By:  Lynn

     Although there are some men out there who can sho ’nuff cook, for the most part, women are the ones who control the skillets in the kitchen.

Last month, after my husband said to me for about the 3rd time that month, “Hey, let’s order Chinese”, I said to him: “No, I’m going to cook us a decent meal”.

It was like an epiphany. Although I am certainly busy, the truth of the matter is, we all can create the time to do the things we sincerely want to do in life. And cooking is a most important function. In some ways, after he mentioned “Chinese” again, I felt that I had been mistreating him.

Truth of the matter is, there is no meal like a home cooked meal made from love. And there is no meal healthier than a home cooked meal. No meal is cleaner than a home cooked meal. As the cook, I can and do control all of that!

Part of the problem for me was that I had allowed cooking to become a mundane, boring task. In reality, cooking is a ministry. Seriously. As the cook, you control the health of your family. My husband does not eat breakfast and he skips lunch. He eats at home during the week. I’m almost always home before he gets in, so there really is no reason why I cannot cook. I certainly find the time to blog. I find time for my sorority. I find time for my church. Why can’t I find…or make the time to cook a decent, healthy, delicious meal for my husband and myself?

Growing up, I cannot remember one day in which my mother did not have a delicious dinner prepared for my father and her six children. She did it in spite of working one, and sometimes two jobs per day. And at one point she also was in nursing school. Yet, there was never a day skipped on meals. Not once. My father sometimes would cook but primarily it was her.

You know what I did? I went out recently to Borders Bookstore and searched out my favorite chef’s cook book. That chef is G. Garvin. His meals are quick and easy to follow. He has several books out but the one I picked up is called Turn up the heat with G. Garvin.  I had been watching his show for several years and along the way picked up some great recipes from him.  I love his non-intimidating style.

What his recipe book does is give me great and unusual ideas. I have cooked at least four different dishes from that cookbook thus far. My husband has even helped me. The meals last us for two days. The only changes I make is on the fat content.  I never put in as much oil or butter as he calls for but the meals are equally as delicious without the extra fat and my husband and I are just thrilled.

I’m not joking when I tell you that what we’ve been eating this past few days since I bought that cookbook is better than anything I’ve ever eaten at a restaurant. No joke. The recipes are easy and crazy delicious.

I love the fact that G. Garvin’s recipes are opening up for me a whole new world and taking me beyond just “regular meals”. I’m making restaurant quality meals now. Using fresh Rosemary and Basil, stuff I would not generally use in a fresh form.

I purchased and used some Saffron a couple days ago. Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world but you know what? My husband and I are worth the most expensive spice in the world. That Saffron made all the difference in one of the meals I cooked.

Shout out to G. Garvin. I love your delicious recipes. You have made cooking fun for both me and my husband. And most of all, we are eating home made meals cooked with clean hands and a pure heart.

Cooking is a ministry, ladies. Get back to it!

Hicktown’s Eatery is now officially open.  Use this thread to post general recipes.

Church Lady has asked me to share with you all some of her recipes!

   Here’s one of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes for people who want an alternative to candied yams. I am a country cook so I can’t tell you exact amounts:

Glazed Carrots

1 package of baby carrots

About 3/4 cup of sugar

Vanilla extract or vanilla flavor

A teaspoon or so of cinnamon

A teaspoon or so of nutmeg

butter

Boil the carrots until tender. Pour all the water off the carrots except about a teaspoon and dump everything else on top.

Simmer on low, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are as tender as you like (about 20 minutes)

Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

Casserole:

3 cups mashed sweet potatoes

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

Topping:

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup butter

1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions:

In a large mixing bowl, beat together first 6 ingredients. Pour into a lightly greased 9″ x 13″ or 9″ x 9″ baking pans. In a processor fitted with steel knife, combine ingredients for topping until crumbly. Or use a pastry blender to cut butter into brown sugar and flour until crumbly. Mix in nuts. Sprinkle topping mixture over sweet potatoes. At this point, dish can be refrigerated, covered. Bake uncovered in preheated 350 degrees oven for 45-50 minutes, until browned and bubbly.

