Mississippi Delta Nights

It was a hot sticky Saturday with a few clouds and blue sky. The live music of Roseanne Cash filled the air along with the chatter of people walking up on the property and the ones standing in line getting an adult libation and or food. The crackling of the chicken frying had an aroma that filled the air. This was the perfect beginning of a Southern night in Mississippi for me and I was happy and grateful to be apart of it.

My view of the stage when frying up the chicken for the VIP event later that night 

The day started early for me. I was up with the sun and got to work finishing up my desserts I had planned for this VIP event at Dockery Farms in Cleveland, MS. I had pink peppercorn macarons with a Meyer lemon curd filling, s’mores cobbler, and a drunken banana pudding.  Three distinct desserts with a little bit of Southern charm and sass.

Top L-R: S'mores cobbler, Pink Lemonade Macaron. Bottom L-R: Drunken Banana Pudding, Table display at event

These desserts were a hit. Each represented something Southern. The macarons were my nod to pink lemonade. I wanted to do a little twist by using pink peppercorns in the cookies. Remind you of the heat of a Southern summer afternoon, then the refreshing taste of the sweet Meyer lemon curd to counteract the heat. I called them my "Pink Lemonade" macarons. 

Pink peppercorn macaron cookie for the Pink Lemonade Macarons 

The S’mores cobbler was a nod to childhood and being around a campfire. I made a chocolate cobbler with a graham cracker crust and topped with toasted marshmallows.  This was a favorite of the kids that night, and some adults, too.

Nom nom.... S'mores cobbler

The drunken banana pudding… I lightly soaked the wafer cookies with bourbon and in the whipped cream… I added bourbon to it as well. I had fun with this one since banana pudding is a popular Southern dessert; I had to make it different. So why not add bourbon? I put them in glass salt and pepper shakers... perfect individual serving size. 

These were fun to make... Drunken Banana Pudding

The VIP event was a lot of fun and getting to work with my chef friend, Chef David Crews, was a lot of fun. Getting a view into his world as a private chef really put an itch to get even more into that part of the food world. I love being able to interact that much with my clients and really getting to know them. The development of the relationships and building on them is something that I like to do. Know what they want before they even mention it. 

Full table display of the food for the VIP Event

Life as a chef can be hard, but I love the challenge. It challenges me to stay on top of my game and look at what is happening now and staying on top of the trends. In that way I can learn from the trends and be creative and make them my own. I am continuing to do that to challenge myself and to see what my peers think! I'll be posting sooner next time. Sorry for the lag in posts!

Happy eating!

Been long time!

It has been over a month since I've posted… I can't believe I've let it be that long!

I've had a lot going on to say the least. I moved from South Louisiana back to North Mississippi. Started a new job. Done a few private chef gigs on the side as well. Even welcomed a new nephew to the family. Oh and not to forget, I've started studying for the GRE so I can start a Masters program in Hospitality and Food Service Management. A lot has happened this past month. 

What else can I cram on plate? I have so much to share and write about from everything that has happened over the past month. OH the food I've cooked and seen.  

I've finally got into a rhythm with my new job and will be able to sit down and write… and study. I'll tell you one thing… It is hard getting back into "school" mode once you've been out for so long. 

I'm looking forward to sharing with y'all soon! For my American readers, the Fourth is this weekend. I hope y'all have a safe and happy Independence Day! Until next time… Happy Eating! 

Till I Visit You Again South Louisiana

My time living in South Louisiana has drawn to an end. It's all kind of surreal.


I have been down here just shy of 2 years. To be honest I can't tell you if it feels like it has been longer or not. I've enjoyed my time down here. I wish I could have explored more of the city. That what happens when you do more work than playing. 

The balcony view where I sat and wrote and tweeted 

I'm back in North Mississippi and closer to family. Instead if working at a college I'll be working at a hospital. I'm excited for this new part of my life and the new challenges it will present.



I know I'll be able to execute more of what I want to do on the side: Private dinners, get my Masters, small dessert orders, I got lots of ideas. I'm looking forward to this next chapter in my life and career.

My dad getting in past midnight to come help me move (he was tired. Love him!) 

