Lately, I’ve been on a quest to use my cast iron skillet for just about everything. There is nothing like the feeling of using an old skillet that has seen many a good meal over the ages. I’ve been using it for breakfast, lunch and dinner – and over the next couple of weeks – I’ll share some of my best cast iron cooking.

A good childhood friend (thanks Jen Seay!) passed this recipe down to me and it is so rich that I make it about once a year. I usually make it for my 21 year old brothers, Miles and Kinnon. They are six feet tall and have an endless appetite. My brother Kinnon works in the bakery while awaiting Medical School to begin, so I have to keep him well fed with the holiday baking season in full gear. So with tropical storm Ida moving through, it’s been raining for a couple of days now and the girls are looking for some activity in the kitchen. With this recipe for chicken enchiladas they can easily help shred the chicken and grate the cheeses. When it’s damp and chilly, these rich and creamy chicken enchiladas served in a hot cast iron skillet do the trick.

Cast Iron Chicken Enchiladas

2 chicken breasts, full cooked
1 block cream cheese
2 small cans of green chiles
1 green or red pepper, chopped
5 large corn tortillas
1 small can enchilada sauce
1 cup of grated cheese (I like a mix of sharp cheddar and monterey jack)
1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream or half & half
1/2 bunch chopped cilantro

Preheat the oven to 375
Shred the chicken breasts
Note: in a pinch tip – use a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket
Saute the onion and bell pepper till tender and then add the green chiles
Mix in cream cheese and when well incorporated add the shredded chicken
Brush the cast iron skillet with oil and sprinkle a small amount of cheese in the bottom (this keeps the tortillas from getting soggy)
Warm the skillet until the cheese begins to bubble
Fill the 5 corn tortillas one at a time with the cream cheese mixture, rolling them like a burrito and placing them side by side in the skillet
Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top
Pour the cream over the top
Bake at 375 until golden & crispy

Note: I like to warm the enchilada sauce and serve on the side but it can also be poured over the enchiladas at the end of baking and cooked for ten more minutes.

Serve these decadent enchiladas with a refreshing salsa fresca, chips and a crisp green salad.

This time last year Mario Batali ordered biscuits (honored!) and when communicating with us asked, “where should I eat in Charleston?” It’s a question that I get quite often from friends, retailers, people simply emailing me to ask. We have so many phenomenal spots – from the corner greasy spoon to the historic white table cloth – it’s hard to send someone to just one place. As I was celebrating my 7th wedding anniversary this past weekend I realized that my husband had the answer. The best dinner in Charleston is a progressive one.

My husband started the evening with a private carriage tour at dusk with Palmetto Carriage. A lot of locals simply don’t think about carriage rides. While at first thought it might seem a little touristy it really is a beautiful way to see the city and like everyone, sometimes you need to be reminded of the wonder of home. Nothing is nicer than a balmy fall night in Charleston.

Our first stop was Charleston Grill, where we feasted on oysters at the bar and a martini with Jason Hall. Jason is a master mixologist and there is no greater place to sit and indulge in a fantastic drink paired with his wonderful conversation and commentary. The recipe for the oysters is below. Next we walked down Meeting Street to have dinner at Fig where we saddled up to the bar for our favorite of the night – chef Mike Lata’s pig trotters.

I know I have at least one friend who agrees that some of the best dining in Charleston is at the bar. The attention is wonderful, the bartenders are always willing to share their best picks of the menu and amazing wine pairings. Plus, you never know what interesting people you might meet seated beside you. Our final stop was Peninsula Grill where we shared the restaurant’s signature Coconut Cake.

In a Pinch Tip-the best part of bar dining is there are no reservations needed, often allowing for an impromptu evening of fun!

Charleston Grill’s East Coast Oysters
Cucumber, Meyer Lemon, Apple Mint

This is a simple and simply delicious recipe!
finely chopped cucumbers
meyer lemon juice
meyer lemon zest
mint

Just dot a little of each into each individual shell – no measurements just to taste.

It would be a perfect appetizer for a fancier dinner at home, or with a few remaining oysters after an afternoon oyster roast. Or, as I enjoyed mine with a great with perfectly shaken martini.

I adore this time of year, not just because the humidity starts to subside but because it means my CSA box from Pickney Farms is waiting for pick-up each week a favorite lunch spot around the corner, The Glass Onion If you aren’t familiar with a CSA – you should be. CSA stands for Community Supported Agricultural Share and by becoming a share holder you help support your local farms and also get a taste of some of the finest fresh from the fields produce. I love being a part of a CSA because it helps boost my creativity in the kitchen, not to mention lighten’s my grocery bill each week! A couple of weeks ago, my box revealed a few pounds of raw peanuts.

