Beans & Cornbread...A Southern and Grandma Kinda Thing

If you are ever in Eureka Springs and want to taste a true Southern tradition, you must visit Grandma's Beans & Cornbread. For just under 5 dollars you can gobble up a heaping bowl of beans of choice, yellow and delicious golden baked cornbread, and all the necessary fixins! In case you don't know about cornbread fixins', then mosey over to the fixin bar and see what I mean. A bountiful array of sauces, butter, sweet pickle relish, hot peppers, and ONIONS! Can't have beans & cb without a side or two of plain ole sliced white onions. Sorry if I'm talking above your head...it's a Southern thing...

Grandma's was facilitated by a pop and daughter who were working hard at trying to be nice to each other as I placed my order. Seems like Grandma's can accommodate up to a bus load of folks all at one sitting and a bus load had just stopped by about thirty minutes earlier. Luckily the multiple orders had been taken and served, however the daughter was at her wits' end (Southern talk for sick and tired of nobody helping) accommodating all the elderly folk with their refills and such.  But, I got my order right on target and all was well with me and #3 as we munched away. (It was heck trying to get into the bathroom later, though.) Click the link above if you wish to check the other menu items at Grandma's but, that's like ordering fish at a fine steakhouse. Anyway, the beans were correctly cooked and seasoned (yes, there is a correct way of cooking beans). No ham or meat was to be found...fine with me. And the scrumptious piece of cornbread was simply...to Di for! We also enjoyed side orders of coleslaw and topped it all off with the Cran-Apple Pie.  Simple, yummy, and down home delicious...squabbling cooks in the kitchen and all.

Knowing The Southern Art of Social Etiquette While Attending Holiday Functions (Even If You Were Raised In A Barn)

Tis' the season to be jolly and certainly sociable...and a true Southern lady knows the fine art of social etiquette while attending all those fabulous holiday functions and parties. Why I have three soirees on my agenda for the upcoming week, and I'm really a bit of an introvert. However no fear, even if you were raised in a barn, one can always honor her true Southern heritage by following these five easy pieces of almost constructive advice...

1.  It is always proper to let the host know if you will be attending or not, even if there is no RSVP. After all, the host was kind enough to invite you, and if you are a real dork that keeps their host guessing, you certainly will not be invited again. Harsh, but so true...

2.  Don't arrive early!!! I know you may be suffering from ' have no life syndrome' however, the host appears to have a life or would not be throwing a party. Duh! And, the often frazzled host certainly does not need you banging on the door before the announced time, due to the attending of a  million and one last minute details.  Early birds get no worm here, only a good thinking about when the next party invitations go out. Remember, holidays are a lonely time of year...

3. Mingle, mingle, mingle! This involves not latching onto old familiar surroundings like they were the only people in the room but instead seeking new masses to engage in thoughtful conversation. Get over the fear and on with the idle chit chat! This is where that bachelor's degree you struggled with for so many years comes in awfully handy. Who knows, you might meet a new friend who will be a keeper...

4. If the event happens to be a sit down dinner with no place cards in sight, pile make your plate and then go sit down ready to converse with whomever might be on each side. Hopefully, the chairs will not be turned up with a chair Nazi there to tell you they are taken... this is the equivalent of saving pews in the sanctuary each Sunday and we all know God is gonna get ya' for that...

5. And after the gala event is over, thank the host not only once, but twice. First (and always), when you are leaving (only genuine ding-a-lings leave a party without saying goodbye no matter what) and secondly, it is especially nice to call or send a note after the event. This may sound a bit extreme, however our goal is to be invited back. Ahh, the lost art of  correspondence via snail mail. Just imagine the glow on your host's face as he/she reads your special hand written, postal delivered thank you...that is, if the post office is still delivering mail at this time...second thought, better Fed Ex it just in case.

No excuses...you now know the Southern art of social etiquette while attending holiday functions. Go out, have a blast, enjoy your friends, and certainly no drinking and driving...Miss Alice can give you instructions on that...MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Remembering Coy's in Hot Springs and that Fabulous French Dressing!

