Family Friendly Holiday Sweet Potato Pie

I love sweet potato pie and have always loved it. It's not a recipe that my mom or anyone in my family ever made.  It's just something that I found out about when visiting my ex-husband's family in North Carolina.   Well, actually, it was my brother in-law's grandmother who made awesome sweet potato  pie.  She was a true southern cook.  It was an amazing adventure to visit that part of the family.  They were the epitome of the black family from the South who had little in the way of financial riches and worked hard to support the family in the best way they could.

Interestingly, it didn't have to be Thanksgiving or Christmas. It could just be an occasion of family or friends visiting for a weekend.  Every stop was pulled out.  It was amazing.  Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, candied yams, potato salad, collard greens, kale, homemade rolls, sweet potato pie; and this was not a holiday! This was just a regular Sunday dinner! Welcoming anyone who came by.  I was a young bride and new to North Carolina cooking.  But it was there in Raleigh that I fell in love with North Carolina Barbecue and real sweet potato pie.

Here is my take on Sweet Potato Pie.  I'm pretty sure I've added some ingredients like rum extract and coriander that they did not use in the North Carolina . This year, I used white and yellow sweet potatoes for the first time. I got them from a local farmer where I buy my eggs.

This recipe made enough for two hearty pies. Since I don't do pie crusts very well, I got two ready made frozen pie crusts to pour the filling into.  That didn't take away from the taste. I also could not find my hand mixer so I had to mix the filling by hand.  This meant I couldn't mix everything at one time. Had to add the ingredients a few at a time.  It took a little extra time to blend.  Still, the pies turned out well.  And, they were actually better on the second day when the flavors had a chance to meld.

Ingredients

4-4 1/2 cups mashed sweet potatoes (I used about 4 lbs of sweet potatoes)
4 eggs slightly beaten
1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
1 cup almond milk 
2 Tbs molasses
6 Tbs all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1  1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp coriander
1 tsp allspice
2 tsp lemon extract
2 tsp rum extract
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 375° F

Mix all ingredients together until well-blended with a hand mixer or food processor.  Bake for one hour or until a sharp knife inserted into center of pies comes out clean. Serve plain or with whipped cream.

Fast and Easy Pork Sandwich for a Quick Fall Lunch

When you go to a deli or  a lunch wagon here in my area for a hot sliced or pulled pork sandwich, you can expect to spend no less than $8 for a naked sandwich.  More often than not, however, they will cost $9.00 or more plus tax. Don't get me wrong, they are delicious and worth it.  Well, maybe.  Anyway, I guess it's whatever the market will bear.  And, in this market, it can bear a lot, apparently.

I was thinking: "Why go to a deli when you can make a perfectly delicious sandwich at home worthy of the best meals on wheels food truck fare?"  So, for lunch today I made my sandwich with some thinly sliced Korean BBQ marinated pork I bought from one of my favorite Korean food markets.  I cooked it slowly in a a tablespoon of oil with some sliced yellow and red onions, toasted a large sub roll and added a little non-fat ranch dressing for the extra juicy sloppy factor.  When I had almost finished half of the sandwich, I though to have some avocado with it.  Way yum!

Rotisserie Chicken Salad for Dinner and A Movie At Home

When I had my own personal chef business, I would cook for many couples who either had no time to cook because they both had demanding jobs or they just hated to cook.  As a personal chef, the idea is to cook meals for a week or two, package and label them with instructions and freeze them.  The first meal, however, was not one to be frozen, but to be ready for dinner and a movie when the clients came home that very evening.

Apart from the regular menu we had agreed on, one of my requests was whether I could do something with leftover rotisserie chicken.    As you might imagine, many of these power couples would buy a roasted deli chicken for a quick meal and wonder what they could do with it after the first day.  So I would make a simple rotisserie chicken salad.  The chicken was already cooked and well seasoned so it was just a matter of cutting up the chicken, adding some onion and celery, and perhaps apples, raisins, avocados or nuts, depending on whether one of them had a food allergy

It turned out to be a favorite.  It also happens to be a favorite of mine for dinner and a movie at home.  You can have this with crackers for lunch or as a sandwich on a hard roll or croissant.  You can serve this rotisserie chicken salad as a main course on Romaine lettuce or baby spinach leaves with baked sweet potato fries and a glass of beer.  I'm into pumpkin beer for the season.  I also like this with fresh asparagus.