Now I moved over Memorial Day weekend (thank you to all that have and continue to serve our country that have and are willing to give the ultimate sacrifice for our country so we can continue to live the lives we choose), I got moved back to North MS on that Sunday. My mom had picked up some ribs and I got them working for the next day. Still can't believe I was able to get some grilling in after all the moving and driving. 

Car loaded down. Still filled up a U-Haul trailer and a Tahoe. I accumulated a lot of stuff (yes my plants road shotgun)

We did keep it low key. We did some sliders, roasted some sweet potatoes, the ribs, baked beans, and my mom made some skillet brownies.

Skillet brownie with a little glass of milk 

My mom loves being in the kitchen, and following recipes. That's where I push her buttons. I don't have to follow a recipe exactly. My method is to do the recipe once and then tweak it. Now baking is a different story. We all know baking is an exact science, I only play around with the flavor profiles mostly. I'm more prone to experimenting than my mom.

My mom loves Ina Garten, so the recipe she used for the skillet brownies is her's. They are divine! I always find that a good brownie of cobbler recipe is perfect for when I'm grilling or BBQing.

I'm excited about what I have in store for y'all. I'm in the process of developing some more recipes to share, and can't wait to see what y'all think! Happy Eating!

Red Stick Farmers Market

One of my favorite things to do on Saturdays, besides getting to sleep in, is getting to head downtown to the Farmers Market. 

It makes me happy to get out and talk to the vendors. Try the new stuff they've created and see what they recommend. I haven't been able to go as much as I would want. The markets during the week are always closed by the time I get off work. 

Inside the view of Farmers Market

I always get my honey from the farmers market. Love getting my eggs and bread from there as well. I even like to get my meat products from a vendor as well. Everything is down there, even dairy products. 

The farmers market reminds me of the markets in France. The access to fresh and local produce is something I enjoy having. Another reason why I like being able to have a garden. 

I bought myself some caramel balsamic vinegar. It had the perfect flavor notes. I could taste the caramel and the balance of the aged balsamic. Sweet and tangy. I have some great ideas for the caramel balsamic vinegar.  

Different olive oils and balsamic vinegars 

The access to all of these products makes me happy and more connected in a sense to the community.

I enjoy talking to the vendors and asking about their products. They are always happy to talk. You get a sense of how proud they are of their product, and happy to hear that you enjoy the fruits of their labor.

I hope that you have access to a farmers market like this. I obviously thoroughly enjoy it. I know I say it a lot, but I don't think I can every say it enough... Support your local farmers and purveyors. I'm happy that I've been able to do this as much as I have living down here in South Louisiana.

I do have a humble garden in my backyard area. I already have a tomato and a bell pepper sprouting... Exciting! 

Little Tomato

Little Bell Pepper

The Little Garden 

Well, Happy Eating friends. Looking forward to hearing what you think! 

Bye Mardi Gras

Last week was shortest long week ever. 

I was off for Mardi Gras (another benefit of working at a college in South Louisiana). Long four day weekend then only three days then off again for the weekend. 

The last king cake I made for the season 

It was only three working days but it dragged by and it felt like I hadn't had a break in months. I welcomed the weekend. 

But I was happy to have my parents down for a couple of days over the long weekend. We just tooled around town and I showed them some of the Mardi Gras stuff. But did steer clear of most of it. 

I did make them dinner the night they came into town. Spinach pasta w/an artichoke tomato sauce and caramelized onion and chicken meatballs. It was very tasty and they were happy. 

Getting dinner going for my parents 

I found the pasta at Fresh Market and I also bought the tomato sauce as well. I know... Some people frown upon store bought anything, but to me, if it is a great product and you like the company that produces it, why not? And I had just finished a week of making over 100 king cakes so I was looking for all the time saving help I could. 

So much yumminess 

The sauce did need some doctoring up. I cooked up the meatballs and some pancetta pieces and then poured the sauce into the same pan I cooked the pancetta (took the pancetta and meatballs out and put on a paper towels to absorb some of the grease and also wiped out some of the grease from the pan). I added in some artichoke hearts I had in the fridge, and tossed the cooked pasta to the mix and added the meatballs back to the pan. 

