Farmers Market at Elko SC

Under the watchful eye of its director Jeanne Johnson this little farmers market has a lot to offer.

From fresh eggs and local produce to Goats Milk Soap handmade by Jeanne herself.

My Dilly Day Is Done

Between my garden and the local Farmers market I ended up having over 10 pounds of green beans to process today.

Most of those I quickly blanched and frozen, but I saved a few to pickle.

Picked beans are something I've never tried but I just love Dill so I gave it a try.

2 1/2 cups white vinegar 

2 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup pickling salt

2 tsp Dill Seed

2 tsp Dried Dill Weed

4 cloves Garlic (optional)

2 pounds fresh Green Beans

4 pint jars

Trim beans to fit in jars and put them into jars.

Place all other ingredients  in a small pot and bring to boil. Remove garlic. PoUr brine over beans and then wipe and cap jars.

Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes or keep in refrigerator for 3 weeks.

A Few of My Favorite Things

Rosemary Chicken with roasted Lemons

Yield: 4 servings

Serve the chicken on a platter over arugula greens.

Ingredients

1. 4 skin-on boneless chicken breasts, about 6 ounces each
2. 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
3. 2 lemons, cut in half
4. A few sprigs rosemary

Instructions

1. Put the chicken breasts on a rimmed baking sheet – I use a 13 x 9 inch quarter sheet pan - and drizzle with some olive oil. Turn the chicken over to coat on both sides with the oil. 
2. Season the chicken on both sides with the salt. Let the chicken sit at room temperature 25 minutes, skin-side up. Strip the rosemary leaves from their branches and chop finely; scatter over the top of the breasts and rub into the skin. Arrange the lemon halves flesh side down around the chicken.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400 degrees. 
4. Roast chicken 12 minutes; baste with some of the pan juices. Crank up the oven temperature to 475 degrees and roast and additional 15 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and the pan juices are bubbling and dark brown. If your breasts are larger than 6 ounces they might need a few minutes more. Don’t overcook! (please).
5. Let the chicken rest about 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate and squeeze the lemons over the chicken (one half per breast). Add a teaspoon of water to the baking sheet if necessary and scrape up the pan juices. Pour over the chicken and serve.

Stuffed Baguette 

 I used my homemade Pimento Cheese in the above photo, but this filling is delicious!

Ingredients:

• Baguette about 14-inch long

• 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 oz fresh goat cheese
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• ½ cup finely chopped red bell pepper (about 1 medium)
• ½ cup finely chopped sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
• 2 oz finely chopped spicy salami
• About 2 tbsp minced Italian parsley
• About 1 tsp minced fresh thyme
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Salt to taste (very unlikely since there’re plenty of salty ingredients)

Preparation:

Slice off both ends of the baguette. Using a long thin knife and working from the both ends, hollow the baguette out leaving about ½-inch thick crust all around.

Using an electric mixer beat the cream cheese until smooth and lump-free. Beat in the goat cheese and garlic. Stir in the rest of the ingredients.

Working again from the both ends, fill the baguette with the cheese mixture. Pack the filling tight. I like to use a slender tequila shot glass for pressing the filling in. Wrap the stuffed baguette very well in plastic and refrigerate for at least two hours and up to two days. Right before serving, slice the baguette into ½-inch thick slices and serve. For the most neat looking slices, treat it as a cheesecake – each time slice it with a hot dry knife.

Basil Lime Chicken

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• 3 Limes (juice and zest) Divided 
• 1lime sliced
• 3 T Olive Oil
• 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
• 3 T Worcestershire Sauce 
• 3 T Soy Sauce
• 4 Cloves Garlic Minced Divided 
• 2 T Chopped Basil
• Salt and Pepper to taste 
• 3 lbs Chicken Breasts

              

Combine the zest and juice of 2 limes, Olive Oil, Worcestershire, Soy, 2 garlic cloves salt and pepper and mix well. 

Place chicken in a large ziplock bag and pour the marinade over the chicken and marinate for 1 hour. 

Preheat grill and place chicken on grill and grill for 7 minutes, flip over and cook until done.

May also be cooked under the oven broiler for the same amount of time.

I have cooked this on the stove top, browning chicken then adding basil and lime slices and finishing it off in a 400 degree oven until chicken is done.

