Eating Southern Food in Georgia

So, I just got back from a week in Georgia... southeastern rural Georgia that is: Statesboro, with a couple stops in Savannah and Tybee Island.  Although I flew into the "A", I actually only spent a couple hours there -- just long enough to see the Georgia Aquarium which is AWESOME!!!  But I ain't gon' lie, that place made me kind of hungry!  All those giant fat groupers, red snappers, and shrimp swimming around, I kept thinking, "that's good eatin' right there."  They kept telling me that people in Georgia are serious about their food.  That's probably true.  I definitely ate some great food there, and it did seem to be everywhere....  a breakfast buffet at the gas station, a meat smoker at the grocery store, lunch and dinner buffets with all our Southern favorites... nice!

The first night we had a cookout with yummy chicken that had been covered in cajun spices.  Mmmmm!  One of the side dishes was grilled whole onions which were delicious.  Maybe they were Vidalia onions!  I mean, we were pretty close to Vidalia, Georgia!  The grill masters prepared the onions by peeling them, splitting the onion into 4 pieces, putting butter in the middle, then wrapping the whole onion in foil before grilling them until they were soft and fragrant.  They were good!

In Savannah, we had lunch at Paula Deen's restaurant, The Lady and Sons.  This restaurant is 3 stories tall!  It's very popular, and reasonably priced too.  The lunch buffet is $13, and includes fried chicken, greens, candy sweet potatoes, green beans, lima beans, cream corn, mac and cheese, biscuits, etc.  Everything was really good, especially the fried chicken, greens and sweet potatoes.  Next door to the restaurant is Paula Deen's store where you can buy aprons, t-shirts, pots and pans, utensils, condiments, and other food related items.  She also sells lip gloss in flavors like pecan pie, peach cobbler, banana pudding, and pumpkin pie.  I should have bought lip gloss for everyone because you just can't find those anywhere else!

At the grocery store in Brooklet, Georgia, you could buy freshly smoked meats like rib tips, smoked pork chops, pulled pork, and whole smoked chickens.  That's a little more choices than the standard rotisserie chickens that you see in all the grocery stores here.  The rib tips were yummy!  The Statesboro Walmart also sold collard greens just the way I like them: cut into 1/2 to 1-inch pieces, washed and ready to cook.  I don't have any secrets to cooking them, just make sure you throw a smoked ham hock into the pan with the greens, and boil them as long as you can, like at least for a couple hours.  They should turn out ok if you do that.

On our last night in Georgia, we ate dinner at Ryan's Buffet in Statesboro.  This buffet is HUGE, and it includes EVERYTHING!!  Fried catfish, fried chicken, okra, soups, greens, cabbage, black eye peas, red beans and rice, mac and cheese, and about 100 other items.  The chicken was just as good as Paula Deen's, and the steamed cabbage was soooo good!  One of my catfish was fried a little too crispy, but the other one was really good, just crispy enough.  Ryan's also has a dessert buffet that includes pumpkin pie, pecan pie, german chocolate cake, banana pudding, about 4 kinds of cobblers, and ice cream.  I had to try a tiny bit of dessert, so I chose the pecan pie which was just right, sweet and delicious.  This dinner buffet was also reasonably priced for around $11, that's a pretty good deal!

So, Georgia was pretty cool.  I'll probably go back.

Baked Chicken

Chicken is so yummy but sometimes it's hard to make yourself cook it because it's slimy to handle when it's raw.  Yuck!  So get some tongs and use those to handle them.

This baked chicken is good because it's juicy and flavorful when it's fresh, and you can also eat the leftovers straight out of the refrigerator, like fried chicken.  I like thighs but you can use any parts that you love the best.

EASY BAKED CHICKEN:

Chicken parts - 2 or 3 lbs.

Holy Trinity of Seasonings (salt, pepper, granulated garlic, chile powder)

Boiling Water - 1/2 cup at a time

Heat up the oven to like 400 degrees and boil some water.

If the chicken has tons of fat and skin on it, trim some of that off with a knife.  Don't take all the skin off because that's what gets crispy when you cook it.  Then get a roasting pan with a rack in it.  This can be a 13x9 inch pan with metal cooling racks placed inside it.  You just want the chicken to be up off the bottom of the pan.

Season the chicken by coating it with the seasonings on both sides.  Place the chicken on the rack skin side up and put the pan in the oven.  Before you close the oven door, pour about 1/2 cup of boiling water into the bottom of the pan.  Now close the oven!

Baste the chicken about every 15-20 minutes.  You can probably turn the oven down to 350 if you want.  It should be done in about an hour, more if you're cooking giant pieces, maybe less if you're cooking wings.  You will have to add more boiling water to the pan from time to time, make sure the pan doesn't go dry cause then the chicken will too!  You'll know it's done because the pieces will get a lot smaller when they're done and they won't be as squishy.  That's it!!!

My favorite restaurants in Phoenix

This list is not going to be very long, probably because I'm always cooking and not eating at restaurants!  Maybe this post will have to be a work in progress as I try new restaurants now and then.

CHINESE RESTAURANTS:

1. Wong's Place on Baseline and McClintock in Tempe, across the street from Target.
2. Peter Wong's on Camelback just west of 15th Avenue in Phoenix.
3. The dim sum place I went to with Christie, it was in Chandler.

Both of these restaurants make really good Crystal shrimp with walnuts.  And try the Szechuan eggplant, hot and spicy with a little pork added.  For a good vegetarian choice, try Wong's Place Hunan Tofu, very yummy!  Wong's Place also has the most amazing Sea Bass with brown sauce.

DIM SUM:

1. Phoenix Palace at Dobson and Warner in Chandler.  The carts go by your table with huge piles of food on them.... Mmmmmmmmm!!
2. C-Fu Gourmet at Dobson and Warner in Chandler (across the street from Phoenix Palace!)
3. Golden Buddha at the Chinese Cultural Center in Phoenix at 44th St. and the 101.  It's acceptable!

Ok, maybe you won't find dim sum equivalent to what you can eat in Chinatown in San Francisco... but you can still have fun eating tasty dim sum!

MIDDLE EASTERN RESTAURANTS:

1. Haji Baba on Apache in Tempe.
2. Princess on Broadway in Tempe a block east of the 101.

INDIAN FOOD RESTAURANTS:

1. Delhi Palace at the corner of Rural and University in Tempe
2. Delhi Palace on McDowell at 51st St. in Phoenix, just west of the Papago mountain pass.

Both of these restaurants have buffet at lunch, with the most popular dishes; spinach with cheese, chicken tikka masala, tandoori chicken, rice.... sooo fragrant!  Or you can go for a very elegant dinner, everything on the menu is delish!

KOSHER STYLE DELI FOOD RESTAURANT:

1. Chompie's on University in Tempe, between Rural and McClintock

There's really only one.

MEXICAN FOOD RESTAURANTS:

1. Adrian's #2 on Main St. just east of Alma School Rd. in Mesa.  Do not blink or you will miss it!
2. Filiberto's..... they really do have great carne asada burritos.
3. America's Tacos on 7th St. just north of McDowell in Phoenix.  Great tacos!  I haven't tried the newer location at Rural and University in Tempe, hopefully they're just as good.

GREEK RESTAURANTS:

1. My Big Fat Greek Restaurant on Mill in downtown Tempe.
2. Posidon Greek Restaurant and Deli on Main St. in Mesa, between Alma School and Extension

Try the Greek fries at either place.  Posidon also has a little market where you can get your feta, olives, grape leaves, and all your other Greek food ingredients.   :-)

cloudy with a chance of meatballs

Well, it turns out meatballs aren't the most photogenic food... but they're tasty!  And not really that hard to make.  In the debate between meatballs and meat sauce, the meat sauce is definitely faster to make than meatballs.  But there's something special about meatballs.  These are tasty, for a nice surprise, think about putting a mini fresh mozzarella ball in the middle of each one (I learned that from watching food network!) I think they're called bocaccini or something.

TASTY MEATBALLS:

1 lb. ground meat (beef)
1 lb. Italian sausage, cut them out of the casing
1/2 onion, chopped very fine
1/2 green pepper, chopped very fine
6 cloves of garlic, chopped very fine or squished through a garlic press
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
salt, pepper, granulated garlic, oregano, basil - a generous sprinkle of each

Put all of the above in a big bowl.  You'll probably have to use your hands to mix the ingredients together.  When it's well mixed, start forming balls as big as you want.  2 inches is a good size, and this recipe will make 20 of them.  Put the meatballs in a baking pan, like a 13x9 pan or maybe a little bigger.  You can add a little olive oil in the bottom.  Bake them at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes until they turn the color of meatballs, brown!  Then add them to your spaghetti sauce.  mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!

Making Croutons at Home

So these are super easy to make.  I usually don't buy croutons, but I've heard they're pretty expensive, much more expensive than 6 slices of bread, which is all you really need to make these.  So if you like croutons on your salad or floating on your soup, or just to snack on... try these out:

CROUTONS:

6 slices of bread, with the crusts cut off and cut into cubes
3 tablespoon of melted butter or olive oil, or a combination of the 2
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of chopped herb, like thyme or parsley
1/2 teaspoon of granulated garlic

Heat the oven to 300 degrees.  Put the bread cubes in a large bowl.  Mix the rest of the ingredients together, and drizzle them over the bread cubes, stirring them to get them evenly coated.  Put the bread cubes on a sheet pan in a single layer.  Try not to let them touch each other too much.  Put them in the 300 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Then stir them up and put them back in the oven for 15 more minutes.  That's all!!!

Vegetarian Side Dishes

I've been trying to write this post for a couple weeks now.. what's wrong with me????  I mean I'm busy like crazy but folks even busier than me are blogging!!

