Food Joy – NealEnJoy

Sunday Night Broth

Posted on November 27, 2022November 27, 2022 by Neal Saye

If you’ve read much of my little blog, you may remember that it doesn’t take much to make me giddily happy.

Think Red Hots.

When I am in the depths of despair, if you hand me a box of Red Hots, all of a sudden, I am a 10 on the Happiness Scale. Like a toddler.

So tonight as I was preparing a Thanksgiving Post-Gluttonous Salad for HR and me, I saw all the beginning-to-wilt produce from our holiday meals. And felt sad. (I obviously needed Red Hots.)

So I decided to make broth!!!

I make homemade broth regularly with leftover vegetable scraps. Don’t you? And use it for soups, stews, smoothies, or just a healthy sip.

Tonight I plopped in scraps from green onions, bok choy, celery, spinach and yellow onions.

In a few minutes, I will smell the incredible aroma and then pour the life-enhancing elixir into these …

Peaceful Sunday Night Slumber to You.

The finished product …

Strong Spines

Posted on November 22, 2022November 22, 2022 by Neal Saye

Over the valley and through the woods, gathering collards we go. 🎶

Walking in Habersham Village toward our favorite little bar and grill in Savannah, Robert and I saw this …

A mountain of beautiful pre-Thanksgiving collards! Being carefully pulled into our favorite little neighborhood grocer, The Red and White.

The sight brought a sudden jolt of JOY into my heart.

I love collards! They are deliciously beautiful. And they exude such leafy and cruciferous strength.

Collards greens have strong spines!

Food Joy

Collarding Up

Posted on September 29, 2022September 29, 2022 by Neal Saye

I love fall food.

One of my VERY favorites is, well, ANYTHING in the Leafy Greens Family.

Collards, Turnips, Mustard, even Poke Salad. (You have to be careful with Poke Salad—it can be poisonous. But it was my Granny’s favorite, and she taught me how to find it. In the wild.)

Well, yesterday, I found a beautiful bunch of local Savannah collards at our favorite little grocer near us in Habersham Village.

If you have read a bit on my blog, you know that HR (Husband Robert) is the fancy pants chef, and I’m the I-cook-what-Mama-taught-me fellow. Usually in cast iron.

So last night I pulled out our cast iron (heavy!) Dutch oven. (Okay, technically Robert pulled it out.)

And I went to work.

First, you gotta wash the greens, if you buy them fresh. And why wouldn’t you? A time-consuming task.

My Washed-Collards Bouquet.

I cut the thickest stems away from the leaves.

But don’t throw them away! I make homemade vegetable broth with them.

After cooking the ham hocks in water to provide the base for the “pot liquor,” I sauté onions and garlic in a bit of olive oil in the Dutch oven, pour the liquid from the ham hocks in, layer the ham hocks on top, and cover until the greens wilt.