Stuffed Cabbage Rolls–Deconstructed, by Beverly Hicks Burch

I like cabbage…no, really I do, even though I know it’s suppose to be good for you. And, I like stuffed cabbage rolls. But, what I don’t like is trying to make stuffed cabbage rolls. For me it’s a tedious job that’s about as much fun as a root canal without anesthetic.

So, a recipe with the taste of stuffed cabbage and the ease of hamburgers and been another food quest. I have recipe that I’ve been making a few years, but I saw a recipe the other day that gave me some inspiration. Although I found it lacking, there was some potential to compel be to deconstruct those cabbage rolls.

So, I set about deconstructing stuffed cabbage rolls…today’s recipe is the result.

A great feature about this dish is that it’s a meal in one pan…protein (meat), grain (rice) and vegetable (tomatoes, onions, garlic and cabbage).

Tall & Handsome gave his thumbs up and also informed me I now have a great dish to carry for pot luck.

Win – win…a little deconstructing and I ended up with a two-fer…

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls – Deconstructed

1 – 1/4 pound lean ground beef

1 large onion

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 small head cabbage, chopped

2 – 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes

1 8 ounce can tomato sauce

1/2 cup low sodium chicken or beef broth (I usually have low sodium chicken broth on hand…make sure you use low sodium)

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon Lawry’s season salt

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 cups cooked brown rice

1. Brown meat along with onion and garlic on medium heat until meat is brown and no longer pink.

2. Add the chopped cabbage, two cans of tomatoes, tomato sauce, low-sodium chicken (or beef) broth, pepper, season salt, kosher salt and Worcestershire sauce.

3. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer about 20 minutes or until cabbage is tender.

4. Meanwhile cook the brown rice. (Remember brown rice take longer to cook than white rice. You can also use Success brown rice in a pinch.)

5. When beef – cabbage mixture to done, stir in the 2 cups of brown rice.

Enjoy!!

© 2013 Beverly Hicks Burch All Rights Reserved.

Sour Cream Apple Pie, by Beverly Hicks Burch

We tend to do things a little differently in the Burch household sometimes. Take birthdays for example…

Today is Tall & Handsome’s birthday. Since we’ve been married I’ve made him some pretty awesome cakes for his birthday. My Red Velvet Cake, my Fresh Apple Cake and German Chocolate cakes all come to mind…and all have been repeats. I plan on making him my “Pig Pickin’ Cake” in the near future, but that’s another day and another story.

T & H is a pie man. He really likes pie. So, for his birthday I decided to make him a birthday pie! It’s a pie I’ve been promising him I’d bake for sometime now (it’s really hard to pack in all the years of cooking and recipes I have in the almost ten years with been married!).

This pie, Sour Cream Apple Pie, has been in my family for decades. I would venture to say almost four decades at least, so I would be hard pressed to say where it originated. You could easily place it in the “heirloom” category I wrote about recently. Mom used to make this pie often and it was probably one of my favorite things she baked.

The recipe calls for canned sliced apples and for years they were easy enough to find. They were usually by Whitehouse or some label like that.

Well, a little discovery disclosure here…

Finding canned sliced apples this time around was like scavenger hunt! Let me tell you we have a whole lot of cans of apple pie filling T & H brought home thinking he had gotten the sliced apples. Apple pie filling is not what you want and will not work!

I thought about using fresh sliced apples, but at the last minute ran upon the canned apples one day when I was with T & H at Publix(next to Whole Foods, his favorite store). If you do try the fresh sliced apples, I’d love to know how they turned out!

Sour Cream Apple Pie

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1 9 inch deep dish pie shell

For the filling mix together:

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup sugar

Add:

1 egg, beaten

1 cup lite sour cream (Yes, I use lite sour cream!)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla flavoring

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Blend in:

2 cups slice apples (1 can sliced apples)

Pour into the pie shell.

Bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

Then, reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for another 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and add the topping. Return pie to the oven and continue cooking at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until top of pie is golden brown.

For the topping:

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon pure vanilla flavoring

1/4 cup butter

Mix together dry ingredients. Cut in butter and vanilla with pastry blade until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over top of pie.

Enjoy!!

© 2013 Beverly Hicks Burch All Rights Reserved.

Crock Pot Dijon-Maple Brussels Sprouts with Golden Raisins, by Beverly Hicks Burch

Recipe development is a process of evolution sometimes. Take this recipe for Brussels Sprouts.

Occasionally I go on a quest to find or develop the Holy Grail of a particular food. Food can be inspired by many things. You can say my quest for the perfect Brussels Sprouts recipe used a crude form of scientific investigation. It went something like this:

1. Ask questions: Could I possibly develop a recipe that would compel me to eat a food I called "bitter balls"? This would be a labor of love since Tall & Handsome loves bitter balls Brussels Sprouts.

2. Make a hypothesis: It is my belief there is quite possibly a recipe I would find palpable enough to compel me to ingest Brussels Sprouts.

3. Plan an investigation: Quite simple – research recipes; practice trial and error through process and ingesting said substance.

4. Collect and record data: A matter of thumbs up or thumbs down and in my case, chills down my spine with each bitter bite…

5. Organize data: Again, simple. What not to try, what to try again; possible ingredients that might work well together.

6. Explain result: I quote – "This is why I will never, no never make this recipe or that recipe again…"

7. Think of new questions: So, have I learned enough about Brussels Sprouts to develop the object of my quest, the perfect recipe? Yes, I believe I have!

8. Share results: The end result was today’s revamped recipe.

I prepared a crock pot full of Brussels Sprouts earlier this week and as I took my first bite I did the "ummmmm" thing.

Tall & Handsome looked at me and said, "I never thought I’d live long enough to see you have that reaction to Brussels Sprouts."

Yep, they’re that good…

Score one for scientific investigation…

Crock Pot Dijon  – Maple Brussels Sprouts

2 pounds Brussels Sprouts, trimmed and halved

3 fresh cloves garlic, minced

6 tablespoons butter, cut into several pieces

6 tablespoons Dijon mustard

6 tablespoons real maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup golden raisins (I’m sure dark raisin will work and raisin can be optional if you like and if you want more raisins, go ahead and toss them in.)

1. Wash Brussels Sprouts. Trim and cut larger Brussels sprouts in quarters and smaller ones in half.

2.Toss the sprouts into your crock pot.

3. Next, add in the minced garlic and butter.

4. Mix together the Dijon mustard, maple syrup, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Pour over the Brussels Sprouts and garlic; stir well to coat sprouts. Add raisins and stir to coat.

5. Cover and cook in the crock pot for 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low. Stir well before serving.

Enjoy!!

©2013 Beverly Hicks Burch All Rights Reserved.

Cocoa Indian Brownies (and the brownie gobbler), by Beverly Hicks Burch

Why do you cook? What was the catalyst that began your culinary journey?

For me it was almost a given…it was going to be a fact…I would learn how to cook.

I come from a long line of accomplished cooks. From my Momma to my Aunt LaRue and Aunt Korinne, My maternal grandmother was known for her famous chicken and dumplings and even my maternal grandfather could cook a mean steak. His momma was a good German cook and made her own sauerkraut and to this day I make her German noodles dish which my Momma and aunts have passed down.

I got to thinking about these types of recipes the other day when I was doing some genealogy work. The question came up: “Have you preserved your family heirloom recipes?”

I had never thought about recipes like that, but when you do pause and think about it, there are recipes we identify as “family recipes”. As a genealogist and now as a cook, I’m realizing how important it is for us to preserve those recipes for future family members.

Another question: If you are a food blogger, why did you start blogging?

