A nice, thick highly seasoned, no beans, ground beef chili.

Homemade Stovetop No Bean Beef Chili

Gotta love a good pot of chili and personally, I love all kinds. With beans, without beans, spicy, not so spicy, I'm not one to argue that there is only one kind of chili. Let's enjoy them all!

Instead of all ground beef, I often use 1 pound of ground beef and 1 pound of a raw sausage of some kind, such as Italian, bratwurst, breakfast, or Mexican chorizo. I do recommend browning off then draining the ground meats for this chili, whether cooked stovetop or in a slow cooker just to remove some of the excess fat.

A crabmeat au gratin casserole made with a butter and cream sauce and topped with Velveeta.

Velveeta Crabmeat Au Gratin

I picked up some crabmeat the other day, thinking that I would cook some pan fried crab cakes. Then decided nah, didn't want crab cakes ... maybe a casserole instead, but changed my mind again before I finally settled in on doin' an au gratin. Cheese. Now that appealed to this Lenten sweets deprived little ole me. Oh yeah!! That's really how I cook anyway - never much on planning ahead, mostly cooking on the fly.

I adapted this recipe from one in Best of the Best from Bell's Best Cookbook (say that 4 times fast) which is a compilation of recipes from the TelecomPioneers of Mississippi. The purchase of one of their cookbooks helps with Pioneer projects such as Habitat homes and building playgrounds and supports their other educational and health related projects ... just in case yer interested.

Southern Slow Stewed Chicken

This traditional stewed chicken dish begins with a browned, cut up chicken, that is slow cooked in a roux based gravy.

Southern Stewed Chicken

This is another form of what we refer to in the south as smothered chicken, beginning with the searing of cut up chicken, then a roux-based gravy is prepared, to which the chicken is returned and slow simmered.

It's somewhat similar to Chicken Fricassee, a smothered chicken and gravy dish, except that the chicken is not floured before frying.

It's a simple southern dish created with layers of flavor and that's one reason that it's so good!

Creamy southern pralines are a simple candy confection, made from boiled sugar and nuts, and are a holiday tradition.

Southern Pralines

The Cajun came home the other day with a handful of pralines that his Mama has sent him home with when he stopped by for a visit with her on his way to a meeting. Now I don't honestly know how many he started off with between his Mama's and his meeting, but trouble is, see, me. Me, the sugar junkie, got into 'em that evenin' by mindlessly munching on them while I was busy putting a recipe into the blog. Well, before I knew it, those few that did make their way to the house, well... they were gone! Yikes!

Fried Chicken Seasoning Blend - my take on the 11 herbs and spices KFC copycat.

Fried Chicken Seasoning Blend

This seasoning blend is my take on the KFC copycat seasonings that can go with any good Southern Fried Chicken. You have to have a commercial pressure fryer to get the texture of KFC's original recipe though and since most of us don't own one of those, we'll have to settle for open fryer chicken, which is more crisp than the original recipe. Still good though!

Add a salt brine for a few hours or use a brief dip in a buttermilk marinade to make it Southern Buttermilk Fried Chicken, if ya like. Simply add buttermilk to a large bowl and sprinkle it with hot sauce - enough to just give it color, or as much as you want! Add the chicken (brined or not) to the buttermilk, let marinade in the fridge a few more hours to overnight. When you're ready to fry, remove the chicken, shake off the excess buttermilk, and dredge it in a mixture of seasoned flour and fry.

Chocolate cake mix with marshmallows, sweetened coconut, sliced almonds, butter, chocolate chips make Almond Joy Cake, a fabulous and well loved candy bar cake.

Almond Joy Cake

Almond Joy Cake is one of the most popular of the doctored up cake mix cakes and it's no wonder really. Chocolate cake, topped with a layer of gooey marshmallow and coconut cream, that is topped with a creamy layer of chocolate and almonds, and more crunchy almonds on top - it's really rich and decadent I promise ya.

A little Trinity, a few key seasonings and you'll have a homemade sloppy joe that'll beat any canned version hands down.

Homemade Sloppy Joes

Whenever I serve these, The Cajun says "this is my most favorite food of all."

Pralines & Cream Oatmeal

Here's another one for The Oatmeal Chronicles - or How to Make Your Oatmeal More Interesting. I started off trying to create one thing and then thought about this instead. Oh my gosh was this a delicious treat!! Don't prepare the topping until right before you need it though, because if you do boil it too long it will eventually harden like candy once it starts cooling. You want it warm and pliable as a topping. This topping is also a great accent for just about anything sweet - try it drizzled over Greek yogurt, cake, ice cream or cheesecake!

Pralines & Cream Oatmeal
Posted at http://deepsouthdish.com

Praline Topping

4 tablespoons of Land O'Lakes unsalted butter
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of heavy cream
2 tablespoons of light corn syrup
1/4 cup of chopped pecans
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Melt the butter in the microwave using at least a 2 cup measure. Stir in the brown sugar, cream and corn syrup and return to the microwave, heating on high for about 1 minute, stirring halfway through. Stir in the pecans, return to the microwave for about 1 more minute or until bubbly. Set aside to cool.

