Category Archives: belle-icious

dump-n-pour cookin’…an eyeballin’ friend-1-1

25 Friday Sep 2015

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We love recipes. We like reading them and using them, but most of all, we like experimenting with them. We enjoy spending time in the kitchen, dumping and pouring to our hearts delight. So when we came across this helpful post from Food 52 to make our creative measuring easier, we just had to share.

A pinch here, a bunch there, a dollop, a sprinkle and a dash….let this post upgrade your guesstimating by golly!!

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Via Pinterest

By the way, Food 52 is one of our favorite sites!  They have incredible recipes, fabulous tips, a terrific help section and even a divine provisions shop. We kinda love it all….just sayin’ .

Happy cookin’ y’all!!

a&a

a ridiculously belle-icious dish…

17 Thursday Sep 2015

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We are always looking for a a fresh take on sides and salads …ones that are delicious but beautiful to look at and even better to eat.

This Asparagus with Burrata fits the bill!

We found the burrata (a couture level of mozzarella…creamy, ooey, gooey, light and fresh) at Whole Foods. If you can’t find it, sub in a good quality mozzarella.

And, speaking of quality…the ingredients here are few and simple, so get the freshest and best quality you can locate. You will be glad you did…and craving this dish over and over.

The ingredients:


2 T fresh lemon juice

1 medium shallot , finely chopped

1T coarsley chopped parsley

1/2 t kosher salt

1/4 t cracked black pepper

3 T good quality olive oil

1 large bunch asparagus, trimmed

1 container Burrata or good quality mozzarella

In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, shallots, parsley, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.

  
    
    

In a skillet of boiling water, blanch the asparagus and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until just cooked through.

  

Transfer immediately to iced colander to stop the cooking. 

Either divide the asparagus among individual plates or place on serving platter. This can be prepared through step 2 in advance. Let all stand seperatly at room temp until ready to serve.

So beautiful, so easy, so scrumptious!!

For the original recipe (untweaked) go here.

This could be the perfect side to you Labor Day fare. Enjoy!!

a&a

it would be a sin not to eat this dip…a belle-icious friend-1-1

04 Friday Sep 2015

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We have made this dip for years, but had forgotten about it with all the new dips we kept needing to try. But now that one teen-belle is whooping it up at Ole Miss (hotty toddy!), and The Grove is callin’ our name…Mississippi Sin Dip keeps tempting us. Frankly, we all need a li’l sin in our lives…keeps things interesting!

 MISSISSIPPI SIN DIP

1 large round loaf of bread, hollowed out (optional)
1 block of cream cheese, softened
1 small container sour cream
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 can of chopped green chilies
1/2-1 can chopped jalapeños
6 ounces ham, thinly sliced and chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2-3 splashes of worcestershire

Preheat oven to 350 .

In the days of yore, we always served this in a bread bowl…we usually don’t bother anymore and just use a trusty Pyrex dish. Keep in mind though, tailgate parties and potluck fetes would benefit greatly from ye olde bread bowl as you don’t have to keep track of your property!

Combine the cream cheese and the sour cream until well blended. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Transfer mixture into Pyrex or aluminum-wrapped bread, put top of bread back on bowl and finish wrapping in foil.

Bake for about an hour. Serve hot.

We like to serve this with Fritos scoops and celery for our carb fearin’ belles.

Sinful, but we love it!!!

a&a

crab cake benedict…a quick-n-easy friend-1-1

21 Friday Aug 2015

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Here’s a quick, elegant, spin on an old classic…with a couple of shortcuts…proving that Benedict isn’t just a breakfast guest…

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Crab cake Benedict

We found a recipe for this dish (complete with picking crab and such) a while back. But…seems neither of us found the time to do the scratch version. So, alas, the recipe went unused. One night, in a rush as usual, a brilliant thought came to mind. As one belle was searching the local Fresh Market for somethin’ quick, she saw the prepared crab cakes in the seafood case. Dinner in a snap!

On a bed of arugula, place one fairly thick tomato slice. 

Sauté crab cakes until done. Keep warm while you poach one egg per plate.

