bless·ing  [bles-ing]
the invoking of God’s favor upon a person

I should rename this “The Molasses Blog” since that’s about the speed I do blog posts!  So many things get ‘in the way’… work, new projects and clients, having fun with my incredibly fun-funny-wondermous nephew Wyatt and just life in general…
What a blessing to have Wyatt in my life!

Determined to throw out one more post before flip’n my calendar to 2012 (!), I squint as I write this as my left retina decided to just randomly detach itself from my eyeball days before Christmas… I ended up having emergency eye surgery on Christmas Eve eve, then having more (laser) surgery at my recheck the next morn on Christmas Eve… I was ordered to stay flat on my left side until today, and still must spend as much time as I can stand sideways a few more days for proper healing.  (For the record, should you ever find yourself sideways for long periods of time, you can do Control/Alt/Left or Right Arrow and your screen will magically turn that way for horizontal computing!)

I did get a great report at my follow up yesterday and am (knock-on-wood) healing nicely!  Before I get back to the topic at hand, I would like to sing the praises of all the docs that took care of me… from Eye Care Associates in Zebulon to Retina Associates in Raleigh and right on over to those at the Kittner Eye Center in Chapel Hill… what a grand bunch of well-trained folks… INCLUDING caring ‘bedside manor.’ I’m so grateful to all these folks and happy my sight is still intact in my eye… all the docs told me that had I waited even a day longer, it was probable I would have lost sight in my left eye… gosh how we take so many things for granted, like being able to SEE what’s around us!!
What a blessing it is to have sight!

And a quick hug to my sis too… for being my chauffeur and ‘patient advocate’ staying right by my side thru all of this and letting me recoup at her house too!
What a blessing to have a SISTER!

As we rush off into the new year, if you are like me, you feel the need to tidy things up a bit… organize and reorganize and have a fresh start.  Now, more than ever, so many of us continue to slide the old budget belt a bit tighter and I’d like to help you with that, starting, of course, in your kitchen.  When was the last time you took inventory of what’s in your freezer?  Have you EVER taken inventory of what’s in your freezer? I take for granted the fact that my freezer (make that freezerS) are full and hunger or the lack of money to feed myself  (or children if I had any) isn’t a worry as it is for growing numbers of those around us.  I admit I hoard food… another topic for another post… but ,
What a blessing it is to have a pantry, fridge and freezer(s) full of all sorts of foods at arm’s reach!

This weekend is a perfect time to take stock of your food blessings, starting in your freezer.  It really doesn’t take very long… here are just a few tips to get you going as you look to SEE what’s in yours! Be sure you have plenty of time to do this right and are not rushed so halfway through you abort the mission and have to go do something else.

The things in BOLD will give you a quick glace to see what you will need to gather and have ready in advance… now GO “git ‘er done” then come back and add your comments about your freezer adventure and let me know this post inspired youBearShareV10!

• Put on some fun peppy music that will get you in the mood… stuff you like to sing in the shower or car…  or just plug in your iPod and let ‘er rip!
• Sit out supplies:
  • name brand zippered bags, assorted sizes (based on my experience, store brands SUCK in this category)
  • dry erase board with markers
  • notepad/pen
  • some way to make labels (label maker, freezer tape and perm marker, your own paper labels with tape, etc.
• Clear countertop and/or table so as you take everything out you can organize the ‘stuff’ into categories and like-items into piles for repacking.
• Remove everything from your freezer.   If a small freezer, you can work fast enough so foods won’t thaw.  I do not recommend doing this on a hot day.  If you have a big freezer(s), do this on a cold winter’s day when you can simply sit the foods outside in shaded cold area.
• Give it a quick cleaning by washing out with warm soapy water.  “Rinse” with a mixture of water and baking soda.  This will remove soap residue, remove odors and give a fresh start.  To keep it smelling fresh, I prefer a few lumps of charcoal.  I find they absorb odors better than other options.  Just put them in a cup somewhere in the freezer and I think you will notice the same.
• As you get ready to restock foods into the nice clean freezer, toss out any with freezer burn (ice crystals…that stuff you can no longer recognize) or is so old you wouldn’t feed it to stray dogs or throw in a pond for fish!  And always remember…
  Never risk the plight of food poisoning over a little pack of old food… a regret you should never have!
• Using the ziplock bags and other supplies, repackage anything that needs it.  Mash things flat for easier stacking or for sliding into small spaces in your freezer.  Freeze in a pile, then you can leave that way, or stack like this upright, depending on what works for best use of space for you.
• As you repackage/replace your food, write each thing on the dry erase board.  As you menu plan for the week and make your grocery shopping list,  you can quickly glance at the list and see what you have to use.  As you use, simply wipe off the board, and as you buy and add new things or add leftover tidbits, write on this board (while also dating and labeling the package).  This system will greatly reduce your freezer waste (but only if you use it).
• I have a couple of outdoor refrigerators with small top freezers and a chest freezer… i keep ‘inventory’ on those by writing on the freezer door with a dry erase marker (just like a dry erase board)… and at a glance I can see what’s in there… wipe off with my finger when something comes out and keep a pen on top of the freezer to add what goes in.

For tips on freezing foods, I’ll point you to a recent online article where I was consulted and provided helpful information on this topic.  You can read that at DinnerTool…

“How To Prevent Freezer Burn”
by Amber Greviskes

Now that you have your nice inventory list… here are a few sites where you can visit to plug in ingredient(s) to find recipes to create with them, or… simply “Throw Cook” something yourself.  If you need help or suggestions, post for me over on my “Throw Cooking” facebook page and I’ll throw you some ideas.

• a FAV of mine for inspirations… Foodily
• SuperCook
• RecipeMatcher
• My Fridge Food
• RecipeKey

Now… sit back, relax and enjoy ringing in the New Year with your freshly cleaned freezer and ‘whatever’ you pulled out to cook up!  And “just in case” our superstitions hold true,  I hope you’ll ‘throw’ some Southern Traditions on the table…

Black-Eyed Peas for prosperity and good luck… greens (cabbards for this gal-see recipe) for money and fortune… and of course, cornbread, which represents gold!  I’m having thoughts of a Bloody Mary BE Peas and Greens Soup… kept warm in the crock pot for anybody who wants to drop by… throw in your fav bloody mary mix, drain/rinsed canned or frozen, greens (cabbards, collards, cabbage, etc.), some chopped onions and celery if you have… and whatever seasonings strike your fancy!  Serve with Cornbread Cookies or your own cornbread recipe… iced tea or a real cold beer!  Now wipe that drool away, get ready to clean out your freezer for a fresh start… and have a safe and fun weekend with your friends and family… see y’all NEXT year.

What a blessing it is to be here today, writing this blog post, with ‘saved’ eyesight looking towards a new year!

Happy New Year Y’all…
Wendy… aka “Dee Dee”

The time has just about come for the annual “cooking of the cabbards” to fill the freezer!  Like a squirrel stowing away acorns for the winter, I too, “get my cook’n on” once our local collards have had a good kissing o’ the frost.  Some think that’s just an old tale, but not this gal, lovingly called THE “Collard Queen” by those lucky enough to have had some bestowed uponst them by said ‘queen’ or have rubbed their full bellies after a sit’n at her table… served up with a side of Crispy Cornbread Cookies, some Molasses Butter, a warm cup of Pot Likker or cold buttermilk.  And don’t forget the farmers’ market treasures… including a menagerie of homemade chow chows destined to crown a heap’n helping of fall’s green ‘gold!’

