December Essentials

I’ve been posting an ornament nightly on Instagram. Click here to see the collection thus far.

December Essentials:

1. Festive Decking for your Halls.

2. Hannah’s Holiday Playlist

3. Hot Cocoa

We always have a lot of music in our house, but this time of year whether we’re cooking, reading, or making pretty things, there is a 24/7 holly jolly festival of awesome emanating from our speakers. So posted below, you’ll find a Christmas playlist that I would argue is best enjoyed while sipping Alton Brown’s hot cocoa. (His instant cocoa mix recipe is so easy, and we always have a jar on hand this time of year.) Enjoy!

Homemade Blueberry Soda

Put this on your list of simple pleasures: sipping homemade blueberry soda on the front porch in the late afternoon sun.

Sipping sodas used to be a more glamorous pastime as exhibited by Marion the librarian’s hat.

For months now, Husband has been experimenting at the bar with fresh fruit sodas, and I am relishing my job as official taster. So when an influx of blueberries showed up at our house a couple weeks ago, we decided blueberry soda was a must-have.

You’ll Need…

1 pint blueberries, fresh or frozen
a quarter cup sugar
water
club soda

First, he made a very simple syrup. To 1 pint blueberries, he added a heaping quarter cup of sugar in a heavy bottomed pot. Then, he filled the pot with water until it covered the berries and simmered on super low heat. Eventually the berries broke down and a syrup formed.

When it had cooked to a syrup-consistency, he let it cool and then used a strainer to catch the berries as the syrup fell into the jar.

That’s it! Just put a few Tablespoons in a pretty glass and top with club soda! You can store the rest of the blueberry soda syrup in the fridge for a few weeks.

This post was done in partnership with Darby Smart. See those flutes in the picture above? I etched them myself in about 30 minutes using the “Etch: Your Own Glassware” project from Darby Smart. The idea is simple: You choose a DIY project from Darby Smart’s ever-growing list, and you’ll receive a box in the mail containing all the supplies and instructions (with pictures) that you need to complete the project. This one even came with a practice flute just in case. So heads’ up DIY friends, you’re all getting Darby Smart gifts for your birthday!

15 Things to Do with Fresh Blueberries

A few weeks ago, I posted on Instagram and Facebook about a surplus of blueberries that we had in our fridge. This time of year, I am always in danger of pulling a Violet Beauregarde, but I just can’t get enough of the little guys.

In the afternoon, I often cover a spoonful of peanut butter in blueberries for a quick pick-me-up, and tomorrow I’m going to share our blueberry soda recipe. But tonight, I thought I’d share the list of blueberry ideas I got from all of you! Links are there when applicable. Bon appétit!

Happy Blueberry Season! | Hannah & Husband

Favorite thing to do with a surplus of blueberries…
1-2-3-Go!

Make blueberry muffins.

“Muffins, breakfasts, jams and mojitos no necessarily in that order.”

Freeze yogurt-dipped blueberries

“Blueberry crisp/buckle. Blueberry syrup for pancakes. Blueberry cake with cream cheese frosting or lemon glaze. Pie, obviously. Blueberry mojito. Or, freeze & use as ice cubes for blueberry lemonade. (Growing up in Maine, you kinda become fluent in all things blueberry.)” -my friend Ellen Foord

Muddled blueberries, grapefruit vodka, soda water, sugared rim–sip

This. But replace rhubarb with blueberries.

Blueberry infused tequila

“Brew 5 gallons of my Blueberry Honey Amber ale.”

“Scones for Sunday morning AND cook the other half down with sugar and a little lemon to pour over vanilla bean ice cream tonight!”

Here’s our recipe for blueberry muffins, and I’ll share another blueberry recipe tomorrow.

In the meantime, what’s your favorite blueberry treat?

Cucumber Dill Dip

When one spends her days in Cubicle Land, lunch has to be a strategic affair–especially this time of year when I’d rather be weeding the garden than staring at a computer. So to compensate, I try to make my lunch as “homegrown” as possible. Last weekend, I whipped up this cucumber dill dip with ingredients straight from our garden. Mix that with a homegrown tomato and a couple slices of fresh-baked bread, and you’ve got yourself a feast!