Years ago we would frequent Coy's restaurant in Hot Springs, Arkansas which served a decanter of spicy French house dressing on every table. It was sooo delicious that we would gobble it up with the basket of saltines long before the salad or meal came along. Oh, just admit it...you did the same thing too! So sad the place burned down in 2009 however, I've been making a similar version of this dressing for many years. Whenever I serve it, everyone has to have the recipe. Now that I'm dabbling in vegan-ism, this is my vegan version of that old favorite we all loved so long ago. Just use regular mayo for the standard recipe.

How to make an absolutely delicious French (vegan) salad dressing:
Ingredients:
1 cup Veganaise (get it at the health nut store)(use regular mayo for standard version)
1 cup tomato ketchup
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup minced onion with juice
Directions:
Whisk together all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour into a decanter and serve with your favorite salad greens or plain old crispy saltines. It's really good with anything! I'm serving it for our Thanksgiving meal...

Still on the vegan lifestyle at McAlister's with delicious Veggie Chili & Potato!

Bang Bang Shrimp at Bonefish

Had a wonderful dinner with a bunch from the office the other night at Bonefish Grill in Rogers. This place was hopping all the way from early happy hour to lining up out the door at 8:30pm when we left. Glad we got there early...it's always packed! As usual, we all agreed we must have the Bang Bang Shrimp before our meal. And as usual, it was absolutely delicious! And, for those times we don't get to go out with the office gang it's nice to have a copycat recipe to make Bang Bang Shrimp at home. Found this one on my favorite foodie website Group Recipes posted by Reginnia0221 and I can't wait to copycat it! If you're not familiar with the Thai Sweet Chili Sauce and Sriracha Hot Sauce, you can find them in the ethnic isle at your local grocer.  They really make the dish. Enjoy!!

How to make a copycat version of Bang Bang Shrimp:
1 lb. shrimp, raw, shelled, and deveined
Dry cornstarch, for dredging the shrimp
Hot oil, for lightly frying the shrimp
Lettuce, shredded
Scallions, chopped for garnish

Sauce:
1/2 cup mayonaise
1/4 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
A few drops of Sriracha Hot Sauce (you choose the heat level)

Directions:
1. Dredge shrimp in cornstarch.
2. Heat oil and fry the shrimp till lightly, brown.
3. Drain shrimp on paper towel, put them in a bowl of shredded lettuce, mix the sauce ingredients, and pour over the shrimp. Garnish with the scallions.

Bonefish Grill on Urbanspoon

My Friend Says She Is Such A Lousy Cook She Can't Even Boil Toast

Well, this blog is for my friend, and you as well, if you want to learn how to perfectly produce a hard boiled egg. No more dark, yellow yolks and torn apart egg whites! Also, great for the perfect Curried Egg Salad Tea Sandwich...aren't the simple things in life sorta nice?

How To Hard Boil Eggs:
1. Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with water. Add a pinch of salt.
2. Bring to a boil and boil for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Cover with a lid and let sit for 12 minutes.
4. Drain and place eggs in a bowl of ice water to cool down.
5. Eggs are ready to perfectly peel in about two minutes.  Enjoy!

Cooking With Legends...Piece of Cake

Master Chef with Chef Gordon Ramsay is my favorite show! Each week I tune in to see all sorts of excitement going on at the MC kitchen in LA. I usually attempt to recreate what the contestants are asked to do. The show, in its second season, started with 1000 contestants and is now down to the final eight. These contestants are sometimes praised and often totally humiliated by Chef Ramsay and his two men hit squad (Graham Elliot and Joe Bastianich) as they are judged on simple techniques such as poaching an egg, making Hollandaise sauce, cooking a lobster and so on and so on, all within a time limit. Pressure cooker for sure...but, I love the show because Chef Ramsay has helped me to think about these basic, yet detailed, cooking procedures. I'm honing my culinary skills (with the additional help of Julia Child) and looking forward to maybe being humbled by Chef Ramsay some day. As Julia says,

The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude.