Brick Street Cafe

There’s a little cafe near down town where the sweet tea flows freely and southern hospitality comes naturally. This has been one of my favorite places to go for lunch on a Saturday for years. This is one of those places where you meet up with your friends for a girls lunch out or take your sweetie to grab a leisurely bite to eat.

The first thing you notice when you walk thru the big double doors, is all the colors.

Each room has a different color and different design.

Everything feels fun and inviting. Almost like you’ve stepped into someone’s home. Whenever I stop by, I’m always greeted by Miss Sue calling out “My friend!” and embracing me in a warm hug.

Sarah and Jim might own the cafe, but Miss Sue is really the legend there, as they say, she’s the hostess with the mostest. She might be in her 80’s (and she’s not ashamed to tell you that either), but she keeps everything in line and stops to give hugs and greetings along the way. Not only is her personality and caring self famous, but so is her chicken salad sandwich….Miss Sue’s Chicken Salad Sandwich to be exact. It’s a delicious combination of chicken salad with walnuts, cheddar cheese and onions on honey wheat bread.

There are many variety’s of sandwiches to choose from. My favorite is the crab cake sandwich.

I have a weakness for crab cakes and they have one of the best…..a nice sized crab cake topped with their remoulade sauce on a sandwich bun.

If you are a lover of grilled cheese, there is an awesome Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich….melted cheddar and mozzarella cheeses with bacon crumbles and green onions. I like to pair this with a nice tomato dill soup.

There is everything from shrimp and grits, salads, fruit and brie plates and even a “love muffin”….. a muffin stuffed with cream cheese and topped with raspberry jam. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it all.

But you can’t talk about the food and not talk about the cakes. Every afternoon at 12:07……yes 12:07… the music begins to play and out come the chefs, waiters and staff each carrying a variety of to die for cakes. They carry their bounty around the tables so you can get a great view of all their sinfully, delicious treats. There is the chocolate cake, the peanut butter cake and peanut butter pie, the paddy cake, the ever famous sweet potato pie.

Sadly, I don’t like sweet potato, but I can assure you, if you ask anyone else they will say it’s the best. Those are just a few. My favorite is the coconut cake.

The light, fluffy layers surrounded by decadent vanilla cream and coconut flakes. *sigh*. It’s heaven on a plate.

I’m counting down the days until I can go back there again. For now, like so many other places around town, I can get a meal to go or a cake to order, but there is just something about stepping thru those big double doors, seeing everyone relaxing and having a great time, and hearing the oooooo’s and awwwww’s from the bridal or baby showers at the tables nearby. So I will continue to wait patiently until I can sip on that sweet tea and dig into that coconut cake once again.

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Pizza Hot Dogs

If you’re tired of hot dogs done the same way, this puts a tasty twist on your average dog. If you like pepperoni pizza, then this one is for you. There is pepperoni, beef hot dogs, pizza sauce and cheese all mixing and mingling together in one single hot dog bun. This also is cooked in the oven, so basically you put it all together, throw it in the oven for 30 minutes and you have dinner… or lunch if you prefer…or if you’re like my hubby…breakfast.

Here’s what you need:

*Hot dogs buns

*pepperoni

*hot dogs

*pizza sauce; homemade or from a jar

*shredded cheese ( I used a Colby Jack and Cheddar mix)

Preheat oven to 350°

Place the hot dog buns in a baking pan and open, but not too far or the buns will split. Add a layer of pepperoni on the bottom.

Place hot dog on top of the pepperoni.

Next, spoon pizza sauce over the hot dogs.

load on the cheese…..

Cover with foil.

* Here’s a tip: Spray foil with non stick spray so the cheese will not stick to the foil while cooking.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

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Blue Box Mac and Cheese

One of my weaknesses is mac and cheese. I adore homemade, especially the kind my grandmother used to make….which will be a new post in the near future I’m thinking….but every now and then I get a craving for the kind that mom made me when I was a kid. You know the one…..the one in the blue box that some will never admit he or she loves, but keeps a box hidden way back in the darkest spot in the cabinet.

Yes, this is the one. There is still something about waiting for those noodles to get just right, then stirring in the milk and butter…and yes, even dumping in that powdery cheese. I know, to some it’s a horrible site. Maybe I like it so well because it reminds me of my childhood. I even love that sound it makes when your spoon sinks through all that cheesy goodness and scoops out a heap. *sigh* It’s almost like a warm hug. Too far? Ok, but you know what I mean, right? I think during these times we all need a little comfort.

Is there something that you find comforting and like to eat that not many find it as appealing as you?

So as you ponder that question, I’ll be here sitting with my spoon and enjoying every bite of my blue box mac and cheese.

Eggs With Chorizo and Potatoes

This picture doesn’t do this dish justice. I was debating if I should even post this since it really taste better than it looks. I have quite a bit of chorizo left in the freezer. I used some to make my Chorizo Cheese Burgers With Guacamole. Hubby wanted breakfast for dinner so I thought, why not mix the chorizo and eggs together. To make it a little heartier, I also added some potatoes.