This is a lot like Greek tzatziki dip, but by leaving out the garlic, I’m sure not to offend my co-workers. I love it on avocado and tomato sandwiches, but it’s equally fab with fish or just as a tangy chip dip.

Ingredients:

1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 handful of fresh dill
1 medium cucumber
1 lemon

Make It:

Put 1 cup plain Greek yogurt into a bowl or small jar.

Chop your handful of fresh dill. Mine came out to be about 2 Tblsps, but it should really just be to your taste.

Add your lemon juice to the mix.

Cut the skin off your cucumber. Then, grate the flesh of the cucumber down to the seeds. Discard the seeds. It will look something like this…

Finally, mix everything together. You can store the dip in the fridge for a couple weeks.

The Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe

Truth be told, my real “fried green tomato recipe” is throwing a little of this and a little of that into bowl. Then, I put a cup of that, a dash of this, and an egg into a different bowl…

But since Husband was posting about burger night, and we’d had this recipe requested on several occasions, I thought I should probably try harder for you fine people and (*gasp*) use a measuring cup. So here it is, my fried green tomato recipe (or at least a close approximation of the dumping and smidging). Enjoy!

Before you do anything, start heating your oil in the iron skillet. Put the burner on medium heat–this will take a little longer but is safer.

Ingredients:

³⁄₄ C all-purpose flour
¹⁄₂ C finely ground cornmeal
1 Tblsp coarsely ground cornmeal
dash salt

³⁄₄ C milk
1 egg
hot sauce (like Louisiana or Frank’s) – knock yourself out

Make It:

In one bowl, mix your dry ingredients. In another your wet.

The key in breading is ORDER. Repeat after me: Flour – Milk – Flour – Milk – Flour

Now just fry until golden brown on both side.

Remove from the oil on to paper towels to soak up any excess. Then, sprinkle with a little salt.

If you make them, be sure to instagram us! @jamesaslaughter @hb_belle

Want Husband’s burger recipe? Click here to get it.

Click here to learn how to care for your iron skillet.

Burger Night

Well, it’s officially grilling season. What’s that mean? Burger night.

Hoo-freakin’-ray!

We don’t mess around when it comes to burgers. Here’s how we get started:

1 lb ground beef
¹⁄₂ cup diced bell peppers (green, red, yellow–dealer’s choice)
¹⁄₂ cup diced onion
3 tbsp Worcestershire
salt & pepper

Mix

Patty

Grill

Now for the build:

English muffin (Toasted, of course, we aren’t animals.)
Cheese of your choice (She went blue, I went pepper jack)
A good, strong mustard
Fried green tomato

That’s right, it’s not finished without a fried green tomato. Hannah’s recipe will be following soon.

Roasted sweet potato chips and maybe an extra fried green tomato; you are ready to go.

Enjoy!

1950s Dinner Party with the “Club”

I usually don’t share too much about the “club” except for the fact that it exists and an instagram here and there, but last night we threw a 1950s dinner party. So really how could I resist?

If you remember, last year I started a book club. It was fun! We liked talking about the books we were reading, but we also just really loved each other’s company–and planning ridiculously over-the-top food and drink to accompany the discussion. So finally…

Last night was the first gathering of the “club,” and what better way to kick things off than with a 1950s dinner party? After all, the women of the 50s were all about a good gathering of the girls, right? Garden clubs, book clubs, bridge circles… you get the picture.

Anywho, here are a few highlights:

I wore the only dress I have of my Woo-Woo’s. I’d never actually worn it because, in the words of one of the guests, “It’s beautiful, but the fabric feels like the upholstery on my couch.” It fit perfectly.

We made dishes that we found (and, in most cases, updated) in cookbooks from the era and our own family’s recipe boxes. Somewhere in the midst of the jello-d ham (totally a thing) and massive amounts of mayo and MSG, we found a few things that were pretty tasty.

