Sweet Tooth

Bread Puddin’

December 12, 2019 scootergin 2 Comments

It is – It was delicious

Bread Pudding

3 cups slightly stale bread pieces, pinched up

(Don’t use fresh-it gets gummy instead of creamy. Trust me, there’s a difference.)

2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 eggs

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease or butter an 8 or 9” square pan.

Pinch bread pieces up in buttered dish.

Whisk milk and egg together.

Add sugar, vanilla and salt. Mix well.

Pour over bread and push bread down into liquid.

Let sit and soak about 5-10 minutes, pushing bread down a couple more times.

Bake 30-40 minutes until center is set (i.e. it doesn’t jiggle like thighs after eating this)

Top with sugar sauce, chocolate sauce, or any sauce you like.

Before baking, you can add in chocolate or butterscotch or peanut butter chips. Or fruit. Or candy pieces. Or broccoli. (Just kidding, don’t use broccoli).

The story behind the recipe

It was a way to make use of less than fresh bread. And also a way to provide a sweet treat to her children.

My mom’s mom, Josie Ward, was a great cook. One of the greatest, to hear my mom and aunt and uncles tell it. And I believe it to be true due to the fact that though her home and kitchen were humble, folks conveniently stopped by regularly at mealtimes. They knew she would feed them. And they knew it would be good.

She was a sharecropper’s wife and mother to 8 kids. My grandfather Carrell was an honest man, and good – most of the time. He truly would give someone the shirt off his back or hand his last few dollars to one of his children if they needed it. But he also liked to drink; and would spend what little money they had on moonshine whiskey.

They sharecropped in Scott County, Arkansas and picked cotton all over Arkansas and Oklahoma just to make enough to start again the next year. There was never enough to get ahead. But they always ate well thanks to the large garden they had and to the 8 kids who helped tend that garden and pick the cotton.

Josie knew how to make something out of nothing. She could take the most basic ingredients and work miracles. Ordinary ingredients like sugar and flour and PET (evaporated) milk became extraordinary in her skilled hands. She’d add in butter she’d churned, eggs she’d gathered, and fruit she’d canned and scrape together a delicious diversion from everyday life for her children. She did this after a long day of housework, working in the garden, or working in the field, and most days all three. She did this because life was hard for all of them. And while she couldn’t protect her children totally from Carrell’s temper or give them much materially, she could love them unconditionally and lift their moods with good food.

One dessert she made combined stale bread, milk, eggs or oil, sugar and a little vanilla flavoring. It was an old time recipe handed down by her mom. It was making sure nothing went to waste. It was comfort and love and warmth. It was delicious.

Breakfast is Served, Sweet Tooth, Very Appetizing

Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Scones

November 15, 2018 scootergin 1 Comment

Sometimes there’s a sale on sweet potatoes.
And sometimes your father-in-law buys a case of them at a produce stand and takes two out and brings you the rest.
I’ve had both these things happen. And so I learned to do more than the usual sweet potato casserole or baked sweet potato or sweet potato fries or sweet potato pie. I’m sounding a bit like Bubba from Forrest Gump … but with sweet potatoes.
Our customers enjoyed new dishes. And they especially enjoyed seasonal new dishes. So in the fall/winter, we had an increase in requests for sweet potato pie and sweet potato casserole with the little marshmallows toasted on top. And we happily obliged those cravings.
But I like to try new things, so the brown sugar sweet potato scone became a winner. I loved them, customers loved them. And they’re pretty easy to make using pantry staples, so win-win. A scone is pretty much a ramped up biscuit. This means you can eat them anytime and all the time. Our customers loved to buy them for quick breakfasts or we served them for breakfast catering orders. They travel well and don’t have to be served hot.

