Healing through food...

It's hard to find words to describe what happened last week when a series of tornadoes ripped through Alabama.  The destruction is profound.  The stories are heartbreaking.  The need seems never-ending.  What's more, one of the hardest hit areas—the city of Pleasant Grove—is a mere 14 miles from my front door.

How to help?  I'm not great with a chainsaw.  I'm not a doctor.  But I can cook.  And Wednesday, I had the opportunity to connect with some amazing folks through food, which, God willing, provided another brick in the wall of healing being built around Pleasant Grove.

My friends at Grace's Kitchen organized a breakfast to be served at Bethel Baptist Church, whose Family Center has been turned into a logistics center and makeshift commissary for the National Guard, volunteers, and tornado victims.

Call time was an early 3:30am at Hunter Street Baptist Church where volunteers prepped fruit salad, baked sausage-and-cheese muffins, and cooked cheese grits for about 400.

Everything was loaded into warmers and coolers for the trip to Pleasant Grove.













Pleasant Grove is in lock-down mode, so anyone trying to get in must pass through a check point manned by the National Guard and Alabama Highway Patrol.

We pulled into the Bethel Baptist Church parking lot just as the sun was coming up.  Piled outside the Chapel was much-needed water.

Thanks to generous donations from folks all over the South, a mini-WalMart has been set up inside the Family Center.  Those in need have access to everything from shampoo and razors to baby formula and blankets.

The breakfast line opened at 6am and the stream of folks was steady for almost four hours.

What do you do when someone donates 20lb of apples?  You sort through a refrigerated tractor trailer until you find a stack of 1-pound butter blocks; cobble together a few cups of brown sugar and raisins from the church's pantry; and accept a large bag of freshly shelled pecans from a local resident.  With the essentials in hand, core and chop the apples, toast the pecans, plump up the raisins in warm apple juice, melt the butter and brown sugar in a big ol' skillet.  Toss it all together with a few handfuls of crushed cinnamon granola bars, load everything into 2 giant aluminum roasting pans, cover with foil, then pop 'em in the oven at 350˚ until the apples look and taste yummy (about 30 to 35 minutes).  In under an hour that box of apples turned into a warm treat on a chilly morning (with enough left over for lunch).

Sadly, the need for volunteers in cities like Pleasant Grove, Tuscaloosa, Cullman, and Hackleburg will be there for weeks, if not months.  However, this provides each of us with an opportunity to give of our time, talents, and treasures.  Please keep all of these folks in your prayers.

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook

Isaiah 40: 28-31 

© Copyright Jones Is Hungry LLC   All Rights Reserved

 

Bonding over a Buckle...

Sometimes you meet a person and there's an immediate connection.  That's what happened a few weeks back when I partnered with David Lamb, co-host of Daytime Alabama, on a Daytime Kitchen segment.

Now for you Seinfeld fans out there, this is not a variation on the "Man Crush" episode.  David's simply a cool dude, who appreciates food and makes it easy for me to cook on camera.  Actually, once David made the connection between the hand mixer and a power tool, we were all good as he began to channel his inner Tim Allen.

Below is the episode for those Magic City folks who didn't get a chance to catch it this morning on Alabama 13 + my friends and family outside the Birmingham market.

The Blueberry Buckle is super-easy to make and with blueberry season just around the corner, keep this recipe in your back pocket.



Follow me on Twitter and Facebook

Isaiah 40: 28-31 

© Copyright Jones Is Hungry LLC   All Rights Reserved

Cooking With Kids: Jones & The Ravenous Pixie

Last week I had the opportunity to film a series of cooking videos with my youngest daughter Augusta (aka The Ravenous Pixie) at her elementary school. (Due to a nasty bout of flu and strep throat, big sister, Tallulah, had to sit this one out.)  Augusta and I had a blast fooling around with food and preparing yummy recipes—from snacks to supper—for the students.  Below are the recipes.


Listen up DVES parents and students: I need ideas for the next round of videos—please leave your suggestions in the comment box below.


Toasty Fruit & Cheese Sandwiches

Prep: 10 min., Cook: 5 min.

