Paula Deen is Back Y'all!

Y'all know I love Paula Deen, so I was excited when she announced the news about her own network...The Paula Deen Network!  I have already signed up and you can too.  It's a paid subscription-based online offering and you can read more about it at her website.

I recently was invited to attend a private taping of her upcoming show...at the kitchen inside her home!  It was beautiful and Paula was her same down-to-earth Southern self!  I enjoyed watching her prepare her trademark comfort food, assisted in the kitchen by her son Bobby and his wife Claudia.   I love that Bobby and Claudia bring lighter-side options to Paula's recipes...so that you can choose--traditional comfort food or the lighter options.  Paula has such a bubbly personality and the news of her upcoming show gives me a renewed interest in her Southern recipes.


 

I was on stage with Paula and Bobby and came away with a gift of these chopping knives.  Of course I am happy to add these to my collection of Paula Deen kitchen cute loot! 

"HERE'S WHAT I WORE"  The shift is the Lilly P 'Ten Ton Bouquet' pattern, with pearls and a J Crew Jackie cardigan, Kate Spade summer purse, and Tory Burch summer Revas.

Paula is also on tour with her live shows...check out the schedule here.

Entertaining on Tybee Island

While visiting my friend Tybee Joy, she hosted a casual luncheon for one of her team members who is leaving to spend more time with her family.  Joy decided to serve some Southern favorites from Paula Deen. 

Miss Janice, Joyce, and Tybee Joy

Menu:

Fresh Fruit

Pimiento Cheese on French Toast Rounds

Hoe Cakes with Black Eye Peas

Southwestern Avocado and Black Bean Salad*

Ham Biscuits

Key Lime Pie

Iced Tea

This is Joy's kitchen table before we put the leaf in to serve 8.

Paper products are perfectly acceptable for a casual luncheon...especially at the beach!

Fresh fruit was provided for those who didn't want to indulge in the comfort food.

Pimiento cheese and french toast rounds...

Simmering black eye peas in a Paula Deen pot...a turquoise pot, of course!

Joy served black eye peas with Paula Deen hoe cakes.  Oh my goodness y'all, Paula's hoe cakes are unbelievably good!

This is the Paula Deen Southwestern Avocado and Black Bean Salad*.  Y'all simply must try this recipe below.  It's fabulous!

Ham biscuits...with Paula Deen's fabulous biscuits!

Paula Deen's Key Lime Pie was beyond delicious.  The crust was devine!

Joy's beach cottage is decorated in all coastal colors...turquoise, white, lime green, and pink...I love the turquoise mason jars she provided for the iced tea.

*Recipe for Paula Deen's Southwestern Avocado and Black Bean Salad:1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

2 or 3 dashes hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)

4 cups chopped Romain lettuce

2 avocados, peeled and diced

2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels, thawed and drained

2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes

About 3/4 cup (3-ounces) grated pepper jack cheese

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the cilantro, oil, lime juice and hot sauce.

In a large serving bowl, add the lettuce, avocado, corn, beans, tomatoes, and cheese.  Add the dressing and toss well.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

Serves 4.

Thank you for visiting with me today.  I'm enjoying my time in Georgia...it's always good to be home.

Fried Green Tomatoes and Comeback Sauce

Last night I was in the mood for some fried green tomatoes.  I stepped away from 'The Clean Living Diet' for a moment and tried to fry the tomatoes in the least fattening way.

I decided to follow Paula Deen's recipe for Panko Fried Green Tomatoes...baked in the oven.

Recipe for Paula Deen's Panko Fried Green Tomatoes:
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup panko {Japanese bread crumbs}
1 tsp. Creole Seasoning
1 egg white
2 green tomatoes sliced into 1/2 inch slices

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.  In a shallow dish, combine cornmeal, panko, and seasonings.  In a separate shallow dish, lightly beat egg white; dredge tomatoes in the egg white and cornmeal mixture to coat.  Place on prepared baking sheet.  Spray each tomato with nonstick cooking spray.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned.  Turn tomato slices and spray the other side with nonstick cooking spray.  Bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

I served some 'Comeback Sauce' with the green tomatoes and let me tell y'all, it was delish!

I fell in love with this sauce as a young girl.  When Mama and Daddy and my brother J.D. and I would make our trips from Augusta to Jackson, Mississippi to visit Daddy's family, the entire Sessums family would always get together for dinner at Dennery's in Jackson.  The 'Comback Sauce' was served along with saltine crackers as a complimentary appetizer.  Years later, as an adult, I would drive 4 hours from my home in Nesbit, Mississippi down to Jackson just to eat a Dennery's and enjoy the saltines and sauce.  Many a Southern hostess has served this sauce in crystal bowls and a plate of saltines.  It's good with all kinds of food...chilled shrimp, a green salad, french fries, fried dilled pickles, and other Southern faves.