So I’m in my kitchen a few days ago cooking cornbread cookies for this here post… setting up my photo shot, and about to savor the very last tidbit of my 2010 stash of cabbards I lucked up and found tucked into a back corner of the freezer when…”ding dong”… my doorbell rings.  My kitchen sidekick and 7YO nephew hollers…“Dee Dee, who is THAT?” (seeing as how it is mid-afternoon and we’re still in our loungy clothes  watching movies, blogging and eat’n).  I looked at him and said… “I have NO idea!” But I surely am hoping it’s somebody that won’t mind my receiving them in my ‘old lady house dress,’ (probably something akin to what my grandmas were wearing when they cooked collards) and Wyatt, running around in his ‘underdraws.’  I swing the door open, and there stands my cousin Mark… who I see fairly rarely, but usually when he drops by (less often than the proverbial blue moon), he has some sort of vegetable(s) gleaned from a nearby garden.  He leads me out to the back of his pick up truck (the preferred method of transportation for most of us country folk)… and what do I see…. THESE!  *C.O.L.L.A.R.D.S*

I’m not believing this… as mere seconds ago I’m in my kitchen, cooking up, photographing and in the middle of writing this very blog post about collards… when a big ole’ mess of them land on my front porch…  the weirdness of this timing is CRAYzee! And as delighted as I am about all this, I’m trying to factor in my head…  when in the world can I squeeze cabbard cook’n into this particular week’s schedule... with a TV show taping (see show video at My Carolina Today!) and a ginormous exciting photo shoot for Our State Magazine (where I’m so blessed to be food stylist and recipe developer…so subscribe if you don’t already, and buy holiday gift certificates too).  But never one to let a little thing like ‘limited hours in the day’ get in my way… a cabbard cook’n will commence!  I decided to just throw ‘em in my big chest freezer till that can happen…something I have had to do before, and equates to that sweet kiss of frost… a BIG deep freeze kiss!

So without further ado, here is my much requested method for cooking collards (or in my case, “cabbards”).  These are sooo good, and worth every minute of effort it takes to get from the back end of a truck to your supper (and sometimes breakfast) plate.

Wendy’s Locally Famous Cabbards (Cabbage + Collards)

As THE “throw cooker” that I am (come see my Throw Cooking web page and recipes), I’m going to tell YOU how to throw these together… exactness is not important here!  These are the necessary ingredients and process.  I have, on occasion, cooked these in MASS to fill my freezer for the winter, but you can do any amounts that work for you.  A couple of years ago, I cooked 40 lbs. bacon and forget how many birds to have broth and bacon grease for 100 lbs. cabbage and 50 lbs. collards!  It took me quite some time to figure all this out, but because the collards ‘evaporate’ and disappear in the pot, I decided to see what happened if I added in some cabbage… and it makes the collards even better… sweeter… AND, the cabbage doesn’t disappear as much as the collards… so you end up with a whole lot more “cabbards” to store away and nobody but you knows this little secret, till NOW!

• Chicken(s) or Hen(s)
• Bacon (lots!)… more that you think… you need a goodly amount of rendered bacon grease
• Collards… about 1/2 as much collards as cabbage (washed real good)
• Cabbage… about twice as much cabbage as collards (washed real good)

EQUIPMENT:

• BIG pot
• Cast Iron Skillet
• Tongs
• Time

Put some water in a big old pot and throw your chicken(s) or hen(s) in there.  Bring to rolling boil, then reduce heat and keep cook’n till you have some tender bird and a big ole’ pot of chicken stock.  Take that bird out and make yourself a mess ‘o chicken salad or freeze for cooking in other stuff, like Chicken Pot Pies or Brunswick Stew.

Get that big old cast iron skillet out and fry up a LOT of bacon.  Sometimes on cabbard cooking day I’m outside doing all that AND cooking up a ginormous amount of my “Almost Famous Brunswick Stew”-will post that soon if you ask!… so I invite folks to drop by and eat bacon sandwiches.  Put this bacon grease into a big can (coffee can works great).

Rough slice the cabbage.  Throw some in the pot of broth, alternating with handfuls of torn collard leaves.  As it wilts, keep adding more to the pot.  Let this cabbard mix boil and boil… the more ‘tenderer’ the better.

On a burner beside this pot, put your big iron skillet on med-hi and add (generously) some bacon grease.  With tongs, grab some of the cabbards and plop into the hot skillet, including some of the wondermous Pot Likker they produced.  Start chopping with long-handled veggie chopper… as they cook down and shrink as you chop, continue grabbing more cabbards with your tongs and continue this process, stirring around to incorporate the bacon grease.  Once these are really tender and chopped real good, dump into big bowl to cool before putting into containers and continue doing this until you’ve cooked all your cabbards.

When packing into containers, I try to leave good head space and top off with some of the broth so when heating, that is there to give a little moisture while warming.

Serve with Cornbread Cookies with Molasses Butter and mug of Pot Likker or Cold Buttermilk.

Wendy’s Crispy Cornbread Cookies

It’s really easy to throw together these crispy crunchy Cornbread Cookies and they are the perfect sidekick for your Cabbards.

• your favorite hushpuppy mix
• finely diced onions (any kind…sweet, green, scallion, chive, etc.)
• sugar
• freshly ground black pepper
• lard

Mix hushpuppy mix according to package directions.  Add in onions and sugar to taste (you want these to be lightly sweetened and the sugar helps make them crispy too).  Grind in some pepper.  If your mix is really thick, add a little more water or milk/buttermilk, whatever you are using until thinner and pourable/spoonable.  I like to let my mixture sit about 10 minutes before cooking to adjust this consistency as it will thicken as it sits (but also, the flavors will marry a bit).

Heat thin amount of lard in cast iron skillet on med-high heat.  With a tablespoon, spoon into hot skillet and spread thin with back of spoon.  Fry until golden brown and flip; repeat on the other side.  Drain well on brown paper bag or paper towels.

Serve with Molasses Butter alongside Cabbards with mug of Pot Likker or Buttermillk.

MOLASSES BUTTER

• Softened Butter
• Molasses
• Bacon Grease, optional
• Cinnamon or Apple Pie Spice, optional

Drizzle some molasses over butter and swirl to blend.

VARIATIONS: To make Molasses Bacon Butter, stir in a bit of bacon grease.  A bit of cinnamon or apple pie spice is also tasty in Molasses Butter, depending on what you will be serving it with (especially great with pancakes, waffles or French Toast too)!

Enjoy y’all… and please throw me your comments below AND ‘share’ with all your friends!