Chicken Broth

(If you’re pressed for time you can use canned broth instead of making your own. If you use the broth off of your turkey strain it through a piece of cheese cloth or your dressing will be too dark and too sagey)

Boney chicken parts like the back and neck. (boney parts have the most flavor)

Large chunks of carrots (just cut the large stalks in 3rds)

1 onion (cut in half)

I bell pepper (cut in half and take the seeds out)

Celery (use the leafy part only because it has the most flavor)

Season with salt and pepper, sage (don’t be stingy)

Put all of this in a large pot and add at least a quart of water

Boil all of this for at least an hour and then let it simmer on low while you are preparing the rest of your dressing ingredients. When you are ready to use strain out all the vegetables and chicken parts and throw them away. (If you want a low fat broth let it sit in the fridge overnight and skim the fat off the top. You will have broth left over so you can freeze it for later.)

Cornbread

I use Martha White self-rising corn meal and follow the directions on the back for buttermilk cornbread. Let your bread cool and then crumble it up.

(A lot of people make the mistake of using bad cornbread for dressing but my mother always said make it like the bread you’re going to eat. Don’t use Jiffy bread or your dressing will be sweet.)

Dressing

4 or 5 slices of bread (or store bought bread crumbs)

skillet of corn bread

Celery (diced small)

Bell pepper (diced small)

Onion (chopped up)

Butter or margarine

3 eggs

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

Seasoning: McCormick poultry seasoning (don’t use a store brand), black pepper, salt

Saute’ the celery, bell pepper and onions in the butter. Toast the bread and crumble it up with your hands or in a food processor. Crumble up the cornbread and mix with the bread crumbs. Add your saute’d vegetables. Add the soups. Stir in enough broth to get the consistency you want (the tighter the mix the drier the dressing). You shouldn’t need more than a cup or 2 of broth. Stir it all together really well and season with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. (Add the salt and poultry seasoning a little at a time because you have salt in the broth and the soups and you can easily get it too salty. I use sage in my broth and poultry seasoning to season the dressing, I do it that way so I won’t get too much sage in there.) Add the eggs after the dressing is seasoned to your taste. Bake at 350 until the top is a golden brown. (Depending on how thick my dressing is I usually cook it anywhere from an hour to 1 ½ hours)

Whew…The Hicktown Eatery is HOT tonight. YUMMY!  Okay, now Lynn is posting some crab cake recipes!

    Okay, a couple of crab cake recipes!

Simple Crab Cakes

Pound of crab meat
Sprinke old bay seasoning on it, to taste
Put in 2 – 4 tablespoons of mayonaise
2 tsp of mustard
1 egg, beaten (some people leave out the egg)
Add a teaspoon of celery seasoning
IF you like garlic, add a little garlic also
In a separate bowl, put in 3 slices of bread (remove the crust)
Add just enough water to make the bread soft enough to be mushy. The goal is for the bread to disappear once put in the crab meat.
Combine all the ingredients together. You may either bake or fry the crab cakes

This is Old Bay Seasoning’s Crab Cake Recipe

OLD BAY CRAB CAKES:

2 slices bread, with the crusts removed or
OLD BAY Crab Cake Classic Seasoning
2 teaspoons parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon favorite brand mayonnaise
1 fresh egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
2 teaspoons OLD BAY SEASONING
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
1 pound fresh lump crab meat
Dungeness Crab, Stone Crab and Alaska King Crab are great choices.

Break bread into small pieces in large bowl. Mix in mayonnaise, OLD BAY Seasoning,
parsley, mustard and egg. Stir in crabmeat. Shape mixture into patties.
Broil 10 minutes without turning or fry until golden brown on both sides.
Sprinkle the hot crab cakes with additional OLD BAY Seasoning, if desired

By:  Lynn Green

Okay, I’ve been saying for a few months now that we need to open up a restaurant here in Hicktown where we can share recipes, etc.

Where are you going for Thanksgiving?

What dish(es) are you making?

Do you have a recipe to share?  I’ll kick this off by sharing a recipe from G. Garvin. I have used several of his recipes in the past and the brother can cook!

Ingredients

6 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing

1/4 cup chopped onion 

1/4 cup pickle relish

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon celery seeds

1 teaspoon of garlic powdrer

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

3 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and diced

DirectionsBring a large pot of water to a boil. Add potato slices and boil just until tender but not mushy. Drain well and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl combine mayonnaise, onion, relish, mustard, garlic, Italian seasoning, celery seeds, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and pepper; mix well. Add potato and diced eggs; stir gently to combine.

Chill until ready to serve.

Recipe Copyright ©2007, Chef G. Garvin, “Turn up the Heat!”
Source