Southern Sunday Mornings {Biscuits 'n Gravy}

This week, we're going to round out the 3 most sought after "'n recipes," by posting the recipe for true, Southern style biscuits 'n gravy, which are a Sunday morning staple in my house. Sunday mornings always mean a few things in my house, and have since I was a little girl. Southern Sunday mornings mean old-school country music on my iPod:



Southern Sunday mornings mean family time. Time for laughing, and playing, and taking walks, and just enjoying each other's company. And, Southern Sunday mornings mean light, fluffy biscuits covered in a delicious creamy sausage gravy.



What's funny, is that as a child, I wasn't the biggest fan of biscuits, and refused to even try the gravy. But, now, few things evoke the feelings of home, and family, inside of me like biscuits 'n gravy. And the only trouble I have with them is stopping myself from eating the whole pan.

A few notes about this recipe. First, these ain't no Pillsbury canned biscuits. They are a whole different breed of biscuit (and a much better one, at that!). They have a much lighter texture, which means no rolling them out, or using cookie cutters in the process. The consistency of the dough, is more like the consistency of a batter, and I've included two videos of the process in order to let you get a feel for the actual consistency of this dough. One of the best things about the biscuits is that you can get them on the table in 15 minutes, which is pretty amazing. If you don't have time to make the gravy, or simply aren't craving it, today, my favorite way to serve them (other than with gravy) is with some grape jelly, and butter.

The other thing you should know is that Southern biscuit recipes are sacred. They have been passed down from generation to generation, and as such, you should feel sublimely lucky that I've included them here. We're all family now, and I love sharing these recipes with you.

Also, before we start these biscuits, we need to have a little chat about a certain Southern staple. You may want to brace yourself here.  Have a seat, take a deep breath, and remind yourself of our little chat about health (HERE!). Now, butter aside, this here ingredient may be the single most important tool in my kitchen, and is a staple in Southern-style kitchens across the United States. I can still remember the metal container that my Mom kept her bacon grease in, as I was growing up. Yes.  I said bacon grease. In all it's fatty, delicious glory.



Every time you make a pound of bacon, just pour the remaining grease into your container of choice (I have been meaning to buy a prettier one, but haven't gotten around to it yet), seal it up, and save it! Now, bacon grease doesn't necessarily have to be refrigerated. I know this because my Mom's bacon grease lived (and still lives) in her spice cabinet. And in 26 years, I've never gotten sick from a recipe involving her bacon grease. However, as I did just finish a microbiology series, and I know about all those lovely little creatures that can grow in/on our food, I choose to keep mine in the refrigerator, where it seems a little safer. Where you decide to keep yours is between you, and your own level of OCD! I can't underestimate the flavor that this stuff brings to the table. It's pretty amazing, and I use it in a number of recipes, including the sausage gravy you'll see here today, fried potatoes, ham, eggs, all kinds of delicious things.

Now, I'm aware that this concept is foreign to many of you, and may take some time to fully digest. The Husband about passed out when he was helping me to pack up my apartment when we were engaged, and he came across my bacon grease. He was disgusted, and almost lost his hand when he tried to throw it out! But, as he would attest to you today, that jewel of deliciousness has never left our kitchen since, and is worth every ounce of controversy it creates. Just trust me on this one.

The biscuits are also a really FUN recipe to let the kids help out with. Something about smooshing that dough/batter around in their little fingers just gets them tickled pink! Though it's a little messy to clean up, faces like these make it all worth the mess:



Now, onto the recipes!


Mamal's Southern Biscuits

Hallelujahs:Incredible, Fast, Easy, Delicious, BUTTERMILK!
Hellfires:Can't come up with a single one.

Ingredients:
Self-Rising Flour
Sugar
Canola/Vegetable Oil
Buttermilk
Water

-First, you're going to pre-heat your oven to 500*. Yes, 500.
-While your oven pre-heats, begin making your biscuits, by pouring self-rising flour into your mixing bowl. Again, no measurements here, the only important thing is the consistency at the end. If I absolutely had to guess, I'd say there's probably about 4 cups of flour here.
-Using self-rising flour is VERY important here. If you talk to most Southern cooks (all of my family included) they will insist that not only is self-rising flour a necessity, but a specific brand of self-rising flour (Hudson Cream, or Gold Medal). But, if I'm being 100% honest (which I always am), I have made these biscuits with just about every kind of self-rising flour out there, and have found no difference between the "good stuff," and old reliable Great Value brand flour. So, the thrifty chick in me reigns, and Great Value is what I had in the house today. As long as it says "Self-Rising" on the front of the bag, you should be A-OK.



-Next, you're going to add some sugar. For the size of bowl I made this day, I added about 4 tablespoons (regular tablespoons you eat with, not measuring spoons) to my flour. Experiment with it, and don't stress, it won't make a huge difference. My uber healthy sister-in-law, Andrea, substitutes honey for the sugar, and even that works out fine!



-Next comes some oil. I use vegetable oil, and canola oil interchangeably. Again, whatever you have on hand. Another few tablespoons full (regular spoons, not measuring spoons). A good rule of thumb is to use about the same amount of oil, as sugar.



-Now for the good part. The buttermilk. Ah, buttermilk, the greatest smell in the history of the earth, and one of my favorite ingredients.
-For reasons that I do not understand, you are going to mix buttermilk, and water in equal parts. So, you're going to fill a cup (again, a regular drinking cup, not a measuring cup) halfway full with buttermilk, and then add enough water to fill it completely. Stir it up really good before adding it to your bowl.



-Add it to the bowl, and stir well. Try not to overmix, and don't forget, you want a very different consistency than you're used to. Almost a very thick pancake batter:



-Next, you're going to spray your pans with cooking spray. There are two kinds of pans that work really well for this recipe. Glass pans, and Cast Iron pans. I occasionally use a metal brownie pan (as you'll see in the following photo), but the results aren't nearly as good as with the glass pan. The bottoms tend to brown faster than the tops. Sometimes, I even use a glass pie pan, when I have a small batch to do.
-Now, add some more self rising flour onto a large plate.



-Now, turn out a small portion of your dough, onto the floured plate.



