Shopping Around the World

Hello Friends!! ❤  It’s that time for Shopping Around the World for March.  For March, we are highlighting ‘go to’ meals that you always prepare when you have nothing else to do.

This one is right up mom’s alley for sure.  Her ‘go to’ meal will always be some sort of chicken dish for sure.

In fact, she made her favorite ‘go to’ meal this weekend for all of us – and we all enjoyed it.

So without further ado, take it away mom!

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You will need the following:  four chicken thighs ($4.38); a pack of english peas ($0.88); salad mix ($1.00); salad dressing of your choice ($0.25); flour/spices/oil ($0.50) = Total cost $7.01 – Could possibly be a bit more 🙂

We all know how to fix your salad mix and peas so I will start with my ‘go to’ spice mix for my chicken.  And although I’ve been using my air fryer a lot these days, I decided to go old school and do this chicken the old southern traditionally way.  First thing – an iron skillet.  Every good southern cook here in the south will have different sizes of iron skillets in the cabinets.  Yes it makes a difference.  Put that skillet on the stove to medium heat and pour some oil in it to heat.  While it is heating, prepare your spice mix.  In a mixing bowl, put two cups of flour.  To that add:  salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste (make it as hot or leave it out altogether).  Mix it together.  In another mixing bowl, add a touch of milk, two eggs, and again season well with salt, pepper and a touch of cayenne pepper.  Mix it together.

Now clean your chicken.  Then they are going to get all seasoned.  Make sure your oil is hot.  How do  you do that?  Take just a pinch of flour and sprinkle it in your hot oil.  Does it bubble?  Yes, it’s ready.  No, give it some more time.

Take a chicken thigh and put it in the flour mixture, then to the ‘bath’ egg mixture, then (this is what a lot people forget) back to the flour mixture.  Yes your fingers will be messy.  Get over it.  After the flour mixture, then the chicken goes into the hot oil.  You should be able to put all four thighs in your pan.  Then wash up those fingers.  I usually do mine chicken around 10 minutes on one side and then flip to the other side for another 10 minutes.

Then serve with peas and a salad – there you go.  Southern fried chicken at its best!

 

Shopping Around the World

Shopping Around the World

Shopping Around the World is hosted by us and our friend Fozziemom.  This month since it is the Thanksgiving holidays here in the States, we are focusing on Thanksgiving foods.  We have elected to post a side dish that everyone loves here in the south – black-eyed peas.  Yummo!  I admit that even this little oinker loves these peas.  They are tasty… but of course I like mine without the bacon – you know for obvious reasons – snorts and rolls with piggy laughter.  I leave the recipe and other delights of this recipe to mom – take it away mom! ❤

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Black-eyed peas.  Some people hear the name and stick out their tongue making a grimace while others smile and can’t wait to jump in feet first and eat their way out of the bowl.  Which category do you fall into my friends?  You’re not sure yet?  Let me tell you my recipe and then you can make your choice.  You will need the following:

⇔ Two cans of black-eyed peas (you can use fresh peas- I take help where I can) $0.98 each = $1.96

⇔  Four slices of bacon $3.99 pack/12 slices = $1.32

⇔ Cilantro $1.49 a pack; onion $0.49; olive oil $6.99 bottle; red pepper flakes $1.49 bottle = $1.50

Total Cost per Dish $4.78

The first thing we do is get out the old southern iron skillet.  Put a tad of oil in the bottom, cut up the bacon strips and fry them in the skillet.  While the bacon is cooking, dice up your onion and chop up your cilantro.  Once the bacon has cooked, scoop out the fried bacon and put on a paper towel to drain.  Leave the bacon grease in the skillet and add your onions to give them some color.  While the onions are cooking, open your cans of black-eyed peas, drain them and wash them.  Now some people use the juice out of the can, we don’t.  If you like it, by all means use it.  Once the onions have some color, pour in your two cans of black-eyed peas.  Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to your taste.  Your black-eyed peas will have a semi fried taste – awesome.  Trust me.  Once everything is heated through, pour into a serving dish and top with cilantro and your fried bacon.  You will never want black-eyed peas the old way again 🙂

 

Shopping Around the World

 This month we are highlighting items that you are known for.   This is easy.  Mom is *known* for her cornbread.  Here in the south, cornbread is an important side to any meal.  And some of you friends have asked how mom does her cornbread.  So without further ado, here it goes 🙂 – take it away mom!

