Nannie Logan’s Cornbread

If you are from the south, then you grew up eating cornbread at almost every meal. I had two grandmothers, Memaw Young and Nannie Logan. They were both excellent cooks and had very different recipes for cornbread. Memaw’s Cornbread is more traditionally southern, more of a “poor man’s bread” with no eggs or flour, just White Lily cornmeal mix and buttermilk. Today I am making Nannie’s cornbread because it is the perfect cornbread for dressing and Thanksgiving is just a few days away. It is almost a cake like consistency and if you like cornbread and biscuits in your dressing, this recipe will allow you to skip the biscuit making.

Cornbread is very controversial and every family has their own recipe. I need to fully disclose- Nannie never measured anything and my mom is one of seven girl in the Logan clan, so with all the grandchildren running around, Nannie didn’t have time for one on one cooking instructions. So after playing around with the proper ingredients, this is the recipe I have come up with that is the most like hers.

Many people like to preheat their skillet with shortening, however nothing is scarier than pulling a screaming hot iron skillet filled with shortening or oil out of a 450 degree oven and trying to fill it with your mixture. I read a food blog a couple of years ago and the girl swore by shortening smeared on a cold skillet. She promised it would fall out of the pan every time. So…I tried it. It works! Also, when I say a COLD cast iron skillet, I mean a skillet right out of the cabinet, not preheated.

Nannie always had a pan of cornbread with a big pot of white half runner green beans. That is the meal I remember most in her house. And I can promise you those were the best green beans I have ever had.

Nannie Logan's Cornbread

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Cornmeal Mix
3/4 cup Rising Flour
1/8 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups milk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, mix all ingredients and pour into a COLD cast iron skillet smeared with shortening. Place in oven for 20-25 minutes.

Christy Young Goza

Canning Pinto Beans

Canning methods can be very controversial, especially in the social media world. My Memaw Young pressure canned everything and my Nannie Logan was terrified of a pressure canner and she water bath canned, so I have experienced on both sides of the coin. There are some really strict Ball Blue Book canners and there are rebel canners. It is a good idea if you are starting out to do some research. I consult the Ball Blue Book quite often. I water bath tomatoes, pickles and fruit (high acid content). I pressure can everything else. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions.

People can for different reasons. Some people can for convenience, some to save money, some to preserve what they have grown all year, some to capture the freshest taste and some so they will know exactly what they are putting into their bodies. I personally check off several of those boxes.

I am a bit of a snob when it comes to jars- I love Ball Mason jars. I have a friend that used Golden Harvest jars last year when jars were in high demand and hard to find. He had a good experience with those. You can expect jars to run $1-$1.50 each. If you find them cheaper, stock up. If you are just starting down the canning path, your money savings will come next year, when you reuse your jars.

I like to use pint jars for dried beans, mainly because there are only two of us in the house now and when there are more here, I can always open up more than one jar. Also, I wanted to share some of these with mom and the pints are more practical for both of us.

I started with 5lbs dried pinto beans. I soaked them in lots of water overnight. This morning, I poured off the water and rinsed them several times.

I washed the jars, rings and lids in very hot, soapy water with a splash of vinegar and rinsed them well. If I have time, I usually run them through the sanitize cycle on the dishwasher, but the dishwasher was full and sometimes life just happens. The lengthy processing time makes the handwashing process doable.

Always remember, put hot water into hot jars into hot pots. Put cold water into cold jars into cold pots. For today, I used room temperature jars/ room temp water/unheated pot. You absolutely could use the hot jar/ hot water/ hot pot method.

I placed 1 heaping cup of soaked pintos into each pint jar, this should fill the jar 2/3 full. I also added 1 tbsp chopped onions, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp canning salt to each jar and then filled the jar with hot water leaving 1 inch headspace. You can add anything you like, these are your beans. You can add bacon, chicken stock, vegetable stock, chili powder, cumin and the list goes on and on. Keep in mind whatever you place in the jar, the taste will be magnified during processing.

Take a butter knife, skewer or the end of a spoon and move the pinto around, removing any air pockets that may be in the jar. Amazon actually has a “canning kit” that includes a bubble remover and lots of other useful tools that you didn’t know you needed.

