B.L.T.
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I posted a picture on Facebook, at home making a BLT sandwiches. Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato and let me tell you, everyone went crazy.
I know everyone on social media would rather see pictures of my food than my face and I’ve embraced that but this one caused a stir…
This time of year, the south has juicy, ripe homegrown tomatoes. I must admit my gardening abilities don’t match up with my kitchen skills, never have and I’m convinced they never will. I’m okay with that, I still try and its always a bust! So thankfully friends like Debbie and Delbert have the green thumb and supply me with tomatoes that made my sandwiches just perfect.
The BLT was first known to be published in a 1903 issue of Good Housekeeping by Dr. Evan Mee. The original included a slice of turkey that is usually left off. They have been a hit in the south, almost a summer staple for over 100 years. The south has markets and roadside stands for produce and most of us raise or hunt hogs for the bacon.
Although everyone tends to make them a little different here’s my take on the perfect BLT.
- 8 strips of cooked (crispy) bacon
- 4 tablespoons of Mayo (I prefer blue plate or Dukes)
- Pinch of garlic powder, fresh ground black pepper, salt
- Pinch of Benwood’s Surely Southern Seasoning (or Cajun seasoning of your choice but if using Tony’s, I would skip the pinch of salt)
- 4 slices of lightly toasted sandwich bread (I like Texas toast or thicker bread for this)
- A few large lettuce leaves (bibb, iceberg, or butter)
- 1 large beefsteak or Cherokee tomato sliced
Put the sandwich together and add your seasonings directly to the sliced tomatoes on the sandwich’s and enjoy. (Makes two sandwiches)
Remember, “treat your kitchen, treat yourself”
Chef Hunter Lee Uniquely southern, surely the best.
The Summer S’more
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That’s right s’mores in the summer, it’s a thing, or it could be. I’ve never been considered completely sane and with it 100° or hotter outside, I probably got ya attention. But seriously if you like them, you like them, if you have ever made them with the kiddos, you know they love them. I grew up in the country and when we were kids out at the camp, we were always by the fire making s’mores!
They are perfect for those nights out by the fire when it’s cool out, camping, and perfect for family time. Well with one of the best kitchen inventions in a generation you don’t have wait until fall to toast that marshmallow! In fact, you don’t even have to go outside.
Time to get out the amazing air fryer and shake things up. Perfect for movie or game night with the kids (inside) or even a cute date night dessert or snack. Below is my version of s’mores without the heat of the summer at your back. Best part is you don’t have to build a fire or wait for fall.
Put a few ingredients out and let each person create their own treat.
INGREDIENTS:
- Graham Crackers
- Marshmallows
- Chocolate Bars
These ingredients come in so many flavors that you can switch them up and get creative.
Here are a few suggestions:
- Chocolate or Cinnamon graham crackers
- Cookies and cream chocolate bars
- Dark Chocolate Bars
- Strawberry Marshmallows
- Break the graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate bar each into halves.
- Place four graham crackers halves in the basket of your air fryer. Add the marshmallow halves on your cracker, sticky side down.
- Cook on 370 degrees for 2-5 minutes, depending on your air fryer. Check the basket often to make sure that the marshmallows are turning light, golden brown.
- Once the marshmallows are golden brown remove the basket from the air fryer.
- Put your chocolate bar halves on top of the marshmallows and top with the remaining graham cracker halves.
- Serve immediately so they are warm and gooey.
Remember, “treat your kitchen, treat yourself”
Uniquely southern, surely the best!
Chef Hunter Lee
The Passive-Aggressive Pineapple
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I returned home this week from a cookbook promotional tour that included Asheville, North Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah Georgia. It was an amazing adventure but over 2,400 miles round trip, it was a lot of driving and let me tell y’all it’s just as HOT up there as it is here.
South Carolina and Georgia are both well known for the Pineapple. It’s not just them, like a lot of symbols it’s a southern thing!
“The Pineapple” is the southern symbol for hospitality and we all know you won’t find better down-home hospitality than right here in the GREAT state of Louisiana.