Here’s what you’ll need for brown sugar sweet potato scones with brown sugar icing.
(Makes 16 scones)
1 cup mashed sweet potatoes (2 medium sweet potatoes, cooked)
1 cup buttermilk (to make your own: put 1 Tbs lemon juice in a measuring cup and fill it to the cup line with milk)
2 Tbs heavy cream
3 tsp vanilla flavoring (here’s how to make homemade)
Healthy dollop of sour cream (about 2 Tbs)

5 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed

Brown Sugar Icing:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbs unsalted butter, melted
6 Tbs heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Smash those sweet potatoes up in a bowl with a large spoon or in your mixer bowl.

Add milk.

Add cream.

Add vanilla flavoring.

Add sour cream.

Whip it. Whip it real good. … Until well mixed.

In separate, large bowl, add brown sugar to flour.

Add cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Use a whisk to incorporate all ingredients well.

Add cold buttter and mix with pastry blender or in food processor bowl.

You might have to get in there with your hands. Mix until mixture resembles small pea-size pebbles of buttery goodness.

Add the sweet potato mixture to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.

(You can do this in that same food processor bowl and stop the mixing as soon as the ingredients come together – it’s much easier this way.)

On lightly floured surface, roll the dough into two 7-inch circles (so that you have nice size scones. You can roll it out into a 14-inch circle but you’ll have some monster size scones that take a little longer to bake through. But be a rebel and do what you want.)

Cut the scones into 8 pieces, like you’re slicing up a pizza. Ummmm-a pizza scone. That’ll be a recipe for another day.

Place scones on parchment-lined pan. Brush tops with a little cream and place in preheated oven.
Bake 20-30 minutes, just until tops are almost browning.
Remove from oven and place on wire racks to cool. This keeps them from getting sweaty and gooey bottomed. (Yes, that is a technical term.)

Sweet Potato Scone, Breakfast Scones, Best Scones — Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Scones with Brown Sugar Icing

Mix up your icing and drizzle on top. You can mix this icing over low heat and have a less grainy icing texture as well. But I like sugar, so the grains don’t bother me!

Eat.

For catering: Depending on how many you are feeding, double or triple this recipe. You can also roll the dough into smaller 4-inch circles and make mini scones in different flavors. Or roll them into a large rectangle and cut corner pieces in various sizes. This smaller size requires a baking time of 15-20 minutes.

Basic Cooking Skills, Sweet Tooth

Plain Ole Vanilla – Flavoring That Is

November 15, 2018 scootergin 1 Comment

Vanilla beans, 3-5 or more for a larger jar (I use Madagascar vanilla beans)
8 oz. Alcohol of choice (vodka has the most neutral flavor and an expensive vodka is not needed. Just a mid-grade one will do. Or get adventurous and use bourbon, brandy, or rum. These yield a stronger flavor.)
Clean jar or bottle
Sharp knife and cutting board

Split the vanilla beans, leaving the ends intact to expose the inside or chop into pieces if you like.
Place in clean jar or bottle.
Pour alcohol over beans making sure they are completely submerged.
Place airtight lid on container and give a little shake.
Let sit for a month in cool, dark place. You can shake it from time to time. You can use more beans to speed the process. Or allow it to sit for 2 months for stronger flavor.
You can use a coffee filter to strain your finished extract if you want a clear vanilla. I, however, like the little vanilla bits in there.
Top off the bottle as you use the extract to get all that flavor out.
I discard my beans after 3 or 4 refills (adding a new bean here and there) because those beans will eventually lose their flavor infusing ability.