Take a clean paper towel and place a splash of vinegar on it and rub the rim of all the jars, this cleans and primes the rims for sealing.

Gently place on the lid and screw on the ring fingertip tight.

I have a Presto canner I purchased from a nearby hardware store. Be sure and read and follow the directions of your canner. I placed 3 quarts of water in my canner, placed the rack on the bottom, added a splash of vinegar and placed my pints carefully onto the rack. I placed another rack on top of those pints and placed another layer of pints on top. I securely closed the lid and turned the burner on high.

When the water begins to boil, steam will begin to come out of the “spout” on the lid. After there has been a steady stream of steam for 10 minutes, you can place your pressure gadget onto the spout. This will close the opening and allow the steam to build, creating pressure. I am located in Tennessee and the proper pressure weight for my area is 10lbs of pressure. After the pressure builds, your gauge will begin to climb. When it reaches 10 lbs you will need to lower the heat to keep it at a steady 10lbs. For pints, set the timer for 75 minutes. For quarts, set the timer for 90 minutes.

After the allotted time is up, turn the burner off and allow the pressure canner to do a “natural release”. This will take 30 minutes or more. Remember to always open the lid away from your face, as there will still be steam released.

Carefully remove the jars, set them on a towel, on the counter. Soon you will begin to hear to lids “ping”. This is the sound of the lid sealing. After a couple of hours, check the lids to make certain they all sealed. Any that did not seal, use immediately. After 24 hours, you may move them to your canning shelves or where ever you plan on storing them.

5lbs of dry pinto beans yielded 30 pints.

Christy Young Goza

Canning Tomatoes

I grew up with a huge garden at my Memaw’s house, probably close to a full acre garden. Summer weekends were spent harvesting vegetables and preserving for year round use. We sat on the front porch breaking beans, topping strawberries, hulling peas and cutting okra. We couldn’t all fit in the kitchen, and with the canner going on the stove, it was hotter inside than out. Papaw Young wouldn’t let you turn the air conditioner on until the sun went down. That was a rule. So the front porch was where we all wanted to be.

I can remember many things about those days- except the actually canning. Memaw was always afraid the canner would blow up on me, so when the canning started, I was exiled back out to the porch. So I have always been terrified of a pressure cooker, until recently. The good news is you don’t need a pressure canner for tomatoes!

I have vowed to learn or remember all the ins and outs of preserving. It is amazing the memories that have come back to me over the last few weekends in the kitchen. Before we get into the actual canning of tomatoes, I need to share an old wives tale, which my entire family 100% believes- if a female is having her monthly period and is in the kitchen during the canning process, the tomatoes will not seal properly. I learned this the hard way when I was 15 years old, when my Memaw asked everyone in the kitchen if anyone was on their period, just to double check. I didn’t say anything…mom glared at me… and I said “me”, and I was banished from the house. I can promise you every tomato canning season from there on out, I said I was having my period, whether I was or not.

For beginners, you need to know there is a canning bible, it is actually the Ball Blue Book of Preserving/Canning. There are many updated publishings of it over the years and it contains lots of valuable info. In an effort of full disclosure, please know I have read three versions recently, dug out all my Memaw’s canning recipes, had a crash course of canning with my friend, Michael Poore, and watched hundreds of TikTok videos. In the last three weeks I have canned 58 quarts of green beans, 24 quarts of tomatoes, 28 pints of spicy bread and butter pickles and 12 pints of dill pickles. I am not an expert. I do not know everything there is about canning. But I would love to share what I know.

There is only one rule you need to know- You can’t put cold things in hot jars and vice versa. You can’t put cold jars in hot water and vice versa. Cold goes with cold. Hot goes with hot. I know this sounds like 6th grade science, but I promise you, I tested this a few days ago…it didn’t go well.

You will need supplies. I have two large dishpans, a water bath quart canner (it is not my Memaw’s, but it looks exactly like the one she had- black enamel with white specks). I also purchased a canning kit from Amazon that had a canning funnel, magnetic lid pick up stick, and several other things that have been extremely useful. And of course there are lots of canning books on the market. You will also need jars. When you purchase jars, they come with a lid and a ring. The jars and rings are reusable. The lids are recommended for one time use. So go ahead and buy some extra lids when you find them. I prefer Ball, Kerr or Golden Harvest jars. I have ran across some other brands that are less expensive but they also seem thinner.

