Celebrate Everything!

Debbi Baker Covington’s first cookbook was a big success and sold well among her Wilson friends as well and her catering clientele in Beaufort, S.C., where she lives with husband Vince.

The slim, paperback volume published in 2005 included recipes she grew up with and recipes she used in her catering business.

Her new cookbook is also packed with 182 recipes from Catering by Debbi Covington as well as a few from her youth, but the coffee table book is quite different and still reflects a sophisticated palate and menus that are popular with current food trends.

“Celebrate Everything! Delicious Menus for Festive Gatherings and Easy Entertaining” is filled with colorful images of the food that has made Covington so popular in Beaufort and led Southern Living to recognize her as a “master of entertaining” in a 2010 feature story.

Covington, a 1981 graduate of Fike High School and 1986 graduate of Atlantic Christian College, said her cooking style has changed so much and so fast in recent years.

Much of that has to do with the Food Channel showing the country new foods to try and with the availability of specialty food items.

It hasn’t been that long, she said, that she had to travel to Charleston or Hilton Head in South Carolina or Savannah, Ga., to get some food items she needed. When she came home to Wilson, she could shop in Raleigh. But now, many specialty food items are available in Beaufort and other locales, including lime leaves, Thai chili peppers and canned curry, leaving more room for experimentation.

Covington enjoys trying new foods in her travels and adapting them for her catering business. But she hasn’t always had that variety in her diet.

Growing up in Wilson, she mostly ate chicken, barbecue, chicken dumplings, fried flounder.“It was pretty much the same stuff,” she said.

After moving to Raleigh, she learned about Mexican food and had her first chimichanga. When she moved to Wilmington, she ate steamed oysters and clams. She was always willing to try something new, and she still is.

A more recent trip to the winery at Biltmore Estate and a good meal inspired her to go home and make a fabulous dish herself.

She’s always saying, “Wow! That tastes really good, but I can change it.”


THE COOKBOOK

“Celebrate Everything!” includes many of those adapted recipes and is set up by menus.

For instance, her Easter brunch menu has recipes for ham and cheese rye strata, pecan pie muffins, glazed carrots, green salad with fresh fruit and blackberry-basil vinaigrette and Mama’s deviled eggs. Her supper club menu features creamy red pepper soup with croutons, romaine and grapefruit salad with citrus dressing, red pepper and spinach stuffed chicken breasts, potatoes baked in sea salt with herbed butter, black walnut bars and sparkling water.

Covington, who writes a food column for Beaufort’s Lowcountry Weekly newspaper, has a number of favorites in her new cookbook and encourages those who buy the book to try all of the salads. She especially recommends the crunchy fennel salad with grapes, dates, olives and almonds in the Halloween chapter. The salad is very pretty, she said, and she likes the different textures.

“It’s amazing.”

Other favorites include drunken spaghetti and broccoli salad with lemon pepper-blue cheese dressing. Both recipes are in the chapter, “Celebrate the Sound of Music: A Midsummer Night Supper on the Porch.” And the praline pumpkin imperial is a really good dessert, she said, so is her mother’s coconut cake made with black walnut extract.

Gorgeous color photographs by commercial photographer Paul Nurnberg make the dishes especially inviting — which was Covington’s aim.

“You eat with your eyes first,” she said. “If you see what you’re going to eat, it makes you more inclined to try to make it.”

She also wanted to give ideas on how to present her menus and set up elaborate table settings as examples.

Covington made all of the food photographed in the 216-page book. She cooked in the mornings, and she and Nurnberg worked together to shoot photos of the food. Then she changed clothes and ate the food with friends who were photographed as well.

“Those were long days,” she said.

The dishes, china, serving wear, linens and decorative items are all Covington’s. She estimates that she has 50 sets of dishes and china, some that she inherited from her mother.

“Some people buy shoes; I buy dishes and sets of glasses,” she said.

Covington is pleased with the way her book turned out and has already sold quite a few of the books since its release this summer.

“I think it’s gorgeous,” she said.

“Celebrate Everything!” by Debbi Baker Covington is $34.95 and can be purchased locally at Barrett’s Printing at 409 S. Goldsboro St. It can also be purchased online at cateringbydebbicovington.com. Click “cookbook.”

Vanilla-Topped Brownies

• 1 (21.5-ounces) package fudge brownie mix
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 (16-ounce) can chocolate fudge frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions (but don’t bake). Spread into greased 9x13-inch baking pan.

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and cornstarch until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk, egg and vanilla until smooth. Pour evenly over brownie batter.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Cool thoroughly. Spread with frosting. Store covered in refrigerator.

Makes 24 brownies.


Debbi said her mother made these brownies at her bridesmaids’ luncheon in 1991.

Debbi Covington | “Celebrate Everything!”




Fish Tacos with Cilantro-Lime Slaw and Chipotle Mayonnaise

For the mayonnaise:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 chipotles in adobo sauce
• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

For the slaw:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Zest of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 (16-ounce) package coleslaw mix
• 1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the tacos:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Flour, to dredge
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 pound tilapia fillets cut into 8 equal strips
• 8 (6-inch) flour tortillas
• 1 avocado, sliced

Place mayonnaise, chipotles, adobo sauce and lime in a food processor and puree; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, garlic, sugar, lime zest and lime juice. Stir in cabbage, green onions and cilantro; season with salt and pepper.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Season flour with salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin. Dredge the tilapia in seasoned flour; shake off excess. Cook the fish until golden brown on all sides.

