Bama Breeze.

BAMA BREEZE
Another from "Crazy Sista Cooking." I failed to mention in the previous post that Lucy is the sister of Jimmy Buffett.

From Lucy:

My brother Jimmy’s recording of “The Bama Breeze” was his homage to coastal dives, particularly the famous Flora-Bama on the beach at the Alabama – Florida State line. He sent me a little love both when he changed the lyrics to call the bar owner “LuLu” and when he asked me if I wanted to play the bar owner in the video. I mused for just a second, thinking…hmmm… a woman who owns a bar, drinking a beer, jumps up on the stage and sings with the band. It wasn’t much of a stretch! I had crazy fun shooting the video but I’m glad I have my day job! Now I enjoy this drink at my own “Bama Breeze” bar on the beach at LuLu’s.

2 ounces Absolut® Citron vodka
1 ounce Coconut rum
Juice of ½ fresh lime
½ ounce simple syrup
2-3 ounces cranberry juice

1. Fill tall glass with crushed ice.
2. Add vodka and rum.
3. Squeeze lime juice into glass.
4. Fill with cranberry juice.
5. Add simple syrup to desired sweetness.
6. Stir.
7. Garnish with fresh lime slice.

Makes 1 Drink

LuLu Clue: To make your own simple syrup: In a small saucepan, bring ½ cup water and ½ cup sugar to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. When cool, pour syrup liquid into a storage container. This will keep, refrigerated, for a long time.

L.A. Caviar

L. A. (LOWER ALABAMA) CAVIAR
from Lucy "LuLu" Buffett's "Crazy Sista Cooking"

(No visit to coastal Alabama is complete with stopping in at LuLu's at Homeport Marina, under the Intercoastal Waterway bridge in Gulf Shores.)

Lucy says:

This is one of my favorite LuLu’s dishes and I make it at home all the time. During one memorable chapter of my life, I ran with a group of highly disreputable folks who lived in lavish historic homes on Washington Square in Mobile, Alabama. We had weekly soirees complete with costumed cabaret numbers around a white baby grand and copious amounts of cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Right before I opened LuLu’s, we had a reunion celebrating my friend Suzanne Cleveland’s 60th birthday. One of our “partners in crime”, John Coleman, arrived with a great black-eyed pea dip. John is a barbecue aficionado, redneck lawyer and rogue gourmand; so, it gave me great pleasure to steal his recipe! I had just returned from living in Los Angeles so I gave it a little LuLu’s twist and the L.A. reference: a perfect fit for my high-class dive. It has been on the menu at LuLu’s since day one and is one of the restaurant’s signature dishes. Today, we make it in twenty gallon batches.

Dressing:
¾ cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

4 (15-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1 cup chopped red pepper
1 cup chopped red onion
1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 cup chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar; cover tightly and shake vigorously to dissolve sugar. Set aside.
2. Rinse and drain peas well. Place in a large glass or aluminum bowl.
3. Add remaining ingredients and dressing. Toss well. Transfer to plastic container, cover and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.
4. Serve with tortilla chips or saltine crackers.

Makes 20-25 Servings

Fried Catfish & Hush Puppies.

Fried Catfish and Hush Puppies
From Chef Martha Foose’s "Screen Doors and Sweet Tea"

HUSH PUPPY BATTER

2 cups self-rising cornmeal
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup grated onion
1/4 cup finely chopped bell pepper or jalapeno
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg

CATFISH

8 (6-ounce) U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish fillets, patted dry
2 cups corn flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil, for frying

1. MAKE THE HUSH PUPPY BATTER. In a mixing bowl, whisk the cornmeal, flour, salt, and sugar to mix and remove any lumps. In a separate bowl, combine the onion, bell pepper, buttermilk, and egg. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring well to combine. Let the batter sit for 15 minutes of until after the fish has been fried.