Now, to the tomatoes. You want really ripe tomatoes. I picked up two boxes this weekend at the Delano Market. The slicing tomatoes (pretty tomatoes) were $20 a box. The canning tomatoes (not so pretty and not uniform in size) were $10 a box. You can yield around 12 quarts of tomatoes from a box. If the tomatoes are not really ripe, you can bring them home and set them on the counter for a few days to reach their peak.

The acid content in tomatoes is high, so you have your choice between several methods:

You can put your semi cooled tomatoes in the jars, put the lid on and water bath for 20 minutes.
You can put your boiling tomatoes in jars right out of boiling water, put the lid on and done (Michael Poore’s method).
You can put your semi cooled tomatoes in the jars, put the lid on and water bath for 40 minutes (canning bible method).

Due to the high acid content, pressure canning is not needed.

There are many controversies around canning. I am going to tell you what I do. And you do what you want to do.

Controversy #1: Sterilizing vs. Sanitizing. Some people sterilize their jars (submerge and boil them for several minutes). Some people sanitize their jars (dishwasher on sanitize cycle). When I do tomatoes, I sterilize the jars, because I want them extremely hot when I put the tomatoes in the jar to accomplish method #2. So I take the jar right out of the hot water and fill them.

Controversy #2: With the many varieties of tomatoes today, and the many different acid levels, the canning bible recommends adding citric acid or lemon juice to each jar. I don’t know if I buy into that theory, however just in case, I add 1 tsp of red wine vinegar into each jar. Red wine vinegar is fabulous with tomatoes and it couldn’t hurt.

Here are the steps I take to can crushed tomatoes in quart jars:

Wash the tomatoes. I dumped a box into the sink and filled it with water. You can even put a splash of vinegar in the water if you want them squeaky clean. Drain the water in the sink and then place the stopper back into sink. Leave the tomatoes in the sink.
Cut an X on the bottom of each tomato.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Pour the boiling water over the tomatoes in the sink and let them set for 5-15 minutes until the skin begins to peel off of the tomato.
Peel the tomatoes, core the tomatoes and cut into quarters, wedges, chunks, however you would like them.
Place jars into the water bath canner and fill with water, bring to a boil (if you have had water, add a splash of vinegar).
Place tomatoes in a large pot and cook on medium heat for 15-20 minutes, skimming the “tomato foam” from the top and discarding. Stir often.
Place your lids in a small pot of water to boil.
You can begin to can the tomatoes at this point, or you can use an immersion blender to make crusted tomatoes, or tomato sauce.
Remove hot jar from the water bath canner. Insert the canning funnel into the hot jar, scoop the tomatoes into the jar, leaving approximately 1 inch of head space at the top of the jar.
Take a paper towel and place a splash of white distilled vinegar on the towel. Wipe the top of the jar clean.
Add 1 tsp canning salt or kosher salt. Just make sure your salt does not contain iodine.
Add 1 tsp red wine vinegar (optional).
Add your warm lid, add your ring and use your fingers to tighten, not your whole hand. This is referred to as “finger tight”.
Set the completed jar to the side and do not move or touch for 12-24 hours. You will hear them pop and seal.
You can press the top of each lid the next day to make sure they have sealed. If for some reason, you have a can that did not seal, store it in the fridge and use the contents in the next couple of days.
If you find the tomatoes and the juice separate in the jar, just tip the jar upside down and back up. This will mix the contents back up and it will usually stay mixed.

Store your canned tomatoes, in a cool, dark place. I have a finished basement, and I have some large shelves there that are perfect for storage.

I hope you enjoy canning as much as I have. I love knowing exactly what is in the food I am serving myself and my family.

Christy Young Goza

Potato Soup

When I first began cooking, my potato soup consisted of boiling a potato and onions and mashing them and adding salt and pepper. I have come along way since then. The one thing you need to know about me is that I have never met a potato I did not like. The second thing you need to know is I hate peeling potatoes and I make it a point to never peel one. Therefore, in all my recipes you will note I use Yukon Gold potatoes. They have a thin skin, so thin that many times the skin just disappears.

