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Georgia Grown

Flavor of Georgia

Best of the Boro 2018 - 2021

Fabulist 2018 - 2021

Planning a fantastic menu for your event doesn’t have to be stressful. No matter what you’ve got coming up – from weddings, to dinner parties, and everything in between – we’ve got you covered with classic southern recipes and pure, simple ingredients.

Catering

I am certainly not known as a health food guru. Most of my recipes start or end with butter. I don’t wear butter as a badge of culinary honor but surely it can’t be bad for you in moderation. I have always believed the mantra “Fat is Flavor”. My husband and I can share a ribeye steak with ease. He eats the leaner inner section and I eat the outer portions that are laced with threads of juicy flavorful fat. I firmly believe in seasoning southern vegetables with rendered bacon grease, strips of salt cured ham, or smoked ham hocks, but I am not opposed to ditching the fat for healthier options like smoked turkey wings, vegetable stock, onions, olive oil, and garlic.

As we mature, we are faced with the age-old question; how do I live a long healthy life? There are many acceptable answers to this question but certainly a key part of the answer is fueling our bodies with simple, wholesome foods. I am always on a quest to find healthier versions of old favorites. I create meals for my family based on memorable foodie experiences, recipes compiled from cookbooks and magazines, outstanding menu items, and experimenting with new ingredients.

I am not well-versed in the vegan preparation of food but I did welcome the challenge when a former bride requested vegan dishes for her wedding. The bride’s mother was a native of Jenkins County and the wedding reception was hosted at their family farm near Birdsville. The bride had many out-of-town guests and wanted to accommodate their vegan lifestyle. We prepared a fun” breakfast for supper” style menu that included vegan pancakes. We prepared the pancakes tableside using vintage waffle irons. Jams, jellies, syrups, compound butters, and other assorted toppings allowed each guest to top their pancakes with the condiments of their choice. I can think of many other healthy options I enjoy for breakfast: egg white and spinach omelets, veggie frittatas, and oatmeal with seasonal fruit.

One of my favorite lunch spots in Statesboro is Sugar Magnolia Bakery and Café. A hidden gem located within the downtown district, Sugar Mag, as my friends and I refer to our preferred brunch/lunch spot, offers a seasonal menu featuring fresh salads, artisanal pizzas, pastas, and freshly baked specialties. I love meeting with my girl gang and catching up over charcuterie and their signature Magnolia Lemonade cocktail. My go-to lunch order is the delicious quinoa bowl loaded with fresh veggies, feta, and chimichurri sauce. I add grilled shrimp and I can’t think of a better light lunch. After my first quinoa bowl from Sugar Mag I had to create my own version. My family and I love Mexican food. I had a blast fashioning a recipe for a healthy quinoa bowl loaded with Southwestern flavor!

Dessert is not often synonymous with health food. My husband’s favorite food is peanut butter. Johnny has a discerning palate that only tolerates Peter Pan Creamy Peanut Butter. He swears he has passed a blind fold peanut butter identification test. He wakes in the middle of the night, usually around 3:00 a.m. for his “midnight snack”. He and our English Cocker Spaniel, Reb can be heard rummaging around the kitchen in search of Nutter Butter cookies. I set out to find a recipe for a better version of their favorite treat.

Cooking Light is a great source for lighter fare. I often take inspiration from the pages of colorful dishes. The magazine takes a sensible approach to offering healthy recipes that focus on fresh ingredients and is not fixated on completely eliminating carbs, fats, or sugars. The recipes are often simple and filled with easy-to-find ingredients. This is key for me since I usually shop for dinner ingredients at my small-town grocery and products can be limited. Pinterest and the internet are also great resources for fun new recipes. Another culinary challenge is to order fresh ingredients from your local farmers market and create new dishes with what you have “on-hand”.

Peanut Butter Cookies

I’m a firm believer every Southern lady should have a good biscuit recipe in her repertoire. The “perfect” biscuit recipe has eluded me for over 15 years. After trying countless recipes: cutting lard, sifting flour, and kneading dough with some of the best biscuit bakers in my circle I have come to realize that most folks who cook an excellent biscuit don’t have a 3 x 5 recipe card with precisely measured ingredients. A good biscuit is all about the feel of the dough and the loving hands that magically create a flaky morsel of buttery goodness out of ingredients that most people have in their pantry.