2. COOK THE FISH. Season both the fish and the corn flour liberally with salt and pepper. Place the seasoned corn flour in a bag. Add the fish pieces one by one, and shake until completely covered. Set the coated fish on a wire rack to dry slightly while the oil heats.

3. Set a wire rack over a baking sheet lined with newspaper or paper towels. In a deep pot or fryer, heat at least 4 inches of oils to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Drop the fish filets into the hot oil, being careful not to crowd the pot, and fry until ginger tan, slightly curled, and floating, about 4 minutes (8 to 10 minutes for whole fish). Remove with a skimmer or slotted spoon. Set the fish on the rack to drain while frying the hush puppies.

4. Do not stir the hush puppy batter, which would deflate it. Dip two spoons in the hot oil. Then with one of the coated spoons, scoop up a spoonful of batter and carefully slide the batter into the hot oil, using the other spoon to help guide the hush puppy into the pot. Repeat, dipping the spoons again if the batter begins to stick, until all the batter has been used. Be careful not to overcrowd the pot. Fry the hush puppies until crisp, turning them as needed, until they turn deep reddish brown and begin to float. Remove from the pot and rain on the wire rack before serving.

Notes:
*I am a strong proponent of cottonseed oil for fish frying. It is an excellent medium: It has a high smoke point of 450 degrees Fahrenheit and does not impart as strong a flavor as peanut oil. Dark cottonseed oil straight from the mill is termed "crude" and must be refined further for most culinary uses. Some cotton-land residents swear by it because of the nutty flavor it imparts.
*Never fill a vessel to be used for frying more than two-thirds full. The grease will rise and sputter violently. Mary fires have happened because this rule was overlooked.
*Never, ever, throw water on a grease fire.
*Many an experienced fish-camp cook checks the oil temperature by flicking a Diamond Strike Anywhere Match across the surface of the hot oil. If it lights, the grease is ready.
*Look for corn flour sold boxed or bagged as fish fry, like Zatarain's. It is very finely ground cornmeal.
*Hushpuppies fried after the fish are much more flavorful than those fried before. Mixing the hush puppy batter and letting it rest while the fish is crying bestows the ethereal crispness.
*If desired add 1/2 cup of fresh, in-season corn kernels to the hush puppy batter.

Cajun Catfish Dip.

Cajun Catfish Dip

4-5 U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish fillets
Red pepper to taste
Zatarain's Creole seasoning to taste
Cajun spices to taste
8 ounces Cream cheese (room temperature)
1/2 cup Sour cream
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. Lemon juice

1. Cover both sides of fillets in red pepper, Zatarain's, and Cajun spices.
2. Bake or broil until lightly brown.
3. Let fillets cool; mash with a fork; add all other ingredients.
4. Chill over night and serve with crackers.

Notes:
You may add more Zatarain's, red pepper, and Cajun spices according to how hot and spicy you like it.

Recipe courtesy of Pam Sims, Greensboro, Ala.

Delta Bisque.

I found this one on the Catfish Institute website. There are lots of recipes there......

Delta Bisque

This scrumptious bisque is easy to make, and can be made ahead for a party or special dinner.

1/3 cup (plus 1 tablespoon) butter
3 green onions, chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon salt

1. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a Dutch oven or a large, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Add green onions and celery, and catfish fillet pieces and sauté for 3 or 4 minutes; do not brown. Remove catfish and vegetables from the pan.

2. Add the remaining 1/3 cup of butter to the pan and cook over medium heat until melted. Add the flour and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually stir in the milk and cream, stirring well after each addition. Cook, stirring constantly until thickened. Add the catfish and vegetables. Stir in the Tabasco sauce, parsley, bay leaf, chives and salt. Simmer for 15 minutes and serve. Bisque can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 3 days.

Jezebel Sauce.

This is a snap to throw together, and it is just delicious on meats, over a block of cream cheese and used as a spread, or just about anything else that you can imagine.

