Tag Archives: Recipe

Killer Good Collard Greens

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I didn’t grow up eating collard greens. They’re more of a southern thing and I was born and raised in the north.

When we first moved to the south, I regularly saw greens offered as a side dish at restaurants. And, frankly, I didn’t think they looked or smelled very appealing.

But, that was then, and I get it now! I love greens!

Greens are any sort of cabbage in which the green leaves do not form a compact head. They are mostly kale, collards, turnip, spinach, and mustard greens.

And, they’re good for you. They are an excellent source of beta carotene, vitamin C and calcium. The  antioxidants and phytochemicals in collards may help to reduce the risk of some forms of cancer and heart disease. And, the soluble fiber in greens is really good for a healthy digestive system (if you know what I mean).

There are a handful of variations on the theme, but traditionally, all collards are cooked the same way in a liquid at a low simmer with smoked or salted pig meat added for flavor until any bitterness is cooked out of the greens and they are soft.  The liquid, known as “pot likker” is a very important component of the finished dish. It is said that the pot likker “will cure whatever ails you, and if nothing is ailing you, it will give you a good cleaning out.” The best way to devour pot likker is with some fresh baked cornbread.

Collards are served with black-eyed peas and hog jowl on New Year’s Day to bring good luck and wealth in the coming year.

I’ve also read that hanging a fresh leaf over your door wards off evil spirits and a fresh leaf placed on your forehead with cure a headache.

And, finally, collard greens are the official vegetable of South Carolina!

Here’s how I make a “mess o’ greens.”

First, I cut several bunches from the garden. You can purchase them in either bunches or bags at your grocery store if you don’t grow your own.

Next, pull all the leaves from the stem and discard any yellowed or brown ones.

Next, cut out the big tough vein in the center of the larger leaves. True southerners fold each leaf in half and tear the vein off, so they say.

And, then chop them into 2 or 3 inch pieces.

And, put them in a bowl filled with cold water to remove loose dirt.

And, then let them drain while you assemble your ingredients.

I had cooked some bacon earlier in the day, so had it already prepared for this dish. And, don’t worry, I give you the ingredient list and quantities at the end of this post.

In a large pot, cook bacon until crisp and remove from pan.( I had done that step at breakfast, so no picture!) Next, cook your diced onion and garlic in a couple of tablespoons of the bacon drippings until tender and lightly browned. About 5 minutes.

Then, add your greens. You might have to do it in several batches if your pot can’t hold them all. As they wilt, you can continue to add the rest.

On this particular day, I did not have enough bacon to properly season a whole pot of greens, so I added a ham hock, too. Add your crumbled bacon and all all the other ingredients to your pot, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until greens are tender. Serve with your favorite meat dish and some cornbread to sop up the pot likker!

One pot of greens is a little much for Brian and I to eat ourselves, so I freeze some for summer eating!

Killer Good Greens

1 12 oz. (or larger!) pkg. bacon (or a couple of ham hocks, or diced ham)
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
3 cups chicken broth (you can use vegetable broth or water instead)
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tbs. brown sugar
A splash of apple cider vinegar
1 pound fresh collard greens (or mustard greens, or turnip greens, or spinach or cabbage, even!)

1.In a large pot, cook bacon until crisp. Remove from the pan.

2. Add onion, cook until tender. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add collard greens and fry until they start to wilt.

3. Pour in chicken broth and your remaining ingredients. Stir to mix well. Turn heat to low. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until greens are tender.

Note: for a healthier version, you can substitute turkey bacon or a turkey leg, if you desire. And, you can brown your onion and garlic in olive oil.

 

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Cindy’s Best Ever Bloody Mary Mix

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Today I’m going to share with you my favorite Bloody Mary Mix recipe. This makes a pitcherful.

First, assemble all the ingredients:

Next, mix it all up.

I have an 8 cup Pyrex container that works great for mixing.

Then I transfer the mix into my “Cindy’s Best Ever Bloody Mary Mix” container, which is a re-purposed V-8 container).

Then, put it in the refrigerator and chill overnight.

The next morning, add 2 cups vodka before serving!

Or, do like I do, and instead of adding all the vodka at once, just add a shot or two to each individual glass, fill with mix and garnish with whatever toppings you like best!

RECIPE:

4 cups tomato juice
1 cup pickle juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbs. horseradish
2 tsp. worcestershire
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. sriracha sauce
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. celery seeds
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Mix and chill overnight.
Add 2 cups vodka before serving.

 

 

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Tommy Fries

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There’s a restaurant chain in my neck of the woods called T Bonz Gill and Grill. One location is on Market Street, right in the heart of downtown Charleston. I’ve never eaten there, although, we did stop there once for a beer.

So, when one of the guys that I used to work with brought a food concoction for his lunch several months ago and said it was a copy-cat recipe from TBonz, I didn’t have a clue. Potatoes and ranch dressing and cheese and bacon, he said. He called it “Tommy Fries,” and frankly, I thought it sounded pretty damn good.

So, later that day I proceeded to search the internet to find a recipe. I checked TBonz’s website and although, it didn’t offer a recipe, it did list something sounding ridiculously similar on its Appetizer menu: Tommy Texas Cheese Fries, made from potato wedges, ranch, jack and cheddar cheeses and applewood smoked bacon.

Further internet searching did yield a copy-cat recipe, from someone named “Bogey’sMom,” so I used it for my own variation, I call “Tommy Fries.”

This dish is a definite hit with guests who always ask me to share the recipe. And, so today, I share it with you!

Use 5 or 6 medium to large potatoes. Use any kind you like!

Add a little salt and boil until just tender. You don’t want the potatoes to fall apart when you drain them. In the meantime, start frying some bacon.

After you remove the bacon from the skillet, add the potatoes to brown. This skillet is a tad too small for all these taters!

Browning nicely!

Pour some ranch dressing into the bottom of an oven safe dish and tilt the pan to get the whole bottom of it covered in ranch creaminess. Put the potatoes on top.

Add crumbled bacon.

Add cheeses.

Broil in oven until the cheese melts.

Scrape the bottom of the dish to scoop out all the goodies.

Tommy Fries

Ingredients

½ bottle ranch dressing
½ pound bacon
¼  pound shredded cheddar cheese
¼ pound shredded pepper jack cheese
(sometimes, I use shredded mozzarella. That’s the thing with cheese – it’s all good)
5 or 6 potatoes
Salt and pepper

Directions

  1. Peel potatoes and cut into large cubes or wedges and boil until just soft. (You can opt to boil the potatoes with their skins on and peel after they cool, if you want, or leave the skins on!)
  2. Drain and season with salt and pepper.
  3. In the meantime, fry bacon until crisp. Crumble bacon and set aside.
  4. Brown cubed cooked potatoes in the bacon grease until nicely browned.
  5. Pour ranch dressing into the bottom of an oven safe platter.
  6. Add potatoes on top of the dressing.
  7. Add crumbled bacon and cheeses.
  8. Broil for a few minutes in the oven until cheese melts and everything is gooey.
  9. Enjoy
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