen today, there was all kinds of leftovers in the frig. There was broccoli, cauliflower and red onions left over from the salads... already cut up and ready to go! I tossed them with enough oil and melted butter to coat them and sprinkled them with salt, pepper and garlic powder. I spread them out on a cookie sheet and roasted them at 425 degrees, until they were nice and caramelized!

 Before...

After Roasting!

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!

Old McCaskill's Farm ~ Spring Farm Day

Yesterday, some of my family and I went out to the 2013 Spring Farm Day. What a wonderful day it was! The sun was shining, and the weather was warm and breezy. The sites, the sounds, the smells... yes, a farm definitely has smells, but this was the smell of food. Awesome food! As we walked along the tents, I got a whiff of spices that were very familiar... Greek Seasoning! We tasted some local lamb seasoned with Cavender's Greek Seasoning... the lady laughed when I did my happy dance!

Yummy! Yummy! Yummy!

As we walked along the tents, we talked to the ladies about their tatting. For you folks who aren't familiar... that's not tattoo-ing. Tatting is a technique for handcrafting a particularly durable lace constructed by a series of knots and loops. To me, it looks like crocheting with thread.

Another tent contained a live bee hive, and yes the store sells the honey from Bell Honey in Rembert! :-)

It was very interesting to watch the bees in the hive. My daughter-in-law's main question was, "Is the queen in there?" Not sure if the queen was entertaining guests yesterday. :-) As we walked along, we came upon a big barrel or tub half full of corn for the kids to play in.

Of course, Miss Kendal had to have a turn!

Her Granddaddy and Uncle JR buried her up to her tummy in corn!

We took a break to grab some good food. They had BBQ sandwiches, Ribs, Hot Dogs, Sausage Dogs, and brick oven Pizza. My son had the pizza and said it was good. For a teenager, that's a very good review! 

 Brick Oven for pizzas

Yummy Pizzas!

And then we were off to see the animals! We watched the Boarder Collies show off there herding skills with sheep and with ducks! Kendal got to pet the baby chicks. We watched the sheep being sheered, and we saw many other farm animals as well as a new baby goat!

Kendal's Mom holds up a baby chick for her to pet!

Some before sheering and some after...

My little calf buddy from the last visit! 

 Goats! :-)

 The little pigs were cold in the wind...

Protective Mommy!

and the Baby Goat!

There was so much to see and do! There was the Blacksmith Shop, the Grits Mill, the Root Cellar, the Store and so much more.

 After roaming around we came back around and the ice cream that was churning was done... and Kendal and her Granddaddy shared a Chocolate Frozen Banana!

Ice Cream

Kendal with Granddaddy... eating a chocolate frozen banana

and drinking Coca Cola!

If you know of a farm, a working farm, in your area, check them out and more importantly... support them! The quality of their products is unequaled by mass produced products! The lamb I mentioned earlier was totally amazing! If you know me, you know I love Greek food and the Greek seasoning that they used on the lamb. Here's a recipe for Greek Potatoes that would be awesome along with the lamb!!!

Greek Potatoes

This recipe is so delicious!
The lemon, spices and herbs make my house smell so good!
• 1/4 cup oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Cavender's Greek Seasoning
• 2 lemons, juiced or 1/4 cup juice
• 4 or 5 baking potatoes, cubed

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a plastic bowl, mix the olive oil, garlic, 1 tbsp Cavender's (I use more like 2 T, but we like more spice.) and lemon juice. Pour mixture over potatoes. Bake uncovered for 45 min to an hour or until potatoes are golden brown and tender.

Dilly Ranch Crackers

I changed these up a bit the usual recipe is...

Oyster Crackers (12oz bag)
1/4 cup oil

1 package Ranch Dip Mix

1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dill weed

I added 1/2 tsp lemon pepper for a kick!

Mix ingredients in a plastic container with an air tight lid.  Shake crackers and flip container every 10 minutes or so. I make these a day ahead for the oil and flavors to set.

Round Acacia Wood Salad Bowl, 12" (Google Affiliate Ad)

Okra Chips

If you have ever been to the Farmer's Market in Charleston, SC, you have probably seen a funny looking bag of green fried stuff called Okra Chips. The majority of people that buy a bag, come back for more. They are really like chips... you can't eat just one!

I started out just like I would if I were making regular fried okra. I mixed up the flour, bread crumbs and seasonings in a plastic bag... but I prepared the okra totally different. I tried to remove as much of the seeds as possible...

I cut the tender cooked okra right under the cap (stem end)

 and slit it down through the end.

I turned it and cut it again leaving four dangling 'legs' on each pod.

I then took the knife and scraped out the seeds.

16 oz bag of frozen okra, thawed
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup flour
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Oil for frying

Heat oil to 350 degrees.
Mix the bread crumbs, flour and seasonings in a plastic bag. Place the okra in the bag, in batches. (The okra is pretty slimy at this point and does not require an egg wash.) Seal the bag and shake to coat. Only coat as much as you are frying in one batch. I pulled each pod out by the stem end and shook off the excess coating and even wiped some around in the coating to separate the four strips so they would fry up nice and crisp. 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. Cook until browned and crunchy. Remove from oil and place on paper towels or butcher paper. I used popcorn salt to season since regular salt basically bounces off the crispy coating!

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

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.

Raw Fries

In the South, raw fries are kind of like homemade potato chips. However, they are not always served crunchy... Raw fries are potatoes that have been very, very thinly sliced with a mandolin or a very sharp knife. They are fried in oil... sometimes double fried. Some people know them as 'home fries'. At my house, the hubby likes them golden brown and crunchy, served with two sides... ranch and ketsup. My son and I like them a little more soft... medium or limp served with vinegar. If we eat them with wings, I like to dip them in the wing sauce.

1 or 2 potatoes per person

Wash the potatoes and slice them very, very thin, leaving the peeling on the potatoes. Place them in ice water until ready to fry. Heat oil to 350 degrees. Carefully drop a handful of potatoes at the time in the oil. Do not overcrowd or they will boil and not fry. Fry until potatoes are at the desired texture.

If you want, medium raw fries or a little soft,

take potatoes out as soon as they being to turn brown.

For crunchy raw fries,

leave the potatoes in the oil until they are golden brown.

 Medium on the left...

Crunchy!

55 Gallon BOAT?!?!? There is a recipe in there somewhere! LOLOLOL

Well, the hubby said, "You better not!" So here goes! Hee Hee Hee!!!


My son has a knack for coming up with things out of nothing. More than that, he IS going to do it no matter how much you tell him that it will not work! Even more than that... He talks his Dad into trying it first! LOLOL

Son... I just don't see 

how this is gonna work!

It works like this Dad!!!

Trust me Dad!

He's buying it Mama!!!

NO, I am NOT!!!

Easy Fish Fry

• Fish... catfish, bream, etc
• Oil for frying
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

Mix flour, cornmeal and seasonings in a plastic container with lid (big enough to fit fish inside). Place fish in one at a time and carefully shake. Remove fish and fry in deep fryer set at 350 degrees until golden brown and fish floats.

~~~

To end the story... They went down to Sparkleberry and tried it out. When I got home from shopping Tuesday night, Craig was complaining that he was cold! I told him that it was NOT cold in the house! (That's another story... he's always cold!) He replied, "Yeah! But you didn't go swimmin' in the swamp!!!" Sorry, I had to laugh! He said "Elliott laughed too when his boat dumped me in the water!" LOL