Low Country Boil

 

Yesterday we invited some friends over for a very informal Sunday supper.  If you think you can't cook, don't like to cook, or are usually asked to bring drinks and ice to any gathering, this is what you need to serve your friends and gain a whole new level of respect!

You can make a huge pot, a generous serving portion, or low country boil for for 2 or 3!  It's all about what ingredients you like and how many you're feeding.  I'm going to share what I used and what amounts and you can adapt to your next gathering.

First of all you're going to need something to season that water to get things going.  Zatarain's has a liquid version and a packaged seasoning that's in a mesh bag.  Either way, you add it to your water and get that to boiling.

Yes, you can prepare this outdoors over an open flame cooker, or in the house on the stovetop like I did with a 9 1/2 quart Dutch oven.

I filled it about 1/3 full of water and seasoned with the mesh bag of Zatarain's spices.  I added two whole lemons that I quartered, two onions that I quartered, and three whole heads of garlic that I peeled and halved lengthwise.

Just because I wanted to, I added about a teaspoon of the liquid seasoning and 1 T. of the dry Creole seasoning.  I let this boil for a few minutes. 

You'll need to add the ingredients in order of how long it will take them to cook.  Longer cooking items obviously needs to go in first.

So, into the pot went the potatoes.  I used two pounds of multi colored small potatoes that I washed and scrubbed clean.

After 4 minutes, I added the corn.  I had 4 ears of corn, silks removed, and broken in half.

After a few minutes of cooking, the baby carrots went into the hot pot!

Now, for the major showstoppers!  Two pounds of hickory smoked Conecuh sausage, sliced into 2-inch pieces went into the boil!

If you need to reduce the heat at this point, do so.  I set mine on medium and let everything simmer for about 15-18 minutes.  When the potatoes, corn, and carrots are all knife tender, it's time for the shrimp!

I had two pounds of Gulf shrimp in the freezer that I thawed, peeled, and deveined.  

Cut the heat off, add the shrimp, give everything a stir, and place the lid on the pot.

Let everything remain in the hot liquid for 10-15 minutes.  

You can either drain (carefully!!) or use a spiral strainer, like the one pictured below, to remove all that goodness from the pot to a large serving platter.

 

Serve with lemon wedges, all your favorite hot sauces, cocktail sauce, remoulade sauce, and drawn butter if you'd like!

Doesn't that look delicious??

French Toast with Strawberries

 

We woke to thunderstorms moving through the area this morning.  Grabbing a quick bite and heading out to our daily walk wasn't going to happen early today, so I decided I'd take time to make us a small batch of French toast.

Yes, it would have been better with thicker cut bread or brioche.  But this was a spur of the moment decision so plain old loaf bread it is!

This batch made five pieces of French toast.  

In a shallow plate or bowl (I used an aluminum pie pan), whisk together 1/3 heavy cream, 2 eggs, 2 t. sugar, 2 t. cinnamon, 1 t. vanilla.  

Heat a small pat of butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.  When it bubbles, quickly dip one piece of bread in the egg/cream mixture and coat both side of the bread.  Place it in the skillet and let it cook for a minute or so, adjusting the heat if needed.  Flip and let the other side brown.  Remove from skillet to a plate and continue with the other pieces of bread.

Plate and top with syrup, powdered sugar, and sliced strawberries!

Eagle Brand Milk Pound Cake (with almond glaze)

Sweet Harold sent me the recipe for this decadent pound cake last week.  He only had a screen shot of a typewritten recipe, so I can't give credit for the source.  However, I did change the vanilla flavoring for almond extract.  If you want to use vanilla instead, it's perfectly fine with me!

4 sticks butter, unsalted, softened

2 cups sugar

6 large eggs, room temperature

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 can Eagle Brand condensed milk (14 oz.)

1/2 t. pure almond extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Grease a 10 cup tube pan with shortening and coat with flour, shaking out excess flour.  Set aside.

Using a large stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

On low speed, add the eggs one at a time, just until the yellow is incorporated.

On low speed, add 1 cup of the flour and let mix in completely.  Then add 1/2 of the milk.  When it's mixed in, add another cup of the flour, followed by the remaining milk.  Add the remaining cup of flour and make sure everything is incorporated.  Stop mixer and scrape down sides and bottom of mixing bowl with a spatula to get all ingredients combined.