Being the “throw cooker” that I am, those of you that know me know I’m gonna throw a twist into a meal or recipe, any chance I get.  Well there’s no reason Thanksgiving should be exempt from my voodoo.  My friends

Valonda and Sharon invited me back again to their show, NBC17′s My Carolina Today Show, here in the Raleigh Triangle market… those two are so cute and fun I can never say no to their invites… although being a big girl as I am, I feel like Goliath Chef beside them. I’m sure they must wear something like Size -4 or something like that… and so bubbly I just wanna pinch their cheeks… bless their hearts!  I usually take my clogs off during taping to help a little, but forgot when taping this week… the show will air tomorrow (Thursday, November 16th)… so as I post, I don’t have a link to the video yet they always throw up online… I’ll come back with that!

When Sharon asked me at my last visit to come up with ‘something’ for Thanksgiving, I didn’t have any ideas right off the bat like usual… but a couple of weeks ago, as usual, I had a vision… of one thing, and that’s all it takes to get me going.  They asked me yesterday if I just magically ‘come up with this stuff,’ and I told them, “well, actually, yes.”  My inspiration this time was collards. (And when I come up for air in-between this week’s BIG projects…. I’m going to post my “Almost Famous Collards” for you, and how I throw ‘em together.)  Once I had the collard vision, everything else just flowed right out of me… and so now, I introduce to you…

My Southern Thanksgiving Table… with a twist!

As you look through these realllllly easy recipes, you’ll see all our usual stuff found on Turkey Day Tables, at least mine anyway… turkey, cranberry sauce, collards, stuffing (AKA dressing), turnips, butternut squash, sweet potatoes and pecan pie ~ just twisted out a bit.  I hope y’all enjoy these and reallllly hope you will give me some feedback down there in the ‘comments’ box, and also, PLEASE SHARE on your Facebook pages and with your friends… I really need to get more folks here and need your help!  I give you entertainment and wondermous recipes, and all I ask is that you invite a few folks to subscribe…

OK… advertisement over!

Gotta run… as Food Stylist and Recipe Developer for Our State Magazine, gotta be up realllllllllll early in the morning and in Greensboro BY 7:30…. to shoot some wayyyy outside the box special recipes I developed for February issue… been working on them for a few months!  Can’t tell ya any more than that… Top Secret, but you just run yourself on over and subscribe right now so it will come right to your mailbox in mid-January! (It’s a perfect gift that gives all year long too… for yourself or others.)  You are just not gonna believe your eyes.  Lordie Mercie, they are bringing in video folk too, to film the ‘behind the scenes’ of the assembly of these recipes and what goes on at a special photo shoot like this, so this gal needs all the ‘beauty rest’ she can get… but to tell you the truth, I’m SOOOO excited about this and feel like it’s my Christmas Eve and don’t anticipate much sleep, ‘tween that and the tornado watches going on thru the night.  I’m about to bust wide open to tell folks about this… by my lips are sealed… for a few more weeks anyway.

So… hope you enjoy these recipes… and Share Away!

FOR 1 page PRINTABLE RECIPES, click HERE! Or, click the recipe name.

Grilled Barbecued Twisted ‘n Kicked Turkey

We’re twist’n & kick’n up Thanksgiving this year with some new ways to cook and serve traditional oldies.  Everybody loves grilled goodies and this turkey is no exception.  This recipe features some culinary goodies made here in North Carolina but you can sub your own favorites as well.

Recipe By: Wendy Perry
Serving Size:  however much you cook!

Sliced Turkey breast (you can used cooked)
Turkey Legs (raw)
Tiny Town Turkey Rub     (from Savory Spice Shop Raleigh-visit one in your area or order online!)

1          cup                 NC’s Fireside Black Jack BBQ Sauce                         Visit their Web Site
½         cup                NC’s Crooked Condiments Gaelic Ale Mustard      Visit their Web Site
1          teaspoon        jalapeno powder (more or less to taste)   (also from Savory Spice Shop)

TURKEY:  To save time, you can buy cooked turkey breast.

Shake (generously) some Tiny Town Turkey Rub onto turkey.

SAUCE:  Mix BBQ sauce, mustard and jalapeno power in small bowl.

Slice (cooked turkey) and place on grill.  Baste with sauce and grill on each side until well-heated and sauce has caramelized a bit.

Cook raw turkey legs, turning frequently, until at 165° by thermometer.  Once done and before removing from grill, baste generously with sauce and turn a few
times to allow sauce to glaze and caramelize.

Use this to also to baste Bacon Wrapped Collard Rolls with Stuffing.

Recipe Copyright© Wendy L. Perry, Inc.
May be shared with credit cited and link back to this blog

Cranberry BBQ “SauSal “

Throw your guests a twist at Thanksgiving or any time you serve turkey or chicken with this SauSal… (a little Sauce with a hint of Salsa)
You can throw this together in about 10 minutes with a bag of cranberries and some goodies you probably have on hand!

Recipe By: Wendy Perry
Serving Size: 8+

1          bag                 fresh cranberries
¼         cup               favorite BBQ sauce
1           cup                sugar
½         cup               brown sugar
¾         cup               your favorite salsachopped cilantro
1                                  jalapeno, seeded and diced

Throw everything but cilantro and jalapeno into heavy saucepan.  Bring to a boil and cook for about 8-10 minutes, until berries have popped and sauce has thickened.

Pour into serving bowl and chill.  At serving time, sprinkle with cilantro and jalapeno.  Serve with BBQ Turkey and Bacon Wrapped Cabbage Rolls and Stuffing.

This is also good on leftover turkey (and ham) sandwiches and wraps.

Recipe Copyright© Wendy L. Perry, Inc.        May be shared with credit cited and link back to this blog

Bacon Wrapped Collard Rolls with Stuffing

Collards….
the quintessential southern green, and no traditional Thanksgiving table in these parts would be complete without ‘em.  But this year, throw together some of these and throw on the grill along with your turkey for a real surprising twist… and your dressing, or stuffing, whichever you call it, is tucked inside!  Like most of this meal, these can be made ahead and just throw on the grill when you cook your turkey.

Recipe By: Wendy Perry
Serving Size: 8

8                                 collard leaves, torn into large pieces
8       slices               bacon
4       cups                 your favorite stuffing
toothpicks

BBQ Turkey Sauce (see that recipe up above)

In deep skillet or pot, heat water 2 inches deep.  Once boiling, throw collard leaves into water (stacked on top of each other).  Blanche several minutes until tender.  Remove and drain in colander being careful not to tear leaves.

Cook bacon in layers of paper towels in microwave (or skillet) several minutes until almost done, but still soft and pliable.

Lay collard leaf onto flat surface.  Spoon ½ cup of stuffing horizontally and roll up.  Wrap a slice of bacon around the roll and secure with toothpick.  Continue until all rolls are completed.

Throw on hot grill and baste with the Turkey BBQ Sauce, turning to glaze while sauce lightly caramelizes and bacon finishes cooking.  Serve with grilled turkey.

Recipe Copyright© Wendy L. Perry, Inc.
May be shared with credit cited and link back to this blog

Rosemary Skewered Fall Veggie Kabobs

These are really easy to throw together for a new twist on traditional Thanksgiving vegetables.  You can also make these ahead of time to throw on the grill with the rest of your Grilled Turkey Day meal.

