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Country Cozy Fried Chicken Picnic

0 · Jun 10, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Holy cannoli, we made it to the weekend! I don’t know what’s going on in your week but this one for me has been a doozy. Between scheduling cookbook signings and appearances, keeping up with the blog, and dealing with the builder next door splashing concrete on my house (that’s a story for another day), our vacation in a few weeks can’t come soon enough. I’m not complaining about being busy, being busy is good, but man on man am I tired. I’m betting you’re looking forward to the weekend just as much as I am, so let’s celebrate with some Fried Chicken Picnic inspiration, shall we?

I’m sharing one of the menu plans from the Picnics, Potlucks & Porch Parties cookbook because I want to give everyone an idea of what exactly the cookbook was designed to do. It’s a little different than a traditional cookbook where you only have recipes and stories. My book has the recipes (150+ of them) and stories, but we also sprinkled in what I’m calling the “lagniappe” of the book. We’ve included 10 complete menu plans taking you from beverage to dessert outlying suggestions for a celebration of your own but we’ve also included some fun DIYs or helpful entertaining ideas to give your menu a little oomph….in each and every one of the 15 chapters.

The Country Cozy Fried Chicken Picnic is one of the examples.

Here’s what is included in the menu plan:

Southern Sweet Lemonade

BBQ Deviled Eggs

Southern Fried Picnic Chicken

Sautéed Green Beans with Pecans

Baked Mac & Cheese Muffins

Grandma’s Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Blackberry Bars

Now, let’s talk about the fried chicken recipe. Are you a fan of frying? Frying anything myself scares the beegeebees out of me. I’m just not confident with the oil and I’m a bit high maintenance about the crispiness of the chicken. I have found, though, that with a little bit of tinkering, controlling the ingredients actually allows me to get the chicken just the way I like it. And once you’ve gotten the dredging down, there’s really nothing better than enjoying homemade fried chicken.

And I’m sharing a little secret. The oil still scares me, so I let my husband handle that part!

It’s a match made in marriage heaven.

Country Cozy Fried Chicken Picnic

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

Author: Aimee

Recipe type: Entree

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

1 (2 to 3 pound) whole chicken, cut up
2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons salt, divided
4 teaspoons black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
3 cups shortening

Instructions

Rinse the chicken with cold water; pat dry with paper towels and set aside.
Whisk together milk and eggs in a bowl.
Combine flour, 2 tablespoons salt, 2 teaspoons black pepper and Creole seasoning in a quart-size zip lock plastic freezer bag. Dip 2 chicken pieces in flour mixture then into the egg/milk mixture. Place chicken back into the flour mixture; seal, shake to coat. Remove chicken, and repeat with the remaining pieces.
Melt the shortening in a Dutch oven over medium high heat to reach 350 degrees on a cooking thermometer. Fry chicken in batches 10 minutes on each side, or until cooked through and golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle the chicken with remaining 2 teaspoons of salt and pepper.

With chicken looking that lovely, wouldn’t it be a shame to have the wind blow the tablecloth into your food? I love having picnics at this little cabin in one of our Baton Rouge subdivisions because the picnic table is ready to go for the occasion, but boy do I hate when a gust of wind comes along and the edges of the tablecloth go whipping around. You’ve got one hand on your chicken and one hand swatting down the edge of the tablecloth. It’s fun for no one.

Here’s a solution: Tablecloth Weights

Simply spray paint some metal washers you get from the hardware store for like .33 a piece.

Add a bright ribbon. Adhere with a safety pin to the back of the ribbon loop.

Attach to each corner of the tablecloth.

Voila.

Looks cute, like it belongs on the tablecloth, and it keeps your tablecloth nice and snug on your picnic table.

Easy as pie! And speaking of pie, those Blackberry Pie Bars can be found here: Blackberry Pie Bars

Wishing you a weekend full of picnic perfect weather!

Bacon Cheeseburger Pie

1 · May 25, 2016 · Leave a Comment

I need to talk to y’all about my Bacon Cheeseburger Pie.