Here's my recipe for a simple creamy rotisserie chicken salad.  In fact, I just made this one this evening.  This is great for dinner and a movie. In fact, I'm watching an old classic 1936 Perry Mason movie.

Ingredients

2-3 cups rotisserie chicken, cut up, skin and all

1 small onion, chopped fine

1 or 2 stalks celery, chopped fine

1/2 cup light mayo

2-3 Tbs light ranch salad or sour cream

1 tsp dried dill (flakes or seed)

1 tsp dried parsley flakes

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in bowl.  Add more ranch dressing if you want a wetter salad.  Personally, I make mine with lots of Ranch dressing  You could add walnuts or crunchy apple chunks. I also love this with chopped avocado and crispy  turkey bacon.

East Fall Apple Dessert

I saw a recipe online recently for an apple crisp cooked in a microwave.  Being a cook who doesn't always want to take a long time for cooking and preparation, I decided to try it.  The flavor was delicious, however, it turned out that the topping wasn't really crispy.  It was a simple recipe to which I added a couple of ingredients I thought would add to the dish.  I was right.  It turned out well, like an apple pie without the crust. 

The topping is chewy and the inside was soft and juicy. I used 3 huge Stayman apples that I got from a local farmer's market over the weekend. They are sweet and tart all at the same time.  Actually, they were so large, they measured almost five cups.  You can use Granny Smith as the original recipe called for or other cooking apples. Enjoy.

Ingredients

4 cups apples, peeled, cored and sliced

Juice of one lemon

¼ tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp ground coriander

For the topping

½ cup melted butter

¾ cup quick cooking oats

¾ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground allspice

In large bowl place sliced or cut-up apples. Add lemon juice, cardamom, nutmeg and coriander. Mix well together with wooden spoon.   

Place apples in an 8 inch square baking dish or a deep dish glass pie plate.  In another bowl, mix together the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, oats and flour.  Spread this topping evenly over the apples.

Cook in microwave on high power for 10-12 minutes until apples are soft.  Let cool so topping will set.  Serve with ice cream or use a dollop of sour cream.

Best Muffins for a Fall Family Chili Dinner

Before they were an entire breakfast and dessert combined, muffins used to be a great accompaniment  to dinner and a nice change from toast  with breakfast.  In fact, now there are so many varieties of  those huge "cake" muffins, you hardly ever see just a plain regular muffin. That's what I call them, "cake muffins"because it's like eating cake for breakfast.  

Fall is a wonderful time for muffins.  My mom, Sophronia, used to make great muffins when it started getting cool outside.  She made two kinds; plain and corn, and, they were always comforting. They were simple and delicious warm, dripping  with butter and strawberry preserves, which was my favorite way of eating them in the mornings for breakfast.   When we ate chili for dinner, we had corn muffins.  Any of these muffins are equally great with chili as well as with bacon, eggs and tea.

Here are my mother's recipes below.  Although the recipes call for greased muffin tins, you can use muffin cups.  Please note below. Be careful!  Do not beat the batter. Overmixing the plain batter will cause development of too much gluten in the flour and yield a tough muffin.   The corn muffins do require a thorough mix, however.


So, in my humble opinion, here are the best muffins for a family chili dinner.

Sophronia Baden's Family Muffins

2 cups flour

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 TBs sugar

1 cup milk

2 TBs melted butter or shortening

1 egg, beaten

Sift and mix dry ingredients.  Combine liquid ingredients and add to dry ingredients.  Mix just enough to moisten the flour.** Do not beat.  Fill greased or buttered muffin tins 2/3 full.  Bake at 400° F 20-25 minutes.

**IMPORTANT  Muffin batter should be stirred or mixed gently only until the dry mixture is moistened.  It should never be beaten. 

Mom's Corn Muffins

1 cup flour

2/3 cup yellow corn meal (We always used Indian Head Yellow Corn Meal. I still do.)