-The next steps are sort of difficult to explain, so I've included two videos to show you what to do. Basically you're just going to fold up the corners of your dough, from the bottom, pulling up some of that flour, and patting it into the dough. Then, you'll pinch off a biscuit sized corner, and place it in your pan. Watching the videos should also help you to see the consistency you're looking for here, but please, don't take note of my clashing apron, and PJ pants!

And, one more time:

-Next, you're going to drizzle some more oil (veggie or canola), on the top of your biscuits, and kind of rub it in with the back of your spoon.



-Now, place the pans in your 500* oven, and set the timer for 10 minutes.  They may take 2 minutes more, or even 2 minutes less, depending on your oven, just keep an eye on them.  You want the tops, sides, and bottom to be a beautiful golden brown.



-If the bottoms of the biscuits, and the insides seem to be cooking faster than the top, you can always turn on the broil function, and broil the tops for 5 minutes, too.
-Turn them out onto a platter, let them cool for a couple of minutes, and enjoy with some butter, some jelly/jam, some gravy, or just plain!


Southern Sausage Gravy
Ingredients:
1 lb of ground sausage (I like Jimmy Dean)
1-3 tablespoons of bacon grease (optional)
Several tablespoons of flour
Milk
Salt/Pepper to taste
Onion Powder to taste

-First, you're going to brown off your sausage, breaking it up with your spatula as you go. I really like Jimmy Dean's regular sausage for this, but you can use whatever brand, and flavor you like best (italian, maple, etc).



-Once your sausage is browned, you're going to add your bacon grease. The reason for this is twofold. First, the sausage doesn't really make a whole lot of grease by itself, which makes it slightly difficult to get the right consistency, and amount of gravy. Second, the depth of flavor that the bacon grease adds is downright amazing!
-Just drop a few tablespoons into the pan, and mix it around with your whisk, or spatula until it melts.



-Can you see how much more grease we have to work with here?



-Next, you're going to sprinkle in a few tablespoons of flour, in order to make a roux. The amount is going to vary, based on the amount of grease you've got, and the thickness of the roux. The important thing here, is to whisk almost constantly once you've added your flour.




-Continue whisking your roux on medium heat until it turns a deep, golden brown color. You're going to want to whisk this for at least 7-10 minutes in order to cook out some of the flour flavor. Do not stress if it gets clumpy, just keep whisking, and stop worrying!



-Next, you're going to add your milk, and begin whisking right away. You're probably going to add the milk in several batches, unless you have perfect guesstimating skills (which I do not). The amount is going to vary based upon how thick you prefer your gravy.



-Now, I can't stress enough that you do NOT need to flip out if your mixture gets all clumpy, like this:


-Just take a deep breath, and add some more milk, whisking some more as it begins to come together. This is a VERY forgiving recipe.
-After you've added your first batch of milk, you're going to add your seasonings, to taste. Salt, Pepper, and Onion Powder. You don't need a lot of onion powder. Start small, and taste as you go. Same for the salt, and pepper.



-Keep adding your milk, and whisking until you've achieved the texture of gravy that you like. I tend to like a thicker gravy than my Mom, who prefers hers more runny. This is YOUR party, so you get to choose.
-For me, I like the gravy to coat the back of the spoon, nice and thick, like so:



-Now, if you get to the end and your gravy still tastes a little bit flour-y, don't fret. Continue cooking over low/medium heat, and add a little bit more salt. The salt will cut the flour flavor, and the cooking will continue to cook it out.

-Next, you're going to pour this deliciousness over your fluffy biscuits, and DIG IN! There are a few methods to this.

-First, the method I prefer, which involves crumbling the biscuits into bite-sized pieces before pouring the gravy over top. This makes it easier to eat, in my opinion:




-Next, the method The Husband prefers. Leave your biscuits whole, and place them on the plate, pouring the gravy over top. This requires you to do some cutting with your fork, which is just too much work for me.




-Alternately, you can place the gravy in a little container, and dip the biscuits into it, if you're into that sort of thing.

-This recipe is popular with every member of our family, including the littlest one!



I hope you have a GREAT Southern Sunday, or whatever day of the week you choose to make these!

Plain Text Recipe

Mamal's Southern Biscuits


Ingredients:
Self-Rising Flour
Sugar
Canola/Vegetable Oil
Buttermilk
Water

-First, you're going to pre-heat your oven to 500*. Yes, 500.
-While your oven pre-heats, begin making your biscuits, by pouring self-rising flour into your mixing bowl. Again, no measurements here, the only important thing is the consistency at the end. If I absolutely had to guess, I'd say there's probably about 4 cups of flour here.
-Using self-rising flour is VERY important here. If you talk to most Southern cooks (all of my family included) they will insist that not only is self-rising flour a necessity, but a specific brand of self-rising flour (Hudson Cream, or Gold Medal). But, if I'm being 100% honest (which I always am), I have made these biscuits with just about every kind of self-rising flour out there, and have found no difference between the "good stuff," and old reliable Great Value brand flour. So, the thrifty chick in me reigns, and Great Value is what I had in the house today. As long as it says "Self-Rising" on the front of the bag, you should be A-OK.
-Next, you're going to add some sugar. For the size of bowl I made this day, I added about 4 tablespoons (regular tablespoons you eat with, not measuring spoons) to my flour. Experiment with it, and don't stress, it won't make a huge difference. My uber healthy sister-in-law, Andrea, substitutes honey for the sugar, and even that works out fine!
-Next comes some oil. I use vegetable oil, and canola oil interchangeably. Again, whatever you have on hand. Another few tablespoons full (regular spoons, not measuring spoons). A good rule of thumb is to use about the same amount of oil, as sugar.
-Now for the good part. The buttermilk. Ah, buttermilk, the greatest smell in the history of the earth, and one of my favorite ingredients.
-For reasons that I do not understand, you are going to mix buttermilk, and water in equal parts. So, you're going to fill a cup (again, a regular drinking cup, not a measuring cup) halfway full with buttermilk, and then add enough water to fill it completely. Stir it up really good before adding it to your bowl.
-Add it to the bowl, and stir well. Try not to overmix, and don't forget, you want a very different consistency than you're used to. Almost a very thick pancake batter.
-Next, you're going to spray your pans with cooking spray. There are two kinds of pans that work really well for this recipe. Glass pans, and Cast Iron pans. I occasionally use a metal brownie pan (as you'll see in the following photo), but the results aren't nearly as good as with the glass pan. The bottoms tend to brown faster than the tops. Sometimes, I even use a glass pie pan, when I have a small batch to do.
-Now, add some more self rising flour onto a large plate.
-The next steps are sort of difficult to explain, so I've included two videos to show you what to do. Basically you're just going to fold up the corners of your dough, from the bottom, pulling up some of that flour, and patting it into the dough. Then, you'll pinch off a biscuit sized corner, and place it in your pan. Watching the videos should also help you to see the consistency you're looking for here, but please, don't take note of my clashing apron, and PJ pants!
-Next, you're going to drizzle some more oil (veggie or canola), on the top of your biscuits, and kind of rub it in with the back of your spoon.
-Now, place the pans in your 500* oven, and set the timer for 10 minutes.  They may take 2 minutes more, or even 2 minutes less, depending on your oven, just keep an eye on them.  You want the tops, sides, and bottom to be a beautiful golden brown.
-If the bottoms of the biscuits, and the insides seem to be cooking faster than the top, you can always turn on the broil function, and broil the tops for 5 minutes, too.
-Turn them out onto a platter, let them cool for a couple of minutes, and enjoy with some butter, some jelly/jam, some gravy, or just plain!