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The ingredients to my cornbread are very simple.  In the south, you will find several different versions of cornbread – some with sugar, some with corn, some with jalapenos – the list goes on.  You can make it anything you want in a cornbread.  We often serve cornbread with chili, soups or good old Sunday dinner.  This is a recipe that I tweaked from my family that is so simple.  Here is what you will need:

Two large eggs ($0.26); three strips of bacon ($1.00); a cup of milk ($0.40); a cup of cornmeal ($0.40); and melted butter ($0.20) = total $2.26

AND if you have one (being in the south we have several in different sizes), you need a small iron skillet.

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Turn on your over to 350 degrees to preheat.  Take the 3 strips of bacon and cut them in small pieces (sometimes we use more – depends on who you are making it for).  Put your iron skillet on the stove on medium and fry the bacon.  Once the bacon is done, remove the bacon to the side and put in your butter.  Let all of this melt together – the butter and the bacon grease.  Trust me, you will love the taste of this when the cornbread is finished.

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Now, take your milk and eggs and mix them together.  Slowly merge together the flour with salt/pepper and add the cooked crumbled up bacon.  The batter is going to be in a thick consistency – that is what you are looking for.  Now, take your batter and pour it into your HOT skillet.  You should hear a sizzle.  That is the sound you want to hear.  Once the batter is in your HOT skillet, place your skillet in the oven and set the timer for 30 minutes.

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At 30 minutes, take your skillet out and your cornbread should pop right out of your skillet into a plate.  Serve slathered in butter or crumble up in your soups/chili.  The inside will be moist and hot.  And while you are eating, you will enjoy the buttery bacon taste.  Please try one and let me know what you think.

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Here in the south, we even take a cold glass of buttermilk and crumble our cornbread in it for a meal.

 

Blogger Action Day – Year of the Bean

Today my friends at WhattheDucks is celebrating Blogger Action Day in Celebration of Year of the Bean!  This is what their blog said on 1/27/2016:

“To join in, all you have to do is post something about beans, legumes or pulses on your own blog that day .  Share a recipe, upload a photo, write an ode to a chickpea!  Beans are good & blogging is good fun.  Hope to hear from as many bloggers as possible.  Even if some folks don’t know beans about beans, maybe you do!  Happy Year of the Bean, peeps!”

With that being said and being from the South – you just know that my mom is going to celebrate The Black-Eyed Pea.  Black-eyed peas are a staple here in the south.  On the first day of the new year, you have to serve them and collard greens for dinner.  It’s a tradition.  It’s thought by doing so, it brings prosperity to the new year.  And between you and me, mom makes sure they are on the table… you know just in case.

Now dad is not a huge fan of the black-eyed pea.  Therefore mom has to ‘doctor’ them up and give them such a flavor that dad eats an entire dish and then says that was wonderful without knowing what he ate… snorts – sounds like my mom huh?  Well, I’m going to head out because mom says that I don’t need to know how these are cooked.  She has a glint in her eye and I’m thinking it involves pig.  So here you go my friends – mom’s recipe.