Note to self: I learned that you really should never make meatloaf for a dinner party. It’s best out of the oven, which means that by the time we’d finished our punch, the main course was looking (and tasting) rather cold and sad.

Anywho, we had punch & deviled eggs to start. Then, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, pea salad, jello salad, banana pudding, and candle salad. 1950s women were all about the salad! But what is candle salad you ask? The weirdest way to serve fruit I’ve seen and also the best centerpiece ever. I’ll let you be the judge.

Hannah prepping the candle salad. | Hannah & Husband

Assembling the candle salad… from Liz’s instagram

What’s your favorite 1950s recipe? Have you ever thrown a 50s party?

Loverboy’s Specialty Cake

Welcome to part ii of our series “Always Be Prepared to Party.” (If you haven’t had the chance, read about our party drawer here.) This post is particularly fitting because Husband actually learned how to make this cake as a boy scout. (For the record, his scouting career lasted a lot longer than mine did.) Several years later, he would use it to woo a certain high school girl, and we’ve been together ever since!

You’ve probably all had this cake and likely most of you have made it. But, it’s the one cake that we always have on hand. Unexpected company? Unexpected birthday boy coming to your house in an hour? Have a midnight chocolate craving? Need to woo the ladies? This is the cake. Enjoy!

Preheat oven to 350°

Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix

1 box chocolate Jell-o instant pudding

8 oz. sour cream

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 package chocolate chips

Make It:

Flour and grease a bundt pan.

Mix all your ingredients together and spoon into the pan.

Drop the pan straight down on the counter a couple of times to make sure any air bubbles settle.

Bake for 50 minutes at 350° until a skewer or toothpick comes out with little pieces of cake clinging to it (and maybe some chocolate chips).

Happy Friday, Loves!

Any fun weekend plans? We’ll be attending the Rhythm ‘n’ Blooms festival in Knoxville.

Cornbread {Finally}

Here in the South, a good cornbread recipe is a prized possession. Every Southern cook has their own take on it, often passed down from generation to generation with a well-seasoned iron skillet. For years, this regional delicacy has eluded me–until this weekend.

That’s right. I made cornbread–moist, fluffy, tasty, Southern gold. And (as is so often the case) it totally happened by mistake. You see, like a lazy Southern cook, I never keep buttermilk on hand. I do, however, have a tendency to throw dollops of Greek yogurt into just about anything I bake. In this case, the food gods smiled, and it worked out beautifully. So here it is, making it’s official debut: Hannah & Husband’s cornbread recipe–heretofore to be passed down from generation to generation with our well-seasoned iron skillet.

Hannah & Husband’s Cornbread Recipe

Ingredients:

6 Tblsp unsalted butter, + a little extra (I split a stick.)
1 cup cornmeal
³⁄₄ cup all-purpose flour
1 Tblsp sugar
1 ¹⁄₂ tsp baking powder
¹⁄₂ tsp baking soda
¹⁄₄ tsp sea salt
2 eggs
1 cup 2% milk
¹⁄₂ cup plain Greek yogurt

Also needed… an 8″ iron skillet

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425° F.

Grease your 8″ iron skillet with the extra unsalted butter.

In a medium sized bowl, mix your dry ingredients and set aside.

In a small glass bowl, melt the unsalted butter.

Then, add the rest of the wet ingredients (eggs, milk, and yogurt), and mix well.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and fold it in with a spoon. It’s ok if it’s still lumpy.

Pour everything into your skillet and put it in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes. (Use the skewer test to be sure it’s fully cooked.)

When you take out the cornbread, butter the top immediately with any extra unsalted butter, and let it sit for a few minutes to cool before serving.

Ideas for serving:

Serve with a rack of ribs, like we did this weekend, or a hot bowl of chili. Here’s our basic chili recipe.

I *love* using jalapeño butter to mix things up a bit. Here’s my favorite recipe from a 2011 issue of Southern Living.

Craving a mid-afternoon sweet? Try some butter and jam. Get our strawberry jam recipe here.

Not sure how to care for your iron skillet? Here is our primer. Bonus: A link to (one of my favorite Southern cooks) Rebecca Gordon’s cornbread recipe!