So, I pulled out my largest stock pot and went to work making boiled peanuts. The smell wafting from the pot took me straight back to childhood. Riding my bike from the East Bay Playground (Hazel Parker) down to the corner of Church and Market Streets.(remember the old Gourmetisserie?) Where the Boiled Peanut man would peddle bags of his homemade hot peanuts. Charleston was a different place during my childhood, kids on bikes ruled the streets. I wish I could pass down that way of livng to my girls. But if not, at least I can share the boiled peanuts. Enjoy~

Boiled Peanuts
1/2 to 3/4 cup of kosher salt (if you like them SALTY)
6 cups of peanuts
20 cups of water
bring water and salt to a boil
wash peanuts
place peanuts into boiling water and let boil with top on for about 1 hour (slow boil, otherwise it will be flowing over the entire time)
reduce heat to a simmer with the top on for at least 4 hours (the longer the better since they age well the more you cook them)
I prefer to cook my peanuts for 7-8 hrs but the our local boiled peanut man tells me he cooks his for 11 hours

In a Pinch Tip
Boiled peanuts make a great gift, especially this time of year. DO NOT THROW THE BOILED PEANUT WATER AWAY! Keep it and add more peanuts and take them to your friends house to watch a football game, or give them away as a little surcee. My children love them in their lunchbox on school days.

This time of year my house is always filled with activity – friends, plenty of children (mine + some) and family. On Saturdays, you are guaranteed to find me in the kitchen cooking up a little something for a crowd. Everyone is unwinding from the week including me – friends descend for food and football while the kids hunt for fiddler crabs in the marsh. Everybody is equal parts happy and hungry! Here’s a recipe that is easy enough to do with one eye on the skillet and one eye on the game.

Smoked Sausage Biscuits with Mustard Mayo

Kielbasa, good quality (I have a friend who swears by Conecuh out of Evergreen, Alabama)
Biscuits, preferable a cheese and chive biscuit
Cast iron skillet

Mustard Mayo
1 cup of mayonnaise
1/3 cup of sour cream
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
3 or more dashes of your favorite hot sauce

Cut sausage into pieces to fit a small biscuit
Cook sausage in a cast iron skillet until well browned
Note: I prefer my sausage crisp and almost burnt for more flavor
Generously spread each side of the biscuits with mustard mayonnaise
Tuck the sausage inside the biscuit and serve immediately

A Bloody Mary makes a nice accompaniment!

The mustard mayo is a great addition to any sandwich and burger as well.

So Idaho was a blast filled with drive in movies,The Spud Drive In
Mexican food out of a school bus (see pic), and the girls horse back riding with the Tetons as their back drop.

However, there truly is no place like home. With all our travels out west, many adventures, food, and family fun, it just feels great to be back in the lowcountry! Nothing reminds me of home more than fried okra and it’s positively my favorite vegetable. Besides butter beans, it was the only other vegetable I would eat as a child (probably because it was always fried). Now that I’m older, I will eat okra just about every way possible, but I am not ashamed to say I certainly prefer it fried.

Callie taught me to make this version of fried okra. It’s perfectly crisp and not heavily breaded. When I serve it on a salad, I just can’t help thinking it’s ok to have more than one helping. Okra is a wonderful addition to just about any salad but this one was inspired by my Western summer and all the new flavors I experienced. Try this finale to my summer salad foursome and if you are an okra lover, it will be a fast favorite!

I served this with slow grilled barbecue chicken, green beans, and biscuits of course!

You will need:

1 well seasoned cast iron skillet
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of butter
2 handfuls of roasted/salted Mexican pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
2 ounces of goat cheese
2 heads of Bibb/hydroponic lettuce washed

1 lb okra, washed and chopped (cut each end off and discard)
1 small white onion chopped
3 dashes of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper

- Mix the above 4 ingredients in a bowl and let sit for a few minutes
- Heat your cast iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil (you will most likely need to cook the okra/onions in 2 small batches unless you have a large skillet)
- Cook the okra/onion mixture on a medium to high heat pan but do not over crowd, cooking just one layer at a time
- Let the okra cook, don’t mess with it

- After approximately 10 minutes turn the okra to brown on the opposite side
Note: The key to cooking this okra is to not stir and fuss with it. You want it to get crispy
- Once the okra is brown and crisp (see pic) dry on a paper towel to get out the excess grease
- Let cool and start to prepare the rest of the salad.
- Take one of the heads of lettuce and tear the leaves apart and place into a bowl
- Add the pepitas and pinch off pee sized portions of the goat cheese and add as well
- Think of the okra as the croutons, just toss them in at the last minute! Toss and put back into the fridge to chill.
- Take the other head of lettuce and choose the best, biggest, leaves (think a purse) to put the salad on.
- Toss the salad with your favorite dressing or mine below
- Spoon the salad onto the leaves for presentation. (see pic)

Dressing
1 clove of garlic minced
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 ounces of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar.
1/2 cup olive oil

- Mix the above ingredients with a whisk and add the olive oil as your whisking

It doesn’t get any easier than this! Let’s face it it’s hot! I mean VERY hot. August in Charleston, is not my favorite time of year. On the ranch in the San Joaquin Valley this summer, my cousin Celia served a version of this salad at dinner and it was love at first bite.

