Fried Green Corn

Heather says:

I was browsing through some of my hometown blogs and stumbled upon this entry at A Yankee in a Southern Kitchen. It was the perfect use for the abundance of Silver Queen corn I picked up the other day. Don’t be fooled by this absurdly simple recipe, it tastes of summer.

Ingredients:

• 5 ears of corn, shucked and cut from the cob
• 3 TBSP butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat the butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat.

Add the kernels and cook until heated through, approximately 5 - 7 minutes.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Ridiculously simple, but oh so good.

Enjoy!

P.S. If you have a moment check out this week’s Festival of Frugality.

Chicken Bog, Chicken Bog, Chicken Bog Time

Heather says:

Do you ever have a snippet from a TV show stay with you for eternity?

Now that you’ve had a peek into my twisted little mind, let’s talk chicken bog. At first glance, some long time readers may say, “But Heather, that looks just like chicken pilau.” Nay nay my friend, there are many heated arguments between Lowcountry residents and PeeDee residents about the superiority of one over the other. As long as someone is willing to share, I refuse to take sides. The grains of rice in chicken pilau are separate, where in a traditional bog, the grains will mold to a fork. Additionally, chicken bog is typically more savory.

This dish is economical, it utilizes a whole chicken which creates a rich broth to flavor the rice. It can feed a crowd or freezes for an easy night in the future. Andre Pope has been kind enough to share his recipe for chicken bog.

Chicken Bog

Chicken Bog

Ingredients

• 1 (3-5 pound) chicken (cut up)
• 1 pound smoked sausage
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 teaspoons Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
• 1 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pinch of salt
• Dash of garlic powder
• 3 bay leaves
• 8 cups water
• 3 cups raw white rice

Directions:
1. Cut the sausage into 1/2-inch pieces.

2. Combine the chicken, sausage, butter, seasonings and bay leaves in a large stock pot.

3. Add the water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 40 minutes at a low boil.

4. Remove the chicken. WARNING: VERY HOT

5. Remove the meat from the bones of the chicken. (Throw away the bones and skin. )

6. Add the rice to the pot with remaining chicken broth and seasonings.

7. Bring to a boil, stirring well.

8. Boil for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to simmer, cover the pot and let cook for 10 more minuets or until the rice is done.

9. Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaves, return the chicken to the pot, mix well, and serve.

10. Pour your self a big glass of iced-tea and enjoy.

Thank you very much, Andre, for sharing your recipe.

Simple Side: Rice and Peas

Heather says:

My family enjoys this simple dish, it goes well with most standard chicken recipes.  Oddly enough, my kids who are not overly fond of peas do not mind their presence.

Ingredients

• 1 TBSP butter
• 1 small onion diced
• 1 cup uncooked long grain rice
• 2 cups chicken stock (or broth)
• 1 cup frozen peas

In a skillet with a tight lid heat the butter over medium-low heat. (If you need numbers, that’s 3 or 4)

Add the onion and cook until soft, stirring often.  Add the uncooked rice, stir frequently and cook for an additional 2 - 3 minutes.  Add the stock, turn up the heat to medium high (6 - 7), bring to a boil and cover tightly.

Immediately reduce the heat to low, unless you enjoy cleaning up boil overs.

Cook for an additional 15 - 20 minutes.  Two or three minutes before removing from the heat stir in the peas.

Pepper to taste.

Enjoy.

One Pot Meal: Ground Beef and Cabbage Skillet

Heather says:

File this meal under pretty good comfort food. Mr. Heather filed it under “should make again” but he’s from Minnesota and used to consider “hotdish” its own food group. Relax, I’m just teasing to pick on my in-laws. Everyone say hi to Nan and Gramps.

Back to the food, it’s important to remember this dish calls for uncooked rice. If you have cooked rice you are looking to use, be sure to omit the water.

Ground Beef and Cabbage Skillet

Ingredients

1lb Ground Beef(ground turkey works very well)	Optional Additions
1/2 med onion diced(about 1/2 cup this isn’t critical)	diced bell pepper
1/2 head of cabbage roughly chopped(if the cabbage is huge, use a 1/4)	frozen corn
1 cup uncooked rice	kidney beans
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1 6oz can of tomato paste
2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt - pepper to taste
1/2 tsp dried thyme
optional 1 bay leaf (I’m not a huge fan of bay leaves)

Directions

Heat a large pot over medium heat, add the ground beef or turkey and cook until no longer pink. Be sure to use your spatula to break up any large chunks.

Drain the fat off.

Add the onion and cook for another two minutes or so.

Stir in the cabbage, rice, tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, and seasoning. Add any extras at this time, too.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for 20 - 25 minutes stirring occasionally.

This can be adapted for a Crockpot^TM or slow cooker. After cooking the meat, transfer to the crock, add the remaining ingredients, except for the thyme (add this just before serving), and cook on low for 4 - 6 hours or high for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Since brands of slow cookers vary, you may need to adjust the cooking time. This recipe assumes the setting low is about 200°F and high is about 300°F.

Cornbread 101

Dear Home Ec 101,

Do you have a good cornbread recipe or tips on baking cornbread? I
generally use a corn meal mix and it always comes out too dry and
“crummy”. I like for the outside to be crisp but for the inside to be
soft and to stay together instead of falling apart when slicing or
buttering it.

Signed,

~Feelin’ Crummy

Heather says:

Excellent timing. I needed to bake a couple batches for my cornbread and andouille sausage dressing. This is a plain rather than a sweet cornbread and holds together nicely.

Basic Cornbread

• 1/2 TBSP Butter or bacon grease (for your 9×13 pan)
• 8 TBSP (1 stick) Butter
• 4 large eggs
• 3 cups buttermilk
• 3 cups yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 TBSP + 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 TBSP sugar
• 2 tsps salt
• 1 tsp baking soda

Preheat the oven to 375 F. (I put the butter in a heatproof cup - not plastic!- and let the oven melt it while I combine the dry ingredients).

Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. Stir with a fork until thoroughly mixed.

In another bowl briefly mix the eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter. Whisk to mix.

Place your 9 x 13 baking dish in the oven with the 1/2 TBSP butter or bacon grease.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined.

Remove the pan from the oven when the butter has melted and tilt the pan to coat the bottom.

Place the pan on a heatproof surface (it just came out of the oven) and pour the batter into the very center. The batter will push the grease to the edges and prevent sticking.

Bake at 375 for 30 - 40 minutes. The top will be golden and the edges will pull away from the sides of the pan. Set on a baking rack to cool for five minutes before cutting and serving.

Enjoy!

Submit your question by sending an email to helpme@home-ec101.com

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