There are stories of how this came to be and why, a lot of them are just myth and a lot have been lost in history and time.
Originally, pineapples were scarce. They were not only used as a symbol of hospitality but also, affluence. They would be set outside to let the neighbors know the gentleman of the house had returned from overseas and they were welcoming guests.
They were also said to be used as centerpieces for a fine dinner then used as dessert for the guests. My personal favorite: when pineapples were placed on the mantle it was a signal to let guests know the party/social was ending. In the true southern “passive-aggressive” fashion they were also cut in half and placed at the foot of the bed when overnight guest had overstayed their welcome.
In the south hospitality is life and the pineapple is just another chapter in our ever-unique culture, notwithstanding todays use of it displayed upside down signifying a more “precarious” type of hospitality.
Yes, hospitality in the south comes in many shapes, forms, and symbols.
Remember, “treat your kitchen, treat yourself”
Chef Hunter Lee
Uniquely southern, surely the best.
Long Southern Summer Days
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Don’t get me wrong there are many things to enjoy about the south in the summer. Boating, lakes, beaches, pools. Obviously most involve water because let’s face it, it gets miserably HOT. In fact, we are having one of the worst summers we have seen in quite some time.
Now to the best part, summer gardens, some grow from them, and some buy from farmers markets and some from the all too delightful road side stands.
Growing up, mom always hard a garden, a tradition I have carried on since being forced to retire 6 years ago. Why the effort? Why the work? As a southerner that’s just what you do. I think that it’s answered best by “Ouiser” Boudreaux in the famous southern movie Steel Magnolias as she not so quaintly explained the Louisiana heat and gardening:
“I am old and Southern, and I am supposed to wear funny clothes, ugly hats, and dig in the dirt. I did not make the rules, this is hell, I have found it, I’m in it.”
I can’t say I disagree but what do they say about life giving you lemons? Well, how about fresh homegrown tomatoes and cucumbers. They are divine and here’s how I like to put them to use.
This recipe almost makes the heat worth it. Enjoy
Marinated, onion, cucumber, and tomato summer salad.
1 cup of water
½ cup distilled white vinegar
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and Benwood’s seasoning to taste
3 cucumbers, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
3 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 onion, sliced and separated into rings (purple or sweet)
Whisk water, vinegar, oil, sugar, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl until smooth; add cucumbers, tomatoes, and onion and stir to coat
Cover bowl with plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
I also like to add a little feta cheese crumble, maybe even some sliced banana peppers. Play around with it for the perfect summer treat.
Remember, “treat your kitchen, treat yourself”
Chef Hunter Lee
Uniquely southern, surely the best.
Is it Cajun? Is it Creole? Is it both?
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There are few dishes that are both Cajun and Creole, but both have different variations of similar dishes.
I’ve always made what I considered “traditional” Louisiana foods, but it wasn’t till my years of living and working in different parts of south Louisiana I really learned the differences.
One of the simplest differences between the two cuisine is Creole food typically uses tomatoes and tomato-based sauces while traditional Cajun food does not.
Cajun food is rustic.
Cooking anything found along the Bayou. It is a combination of French and Southern style cooking. Think of one-pot dishes; jambalaya, rice dressing, boudin.
Ya’ crawfish boil is another Cajun culture creation!
Creole has culturally diverse food, created from New Orleans with European, African and Native American roots. The French have a strong influence, but there is a multitude of culture mixed in. Italian, Spanish, German, Caribbean flare; all can be found in different Creole dishes. The Creole flavor is found using rich sauces, local herbs and fresh caught seafood.
Both cuisines make use of the “holy trinity,” chopped green peppers, onions and celery. Cajun and Creole food doesn’t have to be spicy or hot, but it must have a plethora of flavor. The depth of flavor these unique cuisines have is what makes southern cooking so different from the rest of the world. One thing that will always be true – you’ll never go wrong adding a few shakes of any Benwood’s Surely Southern product!
Remember, “Treat your kitchen, Treat yourself!”