Whip up a quick hollandaise (this one is from dear Ina) …or try this lighter, healthier version from Carlsbad Cravings. 

Pop egg on top, drizzle with sauce…done!!

Bon appétit!

a&a

sangria…belle style…wingin’ it

13 Thursday Aug 2015

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Sangria…not your mother’s boxed Gallo wine, tired fruit and boatload of sugar here…heavens no!  Fresh peaches, a few strawberries for color, a light simple syrup (because a belle has to watch her girlish figure) and a good bottle of champagne will have y’all making this reto bev that has become so very au courant.

We were recently staying at a belle pal’s beach house for a little r&r when, lo and behold, we made the thrilling discovery that we had just what we needed for a little sangria moment of our own!!
So we chopped up some farm fresh peaches and strawberries…..

  

Made a little simple syrup with equal parts sugar and water brought to a boil and reduced for a few minutes…..

  
Let the fruit soak in simple syrup for a couple of hours.  We added a glug or two from the remains of last nights champers….

  

We do love the bubbles!!!!!
  

After a cooling off period in the fridge , we spooned the glorious fruit concoction into our thirsty cocktail glasses and topped with fresh champagne…Voila!! 

  
A beautiful cocktail to match the view!!  By the by, these incredible bracelets are from Budha Girl. They are great reminders about intent, gratitude and being in the present. See our post here. We love the notion of mindful glamour, and who doesn’t need a gentle reminder to stop, breathe, and live in the moment? 

Now while you don’t really need a recipe, we do know that most of y’all prefer at least a little guideline. So we found our favorite sangria recipes with a twist here ,here and here. 

So get creative, have fun, and put a little produce in your libation!!

a&a

tomato, tomahto…belles say bring ’em on!!

24 Friday Jul 2015

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Tomato season is full-on and we are all-in….

Sliced with sea salt, slathered with mayo on soft white bread, a classic BLT…a bounty of tomatoes makes a belle’s mind spin!

Here are two of our favorite recipes for tomato pie…an all time favorite here in the south and sure to be one of yours!! 

This first rendition is one that our belle gal pal, Nancy, swears by and is a cleaner version of the traditional ‘mater pie. She pulled it out out of a Southern Living ages ago and has been making it ever since.  The key is using the best ingredients available!

Nancy’s Tomato Pie

Preheat oven to 400

1 prepared refrigerated pie crust dough. Fit and trim into a 9 inch pie pan. Prick with fork all over. 

Bake crust for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle 2 cups of shredded mozzarella evenly over crust.

Sprinkle generously with chopped fresh basil.

Slice about 3 medium tomatoes or a basket of the baby sweet heirlooms (we used a combo of both because that’s what we had) . 

Drizzle with 1 1/2 T good olive oil and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper.

  

Return to oven and bake for 35-40 minutes . Let rest briefly , sprinkle with additional fresh basil and serve! 

  
Star of the show!! 

The next tomato recipe is the more traditional (not quite as diet-friendly) but equally delicious version of the south’s favorite savory summer pie! 

From Add a Pinch, this one is sure to knock some socks off!

  
   
 

We have tried both to rave reviews. Give us your two cents!

a&a  

the whole cauliflower-n-caboodle…a belle-icious friend-1-1

17 Friday Jul 2015

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On a recent jaunt to the Big Easy, one belle took time out for a memorable lunch at Domenica in the Roosevelt Hotel. Now, any belle knows that a visit to Nola must include at least a couple of “slips” on the usually-calculatedly-healthy diet (po-boy, anyone?)…but this bustling eatery makes everything so amazingly and creatively delicious, even an über-healthy menu item keeps patrons comin’ back for more…

 

bonappétit.com

 
This item happens to be their acclaimed Whole Roasted Cauliflower with sea salt and whipped goat cheese for dippin’.  Belleicious!! A belle can devour as much as she wants, guilt-free!

Now, while we highly recommend stopping in at this worthy establishment next time you find yourself anywhere near the delta, we do realize that not everyone gets down there on a regular basis.  So…you will be happy to know that the folks at Domenica are quite belle-like…they love to share!  Yes, we have the recipe for you…as published in the May 2013 Bon Appétit:

 

 Enjoy!

a&da 

a fine foods find…and a recipe to boot!

