Andy Bedwell

By Andy Bedwell This week, let’s just bake some “goodies galore.” I want to begin with the Best Chocolate Brownie Recipe Ever! The Best Chocolate Brownie EVER! 1 ½ cups self-rising flour 2 cups sugar 1 cup Crisco oil 4 eggs, beaten 8 tablespoons cocoa 1 tablespoon vanilla flavoring 1 cup chopped pecans Sift flour,

By Andy Bedwell When I mentioned to my friends and family that I was working my way through my cookbook and what fun I was having doing it, someone would proudly chime in with a comment about their momma’s, aunt’s or grandmother’s recipe being included. This was just music to my ears, and definitely to

By Andy Bedwell You know sometimes you just want to save time and money by serving an all-in-one meal. Add a few delicious sides and presto, your dinner is done! Chicken Cacciatore 4 large boneless chicken breasts, cut in half 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon black pepper ¼ cup of flour ¼ cup Crisco oil

By Andy Bedwell During the summer season, I love to pull out recipes that are centered around our fresh fruits. This has been an excellent year for fresh blueberries and strawberries. Pies, tarts and cobblers bring back so many memories of my mother’s kitchen. I hope that some of my pies and cobblers that you

By Andy Bedwell More recipes from the garden! Mrs. Fielder’s Cornbread Salad 2 packages of Mexican cornbread mix 1 large bell pepper 2 fresh garden tomatoes, chopped 1 large onion, chopped 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled 1 pint mayonnaise Mix cornbread as directed on the package. Bake, cool and crumble into small pieces. Add

By Andy Bedwell Sunday family dinners at houses in the South were a nourishing part of childhood years. We gathered at my mother’s home, where we were surrounded with the aroma of Southern cooking at its best. It was also a time for us to share in each other’s lives and reconnect with the people

By Andy Bedwell Some of my favorite me-mories as a child were the weekend visits to my Grandmother Icy’s house. I would awaken to a sense of light coming from the kitchen. Then the smells and noises of pots and pans would draw me to the kitchen to spend some precious time alone with my

By Andy Bedwell The food we Southerners ate as children nourished our souls as well as our bodies. I still have fond memories of waking up to the aromas of bacon, eggs and grits. There is nothing any better than looking forward to fried catfish with the whole family for dinner. While we still enjoy the

By Andy Bedwell Let’s go from our gardens to our tables. I love to see the medley of vegetables appear at produce markets and roadside stands – baskets of fire-engine red tomatoes, bushels of corn with bright green husks and pods of okra that “snap” when broken. When we see all of these vegetables, we

By Andy Bedwell Food always seems to a be a topic of conversation when my friends and family get together. Someone in the family always has some new recipe we all need to try, or we are talking about a new restaurant that’s just opened and finding out if anyone has been there yet. I’ve

By Andy Bedwell Serve up a slice of sunshine in the form of a creamy, dreamy lemon tart. This heavenly confection puts you in a Southern state of mind. Lemon Cream Tarts 2 cups sugar ½ cup cornstarch Dash of salt 2 cups cold water 8 egg yolks, lightly beaten 2 tablespoons lemon zest 2/3

By Andy Bedwell You’re more than a wonderful Grandma. You’re a woman I admire and a friend I can count on. Your love and inspiration are gifts in my life, And I am thankful for you. Happy Mother’s Day, Matthew Langley When I visited my Grandmother Icy on the weekends, the house already smelled like

By Andy Bedwell GRANDMA (gran’ mg) n. 1. A grandmother 2. A woman who loves unconditionally 3. One who teaches, motivates, and encourages 4. One who gives big warm hugs, tells great stories and bakes chocolate chip cookies! This month we are paying homage to those memories of our grandma’s kitchens. We grandchildren are the

By Andy Bedwell Years ago, our summers were full of shelling peas and butterbeans, shucking corn and putting up tomatoes. This is where I learned about the seasonality of food and how to preserve it at its peak. My mother always had fresh frozen vegetables in her freezer. I am the daughter of a true

By Andy Bedwell Southern food is in my blood! Fresh fruit and vegetables are, without a doubt, my favorite part of spring and summer. I am thankful to be the beneficiary of my dad’s wonderful gardens. My mother and I enjoyed taking care of all of the wonderful vegetables that my dad’s gardens produced. He