Bites of Life, Canning

Lasting Flavor – How to Add it to Life or a Bowl of Beans

November 7, 2018 scootergin 1 Comment

There are a lot of things my mama and daddy taught me.
Mom taught me from a young age how to cook and can even though she could’ve gotten it done way quicker if she’d done it herself. And that in itself was a lesson in patience and love.
She and my dad made us help in the garden and taught us how to work. And I am grateful they did. At the time I would’ve rather been sitting on the couch watching one of the three TV channels we were able to receive. (Yes, only 3, and that’s with someone turning the antenna so you could catch the signal – can you imagine?)
But now, thanks to them, I know how to garden and how to preserve that food for winter. Knowing these “old ways” is a privilege to me. Knowing how to “make do”, how to not waste, how to be mindful of being prepared are all gifts they gave. They took the time to teach – by example and by patiently showing my sisters and I how to do things.
Both were raised “poor” as some would call it – not much money in either household in the midst of a rural community still recovering from a depression ten plus years later. But what got them through was their work ethic and their parents love and their knowledge of how to make use of anything and everything to not only survive, but make things taste good.
This recipe is for pepper sauce. As soon as peppers (mostly cayenne) begin to grow in early summer, they can be jarred as pepper sauce. But it is a great way to use up excess peppers at the end of the growing season so that all those peppers aren’t lost to the first frost.
It adds a little something extra to an ordinary bowl of black eyed peas, pinto beans, or any bean really. I also use a couple tablespoons in my meat marinades for a spicy flavor without tongue-burning heat.

Pepper Sauce
Use any kind you grew and make however many jars you want. For this recipe, I used 6-7 cups of cayenne to make 7 pints of pepper sauce.

6-7 cups cayenne peppers, washed and left whole
7 pint jars with lids
2 quarts water
1 quart white vinegar, 5% acidity
1 cup canning salt (NOT iodized or sea or kosher)
Large pot for boiling liquid and small one for boiling lids.

Pick your peppers and wash them.
Place jar rings and flats into small pan of water and heat at medium high heat to boiling.

Pour water, vinegar, and salt into large pot and heat at high heat to boiling.
While this is coming to a boil, pack your peppers into jars. You can pack them tightly or loosely – the more peppers, the hotter the sauce will be.

When the liquid has boiled, pour over the peppers and immediately place jar flat and ring onto jar.
Repeat until all jars have liquid and lids.

Hot water bath the jars. This is how:
Fill a large pot about halfway with water and place jars into pot.
Heat on medium heat until the water starts to boil.
Let the jars sit in the bubbling water for about 6 minutes.
Remove from heat and sit on a clean towel.
Cover the tops with a second clean towel and allow to sit 24-48 hours undisturbed while the jars seal. You’ll hear them sealing and popping. If one doesn’t seal (the little circle in the middle stays up), simply use that jar first (within 3 months) or refrigerate.

You can also slice jalapenos and jar them for a hotter sauce.

Basic Cooking Skills, Soup's On, Vegetarian

Black Beans – Easy Peasy

October 30, 2018 scootergin 1 Comment

The bean story
Simple and delicious, these stars of the side dish/ingredient world are easy to prepare. Once you know how to make them yourself, you’ll probably only use the canned version in a pinch.
A lot of folks don’t know how easy it is. Take, for example, one of our young customers. In her defense, her mother wasn’t a cook (she divulged this information) and she was trying to learn how. She’d come pick up a meal and ask us how to make it herself. We gladly shared most recipes with people. And we offered easy suggestions for them to try at home.
One day we had a large pot of black beans sitting on our prep table – using them to add to a recipe. She was watching intently as she stood at the cash register.
“Why do you pour the beans in the pot first?”
I was putting her purchased items in a sack.
“Well, we put them in there to cook them.”
She looked confused, “Why not just use them directly from the can?”
Then something dawned on her, “Are you supposed to cook the ones in the can? I thought they were already cooked and you just warmed them up.”
I stared at her for a moment and then realized what she meant. “No, you don’t have to cook the canned beans. But you do have to cook them if they are dry.”
She looked confused.
I continued, “You can buy dry beans in sacks in the store. They are usually beside the rice.” I spoke watching her face to make sure I hadn’t misunderstood and was now being condescending. Nope. She hadn’t noticed the dry beans. So I continued, “You buy those and look through them to make sure there aren’t rocks from when they were packaged. Then you just put them with plenty of water and seasonings in a large pot and cook them. You can use them in recipes or freeze for later.”
Joanne was the one assembling the recipe. She piped up, “And they’re better for you to cook them this way.” She picked up that huge pot and brought it to the counter so our customer could see (and smell) how delicious they were.
Our sweet unenlightened customer shook her head slightly and said, “I did not know you could cook beans like that yourself. I just always got them in the can.”
We didn’t want to make her feel badly. I said, “You can absolutely use the ones in the can. We sometimes do if we don’t have time to cook a pot.”
Joanne added, “We just like to add our own seasonings to the beans as they cook. It makes them taste better. Do you want me to write down how to make them yourself?”
Sweet customer smiled so wide you’d have thought we gave her money. “Yes, please.”
As she left she thanked us and said, “I’m gonna tell my mom about this. She’ll flip.”
We just smiled and waved.
So don’t be afraid to make your own pot of beans. If that chick can do it, anybody can.