Oatmeal

3/4 cup of Quaker old fashioned oatmeal
pinch of salt
1-1/2 cups of water
Heavy cream to drizzle
Drizzle of honey
Tiny pinch of chopped pecan for garnish

Combine the oatmeal, salt and water in a large microwave safe bowl, between 2 and 4 quarts to allow for expansion. Stir together well and microwave on high for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on your microwave, or until oatmeal is creamy.

Spoon oatmeal into serving dish and drizzle it with cream around the outside edges and a bit on top. Spoon praline topping in the center and drizzle a bit of honey on top. Garnish with a pinch of chopped pecan.

One of the most popular recipes on the site, this no-stir chicken and dumpling casserole, made with self rising flour, cream soup, and chicken broth, is reminiscent of the flavor of the real deal, but in an easy casserole form.

Chicken and Dumpling Casserole

While the name may be the same, this version is of course, a casserole, and not technically exactly like good ole old fashioned chicken and dumplings. To me, however, it provides a consistency and flavor similar to the more labor-intensive homemade version, but in a super-easy form, especially if you are using leftover chicken or a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.

If you are cooking fresh chicken, especially if you are using boneless, skinless chicken you want to just slightly under cook it when you poach it, since it will essentially continue cooking in the oven.

Fresh shrimp, cooked in a spicy Creole tomato sauce and served over a bed of hot steaming rice. Served here with my cucumber and onion salad, sweet tea and hot French bread.

Shrimp Creole

Folks down here make shrimp creole in all sorts of ways - some are very thin and soupy, others are thick and much more dry - but without a doubt all include The Trinity. I think that mine falls right in the middle, a little on the thick side but not dry.

True to many of our seafood dishes along the Gulf Coast, this one has a goodly little kick to it, not so much to burn your mouth or take over the flavor of the dish, though you might just clear out your sinuses a bit, so adjust those spicy seasonings down if you want to tone down the heat.

Grits Cakes

Leftover garlic cheese grits, poured into a loaf pan and refrigerated overnight, then sliced into wedges, dipped in seasoned flour and deep fried.

Deep Fried Grit Cakes

Remember those yummy garlic cheese grits we made last weekend? Well, we're about to turn these into some awesome grit cakes! Talk about good. Give 'em a try ... they are fantastic!

First preheat your deep fryer to 355 degrees, or heat oil in a large skillet. In a medium bowl, mix up some flour with salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning.

Chicken Wings with a Hoisin Honey Chili Sauce Marinade

Sticky Sweet and Spicy Asian Style Oven Baked Wings

This wing marinade made with honey, hoisin and chili sauce and a touch of citrus, produces a sticky sweet chicken wing with just a tad bit of spicy heat and I guarantee you'll be lickin' your fingers on this one!

Give it a try and tell me how much you love 'em y'all.

I highly recommend using a Non-Stick Aluminum Foil when preparing wings in the oven.

Crockpot Barbecue Beef for Sandwiches

Beef for sandwiches with a delicious homemade barbecue sauce made so easy with a slow cooker. Pop it all in before you leave and come home to an easy supper.

Barbecue Beef

This is an absolutely delicious barbecue beef that is perfect for sandwiches, and so simple. Toss it all into the crockpot in the morning and it's ready for you when you get home. Fresh and homemade from ingredients you control and the flavor shows it. Stick with the fattier cuts of meat, or if you use leaner cuts, use them in combination with a mixture of the fattier cuts for the best flavor.

Here's how to make it.

A light wheat bread, using whole wheat and all purpose flour, wheat germ and a touch of honey, and made with the Kitchen Aid.

Honey Wheat Bread

Time for another bread! Since my forced unemployment, thanks to Hurricane Katrina and this economic tsunami on the heels of her, I have been fortunate to be able to make loads of homemade bread. I guess that is one advantage of being an unemployed career woman now stay at home housewife with no little ones up under my feet all day. I have loads of time to play around in the kitchen. Maybe not so good on my waistline...)

Now, I love making bread. I love the process. Putting it together. Feeding the yeast. Watching the dough come together. Watching it rise. And I really love the smell of it baking. Oh do I love the smell of it baking! And frankly while it takes a bit of the hands-on work away which many people enjoy, the Kitchen Aid sure makes an easy job of it and is certainly less stressful on these older hands.

Sooooo I admit it ... I've gotten a bit spoiled by having homemade bread around. In fact it's truly to the point that I just don't care much for store bought bread anymore, so much so that I'll actually skip a sandwich if I don't have homemade bread on hand. I'm just gettin' rotten like that.

Ranch-Style Beans, known also as Chuck Wagon and Cowboy Beans, are made with pintos and slow stewed with southwestern flavor.