By Andy Bedwell The South’s best soul food comes from our Southern kitchens! Two of my favorites to bake are cookies (which you all know I love to bake) and pies. My mother loved to bake pies and would always roll out her own dough for her crust. In later years, she would buy the

“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces…just good food from fresh ingredients.” – Julia Child Strawberry Salad 1 (3 oz.) package strawberry gelatin ¼ cup sugar 1 cup boiling water 1 ½ cups Cool Whip 1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced ¼ cup cool water Dissolve gelatin and sugar in boiling water. Add cool water;

Let’s do brunch! Brunch Casserole 10 slices of bread, cubed (I don’t remove crusts) 1 pound Dean’s sausage, cooked and crumbles 1 (8-ounce) package cheddar cheese, grated 8 eggs, beaten 4 cups milk salt and pepper to taste Put the bread cubes in a greased deep baking dish (lazy me uses a foil pan). Add

The strawberry, red in all of its glory, is one of nature’s sweetest offerings. It can be eaten straight off the vine and can be barely sprinkled with sugar or salt. The peak season for strawberries is April to June, so now is the time to enjoy these recipes. My favorite way to use strawberries

Spring is here! I think one of the big reasons people do not cook anymore is the notion that it takes too long and it’s just too hard. I hope you learn from my recipes that good home-cooked food can be quick, easy and good. Pies are a great dessert to make ahead of time

This week I am continuing recipes that I collected from people who attended Cottontail’s Village in Birmingham. Even though I have not yet tried any of these, they sound delicious! I plan to try all of these this week. Baked Marinated Chicken Four boneless chicken breasts Lemon pepper Bottle of Italian dressing One tablespoon Dale’s

Cottontail’s Village 2020 at the BJCC in Birmingham was a great success for us this year. In fact, I signed more cookbooks than I did last year. The highlight of the weekend for me was talking to so many wonderful cooks from all over our great state. Mary and I asked many cooks what their

Pineapple Congealed Salad 1 small lime Jello 1 cup boiling water 1 (4 oz. ) cream cheese 1 cup small marshmallows 1 small can crushed pineapple 1/2 cup evaporated milk 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1 cup diced pineapple 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1/2 cup chopped pecans Combine Jello, water, cream cheese and marshmallows. Stir over low

As the weather is still cooler, we Southerners welcome our soups to the family dinner table. So, grab your ladles, bowls and spoons to try these delicious and comforting recipes! Remember a soup is a “souper” addition to any kind of meal. Andy’s Leftover Vegetable Soup 1 can corn 1 can of peas 1 can or

When I mentioned to family and friends that I was working my way through hundreds of recipes for my cookbook and what fun I was having, someone would proudly chime in with a comment about their momma’s or aunt’s famous recipes. Some of my recipes may seem dated by today’s measure. A few may even

Valentine’s Day is that special time when thoughts of those we care about come to mind. The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart. – Helen Keller Half-Time Rocky Road Candy 1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips 1 (11-ounce) package butterscotch

Love me tender, love me sweet, never let me go… You have made my life complete, And I love you So. These recipes are “straight from the heart” and have something that is guaranteed to have you falling in love all over again. Strawberry Bon-Bons 3 (3-ounce) packages of strawberry jello 1 can Eagle Brand

Memories of Sunday dinners at my Grandmother Icy’s house were just a wonderful feeling of comfort. Her stove was covered with the most delicious dishes that I have cherished since my childhood—everything from fried chicken, heaping bowls of mashed potatoes, slaw that she had shredded with a sharp knife, green beans topped with new potatoes,

Like most Southern cooks, I enjoy a lot of time baking as the holidays approach. Some of the baked goods are gifts for family and friends and some seem to end up in my kitchen cookie jars. The month of January comes along and it seems like after soup recipes that I am anxious to

I love cookbooks! My love for cookbooks and recipes began many, many years ago. I know that my best memories of growing up were the wonderful smells that came from my mother’s kitchen. She could put a pie together as easy as most people could make a sandwich. I do not like recipes that are