My journey into food blogging began with a realization. I was organizing my huge collection of recipes one day. I have been collecting recipes it seems since I was a child. At least as a young adult. Back then we didn’t have Pinterest, tablets, computers, clouds or any other modern contrivance to help us organize and store our collections. It was file boxes, notecards and/or binders. A lot of mine ended up in manila folders waiting for their own special spot.

So, on this particular day, I realized I had enough recipes to share and make a cooking adventure for a blog. In my case there’s many side trips because I’m always adapting and changing a recipe until I have a totally different animal so to speak. Then, of course there’s original development. But, nonetheless, the inspiration was there.

Today’s recipe fits both categories. It is a family “heirloom” with it own back story and it’s part of my collection.

The back story: When we were children Momma would delight us with a pan of these brownies on occasion. We loved them! I was the oldest child, so sometimes, they would be waiting for me when I came home from school.

One cold winter morning Mom had made a fresh pan. I was at school, but my younger sister was at home. (She wasn’t old enough to start school yet, but old enough to stir up her own brand of excitement .)

Mom was also in the process of doing laundry and my aunt was visiting. It was so cold that day, so when Mom got ready to hang the clothes out on the clothesline, my aunt volunteered to help. They stepped outside without jackets (they thought it would take just a second to hang the couple of pieces up) and once the laundry was hung headed back to the door.

Their hearts dropped when they discovered the door was locked…

…by design…

From the window in the door, they could see my sister pacing, eating the brownies. Yes, she had locked the door so she could have that whole pan of brownies to herself. And, she did…she at the whole pan!

All the knocking on the door and pleading did no good, she would not open the door for the two freezing, shivering women until the last crumb of the last brownie was gone.

The recipe comes from the very first cookbook Mom every owned. The first printing date is 1942 and it was reprinted in 1953. When I married Mom passed it on to me.

These are  cake brownies. If you like you can throw in some nuts or raisins and they are great with vanilla ice cream.

Cocoa Indians Brownies

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, scant

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla flavoring

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup chopped nuts or raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8 x 8 or 9 x 12 pan. (You can also use Baker’s Joy spray.)

2. Cream butter until light in color. Add sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy.

3. Add eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. Add the vanilla flavoring and mix well.

4. Combine dry ingredients together.

5. Alternate adding dry ingredients with the milk to the butter mixture.

6. If adding nuts or raisins, fold into the batter.

7. Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool about 10 minutes before cutting.

Enjoy!!

© 2013 Beverly Hicks Burch All Rights Reserved.

Pasta and Garden Vegetable Salad with Citrus-Dill Dressing, by Beverly Hicks Burch

We love pasta in our house, but in my opinion pasta can get a little heavy, especially during warmer weather. Tall & Handsome would be happy with a bowl of pasta with some garlic and butter. Me…not so much…

So, this morning when I was in the pantry/laundry doing some laundry my mind began to turn to that age old question: “What are we going to eat today?” I noticed the box of bow tie pasta and knew I had some fresh ingredients in the fridge that needed to be used fairly soon, so it was experiment time! Today’s recipe is the end result.

I’m always looking for ways to meet that happy medium for both of us and if possible use fresh ingredients out of our kitchen garden. (For us it’s been tomatoes and herbs.) And, I like to try to make it tasty and throw in some good old fashion healthy stuff. I’m a big advocate of getting my guys to eat tomatoes because it good for prostrate health.

You’ll see me use something in this recipe I don’t use very often and that’s lemon. I’m not a big fan of lemon and it tends to give me indigestion (lime is a different story!). But, the hint of lemon in this recipe gives this pasta salad a wonderful freshness. As with anything else in cooking the longer your flavors have to meld together, the yummier they get.