Jezebel Sauce

1 5-oz. jar pineapple preserves
1 5-oz. jar apple jelly
1 5-oz. jar prepared mustard
1 4-oz. jar prepared horseradish
1 tsp. kosher salt

Combine all in a saucepan and heat over medium until the mixture is hot & bubbly. Carefully pour the sauce into clean jars and allow to cool. Place the lids on the jars and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

These also make wonderful homemade hostess gifts.

Mega Chocolate Mousse

This recipe is from Let's Cook! A book for kids who love to cook!

Our then 10-year-old made this recipe shortly after we found this cookbook. It was amazingly delicious. When she phoned from her grandmother's house needing the recipe, I thought we should post it.

Mega Chocolate Mousse

4 1/2 oz dark chocolate, broken into pieces
4 large eggs
2 oz white chocolate

1. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl on a pan of simmering water (2 inches deep) and allow the chocolate to melt. (You could use a double boiler for this step.)
2. Separate the eggs. Pour the egg whites into a mixing bowl & put the yolks into a small bowl.
3. Remove the melted chocolate from the heat & stir well. Cool a little. Beat the yolks and slowly add them to the chocolate, stirring well.
4. Whisk the egg whites in the mixing bowl until they are white and firm and will stand up in soft peaks.
5. With a spatula, gently fold the white into the chocolate and egg yolk mixture until evenly mixed.
6. Carefully pour the mousse into the serving dishes and leave to set in the fridge for 2 hours. Decorate with grated white chocolate.

Spaghetti & Meatball Soup.

As readers of my regular blog know, I stumbled upon some wonderful cookbook bargains last week. One of them is "House Specials - Soups, Salads, Et Cetera" by Nancy Coale Zippe. She also has two other "House Specials" books, one being "Main Dishes" and the other "Baked Goods & Sweet Treats." Nancy has been a freelance food columnist in Wilmington, Delaware since 1975. These three books are a compendium of the best of her years writing two food columns, plus some of her own treasured recipes.

This is one of the amazing soups in this book. We are making it today, and will report back with a critique. However, there is a note from the author that this soup was the favorite in her household for years. That is saying quite a bit!

Spaghetti & Meatball Soup

6 cups beef broth
1 28 oz. can Italian style tomatoes with juice, cut up
1 1/4 cups chopped celery, with leaves
3/4 cups chopped carrot
1 tsp. oregano
1 to 1.5 cups thin spaghetti, broken into two inch pieces
Parmesan cheese
(Update 2/2/2016: add one diced onion, 2 diced sweet potatoes, and use 1 quart beef broth, 1 quart vegetable broth.)

Meatballs:

2 slices stale bread
1 pound lean ground beef (or turkey)
1 egg
1 fresh clove garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 TBSP chopped parsley

In a large pot, combine the broth, tomatoes, vegetables, and oregano. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

To make the meatballs, soak the bread in water and squeeze out the excess. Add in small bits to all of the meatball ingredients. Mix well. Roll into tiny balls. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes (in a toaster oven if you have one) on a foil-lined tray to cook out the fat.

Return to the soup pot while meatballs are baking. Break in the pasta and simmer 10-12 minutes. When the pasta is almost done, spoon in the meatballs with a slotted spoon. Heat through another 5 minutes. Top each serving with a shake of Parmesan if desired.

Note:
If you want to make the soup ahead (or expect leftovers), cook the pasta separately and add just before serving. As the soup sits, the spaghetti will continue to soak up liquid and become mushy.

Notes from MarLo:

1. Do not expect leftovers. This soup is so good you will be tempted to turn the pot up and drink it.
2. We used matchstick carrots - it eliminated the need to chop carrots, and they were a nice complement to the spaghetti pieces.
3. We omitted the parsley. We did not have any on hand.
4. We love the Kitchen Basics brand of broths. Every one we've tried is delicious.
5. We used two tablespoons of plain breadcrumbs instead of going through all the steps listed for the stale bread. 
6. Mar was hesitant about cooking the meatballs in the toaster oven, but that is what we did and it worked so well I'll do all meatballs that way in the future!