Normally, I purchase this sauce from The Mississippi Gift Company, but it was sold out on their site.  The Mississippi Gift Company is a great online store, but I had to go searching elsewhere...

Then I tried the vendor Thames Food.  Well, Thames Food accepted my payment online for the sauce but never delivered.  After several unreturned phone calls and e-mails, I was forced to demand a refund from Paypal...all this unpleasantness against a Southern company! Of course I felt guilty, but I did not receive good customer service at all.  Even after Paypal sent me a refund, I have still never heard from the company.

Y'all know I very rarely give out this award...but, Thames Food is getting my "Miss Janice's Tarnished Spoon" award.  This type of customer service is simply not acceptable!

What to do????  I couldn't buy the sauce anywhere!  I made my own sauce!!!

Recipe for Miss Janice's Comeback Sauce:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tblsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp spicy mustard
1 cup mayonaisse
1 tblsp ground pepper
Couple of dashes of Tabasco sauce
1/4 tsp Cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
The juice of 1/2 lemon

Combine and blend all ingredients.  'Comeback Sauce' is the Table Sauce of the South!

I thought it was appropriate to wear my Paula Deen "Hey Y'all" apron to serve these delicious tomatoes!

Try these recipes while the green tomatoes are in the grocery store!

TEAM PAULA DEEN!

That's right y'all, I'm on Miss Paula's side. Bless her heart, she's been in all the media this week 'cuz she revealed that she's got Diabetes 2! I feel for Paula...cooking her down-home Southern Style dishes is now a threat to her life. Of course, she went on the Today Show and revealed her diagnosis to the world and that she has partnered with Novo Nordisk in a campaign to promote their drug Victoza. Now people are criticizing her for continuing to pedal her fat-laden recipes to the world even though she knew that she had the disease.

Last night I hit the kitchen...wearing my Paula Deen "Hey Y'all" apron, my stretchy pants, some cute polka dot mitts, and baked up a Paula Deen classic recipe in my red Paula Deen casserole dish. TEAM PAULA DEEN.

Which team are you on? Team Anthony Bourdain or Team Paula Deen?

Anthony Bourdain, Chef & Author. On his Travel Network Channel show "No Reservations," Bourdain travels the world seeking the ultimate dining experience. He's also a long-time critic of chefs on the Food Network. He has said "Paula Deen should feel bad before telling an already obese nation that it is okay to eat food that is killing us!" Excuse me, but this man eat snakes! Who is he to judge? He also criticizes Rachel Ray for using pre-chopped onions. Lord have mercy! Not on my radar anymore...

Paula Deen, The Queen of Southern Cuisine and Food Network star is now the spokesperson for "Diabetes in a New Light" a site run by pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk. Y'all know I'm a long-time support of Miss Paula...I buy her books, magazines, kitchen ware, aprons, foods, et cetera. But even I don't eat the calorie-laden, delicious foods all the time! In Paula's words to Oprah, "I'm your cook, not your Doctor!" Moderation y'all. Moderation. Team Paula Deen. Winning. None of us are perfect y'all and we all make mistakes. She doesn't eat snakes...

BUT, even though I love Paula and LOVE Southern foods, even I wouldn't eat this Krispy Kreme Doughnut Bread Pudding...One of Paula's Top 10 High-Calorie Foods.

Never even tried Paula's Twinkie Pie...another dish on the TOP 10 list...my LAWD!

This is one of her most high-calorie, artery clogging recipes...The Lady's Brunch Burger! LOL {Bacon-doughnut-egg-burger} Please people!

I am excited about the new "Light Dishes" Paula will be creating from her vault of "Best Dishes" recipes! You can tell she has already lightened up some of her recipes in the Jan/Feb issue of "Cooking with Paula Deen." However, I cannot help wondering what will become of the foods she serves at her restaurants...Will they remain the same? 'Cuz let's face it folks, when Southerners go out to eat Southern food, they want the REAL thing. We want our macaroni tres cheesy and our chicken fried just right. I cannot imagine visiting Paula's restaurant at Harrah's in Tunica and going through the buffet line of "Light Dishes." I'm stumped.

When I visited her new site HERE,I was happy to see that he has created a lighter version of "The Lady & Sons Lasagna." Of course, I had to go to the store for the ingredients and made it last night. Her new recipe calls for a LOT LESS ground beef {which I substituted with ground turkey} and all the cheeses I used were no-fat. I LOVED the lasagna!
The Jan/Feb issue of "Cooking with Paula Deen" already includes some "no-guilt" recipes!

I wish Paula the best with her new life and look forward to what she brings to the table next!!!

OH, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAULA DEEN!

Cookie Exchange Cookies--Southern Style!

