Andy Bedwell

By Andy Bedwell Do you want to start a conversation? Read a cookbook in public. That’s what happens to me all of the time. I always have a cookbook with me. “What are you cooking?” the young lady who sat beside me asked as she peeped over my shoulder. “Just checking out a recipe I

By Andy Bedwell Let’s warm up the season with some tried-and-true favorite soup recipes from some of our supporters. They showcase a wide range of flavors and textures. We guarantee you that they will make your dinner delightful. Brunswick Stew 1 3.5 pound Pork Butt 1 4-pound whole chicken 3 gallons water 2 cups diced

By Andy Bedwell What could be better than a warm and comforting, creamy soup on a cold day? Cheering on a big game,  applauding a good movie or just catching up with family and friends are all great reasons to host a get-together with a variety of yummy soups. Whatever the occasion, you are sure

By Andy Bedwell My favorite football menu is the following: Cheese Dip to Die For 1 (8-ounce) cream cheese, room temperature 1 cup mayonnaise 1 bundle chopped green onions ½ cup bacon bits 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded 12 Ritz crackers, crumbled Mix together cream cheese, mayonnaise, onions, one-half of the bacon bits, and

By Andy Bedwell Let’s do some quick, easy and good recipes! We Southerners love our comfort foods, and so many restaurants these days present “frilly” foods on fancy plates with swirling sauces for decoration that they are almost too pretty to eat. My goal is to serve straightforward, good food in a fairly glamorous way.

By Andy Bedwell Fall is the season for comfort food, and I can hardly wait to try some new recipes. Let’s climb out of our recipe rut with a few of my favorites. Sloppy Joes 2 pounds ground chuck 1 large onion, chopped ½ cup bell pepper, chopped ½ cup brown sugar 2 cups ketchup

By Andy Bedwell Do you want to start a conversation? Read a cook-book in public. That’s what happens to me all of the time. I always have a cookbook with me.  “What are you cooking?” the young lady who sat beside me asked as she peeped over my shoulder. “Just checking out a recipe I

By Andy Bedwell Let’s cool off on hot days with some more homemade ice cream recipes! Nesquik Chocolate Ice Cream 2 cups sugar 1 ¾ cups Nesquik 1 large can Pet evaporated milk Finish filling can with regular milk Andy’s Note: In this recipe, Carol uses the Nestle’s Nesquik (no sugar added). This is delicious!

By Andy Bedwell Since August is one of the hottest months of the year in the South, I sent out a request to my friends and family to send me their favorite homemade ice cream recipe. Let’s get out our ice cream freezers! The following are a few of the fabulous recipes that I received.

By Andy Bedwell One-dish wonders can save time and money by serving hot and hearty all-in-one meals. Basically, what I love to do is take my Southern food roots and kind of combine them with local ingredients and put a different twist on them. Mexican Pizza 1 package crescent rolls 1 teaspoon garlic 1 tablespoon

By Andy Bedwell My heart is so thankful for being raised in the South. I am also thankful for all the life lessons my precious family and my God has taught me. Have you ever heard the expressions, “Eat it and hush” or “Lord, what is this?” My chicken pot pie dish was one of

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