New Links.

I added a bunch of other food blogs to the sidebar.......

Grilled Banana Split with Simple Chocolate Sauce.

Grilled Banana Split with Simple Chocolate Sauce
courtesy Naman's Market

4 ripe bananas
8 large strawberries
1/4 cup orange juice
2 teaspoon unbleached cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Good quality vanilla ice cream
Chocolate sauce (to make your own, see below)
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Real whipped cream (optional)

Simple Chocolate Sauce
4 tablespoons unbleached cane sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter (optional)
1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract

Prepare the sauce:
Combine the sugar and cocoa powder in a small saucepan.
Blend with a little of the water until smooth, then stir in the remainder of the water. Bring
the mixture to boil, reduce heat and then continue to simmer for five minutes to reduce
and thicken slightly.
Remove from heat, stir in butter until melted.
Stir in vanilla and serve.

Prepare the Banana Split:
Leaving skin on, wash bananas thoroughly, then cut in half crosswise and then again
lengthwise, ending up with four pieces from each banana.
Cut strawberries in half to make two pieces from each.
Whisk together orange juice, cane sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Add bananas and strawberries and toss gently to coat.
Let marinate for at least 15 minutes or up to 3 hours.
Grill bananas and strawberries cut-side down over medium-low heat about 2 or 3 minutes.
Remove strawberries and set aside.
Turn bananas over and continue cooking skin side down about 5 more minutes or until the skin pulls away from the banana.
Remove skins from bananas and place 4 pieces into each serving bowl.
Top with ice cream, then sauce, then whipped cream.
Place 4 pieces of grilled strawberry on top.
Garnish with chopped nuts.
Serves 4

Popovers.

Basic Popover
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2008

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus 1 teaspoon room temperature for pan
4 3/4 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 1 cup
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup whole milk, room temperature

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Grease a 6-cup popover pan with the 1 teaspoon of butter.

Place all of the ingredients into a food processor or blender and process for 30 seconds. Divide the batter evenly between the cups of the popover pan, each should be about 1/3 to 1/2 full. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 40 minutes. Remove the popovers to a cooling rack and pierce each in the top with a knife to allow steam to escape. Serve warm.

Lemon Chicken.

Lemon Chicken

4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 cans cream of chicken
1/2 cup milk
6 tablespoons(1/3 cup) lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
cooked rice

Place chicken breasts in crock pot. In a bowl, mix soup, milk, and lemon juice. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 6 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over rice or pasta.

Squash Casserole.

Squash Casserole
from Paula Deen

I typically double this. Maybe even triple the squash.

2 cups cooked, mashed yellow squash
2 cups Ritz crackers, crushed
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup shredded cheese
1 cup chopped onion
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
6 TBSP butter, melted

Mix all together and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. (I typically cook it at 400, and increasing the amount increases cooking time.)

Fried Squash Sandwich.

Fried Squash Sandwich

Simple, yet delicious. This can easily trick the brain into thinking that it has had a hearty meaty sandwich, much like a burger.

1/4 inch slab of squash, cut lengthways (as opposed to the usual circular cross-sections)
thinly-sliced Vidalia onion rings
Bread
Mayo
Buttermilk
Corn meal mix
salt
pepper

Mix about 1/2 cup of corn meal mix with salt & pepper, to taste. Dredge squash slice through buttermilk, then coat in corn meal mixture. Shake off excess. Fry in oil or butter over medium-low heat, turning once, about 3-4 minutes per side. Place finished squash onto mayonnaised bread and add several onion rings. Enjoy!

You could also simply saute the squash without any batter, if so desired.

Crock-Pot Chicken.

Crock-Pot Chicken

1 whole chicken (or pieces, if preferred)
1 can of chopped tomatoes, with or without green chilies
1/2 bottle of Italian dressing (Light dressing is fine)
1 bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 onion, sliced into strips

Combine in a crock-pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.

De-bone & serve over rice, using the cooking liquid as a gravy.