Biscuits can be a staple of every meal and deserve a place at any well-appointed table. Breakfast begs for a buttery biscuit slathered with homemade jam or local honey. A farm lunch calls for a hearty biscuit to fuel a family for an afternoon of hard work. I remember my daddy and granddaddy sopping “Cat Head” biscuits in cane syrup at farm lunches at the Brown’s Kitchen House. The biscuits were so large they required their own bowl filled with amber syrup made from a neighbor’s sugar cane. One of my earliest tasks in my Mother’s kitchen was making mayonnaise biscuits. These light and airy gems consist of 3 simple ingredients: flour, mayonnaise, and milk. I was in awe of how these every day kitchen staples could turn into a savory morsel baked up in miniature muffin tins.

My friend Rusty Lane towers over the auction block. He cajoles bids from the most conservative of patrons, but in my opinion his most impressive skill is his ability to whip up a batch of perfectly crafted biscuits. Rusty rolls the biscuits in his had and makes a small indention in the center where melted butter pools in the hollow created by his giant hands. His famous biscuits are a dinner staple at what he lovingly calls The Shack. He even includes the biscuits in his family’s Christmas dinner tradition. The biscuits are served with a chocolate sauce that rivals any jelly or syrup.

My earliest forays in the kitchen began when I moved away to college. I had a tiny kitchen, cheap pots that scorched everything, and a willing circle of friends who bravely agreed to dinner invites. Most meals included what we lovingly referred to as “fat bread” widely known as sour cream muffins or butter-me-nots. The recipe consisted of three simple ingredients: flour, butter, and sour cream. Baked in mini muffin tins, these little buttery morsels will melt in your mouth!

I lean towards the older ways in most of my habits. I think every fine meal should include a basket filled with warm freshly baked bread, but with today’s low carb diets and crazy fads a quick salad is what’s for dinner most nights. Take the time to slow down and bake a batch of biscuits. I promise the end result will be a complete satisfaction only garnered by a job well done. I call this recipe sweet heart biscuits because they are in fact a labor of love and the sure-fire way to anyone’s heart!

Sweetheart Biscuits

I am a terrible speller and my proficiency at grammar is more than lacking. Spell check and my mother helped me through many a book report, college paper, business plan, menu, and now this blog, but the one who would enjoy proofing my blog the most left us almost ten years ago. She would have relished marking these paragraphs with bold red ink in her cursive script, not out of malice but out of love for the English language and me. My grandmother, Betty Strickland Cramer, AKA Bett Bett, will always be one of my favorite people. She was petite in stature; her feet matched her tiny frame. They were the definition of dainty, a size 6 quad. Shoes and jewelry were her weakness. She had the former and the latter to match every outfit. Bett Bett was prissy and sassy and made no apologies. She could hold a grudge indefinitely but if she loved you, she would fight for you until the end. Bett Bett taught English, at Jenkins County High School, for almost thirty years so at one time or another she taught someone related to every person in Jenkins County. She did not tolerate the word ain’t or unruliness. She was beyond proud of the fact she had paddled several of the JCHS boys’ basketball team.

If I had a penny for every time she said I taught his/her father, mother, aunt, uncle, cousin I could retire at the age of 37! Bett Bett had a quick wit that wavered on the verge of sarcastic but she was never mean. Her delivery was cool with a hint of indifference. My mother was often the subject of these little “zings” as we called them. These episodes offered us endless entertainment at Mom’s expense. Bett Bett and Mother were closer than close. Not some silly movie screen mommy-daughter mush but the real-life kind. My mother practically doted on her, and we all knew their love ran deep. Bett Bett was my number one biggest fan. She did not think I was perfect or too precious to receive a reprimand. We were too much alike to never butt heads. A pop on the thigh in the Bi Lo parking lot after our bi-annual dentist appointment is still etched in my memory to prove this fact, but let someone else mess with me. I would call my mother squalling over one of life’s injustices. She ever played the devil’s advocate and always advised me to “be the bigger person”. I would immediately hang up and speed dial Bett Bett. She would commiserate. She would threaten to call their mother, call the teacher, or write a seething Letter to the Editor to The Millen News to right the wrong. It would be all “their” fault and none of mine.