All finished. Spinach egg noodle pasta with artichoke and tomato sauce w/caramelized onion and chicken meatballs  

My parents were happy. When I served them the pasta with some garlic bread, I topped the pasta and meatballs with the crunchy pancetta pieces. They got seconds :)

It was also Valentines weekend as well... 

I went out to eat with my parents and my cousin, and then went back to the house. We made some cocktails and watched the Ole Miss basketball game. 

Instead of just flowers for Valentines, I got a garden. I have to say I was a very happy girl. Planted tomatoes, bell peppers, herbs and lettuce. Can't wait to write and tell y'all about how my plants are growing and what recipes I'm using them in. Happy Eating! 

My Valentines gift. A garden!! 

Eau de King Cake

I’ve always lived in parts of the country that don’t heavily observe the Mardi Gras season. In my hometown, there was only one very small “parade” on Fat Tuesday. It consisted of a handful of people wearing the traditional colors of Mardi Gras, the beads, a few trumpeting a zydeco/jazz tune and walking around the downtown square before heading into their favorite bar.  

Find Me waiting for the bead throwing 

When I was out in Colorado, it was the same idea. A handful of bars had stuff up for Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras and some drinks that were named after some popular streets in New Orleans, Louisiana. Even drinks made to taste like king cake.

Photo w/Krews Queen and King

Being down in south Louisiana I’ve gotten to see more of carnival season. There are different balls of the Krews on the weekends at the first of the carnival season, then the weekends closer to the end there are the parades for the different Krews. Now this is how it is here in Baton Rouge. I know that in other places, like NOLA and even over in Mobile, Alabama, the parades of the Krews take place the night of the ball; which I find a whole lot of fun and enjoy.

Mardi Gras Ball w/a college friend 

I thing I do enjoy is that everywhere you go, there is some form of king cake available. The traditional king cake is made up of a Danish dough, and filled with a cinnamon filling. After it is baked, the cake is coated with an icing and then topped with yellow, green and purple sugar. You can even get different fillings if you like. I prefer the traditional cinnamon.

King cakes 

I’ve made a lot of king cakes this season. Seems like every time I turn around there is another request/order for king cakes. It’s a labor of love. At work I use a premade Danish dough and cinnamon smear and go to town. I roll, split and twist every log and then decorate. 

I feel like my perfume during this time of year is Eau de King Cake. It has hints of sugar, butter, cinnamon and flour.

When I'm making king cakes or other types of pastries at home, I always go for scratch. It taste better. Don't get me wrong, I do use some store bought puff pastry dough and fillo dough. There just isn't enough time in the day if you don't have your own menions helping you out. 

View of my recipe from my notebook 

I have to admit I’m happy that the end of the season is coming… I can make different desserts. I look forward to making other things with seasonal produce. I can’t wait for the new produce of Spring. Hurry up Spring!!!

Happy Eating!

Little Things

A couple of months ago I had a dessert/tweet shown on a tv show called The Kitchen on Food Network. 

Screen shot of the TV w/the picture of dessert and Sunny Anderson show the Cherpumple 

I did a take on a cake that one of the chefs, Sunny Anderson, had shown on the show. She made a chocolate cake with an apple pie baked in the center. 

My version was a pecan pie baked inside the chocolate cake. I then topped the cake with a bourbon chocolate ganache and toasted pecans. I called it The Two For One.  

Two For One. Dark Chocolate cake w/a pecan pie center, topped w/bourbon chocolate ganache and toasted pecans

The tweet of that dessert became very popular. So much so that it was shown on the show that the hosts shared what other viewers of the show had done with other recipes as well. 

It was really neat/cool to see that on national tv. It's the little things. But what was fun was hearing Sunny Anderson talking about it and then hearing the other hosts vocally mmm at the description of my take on the dessert. 

Sunny then showed another dessert that she called The Cherpumple. It's a cheesecake with a pumpkin pie in the center. 

I loved how Sunny said," I see your chocolate cake and I raise you The Cherpumple." So took that as a challenge. 

I made The Presley. It's a no-bake cheesecake with a fudge insert. The Presley is an homage to Elvis Presley's favorite sandwich; a peanut butter and banana sandwich with bacon on white bread. 