Makes 4 servings
This may be a recipe for "kids," but it plays well at most casual adult gatherings too.  Also, the versatile cream cheese mix is wonderful spread over warm pancakes, waffles, or bagels.  One bite and I bet you'll come up with lots of uses too.

1 medium apple, cored and thinly sliced (Fuji or Braeburn)

2 Tbsp. orange juice

8 slices raisin bread

1/2 (8-ounce) package of cream cheese, softened

2 Tbsp. raisins

1 Tbsp. orange marmalade

1/2 tsp. round cinnamon

Place apples in a small bowl.  Drizzle orange juice over apple slices; toss to coat.

Toast raisin bread in a toaster.

Stir together cream cheese and next 3 ingredients in small bowl.  Spread cream cheese mixture evenly on 1 side of 4 slices of toast.  Top each with 3 apple slices and remaining slices of toast.

Copyright 2007 in Southern Living Cooking with Kids by Oxmoor House; reprinted with permission.
 
 

Cowboy Oven-Fried Chicken

Prep: 20 min., Cook: 20 min.

Makes 8 servings

Serve these with warm pasta sauce or cool salsa for dipping—both options are WAY better (and better for you) than regular ol' ketchup.

21/2 cups crushed Doritos (Original or Cool Ranch)

2 lb. chicken tenders

1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise

Vegetable cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450˚.  Place chips in a plastic zip-top bag; seal just enough to allow keep from being airtight.  Gently press out all extra air out of bag; seal bag completely.  Finely crush chips in bag using a rolling pin.  Pour crushed into a shallow dish.

Meanwhile, place a large baking sheet in oven for 5 minutes to preheat.

Pat chicken dry with a paper towel, and brush with mayonnaise on all sides.  Dredge chicken in crushed chips; lightly spray with cooking spray.  (Throw away bag and any leftover chips).  Thoroughly wash hands and work surface.

Remove hot baking sheet from oven using oven mitts.  Carefully place chicken on hot rack.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.  Remove from baking sheet from oven using oven mitts.  Serve with salsa or low-fat ranch dressing.

Copyright 2007 in Southern Living Cooking with Kids by Oxmoor House; reprinted with permission. 


Peanutty Dip

Prep: 5 min.

Makes 11/3 cups

This recipe comes together so quickly you can make it right after school.  It’s also great drizzled over granola, grapes, or Honey Nut Cheerios (or a combo of all three!).

1 cup Low-fat vanilla yogurt

1 to 2 Tbsp. cup powdered sugar

1/4 creamy peanut butter

Dippers: pretzels, apples, pears, graham cracker sticks

Whisk together all ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth.  Serve with dippers.  Store leftover dip in refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Copyright 2007 in Southern Living Cooking with Kids by Oxmoor House; reprinted with permission. 


Better-For-You-Pizza

Prep: 10 min., Bake: 10 min.

Makes 5 servings
This is a twist on a recipe I've made with the DVES students for years.  The idea with this recipe is to have fun—switch it up as you and your kids see fit.  NOTE: For best results, don't add too much sauce—too much and the crust will be soggy.  Start with a couple of tablespoons, then add more, if needed.  Also, I prefer to put the pizzas directly onto the middle oven rack—you may want to add heavy-duty aluminum foil to the rack below to catch any dripping cheese or sauce.

10 medium/soft taco-size whole wheat tortillas

1 (8-ounce) package shredded Italian blend cheese

1 Tbsp. olive oil

11/2 cups no-sugar-added pizza or pasta sauce

11/2 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

30 turkey pepperoni slices

Top 5 flour tortillas evenly with 1 cup cheese; top with remaining tortillas, and brush top tortillas evenly with olive oil.

Divide pasta sauce, Italian seasoning, turkey pepperoni, and remaining 1 cup cheese over tortillas.

Bake at 400° for 10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.