Today I've been baking cookies for a Cookie Exchange I'm attending tomorrow. The 'Cookie Lady' said "No store bought cookies, No Pillsberry Dough cookies, et cetera...only real homemade cookies!" Lord have mercy! That got me in a real panic! If The Fresh Market doesn't make 'em, I don't usually eat 'em!!!

So, I racked my brain to come up with a 'real cookie.' I have to tell y'all...I'm not really a good baker, so this got me pretty worked up into a tizzy! Anywho...I came up with Red Velvet Cake Cookies. Hmmm, when I saw the recipe from Betty Crocker, I knew it was the cookie for Miss Janice!

Now, I've been baking 9 dozen of these yummy things and I'm dressed very casual...{actually, I look like something the cat drug in}--I'm wearing my stretchy pants, my new red Paula Deen "Hey Y'all" apron, and my house socks! The oven has been on the entire day and I'm exhausted, but the cookies are ready to go!

I started with the baked cookies...then frosted them with cream cheese icing, and topped them off with chopped pecans!
Here are the cute little cookie boxes I got at Michael's...
I added the recipe to the bottom of the box ~ in the Church Lady style!
The Red Velvet Cookies on a bed of white shred, inside the boxes...
Now I have cookies to carry to the Cookie Exchange tomorrow, cookies for friends, and cookies for moi!


Recipe for Red Velvet Cookies:
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon red food coloring
1 egg
3/4 to 1 cup Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy cream cheese frosting
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Stir cookie mix, cocoa, butter, sour cream, food coloring, and egg until soft dough forms.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8-9 minutes or until set. Cool 2 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.

Frost cooled cookies with frosting. Sprinkle with chopped pecans. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

Makes 36 cookies.




Thank you for visiting with me today. Remember that Jesus is the reason for the season!!!

GETTING READY FOR CHRISTMAS!

I've been working in my office all morning...going through my Christmas magazines. I kinda have to lay out my ribbons and other objects to bring it all together. Do y'all do this?
Sippin' my Pumpkin Spice Coffee from The Fresh Market...Although I love the Christmas season, I never want to stop drinking my Pumpkin Spice Coffee. I'll probably still be drinking it when the Easter Bunny gets here!!!

So, thinking about the decorations for Christmas...

There will be some fleur de lis...of course!

My kitchen is decorated in cranberry and that frenchy-mustard color and black. I really don't want to bring in all the popular Christmas colors into the room, so I'm gonna attempt to make it Country French Christmas, using my own colors. After all...there is "Santa in France!"

I'll be using my cheetah ribbon from Ballard Designs, along with magnolia leaves and gold toned-ornaments in the den. I will probably throw some feathers into this mix.

Y'all know I'm big on dots right now and they will play a huge part in the whimsical look I will create for the front porch.

A little tartan will be thrown in for a soiree in December...

Not to forget Thanksgiving...I'm still decorating for that holiday. Southern Living's November magazine is beautifully done. They have a great "Mother/Daughter Style Find" section, some fabulous holiday tablescape ideas, and various seasonal menu ideas.

One of my favorite home magazines, this issue of Romantic Homes does not disappoint. I fell in love with the article written by Andrea Drexelius, "Notes of Christmas Past," featuring a home decorated for the holidays inspired by European customs and tradition. Many great ideas here...

The Victoria "Holiday Bliss" magazine is simply stunning! Great recipes, enchanting trees, timeless decor, and delectable treats!

Being a tea lover, Tea Time magazine has always been a must-buy for me! The recipes and tablescapes in this issue are perfect for the holiday season.

I love Sandra Lee...y'all know I channel her all the time. I guess I "get" her and her matching tablescapes and clothes! I have many turned-down pages in this issue of "Semi-Homemade" and it's stock full of great recipes and ideas for the season.

What can I say about the Christmas edition of my very favorite magazine ever?!!! It is full of great ideas for entertaining and decorating. And...you know what else I love about "Southern Lady magazine...I love the ads...cause they feature great businesses who have great Southern loot for sale!

The cover of the "Southern Lady" edition of "Holidays" says it is "Your Guide for Celebrating in Style!" So true! Again, another great holiday publication from Hoffman Media. Way too many creative ideas to mention!

Another Christmas magazine from Hoffman media...all the pages are turned down in this one also. What would Miss Janice do without Phyllis Hoffman and her publications???...I just love everything she creates!!!

Paula Deen's "Holiday" was another must-buy for me...the recipes and food gift ideas are keepers!

Paula Deen's "Christmas" magazine is one of my favorites this year. There is a section featuring her Savannah home all decked out for the holidays. Again...loads of ideas for Miss Janice!

The "Cooking with Paula Deen" magazine has awesome recipes...as usual. My fave this month--the Squash and Spinach Casserole--yum yumness in a dish!

So, that's what I'm doing all day...organizing and planning for Christmas. I'll be back later in the week with my holiday entertaining planning guide. Y'all have a wonderful week and thank you for visiting with me today!