So what I did was to make the cheesecake (which I made banana), and then made a peanut butter fudge for the inside. I put it all together then I fried off some bacon. I crumbled up the bacon and garnished a slice with the bacon. It all sounds like it wouldn't be good together, but surprisingly it is delicious. 

The Presley. Banana cheesecake w/peanut butter fudge center topped with pan fried bacon 

I grew up less than an hour from where Elvis Presley was born and less than hour from Graceland. Knowing that Sunny Anderson spent some of her life in the South, I figured she would appreciate this nod to Elvis.

I find pleasure in the little things. It was no more than a minute being mentioned on TV but I got mentioned. Little things. I'm still a pastry chef that looks at all things for inspiration. You will always surprise yourself on what inspires you. Happy Eating!

Loved Ones

The smell of sausage fills the air, and I’m instantly transported back 20 plus years to my grandparents’ house.

My alarm clock is the smells and sounds of granddad cooking breakfast. I am stirring awake on the pull out couch in the den, and the creaks and quick pops of the springs let my granddad know I’m waking up. “Morning. Your breakfast will get cold if you stay in bed,” he says to me. I hear the pendulum of the clock ticking and letting me know its 5:30 in the morning. I make the bed, and put away the pull out. Like I was never there. I smell the biscuits coming out of the oven and the eggs are popping in the pan in the sausage grease. I’m sort of awake, but eating away. I hear my brother stirring in the front room; he stayed in bed; more for me.

L: My uncle, grandmomma, granddad, and my dad 1960s. R: My granddad's WW2 service photo 

Like clockwork, my granddad would be up, dressed and making breakfast before 6, starting his day. He always kept a schedule. After he had his breakfast, he would be off to work (he had his own shop as a mechanic). He would be back for lunch, then go back to work then be back for dinner.

I remember the times we visited when I was younger, the days when my granddad didn’t have to go into the shop, he would be outside in the yard. He would either be tending to his garden, make sure the lawn was kept up and that the wood pile was in order. Had to have that woodpile in order and filled. The fist cold snap, there would be a fire roaring. It would feel like the middle of summer in the dead of winter.

My granddad had a major work ethic that lives on in the ones he has left behind. My dad has this strong work ethic that he also instilled in me.

My granddad had a love of food, and taught himself how to cook many things. He actually took over the cooking of meals from my grandmomma since he loved it so much. My grandmomma would still be in the kitchen helping cook and making her yellow cake with chocolate icing.

In the summer, I remember sitting on the floor in their den with different baskets filled with green beans, butter beans and tomatoes that were from the garden. A very distinct smell filled the room, almost like a mixture of damp cool summer night mixed with a little dirt.

My little garden last spring; Grandparents made me love gardening 

I remember helping snapping the ends off the green beans and putting them into a new basket for them to be rinsed off before they were put away (either put in a pot to cook for that nights dinner or to be canned).

Most of my memories that involve my grandparents take place around food. It is my way to remember them and, in my own way, keep their memory alive for me. I can’t eat a bowl of spaghetti without comparing it to my grandmomma Earnest. I can’t eat cantaloupe without thinking of the times I would share lots of cantaloupe pieces with my granddaddy Earnest. They were my mom’s parents.

I can recall watching my mom and grandmomma (my mom’s mom), doing their kitchen dance when preparing meals for the holidays. I always watched from the other side of the counter, so not to be in the way. I was always in awe, and wanted to be where the action was.

Now, I like green beans, but I love the green beans my granddad Little would cook (my dad asked and mastered my granddad’s green beans). The smell of sausage cooking always reminds me of him as well. A yellow cake with chocolate icing reminds me of my grandmomma Little. She always has a cake for after dinner.

It is hard when the time comes to have to say your goodbye’s to loved ones.

I said till next time to my maternal grandparents years ago. But just recently I had to say that again to my granddad Little. It wasn’t totally unexpected, but still sad.

I have a passion for food. I believe its because it is what connects me to my family and passed loved ones. Whenever my family is getting together, we are gathered around the table or in the kitchen talking and goofing off. Laughter and food is always involved.

To me, food has stories and memories tied to them. Every time I’m in the kitchen, I feel connected to my family’s past. It is a way for me to celebrate them daily.

Happy Eating!