Rosemary Butter

Unsalted Butter

Fresh Rosemary

Ice cube tray, mini muffin pan or butter molds.

For every stick of butter you will need 2 tablespoons of finely minced Rosemary.

Bring butter to room temperature, place in mixer, add Rosemary and mix well.

Scoop into ice cube tray of other container and place in freezer until firm.

May be frozen in airtight container for several months.

Summer Melon Berry Salad

3 cups cubed watermelon

1 1/2 cups Blackberries 

2 Tablespoons fresh chopped Mint

Juice of one Lime

Gently toss all together, chill and serve.

Chocolate Covered Cherries

This past Christmas, my friend Marie came over with her mom's recipe for Chocolte Covered Cherries.

A favorite of my husband's I was eager to learn to make this sweet treat.

They are simple, easy to make and were a huge hit. I ended up making two more batches and used the same recipe minus the cherries to make homemade Coconut Candy Bar Bites by adding a cup of coconut to the mixture.

Cheese on the Go

I can't rave enough about this little cooler for cheese sticks that Sargento Cheese has come out with! I received mine free with a package from Influenster.com

Now anyone who knows us here at our house knows that we just love Cheese!!! Althea, my granddaughter loves cheese and is as close to a vegetarian as anyone in our family has ever been. While she may eat a small bit of turkey or chicken we depend upon cheese and nuts to provide her with her protein.

I love Sargento cheese sticks as they come in various flavors and keeping her interested in her food is important. We also buy the sliced cheese as well and Althea's favorite is Muenster although she calls it Monster.

Cheese is so versatile, not only in how you use it but in the flavors and textures it comes in. I love a crisp apple and a few cubes of cheese for a snack, and so does Althea. Grilled Cheese, yes please! And don't get me started on Macaroni and Cheese, I could write a book on the various recipes I have tried. My mother loved for me to make my homemade cheese sauce and I believe I will sit down this weekend and dedicate an entire blog to it and some of my mother uses for cheese.

So to Influenster.com and Sargento I must say thank you for the little snack cooler, I only have one question... where might I purchase a few more?

Punting, Passing and Pickled Shrimp!

I can't remember the last time my husband of 33 years asked me to make a special meal. He has always been content to eat what was before him regardless of how it looked or tasted; even the 10 alarm Chili I made decades ago.

But recently he decided to stay home one more night (yep he travels) and then told me he was going to watch The Super Bowl and maybe we could have junk for supper. Now junk suppers around here can be anything but they normally consist of finger foods or nibbles such as wings, sliders, etc.

Here I was thinking he was really missing me when what he was really missing or was afraid of missing was a dang football game and some good grub...

Taste of Summer - Berry Good Memories

I love berries; although I am allergic to Strawberries I have embraced the humble Blackberry as a replacement and use them often to make shortcakes, cobblers, etc. I also love Blueberries and would almost drive to Maine for a case of the small local berries I enjoyed eating there so many years ago.

I first fell in love with Blueberries picking them in Aunt Hazel's orchard when I was a child and we cousins would sneak warm berries right off the vine. That and taking a bite of the first apples from her trees are treasured memories.

My mother actually introduced me to picking berries and we spent many a day traveling to Allendale County to a small orchard to pick blueberries for a number of years. We took my daughters and while they sometimes picked they most often sat in the car and watched... last year that changed when we girls went on our first berry picking trip in years... Beth, Dorie, Becki, Althea and I drove back country roads to a small farm in Aiken County, SC and picked blueberries for the first time in years... this morning as I began the prepartion of Sunday Dinner, I thought about those berries in the freezer just waiting to be cooked and as I grabbed a container from the feezer I saw a container of blackberries as well hidden in the back (as they are the last).

Pulling a cookbook down I turned to my favorite muffin recipe and began the blending of basic ingreidents, adding my own touches here and there (fresh lemon peel and a dash of Nutmeg) then added both thawed Blueberries and Blackberries to the mix. Lastly I added a squeeze of fresh Lemon juice, stirred the dough, filled the pans and waited for them to bake... the wait was worth it, as was the hot summer day last year picking the berries.

Heirloom Tomato Salad

 

 

 

Fresh Heirloom Tomatoes

Fresh herbs such as Basil and Oregano

Sea Salt

Coarse Ground Pepper

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

 

 

 

Cut up tomatoes into bite size pieces.