My family lived 17 miles from town so most afternoons we ended up at Bett Bett’s house, a convenient in-town squatting spot until our next engagement: t-ball, softball, cheerleading, Bible school, church, dance, or just to hang out. Her house was like a second home. We were always welcome, but there were understood limitations to her hospitality. One did not interrupt The Young and the Restless. EVER. If you wanted something to eat other than Lance Peanut Butter Crackers, Raisin Bran, or Crystal Light lemonade you should bring it with you. Plundering was also a “no no”. Ditto, eating on the carpet. We loved going to Bett Bett’s. She never bothered us and let us watch cable cartoon channels on her 10-inch bedroom TV. That was the life!

Bett Bett was a diehard Braves fan. The kind of rabid fan, who if out of pocket during the actual game, recorded the game on VHS to be watched later. She talked to the TV as if the entire team and coaches were a part of her 9th grade English class at Jenkins County High School. She admonished a missed catch, walk, or bad call and she likewise commended a 3-2-1 double play, a sliding catch in center field, and pick-off by a quick handed pitcher. Our bond was solidified by our love for the Bravos. We tomahawk chopped our way through the 90’s with the passion only an overweight, awkward preteen and a retired widow in her late sixties could muster. We didn’t miss a game, and if we did the next day, we discussed in detail the finesse of a great catch made by David Justice, a stand-up homer by Chipper Jones, or the spectacle of a Bobby Cox tirade that ultimately got him thrown out of the game. We had our favorites. Greg Maddox was always a topic of conversation. He was our favorite pitcher with his cool demeanor, Clark Kent glasses, and a touch of endearing goofiness. Fred McGriff, the “Crime Dog” was as solid as they come. A commanding presence on first, he always kept us on the edge of our seats waiting for his next homer and it was hard not to love Lemke with his boyish good looks and kind eyes. The Braves 1995 World Series win was the culmination of our years of fandom. It was our time and our moment. After the ultimate win I lost interest and ventured into my teenage years, but every time I flip through the channels and see our boys at bat, I can’t help but smile. I asked my mother, “How do you sum up Bett Bett in just a few paragraphs?” Well, you just don’t. I don’t have to try because at the most random moments I think of her. The other day I heard Simon and Garfunkel and I was transported to the back seat of her Cutlass station wagon with the wood grain side paneling belting out Bridge over Troubled Water. Each time I have to wait at Herndon for the train to cross the tracks I hear her say “Trains a camin’” to which I would respond “How you knew?” We would always laugh when she completed our banter with “I heard it blew!” I caught myself chewing gum in church a few Sundays ago and saw her pursed lips because I “looked like an old billy goat chewing his cud”. As I walk by the hearth in my living room, I catch a glimpse of the little white milking stool I perched on at the foot of her recliner as we shelled peas or pealed peaches. Her cast iron skillet sits seasoned in my cabinet and ready to fry up the prettiest mess of pale white shrimp you can imagine. He fried shrimp were a treat. The recipe below is a close as I could get!

Bett Bett's Fried Shrimp

Pulling into the familiar drive off of Dixie Crescent as I have many times before feels a little different this time. Is it because we haven’t seen each other in months due the novel corona virus or the fact that our country has been pushed to the breaking point amid racial tensions? I don’t know the answer but I do know I want to sit at the picnic table in the back yard with my friend, Sherry Kay Williams and enjoy a cold beer. I hopped out of my car with a 6-pack of Miller Genuine Draft (Sherry’s favorite) and was greeted with open arms.

Sherry has a laugh that is throaty and contagious. Her clothes are ironed to a sharp precision with a pointy crease running down the front of her jean shorts. Her hair is always sassy in a curled pony tail and her lips are tinted a light shade of fuchsia. She is my lead line cook at Honey Café and my friend. I admire her mad skills in the kitchen and I respect her.

Sherry Kay's Fried Chicken

When the first hints of emerald, lime, and sage start to peak through the fields and forests of South Georgia my mind begins wandering to my favorite spring activities. I hear the crack of the bat hitting a homerun ball, feel the sun browning my bare toes as I kayak down the Ogeechee, and I smell the sweetness of a batch of strawberry preserves simmering on the stove at my family’s kitchen house. As the gloomy days of winter pass, I know the earth will soon flourish with new life.