If you watched on QVC, you witnessed a Bacon Cheeseburger Pie that was made for television! It’s ooey gooey cheese and flakey butter crust was everything Bacon Cheeseburger Pie dreams are made of. And while it’s deliciousness did indeed warrant a happy dance, that’s not exactly what MY pie looks like.

You see, the Bacon Cheeseburger Pie that you will find in Picnics, Potlucks & Porch Parties only contains one crust. When I saw the pie for the first time on national television, it took me a minute to decide whether I should say anything. And by the time I thought “oh, this will be a perfect time to tell you that the pie has many options- single crust, double crust, mixed cheeses, etc…the options are limitless” we had already moved onto the next recipe.

Sigh.

I’ve gotten a few requests for the recipe while you guys wait to get your copies of the book and I thought I’d go ahead and share the recipes, some photos of my pie, and to make sure you knew that the pie was altered a bit.

Bacon Cheeseburger Pie

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

40 mins

Bacon Cheeseburger Pie as seen on QVC!

Author: Aimee

Recipe type: Savory Pie

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

1 uncooked pie crust (store bought or prepared)
1 pound lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
5 slices bacon, chopped
⅓ cup panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
3 tablespoons barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg
¼ cup milk
fresh basil, garnish (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Brown ground beef, onion and bacon; drain well. Remove from heat and stir in bread crumbs, mustard, barbecue sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire and pepper. Place mixture in prepared pie crust.
In a small bowl, combine cheese, milk and egg. Spread over meat mixture.
Cover the edges of the pie crust with foil or a pie shield to prevent over browning. Bake 15 minutes, remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes.
Garnish with a sprig of fresh basil.

The QVC food stylist did such a phenomenal job preparing the pie for its on air presentation that I sort of wish I had added the top crust in the first place. It was gorgeous and I wouldn’t have been so stumped that my pie had an extra crust. When I first made this pie, though, I was going for the golden brown hardened cheese topping that you get from baking something like a Shepherd’s Pie. And to be honest, I only had one stick of butter and my no fail crust recipe calls for a stick of butter….for one crust not two.

What I do love is that we both now know that you can do whatever your little heart desires!

One crust, two crusts, mini crusts and bake them into ramekins for individual portions. You have options!

Options are a really great thing, and gives you so much freedom to make a recipe your own.

Do you forgive me for not giving you 2 crusts?? 🙂

Mason Jar Tres Leches Cake with Strawberry Whipped Cream

0 · May 13, 2016 · 3 Comments

Last week for our Cinco de Mayo block party, a neighbor brought the most delicious Tres Leches cake. I have NEVER had Tres Leches cake before last week. I’m not entirely sure how it is possible to have gone this long living life without having it, but last week was my first bite.

And I’m a goner.

Let me recap what happened last week. Everyone had a small piece of cake, and had I known how much I’d enjoy my small piece of cake I would’ve left my polite pants at home and gone back for a larger piece. But, with QVC on the horizon, I decided to just enjoy a small piece. As we wrapping up the leftovers, however, my neighbor prepared a little to go plate of more Tres Leches cake. It’s like everyone “knew” that I really wanted a bigger piece. The husband says “oh no, none for us” to which he got the side eye. Maybe none for you, but I’m having that stuff for breakfast tomorrow!

Fast forward and we are packing up the mobile lemonade stand turned margarita stand and somehow I left the darn to go cake on the patio table. I can’t even tell you the sadness that overcame me when I realized, hours later, that the cake was forgotten.

The following day, we were back at the same neighbor’s home and she says “did you forget your cake last night? I saved it.” It’s as if the cake gods heard my cries and sent down the milk cake angels.

However, the wrapped cake had been left out on the counter.

Here’s the thing about Tres Leches cake. You want it cold. The colder the better. Room temperature cake is just not the same.

So, sadness set in again.

Until…..I waited one whole week and then set out to recreate a cake of my own! One whole week I waited!

That darn cake haunted me in my dreams.

But these Mason Jar Tres Leches Cake with Strawberry Whipped Cream is what those dreams are made of and absolutely worth every single calorie.

Traditional Tres Leche cake is baked in a 9 x 13 baking dish, drizzled with the milk mixture comprised of condensed milk, evaporated milk and heavy cream, then topped with whipped cream.