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Now, I wasn’t able to make these before today – I know – I know.  There’s been so much going on here at the Hotel Thompson that it’s been unreal.  But I wanted to share with you my recipe for these wonderful understated beans.  Now this picture to the right is off of the internet under a google search of images.  Doesn’t it look amazing?!   They really are – if you’ve never tried them, you *must* at least once.  Now, I’ve asked Bacon to leave the blog because it does involve P.O.R.K. products which we don’t use here unless Bacon is out for the day.  Here’s the recipe to my Spicy Black-Eyed Peas:

UPDATE:  Lori brought it to my attention a very important step that my fast fingers left out – LOL.  The day before you make this recipe, you want to soak your package of black-eyed peas.  Shaking my head – how could I leave this step out?  What I do is the night before, before I go to bed I take a pot and fill it with water and add some salt.  I pour the package of black-eyed beans in the water – enough to cover – and then put the lid on the pan.  I leave this pan on the counter over night while we sleep.  The next day, I will drain them dry for cooking them at brunch/lunch.  The beans absorb the water softening them for cooking this recipe.t

Take 4 slices of any type of bacon that you like.  We prefer the thick cut or pancetta – which ever you have on hand.  I find it easier to go ahead and cut the bacon into small pieces and fry up in your iron skillet – we all have one here in the south 🙂  Once the bacon is done, scoop it out of your skillet and put on a napkin to drain the excess fat.  Put this aside for later.

Take one 16 ounce package of dried black-eyed peas that you have washed and add them to iron skillet that still has your bacon drippings.  Add fresh or a 12 ounce can of diced chilies and stir the two together. Add fresh or a 12 ounce can of diced tomatoes.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Add 3 cups of water and combine everything together.  Cover the skillet and cook for approximately 1 hour.   Now some people also add a diced onion to the party – we don’t here because Jim doesn’t care for them.  It’s a personal preference what you put in your beans.  While they are cooking, I will usually make some cracklin’ cornbread.

When the beans are done, scoop them out into a bowl and top them with some of your crumbled bacon.  Enjoy.

 

Shopping Around the World

My friend Fozzie and I have scheduled a group posting today of Shopping Around the World.   We thought it would be interesting to see the differences between different countries all over.Here are our prices for the following from our area – Georgia USA.

 Items to price this month:

• Milk.  Mom usually buys 1/2 gallon store brand which lately has been on sale for $1.00
• Tomatoes.  Mom loves Roma tomatoes.  They are small but meaty.  She bought some for the dinner at $1.29 a pound – that was about 4 tomatoes.
• Canned Product.  Black beans.  How could you possibly go wrong with black beans – especially when you can buy store brand for a $1.00 a can.  Mom bought two cans for the meal.
• Homemade Dish.  Jalapeno Cornbread with Black Beans 🙂 yum – see below
• Random Item of your choice.  Jalapeno.  Mom bought one very large one and it only cost $0.69 the day she was at the market.

 Okay my friends.  Mommy went easy – really easy on this month’s Shopping Around the World – go mom!  She was able to combine all of her prices and items into the Homemade Dish – which is one of our favorites here at the Hotel Thompson.

Jalapeno Cornbread made with with a diced up Jalapeno (according to taste how much you throw in), cup of milk, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of melted butter, 1 cup of cornmeal and shredded cheddar cheese.  We have a small iron skillet that will serve four slices of cornbread.  Mix ingredients, except for shredded cheddar cheese, and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  When done turn over skillet onto a plate and top with shredded cheddar cheese.

Black Beans with tomatoes, diced Jalapeno’s and diced red onions. So easy here – snorts.  Open store bought black beans and heat over the stove on medium heat.  Add a little chicken broth (or whatever broth you have on hand), diced Jalapenos (to taste for heat) and diced tomatoes.  When bubbles, turn down to low and stir.

When bread is ready, spoon black beans into bowl and top with more diced tomatoes.  Mom even added some cilantro into the mix this date.  A meal made for a king and queen.  Filling and hot for a cold rainy night that we seem to be having a LOT of lately.  Happy eats my friends.

Oh… and this entire meal when you break it down ends up to be around less than $6.00 for two people.

I hope you had fun my friends with this month’s edition of Shopping Around the World.  Hope to see you shopping soon!