We had a small plate of this for lunch today, and plan on enjoying it this evening with some grilled tilapia and Brussels sprouts. I’ve gotten the stamp of approval I look for: thumbs up from T & H…

1 –1 lb. box bow tie pasta, cooked al dente

1 jar roasted red bell peppers, chopped

8 ears fresh corn, corn removed from cob

3 green onions, green part chopped

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Dressing:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons orange juice

1/4 teaspoon lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon light brown sugar

1 sprig fresh dill, washed and snipped with kitchen shears

1. Cook pasta in salted boiling water for 11 minutes or until al dente. Drain. Drizzle about 2 teaspoons of olive oil over the pasta to prevent it from sticking together.Set aside.

2. While pasta is cooking cut tomatoes in half, chop green onions and chop roasted bell peppers. Set aside.

3. Remove corn kernels from 8 ears of fresh corn. Cook over medium high heat for 5 minutes. During last minute of cooking, salt and pepper to taste. Cool for 10 minutes.

4. Combine cooked pasta, tomatoes, chopped roasted bell peppers, green onions and cooked corn in a large bowl. Toss to combine well.

5. Add one cup of grated Parmesan cheese and toss well.

6. Make dressing, add to salad, toss and serve. Good warm and chilled!

Dressing:

1. With a whisk make a emulsion with the extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice and orange juice.

2. Continue whisking and add crushed red pepped flakes, brown sugar and lemon zest. Whisk in fresh dill.

3. Add kosher salt and pepper to taste.

4. Drizzle over pasta and vegetables and toss well.

Enjoy!!

© 2013 Beverly Hicks Burch All Rights Reserved.

Frozen Strawberry Yogurt Pie with Sliced Strawberries, by Beverly Hicks Burch

Even though it’s raining today and our temps are suppose to drop, it appears warmer weather is here to stay for the season. Change of seasons also usually change our appetite and craving for different types of food.

During warm weather I usually like lighter fare, fresh salads and lots of veggies. I would place grilled food on that list, but Tall & Handsome is a die-hard grill master and grills year round. I would have to say he grills a tad more in spring and summer.

Now, they say confession is good for the soul so here goes. I am not a chocoholic. Don’t get me wrong…I’ll eat chocolate but, caramel is more my liking and most fruit flavors rock!

Today is an extremely easy pie to whip up and it’s sooo yummy! On a hot day, there’s nothing as refreshing as a nice cold slice of this straight out of the freezer! Extra bonus is it’s fairly healthy, too. T & H gives it a his thumbs up and stamp of approval.

Frozen Strawberry Yogurt Pie with slice strawberries

3 – 5.3 oz. cartons of Oikos strawberry fruit on the bottom Greek yogurt

1 – 8 oz. Cool Whip (I use Lite Cool Whip)

1 extra large Keebler Graham Cracker Crust

1 – 2 drops red food coloring, optional

Fresh strawberries, slices and sweetened with sugar to taste or frozen sweetened strawberries, thawed

1. Open the yogurt and stir the fruit up from the bottom of the carton and combine with the yogurt.

2. Pour the three cartons of yogurt into a medium bowl.

3. Fold in Cool Whip. Combine well.

4. If desired, add a drop or two of red food coloring for a “pinker” color.

5. Pour into the graham cracker crust.

6. Freeze until the pie is frozen solid.

7. Serve sliced strawberries with a little of the juice over slices of the pie.

Enjoy!!

© 2013 Beverly Hicks Burch All Rights Reserved.

Roasting Peppers, by Beverly Hicks Burch

In the blog Have You Planned Your Herb Garden Yet? I began talking about our upcoming kitchen garden. (I also shared a delightful Corn, Lima Bean and Roasted Bell Pepper Salad recipe.)

One necessity we grow is peppers! Last year we actually grew three different kinds of peppers: jalapeno, pablano and bell pepper. If Tall & Handsome thought we could grow his beloved green chilies we’d do that, too, but alas, those seem to prefer the climates of his native New Mexico.

He is quite expert at roasting peppers. Right after we first married a friend of his in New Mexico sent him a rather large carton of Hatch green chilies. He took great comfort in the roasting aroma of those chilies and the fact he had a little treasure trove in the freezer.