I made a few adjustments and gave my Tres Leches a bit of an individual platform in which it could shine.

I mean, who doesn’t want their very own Mason Jar Tres Leches cake??

I also added strawberries to my whipped cream because well, why not!

Mason Jar Tres Leches Cake with Strawberry Whipped Cream

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

50 mins

Cake adapted from Pioneer Woman's Tres Leche Cake.

Author: Aimee

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 6

Ingredients

For the Cake:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
5 large eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
⅓ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Tres Leches Mixture:
¼ cup heavy cream
One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
One 12-ounce can evaporated milk
For the Strawberry Whipped Cream:
2 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
2 ½ tablespoons sugar
1¼ teaspoons vanilla
5 tablespoons Strawberry Puree

Instructions

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9- by 13-inch cake pan and set aside.
Sift the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt) into a large bowl.
Separate the eggs. Beat the egg yolks with ¾ cup of the sugar on high speed until the yolks are pale yellow. Stir in the milk and vanilla. Pour the egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.
Beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in the remaining ¼ cup sugar and beat until the egg whites are stiff but not dry. Fold the egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan, spreading to even out the surface.
Bake until the cake is done, about 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan.
For the tres leches: Combine the heavy cream, evaporated milk and condensed milk in a small pitcher. Pierce the surface of the cake with a fork several times. Drizzle the milk mixture over the top and allow the cake to sit and absorb the milk mixture. It will seem as though you have too much milk mixture. Just pour, allow to seep, then pour some more. Allow the cake to sit overnight in the refrigerator.
Instructions for Simple Strawberry Puree:
Place strawberries (about 1½ cups, hulled and sliced) and ¼ cup liquid in a blender and select the ‘puree’ setting. Pulse until berries are broken up and turn to liquid. **I strain my puree through a fine mesh strainer because I don't like pulp, for a whipped cream with a bit of texture, feel free to skip the straining.
In the chilled bowl of a standing mixer, combine: 1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream, 1 ½ tablespoon sugar and ¾ teaspoon vanilla on low speed until ingredients are combined. Increase speed to high and as the mixture begins to thicken (a few minutes) add 5 tablespoons (or more!) Strawberry Puree. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.
Remove the cake from the refrigerator, and using a small round cutter (I used a biscuit cutter) layer into mason jars, followed by whipped cream, and then another layer of cake, finishing with an additional layer of whipped cream.
Garnish with a sliced strawberry.

If you’re serving at home, you’re free to make these little lovelies as pictured. If you’re traveling, however and need to bring them to a potluck or special occasion, skip the top layer of whipped cream and strawberry. Seal them in their jars and pack along your whipped cream, in a piping bag, and in a cooler on ice. Just before serving, add your additional strawberry whipped cream to each and garnish with a sliced strawberry.

Seriously cute for BBQs. Just remember to keep the cake in the cooler and not out in the sun, because….milk. And because Aimee says you will be disappointed in warm Tres Leches cake. You want it chilled.

Trust.

Do you have big plans for the weekend? We’re headed south for graduation + crawfish boil festivities and I cannot wait. It’s the perfect bon voyage before the big upcoming week.

Mardi Gras King Cake Pie

1 · Jan 25, 2016 · 2 Comments

This year Mardi Gras is falling ridiculously early. Maybe I’ve just been so busy with other things but every time I see friends all decked out in their Mardi Gras ball gowns, I think “crap, it’s almost over and I haven’t even decorated my porch”. Sigh. While I have given up on my porch, I have NOT given up on trying out a Mardi Gras King Cake Pie.

While fitting for the 52 Pies Project, this pie is not entirely of my own creation. I saw a post in the food section of Nola.com for a King Cake Pie sometime last year and thought it was interesting, but never made time to actually recreate it.

I changed up a few things, including using an imitation rum extract rather than actual dark rum so you’ll notice that the coloring of my pie differs greatly. My pie is also non-alcoholic and I think the rum flavoring is a bit more subtle. Same goes for my pie crust, I used a pie shield to keep from getting such a dark crust. I also increased the spices, too.

