Soul Food Saturday #34

Good Morning! Welcome to the first full weekend in December. Are you venturing out to do some Christmas shopping today? Or maybe headed to the local tree lot/farm to pick out the family Christmas tree for the family to decorate? Doing some baking perhaps? I love this time of year; and I'm so happy it's here again. However you are spending the weekend I hope it includes some holiday cheer!

Bekki is sharing one of my favorite restaurant recipes today! I'm so excited to have a make-at-home version that I can enjoy any time I want!

After my first visit to the south I found there were foods I couldn't go without. Because I couldn't buy a Cracker Barrel franchise and bring it to California I had to do the next best thing. Yep, make my own. I looked all over the internet for a recipe and was not particularly happy with the ones I found. But after chatting with a few family members I was given an insider tip and “His” recipe. I’ll tell you what, this was my first EVER attempt at this recipe. It was an amazing hit! My hubby and I couldn't get enough! The serving bowls were too small for the portion our bellies thought we needed. So I was reminded of my trip one more time, and full! Whether you make this for a weeknight meal or add it to your holiday table, I hope your family enjoys it as much as we have. 

 

 

Collard Greens with Smoked Ham Hocks

1 large onion, chopped

Salt to taste

2 tsp granulated garlic

2 tsp. red pepper flakes

4 c. water

4 large smoked ham hocks

1 tbs. chicken bouillon

8 c. collard greens, washed, stemmed and sliced

Heaping TBS Bacon fat

½ tsp. baking soda (optional*cuts bitterness* my preference)

 

In a medium pot add bacon fat and allow it to melt. Add onion, and stir to combine with fat. Cook until onions are clear. Add greens, tossing to allow fat to coat leaves. Add a pinch of salt and pepper flakes. Cook until greens turn bright and then add water with bouillon. Add ham hocks and nestle them in under the greens. Cover and cook until greens are tender, stirring occasionally. Before serving add soda if you’d like and check for seasoning adjustments.

 

**Note: With smoked meats, bacon fat, and bouillon they have salt on their own. So you may need more or less depending on your personal tastes. Enjoy!

Good Morning! Welcome to the first full weekend in December. Are you venturing out to do some Christmas shopping today? Or maybe headed to the local tree lot/farm to pick out the family Christmas tree for the family to decorate? Doing some baking perhaps? I love this time of year; and I'm so happy it's here again. However you are spending the weekend I hope it includes some holiday cheer!

Bekki is sharing one of my favorite restaurant recipes today! I'm so excited to have a make-at-home version that I can enjoy any time I want!

After my first visit to the south I found there were foods I couldn't go without. Because I couldn't buy a Cracker Barrel franchise and bring it to California I had to do the next best thing. Yep, make my own. I looked all over the internet for a recipe and was not particularly happy with the ones I found. But after chatting with a few family members I was given an insider tip and “His” recipe. I’ll tell you what, this was my first EVER attempt at this recipe. It was an amazing hit! My hubby and I couldn't get enough! The serving bowls were too small for the portion our bellies thought we needed. So I was reminded of my trip one more time, and full! Whether you make this for a weeknight meal or add it to your holiday table, I hope your family enjoys it as much as we have. 

 

 

Collard Greens with Smoked Ham Hocks

1 large onion, chopped

Salt to taste

2 tsp granulated garlic

2 tsp. red pepper flakes

4 c. water

4 large smoked ham hocks

1 tbs. chicken bouillon

8 c. collard greens, washed, stemmed and sliced

Heaping TBS Bacon fat

½ tsp. baking soda (optional*cuts bitterness* my preference)

 

In a medium pot add bacon fat and allow it to melt. Add onion, and stir to combine with fat. Cook until onions are clear. Add greens, tossing to allow fat to coat leaves. Add a pinch of salt and pepper flakes. Cook until greens turn bright and then add water with bouillon. Add ham hocks and nestle them in under the greens. Cover and cook until greens are tender, stirring occasionally. Before serving add soda if you’d like and check for seasoning adjustments.