Recipe By: Wendy Perry
Serving Size: 8

8                                   stems of fresh rosemary
8          (or more)     fresh Brussels Sprouts
16       1” chunks      fresh turnips
16       1” chunks      fresh butternut squash
1          large               red onion, cut into 1” square slices
1          stick                butter, melted
Few     sprigs            fresh sage
salt and freshly ground pepper

Strip leaves from rosemary stems, leaving about 2” of leaves on tip end.  Set aside.

Steam Brussels Sprouts in microwave until tender but not mushy, about 3-4 minutes.  (Time will vary depending on wattage of your microwave.)

Steam turnip and squash chunks in microwave until crisp tender being careful not to overcook;  if too done, they will break apart when sliding onto skewers.

Thread onto skewers… squash, turnip, onion, sprout, squash, turnip, onion (or whatever pattern you choose)… I use 1 Brussels Sprout in center but you can add more if you like.

Throw onto grill making sure tips with leaves are over unheated area so they won’t burn off.  Use sage stem with leaves to baste with melted butter while cooking.  Grill, turning gently with tongs, until slightly charred on all sides.  Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper or seasoning of choice.

Recipe Copyright© Wendy L. Perry, Inc.
May be shared with credit cited with link back to this blog

BUTTERscoth PECAN Skillet Pie

Yummmm….
cooking and serving pie from a skillet just seems to make ‘em taste better!  This pie just says ‘fall’… with the toasty pecans and richness of the butterscotch.  Top with Sweet ‘Tater & Molasses Ice Cream and get ready for accolades all around for your DEElicious DEEssert.

Recipe By: Wendy Perry
Serving Size: 8

1 1/2      cups               pecan pieces
2          tablespoons   flour
3              large             eggs – beaten with whisk till slightly frothy
1      11 ounce bag     butterscotch morsels
1/2          cup               brown sugar
1              stick              butter — melted, cooled
1          teaspoon        vanilla
1                                     unbaked pie shell, (I use Pillsbury from dairy section, not frozen)
Sweet ‘Tater & Molasses Ice Cream
Sea Salt

Preheat oven to 350.

Spray 10″-12’ cast iron skillet; place crust into prepared pan.  It will naturally ‘ruffle’ as shown in picture.

In medium bowl, mix pecan pieces with flour. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Pour into pie shell and bake 350* for about 40-45 minutes.

Let pie cool before slicing as it is easier to cut at room temperature.

Serve with dollop of Sweet ‘Tater & Molasses Ice Cream and pinch of sea salt.

Recipe Copyright© Wendy L. Perry, Inc.
May be shared with credit cited with link back to this blog

North Carolina Sweet ‘Tater & Molasses Ice Cream

Lordie Mercie.
You just don’t get much easier than this when it comes to Throw Cooking.  This is a fun and easy recipe for little ones to throw together with you in the kitchen.  Eat as is, or plop some on top of a slice of BUTTERscoth PECAN Skillet Pie.

Recipe By: Wendy Perry
Serving Size: 8

1          ½ gallon         vanilla ice cream, softened
2          large                 sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
1          tablespoons  apple pie spice
½         cup                  molasses
sea salt

Put softened ice cream into mixing bowl.  Throw in sweet potatoes and spice.  Drizzle with molasses and swirl into ice cream mixture.  Refreeze.

Serve as is or over pie with a pinch of sea salt on top!

Sweet potatoes can be cooked in microwave on high power, about 10 minutes.  Cook until soft when squeezed with a towel.  Be sure they are well cooled before adding into ice cream.

Recipe Copyright© Wendy L. Perry, Inc.
May be shared with credit cited with link back to this blog

That’s all for now folks!

I’m a “throw cooker.“  What does that mean?  Well, that means I throw stuff together to create good food and teach others how to do that too.  It’s pretty simple and just not that hard to do.  Folks often ask me to share a ‘recipe,’ which is challenging, because I don’t use them per se.  I do try now to ‘throw’ something on paper as a guide because I do love seeing others take my creations and make them… which is what you’ll find below today.  So much of what you’ll see from me are concepts… ideas I have in this crazy head of mine I just go in the kitchen to make and see what happens!

Some of my best dishes are those where I simply open the fridge and see what bits and pieces of stuff I need to use and get out of the way in there.  I usually share these creations because there’s just no way I can eat all the stuff (and why I’ve turned into my grandma and ‘hoard’ and recycle food jars!)… sometimes folks want “some more of THAT,” but these unique creations can never ever be exactly replicated again…

This gal can’t stand waste so you’re likely to occasionally see me throw something out here with ideas or ingredients that make you go…  “do WHAT?” I keep a soup pot in fridge or freezer for soup days, and nothing is thrown out or composted without first pondering whether or not it’s fodder for ‘the pot.’  A perfect example in this recipe is slaw!  Lordie, never throw out leftover slaw…. it’s just cabbage, and maybe a little mayo and/or mustard… so what if there’s a little pickle relish in there?  That’s just cucumber, a vegetable. Cabbage always adds another layer of flavor (and that’s what we want to do when cooking… add layers of flavor till it tastes good).  Folks g.a.s.p.  at the sight of seeing me throw slaw into the soup pot… but just about every time there’s some slaw in a soup I’ve made, those are the concoctions that get the biggest rave reviews… so let slaw be one of your secret ingredients too!

Like most ‘throw together’ dishes, this chowder doesn’t need meaurements.  That’s what THROW COOKING is all about… Cook’n what ‘cha got! And my mission in life is to get those of you who ‘think’ you need recipes outside of your comfort zone and turn YOU into throw cookers!  I dream of creating a posse of TC’s across the nation… fearless folks who “cook what ‘cha got” with nary a written recipe in sight!  What’s the worst thing that can happen?  You mess up one pot o’ food?  And that is so RARE, since something can always be done/added/tweaked to make something edible.  The exception to this is burnt food… and nothing you do will make that fit’n to eat.

As for this Clam Chowder, you can delete any of these things or add stuff (such as carrots or other veggies, other fish/seafood, etc.) to make a wondermous “pot o’ something!”  Open your fridge, take a look around at the bits of this and that you would like to get outta the way,  and do the same in the pantry. Throw that stuff into your crock pot while cleaning up supper and throw in the fridge.  In the morning while your coffee is perk’n, plug in your crock pot, turn it on low and come home to a home perfumed with something mighty good.  Add a salad (or not), some cheese toast, cornbread, crackers or even Nabs…. crawl into your lounge-y clothes and make your family’s tummies happy… supper’s done in the 15 minutes it took you to throw all this stuff in a pot the night before…. now doesn’t THAT sound delicious!!

“It’s Fall Y’all Clam Chowder”

Recipe by:  Wendy L. Perry, Inc. ©
Feel free to share with credit please.

*Be sure to think/shop/buy/support LOCAL folks and your local economy whenever possible!  There’s probably a farm near you where many of these ingredients, from the veggies to the bacon, can be had.  It’s a ‘good habit’ to get into… thinking ahead a bit and just takes a little “re-programming” a new shopping normal in the beginning, but once you’re there, you’ll remember just how wondermous fresh food from minutes away tastes instead of oceans and continents away!

