I posted this tweet expressing my excitement last year on moving day bound for the Lowcountry.
Life is full of curveballs. One year ago on this very week, I was packing my bags for Charleston, so excited to begin my new job in a brand new city. I wrote to update you on my whereabouts; you may remember the post “All Things New in 2015; Some Kinda Good Greets the Lowcountry.” Today, I find myself packing yet again, this time for a city not-so-brand-new, and with feelings more somber than excited. Continue reading “When My Job Quit Me”→
Cinnamon Roll “Waffles” make a quick & surprisingly good breakfast.
I’ve never been one to show a lot of interest in food trends or new kitchen gadgets, but there’s one craze on food TV lately that’s got my attention. For all intents and purposes, we’re going to call it The Waffle Iron Movement. Have you seen the chatter? Evidently, the waffle iron, that little machine we plug into the wall to make fluffy buttermilk waffles, is capable of so much more. I’d like to preface this post by saying today’s “recipe” requires zero cooking ability.
Enter canned cinnamon rolls.
Who knew this was possible?
The Food Network’s Sunny Anderson taught me this trick while I was watching The Kitchen earlier this week. As they say on the show, “I tried it, and I liked it!” Essentially, the waffle iron can cook cinnamon rolls in less than half the time it takes to cook them in the oven. And yes, the waffle iron cooks them all the way through.
Pop the cinnamon rolls on a greased waffle iron, and shut it. Simple.
When cooked, the cinnamon rolls take on a crunchy exterior and remain tender on the inside. It’s amazing how this works!
While the cinnamon rolls are cooking, rest the icing packet on top of the waffle iron to loosen it up!
Add about a tablespoon of half and half to the packet and work it in with a spoon until the consistency is drizzleable.
In less than two minutes, you have crispy, cinnamon roll “waffle” goodness.
How’s that for breakfast on-the-go? Golden brown with great texture, you don’t even have to worry about the dough oozing out from the sides of the waffle iron. Clean up is easy!
Allow the icing to serve as your syrup.
They look and taste like real waffles. Ideal for college students in a dorm room, or apartment dwellers with galley kitchens, this trick is super fun. Plus, using an appliance to create something it wasn’t designed for makes me feel like a true rebel. I’m living on the edge these days.
Some Kinda Good approved!
Now, I’m not saying this idea trumps the good ol’ cinnamon roll every time. There’s not too much that can replace the soft, ooey-gooey pleasure that a properly cooked cinnamon roll elicits. But, if you’re in a hurry (and who isn’t in the mornings?), this trick is worth the minimal effort. Are you likely to try it?
Ree Drummond’s Waffle Maker Quesadilla combines cheese & salsa for a quick snack. Photo Credit: FoodNetwork.com
Bobby Flay’s Peanut Butter French Toast is a fun take on the classic PB & J. Photo Credit: FoodNetwork.com
Garlic-herb butter adds delicious flavor to breads, sandwiches and steaks.
I love quick cooking tips that pack big flavor punch! Today, we’re talking butter…that little stick of happiness that literally makes everything better. Julia Child said it herself: “With enough butter, anything is good.” For a cook, room temperature butter is like a blank canvas. If you’ve never tried flavored butters, they’re really great for enhancing bread, sandwiches, seafood, chicken and even steaks! They make even the most mundane meal special. As if butter could get any better, right? In this post, I’m sharing a three-ingredient recipe for garlic-herb butter that will take bread from basic to gourmet in minutes!
Stir together and wa-la!
If you’re anything like me, it’s often you end up with leftover or day-old baguette. I can never seem to use the entire thing! I bought a loaf of French bread for the purpose of making bruschetta the other day, and when I was finished, there sat over half a loaf. So, when spaghetti was the main course for dinner the next day, the softened butter in my dish on the counter top held all the more appeal. What better side dish to round out the meal than with crusty slices of garlic-herb bread? With half a stick of my room temperature butter in a bowl, I simply minced one large clove of garlic, chopped about 3-4 tablespoons of parsley and added a pinch of sea salt. You can use any combination of fresh herbs you have on hand. Thyme, basil, you name it!
Day-old bread is perfect for turning into croutons or baking for a side dish with dinner.