Chef Hunter Lee
Uniquely southern, surely the best
The Lesser-Known Crop—Louisiana Blueberries
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When you think of Louisiana you think of cotton, sugarcane, rice, even corn, but how about blueberries?
Absolutely, especially if you are over 40 years old and from DeSoto Parish Louisiana.
It conjures memories of the Blueberry Festival, half the town covered in Blueberry signs, teens picking blueberries in the summer for extra money, and even the Blueberry Cafe.
Those days are all but memories now, or at least for most, but all is not lost. Louisiana still produces amazing blueberries and has blueberry farms, several right here in DeSoto Parish like Hillcrest Blueberry Farms in Gloster, Louisiana. Hillcrest was even featured in Southern Living Magazine.
Blueberries have a short season, and we are sadly coming to an end for this season but if you hurry fresh ones are still available for another week or so and even after that you can get them frozen.
In honor of the Louisiana Blueberry and the farmers that work hard to make a living and supply all of us with these delicious little treats. I’m going to share one of my favorite things to do with them.
Louisiana Blueberry Cobbler
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 egg
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
Glaze:
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon grated orange or lemon peel
- 1-1/2 tablespoons milk
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease a 9×9-inch baking pan. Combine sugar and butter in a mixing bowl, cream together. Add egg and beat well. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Fold in blueberries. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake at 350˚F for 40 to 45 minutes or until top springs back when touched. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and place on wire rack.
To prepare Glaze:
In a bowl, cream together confectioner’s sugar, butter, and orange peel. Gradually stir in milk until mixture reaches desired consistency. Drizzle glaze over warm cake and serve. Even better served with homemade vanilla ice cream.
Remember, “treat your kitchen, treat yourself”
Chef Hunter Lee
Uniquely southern, surely the best!!
The SKILL-et
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The cast iron skillet is an essential tool in the southern kitchen! The problem is so many of y’all are killin the skillet before it’s in its prime!
If you wanted to threaten a cajun-cook, just tell them you’ll put their cast iron in the dishwasher! In case you didn’t know that is a big NO NO! When you want to clean your cast iron, its ok to use a VERY small amount of dish soap, but don’t ever, and I mean ever let that thing soak overnight!
Pre-heating is your friend! Iron is not a naturally non-stick metal…now this applies to all cooking; you never want to put your pan on the stove, add the food you’re cooking and then flip the heat on! If you do that and it sticks and breaks apart…that’s why!
To create a non-stick layer in your skillet, heat oil to a high temperature. If you’re cooking and you start to see some flaking, don’t panic, that’s your trusty non-stick layer!
When I was growing up, nobody was allowed to use my daddy’s cast iron! He seasoned it and took care of it like it was his other child. When my daddy was teaching me how to cook and sharing his own tips and tales with me, he gifted me my first SEASONED cast iron skillet! It is a common gift in the south to gift new couples a seasoned skillet.
A seasoned cast iron skillet gift shows that you invested time to give someone the perfect gift!
Uniquely Southern, Surely the Best!
“Remember treat your kitchen, treat yourself.”
Chef Hunter Lee
Well Kiss My Grits!
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Grits are about as southern as it gets. Originating from native Indians and slowly making its way into the antebellum kitchens of the south.
Grits are made in many different fashions, some as unique as the people that make them and the cultures, they are made in. They can be breakfast, a side dish or even an upscale dish topped with shrimp, Grillades (pronounced GREE-ahds) and less known but no less delicious version topped with fish in places like New Orleans and coastal towns.
One of my favorite recipes I found years ago while living in Lafayette, Louisiana. We were having a 4th of July cook-out at my house and one of my close friends Mitch, a true character, he was south Louisiana through and through, came ready to rumble and hold his own in the kitchen with his well-known specialty. Cheesy sweet corn grits. Something I found a bit strange at first. Let me just tell you after trying them not only did everyone scrape the pot, but I also had a new favorite.
My dear friend Mitch passed on a few years ago from cancer but I will always remember him, his personality, his love of his friends and family, and his delicious cooking. I have always cherished this recipe and the time I had with my dear friend, and I’m thrilled to share it with you. It will also be in our 3rd book in the Benwood’s cookbook series.
