Category: Food & Drink

These delicious, Southern fried shrimp were inspired by the recipe on the back of the Kikkoman’s box, but we added our own essence. The secret to our Southern fried shrimp recipe is about 1/2 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s Famous Creole Seasoning. For more flavor, go with a whole teaspoon or tablespoon. Frying shrimp is probably easier than frying chicken because these bad boys only take about 5 minutes of prep time, a few extra minutes to heat up your oil, and about 2 minutes in the fryer. Y’all will need:

• 1 pound jumbo raw shrimp – peeled & deveined
• 1 1/2 cups Kikkoman Panko Bread Crumbs
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• Couple of grinds of black pepper
• 2 cups Vegetable Oil

Pour oil into a large sauce pan (or you can use a fondue cooker) and heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat eggs in a small bowl until frothy. Pour Panko into a large bowl or deep tupperware container. Combine flour, pepper, and Chachere’s seasoning. Dredge shrimp in flour mixture coating both sides evenly, and shake off the excess. Then dip in eggs (coating the entire shrimp) before tossing in panko. For best results, we like to use the tupperware container with a lid to do a little shake & bake – that way, all the shrimp get an equal coating of breadcrumbs.  In batches of 10-12, fry shrimp in oil. Look for the nice golden brown color.

Serve with cocktail sauce, or a bit of sriracha with ketchup. We like to think this traditional panko breaded shrimp recie has been “Southified”. That’s Southern + Fried = “Southified”. Try using that in a sentence this week, y’all!

For our recent pretty southern bridal shower, one of our hostesses came up with this recipe. It’s so simple, the presentation looks great in the phyllo cups, and they are tasty too. This recipe yields 60 of the Chicken Caesar Salad Cups. You’ll need.

• 1 lb. of chicken breasts
• 1 bag of shredded lettuce
• Phyllo cups (we bought a few packages for 60 cups)
• Your favorite Caesar dressing
• Empty squirt bottle (find one for $1 at WalMart)

Cook chicken and shred (it should yield at least 2 cups of cooked chicken). Fill squirt bottle with Caesar dressing. Place shredded lettuce in phyllo cups. Top with the cooked chicken, then add a drizzle of the dressing. Arrange cups on a platter and serve!

Fall is here which means it’s time to bust out those crock pots and savory casserole recipes. This is a takeoff from Chandler’s Chicken & Rice, but with a few shortcuts to make it an easy, weeknight meal. This recipe will easily feed a family of four, or leave you with leftovers for days. You’ll need:

• 1 rotisserie chicken (a fully cooked one from your local grocery store)
• 1 bag of Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice Pouch (Long Grain & Wild)
• 1 cup of grated Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup of grated Swiss cheese
• 1 (10 oz) can of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup — you can also use Cream of Celery or Cream of Mushroom w/ Roasted Garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 lemons, thinly sliced
• freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a large skillet of medium-low heat. Sauté onions, celery and pepper until the onion turns translucent. In a large bowl, mix shredded rotisserie chicken, rice, cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese, and mushroom soup. Add in sautéed veggies and a few more grinds of black pepper. Spray a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray then evenly spread your cheesy-veggie-chicken-rice mixture. Place lemon slices on top. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes. It’s going to smell amazing, but you’ve got to let it stand for a minute before serving. Enjoy!