My new cookbook, Southern Plate by Christy Jordan, arrived a couple weeks ago & I was so excited to start looking through it to pick out new recipes to try. Between MNF commercials (the Ten/Jac game), Phil & I were on the couch flipping through the book…actually I think this was more
me than him, but I was sure to show him every yummy picture. I quickly noticed that this really is a different cookbook. Normally recipes are organized by the type of dish it is (e.g. starters, main dishes, desserts, etc.), however, Jordan’s book is organized by seasons…so the apple fritters are between the fried chicken & the sweet tea. Originally, I thought this was very unique & convenient, but the more I rambled about it the more we thought it truly dubbed Jordan as a real southerner. She organized the recipes by what foods are being harvested at different time points throughout the year. All of her recipes require simple ingredients because, being a TRUE southerner, when you come in from a full day’s work you need something “fast & cheap because you’re tired & poor.” Don’t you just love that philosophy?! Because of this, we call her the real southerner. Check out how many pages I have marked as “to do’s”. I better get started!
Fried Chicken Planks- This was the first recipe that I made by CJ; it was delicious & soooo cheap! I added some paprika & cayenne pepper, because we like our chicken extra spicy.
Texas Caviar- I made this for Smallgroup last week. As I was making this, I started to realize how much there was going to be & began thinking, “I hope this is good, otherwise I will be eating this for-ev-er!” I tried it before I let it sit in the fridge overnight, & I was
very nervous that no one would like it. Of course, there was a reason it was supposed to sit in the fridge & thank goodness I didn’t skip that step! I think that this was a pretty big hit, considering that I came home with none! That was exactly the way I was hoping it would go! So tips for this one, I added more green onions than she recommended, got black-eyed peas with jalapenos, & used fresh parsley from our “garden” (a.k.a. the kitchen window sill hehe)
Pumpkin Crumb Cake- I liked this cake as well, but I think it was better with my coffee in the morning than it was as a dessert.
Crunchy Beef Casserole- Depending on who you ask, you will get a different review: Phil “
Gourmet Hamburger Helper” or me- “
Glorified Hamburger Helper.” I think I was expecting something different than what I actually got. I probably won’t make this again.
Grown-Up Grilled Cheese- I must to have thought I was something hot when I made this. For some reason I thought I could take some serious heat; wow, no, I'm a WUSS! In a
previous post I said that I was going to try & improve the grilled cheese recipe by EK by merging some recipes by MS. I topped white cheddar with cilantro & fresh jalapenos (with ALL of the seeds). WOW! That was good, but HOT!
Creole Chicken Wraps (a.k.a. step aside Chipotle/Mission Burrito/Freebirds, Darby has come to town!)- We LOVED these! I couldn’t stop eating them! Sooooo delicious. This recipe has received the highest rating in the 5 years that I have been cooking for Phil!
Pesto Pasta- I needed something easy & fast to throw on the table. So I got some pesto, added some mozzarella, tomatoes & grilled chicken. Yum-O!
Fruit Dip- I took this to smallgroup for snack a couple weeks ago. Our friend Morgan made it for her son’s first birthday party & it was so delicious I had to try it myself. Thanks Morgan for the recommendation!