So… is there a recipe that has eluded you for years?
Something you’ve tried and tried with no success?
Share it in the comments. Perhaps we could figure it out together!

Power Lunch

The weekends are when I most enjoy experimenting in the kitchen. There’s hardly ever a plan; I just turn on a podcast, pour myself a drink, and get to cookin.’ This healthy dish was a particular hit. Perfect for keeping up with those resolutions, it’s packed with flavor and full of veggies. We just didn’t know what to call it. So Husband suggested I ask you!

Here’s the recipe…

Ingredients

1 4 oz. box Wild Rice (or enough for a couple portions)
2 ¹⁄₂ cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 sweet potato or yam
3 slices red onion
a handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered
¹⁄₄ red pepper, diced
1 handful kale, julienned

cayenne pepper
garam masala
1/2 lemon

Directions

1. Replacing the liquid with low-sodium chicken broth, cook your rice. For this recipe, the broth really kicks up your flavor base. The rice takes about an hour so clean up your kitchen and pour a drink for the first 30 minutes or so.

2. After 30 minutes of the rice being on, preheat your oven to 400°F

3. Cube your sweet potato. Toss it with olive oil and cayenne. (I used about a ¹⁄₄ teaspoon.) Then, seal the cubes in a piece of folded aluminum. The seal will let them cook without getting crispy. Cook for 20 minutes at 400° or until soft. When they’re done. Pull them out to cool.

4. Cut your remaining veggies. Sprinkle with olive oil, a pinch of salt, and garam masala. With the oven still on 400°, cook these veggies for 10 minutes. Then, put them under the broiler for 3-5.

5. Just as your rice is finishing up, toss in your your julienned kale for about 5 minutes.

6. Finally, toss all your ingredients in a large bowl and add the juice of half a lemon.

Makes 2 large portions or 4 side salad portions.

*Delish!* The only question left?

Hannah and Husband

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Tag Archives: Recipe

December Essentials

December Essentials:

1. Festive Decking for your Halls.

2. Hannah’s Holiday Playlist

3. Hot Cocoa

Homemade Blueberry Soda

You’ll Need…

15 Things to Do with Fresh Blueberries

Favorite thing to do with a surplus of blueberries…
1-2-3-Go!

In the meantime, what’s your favorite blueberry treat?

Cucumber Dill Dip

Ingredients:

Make It:

The Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe

Ingredients:

Make It:

Want Husband’s burger recipe? Click here to get it.

Click here to learn how to care for your iron skillet.

Burger Night

1950s Dinner Party with the “Club”

What’s your favorite 1950s recipe? Have you ever thrown a 50s party?

Loverboy’s Specialty Cake

Ingredients:

Make It:

Happy Friday, Loves!

Cornbread {Finally}

Hannah & Husband’s Cornbread Recipe

Ideas for serving:

So… is there a recipe that has eluded you for years?
Something you’ve tried and tried with no success?
Share it in the comments. Perhaps we could figure it out together!

Power Lunch

What should we call it? Add any suggestions in the comments below.

About Us

December Essentials:

1. Festive Decking for your Halls.

2. Hannah’s Holiday Playlist

3. Hot Cocoa

You’ll Need…

Favorite thing to do with a surplus of blueberries… 1-2-3-Go!

In the meantime, what’s your favorite blueberry treat?

Ingredients:

Make It:

Ingredients:

Make It:

What’s your favorite 1950s recipe? Have you ever thrown a 50s party?

Ingredients:

Make It:

Happy Friday, Loves!

Hannah & Husband’s Cornbread Recipe

Ideas for serving:

So… is there a recipe that has eluded you for years? Something you’ve tried and tried with no success? Share it in the comments. Perhaps we could figure it out together!

What should we call it? Add any suggestions in the comments below.

Favorite thing to do with a surplus of blueberries…
1-2-3-Go!

So… is there a recipe that has eluded you for years?
Something you’ve tried and tried with no success?
Share it in the comments. Perhaps we could figure it out together!