 Chop or tear herbs and mix with tomatoes.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Drizzle with oil and vinegar.

 



GRANNY'S ZUCCHINI BREAD

2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 tsp vanilla

1 8oz can of crushed Pineapple
2 cups shredded Zucchini
3 cups All Purpose Flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp Baking soda
1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 cup chopped Dates, Raisins or Cranberries * (optional)

Beat eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla until thickened; stir in remaining ingredients mixing well. Beat eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla until thick.

Pour into 2 greased 9x5 loaf pans and bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Bread is done with a toothpick poked into center comes out clean.

Zucchini Bread - Lost and Found

Today while enjoying a lunch with the girls (daughters Beth and Becki and grands, Dorie and Althea) for Mother's Day Beth asked about my mom's Zucchini Bread Recipe and the search began...

I found a recipe for Zucchini Bars (really good) and various other concoctions including a CHOCOLATE Chewy Cake recipe - note to self - MUST try this... but no Zucchini Bread recipe. I knew I had, I had just looked at it but the more I searched through my file and the wood box that hold various recipes and small cook books and even the shelf of the some 50 or so cookbooks I have on display, Nada, Zip, Zero.

Tonight as I settle down to jump on the laptop and get ready for bed, I looked one more time and found it within 5 minutes! So Beth, all is not lost and neither is the recipe which is written on a once beautiful recipe card printed in 1979.

It holds not only stains from countless uses, but the wonderful handwriting of my mother - I remember when she and dad got this recipe though not its origins. Daddy had retired and was battling boredom and then cancer but he had planted a row of Zucchini never imaging the yield and they did not want to waste it... so they picked it and what they did not freeze they made into bread and gave it away and froze it as well.

During my search I also found a Zucchini - Cheese Bread that I tried years ago and had good results from. Both recipes are being added to blog and with Summer upon us I suggest that you take time to make at least one batch of this bread... it's worth it, I promise.

I also want to share with you a Facebook and Etsy Store that deals  with vintage cookbooks (a passion of mine). If you love to cook, or collect this is a wonderful resource:

Vintage Cookbooks
http://www.facebook.com/#!/VintageCookbooks
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CookbookMaven?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=App_Seller&utm_content=shops&utm_campaign=fb_seller_shop2

Drop by and tell them Camella sent you!

Orange Marmalade and Irish Whiskey Glazed Corned Beef

I found this recipe using Epicurious on my cell phone and I am so glad that I did. I have not been a huge fan of corned beef in the past although I do like my homemade corned beef hash, but this recipe was wonderful. I even ate leftovers the next day on a sandwich. The recipe originally appeared in a 2006 Bon Appéti Magazine.



Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 cup sweet orange marmalade
1/2 cup Irish whiskey
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard plus more for serving
1 2- to 2 1/4-pound piece lean fully cooked corned beef
12 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise

I bought and cooked my corned beef the day before using the seasoning package that came with it. I also used Jameson Irish Whiskey.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Boil next 3 ingredients in saucepan until reduced to generous 3/4 cup, stirring often, about 7 minutes. Mix in 1 tablespoon mustard.

Generously brush corned beef all over with glaze; place in center of prepared sheet. Toss carrots and 1/4 cup glaze in large bowl to coat; place around beef. Sprinkle carrots with salt and pepper. Roast until carrots are tender and beef is golden, brushing occasionally with more glaze, about 35 minutes. Transfer to platter, garnish with parsley, and serve with Dijon mustard.

I served this with Champ (mashed potatoes with chives) and Buttered Steamed Cabbage.

SUMMER BERRY MUFFINS

Basic Muffin Recipe


Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk these together in a bowl.

2 large eggs
1 cup milk
2/3 cup sugar
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

In a separate bowl, whisk these together, then add the flour mixture and fold into until the dry ingredients are moist. Do not over mix, batter should be lumpy.

Spray muffin pan or use liners Fill each cup evenly (should make 12) and bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean – 12 to 15 minutes. If you are adding fruit then allow a few extra minutes. Let cool 2 to 3 minutes, serve as soon as possible.