Last year we roasted pablano peppers for Chile Rellenos, one of my absolute favorites. What you put in your peppers is up to you. I’ve seen so many combinations. The mathematical possibilities are almost endless. My favorite is cheese.

But, since today is about the roasting of pepper, we won’t go into that part now. As I mentioned before, this method is great for most peppers.

A couple of things to remember when handling peppers, and this applies even if you’re not roasting them: keep your hands away from your eyes and mouth and wash your hands after handling peppers. The oils in peppers are volatile and can cause discomfort.

Roasting Peppers

1. Wash and dry peppers.

2. Heat grill on high/direct heat. (T & H does this on his gas grill)

3. Place the peppers on the grill and roast, turning as needed. Time will vary depending on the size of the peppers. You do not want to burn the peppers, but the skins will become blistered and slightly charred.

Pablano Peppers right off the grill

4. Remove peppers from the grill and place in a large zip lock bag or paper bag. Allow peppers to rest in the bag for 15 – 20 minutes. This makes the skin easier to remove.

5. At this point, if you’re going to freeze you peppers, remove them for the bag they have been resting in and place in the portion size bag of your choice. Do not remove the skin if freezing! If you remove the skins before freezing, the peppers will freeze together in one big gobby mess.

Pablano Peppers with the skins removed

6. If you’re going to use the peppers immediately, remove skins. After removing the skin you can make a slit in the pablano peppers and remove the seeds (this will reduce the heat of the pepper). This will also give you a place to stuff your peppers. Without the skins the peppers are semi-fragile, so do not over handle. Some people just wipe the charred skin off, while others wash the skin off. Whatever you find works best for you is up to you, but again, don’t over handle.

© 2013 Beverly Hicks Burch All Rights Reserved.

Easy Chicken and Corn Chowder, by Beverly Hicks Burch

As a true Southern gal for years Southern Living was my Bible for all things Southern…food, travel, decorating, entertaining and gardening. But, then, something almost sacrilegious happened. Time, Inc. of New York City gobbled up and acquired our beloved Southern Living! That editorial move would be like moving the corporate offices of Yankee Magazine, the magazine for all things "Down East" beloved by New Englanders, to the fair city of Atlanta!

Now, as hard as Time, Inc. has tried try, the magazine just doesn’t seem the same. It’s like Southern Lite… I’m not the first person to utter that sentiment.

It’s just wrong…

Just to let you know how long I was a devotee of Southern Living, today’s recipe is an adaptation of a recipe from the Feb. 1983 edition, yes, 30 years ago!

As you may know by now: (1) I have never meet a recipe I won’t tinker with or as we call it around here "bevize" it. I usually end up with a horse of a totally different color. When my son was growing up and would change up Mom’s well laid plans, I always told him he was like Ford…he thought he had a better idea. Well, the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree…; (2) I don’t always cook by recipe. That is a familial trait in a long line of women on my Mom’s side of the family. The end result was some pretty darn good and award winning cooks. My challenge now is putting it to paper recipe style.

Today’s original recipe called for stewing the chicken from scratch in water. I have made this chowder many times over the last 30 years. It is a great comfort food served with cornbread and super duper "I-don’t-feel-so-good" medicinal dish. Yeah, kinda of like Dixie penicillin… But, as my life got busier and my disabilities became more bothersome, I started looking for that “better way”.

As our world has become more hectic and fast paced we all, me included are looking for healthy, fast ways to feed our families. And, as I’ve mentioned, I’ve fallen in love with using Rotisserie chicken for cooking. Plump, juicy roasted chickens can be found at most supermarkets. My Tall & Handsome has been known to buy whole hens, then roast them on his grill, debone them and freeze the chicken to have on hand for future recipes. So, keeping easy in mind I adapted the beloved recipe from Feb. 1983 and birthed a horse of a totally different color.