INGREDIENTS: (in this particular batch)

• large sweet potato — diced
• few slices bacon, diced
• couple stalks celery with tops, diced
• part of a red pepper, diced
• few cloves garlic, chopped
• a couple of small turnips, peeled and diced
• sweet onion, peeled and diced
• leftover slaw (or diced cabbage)
• salsa (and/or crushed tomatoes)
  …i had some tidbits of salsa in the fridge i wanted to get outta my way, one of them was a salsa with habanero, so today’s chowder has a little WOWza to it

• tall can creamed corn
• canned clams, or fresh if possible (a can or two per your preference, undrained)
• clam juice, clamato juice, tomato or V8, broth (chicken or vegetable)…your choice of what’s on hand
  …i didn’t have any clam juice on hand today (but put on shopping list), so i threw in some chicken broth i had stashed in the freezer
• seasonings
  …today, i used some Tomato Powder and Homestead Seasoning from a favorite place to shop in Raleigh, Savory Spice Shop (link below).  Other seasonings that work well in chowder are thyme, oregano, Old Bay or just whatever your family likes!
• barbecue sauce
  …i have a lot of tidbits of this, that and the other sauces in my fridge, because i’m a sauce junkie… putting some of this in the chowder just adds another layer of flavor

Throw all ingredients into a crock pot.  Turn on low and let this slowly simmer all day till you come home from work.  My crock pot decided to DIE on me today when I put this in, so I dumped into a stock pot, brought to boil, then cut back to slow simmer for about 30 minutes for some REAL ‘fast food!’

Total time from start to eat if done on stove-top… less than an hour!  Good old simple food… food the way God meant it to be enjoyed… Nekkid!

This is the chowder go’n in…

…and the seasonings I used from Savory Spice Shop in Raleigh... drop by and tell Cindy I sent you!
See if there’s a Savory Spice Shop near you here!

I hope this inspires you to peek into your fridge and see what YOU can ‘throw’ together! And when you do, please come back and share with us all…

HAPPY FALL Y’ALL!!!  now git in the kitchen and”Throw” somethin’ in a pot…

Print “recipe” here!

The world’s slowest blogger and quintessential non-baker took home 1st Place last week in the 1st Annual “Best Southern Biscuit®” Contest at the 2nd Annual Midstate Mills Biscuit Day over in Newton, NC!  Come along and experience the day, the WHOLE day… in this Culinary Adventurist’s “Southern Biscuit Day” journey.  This is a story about biscuits, yet so much more… living a delicious life with obsessed old foodie friends… sharing food,  fellowship and culinary history with new ones… making new culinary memories with all those folks… and being blessed enough to live another day to tell about it to folks like you here reading this tale.  Fix yourself a jar of sweet tea and come on along…

Wendy & Jody tour the mill…

My friend Jody Currin of Mrs. Picky’s Biskits and Marmalades (and 3rd place winner of this year’s International Biscuit Festival) and I never miss a beat when we set out on our next adventure… and we weren’t about to disturb that trend on this trek…we meet the most interesting folk along our way at the backroads junktique and antique stores we swerve into!  And we see some of the dangdest things… I just have to share this quick sighting here before moving on to biscuits… because in all my galavanting, NEVER have I seen a drive-up window at a hoochie coochie lingerie establishment, until now… and even though it was dark-thirty when we left our hotel and headed to Biscuit Day (just 9 miles away because we were both so giddy and ‘cited to go there and because Jody beds down at 8pm and is up by 4am!), I insisted Jody stop the truck so as to photograph this unusual phenomenon!  Turns out the fellow at the hotel desk was intrigued as well to see the installation of a drive up window when they all knew there at the hotel what kind of store was soon to open… so in Hickory, NC, one can peruse the online store of this here place, order… and just drive up…never needing to grace the inside of said store! 
Now don’t that just beat all??? And here’s proof… Hoochie Coochie Drive Thru Window!

So…on to BISCUITS!

Downtown Newton, NC was all aflutter as folks from Midstate Mills were busy sharing their biscuits with town folk and others like us who made the pilgrimage… to b.i.s.c.u.i.t.s. ~ Lotsa Midstate Mills biscuits… these filled with Neese’s Country Sausage! About 1600 biscuits were devoured and on hand to fill them were folks from Neese’s… and that cute and bubbly Andrea Neese you see in their TV commercials… and also a sister Home Economist!

Andrea and her folks were cook’n up sausage, liver mush (that went first!) and bacon as the perfect fill’n for all those biscuits! 

Sooooo…
as Midstate Mills Baking Expert Belinda Ellis started talking about all the entries and announced 3rd, then 2nd place winners, she started hinting around at the winning recipe…  said that at first glance of the recipe and ingredients, she thought them to be rather odd… and quite frankly, didn’t look very appealing. BUT, having made them and other recipe entries for her panel of chefs and foodies to try, my “OINKERS” quickly disappeared and they asked her to make MORE! When she started saying that this recipe included chopped barbecue, slaw and Eastern NC vinegar-based BBQ sauce in their Southern Biscuit Formula L mix,

I turned to Jody (professional biscuit maker!) and said something to the effect of… “OMG, that’s MY recipe!” Having a reputation for being THE non-baker amongst my cheffy friends, not only did this increase my giddyness level, I just HAD to snicker a little… what better poster child for the product and how easy it is to create with it than with little old ME throw’n together creative (and winning)  biscuit concoctions??

In addition to being totally surprised by this accolade, I met the greatest folks in Newton… Midstate Mills is now welcoming its 4th generation into this family business… and from the founder’s granddaughter Cindy Gabriel

to other folks like John Craig, who produces the International Biscuit Festival in Nashville, TN, the people were just the “butter on the biscuit!” I also had a fun chat with Tim and Jan

about their Southern Fresh Show on the RFD-TV Network… a culinary and gardening show filmed entirely here in North Carolina! Their show airs on Mondays at 4:30EST, so tune in…

Biscuit makers are a friendly lot and hearing the stories shared at MM’s 2nd Annual Biscuit Day by well-seasoned ladies and gents there was very humbling and I felt like I should relinquish the win to those more experienced than me-self… their Biscuit Tales need to be preserved as does the art of biscuit making!

As the festival concluded we enjoyed lunch across the street at Callahan’s Cafe where I satisfied my cheeseburger craving and Jody (and I) enjoyed the house special “Chicken Pie.” We then strolled a block away where a few of us were treated to a tour of the lab, testing kitchen and mill by yet another sibling… where I was outfitted with my “Tour de Couture”  loverly paper shoes (since this flip-flop wear’n gal didn’t have any “closed toe touring shoes” in her bag)! 