There are times, especially on a cold, rainy day, that I just need a good bowl of soup. It has rained for the last three days and this is my second batch of soup for the week.

Many people use a roux to thicken their soup. I have a bit of a gluten sensitivity, so I always thicken things with a cornstarch slurry. I have to admit, a cornstarch slurry has saved my life many times. It is an instant thickener to ANYTHING.

If you make homemade chicken stock, this is a great time to use it. My chicken stock is heavy on the celery and it goes so well in this soup. Please use freshly ground black pepper. It does make a difference.

If you have a dairy sensitivity, you can easily substitute the milk for a plant or protein based milk or use more stock. For a vegetarian version, you could easily substitute the chicken stock for vegetable stock.

This soup makes a perfect little drop off gift for someone under the weather. I keep containers on hand just for food giving.

Tonight, I made a big pan of Memaw’s Cornbread in my cast iron skillet and it was the perfect side.

Potato Soup

This is old school potato soup- no cheese, no bacon, just wonderful, buttery potatoes.

Ingredients

5-6 Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp butter
2 cups milk
64 ounces chicken stock
Cornstarch slurry (2 tbsp cornstarch, mixed with 2 tbsp cold water)

Directions

In a large pot, toss in butter and garlic for 1 minute. Add celery, onions, carrots and stir for 3-4 minutes. Add potatoes and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer and cover for about an hour. Remove the lid and press a potato masher through the soup many times (10-15 times). Pour in the milk and stir. Add cornstarch slurry. Add salt to taste and lots of freshly ground black pepper.

Make this recipe your own. Use bacon drippings instead of butter. Add crushed red pepper for extra heat. Top with bacon, cheese, jalapeno slices. A splash of apple cider vinegar at the end is amazing. For a twist, add fresh herbs: Oregano, thyme or a bit of rosemary.

Christy Young Goza

Slow Cooker Ham

Last year on Thanksgiving Eve, my husband casually said, “a ham would be good, too for Thanksgiving dinner”. While I am certain that no one at my house fully understands the planning and prep time that occurs for this feast, I thought about it and decided, okay, we can add ham to the menu. And full disclaimer- I do love a good ham.

So I ran to the store, purchased a ham, not even a fancy one- just a store name, cheapest they had, spiral cut ham.

All hams are precooked. So essentially, you don’t need to cook it to death. You just need to warm it and keep the moisture in. My favorite is a huge, old fashioned picnic ham that just pulls apart when you try to slice it. But on this particular day, there was no time for that and the main course and star of the show was the turkey I had been brining and babysitting for two days…

Thanksgiving morning, I took the packaging off the ham and threw it cut side down into my large, oval slow cooker. And with everything I had going on, I honestly didn’t give a second thought to this ham. It had a glaze packet with it and I mixed it with some water (per the packet direction) and poured over it. And yes, I know, you can mix honey, brown sugar and dijon mustard together and make a wonderful glaze, but honestly, I can’t stress enough about how much I did not care about this ham.

After 4-5 hours on low, I took the cover off to find a watery, sweet smelling, clove infused concoction in the bottom of the slow cooker. I removed the ham and sliced it up on the platter, again, not caring about it. I dumped the watery concoction into a sauce pan, turn the burner on high and try to reduce it. I was sure I could make a sugary, real glaze out of the watery stuff.

It never really reduced, it was still just watery stuff. So I made a cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp cornstarch, mixed with 1 tbsp cold water) and dumped it into the saucepan. Then the magic happened…there was some type of chemical reaction, a puff of caramel looking stuff came up out of the pan, I jerked it off the burner and thought I was in real trouble. But what transformed was some type of wonderful, thick, sugary, glaze/sauce and I poured it over the ham on the platter.

It was THE BEST HAM I HAVE EVER MADE.

Am I going to recreate it for Easter? Of course, I am! We are doing family Easter Dinner on Saturday night (we do it when we can), so this week I am planning the menu and in addition to the ham we will have roasted carrots, deviled eggs, potato salad, cheesy mashed potatoes, baked beans and a carrot cake trifle.

For the carrot cake trifle, I use my old faithful Trifle Recipe and in place of the vanilla pudding I use cheesecake pudding, and in place of angel food cake I use carrot cake (box mix). I love a trifle because it is best made ahead and that works out well for planning.

