My Grandfather was the first person that I met who canned and preserved foods. Any visit would always include our family returning with Preserved Figs, Sweet Pickles and green beans.  My Grandfather had a massive garden at his home.

As an adult, I do not know how he took took care of his garden. I don’t remember my Grandfather having help but surely his garden size dictated a helper or two? Picking produce from his garden is a memory that is indelibly imprinted on my brain. At the time, I did not appreciate the value of the garden, the labor required to maintain seemed excessive in my young mind.

Gardening or preserving was not very exciting to a child. Sadly, by the time I became interested in the happenings of a kitchen, he had moved on to greener pastures. The loss of a loved one leaves a void and some opportunities evaporate with their death. When one door closes another one opens. Occasionally, we have to knock the door down to keep moving.

Fig Chess Pie Recipe and lessons from Granny

In addition to moving and never stopping, my Granny certainly taught me a thing or two about southern cooking. I learned to always cook more than you need because you never know when you may have an extra guest. Lord knows, I needed to learn this one. Cook simply and with the best ingredients that you may afford. Serve your guests with a smile and give a southern welcome.

I love preparing standard Chess Pie and serving at any gathering. My friend Jazz Girl is particularly fond of my plain-jane Chess Pie.  First of all, I knew that figs would blend well in an updated version of the Chess  pie. Figs have a sweet delicate flavor that marries well with dairy products.

In this recipe, I included a small amount of figs to the recipe for a delicate flavor. Depending on your taste and harvest, the figs could easily be doubled to increase the fig flavor. Southern Chess Pie is an old-fashioned dessert that holds up against the most discriminating palate.

In summary, simple with minimal ingredients, Fig Chess Pie recipe will entice your guests. A dollop of homemade whipped cream or a scoop of delicious ice cream would pair nicely with this pie. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

Shout out to Alexa  Jillian Jacqueline for her song- Reasons

Jilliam is part of the Listen Up Campaign. https://www.jillianjacqueline.com/

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My need for a quick appetizer plus craft beer runs the gambit and includes  having  a loved one  that may experience a bad case of “h-angry”? H-angry is a special kind of “I am so hungry that I am angry”. H-angry is something that I try to avoid at all costs. Grill-Man’s hypoglycemia kicks h-angry into overdrive. Let’s just say that it is not a pretty thing to watch.

First Quick  Appetizer plus craft beer now and later?

No matter the reason, it is good to have a meal trick up your sleeve. Pesto, Sausage, Zucchini, Cheese and Green Onion Pizza will do nicely. Because variations on this recipe are endless, it is easy to select your toppings that you may want.

Most of these ingredients, I always have on hand and could be changed based on pantry inventory. In this recipe I have chosen to use store-bought pie shell in lieu of pizza crust. Before you get your panties in an uproar, here’s why:

• pie crust is always on hand
• easy to use pie crust unrolls easily and allows for time savings
• it allows for a thinner crust which I prefer
• fewer calories per slice

If you’re a traditionalist and want to replace with pizza dough, please do so. The internet will yield lots of homemade crusts. This option will not be as quick unless you opt for the store-bought crust which requires a grocery store trip. Or plan in advance and have dough on hand or in the freezer which requires time to thaw.

Since, Pizza is food that most anyone will eat. This recipe will allow you to hide the zucchini. A sneaky way to introduce a veggie is to place the zucchini on first, then add cheese and other items on top. Mom  may have to get creative when introducing veggies to any meal.  The earlier you work in the vegetables  the better. This does not work for everyone. I am aware that some people just “do not like vegetables”. If that is the case, leave them off  or replace with another item.

Check Quick Appetizer, Plus Craft Beer from Fairhope Brewing Company

Enjoy this pizza recipe and it will pair well with beer. In Fairhope, we are lucky to have the first production craft brewery in Lower Alabama since prohibition. In order to make this happen, a ton of beer lovers near and far had to unite for a common goal to change Alabama law. For more information on this subject visit Free The Hops.

Due to the the hard work and constant beer drinking, Fairhope Brewing Company celebrated their Fourth Anniversary  this year.  The story behind the crafted beer is a story in itself. Visit the taproom soon and discover what makes FBC special.

Since Fairhope Brewing Company has a notable offering and distributes to Alabama, parts of Mississippi and Florida you’re in luck. If your around those parts of the world visiting our sandy beaches check ’em out. They are very clever with the naming of their beers and flavors.  Just to name a few:

Everyday Ale
S’wheat Home
Judge Roy Bean
I Drink Therefore I Amber
(take The) Causeway IPA
Along Came A Cider
Tarts and Crafts
Rescue Dog Red Ale
Coffee Stout

Shout out to Alexa for a song to pair with quick appetizer plus craft beer or pizza. Alexa delivered up some poetry about Cold Pizza and Warm beer. This was not what I had in mind so I resorted to you-tube. Never does it disappoint to give some type of entertainment. Check the version out on you-tube by Small Boys.

Now it’s time for the quick appetizer plus craft beer. I think a tall  frosty mug of I Drink Therefore I Amber. Nite Y’all!

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In the event you serve Chess Pie, someone inevitably will ask about the origin of the dish and name. Even today, I  am unsure of the origin based on my research. The name has a bit of mystery behind it. I was unable to find one definitive answer about the name . Internet search yielded several reasons ranging from  the following:

Corruption of word cheese
Ingredients stored in pantry or chest
Sugar content meant pie could be stored in chest  in lieu of refrigerator
Southern cook accent referring to “Jes’ pie”

My favorite version is the southern “Jes Pie”. Lord knows at times some people may have trouble understanding our Southern accent. The Chess Pie recipe is attributed to different regional locations. No matter the origination, it is a delicious and easy to make recipe.

Why make a Coconut Chess Pie?

I have served Chess Pie as a standard offering when I entertain for many reasons.

The ingredients are always in my pantry
Inexpensive to make
Quickly mixes by hand in one bowl
Bakes in 30 minutes
Cools quickly and is easy to transport
Magically it will always disappear

The Chess Pie is a favorite of my friend Jazz-Girl. I hope that she will like this Coconut Chess Pie recipe as well. I adapted this recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks Talk About Good published originally 1969 by Jr League of Lafayette, Inc.  Talk About Good is celebrating its 50th birthday this year. Buy one for yourself or as a gift, the money supports a great cause.

In conclusion, Coconut Chess Pie is a great addition for any holiday table. Prepare ahead and served as needed. Pour a hot cup of chicory coffee and I am a happy girl. I may need to have a slice now.

Alexa, Shout out to Darius Rucker “Southern State of Mind”.Darius sings “You can take the guy out of the south, but in my heart I’m always there”

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