As our day ended and we headed back eastward and home, our journey couldn’t simply end there… and somewhere ‘tween Greensboro and Liberty, sumthin’ happened to Jody’s truck… smoke was fly’n out the tail end like an oven full of burnt biscuits…so as we’re so good at doing, swerved OFF the highway onto a side road, jumped out of the truck and scurried up the hill (till we heard a fierce barking dog). Possible Exploding Truck Fire?… or dog bite in the rumpus… tough decision! We thought for sure the truck was on fire… and at this writing I’m not sure what it ’twas… but we met the kindest locals on the side of that road in the THREE HOURS we spent there… SO typical of fellow North Carolinians… and this story just wouldn’t be complete without thanking these strangers…

First, Highway Patrol Officer Pike, whose family owns the farm up the road where the annual Liberty Antique Sales are held… and who hung with us (and our diesel splattering there to the left) until he had to tear off and chase a drunk driver somebody was tailing down that road… and who also managed to move the truck out of the middle of the road (since after we jumped out and made our get-away, it wouldn’t crank again)…. then, this fellow in the bright green shirt who works for the Town of Liberty, (name unknown) whose daughter came by right after our “incident” happened and sent him to help us… and some time (a lotta time) later…  Mr. Tow Truck Driver there with me… a most welcomed sight, second only to Jody’s hubby Mike arriving from an hour and a half away in Erwin to take us Biscuit Queens homeward bound!  And never one far away from cookbooks… Jody managed to snap a shot of me…during our ‘detour’ home… “ditchside,” reviewing cookbooks for the “Carolina Cooking” features section for the beautimous Our State Magazine where I do food styling and recipe development… with hundreds of books to review to make just the right selections  this gal NEVER leaves home with out a sack o’ cookbooks!  ‘Cause I was a Girl Scout…always prepared!!

Reflections… Winning this contest is such an honor I will forever cherish and is a ‘culinary feather in my cap’ I feel so blessed to have… but with such a wondermous product as Midstate Mill’s Biscuit Mix (just one of their many great goodies), anybody, and I mean ANYbody can make biscuits… fast as you can open a can and bang it on the counter before your oven is pre-heated! Go get yourself some today and see what fun biscuits you can stir up… and while you’re at it, find a kiddo and let them help!

This product is PERFECT for getting little ones involved in the kitchen… and it’s high time we all do that…
teach a child to cook and show them what REAL food is all about!

Now, go make some biscuits y’all  Printable recipe right here…

It’s been a crazeee bizzeeee week for this old gal as I’ve embarked on yet another new adventure (more about that soon) so this post is draggin’ butter a few days.  I’m really excited about it though, because it features my blog’s very first guest post! 

A few days ago was “National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day” (although I’m not sure who proclaims some of the ‘national days’ I’ll be blogging about).  Teresa Williford, my baker bud and friend from down the road in Elm City quickly jumped at my invite to create something reallll good to celebrate the day.  She recently created another fun recipe featuring Lizard Lick Towing Company’s (and TV Show) new BBQ Sauce, but since we’ll be publishing that soon in a magazine along with a few I stirred up myself, we’ll save that surprise… but what she came up with for that was simply unbelievable!  Stay tuned for that…

So back to PB&J Day…. Teresa sent me several yummy recipes and it was hard deciding on which one(s) to share… so I narrowed down to my two favs.  I surely hope y’all will try one or both of these and also, please give Teresa some feedback below in the comments section… and if you like the looks of either (or both), be sure to click that little Facebook button to share on your FB page.  If you are in this neck of the woods and need an outside-the-box OR traditional baked goods, contact Teresa at twilliford7@nc.rr.com!

THANK YOU Teresa!  I’m sure everbody else will join me in welcoming you and will be looking forward to more wondermous recipes from you too…

PB&J Fudge

1 lb of confectioners’ sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup jelly or jam
3/4 stick of butter, cubed

Sift the confectioners’ sugar and salt together in a microwavable bowl. Add milk, vanilla, peanut butter and jelly and butter cubes. Blend until mixed together. Microwave on high for 1 minute, stir. *Microwave an additional minute and stir until smooth. Pour into wax paper lined 8 inch square dish. Refrigerate until cool and solid. Best if it sits overnight.

 *  Watch carefully and adjust time based on wattage of your microwave.
** If you want to make it chocolate, sift 1/2 cup of cocoa in with the sugar and salt.

PB&J Pop tarts

For pastry:

1 Box of Puff Pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten
6 TBS jam (I used grape jam)
6 TBS peanut butter

Vanilla Glaze:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 TBS milk or water
Rainbow sprinkles (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Take pastry out of freezer and let it sit on counter for about 30 minutes or until pliable. Roll both sheets out on lightly floured counter, enough to get about 6 card size rectangles. Brush one sheet with the beaten egg. Score the egg washed sheet into 6 rectangles.  Spoon 1 TBS of peanut butter and 1 TBS of jam in each rectangle. Put the other sheet over the egg washed one and press down to make the 6 rectangles. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut out the rectangles and press around edges to seal. Place the rectangles, spaced, on a baking sheet. Put in freezer for 10 minutes.

Take out of freezer and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the tops of the pastries are golden brown. Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and remove to a wire rack to cool for about 30 minutes.

When the pastries are cooled for 30 minutes, in a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and enough of the milk or water to make a smooth, pourable glaze. Pour or brush the tops with the glaze, then sprinkle with the rainbow sprinkles. Let them stand for 15 minutes so the glaze will set.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days.

…and for you more advanced bakers out there ~

Note from Teresa… This Pâte Brisée recipe is from The Professional Pastry Chef. I bake by weight not measure, and have included both. Pâte Brisée is French for “short dough.”  This means it has a high fat to flour ratio making it nice and crumbly, flakey and rich!  It is said that if you only learn and make one pastry, this should be ‘it.’

Pâte Brisée

1 3/4 cups (245 grams) unbleached all purpose flour
1 TBS sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks/228 grams) cold unsalted butter, cubed
2 egg yolks
3 TBS cold milk

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the flour, sugar and salt for 15 seconds. Scatter the butter over the top and mix on low speed for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, or just until the flour is no longer bright white and holds together when you clump it and the lumps of butter are visible throughout.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and milk until blended. Add to the flour mixture all at once. Mix on low speed for about 20 seconds, or until the dough just barely comes together. It will look really shaggy and more like a mess than a dough.

Dump the dough out onto an unfloured work surface and gather it together into a tight mound. Do not knead! Using your palm and starting on one side of the mound, smear the dough bit by bit, starting at the top of the mound and then sliding your palm down the side and along the work surface, until most of the butter chunks are smeared into the dough and the dough comes together. Do this once or twice on each part of the dough until the mound comes together and you have a cohesive dough with streaks of butter.

Gather up the dough; wrap tightly in plastic wrap and press down to flatten into a disk about 1 inch thick. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Dough will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Before using, take out of refrigerator and let rest on counter for 10 minutes. Proceed to roll.

Appropriate side dish for any of the above…

got MILK?

Gotcha! 
I’m not much on that yard work stuff… but on occasion, it’s simply necessary.  I’ve been at it for weeks, in snippets (to make it more digestible)… in order to make sure I’m as de-snakified as can be.  Because for those who know me, know that I DO NOT DO SNAKES. Period.  No such thing as ‘good snakes’ for this girl.  I actually have thought that I probably need to check myself into some sort of snake phobia program, except I’m sure that would, at some point, involve the handling of snake(s)… therefore, I’m not inclined to voluntarily enroll.