For the potato salad, it is not often that someone’s recipe permanently changes the way I do things, but I found a potato salad recipe a few years ago that was very similar to mine- except instead of pickles, they added vinegar to the warm potatoes and let it soak in. I am telling you, it is a game changer. And I will never chop pickles again! Foodiecrush’s Best Potato Salad recipe is wonderful and you should try it.

And the best thing about ham…that leftovers that will transformed into White Bean Soup later in the week.

As for the pairing, I think you always have to have sweet tea with ham. And in addition, of course we will have a bottle of white and red open. I am leaning toward Mer Soleil Silver Chardonnay. It is a great Wagner wine, unoaked, smooth and crisp, just like spring. And the Mer Soleil Reserve Pinot Noir will be a good match for dinner, with hints of cherry and vanilla. These run under $25 a bottle and they are excellent quality wines. Fingers crossed my local store has them in stock. Cheers!

Slow Cooker Ham

One of the best hams I have ever made.

Ingredients

4-7 lb ham (I used spiral, but any half ham would work)

GLAZE
1-2 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp dijon mustard
You may use water to thin out the glaze.
You may add clove and/or cinnamon
(You can also use the glaze packet that came with the ham. No judgement here.)

CORNSTARCH SLURRY
1-2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp cold water

Directions

In a large oval slow cooker, place the ham cut side down. Pour over glaze and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Remove ham and place on a serving platter. Pour the remaining liquid into a saucepan and boil on medium high to reduce for a few minutes. Turn the heat down to low, and add the cornstarch slurry. Pour the mixture over the ham. Any remaining glaze just pour in a bowl and serve on the side.

Make this recipe your own. Play with the glaze. Add orange juice, pineapple juice, cloves and or cinnamon.

Christy Young Goza

Chicken Soup

Yesterday afternoon my throat started getting a little scratchy and by last night I was feeling pretty rough. This morning I’m rallying but still not 100 percent and it’s very cloudy outside. I cleaned out the fridge this morning in an effort to make a grocery list and there was a bag of celery and carrots that were still edible, but looking a little sad. And that is when I decided today was a good day to make chicken soup.

I love making soups, because I feel like the recipes are just suggestions. Things are so easy to substitute and soups are a great way to clean out the fridge. I also had a quart of homemade chicken stock in the fridge I decided to throw in, which I normally do not do with this recipe, so I am excited about the extra richness it will hopefully add. And if not, no harm, no foul. I do not have fresh parsley, so I am leaving it out today. You may notice something leafy and chopped, but that is the ends of my celery and it is my very favorite part, so please use it. I also did not have red bell pepper, but I did have yellow and orange mini peppers, so I threw those in as well.

You will need a very large pot. I have a large old enamel cast iron pot I have had for many years that is perfect for this soup. I keep dreaming of those pricey French pots…maybe one day! **Full disclosure- this pot was not big enough to cover completely with water. So after I deboned the chicken I put an additional quart of water in the pot.

Keep the vegetable peelings, ends or scraps and place them all in a freezer bag for homemade stock. After you debone the chicken, place the bones in the bag as well. There is nothing better than homemade chicken stock.

You can easily omit the pasta or substitute it with rice. You may want to cook the pasta separately and serve the soup over the pasta. It is your soup, customize it with what you like. If you plan on freezing the soup, keep the pasta separate.

Lastly, this soup calls for freshly ground black pepper. Please throw the ground black pepper in your cabinet away. It is not anything remotely similar to freshly ground black pepper. And if you love it as much as me, find a good battery powered pepper grinder. It is a wonderful invention.

We paired this with a 2019 Volunteer Chardonnay from Miller Family Wine Company. It is dry, with just a touch of sweetness and very well balanced. My trusty Vivino App rates this a 4.2, which is high accolades for a white. It has a warm hint of vanilla and the clean taste of pear which goes beautifully with just about anything, especially this soup. We scored 3 bottles at Grape Escape last week, a local fundraiser for the Museum Center at 5ive Points created by my friends, Kathy and Carl Rohsenberger. A very special thank you to my friend, Lucy Rymer who was the actual auction winner and allowed me to split it with her. Now that is a good friend!