I do not soak my beans the night before as the package and many others suggest. Mostly, it’s because I forget. But this method works great and doesn’t affect the taste at all.

Black Beans
16 oz. bag of black beans
2 Tbs. Lawry’s Garlic Salt
1 Tbs. Ground Cumin
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. chili powder
Spoonful of bacon grease (yes, it makes a difference in taste)
8 cups water
Large pot
One cayenne pepper pod (optional)

Look and wash the beans.

Add water to pot.
Add beans and seasonings.

Cook over medium-high heat for 4 hours, stirring occasionally.

Taste for needed salt or other spices you might like and add that.
Make sure beans are soft. If not, cook a little longer!

Eat immediately, add to recipes or freeze in bags for up to 3 months.
(I freeze in 2 cups portions as that is the amount I usually need in recipes.)

For a crowd: (Makes enough for a small army or 8 recipes of Caribbean Chicken Enchiladas)
Multiply all amounts by 4.

Bites of Life

Just a minute …

September 6, 2018 scootergin 6 Comments

Trampoline view — Looking up at The clear blue sky while taking a jumping break on the trampoline.

I took a minute today ….

Just a minute. I’ll be there in a minute. I just need one minute. Gimme a minute. Hang on just a minute.
I say that all too often. Especially, I think, to my 8-year-old most precious child. He is actually very patient, for an 8-year-old. It hit me how often I say that yesterday when I’d gone outside to jump with him on his newly set up trampoline. He has no siblings, so I am a stand-in playmate a lot. And not a very good one, I’m afraid, though I try. He shows me things he’s drawn and wants me to draw with him. I do … after a minute (or more) finishing up a load of laundry. He wants to go outside and play football. I go … after a minute (or ten) finishing loading the dishwasher. He wants to create paper airplanes, or have nerf gun battles, or build something with legos. He wants me to do these things with him. And I do … after a minute (or twenty) getting supper started or finishing work.
So yesterday, we went outside in the face- melting Arkansas heat to jump on the trampoline. He got right up and started jumping. I sat on a chair in the shade to finish a couple things I’d neglected during the day.
“C’mon mom!”
I was on the phone checking on my parents that I hadn’t called the night before. “Just a sec.” I ended that call.
He jumped around and then, “Mom, you bout ready?”
I was setting up a doctor’s appointment. “Just a minute.”
I finished that call and texted someone back about a project I’m working on.
“You coming?” He stood still for a brief second to see if I was getting out of the chair in the shade yet.
“Yep, just finishing this up.” I ended the text.
I looked up and he was was standing, waiting – patiently – on me.
I felt guilty for making him wait so long. (5 minutes, not 1)
Now I believe in letting him play alone so he learns how not to depend on others for entertainment. I don’t overschedule his life so that he can play. But he needs interaction too. And he wanted me right then.
So I hopped up on that trampoline and jumped with him. We played Crack the Egg and I showed him what my old P.E. teacher used to make us do on the old trampoline in the gym. He tried to do those tricks. (Super hard stuff like jumping high enough to land in a seated position and then pop back up on straight legs. I was almost able to do it!) We took turns sitting cross legged and letting the other one try to bounce us in the air. We held hands and jumped together to see how high we could go until we collapsed laughing on the trampoline. (He at me because I’m not coordinated anymore and make quite a spectacle and me at his beautiful laughing face.)
He laid on my arm and said, “You’re the best mom in the whole world!”
“Your the best kid in the whole world!” I said because he is.
I was the best mom to him because I’d taken time to jump, to play … with him.
He laid on my arm and we stared up at the sky trying to imagine cooler weather and talking about how nice it would be in the fall to just lay here and watch leaves fall.
And we will. Because I’m going to take a minute. Just a minute – a little more often.