Easy Chicken and Corn Chowder

4 cups low sodium chicken broth

½ rotisserie chicken, chopped or shredded

2 potatoes, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 17 oz. can creamed style corn

1 15 oz. can tomato sauce

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon ground pepper

*Optional: You can also add a can of well drained diced tomatoes.

1. Peel and chop potatoes and carrots. Place in 4 cups of low sodium chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon sugar. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 to 12 minutes until vegetables of becoming tender.

2. Add chicken, creamed style corn, tomato sauce (and tomatoes if using) and pepper. Cover and simmer an additional 15 minutes or until vegetable are tender.

Enjoy!!

© 2013 Beverly Hicks Burch All Rights Reserved.

Have You Planned Your Herb Garden Yet? Highlighting Corn, Lima Bean and Roasted Red Bell Pepper Salad, by Beverly Hicks Burch

Even after the last cruel spat of wickedly cold weather that crept our way after the first official day of Spring, it appears all things green and growing are determined to do their thing. And, that would be GROW!

As a result my mind as turned toward thoughts of “what kind of "kitchen garden" can I grow this year?” Because of my health and disabilities I have done a lot of container gardening in the past few seasons. I’ve been pleased with the results.

This past weekend, Tall & Handsome and I began to turn our thoughts to outdoor projects. That includes a kitchen garden and herb garden. For him it also involves a tiller. He’s mantra is: “You be the brains and I’ll be the brawn.” So, he’s willing to expand beyond container gardening.

So, what herbs did I grow last year?

Well, I had some perfectly lovely mint. I love mint. I use it for baby English peas, tea and I’m told it’s excellent in mojitos. Last years I grew mint in a basket on the deck and also in the ground. To my delight, I already have usable mint! A big plus…mint, like many herbs is remarkably easy to grow.

Wonderful mint from my container garden –it’s especially lovely after the rain.

Next, I grew basil, one of my all time favorite herbs. I’ve used dried basil for years. I still do, but nothing compares to the taste of fresh basil! Last year I grew sweet basil and cinnamon basil. I have grown three or four kinds at once, including purple basil and a small leaf basil that is very fragrant. I use fresh basil in so many recipes, but one recipe that I think really highlights it well is an amazing Corn and Lima Bean Salad I adapted from a Southern Living recipe from several years ago.

Cinnamon Basil has a distinctive and wonderful taste

My Greek oregano has already sprouted new growth and is so wonderful and fragrant. It’s perfect in marinades, Greek, Italian and even Mexican recipes.

Greek Oregano is especially versatile

My rosemary remained evergreen all year and we’ve even used it for roasted turkey. I’ve really grown to appreciate the taste of rosemary.

So, what will I add this year?

I’ll probably grow more cinnamon basil and maybe some purple basil if I can find it. I’m hoping to find some thyme and a staple we’ve begun to use more and more…cilantro. We may throw in some parsley and anything else that strikes our fancy.

I also plan on growing tomatoes. What Southern garden is absent of fresh tomatoes?! Is there anything better than a tomato right off the vine with a little salt and pepper? For me, since I married my southwestern cowboy, a garden staple is jalapenos and pablano chilies. I hope to add some bell pepper, squash and garlic would be wonderful!

Today I’m highlighting a recipe from some time back. It’s the aforementioned Corn, Lima Bean and Roasted Bell Pepper Salad. Today’s recipe is slightly different than the version I posted before because I have increased the quantities to carry to our small group meeting. One of my best friends fell in love with this salad after I prepared it for dinner one evening when she was over. She likes to make it and carry it to potlucks, where she receives rave reviews. I love to keep a bowl in the fridge during summer. It make a great light, healthy lunch or a wonderful side dish.

Gather up the ingredients for the salad…if it’s in season I use fresh basil out of my garden.

