Month: November 2015

Categories
food home cooking savannah

The Ultimate Southern Thanksgiving Side: Cornbread Dressing

local dressing

Dressing is the ultimate Thanksgiving side. On Thursday, there will be macaroni and cheese, potato salad, candied yams and cranberry sauce. However, dressing is the main side to go with the Thanksgiving turkey. It has to be right. It can’t be too dry or too salty. Plus, it must be seasoned properly. Stuffing or dressing, that is the question. It’s kinda like the debate between pumpkin pie and sweet potato pie. I prefer dressing. Stuffing is stuff you might stick in a turkey. It is the stovetop dreck that is high in sodium but low on flavor. Dressing is a side dish, a Thanksgiving staple. In the South, it is typically made old bread or cornbread. The vegetables used are up to the cook.

My friends in New York love my dressing. One friend requested that I make it for Easter, and I have brought my dressing to a few potluck dinners. Now that I live in Savannah, I make a dressing that incorporates local food and flavor.

Inspired by the vegetables I got from Forsyth Farmer’s market, I decided to make an Italian flavored cornbread dressing. From the farmer’s market, I used red and yellow peppers, fresh basil and Vidalia onion. Then I went to my local grocery which is walking distance from my place. I bought Italian sausage, chicken broth and Jiffy cornbread mix there.

Eating local also means going to locally owned business. There’s an amazing takeout place called 520 Wings. According to local Savannahnians on Yelp, the garlic parmesan wings are the best wings in town.

Now that I have all the ingredients, I got to work. First I made the cornbread the night before so that it was completely cooled. Then I roasted the vegetables in the oven and cooked the sausage in a saucepan. As the vegetables and the sausage were cooking, I took the cornbread and cut in the big chunks. Then I place the pieces in a casserole dish. Then I added the chicken broth and the vegetables. Next I added the Italian sausage after making sure that any grease has been drained. Using a big wooden spoon, I mix all the ingredients together. Then I added the chicken parmesan wings and basil on top.

Have a good Thanksgiving!
P.S.Check out Michael Twitty’s hilarious post on how to navigate Black Thanksgiving when you are not Black.

Categories
food historic savannah

My First Savannah Visitor: RKB

Rachel and Nichelle

If you have known me for awhile, then you probably also know RKB (AKA Rachel Kramer Bussel). Rachel and I have been friends for over 11 years. We started a blog (Cupcakes Take The Cake) together. We hosted cupcake meetups. We went on a trip to Martha’s Vineyard.

I don’t believe in having only ONE best friend. Instead, I have a second family of people I am not related that I love. Rachel is part of that family.

Over a short three days, we hit some of my favorite haunts here in Savannah. We had tacos at Foxy Loxy, sliders at Sly’s Sliders, and sweets at Back In The Day Bakery. We also went to the Juliette Gordon Low House to learn about the founder of Girl Scouts and had dinner at The Grey.

Rachel and her Fans

I organized a reading for Rachel at Back In The Day Bakery.  Owner Cheryl Day was very generous in letting a small group of Rachel’s avid fans sit and listen to her read.  Three women drove up from Florida and one drove in from Brunswick, Georgia. We listened to erotica and ate tiny cupcakes.  It was a throwback to my live in New York.

P.S. If you want to get a copy and review the upcoming Best Women’s Erotica 2016 edited by Rachel, then sign up using the easy form.

Categories
food home cooking savannah

Recipe: Mac and Cheese With Kale and Roasted Red Peppers

kale with mac-n-cheese

High/low cooking is what I call using local farmer’s market vegetables with store bought stuff. I decided to make macaroni and cheese with kale. I was inspired by a dish I had years ago when Red Rooster opened in Harlem. The mac-and-greens dish is still on the menu, so it must be a favorite.

I bought some shells and cheese to go with the cheddar cheese, kale, onion and red pepper I bought last week at the Forsyth Farmer’s Market. First, I roasted a quarter of an onion and one whole red pepper in the oven with olive oil and seasoning.

In the meantime, I sauteed the kale with chicken stock and garlic. After 10 minutes, I took the kale off the heat and drained the excess chicken stock into another boiler. I used that boiler to cook the pasta. Then I drained the pasta, and added sour cream, cheddar cheese and heavy cream. Then I added in the kale. Lastly, I put the contents of that pot into the same casserole that I roasted the red pepper and onion. I sprinkled a little more cheese and baked for 15 more minutes. It is delicious, and healthy. Marcus Samuelsson, eat your heart out.