As I was out and about today in my back yard, I smiled as I saw how well my chives are flourishing.  Not being much on gardening either, (aka ‘yard work’), the one thing I’ve always managed to cultivate successfully are chive… or is it chives?  My smile quickly turned to concern as I remembered that… tonight it is supposed to dip into the 20′s!  Just days ago I was sweating in shorts, tank top and flip flops, and here I sit writing this bloomer blurb by a burning fireplace!  When I saw all those cute little chive blossoms… little teardrops …about to ‘splode, I stopped yard work’n (doesn’t take much to divert my attention from THAT!).  I immediately went into ‘mama chive mode’ to do what is needed to protect my bloomers!  Because, you see, we must.

One of my favorite early spring treats are my blooms… thus the importance of bloomer protection!  Did you even know you can EAT those fluffy little lavender flowers?  Some folks do not know this, and so this, my friends, is for you!  (I have had folks look at me like I’m some sort of weirdo when plucking these and snacking while strolling around the yard.)  There are quite a few edible flowers, (note: make sure they have not been treated with chemicals and pesticides… or peed on by passing critters)… and my very favs are chive flowers.  I grow mine in fence hanger boxes and in the Hungarian Baby Bathtub (see picture) so they stay up off the ground and ‘pee free.’  They are really pretty on salads, and a nice surprise for folks not used to eating floral matter.  I, however, don’t always make it back into the house with them… I snack tub side. 

The ‘by product’ of these bloomers are the chive fronds… is that what they are called?  I don’t know, and because I know you really don’t care, I’m too tired from all that YARD WORK today to go research proper ‘chivese’ so for now, they’re fronds!

OK… I got a bit diverted there.  Back to bloomer protection!  Short of hauling that big ass Hungarian Baby Bath Tub in the house (and not even possible at this point due to the Ben Gay slathered ‘every muscle aches in my body’ condition), I am putting faith in those annoying plastic grocery store bags… and have bagged my bloomers!  I surely hope that works… ’cause I’m looking forward to the Chive Blossom Jive real soon… maybe by the time they bloom, my old sore muscles will be healed and jive’n will actually be possible… stay tuned!

Oh, P.S.  Do YOU eat chive bloomers?  (I’m just trying my best to get y’all to put something in that comment box down there!)….

And please click the ‘like’ button (if you do) and share on your FB pages and invite your friends to come here too.  THANKXXX

Okie Dokie… so my blog is getting a sloowwww start!  Life has a way of keeping us bizzzzy, which is one reason I even contemplated doing a blog for a couple of years (!) before heading into blog fog.  So don’t worry about my posts becoming invasive and ‘too much’ because I don’t think THAT is gonna be an issue… 

This week, St. Patty’s Day to be exact, is a special day for me.  Nope, I’m not Irish, but it is a day of celebration for me because…
March 17th is my Personal Day of Freedom Celebration!  This March 17th, I’m dance’n a jig as I look back on being a ‘former’ smoker… my QUIT DATE was March 17th, 2005! 
WoW…6 y.e.a.r.s it’s been! 

My precious little nephew Wyatt came into my world the previous September, and as much as I wanted to quit before he arrived, I just couldn’t (or more like “didn’t”).  But as he grew, I didn’t want his little senses to be subjected to something even I found disgusting!  I didn’t want him to SEE me smoking… I didn’t want him to SMELL the nasty stinch on my clothes… so I did it!  Just six months after God blessed our family with him, I QUIT!  And haven’t had or wanted so much as a puff since that day…  So St. Patty’s Day will always be ‘my day,’ the day I started smelling better… breathing better… living better… and tasting foods ‘more better!’ 

Speaking of tasting… I found this recipe, or some form of it, years ago visiting the home of a personal chef colleague in Dallas, TX.  While hanging out in Donna’s kitchen and browsing through her cookbooks, I came upon this soup in a book I made note of as “Sensibly Thin.”  So that’s the best I have to offer in terms of giving credit where credit is due… but the picture is my own.  It was taken before I started learning ‘more better’ food photography tips… so ‘scuse the poor quality!

This week, grocery stores have the usually expensive Corned Beef Roasts on sale, so it’s a great time to pick one (or a few) up and crock pot tomorrow while at work for a tradtional Corned Beef and Cabbage supper tomorrow night.

Then, in a few days, stir up a pot of this really DEE-lish soup with the leftovers! (And y’all know I’m a ‘throw cooker’ so throw leftever cabbage into this soup too…just yet one more layer of flavor.)  It’s incredibly easy and fast to make and probably not a soup you’ve made before…  Sooooo 

… celebrate something… if nothing but simply being alive with a roof over your head that a big fat wave didn’t just swoosh over, taking away everything you treasure and need to live each day, including loved ones.

With the events this past week in Japan, this Irish Blessing seems to be the appropriate one… so let us all stop to count our blessings today, and every day!
Blessings to your and yours…

Bless This House

Bless this house, o Lord, we pray. Make it safe by night and day. Bless these walls so firm and stout, Keeping want and trouble out. Bless the roof and chimney tall, Let thy peace lie over all. Bless the doors that they may prove Ever open to joy and love. Bless the windows shining bright, Letting in God’s heavenly light. Bless the hearth a-blazing there, With smoke ascending like a prayer. Bless the people here within… Keep them pure and free from sin. Bless us all, that one day, we May be fit, O lord, to dwell with Thee.

Speaking of GROCERY stores… gotta run now… our *new* Piggly Wiggly store opened in town today (wheeee doggies!)… headed there right now!  Stay tuned… may be a blog post over there somewhere…. hope y’all enjoy this soup, just perfect for chilly winter’s eve on the doorstep of SPRING!!

 

 

 

 

 

Cream of Reuben Soup

Serving Size: 8   

   1      small        onion — chopped
   2      cloves       garlic — minced
   1      large         carrot — shredded
   3      T.              cornstarch
   6      c.               chicken broth
   1      c.               skim milk (I use 1/2 and 1/2)
  10    oz.              corned beef brisket — chopped
                                …from some you cooked or deli sliced
                               (more is a ‘good thang’)
   8      oz.              sauerkraut* — drained and rinsed
                               (I just ‘throw in’ an entire can)
     1/2  t.               thyme (I throw in a bit more)
     1/4  t.               white pepper
     1/4  t.               tarragon
   1         t.              Old Bay Seasoning
     1/3  c.              water (only if needed for consistency)
   8      oz.               shredded Swiss cheese
                               Rye or Pumpernickel Bread (for croutons)
                                …broken into pieces and toasted**

Cook onion, garlic and carrot in microwave-safe bowl on HI for 2 mins.  Drain.
Blend in cornstarch.  Add broth and milk.  Cook on stove over med. heat until thickens.
Add remaining ingredients and cook until cheese melts.
Serve with rye bread or croutons.

* I prefer the canned Bavarian Style kraut.

** I love breads, but living alone, I never eat an entire loaf.  So when I buy a loaf of rye or pumpernickel, I put some in freezer to have on hand for a change of pace sandwich or for croutons for soups like this.  If wrapped well, bread will last a longggg time in your freezer.  These breads also can be used in recipes that call for bread crumbs… think outside the usual box and use a different kind of bread to give your recipe needing bread crumbs a new and different layer of flavor!

