we've moved!

Don't panic. This page will remain active for quite some time, because it's going to take me a while to transfer all the content to the new location. All of your favorite recipes will still be here until further notice.

BUT ....

if you want what's new and exciting, you'll have to head over to my new home:

The NEW BB&F !

Bookmark it! Visit often! Enjoy the sleek appearance, forums, social toolbar, Facebook connectivity, and MOBILE SITE!  I'm so excited and I can't wait to see you there!!!!

Hittin' the books: Extra Credit

Last week I shared some of the books that I think are essential for the home cook - the ones that teach you the basics, and how to be a better cook. This week I wanted to share three books from my library that aren't just full of good food, but also make for a darn good read. Maybe not everyone would want them, but I sure can't live without them. These are the cookbooks that I love so much I'll just sit around and read them when I'm bored. Because I'm a nerd.

I value this book for the storytelling just as much as for the recipes. In The Taste of Country Cooking, Miss Lewis recounts growing up in Freetown, Virginia (founded by her grandfather and other freed slaves following emancipation in 1865). She shares what life was like in a small rural community, and how the food tied in with that kind of country living. The book and recipes are organized by seasons, and everything is simple and fresh. Each chapter begins with a story of what would happen in the community during that part of the year, and is followed by a handful of menus and their accompanying recipes. This is the way rural America used to eat, back when "local" and "seasonal" weren't buzzwords for foodies - it was just the way of life. For me, Miss Lewis is one of those greats I wish I could have had the privelige of meeting. Although she passed away a few years ago, her writing and recipes continue to inspire me and make me love living in the country that much more. Check out this to-die-for menu from the book:

AN EARLY SUMMER BREAKFAST

Ham in Heavy Cream Sauce

Covered Fried Eggs

Pan Fried Sweet Potatoes

Biscuits & Butter

Green Tomato Preserves

and

Coffee

If that's not fuel for working the fields I don't know what is... That's just ONE of the many deliciously simple, hearty country meals from this book. If that's the kind of food you're into, then you need to run out and pick up The Taste of Country Cooking.

The Glory of Southern Cooking by James Villas

I've decided that this is a pretty definitive volume on the subject of southern food. Over 375 dishes culled from all over the south - from the hills of Tennessee to the Carolina Lowcountry - there's pretty much any classic southern dish you can think of, including some fairly obscure and nearly forgotten ones. Although he's not quite the storyteller that Miss Lewis was, James Villas offers a brief history for each recipe in the book. A sampling: Jezebel (a spicy-sweet spread), Kenetucky Cheese Pudding, Creole Barbecued Shrimp, Awendaw, Hummingbird Cake, Pickled Peaches, and of course, Mint Juleps. It's like he spoke to every grandmother in the south and got their most beloved recipes. I have made a LOT of dishes from this book, and have yet to be disappointed. I think you'll all love it too!

Martha Stewart's Hors D'Oeuvres Handbook

Stop rolling your eyes...I'm serious about this one. I may not love everything Martha does, but I don't know what I'd do without this book. There's a picture of every single recipe. All of them. This book saved my life when I was catering for the first time, and even if you don't entertain much there are great little bites to bring to parties, or even turn into a fun dinner. There are also a few things that I like to make and give as gifts for the holidays (the Icebox Crackers are perfect for giving, and super easy). The Pretzel Bites are perfect for when you have friends over on college game day, and the cocktail recipes would perk up any girls night in. There's also fantastic advice on planning a party menu, making things ahead, and how to look for the best ingredients. I almost featured it in my list of essential books, and if you enjoy entertaining at all, it SHOULD be in your collection.

Next week: Indian food, Italian food, and celebrity chefs!

Hittin' the Books: The Basics

I have a lot of cookbooks. A. Lot. But there are a handful that I keep going back to, and feel like everyone should have. If you enjoy cooking and want to learn more, or want to learn how to do pretty much anything better, these are worthwhile investments.

For a while, I was just grabbing any old book with a pretty cover. As I learned more about who I am in the kitchen and the foods I truly love, I started to become a little more selective. I'd like to share with you what I feel are a few essentials for the home cook and, in the next posts in this series, a few of my personal favorites. (I despise dust jackets and throw them in the trash as soon as I get a book home, so the covers may look a little different than what you will find in the stores)

The Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer (mine's the 75th anniversary edition)

You KNOW if a cookbook has been around for 75 years and is still selling, it must be pretty important. This is the book that sparked my imagination and really got me interested in cooking. I was amazed that so many different recipes could be found in one book. The easy-to-read recipe format, along with tons of advice and tips, really make this the home cook's best friend. This is actually the second copy I've owned, because I use it so often and tend to wear it out (even when I'm not using the recipes, I look to it as a reference). I can't say enough about how useful Joy has been. I know it won't disappoint you!

Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, with Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck

I would be committing a crime against home cookery if I didn't include this book. You may think that you don't care much for french food, but this is so much more than that. Mastering is an excellent manual for basic skills. It's like having Julia herself coach you through what equipment you need, basic knife skills, all the stocks, sauces, and other master recipes of classic French cuisine. These aren't hoity toity recipes- these are the skills that will make you better at any kind of cooking, the skills that people pay upwards of  $25,000 to learn in their first year of culinary school. Cook your way through the first couple of chapters and I promise you will be better at what you do. It's also important to know that the recipes in here aren't really all that fancy, or difficult, or expensive. It's simple, DELICIOUS, and elegant food that you could serve any time.

Baking with Julia by Julia Child, featuring a slew of famous chefs, bakers, and pastry chefs

Can you tell I love Julia? I once had a friend from culinary school tell me I was "like Julia Child, only hip" - possibly the greatest compliment I've ever received, because I want to teach people to cook and love food the way she did. Anyhoo... This book made me a better baker. As far as I'm concerned, if I ever had the chance to teach a baking class for home cooks, this would be my textbook. She starts with basic, master recipes, then expands on them. I spend my summers baking my way through this book from cover to cover, and I'm a better baker for it. If you love cookies, cakes, pastries, and breads, then you need this book. It's the companion to a PBS series by the same name, and I believe it's still available on DVD. Pairing the two would no doubt be even more enriching than the book alone.

I didn't get a picture because my camera batteries died, but for extra credit you could grab a copy of Larousse Gastronomique. This book is for the pros, and the food geeks. It's a comprehensive dictionary/encyclopedia of cooking terms, techniques, ingredients, etc. My mom found me a copy from the 60's at a used bookstore for $15; brand new it's considerably more. I use it when people ask me a random food question, or if I'm unsure of a certain technique. It's also really hefty, so I may or may not use it to press flowers...

Culinary Artistry by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page

Although aimed at future professionals, I think this is an excellent read for home cooks who yearn to be more creative and cook more intuitively. With tons of input from the best chefs on the planet, they break down what goes into creating a dish, and a menu. There are lists upon lists to reference: foods by season, what goes with what, which herbs compliment this or that, contrasts between ingredients, and so much more. Not to mention the scores of inspiration by the people who do it best. So, you say, it's spring? And beets are in season? I've never done beets, what goes with them? Well let me just turn to page 96 and see what I have handy from that list... You pretty much can't mess it up. The best part is, you'll start to remember this sort of stuff, and throwing things together will no longer involve a book. This is also a HUGE help in the budget department. When I need to do my shopping from the pantry, and don't feel like spending all day looking at my cookbooks, I pull out this book. If I have salmon in the freezer, I'll look at the list of things that go with it and see what I have handy. More than one fantastic improvised dinner has come about this way.

Look who forgot to rotate the picture :)

And finally...
You don't have to get this specific one, but every home cook needs a little guide for substituting ingredients. Ever look at a recipe and think "man, I don't like/can't afford/can't find that ingredient...?" That's what books like this are for. Once I decide I want to make something, I don't want to have to give up on it just because I can't find (for example) juniper berries at the local grocery store. Thanks to a handy substitution guide I know I can toss a little gin in there and call it a day. Run out of baking powder? Well if you have baking soda and cream of tartar laying around, then you don't have to worry. Because this little book told you that would work.

So those are what I think some of the must-haves are- certainly not a comprehensive list...what do you think? Did I leave anything out? Is there a cookbook you couldn't live without? Next Tuesday I'll start sharing some of my favorites that, although not essential basics, I couldn't imagine my kitchen without them :)

Great Beginnings

This is easily the most exciting part of vegetable gardening - when the first fruits of your labor begin to make their appearances. Little tomato nubbins that seem to turn into green globes overnight, the tiniest of beans and pea blossoms, pinkie-sized peppers...It's all so fascinating, and it's a beautiful moment of realization that yes, you are competent with dirt and seed and shovel. It's also a reminder that soon, you will not have to pay out the wazoo for sub-par tomatoes at the store. No, soon you will step out of your back door, pluck one still warm from the sun, and literally taste summer. Even the edibles that grow wild are peeking up at the sun. There are gobs of wild blackberries all around where we live, and Chris brought me the first ripe one two days ago. "There's...thousands...of them," he said with a huge goofy smile, "they'll all be ready in another week or two." Of course we both knew that already, but the excitement of many, many pounds of free berries is just too much to contain...(Ok, not entirely free. One must brave briars and -possibly- snakes to get at them, but they are worth the risks)

I really enjoy taking pictures of our veggies as they grow, and god bless the macro setting on a digital camera. It makes me look like a legitimate photographer sometimes. So here, I present to you, a little photo essay of what are most certainly some great beginnings:

What's going on?