On low speed, add in the almond extract.

Pour/spoon batter into prepared pan.  Tap pan lightly on counter top a few times to remove any air bubbles.

Place in oven and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes.  Check with a cake tester to see if cake is baked through.  If any wet batter remains on the tester, continue baking at 5 minute intervals, until the tester comes out clean.

I had to bake for an addition 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack in the pan.  Let rest for 15 minutes.

Remove cake from pan and let it cool on the rack until completely cool to the touch.

At this point, you have a perfectly delicious and enjoyable pound cake.  Pour yourself a glass of milk or brew a cup of coffee and enjoy!

But.....if you want to really make it special, make a powdered sugar almond flavored glaze!

You'll need:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 - 2 T. heavy cream

2 t. pure almond extract

Whisk these ingredients together until the glaze is smooth.  You may need more or less heavy cream or milk to get the consistency you like.  If 2 t. of almond is too much for your taste, cut it back to 1 t.  I love it, so 2 t. is was!

Drizzle glaze over top of the cake so that it runs down the sides and into the middle.

Isn't that beautiful?

Again, now you have a perfectly gorgeous cake to serve to family and friends.....but if you want to go a little bit more over the top....add some sliced strawberries!

Trust me, you're going to love this one!

2025 Alabama BBQ Tour: Jefferson County - Bob Sykes BBQ, Bessemer, Alabama

 

Yesterday we traveled down to Jefferson County to Bessemer.  Bessemer is located in Jefferson County which was founded in 1819.  The county's rich mineral deposits, particularly iron ore, coal, and limestone, fueled its industrial growth. The Geological Survey of Alabama in 1848 identified the area that would become the Birmingham District as having the mineral resources necessary to make iron.  Bessemer, Alabama, founded in 1887 by Henry DeBardeleben, grew rapidly as a steelmaking center, earning it the nickname "The Marvel City," and was named after Sir Henry Bessemer, the inventor of the steel-making process.

Now that we have our geographical history lesson completed, we'll move on the culinary history of this restaurant.  Bob Sykes Bar B Q is a family owned local tradition since 1957. Founders Bob and Maxine Sykes opened an ice cream and hamburger stand in Central Park area of Birmingham, Alabama.  The third generation of family oversees and cooks in the restaurant today.

The restaurant is a member of the Alabama BBQ Hall of Fame.

Upon entering the restaurant, the very first thing you notice is the aroma of meat cooking over an open pit.

You'll need to get in line and order at the counter....

This photo was taken after the rush that hit just as we arrived.  While we ordered all of the registers were open and employees were taking orders.  Diners were lined 6 and 7 deep at each register.  

After ordering, you'll need to find a table, fill your own beverage, and grab some plasticware to eat.

Sweet Harold continued his search for the perfect smoked chicken in Alabama!  He ordered the 1/2 smoked chicken plate with onion rings and baked beans.

Granted, the chicken appears to be a little disjointed.  Literally.  Instead of the usual 1/2 chicken placed on the plate, their version is cut into four pieces:  wing, drumstick, thigh, breast.  

In his opinion, the dark meat was superb.  It was juicy, seasoned nicely, and with a great smoky flavor.  The white meat portion was not quite as juicy, which is to be expected, but he enjoyed it nonetheless.

The baked beans had a nice flavor with a sprinkling of onions and peppers, but no additional pork had been added.

The onion rings were thick sliced and had a thick, but crunchy, batter.  If you enjoy thin and crispy onion rings over this version, choose another side.  If you like the thick "heavy duty" onion rings, you'll love these.

Now my turn.  I want to continue my quest for the perfect "pulled pork."  I ordered the pork plate with macaroni and cheese and fried okra.

Let's dive in to this plate.  Sauce on the side is a plus because too much makes a soggy mess and what if I'm not a fan of the sauce?  

Consistency of the sauce was thin, tomato based with a hint of vinegar, and touch of heat on the end.  It was a nice sauce.

The pork was not pulled but chopped.  Unfortunately, it had been chopped for a little too long for my liking.  It was beginning to dry out and the sauce couldn't save that chewy texture.  There was also a quarter sized piece of bone mixed in with the meat.  I know things like that can happen, but I'm thankful I didn't bite down on that.  

