Cooking in the South

Planning a Fabulous Fall Tailgate

Although we may not be enjoying crisp, fall air quite yet down in South Carolina, there is one aspect of fall that Lowcountry residents are definitely diving into full-throttle – tailgating!

Yes, Saturdays take on a whole new meaning in the South come September when college football kicks off. Tailgating in the south is a full day event, made complete by the tasty treats that are brought to share with your fellow fans.  Because it’s an all-day event, it’s important that you’re well prepared with not only the ultimate dishes that will have your email inbox flooded with recipe requests on Monday morning, but it’s also vital that you properly pack and transport the food. Here are a few tailgating tips from the American Dietetic Association:

• Sing your team’s fight song while washing your hands with soap and water (for 20 seconds) to ensure clean hands before, during and after tailgate food prep.
• Pack moist towelettes for messy tailgate food cleanup.
• Defrost meats in the fridge or microwave before (not at!) the tailgate.
• Keep raw meats and other foods separated and pack extra utensils to prevent cross-contamination.
• Use a meat thermometer to ensure foods are properly cooked.
• In warmer temperatures, transport your cooler in your air-conditioned car instead of your trunk and do the opposite in cooler temperatures.

So now that you’re well prepared for preparing and transporting your tailgating food, what to bring? Here’s an easy recipe from Charleston Receipts Repeats that olive fans will love – cheese olives! Because if anything can make olives better, it’s cheese!

Cheese Olives

Serves 12+

2 jars stuffed Spanish olives

1 stick butter

2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese

½ tsp. paprika

1 tsp. salt

1 c. all-purpose flour, sifted

•  Drain olives well on paper towels.
• Blend butter and cheese with paprika and salt
• Add flour.
• Wrap about 1 teaspoon of dough around each olive.
• Place on cookie sheet.
• Refrigerate at least 4-5 hours before baking.
• Bake in 400 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
•  Serve warm.

Mrs. Arthur M. Taylor (Sarah Means), Charleston Receipts Repeats pg. 16

Tips: It’s a good idea to prepare the dough and wrap the olives the night before and bake right before you head out to your tailgate. Also, if kids will be at the tailgate, you can substitute hot dog cubes for the olives.

Bite sized goodness!

There you have it – a delicious treat to take to your next tailgate. Now… what to wear?

Almond Bark, the perfect bite-sized treat!

Charleston Receipts Repeats / Yields:  3-4 dozen pieces

I’ve used this recipe several times when I need a bite-sized dessert to share! It is simple and quick to make and it always comes with endless compliments. Recently, I took it to a tailgate and it was a tremendous hit! It has the perfect blend of salty and sweet and it is just the right size to eat in one bite.  

The ingredients for this tasty treat are as follows:

• 1 and ½ lbs. Hershey bars with almonds
• ½ cup chunky peanut butter
• 1 cup dry roasted peanuts
• 1 and ½ cups Rice Krispies
• 1 cup mini marshmallows

First, melt the chocolate in the microwave.

Next, add peanut butter and mix with the chocolate until smooth.

Then, add the cereal and nuts to the chocolate mixture.

After that, add marshmallows and mix.

Once everything is combined drop, by teaspoon, onto waxed paper lined cookie sheets and cool. Then, place in refrigerator to cool before serving!  

I’ve never been one to read a recipe in it’s entirty before tackling it, so it tends to make me get creative at times. I can honestly say that this recipe’s ingredients are simple ones that don’t require a laundry list of items from the grocery store, but does require a tool I didn’t have. A simple small round cookie cutter {which is where my creativity comes into play}.

Let’s start with what you’ll need:

40 Slices of white bread

2- 8oz packages of cream cheese

1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup mayo

4 tablespoons chopped chives {i added a little more, because they are delicious!}

1/2 teaspoon cayenne {once again, added more because i like a punch}

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Back to the cookie cutter. Since I don’t own one, I got creative with a brass napkin ring with a sharp edge. The recipe says you’re suppose to get approximately 5 rounds per slice of bread, and I got 4. Not bad!

This recipe makes a ton, so honestly if your making for a small party 1/2 all of the ingredients. I of course, from not reading it through didn’t realize it made 400 pieces- but if you do opt for the whole recipe, you can always freeze this portion. If not you’ll have a ton of these little guys.

Next, you’ll mix all of the remaining ingredients together in a bowl. I’d use a hand mixer on low so all ingredients get combined.

Then, spread on bread rounds and bake in the oven for about 8 minutes or until golden brown.

Done and done. Simple and delicious. Try this recipe and other fabulous ones from Charleston Receipts Repeats and buy it here .

We’ll be updating this blog at least once a week with new recipes, entertaining ideas, spotlight on Charleston favorites and of course the JL of Charleston.

By Courtney A. Buxton of A Work in Progress

It is shrimping season around here, which means that my husband comes homes on weekend nights with bags full of those yummy crustaceans.  As much as I enjoy eating shrimp, or any seafood for that matter, I am not exactly comfortable with former swimmers in my kitchen.  I grew up in the landlocked state of Illinois.  You don’t get a lot of fresh shrimp there.  As a result, I used to leave seafood completely up to my Lowcountry husband.  Eventually, I got curious, and brave enough to try the recipes marked “Easy” in my trusted Junior League cookbooks.  Maybe one day I will venture towards the “Average” ones, but I can’t make any promises.

For now, I can say with confidence that everyone in my house enjoyed “My Mother’s Parsley Shrimp,” by Mrs. Andrew Drury, Jr. (Margaret Reeves).  The simple ingredients of shrimp, olive oil, salt and pepper, garlic and parsley, made the kitchen smell divine.  I didn’t have any fresh parsley on hand, so I used dried and it was still delicious.  I served the shrimp over bow tie pasta, with tomatoes and grated parmesan cheese.  Yum!

It was quick and (yes) easy to prepare, yet fancy enough for company or a special dinner.  Enjoy!

This recipe was a hard one for me, but still very tasty in the end. I think it is very important to read the whole thing BEFORE you get started. If I would have done that, I would have seen that you use the yolks of the eggs in one portion of the recipe, but that you need the egg whites for another part. Of course, I made it work and just used 4 eggs and discarded unused parts.  I did have to look up how to cream butter on www.ehow.com, and I don’t think my egg whites were as stiff as they could have been! I did use a cooking spray on my cookie sheet before, but the cookies were very difficult to get off the pan. I would recommend using a French Silpat, which I had, but didn’t think to use. It said to bake until “golden brown” which for me was about 20-25 minutes. Overall, the cookies were excellent tasting and definitely felt much healthier than chocolate or rich desserts.   At least I know what to do for next time!

Cheese Straws are some of my favorite things, but I haven’t ever tried to make them. This recipe is fairly straight forward. I had to look on ehow.com how to “cream” butter, but it was just as a suspected and I had to look at how much 1 pound of cheese was (2 cups) and 1/4 pound of butter (1 stick). I did add about a Tablespoon of Red Pepper flake instead of 1/4 teaspoon because I like things hot & spicy.  I thought it gave that extra kick, which was great. I used a French Silpat for cooking, which made them cook evenly.

I love Shrimp and have tried a couple different versions of shrimp recipes from the 3 Junior League of Charleston Cookbooks. I served the recipe after letting it marinade for 24 hours, as suggested in cookbook, but I had left overs and tried them 2 days later and they were even better. My advice, make early and give at least 48 hours for optimum results. For Charlestonians who are looking for tarragon vinegar, the Harris Teeter doesn’t carry it, have to go to Whole Foods!  Enjoy, very easy preparation.