Southern Sausage Gravy

Ingredients:
1 lb of ground sausage (I like Jimmy Dean)
1-3 tablespoons of bacon grease (optional)
Several tablespoons of flour
Milk
Salt/Pepper to taste
Onion Powder to taste

-First, you're going to brown off your sausage, breaking it up with your spatula as you go. I really like Jimmy Dean's regular sausage for this, but you can use whatever brand, and flavor you like best (italian, maple, etc).
-Once your sausage is browned, you're going to add your bacon grease. The reason for this is twofold. First, the sausage doesn't really make a whole lot of grease by itself, which makes it slightly difficult to get the right consistency, and amount of gravy. Second, the depth of flavor that the bacon grease adds is downright amazing!
-Just drop a few tablespoons into the pan, and mix it around with your whisk, or spatula until it melts.
-Next, you're going to sprinkle in a few tablespoons of flour, in order to make a roux. The amount is going to vary, based on the amount of grease you've got, and the thickness of the roux. The important thing here, is to whisk almost constantly once you've added your flour.
-Continue whisking your roux on medium heat until it turns a deep, golden brown color. You're going to want to whisk this for at least 7-10 minutes in order to cook out some of the flour flavor. Do not stress if it gets clumpy, just keep whisking, and stop worrying!
-Next, you're going to add your milk, and begin whisking right away. You're probably going to add the milk in several batches, unless you have perfect guesstimating skills (which I do not). The amount is going to vary based upon how thick you prefer your gravy.
-Now, I can't stress enough that you do NOT need to flip out if your mixture gets all clumpy.
-Just take a deep breath, and add some more milk, whisking some more as it begins to come together. This is a VERY forgiving recipe.
-After you've added your first batch of milk, you're going to add your seasonings, to taste. Salt, Pepper, and Onion Powder. You don't need a lot of onion powder. Start small, and taste as you go. Same for the salt, and pepper.
-Keep adding your milk, and whisking until you've achieved the texture of gravy that you like. I tend to like a thicker gravy than my Mom, who prefers hers more runny. This is YOUR party, so you get to choose.
-For me, I like the gravy to coat the back of the spoon, nice and thick.
-Now, if you get to the end and your gravy still tastes a little bit flour-y, don't fret. Continue cooking over low/medium heat, and add a little bit more salt. The salt will cut the flour flavor, and the cooking will continue to cook it out.
-Next, you're going to pour this deliciousness over your fluffy biscuits, and DIG IN!

Tiramisu Cake with chocolate ganache filling!

This recipe is actually one of the very first recipes I made after beginning the blog, and accordingly, I didn't take very many photos, and the ones I did get are not nearly as high in quality as some of the later photos. But, I promise that the recipe is so delicious, it makes the lack of nice pictures a moot point. You will be way too busy eating your cake to worry about pictures. Or, maybe, you'll take some of your own, and post them to our facebook wall! Please do!

A few quick notes. This is essentially a yellow cake. But, not just any yellow cake. This has become my go-to cake recipe, that I make ANYTIME I want a delicious cake, that's guaranteed to turn out perfectly, and taste amazing. Then, there is a chocolate ganache between the layers, that is reminiscent of the cocoa grated on top of tiramisu. The icing is a buttercream, flavored with instant coffee, and although it's a little bit "slippery" in terms of the texture for my liking, it really does evoke the creaminess of tiramisu.

One of the BEST things about this cake is the fact that it includes one of my absolute FAVORITE ingredients. Buttermilk! I love buttermilk, the smell alone is enough to awaken feelings of nostalgia, and peace, and take me to my own, personal happy place. Unfortunately, prior to the discovery of from-scratch cake-baking, the only recipe in which I utilized this deliciousness was biscuits. Which meant that I often found myself throwing out left over buttermilk that I was unable to use before its expiration. This made for a very sad Kelley. Now, this recipe, along with several other cake recipes provides me another way to experience my love of buttermilk.

Now, if you're dying to make this cake, and don't happen to have any buttermilk on hand, or you've been to Wal-Mart on a Sunday evening when they are out of virtually every item you need, you can mimic the action of buttermilk with this little tip. Take a 1 cup measuring cup, and place 1 tablespoon of white vinegar in it. Then add enough whole milk to fill to the 1 cup line. Mix well, let stand for 10-15 minutes, and voila. It's not going to smell as delicious, and homey as the real thing, but it can be used in a pinch! And now you can't say I never taught you anything useful!

The first time I made this cake, The Husband, being the sweet man that he is brought me home a dozen roses, just because! I'm not sure there are any centerpieces that decorate a table more beautifully than a homemade three-layer cake, and a dozen red roses.

Hallelujahs:Delicious, Amazing, Versatile cake recipe you can combine with just about any icing/filling combination for a foolproof addition to your recipe binder. Really tastes like tiramisu. VERY impressive looking, being three layers!
Hellfires:As I stated in above information, the icing consistency is a little slippery, but it works in this recipe. I have not yet perfected the art of making frosting though, so if you have any tips, be sure to let me know!