2  TBs sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs, beaten

2 TBs melted butter

2/3 cup milk

Sift and mix all dry ingredients.  Combine eggs and milk.  Add melted butter.  Pour all into corn meal mixture and mix thoroughly.  Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake at 400° F for 20-25 minutes. 

Enjoy.

Fun Family Meal Idea-Super Moist Stuffing Muffins

Moist Stuffing Muffins

I think one of the most fun things I have done is to take stuffing and make it into muffins.  Technically, these should be called dressing muffins, because they are made outside of the bird, not stuffed into one.  Taking the traditional turkey stuffing fragrant with onions, celery and sage and making them into super moist stuffing muffins turns out to be a fun family meal idea.  Of course,  it's easy to just take a box of stuffing, mix it with water and make muffins.  That's fine if you're in a big hurry.  However, the delight you will feel when you hear the ooohs and ahhhs from your adoring family and friends is beyond compare.

Besides, the aroma of fresh cooked celery onions and sage wafting through your home is is like a tonic to your senses.  There is nothing like it.  It evokes memories of the Thanksgiving turkey preparations of childhood even if it is not Thanksgiving when you are making this recipe. My mother used the stock made from simmered turkey giblets to moisten the dressing.  She also used this stock as a base for her turkey gravy.  She never made these super moist stuffing muffins.  I am sure, however, that she would approve this fun family meal idea.

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2-3 stalks celery, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1 loaf bread, stale or toasted, torn into small pieces
2 cups turkey juices mixed with water, or chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 tsp ground sage
1 tsp poultry seasoning
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375° F

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook onion and celery slowly in melted butter until soft but not browned.   Turn off heat.  Add bread and dry seasonings and stir gently.  Pour liquid over the mixture, and pack tightly into greased muffin tins.


Bake 25-30 minutes

How to Make a Healthy Catfish Stew for Your Family

Catfish stew makes a hearty healthy meal for your family.  Fall and winter are top seasons for this tasty dish; however, I have been known to have this at any time of the year.  It doesn't take long to cook and the ingredients are simlpe.  Farm-raised catfish is available year-round.

If you cannot find catfish nuggets in your market, you can always find catfish fillets in just about any grocery store, Here's how to make a healthy catfish stew for your family.

Ingredients

1-1 1/2 lbs. catfish nuggets cut into chunks

2 Tbs. canola oil

2TBs flour

1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 green, yellow or red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. basil

1/2 tsp. celery seed

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 to 1 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper

1 large can cannellini beans, drained

3 ½ - 4 c. vegetable, chicken or fish stock

Pour oil in bottom of a Dutch oven.  Heat over medium-low heat until hot; careful that it does not smoke.  Cook onions and bell pepper until soft for about 5 minutes.  Add flour and stir until well blended about 1 minute.  Add stock slowly, stirring until thickened. Add beans and remaining ingredients.  Add catfish. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.  Serve alone or over hot steamed rice.  Makes about 4 servings

White House Memories - Cookbook, That Is!

I love searching in cookbooks for new recipes and experimenting with old classics. Cooking is fun for me. I know it's a challenge for some people. Not for me. Needless to say, I also love eating.

I love foods from many places with their range of tastes and flavors from all around the world. Although I will try many exotic foods I have never tasted, I must admit that when it comes to the really bizarre, I am not that brave.

I collect and read cookbooks and I own a slew of them. Some of them may have only one or two recipes I like or have tried, however, I consider it a valuable find if I can find at least one thing useful.

One of my most precious possessions is an old cookbook from the early days of my mother's marriage. It is The "White House Cookbook, Revised for Both Small and Large Families." It is undated and it could have belonged to either my maternal or paternal grandmother. In my dad's handwriting, a note written on a sheet of paper says: "White House Cookbook, 1923." The pages are yellowed and brittle and the front and back covers are attached with tape. I remember my mother using it often. . The book itself is so old, I have to keep it wrapped to protect it. It's amazing that such great food was made and cooked with such perfection even though the directions were less than perfect.Unfortunately, I never thought of taking steps to preserve it.

In one of the recipes for a cake, the directions tell the home cook to, "Bake three or four hours, according to the thickness of the loaves, in a tolerably hot oven, and with steady heat." No oven temperature is mentioned, so you just have to guess at it or research other recipes to calculate the time.

