Southern Catfish Stew

I can't remember where I first had fish stew...maybe Kingstree, SC. Old favorite.
Serves 12

4 lbs. catfish
1 large onion, chopped
1 (6 oz) can stewed tomatoes, crushed
1 (12 oz) can V8 juice
1 C Bloody Mary mix
1/4 C sugar
1 bay leaf
1/4 C Worchestershire sauce
2 T Old Bay seasoning
salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste
5 slices bacon, grease reserved
1/2 C butter
4 large potatoes, diced

Fill a large stock pot with 3 - 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Add catfish, ensuring water covers the fish completely. and cook until tender, about 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from water and cool.

Tear the fish into small pieces and remove bones. Return to water and add the next nine ingredients. Simmer on low for an hour to an hour and half. Fry bacon until crispy. Break into pieces and stir into the stew; add bacon grease, to taste. Add butter and potatoes and cook until tender, 15-20 minutes. Serve warm with rustic bread.

Frogmore Bake

I love Frogmore Stew. This is a twist on that favorite. What a great recipe for a dish at the beach or home.
Serves 8 - 10.

3 T unsalted butter
3 stalks celery, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
1/4 C plus 1 T flour
3 T beer (quess you have to drink the rest)
4 C (1 qt) half and half
1 1/2 lemon juice and Worchestershire sauce
3 T Old Bay seasoning (or cajun if you prefer)
1 bay leaf
1/4 t black pepper
9 med red potatoes, sliced 1/8-inch thick
2 1/2 C (about 12 oz) Andouille sausage, diced
1 1/2 C cooked corn
1 lb. medium raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed and halved

Preheat oven to 350. In large pot, melt butter over med. heat. Saute celery and onion until soft then add in the flour, stirring until it is fully moistened. Slowly whisk in half and half, Add beer, lemon juice, Worchestershire, Old  Bay, bay leaf, and pepper and let mixture simmer for 3 -4 minutes stirring occasionally so it does not scorch.  (Mixture will be thick, but the shrimp will release natural juices during cooking and thin the sauce.)

Remove the bay leaf. Fold in the sliced potatoes, sausage, corn, and shrimp and transfer to a 13 X 9 inch shallow casserole pan lightly coated with cooking spray. Cover and bake for 30 - 40 minutes until the potatoes are al dente (not quite done). Uncover and cook an additional 20 minutes or until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork and casserole is bubbling. Let rest for 10 - 15 minutes before serving.

Rice Krispie Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffle

I love Rice Krispie Marshmallow treats. This has some of my favorite  ingredients literally rolled into a ball. Be fun to make with kids.

Rice Krispie Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffle

Makes about 50

1 stick butter
2 cups (or one 18-ounce jar) creamy peanut butter
3 cups Rice Krispies cereal
1 pound (about 3 1/2 cups) powdered sugar, sifted
two 12-ounce packages semisweet chocolate morsels

In a saucepan, melt butter and peanut butter. In a large bowl, combine Rice Krispies and powdered sugar. Pour melted peanut-butter mixture over cereal mixture, using your hands to blend. When completely combined, form into small balls. Chill on cookie sheets covered with wax paper (or parchment paper) until firm.
Melt chocolate morsels in the top of a double boiler. Dip balls, one at a time, into melted chocolate until fully coated. Place on wax paper until set. Store in refrigerator or freezer.

White Chocolate Trash

Are you headed for the beach and need something sinful  to eat in the car as you drive.

White  Chocolate Trash

3 C Rice Krispies
3 C  Cap 'N Crunch
3 C mini marshmallows
3 C peanuts
3 C M & M's
2 bags white chips

Melt white chips in microwave (1 minute at a time and stir) or in  a double boiler. Stir in all ingredients.  Spoon globs onto waxed paper.  Let harden. Enjoy.

Sweet Chicken Bacon Wrap

So easy...brown sugar, bacon...chicken...has to be good.

1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (about 4 breasts)

1 (1-pound) package sliced bacon
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons chili powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes. Cut each bacon slice into thirds. Wrap each chicken cube with bacon and secure with a wooden pick. Stir together brown sugar and chili powder. Dredge wrapped chicken in mixture. Coat a rack and broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place chicken wrap on rack in broiler pan. Bake 350 for 30 to 35 minutes or until bacon is crisp.

Beer Batter Fried Shrimp

Thinking about the beach. I hate drinking beer...never liked the taste or feel in my mouth...but  in batter...yum.

Beer Batter Fried Shrimp

1 cup beer

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Oil, for frying
21 to 25 large shrimp, peeled with tails left on

Preheat a fryer or a deep pot halfway filled with oil to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl, combine the beer, flour, and salt, and allow to sit at room temperature for several hours. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and dip the shrimp in the batter and fry for approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Drain shrimp on paper towels.

Toasted Marshmellow Shake

Toasted Marshmallow Shake

Serves 4
We’re huge marshmallow freaks in my family. Not only is the flavor like a campfire in your mouth, but it evokes those same childhood memories of indulgence and misbehavior! We love this shake.

1 16-ounce bag jumbo marshmallows
2 cups whole milk
2 cups creamy vanilla ice cream
1 tablespoon sour cream

Preheat the broiler.
Reserve 4 marshmallows for garnish. Spread out the remaining marshmallows on a baking sheet in a single layer. Place the sheet under the broiler and cook, stirring once or twice, until completely charred, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Repeat with the remaining 4 marshmallows, but cook just until toasted slightly golden, about 1 minute. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Add the milk, ice cream, sour cream, and burnt marshmallows to a blender. Blend for 5 minutes.
Pour into four 8-ounce glasses and garnish each glass with a golden marshmallow.

Sticky Sweet BBQ Sauce

It's summer and I love BBQ ribs and chicken on the grill...I like my BBQ sweet. Now talkin' BBQ the best in the world is in Kingstree, SC. It's worth a swing through on the way to the beach to stop in at Brown's Bar-B-Que...it's pork cooked in just a vinegar/pepper base.

Sticky Sweet BBQ Sauce

1 12-oz bottle chili sauce (I prefer Heinz)
1 12-oz jar grape jelly
2 T yellow mustard
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2- 1 t freshly ground black pepper
1 t salt
pinch granulated garlic or garlic powder
1 T apple cider vinegar (optional) I recommend it.

In sauce pan combine chili sauce  and jelly. Heat over med. heat, stirring occasionally  until jelly is melted; whisk together.  When mixture is smooth and begins to bubble add the rest of the  ingredients. Vinegar keeps it from being too sweet. Cool. Will  keep in fridge tightly covered 1 week. Makes 2 1/2 cups.

Beer Marinated Grilled Skirt Steak

There's a new show on food network: Mexican ! Looking over their website. Found the  top 20 recipes and saw that this one was easy and delicious.

Beer Marinated Grilled Skirt Steak


1 orange, thinly sliced with peel
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, halved and smashed
2 1/4 pounds skirt steak
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 cup light-colored beer (preferably lager style)
1/2 cup soy sauce

In a wide, shallow glass baking dish, scatter half of the orange slices, half of the onion slices and half of the garlic pieces on the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle the steak all over with salt and pepper and put in the dish on top of the orange and onion slices. Scatter the remaining orange, onion and garlic over the steak and pour in the beer and soy sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or up to overnight in the refrigerator.

Prepare a barbeque on medium-high heat or preheat a broiler. Remove the meat from the marinade and discard the marinade. Grill the steak to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Serve as desired.

Cook's Note: Grilled skirt steak sliced into strips is a great filling for tacos. Top with shredded cheese and beans, or use your favorite taco filling!