But other than that, same pie. Ha!

Mardi Gras King Cake Pie

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

55 mins

Adapted from Susie's King Cake Pie on Nola.com

Author: Aimee

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

1 (9-inch) pre-baked pie crust, cooled
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Zest of one lemon
3 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon imitation rum
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Sanding sugar for topping, purple green and yellow

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Bake the pie crust until lightly browned, about 15 mins. Allow to cool completely.
In the bowl of a mixer, beat cream cheese with sugar, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add eggs one at a time, then add in the heavy cream, rum, and lemon juice. Stir until well combined.
Pour filling into cooled, pre-baked pie shell. Using a pie shield to keep the edges from over-browning, bake on middle rack in oven for 40-55 minutes. The pie is done when the edges are set but the center still a bit jiggly. It will continue to firm and set as it cools.
Allow the pie to cool completely on a wire rack, 2 to 3 hours, before adding the sanding sugar in whatever pattern you like.
Note: The pie must be refrigerated for storage, but under refrigeration the sugar may bleed and cause the colors to run. Decorate the pie just before serving or transporting.

While the flavors are similar to a King Cake, this pie reminds me more of a king cake custard type of pie. The filling is rich and creamy with a hint of rum and lemon, swirled with just enough cinnamon and nutmeg to mimic the traditional filling nestled inside the flaky layers of a traditional King Cake.

Where you can get creative is with the topping!

I printed out a Mardi Gras mask onto card stock and created a template for my pie.

You’ll cut it out the mask, then a second copy with the mask cut out but the surrounding in tact. Basically, a stencil. Sprinkle the sanding sugar around the mask, then put your stencil down and sand the mask. Remove the eyes and sand those. I took a step further and outlined my mask with royal icing but that’s totally optional. I felt it needed a little more definition.

I’m crazy excited about how it turned out! Super easy and oh so festive!!

Speaking of King Cake, I’m taking my first ever culinary class at the Louisiana Culinary Institute this week. Guess what we’re making? King Cake! We’ll be making a traditional Pithivier (French) king cake and a New Orleans style king cake. Be sure to follow along on Instagram, I’ll be sure to share some photos.

Best Little Buttermilk Pie

0 · Jan 12, 2016 · 2 Comments

Truth.

I’ve never had a Buttermilk Pie, so the fact that I’m calling this pie the “Best Little Buttermilk Pie” is probably a little far fetched. However, the pie is ridiculously good.

And easy.

I have decided that until I have a better version, I’m going to call this pie the Best Little Buttermilk Pie. When I do find one that’s better? I’ll call it Better than the Best Little Buttermilk Pie. Better than that pie? Best Ever Buttermilk Pie. And even better than that one?

Okay, okay. You get the picture.

I’m completely prepared to continue testing Buttermilk Pies until I find “the one” that supersedes all buttermilk pies.

I mainly made this pie because both my husband and I have never had one before. I overhead some ladies chatting at a luncheon I was at a couple of weeks ago about who was making their famed buttermilk pie. I heard “famed” and immediately bounced over to the table, introduced myself, and demanded the recipe to the pie.

Demanded is a bit of a stretch but I did beg a bit.

Today I bring you Mrs. Martha’s Buttermilk Pie. Martha was the name of the lady who graciously offered me her family recipe and Miss Martha, if you’re out there reading this today, thank you for being so kind to lend me your pie recipe.

I owe you a slice!

Best Little Buttermilk Pie

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour 5 mins

Adapted from Mrs. Martha's Famed Buttermilk Pie.

Author: Aimee

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 8

Ingredients

1 package refrigerated pie crusts
2 cups sugar
¼ cup flour
3 eggs
¾ cup buttermilk
1 stick butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of one lemon
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ cup toasted pecans, chopped
homemade whipped topping, optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the sugar and flour. Whisk in the eggs, butter, buttermilk and vanilla. Add the lemon zest and juice. Stir until combined. Pour into an unbaked pie crust. Sprinkle the toasted pecans on top of the pie filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes using a pie shield or with aluminum foil shielding the edges. Remove when pie is almost set (it shouldn't be extremely jiggly). ***Monitor the pie for over- browning beginning at 30 minutes.
Let cool for at least 1 hour and store in the refrigerator prior to serving.
Garnish with whipped topping.
Note: To toast the chopped pecans, spread them evenly in a shallow baking pan. Bake the pecans in a 350 degree F oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until they're browned, stirring the pecans once or twice during the baking time.

