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Tom and Judy McKibbin of Calhoun County have both become good cooks over the years, even though neither of them had much experience in the kitchen when they were growing up.

"My mother was always a really good cook, but she was busy so I never spent much time cooking with her. I basically collected cookbooks to teach myself to cook," said Judy.

"And when I was working and going to school, Tom decided his options were learn to cook or starve," she added.

And so was born a family with two cooks who approach the kitchen from very different perspectives.

"Tom has more enthusiasm than I do about trying new recipes. If I want him to do a little cooking, all I have to do is pick up a new cook book," Judy joked.

The McKibbins taught their daughters to cook as well, and she said her family was never very picky.

"One child balked on brussel sprouts and one on okra, and that’s about it," commented Judy and Tom.

When Tom’s career moved the couple to Alabama from North Carolina, they bought farm land and beef cattle, despite the fact neither of them had any experience with cattle.

"It was quite a learning curve, but it’s been something we’ve really enjoyed," Judy said of their Red Angus operation.

"We sell for freezer beef, and we produce natural beef with no hormones or antibiotics," she added.

And while the McKibbins obviously enjoy the beef they’ve raised, they also said they brought their North Carolina appetites to Alabama.

"We’re big rice eaters like most people who grew up in rice-farming communities. Back then Eastern Carolina men wouldn’t pray over a table unless there was rice on it. So we love rice and shrimp, too," said Judy.

She also credits fresh butter and other dairy products with much of her cooking success.

"We live just a few miles away from Wright Dairy, and I love the difference their products make. Like the recipe (below) for Nutty Balls. They’re really good cookies when made with store-bought butter, but they improve when made with fresh butter from Wright’s," she said.

Reflecting their Carolina roots, Judy’s Cheesy Shrimp Grits and Tom’s Chicken Bog are two classic East Coast flavors Judy said are worth a try.

According to Judy, "The Chicken Bog is wonderful reheated, so do not fear the size of the recipe. The name is strange, to say the least, but the product ranks with mac and cheese for comfort!"

And the couple said Shrimp in Garlic Sauce is a favorite that almost got out of hand.

"We honestly cooked it for 25 people at a friend’s house. We used the turkey fryer to cook the noodles and three big skillets to get the shrimp going. Everybody said it was wonderful, but my taste buds were nearly ruined standing over all those skillets," joked Judy.

Kellie Henderson is a freelance writer from Troy.Chicken BogChicken Bog

Chicken Bog

1 large broiler chicken
1 large onion, peeled and chopped large
2-3 stalks celery with tops
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped finely
2-3 bay leaves
1 ½ Tablespoons salt
1 Tablespoon black pepper (more or less, according to taste)
3 cups uncooked rice

Place the rinsed and dried chicken in a six quart Dutch oven and cover it with water. Add the onion, celery, garlic, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and skim the froth from the top. Simmer the chicken, uncovered, until it is tender throughout. Remove the chicken from the pot, cool and debone it. Return the meat to the pot of broth. Add enough water to bring the level to about 2-3 inches from the top of the pot. Bring the contents back to a simmer and add the rice, maintaining the simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Uncover and stir the mixture to distribute the chicken throughout the pot. Taste test for salt, adding more, if necessary. Re-cover and cook for about 20 minutes more until the rice is soft and all is well done.

Shrimp in Garlic Sauce

½ cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and mashed
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon paprika
3 Tablespoons dry sherry
1 Tablespoon tomato sauce or ketchup
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper (or out of the shaker!)
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley for garnish, optional
4 slices lemon for garnish, optional
Have at the ready cooked spaghetti noodles for 4-6 people.

In a large skillet, heat oil and sauté garlic and shrimp over medium-high heat for about one minute. Add crushed red pepper, hot sauce, paprika, sherry, tomato sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well until shrimp are pink and done. Toss with the noodles in a very large bowl. Garnish if you wish, but nobody cares. Serve with a salad and some good bread to sop the juices!

Cheesy Shrimp Grits

First, the shrimp part:
½ large red bell pepper, chopped
½ large yellow bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped OR
     2 Tablespoons dried parsley flakes
One bunch green onions, chopped
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 (15 oz) can tomatoes, or equivalent of fresh chopped tomatoes
1 ½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
2 teaspoons Texas Pete hot sauce
1 ½ teaspoons salt
Black pepper to taste
1 ½ pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

In a large skillet, sauté the first five ingredients in the olive oil until the peppers and onions are limp. Add the tomatoes, Old Bay, Texas Pete, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Add the shrimp and bring back to a simmer for 5 to 8 minutes until the shrimp are just done, not rubbery.

Meantime, the grits:
Water, salt and quick grits to serve 4-6 people
2 Tablespoons butter
½ cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
½ cup Provolone cheese, shredded
¼ cup Parmesan, shredded

Cook the grits according to package directions, adding butter to the initial water, salt and grits. When grits are nearly done, add the cheeses, stirring to incorporate well. Substitutions of other cheeses are possible, but the Parmesan is important to the flavor. Serve the hot shrimp mixture over hot grits. Serves 4-6

Beef Kabobs

Harmless Sweet Carrots

3 cups fresh carrots (1/4 inch rounds), pared and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 heaping Tablespoon dried sweet basil
       or 2 Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
        this recipe)

Place carrots in a saucepan with enough water to almost cover them. Add salt and simmer the carrots until "crispy done." Avoid cooking them to a mushy state. Drain and stir in basil. Cut pepper into thin strips. Melt butter in a skillet; add pepper and sauté until slightly limp. Add pepper and butter to carrots and stir gently. The flavors blend best if the pot is covered and set aside for a few minutes before serving.

Nutty Balls

1 cup butter, softened

Preheat oven to 400^o. Cream butter, ½ cup sugar and vanilla on high speed until thoroughly fluffy. Add flour and salt and mix thoroughly. Add pecans and mix another round, scraping the bottom of the bowl to combine the pecans with the stiff dough. Roll the dough by hand into ¾ -1 inch balls and space them on an ungreased cookie sheet rather closely (they don’t expand very much at all). Bake for 12 minutes. Remove immediately and roll each cookie in the powdered sugar and arrange them single layer on a plate. Sprinkle more powdered sugar over the whole batch and allow them to cool. Makes about 4 dozen cookies. Store them in a tightly covered container at room temperature.

Note: You may freeze them, but be sure they are well sealed.

Marinade:
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 ½ Tablespoons brown sugar
1 ½ Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon ground ginger
1 Tablespoon garlic salt

Mix all ingredients together.

Kabobs:
2 ½ pounds sirloin steaks or roast OR use good quality stew beef
1 bell pepper (any color)
1 onion
Handful cherry tomatoes
½ pound mushrooms
Medium eggplant
Skewers

Cut into one inch cubes. Cover with marinade in a glass or pottery bowl and refrigerate at least two hours.

While the meat marinates, cube bell pepper, quarter and "leaf" onion, wash cherry tomatoes, halve mushrooms, and cube eggplant. Salt eggplant and let it drain on paper towels, blotting dry before using it.

Drain the beef and skewer it alternating with the vegetables. Broil for 15-20 minutes, turning often. Serve over steamed rice.

Note: Yellow "saffron" rice is nice with this, but not essential. Zucchini and yellow squash are good substitutes for eggplant.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008