Each spring I anticipate the drive down Hwy 17 to Jacob’s Strawberry Farm. The long beds of strawberries glistening in the sun are waiting to be picked by little fingers and grandmothers’ hands alike. My crimson stained hands dripping with the sweet juices of my labor inspire me to create new recipes and remember old favorites.

My love affair with strawberries began when my grandmother and I planted a strawberry pot. The urn shaped terracotta pot was placed at her back door where we routinely checked the plants for the first sign of a white bloom and as the blooms faded, we anxiously awaited signs of our newest berry. It seemed to take months for those green berries studded with tiny seeds to grow pink, then red and ripe for the picking. We enjoyed those berries warm off of the bush or sliced in our favorite cereal. She is gone now and I don’t know what happened to our strawberry pot. I know planting that sweet little pot each spring would evoke fond memories of our days together.

The recipe below is a combination of favorite dishes. The pecan crusted chicken is a throw back to my early career as a chef at Statesboro Brews. We served this popular dish with house made whole grain honey mustard with hints of dill weed. The pimento cheese and strawberries are reminiscent of The Plains Cheese Ring made popular by First Lady Rosalynn Carter. My grandmother served this at Christmas as an appetizer. The addition of the balsamic vinegar adds a nice acidic flavor to the strawberries and helps thicken the sauce as it cooks. Each element of this recipe could stand alone or be added to another dish to create a new recipe!

Pecan Crusted Chicken With Pimento Cheese. and Strawberry Balsamic Glaze

Every now and then a trip is just what the doctor ordered to cure a tired body and soul. After a hectic wedding season, I ventured some 500 miles west. Catching reds and specks was the name of the game. Redfish, red drum, spot tail, spots, speckled trout, sea trout, paper mouths, and channel bass are all names for sporty little fish that pull like heck at the end of a line. They are pretty good eating too.

My husband, Johnny, my sister, Mary Beth, and I were the last remaining participants of a fishing trip originally planned for eight. We drove the 10-hour trek past New Orleans to Apple Jack fishing camp in Port Sulphur, Louisiana. We navigated through a rough looking trailer park and topped a steep levee to reveal rows of houses on stilts lining a road flanked on either side by water. The waterside community reminded me of my place on the Ogeechee River back in Georgia and I knew I would come to love this fish camp far from home.

Returning home refreshed and recharged I wanted to capture Louisiana in a single recipe. Combining our haul from the fishing trip and a traditional topping for oysters married the flavors to represent the tastes of our trip.

“There’s no such thing as bad food in south Louisiana. It’s on a level with heroin.”- James Lee Burke

Red Fish Bienville

By most standards this is a recipe for pear preserves. A sweet lady named Mrs. Gloria Ellison shared a jar of her “pear honey” each year when she made them at her home on Oglesby Pond. I could make a meal of warm biscuits, butter, and pear honey. I don’t have Mrs. Gloria’s recipe but I came up with a recipe that is similar. I added vanilla bean to the recipe. The subtle flavor and specks of vanilla bean make this recipe something special.

I used pears from the trees my Grandaddy planted at the farm. I think most people are intimidated by the pears that grow plentifully in our area. The pears are hard and green and never seem to ripen until they are rotting on the ground. The secret is to catch the pears when they start to change color slightly from green to yellow with hints of burnt orange. The flesh of the pears is white upon pealing but turns the most beautiful amber honey color when cooked.

Vanilla Pear Honey 

My new favorite biscuit recipe!! So ready for FALL!!! In researching for this recipe I found most recipes called for buttermilk. I do love the tang of buttermilk in a traditional biscuit but I knew I wanted these sweet potato biscuits to be sugary and cake-like. This is a feel good recipe and I hope it makes you happy!

Sweet Potato Biscuits

This was not my first time making cinnamon rolls, and it certainly won’t be my last. I love this new recipe. It was simple and fast! I typically don’t gravitate towards recipes that involve yeast, and kneading, and rising….I just don’t have the patience required for baking. My attention span is much too short for all that measuring and waiting. This recipe does require a little tlc but its totally worth the extra effort. My family gave this recipe its definite stamp of approval!