Chicken Soup

This pot of soup is a soul warming concoction that feels and tastes comforting.

Ingredients

1 4-5lb whole chicken
3 carrots, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
2 red bell peppers, diced
2 medium potatoes, diced
1 onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2lb small pasta (small rings, ditalini, etc.)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a large pot, toss in everything except the pasta. and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hours. Remove the chicken, debone and return the chicken to the pot. Toss in the pasta and finishing cooking until the pasta is cooked through. Add salt to taste and lots of freshly ground black pepper.

Make this recipe your own. If you don’t have fresh parsley, skip it. Substitute rice for the pasta. Add in lots more crushed red pepper for extra heat. Add in some extra richness by adding in broth instead of water. A touch of lemon juice would be amazing in the soup.

Christy Young Goza

Memaw’s Cornbread

If you are from the south, then you grew up eating cornbread at almost every meal. I had two grandmothers Memaw Young and Nannie Logan. They were both excellent cooks and had very different recipes for cornbread. Memaw’s is more traditionally southern, more of a “poor man’s bread” with no eggs or flour, just White Lily cornmeal mix and buttermilk. Today I am cooking Memaw’s cornbread, but I promise you there is room on your table for both. Tonight’s menu was fried potatoes and pinto beans and Memaw’s cornbread is the perfect side for this dinner. I will showcase Nannie’s cornbread in the near future, I promise!

Cornbread is very controversial and every family has their own recipe. I need to fully disclose- I have changed Memaw’s original recipe. Here is the change: she always heated shortening up in her oven in a cast iron skillet, while she was preheating it. I have also done this many times. I have burned myself repeatedly and a few times seriously (try pulling a heavy skillet of scalding shortening out of a 450 degree oven). And here is the thing- sometimes it would fall right out of the pan and sometimes it would stick. So I read a food blog a couple of years ago and the girl swore by shortening smeared on a cold skillet. She promised it would fall out of the pan every time. So…I tried it. Can you believe, it falls out of that dang pan every, single time. Side note: when I say a COLD cast iron skillet, I mean a skillet right out of the cabinet, not preheated.

I have fond memories of the menu tonight.- it was my dad’s favorite meal, and my Papaw Young’s favorite meal, and it is Jay’s favorite meal, too. When we sat down to eat, Jay said, “This was Dado’s favorite meal”. Dado is Jay’s dad and he did love to eat, especially good southern food. I was so nervous meeting him for the first time. Jay told me his favorite meal: pinto beans, fried potatoes, fried okra and cornbread. So of course, I cooked exactly that for him that night. Whoever said the way to man’s heart was through his stomach was referring to Dado.

I have never had wine with cornbread and I am not going to start now. An ice cold glass of tea is the perfect pairing. Of course these days, I take a lot less sugar in mine. The best thing about cooking Memaw’s Cornbread? I get to cook it in her cast iron skillet. You can see from the picture the years of use from this treasure. And one day soon, I will get to pass it on to Logan. I am excited to see the recipes she makes in it.

Memaw's Cornbread

Two ingredients and a cast iron skillet.

Ingredients

2 cups White Lily Cornmeal Mix
2 cups buttermilk (this is approximate, you need a thick cake like batter)
1 tbsp shortening

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, In a bowl, mix the buttermilk and cornmeal mix and pour into a COLD cast iron skillet smeared with shortening. Place in oven for 20-25 minutes.

I have always made this in a cast iron skillet so I would highly suggest one!

Christy Young Goza

Beef Stew

This beef stew is a wonderful pot of goodness that feels like home. There is nothing fancy about it, but it gives back the love you put into it. Since I like to cook stews for 2-3 hours, they are perfect for a Sunday afternoon and leftovers are a blessing on Monday. Sometimes the most difficult decisions of the week are what to have for dinner. Usually what I choose to cook comes from what I have on hand and how much time I have to invest- and of course, how many are coming for dinner. For this beef stew, I had all the ingredients on hand except for the meat, which I purchased yesterday. Also, I know I am getting old because after I saw the price for 2.5 pounds of stew meat, I considered being a vegetarian, yikes! So, here is how I decided on beef stew. I had some potatoes that were looking a little sad, I also had fresh carrots, celery and onions (I always have these on hand) and I also had some mushrooms that I meant to cook earlier in the week that REALLY needed to be cooked. Oh, and I had some leftover red wine- what are the chances of that? After weighing all the info, beef stew it was.