If you’d like to try the same thing, here’s how: Using a serrated knife, slice the French loaf right down the center, place the halves on a large baking sheet and prepare it for slathering.
It’s of utmost importance that the butter is room temperature for proper spreading and mixing consistency.
Smear the butter mixture all over the bread, taking extra care to get the mixture into all those little crevices. Pop the pan in the oven and bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.
Now, isn’t that just the prettiest thing?
When the bread has finished baking, the garlic looks as if it has attained the ultimate tan. The combination of the garlic and herb mixture makes your home smell like a neighborhood bakery!
Garlic-herb bread and spaghetti are meant to be.
Tucked next to a plate of spaghetti, the garlic-herb bread makes the meal Some Kinda Good!
Flavored butters can be sweet or savory. Here are a few other recipe ideas to pair with softened butter:
Local honey and a pinch of salt for serving with hot biscuits
Chopped fresh blackberries, jam or pear preserves for serving with homemade bread
Cajun spices for serving with grilled shrimp
The possibilities are endless. How do you dress up your meals with flavored butters? Share your recipes with me using #SomeKindaGood!
It’s a brand new year, and 2017 finds Some Kinda Good in its sixth year of inception. I wanted to take a moment to thank you for reading my posts and to share with you what this blog is all about. Continue reading “A Post to You, My Audience”→
Parmesan Shepherd’s Pie is the ultimate comfort food for a cold day.
At my house, whenever leftover mashed potatoes are around, you can bet Shepherd’s Pie will be on the menu soon. Cheesy, warm and full of veg, the flavors are comforting and clean up is easy. This dish epitomizes homey, good, comfort food and is especially fun to eat when it’s cold outside. Using a cast iron skillet (a real workhorse in the kitchen!) makes the job super simple. From stove top to oven, this recipe is ready to eat in 35 minutes.
One pot dishes are the best!
Shepherd’s Pie has been around for centuries, and there are a ton of variations on the recipe. For me, it’s one of those “kitchen sink” recipes, where anything goes. Traditionally, garden peas and corn are used, but recently, I had a bag of frozen vegetables (for vegetable soup) in my freezer, and they worked perfectly! When it comes to cheeses, I’ve used everything from sharp cheddar to pepper jack to Parmesan. Parmesan cheese gives it a nice bite and works wonderfully with creamy potatoes. I love hearing the timer sing and pulling this hearty skillet, perfectly browned on the top, and bubbling around the sides, out of the oven.
In a cast iron skillet, saute lean ground beef and onion until beef is brown. Add seasonings: garlic salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and dried oregano. Add frozen vegetables and cook until incorporated. In a measuring cup, combine cornstarch, Worcestershire sauce and beef broth, whipping with a fork until cornstarch is dissolved. Pour over beef mixture and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Gently spread leftover mashed potatoes evenly over the top of beef mixture. Top potatoes with grated cheese. Dot with butter. Bake at 425 for 25 minutes until hot & bubbly. Devour!
My best friend texted me this photo of the dinner she cooked from Blue Apron last week: Spiced Roast Chicken & Collard Greens.
Okay, y’all. I’m really curious to know your thoughts about something. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last couple of months, you’ve noticed the TV commercials and advertisements promoting the “dawn of e-commerce food,” essentially the creation of perishable food manufacturing businesses. Dozens of companies like Hello Fresh, Blue Apron and Plated, are springing up around the country with this notion of revolutionizing the way we shop for groceries and stock our refrigerators. We’re talking about changing the way people think about food or as one employee at Plated puts it, “Changing the world by making our food system fundamentally better.” When it comes to our foodways, is quality and convenience upstaging tradition?
I find the concept absolutely fascinating! I mean, if I had told my great grandmother Elnora, that one day, she could visit a website, click a button or make a phone call, and within a few days have meals delivered straight to her door, she would have looked at me as if I had three heads! The strides we’ve made in technology are seriously amazing.