I can be pretty terrible at this blogging thing sometimes, can't I ? That's no good, considering I'm trying to reach 5,000 hits by August. So, since I haven't posted in what seems like ages, you may (or may not) be asking yourselves "what the heck has she been up to?". Just life...and procrastination.

It's spring, and here at little old Ogle Acres that means being outside. Planting, watering, weeding, playing...none of which involve being anywhere near a computer. I used to do my blogging in the morning with my little (huge) cup of coffee, but now I'm doing this:

Told you I had weeding to do

Also, I've been working out a lot. And eating really healthy. I don't know if you've noticed, but this blog isn't exactly about scrambled egg whites, big salads, and standing overhead presses (no, I do not have a picture of that). So, I've been working out how to balance testing and creating the comfort food recipes you all love with the healthy lifestyle I'm trying to live. I don't want to compromise the integrity of classic southern dishes, either - so I don't want to do healthified versions of Southern classics (I just invented that word, healthified. Say it with a southern accent- it works)

So here's what I AM going to do:
1. Practice a little time management and get up earlier so I have more time to blog
2. Add Gardening and Healthy Living pages
3. Use my Sunday dinners for the really good, sinful food we all have come to expect from me.

Are you all ok with that? I hope so. I hope you can bear with me, I'm only human like the rest of you (you did read about my CookieFail, didn't you?!) I'm just a girl in a double-wide trying to write a cookbook, grow some veggies, lose 18 pounds, make some friends, and remain sane while raising a 3 year old.

Sounds like the makings of a pretty interesting blog, to me :)

The Other Red Meat: Venison

1. We live in the country
2. My husband likes to hunt


A lot of people in the South depend on the deer meat our hunters bring home to help keep grocery costs down throughout the year. Many folks think venison is too gamey tasting. I think this recipe/technique will change some minds...

I don't have a name for it. I'm so sorry - I really tried to think something up, but couldn't come up with anything other than "Venison Nuggets", or "Bambi Bites", or "Sauteed Venison Loin Cubes with Peppers and Onions". The first two are ridiculous, the third one is too long and snooty. Feel free to name this recipe for me in the comments section.

One of the best ways to help remove some of the gaminess of the meat is to soak it in watered down milk overnight, or at least a couple of hours. This helps draw out the blood and mellow the flavor. I used the backstrap for this recipe, which is kind of like a tenderloin cut. This was an improv recipe, so measurements aren't precise. You could use any meat for this. It's just a quick, non-Asian stir fry, really.

Remove any tendons and/or  silverskin from the backstrap/tenderloin (which has been soaked, if desired) and cut it into bite size cubes. Toss with a generous sprinkle of steak seasoning and lemon pepper. Let stand while you slice up the veggies

I had some button mushrooms, half of a Poblano pepper, and half of a white onion hanging out in the fridge, so that's what I used. (Poblanos have a little heat - sort of a happy medium between a bell pepper and a mild jalapeno. You can find them amongst the other peppers at any grocery store these days. We love them out here at Ogle Acres!)

Not as old as she looks...

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium high heat. lightly film the bottom with oil. When it's near the smoking point, toss in the meat and cook to medium  rare. Keep it moving around so it doesn't burn or overcook.You really want the pan screaming hot.

Remove the meat to a bowl and add the veggies, cook until tender and lightly charred.

they will pick up the crusty bits and flavor from the meat, so there's really no need to season them with anything more than a little salt.

Toss together the meat and veggies and serve with pretty much ANYTHING. Pile on top of mashed potatoes or rice, buttered egg noodles, or do what I did:

Make an epic salad with mixed greens, scallions, cucumber, blue cheese dressing and blue cheese crumbles. Blue cheese is really fantastic with red meat. That flavor combo just really brings me joy...

If you don't have venison in your freezer, feel free to use beef in this dish. Since it's cooked to medium rare you can use a cheaper cut. The flavors would also work with chicken. It's a tasty, fast, weeknight treat. 

Not Just Any Orange

The Queen of Citrus- Blood Orange

As far as I'm concerned, this is the best thing to ever happen to the world of oranges. I can only find them in stores in February and March, and was shocked to see them here in little old Walterboro!

The flavor is very sweet, floral, and almost honey-like. And the smell, oh, the smell! I would love to just rub the zest behind my ears.

When looking for them in stores, look for an orange rind with a deep red blush to it. When you cut into it the flesh should be fragrant and look, well, blood red. Hence the name.

Apparently I have sausage fingers when juicing...

The juice makes for a FANTASTIC mimosa. Use it anywhere that regular orange juice is called for  for more depth of flavor. Segmented out it's great on salads with grilled chicken.  Treat my favorite orange just as you would any other. But with more respect and adoration, of course, for she is royalty.