To me, the best part of the stew is the gravy/sauce and the best way to get great flavor is to layer in the goodness. I started with bacon grease (yes, you can use olive oil), then tossed the meat with flour and browned to perfection. Added onions, celery, garlic and tomato paste, then poured in the wine and scrapped all the goodness from the bottom of the pot. Added the broth, rosemary, potatoes and carrots and cooked for 2-3 hours.

Depending on how you were raised, you may like your beef stew thin or you may like it thicker. I am the latter. So at the end, I wanted my stew a little thicker so I whipped up a cornstarch slurry (cold water and cornstarch) and tossed it into the large pot. It is an instant thickener and has saved my life many times.

So, we paired this with the same wine we tossed in, Leese-Fitch 2018 Merlot. In all transparency, this wine was brought to my house Thursday night when we had a few friends over. There is nothing better than having friends that bring wine to your house. Trust me on this! Don’t roll your eyes at Merlot, I know, you may think it is so 2001, but hear me out…I think it’s making a comeback. Merlots are fabulous, not as bold as a cab, not as mild as a pinot, and actually I have never met a Merlot that I didn’t like. Vivino rates this one 3.6, and I would rate it a little higher than that. It is soft like a Merlot, but definitely has some “cabby” notes.

Beef Stew

A wonderful pot of goodness that feels like home.

Ingredients

2 tbsp oil of your choice. If you have bacon grease, it is a great addition.
2.5 lbs beef stew meat (you can also cut up a chuck roast for stew)
1/2 cup flour
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup red wine
4 cups beef broth
2 small containers of mushrooms, sliced
4 potatoes, larger dice
3 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 onion, sliced
4-5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
If you would like it thicker, add a cornstarch slurry.

Directions

In a bowl, toss the meat with the flour. Brown in oil, remove from pot. Toss in onions, celery and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add wine and scrape bits from the bottom of the pan, add the broth. Toss in the carrots, potatoes, mushrooms and sprig of rosemary, cover and turn heat to low for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. You could also place the covered pot in the oven on 275 degrees for 2-3 hours.

Make this recipe your own. Add in some heat with crushed red pepper, toss in some frozen peas toward the end, or even substitute lamb for the beef. If you don’t have any wine, skip it. If you have a bag of frozen tiny onions you would like to add, toss them in. There are no wrong additions or substitutes.

Christy Young Goza

Mashed Potatoes with Rosemary Butter

Creamy, buttery mashed potatoes…absolute perfection. Some may say it is silly to write this recipe, but I love taking something so simple and perfecting it or making it even better. One thing about mashed potatoes- they come from the heart. Let your heart lead you with the amount of butter and extras.

The short version: boil potatoes, mash, add butter, cream and salt. But let’s step back and start from the beginning.

Potatoes: You have many choices. My personal preference is Yukon Gold because they are creamy on their own and they have thin skins. I am also a fan of red skinned potatoes. They are a little more waxy, but will yield a nice consistency-and they have thin skins.

Peeling: Most people peel the potatoes. I actually detest peeling potatoes and that is one of the reasons I love the thin skinned varieties, the peeling incorporates well. In addition, everyone knows right away they are REAL potatoes. Also, things aren’t fancy at my house, a rustic mash is just fine.

Boiling: You will need a large pot and water. What you add next depends on your preferences. I usually add salt and 4-5 garlic cloves in my boiling water. It is not necessary, but I love the garlic mashed with the potatoes. Scrub the potatoes, cut into medium chunks and toss into the pot with water and anything else you choose. Boil until tender.

Draining: The potatoes need to be drained, and drained again. Water is your enemy at this point. After draining, I throw everything back in the pot I cooked in because it is still warm and mash away.

Mashing: If you want the silkiest, smoothest mash, you will need to use a ricer. I have a ricer that is decades old- I have never used it. Again, I don’t like to peel potatoes and I like my mash a little more rustic, so I use a regular potato masher. There are some definite no’s when it comes to mashing- no blenders, no mixers, no food processors. These appliances will turn your mash into glue very quickly.