In these old cookbooks, the instructions in many cases are sketchy as in the example I cited above. My mother. I think, played around with measuring some of the ingredients. Whatever she did was right. Her recipes always came out will.  I don't know whether she had gotten tips from my grandmother or not. It is likely that she did, however, I never found any written proof of that.

This cookbook is fun, nevertheless. Not only does it have recipes and instructions for state dinners, there are recipes and remedies the the sick. It also sports illustrations of the White House and its inhabitants. 

It didn't occur to me until very recently that this was the only cookbook I ever remember seeing at home. In my mind's eye, I don't see my mother or my grandmothers poring over lots of cookbooks like I do. They just cooked or baked. Although my mom must have had some written recipe or learned from somewhere to bake the fantastic 1-2-3-4 butter cake with chocolate icing every year for my birthday. Oh my goodness; it was perfect! Enjoy!

East Warm Bread Pudding for a Cool Evening

 This is great warm dessert on a cool evening.  One of the great satisfying comfort foods.  In this recipe, I used

Microwave Apple Raisin Bread Pudding

2 cups bread (5-6 pieces)

2 TBs butter

2-3  TBs lemon juice

1 apple (I had red delicious on hand)

½ cup raisins

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

3-4 TBs light brown sugar

1 large egg

2 cups almond milk (I used unsweetened)

½ tsp rum extract

½ tsp vanilla extract

 Plump raisins in hot water.  Put aside.   Tear bread into pieces and place in a microwave safe bowl. Peel, core and cut apple into small cubes. Add apples and drained raisins to bread.  Combine the ingredients.  Melt butter and pour over mixture. Add lemon juice. Add raisins. Sprinkle on cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix together.

 

In another bowl, beat egg and sugar together.   Add milk, rum and vanilla extracts.  Blend well and pour over bread mixture. Microwave on high for 6 minutes.  Cook 2 minutes longer for firmer bread pudding.

Eat warm

Serves 3-4.

Fast Recipe for Sunday Dinner-Glazed Baby Carrots

Sunday dinners when I was growing up were a really big deal.  My mom cooked all day and the dinners were the best.  Fast forward to present non day of rest Sundays. After being out all day attending services, visiting friends, going to a local fall festival, watching football and movies, I wanted a fast recipe for last night's dinner.

Yea for leftovers. Nothing is faster than leftovers. I had roast chicken, potato salad and my body was yearning for the carrots I had bought at the market.  I wanted to do something fast and good-tasting with them.  I decided I felt like molasses glazed carrots. I don't usally use molasses in my carrots, however, I wanted to see what they would taste like.

As a kid growing up, some nights I would molasses and cold milk or sometimes with hot milk. That combo  remains one of my favorite comfort foods. Hot chocolate will sometimes keep me awake rather than helping me sleep, so I go back to my childhood drink. Perhaps that's why I had molasses in my milk growing up. Also now, I drink Almond or Rice milk.

In any case, I decided to use the rich brown liquid in my carrots instead of brown sugar. Way yum!

Ingredients

1/2 lb baby carrots
1 1/2 TBs butter
1/4 to 1/2 cup water
2 TBs molasses

In a medium saute pan, melt butter, add baby carrots and remaining ingredients. Stir to cover carrots. Cover and cook on medium heat. for about 15 minutes for al dente or 20 to 25 minutes until carrots are tender and the liquid has evaporated.

Serves 2.

Best Cheeses for a Birthday Dinner

I am a real cheese lover.  Cheese to me is an essential food group along with wine, chocolate and catfish.  Now I must admit that I haven't eaten cheese with my catfish, yet; however, that could change at anytime.  I enjoy cheese with many dishes. More often than not, I eat cheese by itself; no crackers, no bread, nothing; just cheese.



On several occasions, I have sliced really thin pieces of salmon, seasoned them with dill and freshly ground black pepper and cooked it over a low flame in a bit of olive oil. After turning them over, I have melted equally thin slices of  cheddar cheese over each piece. Delicious!