Easy Cinnamon Rolls 

Chicken Verde Cups

Pimento Cheese Cornbread

Creme Brulee Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Its HOT as Hell in Georgia right now. I just needed a little fall in my life. I wasn’t ready for pumpkin spice just yet so I opted for a cinnamon spiced apple recipe. The tart of the granny smith apples is delicious with the buttery and sugary blondie filling. Try an apple blondie square topped with vanilla ice cream and I promise you will feel a crispness in the air that wasn’t there before.

Apple Blondies

The main motivation for this recipe was a savory ham bone leftover from last Sunday’s dinner. I hate to waste a good ham bone! They are full of flavor and make a rich stock. Also, the autumnal nip in the air Thursday afternoon and Friday morning made me wish for a hearty pot of fall comfort food!

I have to credit my mother with this recipe. She made this when we were growing up. It makes a big pot so she would always send some to a sick friend or family member. I modified the recipe and added shrimp and white wine. I included a pic of my mother’s original recipe card.

Jambalaya

This recipe makes 3 gallons of the best homemade margaritas you have ever tasted! Make sure you have a big bucket or cooler to mix it up in. I make this recipe for parties, or I give away quart jars to friends!

Big Batch Margaritas

Skillet Pound Cake with Farmers Market Fruit

Skillet Pound Cake

You can always find leftover grits in the kitchen at Honey Cafe. I always cook too many because who can actually cook a small pot of grits? It’s not possible. They grow! I use my leftover grits in cornbread dressing, skillet cornbread, and now a new variation on a summer favorite, squash casserole! So next time you cook too many grits don’t toss them in the trash. A new recipe awaits!

Summer Squash and Cheese Grit Soufflé

Nothing pairs better with the pure dog days of summer than a refreshing lemon pie. I have always been intimidated by lemon meringue pies. So many things can go wrong! The pie crust might be a tad too brown, the filling too runny, the meringue might weep or turn grainy. Do not be afraid! The recipe below is foolproof, and the towering meringue can make any cook look like a pro.

This recipe makes two pies, as I believe one pie is never enough!! Make one for your next event and keep one for home! The recipe does call for two whole lemons which does go against every grain of culinary student still trapped inside my 35 year old body. I was taught never to allow the bitter white pith of lemon rind to mar the delicate flavor of lemon zest. However, I love the vibrant flavor of this pie and I attribute that lively flavor to using two whole lemons!

Lemon Meringue Pie

I always research recipes before I create my own take on a dish. Most boiled peanut recipes call for 2 lbs of peanuts. Around my house, 2 lbs. of peanuts would just cause a fight. We require a 5 lb. minimum. My Daddy and Uncle Mark would pick a truck bed full of fresh peanuts on the vine and the kids and farm help would pick the nuts free of the vine. They would fire up a big army pot on a gas burner and cook those field peanuts to perfection under the office shelter at the farm. Just like frying fish straight out of the river peanuts are better boiled fresh off the vine. I like to take old classics and add a fun new spin. These peanuts are best the next day. They soak up all those delicious spices!

Beer Boiled Peanuts

Earlier this week went for a late afternoon walk on the farm at dusk dark. The walk did my heart, mind, and soul good. After a stressful wedding season I just needed to slow down and allow the land to speak to me and remind me who I am. A girl from Grapevine Rd. My favorite place and the very best place to be! I breathed in the air after a much needed rain, watched a mama doe with her little ones, scavenged the field rows for shards of glass and pottery of an old home place, checked our favorite sunflower field, and marveled at how peaceful life can be in the still moments.

I ended my walk down “the lane”, near the blueberry bushes. The berries were just beginning to ripen. Clusters of bitter green, tart fuchsia, and sweet blue enticed me for a quick snack. The recipe below is a variation of a well loved biscuit recipe. You could easily add fruit or even cinnamon and raisins to the recipe below. They are the most delicious fresh out of the oven.

Blueberry Biscuts

Traditionally I think of cobbler as a dessert but with the addition of a little oatmeal and Bisquick I think this recipe could easily be used as a breakfast treat! I pair this cobbler with my favorite bourbon vanilla ice cream.

