Collard Greens on the Show "Chopped"

Ok. So… I was watching one of my favorite TV shows "Chopped." The secret ingredient was collard greens. No one really knew what they were! LOL it was very interesting to see chefs who have been formally trained not know what this was. I expect for everyday people to not know anything about "collards" but it is unacceptable for chefs not to know. I did however feel bad for the chefs because collard greens take forever to cook down properly, and on chopped you only have 30 min to make something edible
For those who do not know... Collard greens are a very thick leafy vegetable that is used as a staple when cooking “soul food” (usually only substituted by string beans or cabbage). They are usually cooked down in a pot with a meat such as a smoked ham hock or a turkey neck for flavoring. “Soul food” is a food which originated down south USA during slavery. The history behind it is as follows: after the slaves harvested the fields the masters would leave them the scraps to cook with. In turn the slaves made something out of nothing which influences the way people eat today. Today all soul food is not made with scraps, but it includes dishes like home made Mac and cheese, collard greens, fried chicken, grits, smothered pork chops, an array of ribs, okra, among many other things. Soul food is most commonly identified today with the African American Peoples of America. Personally, I love soul food. It is one of the first cuisines I learned how to make being that I was raised up on it! It is very hearty and savory. Anyone can make it if they try and are taught by someone who knows what they are doing. Almost everything in soul food from the side dishes to the main entree consists of comfort food. It truly is food for the soul! Chopped get it together! :)

GREAT SEMI-HOMEMADE DONUTS

A quick donut recipe which is semi homemade is as follows...

You need:
• Can of Regular Pillsbury Biscuits (non flaky)
• Powder Sugar and/or Cinnamon Sugar
• Small Round Cookie Cutter
• Vegetable Oil

Do:
• Pop open your can of Pillsbury regular biscuits.
• Lay your biscuits out individually onto a clean smooth surface.
• Use a small cookie cutter to poke a hole into the center of the biscuit, or roll it into little balls.
• Pre-heat in a deep sided frying pan vegetable oil on low-med heat.
• Drop the biscuit dough into the pre-heated oil.

1. (Using tongs) Flip the dough as needed making sure both sides of the dough are thoroughly cooked (the dough will turn a light brown/golden color when done.)

2. Remove the dough from the hot oil.

3. Using a paper towel, lightly dab the oil off the donut then quickly dip the donut into a bowl containing either powder sugar or cinnamon sugar.

4. There you have a simple recipe to make simple donuts.

TIP: You can serve the donuts hot and fresh with side of warm strawberries or cherries. You can also melt dark or white chocolate to dip the donuts in.

My mother used to make these when we were kids! I loved it!

It has been a pleasure...

Very Truly Yours,
Britnee Timberlake
Master Home Cook

Cooking With Britnee

Welcome to My Kitchen

A GREAT TIME SAVER IN THE KITCHEN!

My favorite appliance in my kitchen is the food processor. I am all for hard work and a little elbow grease. Let’s face it, sometimes there is no time for that. This is why I love to use my food processor. It has various speeds and various functions according to what I am looking to do. For instance, if I need to chop a bunch of veggies, all I have to do is add them to the food processor and hit the words “CHOP” if I want to puree something it does that too. You can make homemade guacamole or salsa with this awesome device. Or even chop/shred cheese for a salad or macaroni and cheese. A good food processor will save you at least 75% off your usual prep time. Ladies we know how great 75% off makes us feel in almost every situation (SMILE). So invest in a food processor, it works.

Gravy!!!!!!!!!!

When you are making a tomato gravy skies are the limit to what you can create. You want to grab some of your fresh favorite Italian herbs such as basil, oregano, etc. Grab about 10 large tomatoes, your favorite Italian red wine, two garlic cloves, 1 large Vidalia (red) onion, as well as my personal favorite 1 green pepper.
Chop up your tomatoes and place them on the stove on a medium heat or put them in a crock pot for slow cooking. The crock pot will allow you to do other things while your gravy worries about itself. When you see the tomatoes begin to stew. Add all of your other ingredients to the pot. Make sure all of your other ingredients are finely chopped.Brown and season some ground beef add it to the the rest of the ingredients. Season your gravy to taste with salt, pepper, sugar. Add about 3-5 table spoon of flour for thickness and if you want your gravy to be really thick add 2 cans of tomato paste. Stir the sauce really good. Turn the burner down to a low heat and let everything simmer and slow cook together. Stir occasionally, and continue to taste the sauce so that you can continue to season it according to your taste. ENJOY

Trials and Tribulations of Garlic

Ok So, I love fresh garlic. I love to peel and chop it myself. Well if you are like me when it comes to garlic, then you probably noticed garlic is not quite as fond of you as you are of it. What I am talking about is the smell the garlic leaves behind on your fingers after your hand chop it. Sure garlic smells great when you are sitting at a dinner table but its not so great to carry that with you everywhere you go. I have heard about all types of home made remedies for what I call "garlic fingers". But in trying these remedies, I found that unmistakable smell to still be ever so present. One day I finished chopping garlic for my dinner, and after washing my hands, I wanted to prepare myself a fruit salad to go along with it. I love pineapples so naturally I included one in my fruit salad. To my amazement. After I was done peeling and cutting the pineapple. That garlic smell which usually takes about three days to wear completely off, was gone. So there it is folks my natural remedy for curing "garlic fingers". PINEAPPLE. WHO KNEW?

PS: You could always just wear gloves. (smile)

Pasta Ordeals!

Hello Friends,

When I am not making my pasta from scratch, my favorite Pasta to cook with is Barilla! I swear by it. Everything I make with Barilla comes out perfect. I used to buy what ever pasta was the cheapest. But I wasted a lot of money doing that. If you could only see the many pastas I just chucked into the trash because they were horrible. Some of them even over boiled and fell a part after only being in the hot water for two minutes!!!!! Use Barilla. I promise you can't go wrong with it in any recipe.

This is my tip for the week.

Which Pasta is your favorite?

PS: NO. I do not get paid to say this. However it would be nice.