Mitch’s Cheesy Sweet Corn Grits
4 cups of whole milk
4 cups of chicken broth
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1/4 teaspoon of sugar
1 cup of fresh sweet corn or (canned sweet corn drained)
2 cups stoned ground grits
1 cut shredded cheddar cheese
In a medium saucepan, bring milk, chicken stock, salt, pepper, sugar, and corn to a simmer on medium-high heat for 10 minutes.
Add the stone ground grits to the saucepan, continue to stir for 2 minutes. Then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes until liquid as mostly absorbed. Stir in the cheddar cheese, mix WELL, and serve.
Remember, “treat your kitchen, treat yourself”
Chef Hunter Lee
The Simplicity of Cheese!
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Growing up in true southern societal fashion unplanned entertaining was almost as important as planned and reflected heavily on the host. I always say I was born in the wrong era, but I do still see this dying entertaining art in some circles in the south. It’s less prevalent now-a-days especially in middle or lower classes and has a lot to do with social norms, two income households, after school activities for children, etc.
What am I talking about? Always having something you can set out if company shows up; after church, Saturday evening, or especially around cocktail/teatime in the afternoons. Simple things that can be set out or readily available if someone drops by.
Never dispel the classy host powers of setting out a block of cream cheese topped with pepper jelly or Pika-Peppa sauce with some chips or crackers. A simple block of sharp cheese on a classy cheese board. If you wanna go all out you can set out the cheese with a spicy mustard and some sliced summer sausage, maybe even some homemade pickles. All the above are inexpensive, saves well in the fridge, and can set up in 5 minutes or less.
For most of my life I have kept the ingredients to welcome guest at a moment’s notice, it’s how I grew up with my grandparents and still to this day my Martha (my godmother) still does this very thing. It’s southern, it shows class and as simple as it is it makes guests (even the uninvited and unexpected ones) feel welcome. You can take your entertaining to the next level without breaking the bank by stepping back to a generations old southern act of prepared simplicity.
Making those that drop by for an afternoon cocktail or sweet tea feel welcome; it’s just part of the south, it’s our culture, it’s part of our past, and in Louisiana it’s just our “Joie de vivre.” (enjoyment of life)
Uniquely Southern, Surely the Best!
Remember, “Treat your kitchen, treat yourself!”
Chef Hunter Lee
Pass it on…Generation to Generation
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“Pass it on,” children and young adults in the kitchen!
How many of you still cook with the kiddos?
Cookies?
Cupcakes?
Grillin?
Let them help with dinner?
Sadly, this has become a dying trend over the last few decades.
Kids in the kitchen: not only does it teach a skill they will carry throughout life, it is also time well spent! A fun and beautiful way to connect, make memories and pass on the recipes you were taught as a child.
Growing up I was always by my daddy’s side grilling steaks, BBQing chicken, smoking a brisket, or frying deer meat or fish. If it was winter, you would find us cooking gumbo or sauce picanté. Some afternoons and Friday nights you would find me in the kitchen with my maw-maw making chicken salad (yes that’s where my recipe came from.) On holidays she and I would make gingerbread cookies.
In the south food is family. Food is community. Food is the fabric of our lives and those we share it with. It doesn’t matter what you are making, the most important thing you are making is memories and I’m living proof those memories as well as the skills learned stay with you for a lifetime.
Get those kids back in the kitchen and like I always say.
“Treat your kitchen, treat yourself”
Chef Hunter Lee
Who is Benwoods?
Benwood’s spice was the original creation of Hunter Lee’s father Benny during the oil and gas boom in the 1980’s. Inspired by his love for cooking, catering and the unique flavors of Louisiana, the spice was a big hit with chefs and home cooks alike.
Meet Chef Hunter Lee
For over 15 years, Chef Hunter Lee has sought to bring Louisiana cookin’ to the world as a chef/kitchen personality, food expert, restaurant consultant, and private chef!
Our Locations
Find Benwood’s line of products at a retailer near you. We’re constantly adding additional stores to our local retailers list.