Goodness gracious, February has evaporated!  My grandmas surely were right about that “time flying” thing when you’re “seasoned.”  (I strive to abstain from using the word old, older or any derivative of it.)  I surely don’t wish my life away, BUT, I cannot tell a lie (doesn’t that have some sort of relationship with cherry trees?)… I’m mighty glad to be seeing winter quickly moving into the rear view mirror.

I’m a Spring Chick!  The R A I N B O W spring brings makes me giddy.  I love looking upward to see GREEN buds on a palate of BLUE sky… and gazing down to see YELLOW buttercups already making their debut in my yard… I start looking forward to cute little roadside signs, often hand-painted, letting me know it’s time for RED strawberries…  and grin when I see Lavender chive blossoms burst open for my salads (although I mostly enjoy chomping on them right out there in the yard).  But there is one color I dread come spring… the glaring WHITE on my winterized legs!  Now I’ve never been a sun worshiper (boring!) and I do make sure to use sun protection, but I must admit that I do feel a little better with a tad of color when debuting shorts, skirts and skorts come Spring.

Soooo, back to saying buh-bye to February.  Being that it’s National Cherry Month AND being that cherries in any shape, form or fashion are about my FAV fruit, I couldn’t “march’ forward without some sort of cherry treat.  My foodie friends know I’m the quintessential NON-baker, so as I looked about for inspirations, “no bake” recipes screamed w.e.n.d.y.! I’m also not one of those folks who cannot exist without sweet stuff, so this concoction realllly got me out of the proverbial ‘box.’   But when I started digging to see what I had on hand to create a new masterpiece, a “no bake sweet treat” is what emerged.  I hope you enjoy making these FAST goodies as much as I did…
(“fast” + “EZ” + “no bake” = My Kind ‘o Throw Together Goodie)!

“A Date With Cherry”
…cherry chocolate chip date nut balls

…a recipe by Wendy Perry
Yield:  1 dozen
Prep Time:  less than 10 minutes

1      c.               asst. nuts/pieces* (salted or unsalted)
pinch of salt    (if your nuts are unsalted)
1/2  c.              dried cherries, unsweetened
3/4  c.              dates (whole or pieces)
1/4  t.               almond extract (Watkins)
1/4  t.               vanilla extract (Watkins)
2      T.              water (or if for adults, Amaretto, vanilla or cherry rum or chocolate liquer)
1/2  c.               mini chocolate chips
1/2  c.               flaked coconut (half toasted)**

* This is a great recipe to use up those tidbits of nuts because a mixture is a ‘good thing’ in this recipe.
For recipe creation, I used pecans, walnuts and some macadamia nut pieces (previously toasted for another recipe).

Throw your nuts and salt into a food processor and whiz until fine crumbs.  Throw cherries, dates, extracts and water (or alcohol) in and pulse until you have an ooey gooey paste.  With a spatula, fold in the chocolate chips.

Pinch mixture and make 1″ balls.  Roll in coconut and place into freezer to firm up for about an hour.  Keep chilled.

**Toast coconut in non-stick pan until some is toasted and some isn’t so you have a half-n-half mix.  Bu doing this, you’ll get a nice “chew” with the bits that haven’t toasted, yet a nice toasty crunch with the flakes that are toasted.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -

After spending a little time in the yard yesterday to start spring cleaning it (before snakes may slither in!!!), I once again, as realized about this time each year,  confirm that I DETEST yard work, period.  I so want to be one of those folks who look forward to piddling in the yard, fluttering about pulling weeds here, planting flowers there… “becoming one with nature!”  Just ain’t me…. and I was nowhere in sight when God was handing out those genes.  I’m the one with good intentions, going to the annual Wake Forest HerbFest where I roll around one of the cute little Radio Flyer wagons and get all giddy filling it with tender young herbs and unusual tomato plants.  Usually, in 2-3 weeks time, the thrill is gone,  and I’ve grown the nicest pots of DRIED HERBS you’ve ever seen.  Thank goodness a few of my favs, like chive, don’t need a lot of attention and thrive on their own.

Last year, I dabbled in hay bale gardening where I planted a lot of varieties of maters, but forgot about those after a bit too… yet a LOT of maters actually came to be.  I haven’t yet decided if I’ll try that again this year or not… more about that later! 

Back to yesterday… (because with every small movement, this muscle or that one takes me back there), I concluded that the main reason I don’t like yard word is D.I.R.T.!!!  (I don’t even care for all that sand at the beach, which is a problem when you love the beach!).  Dirt gets everywhere... under my fingernails (even when wearing gloves?!?), inside my socks… hair… mouth, even in my bra!  I just get too dirty out there in the dirt, period.  So when I came in yesterday at dusk, I pondered the whole dirt thing, and came to this conclusion.  I hate dirt.  Yet, I love dirt CAKE!  So here’s to dirt and those that “dig” dirt (with the highest admiration!)… whether under your fingernails from outside, or licking off your finger with my kind o’ dirt from the kitchen!

Wendy’s Dirt Cake… quick and EZ

…a fun cake to serve a crowd any time of year, but especially nice in the springtime!

Serves 12ish  

   1      large pkg.         Chocolate Creme-Filled Cookies* 
   2      8 oz.                  whipping cream (make fresh or use 2 packaged)
   2      8 oz.                  cream cheese, softened
   2      large                 instant pudding mix
   4      cups                  milk
                                     food coloring, opt.
                                     flower pot safe for food, about 5 qt. size
                                     garden trowel for serving
                                     flowers, gummy worms/bugs for garnish

DIRT:
*You can save money by using “no name brand” cookies from dollar or discount store.
Save 1 (or more whole cookies) to plug hole in bottom of flower pot.

Place cookies in processor and pulse until consistency of dirt!  (If you don’t have a processor, this can be done in a zippered bag by rolling into crumbs with some sort of bottle or jar.)  I like to keep a few cookies out and break into pieces to have a ‘crunch’ in the dirt crumbs.

FILLING:
Mix pudding but using a little less milk than you would for usual pudding so it will be a bit firmer in the cake.  With mixer, blend in the cream cheese; whirl in the whipped cream, or you can do them (pudding/cream cheese and whipped cream) as 2 separate layers in the cake.

Start by covering hole with whole cookie(s) and a layer of dirt in bottom of pot.  Alternate 2-3 layers (number of layers will depend on size/shape of your pot.  End by topping with ‘dirt.’ 

GARNISH:  throw in some silk flowers (or real as in picture if in jar or bottle of water)… hang a gummy worm or two around too.

CONTAINER: Some clay pots have been chemically treated so best to use a cleaned plastic or ceramic type flower pot.   If using a clay pot, it should first be washed well/sterilized through a cycle in the dishwasher.

SERVING SPOON:  It’s fun to keep the “theme” going by using a garden trowel which you can find at a dollar store. 

PUDDING:  These is where you can get creative and have fun… make chocolate, vanilla or anything that goes good with the chocolate cookies.  In both these pictures, I used mint…wished I had taken a good picture of the INside!  I like to do this at St. Patty’s Day and make sure I add a little green food coloring to get a nice bold green layer in my cake!  “DIG” In!