Tiramisu Cake with Chocolate Ganache Filling


Ingredients

Cake:
3 3/4 cups cake flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon plus 2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 sticks (10 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups plus 1/3 cup buttermilk
5 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Buttercream: (halve this recipe if you will be covering the cake with fondant)
6 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds (5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons warm water
1 tablespoon instant coffee

Ganache:
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter three 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.

Combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixer bowl. With the mixer on low speed, blend for 30 seconds. Add the butter and 1 1/4 cup of the buttermilk. Mix on low speed briefly to blend; then raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.



In a smaller bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, and the remaining 1/3 cup buttermilk until well blended. Pour one-third of the egg mixture into the cake batter at a time, folding it in completely after each addition. There will be 9 cups of batter; our 3 cups batter into each pan.

Bake for 26 to 28 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.



Allow cakes to cool for about 20 minutes, and then wrap them in plastic wrap, COMPLETELY covering them. You're going to then place these in the freezer while you make your ganache, and buttercream. Placing them in the freezer is a really important step. It helps TREMENDOUSLY when you're icing your cakes. You can skip it if you're feeling really impatient, but it does make it much easier to work with when it comes time to ice them!

To make buttercream, combine the sugar and egg whites in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 5 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like marshmallow cream. Remove from heat and transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer, and whisk on high speed until mixture is completely cooled and stiff peaks form, about 6 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Add butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, on low speed, mixing well after each addition. Beat until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Stir instant coffee into warm water until dissolved. Add, 1 teaspoon at a time, to buttercream, mixing well after each addition, until you’re satisfied with the strength of the coffee flavor (I added about 2-3 tablespoons).

To make ganche, place chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl. In a heavy saucepan set over medium heat, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Remove from the stove and pour over chopped chocolate. Let stand 2 minutes and then stir until fully combined. Let cool until just firm enough to spread onto cake layers.

After leveling cake layers as necessary, place one cake layer on a cake plate, flat side up. Spread the buttercream over the top, followed by the buttercream. Repeat with the second cake layer, Top the cake with the third layer. You can choose to place more ganache here, or not. I tend to think that you can never have enough ganache, but for some reason the day I made this, I chose not to add more ganache to the top layer. C'est la vie.

To decorate the cake, I just chopped up some of the same semi-sweet chocolate I used for the ganache, and sprinkled it in a circular pattern around the edge of the cake. I even let Landon get in on some of the action, and he thought it was great.



Plain Text Recipe
Tiramisu Cake with Chocolate Ganache Filling


Ingredients

Cake:
3 3/4 cups cake flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon plus 2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 sticks (10 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups plus 1/3 cup buttermilk
5 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Buttercream: (halve this recipe if you will be covering the cake with fondant)
6 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds (5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons warm water
1 tablespoon instant coffee

Ganache:
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter three 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.

Combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixer bowl. With the mixer on low speed, blend for 30 seconds. Add the butter and 1 1/4 cup of the buttermilk. Mix on low speed briefly to blend; then raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, and the remaining 1/3 cup buttermilk until well blended. Pour one-third of the egg mixture into the cake batter at a time, folding it in completely after each addition. There will be 9 cups of batter; our 3 cups batter into each pan.

Bake for 26 to 28 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow cakes to cool for about 20 minutes, and then wrap them in plastic wrap, COMPLETELY covering them. You're going to then place these in the freezer while you make your ganache, and buttercream. Placing them in the freezer is a really important step. It helps TREMENDOUSLY when you're icing your cakes. You can skip it if you're feeling really impatient, but it does make it much easier to work with when it comes time to ice them!

To make buttercream, combine the sugar and egg whites in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 5 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like marshmallow cream. Remove from heat and transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer, and whisk on high speed until mixture is completely cooled and stiff peaks form, about 6 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Add butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, on low speed, mixing well after each addition. Beat until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Stir instant coffee into warm water until dissolved. Add, 1 teaspoon at a time, to buttercream, mixing well after each addition, until you’re satisfied with the strength of the coffee flavor (I added about 2-3 tablespoons).

To make ganche, place chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl. In a heavy saucepan set over medium heat, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Remove from the stove and pour over chopped chocolate. Let stand 2 minutes and then stir until fully combined. Let cool until just firm enough to spread onto cake layers.

After leveling cake layers as necessary, place one cake layer on a cake plate, flat side up. Spread the buttercream over the top, followed by the buttercream. Repeat with the second cake layer, Top the cake with the third layer. You can choose to place more ganache here, or not. I tend to think that you can never have enough ganache, but for some reason the day I made this, I chose not to add more ganache to the top layer. C'est la vie.

To decorate the cake, I just chopped up some of the same semi-sweet chocolate I used for the ganache, and sprinkled it in a circular pattern around the edge of the cake. I even let Landon get in on some of the action, and he thought it was great.

Original Recipe can be found HERE

Chicken 'n Dumplings, by request, and a note about your health (sort of!)

So, this seems to be the week of the 'n recipes! Which means it's a week of truly delicious food. See the last post (HERE) for an explanation as to what makes the 'n so special! When I was trying to decide which recipes to post the other day, I posted a little poll on my personal facebook page (I will now do these on the Kelley's Kitchen Revival Facebook page, so be sure to click the 'like' button to the right of this entry!), and the recipe for green beans 'n bacon was the far and away winner. But, I had a special request for the Chicken 'n Dumpings recipe by an awesome girl, Ashley, and since she is a total foodie herself, and also has a great food blog (Click here to see her handiwork!) I am more than happy to oblige her!

Now, before I dispense with the deliciousness that is Chicken 'n Dumplins, there are a few housekeeping notes I'd like to get out of the way right now. First, let's sit down, and have a little chat about your health. Go ahead, get comfortable. Ready? Okay. There were a LOT of comments on the amount of butter in the Green Beans 'n Bacon recipe I posted earlier this week. A lot. Many of you were concerned for my health, perhaps rightfully so. Because I'm about to post another recipe which involves a fair amount of butter, I thought this would be a good opportunity to illustrate an important point. Just because I am a pre-med student, hoping to be a great doctor one day does not mean that I am dispensing ANY health-related advice on this website, nor does it mean I take particular care with my own health when it comes to nutrition. This website is strictly about GOOD FOOD, and sometimes good food is good, because it's so bad for you!