Meanwhile, warm the tortillas according to package instructions. To make the tacos, spread chipotle mayonnaise on the tortillas, fill with cilantro-lime slaw, fish and avocado. Serves 4.

Chocolate and bananas

Sometimes I’ll see a recipe that I want to try, and I can’t get it off my mind until I buy the ingredients and make the dish. Or, in this case, the bread!

Last week I was looking at Rachael Ray’s website because I wanted a skillet she was using on a recent show and hoped to see it somewhere on her site (I didn’t). What I did find, though, was a list of the most popular and newest recipes to her site. At the top of the most popular list was chocolate chip banana bread.

I have several banana bread recipes I make from time to time for my family, and I’ve always wanted to try a version with chocolate chips. I had two large and very ripe bananas at my house, so I decided to make the recipe when I got home from work.

I only changed the recipe a little. I used self-rising flour instead of all-purpose and dropped the baking soda, and I decreased the sugar from 1 cup to 3/4 cup and added 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

The bread smelled so good as it baked, and I couldn’t wait to try it. Turns out it was as delicious as I expected. The chocolate chips are a nice complement to the bananas, and the bread is very moist.

I decided to make it a second time this week, this time using a little whole wheat flour. I also used mini chocolate chips the second time. That version was very good as well. It wasn’t as moist hot from the oven, but the next day, it was plenty moist and flavorful.

Both versions are delicious for a mid-morning snack!

The recipe creator at Plan B Mom blog also makes this recipe as muffins and has included the baking directions.

I’d love to try this recipe sometime with a mix of peanut butter and chocolate chips.


Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 bananas, mashed (1 cup mashed banana)
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour a 8 1/2-inch x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan (or use baking spray, such as Baker’s Joy brand).

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, baking soda and salt. Mix in the oil, bananas and eggs. Stir in the chocolate chips (do not overmix) and pour into the prepared pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 70-80 minutes. Cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely, right side up.

To make as 12 muffins, cook in muffin tins at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Start checking after 30 minutes.

Plan B Mom


NOTES: The first time I made this, I used self-rising flour and omitted the baking soda and salt. The second time, I used 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup all-purpose flour and used the baking soda and salt. Both times, I reduced the sugar to 3/4 cup and added 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

Also, my bread cooked much less than the time here. It was almost burning on the outside at 50-55 minutes but wasn’t cooked through in the middle. I lowered the temperature to 325 and cooked for another five to 10 minutes. So watch carefully while baking.

Fruit salsa

I’ve had so much fresh fruit in my house this summer that I thought it was the perfect time to try a fruit salsa recipe I’ve seen many times at allrecipes.com.

This summer at Bible school, the workers were treated to fruit salsa one night, and I loved it. I figured my readers would enjoy it as well, so I gave it a try.

Fruit salsa is basically a variety of fresh fruit cut into small pieces and mixed with a little sugar and fruit preserves. Most of us think spicy when we hear the name salsa, but there’s nothing spicy about it.

Fruit salsa’s ingredients can be adjusted according to your family’s tastes and to the fruit in season.

For my salsa, I used a cup of strawberries, a cup of blueberries, a gala apple and a kiwi. For the preserves, I chose peach. I made a small batch for just a few people and was finished with the recipe in less than 20 minutes.

I’ve read many versions of fruit salsa using a variety of fruits, including raspberries, blackberries, pineapple, mangoes, pears, oranges, bananas, pomegranates, nectarines, fresh peaches and frozen peaches, plums and grapes. Am I missing something?

You can also be adventurous with your preserve or jelly selection. Suggestions from those who have made salsa include orange marmalade; apricot, pineapple or blackberry preserves; strawberry or apple jelly; and even cranberry sauce!

This is a very pretty dish; I love the colors and textures. It would be a wonderful item for a party or shower and an equally good treat for a lunch box.

I served the salsa with Trader Joe’s cinnamon sugar pita chips. Stacy’s also makes cinnamon sugar pita chips. Allrecipes includes a recipe for homemade cinnamon tortilla chips, which I’ll include. I’ve made my own tortilla chips before, and they’re very good. But the store-bought pita chips are delicious and easy.

The next time I make this, I want to try it with a little bit of granola on top and skip the chips. It would also be delicious on pound cake.

If you love fruit, I think you’ll love this recipe!



Annie’s Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

• 2 kiwis, peeled and diced
• 2 golden delicious apples — peeled, cored and diced
• 8 ounces raspberries
• 1 pound strawberries
• 2 tablespoons white sugar*
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar*
• 3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor

Chips

• 10 (10-inch) flour tortillas
• Butter-flavored cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, golden delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter-flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.

Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.

*Most reviewers cut back on the sugar in this recipe, and some eliminated it altogether.

Allrecipes.com



Fruit Salsa

• 1 kiwi, peeled and cut into small pieces
• 1 gala apple, cut into small pieces (I did not peel it)
• 1 cup strawberries, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar (I will use less next time or might even eliminate)
• 1 tablespoon peach preserves

Mix all ingredients and chill until ready to eat.

I served mine with store-bought cinnamon pita chips.