 

**Note: With smoked meats, bacon fat, and bouillon they have salt on their own. So you may need more or less depending on your personal tastes. Enjoy!

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Soul Food Saturday #23

Welcome to yet another weekend, and another yummy recipe from Bekki! Today she is sharing a make at home version of a favorite soup of mine from Olive Garden! I can't wait to try this myself and enjoy a restaurant treat right in my own kitchen!

This Olive Garden soup is my husband’s favorite. He couldn’t ever get enough. So having it at home was a must. After trying the recipe several times, his one request was that it had more “stuff” than broth. So the next time I loaded it up, and he LOVED it. This is a family favorite now and we make it as often as possible. Whether its, in the low temps, or highs of over 100 its cooking. I know after you taste it, you will be hooked as well.

Loaded Zuppa Toscana  Adapted from Restaurant Food
1 tsp. olive oil
2 pound ground spicy sausage
1 large onion, sliced
3 medium potatoes, cut in half lengthwise, and then cut into 1/4" slices
1 ½ tsp. granulated garlic
4 cups kale leaves, stems removed, cut in half, then sliced
4 c. chicken broth
½ c. heavy whipping cream

 In a medium stock pot add oil. Add sausage to pot. Stirring frequently, breaking up so it cooks evenly. Cook until no longer pink. Then add onions, cook until onions are almost clear. Add potatoes, garlic and chicken stock. Simmer 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add kale and cream simmer 5 more minutes for kale to become tender. Serve hot, with your favorite bread. Enjoy!

Welcome to yet another weekend, and another yummy recipe from Bekki! Today she is sharing a make at home version of a favorite soup of mine from Olive Garden! I can't wait to try this myself and enjoy a restaurant treat right in my own kitchen!

This Olive Garden soup is my husband’s favorite. He couldn’t ever get enough. So having it at home was a must. After trying the recipe several times, his one request was that it had more “stuff” than broth. So the next time I loaded it up, and he LOVED it. This is a family favorite now and we make it as often as possible. Whether its, in the low temps, or highs of over 100 its cooking. I know after you taste it, you will be hooked as well.

Loaded Zuppa Toscana  Adapted from Restaurant Food
1 tsp. olive oil
2 pound ground spicy sausage
1 large onion, sliced
3 medium potatoes, cut in half lengthwise, and then cut into 1/4" slices
1 ½ tsp. granulated garlic
4 cups kale leaves, stems removed, cut in half, then sliced
4 c. chicken broth
½ c. heavy whipping cream

 In a medium stock pot add oil. Add sausage to pot. Stirring frequently, breaking up so it cooks evenly. Cook until no longer pink. Then add onions, cook until onions are almost clear. Add potatoes, garlic and chicken stock. Simmer 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add kale and cream simmer 5 more minutes for kale to become tender. Serve hot, with your favorite bread. Enjoy!

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Soul Food Saturday #4

Good Morning! I hope you had a great week and your weekend is off to a good start. And to all the moms out there, a very Happy Mother's Day tomorrow. I hope your day is as special as each and every one of you are! Being a mommy is the biggest pleasure of my life, and I'm so lucky to have this little boy to love and take care of. 

Bekki is back with something that would be perfect for Mother's Day brunch, lunch or dinner! A great copycat recipe that most of us will all recognize! 

There is something really fun about the idea of making food into a holiday. I have realized there are many more reasons to celebrate and I am quite alright with that. I know many of us have decided to eat healthier and make better choices. But keeping our favorites for those celebrations is a treat we all need! Taking our food holiday one step further today is “Eat anything you want day”! With that said who doesn't love those amazing cheddar bay biscuits they serve at every Red Lobster? Bottomless baskets of cheesy garlic, piping hot, little balls of oh my goodness! We need a moment of silence for these little guys, because wow, YES friends they are just that good!

