a take on a southern classic. these muffins are great for brunch or as a side to your favorite soup.
recipe follows after the jump
Posts Tagged ‘seasonal food’
eating good, clean, and fair
garden to table
this past weekend, athens hosted the annual georgia organics conference. the event invited thousands of farmers, novice gardeners, and organic enthusiasts together for educational seminars, farm tours, food, and entertainment. on saturday night there was a farmer’s feast which featured foods and wines made by 25 georgia chefs and of course using organic georgia ingredients. the keynote speaker of the event was carlo petrini from italy who is the founder of the slow food movement.
while i enjoyed chowing down on the food and drinking a couple of glasses of local wine, i left the feast completely inspired and reminded of the many ways to help our troubled food system.
i wanted to pass along some quick things that i took from the feast:
-keep food clean; grow, eat and support chemical free food
-good food costs more; it is NOT more expensive. you are investing in a future for yourself and others
-support locally grown food; it helps your local economy, uses less resources, and tastes better
-cheap food is hard on our bodies, soil, and local/national economy
-start a garden and visit the farms where your food is produced
-be a co-producer of your food, know who is growing it and how it is being grown, and get involved
-get imaginative with and eat your left overs
-encourage others to eat SLOW!
-southern soul food is something we should be proud of!!
southern lace cookies
garden to table
with valentines day right around the corner, i thought i would share these dainty lace cookies.
recipe follows after the jump
homemade hot cocoa and marshmallows
garden to table
weather in the south is quite unpredictable. you’ll have a 70 degree day, go for walks and see the daffodils starting to come up, and then next day you’ll wake up to freezing rain. this winter we have had more below freezing days than i have ever remembered in any other winter. this past saturday, flurries were in the forecast….and we all had our fingers crossed. i found myself wanting to curl up with some hot cocoa, marshmallows, a book, and dream of a snow storm.
the recipes follow after the jump!
lee brothers cheese straws
garden to table
cheese straws can be made differently depending on who you ask. most folks extrude the dough through a cookie press. i like the lee brothers version because they turn out a little more rustic. they taste just as good, whichever way you make them. how can you go wrong when your base ingredients are cheese, butter, and flour?
these are great to make ahead of time and store in the freezer, perfect for impromptu entertaining.
roasted winter vegetables
garden to table
roasting winter root vegetables makes a great hearty winter meal or side dish. use up some veggies you have stored or see if you can find some locally grown winter roots. i roasted up some turnips, beets, radishes, and some winter butternut squash. other good veggies to use are: brussel sprouts, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, fennel bulbs, or whole garlic. the roasting brings out the sweetness in the veggies and makes them perfectly tender.
to roast:
-pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
-cut up veggies so that they are similiar in size, the smaller ones you can leave whole
-toss in a generous amount of olive oil
-put veggies in a roasting pan and roast in the oven for about 30-50 minutes or until tender
-chop up some garlic and herbs and add to veggies. you can add some salt and pepper at this time too. put veggies back into oven for about 5 minutes or until veggies are browned.
-serve as a side dish or a main dish with a side of greens.
good luck in the new year
garden to table
“eat poor on new year’s, and eat fat the rest of the year”
dating back to the civil war it has been a southern tradition to serve up a big meal on new years. typically the meal consists of greens, black eyed peas, cornbread, and a pork dish.
the black eyed peas are said to bring prosperity to the new year. you can cook up any green available; collards, turnips, dandelion, or lams quarters, as they greens represent money, and the cornbread is for gold.
click here to see how to make this simple “good luck” southern meal and my favorite cornbread recipe follows.
cornbread:
*pre-heat oven to 425 degrees
ingredients
1 cup unbleached, all purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal (or non instant grits for more texture)
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp fresh baking powder
2 farm fresh eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
directions:
-mix all ingredients until combined, trying not to over mix
-pour into a greased pie tin or small cast iron pan (you can double recipe if you are using a large cast iron pan)
-place in oven and cook for about 25 minutes or until top is golden brown.
southern pecan pralines
garden to table
the past several weekends have been so busy and we have spent very little time at home. this weekend it was rainy and we decided to stay in and spend some time in the kitchen.
we canned some apples and jellies, baked bread, and made some pralines. pralines are one of my favorite things to give to friends around the holidays. they are so easy and are one of the true decadent reminders of the south.
holiday bourbon balls
garden to table
a sweet taste of the south, bourbon balls are a fixture at any southern holiday gathering.
you can use a good southern bourbon or whiskey and some fresh pecans for these.
ingredients
1.5 cups of ground vanilla wafers (about 1/2 of a box)
1.5 cups ground pecans
1.5 cups confectioners sugar
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup southern bourbon
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp liquid sweetener such as light corn syrup, honey, or maple syrup
1 cup sifted confectioners sugar for coating
directions
-in a food processor, grind the vanilla wafers until there are no big chinks- measure and put in bowl
-do the same with the pecans
-mix the rest of the ingredients, except the confectioners sugar needed for coating
***i like to put the “dough” in the fridge to let the flavors develop for a day or two, but this is optional
-to make the balls use a teaspoon and roll them in your hands.
-roll the balls in the confectioners sugar, shortly before serving
and enjoy!