Corn, Lima Bean and Roasted Bell Pepper Salad

6 cups fresh corn kernels

2 cups baby lima beans (if using frozen, thaw first)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped roasted red bell pepper

Juice of one fresh lemon

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Dried crushed pepper flakes to taste (I used a little over 1/4 teaspoon)

2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, cut into thins strips (you can also adjust this to taste)

1. Cut corn from the cob.

2. Sauté the corn in a large skillet with the olive oil on medium high heat. Sauté for 3 minutes or until corn is tender crunchy.

3. Add thawed baby lima beans and continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes.

5. Add fresh lemon juice, roasted red bell pepper, salt, dried crushed pepper flakes and fresh basil. Toss until mixed well.

6. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.

Enjoy!!

© 2013 Beverly Hicks Burch All Rights Reserved.

Nouvea Southern Bean Soup, by Beverly Hicks Burch

Monday my phone rang and it was my sweet Daddy on the phone. He said, "Hey Sugar, Daddy has another hambone, and I’ve left more meat on it this time." (Have I mentioned I’m a Daddy’s girl?)

What Daddy’s girl doesn’t enjoy cooking for her Daddy…especially a Southern gal? I’d made a pot of bean soup for Daddy and Momma a few weeks back. So, when Daddy ran upon a sale of Smithfield spiral cut hams, he picked up one for himself and for us.

He brought over the needed ingredients and I promised him a pot of soup the next day. We just didn’t count on Mother Nature intervening and sending a storm that would knock out our power for 30 hours! Luckily, the ham and bone survived thanks to a gracious neighbor who let us plug in our freezer and fridge to one of his generators.

So, Wednesday was soup day! And, it couldn’t have arrived at a better time since winter did a command performance and we actually had sleet late in the week.

Anytime there’s a good hambone around, it’s good cause for a hearty pot of soup in my humble opinion. I’ve been making bean soup for as long as I can remember, but I’ve never been a fan of plain old beans cooked in water and onion with maybe a ham hock. Boring!

So, I came up with my own bean soup – Nouveau Southern style. It’s a good thing, too because Tall & Handsome really enjoys them…and so does my Daddy.

If you’re not a fan of pinto beans, then you can substitute. I have used a 15 bean mix before and it was wonderful, also. The soup is really easy to make and chances are you have most of the ingredients on your pantry shelves most of the time. This makes enough for several servings, so you could make this for a pot luck or large crowd…or even your Daddy .

Nouvea Southern Bean Soup

1 pound dried pinto beans

8 – 10 cups low sodium chicken stock

1 meaty hambone

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 pounds baby carrots, cut in half length wise (you can find these prepackaged in the produce section)

3 nice sized potatoes, cubed (Daddy had a couple of cans of new potatoes, so I used them for his soup this time and they worked great, just add them last)

2 cans Rotel tomatoes (there are many flavors and "heats" to pick from with Rotel so, pick your "poison" as they say) if you prefer you can use regular dice or stewed tomatoes

Black pepper to taste

1. Rinse and wash beans. Soak beans overnight in a stockpot with 10 cups of water or on the same day, bring beans to a boil in 10 cups of water and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and soak for one hour.

2. Drain and rinse beans. (This reduces the "gas" producing effect of the beans.)

3. Add the hambone to the pot, then return the beans to the pot.

4. Add the chicken stock. Start with about 8 or 9 cups and add extra if needed.

5. Add chopped onion and minced garlic. (Do not add any acidic ingredient at this stage as it will prevent the beans from becoming tender.) Bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beans start to become tender. Add extra chicken broth if needed.

6. When beans start to become tender add baby carrots, cubed potatoes and tomatoes. Season with black pepper. (You probably will not need salt because the salt from the ham will be enough.)

7. Continue cooking until vegetables are fork tender.

Served with cornbread or New Mexico Spoon Bread.

Enjoy!!

© 2013 Beverly Hicks Burch All Rights Reserved.