Now, Mrs. Martha didn’t add pecans to her pie but I chose to do so because the baking of the delicate topping of the pie could potentially stress me out. You can omit the pecans if you’d like, or if you’re allergic, just know that you’ll need to keep an eye on it as it bakes and you may need to add some aluminum foil to shield the pie during the final minutes it’s in the oven if you see that it is browning too quickly.

The top of the pie should be lightly browned.

I also modified the amount of buttermilk a bit because I was worried the pie would taste too, well, buttermilk-y.

Have you ever experienced a buttermilk pie before? I’m pleased to say that this pie tastes nothing like eating straight buttermilk and more like a sweet custard type of pie (thanks sugar and eggs!).

I hope your year is off to a fantastic start! I apologize for being a little absent over the holidays. I have finally wrapped up my new picnic cookbook (details coming soon!) and am easing back into the blogging groove and stepping off the struggle bus.

It feels good to be back on the 52 Pies Project wagon!!

Tiramisu Pie

0 · Nov 16, 2015 · 4 Comments

Do I have a surprise for you today! It’s Monday. It’s time for another pie. Put those things together and what do you get? A Monday Tiramisu Pie kind of day! Trust me. You’re going to want to kick your pecan and pumpkin pies to the curb this holiday season for the Tiramisu Pie with holy freaking amazing chocolate shortbread cookie crust.

Let’s get started, shall we?

It all started with a box of Pepperidge Farm chocolate collection shortbread cookies. Initially, I was just going to eat the cookies because well, um, cookies are for eating. But, they’re also for pie crusts. Just think about the graham cracker crust- it all starts with graham cracker cookies. And this pie? Well, it started with a box of Thin Mint girl scout cookies. It used to be my favorite pie, but now my friends, the Tiramisu Pie has moved to the top.

Crunchy cookie crust with a irresistibly creamy mascarpone filling, topped with a lightly chocolate flavored whipped topping….seriously, can there be anything better? It’s just the right amount of chocolate, too. So if you’re in the mood for a bit of chocolate but a bit of cheesecake-ish pie, this is the pie. I repeat, this. is. the. PIE!!

Tiramisu Pie

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Prep time

1 hour 30 mins

Total time

1 hour 30 mins

Author: Aimee

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 8

Ingredients

CRUST
1¾ cup crushed chocolate shortbread cookies (I used an entire box of Pepperidge Farm Chocolate Collection cookies- minus about 3-4 cookies)
1⁄4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
FILLING
1 (3.3-ounce) box white chocolate instant pudding mix
1 1⁄2 cups heavy whipping cream
1½ (8-ounce) containers mascarpone cheese
1⁄4 cup confectioners’ sugar
TOPPING
1 1⁄2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
Garnish: grated semisweet chocolate, additional shortbread cookies

Instructions

To prepare crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine cookie crumbs, melted butter, and sugar. Press crumb mixture into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Bake for 8 minutes; set aside to cool.
To prepare filling: In a medium bowl, combine pudding mix and cream. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add mascarpone, beating until well combined. Beat in confectioners’ sugar. Spoon filling into prepared crust and refrigerate for 1 hour.
To prepare topping: In a medium bowl, combine cream and cocoa powder. Beat at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add in the confectioners’ sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Spread cream mixture over pie filling. Garnish with grated chocolate and a couple of cookies (optional)

Did you know that the word “Tiramisu” means “pick me up” or “lift me up” probably because traditionally it involves layers and layers of sponge cake, but I feel like this Tiramisu Pie is going to equally say “pick me up and EAT ME”. So, it’s sort of saying the exact same thing.

Please tell me you’ve never had this pie before. If you have, still tell me you’ve never had it so I can continue to think I’m a genius for creating the Italian treat in pie form!

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