So what are the best cheeses to serve for a birthday dinner? I know there is probably a protocol and a way to choose the best cheese for a birthday party.  I am of the school that says, "put out some great cheeses, toothpicks, some cool crackers and slices of  a variety of breads, then tell the birthday guests to dig in."


As for the cheeses: there's Brie, Cheddar, Jarlsberg, Blue, Havarti with Dill, Muenster. Emmental (Swiss),  Camembert, smoked Gouda and just about any cheese you enjoy eating with crackers or bread.

And, have a great birthday dinner

So Much Wine, So Little Time

It's amazing how much you can learn even from a work of fiction.  Fiction can portray reality in such a way that we can identify with it.  Recently, I read a book called the Cookbook Collector, where the author, Allegra Goodman, intersperses facts and knowledge within her narrative.  I really enjoyed it, because it interweaves two subjects I'm passionate about: cooking and the dot com world.  Both are fascinating and exciting worlds to me.

This book was not so much about cooking, although there was some cooking going on.  No recipes were posted as in the novels of culinary mystery writer, Diane Mott Davidson, yet I could still drool over what was being served.  The book, in part, is about an enviable cookbook collection.

What I found most interesting, however, were the wines that were consumed in the book.  The mention of the names made me want to know more.  My subsequent search was quite an education. I had never heard of some of them which caused me to look up those particular wines at their websites.   

In the book the descriptions sound luscious. For example, the  glass of "deep almond hued" Chateau Montelena Chardonnay the character drank was too "buttery". The 1970 Chateau Latour was "...never overpowering, too genteel to call attention to itself..."  The 1975 Chateau Petrus was "more flamboyant, flashier, riper, ravishing the tongue."  In the Heitz, the flavor was "creamy..smooth and silky..meltingly soft...  I wanted to rush out and try all of them.

Needless to say, I didn't.  Just looking at the websites and reading about the vineyards and the grapes made for quite an adventure.  There is much to look forward to trying. Wine making is fascinating and wine tasting is way too much fun.  Nope, I take that back, it is not too much at all. It's enjoyable.  My one trip to Napa with my daughter including our visit to a few of  vineyards is one of the highlights of my life.  What fun!  (Yes, we had a designated driver.) 

So the research into these wines mentioned in that novel let me know I still have lots more tasting to do.  Ahhh!  So much wine, so little time. I'll do my best.  Yum. Yum!

Is Summer Really Over?

Summer is my favorite time of year.  My winter and ski-loving friends and family think I'm completely nuts.  Hot though it may get, and it does get really hot here on the east coast,  the heat doesn't deter me from enjoying this season more than any other.  It means freedom to be outside, not cooped up in a house or apartment with air conditioning-looking outside at the world instead of being out in it. (Not that I am opposed to air-conditioning.)  It means vacation even when I'm not strictly "on vacation."

Summer always takes me back to a time of total irresponsibility-no school, no homework, swimming, fun, picnics, family gatherings, not having to be serious about anything.  It was a time of dreaming, making big plans and envisioning a great future. (Gosh, I didn't know squirrels made so much noise. Just looked out in the backyard to see two squirrels in two different trees making loud noises at each other and a neighbor's cat rolling on her back in the sun having great fun!)

Even cooking is different in the summer.  I'm not a "griller" myself, however, I love the taste and smell of foods cooked on the grill.  There's nothing so tasty and delicious as fresh veggies and chicken breasts lined with beautiful artistic grill marks.  Then there's the variety of salads.  You can make a salad out of anything: fried chicken, fish, lemons, figs, bright colorful vegetables of all kinds, grilled spring lamb or beef--just anything!


Even now, despite the responsibilities of a "grown-up" with a demanding daily life, jobs, family, children, grandchildren, cooking, blogging, reading, there is no time like the summer.  I just love it!  Longer days, lighter food, icy drinks, picnics and barbecues with family and friends, frosty beers and paler wines give me that feeling I used to have.  Thankfully, that feeling of joy, carefree freedom and dreaming comes every year.


Now it's back to cooler weather and different foods, wines and ways of cooking.  Though I must say, I'm fortunate, being here with my daughter, who has a gas grill in the backyard.  Even without power during Irene, we could cook breakfast on the grill, including toast!