Plenty of Southern recipes fall into this category, including the one I'm about to share. If you're like me, and you like to live life on the edge, throw in that extra stick of butter and enjoy every last bite of deliciousness that results from its inclusion (and learn to love those extra pounds too, there's nothing wrong with a little extra cushion for the pushin'!). If you're like my uber healthy sister-in-law, Andrea, you'll learn my recipes, and then bastardize change them up, and make them healthier on your own. For example, when she makes my biscuits 'n gravy, she uses honey instead of sugar, and a heck of a lot less butter when she makes the chicken 'n dumplins. Whether you decide to live a little, and enjoy some great food, or healthy it up a little, and stay on the straight and narrow is between you, and your hips (or your heart), and your God! Amen!

Okay, now that that's out of the way, let's introduce these beauties, known as chicken 'n dumplins, and talk about what they are, and more importantly what they are NOT. If you do a quick internet search for the words chicken 'n dumplins (or dumplings, for the grammatically correct folks) you will see a whole lot of recipes for a conglomeration of chicken soup with biscuits on top. Note, this is NOT (let me repeat that again, NOT) chicken 'n dumplins. It makes no matter whether the biscuits are from a can, or you slaved over the dough for hours, it is simply a flat out lie to call these monstrosities chicken 'n dumplins, and one of the seven deadly sins at this here revival. No. Chicken 'n dumplins are a beautiful marriage of shredded chicken, and fresh-made, hand-rolled dumplins, which combine with chicken broth to form a thick, delicious gravy. There's no pulling these bad-boys from a can, or in a boxed-dinner at your local Wally World. They are Southern home-cookin' at its finest, and take a little bit of time, and a little bit of work to master. But the end result is worth every minute of your precious time in the kitchen, trust me on this.

My Mom taught me how to make this recipe, and I've been trying to perfect it since I was a child. I can remember standing in the kitchen with her trying to help, but being WAY too slow to roll the dough, cut it, and add the dumplins to the pan. So, I got to sprinkle the paprika, while I watched her work. I loved watching the dumplings disappear into the boiling froth, and then pop back up, glistening and puffy. It was almost mesmerizing. My Mom learned the skill from her Dad, my Papal, who died this past February, and was a truly awesome man. His specialties were chicken 'n dumplins, and pone bread. Don't worry, I don't really understand what pone bread is, either, all I know is he made it, and it was delicious. Maybe we'll get my Mom to do a guest post, and teach us all a thing or two about it.
Papal:

With my brother and I as kids:

With us (and my Mom, and little Landon) as adults:


Okay, now onto the FOOD!

Hallelujahs:Delicious, Amazing, and completely nostaligc, really simple, common ingredients
Hellfires:They do take some time, and some practice, but come on, you can do it!

Chicken 'n Dumplins

Ingredients:
2-4 Chicken Breasts (bone-in, skin-on)
Water
Chicken Bouillon Cubes
Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning (optional)
Paprika
Chicken Stock/Chicken Broth
3.5-5 cups Self-Rising Flour (ISH!)
8 Eggs
Salt/Pepper to taste

-The first thing you're going to do is get your chicken going. Place your chicken breasts in the bottom of your stock pot. I like to use the same Paula Deen pot I featured in this post.
-You're going to use between 2-4 chicken breasts depending upon the size of the breasts (go ahead, giggle now), as well as how much of a chicken to dumplins ratio you would like. This time I used two breasts, and probably should have used 3.
-Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and rotisserie chicken seasoning. Place about 4-5 chicken bouillon cubes in the bottom of the pot as well.

-Now, if you've never heard of rotisserie chicken seasoning, it's just a little red McCormick bottle you can find in the spice section of your local grocery store. It's got a great flavor, and I use it in several recipes. Here's a peek:

-Now, you're going to fill the pot with water, until the water is about 3 inches higher than the chicken.
-Add 1 stick of butter (yes, 1 stick).

-Turn the burner on medium, about a 4. Leave pot uncovered.
-Then, set it, and FORGET IT! Let the chicken simmer down for as long as you can stand it. At least 2 hours. You don't believe me now, but the longer you let it simmer in the water the better it will be. You really want that chicken flavor to seep into the water. Go do your nails, take a bubble bath, color with your kids, but whatever you do, DO NOT leave the house, and go to the thrift store for two hours while accidentally setting the stove at 10, instead of 4. You'll come home to fire trucks surrounding your apartment complex. Trust me on this one. Been there, done that, and my old apartment complex still has the burnt/blackened pot on display in the office to encourage students to NEVER leave food on the stove while going shopping. True Story.
-You'll know the chicken is done when the water has evaporated down to about 1-1.5" in the bottom of the pan, and the chicken literally falls off the bones.
-Remove the chicken to a colander, and let it cool before shredding.

-Shred the chicken. How you do this is up to you. You can get down and dirty with it (like I do!), and use your God-given tools (your fingers!), or you can use two forks, or a fork and a knife. The method here is going to depend on the level of shredding you prefer. I happen to like mine really shredded, so my hands are the best tool for the job. If you prefer larger chunks of chicken, use two forks, and only shred until you're happy. Feel free to sneak a few tastes of the chicken along the way! Be sure that you have all of the bones out, even those sneaky little ones who try and stay put.

-Add your chicken back to the stock pot, with the remaining liquid, and add your chicken stock. I usually do about 2 of the big, Swanson boxes of broth, and 1 of the small stock boxes. The amount is not critical, if you use more broth, you'll add more dumplins to get it thick. If you use less broth, you'll add less dumplins. This isn't calculus here, there are no definite equations, just a pinch here, or a pinch there.
-Bring this pot up to a boil, at a little above medium heat, around 7.
-Add 1/2-1 more stick of butter to the broth.
-While your stock/chicken mixture comes up to a boil, begin your dumplins. You are going to be SHOCKED at how simple these are. There are only TWO ingredients!
-Add your 8 eggs to the bowl of your stand mixture

-Now, you're going to add the self-rising flour. It's very important that you use self-rising flour. I don't know why, I just know that it is. Go with me here.
-Add your flour, gradually, about 1-1.5 cups at a time. Be sure you're using the dough hook on your mixer.
-The amount of flour is going to vary a little, and I never measure it. I go by feel. I'm guessing about 4 cups of flour is going to be sufficient, but if it's too sticky, add some more. This is a recipe that's going to take a few batches of trial and error before you master it. In the end, you want the dough to be only slightly sticky, and you want it to basically slide off the dough hook (slowly) when you raise the mixer. Like this:

-Now comes the fun part. And by fun, I mean messy! You're going to need to clear off a large section of countertop. If you have a silpat mat you can use it, too. I have one, but usually I don't use it for this, it's just one more thing to clean up. Sprinkle your countertop with about 1/2 cup of additional flour.
-You're going to do your dough in sections, now. So grab a section of dough, a little larger than your fist, and place it on your floured countertop. Roll it around in the flour, and begin to roll it out, using your marble rolling pin. The marble rolling pin is essential, it won't stick like wood, and the weight will make your job SO much easier. You're going to roll it out pretty thin. Maybe 1/8-1/4". Again, you're going to have to play around with trial, and error here, how you like your dumplins. I like mine a little on the thinner side, and my husband likes his a little on the thicker side, so just play with it. Be careful, though, if you roll them out too thick, they'll get "bread-y" on the inside, like biscuits, and that's not what we're going for (remember the rant about the biscuits?).

-Now, you're going to cut the dough into strips. I like to use my pizza cutter for this, because it's much faster than a knife, and it's plastic so it won't ruin my countertops.

-Carry the strips of dough over to your simmering pot, and start ripping off little squares, and dropping them into the broth. You're going for about 1 inch squares here, but again, this isn't calculus, eyeball it, the irregularity makes it homey and old-fashioned, just like we love!
-As the dumplins begin to bunch up on top, you'll need to stir them as you add more, just do this gently.
-Occasionally, you're going to add a few sprinkles of paprika. I usually do a tiny bit of paprika at the end of each batch of dumplins. So, before you go back to roll out another batch, add a tiny bit of paprika. Don't go overboard here, though, this is really just a background flavor, not an in-your-face flavor.

-Go back, and roll out another batch of dough, adding them to the broth, and going back for more. Do this until you're out of dough, or until you're achieved the thickness you want in your broth.

-Keep in mind that your broth is going to thicken as it stands, too, so don't worry too much if it's still watery, and not gravy-like, right away. The first several times I made these, my broth didn't thicken the first day, but it was PERFECT on days 2, and 3. That might be the BEST part of chicken 'n dumplins, they just get BETTER the longer they sit in your fridge.
-Stir the dumplins as needed, as you go, just be gentle about it.
-Once you've added all of your dough, stir one last time, and cover the pot, simmering on LOW (2-3) for about 10 minutes.
-Voila! (See how the broth has turned into this thick, rich gravy?

-And lest you think that I am a perfectly clean cook, I'll let you in on a little secret: I make a HUGE mess everytime I make these. But, it's totally worth it. See what Shelby looks like when I'm done?

-The best way to serve this is over some hot, homemade mashed potatoes, and some bread or rolls to soak up all that delicious gravy!
YUM!!!!


Now, go get to work, and don't forget (in the words of one of our favorite family friends, Laura), Perfect Practice makes Perfect!

Plain Text Recipe
Chicken 'n Dumplins

Ingredients:
2-4 Chicken Breasts (bone-in, skin-on)
Water
Chicken Bouillon Cubes
Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning (optional)
Paprika
Chicken Stock/Chicken Broth
3.5-5 cups Self-Rising Flour (ISH!)
8 Eggs
Salt/Pepper to taste


-The first thing you're going to do is get your chicken going. Place your chicken breasts in the bottom of your stock pot. I like to use the same Paula Deen pot I featured in this post.
-You're going to use between 2-4 chicken breasts depending upon the size of the breasts (go ahead, giggle now), as well as how much of a chicken to dumplins ratio you would like. This time I used two breasts, and probably should have used 3.
-Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and rotisserie chicken seasoning. Place about 4-5 chicken bouillon cubes in the bottom of the pot as well.
-Now, you're going to fill the pot with water, until the water is about 3 inches higher than the chicken.
-Add 1 stick of butter (yes, 1 stick).
-Turn the burner on medium, about a 4. Leave pot uncovered.
-Then, set it, and FORGET IT! Let the chicken simmer down for as long as you can stand it. At least 2 hours. You don't believe me now, but the longer you let it simmer in the water the better it will be. You really want that chicken flavor to seep into the water. Go do your nails, take a bubble bath, color with your kids, but whatever you do, DO NOT leave the house, and go to the thrift store for two hours while accidentally setting the stove at 10, instead of 4. You'll come home to fire trucks surrounding your apartment complex. Trust me on this one. Been there, done that, and my old apartment complex still has the burnt/blackened pot on display in the office to encourage students to NEVER leave food on the stove while going shopping. True Story.
-You'll know the chicken is done when the water has evaporated down to about 1-1.5" in the bottom of the pan, and the chicken literally falls off the bones.
-Remove the chicken to a colander, and let it cool before shredding.
-Shred the chicken. How you do this is up to you. You can get down and dirty with it (like I do!), and use your God-given tools (your fingers!), or you can use two forks, or a fork and a knife. The method here is going to depend on the level of shredding you prefer. I happen to like mine really shredded, so my hands are the best tool for the job. If you prefer larger chunks of chicken, use two forks, and only shred until you're happy. Feel free to sneak a few tastes of the chicken along the way! Be sure that you have all of the bones out, even those sneaky little ones who try and stay put.
-Add your chicken back to the stock pot, with the remaining liquid, and add your chicken stock. I usually do about 2 of the big, Swanson boxes of broth, and 1 of the small stock boxes. The amount is not critical, if you use more broth, you'll add more dumplins to get it thick. If you use less broth, you'll add less dumplins. This isn't calculus here, there are no definite equations, just a pinch here, or a pinch there.
-Bring this pot up to a boil, at a little above medium heat, around 7.
-Add 1/2-1 more stick of butter to the broth.
-While your stock/chicken mixture comes up to a boil, begin your dumplins. You are going to be SHOCKED at how simple these are. There are only TWO ingredients!
-Add your 8 eggs to the bowl of your stand mixture
-Now, you're going to add the self-rising flour. It's very important that you use self-rising flour. I don't know why, I just know that it is. Go with me here.
-Add your flour, gradually, about 1-1.5 cups at a time. Be sure you're using the dough hook on your mixer.
-The amount of flour is going to vary a little, and I never measure it. I go by feel. I'm guessing about 4 cups of flour is going to be sufficient, but if it's too sticky, add some more. This is a recipe that's going to take a few batches of trial and error before you master it. In the end, you want the dough to be only slightly sticky, and you want it to basically slide off the dough hook (slowly) when you raise the mixer.
--Now comes the fun part. And by fun, I mean messy! You're going to need to clear off a large section of countertop. If you have a silpat mat you can use it, too. I have one, but usually I don't use it for this, it's just one more thing to clean up. Sprinkle your countertop with about 1/2 cup of additional flour.
-You're going to do your dough in sections, now. So grab a section of dough, a little larger than your fist, and place it on your floured countertop. Roll it around in the flour, and begin to roll it out, using your marble rolling pin. The marble rolling pin is essential, it won't stick like wood, and the weight will make your job SO much easier. You're going to roll it out pretty thin. Maybe 1/8-1/4". Again, you're going to have to play around with trial, and error here, how you like your dumplins. I like mine a little on the thinner side, and my husband likes his a little on the thicker side, so just play with it. Be careful, though, if you roll them out too thick, they'll get "bread-y" on the inside, like biscuits, and that's not what we're going for (remember the rant about the biscuits?).
-Now, you're going to cut the dough into strips. I like to use my pizza cutter for this, because it's much faster than a knife, and it's plastic so it won't ruin my countertops.
-Carry the strips of dough over to your simmering pot, and start ripping off little squares, and dropping them into the broth. You're going for about 1 inch squares here, but again, this isn't calculus, eyeball it, the irregularity makes it homey and old-fashioned, just like we love!
-As the dumplins begin to bunch up on top, you'll need to stir them as you add more, just do this gently.
-Occasionally, you're going to add a few sprinkles of paprika. I usually do a tiny bit of paprika at the end of each batch of dumplins. So, before you go back to roll out another batch, add a tiny bit of paprika. Don't go overboard here, though, this is really just a background flavor, not an in-your-face flavor.
-Go back, and roll out another batch of dough, adding them to the broth, and going back for more. Do this until you're out of dough, or until you're achieved the thickness you want in your broth.
-Keep in mind that your broth is going to thicken as it stands, too, so don't worry too much if it's still watery, and not gravy-like, right away. The first several times I made these, my broth didn't thicken the first day, but it was PERFECT on days 2, and 3. That might be the BEST part of chicken 'n dumplins, they just get BETTER the longer they sit in your fridge.
-Stir the dumplins as needed, as you go, just be gentle about it.
-Once you've added all of your dough, stir one last time, and cover the pot, simmering on LOW (2-3) for about 10 minutes.
-Voila!

