South Island Living Magazine features

IN THE KITCHEN WITH BECKY GRIMES

Written by Kathy Miller

Photos by Page Teahan Photography

Becky Grimes is this month’s featured resident cook.  Becky and Tommy’s home and gardens are spectacular and have seen several Cummer Amelia Garden Walk Pre-Parties and benefits for The Jacksonville Symphony.  What a treat to spend time walking through the garden and savoring each sculpture, bird feeder, fountain and rich Florida flora.  Becky says,  “I love to work in the yard and have created our backyard to look like a Florida forest.” 

Becky under her Australian Tree Fern.

Inside is no different.  Their collected artwork greets you at every turn.   It is almost more than a newcomer can take in at one time.   Everywhere your eye turns you see something special and wonderful….

But we are talking in the kitchen….and Becky is also talented in the food and entertaining departments!

Becky’s favorite dining spot is outside on the lanai, where she and Tommy can enjoy their spectacular Florida forest.  Becky’s outside table was set with colorful linens, glassware and bright china, a perfect compliment to the green, lush gardens a few steps away.

When entertaining Becky and Tommy love to have people over for a small dinner or a large party.  Depending on the number of guests determines whether it’s family style or buffet.  If they are inviting over twenty people their favorite catering group is the Amelia Island Club.

Becky and Tommy have been adhering to the Paleo Diet.  She said, “We have been on it since November 1, 2018 7:00 A.M.!”  I love the emphatic time 7:00 A.M. with an exclamation point!

According to the dictionary, the Paleo Diet is “a diet based on the types of foods presumed to have been eaten by early humans, consisting chiefly of meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit, and excluding dairy or grain products and processed food.”

“The Food Lovers Make It Paleo” by Bill Staley and Haley Mason is Becky’s go-to cook book featuring over 200 grain free recipes.  The authors “show you how easy it is to take any dish and Make it Paleo!”

Becky’s favorite recipe from “Make It Paleo” is Carrot Souffle’. These soufflés were beautiful and tasted fabulous! Becky served them in rustic individual ramekins on colorful plates in her dining room, complimented with a gorgeous flower arrangement from Island Flower and Garden, her go-to florist. 

As Becky says, “The whole picture is what makes a positive experience.”

CARROT SOUFFLE

Serving Size: 4-6

Print Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds baby carrots
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons minced onion
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (optional)
• 3 eggs

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook carrots until soft in free-range chicken broth. 2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 3. Remove carrots from broth and place in a food processor, or high speed blender. Puree until smooth.   4. In large bowl, combine pureed carrots, onion, lemon juice, melted coconut oil, coconut flour, salt, cinnamon, pure maple syrup, and eggs. 5. Using a hand mixer, beat all ingredients until smooth. 6. Pour into a 2-quart shuffle dish, lightly greased with coconut oil. 7. Bake uncovered for 45-60 minutes, center should be firm to the touch before eating. 8. Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired, and serve.

NOTES

Becky baked in individual ramekins.  

Becky Grimes Via KathyMillerTime
Make It Paleo

Recipe Printed from www.kathymillertime.com

Becky also prepared a  Paleo Hamburger/Vegetable Soup.

PALEO HAMBURGER VEGETABLE SOUP

Serving Size: 6-8

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds sweet potato
• 4 stalks celery, sliced
• 2 large carrots, sliced
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 5 1/2 cups reduced sodium beef broth
• 2 (14.5) ounce cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes (I like the ones with garlic)
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2-1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pound lean, grass-fed ground beef
• 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons Tapioca starch
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced + additional for garnish

Instructions

1. In a 7 quart slow cooker, stir together all of the ingredients, up to the ground beef.
2. Cover the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 3 hours.
3. Once the soup has cooked for 3 hours, heat a large, non-stick frying pan on medium heat and cook the beef until it is no longer pink, draining excess fat.  Add it into the slow cooker.
4. Put the tapioca starch in a medium bowl.  Add 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons of the hot broth from the slow cooker into the bowl and quickly whisk until smooth.  Add it into the slow cooer, whisking the soup as you pour it in.
5. Stir in the fresh parsley.
6. Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes- 1 hour, until the soup has thickened up a bit.
7. Serve with the extra parsley.

By Becky Grimes via KathyMillerTime

Recipe Printed from www.kathymillertime.com

This is my favorite quote from Becky! “When we are not on the diet the “other” Becky lives to bake.  A cast iron skillet apple pie is Tommy’s favorite.”  Becky made it too and brought slices to Dave and me and to a few other neighbors.  It is delicious! 

SKILLET APPLE PIE

Serving Size: 6-8

Print Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 2  pounds Granny Smith apples
• 2 pounds Braeburn apples
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 (14 ounce) package pie crusts
• 1 egg white
• 2 + tablespoons sugar
• ice cream

INSTRUCTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Peel apples and cut into 1/2 inch wedges. 3. Toss apples with cinnamon and 3/4 cups granulated sugar. 4. Melt butter in a 10” cast iron skillet over medium heat; add brown sugar and cook stirring constantly, 1-2 minutes or until sugar dissolved. 5. Remove from heat, place 1 pie crust in skillet over brown sugar mixture. 6. Spoon apple mixture over piecrust and top with remaining crust. 7. Whisk egg whites until foamy.  Brush top of pie crust with egg white, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. 8. Cut 4-5 slits in top of crust. 9. Bake 1- 1hour +10 minutes until golden brown, shielding with aluminum foil last 10 minutes.

Becky Grimes Via KathyMillerTime
Southern Living

Recipe Printed from www.kathymillertime.com

Thank you Becky and Tommy  and you, our readers, for joining us In The Kitchen!  Please let us know what you think and who we should feature.  Do you know someone who loves to cook?  Tell us. And just because we are talking In The Kitchen doesn’t mean you have to have a newly remodeled kitchen. You might like to tell us about your dining spots…or a family story about how you learned to cook.  Or share a few favorite recipes…AND  a shoutout to all our men cooks…we know you are out there. Let us hear from you.  We’d love to know your specialty!

Contact kathy@kathymillertime.com…visit kathymillertime.com for more recipes and art of living blog.

Come celebrate with me.  I’ll save you a seat at the table.