So, even though I love the good old summertime, I enjoy the relief of the cooler temperatures and colors of fall.  However, I'm already looking forward to next summer's vacation.

Best Japanese Comfort Food: Nabe

No matter where we come from around the world, we all have our favorite comfort foods.  Whether it's fried chicken and mashed potatoes from the US; crispy tempura from Japan; Tom Yum Goong from Thailand;  Pão de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Bread); Akoho sy Voanio (Chicken in Coconut Milk) from the Southern African island of Madagascar or Ukrainian Filled Dumplings (Perogies); we all remember a favorite dish from our childhood that comforts us to this day.

My good friend, Ritsu, who spent her early years in Fukuoka, Japan, has more than one comfort food, as we all probably do.  One of her favorites is tempura; but the one dish she says she still loves to make from her mother's kitchen is Nabe, a one-pot or one-dish meal.  To hear her tell it; you can throw just about anything edible into it.

This one-dish meal is great for winter, you can add any kind of fish, shellfish or meat, including octopus, oysters, beef, pork, chicken, vegetables, tofu and mushrooms.  I even saw one recipe with sweet potatoes in it. Ritsu likes kimchi in hers.  And she makes it with a traditional Japanese Ponzu sauce.
It reminds me of a winter stew where you can put all kinds of ingredients.  The Japanese, of course, put everything into one pot and cook it at the table. This is also a fabulous comfort food because you don't have to worry about exact measurements. In fact, my friend could not give me the exact quantities, because she literally pits in whatever proportion or kind of ingredients she likes.  She makes it hearty and makes a lot of it for her family.
Here are some of the other foods she puts in this delicious one pot dish.  Chinese or Napa cabbage, salmon, cod, clams, salmon, shiitake and enoki mushrooms, shrimp, scallions, sesame oil and cellophane noodles.

I did look up a recipe on the About Food site.  I have put it here:

Yosenabe is a kind of Japanese nabe (one-pot) dish. It literally means putting everything together in a pot. You can put various ingredients, such as fish, seafood, meats, and vegetables in yosenabe. Like other nabe dishes, yosenabe is cooked at the dining table as people eat it.

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cup dashi soup
• 4 Tbsp sake
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp mirin
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 or 8 hard shell clams, cleaned and sand expelled
• 2 salmon steaks, or salmon fillets, cut into 2 inch lengths and bones removed
• 1/4 head hakusai (Chinese cabbage), chopped into 2-3 inch lengths
• 1 negi, leek, rinsed and cut diagonally
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds
• 8 shiitake mushrooms, stemed removed
• 1 enoki mushrooms, stems trimmed
• 1 shungiku (chrysanthemum greens) *if available

Preparation:

Put dashi soup stock in a donabe pot or an electric skillet. Heat the soup and bring to a boil. Season with sake, soy sauce, mirin, and salt. Turn down the heat to low. Add salmon and clams in the pot at first. Place other ingredients and simmer until softened. Have diners take cooked ingredients into individual serving bowls to eat.
*makes 4 servings

Memories of Jamaica, the Value of Family, Friends and Jerk Chicken

My son, Dan, is married to the most wonderful young woman, Natalie, from Jamaica. In fact, my entire new Jamaican family is wonderful and is an awesome addition to the already fabulous family I have here in the US mainland.  Sandra, Natalie's mom, and I became instantly close and have bonded on a deep level.  Wendy, my daughter, has taken on her brother's wife as a  little sister.  My granddaughter, Danielle, and her new step-mom have also become very close and have secrets together.  My brother, Aubrey and sister in-law, Joyce, and nephew, Aubrey III, have also welcomed the Jamaica branch of the family.

Denise and Dudley Stokes, Natalie's aunt and uncle, are lovely and have embraced me and all of my family. Dudley, by the way, was a member of the first Jamaican Bobsled team!  You may remember that they shocked the world in 1988 when the first Jamaican bobsled team participated in the 1988 Olympics Winter Games in Calgary. Canada.

This, to me, is great fortune.   Many people look on fortune as having a great deal of money or great financial resources.  I don't.  Fortune is having people you love, like respect and admire who feel the same about you.  Don't get me wrong.  I don't reject the idea of having money and the things it does, believe me.  I am an entrepreneur and make my money form my business.  You can not get a bus to wherever you need to go without money.  Money is necessary to live.