Basic Cooking Skills

Pinto Beans – Cook a Pot Today

February 19, 2018 scootergin 2 Comments

All about the beans:

One of the easiest things to cook, although a bit time consuming, is beans. The time spent cooking up a big batch of these lovely legumes is well worth it. Served with cornbread (and maybe some fried potatoes) or slightly mashed with Mexican food are just two of the many ways this cheap and easy dish (not to be confused with some of the girls in my high school – get it, cheap and easy?). Anyway, back to beans. Besides being an excellent source of protein, beans offer complex carbs and fiber. They contain a powerhouse of nutrients including antioxidants, and vitamins and minerals, such as copper, folate, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, potassium and zinc. They’re just good for you.
So learning to cook up a big pot will serve you well. You can absolutely use the canned version as a side dish or in recipes. Those work just fine. But it will be better for you to cook them fresh and freeze some of what you cook for future recipes.

I do not soak my beans the night before as the package and many others suggest. Mostly, it’s because I forget. But this method works great and doesn’t affect the taste at all.

2 lb. bag of pinto beans
16 cups water
Large heavy bottom pot
1 Tbs. garlic salt
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 Tbs. bacon grease
(Optional: 1 tsp. cumin or chili powder or both)

“Look” your beans. You don’t want to bite down on any rocks. Sometimes little rocks gets packaged right along with the dry beans from the gathering process.

Put them in strainer and wash them. They sometimes also have grit you probably wouldn’t find very appetizing.

Pour them into pot filled with the water.

Add the spices and bacon grease. (Unless you are trying to be super healthy – then add just a little olive oil or coconut oil)

Cook on medium-high heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Nice and steamy. Reduce heat to low-medium and cook 3-3.5 hours longer, stirring occasionally.

I don’t add a lot of salt at the beginning because you can’t take salt out, but you can add more now.
So test those beans and if you think they need salt or any other spice, go for it!

Package 2 or 3 quart bags or containers and freeze. Enjoy the rest with a nice big pan of cornbread right now. Go on – enjoy!

Delicious Dishes

Making meat eaters happy – Shredded Pork

December 20, 2017 scootergin 1 Comment

Pork becomes the star:

So we cooked a lot of chicken dishes. I mean, A LOT. And folks loved them. But we had a few customers (mostly men and wives looking to make their man happy) ask for more beef and pork dishes. We didn’t blame them, eating chicken every night does not a well-rounded diet make, although it can make a well-rounded person. (laughter)
When we catered, we made a pork loin that was super delicious and I will get to posting that in a week or two. We often had the “ugly end” of a pork loin that we needed to use and that had lots of good meat on it, but just wasn’t picture worthy, ya know? All that fattiness that makes for less than pretty chops or loin makes for super tasty meat, though. So we slow cooked it to tenderize it in its own fatty juices, along with a beer and a coke and a healthy dose of spicing. You can use these same spices with a pork butt in the crockpot. Easy and delicious.
This is great as a base for barbecue pork sandwiches with baked beans and potato salad. Or maybe with a brown onion gravy over mashed potatoes, green beans, and hot rolls. Or spiced up with taco seasoning and salsa for nachos with Mexican rice and black beans. I could go on and on, but I’ll just provide the basic recipe and let you run with it.

Pulled (Shredded) Pork
Pork Loin (5-6 lb. is the usual size found in your grocery store) Use the whole thing or cut pork chops out of the pretty end and freeze those for later. Put the rest in the crockpot.
12 oz. beer (pale ale, preferably)
8 oz. Coca Cola (not Dr. Pepper, not Pepsi, not RC Cola – Coca-Cola)
1 Tbs. salt
1/2 Tbs. black pepper
1 Tbs. Rib Rub (or your favorite pork seasoning)
2 cups water (or to cover)

(You can also add a bottle of barbecue sauce if you already know that’s how you’re gonna use it. Or a jar of mild Salsa Verde for nachos or tacos. If you do, reduce your water a little.)