Strawberry Cobbler

My Grandmother and her sister Betty cooked these perfectly crisp waffles for breakfast or a simple dinner. They always had the ingredients on hand to whip up a quick batch. I think the real secret of this recipe was their old fashioned waffle irons. I don’t know the name or the brand but I know they were heavy. Not the light-weight non stick versions of today. The substantial cast iron plates on Grandma’s vintage waffle iron made the waffles crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. I loved watching butter pool in the hollows of those crisp golden rectangles!

I ordered a precious, antique ($72.00) “Fiesta” brand waffle iron just for this blog. My cute find definitely had vintage odor as it smelled a little musty, but the cheery light yellow color made up for the stale scent. I was disappointed to find the fiesta was light weight and made of much more new parts than I had anticipated. Nonetheless, I fired this little beauty up and let it get good and hot. I cooked my waffles a little longer than usual to achieve the perfect bite. My advice to you is to rummage through your grandma’s cabinets, goodwill, or your favorite junk store. You just might come across a treasure. If its good and heavy your waffles will be golden!

Betty Lane's Crispy Waffles

Fruit salsa is the perfect summer dish. I love the vibrant colors and bold flavors. I worked in a little café fresh out of culinary school. One of their specialties was mango salsa. Our 80 year old delivery driver Mr. Jerry kept a close eye on the salsa production. He made sure we were chopping the ingredients properly and that the consistency was just right. He wielded a chefs knife like a pro and sang Danke Schoen to all the line cooks.

I love this dish as an appetizer or as a garnish for fish or chicken. Don’t be afraid to add your own touches. Any fruit is delicious added to this recipe. I have tried adding pineapple, kiwi, and strawberries with wonderful results. Disclaimer: The cinnamon sugar chips are completely addictive.

Mango Salsa with Cinnamon Sugar Chips

When I think of the Masters I automatically think of pimento cheese and egg salad sandwiches on soft white bread wrapped in signature green plastic wrap. I do not know a thing about golf, but I do love to eat!! Thankfully this sought after event has corresponding cookbooks. I grew up perusing my mother’s cookbook collection which included the first two of the Tea Time at the Master’s cook books. I loved the dog eared copies with my mother’s handwritten notes. She used a number scale to rate the recipes she liked and some even included in parentheses “Eddy Likes”, for recipes that my Daddy particularly loved. I received the last in the series, Par 3, as a graduation gift. I loved the fun brunch recipes and new versions of old favorites. I wanted to create a fun blog recipe as a nod to the Masters. I knew I had to do a take on a classic and you can’t get more classic than egg salad. I added shrimp to a basic egg salad recipe and spiced it up a bit with sriracha. I also love the addition of dill. I hope this recipe garners a 10 rating in your arsenal of favorite recipes.

Masters Inspired Shrimp and Egg Salad

Every now and then I find myself in the mood for ooey, gooey chocolate fudge goodness. I crave chocolate so rich its almost hard to stomach without a tall glass of ice cold milk. I am not ashamed to admit my favorite Little Debbie snack is a Cosmic Brownie, and this pie reminds of my favorite guilty pleasure.

Fudge Brownie Pie

Each year I anticipate the first crop of strawberries. I know the arrival of spring is near when those precious red berries appear at the local farmers market. My mother makes a delicious, traditional strawberry pie. I wanted to create a new take on an old favorite. The recipe below isn't fancy but its pretty in a rustic way.

Rustic Strawberries and Cream Tart

This cheesecake includes a heaping helping of fresh Georgia-grown blueberries. A sweet blueberry compote is swirled with Honey’s classic cheesecake and topped with a buttery crumble!

Blueberry Crumble Cheesecake

This classic cheesecake is made with lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh local blueberries, heavy cream, and buttery crumble.

Lemon Blueberry Crumble Cheesecake

Strawberry and fig jam are swirled throughout Honey’s classic cheesecake and topped with a signature buttery crumble.

Southern Strawberry Cheesecake

This cheesecake is filled with brown sugar, pecans, and hints of vanilla bourbon!

Bourbon Pecan Praline Cheesecake

What’s sweeter than a Georgia peach? A Peach Crumble Cheesecake from Honey’s! This cheesecake has Georgia peaches baked right in, and it’s topped with a buttery crumble.

Georgia Peach Crumble Cheesecake

Calling all crust lovers! This classic cheesecake is sandwiched between two buttery graham cracker crusts on both the top and bottom!

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