Here’s what you need:

*canola oil

*2/3 C diced potatoes

*1tsp garlic powder; or more to taste

*salt to taste

*1/2 small onion, chopped

*1/3 lb Mexican chorizo ( you can use Spanish if desired, Mexican is what I have on hand)

*8 eggs

*hot sauce; to taste

*cracked pepper; to taste

*dried parsley

Heat a large skillet to medium high heat, add canola oil. When oil is hot, add diced potatoes and chopped onions. Cook until potatoes start to turn crispy, stirring occasionally. Add garlic powder and salt, stir to mix with potatoes and onions.

Add chorizo to the pan, breaking it apart while it cooks with the potatoes and onions; about 5 minutes.

Crack eggs into a bowl, add a few dashes of hot sauce.

Beat eggs until well blended.

Turn heat down to medium low. Pour eggs into the skillet with the potatoes and chorizo; add cracked pepper to taste.

When eggs begin to set, with a spatula slowly begin stirring and pulling eggs across the pan.

Continue pulling and stirring the eggs until eggs are incorporated with chorizo mixture and eggs are cooked through.

Place into a bowl or plates, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

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Potato, Bacon, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Bowl

I like breakfast bowls, but I don’t like all the sodium in the kind you get from the frozen breakfast isle in the grocery store. Not to mention the cheese doesn’t always seem to melt right. It sometimes ends up in one big glob. So when I want one, I like to make my own. I usually put bacon in mine, but sausage is good as well. You can use what ever meat you like.

Here’s what you need:

*canola oil

*frozen diced potatoes (you can use fresh potatoes, but this is what I had on hand)

*bacon ( I usually about 2 slices per portion…. I love my bacon )

*eggs ( I used 1 egg per portion, but if you like more egg than potato, then use 2)

*shredded cheese (I used a cheddar Colby Jack blend)

*salt and cracked pepper; to taste

In a small or medium size skillet add just enough oil to fry the potatoes; heat to medium high heat. Add potatoes and salt to taste.

Cook until potatoes are crispy and lightly browned on the outside, about 10 minutes; stir occasionally.

While potatoes are cooking, cook bacon until crispy. Drain on paper towels; crumble into small pieces and set aside.

Crack an egg onto the potatoes.

Add cracked pepper and stir to mix the egg with the potatoes.

Next, add the bacon while trying not to eat it all before adding it to the egg potato mixture.

I will admit, starting out there was more bacon. What can I say, I was weak. Mix the bacon into the potato egg mixture.

Throw in the cheese.

Mix all together and cook for a few minutes longer until cheese melts.

Place in bowls and serve.

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The Christmas Cake Disaster Of ’93

No, this isn’t the Christmas cake of ’93, but a cake I made some weeks ago. I do have a confession to make…it’s from a box. Not that there is anything wrong with making a cake from a box mind you. I truly wanted to make one from scratch, but *sigh* I got nervous. My husband has a sweet tooth and he loves cake. So I really wanted to make him one. I went to the grocery store with every intention of picking up the right ingredients to make a lovely cake…..but the flash backs started…I got all sweaty and before I knew it, I was going down the isle where the boxed cakes and cookies were. That little voice in my head all the while whispering…” giiiirl you better grab one of these and start slow because remember the cake incident.” So I grabbed one and headed for the check out, debating if I should call my mom for some baking help.

My Mom is a great baker as was my grandmother. I remember as a kid, I would be in the kitchen watching her as she cooked dinner or was making her homemade pie crust for a delicious dessert. She makes the best pies. My grandmother’s pound cake was legendary. Her homemade fudge was a rich, chocolaty goodness that would make you swoon. There is even a cake recipe from my great-grandmother that is still talked about. So really, you would think I would have inherited the baking gene…..but sadly, no. That gene just said skippidy-do-da-dahling and passed me right by. I did try to make a cake from scratch once.

It was 1993 and I had just started cooking and discovering how much I loved it. My dishes were pretty good too if I do say so myself. So, armed with my Martha Stewart Living magazine, I decided to try to make a spiced Christmas cake I had seen in the magazine. My parents were out of the house so I was going to surprise them….and what a surprise it was, but not in the way I had it pictured in my head. I followed the recipe to the letter. Made the batter and poured it into the baking pans, placed them into the oven, set the timer and waited……

I didn’t have too long to wait until the kitchen started smoking. I opened the oven door and the cake batter had over flowed and ran to the bottom of the oven. In the process of pulling them out, my pot holders caught on fire, I threw the baking pans onto the stove so I could throw the holders into the sink….said baking pans hit my favorite recipe holder and it broke. The fire alarm started going off and there was this ugly black burned spot on the back splash from the oven. I had to open the windows…and it was freezing outside. Right at that very moment my parents walk in. Mom looks around the kitchen and says….”oh…you’ve been baking haven’t you?”

So that was the last of the cake baking for me. I know what you’re thinking, I should just keep trying until I get better at it…. practice makes perfect right?