Extras: What you have now is a blank slate so be creative. My daughter, Logan, loves “cheesy mashed potatoes” and they contain cream cheese, butter, sour cream, chives, garlic and cheddar cheese. I have to make these for her at least twice a year. On a normal night, I add in sour cream and salted butter and if needed, a splash of cream, half and half or milk (basically whatever I have on hand). Tonight we have some family coming for dinner so I am making a big batch of mash and I am going melt butter in a small pot and simmer for a few minutes with fresh rosemary. I will remove the rosemary and toss in the melted butter.

Salt and Pepper: Taste the mash and add salt as needed. I also love to top with freshly ground black pepper. And maybe a little pat of butter.

Container: I love to serve mashed potatoes in pottery or ceramic bowl. You can pour hot water into the bowl to heat it prior to adding the mash. Then add the mash. It stays warmer longer using this method.

Some may say a side shouldn’t determine the wine, however in this case I might disagree. This decadent, buttery mash would go wonderfully with a heavy, cab. A great, affordable cab is The Federalist from 2Sons Winery which is owned by the Terlato family. Be sure and open this cab 30 minutes to 1 hour prior to serving. And if you have a decanter on hand, I would highly recommend it. Bold reds need to breathe and it does enhance the flavor making it much smoother.

Mashed Potatoes

Smooth, creamy, buttery goodness...absolute perfection.

Ingredients

3lbs Yukon Gold potatoes
4-5 garlic cloves
1 stick of butter, melted
1-2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 cup sour cream
1/2-1 cup of dairy (cream, half and half or milk)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Wash the potatoes and cut into medium chunks. Place potatoes and garlic in a large pot and cover with water. Boil until tender. Drain well. Mash. Melt the butter and simmer with the rosemary for a few minutes. Add all the ingredients and continue to mash.

Make this recipe your own. Add your favorites , the combinations are endless. The rosemary butter is also fabulous on a steak.

Christy Young Goza

Carnitas (Pork Tacos)

These carnitas are fall apart tender and cook in the slow cooker. The taco garnishments are all your choice. My crew likes fresh jalapenos, sour cream, onions, cilantro, salsa and limes. One thing that is a must when I serve carnitas is fresh lime wedges. There is something about the fatty pork with the acidic lime that makes an absolutely perfect bite.

This pork can also be used for nachos, enchiladas, burritos-basically, anything that you can imagine. If we have leftovers, I may fry an egg in the morning and place on top of some pork for breakfast. You would be surprised at the things I have placed a fried egg on.

I had full intentions of making some fresh guacamole, but the grocery store didn’t cooperate. I had left over pinto beans from a couple of nights ago that I smashed a few times with a potato masher, threw a couple of tablespoons of salsa into and heated them up. I have a gluten sensitivity, so I had corn tortillas for me and flour tortillas for the rest of the family.

Here is the best part: I purchased a huge pork butt at the local grocery store last night. This morning, I pulled it out of the fridge, trimmed off a lot of the fat, cut into large chunks, coated the pieces with taco seasoning and threw into my large slow cooker and placed on low. That was at 8am. When I arrived home at 5pm, the entire house smelled wonderful and it only took me a few minutes to grab all the fixings.

This particular cut of pork is fatty. Before serving, I skimmed 4 cups of fat from the top of the meat. Then I took tongs and just broke up the large chunks and served it right out of the slow cooker. The pork literally fell apart. This cut is also inexpensive, I spent $15 on this large pork butt and will use it for at least 2-3 meals this weekend.

If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can cook it in your oven, covered, at 225 degrees for 8 hours.

Carnitas (Pork Tacos)

These carnitas are fall apart tender and cook in the slow cooker.

Ingredients

1 pork butt or shoulder
1/4 cup taco seasoning of your choice

Directions

Trim the fat from the pork and cut into large chunks. Sprinkle with the seasoning and place in a large slow cooker on low. Drain most of the fat from the crock pot with a measuring cup. Break up the meat chunks with tongs and serve.

Make this recipe your own. Add your favorite garnishments. Or go in an entirely different direction and omit the taco seasoning and add Asian components- sesame oil, teriyaki, soy and/or ginger.