Turn crockpot on low.
Place loin inside.
Pour coke and beer over it.
(And barbecue or salsa if you want)
Add seasonings.
Add water.
Cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low (8-10 for a whole loin)

Shred and eat!

Get Saucy

Top it off! – Enchilada Sauce

December 15, 2017 scootergin Leave a comment

Enchiladas need love too:

Great dishes start with great ingredients. And great sauces make great dishes even greater! We made lots of delicious gravies and sauces but the one we made the most was enchilada sauce.
Our customers loved our salsa. And it followed naturally that they wanted enchiladas to go along with their salsa and chips. So we had a few favorites in that category: creamy corn and spinach enchiladas for the vegetarians, add chicken to that mix for the meat eaters, beef and bean enchiladas, and Caribbean chicken enchiladas. This last recipe was formulated by an employee (and foodie genius) of the previous owner. She had worked for Southern Living test kitchens at one point and knew her stuff. But that’s another recipe for another post. This is all about the sauce. The original enchilada sauce we put on these was super easy and delicious and simple! One can cream of mushroom soup to one can enchilada sauce. (Whatever brands of each that you like). Whisk well so it’s smooth and well incorporated. We made giant bowls of this stuff for use on enchilada day.
Over time, the red sauce changed into a homemade concoction of delicious simplicity born from watching a couple episodes of different cooks on the FoodNetwork and then adding my own touch. This can be used just as it is or mixed with cream of mushroom soup to make it creamier (and go further).

Red Enchilada Sauce

1 Tbs olive oil
2-3 peppers (I use jalapeño, cayenne, Thai hot chile)
1/2 cup white or yellow onion, rough chopped (I prefer sweet onions)
3 cloves garlic, bashed or chopped
2 (14.5 oz.) cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 Tbs cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

In large pan, put olive oil, peppers, and onions.
Sauté for 3-4 min.
Add garlic.
Cook 3-5 minutes more, stirring constantly.
Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, and cumin.
Cover with lid and simmer on low for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Use immersion blender, or food processor or regular blender to blend smooth.
Ready to eat!

Very Appetizing

Salsa Time – The Food, not The Dance

December 7, 2017 scootergin 1 Comment

A wish for dips led to this:

Our wonderful customers challenged us to offer more sides and snack items.
Challenge accepted.
In an attempt to have something – anything to easily fill at least one of our constantly emptying shelves (yes, actually a good problem), we turned to salads and dips. Things relatively easy to make and package.
One of the absolute all-time favorites was our homemade salsa. A great topper for tacos, a great chip dip, a great side with enchiladas a great drink. Just kidding, I don’t think anybody was guzzling it. It just disappeared off the shelf so fast, we thought that.

Red Salsa

1 (10.5 oz.) can Rotel
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes (I prefer fire roasted)
1 (14.5 oz.) can “Mexican style” diced tomatoes (Now the can just says with green peppers, celery and onion)
1/4 cup dried chopped onion (you could use fresh if you love onions)
1/3 bunch cilantro, bottom half of stems removed (or 2 Tbs dried cilantro flakes)
1 Tbs chopped garlic (refrigerated kind or fresh, not dried)
4 oz. can chopped green chilis
1 tsp. Cumin
1/2 tsp. Black pepper
1 tsp. Salt

Optional: Add 1 jalapeño, lightly sauted and chopped

Place all ingredients in food processor and process to desired smoothness.
Let sit for about 30 minutes to allow flavors to become friends.
Refrigerate leftovers, if there are any.

For Catering: Double or triple this easily and offer a variety of chips for dipping.

This is an ongoing diary of my experience becoming a caterer/meal prep worker to the masses. I will include a recipe or two from each entry. Hope you enjoy!