So back to the present and the boxed cake mix. After warning my dear hubby, I mixed the cake batter….on a side note, cake batter being flung at high speeds by a hand mixer can get into the strangest places….and poured it into the prepared pans. This time I remembered my mom’s warning…”make sure the cake pan is the right size“. So, with a silent prayer, I slid them into the oven. This was it….in 30 to 35 minutes I was either once again going to be defeated by the baking gods or claim victory and dig in to some lemony goodness ( I forgot to mention it was a vanilla lemon cake). I left the kitchen waiting to hear the timer of the oven…..and every now and then sneaking a fearful glance in the oven window to see if it was running over.

After the allotted time I noticed there wasn’t any smoke….Yes! I took out those beautiful looking cake rounds, and with toes crossed…. I couldn’t cross my fingers because they were busy holding the cake pans…. I turned them out onto a cooling rack. Another victory was made because it slid perfectly from the pans and did not stick. I think I even shed a tear or two. After the cooling time, I placed it on the pretty cake stand that I had found in a closet…..not really sure how the cake stand got there and where it came from, but it was pretty and I was going to use it. I proceeded to ice the cake, with a result of a little sugar high from tasting that lemon icing every few minutes…and no, I did not lick the icing from the spatula that I was using. I know there are a few of you out there that might have read that and thought…..eew…and I would have been one of you….just saying.

This was the end result. I do have to say it doesn’t look too bad. The important part is that it tasted great and hubby and I were happy.

I can say, this has given me the confidence to bake a little more. maybe even make one from scratch. As my mom keeps telling me, practice makes perfect. So, maybe you will find more posts of my baking accomplishments…..or mayhem , but I’m rooting for the successful ones.

A Southern Snowfall

It snowed here in the South today, mind you it only stuck to the grass and trees and was probably less than an inch, but it snowed.

I know to many of you that do not live in the south,  it’s not a big thing, even my hubby laughs at us scrambling around the grocery stores at even the smallest hint of an inch or so of the white stuff. It is rather humorous, but it’s rare for us to get snow here. When hubby and I were dating, he thought I was exaggerating when I told him that even an inch of snow on the ground would create mass panic at the grocery stores….everyone grabbing their share of bread and milk….schools start closing before the snow hits the ground. He would tell me tales of how he would have to dig out his car and shovel the driveway. Down here there is no digging out because everything pretty much closes. Although today, the roads stayed snow free and it is a weekend so nothing had to close and businesses could carry on as usual.

Yes, our excitement of a small amount of the white stuff does seem strange to some, but there is nothing like that feeling of excitement and hearing the laughter of children that are experiencing snow for the first time. This will probably be the last we get to see of the fluffy winter weather, after all we experienced a trace of flurries last week, this week we had temps in the mid 70s,and then flooding so badly I thought I saw an ark float by, and now snow. I think next week is supposed to feel like spring. Mother nature has to be exhausted by now.

But until then, I’m going to huddle under a comfy blanket and enjoy the remainder of this snowy day.

Salsa

Soooo tonight’s the big game. While everyone will be glued to the tv in anticipation, I will be focused on the snacks and glorious array of food. I’m not a sports fan, but my hubby is, so I made my homemade salsa for all day noshing.

I do have a confession to make. I was never into making homemade salsa until I married my husband. I ate salsa when I would go to restaurants of course, but at home, I would always buy the kind that came in a jar…not that there is anything wrong with that mind you. Then one day he introduced me to his mom’s homemade salsa. She lives in Guatemala and knows how to make some darn good salsa. The kind that brings life new meaning ….ok..maybe not quite that dramatic, but I must say, the jarred kind just never tasted the same way again.

Though my version is not as wonderful as my mother-in-laws, I don’t hear any complaints and I think it’s pretty darn good myself.

I start out by cutting 4 Roma tomatoes in half, then cut a small onion into quarters and place on a baking sheet along with a few cloves of garlic. Place under the broiler until tomatoes start to brown, be careful not to burn the garlic. Set aside and cool slightly.

In a food processor, I add one large can of diced tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, juice of 1 lime, then add the halved tomatoes, onions and garlic. Next add chopped cilantro.

If you like jalapeno peppers, you can add those as well. I do at times, but if I’m making salsa for more than just hubby and I, I leave them out.

Give the food processor a whirl to chop everything together, then taste to see if you need to add any extra lime juice or some garlic and onion powder as well.

Pour into a serving bowl and try not to consume it all before everyone else.

How can you not be tempted by all that chunky goodness.

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Welcome! This is Where You Can Learn A Little About Me and My Little Blog

So this is me, Christy.

Welcome to my blog. I am a Southern girl who has a passion for cooking and discovering new cuisine. I first learned how to cook by some of the best cooks I know, my mom, dad and my grandmother. For me there’s nothing more satisfying than cooking for the ones I love. Some of my fondest memories are sitting around the table with family and friends, eating great food and just enjoying our time together.

I like to cook some things that might be considered outside the box, but as my husband tells me, it might sound a little odd at first, but you never know until you make it and taste it. I try to use simple ingredients and ones that wont break your budget. I believe that not everything needs to be made from scratch. It’s ok to take shortcuts because in the end, if you, your family and friends like it, then that’s all that matters.

So grab some coffee, wine or whatever your choice may be, settle in and I hope that you find something that you like here.