However, real support comes from people.  They are the treasure of the heart.  For example, when I was battling breast cancer in 2001, money was not what I needed to steel me against what I was forced to confront.  It was my spiritual philosophy, my family and friends, including my former husband, who encouraged me that, no matter what, I had the strength within myself to win and overcome this fierce opponent.  And, I did.  Money, which is paper, uncaring and neutral, could not do that.

I have had jerk chicken here in my area, yet, there was nothing like tasting Jerk chicken in its native habitat with native chefs.  So, in honor of my Jamaican family, I present this Jerk Chicken recipe:

INGREDIENTS :

    * 1- 31/2 lbs chicken (3lb of chicken breasts may be used if preferred)
    * Jerk Sauce (See below)
    * lemon or lime juice

Jerk Sauce

METHOD:

   1. Clean, skin,and cut chicken in medium pieces,then wash with lime or lemon juice
   2. Rub the chicken with the Jerk seasoning.
   3. Be sure to rub under skin and in cavities
   4. Marinate overnight.
   5. Grill at lowest possible setting over a low fire until done.
   6. Pimento (all spice) branches (this is what is used in Jamaica) mixed with charcoal is best. If not try to use an aromatic wood in the barbecue grill to enhance the flavor.
   7. Chop meat into pieces, and serve traditionally with hard-dough bread

INGREDIENTS :

    * 1/2 cup Pimenta ( allspice berries)
    * 1/2+ cup packed brown sugar
    * 6-8 garlic cloves
    * 4-6 Scotch bonnet peppers
    * 1 tablespoon ground thyme or 2 tablespoons thyme leaves
    * 1-2 bunches scallions (green onions)
    * 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    * 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
    * salt and pepper to taste
    * 2 tablespoon soy sauce to moisten

METHOD:

   1. Put ingredients in a food processor or blender and liquefy
   2. Pour sauce in a Jar and keep refrigerated.
   3. The sauce will keep forever if kept refrigerated
   4. To increase spiciness blend pepper and pimenta and add to sauce the hot peppers at any time.

Seasoning Instruction:

    * Leave skin on chicken
    * Rub the meat (chicken, pork or beef) with the seasoning.
    * With chicken, be sure to rub under skin and in cavities
    * Marinate overnight.

Cooking Instructions

    * Grill at lowest possible setting over a low fire until done.
    * Pimenta (all spice) branches (this is what is used in Jamaica) mixed with charcoal is best. If not try to use an aromatic wood in the barbecue grill to enhance the flavor.
    * Chop meat into pieces, and serve traditionally with hard-dough bread

World's Best Fried Catfish Nugget Recipe

That's a pretty bold statement, however, beauty and taste are in the eye (mouth) of the beholder.   I am a catfish lover, so, IMHO, this is the word's best catfish recipe!  Having grown up at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay on the Severn River in Annapolis, MD, I suppose it is only natural that I came to love fish.  We had all kinds of fresh fish and seafood available to us: butterfish, rockfish, shad, white and yellow perch, and hardheads (which I was to learn later were actually Atlantic croaker) were a few in abundance. 

Of course, we also had Chesapeake Bay blue crabs and in late spring through the summer, we would enjoy pan-fried soft-shell crabs.  Aside from a short walk to the bottom of my street to go fishing and crabbing with my father and brother, there was a fish vender who came to our street every Saturday and sold fresh fish right from his truck. Then my mom would fry the smaller fish and bake the larger fish and add a sauce.  Then I would be in fish heaven.

I hasten to add that we did not have catfish nuggets; it was the whole catfish with the bone in that my dad would catch, skin, clean and cut in half.   At that time, my mom cooked the world's best fried catfish. 

2 lbs catfish nuggets or fillets cut into strips
1 cup yellow corn meal
2/3 cup crushed Panko (Korean or Japanese bread crumbs)
3 tsps salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
Oil

Pour enough oil into a large heavy skillet (cast-iron is my favorite) so it is about 1/4 inch deep.  Heat oil to very hot, but not smoking. 