Ranch Style Cowboy Beans

Ranch beans have been around a very long time, in fact, I'm pretty sure that some form of them probably date all the way back to pioneer days and wagon trains, and in this version they are very often referred to as Chuck Wagon or Cowboy Beans.

When I think of these beans I can't help but to think about that scene around the campfire in the movie Blazing Saddles! You know the one.

Yummy Loose Meat Hamburger Sandwich

Dry onion soup mixed with ketchup, mustard and sweet pickles, combined with cooked ground beef, makes this loose meat sandwich sort of like a deconstructed hamburger.

Loose Meat Hamburger Sandwich

I just love this Hamburger Sandwich! Kind of like a cross between a po'boy and a sloppy joe, it's a loose meat sandwich with all of the flavors of the typical All American Burger packaged in a saucy ground beef.

Oven Braised Beef Eye of Round Roast with Pan Gravy

 

An eye of round beef roast, lightly sprinkled with Worcestershire, soy sauce, seasoned salt, garlic powder and ground pepper, then wrap tightly with foil and left to slow braise in the oven.

Oven Braised Beef Eye of Round Roast

This braised eye of round roast is similar to the rump roast I recently posted, except that this one is made with an eye of round roast and doesn't require an overnight marinade, so it simplifies preparation time a little bit. I don't know about you, but I have the hardest time remembering to do things the night before sometimes.

You can also use a rump roast here as well, but if you're looking for a delicious top of the stove rump roast, stop by and check out this recipe for another delicious roast.

A favorite breakfast staple of grits are taken a step up with the addition of garlic and cheese, making them the perfect bed for shrimp and grits, grillades or eggs in purgatory.

Creamy Southern Garlic Cheese Grits

Grits, plain with just butter, salt and lots of pepper are a delicious Southern staple. They are made from hominy or plain corn that has been finely ground to the consistency of sand and are typically served as a side dish with eggs and toast at breakfast, but often show up at other meals too.

I love grits, but I truly love garlic cheese grits. I mean these make my eyes roll back they are so good - creamy, cheesy and loaded with garlic. And, if you're lucky you'll have some left to make fried grit cakes too, because they are over the top, I'm tellin' ya!

Weekend Cocktails - Biloxi Breeze

Patterned after the Bama Breeze Cocktail and made with citrus vodka, rum, cranberry and citrus juices sweetened with simple syrup, my tribute to all the old juke joints all along the Coast that were lost in Katrina.

Biloxi Breeze

At this writing, it's Friday night, the weather's warmed back up again, so what better time for a cocktail? And some music to go along with it. That's on further down, but first a story. Hope you find it interesting!
Now, The Cajun doesn't drink at all these days and so I don't imbibe much myself, so when I do, well, one generally will do it for me, and this is a good one. It's the kind of drink that invokes all kinds of memories of growing up here along the Gulf Coast. And I'm guessing that when CrazySista put it on her menu, and Jimmy wrote the song and did the video, well, they both knew it would.

Baked Chicken with Honey Orange and Garlic Ginger Glaze

Whole cut up chicken marinated and baked in a honey, orange and soy garlic ginger sauce.

Baked Chicken with Honey Orange, Garlic and Ginger Glaze

This chicken offers a fantastic contrast between the tang of the hot sauce with the sweet orange and honey against the traditional flavors of soy and ginger in this dish and is a pleasant surprise from more typical honey and soy combination for chicken.

Frequent basting produces a pretty glazed surface and pulls double duty as a very tasty side sauce as well. Just delicious and The Cajun absolutely loves it. The best part?

It's super easy to put together.

Birds in a Nest or Egg in the Hole, is a simple dish - just an egg, fried into the center of a slice of bread and finished with a sprinkle with bacon.

Birds in a Nest

This isn't really a "recipe," but I had this for breakfast this morning and it's so darned good I knew I had to post it. If you haven't had one of these in awhile, I hope this will serve as a reminder for you to make one! It's a great thing to cook with your kids too, because they are just fascinated with the whole idea of cookin' an egg in the middle of a slice of bread.

A very basic, old fashioned egg custard pie.

Old Fashioned Egg Custard Pie

There is something about the simplicity of an Old Fashioned Egg Custard Pie that just spells comfort to me. With this cooler weather movin' in here again it seemed appropriate to make one.

I like the custard warm more than I like it cold but if you try to cut it before it cools, it'll run. I admit, I have been known to do that anyway. But let it cool and then warm a slice up in the microwave for about 30 seconds or so if you want it warm. I gotta tell ya ... it just soothes the heart.

Banana Fritters - Bananas dipped in a cinnamon batter, skillet fried in butter, then rolled in a mixture of brown sugar and toasted coconut.

Pan Fried Banana Fritters

This works best with the fresher and more firm bananas just from the store, rather than the riper ones that have been on the counter for a few days. They are awesome served alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream, alone with just a simple drizzle of cream, couple sprinkles of pecan or walnut, or even as a side to some hot pancakes or waffles, and with an extra drizzle of cane syrup or honey. Just delicious!