16 Thursday Jul 2015

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The belles were recently in Charleston at the Southern Coterie conference.  We learned so much…especially that we have so much more to learn!! We made some super connections, a plethora of friends, and discovered some amazing people and products. Thank you #thesouthernc!!

One such find was Hummingbird Fine Foods. During one of the breaks, Vaughn of Hummingbird Fine Foods offered up a taste  of her farro salad. Want a taste thrill?  Then make sure you order the Champagne Vinaigrette…we aren’t kidding!

All joking aside…at least for this sentence…we take our salads and dressings very seriously.  We always prefer our own to bottled.  Until now, there has been only ONE  bottled vinaigrette that we like equally as our own…that would the be the French Poodle Vinaigrette which we told you about here.   We are by no means bragging…well maybe just a little…but if we can make it better, why buy it?  Until now.

This vinaigrette is tangy, tasty, and citrusy, with the perfect balance of flavors. It requires no tweaking…wow, we can’t believe we just said that!!

This recipe from Vaughn herself is super-easy and adjusts easily to your mood.  Feel free to use goat cheese or blue cheese, add avocado, green onions or whatever strikes your fancy or is filling your larder…

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Summer Farro Salad

Serves 4

1 cup farro, rinsed

2 cups baby arugula

1/2 cup yellow or orange pepper, diced

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes halved

1/2 cup red onion diced

1 cup cucumber, diced

2 T chopped parsley

1/2 cup crumbled feta

2 T chopped basil

Lemon slices and salt and pepper to taste

Hummingbird Fine Foods Champagne Vinaigrette to taste

Cook farro according to package directions, drain and cool completely.  We made a big batch so we could have it on hand to recreate this dish quickly all week.

IMG_3080Transfer farro to a large bowl and add arugula, onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, cucumber, parsley and basil. Sprinkle with feta, salt and pepper, drizzle with vinaigrette and gently toss to coat. Be careful, you don’t want to break up the feta crumbles! Garnish with lemon slices and enjoy.

the finished product

the finished product

We are anxious to try the rest of Hummingbird Fine Foods gourmet delights.  We will review and share as we taste our way through them!
a&a

just (lobster) roll with it…a belle-icious friend-1-1 

10 Friday Jul 2015

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We told you about our Maine experience a couple of weeks ago (read here) and went on & on about the food…lobster to be specific. Some of the best lobster rolls can be found at the shabbiest road-side dives all along the coast, and we sampled our way for miles-n-miles!  Our favorite was at McLaughlins Lobster Shack in Lincolnville Beach.  Just take a gander…


Well…not that we can even come close to duplicating their perfection…we have found a worthy substitute. If you can’t make it to Maine this summer, you can at least pretend!!

From our dear friend, Gwyneth (she doesn’t know that we are so dear to her…but perhaps one day she will realize what she’s missing), here is an authentic stab at this delightful creation (with a side of fries to boot!)

From goop …

 

and for the fries…


One thought…we suggest you consider using a fresh loaf of Italian bread, sliced like a 2-inch (or wider) piece of toast in the place of the hotdog buns as a slight variation. Granted, the hotdog bun is a classic…but the bread allows for that chance to brush a bit of olive oil on the cut sides so that it can be grilled or toasted. Simply split it in the middle and fill. Just a belle’s two cents.

Enjoy!!

a&a

4th of July menu…celebrating belle-style

30 Tuesday Jun 2015

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Time to make a menu plan for the big holiday weekend, belles. We are here to help!

First and foremost, we think a patriotic toast is in order. Let’s start off with a refreshing libation that will get your tastebuds going…and the crowd…because it’s a big batch recipe. Less work, more fun!!
  
Via Freutcake

Cocktails, everyone!  Pineapple mojito from Freutcake. 

The Main Attraction

Now for zee main course.  Hamburgers are a classic American go-to, but we like stepping it up a notch with these Andouille and beef burgers with spicy mayo and caramelized onions from Epicurious.  We found these in a Bon Appetit magazine years ago and they have never failed us. Can y’all say taste-thrill?? 