Summer Fruit Variation

1 1/2 cup Blackberries, Blueberries, Raspberries or mixed.
Zest of 1 Lemon
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon Lemon juice

Mix first four ingredients, and then fold into batter along with the Lemon juice.

A Kitchen Redo

Making a few simple changes to your kitchen area can not only make the job of cooking easier but a lot more enjoyable as well.

For less than $150, I helped my daughter-in-law refurbish her kitchen table and sideboard with new paint and hardware; we also freshened up the room with store bought flowers, a few items from a resale store and by mixing in items she already had.

The results were new, bold and clean. She still had her Granny’s kitchen furniture but had but her own mark on it. We accomplished this task in 3 short days; paint $50, flowers $12, picture $2, shelf $2, lamp $20, bowl of apples $20, new kitchen Priceless!

A Taste Of: Dothan AL

 151 North Foster Street

Dothan, AL

334-792-6465

http://riverniledothan.blogspot.com/

11-3 Monday - Saturday

River Nile has been one of my favorite places to eat since I first visited four years ago… they make some of the best soup I have eaten in my 50+ years and the new addition of cupcakes makes it even more appealing.

Peanutbutter Fudge Cupcake

A trip to Dothan would not be complete without a visit to see Katie and staff and to sample the soup of the day and something a little extra. One of the best recipes I have ever tried was shared with me by Katie and it is for the Rosemary Lemonade that my family has grown to love. I have made this beverage by the pitcher and for a crowd and it’s always a welcome addition on a warm summer day.

Rosemary Lemonade

My attempt at Rosemary Lemonade

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice

Zest from 2 squeezed lemons
2 sprigs of rosemary, at least 3 inches long
Pinch salt
8 cups water

Combine sugar, one cup water, rosemary, salt, and lemon peel in a saucepan and bring to boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cook at least 10 minutes at medium heat to infuse flavors. Strain or pick out the rosemary and lemon peel and discard. Cool the sugar mixture. Stir it with the fresh lemon juice and the water and serve over ice. A rare treat!

Flowers in the courtyard at River Nile

Pimento Cheeseburger Sliders

Pimento Cheese (I used a local brand Palmetto Cheese)
5 pounds ground chuck
1 tsp Emeril’s Original Essence
Small rolls or buns

Mix the Emeril’s Essence with the 5 pounds of burgers, shape burgers to desired size and thickness. Grill or cook on griddle indoors. While cooking burgers place rolls in a preheated oven at 350 degrees until warmed.

Place tablespoon of Pimento Cheese on top bun and then place hot burger on Pimento Cheese. Garnish with desired condiments.

Makes between 25 and 30 burgers.

Organic Dutch Baby German Pancake Mix

Also known as a German pancake, a Dutch baby is a cross between a pancake, soufflé and omelette. Making an impressive presentation at a casual brunch, the pancake can be served simply with a sprinkle of lemon juice and confectioners' sugar or topped with a fan of apple slices and drizzled with maple syrup. A Williams-Sonoma exclusive

I picked up a canister of this mix while Christmas shopping last fall and decided to try it out over the holidays. It became a quick addition to our Christmas morning breakfast after the first bite of this wonderful concoction called a Dutch Baby.

I found the directions and process of mixing and baking this product very easy and believe that even a learning cook could master this with dish with ease. Just last week I jumped out of bed and whipped one up on the fly and it was just as good as the first time, and equally welcomed by my family. I served it with warm Maple syrup both times, but am looking forward to trying it with the lemon juice or apples!


I would rate this product 5 star for its ease of use, its taste and cost. I purchased it Williams-Sonoma in Augusta GA for 9.50. Those of you who don’t have a store in the area it is available online at http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/organic-dutch-baby-german-pancake-mix/

Made From Mixes

As a busy grandmother and housewife I sometimes rely on mixes to help me out with meal planning. I love the Food Network show Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee and have bought my daughter and I several of her cookbooks.


Once a month I am going to highlight a product that I have found to be a lifesaver in the kitchen and will rate it on taste, value and how easy it is to use. I will be using a 5 star rating system, 5 stars being the highest and 1 star being the lowest. I will also include where the product is sold and how much I paid for it.

I will include a photo of the finished product and one of the product containers (box, can, etc). I hope you enjoy this new part of my cooking blog and look forward to your comments.