 Follow me on Twitter and Facebook

Isaiah 40: 28-31 

© Copyright Jones Is Hungry LLC   All Rights Reserved

Snow Ice Cream: A Sweet Treat From The Sky

"It's like a sweet treat from the sky, Daddy!"  The words of my 11-year-old, Tallulah, this morning as she and her sister, Augusta (aka "The Ravenous Pixie"), gobbled down a big bowl of Vanilla Snow Ice Cream...before school.

We got a few inches of the white stuff overnight - enough for school to be delayed by a couple of hours.  This meant two things: playing in the snow before school and snow ice cream for breakfast!

I'd never had snow ice cream prior to meeting my wife.  She grew up on snow in Illinois, while I grew up on fresh-squeezed OJ in sunny Florida. 

That all changed when we moved to Rhinebeck, NY back in the late '90s.  Deanna (my wife) whipped up a batch during our first big winter storm, and I've been hooked ever since.

We've been in Alabama for almost 12 years now, where we'll get a couple of good, solid snows every winter.   Our girls stand at the ready—armed with milk, sugar, and vanilla extract—just waiting for the okay to hit the yard to gather fresh, powdery snow.  (According to my wife, it has to be the right kind of snow—can't be too heavy and wet; light and fluffy's what you're looking for.)

So here's how it all went down this morning:

The ingredients: Sugar, vanilla extract, milk, and fresh, fluffy snow.

 



Step 1: Add milk - start with about 1/2 cup - we shoot for the consistency of mashed potatoes.

Step 2: Add sugar - start with about 1/2 cup, then adjust again at the end.

Step 3: Add vanilla extract - we prefer about 1 teaspoon.

Step 4: Adjust consistency, if needed, with a little more milk.

Step 5: Taste test. Adjust sugar and vanilla extract as needed.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Snow Ice Cream: The snow was beginning to melt, but we took at big scoop of the Vanilla, then stirred in about a tablespoon of Ovaltine — it was rich and delicious!

 Follow me on Twitter and Facebook

Isaiah 40: 28-31 

© Copyright Jones Is Hungry LLC   All Rights Reserved

Chilean blueberries deliver a fresh taste of summer

I've spent the last few days staring at my iced-over "edible" backyard which now includes a variety of sad-looking herbs, a couple of listing olive trees, and three blueberry bushes whose branches look like protruding ice spikes.

It's kind of shocking to think that in five months those same plants will be lush and ready to yield all sorts of goodies.  Unfortunately, at this point, summer seems like a lifetime away (even in central Alabama).

That all changed yesterday when a little taste of summer arrived at my front door courtesy of the Chilean Blueberry Committee.  The berries were so fragrant, I could smell them before I even opened the box.  I washed up a few of the plump beauties and performed a little quality control.  They were amazing.  To keep myself from eating every last one of them, I put on my snow boots, walked outside, and snapped this picture (above)—even with an overcast sky and snow flurries.

Back inside, I was immediately reminded of two things:
1. My trip to Chile last January.
2. My Blueberry Buckle. (For those unfamiliar with a Buckle, it's a simple, down-home dessert with a cake-batter bottom; fresh fruit is usually placed on top—as the batter bakes, it rises up enveloping the fruit.)

Landing in Los Lagos
As far back as I can remember, we recommended fresh Chilean fruit—particularly peaches, nectarines, and berries—every winter in the food pages of Southern Living.  I've always been impressed with Chilean fruit, whether for photo shoots or recipe testing.  So when I had the opportunity to visit several fruit-growing areas of Chile last January, I grabbed my Lonely Planet guide and headed for the airport.

After two days in Santiago, I flew to Osorno, the gateway to the gorgeous Los Lagos region (Region of the Lakes) and the heart of the country's berry production. (As a frame of reference, if you section Chile into thirds, the Los Lagos region falls into the lower portion of the middle third.)

Volcán Villarica

The blueberry fields are framed by lush foothills and the awe-inspiring Volcán Villarica (which, for the record, is alive and well!).

Legacy, Duke, Brigitta, and Brightwell are popular blueberry varieties cultivated in Chile.

Duke blueberries at various stages of ripeness.

Fresh blueberries ready for the pack house.  From here, the individually packaged berries take an atmosphere-controlled ride to the port of Valparaíso, where they're shipped—in atmosphere-controlled containers—to the U.S., Europe, and Asia.