It’s cold, crunchy, creamy, filling and the perfect thing to eat when the heat is getting you down. Now the cold bowl is key, and in fact after I toss this together, (it only takes about 3 minutes) I put it back in the fridge for 10 minutes to make sure it’s as cold as I can get it. I serve the salad with chicken cooked in a cast iron skillet.This summer salad somehow makes August in Charleston bearable (thanks to Celia). I hope y’all will try it. The leftovers make a great lunch on top of some cool cottage cheese.

What you’ll need
1 cold salad bowl
1 large English cucumber (washed, peel on, but chopped)
1 large ripe avocado chopped
3-4 green onions (chopped, used the white and green parts)
salted/roasted Sunflower seeds approx 2 ounces
Mix the above ingredients together in a cold bowl that’s been refrigerated for at least an hour.

Add to your liking your favorite bottled or homemade vinaigrette dressing
salt and pepper to taste

Now I know I promised okra for my 3rd and final summer salad, but I just had to add this one in. Look for the season wrap up in a couple of weeks. Okra is my ultimate favorite!

I can’t complain about my summers. I usually am lucky enough to spend 2 weeks in California (every year we visit an Almond ranch in the San Joaquin Valley) and 3 weeks in Idaho – from where my husband hails. It’s good Western exposure for me and my children.

So when I am out there all I do is cook… Actually cook, swim, play tennis and eat. A true bliss. About 5 summers ago, this recipe seemed to become a favorite amongst the family on the ranch. It’s actually a passed down recipe from Callie (although I am sure I am missing some ingredients from her original creation) It’s cool, refreshing, beyond tasty, and even better the 2nd and 3rd day. It’s a great recipe to have your children help with!

I’ve even included my version of the “Skinny Girl Margarita.” I’ve been trying every version of that recipe, traveling high and low, and I think I’ve finally perfected the drink. Perfect together or alone; here’s to a fabulous summer! As Libba often says, Cheers!

Summer Corn Salad

You will need:

• 8 ears of fresh corn (boiled and cooled)
• 2 rep peppers (washed)
• 1 bunch of cilantro (washed and stemmed)
• 1/2- 3/4 red onion finely diced
• 2 avocados (chopped at the very end)
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• juice of 1 lime

Once the corn has cooled cut it off the cob “IN A PINCH TIP” see picture
This was Rachael Ray’s tip which has made making this recipe a cinch for me. I used to not like making it because cutting the corn off the cob was such a pain. Love her or not this tip of using a smaller bowl inside a larger bowl to cut the corn is genius—try it!

Chop the red peppers into small pieces along with the red onion, and cilantro and mix with the corn
“IN A PINCH TIP” have your children wash your peppers and cilantro and take the stems of the cilantro. It’s very time consuming and they love it! I like to let these 4 things sit overnight and let the flavors meld together but only if time allows though. At the very last minute, add the juice of the lime, 2 chopped avocados salt and pepper to taste and about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and mix well together. Serve room temperature. It goes well with fish, burgers or any meat. It also makes a great left over salsa over quesadillas!

Charleston Skinny Lady Margarita

• 2 ounces of freshly squeezed red Grapefruit juice(approx 1 large grapefruit)
• 1 ounce of freshly squeezes lime juice (approx 1 lime)
• 1 healthy splash of cointreau
• 1 small splash of orange juice
• 1.5 ounces of a clear tequila

Shake with ice vigorously for at least 1 minute
line ice filled glass with a mixture of kosher salt and sugar
Garnish with an orange wedge ENJOY!

I try to have a salad almost everyday but I must admit it gets a little redundant after a while. Every night carrots and cucumbers with lettuce, that’s my usual. 3 beautiful children doesn’t always leave me much time so planning ahead is key to a successful and tasty supper. So many of our best dinners are one meal wonders – my salads are to summer as my stews are to winter!

This summer my blogs are all about getting creative with summer salads. In my upcoming blogs I have built meals around my favorite ingredients – today we start with tomatoes. I served this wonderful couscous salad at a dinner party a few weeks ago and I am proud to say the emails are still coming in requesting the recipe. Enjoy!

Coming next: Get ready for sweet summer corn and buttery avocados

A little different but so divine!