Each company basically boasts the same message: Fresh food delivered to your door, at a better value than you can get at your local grocery store. And not just fresh food, but perfectly proportioned, farm fresh ingredients sourced locally and seasonally, including step-by-step chef-concocted recipes. Foolproof! Genius! Why haven’t we thought of this before? But when something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Or is it? Take a look at these ads:
My first thought about these services was they must be for folks who either can’t cook or aren’t able to drive themselves to get their own groceries. As I’ve considered it more closely however, I see the appeal for everyone! Not only does the service save you time and the laborious weekly trip to the supermarket, but it exposes you to new ingredients and takes the guesswork out of weeknight dinner planning (all the while supporting local farmers). I’m having a very hard time seeing the downside. We’ve discussed a few positives, so let’s consider some potential negatives:
Proportions don’t allow room for seconds. What if I’m still hungry?
Relying on delivery could become problematic. What if I live in a rural area and they aren’t able to find my location?
Cost. Is the quality really “at a better value than my local grocery store?”
Also, I can’t help but think about how these companies will affect grocery store chains and local supermarkets. But, maybe that’s the point. If more and more people begin using them, will grocery stores take a major hit? What will that mean for the economy? On the upside, the greatest motivating factor? Ingredients are sourced locally. I can definitely get behind organizations partnering with established farmers’ markets and local artisans.
I haven’t personally tried ordering from any of these companies, but even as someone who enjoys cooking, I’m very tempted! I’m super interested to know what you think. Have you ordered from one of them? What has your experience been? Were you able to follow the provided instructions without a hitch? Most importantly, did the food taste Some Kinda Good? Make me a believer!
As a final thought, Forbes released a great video of an Executive Chef comparing Blue Apron and Plated. See for yourself and let me know your take.
Before we get too far from Christmas, I wanted to share a few things with y’all that Santa Claus brought me to enjoy during this new year! My cookbook collection is growing – To add to my treasures, I received autographed copies of “The Pat Conroy Cookbook – Recipes of My Life” & “Paula Deen Cuts the Fat,” along with a little gift I picked up for myself at the Bass Pro Shop: “Back Home with The Neelys, Comfort Food from Our Southern Kitchen to Yours.” Each of these books hold great inspiration and I just love spending time flipping through their pages. I’ve already made Paula’s Pumpkin Scones for breakfast this week. With buttermilk and pecans, they were Some Kinda Good, too! A few years back, I checked out at the library “The Pat Conroy Cookbook.” As a result, The Best Crab Cakes in the World found their way to the blog. To this day, it was one of the hardest books I’ve ever had to return! Thanks to my thoughtful and good lookin’ husband, Kurt, I now have a copy of my own.
I’m a Georgia Peach through and through. No denying that!
I absolutely ADORE my Georgia-shaped cutting board. Georgia is always on my mind. No matter where life takes me, there’s no place like home. As the late, great Ray Charles sang about, “Georgia, Georgia, the whole day through. Just an old sweet song, keeps Georgia on my mind.”
A stylish sentiment.
Finally, for those days when life gets me down, a simple reminder. The coffee mug reads, “Darling, you are fabulous.” It makes me smile every time I pick it up.
Under the tree or in your stocking, did you get any cooking or kitchen-related gifts?
Feelin’ lucky? Pork chops, jalapeno corn bread, collard greens and Hoppin’ John make one fine meal to kick off the New Year.
New Year’s Day is here, and every good Southerner knows what that means: It’s time to cook up a hearty meal that echoes the good vibes a brand new year can bring: luck, prosperity and cash flow.
I love discovering quaint, off-the-beaten-path delights. That’s what I would call Angel Oak Restaurant, a small, family owned spot on John’s Island. Located right off of Savannah Highway, about 10 miles from downtown Charleston, Chef Jay Kees is serving up some of the most flavorful Southern fare in the city, combining a balance of down home dishes with those that compete with the forward thinking, highfalutin’ standards of Charleston dining. That’s one reason it isn’t hard to believe Angel Oak Restaurant holds the title for longest running business in this location. Going on more than three years in service (they opened in summer 2012), the eclectic space was once a general store, a Mexican restaurant and an ice cream shop.
The one room eatery holds 15 tables with bench style seating and an assortment of wooden chairs. Guests may also choose to sit outside, where bulb lighting and table lanterns create a soft ambiance. At the entrance, a large hostess station filled with paper menus and reams of craft paper greet guests. Staff members dressed neatly in blue jeans and plaid button down shirts work the dining room.