In The Kitchen

The sweet, slightly tart flavor of blueberries makes them quite versatile in the kitchen—from muffins and pancakes to salads and sauces.  Perhaps my favorite use is in baked desserts such as cobblers, crisps, grunts, and buckles.  The recipe below is super-easy to make and perfect for a cold winter day.  My kids love it served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

I hope you enjoy the recipe.  Please let me know what you think.



Tip: To freeze fresh blueberries, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet making sure they don't touch; freeze until solid, then immediately transfer to a plastic zip-top freezer bag or container; store in freezer up to 6 months.

Blueberry Buckle
Makes 6 servings
Prep: 15 min., Bake: 45 min.

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar, divided
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1/4 cup butter, cut into 8 pieces

Preheat oven to 375˚.  Beat 1/2 cup butter at medium speed with an electric hand or stand mixer until creamy; gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, beating until light and fluffy.  Add egg, and beat until blended.

Combine 1 1/4 cups flour, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat at low speed just until blended after each addition.  Stir in vanilla and lemon zest.

Pour batter into a greased 8-inch square baking dish.  Top with blueberries.

Combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar, remaining 1/4 cup flour, pecans, and cinnamon.  Cut in 1/4 cup butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles small peas; sprinkle crumb topping over blueberries.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.  Let cool 10 minutes.


Follow me on Twitter and Facebook

© Copyright Jones Is Hungry   All Rights Reserved

Baby Back Rib & Slaw Sliders

I'm always looking for new ways to serve barbecue and in the past few months my Baby Back Rib & Slaw Sliders have become a hit among friends and family.  On New Year's Day I posted a little something on Facebook about the Sliders; however, I goofed by not including the recipe.  (Honestly, I was just too hungry.)  So just in time for the BCS National Championship (or Super Bowl, if you're a pro fan), I'm making amends by including the whole rig.  It's all here—from ribs to rub to sauce to slaw.

Baby Back Rib & Slaw Sliders

New Year's Day Collards

We love tradition in the South, and when it comes to New Year's Day, there are a few things Southerners just can't do without: greens, pork, rice, and black-eyed peas.

The lore surrounding the importance of these good luck, prosperity-producing ingredients varies, but here's the basic thought:

- Greens bring prosperity in the form of dollar bills
- Pork represents the future because hogs can't turn their heads to look back
- Rice signifies abundance
- Black-eyed Peas bring prosperity in the form of coins

I always start the new year with a big pot of greens served over Hoppin' John (which is a hearty rice and black-eyed pea combo), hitting all four of the special components.


This recipe's an update to the collards my Mema made every New Year's Day (they were a true childhood favorite). She used a smoked hock, sugar, and hot sauce to flavor her greens.  I get my subtle, sweet-tart flavor from caramelized carrots and balsamic vinegar, and a little heat from red pepper flakes.  I've also made it a tad healthier by using fat-free chicken broth, which gives my recipe a cleaner tasting potlikker, which is just as important as the greens.  (A bowl of creamy grits topped with a ladleful of potlikker and some of the collards is my idea of comfort food.)

Scott's Collards
Serves 8

4 strips center-cut bacon
1 large carrot, diced
1 large Vidalia onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
4 (1-lb.) packages fresh collard greens, washed, thick stems removed, and chopped
1 1/2 cups low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Cook bacon in Dutch oven until crisp.  Remove bacon, reserving 2 Tbsp. drippings in pot.  Drain bacon on paper towel; crumble and reserve.

Cook carrot in hot drippings over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.  Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until carrot and onion begin to caramelize.  Add garlic and vinegar; cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds.  Add collards, reserved bacon, and remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 1 1/2 hours or until collards are tender.

I hope y'all enjoy the greens.  Let me know what you think.  Happy new year!  Scott

______________________________________________________________


Follow me: Twitter | Facebook | You Tube | Pinterest | LinkedIn

simul justus et peccator

© Copyright 2010-2012   Jones Is Hungry LLC   All Rights Reserved