Rinse catfish nuggets in cold water.  If using fillets, cut them into pieces.  Put cornmeal, Panko, salt, pepper and cayenne into a thick brown paper bag.  Drop nuggets into bag and shake until well coated.   Shake off excess. 

Carefully place catfish pieces in the oil.  Fry in batches in a single layer so you don't crowd them.  Cook until golden brown; about 2 minutes on each side.  Drain on brown paper bag or newspaper.  If preferred, you can cover paper with a paper towel.

Serve with homemade tartar sauce.

Homemade Tartar  Dipping Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise
3 Tsp dill relish
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
1/2 tsp cumin seed (optional)
Mix well and dunk away

The Catfish That Walks

I think the catfish species has been much maligned.  When I talk to people about my love of catfish (for eating), many reject the idea and turn up their noses at the thought.  However, catfish inhabit every continent on the planet except Antarctica.  That could be because they don't like the very cold, frozen temperatures.  They prefer cool, clean, deep water with slow or moderate currents. They also like a sandy or rocky bottom. So they inhabit rivers, streams, swamps, lakes and reservoirs.

There are over 2000 catfish species in existence and more than half of them live in the Americas.  They live in Central Europe, Africa and Asia and some of the world's best catfish recipes come from those countries.  In some locales, there is a species of catfish that walks.  Well, it doesn't actually walks, but has a way to get across land when the waters dry up.

At one time, catfish were a delicacy and eaten on special holidays, so when immigrants came to American shores, they brought that tradition with them.  Nowadays, catfish is enjoyed anytime.

Catfish have no scales, but they do have what are called "barbels" which look like cat whiskers.  Nor do they have fur. They have a delicate flavor so they lend themselves easily to many fish recipes.    They can be sautéed, broiled, put in stews or barbecued. 

In Indonesia, people get their catfish grilled by street vendors in stalls and eaten with vegetables and soy sauce.  In Malaysia catfish is fried with spices (See below: Fried Catfish Middle Eastern Style). In some Indian states catfish is eaten as a favored delicacy during the monsoons.  And, of course, in the Southern United States, catfish is generally fried in oil with cornmeal.  (See below my Annapolis-inspired Fried Catfish Nuggets for the Super Bowl.)

In the US, roughly 95% of  farm-raised catfish is raised in Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, and Louisiana.  Catfish is very popular in the South in the summertime.  In recognition of and to celebrate its popularity, President Ronald Reagan declared June 25th National Catfish Day in 1987.

Here, in the coming months, you are going to find some of the world's best catfish recipes for catfish lovers.

Fried Catfish Middle Eastern Style

You will know from this blog that fish and catfish, in particular, are featured.  Searching always for new catfish recipes, this one is adapted from a recipe called Lahori Fish.  Lahore is a city in Pakistan.  It is not specifically for catfish, yet this recipe is delicious using my favorite river food.  You may find some new seasonings and ingredients in this recipe you might not have in your pantry, like gram flour (made from chickpeas), chaat masala and carom seeds.  No worries.  You can find them in Indian markets or online.

The fish is marinated in and covered with a thick  batter of gram flour (Besan) and spiced with carom seeds (Ajwain) and chaat masala, another spice mixture..

Ingredients

    * 1 kg, (about 2.2 lbs) catfish nuggets or fillet, cut into medium sized fillets/chunks)
    * bread crumbs
    * oil for frying

 

  * Batter:

    * 1/2 cup gram flour (Besan)
    * 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
    * 1 tsp red Chilli powder
    * 1 tsp crushed red chillies
    * 1 tbsp crushed whole coriander
    * 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
    * 1/2 tsp carom seeds (Ajwain)
    * 2 tbsp white vinegar
    * salt to taste
    * water, as required

Directions

    * Combine all ingredients for the batter with enough water to make a thick paste.
    * Apply this well on the fish.  Marinate for couple of hours so that some marinade is absorbed by the fish.
    * Now lightly coat with bread crumbs and set aside for 15 minutes.
    * Deep fry the fish, in batches, in hot oil until golden brown.
    * Drain and sprinkle fish with lemon juice and Chaat Masala.
    * Serve hot with salad and lemon wedges.