Filled with intentional and meaningful details, the setting creates a warm atmosphere perfect for families or date night. Popular tunes play on the speakers. Small bottles filled with fresh flowers make inviting, simple centerpieces, coupled with a mix of blue, green and clear Mason jars for drinking glasses. Utensils rest comfortably on nautical cloth napkins. Open for lunch, supper and Sunday Brunch, I’ve had the pleasure of dining here on many occasions for all but supper.
One of the most popular Sunday Brunch dishes has to be the House Made Beignets, a plate piled high with powdered sugar-dusted doughnuts, served with chocolate sauce. Reminiscent of dulce de leche, the sauce has sweet caramel notes. Other Sunday Brunch dishes include hearty selections such as Country Fried Steak and Eggs, Chicken and Biscuits, Bacon, Egg and Cheese Croissant, and the Croque Madame. If you enjoy a good champagne cocktail, the $10 bottomless mimosas make the restaurant a motivating choice.
The Bacon, Egg and Cheese Croissant is served with your choice of one side, and a garnish of watermelon. Home fries make a crispy accompaniment.
The Country Fried Steak and Eggs feature two buttermilk biscuits topped with collards and country fried steak, finished with poached eggs and gravy. Come hungry!
Consistent with the widely held belief of many a good chef, the husband and wife team at Angel Oak Restaurant prides itself on sourcing local, seasonal ingredients to best highlight the cuisine of the community. South Carolina farmers and purveyors including Geechie Boy Market and Mill, Legare Farms, Blackbird Farms, Limehouse Produce, Saffron Bakery and Burbages provide fresh ingredients from breads and grits to produce, beef, pork and eggs. The restaurant boasts its own herb garden.
The Croque Madame is my favorite dish yet! It’s a toasted ham and cheese sandwich topped with a fried egg, finished with mornet sauce and served with a bright arugula salad garnished with pickled red onion.
Lunch, including a daily Blue Plate Special, features a variety of appetizers, salads and entrees. On my last visit, I ordered the sampler plate with Bacon Braised Collards, Tomato Salad and Mac N’ Cheese. Fresh and well executed, it was every Southerner’s taste of home. Mainstays like Fried Green Tomatoes, House Made Pimento Cheese and Fried Pickle Chips offer familiar comfort. A nice selection of local beers are available, along with a standard wine list.
So, the next time you’re stuck in traffic on Savannah Highway, stop in to Angel Oak Restaurant. Unassuming and rustic, its recipe for success is clear: Quality ingredients, locally sourced + friendly service in a unique environment. What more could a diner want?
New to Some Kinda Good?
Food Enthusiast Rebekah Faulk Lingenfelser
Now based in Charleston, South Carolina, Georgia native Rebekah Faulk Lingenfelser is a freelance writer, entertainer and food enthusiast who writes and speaks about her love of good food and the Coastal South. A Season 2 Contestant on ABC’s “The Taste,” she is the former Statesboro Herald food columnist and past host of the television program “Statesboro Cooks.” From 2012 – ’14, she appeared regularly as Celebrity Chef at the Statesboro Main Street Farmers’ Market and wrote as a guest blogger for Visit Savannah and The Local Palate. In addition, her work is published in Moments magazine and Connect Statesboro. Her culinary accomplishments are recognized in two publications: She is a featured alumna in Georgia Southern Magazine (Spring ’14) and the “Go Girl!” in Moments magazine (March 2104), a tabloid for moms and modern women. To learn more, visit RebekahFaulk.wix.com/RebekahFaulk.
The one room eatery holds 15 tables with bench style seating and an assortment of wooden chairs. Guests may also choose to sit outside, where bulb lighting and table lanterns create a soft ambiance. At the entrance, a large hostess station filled with paper menus and reams of craft paper greet guests. Staff members dressed neatly in blue jeans and plaid button down shirts work the dining room.
One of the most popular Sunday Brunch dishes has to be the House Made Beignets, a plate piled high with powdered sugar-dusted doughnuts, served with chocolate sauce. Reminiscent of 
Some Kinda Good® 