Exciting features, and a new facebook home!

So, let me paint you a little picture. Yesterday, I come home from class about 10:30 pm. I'm tired, and hungry, and pop my little booty (okay maybe not-so-little, but just go with me, here, would ya?) on the couch, and relax with The Husband. Before going to bed, I open the laptop to check my e-mail, and I'm greeted by a bunch of really great, new comments on the blog, along with this great tidbit of information: The S'more's Cupcakes entry from this here little blog was featured on Betty Crocker's facebook page! Incredible, isn't it? I was, and am, SO excited about it! I even called my Mom, at 11:00 pm, which is 1:00 am her time!

Since, we've got some great new faces around here, I thought it would be a good time to add another home-base for this here little blog, to give you guys a place to share your ideas, recipe requests, and photos of the food YOU make. So, we have a new home on facebook, and you can join by clicking "like" in the box on the right of the blog. Now, I've been having some facebook technical difficulties this morning, so if you have already clicked like earlier this morning (like before 10:45 am MST, which is 12:45 pm Eastern Time), please click it again, now that the correct page info is working!

Thanks again for all the great comments, follows, and page views! This is very exciting for me, and I can't wait to see all of your insights on the facebook page! Later today, I will post the requested recipe for my Chicken 'n Dumplins, along with a nice little note!

Green Beans 'n Bacon...A Southern Staple.

Green beans 'n bacon is a southern girl staple.  There's nary a Southern cook who doesn't have a recipe for some of these bad boys in her arsenal.  And for good reasons.  Bacon just does magical things for vegetables.  And meats.  And pastas.  And just about anything else.  Seriously, bacon (and bacon grease) is like a magic wand.  And then combine bacon with butter (THE most essential ingredient in my kitchen!), and you know good things are going to happen.

We should probably introduce another important concept in Southern recipes, here, too.  The 'n.  The 'n is prominently featured in the BEST Southern Recipes.  Green beans 'n bacon, chicken 'n dumplins, biscuits 'n gravy...If you see an 'n in a recipe, you can pretty much guarantee it's going to be delicious.  Take my word for it.  It's important to note that this cannot, I repeat, CANNOT, be replaced with the more formal (and grammatically correct) "and."  It just can't be done.  Because then it's formal, and not homey, and old-fashioned, and then it's not really Southern at all, is it?

Okay, now that we've got all the 'n's and nary's out of the way, it's time to move onto the actual food.  These beans are delicious, but like a lot of really great foods, they are a little time consuming.  But, don't be disheartened, it's not a lot of actual work just a lot of cooking.  During which time you are free to paint your nails, read a magazine, twiddle your thumbs, play Candyland for the thousandth time (or is that just me?), take a nap, build a house, or do just about anything else that floats your boat.  And besides, don't forget that in order to make these beans, you've already engaged in the most relaxing, quintessentially Southern Summer activity.  Snapping beans.  Seriously, there is nothing that makes me as nostalgic, relaxed, and peaceful as sitting on the porch, snapping beans.  It's fantastic.  Just you wait.  Also, as is the case with many of my original recipes, there aren't a lot of real measurements here, it's just how I roll.

Hallelujahs:Freakin' Fantastic! The perfect side-dish, bacon, and butter, what's not to love?
Hellfires:Long cooking time, not necessarily figure friendly, but really, who's counting calories?
Variations:Many times, these beans are also made with potatoes in them, as well. Usually small waxy potato I happened to grow up calling a "new potato," but many people simply call red potatoes. They do turn out delicious, and the only alteration you make in that case is to be sure you have enough broth to cover the potatoes, and you cook them until they are fork tender.

