The Secret Is In The “Seasoning”

Can it get much hotter here in Alabama?     Experience tells me we’ve still got a long time to go before any cool downs occur…..like maybe December!     Anyway, it’s usually too hot to cook or even want anything remotely heavy to eat in the evening but recently I did turn on the oven and cooked a good ol’ summertime Southern meal.

My co-worker has put in a garden (her first) this year.     One day she surprised me with a big bag of fresh picked squash.      So that made me want to have all the fixin’s that go along with summertime vegetables.     Here’s the menu:   Baked chicken, cooked squash w/onions, fresh sliced tomatoes, green onions, and of course, cornbread.

 

I just sliced the squash and a purple onion, covered with water, and steamed until tender.   

 

Nothing fancy for the baked chicken…..I covered the chicken with cream of celery soup and baked at 350 degrees until done.     Of course, I used my “special seasoning” and I will share the famous recipe to at the end of this post.

 

 

Here’s the chicken ready for the oven

Now I’m not saying you have to be from the south to make the BEST cornbread, but I’m sure it helps!     Here’s how I make cornbread:

You have to use a seasoned black skillet….nothing else will do.     Pre-head the oven to 450 degrees.  Put a little oil in the skillet and heat the skillet in the oven for about 5-10 minutes.

Basic Cornbread (from the back of the Martha White mix):

1 egg beaten

1 1/3 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup oil

2 cups Martha White Buttermilk Self-Rising Corn Meal Mix

After your cornbread is nicely browned and you’ve removed it from the oven, turn it out on a large platter.     Sometimes some of the “crust” will stick to the bottom of your skillet….that’s okay.

  

You will have the best tasting cornbread around!

And here’s a plate full of the most mouthwatering food you’ll ever eat!

For dessert, I served strawberries and ice cream in these pretty acrylic dessert dishes I picked up at K-Mart on sale:

    

Now for the “secret seasoning” which is House Seasoning made famous by Paula Deen!    The recipe is in the back of her cookbook entitled “The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook”.  I can’t recommend this cookbook enough….my daughter and I “share” this book, passing it back and forth.    I guess I’m going to have to buy another one so I can keep it at home:

HOUSE SEASONING:

1 cup salt

1/2 cup black pepper

1/4 cup garlic powder.

Mix well.   Store in shaker near stove for convenience

This made a generous amount of seasoning which I just poured into some empty glass seasoning jars I already had.      It is the perfect seasoning for almost anything!

 

Well, can you believe it’s almost the 4th of July!    Where has this year gone???    We’ll be spending it on the lake trying to stay cool, taking the boat out for a spin, and playing with the grandbabies in the water.      Here’s a few pics from last year….I can’t wait!

 

I hope everyone has a fun and safe 4th of July!     See ya’ll next week….