So, without further ado, let me just say that side dishes are the best!  Remember Livingston's at Thomas and Scottsdale Road?  They shut down a few years ago, but they used to have the best side dishes.  You could even skip the entree and just get a whole plate of side dishes if you wanted.... candy yams, okra, greens, mac and cheese.... mmmmmmm!!!!  I love the variety of having several side dishes, and besides, they're really good for you!  Eat your vegetables!!!!!

I'll start out with 3 good ones.  Sauteed spinach, grilled veggies, and puree of turnips.  "Turnips???" you might ask... they're the round white things with purple on one side, and they are DELICIOUS!!!

SAUTEED SPINACH (super easy):

Spinach - 2 bags

Garlic - 4 or 5 cloves, chopped

Olive oil - a couple tablespoons

Salt and Pepper

In a large frying pan (or wok), heat the oil and add the chopped garlic.  Then start adding the spinach.  It will shrink like crazy, so just keep adding spinach while stirring it once in a while with "tongs" (the grabbers with a spring).  Add salt and pepper, and cook it until the whole thing is cooked.  It only takes about 5 minutes, and you'll see: a whole bag of spinach makes like a handful of sauteed spinach!  Yummy!

GRILLED VEGGIES:

Lemon juice - 1/2 lemon (or whole lemon if it's not very juicy)

Salt, Pepper, Herb (like oregano or basil or thyme)

Olive oil - 3 or 4 tablespoon

Sliced veggies: zucchini, yellow squash, onion, bell peppers, green onions (whole), asparagus (whole)

In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, salt, pepper, and herb.  Add the olive oil in a thin stream while mixing the lemon juice with a wire whip (also called a whisk).  Add the veggies which have been sliced about 1/4 inch thick.  Stir them around to coat them with the lemon juice mixture (also called mojo - that's a "j" that sounds like an "h").  You'll probably have to use your hands to do that!   :-)

Get your grill pan on medium heat, or you can cook them on the outdoor grill.  Put the veggies on the grill or grill pan and turn them over once in a while, cooking both sides until they get soft.

MASHED TURNIPS (super easy!):

3 turnips, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Water to boil them in

Butter - about 1 tablespoon

Salt - just a little bit

Put the turnip cubes in a pan and cover them with water; boil them until they are soft.  Drain the water out, and add a little butter and salt.  Puree the turnips using a stick (immersion, hand-held) blender.

Enjoy your veggies!!!!

To meat, or not to meat...

Vegetarians are all around us!  Lots of us know at least one person who has chosen a lifestyle that does not include eating meat.  So, what exactly is vegetarianism, and what does a vegetarian eat?  Well, at its most basic, a vegetarian diet consists of fruits, vegetables, cereal grains, nuts, and seeds.  The main sources of vegetarian protein are beans, lentils, tofu, nuts, seeds, tempeh, chick peas, and peas, although many other types of grains and vegetables also have small amounts of protein in them.  A vegetarian who follows a vegan lifestyle will limit her food choices to these plant-based foods.  Many, if not most vegetarians also enjoy eggs and dairy products along with the plant-based choices, which increases the vegetarian's variety of food choices, particularly their sources of protein, as milk and eggs are both good protein foods.

If your lifestyle includes what most people consider a healthy diet, you are probably already eating many vegetarian foods, since most salads, vegetable side dishes, fruits, and even desserts, do not contain meat.  It would be difficult to combine vegetarianism with a low-carb or even Paleo lifestyle, since the primary sources of vegetarian protein - beans, lentils, chick peas, and other legumes - are high in carbohydrates.  Still, there is nothing wrong with enjoying a vegetarian meal once in a while.  It can be liberating and even delicious!!!  Snack on fruits and trail mixes, have a smoothie and some hummus, order a vegetarian omelet... the options really are endless if you use your imagination.  And besides, we probably could all use more fruits and vegetables in our lives!

POPCORN TOFU:

Tofu is so misunderstood!  You really can make it yummy, delicious, and fun to eat.  Here is a way that you can eat crispy nuggets of yummy goodness that will also give you some valuable protein.

Tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Holy Trinity of spices: salt, pepper, granulated garlic, chili powder (mild)
Corn starch
Oil for frying

Coat the cubes of tofu with the Holy Trinity of spices.  Get the oil ready by putting about 1/8 inch of oil in the bottom of a frying pan or "skillet", and heating it to medium heat.  You can also use a deep fryer.  When the oil is ready, coat the tofu with corn starch.  Use enough corn starch so the pieces don't stick together, several tablespoons.  Put the tofu cubes in the oil carefully, one at a time so they don't stick together in clumps.  You want individual popcorn tofu's.  Fry on all sides until they are crispy, and then remove them from the oil onto a rack or paper towels to drain off the excess oil.  Serve with wing sauce for dipping!

WING SAUCE:

The original recipe is one stick of margarine and one bottle of Red Devil hot sauce.  If you only need a small amount, you can break this down to a couple tablespoons of butter/margarine and 3 - 4 tablespoons of hot sauce.  Heat it in a pan so the margarine is melted, and mix in the hot sauce.