Mediterranean Israeli Couscous Salad

The following can be done the day before allowing the flavors to meld beautifully

Roast cherry tomatoes (approx 1 pint), on a baking sheet with olive oil and salt and pepper at 400 degrees (about 10 min), let cool

While you have your oven on, take another baking sheet and toast some pine nuts (approx 5 min), let cool

Chop 1 seedless large cucumber and mix with the roasted tomatoes

Chop/scissor fresh dill and add to above

Add salt and pepper and mix with a healthy drizzling of olive oil, place in a Ziploc and let sit

Next Day

Sauté one yellow chopped onion in pot, add water or stock

Note: I like to make my couscous with chicken stock. The measure is 1 and 1/4ths cup of liquid (water or stock) to 1 cup of couscous

Cook and cool the couscous

Drain the above tomato cucumber mixture as a lot of liquid will have accumulated and add to couscous

Add the pine nuts (approx 2 handfuls)

Mix in Crumbled Feta (approx 1 cup)

Add salt peeper and a little olive oil as needed

I like to serve the salad room temperature with skewered meats of your choice and grilled vegetables

This past weekend, we threw a party at our home for our dear friends who were just married. It couldn’t have been a more perfect evening, warm but dry (very uncharacteristic of Charleston). We decided to have a Mediterranean-themed dinner. There were too many yummy things to mention, but the one thing I received the most compliments on was a mixture (for lack of a better word – I don’t like the word “DIP”) of roasted tomatoes, crumbled feta cheese, kalamata olives and fresh dill. It was an experiment that I threw together to go with pita chips and a crudité platter of local veggies.

It was a hit. I didn’t warm it, but I let it sit out for an hour before serving and the flavors melded well. I served along side it homemade pimento cheese, which we are launching soon.

Here’s the recipe for the Mediterranean “DIP” enjoy!

You will need:

cherry Tomatoes
feta cheese
fresh dill
kalamata olives
olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:

Halve cherry tomatoes and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in a 400 degree oven for approx 10 minutes (they will look a bit wilted when ready-let cool and drain excess juices)

Chop olives and add cooled tomatoes

Mix in crumbled feta cheese

Snip washed dill with scissors

Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper

Toss together until everything is mixed well

If time allows store in fridge overnight and let sit out for at least an hour before serving

Serve alongside your favorite vegetables (I used green beans, radishes, cucumbers, and carrots), pita chips or grilled flatbread.

P.S. For dessert, I served our Callie’s shortcakes that just became available online this week!

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with Your Waistline and Watch In Mind

I have to credit my husband with this weekly favorite at our house. This is a perfect Monday night supper for us because there isn’t a lot to do to make it, but the flavor is so fresh and you get your Mexican “fix” without feeling like you’ve eaten your way to Tijuana!!! So as my spinning instructor asked us today as we started out on the hellacious 60 minute ride “are you planning on eating chips tomorrow for Cinco De Mayo?” My answer to that question will always be a resounding YES! SO off I pedaled, working for my food!

The ”Morey Taco Salad” is the perfect In A Pinch recipe! It can be prepared ahead and with lots of help from the little ones. In fact my girls helped with the prep work. They washed and dried the veggies and I chopped. Just make sure to be specific i.e. make sure they understand that washing all the vegetables doesn’t mean with soap! When we started this project, I looked over and my 2 year old was pouring dish soap on the lettuce. ARGH! No worries of any pesticides on our dinner!

My oldest grated the cheese with my supervision and the meat cooked while all this was going on. Then, off to the gym we all went ready to throw it all together in a bowl upon our return.

You have to try this Rapido!

Morey Taco Salad

You will need:
1 head of romaine lettuce
2 ripe tomatoes
1 half a bunch of cilantro
1 half of a lime squeezed
1 large handful of black pitted olives sliced
1 avocado
1 half of a red onion
1 cup of your favorite cheese (I prefer Mexican cheese grated. My favorite is Cotija, but you can use whatever you like)
1 packet of taco seasoning
1.5 lbs of lean ground beef
1 half of a bag of your favorite tortilla chips-I love the blue corn organic
1/2 tablespoons of Italian dressing (my husband’s secret ingredient)

Directions:
Let your children take the first three ingredients and wash. I put out a towel on the counter and let them put all the washed vegetables out to dry.

Next have your children take the cilantro and pick the leaves off the stems, this takes plenty of time and gives you a minute to do cook the meat meat and chop the veggies.

In a skillet prepare the meat according to the taco seasoning instructions (basically brown and add a bit of water and the seasoning,set aside to cool.

Chop your lettuce, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and olives, set aside. Squeeze the lime over the top and let the flavors meld together.

When you are ready to sit down, mix together in a large salad bowl, the lettuce, all the veggies, the meat, and the cheese (chop and add your avocado) then dress with your Italian dressing.

We plate ours by laying down chips and then adding the salad on top.

You can also add kidney beans to this or any sort of bean you might like, and for that matter you can make it vegetarian and take out the meat all together with just beans!