Green Beans 'n Bacon
Ingredients:
Fresh Green Beans
2 sticks of butter
Salt/Pepper to taste
Chicken Stock
Bacon

-First, you're going to snap your beans. Basically, you're just going to snap off the ends of the beans, throw out the ends, and break the large middle piece in half. Put these halves in a colander.  Don't look at this as a chore.  Really enjoy the task.  Go out on your porch, sit in a rocking chair, bring a glass of iced tea, or lemonade, and really take in your surroundings (Assuming your kids don't jolt you back to reality by spraying you with the hose...and if they do, just go with it and spray them back, you're bigger than they are afterall, and those beans need washed anyway!).  Wash the beans thoroughly after snapping.

-I usually do this task earlier in the day, so I'm not stressed about it, and can truly enjoy the experience.  But you can also do this while your bacon is frying, if you're into being efficient.  Which I'm clearly not. At least not in the kitchen.
-Fry up your bacon in a deep frying pan.  The amount of bacon depends on the amount of green beans.  I usually use about 1 lb. of bacon, but you can't go wrong with more.  Bacon just makes everything better.  I wouldn't use less, but that's just me.  I happen to like the jiggle in my middle, or at least I don't hate it enough to avoid bacon fat.

-Once your bacon has been fried up, add your washed green beans to the pan.  Do NOT (repeat after me, here, DO NOT!) drain your bacon fat.  This is what's going to really elevate those beans to the next level.  It's what puts the 'n in the green beans 'n bacon.  You're going to kind of toss those beans around in the bacon and bacon fat for about 5 minutes, on medium heat.  They are going to turn this gorgeous bright green color, usually only seen in Amazon rainforests.  It's pretty amazing.

-Next you're going to add some salt and pepper, and 1 stick of butter. Yes.  A whole stick.  Just roll with me, here.  Just kind of toss it around until the butter has melted.

-Add your chicken stock.  You can use chicken broth, chicken stock, or even chicken bouillon cubes dissolved in hot water.  Again the amount is going to depend on how many beans you've cooked.  The general rule of thumb that I go with, is enough broth to just cover the beans, but I've made do with less, and been just fine too.

-Once the chicken stock is in, cover your beans, and cook on LOW (think 2-3) for about 30 minutes.
-After 30 minutes, add another stick of butter.  I'll relent, and if you only want to add 1/2 stick, I won't tell.

-Re-cover, and cook for another 20 minutes or so.
-After your beans have cooked, covered for about 50 minutes (30+20=50, right?), you're going to uncover them, and increase the heat to medium (5-6), and continue to cook them UNcovered, for another 20 minutes or so.  The idea here is to really reduce that chicken stock to at least half (maybe even less than half, depending on how much of a hurry you're in!).
-At this point, taste your beans.  If they need more salt/pepper, add it now, and cook again for about 5 minutes.
          -I should note that I use a fair amount of pepper in these.  Not just a pinch here, or there, so don't  be afraid to really get that in there.  Also, it's important to know that these aren't going to be "crispy," or "snappy" beans when they are done, they have a softer texture, so I wouldn't worry too very much about  overcooking them.  I've not burnt them yet!

-Serve them with a slotted spoon if you don't want them to have juices running all over the pate.  But, I happen to love that, and most of the time, I eat them right from the pan!

Plain Text Recipe:

Green Beans 'n Bacon

Ingredients:

Fresh Green Beans
2 sticks of butter
Salt/Pepper to taste
Chicken Stock
Bacon

-First, you're going to snap your beans. Basically, you're just going to snap off the ends of the beans, throw out the ends, and break the large middle piece in half. Put these halves in a colander.  Don't look at this as a chore.  Really enjoy the task.  Go out on your porch, sit in a rocking chair, bring a glass of iced tea, or lemonade, and really take in your surroundings (Assuming your kids don't jolt you back to reality by spraying you with the hose...and if they do, just go with it and spray them back, you're bigger than they are afterall, and those beans need washed anyway!).  Wash the beans thoroughly after snapping.

-I usually do this task earlier in the day, so I'm not stressed about it, and can truly enjoy the experience.  But you can also do this while your bacon is frying, if you're into being efficient.  Which I'm clearly not. At least not in the kitchen.

-Fry up your bacon in a deep frying pan.  The amount of bacon depends on the amount of green beans.  I usually use about 1 lb. of bacon, but you can't go wrong with more.  Bacon just makes everything better.  I wouldn't use less, but that's just me.  I happen to like the jiggle in my middle, or at least I don't hate it enough to avoid bacon fat.

-Once your bacon has been fried up, add your washed green beans to the pan.  Do NOT (repeat after me, here, DO NOT!) drain your bacon fat.  This is what's going to really elevate those beans to the next level.  It's what puts the 'n in the green beans 'n bacon.  You're going kind of toss those beans around in the bacon and bacon fat for about 10 minutes, on medium heat.  They are going to turn this gorgeous bright green color, usually only seen in Amazon rainforests.  It's pretty amazing.

-Next you're going to add some salt and pepper, and 1 stick of butter. Yes.  A whole stick.  Just roll with me, here.  Just kind of toss it around until the butter has melted.

-Add your chicken stock.  You can use chicken broth, chicken stock, or even chicken bouillon cubes dissolved in hot water.  Again the amount is going to depend on how many beans you've cooked.  The general rule of thumb that I go with, is enough broth to just cover the beans, but I've made do with less, and been just fine too.  

-Once the chicken stock is in, cover your beans, and cook on LOW (think 2-3/10) for about 30 minutes.

-After 30 minutes, add another stick of butter.  I'll relent, and if you only want to add 1/2 stick, I won't tell.

-Re-cover, and cook for another 20 minutes or so.

-After your beans have cooked, covered for about 50 minutes (30+20=50, right?), you're going to uncover them, and increase the heat to medium (5-6/10), and continue to cook them UNcovered, for another 20 minutes or so.  The idea here is to really reduce that chicken stock to at least half (maybe even less than half, depending on how much of a hurry you're in!). 

-At this point, taste your beans.  If they need more salt/pepper, add it now, and cook again for about 5 minutes.

          -I should note that I use a fair amount of pepper in these.  Not just a pinch here, or there, so don't  be afraid to really get that in there.  Also, it's important to know that these aren't going to be "crispy," or "snappy" beans when they are done, they have a softer texture, so I wouldn't worry too very much about  overcooking them.  I've not burnt them yet!