As you can tell, this a very generous serving size.  I'm disappointed to say I was disappointed in the pork.  It wasn't that it was bad, it just didn't impress me.  I was expecting this pork to be a major contender in my search for the State's best smoked pork.  I'm sure there are those who love this type and would argue with me about the texture/moisture content, etc., but it didn't do it for me.

The fried okra (for a frozen and then fried version of okra) was delicious!  Served extra hot and crispy, this was a delicious side.

Here is my meal's redemption!  The macaroni and cheese.  This is EVERYTHING you want a mac and cheese to be.  Baked, cheesy, a browned cheese top......stringy with cheesy goodness.

Look at this!

Admit it, you know exactly what this tastes like just be looking, don't you??  This is a Southern Grandmama macaroni and cheese.  Trust me, it is.

We had toasted bread served alongside.

Because I didn't feel like I had the true Sykes BBQ experience due to the pork being not bad, but not great, we decided to order a rib or three to try.

You can't order individual ribs as add-ons here, but you can order a rib sandwich.  I know, it's confusing.  How does one eat a rib sandwich?  Well, as in most Southern BBQ joints, a rib sandwich is served with three or four bones and white bread.  Here at Sykes, you get five ribs and a large hamburger bun.

I had such high hopes.  Seriously, I did.  As we are taught in our BBQ judging classes through the Kansas City BBQ Society, a perfectly cooked rib will allow you to take a bite out of the middle of the bone without any more meat coming off the bone but that one bite.  If all the meat comes off the bone with that one bite, it's overcooked.  If it's too tough to bite through at all and comes off in hard strips, it's overcooked by a long shot.

Maybe we hit the pitmaster on an off day.  Maybe the fire was too hot and the meat was cooked too fast.  Maybe there was a reason I noticed most of the people around me dining on wings and burgers.  I'll never know.  I would think if you're in the Alabama BBQ Hall of Fame you know what you're doing when it comes to cooking meat.  

We did try to find as many positives as possible so we went back to the counter to order a dessert.

Our decision paid off!  Lemon ice box pie was the bomb diggity.  

The filling was tart and lemony and the meringue was the real thing.  If you're a fan of anything lemon, order this pie.

Standouts:  the smoked chicken, fried okra, macaroni and cheese, and the lemon icebox pie.

Point takeaways:  dry/overcooked pork and ribs, ordering at the counter, bussing the table when finished.

Our Score:  80

Around Lolly's Sideboard: Early Spring

 

It's the time of year when some days it feels like Spring has sprung and other days (in the same week!), it feels like Winter still has a grip on us.  

For this sideboard setting, I decided to incorporate the Winter evergreen shades along with the browns of the woods.  There are some special pieces here and I'll give you all the details!

It's sometimes difficult to get the true Fiestaware colors to shine through.  The dinnerware here is Fiestaware Evergreen even though in some of the pictures it appears to have a little more bluish tint to the pieces.  Think Christmas tree green...it's that shade!

This is a rich color that reminds me of magnolia tree leaves!

These little bunnies aren't your typical Easter bunny rabbits in whites and pastels.  These are winter woods bunnies!

I'm so proud to own these three Pyrex bowls in the "Forest Fancies" pattern.  They are also known as the "Mushroom" pattern.  These were produced in the 1980s and are part of the last four ovalware patterns made by Pyrex before production ended in 1986.  They feature a mushroom and foliage design in brown on a speckled beige background.  These belonged to my mother and I'm proud to have them in my kitchen now.  When she cooked family gathering meals, the largest bowl held potato salad, the medium size was for baked beans, and she would serve cole slaw in the smallest bowl.

This crock is another piece of the Fiestaware Evergreen collection.  Each of the wooden utensils held here were made by a friend in his woodshop.  They are beautifully made as well as extremely functional.

The same friend gifted me this lovely vintage McCoy Ivy tea set (from the 1940s) which includes a teapot, creamer, and sugar bowl.  The design features a hand-painted ivy leaves on a cream background with faux bois (wood) handles and trim.  The shape and style is extremely unique.  I think it adds a touch of vintage elegance to this setting.  To find all three pieces in excellent condition is rare indeed. 

I think this sideboard is a nice way of bridging the Winter season into early Spring, don't you?