I came across this recipe after talking with a staff member at the restaurant and dying to learn the secret. I tell you what the recipe I found was good. But I wanted GREAT! So after some tweaking here and there, this is what our family felt was certainly in the running for those days you just couldn't make it out to get piping hot biscuits from their source.  

Copycat Cheddar Bay Biscuits Adapted from Top Secret Recipes

2 ½ c. baking mix

4 tbs. cold butter

1 ½ c. grated cheddar cheese

¾ c. cold whole milk

¼ tsp. granulated garlic

Garlic butter for tops:

2 tbs. butter, melted

½ tsp. granulated garlic

¼ tsp. parsley salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Combine baking mix with cold butter in a medium bowl with a pastry cutter or large fork. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are that are about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and granulated garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don’t over mix.

3. Measure approximately ¼ c. portions of dough using an ice cream scoop, or measuring cup. Then form into a ball by squeezing gently until dough is the shape you desire. Place onto an un-greased cookie sheet leaving an inch between each dough ball. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops of biscuits are light brown.

4. When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tbs. butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Stir in ½ tsp. granulated garlic and parsley salt. Mix to combine seasonings and butter. Top each biscuit with the garlic butter.

Makes a dozen biscuits

Serve with your favorite meal.  Whether its breakfast, lunch or dinner these will be gone quick and they will all be asking for more. Let’s celebrate “Eat whatever you want day” and eat these with whatever YOU want! Blessings and happy eating!

Pin It

Good Morning! I hope you had a great week and your weekend is off to a good start. And to all the moms out there, a very Happy Mother's Day tomorrow. I hope your day is as special as each and every one of you are! Being a mommy is the biggest pleasure of my life, and I'm so lucky to have this little boy to love and take care of. 

Bekki is back with something that would be perfect for Mother's Day brunch, lunch or dinner! A great copycat recipe that most of us will all recognize! 

There is something really fun about the idea of making food into a holiday. I have realized there are many more reasons to celebrate and I am quite alright with that. I know many of us have decided to eat healthier and make better choices. But keeping our favorites for those celebrations is a treat we all need! Taking our food holiday one step further today is “Eat anything you want day”! With that said who doesn't love those amazing cheddar bay biscuits they serve at every Red Lobster? Bottomless baskets of cheesy garlic, piping hot, little balls of oh my goodness! We need a moment of silence for these little guys, because wow, YES friends they are just that good!

I came across this recipe after talking with a staff member at the restaurant and dying to learn the secret. I tell you what the recipe I found was good. But I wanted GREAT! So after some tweaking here and there, this is what our family felt was certainly in the running for those days you just couldn't make it out to get piping hot biscuits from their source.  

Copycat Cheddar Bay Biscuits Adapted from Top Secret Recipes

2 ½ c. baking mix

4 tbs. cold butter

1 ½ c. grated cheddar cheese

¾ c. cold whole milk

¼ tsp. granulated garlic

Garlic butter for tops:

2 tbs. butter, melted

½ tsp. granulated garlic

¼ tsp. parsley salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Combine baking mix with cold butter in a medium bowl with a pastry cutter or large fork. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are that are about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and granulated garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don’t over mix.

3. Measure approximately ¼ c. portions of dough using an ice cream scoop, or measuring cup. Then form into a ball by squeezing gently until dough is the shape you desire. Place onto an un-greased cookie sheet leaving an inch between each dough ball. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops of biscuits are light brown.

4. When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tbs. butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Stir in ½ tsp. granulated garlic and parsley salt. Mix to combine seasonings and butter. Top each biscuit with the garlic butter.

Makes a dozen biscuits

Serve with your favorite meal.  Whether its breakfast, lunch or dinner these will be gone quick and they will all be asking for more. Let’s celebrate “Eat whatever you want day” and eat these with whatever YOU want! Blessings and happy eating!

Pin It

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