Via Epicurious  

We have tweaked this burger just a wee bit…. So here’s our version:

Best Belle Burger

For the spicy mayo:

3/4 cup mayonnaise (we are Hellman’s belles)

1 T + 1t  Cajun or Creole seasoning (we like Tony Cachera’s)

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (we are partial to Tabasco)

1/4 -1/2 t cayenne

Burgers: 

1/2 pound andouille sausage, cut into tiny 1/4 inch cubes (we have been known to grill the sausage seperately and add on top…but it is better to combine it ahead) 

1t salt

1/4 t ground black pepper

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck or ground beef (20% fat)

Caramelized onions

1 1/2 pounds onions,  thinly sliced 

2 T olive oil, plus more for brushing grill rack

3 garlic cloves, minced

1T brown sugar (we use golden)

6 split hamburger buns 

3 cups watercress or butter lettuce

8 ounces crumbled blue cheese (optional)

What to do:

For mayo: Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Cover and refrigerate. (can be made 2 days ahead)

For burgers: Toss all ingredients together and blend gently. Form into six patties.  Cover and chill. (can be made 1 day ahead) 

For onions: Prepare grill or heat stove to medium-high heat. Toss onions, oil, sugar, and garlic into a large skillet. Cook until onions are golden, stirring often – around 25 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. (can be made 1 day ahead)

Lightly toast buns on grill. Grill burgers to desired doneness.  Top each burger with mayo, onions, blue cheese, and lettuce.  Serve remaining mayo on side. 

Dig in!!
Celebration worthy sides:

Beet, tomato and goat cheese salad with basil vinaigrette:

We thought a few more fireworks need to explode in your mouth, and this tasty salad with a sweet basil vinaigrette from the cafe sucre farine should do the trick!  This vinaigrette is bright, beautiful, sweet and tangy. Very addicting and delicious on any salad. 

Here is the link to this magical elixir of a dressing. We found no way to improve on it…now that’s saying something!!

As for the salad we just layered fresh sliced tomatoes, roasted beets, a sprinkling of goat cheese, and a drizzle of the sweet basil vinaigrette. Voila!! 

  Gorgeous if we do say so ourselves!!

New Potato Salad with Green Harissa:

Another side that we love…and this is unusual for us because we think it’s very hard to make a potato salad with flavor…is the new potatoes with green Harissa from Alexandra cooks. 

This potato salad is a blue-ribbon winner, and the Harissa brings so much flavor…your tongue might just sing Yankee Doodle in glee!  The color dulls a little when mixed with the potatoes but not the taste.  And bonus for no mayo so it can sit out with no fear! 

You start out with some baby new potatoes, a couple of handfuls of fresh herbs, garlic, lemon, and some olive oil, a jalapeño, salt and pepper

  

Then you cook the potatoes…we tried Alexandra’s technique and loved it. 

 

Now it’s time to make the green Harissa…the bursts of flavor have arrived!!! 

   

Yippee!!!

Now just mix and serve 

 

Delish!! Find the full recipe here. 

The grand finale:

Belles live for the magic of fireworks. We picked a dessert you could make ahead of time, was cool, all-American, and could be eaten with your hands while watching the sky light up!! Brilliant, we humbly say, in the form of ice cream sandwiches. You will be whistling Dixie when you eat these…promise! 

  
Via the rare belle
Saltine Cracker Ice Cream Sandwiches from The Smitten Kitchen

We followed this recipe to the letter EXCEPT we doubled the caramel…why do when you can overdo???

You line a pan with greasd foil and lay your saltines in a single layer. 

 

Then you make your toffee (this is the part we doubled)  

 

Pour it over zee saltines, and bake in oven for a bit… 

 

Time to add the chocolate and nuts (optional) and spread about, 

  

 

A little cooling time is in order, then add your ice cream, assemble, and freeze for a good bit. Remove from freezer and you should have something like this: 

 

  
Cut into individual serving sizes: 

 

  
  
Belle-icious, belle-ectable, belle-worthy. 

Find the full recipe here. 

Wishing y’all an easy, celebratory and gourmet Independence Day!

a&a